Your Ultimate Finance Destination

A Complete Guide To A Monitored Security System and How It Works

2011-10-31T21:39:00.001-07:00

Monitored home security systems are systems that are connected to the home security companies that installed them. Your home security company operates a monitoring centre that takes a continual feed from the system in your home – and it employs 24 hour staff to monitor that feed. If anything is wrong, or appears out of the ordinary, then your security company takes appropriate steps to prevent whatever threat or danger the system has identified.

Most home security companies that provide monitoring services have a national scope. They will take control of the installation of your home security systems, which adds a further layer to the peace of mind engendered by the purchase of your system – you will know that someone that knows what they are doing has put it in for you, tested it and is monitoring it to see that it is still working.

Monitored security systems are checked routinely to make sure everything is still functioning, as well as being monitored for intruders, fire or carbon monoxide levels (you can now buy home security systems that protect the home against all invasion, rather than just the human kind). If anything is wrong, either with your system or with your property, then the home security companies in charge of monitoring you will come out to fix things; or contact the relevant authorities on your behalf.

Whenever your system is armed, it will send signals to the monitoring centre if something is tripped, a contact is broken or movement is detected. The system is preset with different zones, which can be turned on and off either independently of each other or as one big unit. Any active (i.e. armed) zone is capable of sending signals to the home security companies monitoring your system.

When a zone is not armed, it can still be set top operate a chime or bell if a contact is broken, movement is detected or any other pre-specified condition that would usually cause an alarm is fulfilled. This can be very useful in letting you know if a door or window in another part of your property has been opened, or left open.

Monitored home security systems are centrally operated using a control panel. This can be portable or hard wired into your home. You will be able to define different zones and activate and deactivate them using the control panel.

The basic setup of your home security system is likely to follow the above descriptions. You’ll get hundred of different variations depending on the kind of equipment you have opted for, and the functionality you have specified. For example, many home security companies run a pager function, which gets in touch with your phone or pager whenever an alarm event occurs. You can also specify things like CCTV, digital video recording and light activation.

Monitored home security systems keep you and your property safe – with the peace of mind that comes with knowing there are professionals keeping an eye on your home.

Can It Be Healthy And Wealthy To Smoke Electric Cigarettes?

2011-10-30T22:59:00.000-07:00

This is a question that needs some context. If you smoke tobacco, then yes it can be very healthy to smoke electric cigarettes. E cigs are specifically designed as nicotine replacement therapy, allowing you to continue absorbing the drug you crave without any of the harmful side effects present in its traditional method of delivery. The electric cigarette is a genuine tool for addicts, a rehabilitation program you can carry in your handbag or stick in a pocket.

All medical products, or products intended for use in a basically medical sphere (in this case addiction control with a view to future rehabilitation) need to be sold to the correct market. For that reason it is necessary to mention the following caveat: it is absolutely not healthy to smoke electric cigarettes if you have never smoked. There’s no point anyway. Nicotine addiction is yesterday’s news. There’s bound to be a new trendy addiction come along to take its place – but for now e cigs are all about getting the last of the dinosaurs off the drug that used to be popular and is now pretty much reviled all over.

The sole purpose of electric cigarettes is to get all us poor nicotine addicts away from the cancer crutches that will be our grave. They are healthier than actual tobacco cigarettes by orders of magnitude. They contain none of the carcinogens or additives that regular tobacco smoke holds. They will allow us to take our nicotine without withering our lungs, filling our hearts with fat and killing all the sperm in our testicles.

E cigs contain the bare minimum of ingredients, in their E liquid. Everything in E liquid is fit for human use and overall you’re looking at an average of 1,000 times less constituents in E liquid vapour than there are in cigarette smoke.

The only actively harmful thing in the smoke you get from electric cigarettes is nicotine. Nicotine is not good for you, it’s a poison. Anyone who is used to smoking cigarettes, though, has built up a natural tolerance of the poison – so the nicotine in the e cigs is no more harmful to them that it was in tobacco, only with e cigs there are no carcinogenic or antisocial side effects.

Smoking the electronic cigarette is certainly socially healthier than smoking a tobacco cigarette. Noticed how girls or boys, whichever you like, have started shying away from you when you come back inside the bar after you’ve staggered out for a quick fag? There’s a reason for that, a reason I know all too well. You stink. You smell like a cross between an ashtray and the rim of an undersea volcano.

Electric cigarettes will let you get your hit without having to smell to do so. Your breath won’t be affected. Your clothes will no longer reek like a bonfire. And your friends will stop berating you for honking up the place when they’re all trying to have a good time.

The social acceptance of e cigs is backed up by a legality that can make using them quite a lot of fun. It’s perfectly legal to inhale vapour from an e cig in any public place, no matter what the smoking laws. So you even get to feel a bit like an outlaw even though you’re not.

For anyone who smokes, electric cigarettes are thousands of times healthier. If you’ve ever wished you could smoke without worrying about dying, this is your chance.

O Customer - what is this?

2011-10-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

The term “customer” is very old in meaning. It can be supposed that it comes from time when first stores have appeared.

Word customer derives from “custom”, the synonym of “habit”. One great dictionary defines customer as “someone who frequented a particular shop, who made it a habit to purchase goods there, and with whom the shopkeeper had to maintain a relationship to keep his or her “custom,” meaning expected purchases in the future.” So, as in the past in order to be a customer the person ought to visit a store, in our days the meaning of this term enlarged. O-customer or online customer is the same customer, but difference is that he/she practices to buy products from an online provider.

Fact that you are visitor of our site you has already become a potential o-customer. As the humanity has the habit to make one self conspicuous, day after day the number of o-customers is growing.

Is there any difference between ordinary and o-customer?

As a minimum, there is one difference: o-customers buy products at much cheaper. As main “property” of customer is the purchase, online shopping is regarded as the main technique to economize your money. It is not hard to become an o-customer; it is more harder not ignore this phenomenon, because the prerogatives that offers online shopping impress.

Most online stores are obsessed to attract new customers and this is certainly necessary, but the focus really should be on clients who currently are your old customers. To better understand the challenge of building customer loyalty, we can break down shoppers into five types:

Loyal O Customers: They represent no more than 20 percent of your customer base, but make up more than 50 percent of our sales. Naturally, we need to be communicating with these customers on a regular basis by telephone, mail, email, etc.

Discount O Customers: They buy in your shop frequently, but make their decisions based on the size of your markdowns. However they can often wind up costing you money because they are more inclined to return product.

Impulse O Customers: They do not have buying a particular item at the top of their “To Do” list, but come into the online store on a whim. They will purchase what seems good at the time.

Need-Based O Customers: They have a specific intention to buy a particular type of item. When these customers enter the store, they will look to see if they can have that need filled quickly. If not, they will leave right away.

Wandering O Customers: They have no specific need or desire in mind when they come into the store. For many online stores, this is the largest segment in terms of traffic, at the same time; they make up the smallest percentage of sales.

If you want to grow your business, you need to focus your effort on the loyal customers, and merchandise your store to leverage the impulse shoppers. The other three types of customers do represent a segment of your business, but they can also cause you to misdirect you resources if you put too much emphasis on them.

What is critical illness cover designed to achieve?

2011-10-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

If you are wondering what is critical illness cover designed to achieve, the simplest and most straight forward answer is that it aims to give you – and possibly your family – a certain financial security in the event of you being diagnosed with a critical illness.

Why might you need it?

If you are diagnosed with a serious or critical illness, it is likely that your life might change in a number of ways. Perhaps one of the most immediate of these is your ability to work, earn money and provide for you and your family.

Depending on the particular medical condition and its seriousness, you might have to give up work altogether or reduce the number of hours you are able to put in. In either event, of course, your normal regular income is likely to suffer.

In the case of a debilitating serious illness, you might find that you need to employ help around the home or engage the services of a professional carer or nurse. If your disabilities become more severe, you might even need to consider adapting or modifying the home you live in.

All in all, therefore, the diagnosis of a serious or critical illness might lead to your finances becoming severely stretched.

How might insurance help?

So, what is critical illness cover – or serious illness cover, as it is sometimes called – able to do to help?

It does it quite simply by paying out an assured, tax-free cash benefit soon after you are diagnosed with a critical or serious illness. You choose the amount of the cash benefit in advance, together with the duration of the cover you need. The amount of the benefit and the duration of your serious illness cover, of course, help to determine the cost of the monthly premiums you pay.

What is critical illness cover designed to insure you against? An equally important part of that answer, of course, is the range of illnesses and medical conditions defined by the insurer as serious or critical. You may find that the list of such illnesses is extensive or relatively restricted, depending on the particular policy you choose – and, of course, the cost of the premiums you are prepared to pay.

In other words, you are unlikely to find any hard and fast rules about the critical illnesses covered in all such insurance policies.

The important consideration, however, is to select the policy that most suits your own, personal needs and circumstances. Understanding which conditions and illnesses are included in the particular policy you choose may go a long way to your appreciation of just what is critical illness cover. Alternatively, using the services of specialist broker may help.

How A Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help an Accident Victim?

2011-08-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

A personal injury lawyer helps an aggrieved or affected person to get fair compensation for the injury provided that the person was not responsible for the said accident. Let us have a quick look on how a personal lawyer helps an accident victim.

First meeting

The process begins with an interview. The lawyer educates the client about different aspects of the claim procedure. During this time the client provides records related to the accident for substantiating the claim. This may include crash report, bills and medical reports. Lawyer inspects the automobile policy or any other insurance policy that may be available for recovering damages of the client.

Initiating Investigation

Next step is initiating the investigation procedure. In this stage the lawyer gathers physical evidences, statements of witnesses, diagrams and analyzes the legal issue pertaining to the claim. Medical records are reviewed and the concerned medical professionals are consulted to assess the extent of the injury suffered by the client. Specific reports from medical professionals on some critical issues may be deemed necessary for substantiating the claim of compensation.

Documentation

Filing of several forms related to a claim is crucial for its smooth settlement. A personal injury lawyer is experienced to file necessary forms. It is duty of the lawyer to find out about the liens that may be asserted with the claim settlement process. The lawyer gets in touch with the insurance company and discusses the requirements to speed up the settlement process. Negotiation may start at this stage with the representative of insurance company and lawyer of the client. The client may be consulted while deciding whether to negotiate or file a law suit.

Filing lawsuit

When the client and the lawyer feel that a lawsuit is inevitable, the lawyer is entrusted for preparing the draft and filing it in appropriate forum. The lawyer also investigates to locate the defendant of the lawsuit for serving summons as required by the law. A personal injury lawyer prepares draft written questions for gathering information from the other side (interrogatories). It is also desirable to train the client properly to face deposition. The personal injury lawyer conducts deposition of the defendants and other witnesses.

Expert guidance

Role of medical experts is very crucial in claims related to personal injury. As such, the lawyer having expertise in this field is expected to have proficiency in several clinical parameters and their implications. The lawyer should have experience to take deposition of different professionals as well as medical experts. As custodian of all claim related documents of the client, the lawyer produces them whenever required by the court or settling authorities. This may range from medical bills to crash report and tax return.

Organizing evidences

Organizing documents, preparing exhibits, clients and witnesses for deposition are some vital duties performed by lawyers dealing with injury claim. There are instances where client may need help of experts from different fields for supporting the claim. Personal injury lawyer hires experts for supporting claim of the client. All necessary documents related to the claim are presented to the judge by the lawyer. This includes list of witness, trial readiness and pretrial activities.

Settling the deal

As the case develops, the injury lawyer researches the issues and complexities that may develop during the trial and comes up with new strategies to tackle the defendants reasoning. When final verdict is delivered the injury lawyer studies and discusses it with the client. The verdict is either accepted or an appeal is planned. For accepted verdict, the lawyer ensures that the client gets the awarded compensation within a specified time.

Claiming compensation is a legal process that needs professional guidance. Personal injury lawyers are experienced to work out details of cases related to wrongful death, medical malpractice, fall and slip and accidents arising out of vehicles.

Be in the Driving seat with your Vehicle Finance

2011-05-28T02:18:00.000-07:00

The humble automobile symbolizes different things to different people. For some, it’s a luxury item, while others depend on it on a daily basis. Whether you use it to commute to work and back, ferry the family around or simply get out and about on your own, owning a car has never been as important in society.

Unfortunately, being a driver comes at a hefty price. Paying for driving lessons is just the start of the financial outlay because after passing your test and getting a license, you have to buy a car, tax it, get it insured and then become a regular visitor to your local gas station. Then you jump on a treadmill of taxing and insuring it every year, as well chopping and changing cars altogether when necessary.

With all these expenses, coupled with the maintenance costs (and many households have more than one car), it’s easy to see how quickly you can find yourself burdened with mounting debt – and all this while you’re also trying to manage your other outgoings.

Therefore, it’s imperative that you realize your own financial limitations well before you purchase a car. Only you know what you can and can’t afford, and that kind of logic should extend well beyond vehicle ownership.

It’s common for people to take out loans to get a car, especially first-time buyers, but just make sure you’re fully aware of the terms and conditions of the repayment scheme and that you always read the small print.

Make sure the loan itself is from a reputable organization and that the APR is in line with what you’d reasonably expect to pay. Of course, look around and negotiate for the best deal possible and when you do receive the loan, break down the repayment scheme so that you know exactly what needs to be paid and when.

Getting into the annual cycle of buying tax and insurance will take some getting used to at first, but after a while you’ll come up with ways of making sure the renewal forms don’t catch you by surprise. If you can afford to pay up front for things like motor insurance, then do so - quite often, you’ll be eligible for a discount if you do. If not, set up a direct debit or a scheme when you pay a certain amount every week or month, and then you can virtually forget all about it.

Filling up your car is another expense to think about. Car sharing to and from work may be a way of addressing this if you live near any work colleagues. Other than that, avoid high acceleration and braking, make sure your tyres are pumped to the correct pressure level and stick to speed limits.

Managing your mortgage and household bills wisely

2011-05-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

Opening the mailbox is a bittersweet experience for most of us. Nowadays, it seems that we only receive bills, bills and more bills through the post as opposed to birthday cards, love letters or gifts. It’s easy to get snowed under with the details of what needs paying and when, and before long you could be faced with the prospect of going into arrears.

Juggling the demands of running a house, keeping down a regular job and generally looking after yourself, family members and loved ones is tricky act to maintain. However, be pragmatic and it’ll become easier to keep on top of your outgoings. You may even be able to reduce some of them, which would in turn make life in general that little bit more comfortable.

When it comes to prioritizing your monthly bills, keeping a roof over your head is imperative, especially if you’re a homeowner. You risk having your home repossessed if you fail to keep up with mortgage payments, and chances are high that you’ll also be rejected if you try and borrow money in the future because your credit rating will be poor.

Being turned out onto the street may just be the start of a downward spiral that could ultimately have disastrous consequences, so it’s important to be aware (if you’re not already) of the worst-case scenarios in order to motivate yourself to stay out of financial difficulties.

Budgeting is essential. Evaluate your income carefully and compare it with where your money is being spent on a daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly basis. This will highlight whether or not you’re living beyond your means, and if it turns out that you are, you can start saving almost immediately.

Saving and cutting down on any ‘luxury’ items, like cable TV and dining out, will really make a difference, so if you can realistically live without them then do so. Food bills can also be lowered if you have the time and space to grow your own fruit and vegetables. It’s cheap to do and immensely rewarding. Being forward thinking and responsible with your finances may mean making sacrifices like this along the way, so be prepared and always keep in mind your end goal and how you’ll feel when you reach it.

You can also make savings by ringing around and surfing the net to get discounts on any other big drains on your resources. Home insurance is one such expense that can be instantly slashed. Use a key phrase like ‘moneysupermarket best home insurance deals’ or something similar when you’re surfing the net for deals – it’s likely to save you hundreds of dollars every year.

If the reminders and final reminders continue to stack up despite making changes and cutbacks, then it’s almost inevitable that you’ll search for a quick-fix method, like loading up the credit card or taking out a loan. The perils and pitfalls of going down either of these high-APR routes are obvious, so make sure you avoid them at all costs. If you’re really struggling to pay the mortgage, talk to your lender – they’ll probably be much more sympathetic than you think.

Keep full control of your Vacation Expenses

2011-05-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

Going on vacation doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Sure, we’d all like to be able to splash the cash and live the life of luxury during our getaways, but the reality is that the pressure is on for many to avoid getting saddled with debt when we get home.

Sticking it all on the credit card and hoping for the best is a decision that could come back to haunt you at a later date, so be responsible and realistic about the funds you have available. There are also several ways in which you can make it stretch that a little bit further and keep costs down.

This is where the Internet comes into play, as a few hours surfing the web can lead to extensive savings. Virtually everything that goes into making a trip away possible will be available to buy online and most probably at a discounted rate. There really are bargains galore to be had.

Everything from accommodation and flights, to booking airport parking, car hire and travel insurance are likely to be considerably cheaper if you take the time to shop around on the web and purchase well in advance. Of course, sometimes it pays to leave it to the last minute as you may get cut-price deals, but it’s risky to do so.

The later you leave it to book certain services – like parking at the airport – the more you’ll be expected to stump up. It’s advisable, then, to check out price comparison websites, which will save you valuable time and money when it comes to putting together the real nuts and bolts of your holiday.

Once you’ve decided on when and where you want to go then start to think about which travel insurance policy suits you best. There are plenty to choose from and if you travel quite a lot then it may be worth investing in annual cover. On moneysupermarket.com the best travel insurance deals will protect yourself and your family at an affordable price.

Getting an all-inclusive deal may be cost effective as sometimes they can also include a number of leisure activities that you tend to have to pay extra for as well as food and drink. If you’re jetting off to a different country then get the best possible rate available when it comes to changing currency as you’re likely to get less for your money at places like the airport.

Depending on which company you’re planning to fly with, it may be beneficial to travel light. Some airlines pay to check in luggage and most will charge you extra if you go over your weight allowance so be careful about what you want to take with you.

Don’t be afraid to haggle in order to secure the best deal. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. The onus is on the company you’re dealing with to attract as much new business as possible so don’t be scared of walking away and going to a competitor if you think you’re not getting value for money.

Airports can be expensive places to buy food and drink so if you’re likely to have a few mouths to feed it may be best to take supplies with you. At least that’ll ensure your vacation doesn’t start by wasting valuable dollars in the airport terminal.

The secret to finding the best payday loan is to compare multiple offers. Do this all on one site with our simple and free loan comparison process

High Time, You should keep your Electricity Bills low

2011-05-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

The need to keep a close eye on personal finance has never been greater. These are tough times economically on a global scale, but one positive to emerge is that people are becoming more aware of what they can do to help themselves.

The easiest place to start cutting costs is in the home, and a common grievance is that high electricity prices are putting a strain on family budgets. However, you can make a few changes that will make sure value for money is guaranteed, along with lower electricity bills.

Switching energy suppliers or tariffs is a simple way of making instant savings. Quite often, households have been stuck paying too much on a certain tariff for too long. You get stuck in a rut and don’t even realize the cut-price deals that are readily available through price comparison websites. Log on and compare prices, compare tariffs and see what a difference can be made. Another way of earning a discount could be to get your gas and electricity from the same company, if you don’t already.

With a cheaper tariff in place it’s time to have a thorough check of your house to see what else can be done to slash your outgoings. This is where sound judgment is needed.

