Saturday, December 6, 2008

Your Financial Edge


The investing environment has changed dramatically in the last ten years: from taken-for-granted, double-digit annual returns in stocks to double-digit losses and gains that are not even half of what they used to be. This situation has affected everyone, from those making their first foray into investing to retirees searching for ways to get their financial portfolios back in order. Although it seems the world of investing will constantly be in a state of flux, you don’t have to be!

You’re about to discover how to get better returns so you can build a bigger nest egg and make your savings last longer. Written by successful economist Paul McCulley and respected journalist Jonathan Fuerbringer, Your Financial Edge helps you arrive at the financially profitable place you deserve to be, regardless of your current financial circumstances. Direct, informed, yet not intimidating in style, this smart book carefully examines today’s tumultuous financial markets and helps everyday investors come to grips with the complexities of a global investment arena—so that they can prepare for what is likely to occur in the future.

http://rapidshare.com/files/142153815/Your_Financial_Edge.pdf

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Lehman’s Fuld gets $13.5 million in art sale

Another day, another tough break for Lehman Brothers chief Dick Fuld. Fuld and his wife Kathy sold 16 drawingsat a contemporary art auction Wednesday for $13.5 million, Bloomberg reports. While that’s a nice chunk of change, it’s 10% below the low estimate made by Christies, which conducted the auction in New York.

Like so many things, art prices have been hit hard by this fall’s financial market meltdown, which was set off in part by September’s collapse of Lehman. Still, the Fulds will make a good profit on Wednesday’s sale. They got $2.2 million for Arshile Gorky’s Study for Agony 1, for instance. That is below the $2.8 million high estimate but six times the $370,000 they paid in 1996, Bloomberg reports.

Last week, Fuld set plans to leave Lehman by the end of the year, without any severance or bonus, though it seems clear that the Fulds aren’t in dire need of cash. Fuld made $22 million last year, according to the Associated Press, and Fortune’s Allan Sloan calculatedearlier this year that he had taken down $489 million in stock sale proceeds in his 14 years at the helm of what was the No. 4 U.S. brokerage firm. Bloomberg, meanwhile, reports that the Fulds are holding onto most of their collection while pruning it of some older works.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Lease Option Benefits to the Buyer and Sellers

Author : Rajan mr

Whether you are a broker, an individual selling your own home, or an investor, there may be no better rental/sales approach than the lease option. “Lease option to purchase,” also called as “rent-to-own,” or more commonly “lease option,” is an easy and inexpensive way to acquire home ownership and have the full control of property to the buyer while the seller gets an opportunity for positive cash flow and selling their home for market value, or more.

The lease option is an agreement in which the potential buyer pays an “option consideration” at the beginning of the agreement for the option, but not the obligation, to purchase at a later date, usually twelve months later. The option consideration is usually much smaller than a traditional down payment. Generally, most sellers credit the option consideration toward the purchase price or down payment of the home. Most also credit a portion of the monthly payment if the buyer pays the amount as agreed. If there is no set dollar amount for either the option or the monthly credit, it can be negotiated between the buyer and the seller.

Wondering why would anyone opt for lease option? People enter into lease option for various reasons such as a credit problem that negates the possibility of securing traditional financing, lack of money on hand to pay for a down payment and closing costs on a new home, or a simple investment strategy. Other people use this form of “creative financing” because it allows them to move into a more expensive home or neighborhood than they could qualify for using traditional means.

The benefits of the lease option approach to home ownership, although not all inclusive, may include:
• Low move in costs
• Immediate possession of a home
• Allows buyer to build a down payment (during the time the buyer is leasing)
• Part of the monthly payment usually goes towards purchase price
• Allows buyer to repair credit, if necessary (gives time to the buyer during the lease period to fix any credit problems)
• Permits buyer to “move up” in neighborhood
• Appreciation of home while controlling its use
• Allows time for buyer to “try before they buy”
There are several approaches to the lease option sales strategy. Fundamentally, however, they are similar in result. They fill a home vacancy and owners get a good return on their investment.

The advantages of this approach are many. They include :
• Virtually eliminate vacancies in almost any market,
• Owners enjoy greater positive cash flow and are paid on time,
• Receive down payment money in the form of an option consideration,
• If selling on your own, eliminate real estate broker sales commissions,
• Sell at market price, or more,
• Enjoy the tax benefits and depreciation of owning a rental property, all while helping others realize the dream of home ownership.
If done correctly the result can be better than a month-to-month tenant. That’s because you won’t have “tenants,” you will have “buyers” who tend to pay on time, as well as take better care of the property.

For investors, and those who have more than one or two properties to sell, the most profitable form of education you can receive may be from a local mentor who is already successful in townhome lease option activity. Many cities and states have local and regional real estate investing clubs; these are good for finding mentors.
(from articlesbase.com)

Monday, September 22, 2008

Time to Manage Your Money

Author : Dr. Stephen Jones

We are living in a time of financial crisis. Corporations are laying off thousands of employees. According to the United States Department of Labor and Statistics, the number of unemployed persons rose by 592,000 to 9.4 million in August 2008. While banks and insurance companies like AIG are on the verge of bankruptcy. It seemed that no one knew exactly what to do. So the government is bailing them out. There are too many people talking about the crisis and too few that offer solutions for the common person. Panicking will only add to the confusion that is pervasive in the country. The financial crisis should force each family to review all personal bills, financial investments and family insurance plans. It’s time to manage your money.

A smart financial plan begins with your own research and study of your financial circumstances. If you have not heard from your retirement company give them a call. You want to maximize the amount of information that you use to make good financial decisions. Don’t feel pressured to move money around or to take your money out of the bank and hide it. Remember your money is insured up to $100,000 for each bank where your money is deposited. It is still a good idea to have a conversation with the bank manager about your money. Get everything in writing so that you know what your bank will and will not do if it fails.

This is one time when procrastinating does not work in your favor. Everyday you could be losing money. It’s time to have a plan of action that you will follow. Your job may offer a financial planning workshop. Make time to attend a session. Prepare a few questions prior to the meeting. Ask if there is some type of financial planning website that you can review.

Most adults have never attended any type of money management class. They do what their parents did with their money. Their bills were continuously behind and the house was loaded up with the things that they wanted. When a person who freely spends marries a thrifty person their can be conflicts over money. This type of conflict can strain any relationship. In fact financial management issues are one of the primary reasons that married couples break up. Agreeing to manage your money with some flexibility must be a priority. Each single person and married couple should have a financial plan.

One of the effective things that you can do at this time is cut back on unnecessary expenses. Eliminating fast food from your diet may be one way to save money. If you decide to make this change you will improve your health and financial situation at the same time. If you go to Dunkin Donuts in the morning, McDonald’s during the afternoon and to a restaurant at night you can easily spend $50.00 a day and by doing this several times each week you will spend hundreds of dollars. Taking control of your budget means looking at every aspect of your life and considering the changes you must make.

Your goal should be to pay off bills and cut up all credit cards. Did you know that if you are late paying one bill your interest rate on other credit cards can go up? Paying your bills on time is an important habit. When possible pay a little more money on each bill. Get a copy of your credit report and eliminate any statements that are not true. Remember that banks and credit unions will look at your credit report score when you want to make a loan or ask for a line of credit. Manage your money by putting yourself in a position to pay off your financial obligations.

