Budgeting Tip Give Every Dollar a JOB

If someone were to ask me to give them one piece of advice regarding their money I would tell them one thing (and I wouldn\'t hesitate at all in telling them): Get on a written budget.

And if that someone wanted a tip about budgeting specifically, I would tell them one thing (and I wouldn\'t hesitate at all in telling them): Give every dollar a job.

Some other budgeting tips may be to make it simple, ensure that both spouses (if married) are on board, write down everything, etc. But the grand-daddy of all esteemed budgeting strategies is give every one of those grubby little dollars a job to do.

In the old days, devoted budgeters would use envelopes to assign jobs to their dollars. That was pretty straight-forward. That dollar, sitting in the \groceries\ envelope, knew exactly what to do, and when to do it.

In our much-more-modernized society (not so much improved on the budgeting front, I might add), we don\'t seem to manage too well with a lot of cash. I personally have tried the envelope system with a few select spending categories (groceries was the big one) and failed miserably. I would forget the envelope. Have I ever forgotten my debit card? Not one time.

But must our dollars go unemployed?

Heavens no. Quite the contrary. With spending apparently easier now than in the past (access to credit), it has become even more important that we assign each dollar that comes into our hands a job to do for the month.

For instance. Let\'s say that $2,000 comes into your hands during the month. You take every, single, solitary dollar and you assign it a job. Some will go toward rent, and do their job in the month. Other dollars will go to savings, where their job is to recruit new employees and train them to do the same. Some dollars have the job of just being \ready\ for an emergency. You\'ll have some dollars that sit around for six to twelve months before finally doing something (Car Insurance Premiums, and Christmas come to mind).

Every dollar still does something. No dollar goes unassigned. Ever.

Well, almost never.

You might consider a realistic unemployment rate for your personal economy. Is unemployment better? Certainly not. But it\'s realistic. And I\'ve found too often that when people are unrealistic with their budgeting, they crash and burn. They give up. Why? Because you can\'t do unrealistic things when you\'re living in a brutally realistic world.

So what does an unemployed dollar do? Well, my wife gets a few of them, I get a few of them. And we can basically do whatever we want with them. They\'re unemployed. They might go buy a book for me from Amazon.com, or some protein powder. Julie may purchase some crochet hooks, or a new shirt. It really doesn\'t matter to me what she buys. She doesn\'t even have to tell me when she has. Unemployed dollars don\'t report to any boss except themselves. (Because of our habit of budgeting, she tells me anyway, but it\'s not required and that\'s the important point).

When you\'re employing every dollar of your personal economy, make sure to unemploy a few too. It will more closely align your ideal world of money with the real world of money.

Where do you eventually want most of your dollars working? In the Savings Department. In that deparment they\'re extremely useful. They find other dollars to employ on their own, and teach these new dollars the ropes (find more dollars, and teach them to find more dollars). The Savings Department is a beautiful thing.

Where do you absolutely need dollars? In the Emergency Department. These dollars aren\'t there to find other dollars. They\'re simply in charge of your Disaster Relief Plan. They maintain it. They make sure it\'s functioning. They shouldn\'t be employed in other departments. And they should never, ever be unemployed.

Because we\'re in this technologically progressive (and fiscally-irresponsible) society, you need to use something that will allow you to assign your dollars their jobs with ease. I use an Excel Personal Budget that has worked well for me and my wife. We know what dollars have come in:

• Employment
• Self-Employment
• Birthday Money (these dollars are unemployed for us)
• Found-on-the-Sidewalk Money
• Sold-Something-on-eBay Money
• etc, etc.

And we assign them jobs. This one budgeting tip will do more for your finances than any other. I guarantee it.

Jesse Mecham is a personal budgeting coach, creator of a unique and powerful personal budgeting system, husband, and father.

Read more of his writings at the You Need A Budget Blog

Car Loans After Bankruptcy Financing Auto Loans With High Risk Lenders

Bouncing back after bankruptcy is easier than most people think. The key to rebuilding credit involves re-establishing a good payment history with new creditors. To do this, you must apply for new accounts. Getting approved for new lines of credit following a bankruptcy is challenging. Fortunately, many lenders offer programs that allow a fresh beginning after bankruptcy. If you are hoping to boost your credit rating, consider getting approved for an auto loan.



Benefits of Getting an Auto Loan after Bankruptcy



If you do not begin establishing a good credit history after bankruptcy, your credit score will not improve. If filing bankruptcy, it is wise to educate yourself on ways to quickly boost credit rating. One such tactic includes financing an automobile.



Most auto loan lenders offer loans to people with bad credit. Cars and other types of vehicles are collateral-based loans. Hence, if you do not repay the money, the lender may reclaim their property.



Disadvantage of Getting an Auto Loan after Bankruptcy



Auto loans after bankruptcy are very popular because it\'s one of the easiest methods for quickly re-establishing credit. The downside is that these loans carry a very high interest rate.



Interest rates depend largely on credit scores. Having bad credit may qualify you for an interest rate around 9 or 10 percent. However, if you have very bad credit, the interest rate may climb to around 18 percent. Nonetheless, it is possible to refinance for a better rate once your credit improves.



Using High Risk Auto Lenders



If getting a new car after bankruptcy, accepting dealership financing without shopping around is a big no-no. Dealerships want to make a profit. With this said, many dealerships charge higher interest and finance fees. Before signing a loan agreement, shop around and explore other lending options.



High risk or sub prime auto lenders offer a wide selection of loans. These loans cater to all credit types. Furthermore, the rates are extremely reasonable. To obtain quotes from sub prime lenders, complete an online application with an auto loan broker. Most brokers offer instant quotes and multiple offers from many lenders.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Visit www.abcloanguide.com/autoloans.shtml for a list of after bankruptcy auto loan companies. View our recommended after bankruptcy automobile lenders online.

What Do Those Credit Card APR And FEES Mean Any Way?

Many card providers calculate APR based on several tables. The APR is part of the package when receiving a credit card that you must understand to avoid debt. Nowadays, nearly any company that offers consumers the ability to pay their debts via phone will charge a fee. The fee sometimes starts at $1.50 and reaches to $3.50. As you can see, to save money you want to avoid the telephone. Some companies are even charging customers for reviewing their statements, asking general questions, and so forth. Therefore, the telephone is making more money than you are if you continue to press those buttons. Therefore, if you are applying for a credit card, make sure your read the Terms & Conditions carefully to avoid overcharge. It is bad enough you have to pay your own phone bill without paying someone else\'s. You might want to look at the Internet also. Some cards providers offer FREE ONLINE account access, but once you go online you find out that the FREE has a FEE.

Annual FEES should be weighed out carefully also, since some providers claim to offer NO ANNUAL FEES, and when you get your first bill, and the succeeding bills, you will learn that the FREE again has a FREE.

Cash Advances are often provided with credit card acceptance. This is good in some instances, but if the APR rates are high, it\'s not worth your time. Some card providers offer a fee of $3 on cash advances, but again you want to read the Terms & Conditions carefully to avoid debt.

Balance Transferring is the process where the card provider will allow the cardholder to use one method to pay another fee. In other words, some card providers will send the client a \'check\' and once the check is utilized to pay the balance, fees will apply. Therefore, learn more about balance transfers to avoid debt.

Late fees are often charged to cardholders, plus APR rate increase. This means that the cardholder will pay: bill + APR +Late FEE +APR, if the bill succeeds the grace period. As you can see, late fees can take your money and toss it down the river. The one most frustrating thing in the world is to work your buns off, all to find out that you have nothing left once your bills are paid.

Credit cards have limits on credit spent. In other words, some credit cards offer credit up to $30,000, while others offer less. If the cardholder succeeds the limit, then the card providers will often charge high APR+ Payment.

This is one of the most selfish acts of any card provider, but few card providers will literally CHARGE their clients additional fees, simply for requesting a higher credit limit on the card. How cruel and vicious, but it is a reality.

Overdrafts charges will also be charged if you pay for an item with a \'check\' and the \'check\' is returned, without sufficient funds. You would think that the providers would be happy to get a new customer, but instead you see where their goal is, since some credit card lenders actual charge customers for opening a new account with them.

Anyone applying for a major credit card should be wise to compare and contrast the different cards, the cards attributes, costs, APR, fees, and other details carefully before sitting them self up for a ride. Credit cards are plastic coated cards that have put millions of people all over the world in court filing bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy
If you haven\'t heard yet, the law is making it virtually impossible, especially for anyone holding a credit card to get out of the debt. At one time, it was easy to go into bankruptcy, but now, the greed has extended to the point it is pushing people over the edge. Finally, word of caution, if you feel you can survive without a credit card, and then do so, otherwise, make sure you read, learn, and control your spending if you are accepted for a major credit card.

Please visit http://www.finance-online.net For more information and resources regarding credit cards and other finance topics.

Find a Methodology and Minimize Investment Madness

There are many reasons to be investing these days, and too much opportunity to not have your money working for you.

However, I believe the majority of people dread having to deal with investment matters, and tend to jump into purchases and then hold their breath hoping for the best. After a long day at work and taking care of the family, it's hard to get excited about reading up on your 401(k) options, Morningstar ratings and fund performances.

If this sounds like you, there are basically 3 choices.

