Global Credit Crunch Market

Global Credit Crunch Market – Today the top topic heard nationwide is the economy and struggles of everyday people to survive this current economic downturn. From reading history we learn of the cyclical nature of economies. So, while this economy is down today it could very much bounce back over time with the right leadership.

However, regardless to what is done or not done in Washington, I want to talk today about the responsibility to create our own economic self improvement program. I want to ask you one question. What is the state of your personal economy? Are you over burdened with debt, living pay check to pay check, fearing unexpected financial setbacks? Thinking about the retirement years? Having more month than money?

Even if the economy rebounds in the near future, I think we must continue to be vigilant about creating our own economic stimulus program. We must not get lazy and continue the same habits which in part contributes to our financial insecurity. We need a program that will stimulate and improve our personal financial reality. I suggest we look at our current condition and then create a personal three year economic self improvement program that will touch all areas of our financial life. The following tips will get you started on your personal economic recovery program.

Steps to create your plan

1) Savings

Before we receive our weekly, bi-weekly or monthly salary you notice the government has already deducted money from your paycheck among three areas: federal, medicare and social security. What does this have to do with the idea of saving? As it predetermined by the government that a certain amount of money will be set aside from the gross of your salary, it would be wise for us to set aside a certain amount of money for our savings. The money coming out regularly may seem to be a small amount, however over time you can grow a decent amount of money. Whether you choose to save $10, $50, $100 or whatever amount, the key is to be consistent and do not bother your savings. This would be a smart thing to do with the extra stimulus money from your paycheck. Global Credit Crunch Market

2) Repairing credit/Debt reduction

Now that we have started saving money for our future it is rime to say goodbye to debt and repair our credit. The Bible teaches the following concerning debt, “The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.”Proverbs 22:7There are two types of debt positive and negative. Positive debt refers to those expenses which are unavoidable and positively affect your credit ranking like a car note or mortgage. On the other hand, negative debt refers to those expenses that drag our credit rating down.

The first thing I advise is to go online to and request your credit report from the three credit bureaus. It is your right to receive a free credit report from Experian, Equifax and Transunion each year. Once you know the damage you can come up with a game plan for repair. You do not have to pay any company to repair your credit. Spend one evening at the library or Barnes and Nobles reading books on credit repair to learn what you need. You can then negotiate with your collectors from a strong position.

3) Live within your means

I like to say that you can live frugal but rich. Only you and I as individuals know the amount of money that could be saved. If we were to live a more financially responsible lifestyle. I am not saying that you have to give up cable, a nice dinner out. Turn off the air in the summer or wear old tattered clothes to save money. However, do we have to eat out so often or can we cook our own meals? Do we have to have every new piece of clothes or pair of shoes that come out? Or what about bad habits which not only destroy or health, but drains us financially. There are ways to live within a budget, yet still dress nice, eat well and enjoy this thing called life. The money you do not spend can go towards investments, debt reduction or savings.

4) Safe investments

I do not pretend to have knowledge of Wall Street. Big time investor in advising you regarding this step. Considering the economic downturn I do not know if it is wise or unwise to deal with traditional investments. However, this shouldn’t stop you from participating in what I call safe investments. Research at your local bank or online for the current rates for Cd’s(certificate of deposit) or MMA(Money Market Accounts). You can set aside a portion of the money you are no longer wasting and are now saving to invest in one of the aforementioned options and start your money working for you. Global Credit Crunch Market.

5) Start a small business/exploit your talents

The famous motivational speaker Les Brown in his book ‘Live your dreams’ says, “What do you enjoy doing? How can you do what you enjoy and make a living at it?” However, I believe each human being is capable of doing or learning to do something well that would benefit another person. It is easier to start a business doing something you enjoy and love doing than just focusing on money as the sole objective.

Get yourself a piece of paper and write down the things you know how to do really well. Next, research if there is a market locally or on the internet to exploit your talent. Considering the current economic climate and that it is said that many are in a position to lose their jobs this might not be a unrealistic option.

5 Financial Planning Mistakes

5 Financial Planning Mistakes – When we see that the fixed deposit rates are higher we invest in fixed deposits. And with the numerous calls from hardcore telecallers, we find it hard to avoid them and ultimately end up in buying an insurance product without any previous plan.