We each have a free will to choose how to manage our individual financial obligations. Learn to be content with what you have rather than letting your friend influence your buying decisions. Purchasing a $4,000 flat screen television may not be in your budget. Remember you can enjoy freedom when you manage your money and plan to live a stress free life. While the country is in this financial crisis you can still have peace by following your financial plan.

Who Really Needs Life Insurance

Author: Shellaine Enfesta

If you die you will never benefit from it anyways. Thus term life insurance is an easy choice because of its lower or cheaper price; people get on the band wagon. So who really needs life insurance? If you purchase a term life insurance, you are indeed buying life insurance for exactly what it meant. It is insurance for a period of time specified by the policy contract and nothing else. Always check the stability of the life insurance companies you are inquiring from. To some it is a funny thing for a couple of reasons.

It is funny because you will never going to use it for your own, the proceeds of the policy you bought. And the chances of you collecting on your insurance before you die are very slim at best. Your policy only pays out after you are dead. Simply put, life insurance is for your loves ones that are left behind after you pass away. The chances of you collecting when you really needed the cash are also slim at best.

But if you put everything into perspective, you do really need a life insurance so that when your time comes you will not burden those people left behind. Your love ones will not have to think of where to get the money for your own burial. Dying these days in age is quite expensive so being insured means your love ones left behind will have at least something to use.

But in all of these thought, one thing for sure is going to happen. You are going to die one day. We all are going to die for sure. And when you talk about life insurance death has the emotional component attached to it and every salesmen use these for any sales pitch they are going to do. It is very powerful since all of us will buy into our emotions. Whenever you got into these situations, it is easy sells other products attached to insuring yourself.

If you come across an insurance sales agent you will be hearing so many types and forms of life insurance. But in actual fact, there are probably only two types of life insurance. To the savvy and knowledgeable people, there is term life insurance and all the rest. What I mean by this is that the rest of them like universal life, whole life, variable life and etc. only have those add on investment component to it. But then this is where you have to make a wiser and a well informed decision.

The investment component to a whole life or a universal life is that there are too many variables or factors to consider. The problem with these types of insuring yourself is that the supposed savings can sometimes be inefficient. There is the question of what if the company goes bankrupt? It is only good as long as the company is rock solid and continues to be liquid.

Whether it is term life insurance or the other types of life insurance, all of them have their advantages and drawbacks. Just make sure you got all the information you need to make that wise and informed decision and choose the one that suits your lifestyle and situation.

8 Must Knows About Recreational Boat Insurance

Author: MatthewPawlina

Recreational boats are owned by many and just as cars are covered by insurance recreational boats too need insurance that protects the boat and its owner from many unforeseen happenings; accidents, natural disasters, willful damage and more.

Most insurance companies offer insurance policies for recreational boats. And these are mainly two kind’s boat policies and yacht policies. Boat policies are general with few options while yacht insurance policies have greater range of options. As a recreational boat owner you need to know which marine craft are classified as recreational and what kind of insurance cover you will need to protect your investment and passion.

Here are a few guidelines:

1. When buying insurance buy from a recognized company. You can buy recreational boat insurance online too but while attempting to save money make sure you get dependable and comprehensive coverage. General boat policies offer P&I coverage of approximately USD 500,000 maximum.

2. When buying a recreational boat find out what costs of maintenance and insurance will be. For example new boats are cheaper to insure and wooden boats and high speed vehicles are expensive. Similarly diesel powered boats cost less in terms of insurance than gas powered boats.

3. Insurance rates are lower if you ensure that all safety regulations/norms are taken care off.

4. Many insurance companies offer competitive rates if you have other policies with them like home, health, or auto. So the first step when buying a recreational boat policy is to check with your existing insurance carrier.

5. Find out the advantages of higher deductibles and payment of annual premiums. Always check online what is on offer as far as recreational boat insurance is concerned.

6. Update your knowledge on what comprehensive boat insurance should contain. Find out what physical damage and liability mean. As a recreational craft owner you need to take informed decisions when purchasing boat insurance.

7. Take the help of an insurance expert to decide on whether agreed value is better or actual cash value. It is important to understand what insurance terminology means before purchasing an insurance policy for a recreational boat.

8. Always read the policy in minutest detail and understand it completely. An insurance policy must work to your advantage and so it is important for you to know what you are paying for.

The World Wide Web has articles and tips on marine insurance written by experts as well as boat owners. Be an informed boat owner and keep abreast about boats, insurance, and savings. Follow the law and maintain your boat well. Take recommended courses and ensure that your boat driving record is above reproach. Small steps will ensure that you are eligible to buy recreational boat insurance at great discounts.

There are recreational boat owners associations like Boat US that offer tips and other facilities to members. Always comparison shop this will give you great advantages. There are websites for buying boat insurance that have online tools that will give multiple quotes and well as easy comparison. Make use of such directories /platforms online and you will be able to get the best insurance coverage for your recreational boat.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Join Stock Trading Community & Get Tips From Experienced Traders

Author : David Jose

Most of the newbie traders started up with online stock trading businesses get into fix in which way to trade. Vulnerability to suffering from confusions is likely amongst most of the online stock traders. However, with practical advice, tips, suggestions taken from experienced traders most of the confusions and issues can be tackled. Hence join one stock trading community. Different types of options and categories and facts accessible through Internet confuse investors.

Moreover, questions like how much money to invest, where you should invest and how much profits are obtainable from investment, which stocks are functioning in the industry and which stocks do not are some of the highly crucial points to be discussed as you are trading online. Which stocks are rising windward side and which are on the leeward side must be taken under scrutiny to start and run online stock trading business. Investors can access information and guidance from existing players in the market by signing up at any online stock trading community and message boards.

Nowadays, there are plenteous online trading communities which are specific to the categories of online stock trading. Therefore, if you are a stock investor, bond analyst or a financial analyst, join fellow members of your trade by joining an online stock trading community being crowded by fellow people. Message boards, chat sessions, forum posting facilities available through these communities give traders discuss various aspects of their stock trading job profile.

Open discussions held through online message boards help traders when they are purchasing any stock options and help in making better decisions too. Moreover, when a trader is looking for particular information on stock trading, by joining one such stock trading community will be extremely helpful as they can retrieve the data much faster through involving in discussions. Network of online stock trading community is swelling day by day by encompassing diverse facts and fellows who are willing to share and access data from other people's experiences.

Forex Trading - the 5 Main Reasons 95% of Traders Fail to Win Avoid These Mistakes!

Author: Kelly Price

If you want to win at forex trading and enter the elite 5% who make big gains you need to understand and avoid the reasons 95% of traders lose. Let's look at them...

1. Following Experts

Anyone can claim their an expert and they do. These vendors peddle sure fire systems with meaningless simulated back tests which they present as evidence they can make money ( odd, as they know all the closing prices when they make the track record up!) the greedy trader believes them, gets spanked in the market and wonders why.

A simulation back on paper is not the same as trading not knowing the closing price! You don't get rich without effort in forex trading and you need to take responsibility for your actions.

