Investments in 2007 will be your opportunity to make significant gains in your financial portfolio. Taking control early in your investment planning will maximize your returns and you’ll create groundwork that will allow you to establish investing guidelines for all future investing as well.

Investing is all about placing your best researched intuitions where you feel comfortable about what will take place regardless of the expectations of others or the status of the nation’s economy. Money is made daily and if you place your investments wisely, determines if you are in fact, master of your investments.

There are some misconceptions of what type of investments are the best to follow. If you do not have any real insights on the stock market, don’t jump in with a large percentage of your investing capital. The keys to success are about learning as much as anything and never replaying a bad strategy.

History, self made history, is or should be your best friend for all your future investments. It’s not a perfect world and neither are you, so put aside any thoughts that you can maximize every trade or other investment, make your moves slowly and consistent.

Let’s say you are new to investing, you can take advantage of several courses or mini-trade routes, outlined by someone who’s found consistent patterns that produce successful trades. Investing can be in a totally unexpected direction, such as applying yourself in online sales from an affiliate program. This is a very popular investment since it takes very little money to get started and you have a ready-made product already established. The commission split to you is very appealing. There are a number of programs that pay as much as 75% to you.

Investment Planning is really as simple as, where you think you can actively participate with your money and or time, that will yield you a positive return on your participation.

________________________________________________________________

1. – Know your talents, what are you good at, then think of ways to make it pay you for your efforts

2. – How much time can you devote to your investment, this is where you don’t want to become sidetracked and lose sight of your goals

3. – Invest your time or money where you understand the risks and won’t become shocked or surprised if it develops a slump or setback

4. – Choose an investment that you enjoy, this makes investing a pleasure and this will give you drive above all other distractions

5. – Make predictions or goals that can be obtained in the short term, don’t set yourself up to finish the year before you’ve made your shorter range goals. Life is about living, not retiring.

6. – Read about the previous years wins and losses, in the field of your investment plans and see where to make small changes that could correct for the losses and avoid pitfalls that history provides

7. – Consider forming a team of investors, family, friends, or co-workers who are serious about taking control of their financial futures.

8. – Put all your financial plans in writing and keep them at arms reach at all times. It’s very wise to make notes as you have certain thoughts from day to day and reflect, then decide if you need to make adjustments. Don’t become overwhelmed with the ” I should have done . . .” thinking process. This will make you miserable and you can loose focus very easily.

9. – Track your progress and determine if you should increase your investment of money, time, or both in order to see a positive return on your investment. This is not always easy to decide, but you are the controls of your investment, don’t let yourself down.

10.- Find a mentor that can advise and encourage you to continue, seldom will you find a success story that didn’t have contributors, regardless of their role in the success story. You may be pleasantly surprised how much others can actually affect your investments in a positive manner. ____________________________________________________________________

Investing for 2007 can be your new-found goldmine to becoming self-sufficient financially. Take the time to decide your personal plan of action and follow through with it. There are so many possibilities, it’s not a question of if, but rather how you will succeed. For more investment tips:

wealthsmith.com/investment-tips-insights-2007.htm

Jim is an online writer and netpreneur that has a knack for current trends and topics that his readers enjoy absorbing for their personal enrichment. Today’s topic is investments;

wealthsmith.com/investment-tips-insights-2007.htm wealthsmith.com/investment-tips-insights-2007.htm

A stock split occurs when a corporation decides to issue new stock and distribute it to it’s current stockholders. This is a decision made by the company’s board of directors.

The most common stock split is a 2 for 1 split. When this happens the stockholder will now own twice as many shares as before the split but at half the price. The total value of your stock does not change. For instance, if you owned 100 shares before the split and the price was $50 a share, after the split you would own 200 shares at $25 a share. After the split the shareholder owns exactly the same percentage of the company as before the split, only the number or shares and share price has changed.

While a 2 for 1 split is the most common, companies also distribute 3 for 1 splits, 3 for 2 splits, 5 for 1 splits, etc.

Why does a Company Split their Stock?

Companies will split their stock when they feel that the share price has grown to the point that it will no longer be considered affordable by many investors. Since most stock transactions are in round lots (lots of 100 shares), the total cost for 100 shares might be out of reach for some investors. Once a stock price hits $100 a share, for instance, evidence shows that many investors consider it to be too expensive. If the price per share were reduced it would be more affordable. The effect of more people buying the shares will hopefully lead to a price gain.
What effect does a Stock Split have on the Share Price?