If you’ve finished with an appliance then turn it off at the mains and stop using the standby function. Switch lights off as well. These are a few basic good practices that should be followed at all times by all family members, young and old.

Equipment like a dishwasher, tumble dryer or washing machine are more efficient if a full load is inserted, although it may also be an idea to get rid of them entirely and wash the dishes manually or hang out clothes to dry.

How well your home is insulated could be a key factor in saving money. Grants are sometimes offered as incentives to properly insulate your loft, pipes and walls so check to see if this is applicable to you. Double-glazed doors and windows will also help to trap in the heat.

If possible, generating your own electricity could be an option as more and more households are opting to install solar panels. Look into the cost of getting an energy-saving boiler as well if you’re really intent on making changes. It may be expensive in the short term, but consider it an investment that will pay off in the long run and think of the environmental benefits. Not only would it be good for the planet, it’d be good for you as well.

The Latest Market Commentary as on 11th May, 2011

2011-05-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to provide the latest Pure FX market commentary. Detailing the main factors that have been affecting currency exchange rates recently.

Sterling overview

Sterling took a bit of a battering last month following a string of lopsided economic releases. Important sectors including Services and Manufacturing showed growth but both came in below market expectations – contributing to sterling’s fall against currencies including the euro.
In spite of this George Osborne had reason to breathe a huge sigh of relief. Britain returned to economic growth with GDP figures for the first quarter 2011 arriving at +0.5%. This indicates that Osborne’s budget cuts are working - stimulating growth while slashing Britain’s mammoth public deficit.

The Bank of England meanwhile decided to hold interest rates at 0.5%. This was forecast on the markets but has also contributed to sterling’s decline. Each month that the BoE holds interest rates is another month in which investors receive smaller returns – hence making the pound less attractive.

Sterling weakness is of course brilliant for people bringing funds back from the continent and elsewhere. As always for a more in-depth assessment of your particular currency feel free to speak to a currency dealer at Pure FX.

Euro

The euro remains the biggest climber in recent weeks in spite of a flood of negative headlines – gaining several percent against sterling. The single biggest reason for this climb has been the European Central Bank’s decision to raise interest rates to 1.25%. This prompted the markets to plough cash into the euro since higher interest rates mean better returns.

In fact this climb has only halted last week after the ECB’s decision to not increase rates, proving a great disappointment to investors that had factored in another rise.

In other EU news Portugal became the third euro member to seek a bailout – receiving €78bn from the ECB-IMF. This weekend meanwhile rumours have been rife that Greece could exit the euro. It hence seems the EU peripheral crisis could continue for months to come.

In GDP meanwhile the EMU expanded 2.0% in the first quarter 2011 – providing further fuel to the euro’s fire.

US dollar

In economic terms the US continued to resemble someone walking a tightrope in a strong breeze last month – just about keeping his balance.

The US expanded +0.45% in the first quarter 2011 according to recent data – positive but slow compared to 3.1% growth in Q4 2010. Important non-farm payroll figures meanwhile arrived strong – pointing to 244k new jobs last month – but at the same time unemployment rate increased +0.2% to 9.0%.

CA dollar

The election of a Conservative government in Canada last month should boost the loonie in coming months. New prime minister Stephen Harper is committed to cutting Canada’s national debt and safeguarding the nation’s credit rating – actions that should please the markets.

AU dollar

It’s been a strong month for the Australian dollar on several counts – and the forecast for coming months looks good too.

For one the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised its inflation forecast last month. This prompted investors to pick up Australian dollars in expectations of an interest rate rise. In addition RBA noted that strong demand from China and India for Australia’s natural resources is set to continue for years to come.

NZ dollar

The NZ dollar suffered last month on reports that migrant intake to New Zealand fell into negative figures for the first time in almost 3 years. This is owing to the earthquake that struck Christchurch two months ago – devastating the nation’s economic outlook and prompting potential migrants to look elsewhere.

What are the Steps to create an LLC

2011-04-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

More and more people today are thinking of starting their own business and being entrepreneurs. Limited Liability Company (LLC) offers the owners an easy way to set up business and also gives protection against creditors.

The first task one needs to do while setting up a limited liability company is to think of a name for the company. The name of the company should not only describe the purpose and objective of the company but also should be a legal name according to the state rules. Some of the issues to be kept in mind before finalizing a name are firstly it should not be same as the name of another LLC on the file or with the LLC office.

The company name should end with words such as “Limited Liability Company” or “Limited Company,” and should not include words like, Insurance, Corporation or City which are prohibited by the state. Above all this it also has be kept in mind that the name of the company decided upon should not violate any other company’s trademark.

Once the name of the LLC is finalized one needs to fill the Articles of Organization with the State. This is a simple process and one can easily get it from the Secretary of State’s website or a local office. It is a simple document containing information like the name of the business, purpose of the business, membership officers and place of business.

The only disadvantage of forming an LLC rather than a partnership or a sole proprietorship agreement is that a small filing fee is required to be submitted along with the articles of organization. The fee amount depends on the state one is registering the company into. For the state to approve the application it can take a few weeks time.

Next one should make a LLC operating agreement. Even though it is not necessary it is always preferable to make one. It mainly includes information relating to the day to day running of the business like members percentage interests in the business, their responsibilities and rights, voting powers, how the profits and losses will be allocated and overall how the business will be conducted. Once all these formalities are done the only thing left is to obtain licenses which need to be obtained for any other business as well.

How and When to Ask for a Raise?

2011-04-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

Asking for a pay-raise from your employer can be a difficult subject to broach, especially when unsure how to go about it. This is the reason many employees just accept their small annual cost-of-living-raises instead of asking for the raise they know they deserve. Despite the fact that this is a much easier and far less stressful method, it is unlikely that an employer will hand out a big fat raise without being asked, even to a deserving and dependable worker.

Do they deserve it?

When seeking a pay raise, an employee must be absolutely certain that they have a valid reason to ask for one. If they do, then it is time to start planning the request. If not, however, then the employee should spend a few months going above and beyond the call of duty before even thinking of asking.

The outline

For the employee that deserves an increase in pay, the fight is still far from over. The word "raise" is not a word an employer loves hearing, which is why deserving workers must outline, in as much detail as humanly possible, why exactly they should be paid more money. They should highlight work-related achievements and if possible, provide factual statistics of how their performance has saved the company money, set an excellent customer service example or increased productivity in other employees, in order to help justify the payroll increase. In short, the person asking should make the validity of the request as irrefutable as they can.

Once a worker gets his battle plan outlined, he should go over it. It is a good idea to bounce it off a trustworthy friend too, but not a co-worker. Co-workers should never discuss their compensation with one another, as this is a huge no-no in the business world.

Knowing the range

Before requesting a raise in pay, workers should familiarize themselves with the standard pay range for their occupation and experience. Without this information, employees are likely to either ask for too much, or even not enough. A great way to find this information is by checking with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Timing is everything

Waiting for the opportune time to make the move can be the difference between getting the raise you deserve and being prematurely shot down. People should consider how far away their annual reviews are; if they're coming up, it may be a good idea to wait until then, accruing as many achievements as they can before the reviews. However, if an employee has just made a stunning achievement and his review isn't coming up, the best idea may be to strike before the accomplishment fades from his boss' memory.

Many factors enter into a pay raise, even for those that rightfully deserve one. The odds of getting a pay raise are much better when employees have done their homework. By putting together a list of achievements that display their worth and knowing the industry, employees can more easily negotiate their compensation. With the proper game plan, timing and attitude, employees can get the pay increases they deserve.

Bringing Your Budgeting Out of the Stone Age

2011-03-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

No matter how much money you make, it is easy to spend too much. As expenses (debts) overwhelm revenue (credits), many people run into budget problems, such as overdrafts, penalties and even foreclosure. Paper and pencil don't automatically calculate depreciation rates, adjustable rate mortgages or equity derivatives. In the modern era, it is wise to use modern technology, tools and software options for bringing your budgeting out of the stone age.

Many people have run into financial difficulties due to overdrafting their accounts. With checking, savings and money market accounts that have frequent direct deposit or automatic withdrawal transactions occurring constantly, modern budgeting can be complicated. A simple Non-Sufficient Funds Fee of $35 can wipe out a planned restaurant meal or movie night.

People have a variety of different financial positions - from the high school or college graduates just starting out to the wealthy financial investor with numerous accounts and investments in his portfolio. Each person must find the best online software to fit his individual needs.

There are free and pay software online that can help with the three most important elements of budgeting:

Accounting Credits and Debits

Bill Pay

Calculation

Funds Transfer

Investment Portfolio

Here are some popular online budgeting tools:

PearBudget

PearBudget is a Web-based financial management program offering a free 30-day trial. It is based on the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet using the envelope system where people place their money in a separate file, folder or envelope for each expense. This prevents people from spending money reserved for necessities on unnecessary items.

Users follow a simple 3-step process of Plan, Enter and Review for their budgets. The spreadsheet quickly calculates totals. The advantages of PearBudget include the ease-of-use, familiar templates and great customer service.

Mint

"We are refreshing money management" is the slogan of the popular Mint.com website. Mint is a free online money management tool where customers can view their checking, savings and credit card accounts in one convenient location. It has enabled anywhere budgeting with its award-winning iPhone and Android apps.

Consumers can quickly organise their financial information for display in colourful charts. The structure is straightforward and intuitive. It is easy to set spending monthly goals and Mint can alert you if you are above or below your goal. Mint is easy to customise. Mint boasts 4 million users and has won numerous awards.

Mvelopes

Mvelopes is online software based on the envelope budgeting system for financial management, which provides a guide or map for future expenses. Mvelopes offers a free 30-day trial. It encourages customers to "proactively take control of their budget."

It is simple to enter data into Mvelopes. Mvelopes enables users to budget, track spending, calculate net worth and pay bills. It is an award-winning program.

YNAB (You Need A Budget)

"Stop living paycheck to paycheck" is the motto of YNAB. YNAB offers a free 7-day trial download. YNAB helps users establish financial discipline with the four steps of Plan, Adjust, Surplus and Save to create a balanced budget.

Customers simply fill in their financial information into colorful spreadsheets. This software doesn't link directly into your bank accounts. The categories are already established to assist you with your budgeting. A more advanced version, YNAB Pro, is available with more graphs and charts.

Yodlee

Yodlee has services for both financial institutions and consumers for managing their money. The Yodlee MoneyCenter is free, aggregation software that enables users to get a solid picture of their financial condition. It has been described as a one-stop shop for viewing, tracking, bill paying and funds transferring purposes.

This is a good system for getting a complete picture of your financial condition. It has a Financial Calendar for planning ahead and timely alerts for reminding you of bills. Users can run generate personalised reports. Yodlee is effective at pulling data from different sources, maintaining your financial history and even allows you to include frequent flyer miles.

Matt writes at Money Choices, which is an independently operated Australian compare website for buyers to find cheap car loans and other financial products

The Latest Market Commentary as on 8th March 2011

2011-03-08T01:56:00.000-08:00

Good morning, I hope you are well.

I am pleased to provide you with our latest market commentary.

Sterling
It hasn’t been the strongest month for sterling. Compared to the January GBPEUR exchange rate of 1.19-1.20 this month it’s been closer to 1.17-1.18. There are numerous reasons for this:

For one UK GDP figures for the fourth quarter of 2010 were not positive. The first estimate in January showed that GDP declined -0.5% in the final 3 months of 2010, but this estimate was later revised in February to -0.6%.

Furthermore it emerged that inflation rose to 4.0% in February compared to 3.6% the month before. This indicates that prices for goods and services continued to climb. This risks damaging the credibility of the Bank of England, because the Government’s target for inflation is 2.0%.

However there was some encouraging news for sterling in the future. The results of the Monetary Policy Committee vote on interest rates changed for the first time in months. Most recent minutes show 3 (out of 9) MPC members voting to increase interest rates. This indicates the Bank of England is not far away from increasing rates, which in turn should benefit sterling.

Of course for a more in-depth assessment of your particular currency feel free to speak to your currency dealer at Pure FX.

Euro
Despite the ongoing concerns about the euro’s long-term viability (see Portugal, Ireland and Greece!) the single currency has strengthened.

In particular the German manufacturing PMI (measuring output in the German manufacturing sector) hit record highs during February. This is important because Germany is the planet’s second biggest exporter next to China, meaning that strong manufacturing bodes well for Germany as a whole. In addition Germany’s trade surplus rose €2.1bn to €14bn.

Furthermore the euro has benefited as an alternate haven to the US dollar as tensions in Libya continue. In the past the US dollar has benefited as a safe haven during times of political strife, but during February this changed. Perhaps because of the ballooning US deficit, which might be causing the markets to look elsewhere?

However euro bulls need to remain cautious. The EFSF rescue fund for ailing nations has still not been finalised in spite of a conference in Brussels to settle the matter two weeks ago. In addition the Portuguese economy is teetering as bond yields approach dangerous levels above 7%.

US Dollar
It’s been a mixed month for the US dollar in terms of economic data. US consumer confidence increased during February. In addition non-farm payroll figures increased 192k last month – the largest rise since May 2010.

However Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told the Senate that economic conditions are still too mixed to pare back the $600bn quantitative easing package.

As we have seen in the in the past when there is positive US data, the dollar tends to weaken as risk aversion abates. February was no different with both sterling and euro reaching 2011 highs versus the dollar.

Australian Dollar
It was a tough month for the dollar owing to a series of natural disasters in Australia. First off calamitous floods meant the markets sought investments elsewhere, then a hurricane in Queensland compounded the issue. However the Australian economy is in robust shape, therefore we anticipate the AU dollar to remain strong.

New Zealand Dollar
The New Zealand dollar collapsed in February on reports of a major earthquake in Christchurch, the nation’s second largest city. In addition to the humanitarian crisis some economists are suggesting New Zealand might dip into recession as a result.

Canadian Dollar
It’s been a quiet month for the Canadian dollar. GDP for Canada for the last quarter of 2010 met expectations, and this helped the CA dollar against the US dollar. In addition the CA dollar has risen as confidence in the US dollar has declined. With ever rising oil prices we expect the Canadian dollar to remain strong for some time to come.

How to Budget and be Free from Debt

2011-03-07T06:19:00.000-08:00

The key to getting out of debt is to plan the family finances. Easier said than done, perhaps, but a vital step in avoiding bankruptcy, which is the ultimate price to be paid for letting debt issues get out of control.

Devising a practical repayment plan that can stave off bankruptcy takes time and effort. It may be that some impartial and practical debt advice can help outline all the steps necessary to make a debt management plan that would be acceptable to lenders. If the aim is to find an acceptable repayment plan then knowing what to aim for can save time, effort and money.

Impartial and practical debt advice can help with setting out a sensible and all inclusive budget. It is easy to forget to include items of spend that occur irregularly by simply studying one or two months. These may include motoring costs such as insurance, servicing costs or replacement tyres or items such as the annual TV licence fee.

Getting a complete picture of the expenditure is vital for successful budgeting, as is developing a sense of discipline in saving and spending. This may be the hardest part of any repayment plan as it requires a change in habits and lifestyle that may have become ingrained over many years.

Where large amounts of debt are involved then the options become clear cut and with a real reason to change. Smaller debt levels lack that sense of urgency or need to change but as any impartial debt advice will demonstrate the situation can escalate quickly if left unaddressed and bankruptcy could loom ever closer.

Bankruptcy should be far from any debtor's thoughts but remain as a final, but avoidable, solution to debt problems. Professional advice will help get to a position where a debt management plan can be developed that will help steer you back to financial wellbeing. However debt advice is only that – advice. The hard part is listening to that advice and making the changes to spending habits to actually make it achievable.

No lender will simply walk away from any unpaid loans. Finding a repayment plan that is acceptable to all lenders can be a tricky and involved process. Independent advice and advisors can point debtors in the right direction or act as intermediaries to get the best possible terms given the situation in hand. For those with debts over £15,000, there is the possibility of a legally structured debt management plan called an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA). This is the final step before bankruptcy but has a number of advantages in that it is a private arrangement and avoids the loss of all personal assets.

It also involves receiving advice from a licenced insolvency practitioner who will also work with the debtor to establish what they can afford to pay given their income and expenditure. The debt management plan agreed will ensure that people retain enough to live on, although this may be tighter than before!

Save Your Money and Improve your Life

2011-02-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

Have you always wanted to save a small amount of your income but cannot figure how? Do you find yourself spending the money you have intended to save? Here are some advice on saving money fast.

The Value of Budgeting

Having a budget requires managing your spending and saving your money. To gain control over your money and to be able to put yourself on a budget that works, you have to figure out where your money is going. Make a list of your expected expenses – transportation, food, clothing, and so forth. Also track your actual expenditures per month. You are now in a position to make some practical saving goals.

Don’t Let Your Expenses Exceed Your Income

After making a draft of your budget, make an assessment of how much your daily living costs. If it looks like your expenses amount to more than what you make, you may have to trim the former down. One guy discovered that he was spending too much on food. He was able to alleviate his financial issue by cutting down on eating out and on snacks. It may be painful at first but it proved to be beneficial. You may have to examine more vigilantly what your real needs are as opposed to wants.

Cautious With Credit

“Buy now, pay later!” urge many merchants. Used cautiously and intelligently, credit indeed has its benefits. Used recklessly, however, credit can become what a youth named Kevin calls “a form of slavery.”

For some youths, credit simply makes it too easy to purchase things they neither need nor can afford. And if you do not pay off your balance at the end of the month, you are charged interest on what you owe. The longer it takes you to pay the credit card company for the money you spent which isn’t yours, the more an item ends up costing you.

This is because whatever amount you were not able to pay at the end of the month will be “charged”, so to speak, with the interest rate and finance charge that the company follows and which you agreed to when you signed your form with them. If you think about it, then, it is cheaper to save up for what you need and pay for it with cash.

‘A Penny Saved . . . ’

It makes good sense to include in your budget an amount to set aside as savings. This can help you weather a financial storm more easily. This can also be a good move even if you are not in a financial mess.

On a related note, a piggy bank or a shoe box may seem like a smart place to store your cash in. However, a better alternative would be to start putting money into a bank where it can earn interest and grow. If you don’t have a bank account, discuss opening one with your parents if you are a minor.

If you are of age, now is the perfect time to open a savings account. You need not have a huge amount of cash to make a savings scheme work, although in some places a sufficient amount is required to avoid a service charge. The key to success is being regular when it comes to adding to your savings.

You can use all these strategies to save money, reduce debt and improve your life but it will not last unless you have a system automatically set up to continually work without your input.

Get Dan Cavalli's FREE money saving secrets set on auto pilot at: www.the-richest-man-in-babylon.com

After All Saving Money is not that Difficult

2011-01-26T20:09:00.000-08:00

Not all of us are fond of saving money. Some find it hard while others treat it like a chore. Others find it difficult to find any extra in their budget to save. But the truth is saving is not that hard. Below are some tips that will let you overcome your reasons for avoiding saving.

Keep big bills: If you have big bills in your wallet, you find it hard to spend them. Why? You feel a psychological agony whenever you try to break that big bill, mainly for buying things like coffee or gum. You are more likely to decide not to buy them than if you have coins in your wallet. Spending them does not hurt as much as the bigger bills do.

Put your extras into savings: Instead of paying with your debit or credit card, switch to paying with cash. You can generate a lot of change at the end of the day. You can later put them in a jar as your savings. You can start with coins then shift to saving small bills. This may be the best way to save money fast.

