A “rate tart” is someone who switches from one zero per cent introductory credit card deal to another to avoid paying interest; however they may be set to become something of the past. Recently a number of the major credit card companies, including Egg, Barclays, the Royal Bank of Scotland and MBNA have introduced transfer charges for people who want to shift their outstanding credit card balances to a new card to take advantage of a zero per cent introductory rate.

Rate tarts will wait until the interest free period is about to expire on their current credit card, and then check through lists of providers to find another card they can switch to that has another 0% interest rate introductory period. The growth of financial comparison sites like uSwitch, moneynet.co.uk/ Moneynet and moneyfacts.co.uk/ Moneyfacts has made this money saving behaviour easy to achieve.

The providers have effectively become victims of their own success. As more and more card companies began offering interest-free balance transfers, the card providers found that they had to offer longer and longer interest-free periods to win customers, which in turn meant less profit.

Analysts have recently estimated that rate tarts are currently costing lenders £1 billion a year.

Financial director Stuart Glendenning said, “Charging a fee on balance transfers is one way of recouping some losses, given it is impossible to make money lending at 0 per cent if the customer conducts no further transactions on the card.”

Professor Merlin Stone of Bristol Business School, comments: “Economically, some providers cannot sustain their current offers of zero per cent interest which means they may have to remove them or start introducing new charges to help reduce their losses.”

This is exactly what appears to be happening, Professor Stone stated, “Research shows that in 2003, none of the cards offering zero per cent APR interest on balance transfers applied charges for transferring balances compared to around 11 per cent that do today.”

Perhaps in an effort to justify the reduction in 0% introductory period on credit cards, Patrick Muir, marketing director at morganstanleycard.co.uk/ Morgan Stanley Consumer Banking, said: “Our research suggests that cardholders are wising up to short-term deals, as the majority of those currently switching or planning to switch are not moving from one short-term offer to another.”

Only eight per cent of people are looking to change their credit card in the coming months, said investment bank Morgan Stanley, however Stuart Glendenning advises, “Whilst not all have gone down the fee route yet, my advice is simple: transfer your balance for free while you still can.”

Richard works in Edinburgh for bigmouthmedia, as well as writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla cashzilla.blogspot.com/ cashzilla.blogspot.com/, and drinking too much coffee.

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Last year, over 69 million Americans used electronic filing, also known as e-file, to file their income tax returns. Many of these individuals also chose to use an online tax filing service, or the IRS Free File program. In fact, the IRS estimates that in 2007, millions of Americans will take advantage of this option. Yet, while this number only represents a small percent of those filing a federal tax return, the number increases each year as more and more taxpayers discover the convenience and ease of using an online tax filing service.

There is still, however, a significant number of consumers who are skeptical about filing their taxes online. Many of these individuals don’t trust Internet security, and will tell anyone who cares to listen that they would “never buy anything online, let alone pay their taxes on an Internet web site.” What these people don’t understand, however, is the high level of security that is mandated by the IRS for any company that establishes an IRS e-file online tax filing system. In addition, most online tax filing sites will allow you to deduct their fee directly from your refund, thereby eliminating the use of a credit card.

In order to use online tax return preparation software, a tax preparation vendor must apply for and receive third party privacy and security certification. They must also be in complete compliance with federal regulations regarding the privacy of taxpayer information for all customers. Additionally, these companies may not use any information gathered in the process of preparing a return for any other reason than that which has been authorized by the taxpayer.

All sites that are linked on the IRS e-filing network must meet with certain security guidelines. The site must support 128-bit encryption, a feature that causes the data that you enter on the screen to be scrambled before it is sent to its ultimate destination. The encrypted code is then unscrambled on the receiving end, thus preventing hackers from accessing your personal information.

Secure sites will display a web address of “https” as opposed to “http” on non-secure sites. Additionally, there might be a padlock icon in one of your toolbars also indicating that the site is secure. You can also check the level of the site’s encryption by either right clicking in the body of the text or clicking on the “file” tab at the top of the screen, and then selecting “Properties.” Either way, a window will be displayed indicating whether or not the page is encrypted, as well as the level of encryption applied. Be safe, not sorry!

