How do you protect assets in the event of a long term care situation? I am asked what the difference is between the revocable living trust (RLT) and the irrevocable Medicaid trust (IT). Are there differences between these types of trusts and how can each be of benefit?

In a Revocable Living Trust, you and or your spouse if you have one, normally act as the trustees of the trust. The trustee makes decisions about what assets are in the trust and should assets be removed. The rule of thumb is this..”if you can control or remove the asset then it can be attached for long term care expenses.”

Many people like to plan ahead and protect their assets. As people get older concern grows of losing some or all of their assets to a nursing home and they begin to seriously plan and consider their options to protect assets. Long-term care insurance may be too expensive for many people or they do not qualify medically.

The other options are these:

Transfer the assets outright to your children or set up an Irrevocable Trust.

There are pros and cons for each choice. Transferring the assets to your children may put the assets at risk. Your children may divorce, die, owe taxes, be sued, file bankruptcy or be spendthrifts.

With the Irrevocable Trust you are protecting the assets because whatever amount you put into the trust is not assessable for your long term care expenses. Your heirs can be named as trustees and they are not the owners. The trust is the owner of the assets and these assets are safe from creditors. They can only do what the trust allows them to do, which is to provide you a designated income.

The best method of using the Irrevocable Trust is to place two major roadblocks that they simply cannot get through. First, appointing a trustee will remove control of the asset from you. Generally the trustee is one or more of your adult children. Most of these trusts allow you to retain control over changes in the trustee so ultimate control of the trust is still yours.

Secondly, you must limit yourself in the Irrevocable Trust to the income only. Often these trusts are called income trusts. Generally the assets are placed in no risk investments such as insurance company annuities or bank CDs. Interest is then removed to provide the necessary income. Situations occur where real estate such as a home is placed in the trust and permission to live in the home is granted by the trust. At death the assets in the trust are passed through to the beneficiaries of the trust, your heirs.

The trust is used for income but the assets in the trust can be bought and sold. This allows for control over the reallocation of assets based on needs and market changes and conditions. The trustee can sell assets and reposition them in a beneficial manner based on sound business decisions.

Other benefits that are available to the trust is you are allowed to gift assets out of the trust. These gifts can be to your children or anyone you desire and they are free to use the asset any way they wish, even provide you with the benefit of the gift. The last benefit is the revocation of the trust. If the beneficiaries of the trust agree, the truest can be revoked and assets placed back under your ownership. This is done in writing and with the guidance of a legal provider. The IRS must also be notified of the trust being revoked.

Assets can be protected and if a situation occurs regain ownership in the future…

Warning: Never undertake a complex plan such as a trust or other asset protection plans without legal and tax planning advice. Always ask for a second opinion and make fully sure you understand all possible implications before entering into any legal document. Seek competent advice.

Bill Broich heps seniors manage their retirement savings. Visit his website for more information: annuity.com Annuity.com

Is it true that several times you have been denied car loans in the market because of your bad credit history? But now this will not happen again because your bad credit will not come in the way of availing bad credit car loans.

Bad credit car loans have been designed in such a manner to suit the financial needs of all bad credit scorers willing to own a car. It doesn’t matter that the borrower goes for used or new car.

Bad credit car loans can be availed by all, whether the borrower is tenant or a homeowner. As such there is no difference between the loan availed by both of them. But, it is found that tenants are generally offered with comparatively higher rates than those being offered to all the homeowners.

Despite of all the advantages which a secured bad credit car loan offers such as low interest rate and longer repayment period, along that it also carries risk on the asset. But, the borrower is not at all needed to fear about his asset if he makes timely repayments.

An amount which can be borrowed in bad credit car loans depends on the equity in the collateral placed and also on the repaying ability of the borrower. In the sense, that more equity will enable the borrower to procure larger amounts and on competitive rates. On the other hand, repaying ability implies that he must be in position that he can easily meet all the repayment. And, the lender determines the repayment ability on the basis of certain factors such as:

• Financial status

• Credit worthiness

• Flow of income

• Regular employment

The borrower must also try to make high down payments in order to reduce the subsequent financing amount. Because, when the financing amount is reduced it also reduces the risk of the lender. This as a result, the lender offers more competitive rates.

