Jakob Jelling

A refinance mortgage loan can help you get cash for the equity in your home. Home equity refers to the value of the house that has already been paid for. This will include your down payment and the all the monthly payments you have been making. Once you have built up a substantial investment in your home, you can use that to get a refinance mortgage loan, which will give you cash on your equity.

A refinance mortgage loan, like most other loans, will have to be paid according to a monthly amortization schedule, which will include the principal payment and the interest payment for the month.

So what makes a refinance mortgage loan different? It is the low interest rates that make it appealing to credit consumers. For example a low rate refinance mortgage loan can allow you to pay off your credit card, department store card, and other high interest consumer loans. This means instead of paying 20-25% interest every year, you may be down to only 3-6% interest payments. Thus you could have a lot of money saved up over time, which you can use to eliminate all your debts or just pay for a nice vacation trip abroad.

One thing you should consider is the higher risk of a refinance mortgage loan. Your house is the collateral for the loan and if worse comes to worse you could end up losing your home. This is why it is a riskier loan to borrowers compared to unsecured loans such as a credit card balance. On the other hand a refinance mortgage loan is a safer bet for lenders as a property means they will have a means of regaining their debt even if lenders are unable to continue monthly payments.

A refinance mortgage can get you access to cash. You can use the money to pay off other debts, take a vacation or start a home improvement project. Without the loan it may take several years to save up enough money to fulfill your dreams of a vacation or a new car.

A refinance home mortgage loan can free up capital from your home equity. While your home equity would remain unusable without the loan, a refinance mortgage loan can help you to get cash for it and use it as you wish.

About the Author

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.cashbazar.com. Visit his website for the latest on personal finance, debt elimination, budgeting, credit cards and real estate.

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Bwalya Mwaba

The most common reason most people refinance is to save money, but many people refinance for various other reasons.

1. Refinancing to Lower Your Monthly Payment for an Existing Loan.
You can refinance your existing loan at a lower interest rate thus reducing your monthly loan payments. With interest rates at their lowest for years, you can find some excellent rates - sometimes far much lower than what you're paying for your current loan or mortgage. Refinancing your mortgage or loan when rates are down could save you hundreds of pounds every month and thousands over the life of your loan.

2. Refinancing to Consolidate Debts.
You may choose to refinance in order to consolidate debts and replace high-interest loans with a low-rate loan. The loans being consolidated may include higher purchase loans, student loans and credit cards. You can clear all your existing credit cards, loans and other debts and replace them all with one low cost cheaper monthly payment. On a £12,000 loan some homeowners can save in excess of £250 a month which is a considerable saving. A debt consolidation loan is a smart solution for anyone who has many outgoing monthly payments. A Refinance loan allows you to repay existing loans from the proceeds of a new loan - the loan is usually secured on property or your home.

3. Refinancing to Reduce the Term of the Loan.
Reducing the term of your loan can help you save money over the life of the loan. For example, refinancing from a 7-year loan to a 3-year loan might result in higher monthly payments, but the total of the payments (or total cost of the loan) made during the life of the loan can be reduced significantly. You'll also be able to build up your equity faster. Use this free loan calculator (
http://www.commercial-mortgage-guide.org.uk/calculator/ ) to see how the total cost of the loan reduces when the repayment period is shortened. A refinance loan can save you thousands in interest charges over the life of your loan.

4. Refinancing to Switch From Variable to Fixed Rates.
You can also refinance in order to switch from a variable rate loan to a fixed rate loan. The main reason behind this type of refinance is to obtain the stability and the security of a fixed loan. Fixed loans are very popular when interest rates are low, whereas variable rate loans tend to be more popular when rates are higher. When rates are low, you can refinance to lock in low rates. When rates are high, you may prefer the short term discounted variable rate loans to obtain lower payments. A major benefit to refinance is the ability to lock in a low interest rate for the duration of your loan.

5. Refinancing to Switch from One Lender to Another.
Some lenders offer better mortgage or loan deals than others. They may offer better customer support services, more flexible loan repayment terms or just a service that is more suitable for your needs. Refinancing your loan can allow you to drop your current lender and switch to a new one with a better loan or mortgage package.

You should carefully consider the savings you can make by refinancing against the costs and penalties. Any homeowner can refinance, but the point is to find a deal that will improve on your existing mortgage or loan. You can read more articles about refinancing at: http://www.commercial-mortgage-guide.org.uk/refinancing/





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Carrie Reeder

Refinancing your mortgage after bankruptcy is actually the same as replacing it with an entirely new mortgage. The most common reason for refinancing your mortgage after bankruptcy is to get a lower interest rate and save money over the length of your mortgage. It is possible for you to lower your payments and save money each month and there has never been a better time to refinance. Mortgage lenders will consider refinancing your mortgage after bankruptcy because the risks involved in refinancing an existing mortgage are extremely low.

You can receive quotes from multiple lenders who are competing for your business, even if you have filed bankruptcy in the past. A quick online application will put you in touch with lenders who are experts in refinancing mortgages after bankruptcy. You can be pre-qualified in just minutes and the application is quick and easy. Refinancing your home, even after bankruptcy, can lower your payments and even give you extra cash for that well-deserved vacation, to consolidate bills, or to fund your child's college education.

If you thought refinancing your mortgage after bankruptcy was impossible, you will be pleased to learn that you can refinance and dramatically lower your monthly payments with one short online application. Lenders who are anxious to help you find the best refinancing package available for your special circumstances will contact you within as little as 24 hours after receipt of your application. A bankruptcy does not have to mean you are stuck with a high interest rate and less than desirable mortgage terms. Mortgage lenders have hundreds of loan programs that will help you meet your financial goals.

If you have been through bankruptcy and are wondering if it is possible to refinance your mortgage, complete a short online application today and learn how much money you can save each month and over the entire length of your mortgage. The difference could mean thousands of dollars in your bank account over time. Get the information you need and learn how you can lower your monthly payments and get the cash you need for bills or unexpected expenses. Refinancing your home is the best way to take advantage of the lowest interest rates in many years.

Refinancing your mortgage after bankruptcy is not impossible. Get free quotes today from multiple lenders with one simple online application. You have nothing to lose and you will find that mortgage lenders are prepared to offer you better terms than you thought possible. Lowering your mortgage payments and consolidating bills can make all the difference in your financial situation. You can be on your way to financial freedom when you contact mortgage lenders who will give you expert advice and offer you numerous choices in refinancing your home, even after bankruptcy.

To view our list of recommended refinance lenders online who specialize in bad
credit mortgage loans, visit this page:
Recommended
Refinance Lenders for People With Bad Credit or Bankruptcy.

About the Author

Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide, an informational loan website with articles and the latest news about various types of loans.

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John Q. Miller

Are you nervous about your personal finances? The irrational exuberance of the 90s that led to double-digit gains for almost any investment portfolio is over. Now, you might consider yourself fortunate if your investments are losing less than the S&P 500. Add investment worry to the regular personal finance worries of meeting your monthly budget, slaying the debt dragon, and starting/building that elusive emergency fund. Will your savings and investments be able to meet your retirement, children's college funds, and other goals? Although no one can see the future, there are things that you can do to reduce your worries.

Knowledge Is Power

Learn and become more skilled in financial matters. The best way to improve your financial education is to read personal-finance magazines, books, and even newspapers. The educational materials sent out by mutual-fund companies and brokerages are also valuable. You may come across conflicting information and advice, but if you read widely, you will eventually get a better idea of how to manage your money.

