Archive for March, 2011

Spiritual and Emotional Money Goals: The Keys to a Financially Free Future

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Are you setting the right money goals?

Most people believe having more money would mean having more security. Right? Wrong. Having more money is only one goal we need to achieve in order to be financially free. Increasing our internal ability for abundance is the goal we need to meet first.

The problem with only pursuing wealth externally and not internally is that our hidden, limiting beliefs about money can wipe out our savings, our line of credit at the bank, and the $5 we borrowed from a friend to put gas in our car.

Having more security is not something that can be determined or created by how much we earn, how much we save, or how much we own. Security is an internal barometer of how much we trust ourselves to be able to handle difficult circumstances.

In order to do this, we must set result-oriented goals (the vacation, the new house, etc) as well as clean up any negative internal programming we have around money.

Let’s try an example. Say that you do get that raise, or get some unexpected windfall of cash. You think your all set. And then in a matter of 30 – 90 days, you’re back to where you started. What happened? One of two things: Either you have spent your cash on something you thought would bring you more security, or, in the case of a raise, you have also raised the level of your debt so that while you are now making more money, you are also spending more money.

How do you know what your internal money goals are? The first thing to do here is to look at your relationship with money for the past 10 years. What patterns do you see creeping out? Are their any serious financial challenges? Is there a pattern of high peaks and low valleys? What does your money history tell you about your internal relationship to money?

Set A Goal To Create A NEW Relationship With Money

Then take this information you have just gathered and consider it. Develop 3-4 internal money goals that will reflect a change in your relationship to money. If you’ve had a “love-hate” relationship for example, what can you do to change that?

Here are a few examples to get you started:

Forgiving yourself for past money mistakes or bad decisions…
Building your level of trust and deserving with money…
Having your own relationship to money instead of your parent’s…
Eliminating money patterns that produce “scarcity thinking…”

By creating result-oriented goals around money combined with spiritual and emotional-level goals around money, we can begin to exact change in our relationship to money – and have MORE of it!

Bernie Cardell makes things happen. He has experience in coaching all types of people including gifted and creative people, business owners, executives, teenagers, actors, board members, healthcare practitioners, and just about anyone you can think of. Through his experience in coaching, working for Insight Seminars Worldwide, The Love and Logic Institute, and The New Warrior Project, he has had the opportunity to coach hundreds of people through confusion to large and lasting change.

For more information on Bernie and personal coaching, please visit his site My Creative Prosperity at mycreativeprosperity.com mycreativeprosperity.com

Also check out Bernie’s great teleclasses on Prosperity for Creating Thinkers and Underearners and listen to a FREE class at mycreativeprosperity.com/FinancialFreedom05.html mycreativeprosperity.com/FinancialFreedom05.html

Cash Advance Loans: Loan Sharks In Disguise?

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

You have seen them on the corner and in the poorer parts of town with names like “Quick Cash”, “Quick Loan”, “Payday Loans”, “Car Title Loans”. They are starting to sprout up all over the country and will soon rival Starbucks for sheer number of locations.

They are the new trend in predatory lending practices but still manage to fly under the radar of regulation in most states. They don’ t charge interest, they charge a “fee”.

But it sounds like the ultimate in convenience. Need some quick cash – stop by and in just five minutes you can be out the door with $100, $500 even $1000 dollars. But what is the true cost of this “convenience”?

How It Works

A cash advance or payday/paycheck loan is usually secured by a personal check. Some companies want your bank account or credit card information in addition to or instead of a check.

You write a check to be cashed or agree to have an amount withdrawn from your bank account sometime in the future; usually 14 days (the standard payroll period).

After completing the agreement/contract you are given an amount that is less than what you have agreed to pay. The difference is the “fee” for the loan service. And you have got your cash!

Why It Works

Why is the company willing to loan you money like this? Simple, because loaning out money for these “fees” really amounts to a huge profit at your expense.

For example, say you borrow $200 and the lender charges a “fee” $15 for each $100. Within 14 days you will have to pay $230 for borrowing $200. Now if the $200 keeps you from having to pay a $100 late fee or penalty on something it is probably worth it. But if you just want the money today, you are paying a high price.

You are paying 15% interest for a 14 day loan. That amounts to 3785% compounded interest yearly! No wonder lenders are happy to loan you this money. If they loan you $100 and you pay them back with an extra $15 in two weeks and they loan out the $100 again along with the $15 extra you paid, and they keep doing this for one year, they will turn their $100 into $3785 by the end of the year!