You can have your investments professionally managed, you can continue as you have in the past & keep your fingers crossed, or you can find a methodology that objectifies the investing process (that's buying and selling investments) and helps you maximize your long-term results.

To determine if you need help managing your investments(and this doesn't necessarily mean having to pay for advice) you might want to ask yourself these questions:

=> Do I really have the time and interest to follow the market closely on a daily basis?

=> Have I done well in the past managing my own investments?

=> Do I really want to add another layer of work and responsibility onto an already busy schedule?

If you're like most people, you would answer yes to some and no to others, so how do you decide? If you think you could have or should have done better with your investments, then you need some help. Don't feel bad. Having counseled hundreds of people over the past 15 years I can honestly say that everybody needs some help, whether they are aware of it or not.

Why? This could come as a surprise, but, in fact, your financial life is a lot shorter than your physical life?

Most people who end up investing don't really start working and making money until they are about 25 years old. Considering the average retirement age of 65, this gives you only 40 years to save and invest wisely.

If you make a poor investment decision, such as trying to stay fully invested during a bear market, you could lose big both in terms of diminished dollars and wasted time.

To drive home this important point, let me give you an actual example involving my own portfolio. For ease of illustration I have adjusted the beginning portfolio balance to $10,000.

During the period from 1/25/91 to 10/13/00 my $10,000 investment grew to $37,840, which is a 14.67% compounded annual return.

On 10/13/00, based on a methodology I was following, I liquidated all of my domestic mutual fund positions and moved 100% to the safety of my money market account. Thanks to this move, my portfolio retained 100% of its value on that date.

As we now know with hindsight, most people held on to their investment positions and have so far lost on average 50% to 60% of the value of their portfolios. For this example let us use 50%.

If I had held onto my position, my portfolio would be down to $18,920. Last time I hit that level on the way up was in 1995.

In other words, not only would I have lost 50% of my portfolio I would have lost even more by having used up 20% (8 years) of my total financial life.

How can you avoid mistakes like that in the future? Spend a little of your valuable research time looking for investment methodologies that allow you to side-step bear markets and let you move back in during bull markets. In other words, invest your time looking at methodologies instead of investments themselves. This will lay the foundation for more effective use of your money and time.

If you find a methodology that you like, and it matches your investment philosophy, stick with it for the long term. It should have the aspect of telling you when to get out of, as well as when to get into, an investment.

I suggest you follow these broad guidelines:

• Don't be afraid to take a small loss to avoid bigger disasters.

• Stay away from commissioned sales people (because they have incentives other than your best interests), and if you use an advisor, be sure he or she is fee based.

• Above all, don't get overwhelmed by news, rumors and predictions that are irrelevant to your strategy.

If you take this advice, I guarantee that pretty soon sleepless nights will be a thing of the past and you'll be on your way to more confidently and successfully (that means profitably) managing your investments.

About The Author

Ulli Niemann is an investment advisor and has been writing about objective, methodical approaches to investing for over 10 years. He eluded the bear market of 2000 and has helped hundreds of people make better investment decisions. To find out more about his approach and his FREE Newsletter, please visit: http://www.successful-investment.com; ulli@successful-investment.com

Mortgage Loan Your Mortgage Lender and Their Dirty Little Secrets

If you are in the market for a mortgage or a home equity loan, you need to do your homework before signing on the dotted line. There are a number of common mortgage mistakes that can cost you thousands. Many mortgage lenders rely on you making mistakes so they can charge you more. There are a number of gimmicks mortgage lenders use to trick unsuspecting homeowners into paying more.

Here are tips to help you avoid being taken advantage of by your mortgage broker or lender.

Prepayment Penalties

A prepayment penalty is a fee your lender charges if you refinance the mortgage or sell your home. This penalty usually only applies for the first five years of the mortgage; however, some lenders try and slip more stringent conditions in their loan contracts. The actual penalty varies by lender; however, you may be required to pay as much as six months interest on 85% of the original loan balance if you refinance or sell before the penalty expires.

Don\'t accept a mortgage with a prepayment penalty. If you have good credit there is no reason to choose a lender that uses this penalty. The mortgage industry is extremely competitive and your credit rating is an excellent bargaining chip for any mortgage company to have your business. If the lender refuses to remove the prepayment penalty from the contract, take your business elsewhere.

If you have bad credit you may be stuck with the prepayment penalty. You should negotiate with the lender for less stringent terms on the contract. If you can get the lender to lower the duration of the penalty to one year or set the amount to a lesser value you will be better of when you refinance to a better mortgage.

Discount Interest Rates

If you see a lender advertising a mortgage with an abnormally low interest rate, say three percent for example, this is a \discount interest rate.\ Discount rates are used to lure in homeowners that don\'t know any better.

Discount interest rates are only good for an introductory period. At the end of the introductory period the lender will adjust the discount interest rate to the actual rate; this actual interest rate is usually buried somewhere in the fine print. When the lender adjusts the interest rate at the end of the introductory period the monthly payment goes up dramatically. These gimmicky types of mortgage loans often come with variable interest rates which may or may not have interest rate caps.

To learn more about mortgage lender gimmicks and how to avoid paying too much for your mortgage, sign up for a free mortgage guidebook.

To get your free mortgage guidebook visit RefiAdvisor.com using the link below.

St Louis Mortgage Refinance

Louie Latour is a mortgage professional and the owner of RefiAdvisor.com, a mortgage resource site offering a free gift for homeowners: \Mortgage Refinance: What You Need to Know.\ This guidebook helps homeowners avoid common mortgage mistakes and predatory lending practices.

Claim your free gift today at: http://www.refiadvisor.com

Commercial Real Estate Prospects in India

Commercial real estate in India has picked up real fast over the last 5 years and has transformed the Indian architecture in a major way.

Commercial Real Estate India as a trend setter

1.A population of 1.1 billion and a workforce of 496.4 million serve a great potential for real estate investors in India. The talent pool of intellectual capital and cost effectiveness gives India a competitive edge in the real estate scene.

2.A growth rate of 30% and a 30% average rate of returns look lucrative for future prospects in the realty sector.

3.Latest research data estimates increase in revenue generation from $14 billion to $102 billion over the next 10 years. For NRIs investing in real estate India. the return has been more than profitable. They feel India in this regard has not even tapped 20% of market.

4.Moreover with the relaxation of FDI rules and tax incentives for NRI s the Government has sure encouraged in increasing foreign capital. Global investors investing in real estate India can certainly look for a 25% ROI!

The peaks of commercial real estate in India

Organized retail: With the increase in mass consumption, shifting trends in the pattern of consumption of luxury goods and purchasing power corporate houses have ventured into retail in a big way. Take the case of RPG Spencer\'s largest presence in South India with FoodWorld, MusicWorld and Health and Glow. Apart from this there have been other major players like Birlas, Tatas and now Reliance is thinking on similar lines. This explains the mushrooming retail projects and shopping malls.

Entertainment: The need for entertainment, fun and leisure has transformed the urban architecture with multiplexes, hotels and a commercial real estate India boom.

Job scenario: India not only promises better workforce in terms of intellectual capital but also cheap labor. This has welcomed thousands of IT, telecomm and ITES Companies to set up offices here in India.

Why should investors be encouraged to invest in real estate?

According to Grant Thomton, a leading international and audit firm, India ranks number one out of 30 countries having medium-sized business beating China and Europe. Surprised? Think about free market, liberalization and open FDI policies which have attracted some of the major brands, investors and realtors from abroad.

India has more experience when it comes to lending and raising capital compared to China. Take a look at the rising boom of Bombay Stock Exchange and existence of major banks like ICICI and HDFC. These pointers have been a major encouragement to global players like Morgan Stanley which has invested $68 million in real estate India.

Conclusion

India has raised the bar in investment scene so far real estate is concerned. The country has immense scope of building infrastructure and increasing returns on investment by 50%. The yield on commercial real estate India have been larger than global real estate which makes this country such a popular destination in terms of real estate investment.

Larry Jone is an associated editor to the website http://www.indianground.com Indianground is dedicated to explain queries for commercial property India, real estate in Mumbai,India properties, with the latest news updates. Your feedback and comments will be highly appreciated at \larryjone@gmail.com\.

Discover The Truth About Credit Repair

If you have bad credit, then you may be tempted to hire a
company that tells you that they can give you an entirely new
credit file, or remove bad marks from your credit
report--whether or not they're true.

Don't be fooled! The truth is, there are no shortcuts or magic
pills that will give you a AAA credit rating.AAA credit will
take time and a lot of effort on your part to make it a reality.
And there are some scams that you need to be aware of so you
won't fall victim to one of these questionable credit repair
companies. Because of this, we've put together some guidelines
to help you in the process.

First of all, beware of any company that tells you they can
remove true marks from your credit report. Generally, a credit
repair scam that tells that it's possible will try to bombard
the credit reporting agencies with inquires and hope that they
won't respond in the given time-period. Or will simply take off
the remarks to stop the incoming letters. Here's the truth: even
if the scam operation does manage to get a few bad remarks
removed from your credit report, they can always be added on
again should the lender prove that the bad marks were true.

