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Mary J. Blige and Her Tax Woes

Just to show you that being rich and famous doesn’t mean you don’t have financial problems, the sad tale of Mary J. Blige should remind you of that. In case you don’t know who she is, Blige is one of the most famous and most gifted singers performing today, has been dubbed the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul” and has won 9 Grammy Awards. She’s also starred in movies such as Rock of Ages and recently filmed a new television movie with Angela Bassett called Betty & Coretta, about the lives of Coretta Scott King (the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) and Betty Shabazz (the widow of Malcolm X), which airs on the Lifetime Channel on February 25.

But while professionally her life is a success, Mary J. Blige is having terrible financial issues these days. According to The Huffington Post, the state of New Jersey has levied a tax lien of over $900,000 against her.

Apparently, this is just the latest in a series of tough financial situations the singer has faced over the last year or so. She was sued by Bank of America in February of this year over a 2005 loan in the amount of $500,000 that she allegedly defaulted on in June 2012. And in November 2012, Signature Bank also sued Blige and her husband, Martin Isaacs, for defaulting on a $2.2 million loan from the bank that the singer and her spouse took out in October 2011 and then allegedly stopped paying on in July 2012.

Finally, the singer’s charity, The Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, a foundation created (according to The Daily News) for the purpose of providing scholarships, grants and programs to help women gain confidence and succeed in their careers, was sued for not paying back a loan and accused of mishandling their money. According to TMZ, Mary J. Blige blamed the financial mishaps on the foundation’s staff by saying “The problem is that I didn’t have the right people in the right places doing the right things”.

Knowing what’s going on in your own financial affairs – and having the right people help you figure things out (which is what PrimeRates.com tries to do for you every day) – is the best way to stay on the financial straight and narrow. Good luck to Mary J. Blige. We hope she figures this all out.

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