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Archive for May, 2010

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Debt Relief Promises May Really Be Offering Bankruptcy

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May 28, 2010 at 6:00 pm

Consumer debt is at an all-time high. What’s more, a record number of consumers, more than 1.5 million in 2004, are filing for bankruptcy. Whether your debt dilemma is the result of an illness, unemployment, or overspending, it can seem overwhelming. In your effort to get solvent, be on the alert for advertisements that offer seemingly quick fixes. And read between the lines when faced with ads in newspapers, magazines, or even telephone directories that say:

“Consolidate your bills into one monthly payment without borrowing”

“STOP credit harassment, foreclosures, repossessions, tax levies and garnishments”

“Keep Your Property”

“Wipe out your debts! Consolidate your bills! How?

By using the protection and assistance provided by federal law. For once, let the law work for you!”

While the ads pitch the promise of debt relief, they rarely say relief may be spelled b-a-n-k-r-u-p-t-c-y. And although bankruptcy is one option to deal with financial problems, it’s generally considered the option of last resort. The reason: it has a long-term negative impact on your creditworthiness. A bankruptcy stays on your credit report for 10 years, and can hinder your ability to get credit, a job, insurance, or even a place to live. What’s more, it can cost you attorneys’ fees.

Advance-Fee Loan Scams

These scams often target consumers with bad credit problems or those with no credit. In exchange for an up-front fee, these companies “guarantee” that applicants will get the credit they want usually a credit card or a personal loan.

The up-front fee may be as high as several hundred dollars. Resist the temptation to follow up on advance-fee loan guarantees. They may be illegal. Many legitimate creditors offer extensions of credit, such as credit cards, loans, and mortgages through telemarketing, and require an application fee or appraisal fee in advance. But legitimate creditors never guarantee in advance that you’ll get the loan. Under the federal Telemarketing Sales Rule, a seller or telemarketer who guarantees or represents a high likelihood of your getting a loan or some other extension of credit may not ask for or receive payment until you’ve received the loan.

Recognizing an Advance-Fee Loan Scam

Ads for advance-fee loans often appear in the classified ad section of local and national newspapers and magazines. They also may appear in mailings, radio spots, and on local cable stations. Often, these ads feature “900″ numbers, which result in charges on your phone bill. In addition, these companies often use delivery systems other than the U.S. Postal Service, such as overnight or courier services, to avoid detection and prosecution by postal authorities.

It’s not hard to confuse a legitimate credit offer with an advance-fee loan scam. An offer for credit from a bank, savings and loan, or mortgage broker generally requires your verbal or written acceptance of the loan or credit offer. The offer usually is subject to a check of your credit report after you apply to make sure you meet their credit standards. Usually, you are not required to pay a fee to get the credit.

Hang up on anyone who calls you on the phone and says they can guarantee you will get a loan if you pay in advance. It’s against the law.

Protect Yourself

Here are some tips to keep in mind before you respond to ads that promise easy credit, regardless of your credit history:

* Most legitimate lenders will not “guarantee” that you will get a loan or a credit card before you apply, especially if you have bad credit, or a bankruptcy.

* It is an accepted and common practice for reputable lenders to require payment for a credit report or appraisal. You also may have to pay a processing or application fee.

* Never give your credit card account number, bank account information, or Social Security number out over the telephone unless you are familiar with the company and know why the information is necessary.

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The Envelope System of Budgeting

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May 26, 2010 at 11:03 am

Often, when you cash a check through a bank, your money is given to you in a cash envelope. People used to spend the money in this envelope wisely, knowing that there was no more money until the next payday. They physically could look and see how much they had left everytime they shopped or thought about shopping.

So rarely do we sit and look at our checking register before we whip out a plastic card or a pen. The envelope system of budgeting works for many people. It uses the tried and true method of physically seeing your dollars to determine your spending.

First, you sit down and budget out your spending. You can use one of two methods:

In method one, you label an envelope for each expense. Be sure to break down your yearly bills, such as property taxes or insurance premiums, into monthly allotments. Each envelope will have an amount on it that you will place in it each month. You can substitute envelopes for several coupon organizers. Designate one for bills, one for debts and one for monthly spending. This method works well for those with few bills.