Maybe you should be loaning your money to them rather than borrowing from them.

What To Watch Out For

-Early repayment fees. Pay off your loan early and they sock you with another fee.

-Late repayment fees. You may have to pay the entire fee again if you miss the payment date.

-”Membership” fees. Some companies charge you to become their customer along with charging you as their customer.

-Giving lenders access to directly debit your bank account. Just hand them your wallet, it’s quicker.

-Fine print (as in all contracts). Know what you are signing or don’t sign it.

-Bounced check or debit fees. Make sure you have money in your bank account or you get to pay your bank a fee as well.

-”Collateral” requirements such as a car title. Miss your payment and you may be missing your car – permanently.

There Is A Better Way

The root problem here could be that you are getting strangled by your debt payments. Credit cards, store accounts, installment payments and such can eat up your income quickly. It may be time to visit a non-profit credit counseling service or create a debt reduction plan for yourself.

Or it could be that you are just spending more than you make. You may need to spend a few minutes each week and write down your expenses. Then categorize and total them to see where your money is going. Then record your income for the same time period and make sure that you are not spending more than you make.

Sure, everyone gets behind occasionally. But you need enough room in your budget (this means spending less than what you make) to accommodate the “budget busters” and surprise expenses that may come up. It may mean cutting back on cable, magazine subscriptions or eating out. But last time I checked, McDonalds did not charge a $15 “fee” for making your food.

David Berky is president of Simple Joe, Inc. One of Simple Joe’s products is Debt Eraser PC software which helps anyone get out of debt quickly and inexpensively by creating a Rapid Debt Reduction Plan. Visit simplejoe.com simplejoe.com to learn more.

Debt Reduction – Reducing Debt Without Owning a Home

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Eliminating debt can be done without a home equity loan. In fact, there are several options for a person with high interest debt. For small loan balances, refinancing with a low-interest, unsecured loan can help put more of your money toward paying off credit card balances.

Debt consolidation is another option for those with unmanageable bill balances. Bankruptcy sometimes is the best choice to eliminating debt and starting over with your credit.

Refinance High Interest Debt

The average American household carries over $11,000 in revolving debt with interest rates between 18% and 26%. With such high rates, it becomes virtually impossible to pay off credit card and loan balances. The answer is to find lower interest rates.

Personal loans offer one solution for those with good credit scores. Card card companies also offer low rates on balance transfers. To make these loans effective, you must be disciplined in making principal payments beyond the minimum required.

Debt Consolidation With A Credit Counselor

Debt consolidation with a credit counseling agency can also help you eliminate your debt. A credit counselor can negotiate lower interest rates on many of your credit card accounts and bills for a small monthly fee.

Before signing with one of these companies, shop around for a good lender. They should be able to tell you their fees, how much they can reduce your interest rates, and how soon your bills will be paid off.

Bankruptcy Helps With A Fresh Start

For those who have already missed several payments and are overwhelmed by late fees and penalties, a bankruptcy might be the answer. New bankruptcy laws require you to work with a credit counselor first, which might help you salvage your credit score while paying back creditors.

If you do declare bankruptcy, be aware of the long term effects on your credit. Future loans will be more difficult to secure, at least until you rebuild your score.

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World Cup Schedule is a Must-have for Fans

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Schedule ideally means an organized process or manner in which a certain thing will be done. Likewise, world cup schedule tells players and fans exactly how, when and where things will happen during the course of the entire world cup tournament. The game of cricket has many fans and some of them are really crazy. They can go out of their way to accommodate time for watching a match in which their favorite player or team is participating. The World Cup is an event which happens after every four years and this is another reason why fans eagerly anticipate the event to begin. The Cricket World Cup is organized by ICC, also known as the International Cricket Council where all the test playing nations participate.

World cup schedule is the most important element which will help players to plan out exactly what they need to do. Each game needs proper planning and implementation. It is not just about going to the ground and hitting with the bat, the game has many more things to it then this. The world cup schedule helps a participating team to properly analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the opposite team. This will be made easy by world cup schedule because only by looking at the schedule will a team be able to decide when they need to do what to win a game.

There are several sources from which cricket fans can get their hands on world cup schedules. One of the sources is the online websites, which are dedicated to cricket and cricket fans. In most of these sites, world cup schedule is put up well in advance. After all, fans need to plan many things to make time for watching their favorite team or player in action in television or on the field. Fans can visit such online sites and take printouts of the schedules and put them at vantage positions. Other than world cup schedule, fans can get access to many other things on such sites. All information about cricket and cricket world cup, latest news, scores and controversies and news about team selection can be found. In fact cricket crazy fans can know all that they want about their favorite game through such sites.

