Stock Market Investing Tip

One overlooked tip to stock market investing is knowing as much as you can about the company you are investing in. I know that seems painfully easy, almost common sense, but it is amazing how many people don't research the companies they are investing in. They check the stock reports on Morning Star or make the mistake of trusting the investing to a broker. But information, being educated about your investments is the most basic, fundamental tip for becoming a successful investor. This means reading everything you can about the company, the industry, competitors, even information about the board of directors. How do you get company information easily without having to spend hours digging? I set up Google alerts with the name of the company and then individual Google keyword alerts for each of their main competitors and sometimes one or two keywords and phrases for the general industry. All articles about the company are e-mailed to my inbox every day. I briefly scan for information that could possibly lead to a change in the stock price. Quarterly revenues, new markets the company is considering entering, buy-out rumors, if said company is considering selling off a business unit, or buying a piece of another business and general industry news. Is the industry growing? What is the demand level, etc? A simple news scan can save or make you a bundle of money.

Let me give you an example. Last year I became interested in an internet advertising firm. My interest was first developed when I used their services and was very pleased with the results. I decided to do some digging, so I set up Google news alerts and after a few months I discovered their business plan was to acquire firms as a plan of growth. I didn't buy stock immediately after the first few acquisitions, but when I read they were acquiring one of the biggest affiliate marketing firms in the world I decided the time to strike was then. Of course I used Google to do my research on the firm they were to acquire. I saw that customers were happy; they were the biggest in their market. They were trend-setting, they had grown fast and I knew just from simple, basic research they were a solid firm.

So I purchased the stock and within six months it doubled. I attribute my success to basic research. Knowing something about the company I was considering.

By Sarah Celeste

Sarah Celeste has discovered an amazing, automated stock market robot that helps you make fool-proof stock market investing decisions. Read more about this groundbreaking software developed by two programming geniuses at her blog: http://stockmarketinvestingtip.blogspot.com/

Here you'll discover stock market trading software to help you exploit the market. It provides analytical predictors that help you select the most profitable stocks. See http://stockmarketinvestingtip.blogspot.com for more info and thanks for reading.

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

Read More..

Two Simple Guarantees To Making More Money Than You Can Stand

The secret to making more money than you can stand is to provide solutions that people will always need. Don't just focus on selling products or services - sell solutions and you'll never be broke again for the rest of your life.

In over 7 years of research and testing I've discovered the two simple secrets to making more money than you can stand. If you'll follow this simple road map you'll experience more profits than you ever imagined possible. I only ask that after the money starts rolling in you write and tell me of your experience. That's it! Now here are the two simple secrets. If you have a product or service and you want to convince someone to buy ...

1. Highlight Time Savings!

Choose a product or service that saves people time. The reason we buy the latest cell phone, instant soup, or microwave oven is they save us time. Right?

Think about it, can you ever recall buying a product or service because it wasted your time? No way! Yes, most of the products and services we buy we purchased because it saved us time in some way.

Think back to the last three products or services you purchased and chances are you bought them because they saved you time directly or indirectly. For example, you bought that cheeseburger and fries instead of cooking it yourself because it saved you time. You bought groceries at the supermarket instead of taking the time to grow them yourself. And you buy clothes because it saves you time from having to sew them.

Yes, it's hard to believe just a few generations ago most people grew their own food and made their own clothes. So, anything you can do to help your customers save time by using your product or service is sure to strike a positive cord in them.

Let me tell you a secret. This time-saving solution is so powerful I've bought an inferior product at a higher price. Why? Because at the time it would have cost me too much time to try to find another similar product. We've all been in that position, where you have so much to do - but so little time. Right?

Always be sure to stress a time-saving element to your customers. Because saving time is the one thing most people are willing to trade their money for. Why? Because there's only so much of it available. 24 hours each day and no more. The product or service is only secondary to sales. When you think about it time-savings is what people are buying, directly or indirectly.

Yes, every time we spend our money we're looking to save time. It takes most people time to earn their money, so the things we always see as a valuable trade-off for our money is anything that saves us time. Money and profits are attracted to people who help save people's time.

2. Highlight Irritation Elimination!

Let's face it, no one likes irritations. We avoid it, we delay it, and we even try to ignore anything that causes it. We'll even pay thousands of dollars to people who will help us eliminate it from our lives.

A big part of making more money than you can stand is working to remove little irritations your customers have, through your product or service. What small irritation do your customers see or experience in your business, product, or service? Do you know? Do you care? Have you asked them lately?

A good practice is to secretly shop or do business with your competitors. Now please don't drop your coffee on the floor or shout me down, hear me out first. Secretly shopping at your competitors can be one of the cheapest and most effective market research tools you can use.

While you're shopping at your competitors you should be taking note of any little irritations you experience. The irritations you find in your competitors can be areas you can improve on or remove from your own business, product or service. Not all businesses can remove every irritation. Some just comes with the territory.

So, the next best idea is to give little extras to offset the irritations your customers must put up with. For example, magazines, television, soothing music, a snack machine, or kids play area can also help if your business requires customers to wait.

If you have to ship your product to your customer - give them something to download online while the product is on its way.

Conclusion

If you take the time to take action on these two simple principles you'll find more ideas and solutions coming to you. You'll discover in good times and in lean times these two principles will be in great demand from your customers.

The business or business person who pays attention to them will be the one customers will pay attention to as well. The businesses who ignore these two principles will find more customers ignoring them too. Which will you be?

By Roy Primm

Roy Primm has written hundreds of articles showing thousands how to make money in undiscovered niches. Discover more revealing secrets in free report at http://booklocker.com/books/1015.html

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

Read More..

5 Ways To Save More Money Each Month

Here are 5 specific ways to save money each month. Below we provide a few suggestions on ways that the average US household could save more money each month. Once you have determined a few realistic ways (which these are) to decrease your spending each month; you will should set a savings goal. This step is essential to building your personal wealth.

We hope that you will review each one carefully and honestly as it could mean the difference between no retirement, and a nice one.

The numbers below are estimates of the monthly savings that the average US Household could save by implementing some of the suggestions below. So, if you make more than the average US household, you could actually be saving MORE than the estimates below. If you make less than the average US household in income, your savings may be less. The average US Household income for 2006 was $48,201.

So, here are the 5 ways to increase your savings each month:

1). Eat out one less time each month (estimated savings - $35/month).

According to a 2005 report by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average US Household spends 5.5% of their money on eating out at restaurants (not groceries). Since the average US household income is $48,201 (before taxes), we estimate that the average household spends nearly $176 each month on eating out! Since everything spent on eating out is discretionary, (meaning it's not necessary spending); this could potentially be a huge area for savings! We don't expect you to never eat out again; however, if you were able to save $176 a month, that's $615,114 in 30 years! We encourage you to be ambitious in this area; however, if you can start with just one less outing each month...that's an extra $35 a month (on average).

2). Bring your lunch to work or school (estimated savings - $20 per month).

It's difficult to determine how much the average US household spends each month on lunches at school or work. However, if you do eat out for lunch during the week, consider the possibilities for savings. At $5 per lunch, that's $25 per week, or $100 per month. If you have children going to school and pay for their lunch; consider making them a homemade lunch. This could certainly be as much as $5 - $10 per week in savings or $20 - $40 each month! Only you will be able to determine how much you can save in your particular situation. Using the numbers listed above, we estimate that the average household will be able to save between $20 - $140 each month by being more frugal during lunch time.

3). Create a shopping list and stick to it when you get groceries, and use coupons (estimated savings - $40 per month).