2. Bad Methodology

Here come the myths! Traders believe the ones below and they all show a complete lack of understanding of how and why forex prices move. Here are just a few:

- Markets move to a mathematical formula and can be predicted

- You can trade breaking news

- You can win if you work hard

- You can win if you're clever

- Complicated forex trading strategies beat simple ones

- Buy low sell high is the way to make money

- You can day trade and win

The list goes on and on but all the above believes are wrong and won't give you success.

3. Lack Of Confidence

Most traders lack confidence and as we have seen earlier follow others or simply shoot from the hip when they trade, without knowing the basics and therefore lack confidence. If you want to win, you need to have rock solid confidence, as without it, you will never have the next trait which is critical to forex trading success.

4. Lack of Discipline

Of course you need a sound logical forex trading system however you also need the discipline to apply it. If you don't have the discipline to execute your trading signals in line with the rules of your system - you will lose.

Discipline is needed because you are going to face a period of losses ( all systems do) and you are going to have to keep going, when the market makes you look a fool and hands you losses. You must have the discipline to stay on course until you hit a home run otherwise you may as well not have a system at all.

Discipline is under estimated by traders, because they don't think they will have a period of losses (dream on!) but all traders do and staying on course is hard. Anyone who says it's easy hasn't traded! Sure you can win - but you must cheerfully trade through these periods.

5. Over Leverage and Poor Money Management

Most traders stand no chance from the start as they over leverage. 200:1 is standard and I have even seen 700:1 but this should not all be used 10:1 is plenty for most traders. Most traders however use as much as they can and blow their accounts out the water. Over leverage wipes out more traders than any other reason.

On the other hand there are a group of traders who try so hard to restrict risk they create it. They can place initial stops but they have a tendency to move stops too quickly and try and lock in profits to soon. Stops go within areas of random volatility and they get stopped out. They could have had a big profit but they didn't do what is necessary to take it.

Final Words

Forex trading looks easy but of course its not and why would it be when the rewards are so big? If you accept you have to have the willingness to learn and apply yourself with discipline, your efforts will be well rewarded.

How to Choose Credit Cards and Credit Repair Company?

Author: Groshan Fabiola

If you have or can collect accurate information about choosing a credit card, it will save you money on interest and fees. Choosing a credit card with features that match your needs is the main criteria to consider while you are checking out credit card options.

It’s very important that you understand the features of credit cards you are going to buy. You should also compare credit card features vis a vis it’s cost, it is also very crucial that you know what your rights are as you are use your credit card, and last but not the least, you should know who will address your problems and how promptly and professionally are you being attended to.

You should also have knowledge about things like How to use credit card, how to calculate APR – (The Annual Percentage Rate or APR is about the interest rate you pay if you carry over a balance, withdraw cash advance, or if you happen to transfer balance from one card to another.), what is the fee, how much is grace period, what is it’s credit limit, Does the credit card you are choosing have any incentive schemes running, what would you do about billing errors, who will resolve issues in case you have any, what to do when the thing you bought off credit card is found to be damaged etc.

If you get yourself answers to the above questions before finalizing a credit card, you won’t regret it.

Same rule applies before choosing credit Repair Company. Make sure you use as much caution against choosing your credit repair company, as you’d use before choosing Credit Card Company.

We come across many advertisements everyday making unrealistic claims to help you sort out the credit card mess. The best favor that you can do yourself at such times is to not believe these claims. Because nothing but time, a conscious effort, and a well chalked out personal debt repayment plan will improve your credit report and nothing else can or will. The truth is, credit repair companies can’t deliver. After shelling out hundreds or sometimes, even thousands of dollars’ fees, these companies can do nothing to improve your credit report. And then they do their famous vanishing act leaving you in the lurch.

Do you know that no one can legally remove accurate and timely negative information from a credit report? Do you know that everything a credit repair clinic can do for you legally, you can do for yourself at little or no cost?

Learn to judge a credit repair company before hiring one. Credit repair companies that demand service charges before providing any services are not genuine people to deal with. If a company doesn’t not disclose your legal rights and the fact that it is possible to do it yourself is not the right company to choose. If the credit repair company says that you can’t contact Credit Card Company directly then they are hiding an important truth from you and shouldn’t be trusted. If you find the credit repair company advising you to adopt unfair means then it’s best to drop such a credit repair company.

If you keep these few points in mind and get your hands on the right information you will save yourself stress, money, and a good amount of time. Be well informed before taking the plunge. Credit cards are a potential danger. Credit repair companies are everywhere and most of them are scams. So find your own ways of finding the truth. Genuine truth. So that when you get yourself a credit card you can enjoy the conveniences it offers. And where credit repair is concerned, may you never get into a situation as bad as that!

Choosing Your Prepaid Visa Travel Card

Author: John Bush

The prepaid Visa travel card is the newest convenient tool for travelers. This is the closest you will ever get to immediate spending that is also safe and secure. Here's what you need to know about finding a card provider.

Visa Benefits

In general, you will get similar major card benefits wherever you get it. When it comes to the benefits of Visa, all vendors are more or less equal. Here's what you can expect from a Visa TravelMoney card:

- The travel card from Visa eliminates the need for cash on hand. This means you reduce the risk of misplacing your money or losing it to pickpockets. You can use your Visa travel card in ATMs and establishments that accept Visa in any country.

- As a cardholder you also enjoy the safety and security guaranteed by Visa. Your signature and PIN are your first lines of defense. You can also rely on the U.S. Bank Zero Liability. When your card is stolen or lost it can be replaced and you can even get your balance back. A secondary card option is another way to protect yourself if you lose your card.

- Since the card is prepaid, you don't need to put all your monetary assets in one account. You can load your card with just the right amount for your trip. If you do run short though, this card offers you the option of reloading.

- With Visa, you have extra perks. You can take advantage of travel and emergency services or reimbursement of lost luggage.

Vendor Differences

Card providers can't just make changes in the prepaid Visa travel card benefits. Even with equal benefits though, there may be some points you can use to help you determine the best card provider.

- Of course, there will always be fees to obtain a card before you can even use it. Among some providers, fees are higher if you obtain a card and you are not a regular client of the bank. You might be able to save cash if you obtain the card from a provider with which you also maintain an account.

- Other fees also vary across providers. Some of the fees that you would have to look at include processing fee, shipping cost, enrollment fee, reload fee, card personalization fee and secondary card cost. Some providers do not charge their regular clients a preliminary enrollment fee.

- The prepaid cash values are not the same. In most cases, there is a reload cap of $5,000 but different providers have different minimum values.

- Although there are many vendors, not all of them present the product in the same way. You would probably have a better experience if you buy from a vendor who takes pains to provide you with comprehensive product information as well as customer assistance.

Traveling for business or leisure should always be worry free. That's why you should get yourself a prepaid Visa travel card. Ask your provider now for more information on this fabulous card.

I Quit and I Am Starting My Own Business!

