Job Seekers Driven To Self-Employment By Worsening Economy

Worsening Economy is Driving Job Seekers to Self-employment

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.-- July 03, 2008 --Forced retirement, job cutbacks, and economic uncertainty all point to a safety net of a recession-proof franchise opportunity. Liberty Tax Service is experiencing a tremendous response to its franchise opportunity. "When job security goes away, many people decide to take the future into their own hands," according to John Hewitt CEO and Founder of Liberty Tax Service. (www.libertytaxfranchise.com). The company offers low start-up costs and the certainty of filing income tax returns to provide an enticing business opportunity that's a part of the American way of life.

In 2008, the gloomy forecast is that corporate layoffs could increase up to 37 percent. Contrast that with the tax industry that historically has delivered a growing market of taxpayers every year. Approximately 62% of all taxpayers paid someone to prepare their taxes in 2008, up from 51% in 1994.

Liberty Tax and CEO John Hewitt are garnering many accolades for a superlative franchise opportunity that welcomes a diverse America to join its ranks. Hewitt has 39 years of tax industry experience, the most of any CEO in the tax preparation business. He is the only founder of two franchises that Entrepreneur magazine has ranked in the top 25 of their Franchise 500: Liberty Tax Service and Jackson Hewitt Tax Service (NYSE:JTX).

"Our franchisees continue to be the cornerstone of our success. For the sixth year in a row, Liberty grew by more returns (raw numbers) than H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt combined," noted Hewitt. "We are focused on providing an affordable opportunity for new franchisees, and great support so that our existing franchisees can add additional offices. These key factors will allow us to open a projected 400 new offices for tax season 2009."

Liberty Tax franchising is a fit with various life scenarios: keeping a day job while starting a franchise, entry into the tax business with little or no experience, and the challenge of a busy seasonal business.

A tax background is not a requirement. Top performing Liberty Tax franchisee, Annie Fuller of Newberry, South Carolina lacked any previous tax experience. "I followed the Liberty Tax Service system, held tax schools for training, and hired the best people who were stars in the customer service arena," said Annie. "I'm obviously not a bean counter." By Tax Day, April 17th 2007, Annie's first-year Liberty Tax office in Newberry finished #1 in the entire Liberty Tax Service operating system for first-year stores with a company record of 1658 returns prepared. She was first in the system for second year offices in 2008.

About Liberty Tax Service:

Founded in 1997 by CEO John T. Hewitt, Liberty Tax Service (www.libertytax.com) has prepared over 6,000,000 individual income tax returns. The Liberty Tax franchise opportunity is ranked highly on Entrepreneur's "Franchise 500" for affordability, low cost and overall potential. The company is a member of the International Franchise Association and its MinorityFran and FranVet outreach programs. John Hewitt is available for interviews on franchising issues and entrepreneurial advice.
Contacts

Liberty Tax Service
Martha O'Gorman
Chief Marketing Officer
800-790-3863 ext. 8022
martha.ogorman@libtax.com

Program to Protect Consumers Against Fraud

MoneyGram Announces Program to Protect Consumers Against Fraud

MINNEAPOLIS-- July 02, 2008 --MoneyGram International is adding to its existing efforts to protect consumers from fraud-induced money transfers in response to concerns from state Attorneys General. Through an agreement of voluntary compliance, MoneyGram is taking steps to enhance consumer protections and further address the problem of wire transfer fraud. The company and 44 states plus the District of Columbia are cooperating on a five-year plan to raise public awareness of the dangers of fraud through a variety of tactics including enhanced consumer education, more prominent fraud warnings for money transfer customers and enhanced training for agents.

Besides enhancing its own education efforts, MoneyGram will contribute $1.1 million to the AARP Foundation for Consumer Education to fund a fraud awareness program aimed at the elderly, who are often targets for fraud. This program is expected to get underway in the next three to six months.