Next, don't walk, run as fast as you can from companies that
offers to get you a new credit report identity! Being part of
these scams could land you in jail! Why? Because their mode of
operation is to get you to apply for a tax identification
number, which has the same amount of digits as your social
security number, and then use it whenever applying for credit.
The number will come up clean, and you won't have to pay the
consequences for your past bad marks. Now, here's the downfall.
Lying to the federal government about your intended uses for a
federal ID number is a federal offense--and guess who will take
the rap? That's right--you--the person who actually filled out
the forms under penalty of law.

Another sure sign that a company is operating a credit repair
scam, and not a true credit repair company, is if they try to
pressure you into signing a contract with them. They will likely
want large, upfront fees and will tell you that the offer
expires today, or use some other high pressure tactic. A company
that is truly concerned about helping you to repair your credit
will never pressure you or try and trick you into signing a
contract with them. In addition, they will make it clear to you,
that if you do change your mind within three days of signing,
it's the law that you will be release from any obligation.

Finally, you should accept the fact that no one can epair
your credit if you've truly made the errors in your past. The
only way to build a good credit report is to pay your bills on
time, not extend your credit limits, and be careful not to apply
for too many credit lines. Do all of these things on your own
and you'll soon find yourself with a AAA credit report!

Payday Loans: The Way to Go When you Need Cash Urgently

A personal loan takes at least a couple of days to be approved and sometimes people don\'t have that much time. This is true for example if cash for medicine is needed by a sudden accident or illness, a personal loan cannot solve this kind of problem but a payday loan can.



Few Requirements

Payday loans do not require thorough credit checks or collateral which makes them very attractive for those who have bad credit or do not own a property. In fact, requirements for a payday loan are minimal; you just need to have a bank account and a job. Compared with all the requirements needed for applying for a personal loan, especially at banks, payday loans are a far more accessible financial option.



When time is an issue

When you don\'t have enough time, nothing compares to payday loans. No bank or lender could ever approve up to $2000 in less than 24 hours, the time needed to fill and approve all the paperwork required for a personal loan takes far more than that. Payday loan lenders, on the other hand, are used to process loan request within hours. There are few requirements to check and before you know you get the money transferred to your account.

A payday loan is usually due by the time your next paycheck arrives. So you don\'t have much time for repaying, nor have you, except in certain situations, the possibility to extend the repayment program. This loans are intended for an emergency situation, that being said, if you won\'t be able to repay the loan you should use the time you gain to get approved for a more flexible personal loan, repayable in installments.



Interest rate

Payday loans carry a high interest rate; this is due to the fact that there is a very high risk involved for the lender. The truth is that the lender lacks almost any guarantee that the borrower will be able to repay what he owes. To compensate this, he charges a high interest rate, and offers a short period of time for repayment.



Loan Amounts

Loan amounts are not high, usually the loan amount offered ranges between $500 and $1000. However, in certain cases you may be able to find lenders willing to lend up to $2000. But if you need more money than that, you will have no choice but to wait to get approved for a personal loan.



Great for those with Bad Credit

When you apply for a payday loan your credit report won\'t be pulled, so it doesn\'t matter if you have low credit. You just will have to offer proof of a job and provide your bank account number in order for the lender to transfer the funds.



100% Online

There isn\'t much paperwork involved. In fact, there are faxless payday loans offered on the net. The whole process is performed online. It isn\'t difficult to find these lenders, there are many sites offering access to lots of payday loan lenders so you can compare rates and see which lender best suits your needs.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Mary Ann Wise, a professional consultant with more than twenty years in the financial field, is currently committed to helping people in the process of securing personal loans, mortgage, refinance or consolidation loans and preventing consumers from falling into the hands of fraudulent lenders. In one of her websites: www.badcreditloanservices.com you will find more useful tips and interesting articles on this subject and other financial related topics.

Forex Brokers Helping to Maximize Your Success

A Forex broker is a broker dealing in foreign exchange, just like real estate broker who deals in real estate and properties. Simply, a Forex broker is an advisor who advises you about the forex market. However, the Forex market is not the perfect place to play with as a novice and beginner as there are many criticalities involved along with much risk bearing capacities. Novices can very quickly get their fingers badly burnt. But inexperience is not the only reason to consider using a Forex broker to trade in the high-risk international currencies market.

So, the Forex broker is an advisor who advises you about the forex market and allows you to work for 24 hours a day with major currencies like EUR, JPY, GBP, CHF etc against the US dollar on the spot, i.e. according to the current prices on the forex international exchange market. But the level of profits depends only on your abilities as well as your timely decision.

Although the role of the Forex broker is relatively redundant as a result of technological advancement and increased awareness, we cannot completely underestimate his role. The new paradigm shift has had something of a democratizing effect on the financial markets, and in the years that have followed a plethora of banks and brokerages have extended the range of their services to a new market by packaging up their online trading systems for the retail market, enabling the more modest investor to trade from their own computer screen - even on the previously out-of-reach currency markets. This is where the real role of Forex broker starts.

PIP is nothing special but Price Interest Points. In the forex market, currencies are always priced in pairs. The quoted price is the level where we, acting as the market maker, are willing to buy/sell the currency pair. In the wholesale market, currencies are quoted out to four decimal places, with the last placeholder called a point or a pip. A pip in most currencies is one /10,000th of an exchange rate (in USD/JPY, it is one /100th, likewise you can find for others).

Let\'s see some more information about Spread. As with all financial products, forex quotes include terms like \'bid\' and \'ask\\'. The \'bid\', in its simplest terms is the price at which a dealer is willing to buy (and clients can sell) the base currency in exchange for the counter currency. The \'ask\' is the price at which dealer will sell (and clients can buy) the base currency in exchange for the counter currency. The difference between the bid and the ask price is referred to as the spread. The spread defines the trader\'s cost, which can be recovered with a favorable currency move in the market. The value of a pip is determined by the pair of currencies being traded, the rate at which the currency pair is trading and the size of the position being traded.

There are many great Forex brokers, like COESfx, who maintains tight, competitive spreads in the four major currencies against the Dollar, and a total of 17 currency pairs including USD/CAD and AUD/USD. Some of the major features of COESfx are:

Real-time streaming prices

Price certainty on market orders

Competitive pricing

Fixed 3-5 pip spreads

For details, about this forex broker as well as their offerings, please visit: http://www.coesfx.com.

Anthony Trister is a currency trader and is an owner of OneDayTrades which offers free, mechanical forex signals and an automated trading program for those wanting to trade forex. Free access available here: http://www.onedaytrades.com

Should You Pay Off Your Debt?

You\'ve made a commitment to change your spending habits. You have a budget and you are working on getting out of debt and building up some savings. You just received a bonus at work. What do you do with it?

The old you would have gone on a vacation. The new you is looking to the future. Your first impulse is to pay off a credit card or two. But then you consider putting it in your emergency fund -- there isn\'t near enough money in there.

The debate over emergency savings versus credit card debt has been around for a long time. Let\'s look at the two sides.

Save for emergencies

Putting your extra money into savings for emergencies seems like a good idea. You will have the peace of mind that everything is taken care of. If an emergency comes up, you can pay cash for the emergency and not have to charge it on your credit card. You probably have too much debt to get an emergency personal loan through a local bank, so having the cash saves you.

Pay off your debt

Paying off your debt makes sense in the long run. You won\'t pay the extra interest to the lender while money sits in savings. If your money is only earning 3% in savings, it could work better for you by eliminating a 15% loan. Having that money in savings instead of using it to pay off your debt is costing you at least 12%.

If you use it to pay off your debt, you will be out of debt faster. If you have an emergency, you\'ll probably have to charge it on your credit card, which will cost you. You can see how it can be confusing.

Looking purely at numbers, paying off the debt is the best way to go in the long run. But we aren\'t purely numbers. Accidents and emergencies happen. Emotions run deep. Some people find it easier to pay off their credit cards and close them if they know that they won\'t need them.

You have to look at your own finances and goals. Are you focusing on the long run? Or are you focusing on right now? Look at your family\'s needs. Run each scenario through your calculator. It could be that you change your mind about where the money should go.

We know that by putting the money towards your savings, you won\'t have to accrue any more debt in the event of an emergency.

If you were to put it towards your debt, how could it help your savings?

You are able to pay off your debt faster, putting money into your savings on a regularly basis faster. When you pay down your credit card debt, you have more available credit that you can use as your emergency fund. The credit isn\'t there for everyday use, just like a savings account isn\'t.

What you want to do is get to the point where you have no credit card debt and an emergency fund. If you have one but not the other, you aren\'t safe. You need to have both. If all else fails and you can\'t decide what to do, put half of the money to your debt and half of your money to savings. Either way, it\'s better than just spending it.

Copyright 2006 #1 Loans USA

Martin Lukac, represents, #1 Loans USA(http://www.1LoansUSA.com), a finance web-company specializing in real estate/mortgage market. We specialize in daily updates, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. For mortgage rates please visit http://www.RateEmpire.com

Your Dream Holiday Home in the Peloponnese

The favourite area for the British to purchase holiday homes, on
the Greek mainland is the Peloponnese and there are plenty of
properties for sale to choose from. The southern part of
mainland Greece, now divided from the mainland by the Corinth
Canal. The peninsula hosts some of the most important and
imposing ancient sites in Greece. It has a warm winter, it's not
too hot in summer and the beaches are clean. The mountain
landscape of the Messinian Mani is simple stunning and is
dominated by Taygetos, one of the largest mountain ranges in the
Peloponnese. Whereas the Messinian peninsular has rolling hills
and fertile valleys considered to be the market garden and wine
centre of Greece. The city of Kalamata with all its facilities
nestles at the head of the Messini Bay in between the two
peninsulas, thus making it an ideal location for prospective
holiday home owners to search for property for sale.