Save by taking advantage of coupons and sales: After which, save the savings that you get out of using coupons and buying on a great sale.

Do automatic saving: Set an amount to be deducted from your paycheck every month and deposit it in your savings account. Never buy based on an impulse.

Pay online: Pay your bill online and avoid paying for postage. The amount you save should be dropped into your savings jar.

Got a raise? Save it: If you got lucky and got a raise, save it. Make sure, though, that you do not need it to cover your bills. Have the extra amount moved to your savings account.

Save your extra paychecks: This is applicable if you are paid weekly or bi-weekly as it is likely that you will get an extra check on some months. Your budget is often figured on two checks per month so you can bank the extra check.

Save by switching providers: Save the difference you get when switching to a provider that offers a lower price package.

Save your credit card rewards: Some credit cards offer cash back. Save your reward money.

Pack your lunch: Instead of eating out, why not bring food to work? You can use the money that you would have spent on lunch as your savings.

Save the difference: If your current bill is less than what you expected, save the difference.

Cut down on personal entertainment expenses: Instead of buying a movie ticket, you can watch a rented DVD. You can also make your own snack and throw the amount you would have spent on popcorn into your piggy bank.

Buy in bulk: Instead of buying in small quantities, you can save a hefty amount buy buying in bulk. Save the difference that you get.

Always remember that you can never acquire money by spending it. If you train yourself into saving little bits of money, it will add up into a neat sum after a year.

You can use all these strategies to save money, reduce debt and improve your life but it will not last unless you have a system automatically set up to continually work without your input. Get Dan Cavalli's FREE money saving secrets set on auto pilot at: www.the-richest-man-in-babylon.com

Best Options for Investments in 2011

2011-01-22T00:34:00.000-08:00

We work hard in order to live the lifestyle we want, and support the future we dream of. However, working hard for our money is not enough – you have to make sure your money keeps working hard for you long after it has been paid into your bank account. Your salary and earnings can’t get you to the future of your dreams on their own, you have to direct and guide your funds into investments which are right for your finances, your needs, your goals and the current economy.

Financial markets tend to run in cycles, something you will have noticed if you watch the movements of official interest rates. Therefore, it is important to know which investment option is at the top of its cycle in 2011, so you can make the most of your hard earned cash. In 2009, significant gains could be made on the stock market, and in 2010 the real estate market was paying big dividends for investors where residential real estate investors in particular could see returns of between 50-100%. At the same time, the stock market in 2010 was returning just 18% and gold returned around 30%.

Therefore, even though we have said goodbye to 2010, we are still in the 2010-11 financial year and investment decisions need to be made with both the not-long-past recession and the future opportunities in mind.

Investing in Gold in 2011

Gold is often used as a safe haven by investors when there is the risk of a recession, interest rates are fluctuating and to protect against inflation. Although gold has long been a popular investment option, the fluctuations in price cannot be ignored, for example gold hit a low of $100 in 1976 before rising to $850 in 1980. Although gold dropped again to $250 in 2001 it has been rising ever since and topped $1,400 in December of 2010.

However, the world economies are stabilising and the risk of recession is abating and so while gold is expected to stabilise in 2011 it is not an investment option which will show a lot of growth in the coming year. Therefore if you are already invested in gold or gold funds, you may want to consider cutting back your money there, and avoiding the investment if you’re new to the precious metal.

Currency and Forex Investment in 2011

The foreign exchange market is constantly on the move and the currency which is the best investment can change at a moment’s notice. Therefore, you should always be aware of what is happening in the currency market regardless of the turn of a calendar and if you were watching at the close of 2010, you will have noticed many currency pairs falling significantly in their averages. If these falls continue throughout 2011, there will be a comparatively small trading range for the day’s trades every day.

At the same time, you can make money on the forex market in 2011 by looking at longer term trades. Since the trading ranges are small in the current market, especially in the main pairs you should look at an everyday chart to spot the overall trend and look at a four hour chart so you can pick your entry and exit points. The main pairs on the currency market will always match technical analysis on long time frames and all you have to do is locate one or two high odds trading opportunities each week.

Since there has been such instability in many economies in recent years, the forex market has become a very popular investment option. If you’re only just starting out in currency investment, consider using a managed forex account to help you navigate the changing market as many countries continue their path to recovery.

Real Estate Investment in 2011

Investments which are ‘as safe as houses’ tend to be very popular, even as the world economies emerge from slumps and step back from the brink of recession in most areas. If the memories of falling stocks and lost investment interest are still fresh in your mind you may be looking to property investment in 2011. Many countries have experienced a property price boom in response to low interest rates and high demand from first time buyers and investors, thanks to generous government incentives to keep economies strong. As a result , investment in the Australian or Indian property markets for example would see you buying at the top end of the price cycle, but is good news if you have already secured your property.

However, in the US for example property prices are still relatively low as the economy struggles to recover fully, and there is little demand. While interest rates in the US remain low, it is still hard for many Americans to borrow due to other debts, a ruined credit rating or unemployment. Therefore, if you have the means and the opportunity to invest in property in 2011, you could snap up a bargain this year, which will inevitably appreciate in value over the long term.

Saving Your Money in 2011

You may think that squirreling your money away in a saving account will never go out of style but as the Global Financial Crisis taught us, even the biggest of banks can fail, and take our money with them. Therefore, you need to make sure you research and diversify your savings investments for 2011 to make sure you get the best returns, your savings can beat inflation, and that they’ll be there when you need them.

Four savings investments you should consider for 2011 include:

1. Certificate of Deposit.

A certificate of deposit offers some of the highest interest rates available because you are locking in your savings for between one month and five years. To make the most of interest rate movements in 2011, opt for both long and short CD accounts so you can take advantage of new higher rates as they change.

2. Online money market accounts.

When you use an entirely online account you can secure a high interest rate on your savings because of the lower administration costs from the banks. In some cases these interest rates can even rival Certificate of Deposit interest rates. With an online account you can also quickly and easily transfer funds in and out, but are not tempted to spend because the account is not linked to your ATM or EFTPOS card.

3. Instalment savings account.

If you need a bit of encouragement or motivation to grow your savings investments in 2011, consider an instalment savings account where you agree to make regular payments to the account for a certain period of time. There can be penalties for withdrawing money early as a further incentive to save but if you shop around for the best savings account offer you can earn high interest by playing by the rules.

4. TIPS mutual funds.

TIPS are bonds which are issued by the US treasury and pay a return based on the adjusted principal value of the bond. The value is adjusted twice a year with the rate of the consumer price index so your TIPS mutual funds can always keep up with inflation. Banks can sometimes be slow to raise the interest rates on their savings accounts because the Federal Reserve is determined to keep interest rates low. However, with an affordable TIPS mutual fund your savings are protected against rising inflation.

No matter what year it is, or what the market is doing, it always makes good investment sense to diversify your investments across a number of options. This not only allows you to take advantage of changes and movements in a variety of areas in the economy, but also protects you if 2011 doesn’t bring the prosperity expected for a particular investment medium.

Alban is a personal finance writer at Home Loan Finder, a home loan comparison website

How Can You Save Your Hard Earned Money Quickly?

2011-01-09T20:48:00.000-08:00

We all know the importance of saving money. It can be a challenge, however, if you are already under pressure with your household expenses. Here is a guide to saving money fast that can help you save for an emergency.

1. Set Goals

You should start by figuring out the amount you need to save. According to experts, you should have a minimum of six months worth of savings just in case you'll end up losing your job. But having a year-worth of savings can be a wise move.

To be prepared for any situation, make a note of your goal and figure out exactly how much you need to save. Create a game plan, but make sure that you consider the most realistic length of time it will take you to attain the said amount.

2. Keep Track of Your Savings

Apart from being aware of how much you are saving, you also have to consider where you are spending your money. Track your expenses so you will have an idea where your money went and think about where you can hold back. If uncertain, keep a monthly record and check what were unnecessary.

3. Eat at Home

Meals can also be a huge part. Aside from being healthy, eating home-cooked meals can also help you with your money-saving endeavor. You won't lose with this choice.

4. Use Coins

Carrying a lot of coins can be awkward for some people. They will sooner or later wind up on the street, stuck in the couch or in an old coin purse. People do not think about the value of saving money when it comes to coins because they think these do not have much worth. But if you think about it, they do have a great value!

On a related note, keep a piggy bank around. After a month, you will be surprised at how much money you have saved.

5. Take Advantage of Freebies

Whenever you pay, make certain that you are really paying the lowest amount. Don't pay for something in a store when another store can give you the same thing for free. Always check that you will get your money's worth.

6. Use Coupons

Mail-in coupons often give you discounts. Make sure you save them and use them on things that you will eventually buy. Use them to cut down on your expenses.

7. Sell Stuff You Don't Use

You can easily sell your unused belongings by setting up shop in shopping websites. You should never discard them whenever you see extra items lying around your house.

8. Do Christmas Shopping in Advance

If you are considering Christmas shopping, why not do it after Christmas day? Many have managed to save thousands of dollars by applying this basic shopping principle.

9. Get Your Hands on Free Books

Instead of buying books to read, why not go to the library? Libraries will not cost you anything. You should always take advantage of this!

10. Earn Extra Income

Rent out the extra room in your house if it is available, especially if you live near a college. Be creative and find opportunities that can lead to an extra income. Follow this guide to saving money fast and you'll be on your way to wealth!

You can use all these strategies to save money, reduce debt and improve your life but it will not last unless you have a system automatically set up to continually work without your input. Get Dan Cavalli’s FREE money saving secrets set on auto pilot at: www.the-richest-man-in-babylon.com

Building a Long-Term Savings Plan: Your Guide to Saving Money Long Term

2011-01-09T20:41:00.000-08:00

Sure, you know how to spend your money. But do you know how to save it? If saving seems like a far-fetched idea for you, it’s time you change your attitude about money. It’s wise to have your long-term financial goals in place while you’re still young so that you will feel financially comfortable and secure in the long run. Over time, you will realise it is the best decision you have ever made in your life. What you need is a comprehensive guide to saving money long term to start your way to financial freedom.

Before you get to know how to save money for the long term, you have to determine first your motivations for doing so. Starting your long-term savings plan as early as now gives you more time to grow your money. The longer time it takes your money to grow, the higher return you will get out of your investment in the future. An attractive benefit of having a long-term savings fund is a worry-free retirement.

You will have a peace of mind because your savings will take care of your financial needs during your retirement years. Also, if you’re thinking about buying your first home or car, saving for the long term can help you with that. Lastly, building a long-term savings plan teaches you the value of financial responsibility. By saving a part of your earnings regularly, you learn how to manage your finances efficiently. And when you’re already equipped with great financial skills, you are less likely to drown yourself in a sea of debts.

Once you have determined your reasons for having a long-term savings fund, make sure you are well-prepared for it. Using the right techniques prove to be helpful in growing your long-term savings fund. These strategies will serve as your guide to saving money long term. Where do you get them? Research, get expert opinions, and keep yourself updated on the latest developments in the economy. That way, you discover your options as well as great opportunities for getting the most return out of your savings or investments.

You will also need discipline to achieve your long-term financial goals. Every so often, it is tempting to use your savings to spend for other expenses like emergencies, travel, and other needs. To avoid falling into that trap, try your best to put up a separate emergency fund and other short-term savings accounts so that you can easily access money whenever you really need it. If you want to make sure you have enough money to send your children to college someday, you have to set up an educational savings fund to cover for those expenses.

Lastly, commitment is critical for a long-term savings plan. Without it, you just put your initial efforts into waste. What’s the use of a guide to saving money long term if you’re not committed enough to sustain your savings? Focus on your goals and you will never have to worry about your financial future.

You can use all these strategies to save money, reduce debt and improve your life but it will not last unless you have a system automatically set up to continually work without your input. Get Dan Cavalli's FREE money saving secrets set on auto pilot at: www.the-richest-man-in-babylon.com

How to select the right real estate agent in for your needs?

2010-12-19T20:57:00.000-08:00

When it comes to buying or selling real estate, you would always need the expert assistance of real estate realtors, otherwise known as real estate agents. This article would focus on how to choose the right real estate agent for your needs. The quality of services provided by real estate realtors differs significantly, from wonderful to appalling.

For getting a really good real estate agent, you should search for one who is:

An honest person
Working in the real estate industry as a full timer
Skilled with the kind of services you want
Familiar with your choices and requirements
A certified professional, meaning he has fulfilled the minimum prerequisites of training, education and examination.
Well informed about the locality where you want to stay
Conversant with business affairs
A member of the trade organization like the National Association of Realtors (NAR). This indicates the real estate agent is aware of market information, listings and other details that nonmembers would find difficult to obtain
A receiver of supplementary credentials (search for initials on their business cards - for instance, NAR confers credentials like a GRI or Graduate Realtors Institute or even more sophisticated CRS or Certified Residential Specialist. You wouldn’t get many agents with these credentials.

Look for recommendations

If you want to find out a truly good realtor, then going for referrals is also a good decision. You can get recommendations from your friends, family members and colleagues. You should especially look for referrals from those who have most recently bought or sold a home. As soon as you get a short list of capable realtors, let every one know you wish to question him or her for around 30-45 minutes in person, if possible. Not only would you be checking the knowledge of the agent but also his or her accommodativeness and promptness.

Ask questions

Given below are some questions that you can ask a realtor to find out if the agent’s skill and success rate are suitable for your needs. You can also include your own queries. For instance, if you’re seeking assistance in buying a newly constructed home in a development or condominium, you’d need to make sure your agent has knowledge about such properties.

Important questions that you would need to ask are the following:

What is your mode of communication?
How many homes have you located for buyers in the previous year?
How can you assist me afford the home I need?
How do you arrange your work?
Who are your previous clients I can contact as references for you?
Will you be working as the representative of the seller by any means?

You should keep in mind that asking questions and seeking referrals from different sources can surely help you get the right real estate agent for your needs. Only choose an agent who listens to you with patience, attends to your needs and replies to your queries frankly.

Above is the guest post provided by Miss Bettie Wills from San Jose Real Estate Inc. She excels herself in writing articles related to real estate, mortgage, properties etc.

How to use free ads to make money after Christmas

2010-12-02T05:45:00.000-08:00

Most people would probably think that selling unwanted presents is in bad taste. There is something almost sacred to a present, and some kind of unwritten rule says that the recipient of a present should always be grateful and, of course, keep the present.

However, it looks like more than 6 our of 10 people receive, every Christmas, at least five unwanted gifts. According to a research made by the charity The Brooke on a sample of the British population, almost one brit out of three this Christmas will give away as a gift an unwanted present from last Christmas. So, it turns out, presents are not so sacred.

Seeing things with a pragmatic approach, it could be said that there’s no point in keeping around unwanted, unused gifts, so if they can be recycled, they might as well be sold. Reading about what are considered to be the most unwanted gifts, moreover, makes it easier to understand why some people would want to resell them. The top three most unwanted gifts are bubble baths, bath salts and socks: pretty generic stuff, indeed.

The solution to boring presents is the old saying: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. From an economic point of view, that concept is what make markets work in general. The fact that someone would like something that you would happily get rid of is the very basis of second hand commerce. This means that it’s definitely possible to make some money out of unwanted presents. The easiest way is to use some classifieds site. Free ads can actually be a big help in getting rid of unwanted stuff and, of course, you can always hope that the baths salts that you got are a rare, sought-after item for some collector.

Those of you who are more financially bold can try using an auction site. However, the problem with those sites, compared to free ads sites, is that it can be hard to get bidders to offer high - or even just half-decent - prices, and often the seller ends up selling the item at the minimum price. So it could be a good idea to use a classified ads site where you can just come up with a price and stick to it.

With some patience is possible to get a surprising amount of money even from relatively common items: sooner or later you will find someone who will want your present more than you do. Publishing an ad is something that doesn’t require a lot of effort, and most classifieds sites keep ads published for long times. In the end, it’s waiting game. And if no buyer shows up, you can always wait until next Christmas to give you unwelcome gift to someone else.

Black Friday, Now A Plague for many Shoppers

2010-11-21T21:50:00.000-08:00

As far as I remember, black Friday has always been considered as a day for which all shoppers eagerly wait. But there are few others who are now considering it to be a plague day. So, the question which arises is,

"Do we really need to shop on Black Friday day? Is it really worth it?"

Many would believe it isn't the worth stress because they need to rush to find out the items, waiting in long queues and many standing outside in the cold waiting for the shops and stores to open. People consider this as a buy or die week. I personally do not find any reason for this statement. I myself have never shopped after the thanksgiving. I always wonder how people can be so brave to fight over the limited parkings spots and try to avoid being trampled upon each other in the queue.

Why there is a need of doing such acts? Only to save some bucks. I would rather prefer paying to avoid crowds, parking inconvenience and waiting for hours.

Time is money, isn't it? No wonder, I am blogger here rather participating in the buying frenzy week. I have noticed that in recent years, there has been a decline in sales as well as shoppers. Why? Now days internet offers various saving schemes. You can actually enjoy shopping online sitting at home any day of the year, though others consider this as a thrill of the hunt. There are many people who do not own any computer or internet facilities but enjoy going to stores seeking bargains.

Which is more preferable? Shopping online or Black Friday Shopping?.

I just asked a random person outside the store that what would she prefer; shopping online or shopping at the various department stores and she commented,

"I simply love going to the stores. I can actually see the product live there before spending any bucks. I love to see various collection of clothes, accessories, household goods etc."

Maybe many women would agree to this but Black Friday is not at all a day to browse and touch the products before you buy and visit various department store to determine what's new!!

In fact, any one who is shopping all the year round has a pretty good idea of what each department store has in stock. There is nothing special to display on Black Friday except massive crowd and an excessive rush to obtain an item that might be on sale after two hours.

A personal Tip from experienced shoppers on Black Friday

"Please do not carry any cash with you. Instead use your debit card. If in case you do not have a debit card also, then go to store you plan to visit on Black Friday a week before and purchase gift cards from there. This will also help you to stick within your budget and is much safer than carrying cash at the stores."

Check ahead of time if you need to buy any specific item that might be on sale at the store but not online. Set a budget and try to stick on it. Once you have decided which sale you want to go for and what you want to actually purchase, decide things which are within your budget. The sale during Black Friday may be great, but obviously you don't want to be paying for that new item until next year or maybe more than that.

As for me, I always finish my Christmas shopping by the end of October.

Do you shop on Black Friday? Do let me know with your comments on this post.

Money Saving Advice for the Working Man

2010-11-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

Saving money is not as easy as it sounds. If a person wants to save money, the single most important money saving advice one can give a working man is to save for retirement. Statistics show that more than 70% of employees today have not saved enough to cover their retirement.

Only 15% will even have enough to qualify for retirement benefits as mandated by the Law. Saving money for a rainy day is an adage said and heard hundreds of times but never seems to be a possibility for many. Even with an extra job, many folks still don’t make enough money to save.

In the end, many workers end up working past retirement age in order to survive or end up in the streets. The single most important goal for every working man therefore, should be to save for retirement. This must be started at the earliest possible time.

To save money, it is important to work at making extra money. However, working at making more money is not the key. The key to making extra money is to work at cutting down on spending. Only by reducing expenses can one make that extra money to save away.