When a company splits it stock it sends the message that the company has been profitable and it will probably continue to prosper. Companies normally announce their upcoming stock split some time in advance. Many investors and traders search for these companies and consider them prime candidates for a further price increase.

In theory a stock split should have no impact on the value of the stock, it should be a neutral event. The only thing that has changed is the share price and number of shares. When you do the math you still have the same value and the same percentage of ownership in the company. In practice however, companies who split their stock most often see price increase when the split is announced or after the split actually occurs. The company knows this and is eager to see it’s stock price increase.

Reverse Split

Sometimes a company will issue a reverse split. When this happens the shareholder will have less shares at a greater price. For example, a typical reverse split is a 1 for 10 split. For example, if a company has been trading at $1 a share and you have 100 shares, after a 1 for 10 split you will have 10 shares at $10 a share. A company might perform a reverse split when their share price has dropped to a very low level and they want to increase the share price to appear more respectable to potential investors. In addition, some exchanges will de-list a stock when the price drops below a certain level for 30 days.

Harry Hooper has over 30 years experience in portfolio management. He is the senior stock tracker for stock4today.com stock4today.com.

When you think of penny pinching, do you think it means being like Scrooge? Do you imagine leaving a few coins for a tip and haggling over a two-dollar shirt in a thrift store? If so, try a new way of looking at it. Even Donald Trump admits to being a penny pincher, but you can be sure that he isn’t buying his shirts in a thrift store.

Penny pinching, or frugality, is simply the practice of looking for the less expensive alternatives, and ways to pay less in general. It doesn’t mean sacrificing things you want and need. In fact, when you buy things for less, you get more money left over to buy more of what you want!

Of course you can pinch pennies by not eating out or washing and reusing plastic bags. You can clip coupons and buy dishes at rummage sales. The problem with this approach is that it doesn’t enrich your life, which presumably why you would want to save money to begin with.

The other problem is that it isn’t very cost-effective, at least if you measure the cost of your time. For example, if you spend an extra three hours to clip coupons, look at ads, and run a route of several grocery stores to catch the best sales at each, you might save just $30 on food that week. That’s not a very good return on your investment of time. If you make more than $10 per hour at your job, you are better off just picking up three hours more at work and not worrying about coupons.

Penny Pinching – A Better Way

To really make it worthwhile, frugality has to start with the big things, and the recurring costs. In the example above you saved $30 for several hours of effort. Compare that to the following example.

Suppose you are looking for a house. You take the time to list what you really need in your new house to be happy. Then you list the cheapest houses that meet your criteria. Then you contact several banks to get the interest rate down to 6.25% from the 6.75% you were expecting to pay. Total extra time spent: three hours.

By finding a cheaper home and interest rate, let’s say you only have to borrow $120,000 at 6.25% instead of $140,000 at 6.75%. The mortgage payment would be $169 less per month. That’s a savings of $60,900 over the thirty years of the mortgage. If it took you an extra five hours of effort, your penny pinching made you about $12,000 per hour.

It’s the big stuff that makes a difference when penny pinching. But the small stuff is the big stuff when it is repeated over and over. This is why it can makes sense to save money on groceries. You buy them every week, after all. How you save money makes a difference though.

Unless you really enjoy clipping coupons and looking at sales flyers, why spend hours per week doing it for such a small gain. You have better uses for your time, right? Instead, invest just an hour or two to figure out which store is cheapest for the things you buy. Then shop just there, and buy more of the things you use and like when they’re on sale. You could still save $20 per week, with no additional investment of time.

Copyright Steve Gillman. To learn more unusual ways to make and save money, and how you can get free e-courses and e-books, visit his website: unusualwaystomakemoney.com Unusual Ways To Make Money
UnusualWaysToMakeMoney.com UnusualWaysToMakeMoney.com

A debt consolidation solution is required when a person has more than one loan pending and wants to simplify debt service. The debt consolidation combines several loans of the borrower and combines them into one single loan with a reduced interest rate and longer term period. However, many times people are refused such a loan since they do not have a good payment history. Until recently people with bad credit could not even get debt consolidation services. The situation has now changed and individuals with bad credit history too have bad credit debt consolidation solutions to bail them out of difficult times. When individuals apply for such a service it implies that they are trying to improve their credit status and are seeking to better their financial standing. For most who are faced with bad credit, such services are a significant help in obtaining a debt consolidation option.