According to the same US Bureau of Labor Statistics study mentioned above, it is estimated that the average US household spends 7.5% of their after tax money on groceries. Now of course food IS a necessity of life; however, there are ways to be more frugal without missing a meal. By simply being more conscious of what you are spending at the grocery store, you may be able to save a decent amount. The age-old "shopping list" is still a great suggestion. By sticking to your list, you will have less "impulsive" buys and will be able to shop around for deals on the items that you need. In addition, USE COUPONS...its free money! In fact, if you have a Wal-mart nearby, you can price match any competitors coupons. For example, if Albertsons is selling milk for $1.99; simply, go to Wal-mart, pick up the milk, and tell the cashier to "price match" for $1.99...and that's it. This is one of Wal-mart's business strategies, so they encourage you to do this. Whether or not you use Wal-mart isn't the point. Find a way to save on your groceries; plan before you go, stick to your list, and use coupons. The average household that was not doing this already should be able to save about $40 per month by implementing these strategies.

4). Use generic brands.

There is no explanation needed here; just do it! Nobody will know if you bought the cheap Wal-mart milk or the fancy brand! It all comes from the same cow anyway. Think of areas to go generic, you will be surprised how much you could save.

5). Lower your utility bills (estimated savings - $20 per month)

Ask your local utility company how you can lower your energy bills. They will have lots of suggestions such as weatherproofing your home and using window coverings. In addition, if you for every 1 degree you turn down your heat, you will save about 3% on your heating bill each month. (Also, consider using less A/C during the summer months). You can also turn down the temperature on your water heater to 115-120 degrees without any noticeable difference. This will save money as your water heater will use less energy. For the conscious utility user, these steps could easily translate into savings of $20 per month.

Other suggestions:

Don't buy on impulse. If you see something you want; shop around, look online, or wait until its on sale.

Lower your phone bill. You can switch carriers, use less text-messaging or other phone features. Use your debit card instead of your credit card.

Monitor your checking account so you don't bounce checks or pay extra fees. Use only the ATMs of your bank or credit union.

There are literally hundreds of other ways to save money. These 5 simple ways could save you an extra $115 per month. And that is not even scratching the surface!

By Spencer Ray

Take the 30 day Financial Challenge at Keyblast.com This article is a small portion of the 30-day financial challenge. To access lots of free information, tools, and to see what the challenge is all about, visit Keyblast.com.

Spencer has a BA in Finance, an MBA, and is currently a Commercial Banker advising Business owners on Business and Personal financial issues.

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

Read More..

Spending Wisely

Would you be surprised to find out that you and your spouse collectively spend $800 per month on fast food and coffee? Most people don't consider $10 per day a lot to spend on themselves. But do the math and figure it out. If you're married, you and your spouse both work, and you both get lattes in the morning and go out for a fast food lunch, then you could be spending a huge chunk of your income on working. If you were home eating a sandwich or brewing your own cup of coffee, you could save a lot of money. One way to curb your thinking is to figure out what you actually pay to work. How much do you spend on gas to get to work? Tack on food and drinks and your daily trip to and from work can add up to a much bigger piece of your paycheck than you would like to see.

Finding ways to save money can seem like you are depriving yourself. Giving up that coffee house latte may make you feel like you're giving up a small but satisfying part of your life. You need to change the way that you think of sacrifices. Sacrifices generally have a payoff. Concentrate on the payoff and enjoy it when it comes. If you and your spouse gave up lattes and fast food for a month, brewed your own coffee and packed your own lunch, they you would spend around $200 per month instead of $800. Track your spending and set a goal. See if you can stretch that dollar to save more money. At the end of the month, if you've saved the amount that you aimed for, then reward yourselves with a special weekend get away or night out. Chances are you won't spend as much on that as you would on weeks and weeks of fast food. Your wallet and your waistline will thank you.

Most importantly, you're training yourself to keep the future in mind. Most people have a very hard time imagining what the future will actually be like. It's even harder to make small moves now that may seem inconsequential at the present, but can make a huge difference in the long run. Small changes can add up to big ones more quickly than you think.

Consider saving a small amount of money. Let's say that you put one dollar aside for your grandchildren. Let's say that you invest that dollar and get 8% compounding interest annually. If you never touch that dollar, then it will grow. After one year, it will only be $1.08. It hardly seems worth it. But after twenty years it will be $4.66. Still not enough? Let's say that you leave it for one hundred years and it grows to $2,200. After 200 years it will grow to $4.8 million dollars. You may not be alive to see it, but your great grandchildren should be taken care of. This is only theoretical, but it helps you look at the big picture. Saving small amounts of money may seem frivolous, but a little at a time can definitely add up over time.

Don't make the mistake of running up your credit cards thinking that it's only a little bit of interest every month. Every one of those dollars that you paid the credit card company could be growing for you. Pay off everything you can as quickly as possible and start saving those dollars. You may find yourself taking out a payday loan or cash advance to make it over small humps, but just avoid anything that takes a lot of time to pay off.

By Bob Guy

About the Author: Bob is an Online Marketing Strategist of paydayone.com, a company that can provide a payday loan or online payday loans to individuals. For more information, please visit http://www.paydayone.com

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

Read More..

Six Steps To Financial Freedom

Being a member of the International Marketing Group (IMG), I am so blessed to have learned the concepts of financial management at this early stage of my life. I may still be starting out, but at least I've got the fundamentals of financial management correct now.

I've always believed that God wants me to be responsible for my time, treasures and my talents. I have worked hard to manage my time and talents but it is my treasures that I have no idea of managing.

My best friend in high school introduced me to IMG just this year 2007 and I am glad I became a part of the company. My blog schedule for today is on financial management so I want to share with you IMG's 6 steps to Financial Freedom and how it has applied to me:

1.) Increase cash flow

a.) Earn Additional income

b.) Manage expenses

- I have strived to follow the first step by earning both active and passive income through IMG's system. I have also managed to teach part time and at the same time explore the possibilities of earning income online. With regards to the expenses, it is important that I list down all my expenses and work within a budget. That is what I had been doing now for months.

2.) Manage debt

a.) Consolidate Debt

b.) Strive to eliminate debt

- I've managed debt by resorting to lower interest rates. I have availed of balance transfer features. The regular interest charged by credit card companies is 3.5 % per month. But if you avail of balance transfer features by "transferring" your debt to other credit cards then you can avail of 0.99 % interest per month. I have discussed this extensively in my post entitled "Getting out of the credit card debt mess."

3.) Create emergency fund

a.) Save at least six months income

b.) Prepare for emergency expenses

- This is something I have not done yet, but will be planning to do in the months or years to come. Once debt is eliminated I can now start to save at least 6 months income. This is just to ensure that you are liquid enough in case there are some things that must be bought with in cash. This could also be used for emergency expenses.

4.) Ensure proper protection

a.) Protect against loss of income

b.) Protect Family assets

- I have achieved this through availing of insurance. Insurance policies protect loss of income by compensating the person insured and his loved ones if ever the person insured losses the capacity to produce active income because of death or accident. Protecting family assets is also achieved by availing of non-life insurance such as fire insurance etc.

5.) Build long-term asset accumulation

a.) Outpace inflation

b.) Reduce taxation

- This is normally what is known as the "investment" stage. If you are "investing" in something that is less than the inflation rate then you loose in the long run. Always make sure that you are investing above the inflation rate. For some who still does not understand what inflation rate means and how it could affect you I will probably discuss it in a future post. Most experts suggest that if you are in the Philippines you should invest in something that is above 7 % (Even if now the inflation rate is below 2 % +) Currently you cannot put your money in the bank an expect a return of above 7 % since interest for savings is way below 2 % and interest for time deposit accounts is from 3 to 5 %

Clearly, the only way to achieve this is through the stock market, mutual funds investments and other types of investments giving you a return of more than 7 % per annum.

With regards to taxes, remember that the government taxes income, not wealth.