The result of such unplanned investments is however not always bad. But it results in an unnecessary financial burden, which becomes difficult to carry in the long run. Hence the unplanned investment in a fixed deposit may result in good returns from it, but overall low returns. An unplanned investment in the share market or a mutual fund results in a loss and getting stuck for years. An unplanned investment in an insurance product results in lapse of the policy after a few years.

As an intelligent investor we should follow a guideline to investing, ignoring the calls from the telecallers, friends, colleagues and our own lust for more profits. Let’s see the 5 common mistakes that an investor commits. Here they are:

Not Having An Objective.

We should have an objective, a goal, for our investments. Goal based investments results in the realization of our future dreams. If we have a goal of buying a house or putting our child into a medical school and plan our investments around that, we have a good chance to make that happen in the future. Many of us dream of such things, but never plan their investments to meet that goal.

Wrong Timing.

This is the most common of all the mistakes. When making an investment one should pick the right moment. No, I am not talking about “shubh mahurats” or auspicious timing here, I am speaking of the right economical timing. When the economies are not doing good, there are bad economic reviews everywhere and the companies are in doldrums. It’s a good time for an investment. Blue chip stocks are available on “sale”, fixed deposit rates are hiked due to higher stock market risks and high inflation, real estate prices are attractive due to slump in demands – these are excellent times to invest in these instruments. However, remember that investment timing varies for different types of instruments as each of these react differently in a situation.

Over Investing. People do not allocate their money while investing. An allocation is necessary to spread the risk of investments in different instruments. This allocation should be made with regard to the age and risk profile of an investor. If one invests 70% of his annual funds into shares and the rest in fixed deposits, in his 40s, he is taking a big risk. If a salaried person, invests 80% of his monthly salary in fixed deposits only, is not giving his money a good scope to grow. Over investing is either “putting all the eggs in one basket” or investing all the time. I know people who buy shares almost daily saying that they are investing for the long term. It is critical to understand that investments should be done in an “investment window”, an opportunity, which comes once in a while; not all the time.

Not Researching

I know that people are computer-savvy these days and they would certainly research before committing. But how many of us go beyond the tips and research reports to pause and think that these are genuine and not some marketing ploy? Internet is a fantastic tool to research, but there are good sites. Which steers an investor in the right direction and there are marketing sites, which in the name of providing research, review and comparisons, try and promote their products. I am not saying that all of these sites are bad or promoting only, but many of them actually are. A research should be based not only on what others say, but also taking one’s own situation into consideration and applying a common sense judgment over it.

Not Recording

Although most of us do keep records of their investments. These seldom reflect the true net-worth or whether an investment is keeping with the plan or not. We keep records for the sake of filing our Income Tax returns only. A proper record should reflect one’s net worth, net returns from investments, net income, net expenditure, etc. So that one can plan for the future and keep an eye whether the investments are doing good or not. There are many modern softwares which does all this and more and I will discuss about them in the near future.

7 Pros and Cons Loans

1. IOUs

2. Credit Cards

3. Banks and Credit Unions

4. Astronomical interest rates

5. Unsecured loans can be discharged in bankruptcy

6. Unsecured consumer loans fall under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

7. Know your number

High Risk Loans

High Risk Loans – If you know your credit score stinks, then choosing one of the high-risk loans can help you get the cash you need in your pocket fast. When you know you need a little financial assistance, you can turn to online lenders to help you in a pinch. These lenders can help you with many different types of loans and you can get cash in your bank account the same day, if necessary. The best part is they specialize in bad credit, so you don’t have to worry about what your report looks like. Some of these lenders don’t even check your credit, which can be very helpful.

Fast Cash Bad Credit Loans

The easiest type of high-risk loan to get is going to put up to $1,500 in your pocket with 24 hours. Most know this type of loan as a cash advance or payday loan. These fall in the personal loan and signature loan categories and they won’t require a credit check. If you need cash fast, this is the type of loan you want to consider because you can put cash in your pocket within a few hours, in most cases. Simply apply online, become approved, fax in any necessary documents (usually pay stub, copy of ID, and a utility bill), electronically sign your loan documents and get your money.