Bad credit

The term bad credit is given to those borrowers who have taken loans but have failed to repay them on a timely basis, leading to a negative credit rating. In the market scenario, such a borrower is a not a favorite client of financial institutions. Hence, the terms and conditions for these customers are slightly different than those for other borrowers. The difference mainly lies in the interest rate and payment terms.

Checklist

Individuals who have a bad credit history should be careful in selecting a debt consolidation service. They must carry out a thorough background search on the company and evaluate their ability to negotiate with lenders. Borrowers need to study and compare rates offered to other bad credit rate individuals. The best approach towards this is to apply to several debt consolidation companies and ask for their quotes. This way, you would be able to distinguish those charging an exorbitant rate and minting money on your account. The quotes that are sent ought to include detailed information about their ability to obtain consolidation loans and relevant interest rates, the term period of the loan repayment and other conditions, which will be a part of the consolidation solution service.

The procedure

The first and foremost step in bad credit debt consolidation solution is to make a list of all the debts that are pending. The entire amount of the principal as well as the interest is calculated and divided equally across the tenure to determine if a consolidation solution is possible.

The debt consolidation company then approaches your creditors and uses their market knowledge and negotiation skills to tip the deal in your favor, finally arriving at an agreement with a particular company on your behalf. They present to your creditors the new consolidated plan of paying off all the debts within a specified time. All concerned parties officially sign the agreement and the terms are put in practice instantly. Most often, creditors are co-operative since they would prefer receiving delayed payments rather than none at all.

Found this article interesting? Then visit our website at: debtconsolidationcenter.net/ debtconsolidationcenter.net/ for more information on this subject, and also to find hundreds of other articles and resources about debt consolidation.

Gibran Selman takes care of debtconsolidationcenter.net/ debtconsolidationcenter.net/ a website dedicated to gather information, on and off the internet, about debt consolidation and other related subjects.

Finding solutions to minimize, and eventually wipe out, your existing debt is not an easy task. Before you begin considering the different options that are available to you, be very sure you are ready to take action. It takes serious planning, education, and the ability to follow a strict budget to correct your financial distress.

There are several immediate steps you can take; the most important of which is to stop accruing new debt. Seriously, even if you do nothing else immediately, do this. If you’re already having problems with your current debt level, accumulating more will only make the situation worse. You should also eliminate any “extra” spending. Do you eat out for lunch every day? Start brown-bagging it. Do you pay a housekeeper to clean your home once or twice a month? Pick up that broom and mop and start doing it yourself. Basically, look for any expenses that you can cut or reduce; even if it means more work for you.

Okay, now that you have your spending habits under control, it’s time to decide how you want to handle solving the current debt you have. You have several options:

Continue to do it yourself. You can do this! However, you need to be able to educate yourself on your financial matters. This may mean purchasing a book to guide you or even software that will set up a financial spreadsheet and budget analysis for you (all you’d have to do is enter in your debts and income to see the bottom line). It may mean phoning your creditors to work out payment plans you can adhere to and also working with them to lower your current interest rates, late fees, and even your payoff amount.

Utilize a certified credit counseling agency. In a nutshell, they will do all the financial education, budget planning, and contacting of your creditors for you. You’ll still have to be willing to understand why you got into the financial mess you did, and work within the budget they set up for you. However, if you’re unsure of your capabilities in doing it on your own, this may be an excellent choice for you.

You can apply for a debt consolidation loan. Again, you still need to educate yourself on financial planning, but a quick way to reduce your overall debt is to take out a large loan to pay off all of your smaller debts. Often, the interest rate is smaller, which will save you money over the long haul.

File for bankruptcy. This should be your last option. It is not a quick and easy get out of debt free card, though it may feel like that. Bankruptcy will stay on your credit record for a period of 10 years – that’s a long time to be considered a poor credit risk. However, this choice is right for some people, if you think you may be one of them, get the proper information and meet with an attorney to discuss your options.

Regardless of which types of debt solutions you decide on – make sure you’re informed on all of your choices. With perseverance and dedication; you can alter the course of your financial future.

