Finance: When To Check Your Credit Score

It’s important to maintain your credit in order to have a good financial livelihood. While most people know to keep track of their credit score, most do not pay much attention to their credit reports.

Your credit report can tell lenders and creditors a lot about you that a score can’t say on its own. Because of this, you need to routinely check your credit report at least once a year.

But sometimes an annual check isn’t enough to make sure your credit is in good standing. It would be a good idea to do additional checks on your credit report in the following situations:

When preparing to make a major purchase with credit

If you are planning to make a large purchase with a credit card, such as a home, automobile or boat, you should check your credit report beforehand. Sometimes unexpected events from your past, such as an unpaid utility bill can show up and reflect negatively upon your ability to repay loans.

Checking your score can give you the opportunity to clear up any loose ends before making a big purchase.

When you have been denied credit

If you are ever denied when attempting to open a new line of credit and your credit report was used in the decision, you are entitled by law to a free copy of your credit report.

You can then use your credit report to review anything that may have influenced their decision. Credit reports aren’t perfect, and mistakes to happen, so reviewing your report can make sure than you weren’t rejected for false or inaccurate information.

When your identity is stolen

Identity theft is becoming more and more common every day. Often times, identity theft can go undetected for years. If you think your identity may have been stolen, reviewing your credit report can show if there are unauthorized lines of credit or purchases made in your name.

When you’re trying to improve your credit

If you’re trying to rebuild your credit, there’s no better place to start than by looking at your credit report. Your credit report contains all of your account activity and can help you outline what you need to do to get your score back into top form.

You may be wondering what is a good credit score. If so, you could possibly benefit from credit repair.

Credit Report: What Is Not Included

The information included in your credit report can directly affect your financial future. A credit report is often one of the factors that decides whether you are approved for loans or new lines of credit. The information included in your credit report can be anything from the amount of credit you have, your credit limits and payment history.

But what information do creditors and lenders not get from your credit report?

Personal Information

While a credit report provides detailed information about your financial history, it does not provide creditors or lenders with any personal information. A credit report will never contain any of the following information:

? Your age

? Your race

? Your sex

? Your religion

? Your marital status

? The country where you were born

Employment Information

While Lenders and Creditors may get access to it from other sources, they will not find any of the following information about your employment on your credit report:

? Your employer

? Your job title

? Your annual salary

? The date you began work

? Past employment history

Credit Information

Many people assume that a credit report will contain everything there is to know about your credit history and activity. But the truth is that there is a lot of information about your credit history that is not found on a credit report.

This exempt information can include:

? Any interest rates currently being charged on open credit accounts

? Child and family support payments

? Rental agreements

? Credit inquiries made by pre-approved credit cards

? If you take part in credit counseling

What Is The Average Credit Score?

Your credit score can say a lot about you. Creditors and lenders use that number to judge how likely you are to pay money that you owe. There are many different aspects that contribute to credit scores, but the exact method of calculating them is unknown to the public.

What we do know, however, is that a credit score can range anywhere from 300 to 850, with 850 being the best. A perfect 850 score is almost never seen, and the average score is much lower.

Once you check you score, compare your results to the rest of the country.

Average National Credit Score

The average credit score across the United States is 680.

The following are the average scores in each of the 50 states:


Alabama: 676

Alaska: 674

Arizona: 659

Arkansas: 668

California: 672

Colorado: 674

Connecticut: 694

Delaware: 684

Florida: 673

Georgia: 668

Hawaii: 688

Idaho: 688

Illinois: 684

Indiana: 676

Iowa: 700

Kansas: 682

Kentucky: 677

Louisiana: 663

Maine: 699

Maryland: 688

Massachusetts: 703

Michigan: 679

Minnesota: 707

Mississippi: 668

Missouri: 683

Montana: 701

Nebraska: 695

Nevada: 655

New Hampshire: 703

New Jersey: 693

New Mexico: 663

New York: 686

North Carolina: 667

North Dakota: 706

Ohio: 685

Oklahoma: 666

Oregon: 686

Pennsylvania: 696

Rhode Island: 692

South Carolina: 665

South Dakota: 710

Tennessee: 679

Texas: 651

Utah: 683

Vermont: 706

Washington: 691

Washington DC: 677

West Virginia: 679

Wisconsin: 699

Wyoming: 690

You may be wondering what is a good credit score. If so, you could benefit from credit repair. Because unfortunately, having a good credit score is key to living a better financial life, having more financial opportunities, and getting lower interest rates.