Unsecured High Risk Personal Loans

Another type of loan you can get if your credit is ugly comes in the form of an unsecured high-risk loan. These loans don’t require collateral, but they will not be all that easy to get. They are often reserved for those with good credit, but some lenders will work with bad credit, as well. It may take up to a week to become approved and get your money, but you can get much more with this type of loan. These personal loans can give you up to $25,000 and often will have a much longer term than other loans. You may get up to 5 years to pay the loan back and this can really help when you need money in a crisis and a few hundred dollars won’t cut it.

Peer 2 Peer or Person 2 Person Loans

Another online loan you can use if you have bad credit is known as a P2P loan. This type of loan website actually connects individual investors with those seeking loans. They can help you get the cash you need very fast and this can really make a difference. Most of the time you can get your loan within a week and the individual investors won’t look too closely at your credit rating. They base the loan on what you have to say and how equipped you are to pay the loan back.

Co-Signer Loans

If you cannot become approved for the loan you need, don’t have any collateral to secure it, and need more than a cash advance offers, then a co-signer may be necessary. You will need someone with good credit that can vouch for you by signing the loan documents, as well. They will be at risk if you don’t pay the loan back and it may be hard to find a co-signer, but you might not have any other option.

Pawnshop Loans

However, if you cannot find a co-signer and the other options above don’t work for you; it is possible to get a pawnshop loan. This is a very easy loan to get, but you will need collateral. The good news is they don’t require the collateral to be a property you own or a vehicle. They will accept jewelry, electronics and pretty much anything of value. Most of the time you will get about half or a little more of the actual value of the item, as the loan amount. You will have 90 days to pay the loan back and get your item out of pawn, in most cases.

When you have bad credit, it can be difficult to get a loan, but if you get creative, you can find the money you need. If all else fails, you can go right back up to option #1 and get a cash advance online. This is probably the most popular type of online high-risk loan out there because of the quick turnaround. The good news is some companies actually give you up to 100 days to pay your cash advance back and they will give you lower payments because of the longer amount of time.

4 Common Buy Here

4 Common Buy Here – If its Buy Here, Pay Here you can finance a lot of car for little money:

This can be true but is mostly false. I think this misconception came from the way things were years ago. Even 3-4 years ago you could get away with it but not in today’s environment. Lending practices at one point were very loose. You could get a new car with $500 down, a 650 credit score and a steady job.

But that type of thinking is what got us into this mess in the first place. Why would you want to revert to something that got you into a messy financial situation again? The thing is that we get people walking in all the time trying to put $500 down on a 10k car. Well the problem with that is most of the people we deal with people in a tough situation. Why make your situation even harder by taking on a loan you cannot afford? 4 Common Buy Here.

That $500 won’t even cover your taxes which in turn won’t put anything towards the principal of the car. This will keep your payments high and the interest has the potential of eating you up in the long run. The best thing you can do is put more money down towards the price of the car. We actually make much less money when you do this because it lowers your payments and the interest doesn’t cost you as much over the course of the loan. 4 Common Buy Here.

All the cars in Buy Here, Pay here are pieces of junk:

This has some merit but so does buying a car at a franchise new or used dealership. Really, it comes down to the management. What kind of work are they putting into their cars? Are they going for the cheap quick fix or are they trying to get a customer for life? Do they check their cars when they come in? Do they perform safety inspections? Will they let you take the car to an independent mechanic? These are all questions you must ask the dealership. If they say no to any or all of these then you should be suspicious.

The thing is a carfax only does so much these days. Everyone has to have a Carfax or they can’t tell. While its nice to have one it doesn’t really tell the whole story. So, when you get to a BHPH make sure that you’re dealing with the right people. There are plenty of cars I have seen come and go out of a BHPH that have lasted a long time. It works both ways. Its the dealerships job to make sure they are getting you into a good running car but its your job to maintain the car.

Buy Here, Pay Here is just another car dealership:

Well Kind of. Buy Here, Pay Here car lots do sell cars. There are salesman and there is a finance department just like any other dealership. Some of them have mechanics on hand as well.
What you really should look at a BHPH car dealership as is a place to qualify you. Things work backwards at a BHPH according to what you’re used to. The first step in the process is to get you qualified for a car. While at other places the first step is to sell you a car.

