Monthly Archives: September 2008

Your Credit Score Can Affect Your Bottomline

Author : Janice Willingham

Besides your social security number and drivers’ license number, the other most important three digit number is your credit score Get your credit out of whack, and your financial life can be pure misery Most numbers affiliated with your name serve as another means of identification Your credit score means more than that and if left unattended or falls into the wrong hands it could take years for you to get back in good standing with creditors In this article I will explain the necessity and importance of your credit score

The basic premise surrounding credit scores is the ability for creditors, insurers and in any other financial related provider to be able to predict financial risk, the probability that you will or have the ability to re-pay money that you borrow or measure the likelihood you will file an insurance claim be it auto or home coverage It’s fair to say that a better score means a better arrangement or agreement with your landlord, insurers and creditors

Your credit score affects how much in interest you pay for a credit card or whether a loan can be extended to you Creditors as a means of protecting themselves and depending on your need for credit will offer loans that are too good to pass up, but carry a hefty interest rate behind them because of your credit For example, someone that can purchase an automobile at a five percent or less interest rate apparently has great credit However, there are those consumers who are charged a nine percent interest rate or higher because their credit score is below a certain number where a low interest rate is not applicable

Utilities for your home including cable companies, telephone service, cellular phone service are wanting to check your credit score A higher credit score in these situations could make the difference between paying a deposit for service, obtaining a discount on the deposit or the probability of getting the deposit waived because of your good credit Additionally, employers also check your credit which could be the difference between landing your dream job or being unemployed

When calling insurers to obtain home and auto quotes, have you noticed they ask for your social security number? This is so they can check your credit history A less than perfect credit score can cost you a lot of money in premiums Some insurance companies check your credit score annually and will adjust your premium accordingly Keep in mind that if your credit score is negatively affected for any reason, it may not be the time to go shopping for insurance rates Also, if you know your credit score is not where it should be it would behoove you to look for an insurance company that does not use credit scores to determine your premium

Although many people are not aware of how their credit score affects them financially, the financial institutions, insurance companies and others are well aware of that all important three digit number because studies have shown that it predicts how these companies will make their money and whether they are willing to take a chance on you

For more information on how your
credit matters,
pick up my free e-book 8 Credit Myths and visit my credit store at

http://www.j6financialsolutions.com
Continue reading

Posted in Finance, Insurance | Tagged | Leave a comment

Shares vs Property Someone Please Help Me Decide

Author : Scott Martin

When you re comparing shares vs property in an attempt to decide where you ll invest your hard earned money next, it s never a case of one being entirely good or entirely bad Shares and property both have their benefits and downsides The important thing is to look for good choices in each sector, and to decide which option fits your particular situation

For a while, the shares versus property argument was going in favor of property, as far as most people were concerned Investing in property was fashionable With the recent real estate crisis in America property investment is losing its appeal for many However, that doesn t mean that investment property isn t a viable choice Buying property to rent is still a good option, and there s plenty of opportunity available in commercial property

Stocks and shares have bounced back and forth recently, and many people are concerned about their future prospects However, the right choice can mean that, for you, the shares vs property debate comes up in favor of the stock market It all depends on your situation there are good things about both of them Anyone who argues that one is definitely superior to the other hasn t done his or her homework

Benefits of Property

In general, property wins the shares vs property argument for people interested in stability and long term growth Property offers good leverage and strong capital gains Established properties fare better, and it s important to choose carefully Look for good locations and opportunities for price appreciation If you want to be sure of income, think about rental locations as a safe bet

Property investment is something that many find easier to understand than share investment There s a certain level of knowledge and sophistication required, but less technical understanding In terms of shares vs property, property is also more tangible you ll be able to see where your money is going

Investing in property can also give you more control over your investment Property investors have complete control over the investment, where share investors have only the influence of their voting power In terms of shares vs property, Property also gives you the ability to personally add value if you choose to renovate or develop it

Benefits of Shares

When we talk about shares vs property, shares offer high liquidity and good cash flow prospects They re easier to profit on in the short term, if you keep a good eye on shares prices Income is one of the most certain parts of any investment return That means you should look for companies you know to be well managed, which have a good profit record if you think shares are the best choice in the shares vs property debate

In addition to the above, when it comes to shares vs property, shares are much more divisible You can sell down portions of your portfolio without selling the whole thing something that can t be said about property The minimum investment is also usually lower If you can only invest five thousand dollars, that s not a problem

Transaction costs are lower in the shares vs property debate, too The only costs required are brokerage on acquisition and disposal On the other hand, property will have a number of extra costs on both ends, plus the cost of maintaining it Direct share ownership actually has no ongoing costs at all

Would you like a Free Investment Education? For a limited time http://sharespropertymoney.com are now giving away a Free Wealth Pack valued at over $1000. This Includes Free Investment DVD’s, Free Seminars & Free Stock Market/Property Ebooks Continue reading

Posted in Finance | Leave a comment

How Being Familiar With the Rules Will Assist in Augmenting Your Roth IRA Potential

Author : Trevor Price

Retirement plans are excellent tax shelters, but you need to understand Roth IRA rules and other contribution requirements to maximize those tax savings Essentially, contributions to a retirement savings plan are made on a pretax basis employers match employee contributions to a plan, but that income isn t taxable until it s received, once the employee has retired

With a Roth IRA, the contributions you make aren t tax deductible, however the withdrawals that you make in the future won t be taxed making it a great option for those who expect to have higher incomes in their retirement

To learn more about Roth IRA and traditional IRA rules, read on for information that can help you amp up your savings and earnings

Roth IRA Limitations

Roth IRA contributions are limited at $5000 per tax year However, if you re 51 or over, you can contribute up to $6000 to a Roth IRA In 2009, those contribution limitations are expected to increase based on current inflation rates They will go up in $500 increments