The powers that be make the rules. All we can do is try to make the most of the system in which we are a part of.

Financial Challenges Facing Franchise Businesses

The current financial conditions facing franchise owners can only be described as extremely difficult. Recent reports show that SBA loans for franchises are at a record default rates in 2008-2009. Compared to 2007 the default rates have gone up 43% and have cost the SBA over $93 million last year.

The above statistics indicates that franchise owners are having a difficult time getting their ventures to succeed in these difficult financial times. Everyone certainly understands the difficulty in getting a new small business to succeed and meet their financial obligations.

So, what can franchise business owners learn from the above statistics regarding recent SBA loan default rates? What are the factors that seemingly contribute toward the high default rates? Well, a review of the statistics seems to reveal several basic factors that affect this.

First, those franchises that focused on serving the affluent customers have a more difficult time during these tough financial conditions. As families face lower income levels, they begin to cut back on those good and services offered by franchise businesses that can be considered luxuries. Cleaning services, laundry services and lawn services may fall into those categories.

Secondly franchises that are in an already crowded market face the prospect of stiff competition and as number of customers for that good or service fall even slightly, marginal businesses suffer immediate consequences. As an example there are a lot of pizza restaurants both independent and franchise operators. As families conserve cash and start to cook at home more often, they cut back on ordering pizza. This affects all smaller and newer operators and those with lower financial capital.

Third factor that affect franchise businesses is the business model of the franchise business. It is crucial to have a solid business model that works even in a difficult financial environment. If the business model is marginal to begin with and depends a lot on the operator’s talent and experience, then this environment will put you to the test. As an example opening fruit juice and cold drink stores in colder climates in winter does not make sense.

So what should a franchisor do in this environment? It is crucial for franchisors to maintain their current base of operators and expand their base cautiously. Nothing is more valuable to a franchisor than a demonstrable track record of success as evidenced by their customer base. A large number of failures and defaults does not inspire confidence in a potential franchise opportunity seeker. There are several things the franchisor can and should do. Speak to your customer base regularly and poll them on their market situations. Provide advise and counseling where appropriate and direct them to financial resources when needed. When selecting new franchise owners, have a higher standard, for financial and capital requirements, so they can withstand the market forces longer. Make sure to provide adequate training in operations so they are more successful in operating their business.

BuyTradeBiz.Com is internets newest business for sale and franchises for sale listing website.

Bad Credit Increases Insurance Cost By Peter Kenny

Most people understand that their credit score can affect their future chances for credit, but many people do not know that their credit score and credit records are also used by auto insurance and home insurance companies as one way to determine rates.

Most states allow home and auto insurance companies to use credit information in their formulations for premium rates. Needless to say, if your credit history has some bad marks on it you may end up paying more for your coverage. To make matters worse, the Supreme Court of United States ruled this year that insurance companies do not even have to tell you that it was your credit history that caused them to charge you more.

In brief, the court ruled, unanimously, that insurance companies were not at fault in charging certain poor-credit customers more in premiums without notifying them that they were doing so.

What this means to consumers who have poor credit marks is that they will not know that their credit history is the reason they are paying more. This is why it is imperative that consumers watch their reports on a regular basis and make corrections when needed.

It would be nice if customers could simply ask their home or auto insurance company to explain how they determined rates but one should not expect to get an answer. The fact is most companies keep this a secret. What is not such a secret is that ninety percent of home and auto insurance carriers do use credit history as a part of their calculation on rates. Some companies put a lot of weight on past credit problems while others do not.

One way to try to circumvent this is to improve your credit score whenever you can. Here are some tips on how to do that.

Pay your bills on time. Late payments show up on your credit report and they stay there for seven years.

Try to get your revolving balances low. Home and auto insurance carriers examine at how much debt you have in relation to your available credit.

Always keep your oldest credit card open. All insurers prefer to work with people who have well-established and long standing lines of credit.

You may not know it, but sending in credit card applications can actually lower your score. With that in mind, avoid applying for several lines of credit at once.

Try to limit the number of credit cards that you have open. Keep your oldest one open, but close those that you do not use anymore. Having too many credit cards can lower your score.