However, don’t allow concern over security as an excuse to not file your taxes online. If you stop and think about it, you are probably less secure going to an income tax preparation service office and dealing with a stranger to whom you are giving access to all of your personal information. Can you be absolutely certain that your most confidential information is secure, and will not be divulged to any outside party? Probably not!

Gust A. Lenglet is an accomplished author and financial advisor in the field of personal finance and taxation. He is President and CEO of the HBS Financial Group, Ltd. and offers hbsfinancialgroup.com online tax filing as well as timely articles and free information to assist you in tax planning.

The easiest way to reduce credit card debt is through a home equity loan, but there are debt reduction options out there for those who don’t own a home. With a little wisdom and planning, you can get to work on securing your financial freedom.

Let the professionals work for you.

There are companies that specialize in negotiating with credit card companies. They are able to lower balances, reduce interest, and even remove fees. Allow one of these negotiation services to work on your behalf and you will be surprised at how much less you will owe almost immediately. Then to reduce your debt even more, start taking the money you save each month and apply it to your debt. The faster you pay off your debt the less interest you will owe.

Let the professionals do the budget for you.

Let’s face it, if budgeting were your strong suit, you probably would have a handle on your credit card spending. Sitting down with a professional credit counselor and letting them take a look at your budget and put you on the right track for your financial future. A credit counselor can even help you work out a payment schedule that will let you see a light at the end of the debt tunnel.

Tighten your belt and make some short term sacrifices.

Try using one of ABC Loan Guide’s abcloanguide.com/creditcarddebtconsolidation.shtml Recommended Sources To Help You Reduce Your Credit Card Debt.

It may not be the fun thing to do, but the reality is that unless you pay more than the minimum payment on your credit card balance, you will never get yourself out of debt. This might mean that for a year or two you will have to go without some of the luxuries your used to having. Make a list of the things in your life that are necessities and the things that are extras and then decide what things you can do without at least until you have a handle on your debt.

View our recommended lenders for an abcloanguide.com/debtconsolidation.shtml Unsecured Debt Consolidation
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I’m often asked, “can I still buy a home if I’ve had a recent

bankruptcy?”. Absolutely! Now, for obvious reasons, you can expect to

pay a higher rate on your mortgage than those who haven’t had a

bankruptcy. You actually have a couple of choices when it comes to

purchasing a home after a bankruptcy. You can get your mortgage through

a non-prime lender, or seek out an FHA Loan. Whichever mortgage lender

type you go with, be prepared to produce an explanation of the

circumstances of the BK, as well as the documentation and schedule of

debtors. You’ll also need to have re-established some credit in most

cases, to show the mortgage lender that you can now handle paying your

bills again. You needn’t be a novelist to write you BK explanation

letter, your mortgage broker can help with that. At our company, it’s

no big deal to help 20-30 people each month at writing their

explanation letter for Bk’s. We know what the mortgage lender is

looking for and what format they like, so relax when it comes to this

part of the loan. They really just want to know what the circumstances

surrounding your BK were, in layman’s terms. There are basically two

kinds of personal bankruptcies that mortgage lenders deal with; Chapter

13, where your debts are reorganized and paid out over time and Chapter

7, where your assets are liquidated. I’m not an attorney, so speak to

your tax advisor about each of these bankruptcies if you’d like

in-depth information about what they mean. You can usually get a home

mortgage in 12 months with a chapter 13 bankruptcy. You can expect to

wait at least 2 years for a chapter 7 bankruptcy. Either way, you can

expect to produce a trustee letter. It’s dis-heartening, but I meet

couples and individuals all the time who have either just filed

bankruptcy, or they have one being discharged and I’m unable to help

until they get a trustee letter, authorizing a home purchase. I hope

this helps you in your mortgage endeavor!

View this and other articles at ezmortgagequotes.com/mortgage-blog.html The Mortgage
Blog

Win Smiddy is a Busy Mortgage Banker and Active Real Estate Investor.

