Credit Counseling vs. Debt Consolidation - Which is right for me?
May 23, 2007
Credit Counseling vs. Debt Consolidation - Which is right for me?
by: Eric Quinn
Debt consolidation and credit counseling are similar services that assist individuals in getting out of debt.
Debt consolidation agencies help to minimize interest rates and therefore the monthly payments. The replacement of several monthly loans by a single loan at a lower interest rate and sometimes with an extended repayment period can be of significant assistance to a person in debt. A single secure loan can lead to the interest rates dropping by as much as half. The debt consolidation company interacts with the collection agencies and credit card companies on behalf of their client and along with a reduced rate, they can also negotiate for elimination of late fees and a reduced balance. Debt consolidation is not applicable to secure loans such as mortgage loans and car loans but is very useful for unsecured credit card loans.
A Beginner’s Guide To Personal Loans
May 22, 2007
A Beginner’s Guide To Personal Loans
by: Gary Tallon
If you’re looking to borrow a sum of money then the chances are that you’ll look to take out a personal loan rather than any other type. The term personal loan is simply used to describe standard types of borrowing - i.e. a loan taken out by a consumer rather than a business for general purposes (but not for a mortgage which is obviously dealt with by a mortgage loan).
The majority of personal loans can be used for any purpose and the chances are that your lender won’t even be hugely interested in what you want the money for. Their primary concern is checking that you’ll be able to repay your loan! This situation can be different with specialist loans (which also fall under the banner of personal loans) such as home improvement loans and car loans, for example. These loans are expected to be used for their specified purpose - i.e. a major DIY project or a car purchase.
5 Questions You Need To Have Answered Before You Back-Test Your Forex System
May 21, 2007
As 90-95% of new forex traders lose money within the first 3-6 months this article helps to guide new forex traders by asking 5 questions that the forex trader needs to know prior to back-testing their forex system.
Let us jump right in…
1. What data type are you using (or going to use)?
I know this sounds strange, especially if you have experience from another market such as stocks as their generally is only one type of data source available. However, in the forex market you can have up to 4 different data types: bid, ask, mid and indicative. Each have their own little nuances.
If you would like to know more about the data types then visit the article written about the perils of indicative prices. As this will save me from having to repeat the information again and boring those who’ve already read it.
So, if you know you have indicative prices then you know you’re in for some good results! However, if you have any of the other three you need to be careful on how stop and limit orders are placed.
Economic Survival in the 21st Century - the Three Key Questions to Ask
May 20, 2007
In this "special report", I want to pose a few important "philosophical questions" to my readers. Firstly — our Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, addressed the effects and implications of our aging population on things such as Social Security again in a speech that he made last Friday. Readers may remember that I also briefly mentioned this issue in my June 24th commentary. I urge you to keep this worldwide phenomenon of the aging population firmly on the back of your minds. If you are like most people, then you earn you living by producing a certain thing ? such as a consumer good, or a service that the masses want. Let’s face it ? how many people really "struck it rich" by being pure traders or investment managers? The stock market and other financial markets are definitely very important to us investors/traders but this "super secular trend" of the aging of the worldwide population will impact every aspect of our lives, whether it is losing our relative competitiveness on the world arena, increasing pension and healthcare costs, or even a potential fundamental change of our political system.
Curious Employee Foils Corporate Credit Card Fraud Scam
May 20, 2007
Curious Employee Foils Corporate Credit Card Fraud Scam
by: Scott Burke
MOLLY, THE ASSISTANT, Molly treasurer at XYZ Corp. in Miami, opened an e-mail from a former colleague who no longer worked for the organization. The e-mail read: “Hi Molly, there should be a refund of $716 on my old corporate Visa card from the IP Conference. I paid for, but did not attend, the conference and did not turn in the charge to XYZ for reimbursement. Can you have Visa issue a refund check to me? Thanks very much for your help.”
The e-mail was from Jerry, a former XYZ executive who had been Molly’s boss at one time. The message seemed innocuous enough. Jerry had legitimately charged a business conference to his corporate credit card, but he had canceled his registration because he left the company. Therefore, he was due a refund.
It would have been very easy for Molly to trust her former boss and get him the refund. Instead, because something didn’t seem quite right, she chose to check on whether XYZ had already reimbursed Jerry for the conference.
The New Investor Special Report
May 19, 2007
The New Investor Special Report
by: Peter Leeds
The Nature of Stocks and Their Markets
Stock Brokers
Besides money, the only thing you need to start investing is a stock broker. Your broker will be the individual or organization that have execute your buy and sell orders. They will have an account for you which is just like a normal bank account, except that it can contain not only cash, but stocks and bonds as well. Money from the sale of shares will go into this account, and cash to buy shares will be taken from this account.