If you know you have some bad marks on your credit report and your rates have gone up, you may have no other choice but to shop for a new policy. The reason you may wish to do this is because there is no hard and fast rule as to high much higher rates must be for those with poor credit histories. One company, as mentioned above, may not charge you nearly as much as another company will. The only way to know is to shop.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=206275&ca=Finances

Take Advantage Of A Secured Loan Calculator By Louis Rix

Going online to find the cheapest rates of interest and best deal when it comes to taking out a loan is one of the quickest ways of getting the best deal and a specialist website will make some of the best tools available to make the job of securing the cheapest rates of interest easy. One of the best tools is the online secured loan calculator, by using this tool you are able to search with the whole of the marketplace to make sure that you have to best loan possible.

Interest rates for secured loans vary greatly so the more quotes you can get before you decide which to take out the better chance you will have of getting the best deal possible with the lowest rates. An online secured loan calculator makes this task easy and quick and along with this you are able to get a vast amount of information regarding secured loans so that you are able to make the right choice when comparing quotes.

A secured loan allows you to borrow a much greater amount of money over a longer period of time than an unsecured, personal loan would, but you have to remember that the longer the term of the loan then the more interest will be added onto the cost of the borrowing. You also have to take into account this is a secured loan which means that you are going to be putting up your home as security against the amount you are going to borrow, the amount you are actually able to borrow will depend on how much equity you have in your home along with other factors. As you are using your home as equity and security then while you are repaying the loan your home is at risk of being repossessed if you cannot manage to keep up the repayments.

A secured loan calculator will help you to not only find the cheapest rates of interest and best loan but will also be able to help when it comes to deciding how long to take the loan out over and how much the monthly loan repayments will be. You will have to compromise against monthly low repayments and the length of the loan bearing in mind it will accumulate more interest over time.

Once you have got quotes using a secured loan calculator then you have to also compare the small print and key facts of the loans. However a specialist website should include these in with the quotes for the loan, it is essential that you do read these as this is where you can find additional costs which could be added onto the loan, examples of such costs include early repayment fees and payment protection. Payment protection insurance should not automatically be included in the cost of the quote but it has been known to happen, so check to make it hasn’t. If you want peace of mind that payment protection can bring then you can buy it independently with a specialist provider much cheaper.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=205187&ca=Finances

Online Car Finance Is The Best Way To Make Great Savings And Get The Best Deal By Louis Rix

There is a right way and a wrong way to go about anything and when it comes to getting a car loan then this is no different. The wrong way is to take the first loan that is offered to you by the high street lender or to take finance out with a car dealer, the right way to go about getting a car loan is to get online car finance and make the best savings and get the best deal in the shortest time frame possible with very little work on your part.

By using your home computer and your internet connection along with a car finance specialist website you can allow them to search online on your behalf using their experience and get quotes for a huge range of UK lenders in the car loan marketplace. Online lenders will have lower overheads and so be able to offer you the best deals and lowest interest rates however your circumstance do go a long way to determining how much the interest will be just as with any other type of loan.

You should always check out your credit rating before going into buying a car and taking out a loan this way will give you a good idea of if you are going to be eligible for the lowest rates of interest, or even if you are going to be struggling to get a loan at all. If you do have a very low credit rating then your best chance might be taking a bad credit loan - if your rating is low then you will not get the cheapest rates or the best deals but you can be sure of getting the best possible for your circumstances.

The first thing you will have to decide when going with a specialist for online car finance is how much you are looking to borrow and of course how long you want to take the car loan over. While of course the longer you take the loan over the less it will be for the monthly repayments, the more interest you will add which can boost the cost of the loan up considerably. You will have to compromise between repayments you can afford while not adding too much interest onto the cost of the car loan, however it is important that you remember you have to be able to continue meeting the monthly repayments for the car loan so be sensible.

As with any type of loan you are committing yourself to online car finance loans have to be given the same consideration. You have to be aware that all loans come with small print and terms and conditions and the key facts of the loan should be given by a specialist when they give you the quotes, this enables you to sit back and compare not only the cost of the loan but also the terms and conditions because this is where extra costs will be hidden along with how much you are going to be repaying in total.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=206533&ca=Finances

Scams In Stock Investing By Dustin Johnson

The wide popularity of stock investing has also attracted scammers, who are well armored with their frauds and ready to take your money away. Thus, you have to be well aware of their fraudulent actions and take the necessary actions not to become their victim.