Do-it-yourselfers are not the only people who can benefit from learning more. If you use a financial planner and yet are knowledgeable about investments, insurance, etc., you are more likely to end up with a solid financial plan. If you find yourself teamed up with a inadequate or unethical adviser, and you have a good understanding of investing, you are more likely to recognize bad advice.

Fear Creates Worry

"Greed is good!" says Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas) in Wall Street. Recent investment losses, corporate scandals, and a stagnant economy refute that statement. Instead, a warning is emerging in personal finance forums as we search and hope for indications that relief is in sight. Fear is bad! Fear has driven many investors either to dump stocks and load up on bonds, certificates of deposit and other conservative investments or, even worse, to stop saving and investing. This creates new problems. People will be incapable of achieving their long-term financial goals because their portfolio may now be so conservative that it won't deliver the returns needed to retire in comfort, or they are simply saving too little.
Faced with this fear and uncertainty, financial knowledge is more important than ever. Instead of reacting to the market's ups and downs, learn more about the characteristics of stocks, bonds, and other investments; as well as the broad array of personal finance and money management topics.

-------------------
About The Author
-------------------

This review is courtesy of John Q. Miller at http://www.JQmarketing.com where you can find out how to create your own (no writing required) newsletter and earn multiple streams of Internet income.

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David Berky

The subject of personal finance is very broad, but as a
beginning, I would like to discuss what I consider the
foundation of personal finance: security.

Security

Security to me means that I am prepared for the "hit by a
bus" scenario.

I have life insurance to provide for my wife and children.
Health, disability, auto and home insurance policies also
provide me additional protection in their respective areas.
I also have a list of where these policies are, who my
agents are, phone numbers and basic policy information
(#s, amounts, costs, etc.) I keep this information both in a
file at my house and in a safety deposit box at the bank (a
friends home will also work - think: "house burns down"
scenario). Also my wife and my brother and sister-in-law
who live nearby also know where these things are.

I also try to maintain an emergency fund of cash in a bank
account or money market account (with checks) so that I am
prepared for a financial disaster, layoff, or natural
disaster. It took several years to build up this cash fund.
I started with a goal to have enough cash for 6 months of my
normal financial needs (mortgage, food, insurance,
transportation, etc.). Now I am trying for 12 months'
worth. I do this by saving a little each month, and
"investing" a portion of all "found" money (gifts,
inheritances, tax returns, anything unexpected).

I have a will and update it each year around New Year's to
reflect any changes in my life during the past year (new
children, new home or business, etc.). Most people don't
need an extensive will, the forms you buy at your office
supply store will do. But in some states if you die without
one, watch out. What happens to your money and even your
children could be entirely up to some state or court
appointed official.

Stability

The next level of personal finance is stability.

Stability to me means that first of all I live within my
means. I don't spend more than I earn. Otherwise I am
spending my savings, investments, emergency money, or
getting into debt. I have a lot of debt, but most of it is
real estate which is producing some income. I try to avoid
credit card debt and purchase everything with money I
already have. I don't buy things expecting that next month
I will have more money or I will get a big raise or
promotion. You can't sell me a car based on a monthly
payment amount; I want to know the final price!

In order to make sure that I am living within my means, I
created a simple budget and I track my expenses using Simple
Joe's Expense Tracker. I can tell how much I have spent in
each budget category and I know when to keep a closer eye on
certain types of expenses, or when and where I can cut
expenses and what I can live without in order to stay within
my budget. Counting pennies is pretty tedious, but tracking
where the dollars go can be eye-opening.

Another aspect of stability is avoiding or eliminating debt.
Debt in itself is a form of stability; you always have to
make those payments until it is all paid off.

Some recent reports show that the average American is $7,000
- $20,000 in debt. Most of it is consumer debt: credit
cards, store accounts, rent-to-own, auto loans, etc. And
those types of consumer debt usually charge a higher
interest rate than any savings account, CD, or money market
account; even more than most high-flying risky investments.

This means that $1,000 in debt at 18% is costing you 9 times
what your $1,000 savings account at 2% is producing.
Consumer debt is a dangerous spiral that is very hard to get
out of.

The first problem is, as mentioned before, living within
your means. Don't get further into debt to support an
extravagant lifestyle. Or even if you are frugal, if you
are using credit cards and debt to finance your purchases,
you either need to stop purchasing luxury items or find a
way to increase your income to support these
purchases/payments.

You may even have to lower your standard-of-living because
you have racked up considerable debt and need to free up
some money to pay it down. But don't wait to start. Those
minimum payments are often designed to keep you paying 18%
interest for 40 years! That's longer than most home loans.
You could even end up paying more than 10 times the original
cost of the item just in interest payments. Is that new
stereo really worth that much?

To help people get themselves out of debt we created the
"Pay Off My Debts" tool in Simple Joe's Money Tools. It is
also available as a stand-alone product called Simple Joe's
Debt Eraser. These tools help you create a Rapid Debt
Reduction Plan which shows you how much to pay on each debt
each month in order to save as much on interest charges as
possible and pay off your debts as soon as possible.

These tools can help you systematically eliminate your debts
whether you owe $1,000 or $100,000. The key is to start
living below your means and start focusing on paying off
your debt.

It doesn't make much sense to be worried about whether or
not your 401k earns 8 or 9% this year, if you are paying 21%
on your credit card debt.

A third aspect that starts in the stability category and
transcends to the next personal finance level, growth, is
the concept of investing in yourself. By this I mean
spending time to educate yourself in personal finance
matters, as you are doing right now and spending time
gaining more knowledge and improving your skills or even
developing new ones.

As an employee, this can have a direct relation to who gets
laid off during the next round of cutbacks. If you have
some skills or have demonstrated some abilities that are not
possessed by your co-workers and these skills make you a
more valuable employee, you are less likely to get the
pink-slip.

Also while you are making yourself more valuable to your
current employer, you are also making yourself worth more to
future employers. It is much easier to land a job if you
have some special skills that are in high demand or even if
you bring some special knowledge or experience that you
fellow job-seekers may have overlooked or failed to invest
in.

Being in the computer industry, I have to spend hours each
week reading trade magazines, exploring web sites, and
reading emailed newsletters to keep abreast of what is new
in my field. If I stopped learning just five years ago, I
would have missed out on the Internet revolution, email, web
sites and the majority of the income I now enjoy.

Keeping myself informed and up to date takes time and
resources, but it helps me protect my current income and
expand my skills to help me earn income in other areas.
This increases my stability by allowing me to not have to
rely on one client, employer or source of income. A chair
with four legs will always be more stable than a stool with
only three.

Growth

The next level of personal finance, as I alluded to before,
is growth.

Once you are secure and stable, you can begin to think about
building your wealth. Not that you have to figure out how
to become the next Bill Gates or Warren Buffet. But you
have to start building the "nest-egg" that you will rely on
when you retire.

And don't think that Social Security has you covered, or
that your 401k will grow back to what it was a couple years
ago. Or that your current employer is going to re-institute
the generous pension plans of yesteryear. 401ks are much
cheaper to administer and you, the employee, take the hit
when the market goes down, not the employer.