Three companies offer online credit reports in the United States of America. A credit report is compiled using the previous information of a person or a company. This information may include a persons name, current address, social security number, date of birth and current and previous employers. A credit report also consists of details about credit accounts that were opened in the person’s name.

Online credit reports are classified, necessitate a credit card, are open for a particular number of days, and can be printed from the website. An online credit report can also help a moneylender by providing easy access to a borrowers credit history. There are many advantages of an online credit report for borrowers as well as lenders. Any bank will check a person?s credit report before forwarding any type of loan. This not only helps the bank in deciding the interest rates that are to be fixed but also helps the borrower by providing speedy financial services.

The government is bound by law to give a credit report to those who have been turned down by creditors. This credit report is accessible at any time of the year and can be accessed by lenders or borrowers whenever they wish. Other legal pre-requisites for obtaining a credit report include – having a valid social security number and the age of the person (above 18 years).

The three companies that provide this service are Experian, Equifax and Trans Union. An instant credit report can tremendously increase the speed of the process of credit creation on which all the capitalistic countries depend. Credit creation is a process that involves creating credit so that the economy can benefit from all the idle money or finances. Inactive capital or funds are put to use by lending so that the flow of capital in the economy is not hampered. Instant online credit reports make the process of credit creation very smooth thus benefiting the lender, the borrower, as well as the country’s economy.

e-fixyourcreditreport.com Fix Your Credit Report provides detailed information on Causes Of Bad Credit Reports, Effects Of Bad Credit Reports, Fix Your Credit Report, Free Copy Of Credit Report and more. Fix Your Credit Report is affiliated with i-FreeCreditReport.com Free Annual Credit Reports.

Answer these questions truthfully:

1.) Does your spouse or partner complain that you spend too much money?

2.) Are you surprised each month when your credit card bill arrives at how much more you charged than you thought you had?

3.) Do you have more shoes and clothes in your closet than you could ever possibly wear?

4.) Do you own every new gadget before it has time to collect dust on a retailer’s shelf?

5.) Do you buy things you didn’t know you wanted until you saw them on display in a store?

If you answered “yes” to any two of the above questions, you are an impulse spender and indulge yourself in retail therapy.

This is not a good thing. It will prevent you from saving for the important things like a house, a new car, a vacation or retirement. You must set some financial goals and resist spending money on items that really don’t matter in the long run.

Impulse spending will not only put a strain on your finances but your relationships, as well. To overcome the problem, the first thing to do is learn to separate your needs from your wants.

Advertisers blitz us hawking their products at us 24/7. The trick is to give yourself a cooling-off period before you buy anything that you have not planned for.

When you go shopping, make a list and take only enough cash to pay for what you have planned to buy. Leave your credit cards at home.

If you see something you think you really need, give yourself two weeks to decide if it is really something you need or something you can easily do without. By following this simple solution, you will mend your financial fences and your relationships.

Read more articles on investing on investmenthelper.org/ InvestmentHelper.org ( investmenthelper.org/ investmenthelper.org)

When creating wealth in the stock market, you need to build a certain understanding of the risks involved. How do you assess the risk? When do you listen to other people’s opinion and when do you make up your own mind based on training and research?

Well, for starters, don’t listen too much to others. Who is going to look after your money best? You, of course! Then why not learn for yourself how to be a stock market investor instead of listening to advice from possibly unreliable sources.

To start with, learn basic strategies. If you understand how the stock market works to a certain degree, then maybe you should look at derivatives. These are highly leveraged investment instruments and need to be understood properly to be used to their full advantage.

Once you understand stock market derivatives (and you will if you apply yourself), you can move on to more advanced strategies and this will open up some interesting possibilities for you.

For instance: I invest with returns around 15 – 20% per month. I learnt this with very little knowledge of how to be a stock market investor. I achieved this in less than 2 years. I know several investors who learnt this in 3 to 6 months.

There are also bad months. This is where money management comes in. Learning to manage your investments with a proper strategy and money management is vital to your success in the stock market.