There are many sources such as banks, financial institutions and other private lenders which provide financial support. But, which source is best? In order to know that which source is best, there is a need to ask for the loan quote from the source of finance. Loan quote contains all brief information regarding the total cost involved. With the help of loan quote, he can know and compare the rate offered by each of the lender. And, finally he can go for that lender who offers low annual percentage rate.

Bad credit Car loans can also be applied through online mode which is termed as online bad credit car loans in the financial market. Online method of applying loan is regarded as the best and convenient way. The reason for such recommendation is that it provides cost effectiveness and a freedom to apply at any time and from any where.

Carlos Sinclair has been associated with Capital Car Loans. Having completed his Masters in Finance from Yale University, School of Management. He provides useful advice through his articles. To find Car loans, capitalcarloans.com/bad-credit-car-loan.html Bad credit car loans, Used car loans, New car loans, Low rate car loans, Online car loans
visit capitalcarloans.com capitalcarloans.com

Most people have heard of rollover 401k’s and rollover IRA’s. This is where you rollover your retirement savings from a previous employer’s 401k plan to another retirement account like your new employer’s 401k plan or an Individual Retirement Account, also known as an IRA. Rollover 401k’s and rollover IRA’s allow you to take your retirement savings with you. You are not required by law nor is it recommended that you leave your retirement savings with an employer for whom you no longer work.

Of the choices between rolling over your 401k into your new employer’s 401k plan versus rolling it over into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), you should strongly consider the rollover IRA. There are four important advantages to a rollover IRA.

1. More investment choices

401k plans often provide very limited investment choices. Employees are often given a selection of choices among several different mutual funds and other investment options. The selection of choices offered could be ten to twenty in number. However, when compared to the hundreds of investment options available on the market, your employer’s ten to twenty 401k options don’t stand up the wide variety of investment channels available in a rollover IRA.

2. Lower (to no) fees with Rollover 401K

Administering complex 401k plans is always costly. Many of the administration fees within the 401k investment can weaken and steal much of the potential gains. These fees can often be as high as 2.5% (Wall Street Journal, November 12th, 1997, page C1). It is prudent that you look at your paperwork or ask your Human Resources benefits advisor to tell you how much you are paying.

In comparison, rollover IRA’s often have low to no fees. Opening a rollover Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is easy and cheap. The market for rollover IRA’s is very competitive. In fact, national Wealth Strategist, Tony Bass, shows investors how they can earn a 13.68% guarantee the first year due to this highly competitive market.

3. Usually a longer payout option for beneficiaries

Rollover IRA’s allow many potential options for beneficiaries, unlike a 401k plan. One example is the fact that your beneficiaries can often stretch your rollover IRA assets over their life expectancies. Because beneficiaries could potentially face a huge tax burden when they inherit your rollover IRA, the law provides some flexibility that could ease that burden. There are different options available that allow them to avoid the immediate taxation of potentially significant sums of money. This can be done
through the deferral of taxation or by stretching out the distributions over a longer period of time.

4. More flexibility in naming beneficiaries

Naming beneficiaries for your rollover IRA funds may seem like an easy task, however, this is a decision that should not be taken lightly. You can name your spouse, children, grandchildren, another individual, favorite charity, or even set up a trust to receive your rollover IRA assets. In doing so, you should plan your legacy strategy so that the tax consequences for your beneficiaries will not devastate them.

Younger beneficiaries may choose to stretch out distributions over his or her own life expectancy, while a spouse who does not need the assets, can disclaim them (i.e., refuse to take ownership of the assets). The assets will then go to any other named primary beneficiaries.

5. Control of your assets

As you can see from four advantage points above, the key to rollover IRA’s is control. You can control everything from what investment choices you wish to participate in, avoiding plans with high fees, providing your beneficiaries with longer payout options, to even the flexibility in naming your beneficiaries.

On top of that, the government allows you to rollover your IRA’s once per calendar year. Company 401k’s are often restricted from having the ability to rollover their plans outside of the investment choices that are offered by the employer. This lack of choice places the employee at the mercy of the performance of the few available choices offered by the employer’s 401k plan.

This article has been provided to you by Tony Bass, national Financial Wealth Strategist for Bass Financial Solutions, Inc. If you would like to receive “Learning the Secrets to Maximizing Your 401(k) Rollover and How You Can receive 13.68% Guaranteed” please visit rollovermoney.info rollovermoney.info

There is a reason why accounts receivable financing is a four thousand year old financing technique: it works. Accounts receivable financing, factoring, and asset based financing all mean the same thing as related to asset based lending- invoices are sold or pledged to a third party, usually a commercial finance company (sometimes a bank) to accelerate cash flow.