My father is nearing retirement age and I think he has a
good plan. He has done some research and estimated what his
expenses are going to be when he is retired. He then took a
look at his potential sources of income during his
retirement.

He figured that Social Security would cover about a third of
what he wanted to live on. Only a third! And he has worked
his entire life. Would you like to instantly have to live
on only one third of what you currently make? Retirement is
suppose to be the golden years, so where's the gold?

Luckily throughout his career, my father has worked for
companies that have had pension plans and he had worked long
enough at each company to be eligible for some pension
money. This is rare these days because today the average
worker will change jobs and companies at least five times
during his/her career. Also, as I mentioned before,
companies are switching to lower cost 401k plans that do not
guarantee you any fixed payments.

In my father's situation, his pension money would cover
another third of the retirement income he wanted. So now he
had to either figure out where the last third was going to
come from, or start cutting out expenses during retirement,
like not visiting his children so much. None of us liked
the sound of that.

So my father started learning about the stock market and
investing in stocks and mutual funds. He made a plan for
growing his wealth and then educated himself as to how he
could accomplish his plan.

I wish I could say that he is doing better than he is, but
luckily he has some time still to put his plan into action
and ride out any market downturns. (He can do this because
he has the security of insurance and emergency money, and
the stability of little debt and a strong set of skills.)

By learning about how stocks, bonds, mutual funds, index
funds, options, futures, commodities, real estate and other
financial tools work you lay the foundation for growing your
wealth. You may start with just $100 in a bank CD, but as
you learn more and become more sophisticated, you can invest
in more and more opportunities.

You will learn about how risk and reward are related, that
as the risk increases so does the size of the potential
reward. Just like at the race track, you'll make more on
the long shot, but the odds are against it. Also you can
learn how to tilt the odds in your favor and protect
yourself against risk.

For those who are just starting out in the growth phase or
who want to dabble a bit before completing the other levels
of personal finance, my suggestion would be to look into
index mutual funds. Especially no-load index funds (no
initial/sales fee).

These funds are made up of the same stocks that make up the
popular market indexes like the Dow Jones, S&P and
NASDAQ100. The costs are low because management is simple
and as a mutual fund you can invest a little at a time.
Also they are easy to follow since you see them on all the
news shows and in the newspaper.

Protection and Management

The final level of personal finance is the protection and
management of your wealth. Most people never develop wealth
enough to need this level. But some of the concepts can be
applied to any amount of wealth you possess, $10,000 to
$10,000,000.

Part of the protection harks back to your will as we
discussed on the first personal finance level: security.

With any significant wealth or valuable asset (your home,
car, heirlooms, 401k, IRA, business, etc.) you will want
some way of disposing of that asset upon your death.
Whether it is go to go your family, favorite charity, or
local church, if no one knows about it, "it ain't gonna
happen".

As you start to accumulate wealth in excess of $350,000, you
may want to consult an attorney about creating a trust. A
trust is an entity that can own property and pass that
property to anyone you name in your will. Usually the trust
is designed to provide income to children from the assets
that are placed in the trust.

The trust can survive you so that your assets and income may
be passed on to your children or next-of-kin without
excessive taxation and legal entanglements. Some states
will take up to 55% of your assets as taxes when you pass
away.

Protection also relates back to insurance. Now it may be
time to look at a multi-million dollar umbrella policy that
will protect you from lawsuits designed to part you and your
wealth. You may now be a bigger target, so purchase a suit
of armor.

The management aspect comes into play where you may start to
concern yourself with taxation, ownership, distribution of
income and possibly endowments to charities or other
non-profit institutions.

You may hire a person or company to manage your wealth, or
you may choose to do it yourself. Most people who have
earned their wealth through the "sweat of their brow" have
already become adept at managing their assets. Some
continue to personally manage their wealth because of the
enjoyment or challenge it gives them.

Others are ready to turn it over to a trustworthy manager
(who only gets paid a percentage of your increase) and
travel the world, or sit on a beach and count the waves.

Whatever your dreams for retirement (and why wait until you
are 65), understanding the different levels of personal
finance and spending the time and resources to educate
yourself will pay off whether you live next to Bill Gates or
Homer Simpson.

About the Author

© Simple Joe, Inc.
David Berky is president of Simple Joe. One of Simple Joe's best
selling products is http://www.simplejoe.com/moneytools/index.htm Simple
Joe's Money Tools - a collection of 14 personal finance and
investment calculators. This article may be freely
distributed so long as the copyright, author's information
and an active link (where possible) are included.

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Drew Harris

In our world of dizzying change, nothing is more true than the time honored statement that circumstances always change.

No where is this more true than with financial issues.

Have you ever borrowed money, or charged up the VISA card at Christmas, all the while telling yourself that you would pay everything off with a coming tax refund or bonus?

Sound familiar. And then what happens when the bonus money arrives?

Let me guess - circumstances changed, the car needed brakes (or the kids needed braces, etc), and the VISA debt and interest charges keeps piling up.

Unless you have a plan, you will always be caught in the unpredictable grip of 'changing circumstances'.

This is a slippery slope that can very quickly become serious financial stress. Consider the fact that Americans are declaring bankruptcy at record rates. One in every 100 families is affected by a bankruptcy.

I was on this slope 10 years ago. Declaring personal bankruptcy and filing for divorce went hand in hand.

One of the most insightful moments of the process was preparing a written log for the trustee of all of our spending for the 5 years leading up to bankruptcy.

While all of the individual decisions made sense in the moments that they were made, they looked totally foolish in the context of the 'bigger picture'.

In other words, constantly changing circumstances drove us off our financial roadmap.

Consider this five step plan for getting on, and staying with, your financial roadmap.

Step No. 1: Make a list of what you owe & prioritize: Put all your bills in a pile. Then list your debts in order, starting with the largest balance first. Then prioritize your repayments (ie paying down the highest interest rate first).

Step No. 2: Eliminate credit cards and don't roll over balances. Once paid off, notify the company that you want to close the account.

Step No. 3: Make a spending plan. Change your free-spending ways. Track the money that's coming in and going out. Use a debit card instead of your credit card. Download your bank transactions into a computer program for easy categorizing.

Step No. 4: Be careful about the equity in your home. Billions of dollars worth of equity has been withdrawn from millions of homes in the last few years. But many people pay down credit cards only to charge them up again - and then you don't have the safety net of the equity in your home.

Step No. 5: Get help. For some people, the problem of overspending is a psychological one. Spending can become a habit that's as difficult to kick as alcohol, drugs or gambling. Sometimes, it's due to circumstances they truly could not avoid: medical bills or divorce or loss of a job.

You can talk with a credit counselor on a private basis. It only appears on your credit report if you enter their debt repayment program.

As you consider your finances, remember that Americans are now carrying $683 billion in revolving credit card debt. 47% of the people who paid less than the full amount on their credit card bills in a recent month, made only the minimum payment due.

The good news is that planning and professional help will definitely help you turn things around.

Case in point: I went from bankrupt with zero assets living in a boarding house, to gainfully employed, running my own home based business, with 2 houses and excellent re-established credit.

In other words, it can be done.

About The Author Pay-off-debt-now.com is run by Drew Harris and is a one-stop-shop web portal for those facing crushing debt issues. Multiple pages of resources, referrals and tools. Expert advice on credit cards, loans and avoiding bankruptcy. http://tinyurl.com/4bbum

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Janet L. Hall

Organizing Your Finances:
- Show Me MY Money: What You're Worth or * net * Worth
by: Janet L. Hall

Benjamin Franklin once said, * Time is money *. I think he wanted one to
add up how much time they spent on a particular task or job and how much
money they might have been wasting.