Many newspapers and magazines also come up with the world cup schedule before the actual tournament begins. In fact, world cup schedule is a great source for promotion. Many corporate and business houses print the world cup schedules and distribute them for free to their existing customers and prospective new customers as well. Along with the world cup schedules, business owners also give customers information about the product that they are selling and in this way they can attract mew customers.

Watching the cricket world cup is a must in the wish list of all fans that follow the game religiously. So to plan out their work and other schedule timings properly, fans need to get hold of world cup schedules well in advance. After all, they do not want to get the schedule at the last moment and not be in a position to watch their favorite game because of work burden. So fans really need to have world cup schedule.

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, World Cup Schedule, Fantasy cricket and Cricket News among other things. You can see her works at stickiewicket.com stickiewicket.com

Run Your Finances With Bad Credit Student Loans

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Most of the students end their education and find it unable to cope with the burden of loans. As a result of this, they end up with bad credit accredited to their account. Another condition can be if you do not have any credit record. Of course finding a loan amount with a good credit record is an easy way, but, it does not mean that bad credit is the end of the world. You still can apply for bad credit student loans. Here are a few tips on how to qualify for bad credit student loans.

Student loans are designed keeping a strict view towards the needs of the borrowers; same is the case with bad credit student loans. You can make your search for bad credit student loans either through available offline and online sources. For best nominal deal of bad credit student loans, you can offer any of your assets to serve as collateral. In this way, you can cover the risk of the lenders and can qualify for ostensible deals of bad credit student loans.

The initial purpose of bad credit student loans is to finance further education of the students by means of grating funds, along with favourable term of repayment and several other benefits. You can finish your education with these loans. You will have to pay back the loan amount after the completion of your degree, when you are capable of landing up with a job.

At times, bad credit student loans wrap up more than one expense of the students. For instance, bad credit student loans may cover all your expenses from hostel charges to computer and books; it can meet all such expenses of the students.

For best nominal rates of bad credit student loans, you need to expand your horizons of search by making your search through World Wide Web.

Richie Morgan is offering loan advice for quite some time. Loans For People With Bad Credit has a vast network of lenders who provide loans to the borrowers at lower APR. To find loansforpeoplewithbadcredit.net/bad_credit_student_loans.html Bad credit student loans, Bad credit loans, Bad credit personal loans, Bad credit home loans, Bad credit unsecured loan visit loansforpeoplewithbadcredit.net loansforpeoplewithbadcredit.net

Wipe Out Your Debts with Adverse Credit Debt Consolidation Loans

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Are you feeling suffocated in the vicious trap of debts? You might have tried hard to find all the possible ways to come out of this. Never forget “where there is a will, there is a way”. You will not have to be disheartened, because now adverse credit debt consolidation loans offer you an ultimate solution of all your problems. Let us know how to make optimum use of adverse credit debt consolidation loans.

First of all let us get in to the root of the problem. What are the causes that give rise to an adverse credit? Adverse credit is a result of recurring missed payments. It may leave your credit record tarnished; which makes most of the lenders vacillate in offering funds. But, adverse credit debt consolidation loans facilitate you to consolidate your debts and restore your adverse credit, too.

The basic requirements of adverse credit debt consolidation loans are age proof, residential proof, current income, bank account and so on. By applying for an equity loan, you can qualify for lower rate of interest and several other benefits. On the other hand, unsecured adverse credit debt consolidation loans do not necessitates any such assets.

To avail the services of debt management companies, you have to pay a little price and that particular company will negotiate on your behalf. All this is certainly going to help you to save cash.

There are some chances of frauds, as well. Those companies will worsen your situation. To avoid any such fuss, make your search through World Wide Web. Be very cautious while probing for adverse credit debt consolidation loans. Verify that whether that particular firm is legally authorized prior to signing on the dotted line. Consolidating your debts is going to endow with a sigh of relief, as and when, it comes to settle up the bills.

Rick Russel has no formal degree in finance, but years of work that he has put in the finance industry makes him perfectly eligible to be called an expert in financial matters. To find personal debt consolidation loan, fixyourdebts.co.uk/adverse_credit_debt_consolidation.html adverse credit debt consolidation loans, secured debt consolidation loan, remortgage debt consolidation loan, bad debt consolidation UK mortgages visit fixyourdebts.co.uk fixyourdebts.co.uk

Credit Card Fool

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

We allow the credit card industry to make fools of us and we do nothing about it. If someone told you that you were being made a fool of, wouldn’t you address the issue? I know I would.