Those were in the good ol’ days when everyone could get financed. It didn’t matter how good or bad your credit was. Its different now. You may not get qualified for everything. A BHPH dealers job is to fit you into a car you can afford. They don’t want you to fail. They don’t want you to get stuck in another tough financial situation. it is in their best interest to get you into a car you can pay on time.

Because its a BHPH you can get into any car you want:

This is simialr to 2 of the common misconceptions above but not entirely true. I see a lot of people come on to the lot and expect to get into a really nice car. When I suggest something else they respond “but isn’t this a buy here, pay here”?

Well yeah it is but that doesn’t mean we want to put you into a situation where you will fail. Everyone wants a nice car but the reality is not everyone can afford a nice car. You have to not only consider the payments but also the maintenance and insurance that goes into owning a car. You also should prepare for unexpected mechanical fixes and keeping up with basic maintenance. Putting you into a 20K car is only going to set you up for failure.

10 Tips to Save Money

10 Tips to Save Money – Thousands of car buyers are likely to come out every day and make their purchase. But many will pay far more than they have to because they fail to reflect and choose the best ways to financing their car before they buy. A new car is in the top three most expensive purchase many us will make, after our residences. So, consider all available options carefully before buying committing to the purchase. Shockingly, research shows that nearly one out of three buyers does not even haggle over the price of a new vehicle, and just 3 out 20 spend more than an hour inquiring on financing.

Most people are not in the position of paying cash to buy a new car and it just isn’t in the realm of possibility. And even if it is, one may not want to use their saving to buy a new automobile. That means that you are either going to be getting a lease on the vehicle, or buying it through financing. When you’re buying, you’re probably financing it through the dealership, a banking institution, credit union, another financial institute, or maybe even a relative, a friend or someone close to you.

It is important to know as the cost of cars is on the up, it’s now more important than ever for buyers to make sure they get the best deal. In the bargaining on the purchase and on researching the right finance approach or insurance policy, at the very least several hours at home with a computer and phone at hand will make a dramatic difference to your money outlay.

Here are some tips:

1. Improve your credit

If you plan on buying a car in the near future, it is absolutely necessary to spend some time cleaning up your credit report. If you can’t do it yourself many companies specialize in this and will do it for as low as $30 per month.

2. Borrow against your 401K

If you are young, have a secure job and income and have the option to borrow against your 401K, any interest you’d be paying would not be lost. Check with your financial institution for the details and how much you can borrow.

3. Borrow from someone you know

That is if you know you will pay them back as promised and agreed. In this case you could go one step further to make them comfortable in guaranteeing the loan by putting up some collateral such as the title of car at least.

4. Get at least 10 quotes

Once you have a copy of your credit report and credit score, get 10 quotes from 10 different credit sources. This will also help when asking for a better rate and or negotiate a better sale price. Sometimes low APR credit cards will do just fine. 10 Tips to Save Money

5. Get pre-approved

This should be done on the ideal time to shop for a car loan is before you shop for a car. You can drive the car right off the lot. No waiting for the loan approval and disbursed and taking the check back to the dealer. In most cases the loan can be approved by your lender quickly.

6. Put a bigger down payment:

As part of your negotiations for a better interest rate, suggest a different percentage of down payment for a reduction in rate.

7. Dealer Financing

With many car companies having their own lending affiliates you can pick a car and a loan in one application. The process is usually quicker than applying for a bank loan, and dealers are more likely than banks to qualify buyers with less-than-perfect credit ratings. They also usually help customers with special needs, like first-time buyers and students. Car companies often offer low-rate promotional financing on certain cars. This option can be more expensive, particularly for poorly informed buyers.

8. Negotiate the Terms

3, 5 or 7 years? Which is right for you and which can you qualify for? Negotiate the car’s price before you talk about the terms of a loan, so the dealer can’t hike the car’s price to give you a lower-rate loan. Even when you get low dealer financing rates of 1% to 6%, there’s a catch. these loans are generally short term. Since many must be repaid in 24 months, monthly payments can be high.

9. Bank, Credit Union or Lending Institution

Banks and credit unions usually offer set, where you cannot negotiate rates, but less expensive than dealer financing. They will push the unnecessary expense of credit life insurance, which ensures that the loan will be paid off if you pass on. Credit unions that offer auto loans typically offer lower rates than banks and financing companies. But finance companies are the most expensive as they generally accept greater credit risks borrowers.