I do an exercise with my clients to help them discover what their per minute
worth is to enable them to see how much money they might be losing because
they are disorganized. Such as, if you are doing a non-income producing
activity for 15 minutes, you can see how your money is being spent!

It's a very simple calculation.

Your Per Minute Worth Calculation

Yearly income divided by 52 weeks = weekly income
Weekly Income divided by 40 hours (or total hours you work per week) =
hourly income
Hourly income divided by 60 = Your Per Minute Worth

Before you begin to OverHall and Balance your financial area, you need to
find out your net worth, and your spending habits. This will help assist
you later with your budget, payoffs, or long-term savings. It will also
help in guiding you with such things as your protection, investment, income
tax, retirement, and estate planning.

Your total net worth is your total assets (what you own or already have
saved) minus your total liabilities (what you owe out). I'm not going to
tell you this is as easy as figuring out your per minute worth because it's
not! It will take time and a commitment from you to determine your net
worth.

TIP: I have found the best time to do this exercise is when you are paying
your bills. At that time you usually have the information needed to help you
calculate your net worth. So, if it usually takes you an hour to pay your
bills, tack on at least an extra hour this month for this exercise. For your
convenience, print out and use the net worth form below. You will be
writing in your totals for each line. For instance, if you have two savings
accounts, total your balances first and then write in the total next to
Savings Account.

ASSETS
Cash Reserve Totals-

Certificates of Deposit:
Checking Account:
Credit Union Account:
Money Market Account:
Savings Account:

Investment Totals-

401(k):
Bonds:
Mutual Funds:
Stocks:

Personal Totals-

Art:
Boat:
Car(s):
Furnishings:
Jewelry:
Other:

Real Estate Totals-

Home:
Second Home/Vacation Home:
Other Real Estate:

TOTAL ASSETS: $

LIABILITIES

Short-term Debt Totals-

Credit Card Balances:
Current Bills Owed:
Loans w erms of six years or less:
Taxes:

Long-term Debt Totals-

Loans w erms of seven years or more:
Mortgage(s):

TOTAL LIBILITIES: $

Congratulations! You did it! * Drum roll * Please!
TOTAL ASSETS: $
- (minus) TOTAL LIABILITIES: $
YOUR TOTAL NET WORTH = $

Now see if your net worth falls under A., B., or C. below, and see how you
can begin to bring some balance back to this area of your life.

A. If your total net worth is half or less of your annual income or you have
a negative number you need to REALLY * OverHall * and Balance your financial
area!

~~ Pay off some/all debt
~~ Cut back on spending
~~ Stop charging
~~ Start a savings plan

B. If your total net worth is more than half your annual income but less
than a few years' income you need to * OverHall * and Balance your financial
area.

~~ If you're 40 or under and own a home, you're okay for now
~~ If you're 40 or over and you don't own a home:
`` Cut back on spending
`` Stop charging
`` Reduce debt
`` Increase your savings
`` Buy a home before retiring

C. If your total net worth is more than a few years' of your annual income,
CONGRATULATIONS! Keep doing what you've been doing!

Listed below are some questions to ask yourself now that you know and can
see what your net worth equals.

1. Do you have enough cash reserves to meet your needs?

2. Do you have enough protection to provide money for unforeseen emergencies
(we talked about this last issue)?

3. Do you have enough fixed assets (usually long-term; bonds are an example)
to provide or produce additional income?

4. Do you have enough equity assets (short or long-term; real estate and
stocks are examples) for growth and income?

To answer those questions, you need to know what your family and your needs
and goals are and then plan how you are going to meet them.

Quick Tips to INCREASE Your Assets:

1. Maximize your 401(k) contribution
2. Start investing
3. Get automatic deduction/deposit from paycheck to savings each pay period.

Quick Tips to DECREASE Your Liabilities:

Credit Cards
1. If you have to use a credit card, use only one major card
2. Pay more than the minimum payment on the credit card with the highest
interest rate
3. Stop charging to the highest interest rate credit card
4. Get rid of department store credit cards
5. Don't apply for anymore credit cards

Mortgage(s)
1. Pay a little extra each month towards the PRINCIPAL of your mortgage
payment
2. Drop your PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) when your home equity exceeds
20% of your home's value (talk to your mortgage lender)
3. Refinance mortgage at a lower interest rate
4. Refinance mortgage at a lower interest rate AND finance for 15 or 20
years instead of the usual 30 years.
5. Pay half your monthly mortgage payment every two weeks (talk to your
lender)

Smiles, not Piles,
Janet L. Hall

The Organizing Wizard, Janet L. Hall, is a Professional
Organizer, Speaker, and Author. She is the owner of
OverHall Consulting, and Organizing By Phone. Subscribe to
her FREE organizing newsletter at
http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm or visit
her web site at http://www.overhall.com

Copyright 2000 by OverHall Consulting
P.O. Box 263, Port Republic, MD 20676
All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy, or distribute so long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author is attached.

About the Author

The Organizing Wizard, Janet L. Hall, is a Professional
Organizer, Speaker, and Author. She is the owner of
OverHall Consulting, and Organizing By Phone. Subscribe to
her FREE organizing newsletter at
http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm or visit
her web site at http://www.overhall.com

Dobler Consulting Inc
2339 Warwick Dr
Oldsmar
FL 34677
United States

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Leo J Quinn Jr


If you're like most people, your personal financial records are most probably kept in less than "Good Accounting Practices" standards.

For example, stashing old ATM receipts and hanging on to a stub showing what you paid for a pack of mints two years ago (cash, of course), might be filed with your paycheck stubs, credit card statements – paid and unpaid alike – as well as a few tax forms, a stray paper clip and a penny.

Anything from an old shoebox to a toolbox would do you for this method of personal financial tracking but you can do better than that.

Not to worry. Here's how:

1) Plan for a few hours of "alone time" with your financial records. This is a dandy time to pack the kids off to the mall, put up a pot of excellent coffee and a little snack (preferably chocolate), as a treat when you're done.

2) Supply yourself with ample space, such as a large dining room table. Make sure you have enough organizing supplies close at hand: sticky notes, file folders, a tub to hold them with hanging file folders, large envelopes, a check file, ring binder/s and a three-hole punch if you like, an open stacking file, and an organizer/sorter. A trash can by your side is a must.

3) Get everything from everyplace – shoe boxes, check files, file folders, etc.

4) While enjoying your cup of coffee, make a game plan. Decide what you're going to put where: e.g., checks and statements go in a specific file for checks and statements, credit card statements can be unfolded and placed in a file folder, etc.

5) Start sorting on the table. Checks go here, ATM receipts go there, paycheck stubs go over there, paid bills go on the other side, etc. until all the "stuff" is divided into neatly organized piles. Use sticky notes to mark what-goes-where on the table to avoid confusion.

6) Put all the "paid" items away first. Be ruthless – it's perfectly okay to toss the receipt for those mints from two years ago.

7) Put the rest of the inactive items in the envelopes, file folders, check files or other storage devices as are interesting, functional, and readily available from your local office supply store.