Author: Ed Sullivan

You wake up one morning, get dressed, eat breakfast and drive into work. You have this feeling in your stomach that is telling you to turn around, you just cant work for someone anymore, not for another 20 years, and in that same thought your thinking will this company be around in twenty years? What you really want is to start your own company, you want to be the boss, you have an idea that has been burning a hole in you since you thought of it and today is the day you decided enough is enough, I’m doing it! Well that’s all fine and dandy, but now what? Where do you go from here? You have worked for someone since you could remember and they always had the plan. I’m here to tell you (and not scare you out of your dream) it’s not easy, there are so many things you have to think of. Number one thought you should have is, do you have a plan? What’s it going to take to do this and can I really do this? You can do this, and you can be successful, but it is time consuming and takes a lot of work and sacrifice and sometimes more work and more sacrifice then you would have imagined. So you have an idea for a business and now what do you do? The first thing your going to have to do is make a business plan, why do you need a business plan? It’s simple with out a plan you have no direction and you are running around piece meal your business together, and that is not going to work, you may skate by at first but eventually you are going to run into situations where you will need a plan. Your business plan is going to guide you in a direction for your business and the best resource I found for this was the SBA small business association, they have the tools you will need to accomplish this task. http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html What kind of plan should you use? I suggest two plans, and I will tell you why. Your first business plan should be a simple. A business plan that will include a summary of your business a mission statement what it will take for your business to be a success in other words keys to your success,this plan should also have a market analysis, and an analysis on what it will take to break even. With this plan in place you should ba able to see if this business is even worth the time and effort. The second business plan you make should be a standard business plan, one that you will use to present to investors, banks or corporate managers. It should start with an executive summary. It should describe the company and its background and history, what the business sells, what kind of market your product is for, its financial projections and the management you have in your business. There are thousands of companies out there that will help you write your Business plan and thousands of companies that can write it for you, my suggestion is try to do it yourself, no-ones going to know your business ideas and directions better than you, utilize the internets wide variety of sources and don’t be afraid to ask questions, this will help you decide which plan is best for you and your business.

The Real Deal About Car Insurance

Author: Clint Jhonson

Everybody who owns a car may have already gone through a lot when it comes to insurance offers. Understanding how to get insurance is often too complicated for a lot of people to understand. It takes a lot of effort from car insurance companies to explain everything about their policies and most of the time they have no reason to explain all of the fine print to their policyholders. Some of these insurance institutions look toward their gains rather than helping people know the truth about them. Here are several tips to help you out with your car insurance dilemmas:

Ask about the insurance coverage. You have to know about the actual events that are covered by your car insurance. Do not be overly swayed by their advertising, as you may be paying more for their advertising budgets than actual insurance coverage. Do not be apprehensive to pose your questions to car experts who will provide you with the necessary information to better understand the different type of coverage offered.

Take time to compare insurance premiums. Getting the right insurance for your car may be tedious but browsing the net could make things easier. Make sure that the quoted car insurance prices are reasonable enough for you to pay and don’t strain your budget. You have to assess the benefits you want along with your budget. You must also know if there are hidden charges.

Look for companies who will offer you a great deal. The emergence of many insurance companies may add to the burden of finding the right deal for your car. Sometimes these companies appear the same from top to toe, with their only difference the name they. If you want to save on costs, be sure to ask what other perks you would get by obtaining car insurance from them. Many companies have great deals to try to differentiate themselves from the competition, but it may take some digging.

Talk with an existing insurance provider about your plans of purchasing a car. There is a bulk of insurance companies who have a wide range in their insurance offerings. They may have products ranging from house insurance, fire insurance, flood insurance, health insurance to car insurance. If you have an existing provider, you may want to get in contact with them about buying insurance for your car. As their valued client, they will probably give you a better deal than most of the other providers.

If you still have a lot of questions and you are seeking the right answers, try some further research online. Start by talking to your own insurance company then browse the net and ask other people close to you about their own experience. With some effort, you will get a better understanding of your car insurance questions.

Five Things You Need To Know Before Opening An Offshore Bank Account

Author: Gregory Smyth

Off shore banking used to be viewed as the sole province of those with mahogany toilet seats or criminals planning to steal large amounts of cash. However, corporate offshore banking has not only become more accepted, the benefits of it have grown in current economic conditions. Here we look at what you should know before you open an offshore banking investment account.

1. The first thing is a good news item - there are more benefits to banking offshore than you might realize. When you bank within your own jurisdiction, your money is not safe from unauthorized withdrawals, even by your own government. The debt caused by even a contested tax bill can be withdrawn at will by the government - this is as true for corporations as it is individuals.

If you have large amounts of funds in an offshore banking investment account, they are also not subject to withholding taxes on the interest earned, and therefore your money is growing quicker.

2. You should choose your jurisdiction for offshore banking investment and corporate offshore banking wisely. It is generally wiser to bank further away from where your company operates - your investment management services firm will most likely advise somewhere that is out of your continent or general geographical area.

This reduces the risk that your company's money will be subject to local laws, and perhaps lower the benefits of banking offshore. You may be subject to your offshore bank deducting an undisclosed rate of tax from your accounts that bear interest, defeating the very purpose of opening an offshore bank account.

You may be advised to bank offshore in Singapore if your company operates in Europe, or to bank in the Isle of Man if you operate out of America.

3. It is better to choose a large than small bank, generally speaking, for your offshore investment biz. However attractive a small bank might seem - given that they offer better privacy, more personal service or that you'll feel better looked after there. However, these banks must often operate under a sub-account of a major bank, which increases the time it takes to get to your money, and creates more restrictions on how you can conduct your offshore banking.

For example, if money is sent to your corporate offshore banking account at a small bank, the business may only be mentioned in the comments field of the deposit note, or in the 'for further credit of' area - meaning that according to official documentation, the bank itself is the beneficiary of the funds, not you. At a large bank, the account holder is the beneficiary, keeping your money more secure in your company's name.

4. Be aware that if you are opening a corporate offshore banking account for privacy's sake, that privacy is often conditional - privacy protection measures can be breached by presentation of a court order. Truly anonymous banking is a thing of the past, whether that is fortunate or unfortunate for your organization.

5. The last piece of advice about corporate offshore banking is that you shouldhave your investment management services contact the bank directly by phone, rather than paying via the internet for someone to open an account for you. Often all they will do is provide you the paperwork to fill out for yourself - saving you next to no time, and costing a decent amount of money.

Open the account yourself, via your business consultancy management service, and save your company funds for what they are needed for.

Five Things You Need To Know Before Opening An Offshore Bank Account

Author: Gregory Smyth

Off shore banking used to be viewed as the sole province of those with mahogany toilet seats or criminals planning to steal large amounts of cash. However, corporate offshore banking has not only become more accepted, the benefits of it have grown in current economic conditions. Here we look at what you should know before you open an offshore banking investment account.

1. The first thing is a good news item - there are more benefits to banking offshore than you might realize. When you bank within your own jurisdiction, your money is not safe from unauthorized withdrawals, even by your own government. The debt caused by even a contested tax bill can be withdrawn at will by the government - this is as true for corporations as it is individuals.

If you have large amounts of funds in an offshore banking investment account, they are also not subject to withholding taxes on the interest earned, and therefore your money is growing quicker.

2. You should choose your jurisdiction for offshore banking investment and corporate offshore banking wisely. It is generally wiser to bank further away from where your company operates - your investment management services firm will most likely advise somewhere that is out of your continent or general geographical area.