10. Payback quickly and insure yourself

The sooner you pay back the least interest you pay if you have a high interest rate. Otherwise invest the money in higher interest rate guaranteed return (my preferred option). Get life insurance so your family is protected and will not have to pay for bill in case of an accident. Term life is cheap and you only needed it for the length of time of the loan.
Remember that the good old saying “Work Hard and Save” has updated to “Work Smart and Invest.” 10 Tips to Save Money.

Professionals Toilet Training Puppies

Professionals Toilet Training Puppies – Toilet training puppies is absolutely important if your pets stay indoors. You may not be able to train your puppy to flush the toilet much less use the bowl when he needs to go, you should be able to train him to use a designated potty spot.

In choosing a potty spot when you are toilet training puppies, be sure that the area is clean before and after your puppy goes. Dirty areas are breeding ground for germs and bacteria and can be a source of worms. You don’t want your pet to get sick do you?
To be able to succeed in toilet training puppies, you must take into heart the following secrets that professional trainers, breeders, and vets suggest:

1. Scolding and punishing.

Never ever do the following when you do potty training: hurt your puppy by slapping him, throwing anything at him, shoving him, shouting at him, and rubbing his nose on his pee or poop.
Scolding and punishing will do you and your puppy no good as they have limited reasoning skills, they can’t determine ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in the way humans perceive it. Another reason is that doing so would either result to an aggressive dog or a dog that is afraid of you.

2. Schedule feeding time.

Dogs and puppies love rules and schedules, this is in fact ingrained in their DNA because this is what happens in a pack. Schedule his meals and you will be able to predict when he goes.
Not only should you feed him at the same time everyday, you should also feed him with the same type of food. Changing meals often will give your puppy digestive problems.

3. Consistency does it.

After feeding, take him immediately to his potty spot on a leash. Allow his digestive system to do its work so no playing or cuddling whatsoever.
When you take him to his potty spot always use the same door. This establishes a pattern that he will follow.
There should only be one potty spot with which he can do his business, avoid going to his potty spot today then your bathroom tomorrow. Doing this will confuses and will the training difficult.

4. Using scents.

Many professionals recommend the use of scents in toilet training puppies. Puppies will always go back to where the odor of their urine is, this is what they do in scent marking.
You can use this when you toilet train your pup by using a cloth that smells of his urine. Put the cloth on his potty spot before you take him there.

5. Clean accidents thoroughly and immediately.

Often a pup will reach a point where he will find potty places for himself and they are usually places you don’t want him to urinate. Even during the process of potty training, he will have accidents. You should clean ‘accident areas’ thoroughly, don’t wait for the urine to dry because again when he smells them he goes back to any of those areas and conducts his business there.

6. Use stacks of newspapers if you are trying to potty train indoors.

Choose a spot in your house away from lots of traffic and noise. When you notice that he begins to squat and is nervously pawing on the floor immediately pick him up and place him on the stack of newspapers.
Don’t leave him alone to do his business, supervision is a must. After he does his business, keep a single newspaper and use it again the next time he feels like going.

7. Use a crate.

This method counts upon a puppies denning instincts, his den is his home and so he will not mess up this place. Now you should not leave him in the crate for a long time when he could no longer hold his bladder or you will have thrown your efforts away.

8. Be patient and give your puppy rewards.

Experts say toilet training puppies can take weeks. So you have to be patient and kind to your pet and when he does good reward him with his favorite treat.

Housing Market Prices Down

Housing Market Prices Down – It is known that the mortgage crisis in the US was the key to the global economic criss that has shaken the world since 2007. After house prices reached their peak in 2006, prices suddenly started declining at the end of that same year. Real Estate is so important that its downfall can cause the entire economy to crash. The economic crash can cause millions to lose their jobs and families to struggle in providing for their children. All of these things caused me to think about the real estate market a bit more, and as a result I am contributing to this section of our blog after a long time.

Rent Price is Up

The other day I spotted a news headline about the rise in rent prices. I realized at that point that this can be incredibly confusing to the common person. We are all aware that home prices have fallen, but yet rent prices are going up. One would think that if there is no money, there should be no demand, which would result in lower prices. This is the exact scenario that recently happened in some developing countries affected with the global economic crisis.