Method two takes into account that many payments come directly from your checking. On paper, you will account for each bill that you pay during the month. This is your bill paying guideline. Simply keep a notebook with a page for each month with each bill listed. Mark them off as you pay them. You can total each month’s bills in advance to help determine how much you have to go in the envelopes.

It is often wise to go ahead and have your savings automatically deducted from your account each month. Never seeing the money in an envelope reduces the desire to pinch some of it.

Take the left over money each month and allot it to the envelopes for your monthly spending. The envelope categories may include groceries, clothing, eating out, gasoline, car maintenance and so on.

If you allot $100 a month to clothing, put $100 in cash in the clothing envelope. You can only spend what is in your envelope for clothing on clothing. If you don’t spend anything on clothing one month, then you will have $200 in the envelope the next month. Once you’ve spent all of the money in the envelope, you are done with that category for the month.

The cash you have is all you can spend. Don’t write a check, don’t use a debit card and never use your credit card to buy extras.

It could take a few weeks to get the process down, but stick with it. You will get the hang of it. Most people find that the envelope method allows them the spending freedom they desire from a budget. They know how much they can go spend, without worrying about what has already been spent for the month.

If you are paid bi-weekly, simply adjust the method to work around your pay periods.

I like to treat myself for sticking with the method by taking all of the cash out of the grocery, eating out and entertainment envelopes and putting it in a special savings envelope before refilling it each month. This is my blow money. I use it to save for things I see that I want. This envelope has no rules or restrictions, but can be used for anything. I’ve found that over time, it is easier to save for large items — I don’t just blow it on a bunch of little things.

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Borders Coupon Book

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May 24, 2010 at 6:29 am

Want to save your money, its not an easy job my friends as we all know we have been always charged higher for any product than what actual price is.

Most of us are difficult kind of shopper, one who wants it cheap AND good. In my defense, as they really after is value, and more than willing to pay a fair price or go out of my way for something that is truly worth it.

Borders coupon book is the best way to purchase and enjoy great bargains and discounts on a range of goods and services. The goods range from bestseller book titles to the top pop hits of the day. Get DVDs of classic movies at great discount offers using the Borders coupon book.

Coupon books give you convenience and ease of making purchases and at the same time offer great discounts, and even free offers! Number of sites on the internet provides free online coupons, free discount coupon codes, free bargain shopping deals, free consumer promotions, and free shipping and rebates. Check out the one which you are looking for

To save money on best selling DVDs. Select from a large catalog of titles that include movies like Hotel Rwanda, Hitch, The Fifth Element, Spider Man 2, and The Amityville Horror. Use a Border book online coupon to avail great discounts on bestsellers and classics and enjoy your shopping by paying a fair price to the retailers.

Anna Josephs is a freelance journalist having experience of many years writing articles and news releases on various topics such as pet health, automobile and social issues. She also has great interest in poetry and paintings, hence she likes to write on these subjects as well. Currently writing for this website Borders Coupon Book
. For more details please contact at annajosephs@gmail.com

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Currency – Do you know what the biggest is?

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May 23, 2010 at 6:26 pm

Some people say that money makes the world go round. Whether you believe that or not, theres no doubt that its important and useful to have some knowledge of the worlds currencies.

In the same way that English has become the international languages, US dollars have become the international currency, although there is no official global currency. The worlds economy its production, its debt is all measured and compared in dollars by businesses and world leaders. Global commodities such as oil and gold are valued in dollars on the markets.

In recent years, though, another currency has come to rival the dollar in importance. It is the euro, the new currency created by the European Union countries to act as a common currency within Europe. Although some countries, notably Britain and Sweden, have not yet joined the single currency, it seems likely that all members of the EU (and future members) will join within the next decade or so.