In simple terms, the process follows these steps. A business sells and delivers a product or service to another business. The customer receives an invoice. The business requests funding from the financing entity and a percentage of the invoice (usually 80% to 90%) is transferred to the business by the financing entity. The customer pays the invoice directly to the financing entity. The agreed upon fees are deducted and the remainder is rebated to the business by the financing entity.

How does the customer know to pay the financing entity instead of the business they are receiving goods or services from? The legal term is called “notification”. The financing entity informs the customer in writing of the financing agreement and the customer must agree in writing to this arrangement. In general, if the customer refuses to agree in writing to pay the lender instead of the business providing the goods or services, the financing entity will decline to advance funds.

Why? The main security for the financing entity to be repaid is the creditworthiness of the customer paying the invoice. Before funds are advanced to the business there is a second step called “verification”. The finance entity verifies with the customer that the goods have been received or the services were performed satisfactorily. There being no dispute, it is reasonable for the financing entity to assume that the invoice will be paid; therefore funds are advanced. This is a general view of how the accounts receivable financing process works.

Non-notification accounts receivable financing is a type of confidential factoring where the customers are not notified of the business’ financing arrangement with the financing entity. One typical situation involves a business that sells inexpensive items to thousands of customers; the cost of notification and verification is excessive compared to the risk of nonpayment by an individual customer. It simply may not make economic sense for the financing entity to have several employees contacting hundreds of customers for one financing customer’s transactions on a daily basis.

Non-notification factoring may require additional collateral requirements such as real estate; superior credit of the borrowing business may also be required with personal guarantees from the owners. It is more difficult to obtain non-notification factoring than the normal accounts receivable financing with notification and verification provisions.

Some businesses worry that if their customers learn that a commercial financing entity is factoring their receivables it may hurt their relationship with their customer; perhaps they may loose the customer’s business. What is this worry, why does it exist and is it justified?

The MSN Encarta Dictionary defines the word worry as:

“Worry

verb (past and past participle wor•ried, present participle wor•ry•ing, 3rd person present singular wor•ries)Definition:
1. transitive and intransitive verb be or make anxious: to feel anxious about something unpleasant that may have happened or may happen, or make somebody do this
2. transitive verb annoy somebody: to annoy somebody by making insistent demands or complaints
3. transitive verb try to bite animal: to try to wound or kill an animal by biting it

a dog suspected of worrying sheep
4. transitive verb
Same as worry at
5. intransitive verb proceed despite problems: to proceed persistently despite problems or obstacles
6. transitive verb touch something repeatedly: to touch, move, or interfere with something repeatedly

Stop worrying that button or it’ll come off.
noun (plural wor•ries)Definition:
1. anxiousness: a troubled unsettled feeling
2. cause of anxiety: something that causes anxiety or concern
3. period of anxiety: a period spent feeling anxious or concerned…”

The opposite is:

”not to worry used to tell somebody that something is not important and need not be a cause of concern (informal)

Not to worry. We’ll do better next time.
no worries U.K. Australia New Zealand used to say that something is no trouble or is not worth mentioning (informal)”.

Query: if a business is financing their invoices with accounts receivable financing, is this an indication of financial strength or weakness? Query: from the point of view of the customer, if you are buying goods or services from a business that is factoring their receivables, should you be concerned? Query: is there one answer to these questions that fits all situations?

The answer is it’s a paradox. A paradox is a statement, proposition, or situation that seems to be absurd or contradictory, but in fact is or may be true.

Accounts receivable financing is both a sign of weakness with regard to cash flow and a sign of strength with respect to cash flow. It is a weakness because, prior to financing, funds are not available to provide cash flow to pay for materials, salaries, etc. and it is an indication of strength because, subsequent to funding cash is available to facilitate a business’ needs for cash to grow. It is a paradox. When properly structured as a financing tool for growth at a reasonable cost, it is a beneficial solution to cash flow shortages.
If your entire business depended on one supplier, and you were notified that your supplier was factoring their receivables, you might have a justifiable concern. If your only supplier went out of business, your business could be severely compromised. But this is also true whether or not the supplier is utilizing accounts receivable financing. It’s a paradox. This involves matters of perception, ego and character of the personalities in charge of the business and the supplier.