Credit card companies have revenue of $76.03 billion dollars and the majority of this revenue comes from late penalties and over limit and cash advance fees. $29.2 billion came from late penalties, $15.2 billion from over credit limit fees and $3.04 billion from cash advance fees. This amount is 62% of the credit card companies’ revenue and this does not include finance charges. Nice profit!

The above is the reason why credit card companies can afford to mail over 5 billion credit card offers per year. This equals to 6 offers per household per month. Maybe the $2 billion in postage alone is a reason why our government does not look into the credit card industry seriously.

Every bank and retailer wants you to have their credit card. Having their credit card enables them to make huge profits. In 2001 both Sears and Circuit City reported that over half of their corporate profits were from finance related revenue. Do you think this could be the reason why retailers always have an employee at the front door of their store offering you to sign up for their credit card and in return you receive a special gift or extra “so called” discount? Most special gifts and extra discounts end up costing you more than the original purchase due to finance charges.

I may not be able to confront these institutions that are trying to make a fool of me, but I can fight back by believing that “Cash is King” and using cash instead of credit will save me money in the end.

It’s a New Year and personal money management should be on the top of your list for 2006.

Thomas Martucci started developing the BUDGETkeeper SYSTEM in 1999. As a business owner for 20 yrs, he understood the need for a budget in business. At home however, it was never a necessity until a financial firestorm hit and made home budgeting a task that had to be done, like it or not. Thomas labored for several years to perfect a home budgeting system that worked for anyone. Visit our website at budgetkeepersystem.com budgetkeepersystem.com for more information about the BUDGETkeeper SYSTEM.

Finance Info – Establishing Good Credit

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Do you know the importance of establishing a good credit rating? If you are looking to buy a new home, or car you need to have a better understanding of how you finance your purchases and how you manage your money.

Companies want to know they are investing in someone who will pay them back and pay on time. Before any company will finance you they will review your credit rating and credit score. They want to know if you constantly have late payments, accounts in collections, or ever filed bankruptcy. Any of these and your attempts to finance your purchase may very well be impossible.

If you work at establishing good credit before you actually need it you will have a much better chance of getting the finance you need, somewhere down the road! You don’t want red flags on your credit score, learn these basic credit habits and improve their peace of mind and your credit score.

Practice these tips to get lower interest rates and better deals the next time you finance a purchase:

1.) On Time All the Time!

This one sounds so simple, yet so many people neglect to pay their bills when their due. Potential lenders are going to have a hard time believing you will pay them on time if your credit report shows you constantly miss payment deadlines. Why would lenders finance your purchase when you present a credit risk? Get into the habit of paying at least the minimum that’s due and pay it early!

2) Credit Cards Balance is the Key!

To appear in the best light the next time you apply for assistance to finance your purchase use credit cards wisely. Two to four is the recommended amount Too many credit cards and you won’t be able to pay them off, too little and you might not have enough credit history.

3) Check your Credit Report Yourself!

Credit reports are issued from three major credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. To make sure when you finance your next purchase that they are accurate, you should be keeping a constant watch on your finances. To make sure your finance report is accurate check every three months. If there are any mistakes inform them immediately.

Remember having good credit is about much more than bragging rights. If your finances are not in order your dream home may stay just that…..a dream. Establish good credit habits now. As you finance your purchases work on using the tips above and repairing any bad credit you already have. You will reap the rewards!

Jakob Culver is the owner and editor of azarticles.com/ AZArticles.com, a article directory and search engine where you can find more articles related to azarticles.com/Categories/Finance/Finance_Info_–_Establishing_Good_Credit.php credit ratings and good credit.

World Cup Cricket Score Provide Details Regarding An Ongoing Match

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

An ardent cricket fan would love to collect all the necessary information related to his or her interest. This has made it mandatory for them to keep a watch on cricket score, which is of utmost importance to all cricket fans. Every tournament of cricket has its own significance for fans, but world cup cannot be compared with others. Cricket enthusiasts are always on a look out for world cup tournament that is held after every four years. Since this tournament is organized by International Cricket Council and comes after such a long time period, teams try their best to win the trophy and earn the title of being the world champions.

The cricket score, either of a regular match or World Cup, holds prime importance for the fans. So, they have to be updated regularly for the sake of fans’ knowledge. After all, world cup cricket score informs cricket enthusiasts about the situation of a match. Batting, bowling, wickets and some glorious moments are a part of the game that adds to the pleasure. The enjoyment and excitement of the game doubles with the advent of World Cup tournament. It is because the world cup tournament has a particular position for itself in cricket world. Moreover, world cup cricket score is like an encyclopedia that tells about each and every detail of the tournament.