6.) Preserve your estate

a.) Help Reduce estate taxes

b.) Build a family legacy

This is something that I plan to do probably 20 years from now. There are a lot of ways to achieve this. I would probably tackle this in another post since this is a somewhat complicated topic. ]

This is the overview of IMG's financial strategy which I have strived to religiously follow. The steps must be followed sequentially. It is advisable that you should go through them one step at a time. However since I have learned about this just lately, I have managed to invest without first eliminating my debt. I should have eliminated my debt first and investe later. But I believe that it still worked out for my advantage since the year 2005 to 2010 is considered by many experts as "a window of investment opportunities" considering that the stock market is at it's highest and the fundamentals of the Philippine economy are in place. I will discuss more on financial strategies on my future posts.

By Zigfred Rivera Diaz

Zigfred Diaz is Vice president for operations for a group of family owned corporations. He is also a Financial & Real estate broker, lawyer, law professor & writer. He regularly blogs about law, leadership, entrepreneurship, management, financial management, investments, technology, internet marketing, blogging, theology, faith, life and living at http://www.zdiaz.com

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

Read More..

Make Money, Cut Losses - A Practical Approach

Making way for profits has always been difficult task. Whether in jobs or business profit making and cutting down losses is the crust of every activity. Similarly, making profit in the stock world is also quiet tedious. At times there are situations that can lead to treasures at your accounts and some wrong shots can get you on the way of bankruptcy.

However, there are some disciplines that can track profit to your way and cut down your losses. Enlisted are just few words on some of them.

• Thorough analysis: fundamental and technical analysis gets an evaluated assessment to the trader for proper investments. Stock investments do not work on gut instincts and hence there is a need of proper analytical statements. Fundamental analysis is the process of studying the company's management and current position in the market and technical analysis involves a study of charts to identify trends of the targeted company. These analysis helps in deciding upon the investments, thus, reducing the risks of losses.

• Diversification: integration of investments helps diversify losses and profits. The 2% rule is quiet beneficial to countering risk of major losses. This process includes the integration of stock investments to shares of many companies. This avoids the risk of major loss as the money is segregated to different channels. It is advised that not more than 2% of total investment in shares must be invested in one company. That helps maintaining a balanced portfolio and avoids heavy losses.

• Automate your trading: this option is best for the traders who are quiet emotional with their shares. The automated investments set a limit for trader and the stocks are automatically sold on particular prices. This option helps to avoid holding of shares that are going down, in hope of them to again get a hike. Thus, avoiding major losses.

• Stop order technique: this is quiet similar to automated investments. Here also, the limit for each share is directed to the stock broker and he does not retain the share below that price limit. This also helps in avoiding major losses due to holding the shares in hope of rising prices.

• Stock market risk: though concept of risk and managing it is a difficult part of trading but working on it gets loads of future benefits. Defining the perception of risk and its identification can help the trader to make wise decisions, hence, increasing profits in long run.

• Stop holding mediocre performers: if a stock is generating low returns there is no need to hold it for long. Though holding it for a decent time is advisable but after some time when you evaluate it and it maintain to be an under-performer it is advisable to sell it before it under-performs and start incrementing losses.

• Say yes to sell for minor gains: greediness always takes one to loss hence, if a decision is made to sell a particular stock, there should be no delay in the decision. Postponing selling for last fractions of profits may turn out to be costly for any trader.

• Say no to rebound expectation: you are holding a stock and the prices are going down, still holding it expecting the rise in the price in the near future is not recommended. It is beneficial to sell that stock immediately even if that means little losses. This bit of loss may be recovered but steep fall in prices of that holded stock may kick you out of the game. Hence, to avoid high losses, do not look for rebounds in stocks.

By Micheal James

Pricing and Features for Sogoinvest Investment Packages: online investment
Sogoinvest Interest Rates and Fees: trading stock options

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

Read More..

Why Do I Need Insurance When Taking A Mortgage?

Life Insurance

Typically it is the one people don’t like to talk about. It covers the mortgage debt in case the borrower dies or has some inability to earn money. In such cases, the policy covers the payment of the instalments; the lender has a security and doesn’t have to resort to repossession.

It might be a requirement for people of a certain age or weak health. Besides, in the event of the borrower’s death, those next of kin at least have a house to live in, without adding more worry to their existing grief.

Mortgage Insurance

It is similar in result, but not in the cause. This insurance policy covers the payments in case of financial default, loss of a steady job, business failure or any other reason that causes the borrower to stop paying the loan. Obviously it will have to be duly documented, but it is feasible.

There is another variation of this policy, which is required if you are making a down payment of less than 20% of the total value of the house. It covers up to 20% of the appraised value and automatically expires when you reach that amount through the monthly payments.

Title Insurance

More insurance for the lender. This covers the title deed from an unduly sale on the part of the seller, or any other claim or lien that could mean that the house is not rightfully owned by the seller. This is necessary at closing time. You pay a premium which covers the insurance as well as the search in real estate records to establish that the seller is the legal owner of the property.

Property Insurance

This insurance protects you, the new owner of the property and the lender as well. Should the house catch fire, or be affected by landslide, flood or any other disgrace, the property insurance covers the cost of the house, although they will usually pay not more than the mortgage debt.

All Four Are Applicable

They are all applicable but some may not be required from you at the time of closing the mortgage. It goes without saying that the premium of these policies is to be added to the expenses of your loan, so this is important to evaluate at the time of choosing a lender.

Some lenders may not require mortgage insurance, since you have a good, steady job and it will be more convenient for you to save this important cash. However the presence of insurance is never too much, but that will depend on your evaluation alone. We tell you what they mean, you decide.

By Jess Peterson

Jessica Peterson writes finance articles for Yourloanservices.com where she shares her knowledge about how to get money for a starting-up business, consolidating any kind of debt, repairing a home even with a bad credit history and more.

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

Read More..

Insurance Claims Adjuster - 3 Reasons to Start Your Career as an Independent Insurance Adjuster

Becoming an insurance adjuster is probably not on most third grader's list of whom they want to be when they grow up. It certainly wasn't on mine. But when reality sets in, as it has a habit of doing, and you find that age 28 you still haven't fulfilled your third-grade destiny as zookeeper or astronaut, its time to look at some alternative career options. As I discovered, through good fortune, insurance claims adjusting happens to be a seldom considered gem of a career move. Working as a claims adjuster, specifically an independent insurance adjuster, has some extremely attractive features that may surprise you. Here are just three:

Benefit 1: Outstanding income potential

If you were told you could make $1,500 a day working as an independent claims adjuster you might reasonably assume that the person who told you this was unwell or trying to sell you something. Those numbers, when stretched over a period of several months, approach salaries of accomplished doctors, attorneys, or business execs. Unbelievable? I would think so. But the reality is this - every year independent claims adjusters make tens of thousands of dollars in very short periods of time working catastrophic insurance claims. After Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma, and Rita hit in 2005, thousands of independent adjusters working the affected regions averaged $300 to $400 per claim they closed. A catastrophic adjuster with basic proficiency should close 2-3 claims per day. That equates to $800 to $1200 daily. An outstanding adjuster can close in excess of 5 claims per day. Career cat adjusters can earn well in excess of $100,000 yearly. Further, many adjusters will make all of that money in only three to six months out of the year. The rest of the time can be spent however they wish.

Be it hurricane, tornado, hail, or earthquake - when the seasons bring inclemency, independent adjusters arrive to help pick up the pieces. They are compensated extremely well for their efforts.

Benefit 2: Relative ease of adjuster certification

Most careers with earnings potential comparable to independent insurance adjusting require 4 to 8 years of college and post graduate study. You can become a certified claims adjuster in 3 days. Online and classroom pre-licensing courses, which are available especially in Texas and Florida, can help you obtain your required certification in less than a week. These courses can be intense, but just about any individual who wants to pass can do so.