8) Have another cup of coffee and tackle the active, or open, items. Decide what you're going to pay and when. If you have an open stacking file, you will find one with four compartments (one for each week of the month), very handy for this purpose.

9) Balance your checkbook. Now.

10) Enjoy your chocolate after putting everything away where it belongs and, oh, by the way, check the calendar for when you'll be doing this again next month.

Of course, next month this will all be done much faster.

I highly recommend using technology to make this much easier and faster. Programs like Quicken and Microsoft Money will help. Really any spreadsheet program will do.

Have a category for each life area you spend money. Once a week or month take your receipts, checkbook records and scribbled notes and record where you spent ALL your money....every penny. One of my students was shocked to find out he was spending $75 per month on orange juice!

Legend has it that the Rockefeller boys kept track of all their spending and they turned out alright.

This time next year you'll wish you started today.

About the Author

Leo J. Quinn, Jr. owner of www.LeoQuinn.com is a financial educator from the Albany, NY area. For over eight years he has been helping thousands of people get control of their finances and get out of debt in a fraction of the normal time. He has a special offer for readers of this newsletter at http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=132551

 

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Jason Glicken

Online surveys alone financed my first web site. Getting paid to take these online surveys is a win-win situation. Large companies want your opinion on their products and services and they are willing to pay you for it. These online surveys give them good insight into their target market, people like you, so they win. You win by getting paid for your time.

It all started about 5 months ago when I had finally decided I wanted to start my own online business. I have a full time job, a stay at home wife, and a 15 month old baby boy. I had no extra money, as you can imagine, and didn't want to risk my hard earned salary without knowing if this venture would work. With no idea on how to go about starting an online business and with no startup capital, I did what all web surfers do; I surfed, and I surfed, and I surfed.

During the course of my research I ran across some ads for taking online surveys and getting paid for it. I was skeptical at first, but when I researched the companies that offered online surveys I found a few that were for real. So I signed up with 3 of the sites.

Once you sign up you fill out some easy questionnaires about yourself so the survey company can match you with one of their clients looking for your demographic profile (e.g. age, sex, where you live, what you do, etc…). Easy enough, still free, I filled out my profiles and that was it, they let me know that they would contact me when a survey that fit my profile was available.

Without skipping a beat I went back to my research. It was becoming more and more evident that I would need to learn a lot more before starting my own internet business. I decided that for any business venture you should be as prepared as possible. And I still had no extra money to even give it a try. I was still in my hunting and gathering phase.

Then one night while surfing the net, I got an email telling me that a $10 survey was waiting for me. Great! I logged into my account at the survey site and clicked the link to start the survey. It took me about 20 minutes. This particular survey company pays directly to your PayPal account (it took a couple weeks to see the money, but I did see it.)

I was hooked. Over the next several months I received more surveys. There are times when you don't qualify for a survey. This could even happen a couple times in a row. Don't worry they will keep sending them and you will qualify for a lot of them.

About 4 weeks ago I decided I knew enough about web sites, web site hosting, web site promotion, newsletters, and most of the basics of starting my own site. So I logged into my PayPal and found $32 (all from surveys), and logged into my other 2 survey sites, $20 dollars in one account and $45 in the other. I had my startup money!

Taking these surveys enabled me to start my own business online using only the money I made online. No out of pocket money was needed to set up my site, get my domain name and start a hosting plan. In reality this is more than enough money to start a website backed business. I used only my PayPal money to set up my web site, and not all of it. Yesterday, I deposited $40 of survey money into my checking account and then transferred it to my PayPal account. I now have a little war chest for financing my online business.

Online survey companies (the real ones) don't charge you to join, don't spam you when you do (I only get invitations from them, nothing else), and pay you when your done. It can take up to 4 weeks to get paid (sometimes less sometimes more). For me this was not a problem since I was not yet knowledgeable enough to start my web site.

I still spend most of my time surfing and learning but I also understand the concept and dangers of procrastination. I did take my time getting started based solely on financial reasons, now that I have the money to get started that is exactly what I am doing, getting started!

I want you all to know that making money online is a reality. Surveys will make you money, I still take them as soon as they hit my inbox, but you will not be able to quit your day job. If you don't give up and hang in there you can start your own web business without touching any offline money. If you don't want to start a business then buy yourself or someone a gift with the money you earn. It truly is easy money!

By: Jason Glicken

About The Author Jason Glicken - Editor - The Affiliate Journal Copyright 2005 - All Rights Reserved. Create start up capital completing FREE surveys online. http://www.theaffiliatejournal.com/sparechange.php Better to be a doer than a dreamer… jglicken@theaffiliatejournal.com

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Let the banks compete for your refinance or debt consolidation! Submit a form and get a free no obligation consultation: http://www.house2006.net/form - If you OWN real estate - LOWER your monthly payments! - Programs for every credit situation. - Credit history is NOT a factor. __________________ To stop, go here

Carrie Reeder

If you are looking to refinance in New York, it helps to get the facts before you begin the refinancing process. If you have an existing high interest mortgage, refinancing now could be the best choice for you. You can choose to refinance with cash out to make home improvements or to consolidate bills, or to simply refinance your existing mortgage to a lower interest rate that will save you a lot of money over time. New York real estate is always a booming business. Mortgage lenders in New York and throughout the country are competing for your business. You can get quotes from several lenders with one quick online application. Online lenders are offering the same great terms as traditional lenders and will give you the professional service and attention that you expect.

New York lenders will give you expert advice and superior customer service when you apply for a refinancing loan. If your existing mortgage has a high interest rate, refinancing now could dramatically lower your monthly payments. New York is a diverse state that offers rural living and a bustling city atmosphere. Owning a home in New York is an excellent investment. Real estate values rise continually and the current low interest rates make it easier than ever to refinance your New York home. Mortgage lenders online normally provide mortgage loans all states, including New York. When you apply online for a refinancing loan, you can get multiple quotes from one simple application and you will be contacted within hours by lenders that provide loans in your area. You do not need perfect credit to refinance your mortgage. There are many subprime lenders through online mortgage companies. You can even be pre-approved for a loan from an online lender.

Refinancing your New York home could be the best decision you can possibly make if you want to help secure your financial future. Extremely low interest rates and low monthly payments will give you more freedom to save for college, make home repairs, or simply live life the fullest extent possible. New York lenders are offering previously unheard of terms for refinancing loans. Contact a lender in your area or complete a short online application. You loan could be approved very quickly and you could begin saving money immediately. Mortgage lenders who service the New York area are anxious to help you realize your financial dreams. Get rid of your high interest mortgage and start paying less money on mortgage payments each month. Online nationwide mortgage lenders can provide loans to all areas of the country and can give you low rates on refinancing your home.

To view our list of recommended online nationwide mortgage lenders who service
New York visit this page:
Recommended New York &
Nationwide Online Mortgage Lenders.

About the Author

Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan
Guide, an information website with articles and the latest news about
various types of loans.

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Lisa Lambert

Credit Card Management Services, Inc. is a fully licensed 501(c)(3), non-profit, credit counseling agency whose mission is to provide compassionate, professional debt management counseling and education in an ethical manner with efficient, timely and problem-solving client support.

Since 1996, CCMS has helped thousands of consumers gain financial stability through credit counseling, personal finance education and debt management solutions. Located in West Palm Beach, CCMS provides our services to consumers in over 40 states. CCMS prides itself in being a customer-service oriented, education-driven agency.