World cup cricket score tells you about the number of runs scored by batsmen and also the number of sixes and boundaries hit by them. With the help of world cup cricket score, cricket enthusiasts can have the advantage of knowing about what is going on the field. Information that you can get is the average with which the runs are being scored. This will help you to make an analysis of the fact that how your favorite team is performing in that world cup match. Scores have always been responsible for telling the condition of either a player or the entire team.

There are numerous websites that offer world cup cricket score of previous matches too. If you happen to fail to see an important match in the past, then you can check out the scores of that particular match. After all, it is quite tacit that every detail related to cricket holds major significance for fans and online sites need to provide with same regularly. It is not just a simple game for them, but a feeling that has got a touch of sentiment too. Moreover, this sport has caught the attention of entire world since it came into existence and has been unfurling its wings since then.

If you are at all willing to know about the world cup cricket score, then you surely have different means to have access. One such means is the internet, as you will find a number of cricket dedicated sites that can provide you with necessary details. Another means is the newspapers that keep you informing about the scores of the match that are held the previous day. They generally print the world cup cricket score board, so that you can get to know that who performed well and who did not.

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,worldcup cricket score and Cricket News among other things.You can see her works at stickiewicket.com stickiewicket.com

Beware, The Annuity Salesman Cometh

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Be on guard, for the annuity salesman cometh, and he/she is poised to take advantage of you, your lack of knowledge, and yes, even your fears.

This breed of salesperson is most often seen at luncheon and dinner seminars, which are marketed heavily to retirees, for retirees have the money. As the infamous bank robber Willie Sutton, when caught robbing banks for the umpteenth time, was asked why he continued to ply his trade, Willie purportedly replied, “…because that’s where the money is.”

It is also retirees who have the greatest concern, even fear; fear of the stock market, and fear of whether they’ll have enough money to last a lifetime.

It is these fears that so many annuity salespeople prey upon. They tout the lifetime income benefits of annuities and guarantees built into the contracts, while at the same time stoking the twin fears of the next great stock market crash, and the terrible consequences of running out of money before running out of life.

But what so many annuity agents leave out are the negatives, negatives that can come back to bite the annuity owner if there is not full disclosure, and far too often full disclosure is sorely lacking. Many retirees are not told of the painfully high and long term surrender penalties if cash is needed, or the excessive built in commissions paid to the salesman, upwards of 10%, even higher in some cases. And in the world of finance high costs usually means a bad deal for the investor.

Various hidden fees, long term surrender penalties, and ever changing terms of many annuity contracts can trip up even the most wary of investors. It has become clear to me that many annuity contracts clearly put the interests of the company and agent first, and well, you know whose interests bring up the rear.

Does this mean all annuities are bad, and that no one should ever invest in them? Absolutely not! One of my favorite expressions is I’ve never met an investment vehicle I didn’t like. Stocks, bonds, CD’s, mutual funds, annuities, real estate, gold, precious gems, I like them all, and have used, and continue to use many of them in my managed portfolios. And the fact is, under the right terms and circumstances, annuities can fit very nicely into many clients financial plans.

What it all boils down to is the importance of two of the cardinal rules of successful investing. One, suitability and two, terms. Suitability simply means, is this investment appropriate for your needs? Does it fit your tolerance for risk, is it tax advantaged if that’s important to you, is there cash flow if that’s one of your requirements, is there a growth element to it if that’s important and necessary? In short, does this investment vehicle meet your personal, financial, emotional and psychological needs and requirements?

The second element is terms. Are the terms fair and reasonable? Are the costs, including front end sales charges/commissions, back end charges/surrender fees, internal operating charges if any, and any other fees or expenses incurred fair and reasonable? Is the maturity date or holding period reasonable and fit within your needs?

In the end all investment vehicles must be carefully analyzed in detail before one makes a commitment. Each investor must understand the pros and cons, either through self analysis and/or with the help of a trusted financial advisor, an advisor who puts the interests of his/her clients before his own, and before any company he/she may represent.

Steve Hood develops quality investment and insurance programs for his clients, and builds and manages “All Weather” investment portfolios.

“All Weather” => Consistent performance through good markets and bad, resistant to market declines.

Find more ideas about lifetime financial security
at => allweatherinvestors.com allweatherinvestors.com