It's not only the British that are showing an interest in
property for sale in the Peloponnese. Each year thousands of
foreigners are choosing Greece as the destination to purchase
property for permanent homes or as second homes for their
holidays. These people are mostly Germans and Americans although
there are increasing numbers of other foreigners appearing such
as Canadians, Dutch, Czechoslovakians, Austrians, etc. Despite
property prices in the Kalamata area rising by 30 per cent last
year, foreigners are snapping up property for sales at bargain
prices. There are plenty of old stones houses for sale, full of
charm and character, needing renovation or maintenance and can
be purchased from as little as 30,000 on the Mani peninsular.
New homes on the Messinian peninsular start from as little as
75,000 without swimming pool. Most of the foreigners who are
looking for property for sale have visited Greece previously as
tourist holidaying on the Peloponnese peninsular. A large number
of pensioners have settled and brought homes to live in
permanently. However, we are increasingly seeing younger couples
or those with young families purchasing property, settling down
and making a new live for themselves.

According to the Greek National Land Registry, there are over
2,500 foreigners owning holiday homes or property for permanent
residents (a total of 3,200 acres) in the coastal Peloponnese
prefecture of Laconia. There are also some 1,750 properties and
estates in nearby Messinia that are owned by foreigners. There
are already many British people with holiday homes on the Mani
peninsular, while there are relatively few that have ventured as
far as the Messinian peninsular.

About Our Company

R & C Property Management Services offer full Property
Management, building maintenance and renovation services. We
also provide care for you holiday home when you are not there or
when you have guests staying. We offer cleaning package to
guarantee that your holiday home receives the best possible care
and attention. You can be assured that your house is secure and
in safe hands. Your guests will leave with only the utmost
praise for both your home and our services. For details of our
services & prices follow the link.
http://r-and-c-pms.biz/prices.html For those of you looking for
the prefect holiday home we can help you find your dream
property in Greece. We have developed association with reputable
companies covering the Kalamata area and can introduce you to
professional and reliable people who will help your house
purchase to go smoothly. For information about property in
Kalamata follow the link. http://r-and-c-pms.biz/property.html

For more information visit our website, http://r-and-c-pms.biz/

Tips for Finding the Best Loan for Your Needs

There are a number of different loans available from a variety of different lenders some of these loans are designed for very specific purposes, whereas others are much more general in their scope.

Determining which of these is the best loan for you can be a challenge at times, especially since there are several different types of loans that can be used for the same purpose. In order to find the best loan to fill your needs, it sometimes takes careful comparison of multiple lenders and the loans that they offer.

In order to begin your search for the best loan that you can get for your purpose, you should decide exactly what you need the money for, how much money you actually need, and how you\'re going to secure the loan when you apply.

Purpose of the loan

The first step to finding the best loan for you is determining exactly what you need the loan for. In general it\'s best to be very forward and upfront about what the money will be used for, since most loan contracts and lending company policies state that if you use the money for other purposes then the lender can demand payment in full or take legal action against you. Once you\'ve decided what the loan is going to be used for, you can begin determining exactly how much it is that you need to borrow.

Determining the loan amount

Once you know what you need the money for, begin figuring exactly how much it\'s going to cost for you to get it. Make sure that you include all of the possible expenses, and include alternate figures if available. Leave yourself a little room for adjustment as well, since often finding the best loan is simply a matter of finding the best balance between the amount you want to borrow and the amount that a lender is willing to lend.

Choosing collateral

The next step to finding the best loan for your needs is determining what you\'re going to use as collateral to secure the loan. Use a high-value collateral, such as home equity, and make sure that the value of it is higher than the amount that you want to borrow. You might want to adjust the amount you\'re requesting in comparison to the collateral value, since you want the value of what you\'re offering to be higher than what you\'re asking for.

Searching for lenders

After you have decided upon the collateral to secure your best loan, it\'s time to begin searching for lenders. Check with a variety of lenders in your area, including finance companies, banks, and other lenders, and also take the time to search the internet for online lenders that may also be able to offer you competitive if not better loan rates. Request loan quotes from the different lenders based upon the amount that you want to borrow and the collateral that you\'re offering.

Comparing loan quotes

Once you\'ve received a variety of loan quotes, it\'s time to compare them and see which of the various loans you\'ve found has the best balance of interest rate and repayment terms. You\'re looking for a low interest rate, but you want to make sure that you don\'t sacrifice a better loan terms-wise for a slightly lower rate. After you\'ve compared all of the loan quotes that you received, determine which of them is the best loan quote and complete your application.

You may freely reprint this article provided the following author\'s biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

How to Achieve Debt Consolidation with Bad Credit

Loans are available that offer low rates of interest and low
monthly installments to help families and individuals get out of
debt. One of the best solutions for getting started on debt
relief is to review your credit report. Credit reports are
stored at the three credit bureaus, TransUnion, Equifax, and
Experian.

If you have credit issues and apply for a loan, the first thing
the lender is going to do is request your credit reports from
the three bureaus. Therefore, if you have copies on hand, you
will not only know your standings, you will be ahead of the
game. In addition, if there are any defaults against you on your
report that do not belong there, you can have them removed
before applying for a loan.

Furthermore, if you have applied for a loan to consolidate your
debts, be aware that you qualify for a free report. You may also
qualify for an annual credit report if you haven\'t already
received your free copy. Remember it only takes a few minutes to
untidy a life, but it takes a lifetime to undo the life that has
been broken.

Therefore, getting a loan to consolidate your debts may be in
your best interest, since it will help you to restore your
credit ratings. Nowadays, if you do not have a major credit card
or if you have bad credit, people will often look down on you-
as will potential creditors when you ask for a loan.

Before you get started, you should know that companies offer low
interest loans for debt consolidation may have hidden fees;
therefore, be sure to read all the information provided by the
company before signing an agreement. Staying safe is part of
working to relieve debt and repair your credit.

Talbert Williams 1DebtFreedom.com All rights reserved

Mortgage Loan Advice: 5 Steps to a Higher Credit Score

Purpose of this mortgage tip: to explain the importance of good credit and show you ways to obtain it.

When you apply for a home mortgage loan, your credit will be placed under the microscope. Mortgage lenders will scrutinize your credit to find out what kind of risk category you fall into.

When your credit score is low, your risk factor is high. In this scenario, you\'ll likely have trouble obtaining a loan. But when the opposite is true (high credit score and low risk factor), you\'ll have a good chance of qualifying for a mortgage loan.

How to Maintain a Good Credit Score
You\'ve probably heard the expression \An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.\ These are words of wisdom when it comes to your credit. It\'s a lot easier to maintain good credit than it is to recover from bad credit. So try to stay out of that \neighborhood\ to begin with.

Five Steps to a Better Credit Score

1. Keep your debt-to-income ratio at or below 20%. Mortgage lenders prefer your overall debt to be no more than 20% of your net monthly income. If your debt equals more than 20% of your income, try to pay it down as quickly as possible.

2. Be sure to pay all your bills on time. Paying bills on time will raise your credit score. On the contrary, a history of late payments will lower your score.

3. Don\'t let your credit card balances get away from you. This increases your overall debt, which leads to an unfavorable debt-to-income ratio. Remember the 20% rule from Step #1?

4. When you get a credit card bill, always pay at least the minimum amount that\'s due. If you can afford to pay more than the minimum, by all means do so. This will reduce your balance quicker and give you a more favorable debt-to-income ratio.

5. Don\'t apply for too many loans. Apply for credit too often, and you\'ll send a signal that you can\'t manage your finances properly. Use credit and loans sparingly, only when you need them.

Remember, the better your credit score, the better your chances of qualifying for a mortgage at a good interest rate. So be proactive in maintaining good credit. Start early and focus on the long-term.

* Copyright 2006, Brandon Cornett. You may republish this article if you keep the byline and author\'s note, and also leave the hyperlinks active.

About the Author
Brandon Cornett is the editor of HomeBuyingInstitute.com, the Internet\'s largest library of home buying advice. Learn more about improving your credit by visiting http://www.HomeBuyingInstitute.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=BrandonCornett

Health Savings Account (HSA): Helpful for Older People?

The Health Savings Account (HSA) is an amazing tool that a lot of people have been talking about. It is meant to help you save money on insurance and make your life simpler, maybe even help you be healthier.

But do HSAs work just as well for older Americans? The answer depends on your age.

Let's start with someone older than 65. Once you turn 65, you are eligible for Medicare, and that means you can no longer contribute to an HSA. If you had an HSA before you turned 65, a very interesting thing happens.

The HSA, which was basically an account that could only be used for medical expenses, suddenly becomes an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). It instantly changes status when you turn 65.

This is a very intriguing concept for all of us who are younger than 65. You already know that there is no use it or lose it condition for an HSA. You keep accumulating that money forever, you do not lose it at the end of each year.