Working at reducing expenses could mean sacrificing some weekend splurges, hand-washing the clothes and doing the dish-washing in the sink. It could also mean using half the amount of toothpaste used every time, lowering the temperature in the water heater and furnace, and taking long walks in the park instead of long weekend drives.

Compute how much is spent on a weekend night out and compute how much money could be saved in the bank if you deposited some of that instead. Let us say that instead of spending $50 on a Friday night and another $50 on a Saturday night, one went out only once a week and deposited $50 in the bank instead.

That would easily amount to $200 a month. By depositing $200 a month for the next 40 years until retirement, a person will have saved a total of over $185,000 at a 3% interest rate compounded annually. That’s an extra $1000 a month for the next 18 years or so.

And that is based solely on saving on weekend binges. If one lived a sensibly frugal life and put away $400 a month, simply doubling the earlier figure will compute to $370,000. Not bad for a nest egg. The idea is not to save money for the short term – to buy a car or house, but to save enough for retirement.

There are several reasons for this. One is that saving money for the short term means wanting to save a lot at the shortest possible time and then dipping into the savings every now and then. Another is that there are also many ways to buy a car or house, but only one way to save for retirement. For instance, the company could give an employee a car plan or a housing plan.

A retirement plan on the other hand, means saving for it. A short term goal also negates the advantage that one gets out of bank interest rates. Therefore a short term goal is not one must strive for in saving money. Work at saving money for retirement – that is the most sensible money saving advice a working man will ever get.

You can use all these strategies to save money, reduce debt and improve your life but it will not last unless you have a system automatically set up to continually work without your input. Get Dan Cavalli’s FREE money saving secrets set on auto pilot at: www.the-richest-man-in-babylon.com

Save Your Money with the Luxurious Living

2010-11-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

Saving money can be a tough challenge. Saving is anything but instant as we are living in a society where we are used to immediate indulgence. With the current economic collapse, many people are learning the hard way on why saving is imperative.

Now they just have to figure out how to save money. The first thing that has to be done is to get out of the immediate indulgence mindset. Remind yourself how beneficial saving money can be. Write down its benefits to give you tangible proof that saving is necessary.

You will keep on saving when you see something you think you just have to have. Next is learning the basics. Why not learn from the experts? Your parents can teach you how they budget the expenses at home. Ask them how much heat, water and electricity cost each month.

Such details might be boring for you but you have to learn about them. By the time you leave home, you will have to start paying for these things yourself. You must also identify the challenges. Learn to control your spending.

This may be easier in theory than in practice, especially if you are only receiving an allowance or you live at home. Because your parents are likely handling most of the expenses, you would tend to spend your money easily since a large amount would always be available.

And admittedly, spending money can be fun. Your peers can contribute greatly to the challenge, though. This is because they might pressure you into spending more than what you can afford. Shopping has become a main form of entertainment for most teens.

They seem to have an unwritten rule that you can’t have fun if you don’t spend money. You must also learn the difference between need and want. It's easy to see something in a store that you think is important. Try to walk away from anything you believe you need or want the instant you see it.

If you find yourself thinking about buying it later – after a week or so - and you have sufficient amount of money to purchase it, then you can buy it. Chances are, you really need the item. If you stop thinking about it quickly, then you really didn't need it in the first place.

Always be in control. Plan ahead. Do not spend your whole paycheck or max out your credit card in one night. You should also set a limit to your spending. It may be wise to put money in the bank and take out only the amount you need.

It may also be more sensible to go shopping with friends who are careful with their money. Learn to manage your expenses. Keep a record of your purchases. For at least a month, keep track of the money you receive and the date you received it. Make a note of each item you buy and the amount it cost.

At the end of the month, calculate the difference between the amount received and the amount spent. Make a budget. List all income you expect to receive in a month and write down how you plan to spend your money. Also, record all unexpected expenses.

Avoid having debts. Ask yourself honestly if you can afford to buy an item. Look around and do comparison shopping. Many people seek the best price when purchasing goods but settle for whatever interest rates are offered by the merchant.

Compare annual percentage rates of banks or credit card companies to see if you can get a lower rate. If you become burdened by debt, seek help. With practice, these tips on how to save money can change your finances.

The Basics Of Claiming Bankruptcy

2010-10-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

Knowing how to claim bankruptcy can make a very big difference in the amount of time it takes and the stress you have to deal with to get through the process. Not only will you be in financial strain, you will also be in emotional turmoil and knowing how to go about it will be very helpful.

Once you have decided that this is your only way out of your financial woes, get in touch with a bankruptcy lawyer. These are professionals who understand the process, know the implications and provide bankruptcy services to assist you. The lawyer will be able to confirm that bankruptcy is your only and best option and if not they will offer alternatives that you can pursue to save your credit rating. Your credit may already be bad but if there is something other than bankruptcy you should consider it since the consequences of bankruptcy are long term.

Once you and your lawyer have settled on bankruptcy as your best option, the next step is to decide what form of personal bankruptcy is best for your situation. Your lawyer will use the information you provide as well as the documentation you produce to help you make this decision. Be completely honest with your lawyer or they could misguide you which could have serious implications. Chapter 7 involves liquidating all your assets and beginning a fresh. Chapter 13 on the other hand involves negotiated payment of debt. Each has its pros and cons and your lawyer will address each so that you can arrive a well thought out decision.

Beyond guiding you through the bankruptcy proceedings, your lawyer will help you get help that will keep you out of financial trouble in future as well as get you back on your financial feet. There are professionals who can help you with budgeting, financial planning, savings and other financial services. A lot of them will charge a minimal fee or offer free services as they understand that they are working with people who are in financial trouble.

If you know the people who understand how to claim bankruptcy you will find that the process could be much easier for you as opposed to the situation of deciding to go it yourself. It is important to note that bankruptcy should be an opportunity for you to reorganize yourself and prepare for a return to financial well being. Try and take care of your finances by following solid financial advice and you will never need to apply the information on this article.

Who Wants to Buy Yahoo?

2010-10-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

One of the more troubled technology firms in recent years has been Yahoo. Once the darling of internet and high tech investors, they have hit a rough patch as of late marked by several changes in management and a failed buyout offer from Microsoft. The latest report fresh from the Wall Street Journal is that AOL is considering taking over the company, and this was enough to surge the share price of Yahoo by 15%.

There are several reasons why this deal will never happen, and should not happen.

1. AOL is a much smaller company, and taking over Yahoo will put it in serious debt. Most of Yahoo’s web properties aren’t turning a great profit, so they are of little value to AOL.

2. AOL is increasingly focused on content, something that Yahoo just doesn’t have much of. True they have Flickr, and some good sites like Yahoo News and Yahoo Sports, but they don’t have a lot of original content that AOL looking for right now.

3. Yahoo is looking to sell its most valuable asset, which most people have never heard of. A company called Alibaba that produces online trading software for the Chinese Market.

When companies like this take a big rise off of some news based on rumor or innuendo, it’s a great time to short them. If you’d like to know more about shorting stocks or just learning more about how the market works, check out Global Finance School.

The offer online e-learning courses for newcomers to the world of investing and markets.

Forex Trading for Beginners: A Disciplined Approach is a Key for Success

2010-09-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

Trading currencies, or forex as it is known, has experienced dramatic growth and popularity over the past decade due to its inherent flexibility and easy access via the Internet to sophisticated trading programs that do most of the work that in bygone days was left to the trader to assimilate. The currency market is the largest and most liquid market in the world with average daily turnover exceeding $3 trillion. Over half of this volume is between banks, but retail forex trading is the subset of the market where consumers can participate with the aid of a competent brokerage service.

However, trading forex is a risky proposition and falls at the very top of the risk pyramid when its risk profile is compared to other investment vehicles. Specialized training is required, coupled with practice on virtual systems, in order to prepare oneself for the fast action and swings of the market. As with any performance-driven profession, one needs to hone their respective skills in order to compete and be successful.

As with all investments, forex trading is all about managing risk, and there are tried and true methods for achieving this objective. For a beginner, he must accept his “amateur” status and bridle his impatience. The urge to leap into the market and begin trading right and left is compelling, but the majority of those that react to this urge soon find their pockets empty and their confidence rattled. However, a beginner need not have this experience if he follows a straightforward learning regimen:

Knowledge: Gain awareness by reading as much as possible on the topic. Internet websites and free tutorials are great for this task. Your goal is to become familiar with terms and the lingo so that each new piece of information about the craft makes sense to you. Enroll in a structured class to receive mentoring from an expert. He will help you choose a broker and form a trading strategy;
Experience: Your broker will have a forex demo account to practice with real trading data and virtual capital. Successful traders swear by their practice time, claiming that months were required to develop the confidence and consistency needed for real market conditions. There are no shortcuts to gaining experience;
Controlling Your Emotions: You must have a disciplined approach to the market before you enter it and to guide your decision-making once you are in a position. There is a psychology to trading in a highly stressful fast-paced situation. Your plan will help you stop your losing trades and allow your winners to run.

The reference to a disciplined approach to the market cannot be overstressed. Managing risk is what forex trading is all about, and what we mean by this statement is that you never enter the market without protecting yourself from adverse swings in the market. You will have losing and winning trades, but your objective is to keep the “net” of all of your trades in positive territory. You do that by employing sound risk management techniques. Let’s look first at a definition:

Currency Risk, sometimes referred to as exchange rate risk, is the possibility that currency depreciation will negatively affect the value of one’s investments.

Part of a forex trader’s plan involves assessing the risk/reward of a potential trade before its execution. Different currency pairs have differing volatilities in the market, such that a fixed number of “pips” or basis points in the currency quote is not recommended as a measure of risk. Traders use an “ATR” indicator, which is the average trading range for one trading period for the last twenty trading periods. If the value were 30 pips, then a calculated downside of 70%, or about 20 pips below his entry point, is where the trader would set his stop loss order. Using a 2:1 ratio, in this situation a trader would expect to gain 40 pips before considering an exit.

A Stop Loss Order is an instruction given to your broker to automatically liquidate your open position for a currency when a specific price is reached. The placement of these orders should occur right after you establish a position in the market. Lazy traders that ignore this prudent practice soon learn to regret their neglect. Currency markets are known for dramatic swings in either direction as new information is released.

The principles discussed above are the “basics”. Forex traders should also never risk money that they cannot afford to lose and should place only a manageable portion of their capital at risk in any one position. Money management, coupled with proper risk mitigation, allows a trader to survive and thrive in the world of forex. Caution and a disciplined approach to the market are the hallmarks of success.

Saving Money Comes To People As An Afterthought

2010-08-29T22:29:00.000-07:00

So you enjoy a savings account. Oh, really? A lot of people have saving accounts but find it hard to deposit into it. This is a very common problem and you may be experiencing it. When your paycheck arrives, it is usually deposited automatically to your checking account to pay the never ending stream of bills and expenses.

But before you go rushing to your bank to close your savings account, consider first putting it to good use. Here’s how to save more money using your savings account. The scheme is you talk to your employer and ask if they can deposit a part of your paycheck to your savings account as well. And that’s it.

It doesn’t really matter how much is deposited, just keep this scheme going to ensure that your money is saved before it’s spent. It’s that simple but why is it very effective?

When you receive your income, you will most probably do some budgeting and allocate the money to bills, rent or mortgage, groceries and other necessities and expenses. Left over money, if there is, is what usually end up as savings.

The problem is, for most of the times, nothing is left to be added to your savings. There is almost never any money left. If there is, left over money still has to survive your temptations of spending them. If you have excess money and it’s easily accessible, your tendency is use it to buy the first beautiful dress you see, or the latest electronic upgrade for your computer and other fancy materials that may catch your attention.

Automatic and regular deposits of your income to your savings account mean you don’t have to think about it and you don’t have to rely on what’s left. The money is already saved before you have to think about expenses and before you can spend it on other things.

You don’t get to hold the money and be tempted to spend it for comfort goods. Automatic savings is very easy to do, thanks to modern day technology and automated systems. Although some employers don’t allow this splitting, most banks can make a direct link between your savings and checking accounts.

Instruct your bank to establish an automated transfer between the two accounts on a regular basis. Say your paycheck arrives every Monday, you can set an automatic transfer for a fixed amount of money to coincide with this day. How much you save matters only if you are planning on a goal.

But if you are saving just for keeps, even $20 every payday is so much better than nothing. However, it is highly suggested that you allot at least 5% of your total income to go to your savings. What matters, as has been repeated, is that you keep this going for as long you can, for as long as possible.

Couple your savings with the bank’s interest rate and you are definitely going to have a wealthy sum you can use for the future or whenever needed.

You can use all these strategies to save money, reduce debt and improve your life but it means nothing unless you have a foolproof method automatically set up to do it for you. Get my FREE money saving secrets set on auto pilot at: www.the-richest-man-in-babylon.com

Finally Google Gets a Film Treatment from Groundswell Productions

2010-08-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, it was the founders of Facebook who had a game changing geek poised by telling their story on a movie screen. This time its Michael London's "Groundswell Productions" who recently teamed with Producer John Morris and acquired the movie rights of the book called "Googled: The End of the World as we Know it" by Ken Auletta.

As per the sources in their production house, they will be using the book as the blueprint for their feature film that will basically tell a story of Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the founders ofGoogle Inc. It is their credibility and the fast rise of their web business that made them billionaires.

The book was published by Penguin Publishers. Ken Auletta is also a media columnist with the New York Times. As per the book the income worth of $20 Billion only came from the Ads that were published in the search engine driven octopus. The CEO of Google Inc. already predicted to Ken Auletta that Google will be the only company that will become world's first $100 Billion media company.

The story of the Facebook founder has been already told in the upcoming movie "The Social Network" which is directed by David Fincher. The movie revolves around a group of friends who basically squabbed in success.

Google was founded by the duo when they were students in Stanford completing their Ph. D. They wanted to establish a better search engine. They started Google with their own principles. They believed, "You can make money without doing evil and You can be serious without a suit."

In a press media, London said that, the movie will only focus on how they tried to built Google with their idealism as they turned Google into global phenomenon. The only challenge for London and his team is to find a grip on the success story that will be made for compelling screen drama.

Maria Sharapova Rules as the Top Paid Women in Sports

2010-08-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

The world's best tennis players will compete against each other for the final Grand Slam title of the year with US open kicking off at the end of the August. The real action lies off the court when these super sports person signs and become the brand ambassadors for lucrative endorsement deals like apparel, shoes and racket companies.

No doubt Serena Williams is the No. 1 ranked player but she can never match the earning power of Maria Sharapova off the court. All the credit goes to the blue chip companies like Nike, Ericsson, Sony, Tiffany etc who signed Sharapova as their Brand Ambassadors.

As per the sources, Maria pulled in approx $24.5 million over the past year which made her the highest paid female athlete in the world. She earned almost $1 million from the prize money and the rest was derived from appearance fees and lucrative endorsements.

Sharapova's major breakthrough came when she won her first grand slam title back in the year 2004 at Wimbledon. As a result of her success and beautiful looks she signed some major deals with Canon, Palmolive, Colgate and Motorola. Not only this, at the beginning of that year she also signed a eight year contract with Nike which is worth of $70 million.

How Overspending Can Be Tamed

2010-08-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

Saving money is not an easy task, but if you realize that it is the easiest and safest way to prepare money for future use, you begin to consider saving as an essential part of your daily budgeting.

The ultimate goal of effective saving is to spend less than you earn. If you tend to spend above your means, it is the start of you falling into debts. Thus, the secret to saving effectively is to spend wisely and therefore, the best way to save money is to stop overspending.

To do this, you need to examine the roots of overspending. A great percentage of people are victimized by credit cards. You may not be an exception. Take a quick look in your mailbox and you’ll quickly realize why your money seems to fly so fast.

You are flooded with credit card bills, auto loans, mortgages and other bills on a daily basis. Credit companies may promise you easy money, but the problem starts when you begin to accumulate credits you can’t pay for.

If you make a purchase and realize at the end of the month that you can’t repay in full, you are now trapped on the slippery slope of debt. You may promise yourself that you’ll have enough the next month but this promise is rarely kept.

At this point, high interest rates of credit cards can really hurt you and you may end up paying for more than your original purchase. Credits are truly monsters to your saving dream, so start using cash.

This way, you can feel that you are really spending your money. Credit and debit cards are easily swiped and funds are automatically whisked from your accounts. Without the physical act of handing down money to another person’s hand, you may feel you aren’t spending money at all.

This is the main reason why most people seem to overspend on their credit cards. Use cash whenever possible so you can more easily tell when you are going overboard. Aside from credits, your comfort zones may also be snatching your money.

Everyone sure loves having a good time with friends and family, but ensure that these parties are within your financial limits. From time to time, everyone needs to unwind. As they say, we must enjoy life. However, it is also necessary that we know when to decline.

Don’t squander your money today for guilty pleasures if it is not within your budget. Think of cheaper alternatives, or have the party some other time. Shoes, dresses, video games, and even books are also comfort zones that eat up your savings.

Actually, there’s really nothing wrong with these things as long as you don’t go overboard. This is the time when you can keep some amount from your budget and use it for these. You’ll enjoy your purchase and enjoy it even more when you know you won’t spend the next years paying it off at 15% interest.

Saving may be requiring you to sacrifice a lot of your comforts. But in this world where economies are going down, it is no longer an option but a must for every person to save money.

About the Author

Dan Cavalli has written hundreds of articles on business subjects. He is an entrepreneur, expert on small-business success, retail troubleshooter, and business strategist. *Australia’s newspaper “The Financial Review” called him one of Australia’s “Internet’s Untold Millionaires” and “Telecommunication Tycoons”. An Author of the International selling book: ‘Blueprint for Making Millions’ http://www.blueprintformakingmillions.com.

How Much Worth is Our US Presidents?

2010-07-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered how much George Washington was worth of? Or how much is President Obama worth of? I know it might sound funny and weird to you but the fact is there was a time when the real worth of these people was estimated by the National Survey of America. This post might help the young readers as it will motivate them to do something great in life.

It is of no help in the financial endeavor of people who have already settled their financial life well. In the articles by the National Survey of America, they presented the entire list of the presidents starting from George Washington to Obama with their net worth figures. Not only this they also mentioned how they actually built this net worth amount.

I could not resist myself in copy pasting the list. I really apologize guys. I know its your hard work but I want my readers to go through that list too :)

Obviously it was not possible for me to paste all the 43 president's name here but I at least mentioned the names of those whom I personally liked and who became the president for some reason or the other. And please after seeing the list do not start commenting on the figures. These figures are the approximate values which were calculated. This is how it was calculated.

please note that they have calculated the figures keep in mind the dollar value in 2010.

Famous Presidents & Their Net Worths:

President (#)	Net Worth
George Washington (1st) John Adams (2nd) Thomas Jefferson (3rd) Abraham Lincoln (16th) Ulysses Simpson Grant (18th) Theodore Roosevelt (26th) John Fitzgerald Kennedy (35th) Lyndon Baines Johnson (36th) Richard Milhous Nixon (37th) William Jefferson Clinton (42nd) George W. Bush (43rd) Barack Hussein Obama (44th)	$525 million $19 million $212 million $1 Million $1 Million $125 million $1 billion $98 Million $15 million $38 million $20 million $5 million

So the winner over here is George Washington. Most of them have built their net worth with their real estate investments, books, autobiographies, interviews, etc. Trust if you are a finance savvy you will definitely like this.