You have plenty to gain by learning from other enthusiastic traders. Visit stock market or wealth creation forums. Learn from other like minded people. A little bit of effort, fuelled by dreams will get you a lot further than little effort with no dreams.

Remember this is all about leverage. Learn to leverage yourself and the income potential rises with it.

Many will say that the risk rises with the income potential. If you agree with that, then read this quote by a very seasoned stock market investor and think again:

“Risk is NOT understanding what you are doing” – Warren Buffet

Think about it. If you didn’t think – “YES, that’s true!”, then read it again and again until you really get the point.

What some people perceive as risky, others do as an everyday task, as if it is second nature. It’s just like having a casual walk to the local shop.

Driving a car is risky. Especially if you haven’t driven before, or have little experience. Maybe you haven’t bothered learning the basic traffic rules.

How risky is it for you to drive a car when you know the traffic rules, have made the effort to practise and stay aware of any changes that may affect you in that environment?

Not very risky at all!

Same task. Very risky for some. Hardly any risk at all for others.

Compare this to being a stock market investor. If you enter a trade with little or no knowledge, it would be fair to say it is very risky. Do it with base knowledge, research and networking, then it would be fair to say that you have reduced your risk dramatically.

The very same trade will have different outcomes depending on how you react to the market place. Hence, the different risk levels in the very same situation.

So hang in there. Utilise resources like stock market forums. Do a course or attend a seminar to fast track your learning. Educate yourself with things that WILL make a difference to your future. Believe me, whoever said money doesn’t buy happiness, either didn’t have any money at all or never went without.

Of course, money doesn’t buy happiness. But it sure does help. I know which option I prefer.

Let me think. Here are my financial options:

Option number 1 – Little or no wealth.

• Work until I’m 65.
• Put my kids through average under funded schools because I have no choice.
• Having to budget most or all of the time.
• Trying to make ends meet.
• Keep a relationship and a happy family while always struggling to pay the bills.
• Have very few holidays.
• Constantly worrying about fuel prices.
• Have little or no money for charities.
• Etc, etc.

Option number 2 – Plenty of wealth.

• Enough money.
• Comfortable living. Stress-less lifestyle.
• Work until I want to. NOT until I have to.
• Work as a hobby. Do what I want to do. With a passion!
• Put my kids in the schools I want to. It’s my choice.
• Support as many charities as I like. Make other peoples life easier.
• Support my local community financially, because I can.

• Holiday as much as I like.
• Make ends meet ALL of the time. Who cares how much the grocery bill is?
• What fuel prices? What’s the issue? When fuel prices go up, so do my shares.
• Etc, etc.

If I cannot be happy using Option number 2, then I’ve got some serious problems!

You choose your own destiny. Don’t let others make up your mind for you. Make wealth creation a part of your financial education.

Happy researching, and good luck to you in your quest for financial independence.

Sean Rasmussen is a Property & Stock Market Investor as well as a Life Coach. You can download his stock market investing ebook on his website universalwealthcreation.com universalwealthcreation.com

The life insurance industry is one filled with a variety of large, middle, and small capitalization companies. Specifically focusing on the mid-cap equities, four 3-5 billion dollar corporations stand out. Three of these companies, Protective Life, Torchmark, and American National Insurance all have solid fundamentals and business strategies to help investors make money. However, the other stock, Reinsurance Group of America (RGA), has superior fundamentals to the aforementioned equities and should be a part of any investor’s diversified portfolio.

Narrowing the business strategy a bit further, Reuters claims that Reinsurance, an insurance company, is “primarily engaged in traditional individual life, asset-intensive, critical illness and financial reinsurance.” Having a global presence in the United States, Canada, Europe, South Africa, and East Asia, there is tremendous potential for further growth. With life insurance, growth can come from many different areas. Each of these nations has their respective health problems. In Asia, where Reinsurance claims nearly 16% of net premiums, smoking is highly prominent. Since tobacco is highly addictive, and most of the smokers that do continue this practice are usually aware of the potential dangers of its use, they may be more willing to purchase an insurance plan such as the one Reinsurance issues. In other areas like the United States and Canada, which together accounts for 70% of Reinsurance’s net premiums, obesity is a high problem. Just like smoking is addictive to the natives of Pacific Asia, fast food is the complement to many areas in North America. As a result these individuals usually will understand the threats associated with their habits and take precautions such as purchasing a life insurance plan. And as more individuals continues these practices into the future, there will be more demand for Reinsurance, which means higher sales numbers, higher EPS figures, and positive sentiment, leading to a higher share price.