Obtaining certification obviously doesn't mean automatic employment or even that you are actually qualified to do the job. Further training is recommended to supplement deficiencies in your professional profile. A sound claims adjuster must posses strong people skills, above average computer proficiency, and some construction and insurance policy related knowledge. That said, many hiring companies, especially in catastrophic scenarios, will greatly assist their adjusters in obtaining the proper job training.

Becoming a doctor takes 8 to 12 years out of high school. You can become a licensed, trained, and mobile claims adjuster ready to begin your career in under a month.

Benefit 3: Be your own boss

Working as an independent adjuster means just that - working independently. Claims adjusting is not a 9 to 5 office job where you punch a time card. You are giving a set of claims, usually electronically, and are expected to author the claims handling procedure yourself from start to finish. This means your time, space, and resources are your own. You determine just how good you are - not your boss. You determine how long of a day you will work - not your boss. And you decide ultimately how much money you will make. This is a liberating and empowering feeling.

There is a mistaken notion that any career associated with insurance is inherently dry and uninteresting and tangled in convoluted policies and unsavory business tactics. Claims adjusting proves this false. Imagine the prospect of navigating through disaster-stricken neighborhoods in an effort to help people get their lives and homes back together. Imagine the sincere gratitude and respect with which most claimants greet you as you take on their claim. And when you consider that you are not really the strong arm of Big Insurance but the firm hand picking up those who are down, its evident that claims adjusting isn't your typical insurance gig.

The bottom line is that you can make a fantastic living helping people put their lives back together and without your boss looking over your shoulder.

You may not have had a career as an insurance adjuster on your list of who you wanted to be when you grew up, but you probably did have something that was adventurous and helped people. It may come as a surprise but insurance claims adjusting offers just that, and the added opportunity to make an outstanding income while doing so!

By Dan Kerr

Daniel Kerr has served as a career and training consultant for thousands of experienced and aspiring professionals in the insurance claims adjuster industry. In addition to his work as a catastrophic claims adjuster, Daniel acted as the V.P. of Operations for one of the most successful adjuster licensing companies in the country - helping to grow the business into the most recognized brand in the industry.

Mr. Kerr currently co-owns and operates AdjusterPro, a rapidly growing business dedicated to providing the finest resources available to aspiring claims adjusters. AdjusterPro is a certified educational provider for the Texas Department of Insurance and will be offering adjuster licensing, software training, and continuing education courses this fall. For free career consultation or to find out more about how to become an insurance adjuster, call AdjusterPro directly at 214-606-8370.

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

Read More..

Would You Benefit From Taking Out Mortgage Cover?

As your monthly mortgage repayments are your biggest outgoing each month you would be wise to do everything in your best interests to protect your finances in the future. Providing that your circumstances meet those of a policy then taking out mortgage cover might be your best option to safeguard against the possibility that you might lose your income and subsequently be unable to meet your mortgage repayments.

Mortgage cover - or mortgage payment protection insurance cover as it is also sold under - is taken out by those who have mortgage repayments to keep up and who are in full time work. If you were to come out of work and lose your income then you are at risk of losing your home if you cannot continue to meet your mortgage repayments.

Providing your circumstances are right for a mortgage insurance policy then this could be your lifeline and give you peace of mind. When taken out correctly mortgage cover can provide you with a monthly income each month, after you have been out of work for at least 30 days and would continue for up to 12 months in the majority of cases although some providers extend this to 24 months.

A specialist provider is always the easiest way to get several quotes so that you can ensure you get the cheapest whilst obtaining a quality product, but you do have to do a little of the work yourself and make sure that the exclusions wont stop you from claiming. Some of the common exclusions include being retired, self-employed, only in part time work or suffering from a pre-existing medical condition.

Some of the most common reasons for people coming off work are also excluded by most mortgage cover insurance polciies such as back problems and problems relating to stress, so always ensure you read the small print before taking out mortgage cover.

By Simon Lance Burgess

Simon Burgess is Managing Director of the award-winning British Insurance, a specialist provider of mortgage cover, loan protection insurance and income protection insurance.

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

Read More..

Save On Insurance With These 11 Tips and Methods

Insurance policies are just like any other product and thus subject to market laws and regulations. Therefore, there are ways of getting better deals on insurance like there are ways to get cheaper computers, condos, cars or any other goods. Following are some tips on how to save money on insurance:

Auto Insurance

1) Insurance Quotes Online: Search for Auto Insurance Quotes Online and compare what the different insurance companies have to offer you in terms of price and coverage.

2) Insurance Department Information: State Insurance Departments usually have a database with the different policies, coverage and average prices. Thus, these departments are another interesting source for information and comparisons.

3) Recommendations from friends and family: Another option for comparisons are friends and family members who own vehicles and have purchased insurance in the past. Asking for recommendations is always a smart idea.

4) Collision and Comprehensive Coverage: These coverage types are important for expensive cars, cheap and old cars do not need them that much, thus you can purchase only liability coverage instead.

5) Raising the deductibles: If you still want to keep collision and comprehensive coverage (property coverage) you can raise the deductibles and thus, you will have to pay a smaller insurance premium.

Life Insurance

6) Life Insurance Types: There are many different types of life insurance. A good way to save money on life insurance is to define your needs and determine the exact policy you need. Term life insurances tend to be less expensive than whole life insurances. Yet, make sure that that is what you need as they provide limited coverage.

7) Hold Policies: It is important that you hold your life insurance policies for long periods of time in order to save on insurance costs. Cancelling insurances too son will make the policies too expensive and thus, a bad deal.

8) Quotes, Quotes, Quotes: Just like with Car insurance, it is advisable to request quotes from different insurance companies so you can compare what they have to offer. The best way to obtain cheap products (even insurance products) is to shop around to find them.

Home Insurance

9) Home Insurance Quotes: Just like with car insurance, if you try to get insurance companies fight for your business you will get a better deal. Get insurance quotes from different companies and contact them to compare prices and coverage to get the lowest premium possible that suits your needs.

10) Proper Coverage: Analyze the policy and see whether it includes coverage for what you need. It is better to obtain a policy covering the whole costs of rebuilding your property in the event of a fire or flooding than to cover inexpensive things like window glasses or external paint against vandalism. And it is also a lot cheaper.

11) Exchange Policies: Try to purchase your new policy starting on the same month that the old one expires. That way, you will still be protected and avoid paying the equivalent to a month policy in excess. If it is not possible, bear in mind that it is more advisable to overpay than to be unprotected for a month.

By Jess Peterson



Jessica Peterson writes finance articles for Yourloanservices.com where she shares her knowledge about how to get money for a starting-up business, consolidating any kind of debt, repairing a home even with a bad credit history and more.

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

Read More..

Tips for Using a Balance Transfer Low Interest Rate Credit Card

Using a balance transfer low interest rate credit card can be a great way to keep your hard earned money where it belongs... in your pocket. Consolidating high interest rate credit cards has many advantages. But before discussing these advantages let's point out a few of the most important things you should look for when comparing balance transfer cards.

1) Is the interest rate being offered a fixed or introductory rate?

2) What are the fees associated with the offers that interest you?

3) What will the rates be when the intro period expires?

4) Are there any late fees and if you are late making a payment will your rates be raised?

5) Is the credit limit being offered high enough to cover the amount you want to transfer?

You can find the answer to all these questions by carefully reviewing the credit card applications that accompany each of the offers. The terms and conditions are spelled out there, but you will have to read the fine print to find some of it. But believe me when I say it's worth it. Far too many people don't do their homework and are then surprised to be paying much more money than they bargained for.