CCMS offers credit counseling, budget analysis and personal finance education to all consumers that seek our assistance. Consumers that contact CCMS are directed to one of our certified credit counselors who review their unique financial situation. During this initial counseling session a credit counselor will review a client's current outstanding financial obligations, both secured and unsecured, as well as their monthly budget. Our counselors carefully analyze and assess the client's financial situation and recommend a course of action that helps them meet their financial needs.

CCMS provides debt management plans to those clients that show significant need. The debt management plan, in most cases, allows consumers to reduce their monthly payments and interest rates while giving them a fresh start on paying off delinquent accounts. When combined with effective credit counseling, a debt management plan can provide consumers with the tools to become and - more importantly- stay debt free.

CCMS believes that a proactive approach to education and counseling is the best approach. In addition to providing credit and budgeting counseling on an individual basis, CCMS also participates in local housing fairs, credit seminars and similar events to help promote financial awareness. CCMS offers free, on-site budgeting, personal finance and credit seminars to local schools, community development corporations and community groups in the South Florida area.

Please visit the website at http://www.debthelper.com

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Ashlee Hovsepian

You may be looking for some extra money to fix up the house, go on a vacation or buy a new car, and you want to take some equity from your home to do it. To do this you could either refinance your home and take some of your equity or apply for an equity line of credit instead. The question is which one is right for you? There are some things to consider about both options when determining how you should obtain the money.

Refinance Your Home

-Are you currently paying a high interest rate and would like to reduce it?
-Does your lending company charge closing costs or points to refinance?
-Consider that you will be borrowing this money and be paying interest on the full borrowed amount for the duration of your mortgage
-Is the interest tax deductible? Speak with your tax advisor.

Equity Line of Credit

-You are only charged interest for the money you take out.
-You may repay the minimum amount or additional monies without penalty.
-What are the interest rates? Are they lower then the current mortgage rates?
-Are there any fees associated with opening an equity line of credit with our financial institution?
-Is the interest tax deductible? Speak with your tax advisor.

The increase in the real estate market has provided people the opportunity to borrow money against their residences to generate cash for the things they need. Financial institutions are making it easier for people with equity in their homes to borrow money. If you are looking for extra money and own a home, you may want to consider one of the two options, either refinance your existing mortgage or take an equity line of credit against your home.

About the Author

Ashlee Hovsepian is the publisher of http://www.anything-loans.com where you can find the right mortgage and refinance companies to finance your mortgage online.

You may freely distribute or publish this article provided you publish the whole article and include this copyright notice and links in full.

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Carrie Reeder

If you are currently looking for a new home, chances are that in all the excitement you won't really give any thought to the type of home loan mortgage you take out, instead going with the first one offered to you. This could be a serious mistake – costing you thousands, if not tens of thousands. Make sure you know all about the different types of home mortgage loans before you starting looking for that new dream home!

Here are some of the basic types of mortgage loans:

Fixed-rate home loan mortgage -

As the name suggests, this is a plain-vanilla home loan. Basically you borrow a certain amount over a certain period at a fixed rate of interest. You then pay the same monthly installments for the life of the home loan. The benefit of a fixed-rate home loan is that you can easily budget for the repayments. The downfall of a fixed-rate home loan is that you could end up paying a higher rate of interest than everyone else – no one knows what interest rates will be in 15-20 years time!

Adjustable-rate home loan mortgage -

Mirroring the fixed-rate mortgage is the adjustable-rate mortgage. Again, you borrow a certain amount over a certain period, however in this case the interest rate is not fixed, but is adjustable (or 'floating' as you may also hear it called). The upside to adjustable-rate home loans is that the interest rate at the start of the loan period can be lower than the fixed rate would be. The downside is that it is difficult to budget for, as the amount can change, and you are at the mercy of something outside of your control – interest rate fluctuations, which can change quickly.

Hybrid home loan mortgages -

Trying to fill the void left with the downside of the fixed and adjustable/variable-rate home loans, the hybrid home loan lets you fix the interest rate over the first part of the home loan, and then switch to an adjustable/variable rate later. The upside of hybrid home loans is that they allow you to budget for your repayments during the expensive time when you first buy the home. The downside is that if floating rates are much higher than your fixed rate when the switch happens, you could find you are paying a much higher repayment each month.

To see our list of recommended mortgage lenders with competitive rates for refinance, purchase loans, second mortgages, home equity loans and all other mortgage loans, visit this page Recommended Mortgage
Lenders

About the Author

Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide, an informational website about various types of loans. The site has informative articles and the latest finance news.

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moneynet

Moneynet adds weight to intelligent finance with new personal finance product guides

Moneynet.co.uk, the UK's longest established online personal finance information website, has recently published three online product guides to help consumers get to grips with the increasing complexity of personal finance products.

With a strong stance on ethical finance, the company felt it was important to be proactive on educating consumers about the different aspects of credit related products to get the best deal. This is crucial, as a recent report by Credit Action indicates that less than the half of adults are financially literate, which drops to a third for young adults aged between 21 and 24.

According to the National Statistics website, 91% of men and 90% of women in the UK have at least one credit card, collectively accumulating over £54.3 billion of debt. Credit Action, a national money education charity, states that 50% of the people who take out credit in shops, hadn't planned to do so
when they left home. This is particularly serious as store cards often present the highest rate of interest, indicating either a lack of awareness or understanding on the part of the consumer, or worse a lack of concern about the possible consequences. A survey published last year by the Office of Fair
Trading showed that whilst 60% of cardholders thought they had a good understanding of credit cards, they were unable to answer specific questions or extract key information, such as the APR, fees for late payment or cash withdrawal.

There are currently three guides available on http://www.moneynet.co.uk, covering credit cards, mortgages and loans. In addition to explaining the different aspects of credit application, moneynet also offer a glossary of key terms in the resources section to help visitors gain a complete
understanding of the best product for their needs. Further guides are due to be published later this year.

About the Author

Moneynet.co.uk is the UK's longest established, online personal finance research and data website.
E-mail: INFO@MONEYNET.CO.UK
Telephone: 020 8313 9030
Website: http://www.moneynet.co.uk
ADDRESS: Moneynet
Sussex House
8-10 Homesdale Road
Bromley
Kent
BR2 9LZ

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Holly Bentz

All tsunamis, hurricanes and medical atrocities aside, there's more to crisis proofing deadly and financial catastrophes. In the realm of protecting one's family from the devastation of financial dire straits, a simple plan starts with a budget. If only the American family learned to spend significantly less of their income, financial crises would almost become extinct.

The formula for financial solace is to reduce the outgoing budget to be applied to a savings account or market fund. The 30+ million Americans ensconced in debt could lower their stress rates and genuinely enjoy life if they put an end to over extending finances. Living from month to month impairs the quality of life issue.

Being financially devastated can be a paralyzing situation. Despite an adequate salary and a dependable job, families across the United States continue to be challenged by making their means last from month to month.

Pre-Crisis Financial Planning

Starting a savings account or plan features a surefire way to be prepared for unforeseen costly emergencies. It could be anything from a malfunctioning boiler or a household flood. In lieu of the family crisis, being prepared financially can cushion the devastation of the event. Nevertheless, learning new spending habits may be challenging for a compulsive spender. Keeping up with the Joneses is not worth the superficiality of terminal financial distress.