"We are very pleased to help launch this program," said Tony Ryan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of MoneyGram International. "We are committed to helping to stop fraud and protect consumers, and we know that this is an issue that none of us can tackle alone."

"AARP Foundation's fight against consumer fraud advances AARP's goal of ensuring the economic security of people 50 and over," said AARP Foundation President Robin Talbert. "Preventing consumer fraud and abuse are critical components of financial security. AARP, the AARP Foundation and hundreds of community volunteers have been fighting fraud directed at older consumers for more than 10 years. We are very proud of our outreach and education."

MoneyGram will also pay $150,000 to the Attorneys General Executive Committee to cover costs.

MoneyGram International, Inc. is a leading global payment services company. The company's major product and services include global money transfers, money orders and payment processing solutions for financial institutions and retail customers. MoneyGram has 152,000 global money transfer locations in 180 countries and territories. For more information, visit the company's website at www.moneygram.com.

Contacts

MoneyGram International
Michael Fox, 203-682-8218
mfox@icrinc.com

Inventors Wanted For Texas Reality TV Show

Reality TV Show Looks for Inventors in Texas

How TV Shows and Internet Sites Help Thousands of Aspiring Inventors Transform their Big Ideas into Reality. Everyday Edisons has announced the casting calls for Season 3, with the next auditions being held at the Dallas Convention Center today, starting at 7am. Internet sites such as IdeaTango help inventors through online resources and community forums.

Dallas, Texas  -  March 16 -- Exactly how can the average person transform a mere sketch on a napkin into a useful product available to the masses? This was the question that Louis Foreman wanted to answer when he created Everyday Edisons, the inventor reality TV show on PBS. After two successful seasons, Everyday Edisons has announced the casting calls for Season 3, with the next auditions being held at the Dallas Convention Center today, starting at 7am.

Inventors are often not aware about the multi-step product development process through which a basic concept is transformed into a marketable product. This is where television shows like Everyday Edisons or websites like Dallas-based IdeaTango.com come into the picture.

Whereas some are able to take their ideas to the masses through TV reality shows, many more can interact through IdeaTango features like a virtual trade show, a yellow pages for service providers, community forums, and most importantly, educational guides to help inventors launch their million-dollar idea.

IdeaTango.com president and founder Bryan Daigle says, "It's great to see how Everyday Edisons is helping the independent inventors and bringing so many brilliant ideas into the market." "As thousands of inventors line up across the country for a shot at big time, we're also meeting many of these inventors along the way, helping them to turn their dreams into reality."

The Everyday Edisons show will be looking at a range of inventions, and also at those in various states of development, from simple concepts and sketched ideas to detailed, patented designs and factory prototypes. The finished products will also be reviewed by representatives from the major retailers.

In addition to the casting call, there will also be a series of seminars and an opportunity to meet with experts from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Everyday Edisons is produced with the cooperation of the United States Patent & Trademark Office, and like IdeaTango, hopes to propel thousands of local inventors into the spotlight.

About Everyday Edisons
Everyday Edisons is a reality TV show that airs on PBS, and follows inventors as they go from idea to product. The show's producers and industry experts work with all the contestants, helping them to succeed in the development and marketing of their inventions. Everyday Edisons is a production of Bouncing Brain Productions.

For more information about Everyday Edisons, visit www.everydayedisons.com

About IdeaTango.com
As seen on The Big Idea with Donnie Deutsch, local and national news stations across the country, and one of the largest technology blogs, Gizmodo, Dallas-based IdeaTango.com is a one-of-a-kind social networking site specifically created to help inventors act on their great ideas. This "ingenuity community" provides inventors interactive, collaborative, and educational tools to help inventors connect with valuable resources, and one another. IdeaTango is also the winner of the Rice Alliance 2007 "Most Promising" Web 2.0 Company award.

More information about IdeaTango.com is available at www.ideatango.com

Press Contact: Bryan Daigle
Company Name: IdeaTango.com
Phone: 214-680-3551
Website: http://www.ideatango.com