So, if you're not sick very often, you may accumulate a lot of money in the HSA. Then, once you turn 65, you can start pulling money out of it each year as income. Your withdrawals are taxable, but won't it be nice to have another stream of income when you retire. Think of it as your Healthy Life Reward Account. The healthier you are in your life, the more money you'll have left in your HSA. It could be tens of thousands of dollars!

If you are over 55 but younger than 65, you get even more benefits for your HSA. You are eligible for something called catch up contributions. This means that you can put more money into this tax-deferred account than those of us under 55.

In 2005, you can put $600 more than you health insurance policy deductible, and the amount of that catch-up contribution increases every year until it hits $1,000 in 2009. If I were you, I'd take good advantage of those catch-up contributions. Tax-deferrals are always nice to have when tax time comes around.

Daryl Kulak is the author of the book Health Insurance Off the Grid - A Wonderful Way to Use Alternative Medicine and Save Money on Insurance Using the New Health Savings Account (HSA). The book provides a nine-step plan to get your self-employed or small business health insurance costs under control using a unique approach you won't find anywhere else. The book is available for sale as an e-Book or paperback at the Website http://www.healthoffthegrid.com

Residual Income The Myth

Join our program and retire in 3 months... yeah, right.

We all want to get to a place where we have ongoing, hands-off income that continues without us having to work for it. These ads play into that desire by offering us the promise of easy continuing income.

The reality is often far from the sales pitch.

The first step in developing an ongoing, residual income is to dispel some of the myths surrounding the sales hype.

Here are some of the most common myths about creating a residual, ongoing online income:

Myth One: Put up a Website and Sit Back and Collect the Checks.

Those of us who have run Internet businesses for a while can tell you: Making a good living on the Internet requires marketing, customer service and order fulfillment. Either you have to do it yourself or you need to hire someone to do it.

Either way, having a website and selling your own products is often far from the laying around on the beach while collecting your checks image.

Myth Two: MLM/Networking Income is Residual Income.

Almost always a part of the sales pitch in networking is creating residual income. While that is *possible* with MLM, it is very difficult to maintain. Here's why...

MLM income is built on three basic factors: new purchases by retail customers, the recruiting of new *wholesale* customers and the ongoing purchases by both groups.

In order to have an ongoing esidual income, you need to recruit, train and motivate a sufficient number of *leaders* who will then continue the process in growing numbers.

This is rarely the case.

Instead, top leaders have found it is easier to build a large list of MLM junkies who they then take into one program after another. If you stopped joining new programs, your income would also dwindle within a few months.

Myth Three: Just Build Your Business and Hire People to Run It for You.

This does work, but it is often more of a nightmare than a dream.

At various times I have had anywhere from 0 to 15 employees. I have had many friends and clients with much numbers up to 1,000 employees. We all have the same opinion: Unless you have enough employees and profits to hire top quality managers, employees are a constant headache.

If you DO build a big enough, profitable enough, business and if you have the right personality, then building your business and hiring people to run it is a great idea.

Myth Four: Developing A Residual Income is Easy.

I don't want you to fall for this one, either. Developing a residual income will take some perseverance. The steps to getting it done are not difficult, but it requires one thing many people will not put in--consistency. If a person does the right things, day after day, they will create an ongoing, growing income. If they try today, then one day next week, then one day a month later, they are unlikely to ever get there.

Developing a residual, on-going, hands-free income is worth the effort. Avoid trusting in these four fantasies, get ready to work and you can have a supplemental income in no time at all. Keep it up long enough and you can eventually retire.

Kevin Bidwell owns http://www.All-In-One-Business.com and has just released a new report on creating a residual income. You can claim your copy here - Residual Income Report

The Third Step You Have to Take to Get Rich In the Stock Market!

This step is really important and most people just don\'t get it. Listen carefully you have to deferred, avoid, and reduce capital gains taxes to the bare minimum! Well, how do I do that you ask? The best thing to do of course is to completely avoid capital gains taxes. The only way to do that is to open a Roth IRA. The reason you avoid capital gains taxes is that you pay your income taxes first and then you never pay taxes on any profits of the money you put into your Roth IRA.



If you make a lot of money though, you can\'t open a Roth. In that case you need to open a Standard IRA and of course if your company matches in a 401(k) you need contribute up to the matching. In a 401(k) make sure that you only buy a no-load indexed mutual fund. Get your accounts open! Get your accounts open! Get your accounts open! I can\'t overemphasize or shout this loud enough. Once you have your account open you will be motivated to start investing if you don\'t know how to trade through such an account I can teach you.



Here is a key point if you trade in an individual trading account where you are subject to capital gains taxes. You have to remember that the short term capital gains tax is double the long term capital gains tax rate. That means that if you buy a stock now and then sell it in less than a year you will have to pay your regular income tax rate which is as high as 35%. On the other hand if you buy low and hold for the big multi year stock price raises your capital gains tax rate is only 15%. This is huge! Look, that means that you have to earn 20% just to overcome the hurdle when you buy and sell real fast like the get rich quick gurus want to teach you.



Get your accounts open. Here is a recap. First check to see if the company you work for offers a 401(k) plan with matching and contribute up to the matching. If you work for a university than open a 403(b) plan which can be even better than the 401(k). Restrict your investing in a 401(k) or 403(b) to no load indexed mutual funds. Second, if you can save more than the matching amount your employer offers then open a Roth IRA and contribute up to the maximum. Third, if you are a really hard core saver and investor like my wife and me open an individual trading account. Fourth, open your Roth and individual trading account at an online brokerage like Ameritrade.com or Etrade.com. This insures that you won\'t get an earful of manure from a stock broker who just wants to nickel and dime you out of your account. Also by trading online yourself you will learn to become a self sufficient investor the richest kind of all!

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Dr. Scott Brown Ph.D. holds a Ph.D. in finance from the University of South Carolina and is a professor of finance at the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras. He is the creator of the long term stock investing course \Bulletproof Stock Investing.\ Dr. Brown can teach you how investing your daily spare change amounting to the price of a cup of coffee at Starbucks can make you a millionaire in the stock market. For more information, see www.WalletDoctor.com

A Beginner's Guide to Online Loans

If you\'re just beginning to look at online loans, you might feel that you\'re getting in over your head.

Online loans have been growing in popularity in recent years, due in no small part to the ease and convenience of being able to apply for online loans from the privacy and convenience of your home at any time of the day or night.

Some people worry about the safety and security of their personal information, though, and may not feel completely comfortable sending such delicate information over an internet connection.

Consider some of this basic information about online loans, so that you can put your mind at ease and work toward a decision to fill your lending needs.

Safety and security of online lending

In an age where so many people are concerned with identity theft, online loans can seem like a dangerous way to get the money that you need for your projects and financing needs.

The truth, however, is that online loans are actually very safe and that the fears that many people have about identity theft coming from online lending sites are unfounded.

Online lenders use advanced encryption technology when dealing with your personal information the encryption software scrambles the information to the point that it couldn\'t be deciphered by a third party even if they were able to intercept it.

Additionally, loan officers and other individuals are personally involved in the lending process to make decisions as well as to watch and make sure that nothing goes wrong with the transmission of information.

Benefits of online lending

In addition to the speed and security of encrypted loan applications, online loans have several other benefits.

The convenience of being able to apply for online loans from home is only the beginning often you can have an answer on your application within an hour or less, and it\'s quite rare if it takes any more than a day or two to process.

With a lower overhead than traditional physical banks and lenders, online lenders often have fewer costs and can translate that into lower interest rates for borrowers.

As an additional benefit, many online lenders who specialize in homeowner loans are able to offer fast loans to individuals even if they have poor or bad credit all that they need is sufficient equity, and many online lenders are more than willing to give them the assistance that they need even if they\'ve been denied loans by other physical lenders. And since most of these lenders use electronic bank transfers to handle funds, borrowers can sometimes receive their loan money the next day or at least within a few days of being approved.

You may freely reprint this article provided the following author\'s biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

American Express Credit Card a Company History

The American Express credit card had been around since 1850 since then the American Express credit card has seen it good quarters and it fare share of bad quarters as well. Yet, a well-established company that is willing to help people receive a credit card that will suite everyone\'s individual needs. They have been around long enough that, the American Express Credit Card Company knows what kind of fees are going to be feasible for the average person to be able to afford with out going into credit card debt shortly after they receive a credit card.

The American Express credit card has a variety of different types of credit cards so that everyone would find a credit card for all their needs. You are able to apply for an American Express credit card for the individual person. When you start to look at the different personal American Express credit cards you are going to see more than just one kind of credit card that you are able to use. You are going to see that the American Express credit card offers you to have cash back, traveling, and even a savings award. You are going to want to have an idea to what you are looking for in a credit card from American Express. That way there you are going to have an idea of what you are wanting in return from the use of the credit card.

The American Express credit card also offers a credit card for the small business owners that are out there as well. With the small business credit cards, the business owner can enjoy American Express\'s many benefits. The American Express credit card even offers rewards for the small business owners just like the credit cards for the personal solutions. You can receive a credit card with cash back, airline awards, travel and shopping rewards. You are going to be able to choose credit cards that will suite your company in the best way possible. They do even offer credit cards with no pre-set limit, low introduction APR, complimentary first year, and no annual fee for the small business in the country.