Every day, every month thousands of customers accept millions of dollars of goods and services in contracts that involve notification, verification and the factoring of receivables. For most customers, “notification” of accounts receivable financing is a non-issue: it is merely a change of the name or addresses of the payee on a check. This is a job for a person in the accounts payable department to make a minor clerical change. It is a mainstream business practice.

Bobby McFerrin wrote and performed a song called “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” for the movie “Cocktails” starring Tom Cruise. The song was a number one U.S. pop hit in 1988 and won the Grammy for Best Song of the Year. Here are the lyrics:

”Here is a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don’t worry be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don’t worry, be happy……

Ain’t got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed
Don’t worry, be happy
The land lord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate
Don’t worry, be happy
Look at me I am happy
Don’t worry, be happy
Here I give you my phone number
When you worry call me
I make you happy
Don’t worry, be happy
Ain’t got no cash, ain’t got no style
Ain’t got not girl to make you smile
But don’t worry be happy
Cause when you worry
Your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
So don’t worry, be happy (now)…..

There is this little song I wrote
I hope you learn it note for note
Like good little children
Don’t worry, be happy
Listen to what I say
In your life expect some trouble
But when you worry
You make it double
Don’t worry, be happy……
Don’t worry don’t do it, be happy
Put a smile on your face
Don’t bring everybody down like this
Don’t worry, it will soon past
Whatever it is
Don’t worry, be happy”

The bottom line: “notification” should not be an issue in most situations involving accounts receivable financing; non-notification factoring is another option that is available for businesses concerned with confidentiality that meet minimum credit standards for asset based lending. Bobby McFerrin was right: “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”.

Copyright © 2007 Gregg Financial Services

Mr. Elberg is a licensed attorney and licensed real estate broker. Gregg Financial Services is a full service brokerage for commercial finance companies and banks that fund B2B businesses. Mr. Elberg arranges funding from $25,000 to $50 million per month at competitive pricing, and works to reduce your financing costs as your company grows. For more information about GFS, please visit our website: http: greggfinancialservices.com greggfinancialservices.com

The first Whistler BC ski trip of the season is a sacred moment, especially for the infrequent skier who is able to hit the slopes only a handful of times a year. The date is likely circled on the kitchen calendar, and your neck is probably programmed to turn and glance at its slow approach with a mixture of longing and impatience. But then, suddenly it’s the night before and you’ve gathered the courage to dive into the garage or basement to haul out your trusty gear: skis or snowboard, jackets, pants, boots and all.

You pull out each item, dust it off, perhaps wonder if it will still fit properly (since you haven’t upgraded your attire for a number of years). You half-heartedly attempt to convince yourself that maybe neon pink and yellow are finally “in” again. After some deliberation, you briefly consider whether it’s time to actually purchase newer/better/hipper ski gear but remind yourself the top-of-the-line cost is pricey, and that is before dolling out hard-earned cash for your lift ticket, accommodation, transportation, meals, entertainment, and all the other activities that actually make a vacation worthwhile.

A conundrum emerges: how to afford quality ski and snowboard equipment and avoid spending wads of money. The solution: rent your ski gear.

This situation was recognized by vacationer Shannon Hearn when he first visited Whistler mountain back in 1997. “I recognized a need for quality clothing rental when I noticed some skiers on the slopes wearing jeans and leather jackets — or if they did rent it was old ski school suits all the same colour and style.” (The neon rearing its loud and numerous heads once again).

One year later, with a little determination and entrepreneurial spirit, Shannon opened his own business for ski clothing rental in Whistler Canada, Whistler Winter Wear, offering quality snowboard and ski clothing rental to Whistler Canada visitors. “I wanted people to have a great experience no matter what skill level…if you are cold you’re not having fun. If you are warm you can ski longer and better. And you will want to come back and do it again!”

Shannon believes there are a number of reasons why renting snow and ski gear is better than purchasing. If you’re on a budget, you may succumb to buying the “cheap stuff” simply because it’s cheap. The better alternative is renting gear that offers better looks and performance for a fraction of the cost. Plus, you don’t have to pack it in your luggage up and down the mountain, and you don’t have to store your ski jackets and pants in your basement or storage until the next season.