You can find the balance transfer low interest rate credit card that best suits your financial needs by doing a search on the Internet. There are several credit card comparison web sites that will allow you to do side-by-side searches. You will see low rate balance transfer deals from all the major credit card companies including American Express, Chase and Discover Card.

By using a low interest rate or 0% APR credit card you will be able to enjoy savings in the hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Interest rates are the bread and butter of the credit card industry. The banks and credit card issuers want us to carry balances so they can collect interest payments each and every month. By using fiscal discipline you can take advantage of these offers by paying off your balances and avoiding having to make interest payments.

By Morgan Hamilton

Morgan Hamilton is a financial adviser that specializes in the credit card industry. Employing a Balance Transfer Low Interest Rate Credit Card can be an outstanding way to save money. You can learn more about, and compare Balance Transfer Low Interest Rate Credit Cards at www.Find-Cards-Now.com

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

Read More..

Pension Plans and Investments

Pension and investments: Crucial for a smooth retired life

We all work towards achieving a smooth and financially secured life even post retirement. That is the age when we want to work as less as possible because our physical abilities are limited. In such times, pension and investments can prove to be the deciding factor that determines how easy life can be.

Pension Plan

A pension plan is a plan to generate some sort of income for working people post their retirement. Via the pension plan, people can invest in different kinds of securities and even own assets directly. Every pension plan has an investment policy statement and the kind of investments that a pension plan undertakes depends solely on it.

Types of pension and investments

In the earlier days, most companies simply promised the pension plan without actually contributing any money towards it. However, now most companies have actuaries and accountants working towards calculating how much it must set aside for its pension plan.

In the earlier years, government bonds or life insurance annuities was the chosen pension and investment option for most companies.

This changed to equities to facilitate bigger returns and to reduce the cost of the pension plan. There were sophisticated plans in place which invested in direct real estate, mortgages and venture capital.

The financial condition of the pension plan

Although every company wishes to do so, it cannot directly invest in markets that offer the best returns but have the maximum risk owing to the prudent nature of pension plans.

A plan that does not have enough invested to cover all its obligations is called as an ‘under funded’ pension plan. The demographics of the members of the pension plan also plays a key role in determining the type of assets that a plan can have.

By Rama Krishna

For more info visit : Pensions and Investments

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

Read More..

Is Your House Worth Less Than Your Mortgage?

Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of homeowners are realizing this fact in today's slumping housing market. This is mostly a result of either a "no money down" home purchase or tapping into your home’s equity with some form of 100% financing. The worst scenarios for home owners are those situations where there is a looming ARM adjustment in a year to three years where the homeowner had planned to refinance or sell before mortgage interest rates adjust higher.

So what's a homeowner to do? The good news is there are a number of things that can be done. The first part is related to refinancing and the second is related to improving on your home itself.

Refinancing Options If you originally got a high interest rate mortgage due to poor credit, start by fixing your credit today! Typically the sad truth is: the higher your credit score, the lower your interest rate! Push yourself to pay off your debt and make sure you keep paying ALL of your payments on time. Even paying your cable bill late can often hurt your credit! Lowering your debt-to-income ratio is one of the quickest ways to boost your credit score.

If your current mortgage is a stated income or sub-prime mortgage due to income that is difficult to document, you need to talk with your accountant or tax professional. Remember, you are paying a higher interest rate for as much as 40 years. Work with your accountant and mortgage professional to analyze the situation. Your goal is to have enough documented income to qualify for a conforming mortgage, which will have a lower interest rate throughout the life of the loan.

Once you have increased your documented income, search around to find a lender who can offer you the best deal. With our diverse lender network, we do all the hard work of searching to find you up to 4 lenders who can offer you a great deal.

Home Related Improvements

Get an accurate appraisal, even if you need to have a new one done. Pay close attention to negative adjustments between your home and comparable homes. It will give you a baseline starting point on what modifications you should make to improve your home's value. While many people are hesitant to put extra money into their home, new windows, a new kitchen, or even a new roof can significantly increase your home's value and can provide a significant return on your investment. Don't hesitate to pick up the phone and ask your appraiser what they suggest you should improve.

Putting a few thousands dollars into your home can often boost your home’s value enough so that your loan-to-value ratio (your mortgage amount over your home’s value) is within the acceptable range for most lenders (typically 90% or below, especially in the current mortgage market). While you might a few thousand dollars out of pocket up front, if you can save $50, $100, or more off your monthly payment, you can make that return back in no time.

Much of the work should be done by you as homeowner, if possible. If you can do the work yourself or know a friend or family member who will do the work for you for minimal costs, it can mean huge savings in your investment and will greatly increase your return on your home improvements. If you use contractors, only use them for critical building code items like electrical, structural and some plumbing, otherwise you could make your situation worse by overpaying for these improvements.

Consult a Realtor about what buyers are looking for in your neighborhood, but make sure you don't overdo it. It's extremely hard to make a return on $10,000 dollars worth of granite counter tops in many locations, so make sure you don’t overspend if it’s not going to help you in the long run.

You should carefully weight the savings you can earn by refinancing against the possible costs or penalties. Any homeowner can refinance their mortgage; the key is to weight your options to determine if refinancing is the best option for your situation.

By Martin W Hayes

Martin Hayes is a Customer Service Specialist with Loan Choice Direct.

For more help with home loans and mortgage refinancing including many more articles like this one, please head over to http://www.loanchoicedirect.com to receive a free mortgage refinance or home equity quote.

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

Read More..

Stock Market Investing

It’s certainly tough to answers questions about stock market than the usual Hollywood, Bollywood stuff. Stock market carries all gestures- happy, sad, creepy, tensed and what not? To cut short it is a risk cell, where thousands of people invests to fetch better returns but some succeed and some console themselves to try again.

Going in literal terms, a stock market is a place for the trading of derivatives and company stocks, listed on stock exchange. The stock comprises of shares, commodities and so. As earlier said, ‘a risk cell’, this market is full of uncertainties and risks. Risks, to loose the hard earned money. Every investor invests in stock market with a perspective and motive to earn positive better results. The bulls and bears are the situations with which you may make some or loose some. The uprising in stocks is termed as bulls’ situation and vice versa.

As such, stock market investing is not a child’s play. The investing in stocks may be carried as a sideline business by an investor but the amount of knowledge needed to invest cannot be side lined. It demands a fearless, fiery and extensive knowledge to understand moods of the stocks. An intuitive person may succeed once but that does work for all time. All counts is the experience in this field along with the almighty luck. Yes, luck is also an important factor that moves on with an investor.

The stock market always has shocks and news in stock. No one can be sure about what’s next? The pressure of bulls and bears along with the fear of loosing money and the predications and tips by the companies always adds spice to the happening world of stock market. One has to be familiar with the dictionary of stock’s world. What I mean is- the stock market has its own words to represent the situations and products. Bulls and bears being the example, one has to work upon the dictionary used in this market. Intraday, future and options (f and o’s) are mere examples of these.

Being aware of the fact that it is a risky affair to invest, thousands of people invest daily in the stock market. To provide assistance there are brokers available who try to get the best possible deal. Brokers are the people who work on percentage basis to fetch the best deal. Very often, the commission is calculated on the money invested. This commission, in turn, is known as brokerage. This amount has to be paid by each investor who does not posses his own pass to trade directly in stock exchange.

Well, only one thing is certain and that is change. Changes are always certain, so does the experienced stock world.. It has moved on to cyber space from the clattered, clumsy stock markets, which looks nonetheless fish markets. The evolution of Internet is the reason for the revolution in stock markets as well as other trading. It got the easy access feature along with the comfort of operating stocks from one’s office or home. The speedy technology acted as a catalyst to break the norms of stock market. It is no more an alien world for people. Rather, it got unearthed and the mysteriousness of this trading place just vanished. Now, people are comfortable trading online and the investors and their investments have increased three-fold. The bulls and bears are no more only confined to the creams rather it has skimmed to the commons.