When you are looking for a credit card for yourself or for your small business you may want to check out what the American Express credit card has to offer you. There is a couple of different kinds of credit cards that are offered through the American Express company offering you a credit card that is going to fit all of your needs as for as the use and fees of a credit card has to offer. If you are going to choose to apply for a credit card from the American Express, you are even going to know that you are going to choose a company that has a history of over 150 years in service. That would help you feel a little better about choosing a credit card company that has a steady history that they are not afraid to share with anyone.

Visit http://www.SelectCreditFast.com for more information on credit cards and credit card offers. Apply for a credit card and review best credit card offers for American Express, cash back credit cards, Low Interest Credit Cards, and the American Express Credit Card.

Government Homes for One Dollar?

Urban legends about HUD

1) You can buy a home from the government for $1.

Did you really think you could? Sadly, most people that enter their credit card numbers on those flashy investment websites, or call in and order that expensive As Seen on TV package actually think they can.

HUD does have programs which allow charities, city, and county governments to buy properties at $1, but there are no programs for investors or home buyers which allow this.

2) HUD homes are in the worst neighborhoods in the city.

Not true at all. HUD homes can in fact, be found in even the most exclusive areas of the city.

3) HUD homes are usually falling down, or have been condemned by the city.

Again, not true. While there are certainly some houses in very poor shape, the vast majority of houses are in remarkably good shape.

4) HUD only sells a home when a welfare family no longer wants to live there.

This is a huge myth. HUD gets their homes when a home owner defaults on an FHA insured mortgage. People from all walks of life lose houses everyday. The number of HUD owned homes in middle class neighborhoods would astound you.

The next time you see a website offering information on $1 Government homes, you\'ll know better than to click on that blinking box! If however you are interested in a fixer-upper, HUD may have a house for you.

Chris Yarbrough writes for the eBay-Guides.com His home buying guides can be viewed here.

Tax Season Ads Don't Be Taken In

Have you seen that ad for tax preparation software? You know the one I mean. It says that anyone, even a caveman - no, wait, that is a different commercial - even a \math impaired\ or an \unorganized\ individual can prepare his or her own income tax return by simply using the software package.

This is pure bull! No tax preparation software is a substitute for knowledge of the tax code. And no tax preparation software is a substitute for the services of a trained tax professional.

As with any software program the rule is \garbage in - garbage out\. If you don\'t know how to enter the information, or what information to enter, you will not get the best, or even the correct, answer.

As a professional tax preparer I attend several tax preparation workshops, seminars, conferences and conventions during the year. I am constantly hearing instructors and participants alike discuss the problems with their tax preparation software, the answer often being that one has to override the system and \force\ the correct entry.

IRS statistics indicate that taxpayers using do-it-yourself tax software spend an average of between 6 and 10+ hours longer preparing their tax returns (depending on the number of worksheets and schedules) than preparers who did manual calculations. Further, the IRS estimates that do-it-yourself software users spend an average of 10 to over 20 hours longer than a tax preparer, again depending on complexity.

H+R Block has sued the company that produces the tax software in the above mentioned ad, and has asked a federal judge to shut down the advertising campaign.

The bottom line is - if you don\'t know what you are doing do not rely on a tax preparation software package to make up for your lack of knowledge. Using a tax professional will save you time, aggravation and money!

Speaking of tax season ads, the commercials for the Henry + Richard and Jackson Hewitt fast food tax preparation chains continue to emphasize the fact that you can walk into their office and walk out with a check, and not that they can prepare your return competently and accurately so that you pay the absolute least amount of tax possible (to be fair, H+R does have an ad that tells you they will pay the interest and penalty for their mistakes).

These chains are pushing Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs), which are very profitable. While a great thing for Henry + Richard and Jackson Hewitt, a Refund Anticipation Loan is NOT a good thing for the individual taxpayer. It is nothing more than a short-term loan at a usurious interest rate. The interest rate on some of these RALs is triple-digit, similar to a loan shark. A recent Washington State Journal article reported that the interest rate could be as high as 521%, with more than 10% of the refund going to fees!

Henry + Richard have gotten into a lot of legal trouble with their RAL programs. In December H+R Block reached a $62.5 Million settlement with an estimated 8 Million customers in more than two dozen states over Refund Anticipation Loans. But they continue to aggressively promote RALs during the tax season because of the huge profits.

Unfortunately, Refund Anticipation Loans appeal most to, and take unfair advantage of, the working poor and other low-income taxpayers who need every penny of their tax refund.

If you need your refund quickly use direct deposit. With direct deposit your refund should be deposited into your bank account within 10 days. If that is not good enough investigate other methods of short-term borrowing. Even a cash advance from a credit card is \more better\ than a Refund Anticipation Loan, providing you pay back the advance as soon as the refund arrives.

copyright (c) 2006 by Robert D Flach LLC

Robert D Flach is a tax professional with 34 tax seasons of experience preparing 1040s for individuals in all walks of life. He writes and publishes the free monthly online newsletter STUFF AND SUCH (http://rdftaxpro.tripod.com/stuffandsuch) and several other websites, as well as several print newsletters and reports on tax planning and preparation. For more information on his websites go to http://rdftaxpro.tripod.com/websites

Should You Consolidate Your Student Loans?

Spending time in college means going to classes, writing papers, studying for exams, and enjoying the college experience of fun, food, and frolic. Oh, if it only were that easy! Chances are you are racking up some serious debt in the form of students loans. If you have already graduated, then you are probably in the process of paying your loans back. Are you happy yet? Maybe not, especially if your student loans are more of a burden than you originally had expected. Read on, please, for some ways you can ease the burden and live a life that goes beyond paying off debt.



For many students, it isn't all that uncommon to graduate with a bachelor's degree and find yourself owing 10, 30, even 60 thousand dollars or more in student loan debt. How did all of this happen? High tuition, that's how. Likely your first job out of college isn't paying you a mint just yet either. Car payments and credit cards bills coupled with everyday living expenses can find you digging a whole that only gets deeper. What should you do? Perhaps you should consider looking into a government student loan consolidation.



So, just what is a government student loan consolidation? For starters, it is a type of a loan that allows you to take multiple student loans, pay them off, and make monthly payments to just one lender. For example, if you have three loans due to three different lenders at three different times of the month, you can keep better track of all of it if you had just one simple payment to make every month to one lender.



In addition, a government student loan consolidation may lower your interest rates, permit you to postpone your repayment schedule, and allow for you to take out some additional extra money to pay back other creditors including credit card providers.



Some things to keep in mind before you select a student loan consolidation include:



Amount Borrowed. Will the loan consolidation pay off all of your student loans, or just a percentage of what you owe? Your consolidator may want to see pay stubs and other proofs of income before approving your loan.



Annual Percentage Rate. Will the loan rate be fixed or will it be adjustable? You may want to lock in your rate to make sure that your monthly payments remain constant.



Your Loan Term. Can you deal with paying back a your government student loan consolidation for as long as twenty years? Take into consideration you may want to purchase a home, get married, start a family, buy a new car, etc. It can be difficult to anticipate the future, but will the loan saddle you with debt longer than necessary?



A student loan consolidation is definitely not for everyone. Make certain that you understand the terms of your agreement with the loan consolidator and sign nothing until you can have the contract reviewed independently. It is your life; weigh all of your options carefully.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Copyright 2005 -- Matthew Keegan is The Article Writer who writes on a variety of topics including: advocacy, automobiles, aviation, business, Christian themes, family, news, product reviews, travel, writing, and more. Samples from his portfolio are available right online.

How You Can Use Rehab Refinance and Cash Out as LongTerm Wealth Building Real Estate Investing

Today we are discussing a somewhat advanced strategy for you to use after you have been in the creative real estate investing business for a while. I call this \Rehab, Refinance, and Cash Out\. This strategy can lead to true long term wealth and financial independence. This works very well in a buyers market like Memphis where prices have been quite flat for some time. You need to use this to augment your wholesaling for immediate income and retailing for bigger short term profits. Rehab, Refinance and Cash Out is a long term wealth building strategy and will be something you will be glad you did as it is a long term buy and hold strategy, and those are the strategies that lead to true wealth accumulation and financial independence.

Let me explain how this works. You find a good middle to low end 3 bedroom home that you are able to buy from an out of state owner or other motivated seller that needs a little work and you buy at 60% of after repaired value. You buy the house using a hard money lender like http://www.pleaseclose.com/memphistrading and do your fix up and have a property management firm manage the property and put a renter in the house. The hard money lender will typically loan you up to 65% of the after repaired value to purchase the house which you use to buy the house and then repair it. Now that the home is repaired you obtain an investor friendly mortgage and cash out by refinancing at 80-90% of after repaired retail value and you should be doing this with properties where this strategy gives you back at least $10,000 at the refinance that you can use in your business any way you need. Do not use this money to live on, use it solely to grow your real estate business. Once you have done this strategy on 10 homes you should be able to keep finding better and better deals because you can close quickly as you have cash in hand to make things happen. More cash equals better deals and more opportunities.

By the time you repeat this strategy 20 times you should have at least $200,000 cash plus about $200,000 equity and 20 homes giving you at least $2000 per month positive cash flow whether you decide to work this month or not since you have a property management company handling things for you. With average annual rent increases, within five years that $2,000 a month should grow to $4,000 a month. In 30 years you should have $2 to 3 million plus in paid off real estate. It\'s a good solid long term strategy to add to your immediate selling from wholesaling, retailing and lease options that the extra $200,000 in cash will help grow tremendously.