© 2006, Kathy Burns-Millyard. Do you need solutions to your debt problems right now? Visit

World cup tournament is one of the biggest events in the history of cricket. It gives an opportunity to the players to outshine the other teams to become world champions. World cup is one of the biggest tournaments in the history of cricket because it comes after every four years. The cricket fans very well know the importance of world cup and what it means to the players. Since cricket came into being, cricket world cup history shows the records of many legends and landmark achievement that has been made by the players.

Cricket world cup history has so many records and achievements which have been made by the tremendous effort of the players. Cricket lovers will surely like to know the history and its origin. Fans always want to know the facts and figures of the cricket world cup history. Well, the cricket world cup history says that this game was born in England. Cricket is such a game which is full of action and thrill and it becomes hard for a person to miss the action, whenever a match or tournament starts. It brings fierce competition between the countries for the title of world champion.

Cricket world cup history will give you information about all those earlier times when this game started only in Kent and Sussex. Afterwards, cricket started expanded to other countries like North America by the English colonies. It all happened in seventeenth century and in the couple of years cricket was introduced in all the commonwealth nations. Cricket world cup history is one of the ultimate sources of information about cricket world for all its fans because it not only increases their knowledge pool, but also gives them strong information about cricket.

The world cup tournament has its own importance and so its history as well. Through cricket world cup history, you will come to know about the number of world cup tournaments held till date. Till now, eight world cup tournaments have been held and this year it is the ninth one which is hosted by West Indies. We have seen some of the best performances in the cricket history. This Caribbean nation has has done all the arrangements for the teams in the ninth world cup.

In the cricket world cup history, it is for the first time ever that world cup is being hosted by West Indies, a Caribbean nation. The first world cup was held in 1975 in England. The final match of the tournament was played in Lord’s stadium between West Indies and Australia. Australia has won the world cup thrice till date. In the cricket world cup history West Indies won twice while India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan won once. Australia has always been one of the toughest contenders for the world cup tournament.

The world cup history portrays the true spirit of this game. The history tells the cricket lovers about the customs and background of this game. The history of cricket has always raised the curiosity of the cricket fanatic and there are lots more to know about. The first three world cup tournament was known as Prudential Cup. The world cup history tells you the thorough history of the tournament. In fact, it is advantage for the cricket fans to know the world cup history so that they can enjoy the complete game.

Ella Wilson is a cricket fanatic. She simply loves the game and tries to catch live action no matter where she is. At Stickiewicket she works on Online cricket score, live cricket score, world cup live score and live cricket match among other things.You can see her works at stickiewicket.com stickiewicket.com

Peak plays are very short term in nature and you have to be prepared to get in and get out very quickly. There are several reasons for Peak Plays, some of which are: rumors, earnings forecasts or reports, mergers, upgrades, merger speculation, stock splits and sometimes they occur for no noticable reason at all.

There are basically two ways to play a peak: a pullback and the peak itself.

Peak Plays

If there is still alot of pressure built up and you are fast, you can partake of the run up. If you feel the peak will hold for a quick play, get in at the open. If you are more of a risk taker, you can place your order before the open or if you are more conservative, then wait out the first 30 minutes of trading to verify the move. Often a stock that has a peak that continues for a second day will experience a small pullback at the open and then will reverse and continue up. One stategy is to place a limit order before the open at the closing ask price from the previous day.

Since this is the second day of the peak, you want to get in and out on the same day (maybe, even within an hour). More than likely the stock will top and pullback very soon. Always know your exit before you buy (Wade Cook) and once your buy order is filled, immediately place a limit order to sell ( this may be for a little as 1/4 to 1/8 of a point ). The biggest play on a peak occurs with the pullback, so if you are going to ride the peak, you have to do it quickly, this is not the time to get greedy! And remember if you cannot afford the stock, look to see if it has call options, probably at least two months out.

The Pullback Play

This is an easier play and the one that is used most often because the time frame is longer. A general rule for the biggest peaks is: the quicker and bigger the run up, the quicker and bigger the pullback.

On some peaks it will take a session or two before the pullback starts. The big question here is “when will the peak hit its top or will it even top out”? Sometimes the peak is just a quick move for a stock that turns into a rocket. Generally, if we are going to see a pullback, it will happen slower than the run up did. One way to help determine if the stock is reaching a top is to observe the volume. Look for a return to more normal trading volume with little or no upward price movement. And please don’t get greedy, you are not always going to hit the very top of the peak, if you try to do so, you risk not getting in on a quick pullback, you must be in position to participate.