Moreover, the technological support not only acted as middlemen rather it worked as a magnet which brought thousand of new faces to the stock market. The advances of online brokerages, online trading and online investing further jacked the boom in the stock market investment.

By Vijay Kumar Sharma

Stock market investing requires extensive knowledge about stocks

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

Read More..

Common Errors In Investments

The wide variety of securities that exist today, make the modern investor prone to all sorts of temptations to meddle with ‘bad’ investment. It is as such very rewarding for investors and prospective investors alike, to be able to recognise the fine divide between a ‘good’ investment, with a high chance of success, and one that will fail. Let’s proceed then to learn to identify the common errors in investments.

One characteristic of a ‘bad’ investment is the absence of a well-defined strategy. Even if there is a strategy, its potency is a monumental determinant of success. A strategy of investing in a few securities in one or a couple of industries is not powerful enough. Such a scheme should be rectified by investing in more diverse security types chosen from various industries. This tactic is to help spread risk in the investment, to increase the chance of obtaining the expected returns.

It is an appalling practice to attempt to time the market – sell lows and buy highs. What every investor has to bear in mind is that fads only lead to frustration in investments, and anyway, when a security becomes popular, it no longer bears any advantage, because any benefits would have been already factored into the price of the security. There is a tendency for prices of a security to rise, fall, rise and fall and so on, in the short and medium term. If one sells a low to buy a high, a loss may be incurred as it is very likely that the high will be bought at a time when it has reached its peak in price and just on the brink of establishing a trough. In so far as one researches sufficiently to invest in the right combination of securities, it is wise for the investor to keep calm when short and medium term fluctuations occur, and hold onto the existing portfolio consistently.

The habit of frequent trading is dysfunctional because it leads to excessive and unnecessary commission and transaction costs, all of which can massively reduce expected returns. It can be contended that the rewards that may be possibly gained from following fads and timing of the market are by far outweighed by the risks involved. The focus of an investment should be on the long-term returns rather than on short and medium term advantages. There is evidence to support the fact that an average portfolio when held to maturity provides much greater returns than frequent selling and buying of the constituent securities. Apart from commissions and transaction costs that are saved in a buy-and-hold strategy, there are tax benefits also to be gained, reason being less tax is paid on securities in a portfolio held to maturity, than are paid in frequent trading.

A weak investment strategy has a bias towards equities or bonds. In the long-term shares have proven to amass greater returns than bonds. However, it is good investment practice to have fair amounts of equities and bonds in ones portfolio. An explanation for this is that returns from equities and bonds are affected differently by economic changes, and holding both securities in a portfolio, does guarantee some benefits irrespective of the change.

It is inadvisable to expose investment to fads and insider tips. If something is too good to be true then it probably is. Although every investment will have a trace of imperfection, a lot of grave errors can be eluded if the investor, without fail, bears the ‘big’ picture in mind, and takes calculated risk, in order to secure a handsome return in the long-term.

By David Opoku

David Opoku

BA Hons. in Accounting and Finance. I am currently specialising in Financial Advising/Stockbroking in Edward Jones Ltd.

E-mail: davido312@aol.com

Web address: http://www.investmentyouneed.com

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

Read More..

Retirement Planning with Investment Properties

All around us, people are getting rich off real estate, buying at just the right time and reselling at higher values or by using tenant rent money to pay off an existing mortgage. Are investment properties a good idea? Or is the market in a downward spiral?

As with anything, there's no one-size-fits-all solution, but getting information is the first step to assessing whether or not investment properties will be included in your supplemental retirement plan.

Pros of owning investment properties are obvious. Hypothetically speaking, imagine owning a six-plex in a slow-changing, yet prosperous part of Atlanta where you charged each tenant $1,000. Your monthly mortgage for the building might be $3,000 but you'll still have that extra $3,000 cushion each month.

Another benefit of property investments is the generous tax kickback you may receive. If you delight in getting your lump sum tax return at the end of the year, then perhaps investing and selling properties when you need that quick chunk of cash is right for you.

Also, there's no penalty for opting out early or age regulations regarding when you can start using your earnings. You don't have to be rich or super business savvy to add property ownership into your retirement planning agenda. It's been dubbed "the equal opportunity wealth builder."

Cons of investment properties include the no guarantee risk. It's also not a feasible option for everyone because of high transaction prices. Not everyone has thousands of dollars saved to make a substantial down payment.

Vacancies, bad tenants, maintenance costs and property oversupply are a few of the disadvantages. Like any investment, there are many factors beyond your control that could affect your income. For better guarantees, 401ks or IRAs should be included in your financial retirement planning.

Your success in real estate investment properties will depend largely on when and where you buy. Money Magazine reported the most growth in Panama City, Florida and Washington state -- cities like Olympia, Spokane and Mount Vernon.

Slow-changing but profitable markets exist in Atlanta, Providence and Albuquerque. First time investors will want to avoid ex-boomtowns like Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Las Vegas, where exorbitantly high prices make the market unsustainable.

While downtown real estate can be profitable, it's not advised for people who are simply retirement planning for some supplemental income.

Since the average American moves every five to six years, and twelve million houses are sold each year, why not capitalize on this trend when retirement planning? It doesn't necessarily take a rich person to invest and profit.

If you're looking to downsize your home after your family moves out and earn some extra spending money, investment properties may be the right supplemental retirement plan for you!

By Mike Selvon

Browse to Mike Selvon portal to find out more about investment properties for your retirement planning. We greatly appreciate your feedback at our retirement planning blog.

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

Read More..

Let Winners Ride All The Way To The Bank

The concept of let winners ride is a new concept that is available for people that are looking to cut losses and better manage money in the stock market. Let winners ride is a concept that has won many a dollars for people that have utilized the concept. However with anything in the stock market the let winners ride concept has risk associated with it.

Investing in stock market is always going to be risky. Any process which has the ability to give you good returns is also risky at the same time and one has to take those risks to take full advantage of the system. This applies to any thing from opening your own business to investing in a new emerging company that has a great concept behind it and that is reason why it works for people.

The basic idea is virtually the same. Of course there are risks, but users of the system agree that the risks inherent in the system are too small to be dissuasive to them. Because the risks have been diminished, users says that it ups their odds of succeeding.

Success is now more likely than it was before, since the investment's risk has now been significantly reduced and both the probability and the level of profit investors can now expect have increased quite a bit.

Any successful company or trader in the stock market can tell you the secret of success- do everything that you can do to reduce the probability of losing money and increasing the chance that you will make a profit.

In that fashion the similarities of stock market investments and business are very much the same. The fact that they are able take money in the stock market and turn it into profits means that people are able to run and or operate their businesses, of trading stocks, successfully. This is a great concept to anyone that is looking to improve their net worth. And that is not something that comes easy.

By Mark Crisp

A new concept of let winners ride has been thoroughly worked upon and is now available to any one who looks forward to cut losses and manage money in a better way at the stock market.What makes this system successful is that it recognizes the risk and reward relationship and capitalizes on it. By reducing the risk that in the investment it is possible to make the investment more likely to be successful. This tactic also improves the odds of getting a return as well as increasing the size of any returns gained.

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

Read More..

Finding A Cheap Payday Loan - Dream or Reality?

Does a cheap payday loan sound like something that dreams are made of? If you are in a cash crunch crisis, then it very well could sound like a daydream! The truth is that getting that cash advance that you so desperately need may not be so impossible after all. In fact, if you have a working banking account, some valid id and proof of employment, you could get that money in a matter of hours.