Beyond these two big currencies, though, there are plenty of others. 175 currencies are officially recognised by the United Nations some large and established, some obscure and little-used. In the modern world, though, it is easy to convert whatever currency you use to almost any other by using a currency exchange, such as at a bank or a bureau de change. Although you may need to give them notice to get hold of more unusual currencies, almost all of the currencies of the world should be available to you on the currency markets, although they can be expensive.

How much of one currency you can get for another is measured on the markets using an exchange rate. Much like the stock market, exchange rates fluctuate depending on the amount of a currency that is being sold or bought at any one time. This means that some times are better than others for currency transactions, and it also means that its all too easy to find that a currency youre holding has become worth much less than you expected. When in doubt, the best thing to do is probably to convert money back into your native currency and then put it into an inflation-beating savings account, as this will tend to defeat the fluctuations of the currency markets.

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Internet Banking – How Secure is it?

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May 21, 2010 at 11:10 am

The biggest concern that people have when they start using Internet banking is security. The media is full of scare stories about foreign hackers breaking into thousands of bank accounts and draining out all the money, leaving some poor old couple missing their life savings. Many people have even been scared out of signing up for Internet banking at all by these kind of stories, thinking that it somehow puts them at risk. However, as long as you take the time to learn a little about the Internet, nothing could be further from the truth.

Before we go any further, there is one thing that is absolutely the most important thing you can know about Internet banking security. It is this: there is absolutely no guarantee that emails are from who they say theyre from. E-mail was designed back before people were concerned about Internet security (thats why you get so much spam), and if you know what youre doing, its really very easy to make an email look like it came from absolutely anyone, anywhere. With this in mind, you should simply ignore any email that says it comes from your bank, and never click any links that the emails may contain.

Thats the biggest risk out of the way, but there are still a few other things to watch out for. When you go to your banks website, make sure that youve really ended up at the right place by looking for the address in the address bar towards the top of the screen it should be the address of your banks website, not anything strange. Also, make sure to look for the padlock icon in the bottom-right of your screen, as this tells you that your connection is secure. If youre ever in doubt, close your web browser and start again, copying the banks website address carefully from a letter they sent you.

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The Definition Of Asset Management

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May 17, 2010 at 8:57 am

Many of you have probably heard the term “asset management” Before, but you may not have an idea of what it really is. Asset management is a broad term. It can be defined as a process that guides the gaining of assets, along with their use and disposal in order to make the most of the assets and their potential throughout the life of the assets. While doing this, it also manages and maintains any costs and risks associated with the assets. It is not something you can buy, but rather a discipline you must follow in order to maintain your assets.

Asset Management can be used for a variety of things. Most use asset management to keep track of their cash or “liquid assets.” Banking institutions are considered a form of asset management (savings accounts, CD’s, mutual funds, money market accounts, etc.) along with investments. Another example of assets: businesses often have a product to sell. These products are considered assets. The right asset management system can be utilized to make the product more readily available, easier to produce, cheaper to ship to customers, etc.

Asset Management Resource:
Tracking and insuring the product is also a way of asset managagemant. The product is an asset to the business and essential for its survival and for financial stability. So, maintaining and managing this product is of the up most importance.

There is another type of asset that many people do not think of when they think of the term “asset management.” This asset has to do with public and shared assets such as: the building and maintaining of streets, highways, water treatment facilities, sewage, electricity, natural gas, clean air, etc. All of these are assets that everyone on this earth needs. Usually, your city or local government uses asset management to maintain the cost of these assets.

They also use it to produce some of these assets more effectively and in a more cost efficient manner. Natural resources such as: water, electricity, and natural gas are managed so that they can be renewed constantly and thus available inexpensively.

Asset Management Resource:

There are many different means of asset management. It often depends on what type of asset is involved. There are companies and software products available to assist in asset management. Whatever method you choose, there are many similar things that your asset manager system should entail:

1. Optimize asset use and manage all maintenance efforts involved by
making assets as accurate, reliable, and efficient as possible.

2. Reducing the demand for new assets and thus save money by using demand management techniques and maintaining current assets.

3. Uses a form of asset tracking: knowing where the asset is at all times, how much the asset is worth, and how much the asset cost you to begin with. It should also incorporate this throughout the entire life of the asset.