This reduces the risk that your company's money will be subject to local laws, and perhaps lower the benefits of banking offshore. You may be subject to your offshore bank deducting an undisclosed rate of tax from your accounts that bear interest, defeating the very purpose of opening an offshore bank account.

You may be advised to bank offshore in Singapore if your company operates in Europe, or to bank in the Isle of Man if you operate out of America.

3. It is better to choose a large than small bank, generally speaking, for your offshore investment biz. However attractive a small bank might seem - given that they offer better privacy, more personal service or that you'll feel better looked after there. However, these banks must often operate under a sub-account of a major bank, which increases the time it takes to get to your money, and creates more restrictions on how you can conduct your offshore banking.

For example, if money is sent to your corporate offshore banking account at a small bank, the business may only be mentioned in the comments field of the deposit note, or in the 'for further credit of' area - meaning that according to official documentation, the bank itself is the beneficiary of the funds, not you. At a large bank, the account holder is the beneficiary, keeping your money more secure in your company's name.

4. Be aware that if you are opening a corporate offshore banking account for privacy's sake, that privacy is often conditional - privacy protection measures can be breached by presentation of a court order. Truly anonymous banking is a thing of the past, whether that is fortunate or unfortunate for your organization.

5. The last piece of advice about corporate offshore banking is that you shouldhave your investment management services contact the bank directly by phone, rather than paying via the internet for someone to open an account for you. Often all they will do is provide you the paperwork to fill out for yourself - saving you next to no time, and costing a decent amount of money.

Open the account yourself, via your business consultancy management service, and save your company funds for what they are needed for.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

7 Simple and Easy Steps to Big Time Real Estate Investing Success

By Sean Flanagan

Too many real estate investors fail to achieve their dreams because they fail to properly launch their investing careers or because they reach a crossroads and don't know which way to turn. Confused about the next step to take, they spin their wheels, do nothing, and eventually opt to walk away from real estate completely and go back to a life of mediocrity. To prevent this from happening to you, follow this simple seven step roadmap to success.

Step One: Education – The right education is critical to your success. Before getting started you should begin learning about a variety of creative techniques. You don’t want to spend so much time preparing to invest that you never launch your investing career, but you don’t want to go off half-cocked and fire at everything that moves either. Learn enough to be able to write an intelligent offer and then make it happen. As your career advances, continue learning as you go along. There’s a ton of accumulated investing knowledge available, so take advantage of it. Keep in mind, too, that education doesn’t have to be a $2,000-$3,000 guru-sponsored super course. You can sometimes learn more from a $20 book, but never quit learning or you will quit growing.

Step Two: Planning – What steps are you taking to reach your goals? Are you sitting around with a pad of paper and a pen planning how you’ll spend your real estate profits or are you taking a series of deliberate steps to all but guarantee your success? How many calls are you going to make today, this week, or this month? How many properties will you look at? How many offers will you write? Real estate is a numbers game, so you need to plan your numbers and then you need to follow up by analyzing your activity. If you don’t keep score you won’t know if you’re winning or losing. It all starts with a plan and ends in the winner’s circle or the employment office. Planning – or failing to plan – will determine where you’ll be in a year and how much money you’ll have.

Step Three: Team Building – Major league ball teams don’t wait until the season starts to begin looking for members of their team. Their team-building effort starts months ahead of opening day. As a real estate investor you need a team of professionals in your corner. Start today with a small title or escrow company and a mortgage company. Make sure they understand creative real estate and have experience. If you’re not working with a mentor familiar with creative investing, you need to find one. He or she can shave years off your learning curve by helping you to avoid some of the stupid and costly mistakes they made.

Step Four: Circle of Influence – Who are you listening to? Your brother whose idea of creative real estate investing is buying a time share in Arkansas? If your circle of influence – people who give you advice – don’t know and understand real estate investing, they’ll constantly be taking aim on your hopes and dreams because they don’t understand the concept or because they don’t want your success to shine a spotlight on their mediocrity. Tap into as many creative – and successful – real estate investors as you can at your local REIA meetings.

Step Five: the Right Sellers – Wasting time trying to browbeat somebody into accepting your creative offer is unproductive and demoralizing. Make sure that the sellers you’re dealing with are highly motivated to sell and good things will happen. Don’t be afraid to walk away from the wrong deal even if the price is right. Know your ideal situation and then capitalize on it when the opportunity presents itself.

Step Six: Hobby/Business? – Is real estate investing going to be your pathway to prosperity? While there are plenty of opportunities for you to have fun, never lose sight of the fact that you’re playing in a very competitive sandbox. You have something going for you, though. A lot of investors lack the education, training, and mindset to prosper. If you’re one of them, you should save your money and take up stamp collecting or join the rock club. If, however, you’re serious about success and give this business the effort it deserves, your future is a blank check – and you’re holding the pen.

Step Seven: Stick with It – Real estate investing success won’t necessarily come overnight. That’s not to say that you won’t become an overnight sensation, but be prepared for the possibility that it might take 3-5 years to achieve a level of success that inspires you to throw all of your time and energy into enriching yourself. Real estate investing is easy, but it’s not simple. It takes work, effort, and a willingness to keep plodding ahead even when your big payday is years away – instead of mere days.

By following this seven step action plan you can set your sights on reaching all of your personal and financial dreams. Real estate investing is one of the most lucrative careers in the world, but you’ll have to dedicate yourself to your success. How bad do you want it?

Now go get it!

Join Stock Trading Community & Get Tips From Experienced Traders

By David Jose

Most of the newbie traders started up with online stock trading businesses get into fix in which way to trade. Vulnerability to suffering from confusions is likely amongst most of the online stock traders. However, with practical advice, tips, suggestions taken from experienced traders most of the confusions and issues can be tackled. Hence join one stock trading community. Different types of options and categories and facts accessible through Internet confuse investors.

Moreover, questions like how much money to invest, where you should invest and how much profits are obtainable from investment, which stocks are functioning in the industry and which stocks do not are some of the highly crucial points to be discussed as you are trading online. Which stocks are rising windward side and which are on the leeward side must be taken under scrutiny to start and run online stock trading business. Investors can access information and guidance from existing players in the market by signing up at any online stock trading community and message boards.

Nowadays, there are plenteous online trading communities which are specific to the categories of online stock trading. Therefore, if you are a stock investor, bond analyst or a financial analyst, join fellow members of your trade by joining an online stock trading community being crowded by fellow people. Message boards, chat sessions, forum posting facilities available through these communities give traders discuss various aspects of their stock trading job profile.

Open discussions held through online message boards help traders when they are purchasing any stock options and help in making better decisions too. Moreover, when a trader is looking for particular information on stock trading, by joining one such stock trading community will be extremely helpful as they can retrieve the data much faster through involving in discussions. Network of online stock trading community is swelling day by day by encompassing diverse facts and fellows who are willing to share and access data from other people's experiences.

Benefits and Disadvantages of Internet Banking

By. Minkesh Sood

If you fit in to the generation that is habitual of sitting in front of computers and doing all your bank transactions, shopping, booking purchasing of goods with the help of internet. The internet facility assists you in doing all these activities without going outside and from one place only. Banking is one of the most important advantages of internet. For people who are older the perception of not interacting with human inside the bank will be bitter pill to eat. They still wonder about the positive and negative aspects of using internet banking.