Accidents And Emergencies

Life has a habit of throwing you a curve ball every so often. Sometimes, you will be in a position to handle it, but sometimes, that curveball will come just when things are a bit stretched. You are down to your last few dollars and are waiting for your salary to pull you through when an accident or emergency suddenly drops in your lap.

These can be almost anything- sudden car repairs, a leaky roof, a medical emergency or even unforeseen school expenses for the kids. You certainly do not need to take out a big loan, but you could use a few extra bucks to help you out. A personal payday loan is exactly what you need at times like this.

Easy As 1-2-3

Opting for a no teletrack payday loan is a cheap, efficient, and quick way to get that money you need. A few years ago, going on for a loan of this kind would have been a far more different affair- getting a loan processed would have taken a few days at the least and oftentimes, the transactions took place in shady locations.

Today, the internet has revolutionized the way a cheap payday loan works. Not only that, due to the popularity of these kinds of loans, many respectable financial institutions now offer them. All you need to do is provide proof of permanent employment, a working bank account, and some valid id. The processing will happen in just a few hours, after which you will find the amount you need, ready and waiting in your bank account. Even if you have a history of bad credit, you will still get the money you need.

What makes a cheap payday loan even better is that it's easy to repay- you don't have to worry about installment payments. Once your salary is credited, you can pay back the amount along with the processing fee. So the next time you find yourself in need of a bit of cash, but don't know where to turn to, remember that a cheap payday loan can be the answer to your problems.

By Anupriya Jain

A cheap payday loan is the perfect way to get cash when you really need it. Getting a cash advance through a personal payday loan is fast and easy. People with bad credit can also take such loans. This is why, no teletrack payday loans are so popular. To know more about eligibility conditions and application process visit best payday loan.

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

Read More..

Cash Till Payday Loan - Is It Really A Friend in Need

There are millions of Americans who have just realised that there is another way to manage unforeseen expenses, besides raking up huge credit balances on their credit cards. This is the cash till payday loan. The concept is not new. You could always take a cash advance from someone who would charge a few extra bucks for the favor, but modern electronic systems have taken the embarrassment out of a cash advance.

Totally Hassle Free

The great thing about a payday loan is the fact that the red tape is ruthlessly cut away and you are sure that help is at hand immediately. There are certainly some requirements to be met, before you can qualify for a cash advance, but the requirements are minimal and practically anyone meets these. You have to prove that you have a job ($1000 per month) or a regular income, have a checking account in a bank, are a US citizen and are over 18 years of age.

The savings account payday loan (so called because it is credited straight to your savings account) can be with you in 24 hours, often lesser, since most of the approval process is software driven. Only in rare cases, does a cash advance officer actually go through your documents.

Cash Advance Charges

How much will your one hour payday loan cost you? Typically, if you borrow $200 for a week, you may pay $15 to $30 extra as the cost of the loan. If and the word to watch is if you were to keep this loan for a year, you pay a prohibitive amount as interest. But, it is not called cash till payday loan for nothing! After all, if you are really in a crunch, what is an additional $15 to you? Let us tell you upfront that the APR rate (the annualized interest rate) on a payday loan can sound daunting, but you would never keep this sort of a loan beyond your next payday anyway.

What if you are unable to repay your cash advance in time? To begin with, the amounts are generally small and most people have no difficulty clearing them, but should you have any difficulty, then the loan can easily be rolled over. There will be a charge of course, but people tell us that if you don’t do this often, then you may pay lesser than you would if a check bounced.

The one hour pay day loan has been used so frequently by so many Americans that it has spawned a new financial industry. Even large banks have realised the potential of the ultra short term loan and have begun to offer such loans themselves. While no one would willingly take on debt, sometimes it is in-escapable. Cash till payday loans offer you a helping hand, should you ever need one.

By Anupriya Jain

Cash till payday loans give wage earners a respectable alternative when a sudden money crunch arises. Easy procedures and rapid disbursement of savings account payday loan offers straightforward and friendly support. If payday is approaching and you are short a few bucks, one hour payday loan is the way to tide you through. To know more and to get free quotes visit payday cash advance.

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

Read More..

Insurance - An Essential Means To Protect Yourself

Insurance means you have protection. This is a worthy step toward secure living. In today's life where dynamism and speed is the name of the game, uncertainties and stress is also on the rise. The speed with which the world moves forward and we have to follow suit often upsets the body clock and biological mechanism and often result in events or accidents which translates into monetary or material losses.

To counter this, one important Insurance that most people have on their minds is that which covers their cars. This is because a car is not only something you drive to carry yourself around but also something which is close to your heart. The good news is that there are many insurers who offer car insurance at discount rates by presenting different schemes that can work very well for you. These discounts may vary from region to region and company to company. But most of these can be attractive all the same because they are designed to attract customers by offering them several benefits. You have to check if you qualify for the set of conditions you would be required to meet to avail to these discounts.

These discount offers bring in their own sum of thrills because you never know what pleasant surprises await you. Your driving profile is often the single-most important decisive factor in your chances of being considered for such discounts. Naturally the insurance companies want to set an example by having a safe driver as a model who at the same time, will save them claims!

At the same time, do not make the mistake of believing that some people are, by their temperament or by virtue of their astrological sign, prone to accidents. By adding safety features and anti-theft devices, you can improve upon your risk profile tremendously. What more, you may even join a safe driver's club, for instance to display your reliability—and thereby a cheaper car Insurance.

By Allan Elvin

Allan Elvin is an MBA in Finance and has a rich experience of writing on topics related to finance. He professes special interest and expertise in and Car Insurance and Life Insurance in guiding you on its various details.

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

Read More..

How To Protect Yourself From Interest Rate Rises

Every home owner who has a home loan to pay, will probably be concerned at the information being spread in the media about a possible melt down in financial markets. The major concern being a possible increase in interest rates.

In fact, there are some commentators who are predicting that home loan interest rates in Australia could reach the 17% heights of the 1980s. As crazy as this sounds, and whether it is in fact true at all, it has the potential to cause heartache, worry and possibly some sleepless nights.

The only thing that is certain about the current situation is that it is uncertain! If rates were to rise, even by only 1% or 2%, this will cause a lot of trouble for a lot of people. For many, it may not necessarily be the actual rate rise in the mortgage market that makes the difference; it will be the impact that it will add to the other debts that are common in households, personal loans and credit cards.

I have always maintained that it is the credit card and personal loan debts that cause the major problems for most borrowers. It doesn't take a genius to know that credit cards and personal loans can cost 2, 3 or even 4 times more than a home loan.

But it doesn't need to be all doom and gloom. There are certain steps you can take to prevent any further financial pain, and it won't cost you a cent.

Here is a quick check list of steps that you can take to make life a little easier on the financial front. They may look like just plain old common sense, but many people ignore them. In the current market, they will ignore them at their peril.

• Prepare a household budget. This is possibly the most ignored step in any plan to financial freedom. There are literally dozens of free sites with information showing you how to bring your finances under control. You can also choose from a myriad of commercial applications that take things into a detailed perspective.

• Eliminate all unnecessary expenditure from you budget. This is a natural follow on from the first point, and is a vital step. As you identify or want items are necessary, and which are discretionary.

• Call your mortgage broker and organise for your mortgage to convert to a fixed rate. This is probably the most vital and easy step of all. Think about it, if rates are going to rise to 17% in the next two years, what's stopping you from locking into the next five years now at just under one half of that?

By simply implementing the three steps I have outlined above, you will immunize yourself from any financial pain that may be caused by the current uncertainty in the financial markets. Even if you only implement the third point above and fix your home loan rate for the next three years or more, you'll be sleeping easy at night.