Obviously, there are only two solutions to the spending deficit equation; either:

1. Increase one's salary significantly
2. Start living below your financial means drastically.

Unfortunately, not everyone is able to achieve either objective. In fact, for many consumers they require both goals to the spending objective, start making more and stop spending until they can see their w ay out of the red. As the old adage, "The more you make, the more you want" is true. But the problem grows when people begin to spend more than they make.

The end result is a financial avalanche. Even if you think that you have the rob Peter to pay Paul down pat, it's only a matter of time before everything could snowball. The reality is that the only financial rescue team available to you may be a personal loan or debt consolidation loan.

To prevent the dominoes' effect of financial stress take over here are a few steps to quell your finances in the right direction:

• Compile a list of current bills
• Devise a list of household operations
• Review areas to cut spending (ordering out, entertainment, shopping sprees, etc)
• Develop a balanced budget to live on only 60 percent of your household income
• Sell any personal commodities that are beyond one's financial means.
• Get organized on your PC with either a Quicken or Microsoft program.
• Work to balance your budget by paying of bills
• Detail a goal with realistic terms
• Stock between five and ten percent a month into a savings account or a money market account on a regular basis.

Fast Debt Solution

Since the idea of taking on a second job is an unpopular choice for most people, a rapid debt solution is a debt consolidation loan. Since the loan is designed to pay-off current debt and stretch out the repayment term over time, it can be the ultimate debt solution for managing one's finances.

Financial Crisis Savers

Personal loans are either secured or unsecured loans. Secured loans place the borrower's property up for collateral. (For example, a house, real estate property or a high end recreational vehicle). An unsecured loan usually has a higher interest rate. Since the financial institution is at greater risk of a defaulted loan for a person with poor credit, the fees are reflected in the interest rate.

Pretty straightforward, debt consolidation loans – repay all current bills. Then the loan charges the borrower an interest and monthly charge. For its overall convenience and ease is considered an immediate way of quelling financial stress.

For the type of emergency, where one needs less than a thousand dollars, a payday loan is just the remedy. The best way to outsmart a payday loan is by paying the loan immediately and avoiding going with a plan that has a pre-payment penalty.

During a family or financial crisis it's comforting to know that financial squadrons otherwise known as debt consolidation, personal loans or even payday loans may be the option for a monetary rescue.

© About-Personal-Loans.com. All rights reserved.

About The Author Holly Bentz is a finance writer and a contributor to About Personal Loans. About-Personal-Loans.com

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Holly Bentz

In the world of finances it is all about managing debt to maximize one's buying power. Since a consumer's credit score has a direct correlation on any financing or loan authorization, reviewing the accuracy of a credit report is a consumer savvy. Consequently, managing one's personal finances for a better credit rating is critical.

Did you know that when financial institutions consider authorizing loan approval, they review your payment history? Even if you were unemployed when you were inundated with medical bills, the balance will appear on the credit report.

FACT: Over thirty-five percent of American consumers impaired with a low credit score -- due to expensive hospital and medical bills.

About Your Credit Report Card

A credit report is very similar to an adult life quality report card. It details such personal information as:

• Where a consumer works
• Where the individual resides
• Have you ever been convicted of a crime
• Has the individual ever been involved in a lawsuit or claim
• How you pay your bills

Credit reports or your report card are kept by organizations referred to as consumer reporting agencies (CRAs). These credit bureaus collect, compile and sell consumers credit documents to businesses. Banks and lending institutions approve applications based on credit. Certain insurance companies and employers evaluate one's credit before writing a policy or extending employment.

Subsequently, Americans should always review their credit score to ensure the information is accurate. Financial advisors recommend that all consumers should report any updated, omissions or inaccuracies. Specifically, for the person planning to apply for a mortgage, auto loan or other personal loans (secured or non-secured) an exact truthful credit report is important. Moreover, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) authorizes consumers the opportunity to submit corrections.

Another aspect of managing one's finances with a better credit score is by checking the accuracy of information detailed on the credit file. Nonetheless, it may drastically accelerate the credit-granting process.

On the other side of the spectrum, consumers who are denied credit have the right to acquire the following information:

1. The credit bureau's name (CRA)
2. The CRAs address and all contact information
3. A copy of a free report within 60 days of a denial
4. In lieu of fraud, being on welfare or unemployment, consumers a allowed one complimentary copy of their credit report

Generally, the cost of a credit report starts at nine dollars.

Credit Reporting Agencies and Credit Bureaus

There are three major credit bureau agencies (Experian, Trans Union and Equifax). All agencies may have different information about a consumer. To compare and check all your credit files from all the top agencies, here is their address:

Experian
P.O. Box 2002,
Allen, TX 75013
(888) EXPERIAN (397-3742)

Trans Union
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19022
(800) 916-8800

Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
(800) 685-1111

After you obtain a copy of your credit report, the first step to managing your finances begins with noting any discrepancies. Then, protect your rights under the FCRA Act by contacting the source of the erroneous information and the credit reporting agency by writing a letter.

Sample Dispute Letter

Date

(Your Information)

Name Address City, State, Zip Code

Complaint/Dispute Department Name of Credit Reporting Bureau Address City, State, Postal Code

To Whom It May Concern:

Attached you will find a copy of a report I received. The items of dispute are circled on the attached copy of the report I received.

1.) (Detail the disputed items in a list with the credit account, name of the creditor the type of item, such as credit account or judgment etcetera)

This above item is (inaccurate) because (detail what item is inaccurate or incomplete and why). I am requesting that the above named item be removed or corrected (or state the specific change).

Attached you will find copies (describe any enclosures that depict a record of payments or any court documents) which demonstrate my position. Please research this issue and (remove or amend) the disputed item(s) as soon as possible.

Regards,

Your name

Enclosures: (List what you are enclosing)

Remember to include duplicates (only) of the documents that corroborate the correction.

Facts about Accurate but Negative Credit Report Information

There are scenarios where negative information may be accurate. Unfortunately, there is a general period of time that the information must remain on a credit report. Usually, the time limit is seven months; however the following list details the exceptions:

1. Any information regarding criminal convictions may be reported for an unlimited time span.
2. Any credit information provided as a response to an application for a salary position worth over $75,000 does not have a time limit.
3. Bankruptcy information can remain on a report up to ten years or more.
4. All credit information reported as a result of an application worth over $150,000 of credit or life insurance does not have a limit.
5. Any unpaid judgments or lawsuits have a credit report life of seven years or more -- until the statute of limitations has expired (whichever is longer).

In summation, despite negative accurate information, paying your bills on time and correcting any errors is a good way to manage your finances for a better credit rating.

© About-Personal-Loans.com. All rights reserved.

About The Author Holly Bentz is a finance writer and a contributor to About Personal Loans. About-Personal-Loans.com

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William Cate

Making Money in Equity Finance
By William Cate
Published October 2001
[http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/] [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/globalvillageinvestmentclubwelcome/]

Do you offer financial services to businesses outside the United States?
You could be earning an additional US$300,000/year taking your clients
public in the United States.