For parents with children, nothing is more frustrating then spending hundreds of dollars on quality outfits, only to have them outgrow their fit a year later. (True, many a parent has attempted to stuff their kids into old ski gear out of necessity, but the traumatic memories can be avoided along with wasted cash).

Worried about wearing the sweat of the person who rented the ski clothing before you? Not to worry, as all of Whistler Winter Wear’s ski and snowboard gear is hygienically cleaned to stringent standards. The company also carries a number of specialty products like anti-fogging goggles and two-way radios for security on the slopes. (You can give yourself and your friends/family cool sounding code names). For those visitors that lose their luggage in transit, fleece garments, long underwear, and hats are available for purchase.

With all of these benefits, Shannon Hearn is proud of his contribution to Whistler’s guest community. Yet the reward goes beyond company profits. “I am told every day how much our customers appreciate our service and products. It really is a rewarding job for me and my small number of staff. Not only do we help people in need, our unique delivery service allows us to meet and talk to people from all over the world.”

So before your next Whistler Canada vacation, as you dive into your basement or garage and are confronted with your expensive and aging ski and snow gear, consider renting instead. Unless of course, you’re convinced neon pink is making a comeback.

Devon O’ Malley is a staff writer for AlluraDirect.com,

Reasons to Refinance

Consumers refinance their mortgage loans for various reasons. You can refinance your existing loan to lower your interest rate, take cash out, consolidate credit card bills, pay off student loans, pay off medical bills or finance a new entrepreneurial endevor.

By far the most common reason for refinancing is to take cash out to pay off debts or to add a new kitchen, bathroom, deck, patio, pool or basement to a house.

Refinancing to Consolidate Debts
If you have over $10,000 or $20,000 in credit card debts and find it difficult to keep up with monthly payments, a debt consolidation refinance loan, allows you to take a cash lump sum, out of your home to pay off the entire balance of your credit card debt.

Aggregating all your bills together into one loan, relieves the stress of having to juggle multiple credit card payments and it also pays off a debt that often seems impossible to pay down. Lastly, you save money by eliminating high interest credit card debts.

Refinancing to repair or improve your home
Whether you are installing a new kitchen, a pool or fixing up the basement, homeowners choose to take cash out of their homes for reburbishment projects because it adds to the enjoyment of the house and it also increases the home’s value. Many home buyers will make an offer on a house on sale because they fall in love with the kitchen or bathroom. It’s a gut feeling.

If you plan wisely, you can regain every penny that you have put into a home improvement project and then some. The key is to understand what increases the value of a home and how far your improvements should go, considering, who a future buyer might be. All in all, you want the best of both worlds – something you can enjoy and something that helps your home to go up in value.

Finding the lowest refinance rate
Finding the lowest refinance loan rate is simple – you have to shop around. This kind of shopping should not cost you any money. You simply have to get refinance loan quotes and compare rates from several lenders. A reputable resource can offer refinance loan quotes without a credit check or social security number.

Research

Mea Culpa

Dear Reader (I assume the singular and hope for the plural) I have completely re-written this article in the light of comments from my coaching muse, Roger Mills. Roger feels that there were too many ‘negatives’ in the original. The principle here is ‘tell them what to do rather than what not to do.’ I apologise for the negative in that sentence; that will be the last one. Henceforth I will not be so negative. Damn. I mean, ‘henceforth I will be more positive’.

I also apologise to Roger for the fact that the postman got him out of bed, demanding money with menaces, because the copy of the article I sent him was overweight for the stamp. I promise to weigh all my post in future.

Quiztime

Question: What is the most important shot in doubles?

Answers: a) The smash (b) The clear (c) A large Scotch

(a) and (b) are definitely wrong, (c) depends on the circumstances.

The most important shot in doubles is the serve. Having a good serve is a major advantage; which poses the question, what is good serving?

In doubles, we want to be attacking, which means forcing the opponents to lift; so low serves are the order of the day. That is, serves skimming the net tape to land fairly close to the short service line.

Playing the shuttle from below ‘net tape’ (as we usually say in referring to the top of the net) the receiver will be forced to lift or play the shuttle back close to the net tape. (Better players will be able to play a ‘push’ from just below the net tape, past the server – unless the server can intercept).