The Internet has given scammers an additional field for action. They have managed to design such schemes that make you think that you are being part of a legal insider deal that will bring you a lot of money. However, most of the times you end up losing your money and with a lot of headaches.

Stock scams come in a variety of forms from very crude ones that are easy to be noticed to more sophisticated, that can need a lot of time to be revealed. They manage to give such legitimacy to the stock deals that will be undertaken that it is easy to fall their victim.

It is difficult to list you all of the stock scams that are already available. And even if we manage to do so, we cannot be sure that during this time a new fraud has not been designed.

However, certain events should serve you as a red flag that there is a scam behind the particular action. For example, if someone you don’t know calls you and offers you a stock deal that is provided only to insiders, you should ask yourself why this person wants to do it, especially if you are not one of the major stock players. Additionally, if the deal is really so good, why the caller does not keep it for himself/herself, but wants to make you rich.

Other scammers have tried to address the naivety of some people that truly believe that there is such a system that guarantees 100% sure profit. No one can guarantee you this with stocks. If this could be done anyway, be sure that the profit will be really negligible and not worth the effort. Some scammers have gone a step further by offering such clients secret codes or passwords, which when used give you access to immense possibilities. Again ask yourself even if such a thing really exists, which is almost impossible, why will they give this information to you?

These are the crude scams that you can easily identify. However, some scammers have decided to make more efforts for the money they want to steal from their victims. Thus, they attempt at the purchase of stocks of almost unknown to anyone company. After this they start to spread rumors over the Internet usually that this is the next hot company. This results in the soaring of its price to the desired level. You are also attracted by this price increase to later find out that the scammers have waited for this price levels to sell their shares. And you end up with a losing company and money losses.

To sum up, apply the necessary caution the next time you are offered a stock deal in order not to lose your hard earned money.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=205134&ca=Finances

What Is Whole Life Insurance? By Peter Kenny

As you know there are several types of life insurance, and one of those types is called whole life. Whole life insurance is a life insurance policy that pays a lump sum on death. In some cases, it may also pay if a diagnosis of a critical illness is detected in the policyholder.

Whole life policies can vary a great deal when it comes to the way they are paid out. In some policies, the payout can be a fixed sum of money that has been decided on at the time the policy is started. In other cases, the payout may be dependent on investment performance after mortality costs and other expenses are deducted.

Within the arena of whole life polices, the timing and the amount of the premiums may vary as well. In some policies the premiums are paid at regular intervals such as monthly or every six months and the premium amount is fixed. In other cases, the premium amount will vary according to how the insurance investment is performing.

Whole life can also have a lot of flexibility in how it is bought and used. For example, some policies allow for the payout over a specified period of time, such as ten years. Once this period is over, the policyholder can continue the insurance coverage but usually at a higher premium rate.

These types of life insurance policies are useful for people who need increased coverage while they have dependent children, but will need reduced coverage later on in life that is all but guaranteed. This is not always the case with term life insurance where an illness can prevent the person from getting the policy.

It should be understood that whole life insurance often requires that the policyholder pay premiums for the life of the policy. Another scenario for whole life is for the policyholder to pay u front the cost of the entire policy, or that the cost of the policy be paid within a certain amount of time, such as five years. This can be expensive, and many consumers simply cannot afford the cost when it is presented in this fashion.

There are certain benefits associated with a whole life policy. Many companies will guarantee that the policy's cash values will increase regardless of the performance of the company. This can make a whole life policy an attractive investment for some people.

In addition, there is liquidity with these policies that other types of insurance may not be able to match. Cash values are often thought to be liquid enough to be used for investment capital, but the policyholder must be financially healthy enough to continue making the higher premium payments.

There can be some tax advantages as well, as cash value access is tax-free up to the total premiums paid. The remainder of the value can be tax-free if taken in the form of loans from the policy. If the policy lapses, tax payment will be due on the outstanding loans. If the insured dies, death benefit is reduced by the amount of any outstanding loan balance.

While whole life is a good option for some people, anyone considering this type of insurance should spend some time with a reputable agent in order to learn the details of how to use a whole life insurance policy to its best effects.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=205668&ca=Finances

Car Finance Can Be Found Cheaper Online By Louis Rix

There are many many ways to get a car finance but one of the best and easiest ways is to go online with a specialist website. A specialist will be able to search around on your behalf and get together the cheapest quotes from the UK marketplace so you can be sure you have the cheapest quotes to be found.