There are two types of stock brokers which you can choose between, full service and discount. Each has advantages and disadvantages, as discussed below.
Full Service Stock Brokers
Full service brokers will give you advice and investment recommendations. However, they do have very high commission fees and are usually only suitable for investors who have a great deal of money to invest and who do few trades. For penny stock investment, the frequency of trading and the small amounts of capital per trade make full service brokers inappropriate, because their commission fees will be too high. You may be required to pay as much as $100 or more to have your full service broker buy you some shares, and just as much again when you sell.
Can I Afford Health Insurance?
May 18, 2007
Can I Afford Health Insurance?
by: Kay Lowe
In light of today’s health care costs, a better question would be, “Can I afford NOT to have health insurance?”. Indeed, medical expenses are a leading cause of bankruptcy in the US. A health insurance plan should be an essential part of any responsible financial plan, whether married or single. Even young, healthy adults should bear in mind that a single emergency room visit can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars, and intensive care can cost thousands per day. And that’s not even counting the costs of prescription drugs.
There are steps to take to minimize the expense of health insurance. Many employers offer health insurance as a benefit for employees. Rates for group health insurance such as this are usually lower than private insurance rates; employers can negotiate better rates as a group. Labor and trade unions also may offer group health insurance for their members. Spouses and children can often be added to most employee health plan, though the rate will be higher. Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance can be deducted from the employees’ paycheck, often with pre-tax dollars, increasing the savings. Many employers offer multiple health plans. The employee may be able to select from PPO, HMO, and traditional plans. Compare the options, check the policy to determine what medical expenses are covered, and select the plan that most suits the needs of you and/or your family.
PS - Keeping your Printing Costs Low
May 17, 2007
PS - Keeping your Printing Costs Low
by: Karen Nodalo
If you have a low budget for your printing project, whether it is a business card printing services or postcard printing services, there are better alternatives that you can do in order to keep your costs to a minimum. Listening and gathering tips from the experts will be helpful to you.
If you have your own printer, you can ask for some recommendations in order for you to minimize paper costs and waste. Sometimes, people keep on buying papers thinking that it is suitable for their printers but soon find out that they do not actually fit.
Therefore, to make sure that you will not waste your money over papers, you need to do a little research first.
Using one color is always the cheapest way to have your printing services done. On the other hand, one color does not have to be black only. The single color can be used as varying tints from lighter shades to darker shades.
A skilled designer can adjust the different shades of a single color. For example, he can use darker shades for text lighter for the designs or photos.
High Price/Earnings Ratios and the Stock Market: a Personal Odyssey
May 16, 2007
After some forty years of banking and investments, I retired in 2001. But since I do not golf, I soon found retirement to be very boring. So I decided to return to the investment world after ten months. However, those ten months were not a complete waste of time, for I had spent them in trying to utilize my forty years of investment experience to gain perspective on the most recent stock market “bubble” and subsequent “crash.”
There were several people who saw the stock market crash coming, but they had different ideas as to when it would occur. Those who were too early had to suffer the derision of their peers. It was difficult to take a stand when so many were proclaiming that we were in a “new era” of investing and that the old rules no longer applied. Since the beginning of 1998 through the market high of March 2000, among 8,000 stock recommendations by Wall Street analysts, only 29 recommended “sell.”
I am on record as having called for a cautious approach to investment two years before the “Crash of 2000.” In an in-house investment newsletter dated April 1998, I have a picture of the “Titanic” with the caption: “Does anyone see any icebergs?”
Who Is to Blame for Job Dissatisfaction?
May 15, 2007
Who Is to Blame for Job Dissatisfaction?
by: Laurie Sheppard
Many of the stereotypes of companies are true. Companies often hire inexperienced workers for low pay, don’t train them and then wonder why they get poor performance.
Companies don’t sufficiently include their employees in the creative idea process or give attention to individual input. They continue to enforce higher production requirements with tighter deadlines - in effect, expecting a “worker bee style” from its employees to keep up with competitive needs. Staff has little promise of promotion in this time of cutbacks, and consequently no real cause for ownership, since they are simply expected to get the job done. Yet companies feel cheated if they don’t get the quality work they expect from their workers. They complain that childcare options, flex hours, appreciation luncheons, sick leave and annual cost of living increases are frequently disregarded.
Employees feel under appreciated and un-challenged and that constant complaint prevents stepping up their performance. They justify doing personal projects on company time since the hours at their jobs are often extended - never mind that it’s often due to their undisciplined and unfocused work habits. Employees feel the inequity of being asked to assume leadership roles, if it means increased workloads with little to no reimbursement incentives. Employee theft has increased, a contributor to downsizing and cutting costs due to lost revenue. Longevity and loyalty are quickly fading concepts of the past.