The variation on low serves will be ‘flick’ serves, which should be hit over the receiver as s/he attacks the low serve. Flicking gives the attack away, but if the flick is deceptive (see below Flick Serves), the receiver should have to change direction quickly, making attack more difficult. Persistently high serving, with no attempt at disguise, is only likely to be effective against relative beginners or players who lack an effective smash. (Even then, it would be a bit predictable). The doubles long service line means the back tramlines are out for serve in doubles, so even the best doubles serves must be shorter than the deepest serves allowed in singles.

It is more common to see high serves in lower level ladies matches, the perception being that men smash harder than ladies. (Before you start sending me hate mail, obviously some women hit the shuttle harder than some men; but at any given level, League, County, International, etc., the men will generally be more powerful). However, good low serves are more effective if the receiver stands further back to receive, as many ladies (and beginners) do. In top-level ladies doubles low and flick serves are much more common.

Most people would settle for accurate and consistent low serves, close to the net tape; but there is more to it than that. Good serving involves knowing how and when to vary the placement of the serve – and when to persist with a serve that is effective. The most important thing is to force the receiver to try to return the serve. Many ‘cheap’ points are scored when receivers fail to return the serve into court. Equally, a lot of errors are made by the server trying to serve too close to the net tape or to the lines. You only need to do that if your opponents are returning aggressively and effectively. Only serves that you make the receiver play are going to earn you points.

A good server will observe how and where the opponents stand to receive, and which racquet face (if any) is preferred. Some receivers will stand too close to the centre line or too close to the sideline, leaving a large space to serve into. Others will stand a long way back from the service line, which means they will have difficulty attacking the low serve, but will deal with flick serves and high serves more easily.

Some players are so biased to backhand receiving that they are much less effective when forced to receive forehand. (Obviously, the same applies in reverse.) Some have difficulty with serves directly at them, which force a ‘forehand or backhand?’ decision

Servers should develop the ability to serve anywhere along the short service line. If this can be done with deception, great, but even if your opponent has an idea where the low serve will go, it is better to serve to the place they would least like. Variation of serve is also a good idea – low serves to different places along the line, and some flicks.

The time to leave out the variations is when you are struggling to get a good serve over. Then you should go back to your best serve – analogous to the bowler’s stock delivery. If you find a serve which continues to cause a problem for the opponents, don’t change it unless it ceases to be effective.

Flick Serving

If the low serve is being dominated, the normal response is to flick. Flicks serves are serves which are disguised as low serves as long as possible, ideally until the moment of impact, then hit up high enough to be above the receiver’s outstretched racquet, forcing the receiver to move back. A truly successful flick will have the receiver moving forward to take a low serve whilst the shuttle is sailing over his (or her) head. But a lot of flicks are unsuccessful…

Many players hit very flat flick serves or ‘drive’ serves, which the receiver can intercept without much backward movement, and which, if left, often go out at the back. Another common error is to try to flick too close to the centre line or the sidelines – far too many of these will go out too.

The flick should rely on deception, going over the incoming receiver, rather than on pace or placement too close to the lines. The moral is, if you flick, flick OVER (the opponent), flick IN (the court).

If you have a good flick serve, use it at the first opportunity, to put doubt in your opponents’ minds as early as possible. There is, of course, very little point trying to deceive someone who stands a long way behind the front service line with a flick. However, a higher flick serve will still force them back (as far as the rules of doubles allow), where they may be very weak.

To summarise:

Mostly low serves in doubles
Find their least favourite serve
Vary the placement of the serve
Flick over, flick in
Flick early in the game – let them know you can
Get it over, get it in, make them return the serve

Warning: Although every effort has been made to make this a negative free article, with zero amounts of ‘can’t, won’t, shouldn’t, hasn’t, and isn’t’, the article may contain traces of ‘not’, to which some particularly picky and pedantic readers may have a reaction, especially if they have got our of bed the wrong side having been woken up by the postman.

Brian Mantel
funkyfogey.com funkyfogey.com
The community website for the active, healthy and wealthy over 50 age group.

If you want to get a loan for your motorcycle or refinance a current loan, follow our simple advice to get you back on the road. Never mind public opinion, obtaining a motorcycle loan can be a straightforward and easy process if you follow the correct procedure. The refinance company or motorcycle loan company can usually get back to you straight away to offer you their best interest rates. When you know what interest rates and repayments will be you can then calculate accordingly how much this will cost you. If you can afford this and think it is at a good rate then you have got another step underway. Check the terms and conditions to make sure there are no hidden costs or extra add ons. When you have found the best package to suit you, then you can send in your application online or over the phone. Even after the application is sent in, you do not have to commit to this. The company will make a customised package for you to work from. It is recommended to stay with you current company if the interest rates will not help you save money and reduce fees or penalties. Many people can usually obtain a secure interest rate if they refinance so it is always good to send applications in so you can compare different companies and find the best one for you.