Reading these past few sentences, many investors may find that all the companies in this industry have similar goals. This observation is true, but does not extend into the fundamental side of things—an area where Reinsurance is really prospering. Looking over the past year revenue numbers, Reinsurance has had more revenue come in at 5.35 billion dollars, according to Capital IQ, which is more than the other three competitors. Now some investors may argue that over the same time period, according to Reuters, operating margins (8.65%) and net profit margins (5.60) are quite below the industry respective averages at 15.49% and 11.00%, not to mention all three other companies. Nevertheless it is important to understand the facts behind these numbers. Comparing both operating and net profit margins last year to the five year average (8.47% and 5.47% respectively), there is clear indication that Reinsurance is growing every year. This is a statement that cannot be said of some of Reinsurance’s competitors like Protective Life which saw lower figures last year compared to its five year average. However, the most important statistic regarding sales figures is the five year growth rate. Reinsurance has seen revenue over this time period increase by 21.42%–over four times the industry average at 5.21%. In fact, the next highest percentage increase when compared to the three other rivals was Protective Life at 10.73%. Such great potential should continue to increase given the business plan mentioned earlier, and high sales figures should be a strong complement to higher earnings.

While some investors may feel optimistic about such high growth potential, these same individuals may feel reluctant about EPS growth. Fortunately, statistics from Reuters show that this company has seen 42.21% growth in this area for five years. While the number is a bit below industry average, it is still quite high compared to similar mid-cap rivals, as only American National Insurance at a rate of 33.16% can even compare to Reinsurance’s figure. If this figure can be sustained for the next couple of years, much of this success will translate to a higher share price.

Already sitting at a forward P/E ratio at 11.16 which is below the 13.34 multiple of the industry, some investors may claim that Reinsurance is not only a growing quite nicely but is undervalued given these aforementioned statistics. And looking at evidence to support this claim, there may be some truth to this argument. It is true that all three rivals mentioned are hovering about the 10-12 earnings multiple, but other ratios show that Reinsurance has much more potential for a high share price, even if it is near a 52-week high. If estimates are close to correct, analyst propose that Reinsurance will see over $5.75 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2007. If this figure is accurate, this would mean an enterprise value to revenue of 0.92 and a price to sales figure of 0.63—both numbers below trailing twelve month figures. Comparing this figure to Protective Life’s 1.17 same-time price to sales statistic or Torchmark’s 1.95 respective figure (which is actually higher than the trailing twelve month average), there is strong evidence to support that the share price for Reinsurance has the potential to further grow. The PEG ratio (five-year growth rate) at 1.12 is below most other competitors, and the trailing twelve month enterprise value to EBITDA at 3.76 is nearly half of all three aforementioned companies. Now, as the company is trading at a range of 60-65, now would be an excellent time to purchase shares of this company, given the undervalued status it seems to have.

Nevertheless, amid all these great numbers, there may be some speculation regarding some of the management ratios. Although, even the great fundamental numbers provided earlier from CEO Greig Woodring and his 978 employees, there still may be some questions about a trailing ROE figure of 11.15%–a number below the industry average at 12.72%. While it would be nice to have a higher number reflecting how management uses shareholder’s money, looking at competitors, such as American National which only has a 7.86% ROE, there should not be tremendous concern for a near average number. What Reinsurance should be excited about, however, is a price to book ratio of 1.32 in its most recent quarter which is below industry average and quite important for financial stocks. In addition, it is great to see that Reinsurance has both leveraged and free cash flow in the positive range, which cannot be said about some of its rivals like Protective Life. Overall, while the company does not have perfect fundamental figures, its statistics do illustrate that it is a great purchase for any investor portfolio.