Finally I decided to Buy a New Laptop for Me

2010-07-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

I am very excited as I got a very good deal on a very new to me laptop earlier this week. My previous desktop, an HP Compaq had a core 2 Duo chip with all old specifications. It was running all fine since last month when a drop of coffee lead to its death completely after repeated opening and closing over a period of one month.

I was happy to have my previous computer as well. The time when I bought that from the HP outlet, it had all the latest specifications. It cost me around $500. When I purchased that I was firm on purchasing a laptop in a year or two. And so here I am with all new Dell Studio XPS 1645 notebook which cost me around $950. My earlier computer had 4 GB of memory space and this laptop gives me around 8 GB of memory space. Wooooohh!!!

You must be wondering why my eye was on this particular notebook. Here are the few reasons for this:

1.) Screen : Earlier I had a screen with 1440x990 resolution which I have changed to 1920x1080 resolution on a 15.6 inches screen. It was expensive but I thought that laptops are not purchased everyday, so its better to have the best from the rest. The best part of the screen is that you can easily squeeze it into more pixels any time you want.

2.) Processor : I went to the shop keeper and he told me they have Intel Quad-Core i7-720 QM available. He spoke that too fast though. Since I am not a tech savvy so I asked him to give me the best processor they had. So he gave me the processor with the bench mark speed of 3235 which my earlier PC had 1113.

3.) Memory : My new notebook comes with a 8 GB memory space. I Know thats not a huge upgrade from the earlier which was 4 GB. Since I will be using 64 bit version of windows 7 so I guess 8 GB of memory space will be the best improvement.

4.) Hard Drive : It is better to have a fast hard drive than having a large hard drive. My new hard drive spins at approx 7200RPM. I guess the 320 GB is more than enough to hold my basic business applications.

5.) Operating System : No doubt i will be moving to Windows 7 because I dint like windows Vista so much. It is much complicated than windows 7.

6.) Battery : For batter I got a very good offer. When i went to the shop they were having some discount season on batteries. S0, I opted for a 9 cell battery. It means that I am getting 35% extra battery usage from the normal 6 cell batteries.

I consulted few people before purchasing this. I had a discussion with different shop keepers about this and its price. Finally it cost me all in total around 950 USD.

Prize Money of $US420 million Reserved for 2010 FIFA World Cup

2010-06-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

Like any other football world cups, the South Africa 2010 football world cup will also churn out with dollops of entertainment this time. A game with all highs, lows, celebrations and disappointments will turn out to be a complete family entertainment just like its predecessors. In the picturesque land of South Africa, the 32 qualified teams will battle for the world class honor for their respective countries. The heroes of the game will fight till the last to perform and display the seemingly impossible game with the emotions, blood, sweat, tears and passion of the players.

FIFA as an oldest organization have acknowledged the tremendous hard work and effort of the players and have fixed a total prize money of $US420 million. The organization has also decided that the prize money will be distributed among the team members only after considering their over all performance in the tournament.

For the status and legacy of the tournament the prize money of $US 420 Million dollar has been fixed. Not only this, the prize money has been increased 60% to what it was in the year 2006 world cup. There was meeting held at the Robben Islands where the President of the FIFA organization, Sepp Blatter with 24 men executive committee announced that the champions of the tournament will receive a cash prize of $US 30 million whereas the 1st runner up will take away the cash prize of $US 20 million.

With this, the General Secretary of FIFA, Jerome Valcke also announced a sum of $US 40 million for the best clubs of the world. This money will be shared with those clubs whose players are participating in the World Cup. For the insurance of the players from the clubs, a sum of $US 40 million has been set aside.

Jerome claimed that each and every club will receive a cash prize of $1600 per day per player whose players are playing in the world cup. All the 32 teams will get a total prize money of $US 1 million prior to the commencement of the tournament.

The teams will fight against each other for the prize money as well as for the beautiful world cup in the cities of Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, etc. The tournament begins on 11th June, 2010 and will end on 11th July.

Lets blow three cheers for the world cup, the teams, the players and lastly the host South Africa.

Be Your Own Marketing Mentor

2010-05-07T22:14:00.001-07:00

Whenever it comes to marketing, most of the time we remember that person who taught us a new way of thinking with regard to marketing and terms related to it. It might be anyone from the author of the book, a speaker at an industry seminar, or maybe any relative business show. With all the entrepreneurial enthusiasm I found out 10 most successful business men and women quotes related to marketing and its related industry. So, I just thought of sharing the list with all of you.

1.) Jeff Widman (Marketing Mentor : Seth Godin)

Be the first to sell the experience and relationship and not just the widget of the space. Widgets are sold by second place company whose only aim is to gain market share to compete on prices.

2.) Everett Reiss (Marketing Mentor : Jim Kukral)

Always develop a content that solve queries of your target audience's problem. No matter its perfect or not but it should be very relevant and helpful for them.

3.) Armelle Cloche (Marketing Mentor : Jay Abraham)

There are only 3 ways of increasing business profits : increase the number of clients, number of sales per client and number of times client returns and buy again.

4.) Ciara Pressler (Marketing Mentor : Jack Trout)

Differentiation should be the key. There should always be a competition so that you can perform better every day. They have to identify and promote things which make their products worth buying.

5.) Lora Carr (Marketing Mentor : Sarah Petty)

No need to leave co-marketing alone. With other boutique business it makes more sense

6.) Claudia Copquin (Marketing Mentor : Jim Mc Cann)

Never be afraid of asking any question. With no marketing budget also you can come out as a large company.

7.) Jason Cannon (Marketing Mentor : Sarah Petty)

If you have a strong product, are passionate at what you do, you love people and your community, then you will definitely enjoy your job from all the prospects.

8.) Adam Kleinberg (Marketing Mentor : Brook Lundy)

Only great creative ideas matters and can survive.

9.) Sean Horrigan (Marketing Mentor : David Meerman Scott)

Always believe what you publish. Each and every business has got its own information that can now or later can contribute to the huge market place.

10.) David Langton (Marketing Mentor : My Mother)

You have to give time to your target audience. Understand their requirements first. If you can understand things from their point of view you can surely market the ideas yourself.

Is it a Wise Idea to Invest in Goldman Sachs?

2010-05-07T21:45:00.001-07:00

Goldman Sachs has become the worst place in United States because of its recent milestones. The reasons are :

1.) All the residents of America are very angry with Goldman

2.) Investors are too worried about their stocks which went down about 13% as soon as Security Exchange Commission's news broke.

3.) The SEC still believes that the company has broken all their laws.

4.) GS is taking the fall for the entire mortgage crisis and economic downfall.

5.) They are referred as "Bad Guy" these days.

How does it matter that Goldman Sachs has done anything wrong or not? What they are doing right now is that they are are taking huge public relations right now. I don't know how many of you watched the senatorial hearings last weekend, the Government is only blaming GS for the entire Global Warming.

So why would person invest their money in Goldman Sachs's stocks?

Because our own Warren Buffet asked us to. I would like to quote what he mentioned in the last media hearing last weekend. He still thinks Goldman is the only attractive stock right now :

He said, "Be greedy when others are fearing and be fearful when others are greedy"

I guess this only suits Goldman and no one else. And you know what? Warren Buffet himself owns $5 billion worth of stocks of Goldman with a 10% sweet dividend and that is why he is backing the reputation of the company in public.

Goldman Sachs has been always famous for having smartest people working in its company. In fact it still holds this position. No matter the company is found guilty of any wrong deeds or not, the reputation of GS will not at all hamper in the long run.

I am not at all advising you to buy the stocks of Goldman Sachs but if you are a fan of its stock from before, this would be the best time to renew it. Remember, that a 13% discount doesn't come that often. All the best.

Yes, You Conquered Your College and Now Time to Conquer your Finances

2010-05-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

Anyone will feel very happy and excited after conquering the college but more important than conquering the college is having a win over your personal finances. You should follow these easy to digest to do things to make it possible after you graduate.

Make sure You have a Convenient Checking Account

Having a checking account is no big deal. But make sure it is convenient enough. Always keep in mind that the checking account should be of a bank with ATM in the city you are residing. This is important so that you can anytime deposit your paychecks and also withdraw money whenever you wish to.

Have a Good Knowledge of your Credit

You have to make sure that your credit history is good enough to have a good credit report. This will indicate how responsible you are when it comes to paying off the bills. Your credit report and score often determines your ability to get any type of loan in future.

Get A Credit Card on Your Name

It will help you in having a good credit history so that you can easily get loan on big purchases like for a house or a car. It will also help in establishing your credibility big time.

Understand your Salary well

It is for sure that not all your earnings of the salary will go in your wallet. There might be a possibility of going some in your taxes, into your saving accounts, you can put some into your retirement account too. So keep a track on how much money you are spending each month.

Prepare a Budget

Preparing a budget is no big deal but sticking to it, is really difficult. There are many people who follow their budget well and that keeps them in discipline of money control. Take help of any budget calculator if possible.

Understand the importance of Savings Account

In case of any financial pothole, the savings account will act as a savior for you and your family. There might be a possibility that you lose your job, so in these times your savings will help you. Make sure you save money that can cover your at least eight months living cost. So as soon as you get your first salary open a savings account.

Understand the value of Retirement Savings

Maybe today you are full of energy and can work ten hours everyday, but the time will come when you will grow old and at time you will need to enjoy the fruits of your hard work. Different types of retirement accounts include 401(K), Roth IRA, Traditional IRA.

Get A Health Insurance done as soon as possible

If you are not taking proper care of your health while working then you are risking yours as well as your families life. Who knows if you fall ill, you need to pay a hefty bill on for your illness. So it is advisable that have a good health Insurance policy as soon as possible.

Get hold of Your Taxes

Seriously having a grip on your taxes well can save you loads and loads of money. Always keep in mind that April 15th is considered as the Tax day. For tax return you need to file these forms : forms 1040EZ, 1040A and 1040.

Pay off your Bills on Time

1st things first. Go to the nearby bank and open your credit card statement and bills account. Make sure that your billing statement is 100% correct. Never pay on something you didn't buy. Cross check your statement more than once.

Follow these quick steps and I am sure like the way you conquered your college, you will also win over your personal finances as soon as possible.

Money is something for which you trade your life energy

2010-02-26T23:02:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered when are you going to die? Sounds strange, Isn't it? Today I visited one of the site which actually predicted my year, month and day of death. Though I never believe in these things still just for fun I wanted to see how many more days I am alive. How can a website estimate how much life you have left. That is not at all possible.

But the question is what this have to do with personal finance? It is actually very much related because that can help us in revealing what we think of our money?

What is Money according to u? As per me it is :

A medium or an exchange involved for the payments of your debts. Money is power, it is a source of luxurious living, a source of comfort and security. The best definition that I have come a crossed about money is : "Money is Something for which you trade your life energy"

Give a deep thought on this. Majority of people in this world get money by giving up some part of our lives. Just imagine you go for work, work hard, earn some money and by this time your death clock is ticking down. No doubt when you are young, you are more energetic and can convert some of this excess into money. But the saddest part is that it only a conversion not a storehouse.

Our life is traded for money and once it is done, it cannot be changed back to original. The only goal that would left with us would be of striking a balance to convert the sufficient life energy into the money that you will need for enjoying rest of your life.

Cost Counting

To apply this principle you need to find out your hourly wage. This will help you in providing the information on how much your life energy is actually worth of. This is how you will be able to measure the cost of money spent equivalent of value of life energy lost. Why not you try some eye opening conversions i.e. take general examples from your daily life. Like:

Calculate how much energy do you spend at your work? Check if you spend less energy and still you can be happy or not? how much energy you are using to buy any new things for your family and many more such examples.

I am not saying that you should never spend money, but you should find a point where you are spending more and still being happy and joyful. You have to learn to say " I have enough and I dont need more... ".

So always remember that when ever next time you spend enough money do nos forget to ask yourself how many hours all these purchases costing you, not only this, is it really worth or not? Do come back and share your views with us.

Romance on a Budget

2010-02-04T20:33:00.000-08:00

With Valentines Day just round the corner its once again time for a pleasant surprise for your beloved. Valentine's day is a symbol of love, cupids, roses and of course hearts. Several days before the love holiday begins, the stores are lined up with an assortment of expensive gifts for your partners. As the day approaches, you may find the your thoughts have begun to turn to finding the best gift for your partner, for that special someone in your life.

Expensive gifts often proves to your loved ones that how much you love them, but they will also make a pretty hefty dent in your wallet. So what can a frugal minded person plan for the valentines day? Giving an expensive gift always will not help your love boost, but giving something special to your loved ones will definitely arouse that feeling of love in them.

Let me share some of my ideas with all of you on what you should gift him or her on this day of love and romance.

Some cheap Valentine's gifts for her

No doubt girls love flowers, chocolates, soft toys and also sweet things whispered into their ears. I have seen many of you gift your partner traditional fourteen roses in a bunch on valentines day. Rather what you can do is gift her one rose everyday starting from 1st February to 14th February. The best thing is one rose per day will be less expensive for you. The prices of the flowers are inflated on the V-day.

I agree that women love roses but roses now days have become very boring and moreover the prices of roses are extremely high on v-day. Now you will think of giving carnations to her instead of roses. Please do not do that. Carnations are cheap alternatives to roses. A bouquet of daisies is a better choice.

Time is the best gift you can give to your partner. Women love spending time with their partners. I would advice you not to waste your money on restaurant bills, rather spend the day in opting something she loves.

If you really want to surprise her then learn cooking a month before v-day and prepare the dish she loves. Trust me cooking is a very seductive way of celebrating this love day.

If she loves reading, then spend sometime with her in any book store, buy her the most recent novel. Pamper her with some sandwiches and coffee as she enjoys a good read.

If your partner is a sports freak, then spend sometime in afternoon teaching her favorite sport, maybe watching some games with her or maybe take her out for a live match.

Some cheap Valentine's gifts for him

A women should not gather information from various means of media and decide the gift for his partner. Rather she should create a gift which she thinks will be unique for his man.

If your partner loves sports, then you should give him a treat by surprising him with chilled beer and nachos and by watching with him a non-interrupted game of his choice.

If you guy is an Art lover, then surprise him by taking him to a candle light dinner and visit a local art exhibition with him. If you want you can buy him a painting which is usually at a lower cost.

If he is into music, then download all his favorite songs and gift him a CD. Both of you can enjoy a perfect dinner with a perfect music of his choice and then a perfect long drive. Keep a few dollars with yourself aside so that you can buy him a CD pack of his favorite band.

If he loves photography then take him out to the country side for the best photograph sessions.

Love an be expressed in many ways. Gifts can be many but the only special gift which you can give him or her is togetherness. That is an ultimate gift for your partner and that is the ultimate deceleration of your love on Valentine's day.

Understanding your finances:1st step to controlling your debt

2010-01-24T23:14:00.000-08:00

If you don't really understand your finances, you're bound to find it harder to get / keep them under control. It's true of anything, but it's particularly true of personal finance matters - that's one reason there are so many companies, charities and government organizations which exist to help people get to grips with their money and control their debts.

Understanding your finances: income and expenditure

How much do you earn?
How much do you spend?

These two questions are right at the heart of your personal finances. When you know exactly where your money is coming from and exactly where it's going, you'll know:

How much you can afford to put towards your debts every month.
Where you can cut back on your spending so you can put more towards your debts and get 'back in the black' faster.
When your situation is serious and you need to look for debt help.

So, start by writing down everything you receive in a month:

Wages, child benefit, income support, tax credits, Jobseeker's Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Disability Living Allowance, etc.

Add it all up to get your Total income.

Next, write down everything you need to spend in a month:

Rent/mortgage, secured loan payments, council tax, utility bills, pension contributions, phone bills, TV licence, housekeeping, child care, the cost of essential transport, clothing and food, etc.

(Please note that this list includes payments to your priority debts but not payments to your non-priority debts (see below).)

Add it all up to get your Total expenditure.

Take your Total expenditure away from your Total income and you'll get your Disposable income. This is the money that's available for:

Making payments to your non-priority debts.
Spending on non-essential goods and services.
Saving.

Understanding debt

Priority debts

Your priority debts are the most important ones, with the most serious consequences if you don't keep up with them.

If you fall behind on your payments, you could have your possessions removed by bailiffs, or have your gas / electricity supply cut off. If the worst comes to the worst, you could be evicted - or even imprisoned! (Having said that, you should have plenty of warning if any of your creditors were thinking about taking action against you, giving you the opportunity to get some debt advice and sort out your problems before things got so far.)

Non-priority debts

Unsecured loans. Credit cards. Store cards. Catalogue debts. Overdrafts. Some Hire Purchase agreements (for non-essential goods).

These are your non-priority debts - but that doesn't mean you don't have to repay them! It just means they're less important than your priority debts, since the consequences of non-payment aren't as serious.

So staying on top of your non-priority debts is important - but staying on top of your priority debts is vital. That's why your priority debt payments make up part of your Total expenditure. Your non-priority debt payments will have to come out of your Disposable income.

If your Disposable income isn't enough to cover your payments to your non-priority lenders, your creditors may agree to accept lower payments if you ask them - and show them that this is the best way for you to clear your debts. Just bear in mind:

They won't know you need help unless you tell them.
You need to take action as soon as possible, before your creditors decide that they need to.
You don't have to do it alone. Click here for help with managing debt.

Find Answers to Foreclosure Questions on Foreclosure Avoid

2010-01-20T21:51:00.000-08:00

Nearly everyone I talk to has been affected by the real estate crisis in one way or another. From the very wealth to the extremely poor, everyone has been touched in some fashion. Even the commercial real estate market is now starting to get hit.

With so many businesses cutting back or closing their doors, more and more office spaces are sitting empty. Foreclosures seem to create more questions than they do answers.

While it's true that a few real estate investors are finding some great bargains on foreclosed homes, home owners are left out in the cold wondering how this happened and what the will do next. One site, Foreclosure Avoid, has put together foreclosure blog which helps home owners find answers to their questions about foreclosures. Do not miss to check this interesting video :

Boost your financial IQ

2010-01-19T02:07:00.000-08:00

People with high IQ have one thing in common, they recognize patterns, even the most complex ones, and they can act upon it. Making the right choice at the right time is very valuable, and it happens more often than you think. IQ is not limited to paper puzzles, many real-life situations can be categorised and mapped on patterns, for which the solution then becomes obvious. The main problem is to be able to identify the pattern in the first place. This is what intelligent people with high IQ scores are good at.

For example, highly intelligent people schematize real-life situations into decision trees which enable them to come up with the best strategy. Normal people tend not to do that, especially when the situation becomes complex. We, normal people, are submerged by the complexity of the situation and we just guess and pray for our choice to be the right one.

Now, just try to see yourself in the future, what kind of car you want, where will you live, how many children you will have, etc. Just try to imagine what the costs will be and the associated nest egg you need to build up over time to be able to achieve it, can you come up with the funds you need? Probably not. A gifted person might make a quick calculation and tell you that she needs to invest $500 a month to achieve her objective, but most of us can’t do that without help.

This is where simulation models can save your life. Simulation models are built to compute the real-life situation for you, because not everybody has a high IQ. Financial planning models are there to this work for you, peak at the future and tell you how much you need to save today to be able to achieve your objective tomorrow.

Financial planning models are therefore boosting your financial IQ; No surprises, just see the future, define your strategy and make the best decision to achieve your goals.