Nervous people recognize the benefits of Internet and hearing many things about Internet banking but they are still paying their bills by mail and deposit checks at their branch.

Lot of people are already using the Internet facilities for taking loans, mortgages even then it comes to finalize deal they still go for office of the lender they opt for and contact those agents.

Before knowing its benefits and disadvantages for Internet banking, concept must be known.

Starting of online banking

When the internet started to become incredibly accepted and computer commences turn out to be progressively sophisticated, many business tycoons started to shift their attention to the trend and recognized their online presence. This similar movement also started to redesign the banking trade.

In earlier period, banks use computers to make routine transactions. Now there is hardly any paperwork at all since everything is done online with the help of banks networking system.

For banks, the Internet transactions played very important role some customers are not able to visit branch personally. If such facility is available with bank then they can increase there customer base.

There are many sub parts of online banking such as PC banking, home banking, electronic banking or online transactions.

In starting national banks take this major step towards online banking the step become successful afterwards now regional banks, smaller banks, financial companies joined in and implemented their own electronic banking set-ups.

Today the big banks have sites that provide fully secure and fully functioning online banking services that give their clientele ultimate convenience.

So, internet banking has more benefits then its disadvantages.

Health Insurance and You

By Clint Jhonson

One of the greatest worries a person will have is their health. If you are healthy you can continue to live an active and enjoyable life. Because of this people are taking a number of steps in order to conduct a healthy lifestyle. These things include: eating properly, working out, and participating in many other activities that are meant to help our bodies. But what if something happens that is not entirely up to us and threatens our health?

There are some aspects that we cannot predict no matter how active and healthy our lifestyles are. This is one of the reasons why we should consider taking some precautions because when trouble hits, we shouldn’t be caught off-guard.

Miracles cannot be bought, but there are some things that you can prepare for financially. If there is anything that threatens your health and requires some expensive intervention, and you don’t have the money to pay for it, what should you do? It is because of this you should seriously consider health insurance prior to any harmful or potentially life-threatening scenarios.

Health insurance is used by many people around the world in order to be prepared for unexpected expenses due to the treatments and medications that cannot be paid for out of your own pocket. Paying a monthly premium in order to be prepared for the worst can be the solution for a potential problem.

The first concept of health insurance dates back to the end of the 17th century and it belongs to Hugh the Elder Chamberlen. It wasn’t until the 19th century when accident insurance started to emerge. But the modern health insurance, the one that covers all your medical expenses in case something happens to you, wasn’t consolidated until the middle of the 20th century.

Modern health insurance is a lot easier to find these days. Since the Internet has become a great way to find all the information you need, it is also a preferred method for procuring a number of competitive health insurance quotes from various companies.

There are a lot of websites over the Internet that can provide health insurance quotes from a number of companies. This allows you to collect a great deal of information as well as quotes from a single source instead of visiting the websites of every insurance company individually.

There are a lot of companies on the market that can provide insurance services to keep you prepared. As it was pointed out before, you are required to pay a monthly fee in order to benefit from their services. The idea is to keep those costs as low as possible but receive the most benefits.

This is why health insurance quotes should be collected and reviewed prior to signing any contract. You should review the benefits and costs of a number of companies prior to making your decision and if possible speak to experts that may be able to help you further. Information is the key to making a good decision.

If you are interested in a website that can provide the best health insurance quotes, you should visit www.myinsuranceexpert.com. This website grants you access to a number of affordable options when it comes to health insurance and offers highly qualified operators to help you chose the best option for your family.

What is Better, Bankruptcy or Debt Consolidation?

By : Maria Mbura

There are many options available to us when looking at ways to deal with our debt which can leave us confused. Credit counseling programs, debt settlement, debt consolidation loans and bankruptcy are some of the options we can take. One might want to ask the question what is better, bankruptcy or debt consolidation? I think that one needs to look at each case in its own merit to determine which of the two options offer the best solution to the problem at hand.
To understand lets look at what the two options have to offer.

Debt Consolidation

Some people worry that consolidating ones unsecured debts by the use of a secured loan is risky for us and we are not getting into the root of our debt problem but only replacing one problem with another. Others maintain that debt consolidation provides a permanent solution to our debt issues.

A debt consolidation loan replaces several unsecured loans like credit card debts with one single loan so that instead of making many payments you are now able to make one lower payment towards your debts. This will help to immediately improve your credit score. However one of the considerations to qualifying for a debt consolidation loan is your ability to make the new payment regularly. So a stable source of income or employment is crucial. In most cases the lender will require you to provide some security like a car, house or a co-signor.

Bankruptcy

If you don't qualify for a debt consolidation loan then you might have to consider bankruptcy,
under Chapter 13 or Chapter 7 depending on your circumstances.

Bankruptcy is a complete discharge of some types of debts. It means walking away from your debts including your home and other assets you may have accumulated. Although a bankruptcy is severe and it stays in your credit report for up to 10 years, lately it is becoming a convenient way for people to get out of their financial problems. Individuals who are struggling to meet their debt situation are declaring bankruptcy more and more as the credit crunch continues to bite.

It is still not inclusive as there are some types of debts like student loans and child support among others which are not included in a bankruptcy. Neither of these two options offer everything to everyone. It will all depend on each individuals financial problem.

Therefore if you have to consider what is better bankruptcy or debt consolidation, we feel this is a serious decision to make which would require the consultation with a professional financial adviser to help you look at the options open to you to suit your specific need.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Working Capital for Small Businesses by Todd Lehman

Working capital for small businesses is a vital element in keeping the everyday operations of the business running smoothly from set up of the new company to maintenance and onwards. This form of ready funding is needed to conduct human resource tasks like hiring of able and competent staff that would support you in your goal of making a success out of the business, inventory purchases, buy needed raw materials, and produce sellable products to be marketed and eventually end up as financial gain. In a more technical tone, working capital for businesses may be defined as the operating liquidity that you end up with after the present liabilities are taken from the current assets of the business.

Working capital for small businesses must be available to ensure the longevity of the enterprise, feeding life into its cyclical operations. Not being able to retain ample amount to be used as working capital will cause the business liabilities to weight more than the assets. From there, things may go downhill with other financial issues materializing and in serious cases bankruptcy may be faced.

With the rise in number of small business operators or owners in urgent need of this kind of service, came the mushrooming of lending companies offering various ways to make working capital for small businesses available. Typically these forms of readily available funds have not been outlined for the acquisition of fixed assets of investing but mainly for advertising, accounts payable and for staff salaries. And the increasing accessibility of working capital sources not only with regards of physical location where you are to find an office near you but also regardless of where you are via the Internet, applying for such would not be to mush of a hassle.

Not having access to enough supply of working capital for small businesses is a great hindrance in the journey of business to growth and success. Without it, any enterprise would not reach its full potential, missing out on the chance or opportunity of expansion within the market and reaching a wider range and variety of consumers. Availing of the funds however would bring great benefit to the business through the support that it affords in shaping up profitable strategic plans to gain more profits, continuing an ongoing venture, reviving ones that are at risk, or exiting from failed ventures.