4. Always tries to achieve greater value for money through evaluating the asset options: the cost of maintaining, producing, the use of it, etc.

5. Always provides a report on the value of the assets, along with any costs involved in maintaining the assets.

Hopefully you now have a better understanding of the many forms of asset management. There are so many different things that can be defined as assets, thus there are so many different means of asset management. Now that you understand it a bit, you can decide what your assets are and how you can maintain them better in order for them to be more advantageous for you!

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Credit Counseling Vs. Debt Settlement

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May 17, 2010 at 1:45 am

Credit counseling or debt settlement? While naturally Franklin Debt Relief is inclined to argue on behalf of debt settlement over credit counseling, we also recognize that its impossible to declare which program is better because it depends on a number of variables that differ from individual to individual. The purpose of this article is break down which factors you should consider before choosing the appropriate option.

1.What can you afford? Credit counseling programs tend to be a lot more expensive than debt settlement programs. The reason is simple: credit counseling only produces results on the interest rates, whereas debt settlement is able to actually negotiate the amount you owe. Simply put, if you are in a true financial bind, then the clear choice for you should be debt settlement, and on a pure money saved basis, debt settlement will almost always be the answer. Although this is undoubtedly an important factor, it is not the only variable to consider before making a decision on which program is best for you.

2.What sort of credit impact can you tolerate? Some credit counselors out there will undoubtedly tout that their program doesnt affect your credit score negatively. This is a play on words. Sure, your score wont drop, but ask any lender what the impact is to your loan application. Let me save you some time—its devastating. That being said, debt settlement is no better for your credit, and lenders in general definitely do not like seeing debtors seeking outside help for their financial situation. On the flip side, they definitely do not like seeing the past due marks from enrolling in a settlement program. So lets consider this example: Four years ago, John decided to use credit counseling, and Mary decided to follow the debt settlement path. They both have the same income and expenses, and they both apply for a $200,000 mortgage. Who is more likely to get it—John, who is 1 year away from completing his credit counseling program, or Mary, who finished her debt settlement program 1 year and half ago and has since been rebuilding her credit? While this may vary from lender to lender, in general Mary would be considered the better loan applicant. What if John paid a lot per month and they both finished their respective programs in the same amount of time? By itself, the credit counseling program would be better for your credit, but when you factor in the fact that Mary would probably have more savings to contribute to a down payment, shed still probably be considered the better loan applicant. Do I think this is fair? Not at all. Its ridiculous that lenders are so harsh on clients of credit counseling programs. Unfortunately, the system is flawed, but until there are adjustments made to correct it, debt settlement clients will be in a more favorable position to obtain new credit upon completion of their program.

3.Who do you owe? So you can save more money in debt settlement, but not always. If you owe a more aggressive creditor like Citibank, then its possible that credit counseling or bankruptcy may be a better option for you. The reason: Citibank not only tends to settle for more on average, but they are also more likely to pursue legal action to collect a debt. Although under most circumstances debt settlement is still successful with these creditors, it is a much riskier undertaking when youre dealing with Citibank. If you cannot afford credit counseling and your debt is exclusively with Citibank, then unfortunately youre probably better off filing bankruptcy.

4. What is your personality type? Ive read just about every article online regarding credit counseling versus debt settlement, and Im amazed by how most finance authors eliminate the human element from this discussion. The bottom line: debt settlement is not for the faint-hearted. There is no guarantee that everything will work out completely as planned. Some settlements may be higher than estimated. Some settlements may be lower than estimated. You will inevitably get some creditor calls. This is the nature of the program, and you must be willing to accept some level of uncertainty before enrolling.

I organized the following 4 questions in this order on purpose. After all, if you cant afford credit counseling, then its pretty much out of the picture as an option for you anyway. I dont mean to sound overly cynical, but we live in a material world and issues like having an anxious personality must be sacrificed when you dont have the money necessary to freely exercise this aspect of your character. On the flip side, if you have 100% Citibank debt, it would be foolish for you to choose debt settlement over credit counseling or bankruptcy just because you fancy yourself a risk-taker.