By Michael Haydon

Michael is the owner of Total Home Loans, The information site of choice for borrowers who want the best and latest strategies for getting the best home loan in Australia. Free eBook is also available at Total Home Loans

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

Read More..

Saving for Retirement – Are You Choosing Not to Save?

Losing half of my income by going into retirement was a really shocking eye-opener for me. I had obviously not done enough saving. How could that be? I felt terribly. I felt that I was a failure in some way. It only dawned on me later that I could only have saved more by earning more or by reducing expenditures in other areas; in other words, by adopting a lower standard of living while working. I also realized that millions of other people were facing those same kinds of choices all of their lives; eat healthy or eat poorly; raise the children in poorer, rougher neighborhoods or in nicer, safer neighborhoods; send the children to inferior schools or send them to better schools; take vacations to new, culturally stimulating places or go to see the same relatives every year.

I want to be very clear. If you or other people eat poorly, rear your children in rougher neighborhoods, send your children to inferior schools etc., by choice, that is perfectly all right. One of the wonderful things about this great country of ours is it does provide us, all of us, the freedom to choose. Does that mean that we prudently exercise our right to choose? The answer to that question is a resounding NO! Do I believe that most people choose not to save? My position, and you will see it again and again throughout these articles, is that paycheck-to-paycheck employees do not earn enough money, so I certainly do not blame them for the situation in which most people find themselves come retirement time. Remember, I was in the same situation.

In the United States today, inequality in wealth, wages, and income are historically high. About 95% of the population retires to levels 20 to 50 % lower than their pre-employment income. That new, reduced income level generally becomes fixed, with the exception of occasional “cost of living” increases from Social Security. Only about 5% of people in the United States retire financially independent. I define financial independence as having income from assets that provides levels of income sufficient to support your living standards whether you work or not.

Expanding global competition, changes in the nature of work, the out-sourcing of work, out-of-control un-documented immigration, and rapid technological advances are altering economic reality. Yet many of our policies, attitudes, and institutions are based on assumptions that no longer reflect real world conditions. One constant, however, is the fact that most people who work for a paycheck do not become financially independent, even with the aid of the best financial planning. Another major question for you to answer for yourself is: Can you even survive mergers, down-sizing, lay-offs and other adverse factors and maintain your present or a comparable job until retirement?

Remember, you do not have to live on less in retirement. No matter where you are right now financially, you can build and enjoy a retirement lifestyle you desire. Peace.

By Harold L Lowe

Harold L Lowe retired at age 62 when his six-figure income positon eliminated. He shockingly found a 50% reduction in his (combined pension and Social Security) income. He’s since learned that income reduction is faced by most paycheck-to-paycheck employees. You can get a copy of his Free, eye-opening Report “Financial Planning for Retirement is not Enough!” at http://www.haroldllowe.com

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

Read More..

The Business of Art Investing

The acquiring of art for business purposes has increased since the early 80's and has kept pace with other investments and in sometimes outperformed other investments. It is important for investors to remember that there is a finite amount of artwork from famous artist waiting to be bought and sold. Therefore, more moderate returns on art investments should be expected.

ArThe acquiring of art for business purposes has increased since the early 80's and has kept pace with other investments and in sometimes outperformed other investments. It is important for investors to remember that there is a finite amount of artwork from famous artist waiting to be bought and sold. Therefore, more moderate returns on art investments should be expected.
Art, like many other investments, can lose or gain value quite quickly. Art is unique from those markets, though, because the reasons for a change in value are often unforeseen and objective. Unlike stocks and real estate, an art investor can't go to a single source and find out exactly what an art investment is worth.
As a business, art investing can mean quite a return if the piece is held for long enough. Many investors new to the art buying industry have been attracted by the advertising of record art sales which have taken place in recent years. A large return isn't guaranteed, but it's certainly a possibility that's intriguing.
Besides giving some a very tidy return, the business of art investing isn't subject to market fluctuations like other investments. Buying art doesn't require as many fees and related costs that, say, buying stocks does. That is an added benefit for art buyers who are already seeing higher than average returns.
The biggest downside to art investing as a business is not making the wrong acquisition, but becoming subject to industry fraud. Having phony artwork and passed off as real has lost art buyers millions of dollars. Usually, the people passing off these fraudulent pieces are themselves frauds whose brokering credentials are questionable at best.
To prevent fraud and also ensure the value of a piece, authenticating artwork with documentation, or provenance, can be a great idea. An authorized appraiser can make sure the proper documentation is in order to determine the pieces true worth.
Most new art investments aren't made with all the pertinent information at hand. Art investing is a business and it's important to invest in that business aggressively. If it's possible to invest more money in an artist premiere pieces of art, then that's what should be done. Buying a piece that an investor likes as well as captures the interest of the industry is quite important.
Many critics of the business or art investing might contend that art is entirely too unrealistic as an investment strategy. They conclude that while stocks and other conventional investments bring in a steady income, artwork only becomes profitable if it can be resold. The profit resale value of art is never an exact science.
Acquiring art has quickly become a feasible part of a diversified portfolio. This is not only the case in America, but in countries worldwide. The Middle East and Far East have hosted investors who've completely bought into the idea of investing. As of late, the Austrailian art market has become more prominent as well. Many a multi-million and billionaire foreign business persons have invested steeply in Western art antiquities and newer creations. It makes sense that the business of art investing intrigues so many as the world economy broadens and traditional investing becomes less sure.

By Cj Boston

American Debt Credit Services provides free debt analysis’s to allow common Americans to see where they are and where they can be financially. American Debt Credit Services.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cj_Boston, like many other investments, can lose or gain value quite quickly. Art is unique from those markets, though, because the reasons for a change in value are often unforeseen and objective. Unlike stocks and real estate, an art investor can't go to a single source and find out exactly what an art investment is worth.

As a business, art investing can mean quite a return if the piece is held for long enough. Many investors new to the art buying industry have been attracted by the advertising of record art sales which have taken place in recent years. A large return isn't guaranteed, but it's certainly a possibility that's intriguing.

Besides giving some a very tidy return, the business of art investing isn't subject to market fluctuations like other investments. Buying art doesn't require as many fees and related costs that, say, buying stocks does. That is an added benefit for art buyers who are already seeing higher than average returns.

The biggest downside to art investing as a business is not making the wrong acquisition, but becoming subject to industry fraud. Having phony artwork and passed off as real has lost art buyers millions of dollars. Usually, the people passing off these fraudulent pieces are themselves frauds whose brokering credentials are questionable at best.

To prevent fraud and also ensure the value of a piece, authenticating artwork with documentation, or provenance, can be a great idea. An authorized appraiser can make sure the proper documentation is in order to determine the pieces true worth.

Most new art investments aren't made with all the pertinent information at hand. Art investing is a business and it's important to invest in that business aggressively. If it's possible to invest more money in an artist premiere pieces of art, then that's what should be done. Buying a piece that an investor likes as well as captures the interest of the industry is quite important.

Many critics of the business or art investing might contend that art is entirely too unrealistic as an investment strategy. They conclude that while stocks and other conventional investments bring in a steady income, artwork only becomes profitable if it can be resold. The profit resale value of art is never an exact science.

Acquiring art has quickly become a feasible part of a diversified portfolio. This is not only the case in America, but in countries worldwide. The Middle East and Far East have hosted investors who've completely bought into the idea of investing. As of late, the Austrailian art market has become more prominent as well. Many a multi-million and billionaire foreign business persons have invested steeply in Western art antiquities and newer creations. It makes sense that the business of art investing intrigues so many as the world economy broadens and traditional investing becomes less sure.

By Cj Boston

American Debt Credit Services provides free debt analysis’s to allow common Americans to see where they are and where they can be financially. American Debt Credit Services.

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

Read More..