When it comes to getting the best deal then there is a lot of technical jargon to cut through otherwise you might not end up with the deal you think you are getting on the surface, it is essential that you read all the key facts of any loan you are considering taking out because this is where you can find the full conditions and any hidden costs. By going with a specialist they are able to cut through the jargon on your behalf and present you with the key facts so that you are able to determine which loan would work out better for you.

If you want to keep the cost of the car finance down then consider paying a larger deposit for the car, this means that you have to borrow less money and so pay less interest on the loan. It is essential that before you even consider getting quotes for the loan that you sit down and work out exactly how much you can afford to pay for the car finance. You need to work out how much you would be able to afford to pay each month comfortably, the longer you take out the car loan for then the lower the monthly loan repayments will be but of course the more you will pay out in the long run with the interest added on.

You should also give some thought to the costs of owning a car, along with paying car finance you will have to payout for car insurance, fuel, repairs, MOT and road tax and all of these can add up over the year so be considered in your budget.

Once you have a figure in mind that you can afford, a specialist car finance broker can narrow down some good deals for you. Never be tempted to go over the budget you have set and always make sure that you read the terms and conditions before signing on the bottom line for a loan. Always make sure you know exactly how much interest will be added onto the cost of the loan and how this has been worked out and make sure that when you are comparing the quotes from a specialist that you do compare the APR which is the annual percentage rate. Some lenders will quote for weekly terms in car finance and obviously this will seem a lot cheaper, so be careful when making a comparison, a specialist website will offer all the information you need to understand car finance and will break down the jargon and explain in plain English the various terms such as APR so that you get a better understanding of loans.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=206532&ca=Finances

Using A Credit Union For Your Savings By Peter Kenny

Credit unions can be a viable alternative to banks as long as you meet certain conditions. In general, credit unions can perform many of the same services that banks perform, but there can be exceptions to this.

Credit unions are member organizations and this is the biggest difference between them and banks. When you join a credit union you, in essence, become a stakeholder in the institution. In the past, most credit unions were formed around certain professions or formed around certain employment bonds. Today, much of that has changed. The credit union is still a membership process but the bond can be anything from regional to religious. Many different types of groups now have their own credit unions, and finding one that you can join has never been easier.

According to the Credit Union National Association there are over eighty million Americans currently enrolled in credit unions. This huge number of participants is not a fluke. There are reasons why people choose credit unions over banks.

One thing you may notice about credit unions is that they do not advertise themselves very much. If you want to find a credit union that you may be eligible to join, you have to look for it.

The best place to begin looking is with your employer. There are many employers who have their own credit union or have access to one. This can be especially true if you work in a union or if you belong to a particular trade association.

The Credit Union National Association's website has a very useful locator that can help you find credit unions through an online search. You can use this search engine to help narrow down possible institutions that are in your area or that belong to certain trade associations. Once you find some suitable selections, you can visit their websites to see if you meet their requirements.

Some religious organizations have credit unions set up for members of their faith. These are usually not administered by the local church, synagogue, or mosque but rather by the larger regional or national headquarters of the faith. In addition to many religious-based credit unions, there are also civic institutions that have credit unions.

Many universities and colleges have credit unions that are available not only for faculty but for students as well. Student credit unions are often more geared up to help with the special needs of students than local banks might be.

It is not often well known but many credit unions will allow family members of an already enrolled member to join. In other words, if your father is a member of a particular credit union, you may be able to join too simply because you are his child. This is not the case with all credit unions, but it is the case with many and it is worth asking about.

While credit unions can be useful for many people, they can also be limited in what they can do. Much of what a credit union can do for you will be determined by how many members it has. This can come into play if you are looking for home loans or other big dollar loans. Smaller credit unions may not be able to meet these types of needs, in which case dealing with a bank would be the better choice.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=206610&ca=Finances

You Either Work For Money Or Learn To Have Money Work For You By Jason Willkomm

The Poor Cash Flow Pattern

In order to understand the three basic cash flow patterns, you must first understand the difference between an asset and a liability. When you stop working for money, an asset is something that will put money in your pocket every month. A liability is something that will take money out of your pocket every month. This idea touches on the difference between earned income and passive income.

The first basic cash flow pattern is the poor cash flow pattern. Before most people even learn about money they want things, and so they learn first to work FOR money. As their income is earned it is just as quickly spent on their list of wanted items. The poor cash flow pattern has earned income flowing in and entirely back out to expenses.