There are countless other variables that influence whether debt settlement or credit counseling is appropriate for you (i.e. what state you live in, your income source, etc.). Your best bet is to discuss your individual situation with someone knowledgeable in these arenas.

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How to Find the Right Mortgage

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May 16, 2010 at 9:43 am

A mortgage that is properly suited to an individuals needs when buying a home can save the individual thousands while a mortgage that has not been properly tailored to their needs can place the house and the individuals financial future in jeopardy. And because there are so many types of mortgages and mortgage products available, its essential to have a basic understanding of mortgages before choosing which one is the right one.

First one needs to understand the different options available to them. For people who have good credit, a fixed rate mortgage is usually the best option. These types of mortgages offer the same interest rate for the entire life of the loan so the monthly payments will always be the same. One may also choose an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) after a one, five, or ten year term. These mortgages have a fixed rate for a certain period and they then move to a variable rate after the one, five, or ten years. This means that the monthly payments could be more or less, depending on what the interest rate currently is. Rates dont generally have dramatic increases or reductions so there are usually no large surprises. However, over the course of a thirty-year loan, the interest rate could be considerably more or less by the end of the mortgage.

Individuals who have no or bad credit will have a higher interest rate on their mortgage. They may also have to look into the sub-prime lending market where the loans will have much higher interest rates and many different structures. When looking at the different loan options available, its important to make sure there is no prepayment penalty, which have a fee associated with paying off more of the mortgage in advance. These loans should be avoided as the goal is to pay off the debt.

A mortgage consists of two major components: the down payment and the interest rate. For people who are very active in investing in different things such as the stock market, and real estate, its best to pay as little down payment as possible. If the individual has a good credit rating, its best to try to get a 100% mortgage. The interest on these mortgages is generally higher but the cost of borrowing will be less than the returns the individuals will receive on their investment.

For individuals that are not active investors, the mortgage can be a great investment tool. Paying off a mortgage with a 6.5% to 7.5% interest rate makes more sense than savings accounts that offer a 2.5% interest rate.

Everything in the mortgage process is negotiable. The goal is to lower the down payment and the interest rate. The higher the down payment is, the lower the interest rate will be and the sooner one will be able to pay off the mortgage. Using a mortgage broker can help one find the best mortgage for the specific situation.

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Bad Credit Personal Loans: Delivers Finances Irrespective of Credit

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May 13, 2010 at 6:30 am

To constantly live with the tag of bad credit is certainly not a good one. More so, it affects the financial stability of a person. This is where Bad Credit Personal Loans can help these specific individuals a lot. It is because these loans offer finances to the individuals irrespective of their poor credit record.

Bad credit happens when a borrower does not repay or skip his past loans which results in creating a series of problems like CCJs, IVA, arrears, defaults etc. It can be also attributed to various factors like sudden illness, transfer, loss of employment on the part of borrower. But with the finances obtained form the loans, borrower can meet the various needs like purchasing a car, renovation of home, education, wedding, travelling etc.

Lenders offer these loans in two forms i.e. secured and unsecured. The secured form of the loans can be availed only by placing collateral of value such as home, real estate property, car etc. Placing of the asset assures the lender that the amount is safe and will be safely returned. The amount offered depends a lot on the equity value of collateral. Besides as there is a security attached, the rates of interest are comparatively low.

Unsecured from of these loans are accessible without the involvement of any collateral. This makes it beneficial for borrowers who do not own any asset such as tenants and non homeowners. Homeowners too can apply for these loans. The amount offered is based mainly on the repayment capability and income drawn. However the rates of interest for this loan option is slightly higher.

These loans not only assist the borrower by offering finances, it also helps to strengthen the credit record. By ensuring regular monthly installments towards the borrowed amount, they can very much improve their credit record

Most of the lenders now offer these loans through the online mode. It is also preferable as these lenders due to stiff competition in the market are offering these loans at cheap rates.

Bad credit personal loans assist the borrower to fulfill various needs without worrying about their credit record. Moreover by repaying the borrowed amount, they can improve their credit record.

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