Why Would You Need A Irish Visa Credit Card If You Live In The UK?

2010-01-18T21:48:00.000-08:00

An Irish Visa credit card is a good idea if you live in the UK. You never know when some type of emergency will come up that you need a credit card for. It is also very convenient when it comes to reserving hotel rooms, buying flights, or shopping online. Such a credit card can come in handy for a variety of needs. You will find plenty of different offers though so take your time to find one that is perfect for you.

With an Irish Visa Credit Card you will pay interest for the money you access on it. Having a low interest rate compared to a very high one will significantly impact the amount of money it costs you to use that credit card. The goal should be to get as low of a credit card offer as you can when it comes to the rate of interest.

Be wary though of offers with a lower rate for a small period of time. After that, the interest rate could be extremely high. In the long run you are better off having an Irish Visa credit card with a moderate interest rate that doesn’t go up after you have had the card in your possession for a limited period of time.

If you are interested in an Irish Visa credit card, you can find plenty of great offers on the internet. It only takes a few minutes to apply for one. Then you will be notified by mail if you have been approved or not. There are credit card offers for all credit situations so find one that is a good match for your current situation.

You can also apply for a business credit card. That is a very good idea if you have your own business. Mixing your personal accounts and business accounts is difficult to manage. With a separate credit card your business can start to build a solid credit history. It also keeps your personal finances out of the business world.

In order to be approved for an Irish Visa credit card you will need to offer several pieces of verification. The most common one is verification of your identity. The second one is verification of your income. You need to be able to show you have a method of paying back the credit that is extended to you. Verification of residence in the form of utility bills is often required as well.

Lessons from the credit crisis

2010-01-17T20:49:00.000-08:00

I used to joke about the fact that taxi drivers know everything about high speed Internet, the difference between cable, ADSL, ADSL2, or even satellite dishes, but when you ask them about how compounding and inflation works, that was none of their business.

This anecdote shows very well what the general trend was before the crisis, finance, even simple personal finance, was for the big shots in Wall Street, bankers and financial advisers. They were there to look after your money, to advise you on your investments, and to prepare your nest egg for your pension.

Unfortunately, it went all wrong. The finance professionals are collecting your money to invest it wisely and to advise you on your investments? That was the tale until we discovered that the pension funds are digging holes so deep we won’t be able to get out of it, banks were packaging CDOs based on mortgages from subprime borrowers who would never be able to pay it back, private equity companies were going public to raise money from mom and pops whereas in the end they destroy jobs. That is what happened, and all of it with your money.

Finance, and more specifically financial planning, is not complex. Although you might believe it is complex, it is less difficult to understand than Internet technology. The problem is that finance and financial concepts have been kept away from the crowd to benefit from information asymmetry. This means that you end up paying more for the service just because you don ‘t know how it works, even if it is based on very simple concepts.

So, what to do about it? Spend some time to learn about personal finance and financial planning, it is the best investment you can make. And guess what, you can do it for without paying a dime.

ProsperityPersonal.com offers interactive graphical tools to do your own financial planning taking into account retirement, buying a property, education fees and much more, everything for free.

Although building a financial plan on your own might be a little complex at first, you can start by using the application to understand the effect of compounding, why inflation is your worst enemy, and how buying a property can affect your long term cash position.

The site comes with many articles and examples on how to use the application, for beginners as well as for advanced users. With its friendly user interface and cute icons, the tool offers a very intuitive way of understanding financial planning.

Educational Article: Paying the Man

2010-01-15T22:47:00.000-08:00

The current financial situation in the United States is on the precipice of major interest rate increases that will be precipitated by one of two events. The basis for both scenarios is the profligate monetary expansion undertaken by the Federal Reserve over the last year to address a perceived risk of deflation and purchasing bonds from the Treasury to artificially hold down interest rates. This current trend of monetary expansion cannot be sustained indefinitely without consequence.

At some point in the near future, the Federal Reserve will be forced to decide whether to tighten the access to credit. In order to stem monetary inflation, the Federal Reserve will need to raise interest rates in order to contract the availability of money in the system. If this happens, it will result in a higher prime rate and higher credit card rates. This will increase the yield on short-term treasury notes, and will prompt many bond investors to sell their long-term bonds to purchase shorter term notes with higher yields. As more people sell their long-term bonds, it will push down prices and force up the yield.

Another option for the Federal Reserve is simply allowing price inflation to roll through the economy. This will happen as credit markets normalize, and more dollars end up chasing fewer goods and services. This will inevitably result in higher prices for consumer and capital goods, including housing. As prices continue to increase, a resurgence of the 'bond vigilantes' will occur as more people refuse to buy government bonds at the current low rates. As the government needs to discount their bond offerings to clear the inventory, it will push up effective interest rates on long-term bonds.

Regardless of which event transpires, there is an extremely high likelihood that long-term bond rates are headed up in the near future. This phenomenon will also push up mortgage rates since most mortgages are indexed against government bonds. As the mortgage rates continue to increase, the number of people in the pool of home buyers will decrease because higher rates translate into less buying power per dollar of monthly payment that a person can afford.

As more people transition out of the home buyer pool into the renter pool, it will increase demand for rental housing. This increase in demand will eventually manifest itself in higher rents as the supply of rental housing adjusts more slowly than the movement of people into the renter pool.

An important factor to consider is that income property owners will benefit greatly from this effect, as it will place upward pressure on rents. These increased rents will provide additional cash flow to people who bought at low fixed rates and locked-in their cost of borrowing for three decades. The most important point of this unfolding event is the fact that the window of opportunity to act will be closed very soon. Once inflation begins to occur, or monetary tightening commences, it will be too late to capture the best deals that are currently in the marketplace.

The reason is because either event will be quickly followed by a step-up in interest rates, which will decrease affordability for income property investors. Because of this, it is critical for prudent investors to act now and lock-in their cost of debt at the current low rates; this will protect you against the coming increases in interest rates by making them work to your advantage, instead of to your detriment.

In the end, the United States has been enjoying artificially low interest rates for a very long time because of its position as the global reserve currency. Unfortunately, the government is nearing the point at which it can no longer absorb the profligate government spending with no detrimental impact.

Ultimately, we must 'pay the man' at some point by enduring the market correction that must eventually result from current government policy. By taking action now, you can benefit handsomely from the coming economic disruptions while many other people are enduring the problems implicit with trying to get something for nothing.

The Customer is always not Right!!

2009-12-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

I am sure this is always the case when the company takes side of unreasonable, demanding and an angry customers instead of you. I do not believe that this is the sign of a loyal employee.

The customers are always not right for your business

One man who was a frequent visitor of a shop in southwest. He was always disappointed with each and every aspect of that shop's operation. He was often called as the pen pal because whenever he used to come into the shop, he used to write one complain in the customer feedback book.

He didn't like the fact that the shop owner didnt assign any seats for elderly people in his showroom. He didnt like the idea of serving hot dogs inside the shop, he was not satisfied with the billing procedures of the shop and lastly he was not happy with the performance of the shop attendants there. He had to complain in every small issue related to that shop.

His last letter was directly to the CEO of the showroom which went to his desk with a note: 'This one is for you Mr. CEO'. The CEO of the showroom Mr. Koller replied him back with a note which said, "Dear Mr. Roger, we will definitely miss you. Love Koller."

"The Customer is always Right" is a phrase that was introduced in 1909 by Harry Gordon Selfridge who is also the founder of the departmental store called "Selfridge's". The phrase is used by businesses to :

1.) To make sure that all the customers get the best services from the employees.

2.) To make sure that the employees are giving the best services to their customers.

But in the recent years this concept seems to be absconding because this is leading to a bad customer service.

I wanted to share with my readers the top 4 reasons why The customers are always not right:

1: It gives a negative impact on your employees

I remember when I went to Texas I met a person called Mr. bethune. He was the owner of one of the best fast food center in Texas called "Humble food hub". He believed that the phrase customer is always right is actually wrong. Whenever there was any conflict between his people and the rude customers he always used to take side of his employees.

There is always a possibility to get back a loyal customer but there are always very less chances of getting back a good royal employee. He always used to say that ,"just because you are buying food from our shop and paying us that doesnt mean you will abuse my people."

The foot fall in his shop per day is around 10k and out of those 10k there is always a chances that one or two customers will be demanding jerks. It is your employee who is working for you and not that rude jerk. He never treated his employees like serfs. He knows how to value them. He never allows an environment of resentment in his restaurant.

2. It gives demanding customers an unfair advantage

If you keep on using the slogan "The Customer is always right" in front of your customers, it will give them a right to do whatever they feel like. They will start demanding just anything. At this point of time the job of an employee becomes more difficult.

Abusive customers get better treatment that nice employees. So it is always advisable that be nice to nice customers and be bad to bad customers.

3. Not all but some Customers may be bad for your business

The business owners often feel that more the customers more is the business. But some customers can actually be bad for your company.

I have read this story of a American IT service provider called ServiceGopt. It said, that one of their technicians went to one of the customers house for maintenance task and the customer treated with her very rudely. She finished her task very calmly, returned office and told the entire story to the management. They went ahead and canceled the contract with that customer.

Just like Koller who dismissed that irate gentlemen from coming to his shop, similarly ServiceGopt fired an irate and rue customer. After all it was a matter of dignity and self respect of a female employee.

4. It often results in bad customer service

Roseworth Travel Services took it even further. CEO Sara Roseworth wrote an excellent book called "Your customer comes after your employees". She argues that when you put your employees before your customers there will always be an healthy environment in the office. If employees are happy and satisfied, customers will automatically start feeling satisfied.

Employees who are always happy will provide better customer services at work because:

They have a habit of caring people, especially their customers
They are always energetic
They will interact with them in a better way
They are more motivated to work

But if the customers are put before the employees then it clearly indicates that :

Employees are not values properly
treating employees fairly is less important
That employees do not get respect from the customers

If this prevails, employees will stop caring about good service.

So put your people at first and let your people put the customers first.

Some Black Friday Tips on Wacky Thursday

2009-11-26T22:28:00.000-08:00

I am just in love with these crazy named days like Black Friday, Shipping Monday, Cyber Monday, etc. I decided this time that I will move away with these days but you know it is kind of hard and difficult for a finance blogger like me. So I decided instead of avoiding it I will share some of my personal tips with all of you regarding Black Friday.

I have decided that I am gonna hit at the noon time this year and see what happens though I really avoid all these dramas. I am sure even this time best buys gonna make some huge income tomorrow. Lets see what happens.

So now lets get back to some Black Friday interesting and funny Tips

You should be aware of what you need ahead of time - You should always check the stores just before the thanksgiving day. Talk to sales representatives in person and ask them which product will be reducing prices. I am pretty sure all goods are not in sale on Black Friday. The store people display them because they buy those goods in huge quantity.

Keep Your Ads with yourself - Now this is interesting. Same HP printer both Walmart and Target is selling. But Target is selling it at $10 discount. So until and unless you keep the ad with yourself as a proof wall-mart will not the match the price. So it is advisable to keep a copy of an ad with yourself.

Be a Gladiator and shop - Yes you saw it right. Place yourself in a war, a war of shopping. Consider yourself as a shopper with a mission. I will personally recommend that go for shopping with teenagers and not old people because they can run fast.

Take help from Big Boss i.e. Google - How can we forget our boss at this time. If you do not have time to go through the newspapers about the Ads, then please google it. You will get hundreds of websites with Black Friday sale information listed on Google. You can also view the websites of wal-mart and Target on Internet beforehand.

Make Friends with the Sales Associate - If you really want to get inside the scoop of everything, the most important thing is to befriend with the sales associate of the store. These sales associates are well versed with all the sales prices. They can easily get you from one department to another. Listen to their advice and then plan your shopping strategy.

The crowd outside wall-mart at 3 am last year

Just party dude - I don't think you need a reason for partying. Most of us go in a queue at 3 am but we are afraid what if we are not able to wake up. The best advice is party late night. Finish the party and run to get in to the queue.

Do not get Tired soon - After partying all night you might feel tiring and all the enthusiasm before reaching the store is dead. Do not allow this to happen. Party for sometime. Do not have too much brandy or vodka.

Choose the best crowd - As soon as you reach the store you will find at least 5-10 queues. Choose the best crowd and go and stand with your feet positioned properly there with loads of oxygen. Do not get too excited. Do not allow anyone to overtake you.

Have a back up pay plan - It might happen that you reach the cash counter and credit card is rejected. So at that point of time you should have a back up of your money. Carry some good amount of cash with yourself so that you dont feel embarrassed infront of thousand people.

Cross checking is a must - Always before reaching the cash counter do the cross checking of your list. Make sure you have purchased everything and nothing important is left out. If you miss even one thing you have to wait until next year turkey day.

You have to be very patient to stand in that queue. My goodness!!! Crazy People

Okay I guess that is more than enough for you guys. If you really find anything else out of this list please do share it with me.

The only thing you can learn from these tips is Planning. You should plan your activities before hand. This will help you in saving hours, if not dollars when you are shopping with full stamina. Most importantly enjoy thanksgiving not only with your family members but with everyone you know.

God Bless all!!!

Our Day in the Sun

2009-11-11T22:48:00.000-08:00

Saving for the future can be a goal that is difficult to reach when it seems that everything is getting more and more expensive and salaries seem to stay stagnant. As we grow and our family size increases, we can get overwhelmed and often spend more than expected as a result. If we are even able to put money away, it seems as though we must tap that money way too quickly for our comfort.

the best financial tools to get some instant cash is payday loans

Sometimes, we think that using our credit cards is a good idea, and it can be, but only if we are able to pay off the balance before the end of the month. This action allows us to avoid interest that accrues on that balance and it is like using cash, but with a delayed payment. This can be good for those who may need a payday loan, but do not want to have to pay the fees and interest associated with them.

Payday loans can be good for some, as they will allow you to avoid the use of credit cards, which can be easy to not pay off before the end of month, resulting in interest and late fees if the minimum payment is not met before the due date. Consumers are often lured by promotions and low-interest credit cards and often sign up for way more than they need, which can result in mounting debt, which is no good for our financial health.

Payday loans with nationalpayday is just an another reason to smile :)

By controlling our credit card use and instilling budget routines into our daily life, we can slowly regain our financial health and remain on track to successfully save money for the future. Retirement is very close for many of us and we may feel that we are just not ready to do so, but by budgeting and controlling out-of-control spending habits, the sooner we can retire to spend our later years relaxing and soaking in the sun.

Performance Pays When It Comes to Business

2009-11-11T22:19:00.000-08:00

When it comes to some business activities, the conventional method of paying first and measuring performance last is changing. In the advertising industry, for instance, it's no longer meaningful to simply role out a large advertising campaign without first knowing what the return on the investment will be.

With traditional types of online advertising, like pay-per-click, a campaign is rolled out even before you know if it will generate any sales. Unless you have money to spare (a rare condition in this recession) or business loans for this purpose, you can end up shelling out money that never returns a direct benefit in proportion to what you spent. Take a cue from modern methods and choose strategies that will lower the risk of loss and increase performance from the get go.

Cost-Per-Action Advertising

New affiliate networks call cost-per-action networks seek to reduce the risk and increase advertising performance for its advertisers by generating sales leads from advertising activities. These can later be mined for email marketing campaigns, increasing the performance of your advertising dollars by generating a valid email of a prospective customer. Now, instead of spending a few cents for each click and generating thousands in advertising costs with little to show for it, you can spend a few hundreds and get a valid sales information that helps you market people every time an action is taken. If the action requested is never completed, you don't have to pay for the publishing of your link. You only pay for performance on that link.

cost-per-action networks seek to reduce the risk and increase advertising performance

Hiring High Performance Individuals

Another way that businesses have be lowering the cost of hiring and increasing performance is to hire on a part-time or temporary basis. With the labor pool filled with qualified applicants, hiring people on a short-term basis can be a great way for business owners to try out candidates to see if they will work out. If they don't, then they can just end the relationship at the end of the contract period and start again with a new face. This keeps performance high and lowers costs of employee staffing.

I seriously hate when people ask me about my Salary

2009-11-07T00:04:00.000-08:00

I don't understand why people keep on asking me about my salary. Are we helping each other with any monetary transactions? Are we best friends? Are we relatives? If not then trust me it is really pissing me off. I wish I could have said this straight on the face, but unfortunately I cant. But trust I am happy in my own way.

I am always ready for open discussions related to finances but how can someone ask anyone about their salary.

It may sound a little weird from someone who keeps on writing articles on finances, but I really feel not to disclose few of my personal things like passwords and salary. The trust factor plays a very important role here. I can discuss this with my wife (I am single as of yet) but not with my friends, not even with close ones. I simply cannot trust them.

If someone comes and ask me about anything, I always welcome them. I can give them my opinion 100 % because I dont care whether you implement my suggestion or not. Maybe I do not the answer but I will definitely participate in the conversation. There are certain appropriate and inappropriate time to ask about the salary for anyone. And that is why I decided to write this post and let everyone know my preferences of when you should ask me and when you should not ask me about my salary?

Let me first discuss the Appropriate times:

1.) Human Resources: If you are my boss or my CEO, I would definitely tell you my salary figures without even hesitating (although you must be knowing it!)

2.) At Job Interviews: Please ask away! You have full authorities to do that and I have got no option that time. I have to tell you the exact figures.

3.) To my financial Adviser/consultant/Accountant: I guess he/she should know this, then only they can manage my finances well. You should never hide your finances from your accountant.

4.) when I am with my wife: She should know what I am spending on and where? Right? I guess she has full rights to do that. Always share your financial background with your to be so that there is no confusion later on.

5.) I asked you first situation: I am always open to tell you when the situation is like I have asked you about the salary first. You answer me about your figures and I will do the same.

I guess these points are more than enough when I am OK to share my salary. These are just my opinions, maybe others are not satisfied with my points (As if I care).

Now for some inappropriate times when please don't even dare to ask:

1.) When we are not talking about any monetary transactions: Why shall I even tell you about my salary when we are busy discussing about the baseball match?

2.) When I don't even know the person: It might happen that someone stands in front of your face stands up and ask you. Whats your payroll buddy? What crazy, cmon mind your own business dude.

3.) when talking with co-employees: keeping the bosses and HR aside, there are number of people who will interested in knowing about your salary and especially those who are sitting beside you.

4.) when you are traveling in a metro, train or anywhere there are hundreds of people around: I am comfortable in sharing with you but not with those hundred eyes balls staring at you. I am not at all ready for this.

I guess there is a wrong and right way to ask and also how much one can ask. If you know these points I am sure you can understand when the person is interested in answering you and when he is not.

They say Economic downturn is over. Now what?

2009-10-30T02:12:00.000-07:00

I was going through an article by CNN which had different slide shows about the state of economy in the past years and the present condition. This post is basically to make you understand that this recession is the longest recession in the US, in fact the most grating one that US has faced since world war 2. Some kind of positive news is that the economy is actually showing some sign of improvement.

Reality Check on my Economic Fundamentals

Based on the slide shows of CNN, I would like to express my own views here. I guess the hangover is still on.

1.) Economic Growth and GDP: Not very Good, but Fair

The last growth which I saw was decent enough, but we should not be over confident in this case. I am sure lot of this is attributed to cut backs in the sectors like business, layoffs, even the stimulus plan, bailouts etc. I am still not sure about the true economic growth here. We can frame it like this way also i.e. is this growth actually justifies the correspondence recovery that we are seeing in the stock market? I know hard to answer.