Getting the best motorcycle loans rates

The number of months the loan is for, your credit report score, and the price you pay in total for the motorcycle are all factors that can determine the final rate of interest of your motorcycle loan. The company that may lend you the money will rank your credit history is the main criteria of your loan rate. The less you have to pay in interest rates the higher your credit score is. It is ideal to check your credit rating before you apply for a loan and make sure all information is correct or otherwise you may be paying a lot more than you should have to. The number of months you apply to pay of your loan could determine whether you pay more or less. The longer the months the more interest that will be paid. A motorcycle loan taken out for 6o months will have a lower monthly interest rate than a 36 months loan but the overall total for the 60 month loan will be larger. The price paid in total for your loan including dealer adds ons can also determine interest rates. When you research and know the value of your motorcycle you can stop yourself from overpaying the motorcycle loan payments. If you are buying a new motorcycle check the dealers invoice or price he paid for the motorcycle is before you head to the dealer. The best price is between the dealers price and the dealers invoice price. The dealer will always add money on so they can make a profit but it is far greater than the price they brought it for. Lowering the price of your motorcycle could mean lowering the repayments too.

When purchasing a used motorcycle from a local dealer be aware that the dealer will price the motorcycle at the highest value and this may include the cost of the dealer having the motorcycle reconditioned. Try to find a compromise with the dealer on what is a reasonable price for a bike in your area. The dealer has an asking price is always far more than they may have paid for it, as they like to make a heavy profit. Look around and check out all motorcycle dealers to find a deal that is best for you. When a dealer offers you an option that may be not necessarily needed, take account that this will add to the total value of the motorcycle and increase the repayments and interest rate. Some options that you may be asked to take are sales promotion fund, paint sealant, freight expense, assembly charge and dealer advertising association holdbacks. Compare the best deals that may include these options for the best deal for you. Some options can be removed for an even better price on your motorcycle.

Claire Calkin operates several websites featuring motorcycle loans and finance.

A new book with a practical look at Aikido and its history. The Co-authors are direct students of the legendary master Kenshiro Abbe Sensei from 1957. the following is an indepth look at how the book came into being.

OUT NOW!

Derek Eastman – Aikido instructor helps write book

Bracknell Standard newspaper visits local dojo

To Order this book from within the UK and EU countries:

Trafford Publishing (UK) Limited. order desk
Enterprise House, Wistaston Road Business Centre
Wistaston Road, CREWE, UK CW2 7RP
local rate number 0845 230 9601
phone 01270 251396, fax 01270 254983
Email orders.uk@trafford.com

To Order this book from any other country including the USA and Canada:

Trafford Publishing order desk
2333 Government Street, Suite 6E, Victoria, BC
Canada V8T 4P4
toll-free 1-888-232-4444, fax 250-383-6804
Email orders@trafford.com

This book, an in-depth look at Ellis Schools of Tradtional Aikido’s special brand of technique, strategy, philosophy as well as unique history, has taken about 15 years to compile, but will soon be offered in print by the world’s leading publisher of martial arts material.

Trafford Holdings Ltd; is a privately-held corporation, registered in British Columbia, Canada. There are over 120 shareholders, including many authors and all the permanent employees. It was incorporated in 1991. In late 1995, Trafford opened it’s doors and website. They are the first company in the world to offer an “on-demand publishing service,” and they are the best.

The production of Positive Aikido has gone through numerous stages. The hand-drawings describing each of the positive techniques in traditional Aikido were begun in 1987 with the intention of providing new students with a reference guide – at the time to be photocopied for students in the USA and later possibly for the UK students as well. That plan however, never took hold as more and more drawings were produced. The drawings of the first four groupings were finished in 1991 and in 1993, the second four groupings were added, along with some transcripts from a recorded conversation between Sensei Ellis and Rogers on a long roadtrip between Dallas, Texas and Alamogordo, New Mexico. Rogers made his 1st Dan during that trip, and Positive Aikido picked up a lot of its histories and background information. Still, it was no more than a bunch of papers cobbled together from various sources.