Sometimes the pullback will occur the following morning of the peak, but more often we see it continue on for part of the following morning. If you can watch the stock, wait until it hits a resistance point and then open a short position (don’t forget put options). What if you cannot watch the stock? Simple, enter a limit order for your short position to be hit a little below where it’s currently trading. This way you avoid opening a position until the stock has definitely moved into the pullback.

You should not expect the pullback to give back more than half of the peak because this does not happen often, especially if the stock has been trending upward over a longer period. To ensure a solid return in a shorter time frame, don’t look for more than a 25% pullback from the original peak. By following this guideline you can move on to compound your money in another play.

What if you feel there is a larger, more gradual pullback coming? Then watch the openings very closely, if you see the stock opening above the previous days close, you should give serious consideration to buying to cover.

Here are a couple of clues to give you more of an advantage. Look at the chart on the evening of the peak. Look to see if the stock hit a price significantly higher than the closing price, if it did, this may be an early sign of a pullback. The second thing you should look at is a one year chart of your stock. Try to determine if it has been stuck in a range over the last month or two, if it has, look to see how many other times over the last year it had been in this support/resistance level. If it has visited this area several times before and also exhibits the first sign mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, you have a great indication of a pullback coming!

Get in and get out quickly!

And keep in mind that on a pure peak play you are going to have a shorter window of opportunity (usually a one day play), the opening of the following morning is very critical and you cannot get greedy.

For the pullback play you are looking at a time frame of from two days to a month, keep an eye open for a return to more normal volume and price plateauing (these are topping signs) and don’t look for more than a 50% pullback from the original peak (be happy with 25% or less).

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The multi-disciplined sport of mountain biking is one of the most innovative in the world. Each of the distinct categories of extreme mountain biking requires that its participants undergo ongoing training to maintain their old skills and develop new ones, and each category has a different set of regulations. But the category on mountain biking most likely to appeal to the daredevils among us is extreme mountain biking, which offers the best bikers challenges sure to get their adrenaline levels soaring!

The risks, stunts, and technically challenging courses from which extreme mountain biking gets its name make extreme mountain bikers a breed apart from the athletes in other cycling sports. Those riders who excel at extreme mountain biking have worked for years to hone their skills, and can still be surprised by the obstacles and unpredictable terrains thrown at them by the organizers of extreme mountain biking competitions. The extremely advanced techniques which these riders have mastered are a very long way indeed from basic mountain biking skills.

Categories OF Extreme Mountain Biking

Extreme mountain biking covers five distinct categories, including downhill, free riding, cross country, street riding and dirt jumping events. The competitions may take place over rough, steep, and rocky terrain or challenging tracks but extreme riding can also occur on the narrow single tracks which wind through forests, streambeds, and fields.

Good training is essential for any mountain biker who would like to become involved in extreme mountain biking. One way to begin understanding the techniques involved is by watching videos of the maneuvers executed by professional extreme mountain bikers; many of them can simply be downloaded form the Internet.

Some Internet mountain biking sites will even offer free streaming videos, and sporting goods or mountain biking retailers also have DVDs of extreme mountain biking professionals performing different stunts. Magazines, books, and Internet sites devoted to the topic of extreme mountain biking will also offer a wealth of information on the training techniques of world-class extreme mountain bikers.

Learn By Doing

But with extreme mountain biking, as with all things, experience is the best teacher. Once a biker has studied the videos, DVDs and literature on the different extreme mountain biking maneuvers, he or she should attempt them and get feedback from their friends or mountain biking club members about their technique.

mountainbikingreviews.com/All_About_Mountain_Biking/ Extreme mountain biking is the exclusive domain of the very best mountain bikers in the world. If you think you’re ready to take your passion for mountain biking to the extreme, and are prepared for years of effort, one day you might join them!

You can also find more information on mountainbikingreviews.com/Mountain_Biking_Gear/ Mountain Biking Gear and mountainbikingreviews.com/Mountain_Biking_Trails/ Mountain Biking Trails.Mountainbikingreviews.com is a comprehensive resource to know more about mountain biking reviews.

We will start the Financial Fitness System with the assumption that you are out of shape financially or you would not have decided to subscribe to the course. So, again, why aren’t you wealthy? There are some exceptions, but for the majority of the world it’s the same reason. You did not choose to be wealthy, that’s it, end of story. We told you this would be simple!