The rent minus the management fees and all loan and other costs must leave you with positive cash flow or this strategy should be avoided. If you cannot cash out on the property I don\'t recommend holding it long term as you want to be able to use your best mortgages to cash out.

You can purchase using http://www.pleaseclose.com/memphistrading if your Equifax credit score is above 550(which is bad credit) or you have a co-borrower who has an Equifax score over 550. A good investor friendly mortgage company will give you good rates if you are at 660 middle score or above and the very best rates if your middle score is 720 or above. Your first 10 investor mortgages in your name and 10 in your spouses name are the easiest to qualify and get the best deals. After those you really need a good investor mortgage company to work with. Take the time to find the real investor friendly mortgage companies that can help you get loans for 100 properties and not just the first ten and let them have the easy ones and the tougher ones. I do recommend having more than one good lender available though, but stick to the ones that specialize in investor loans. Find out from other investors who the most investor friendly mortgage companies are to use to refinance the repaired home.

I do not advocate becoming a landlord as I do not believe this is a valuable usage of your time and energy. I highly recommend asking around and finding a good property management company that will charge you 10% or less to start out with and gradually lower that % as you add more and more properties.

I feel this is an advanced strategy as you won\'t see any cash in your pocket from this strategy for 4-6 months after you find the deal which is a long time to work and not see any pay. If you are wholesaling and making consistent money each month then it shouldn\'t matter. This strategy will magnify the profits you make in your investing business in ways you might not have imagined. This strategy is a natural progression from wholesaling as you are already helping others find these kinds of deals, now you will be able to get the cash out typical of probably 2 wholesale deals, just paid slower, and at the same time building a nice future nest egg.

David Neese is a real estate investing author who offers a free course for real estate investors delivered by email, audio and teleseminar which you can get for free at: http://www.FreeRealEstateInvestingCourses.com You can find more information about David at http://www.DigitalSuccessCoach.com

Everyone Wants Affordable Whole Life Insurance Quotes

Although term life insurance looks cheaper when you request free quotes, the whole life insurance quotes you get are much better. With whole life you are covered for as long as you live and keep paying the premiums. In whole life insurance quotes, the cost of the policy is stretched over a longer period of time, so you are actually paying less in monthly premiums.



If you want to have a period of time when you don't have to pay any premiums, you can have the whole life insurance quotes calculate the premiums to a certain age. Most people like to have the premiums spread over a 30 year life insurance because this is usually their working life. Then they can enjoy retirement knowing that they do have whole life insurance and don't have to pay any more premiums.



Even though the lowest life insurance rates are for term life insurance, if you get whole life insurance quotes at an early age, the cost will be very similar. There are added benefits to getting whole life as opposed to term life. Once you have the whole life insurance policy in place, it won't run out at the end of the term leaving you without life insurance.



Even if you can't afford a high payout with whole life insurance quotes, you can choose a lower death benefit and upgrade when you can afford it. This gives you the best life insurance for your whole life at the lowest life insurance rates. You should buy what you can afford. The difference between a policy that pays out $100,000 and another that pays $125,000 is very little when it comes to the monthly premium. When you are comparing the quotes choose the highest possible payout for the lowest rates.



You'll never know how much life insurance you can afford if you don't look around. With the online whole life insurance quotes available, life insurance protection for your family is only a click away. You are never under any obligation to buy. You only need to contact an agent when you find the lowest life insurance rates that suit you.



Whole life insurance quotes often return lower premiums.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

For a website totally devoted to Life Insurance visit Peter's Website Life Insurance Answers and find out about Online Life Insurance as well as Life Insurance Rates and more, including Life Insurance Companies, Term Life Insurance and Life Insurance Agents.

Ingredients Of A Winning Contract For Homebuyers

Homebuyers should take the time to research and gather information before presenting a purchase contract. Property sellers will be receptive to your proposal when you present them with the customary supporting documents with the contract. Real estate contracts contain many blanks that can be balanced against each other adding up to a strong offer. Knowing which supporting information and the typical numbers for the blanks will save you time and could save you dollars.

Mark Nash author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home offers you the ingredients for constructing a purchase contract.

-Use an approved real estate contract by your state real estate attorney association or local Board of Realtors.

-Retain an attorney to review all real estate contracts before they are submitted and after acceptance.

-Real estate contract. A binding agreement between buyer and seller. It consists of an offer and an acceptance as well as consideration (i.e. money).

-Acceptance. Agreement by the parties of the terms of a contract.

-Contract length. Research customary contract lengths, the standard is 45 days from contract to closing.

-Research sold comparable properties to the one you are writing a contract for.

-Comparable. Closed prices for similar homes in age, condition, location and size.

-Price. Study average sold prices as a percentage of lists in the last six months.

-Low-ball offers. Offer over 87% of list if you serious, otherwise you will alienate the seller early on in negotiations.

-Counteroffer(s). The response to an offer or a bid by the seller or buyer after the original offer or bid. Request all counteroffers to be in writing.

-Apply for highest level of mortgage commitment to present with contract.

-Mortgage Commitment. A document by a mortgage lender that commits the lender to providing a loan at agreed terms and conditions.

-Mortgage term, rate and amount. Your strongest down payment will provide negotiating leverage.

-Cash offers in lieu of mortgage financing should be confirmed with a letter from your financial institution stating funds are on deposit to close the contract.

-Federal law requires Lead-Based Paint Hazard disclosures.

-Lead-Based Hazard. A disclosure of reports or knowledge of Lead-Based Hazards. Buildings built after 1978 do not present Lead-Based Hazards.

-Read Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home by the US EPA.

-Real property disclosures. Written statements by the seller(s) of a property disclosing any known defects.

-Local disclosures. Local requirements of disclosure that the seller provides and the buyer acknowledges, such as certificates of occupancy.

-W-9 form. An IRS form requesting taxpayer identification and certification numbers of buyers to receive interest on earnest money from delivery to closing.

-Subject to appraisal. All contracts should be subject to an appraisal at a minimum of contract price.

-Appraisal. An objective third parties opinion of value by a licensed or certified appraiser.

-Earnest money deposit. Money given to the seller at the time the offer is made as a sign of the buyer\'s good faith.

-Research customary earnest money deposits as they vary. The larger the deposit, the increased motivation you show to perform the contract.

-Refund of earnest money deposits. Contracts should provide for refund of the entire earnest money deposit within agreed contingency periods.

-Attorney approval period. Your attorney reviews and makes changes to the contract, typically 5-7 business days.

-Property inspection period. The right under a contract for the buyer at their expense to discover the actual condition of the property. This period typically runs 5-7 business days.

-Well and septic inspections. These are independent of structural and mechanical inspections.

-Timelines for contingencies run concurrently.

-Contingency. A provision in a contract requiring certain acts to be completed before the contract is binding.

-Closing/ escrow date. The date of the end of the transaction process where the deed is delivered, documents are signed, and funds are dispersed.

-Possession date. The date agreed by contract when the buyer can occupy the property.

-Final walk-through. A property tour before closing or escrow that permits the buyers one final verification of condition, agreed repairs and personal property.

-Tax pro-rations. The amount of credit given to buyers at closing for unpaid property taxes, when taxes are paid in arrears. Pro rations should always be more than 100 %.

-Personal property. List and initial all personal property included with the sal, such as air-conditioners, appliances, and playground equipment.

-Home sale contingency. The contract is contingent on the sales of the buyer\'s property.

-Show motivation when including a home sale contingency by having your current property on market.

-Home closing contingency. The contract is contingent only on the successful closing of an existing real estate contract.

-Letter to sellers. The best way for you to personalize your interest in a property and present your family to the sellers.

Mark Nash\'s fourth real estate book, \1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home\ (2005), and working as a real estate broker in Chicago are the foundation for his consumer-centric real estate perspective which has been featured on ABC-TV, CBS The Early Show, Bloomberg TV, CNN-TV, Chicago Sun Times & Tribune, Fidelity Investor\'s Weekly, Dow Jones Market Watch, MSNBC.com, The New York Times, Realty Times, Universal Press Syndicate and USA Today.

Instant Approval Credit Cards Frequently Asked Questions

Instant approval credit cards online are becoming increasingly popular among consumers. In a fast-paced society, the speed of an instant approval credit card is sought after by many individuals. But, it is important to understand as much as you can about instant approval credit cards before you choose to apply for one.



What are Instant Approval Credit Cards?



Instant approval credit cards are those that can be approved within a matter of seconds. To qualify for one of these instant approval credit cards, online applications are completed on a secure website. Using the information gained from the application, the credit card company can determine instantly if you qualify for a credit card.



Am I Guaranteed to Get an Instant Approval Credit Card?



No. Instant approval credit cards are not secured credit cards. Therefore, they still need to look at your credit history in order to determine whether or not you qualify for a credit card. If you have a poor credit history, you may be turned down for an instant approval credit card. Whether or not you receive credit approval depends on the guidelines followed by the credit card company and your personal credit history.



Can I Still Be Approved, Even if it\'s Not Instant?