The acquisition of working capital for small businesses has been designed to be easy and fast. In the application process, credit score and financial history check can be avoided. There is even no risk posed on any of your properties as no collateral is necessary. And as fast as, or even faster than you are able to fill in the details and meet a few conditions, is the response to your fund request.

Working Capital Advances by Todd Lehman

Working capital advances are funding tools designed to aid and support small businesses in their quest to keep the cash flowing in and eventually maintain a successful standing even in the most volatile conditions of the markets and economy. In the life of any business, from giant enterprises to modest home businesses, there would always be unforeseen costs and emergency expenses that will need ample funds to keep its cyclical operations running smoothly.

Working capital advances are important in the accounting equation of the business where the amount of cash flow or operating liquidity should be enough even after the liabilities has been taken from current business assets. With enough working capital at hand, the business is able to continually run their operations to generate sufficient cash to answer to upcoming costs as well as short-term debts. Running short of this form of funding will require a quick source of money.

No matter how well plans and budgets have been laid-out, entrepreneurs are sure to find themselves facing issues where the need for extra funds will be evident. Working capital advances are great in supplying the needed cash to keep the business thriving and even help it climb back to normalcy from the brink of bankruptcy.

At times of financial crisis where your business needs ready cash, working capital advances is an option that is worth looking into. Accessibility is never an issue as the number of new lending companies that accommodates this service is continually growing. Some of the more traditional financial institutions have even extended their range of services to include this as they have seen the rising need in the part of the business owners.

The modern days and more technologically savvy consumers have even paved the way to the companies providing working capital advances to have their very own websites. Aside from quicker application, information about financial services and the company can easily be accessed making the choosing process or comparison of companies be a breeze. In just minutes of filling up the online application form and submission, you will get a very quick response no matter where you are accessing the site. Thus, emergency costs can be attended to in the fastest and most convenient way saving the business from any customer relationship issues or credit score damage.

Compared with applying for traditional loans, working capital advances poses to be a much more attractive option because of the speed and ease at which business owners are granted the funds. With this, you will not be making the same mistake that the failed entrepreneurs have made. And that is not attending to urgent financial crisis in the fastest way possible which could have saved the business.

High-priced rates, Debt Consolidation Canada by John Brown

High-priced debt accounts are escalating at an alarming rate in Canada. As individuals run into credit problems they're rely on high debt institutions and borrow funds at high finance rates. Most High finance company's charges 28 - 32% interest. Generally most people dont understand that these types of loans take a considerable amount of time to pay-off and lets not forget the of finance charges that you do pay.

The usual loan with these establishments will see you pay almost what you borrowed in interest. For example; you borrow $7,000 from a high finance corporation at 28% interest the total amount repaid when the loan is done is aprox $13,077.00. This means you are repaying $6,077 in finance charges. This means are repaying just short of double what you borrowed. This really doesn't make much sense.

Putting that aside the high finance establishments are not the only ones robbing you blind. Almost all the big box store charge outragous interest rates on their credit cards. They will often suck you into getting a line of credit from their corporation by handing out all sorts of incentives and price reductions on products but essentially they're still making a killing on your account. The money they bring in from your line of credit definately off-sets any discount they give you at the store.

One of the reasons many Canadian's look for debt consolidation in Canada is because they simply can't maintain the finance rates charged by these organizations and the monthly payments barely pay the finance charges. Essentially, your debt won't actually get paid off and all you're doing is padding the pockets of these establishments. If you want a simple suggestion for anyone borrowing from high finance companies is read the fine print. Know what you're getting into and look at the interest rates.


Greg Martin
Debt Manager
Phoenix Credit and Debt Counsellors
Debt Consolidation Canada

Is Now the Right Time For a Payday Loan? by Jennifer Meinert

I bet you have been discovering the rewards of payday loans online over and over again. But you've probably heard some horror stories as well. I bet you have seen advertisements telling you all about how life can be made much easier with a payday loan too.

Well the fact is that these types of loans offer many advantages over other kinds of loans that are available today. The first and probably most exciting advantage is obviously that getting a payday loan is extremely quick. All you need to do is just simply fill in the application form and everything else after that would be taken care of by the lender. Getting approval for payday loans is also super quick. And your credit history does not effect the decision of the lender in any way. So even if you have a bad credit history, you just don't even need to worry about it.

These Payday cash advance loans are advantageous for you only if you plan well and pay back the loan on time. Just In Case you are unable to do so, try paying it back as soon as possible. It is unbelievably simple to get an extension on your loan. Of course, in the long run it is definitely much easier to just repay the loan on time to avoid getting captured in a vicious circle of recurring debt. While these loans offer numerous rewards, remember that if you genuinely want to enjoy the benefits, then you must make it a point to pay back the loan in a timely fashion.

What is the right reason to apply for a payday loan? There are many various reasons to need a payday loan for some fast cash. These could include an unexpected bill, an unintentional expense, and a medical emergency. Or, maybe you just decide to splurge on yourself or someone special. Whatever the reason may be these low cost payday cash advance loans online is the ideal answer for all of your instant cash needs.

There are however particular cases where taking a low cost payday loan is actually the perfect answer for your situation. One such situation could arise if you realize that the banks insufficient funds charge that you would be required to pay for not making a deposit in time for a check to clear plus the charges imposed by whomever the check was written too will total considerably more than the fee that you need to pay for a payday loan to cover the deposit.

Another situation could be if a payday advance can help you in maintaining a perfect credit history. At times if you do not make a payment in time, it could reflect negatively on your credit report and this would have a much larger affect on all of your future dealings as likened to the nominal fee that you need to pay in order to get a payday advance loan. In this case, it would unquestionably make a lot more sense to get a payday loan rather than simply living with the consequences that could haunt you for years to come.

How to Find the Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards by Sean Masterson

You have a high balance at a high rate and you absolutely must find the best balance transfer credit cards out there so you don't suddenly drown in your debt. Hold your horses my friend. Jumping into the wrong balance transfer is going to cost you in the long run. There are a few things you need to keep in mind.

Teaser Trouble

First and foremost, you have to understand the basics of teaser rates before you can even hope to find the best balance transfer credit cards and filter them from the bad ones. A 0% credit card may seem like a great transfer option, until you learn that the 0% rate jumps to 20% or even 30% after six months. Suddenly you're not feeling too perky, are ya?

Remember, just because a card has a blazing 0% sprawled across the front of its advertising doesn't mean it's one of the best balance transfer credit cards available. All it means is that the company is temporarily charging 0% and they're good at marketing. It's your job to find out what that rate goes up to after the intro period is over.

Rewards Are Not the Prize

When looking for the best balance transfer credit cards, don't start looking for great rewards. Instead, you need to be looking for the lowest interest rates you can find. Rock-bottom interest rates and top-notch perks don't usually go hand in hand. If you want to pay your balance off as quickly as possible, it means foregoing some perks to get a lower monthly finance charge.

Don't Use It

Once you start paying that balance down, don't be tempted to charge to the card. The idea behind finding the best balance transfer credit cards is to get out of debt. If you start racking up more charges, that's not going to happen.

I don't care how cute the purse was or how bad you needed a latte, don't charge to the card. Do yourself a favor. Put the actual card through a shredder as soon as it arrives and pay off your existing balance as quickly as you can.