2.) Situation of the Jobs: Very slow

In some locals of the US, the job loss numbers are touching the record high. But tell me this, how many laid off workers are ready to take their jobs? What I see in the US market is that people are enjoying the unemployment benefits more than anything else. They are happy sitting idle until and unless they find a job of their choice. I am not opposing this but the thing is the jobs are available in the market, but no one is ready to take these jobs. As it is they are collecting their unemployment checks.

3.) Stock Market Results: Really Ahead?

My online brokerage account is saying something else here. I have made some money with my investment recently. Anyone will think that I am so happy. But the possibilities of double dip recession in haunting me. It is a typical sign of premature exuberance. I hope at the end of the day we are not paying more than what it actually appears.

4.) Inflation: Somewhat okay

Inflation still looks tame to me. Just wait and watch, the inflation will definitely become the new Waterloo once the economy takes a big growth. At this point of time the saving accounts are creeping backups. As soon as spending takes a pace, the element of economy which appears to be good right now will become dull.

5.) Housing: Slow Recovery

Government has tried its best by offering relief to homeowners by the means of tax breaks and many other incentives. But this was folded long back when there was economic stimulus package. In some places foreclosures have been increased whereas in some areas it is still steady. Recovery of the real state market will take some time.

6.) Individual Spending: Somewhat improved

The best way to track this is that attribute few consumers who are spending on day to day basis. Keep a watch on their spending activities. It is advisable to watch a home budget right now.

My take on the whole scenario

I believe that the whole picture that has been pictured to us in a form of recovery is localized completely. There are still lot of people who are worried about their debts, credit cards, etc. I wish I could know the exact turning point of the economy.

Why Financial Institutions are learning Bad Habits from Walmart?

2009-10-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

Here financial institutions can be anything like bank or may be any government body. And please remember that I am not talking about the customer care services of these institutions which are going down the toilet. I was just wondering why every company all of a sudden started offering imaginable services to its customers. Do you have an answer for this?

Walmart from outside

Lets take an example of a bank. They started providing services such as credit cards. As soon as credit card services became popular they started offering self services brokerage services to their potential clients. Have you heard about Etrade brokerage firm? I am sure you have. They have started a services like checking saving accounts of their clients and offer cash back credit card services which is like a very bold step taken by them.

I was just reading a magazine this morning and in one of the advertisements I saw that American Express has now started their personal savings account services and Financial Institution like Discover has started their own online savings account department. No matter what services they are offering to their clients, at the end of the day all the financial institutions will be same. There was a time when these institutions used to portray a model of knowing things well and doing it better than anything else. All in vain.

I was shocked to see this

I visited a bank (will not mention the name for obvious reasons) last weekend. Can you imagine a banker who himself doesnt have any idea about the products he sells in the bank. I went to open my business account and had to change it twice in order to know the exact account where I am not charged any fees. The banker did not provide me with any information. But I somehow found it myself only with the help of their website.

Bank of America handling more than million potential customers

The bankers act very smart. To get rid of customers like me they ask you to call the other department because they know they cannot help you in any way and it will make a negative feedback on them.

When we enter these banks for the first time they offer us some amazing services which we are not bound to avoid at any cost, but once you become their customer all the financial institutions become the same. This is now happening with all the industries including banking sector.

What do you think in case of Walmart here? They really played a safe game. First they ignited the competition and then later drove all the small stores out of this business. Superb business strategy. When it comes down to money we all have to take extra precautions.

What do you think of these financial institutions? Are you really satisfied with their performance? If not Why?

Couple of Affiliate Scams

2009-08-21T00:30:00.000-07:00

This may be unusual but I have been noticing these things for quite a long time now. So just wanted all of you to know about it so that you don't fall in the prey of these affiliate scams.

First, Have you ever heard about Wise Rep? I am sure most of the affiliates have heard it? It is a kind of advertising where you can easily list your wholesale products along the side things, maybe like, a jeans brand. The buyer will come and find them. These buyers as soon as click on these brand's link, Guess what?? It is an affiliate link. You won't believe that for you the normal wholesaler selling the product you'd love to get into any other mega store, you have to pay at least $25 a month to get it listed there. Pheewww!!! Not digestible at all.

Secondly, I have been seeing numbers of bridal registry sites. I am not sure whether anyone of you has come across it or not? If suppose any small company has got a website and wants to be listed, they have to pay some amount of fees for it. They show you the names of big brands and then use affiliate link so that they can get rid of false advertising. I know this is not exactly a scam but it isn't the right way either.

Just imagine how will the consumer feel when he registers for the website and login. What they will discover is that their registry is not at all integrated as they have thought would look like. How will the seller feel who paying $25 a month finds out they haven't sold a single wholesale item. People do not exactly go to their site and place orders, they are redirecting to the affiliates site which is incorrect.

So that is all, right now I have found out only these two scams. If in future I found few more I will definitely list them here.

The four successful Cs of affiliate marketing

2009-07-31T21:54:00.000-07:00

Affiliate Marketing is giving a huge business turnover to the major business house who are participating in this business. What are the basic theory these companies are applying. That is what I would be sharing with this post. There are four major Cs which needs to be followed by any affiliate programs and I believe these Cs will do wonders for you and your program.

to make your affiliate graph like this you need to follow the four Cs explained below

Let me explain each of them one by one in details so that all of you can get a fair idea about them.

1.) The content should be written in a way it attracts visitors from all over the world. It should be written in a very simple language highlighting the main features of your affiliate program which can compel the visitors coming back to your affiliate program. If possible hire a good copywriter who can give you the best content for your website.

2.) To get the maximum number of clicks apply a good Call to Action. Try things which others haven't tried with their programs. Try to implement different kind of offers, words, colors, placements etc. The best thing you can do here is to put multiple calls to action on the page. To get the best optimized result always test your calls to action before hand. Apply the best design you can, keep your site's theme on the basis of your program. Make navigation as easy as possible for the visitors. Use words like "Click Here", "Try it" or "Buy Now" etc.

Please note : You may use several calls to action. Not a problem. But make sure you are not promoting FUD i.e. fear, uncertainty and doubt in the mind of the visitor.

3.) After calls to action, the most important thing to be kept in mind is the Click-Through process. With click-through I mean when any visitor sees a button which is highlighted there is an obvious chances he/she will click on the button to find out whats inside. Remember that a one small click can change the sales turnover and make a huge difference.

Please note : A high click through means that you were totally successful with point # 1 and 2 above. So your half of the work is done.

4.) The most important point to remember is the Conversion Rate. By conversion I mean that you are successful in an action you wanted to take place. maybe a sale or filling out any forms.

To be successful in affiliate marketing it is very important to increase the conversion rate which you can achieve only if you are successful with the first 3 points discussed above. The high conversion rate in affiliate marketing is in the hands of the merchant itself.

Witnessed the longest solar eclipse of the Century

2009-07-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

For the 1st time in my lifetime, I have witnessed something so beautiful, so natural. I am actually lucky that I was able to witness such a thing in my life. This blog post especially for those who actually missed the chance to view the eclipse that took place today and lasted for more than 6 minutes, the longest solar eclipse ever.

The live picture that was taken from NASA today early in the morning on 22nd July, 2009.

The 22nd July solar eclipse has caused the tourist interest all over the world starting from India to China. It began in India and from there moon's shadow started turning over across the eastern Asia. The track of the eclipse crossed in the early morning in China where people experienced it for around 6 minutes. From there the track gradually started moving towards the pacific ocean.

The longest eclipse was of 195 miles that is east of Iwo Jima where people witnessed the eclipse for 6.39 minutes.

Solar Eclipse, 2009 as seen from Shanghai

This eclipse was second in the series of three eclipses in a month, the 1st one that happened on july 7 which was a luner eclipse and the other one which is yet to come is on August 6 (also a luner eclipse)

It was visible totally in the cities of India including Surat, Varanasi, Vadodara, Bhopal, Patna, Siliguri, Guwahati and few cities of China including Wuhan, Wuxi, Huzhou, Suzhou, Jiaxing etc. As per the reports came early this morning Taregana in Patna (India) was the best place where this eclipse was witnessed.

As seen from Taregana in India at 6:38 am

The next same solar eclipse will be viewed in the year June 13, 2132.

Do not miss to watch the live video which was taken from NASA this morning :

Sixth Harry Potter movie breaks all previous records

2009-07-17T23:28:00.000-07:00

As per The Financial, the daily newspaper of New York, the latest harry potter movie, "Harry Potter and the half blood prince" has earned more than $60 million on the opening day at the theaters in US. The sixth Harry Potter movie has broken all the previous profit earning records of previous movies.

"Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix" earned around $43.7 million as per Warner Bros on its opening day couple of years back and earned around $142 million after one week which was an outstanding performance by any movie.

The sixth series of J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter series was scheduled to release in November 2008 but was finally released on 15th of this month. In Russia, the movie was released on 16th July and was hosted in more than 900 cinemas.

Earlier "the Dark Knight" was able to make records of highest selling movie on the opening day but "Harry Potter and the half blood prince" was succeeded in breaking its records too. The international earnings of Harry Potter movie was $46 million on the opening day which made the total of more than $100 million on the very first day.

This movie is seriously something to watch out for!!!

Balancing full time job with a full time degree

2009-07-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

Last week I met a friend, Joe and we had a long discussion on how a student can balance both full time degree and full time job together. He himself is doing his PG Course in MBA and plus he is working full time in an MNC. He has shared his experiences with me which I will be sharing with my friends and readers.

All the students doesn't have the benefits of College Savings Account or balance funds which might help us for our higher studies. So what are the options we can apply in these type of cases.

I know the idea is not suitable for every student but for some it might just do the trick, i.e. to work full time.

There are many people who give us such advices everyday that is not to work when you have applied for a full time courses. But is this advice a good one or the bad one? Yes, only if, you devote your 100% for your studies and No if, you are realistic about your financial conditions. Lets face it now. Lets be practical. Do we really spend our whole day in studies??

People often discuss with me that why should I work full time when I have applied for a full time course in the University. Students have a habit of lying to themselves that they will focus on their curriculum 100%. But this is not at all true in the case of 99% students. They spend their whole day in doing irrelevant activities like spending their time either on Facebook or partying in lounges with no occasion. I would prefer working, making extra money and finishing the University with not a single debt in hand.

How to Work Full Time with a Full Time Course??

These advices are given by Joe on how he managed the full time course with his job.

1.) Optimizing your Time is very important

It is better to spend your time in making money rather sitting whole day on facebook and messengers. If you really want to get connected with your friends, then find a place to work where your friends are working. I am working in a MNC right now and when I joined there I din knew anyone there, but since some of my friends were working there, now I know everyone there.

2.) Apply for good work Opportunities

If you are giving this excuse that you are not working because you are not able to find the right job for yourself, then I guess you are looking for the wrong job opportunities. Let me discuss few ideas which might be suitable for working students.

Within the Campus : Receptionist, security in charge, Assistant to teachers, Administrators and every position that is within the campus.
off campus : you can do internship for couple of months with any media house or any shops in malls, private tutor, freelancing jobs, and any other job where you are capable of handling it.

3.) Prioritizing your work

Always keep in mind that activities of your university should be given the 1st preference. You should never spend working extra time if you have an exam. I only take off from work during my semester exams. At that period I provide my 100% to studies only. After my exams I focus 100% on my work.

4.) keep a balance between professional and personal life

You should try to take out time for everything. Everything here includes university, work, family, friends and many other important work. My girlfriend never forces me to come and party with her because she understands my values and my work. when I work I only work, but when I party, I forget everything else.

5.) Once in a blue moon is fine

Always reward yourself and plan an outing with friends or families once in two months. Go on a vacation at places where you can forget all your stress and enjoy your time with family and friends.

6.) Realize the Importance of balancing

Many times there will be nights when I will be missing loads of fun and parties, But I do not regret about it. Because I am happy that one day I will complete my PG Course with not a single Debt in my hand. I would be having enough of money to invest and save after I graduate and join my 1st professional job.

P.S. these advices are specially for those students who waste their time on Facebook, orkut and other social networking communities.

Concluding Thoughts

I am sure I haven't given any boring lectures. Its just that Saurabh is a good friend of mine and he requested my to provide advice from my real life experience. There are many students who wants to work really hard so that they can escape from the pressures of student loans, but they are not getting good jobs.

Students are facing a lot of problems as they are drowning in high debts. Often people in their 20s are making financial decisions which might not be correct and that is taking them into entirely wrong path.

I hope I was able to help at least some of these type of students in some way or the other.

10 Minutes, 10 Months, 10 Years

2009-07-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

Whenever you need to make a tough and quick decision, what you require is loads of guts. Have you ever thought of checking your reactions before applying for such guts. When we make a tough decision how can we so sure that we are making the right decision.

I just completed reading this book called "10-10-10" by Suzy Welch in which she has offered some simple formulas called 10-10-10 which encourages value based decision making in short, mid and long term. I really liked the book and so I decided to write a review on it.

The best part of the book is that the author has asked each of her readers to ask three questions with each decisions. What will be the consequences of my decisions ??

in the next ten minutes
in the next ten days
in the next ten years

In the book of 222 pages she has expressed her ideas, how she make decisions, as well as decision of her other devotees following the 10-10-10 concept. I will pick a wonderful example from the book.

Natalie, mother of two sons, was her on way to the funeral when she received two text messages. The eldest sons wrote that his ride from home soccer had fallen and other one from her husband who wrote that he wont be able to take the younger son to the doctor because he is busy.

Her gut feeling immediately asked her to skip the funeral. Now in ten minutes she had to chose between any of the two, either take her younger son to the doctor or buy a new ride for her elder son. In ten months, she would have missed the chance to meet so many relatives and in ten years she should teach her sons to be responsible enough. So, attending the funeral was her right decision.

I must say that this 10-10-10 process will definitely help me in the long run to make the correct decisions. It will give time to think about what is more important to me even when I have to make immediate decisions. It is surely " A Life-Transforming Idea "

let me know if you start following the 10-10-10 process.

Finally I Got into Affiliate Marketing

2009-07-04T00:02:00.000-07:00

Finally I decided to move to Affiliate Marketing Department. I have no idea whether affiliate marketing is facing a downturn or not, but I just enjoy working for DebtCC as an Affiliate Manager. I was handed over this post so that I can give a new turn to the Affiliate department of DebtCC.

Today's post is just on that. What is Affiliate marketing all about? The pros and cons and many more.

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is nothing but an online business in which affiliates are get paid through affiliate programs and advertising for the promotion of that business. Affiliates get a commission that is based on the amount of business a particular website is bringing for the merchant company. Affiliate marketing is often referred as network marketing or multi-level marketing. But this is not at all true. It is basically a cost-effective marketing where many companies owe huge amount of money to their affiliates.

Internet Marketers strive on residual income which can be earned only online. To survive in this industry you need to be the smartest player or else you can never succeed.

Why you should go for Affiliate Marketing?

It is one of the most staple form of advertising that has come into existence, bringing business for all types of e-commerce. The best part of affiliate marketing is that very less number of risk is involved here. Affiliates earn a fixed amount or a commission based on the number of sales he brings for the merchant i.e. the owner of a product.

Also, it bears no cost for the affiliates to set up the affiliate program or promote it. They just need to put a banner or an affiliate link and they earn only if the lead is generated or converted which is advantageous for both merchants and the affiliates.

The process of affiliate marketing

How to select a good Affiliate Business?

The best way to choose a good affiliate business is asking yourself in which field you are interested in? Finance, technology, homes, etc. Be a part of DebtCC Affiliate Program and I am sure earning dollars will be cake walk for you.

Affiliate Marketing is a trend, people are earning huge with this business and I am sure this will reach to the peak in the coming few months.

All the best Betty

2009-07-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

This post is totally dedicated to my dearest friend, Betty Parker, who has helped me a lot in maintaining my personal finance blog, Allfinancehelp. It was because of her dedication and hard work that my blog has gained so much visitors and value in the eyes of search engines.

With full blessings, I am thanking you Betty. Your co-operation is highly appreciated. From now on I will be again taking care of my blog completely since Betty has got busy with some other work.

I wish Betty all the best for all the endeavors of her life.

Best Regards,

Samuel Sanders
(Saurabh Dhanuka)

Michael Jackson, I will Miss You

2009-06-25T23:43:00.000-07:00

No matter where the world takes you from us, You will always remain special in our heart. You were the BEST and you will always remain the BEST in the eyes of everyone. You were an excellent artist and millions of people including me will miss you.

Your album the ever blasting "Dangerous" will always remain special to me.

I know this post is nothing to do with making or saving money, but I have dedicated this post to the king of pop my favorite, Michael Jackson. He was a great music star, I loved his music, his style to entertain people and everything that he had for life.

Samantha always used to tell me that he was not less than an angel and that is the reason God din wanted him to stay long on the earth. So, he has called him in heaven. That day has finally come. He has left the world crying for his soul and music.

I have all the collection of Michael Jackson's songs and I have watched every single movie of his.

Michael, Wherever you are, my and my family's prayer will always remain with YOU. May his soul rest in peace.

Started Talking about Personal Finances on Twitter

2009-06-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

I love chatting on twitter and that is the reason I spend most of my time these twittering about some topic or the other. The best part is that I come to meet many unusual people there and knows about their views on different topics. I met one guy yesterday night who inspired me to talk about "Personal Finances" on Twitter. That is the reason I have decided that I will tweet about finance and money atleast once a week.

In fact I believe it is a great opportunity to get connected with people who are interested in saving money and talking about their personal finances. You can gather loads of information and tips from good finance bloggers there. You will able to grow your networking which will definitely help you to learn more regarding this topic. Sharing ideas and goals is the main concern for me when I am on Twitter, chatting about personal finances.

If you do not have a twitter account, then please hurry up guys make an account as soon as possible and enjoy the whole FUN!! It is a place where you can spend your whole in talking to various type of people. Share your ideas with them and learn more and more about Life. people share happy as well as their sad moments on twitter. They also link their articles and blog posts they write each day.

Twitter is the best among all other social networking sites.

Tonight's topic : Money Saving Plans in Recession.

Do not miss the discussion. You are welcome to ask whatever questions you have in mind. Come, Share and be a part of the FUN!!

My twitter Profile : Betty Parker

Mortgages and Homeownership: A Mixed Bag of Curses and Blessings in the Current Economy

2009-06-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

Following is the guest post written by Michelle Studer from budgetpulse, an interactive, web-based budgeting utility. It reflects the rhythm and the flow of savings and spending goals.

Like other aspects of today’s economy, home ownership equals hardship for some and opportunity for others. On the one hand, the sub-prime mortgage mess was a major factor in last year’s economic meltdown and current foreclosure rates are through the roof. On the other, low selling prices and rock-bottom mortgage loan rates have created a fantastic market for potential home buyers. Courtesy of some recent industry data, here’s a closer look at both sides of the issue.

The Downside

The American Dream has always included the promise of home ownership, but for some the reality of owning a home has been nothing short of a nightmare. According to a recent Reuters article:

12 percent of U.S. homeowners paid late on their mortgage loans or were in the process of foreclosure during the first quarter of 2009.