Now for those of you reaching for the mouse to delete this lesson, stop a minute and think about it, why aren’t you a doctor assuming that you are not a doctor, or for that matter why aren’t you a sanitation worker, broker, baker, or candlestick maker assuming those aren’t your professions? It’s because you chose to be something else. Sometimes this choice happens on a whim or by default when we fail to choose. Even if your chose not to decide what you will become, you still have made a choice!

The simple truth is there are no secrets to becoming wealthy. There are however a set of specific steps to becoming wealthy that are sometimes so obvious they get overlooked. If you decided to read 10 biographies of 10 of the wealthiest people you have ever heard of, and outlined the steps they took to become wealthy, you would soon discover the common denominators of their success. Wealth is available to everyone, regardless of education, background, age, race, or any other excuse you may have heard in the past. Wealth plays no favorites, it only responds to a specific set of actions.

What if it were that simple? Good news, it is!

So why aren’t you and the majority of the population wealthy? Remember wealth is available to everyone, and creating wealth is simple, however, creating wealth is not easy, or everyone would be getting wealthy.

Creating an absolute abundance of income in your life is not some specially guarded secret formula that only a select few are clued in on. In fact the bookshelves are lined with true stories written by wealthy people who cant wait to tell you how they did it! In this course, we have drawn from the top minds and mentors among the wealthiest people in the world, to bring you a concise summary of the basics of becoming wealthy.

There are only 2 things that can prevent you from becoming wealthy:

1 – You don’t know how – (Yet!)
2 – You are unwilling to apply what you know.

In the next 9 days we will take care of the “I don’t know how” but only you can take care of reason #2.

Success leaves clues. Over the next few days, the Financial Fitness System will simply point out the common denominators of creating wealth, then show you how you can immediately apply that knowledge. Before we are through, you will have the ability to act on this new knowledge and be well on your way to creating financial abundance in your life.

Here are the key points to remember from today’s lesson:

Wealth is a choice, not a chance.
There are no secrets to wealth.
Wealth follows rules.
The rules are simple, but not easy.
You can learn the rules.
You can follow the rules, or choose not to.

Realize that it’s your choice.
Your Next Step!

What You Need to Do NOW

A dream without action is a fantasy… a dream with action becomes a goal!

Today’s lesson has been brief, you now know you have the power to choose to become financially fit. Before we dive in to wealth strategies in the next lesson, it’s important to determine if you want to create wealth and why.

Again we will assume you have the desire to better yourself financially or you wouldn’t be here. We will provide the knowledge but only you can provide the action. So with that in mind, in each day’s lesson you will have very short Action Steps to complete, and a daily audio lesson to listen to as homework assignments. Today you will complete your first Action Step. Don’t panic it’s simple, but like building wealth, some of the answers may not be easy. You see how this works?

Today we begin at the beginning, your present Financial Condition. Just like stepping on the scale or staring into the mirror, it may be slightly unpleasant, or not what we would like, but it is, what it is!

The sooner you have an accurate picture of where you are financially the sooner you will be on your way to becoming financially fit.

Take out a sheet of paper and spend some time answering the questions in the Action Steps Area below. Put some real thought into your answers. This exercise will help begin to create the determination you will need to finish the course. If you are one of few who are financially fit, you should find your answers satisfying. However, if you are like the other 97% of the population, you may find your answers somewhat disturbing. That’s okay… a little discomfort often fuels bigger change.

Tomorrow we learn the “Commodity of Kings” the fundamentals of wealth. Just like every good coach we are starting with the fundamentals, that’s where we will begin your wealth training. For today just complete the action steps and rest easy. Nine days from now, your entire financial outlook will be much healthier!

Action Step 1:

After you finish Lesson #1 sharpen your pencil and write down the answers to the following Financial Fitness questions. Start a FFS journal for your daily action steps and notes. Designate a separate notebook for all your FFS content. You may want to print each lesson and include them in your FFS journal for future reference. On day 10 you can look back and see just how much you have accomplished in just 10 days.

“The most important questions are
those we are afraid to ask ourselves.”

Q: What is the total amount of assets that you have accumulated so far in your life?

Include cash, savings, checking, money market accounts, the current value of any stock or mutual funds you may own and the dollar amount of the equity in your home.