Yes. Instant approval credit cards sometimes need more information than what can be gained instantly in order to decide if they will approve your application. In this case, they will send you a notification letting you know that your application is being reviewed further. In this case, you will generally still know whether or not you have been approved for the credit card within a week or two, which is still much faster than non-instant approval credit cards.



Can I Start Spending Immediately?



No. Although instant approval credit cards can tell you within seconds whether or not you have been approved for an instant approval credit card online, you will have to wait to physically receive the credit card before you can start using it. Usually, your instant approval credit card will arrive to you within a couple of weeks, which is still much faster than traditional credit card application that typically take six to eight weeks.



Are There Any Differences in the Way Instant Approval Credit Cards Look?



No. Instant approval credit cards look the same as any other credit card. No one but you will know it was an instant approval credit card.



Are There Any Drawbacks to Instant Approval Credit Cards?



Maybe. Some instant approval credit cards do assess a processing fee for the convenience of receiving instant approval. If this concerns you, shop around for an instant approval credit card that does not assess these fees. There are plenty of options available. Furthermore, you might want to reconsider applying for an instant approval credit card if you do not have a need to get the card right away. If you can wait to receive the card, it better to apply for a traditional credit card in order to avoid paying unnecessary fees.



Do Instant Approval Credit Cards Have the Same Benefits as Other Credit Cards?



Yes. No two credit cards, whether they are instant approval credit cards or traditional credit cards, are the same. Therefore, they do not always include benefits such as travel insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty coverage. Nonetheless, there are plenty of instant approval credit cards available with desirable benefits such as those found on traditional credit cards.



Can I Participate in a Special Rewards Program with Instant Approval Credit Cards?



Yes. There are instant approval credit cards available that offer special cash back and rewards programs to cardholders. If you are interested in participating in one of these programs, browse through the many instant approval credit cards available in order to find one that best suits your lifestyle and needs.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

For more on instant approval credit cards, Robert Alan recommends that you visit CreditCardAssist.com.

100 A Psychological Barrier Or Just A Number?

Hundred (100) is a magical number...if you feel that way. For the rational minds between us, it is just a number. How many of those real rational minds are there amongst us?

Before the introduction of behavior finance, the economic man was a welcome guest amongst the economists:

Homo economicus is a term used for an approximation or model of Homo sapiens that acts to obtain the highest possible well-being for himself given available information about opportunities and other constraints, both natural and institutional, on his ability to achieve his predetermined goals. This approach has been formalized in certain social science models, particularly in economics. (live from the Wikipedia)

If you observe the stock market however, you will soon doubt whether this (rational) man is always present...If you are to explore the depths of the stock-market, you are better off understanding people, than understanding money, finance or business...

In fact; Money, Finance and Business is again moved by...people. By us!

And having said that in the area of investment, you should ask yourself, how should I analyze the stock market?

If you feel that 100 is a magical number you will probably favor technical analysis. 100 could be a supporting or a resistance level.

Or if you think that 100 is just another number you will certainly prefer fundamental analysis. It is not about what people feel, but about the fundaments that support our economic system...

This (article) could be very well another one minute assessment. Choose what ever you think fits best when being challenged by the stock market. And don\'t forget to act accordingly...

Hans Bool is the founder of Astor White a traditional management consulting company that offers online management advice. Astor Online solves issues in hours what normally would take days. You can apply for a free demo account

Ten New Investment Concepts the Time has come.

There's a rumor going around that the Mutual Funds are broken and just can't work anymore, for a multitude of reasons. They've tried index funds, but these, too, have been less than impressive since they hit the street a few years back, and are now being enhanced... what does that say? Here are some new and/or forgotten ideas that can get your investment program back on track:



1. Abandon the popular averages: Over the past six years, all of the major averages are grossly negative or just beginning to get back toward their best past levels. At the same time, the NYSE advance/decline line has been extremely positive. Additionally, the last time the averages were up, issue breadth was totally negative.



2. And the basics of investing, again, are what? Most investors confuse Quality with analyst expectations and think that Diversification means getting one of every product type that's out there. In fact, they are basic risk minimization tools that every investor needs to use.



3. Appreciate the power of income: Base Income just has to grow every year, period, for a person to have any hope of keeping up with inflation. That's right, growing Market Value is inflationary particularly with respect to hat size, and income paves the road to retirement income.



4. Buy low (within reason), sell higher: Profitable company stock prices fluctuate just like unprofitable ones. The difference is that the former are much more likely to move back up again. Buy quality at lower prices (just like any other form of shopping), big BUT, set a reasonable (10% or so) profit-taking target and pull the trigger. Re-load, and do it again.



5. Embrace The Working Capital Model: For both portfolio Asset Allocation and Performance Evaluation, use the cost basis of your holdings as opposed to their Market Value. This is the only way to use short time periods (a year being the shortest for anything at all meaningful) for any kind of analysis. Also, as a bonus, you'll never make another fixed income mistake.



6. Fall in love with Volatility, not with securities of any kind: Market volatility is one of the few things (if there are any at all) that you can be certain about. Use it wisely and it will shorten your road to investment success. All too often, unrealized gains on the loved ones become realized losses on the tax return.



7. Remember Peak-to-Peak and Trough-to-Trough: There was a time when tests like these (and variations like P to T, or T to P) where the only valid (Market Value) tests of a manager's ability. They still are. I have never found a correlation between the calendar year and any market, interest rate, or economic cycle.



8. Corrections are every bit as lovable as rallies: In truth, profit taking is more fun, and much easier decision-making than buying stocks while in the throes of a falling Equity Market. But one is just the flip side of the other, and you need to learn the lyrics to Every Day just as you knew Peggy Sue.



9. Understand The Investor's Creed: How did trading get a bad rep? What is a stock exchange? Buy and hold just doesn't fit. The key is timing (not market timing) and selectivity. In a rising market you should be selling more than buying, resulting in a growing cash position. This is a good thing. In a falling market you should be buying more than selling, resulting in a smaller cash position also a good thing. If you run out of cash while the market is still falling, you are doing it right. By the same token, if you feel stupid having taken your profits and the market is still foaming, your brilliance will not be your only reward.



10. Investing is not a competitive event: It's all about you: your money, your risk tolerance, your goals, and your objectives. It doesn't matter what the others are doing, why and how. Think about this. There is no average, index, or benchmark that can be compared to the Market Value changes of a properly diversified portfolio. Nadda.



11. Establish Rules and Apply Discipline a bonus idea. Just do it.



From: The Brainwashing of the American Investor: The Book that Wall Street Does Not Want YOU to Read

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Steve Selengut
sanserve@aol.com
Professional Investment Portfolio Manager since 1979
BA Business, Gettysburg College; MBA Professional Management, Pace U.
Author of: The Brainwashing of the American Investor: The Book that Wall Street Does Not Want YOU to Read, and A Millionaire's Secret Investment Strategy

Burning Bush!

the Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus)

Actually a colorful fall foliage selection as the name implies,
a deciduous shrub specie from the Tree Family Celastraceae, the
\Staff-Tree Family,\ it is NOT the description of A PROTEST
action against our President.

\'hope the title didn\'t mislead you, \'cause if it did, you\'ll
STILL learn about a marvelous shrub. Burning Bush, a non-native
species brought from China and Korea since the 1860\'s, has
escaped from ornamental plantings into urban and rural areas. It
travels widely by way of its seed. This hardy plant is found in
forests and brushy areas. Burning Bushes will grow well even in
SHADE, with very little sun.

It is happily, not a murderous invasive species, killing
absolutely every other plant around it like Crown Vetch, but
this \invasive\ WILL cause anything below it to starve for
almost any light. It\'s more than just a \traveling plant.\

Burning Bush is also known as the Winged Euonymous, Winged
Wahoo, Winged Spindle Tree, all for the cork-like tabs along its
branches and stems, as well as being called the Japanese Spincle
Tree, and of course, the Cork Bush. That\'s a lot of names.

This vase-shaped shrub has great red fall foliage which glows
for weeks in early to mid-autumn, hence, its name, Burning Bush.
Hedges can be sheared or globes created for decorative landscape
plantings, topiaries (sculpted bush art), Burning Bushes are
good for all.

Hedges from Burning Bushes can be very dense giving good
screening of wind, any sun, and create privacy, even during the
winter. If left unpruned, the compact form of Burning Bush will
grow to about 12 feet tall and 15 feet wide. The winged form
will grow to about 15 feet tall and 20 feet wide. In our area,
the Burning Bush propagates naturally in shaded areas. We obtain
some of our stock from seedlings we gather at a small farm
cemetery on our property. Burning Bush even regrows after
transplanting from the empty holes where roots are exposed!

Burning Bush is adaptable to a variety of soil conditions:
Fertile to sterile, organic to clay, acidic to alkaline, rocky
to sandy, this plant proves its strength. It does NOT like any
wet soils, it is important to note, but it does do well in very
dry soils. Burning Bush has small fibrous roots near the surface
and responds well to root pruning. Balling and burlapping this
shrub for transplanting does little damage, for Burning Bushes
can take abuse and recover quickly.

IF YOU HAVE A \BROWN THUMB,\ THIS IS A PLANT FOR YOU.

You can see more of Bill\'s planting tips and articles at
http://www.seedlingsrus.com or http://www.zone5trees.com and his
first website, www.highlandhillfarm.com