Data from Standard & Poor’s/Case-Schiller Indexes revealed that home prices have dropped 32 percent from their peak in 2006.

Up to 40 percent of the houses with so-called “failing” mortgages are vacant homes, which seemingly indicates abandonment in many cases by homeowners unable to pay their mortgage bills.

In addition, the Wall Street Journal reports that the national average for foreclosures jumped 35 percent in the 12-month period between April 2008 and April 2009.

The Upside

Overwhelmingly, the economic news has been more bad than good this year. However, now is the perfect time to buy a house if you’ve managed to hang onto your money despite the recession. In fact, buying a home has become more affordable even in the priciest markets. One example of this is found in the WSJ’s coverage of First American CoreLogic’s LoanPerformance Home Price Index data, which reveals that home prices in the New York City metro area have fallen 10.6 percent within the past year. There are some additional upsides as well, such as:

For existing homeowners, CNN Money reports there’s a “silver lining” when it comes to falling home value: lower property taxes.

A few weeks ago, it was possible to get a mortgage loan at an interest rate of less than 5 percent. Since then, rates have started to inch up again, indicating that higher interest rates will become the norm again as the economy improves. However, there’s still no time like the present to take out a mortgage. Today's rates are below 6 percent, which will seem like a steal a few months from now.

To sweeten the home-buying pot a bit more, the federal government offers a first-time home buyer tax credit of $8,000 that applies to any first-time home purchase made between April 9, 2008 and December 1, 2009.

Make Sure Your Money Likes You?

2009-06-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

It is very easy to accept the fact that you like your money, and why you won't, after all it provides you with all the pleasures of life. But have you ever wondered that the same money reciprocates your feeling or not? Does it also respect you in the same manner as you do to your money? You should respect your money like you respect Jesus.

Don't be upset if your money doesnt like you, Start LOVING it more

There should be some Biblical principles that you need to follow to keep this relationship with your money alive. The main concern here is that there should be a good relationship between you and your money. And I am sure you would like to keep this relationship as a high quality relationship.

Close your eyes for a moment, take a deep breath and just follow these lines :

Always treat your money with due respect as you respect your spouse

Always enjoy the company of your money as you do it with your best friend

Always treat your money delicately like a small baby

Always treat your money like a teenager, know where it is going and why

Always consider your money as your father, learn good patterns from it

Always consider your money as a mother, feel its comfort

Always treat your money as your beloved neighbor, keep an eye on it every time

I am very sure if you ever try to abuse your money, or treat it in an unusual manner, it will boycott you forever and then never in your lifetime you would be able to convince it. If it goes, it will take away your freedom from you, and not only freedom, but also your security.

Reciprocate the feeling of LOVE with your money

Establish a positive relationship with your money, do not let it become your master. If you become its slave now, for a lifetime you would have to continue in the same manner.

It is a request from my side as a friend, as a guide, whatever you think is appropriate for you, please maintain a good reputation with your money. You will definitely be able to do that. I am sure money will respond to your affections very soon.

Death of an American Icon as GM declares Bankruptcy

2009-06-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

On Monday, GM will declare its official Chapter 11 bankruptcy. GM once called the American Icon is surely no longer the part of great American Icon Team. Others belonging to this team are still surviving including Apple Inc. and Microsoft. GM has definitely gone to the garage. Barack Obama is very disappointed with the news.

Death of an American Icon, GM - 1908-2009 :(

The largest US Auto maker will file its bankruptcy on Monday in the Federal Court in New York City, as confirmed by the FOX Business Network. Obama has decided to provide details on how to reconstruct GM as it was before. This will take place before the formalities of the bankruptcy filings. Even though GM has been declared bankrupt, it was found by the media, they negotiating for their two high profile cars, Hummer and Saturn.

GM will continue to negotiate with its creditors regarding proposal made by GM that would increase its shareholder's stake in a new restructured company to 10% that equals to increase the stake by 25% which is a good news for the bondholders.

The only thing that GM is now expecting is support from its creditors. They have also declared Fritz Henderson to remain the GM CEO. Al Koch, MD of AlixPartners, a business oriented company that helps in restructuring of bankrupted companies. Earlier they have guided K-Mart, the largest bankruptcy in US to come out of bankruptcy.

CM CEO, Fritz Henderson after declaring bankruptcy of GM.

Obama confirmed that the GM bankruptcy will involve the treasury spending of around $30.1 billion so that during bankruptcy period operations can be performed.

Now let's hope GM comes back to its original position once again. I surely don't want to see the death of an American Icon, GM.

Humorous Net Worth Comic

2009-06-04T00:20:00.000-07:00

I was just going through few comic pictures this evening and guess what I came across. I really wanted to share this with all of you to add some humor in my blog. This is funny but with that it has really got some message. Did you notice that the beggar's net worth is much higher than anyone else there.

Can anyone figure out the real reason? I will tell you. The answer is very simple. The beggar doesn't have any debt. He is not earning so much as the other people are and so he is living a debt free life.

Conclusion : Earn less = live a debt free life :)

My Net Worth Checkpoint

2009-06-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to declare this that from the past 2 months my net worth is going on increasing. And this sudden change has started coming only because of my money saving power and also because of right investment of shares in the stock market. Though the economy has not yet recovered, and I don't even have any hopes that it will be improved, yet I am happy that I am maintaining my balance well in terms of finances.

I wish I keep increasing my net worth every month

Moreover, I am expecting more volatility in the market in the near future which is definitely a good signal for me. But at this very moment its better to stay diversified, saving and investing regularly, taking correct decisions and avoiding risks.

My assets increased 1.6%

Only my home value had been decreased and all other asset's value has increased. My stocks as well as mutual funds increased upto 14% last month. Moreover, my retirement accounts are up almost 5%

My liabilities decreased by 0.4%

I am not at all accelerating my mortgage prepayments. The thing is in terms of mortgage I am in the bad state right now. The reason is very simple. I owe more on the house than its actual worth. And trust me I am very nervous due to this. I might need bunch of money to refinance in the future and so that is the reason I am saving money in bulk these days.

My Net Worth increased almost 5%

The final conclusion about which I am so happy today is that my net worth has increased upto 5% which is not at all a bad signal. Though the last month's increase was 12%, yet I am happy with it. In this economy anything in the positive direction is Ok with me.

I love my hard earned money

Money Plans in Mind

The only plan in mind is to keep saving the way I am doing right now. I will continue to buy company stocks and will try to put more and more money in my 401ks. Also, I came to know about Vanguard Index funds and I have decided to put some money in it as well. Lets see where my destiny takes me.

I Am Ready for a Productive Summer Vacation

2009-06-02T02:58:00.000-07:00

Finally its time to party again. I was eagerly waiting for this period. Finally summer vacations are about to arrive and I am all set to party big time. I am more than happy because this time I have saved lots of money to enjoy my summer vacations, unlike previous years when I saved so less. With partying I have decided that this time me and Sam both will make this summer vacation a productive one.

All set to enjoy my productive summer vacation

Instead of doing nothing at home, We have decided to do something. I have made a list of to-do things which I would like to share with all of you. And in case you think something to be added then please leave a comment, I will definitely do it.

First of all, I have decided to make some more money. My birthday is approaching so I need to have some extra income. Since, I am in a final year now so I have decided I will go for a summer internship job. I do not want a boy selling candies at the street corner to have a more productive summers than me.

Secondly, Me and Sam were just talking last night that we will do something that we have never done before. Do not take it in a wrong way. We have made a list of things to do before we die. Maybe we are not able to do everything this summer but will definitely try out some of them including skydiving, rock climbing, scuba diving etc.

Thirdly, I have decided that this time I will definitely help other people in their work and will try to make atleast 3 people smile everyday. Not necessarily providing education to poor children, but also cleaning up my neighbor fences, or bringing vegetables for them from the grocery shop etc.

summer vacation brings all smiles on my face

Fourthly, I have made a list of few new hobbies. I am sick and tired of the same old hobbies of reading books and surfing the net, blogging etc. In this way I will be able to keep myself more busy. Actually I ll be having something new to impress my friends when I am going back to the college.

Fifthly, Will definitely try myself to rediscover my old passions. I used to collect coins but then somehow stopped due to work pressure. But now I have made a firm decision that I will again start with it.

Lastly, this time I will surely fall in love. After all its a summer love. Every girl has a dream of falling for a summer love. No matter how actively I do above five things, this will definitely be true.

Summer Love is one of the best feelings for any girl

So if you have any suggestions for me other than this then do let me know.

I am Sorry dear Credit Cards

2009-05-29T02:00:00.000-07:00

My Dear Credit Cards,

I am writing you this letter because it was very difficult for me to face you. Trust me and I mean it. I have got no guts left to see you everyday and your beautiful numbers. I guess from now on whenever I am going for a shopping I will memorize the numbers, but will not see your face at any cost. With all sadness I have to say this to you. Please hold your breadth.

I have to take you out of my wallet and keep you in my isolated cupboard. I have got no other option. I have to forget you at any cost. I have already removed all my credit card statements. I know I will miss you a lot when it comes to payday, but I have to face it. I have to be harsh with you.

I really apologize my dear credit card, but I have to pay you off

My dear credit cards, please understand, you are no longer good to me. I should have understood this on the very 1st day when I saw you and decided to keep you forever in my wallet. I never knew I had to pay so much because of you. Because of you my paychecks are causing me so much of troubles.

You never understood my feelings. I paid you twice and even then you got me into so much of troubles. I don't know, somehow I am just attracted to you. We are together for the last 11 years and I have never left you like this, but today I have to.

You was like my best friend, always attached to me in my bad as well as good times. But the only bad thing you did was that you always encouraged me to spend more and more. You always had one thing in mind, i.e., to buy now and pay it later. You have always forced me to buy those things which I can't afford to pay even later. I always realized my mistakes the next morning.

I know I am not the only special one whom you are with. Maybe you are still a best friends with many other people. But trust me I am not able to take this load of yours anymore. I am tired of paying. Please give me some space in life.

You have always forced me to buy things I can't afford :(

Maybe someday or the other we can be best friends once again, but now I have no other option other than paying you off and keep you inside my cupboard.

I will miss you a lot.

Goodbye Credit Cards.

Betty

P.S. I am very very serious this time. Do not take this as a Joke.

What Rich People think about Inflation

2009-05-28T04:58:00.000-07:00

Maybe you believe inflation is bad but, if you’re me, inflation is a good thing. I make a lot of money from inflation. Hold on! Before you dismiss me as some kind of kook, take a minute and think about what I’m about to tell you.

It won’t take long. Trust me.

I’d like to remove that mistaken fear of inflation that’s been drilled into you since you were young. With my blog you’ll learn how to properly invest in real estate for maximum returns – you’ll take my crazy ideas about inflation and make money too. Lots of money.

Here’s how it works. Let’s use an example to illustrate the concept. This is good stuff.

Say you bought six single-family homes for a grand total of $1 million dollars at ten percent down. That means the balance on your loan is $900,000 the day you close the deal. Let’s further say inflation is 4% and over the next year you pay nothing on the principle, making interest payments only.

At the end of that year, in real terms, your loan just reduced to $864,000. Inflation just paid off $36,000 of your balance while you did nothing but keep breathing!

Do you see how that happens?

You locked in the number $900,000 the day you took out the loan. It will never get any bigger. BUT…inflation reduces the value of that balance at the rate of 4% (or whatever) annually, knocking a chunk off each and every year like clockwork. A dollar a year from now is worth 4% less than a dollar in your pocket right now. That future dollar is only worth ninety-six cents!

In real wealth terms, you just gained four cents on every dollar against the value of the loan your bank holds.

That’s what I call the Great Inflation Payoff.

Read the example passage again if you need to. Think about it. Understand it. That’s how rich people think.

Use inflation to start making great returns with income property investments, history’s best bet. The road to success is shorter than you think.

Why I Failed in making Investments?

2009-05-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

On one of my Friend's recommended me to invest in my long term assets. So I decided to give it a try. But I guess I was not at all successful in making good investments. There were many factors that let to my failure. Let me discuss them one by one so that you don't fall in to the same trap.

Lack of Domain Knowledge

With utter excitement I went and just made the investment in my long term assets without even understanding the current market structures and prices. I never considered important to take advices from the professionals and took made all bad decisions which lead to my failure.

No goal in mind

My dad always says that there should always be a proper goal before taking any decision especially in the terms of relationships and finances. I never made any investment goal which lead me to the failure during the last moment. There should always be proper planning in whatever we do. Absence of the same caused me huge money loss.

No Risk Knowledge

My friend only told me about the profits that I would gain from investment, but he forgot to tell me about the risks and knowledge. Whenever you are investing in short term or long term assets make sure your risk taking capacity is high.

Lack of patience

Patience is one of the most required quality any investor should possess. Lack of the same will always lead to investment failure. Risk is directly associated with patience.

No Investment Identifications

I never identified which investment is best suitable for me. Long term or short term. I straight away went and invested in the long term investments. Factors like risk, patience, goals should be kept in mind before deciding the type of investments to be made.

No Right Adviser with me

My friend is very new in this profession. He joined this business 6 months back and as a result of this I never got proper and good guidance from anyone. If I had good adviser maybe I wouldn't have committed stupid mistakes.

I was Over Confident

My dad always used to tell me, "Confidence is good, Over confidence is worst". I din respected his words and as a result of this I lost huge amount of money. I was over confident of my success in investments.

I always had a Bad Luck

A good investor is one whose luck always favor him. And my bad luck just goes hand in hand with me. I invested huge sum of money in playing in casinos and lost all of them.

Aggressive Attitude

Since very beginning of my life I have been very aggressive in whatever I do. As a result of my this attitude I never thought about the losses and always concentrated on making only profits.

I know I have built my own graves, but life gives us a learning lesson. I have promised to myself that I will never make any investments until and unless I am confident about the domain.

Things I Learned From My 2009 Tax Refund

2009-05-22T03:14:00.000-07:00

Most of the times it has happened that I have neglected my personal as well as business taxes. The month of April will always be remembered as a nightmare to me. I made a new year resolution that I will not repeat the same financial mistakes that I committed last year. And believe me I was able to square my finances quite well. The best part is we are expecting around $3,000 tax refund.

This time I have learned 3 vital things from my 2009 Tax Refund

This years Tax season has taught me things about being honest, handling relationships and last not the least spontaneity.

Let me explain them in details what I learned and how I managed :

1.) All relationships are equally important in financial partnership

Me and my sister Samantha, both are involved with family finances. We both decided last year that we will work and will keep half of the month's salary for household work and emergencies. When I came to know that we are getting around $3,000 tax refund, I became so excited that I forgot to ask Sam what she has planned with that money. Immediately I got hold of it and realized that for making any financial decisions it is better to discuss it with someone who is also responsible with me for earning. Lesson 1 learned and understood well.

2.) Always be an honest citizen when filing your Taxes

This is the best lesson I have learned till date in the terms of personal finances. My accountant wanted me and Sam to do a kind of fraud with the government in terms of salary income. But we both discussed that in case anyone of us is caught then what will happen to the family. At the end we decided not to listen to the accountant and be honest with the government officials. I know life is a risk, we should risk it. But for me my family is more important to me.

3.) Life is very short and not spontaneous

Sam wanted to take out $500 out of the tax refund money and spend that on shopping and other fun activities. But I made her understand that we have already spent enough on renovation of our house and all. She is the best sister in the world. She understood me and kept back those $ 500 immediately. Lesson 3 learned. We can be spontaneous sometimes with money. Its good though.

Life is full of lessons, Make sure you catch them all

What if you have an Emergency?

2009-05-16T01:55:00.000-07:00

The word "if" has got a very important factor in everyone's life. What IF I lose my job? What IF my dad expires tomorrow? What IF I get divorce from my spouse tomorrow. The list is endless. Me and my sister Samantha were out for a drive last night. I was kind of drunk and din see the No Entry board. The police caught us and had he asked us to pay a fine of $200. The worst part is we din had a single penny. It was very embarrassing for us. In time of Emergency we din had a single penny.

Saving a single penny can help you in the case of Emergencies

So, with this we both learnt that we should always get ready to face any kind of emergency at any point of time. I am writing this post to let all of you know what few things I have learned with this unusual night. Basically, ways to get yourself prepared in case of Emergency.

1.) Most importantly, I have started saving more and more money. It is always advisable to have an emergency fund with you. It has always helped me in the most crucial times. I am just waiting for the day when I will be fully funded. Maybe by 2015 or so.

2.) Get yourself Insured : The 1st thing I will do tomorrow is to get myself an Health Insuranc e as well as Auto Insurance. I know it is very costly but I have consulted a friend and he would help me in getting a cheaper one. Even he will help me in getting a long term Life Insurance. You never know maybe a big accident is waiting for you at the door steps.

3.) I have decided to write my own will : In any case I am not alive I would be very happy if my family will be able to utilize my income. No matter I am single or married, I would always want my family to take care of my income in any case of emergency.

4.) My dad advised me to keep the copies of all the important documents like birth certificates, important bills, all my health records, power of attorney etc.

Get Yourself prepared in any sort of Emergencies like Fire Break out in your home.

5.) I have also decided to make an inventory of all my belongings. I have a great plan for this. I will take a snap or a video of all my important documents and data. Then I ll record all the items in the spreadsheet of my laptop and give the password to my mom. So, whenever I am not there she ll be able to take care of it.

6.) Also, I have decided to make a list of emergency phone numbers. These can include local police station number, family doctor's number or maybe neighbor's personal phone number.

7.) Emergency Kit for my Car : Whenever I am going for long drives with my friends or family there are many things which I should keep in my car which might be helpful to me in the case of emergency. Things like : first-aid box, blanket, towel, books, plastic bags etc.

8.) I ll keep in mind to do things before hand in the case of natural disasters. So i have decided to make a list of few things that I need to carry with me If I am suppose to leave a house in emergencies like fire breakout, or earthquake hit. Things like medicines, food, water, my hard drive, box of my jewelery, my wallet etc.

9.) Life line file : This is a file where I will record all my email id's and bank account passwords and all.

Now I have got enough of emergency funds that will me in case of Emergencies

10.) plan plan and plan : I had make sure that I will always plan things before hand not even getting a chance of emergency to happen.

If you have any other emergency plan do share it with us.

Payday Loans are an eye of emergencies

2009-05-14T04:05:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen anyone helping you in the times of financial crisis? If anyone has really helped you then I must say that you are very lucky. I wish I could have a friend who would helped me in my financial crisis. Last weekend I was so down with my finances, had not a single penny in my pocket.All my money was spent on my sister's birthday celebration. At that time an idea came into my mind, that was, taking help of payday loan companies.

I wanted my car to get repaired badly and so I decided to call a payday loan company and ask for a loan from them. This is something really a very great idea, indeed the best one. The most important advantage of payday loan companies are that you get a cash loan approval within 24 hours and they instantly transfer money into your bank accounts.

No matter I had a bad credit history, the payday loan company was ready to help me in the best possible manner. Payday loans is basically a help to those who are facing the most challenging financial crisis of their life.

But as the coin have a other side, in the same manner payday loans have few disadvantages too. The only problem I faced was that it had a high interest rate and it was very difficult for me to manage payments without any monthly budgets. But now I have to think about repaying the payday loan as soon as possible so that I do not fall into any other kind of problem.

But I made sure that I have chosen the best payday loan company of my city. They are not at all harassing me to pay back their payments.