While Reinsurance is trading near its 52-week high, there are still plenty of reasons why it is undervalued. The aforementioned earnings and sales statistics are a good starting point, and looking at the business goal and plan compared to other rivals, is another way to reach this assertion. Except for one cycle, Reinsurance has not had a negative two year range, and should continue to sustain this pace, barring any major economic bullet. The equity also has a dividend yield of 0.59 which is great for any investor. Given all these excellent numbers and information about Reinsurance, there should be no reason for any investor to avoid this company and potentially fail to have this great portfolio asset.

Dennis Biray presents advice on all kinds of topics ranging from finance and investing to fitness to sports. For more information email him at mailto:dbiray@gmail.com dbiray@gmail.com, or to view other articles written by him visit biraynetworks.co.nr biraynetworks.co.nr

Many Americans each year commit themselves to bike across the nation and prove that they can make it? Indeed, you have to totally be impressed with such folks, I mean my gosh, that is one heck of a long way isn’t it? Yes, it sure is.

Well, I was so impressed with all those super-cyclists who have accomplished this that I too have committed myself to doing the same thing. Why? Well because I think I can, I think I can. You know like that little train that made it over the mountain.

Perhaps it is a test of will, proof of perseverance or simple a badge of my own strength of character? But either way, I am going for it? In fact here are some of my bike ride plans;

ezinearticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow&ecat=Recreation-and-Sports:Cycling” target=”_blank ezinearticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow&ecat=Recreation-and-Sports:Cycling

Well you can call me nuts, as most everyone I know has told me, yet in my younger days I have already ridden the length of California to raise money for Special Olympics and don’t worry I am planning a warm up from Port Angeles, WA to the Mexican Boarder along the CA coastline soon.

Just practice to get the bike tuned up and get into shape for the long-haul. Then most likely Coronado, CA where the Navy Seals train, watch them for an hour to get my last minute psyche ready and then go get it done across the bottom of CA, to AZ up Highway 60 to NM and thru TX, etc. I know all the areas well and well there you have it. They tell me I cannot do it in 3.5 weeks and they say I am crazy and it is impossible. Yep, that is what they always tell me, no matter what I am doing you see? Please consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” – Online WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/ Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; WorldThinkTank.net www.WorldThinkTank.net/

Like a hurricane, the irritating debts might have devastated your finances completely. And now, you are seeking for a finance that will help you to rebuild your damaged financial position. For every debt related issues, finance debt consolidation is the flawless option if you consider. Finance debt consolidation, supervise all your debts that have assimilated from different creditors and, helps to consolidate them in the easiest way possible.

The aims and objectives of finance debt consolidation is to minimizes the debts of the debtors and help them to lead a debt free life. It helps the debtors to accountable to a single lender, instead of repaying to numerous. The standards of finance debt consolidation, help the debtors to supervise and, curb their debts before it create more damage to their financial position.

Furthermore, finance debt consolidation offer services to debtors by leading to lending institutions that provide cheap rate of interest. The rate of interest proffered is lower and affordable to the one that you might be paying currently to different creditors. The drastic changes in the rate of interest directly lessen your repaying burden.

Finance debt consolidation intends to extend its service by classifying it in to two forms: secured and unsecured. Such, classifications facilitate the debtors to borrow the services in the way which they feel convenient. Finance debt consolidation intends to serve even the debtors who might be suffering from CCJs, defaults, arrears and late payments.

Finance debt consolidation carries its function under numerous brands like debt management services, personal debt management, debt consolidation loans and debt management advice for the suitability of the debtors. The services and solutions of finance debt consolidation does not limits to settlement of debts, but march ahead with its policies to support the debtors to restore their tattered financial status, and to execute their ends.

Loan borrowing is like once in a life time decision and much is at stake. He works for UK debt consolidations. To find ukdebtconsolidations.co.uk/debt_consolidation.html Finance debt consolidation, personal debt consolidation loans, debt management, loans, unsecured debt consolidation loans please visit ukdebtconsolidations.co.uk/ ukdebtconsolidations.co.uk/