In Australia however, a large group of people that would have purchased a house turned to renting. At the same time, high school and college students who would have moved out on their own and become renters stayed in their parents’ home. In the developing countries instead of renting, this same group of would be buyers would have returned to their parents’ home. Due to these would be buyers turning to renting, the demand for rental properties increased, and therefore rental prices went up as well.

Theory

In theory, it would make sense for home owners to rent out their properties until the prices leveled out and increased. The problem with this is strictly a cash flow issue. Let’s take a look at an example. One family has to relocate to a new city They would like to purchase a home in their new city and therefore, need to sell their old home immediately. Often times people in this situation would buy a second home, and wait for the first to sell. Some families choose to rent a home temporarily until the first home sells and then purchases a new home. This prevents them from having the option to rent their home, because they need the cash flow for their new property.

Solution

So this was and still is a perfect time for brave investors, not looking for a fast return on investment. So if you have money just laying on your savings account, and earning little interest, think about investing in real estate. Prices are not going to get as high as they used to be, but will get higher, and meanwhile you will be making money off the rent.

All of these factors make it a perfect time for brave investors willing to wait for a return. Purchasing a home now with extra funds in a savings account earning minimal interest is a great way to invest currently. Renting out the property immediately will ensure some additional income and when the housing market levels out and prices return to normal you can then sell house for a hefty profit.

Definition of Loans Linked

Definition of Loans Linked – Now that you are aware of what the bank is looking for and on which lending guidelines any lender, mostly banks will base their decisions on, you have increased your success rate in having your loan approved whatever business finance solutions you opted for. GO and Get your Business Loans Fast! Definition of Loans Linked !

a. Purpose

Whenever you ask for a loan, the first thing the lender will ask you will be related to the usage of the money. What are you going to use the money for? Is it for what they call treasury purposes or for capital expenditures? In very simple terms is it for daily routine necessities of the business, which can be in the form of the cash requirements for paying off day to day expenses like paying the suppliers, buying stationery, paying to the cashier, etc.

Or is this because you need the money to expand or grow your business, which in this case can to buy a new machine the increase your production process. One last possibility is to have some spare money aside for contingencies which means in case you need to make a large payment to replace a new machine which just broke down. One your lender is clear on how you will use your money, then one box is ticked in his scorecard or he is one step closer to the decision making procedure.

b. Lending Criteria

Obviously there is not just one type of Business Loan Financing. It all depends on different criteria the lender will consider before he can decide if yes or no he wants to give you his money. Let’s go through the main two:

1. Amount of the loan:

make sure the amount looks reasonable when compared to your capital and the size of your balance sheet. You don’t want to ask for $10K if your capital is at $1K. Why? You could wonder why not after all. What difference does it make? Well there is a huge difference. The bank is going to lend you to the extend it believes you can pay back the money very easily. So if you ask for more than you can cope with in terms of making that type of revenues or having a capital that is smaller than you’re asking for, big RED WARNING signals are going to ring for them.

So start small and then you can increase gradually when you have proven you are a good creditor and you make enough cash to pay them back. As remember this is what the bank is concerned ALWAYS!: can my client pay me back? You now start to understand what the key components are in a business loan financing decision process. Bear in mind that once you know all of them, you have the magic key to decide what are the best Business Finance Solutions for you and get your business loans fast.

2. Maturity:

This is the second most important information the bank will take into account when they make their decision in any business loan financing transaction. Maturity of the loan means how long you want to take the loan for. A good average is 5 years. If you take a large amount of money and want to repay quicker, you will need to demonstrate that you have enough spare cash after all expenses have been taken out, to repay your loan. Definition of Loans Linked.

On the other hand, if you do go for longer than 5 years, the bank will want to get a picture of where your business will stand after that period. And if you are a small-medium sized company that has been operation of 2-3 years, this can represent a risk for the bank to give you a loan for such a long period as you don’t have enough history to back it up. So even if you have a desperate need to get financial help for business growth, bear in mind that you want to increase your probability to get your loan approved by asking the bank for a loan which will meet their lending guidelines.