Q: What is the total amount of liabilities that you have accumulated so far in your life?

Include your mortgage balance, your credit card balances, student loans, personal loans from family or friends, automobile loans, overdraft protection, loans against insurance policies or any other money that you have borrowed but have not yet paid back.

Q: Subtract your total liabilities from your total assets, and write down your “Net Worth.” (this number can be, and sadly all too often is, a negative number)

Q: Assume you lost your job or primary source of income today, and you were unable to find work of any kind, and had no friends or relatives to depend on for help or support of any kind. How long would it be before you become homeless?

Q: Assume that you earn income, save money, spend money, and borrow at the same rate you do today. At that rate how soon can you retire and maintain the same lifestyle you have today?

Q: Are you where you thought you would be at this point in your life financially?

Q: Why or why not?

Q: Where would you like to be financially?

Q: What are your currently doing to get there?

Q: Without change, how do you expect to achieve your financial goals? (the lottery or inheritance, are not valid answers)

Q: If money were no object, where would you live, and why?

Q: If money were no object, how would you spend your time each day?

Q: If things stay just the way they are today, financially, is that good enough?

To learn more about the complete financially-fit.net/ financial fitness system, click here financially-fit.net Wealth Building | Debt Reduction | Affiliate Marketing | Home Business

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The life estate is something every first year law student learns about when they study the arcane and often bizarre history of property law that harkens back to the days of English knights, lords and serfs, and the transfer of property through the ceremonial throwing of dirt clods with oaths of duty to accompany. The life estate is about as old as they come as instruments of wealth transfer go and students love it, because it is relatively easy to understand. Apart from what students love and what is easy to remember, however, the life estate still has practical value today in your estate planning and assets management schemes.

The basic idea of the life estate is that a person can be left a piece of property for life, and upon their passing, the property in question can go to whoever is designated to receive that property afterward. The individual or group who receives the property after the life-tenant passes is called the remainderman or remaindermen, which is useful only in that it helps one to remember that the person who remains gets the property. If, for example, one wants to leave a family estate that has been with the family for many generations to their spouse and then have it immediately pass on to their children or another relative who will maintain the estate for the generation to come, then a life estate might be the perfect vehicle to do so. Another example is the same family estate, left to a surviving spouse until the surviving spouse either dies or remarries. Again, the aim is to ensure that the estate stays in family, a contingency which is threatened by the remarriage because that creates a new marital joint-tenancy, absent any other provision. Often the life-estate was used to keep assets, like the family home, headed down a single line of familial ownership.

However, the life estate has other uses, for example, it can leave an asset to be owned by one person until the death of third person. If an older relative has become incapacitated, such that it is difficult for them to make decisions for themselves, then the asset can be left in the care of another for the incapacitated person’s lifetime. An example might be, that Blackacre (the fictitious name for a piece of property used in law schools everywhere) is left in the care of cousin Tilly, until great aunt Nelly’s death. Thus, Tilly is allowed to make Nelly comfortable at Blackacre (the family home) until Nelly passes on. In this instance, Nelly’s life is what is called, the measuring life of the life estate, and Tilly’s ownership ends when Nelly is gone.

On the whole, the life estate may be falling out of use for a number of reasons and being replaced by the much more fluid instrument of the trust. But, the life estate still captures, from time to time, our instincts regarding how property is to pass from one generation to another and that is why it is still relevant even for an estate planner who uses it very rarely. It helps us to ask and to get the answer to very difficult questions, which is part of the act of estate planning. Both the client and the attorney must face tough questions, and the life estate (even if it is sometimes regarded as a legal relic of the past) tells us how people used to answer questions of intra-generational wealth transfer and why. We may use different instruments to bring about our legal ends (or we may not), but even if we do, the life-estate still has relevance in helping us think about the questions that underlie the choices to be made in estate planning.

About Ronald E. Hudkins;
Ronald Hudkins is a retired U.S. Army Military Police member that was assigned as a staff researcher. He has coordinated with military and criminal investigators, set on court marshals and worked closely with the Staff Judge Advocate Generals’ Office (JAG). He has a keen sense of legal matters – their interpretation, initiatives and guidelines. For imperative financial planning needs he suggests his book “Asset Protection and Estate Planning for All Ages.” Additionally, he offers a Free Newsletter at his web site: AssetProtectNow.com AssetProtectNow.com