Keep on Top of It

Of course, the most important factor when transferring a balance to one of the best balance transfer credit cards is paying that bill on time each and every month. Otherwise, you might end up with a default rate and penalties that are far from ideal.

5 Ways to Manage Your Money Better Than You Do Now! by Jennifer Meinert

There are a lot of things that have to be considered when trying to manage your money efficiently. Everything will not work for everyone in every situation but you should find something that will help you in the following list of suggestions.

Number 1 - Evaluate Your Cash Flow

The first thing you should do before planning your monthly budget is to establish a good understanding of your cash flow. Cash flow is nothing more than your monthly inflow and outflow of money. This process is called cash flow analysis and the idea here is to make sure that your monthly income which is your inflow of money is greater than your monthly expenses or outflow of money.

It is important that your income exceeds your expenditures not only to prevent debt problems but also for the purpose of savings. Saving a little cash each and every month is one step that goes a long way towards helping you stay out of debt, especially in the case of unexpected expenses and emergency situations. If you do find yourself in an emergency, payday cash advance loans are a new valuable option that can put cold, hard cash in your hand the same day without a credit check.

Number 2 - Set Realistic Goals for Yourself

A very significant step in the procedure of money management is to think about your goals and aspirations. Setting goals for yourself is an effective way to help you begin running on the right course. You must think realistically about what you want to accomplish and then prioritize your goals based on their level of importance.

Think about what you want to attain in a month, year or even 5 years from now. Think about the feasibility of these goals in terms of money and time. Once you have successfully evaluated and prioritized your goals, choose the ones that are most significant to you and comprise them into your budget.

Number 3 - Keep Up With Your Expenses

The third step to undertake before projecting your budget is to track your disbursements by reviewing old receipts and bank statements. This enables you to see exactly where your money is being spent and assess your good and bad spending habits. Tracking disbursements and spending conduct helps you to identify certain areas where costs can be cut and changed into savings.

Number 4 - Begin Planning Your New Budget

In order for you to effectively handle your money, you need to produce a budget that accounts for saving money each month and incorporates the goals you chose. List each of your monthly expenses and sources of income and make sure that your inflow of money is greater than your outflow of money each and every month. Once that is finished, make certain there is still sufficient room for savings and emergency expenses in order to successfully produce a budget that will fit your needs. A payday cash advance loan is always a feasible option to promote your monthly budget in times of emergencies.

Number 5 - Re-evaluate Regularly and Modify if Needed

After you have set your new budget and taken it for a test drive for a month or two, it should be simple enough to figure out whether or not it has been working effectively for you. Constant tracking of disbursals will allow you to reassess and modify your budget as needed.

This is particularly essential if there have been recent modifications in your financial situation. For instance, your financial situation will drastically change in the event of a job loss. You need to continuously review, reassess and modify your old budget and spending habits in order to make a new short-term solution like a budget that fits your current and ever changing needs. You can always apply for a quick Payday loan online and get your budget back on track the same day whenever it needs a little shot in the arm.

Repair Your Bad Credit by Jason Kay

Do you suffer from a bad credit score? Have you missed so many bill payments you think getting a good interest rate on a line of credit is impossible? Well, there's good news! It's not impossible to rebuild your credit, even if you have filed bankruptcy! The bad news is, there isn't a quick fix. It takes A LOT of time to build credit.
Credit is your financial trustworthiness. As with any form of trust, it takes years to build and only seconds to ruin it. So if you do have to rebuild your credit score, what steps are you going to have to take?
Don't fall for a quick fix scam! You see these type of ads all the time. "Credit Problems? We Can Erase Your Bad Credit History Fast!" Save your money. For the most part, these are scams. The people offering these programs will charge you hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a service they can't provide. Most will take off with your money and you'll never see them again. If you really do need help from a knowledgeable professional, find a reputable financial advisor. You will get your money's worth from a licensed professional.
No more late payments. Late bill payments on anything from home mortgages to utility payments will mar your record even more. Paying every bill when it's due may not help your credit score improve, but it will make sure it doesn't fall any further.
Pay off debts to increase your income to debt ratio. The lower your debt to income ratio is, the less trustworthy you appear to creditors. When you pay off debt, that ratio increases, improving your report and score.
Start by paying off credit cards near their max limit. Credit cards tend to have a higher interest rate than any other line of credit. Here's a quick fix you can use - move cards with low maximum limits to cards with higher maximum limits or lower interest rates. That way you have fewer cards near the max limit and fewer payments to make each month. After your credit card debts are reduced, begin paying more on home mortgages and vehicle loans. The more you own in your financial assets, the better.
Maintain 2 to 6 Credit Cards. Credit cards can show you are financially trustworthy. As long as you don't max them out and pay them off every month, they will slowly help your report improve.
Try to spend no more than 30% of your maximum credit limit. Any higher shows you may be relying on credit too much. Make sure you live within your means. Pay off the entire balance each month. That being said, too many cards will flash red flags to creditors. Even if you do keep them all paid off, more than 5 or 6 cards may make it appear that you rely too much on credit. If you must get rid of some credit cards, discard the newest ones. Older cards have more history, and more history is always a good thing.
Find someone willing to co-sign. But what if you need a good loan now even though you have bad credit? Co-sign on a loan with somebody who has good credit. This serves two purposes...
1. It saves you money by having a lower interest rate
2. Another line of credit that you pay every month will help your score increase
Give it time. It can take 7 or more years for a blemish to disappear from your report. Some blemishes may never disappear, but by demonstrating financial responsibility and following the steps listed above, you will eventually override your bad cr

Do You Respect Yourself Financially?

There is always much talk about what the secrets for achieving financial dreams, whatever they be, are. It may seem like a mystery as to why some people seem to be able to make a lot of money, keep it and then go onto make more. The truth is these people follow some basic laws concerning money management. These laws are not difficult to understand, however they do require discipline. Money management and financial knowledge is important.

I am sure that there are some people who are reading this who feel ashamed about how they handle their money. The trouble with this is that shame or guilt about finances only creates a state of "poor" thinking and this type of thinking attracts more financial trouble. To turn this around you need to focus your energy and attention on new behaviors that will establish you to think wealthy thoughts. When you feel good about how you handle money, you can learn to trust yourself.

To improve your financial health you need to start out slowly and methodically in order to develop the good habits of fiscal management. Start by asking yourself this question: "What's the one thing you need to do in order to improve your financial well-being.?" Usually you will know immediately what it is because it is baggage that you carry around with you daily, baggage that weighs you down. Then again it may be that really have no idea. If this is the case it would be very useful to contact a financial planner. Experts with knowledge on specific tax laws and investment opportunities can assess your situation and advise or make suggestions about where you need to begin. Don’t underestimate the help they could provide you.

Once you have an answer, do something about it this week. The secret is in the doing. So, just how committed are you to paying careful attention to how you spend and invest, which is the key to making and supporting wealth? Do you want to develop high financial self-esteem when handling your money? Do you want to develop good money habits and maintain the discipline to live within your means? If so, you stand to benefit by increasing your level of financial self-respect and confidence. Last, but not least, your pockets could end up being a lot, lot fuller.