Here are ten possible reasons why non-U. S. Companies should go public in
America.
1. Their country lacks a stock exchange.
2. The country's stock exchange won't list "growth" companies. In several
countries the national listing requirements are modeled after those of the
New York Stock Exchange. This is true of the Singapore and Kuala Lumpur
Stock Exchanges
3. The local stock exchanges lack credibility. This is true of the
Vancouver and Alberta Stock Exchanges in Canada.
4. The company understands the benefits of being valued in U. S. Dollars,
instead of the national currency. Currently, the USD is the World's
business currency.
5. The company that wants to be listed on stock exchanges in Europe and
Asia and realizes that the American filing is the key to cost savings
elsewhere.
6. The company understands that they can no longer trade their shares in
the States under a 12g Exemption.
7. The company realizes that their local investors would prefer to hold U.
S. Dollar demominated stock.
8. The company suspects that there is a segment of the U. S. Market that
would buy their stock if it were easily available in the United States.
9. The company realizes that having a U. S. Dollar demominated stock allows
management to make bargain acquisitions for their stock when the national
currency's exchange rate falls against the USD.
10. Management is taking the company global and wants to save on taxes.

I can offer twenty more reasons why non-U. S. Companies should trade in
the United States. Canadian, Israeli, and Japanese businesses are the
primary companies seeking to trade their shares in the States. The U. S.
listing advantages that they take for granted are available to any firm
anywhere in the World.

I offer a basic U. S. Spinoff package. It takes a foreign company public
in the United States. It qualifies the company's shares to trade on the
Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB). This spinoff package includes
legal and audit costs. The turnkey package costs: US$125,000 and one
hundred thousand shares of the company's stock.

I'd like to develop a network of non-U. S. Business Associates capable of
marketing this basic spinoff package to their clients. Potential associates
should be venture capital firms, M&A firms, Merchant Bankers and Business
Consultants. My marketing approach is risk free. If you want the details of
my proposal, please email me with "risk free" in the subject field.

To contact the author: Visit the Beowulf Investments website: [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/] Or, visit the Global Village Investment Club Website:
[http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/globalvillageinvestmentclubwelcome/]

About the Author

He has been the Managing Director of Beowulf Investments [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/] since 1981 and is the Executive Director of the Global Village Investment Club [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/globalvillageinvestmentclubwelcome/]

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Rachel Lane

Different types of loans are available for almost every aspect of your life: personal loans, car loans, secured and unsecured loans, home loans, homeowner loans, student loans, graduate loans and career development loans (CDL). If you've suffered from credit problems in the past and now hold sub-prime characteristics, then you will be eligible for adverse credit and adverse loans.

You can always borrow money these days, but it is crucial to read the small print as the difference between interest rates is enormous and stories of people forced to pay off amounts which are five times the amount of their original loan are not uncommon.

There are also numerous stories on unemployed couples being sold loans, such as the case of Julie and Kevin Davies, reported by the BBC. The couple were already experiencing difficulty in paying off their existing debts of £4,000, when they were sold another £20,000 loan by Lloyds TSB.

Loans of £1,000 to £25,000 can be taken out and repaid over a period typically varying between six months and 10 years depending on your credit history and available finances. Loans are usually secured or unsecured. Secured loans are tied to your house, so you can be forced to sell the house if you are unable to make the repayments. Unsecured loans do not impose the same restriction, though a default on repayments may result in being "credit blacklisted". Once blacklisted, you may get future credit card, mortgages and hire purchase applications rejected, as well as face a potential higher rate of interest for all existing debts.

It is absolutely crucial that you shop around for a loan and not just through the high-street banks. The internet offers a wealth of information available and there are many sites which compare the prices of products, and to really ensure you get a good deal – compare the different comparison sites. In the UK moneyfacts, moneyextra and moneynet ( http://www.moneynet.co.uk ) offer price comparison services for a wide range of loans, amongst other financial products. These sites also offer consumer information guides, which you can either print directly off the website or download on to your computer.

Do read all the terms and conditions carefully and ask friends, family and your financial adviser / bank adviser if you don't understand a particular statement. The annual percentage rate (APR) is particularly important and can make a difference of thousands of pounds over the term of the loan.

Unsecured loans can be purchased from building societies and banks, as well as certain high street shops. Unsecured loans may be taken out for something specific or simply to make life more 'comfortable'. The process usually involves:

• Requesting a typical amount for the loan
• Discussion of interest rate (APR) and possible loan payment protection insurance
• A credit check, you may wish to get one of these first, so you know what to expect
• Reading the terms and conditions and then signing the agreement
• Money can then be transferred into your account

In the discussion of secured versus unsecured loans, moneynet explains that although secured loans can offer lower interest rates and repayments, many people do not wish to jeopardise the potential loss of their home in the default of a repayment of a secured loan. In unsecured loans, pay attention to the difference in APR, term of the loan and any additional charges such as an early settlement charge or redemption penalty.

About The Author Rachel Lane writes for the personal finance blog Cashzilla: http://www.cashzilla.co.uk Rachel is a disillusioned, disaffected and broke graduate, exploiting new media for financial therapy. rachel@bigmouthmedia.com

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cashzilla

Life insurance is typically taken out to offer valuable financial protection for your family in the event of your death, upon which a payment is made to your financial beneficiaries, heirs or family members. The extent of this payment will depend on your insured sum and earnings. Life insurance and life assurance may be interlinked in advertisements, though bear in mind the two policies are different. Life assurance is a form of financial protection which is also an investment, as you should always get a pay-out at the end of the term of the policy. Life insurance on the other hand is simply financial protection for your family, avoiding the issue of debt in the event of your death.

According to an article by the Fair Investment Company, the British life insurance industry shrank to almost half the size of the pensions industry last year and according to the Association of British Insurers, less than 50% of UK households hold a life insurance policy.

In their most recent newsletter about this issue, the Association of British Insurers found that 25% of mortgage holders had insufficient life insurance to cover their debt. The ratio of new life insurance policies to new mortgage loans was apparently 68% in 1994, but by 2004 this had dropped by half to 33%.

The absence of mortgage life coverage poses a serious risk for the dependants of homeowners. If banks were to embark on wide scale repossessions as a result of this absence of life insurance, this would impose a risk on their loan books and reputations. The Association of British Insurers also state that one of the main reasons behind the increased gap between mortgage loans and insurance is the emergence of people remortgaging their property to take advantage of equity release through a rise in value, without insuring their borrowing. In their report it was stated that around 63% of new mortgage loans were remortgages or further advances, compared to 34% in 1994. Egg reported at around the same time, that three out of four of these new loan homeowners had no intention of insuring this additional debt. This is particularly worrying if couples are remortgaging their property later in life – towards retirement, given that should anything happen to the breadwinner, the partner would be left with significant debts without the capability of paying the loan back.

Reasons for the downward trend in life insurance take-up include:

* Relaxation in lending policy – increased competition in the mortgage market means that lenders are not forcing life insurance policies on their customers

* High house prices have stretched homebuyers, in particular first time home-buyers, in terms of their mortgage repayments, that the additional costs of a life insurance policy are deemed too expensive

* There are more households with no dependents

If you're interested in researching a life insurance policy, make sure you shop around. UK websites such as moneynet ( life insurance ) provide life insurance and life assurance information guides, as well as providing price comparison research for the different products. In the states, the website LowerMyBills.com also offers a similar service.

Because of the various factors listed above, people have also become less familiar with the term life insurance and without the awareness there is little recognition of the importance of this type of insurance. However as speculation increases that UK households are not coping with their debt, so should the awareness of life insurance as an essential product in the personal finance portfolio.