Unfortunately, there are income eligibility requirements for a Roth IRA Essentially, you can only make the maximum contribution if your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) falls below a certain level For example, a married couple may earn between $150,000 and $160,000 or lower and a single person can earn between $95,000 and $110,000 or lower Otherwise, they must opt for a 401(k)

401 (k) Roth

If you are participating in an elective contribution plan at work, did you know that you can now choose to make some of those contributions Roth contributions This is called a 401(k) Roth With a Roth 401(k), the deductions made are not taken out of your taxable wages However, they are still tax free when withdrawn, and many are not included in federal income taxes

The beauty of a Roth 401(k) is that there are no income restrictions on it That means that no matter what your Modified AGI is, you can make contributions to a Roth 401(k) Also, the contribution limit is much higher For those 50 and under, it s $15,000 and $20,000 for those over 50 There s also potential of a greater return on investment (ROI) thanks to the higher contribution limits

Switching from a Traditional to a Roth IRA

Unfortunately, you can only convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA if your Modified AGI income is less than $100,000 per year Also, if you re married, but file separately from your spouse then you are usually not allowed to convert your IRAs However, your converted amount could be considered taxable income, though future growth is tax free Finally, when you convert to a Roth IRA, you aren t required to make withdrawals at age 70 5

If you re concerned about the Adjusted Gross Income restrictions currently in place for Roth IRA conversions, there is good news on the horizon After 2010, new Roth IRA rules will eliminated the $100,000 income limit on conversions from traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs Also, any taxes due on 2010 conversions can be paid in a two year installment

For great info on senior retirement preparation, see http://www.seniorretiretips.com, a popular site addressing needs such as simple retirement calculators – http://www.seniorretiretips.com/simple-retirement-calculator.shtml, senior new homes and many more! Continue reading

Posted in Finance, Financial Planning, Taxes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Suggested Asset Allocation For 23 7 Return From Stock Market Investment

Author : Zainul Anuar

Less than 0 8 individual investors have effective asset allocation for their investment And 97 9 of novice investors don t even know how to allocate their cash prior to investing in stock market In this article, I m going to share with you the suggested asset allocation that I used myself for your own references

I bet you must have heard someone saying invest only with money that you can afford to lose At least, this is what I m always saying to myself and to all my loyal readers Nevertheless, when I said so, many reply back to how much exactly? They are hoping some figure or percentage that they can start applying in their cash management So here we go,

Easy Money for Medium to High Risk Investment

First of all, high risk investment is highly subjective to individual risk tolerance Something risky for me might not be risky to you at all It s depend on your knowledge, skills and experience when dealing with such opportunities And of course how confident are you dealing with external factors that are beyond your control; such as market volatility and commodity uncertainties

But for me, medium to short term trading are considered as medium to high risk investment And therefore, I personally allocate easy money for this activity Easy money includes but not limited to bonuses from your employer, gratuity after you retire, or dividends from existing investment With money that I can afford to lose, I can trade stocks with emotionally detached

40 Cash for Low Risk Investment

You might want to apply this suggested asset allocation since you can comfortably put most of your hard earned money into something that you have faith in it And to me, I consider buying great stocks at cheap price as the lowest risk investment ever This is just like buying Berkshire Hathaway shares at only $10,000

Isn t that a no brainer investment decision?

However, the challenges are finding good stocks and have patient not to buy them unless the share prices are cheap enough You can do this by first identifying potential stocks that worth investing After you have shortlisted them all, try to determine how much each stock worth by calculating its intrinsic value Then, buy the stocks once the share prices are within the margin of safety After all, this is what Warren Buffet did all this while

40 Cash Reserve to Further Diversify

If you are thinking of putting all of your hard earned money into stock market, think again The fact is, limiting your investment in one asset classes alone; such as stock market only, can bring disaster No matter how good your investing skills and how much you have diversify your money into different stocks across various industries, I found it just not good enough

Consider diversifying into other asset classes such as real estate or maybe building your own businesses as well

I prefer buying high end properties than others since that market segment seems to be less susceptible to economic condition Real estate investment is a good platform for you to understand how businesses works, especially your negotiation skills Slowly, I venture into some other businesses to increase my return on investment From such activities, I have better understanding on which stocks to invest

Want to invest like Warren Buffet? Learn how to calculate intrinsic value at http://www.Stock-Investment-Made-Easy.com/ Chart Profits The Easy Way with A Step-by-Step Guide to Stock Investi Continue reading

Posted in Finance | Leave a comment

Want to Sell Your Structured Settlement Payments Quickly.

What are some things that you need to know about before cashing in your structured settlement annuity. Continue reading

Posted in Finance, Insurance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Visitor Health Insurance: 5 Important Items Too Examine

Visitors health insurance protects you while you are traveling to foreign countries. These are especially designed for travelers to foreign countries. Whether you are visiting for business or for leisure virtually all medical needs can me covered by a visitors health policy. Continue reading

Posted in Insurance | Tagged | Leave a comment

Adverse Credit Mortgage Options Available

Applying for a mortgage may be one of the hardest things to do for someone that has a less than perfect credit history. Getting a loan with bad credit is possible, especially with an adverse credit mortgage loan. Extensive debts on existing or closed accounts and other credit blemishes may keep a borrower from qualifying for better mortgage options. Continue reading

Posted in Mortgage | Tagged | Leave a comment

Options for Self Cert Mortgage

There are so many options for mortgage today, that many people may have a hard time choosing a mortgage that is right for them. Self cert mortgages may be the right solution for some people. Qualifying for a self cert mortgage is easy, and if you do, you probably won’t have any trouble making repayments for this quick and easy loan. Continue reading

Posted in Banking, Finance | Tagged , | Leave a comment