In 1999 however, with the advent of digital photography, Sensei Rogers decided to augment the drawings with some digital photos and possibly put together a proper booklet for students in all the Ellis Schools. The photos however, required some supporting text – and there was a lot of other material which needed to be conveyed as well. The transcripts were re-written and cleaned up and the photos were digitally processed for the first four forms. During another visit to New Mexico, Sensei and his assistant Anita Wilson along with Sensei’s son performed the demonstrations needed for the last four forms. Later, the first four forms were re-shot with Sensei Rogers and one of his first USA students, Jeff Glaze of New Mexico. By this time, Positive Aikido was being developed as a book.

The agent and publishers we first contacted agreed, but the material was still fairly rough. More photos were shot and extensive digital work was done on them to clarify technique. Additional sections were added to describe combat strategy and the philosophy behind “Positive Aikido”. Sections on ethics and morals within the arts were developed along with material dealing with the selection of a martial art for beginners, and of course, the history section was strengthened and sharpened.

Lastly, a complete re-organisation of the material was accomplished with an addition of a section on pins and control and weapons (jo and sword). The finished work is comprised of more than 1000 photos, 600 hand-drawings and complex explanations and tips to make the techniques of Aikido work properly. It includes detailed writing on the “Positive” mindset as well as complete sections geared to beginners, intermediate students and advanced practitioners.

Although several traditional publishers expressed interest in printing the book, and initial negotiations were entered into with one California-based company, the advent of “print-on-demand” technology and the resulting new publishing market, made for a better alternative.

Of this book as it stands now, the authors say this – “There are a lot of books on Martial Arts out there, and this one fits into the crowd well – but it also stands alone in the sheer comprehensiveness of the work. It is a nearly complete representation of a single school’s technique – it is a historical marker – a book of strategy – an ethical guide – a technical manual – and it is a chart, graph and manifest of all the things which make martial artists as a whole stand together as sisters and brothers with the same warrior spirit.”

This letter of recommendation is from William (Bill) Woods Sensei. Sensei Woods was in the 1950′s and 60′s Aide and personal secretary to Kenshiro Abbe Sensei. At that time Sensei Woods was considered the most influential and powerful figure in British Martial Arts. In 1955 he was the British Judo Champion. He was the first person to be graded by Abbe Sensei to 1st dan in Kendo, holding certificate No 1, he was a key figure in the creation of the British Judo Council ( BJC ) and the International Budo Council ( IBC ). There are too many credits to the name of Sensei Woods to be listed here. I am very proud to have known Sensei Woods for almost 50 years. signed: Henry Ellis.

The new book is published by Trafford Publishing and avaIlable from all good book shops and online with Amazon, priced around $18.95 or £10.00. 156 pages : ISBN number 1-4120-4668-8.

The Positive Aikido book can be ordered in the UK through Trafford Publishing www.Trafford.com. Phone your order to Trafford UK Tel: 01270 251396

EllisAikido.org EllisAikido.org

geocities.com.britishaikido geocities.com.britishaikido

Henry Ellis a direct student of the legendary master Kenshiro Abbe Sensei from 1957 a student of the old traditional style of Aikido.

Have you being turned down for credit cards, loans or mortgages? Do you want to improve your credit rating?

If you’re tired of being declined again and again by lenders, it’s time you did something about it.

Most people do not understand the consequences of having damaged credit. Your ability to buy a car, house, or finance any other major purchases will be hindered if you have poor credit rating.

A bad credit rating will prevent you from getting access to loans, or financing for your purchases. Or if you do get financing, then you’ll get charged the highest interest rates. Therefore having a bad credit record will cost you more money.

Once you have damaged credit you will realize just how it can affect your life on many levels. There are many things you can do to eliminate your bad credit.

First of all, take a look at your credit report. Many people have no idea what their credit report says about them You need to know what information is being distributed about you by credit bureaus.

Order your credit report from the credit bureau. Once you receive your report, scour it for errors.

Next, challenge any incorrect information on your report. By law the credit bureau must investigate it and inform you of the results of their investigation.

Then add positive credit items on your report. There are several proven ways to boost your credit rating.

To improve your credit rating, you absolutely must pay all your bills on time each month.

Conleth C Onu is the owner of aboutcreditrepairadvice.com aboutcreditrepairadvice.com Please visit his website for more information on credit repair and how you can rebuild your credit.