It does not matter if you have a sizeable income, because money does not make you rich or poor. Money is just a tool. It is how you are managing the tool (money) that determines whether you become rich or poor. Even with a substantial income you are still poor as long as your focus is only to earn your income and pay your expenses.

You may make $500,000 a year, you may have enough income to cover all of your expenses, but if you were to stop working for money you would quickly realize that you are poor, and the idea that you were not was just a temporary illusion.

The Middle-Class Cash Flow Pattern

Eventually people get tired of this routine and begin to gain better understanding and control over their expenses. Enough time spent focused on working for money may produce extra income in the way of a raise or a promotion.

Most people still have not spent any time to financially educate themselves, so they don't know what to do with the extra money. They don't have any ideas of their own about financing their retirement, either. The extra money is usually used to buy a newer car, a bigger house, and anything left over usually accumulates as savings. Eventually most are sold on putting the extra money into a portfolio for their retirement, usually consisting of mutual funds.

These purchases make life more comfortable, and so feel like assets...but they create an expense every month for a very long period of time. The misunderstanding is made worse by bankers who ask you to list your cars and home as assets against loans. By definition, these purchases are liabilities.

So the middle class work for money and, because they don't know what else to do, they flow their cash into long-term liabilities that improve their short term situations. The debt from these spending habits often become the very reason they cannot escape the slavery of working for money. The middle class cash flow pattern has earned income flowing in, than back out to liabilities (which many THINK are assets). Left over income is used to fund a portfolio for retirement.

The Wealthy Cash Flow Pattern

A change of focus to passive income leads people down the path to a wealthy cash flow pattern. When you look at the pattern of the wealthy you may notice- they do not get their income from a job. Their cash flows in from assets.

Imagine spending your time figuring out a process that will automatically produce some income for you every month. Now imagine duplicating and improving upon that process until it automatically produces your ENTIRE income every month. Finally, you will stop working for money. That process is a business, and that income is a passive income.

From that point forward you will be financially independent. You will not work for money, you will have money working for you. It might take you 2, 3, or even 5 years to establish a system to that point, but once you do you can retire. Once you retire, you have all of your time to spend however you like.

This is the reason understanding the three basic cash flow patterns is so important. These patterns demonstrate the reason why you can become financially independent in just a few years working at a seven dollar an hour job. Your biggest obstacle in the beginning is controlling your expenses and changing your focus from earned income to passive income. Once you have become committed to these fundamental ideas, only persistence stands between you and great wealth.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=117147&ca=Finances

Prepaid Virtual Credit Cards By Marco Perinho

Cardholders can sign up for the free program at their credit card company's website. When they want to make an online purchase, they receive a 16-digit number, randomly generated by the credit card company. This temporary credit card number can be used once or sometimes repeatedly at the same online store.

virtual prepaid credit card numbers were initially designed for Internet shopping, but can be also used for purchases made over the phone as well as through the mail. However, they cannot be used for in-store purchases or whenever a traditional plastic credit card is required for payment.

The virtual credit card technology has been around for six years, but according to consumer advocates the technology has not been very popular with consumers. Interest in virtual credit cards seems to be increasing, though, thanks to recent headlines regarding identity theft breaches. A major benefit of virtual card programs is that personal information is concealed during the transaction.

A recent study found that 46% of credit card fraud victims had no idea how fraud occurred, but 21% said they believed their credit card number was stolen off the Internet. Obviously, card issuers hope that virtual card programs will help address such concerns.

The virtual card program is simply an extra layer of security to protect the credit and identity of consumers who choose to buy online, much like installing a home security system helps to protect a home from intruders.

Is online shopping really safe?

Stories of high-tech hackers breaking into company databases on the Internet to steal customer information (such as credit card numbers) stop many people from making online purchases. Although these types of problems don’t happen often, there is an ever-present fear among consumers that the wrong person may get hold of their credit card number or other private information.

Because of booming e-commerce and the love affair with the Internet, there is much at stake for credit card companies should these problems or fears get out of hand. As you might expect, companies are working quickly with new technology to stop the problems and calm the fears of their customers. Their solution? Disposable or temporary credit card transaction numbers.

Private Payments assigns unique random numbers that are linked to a consumer’s actual card account, but the numbers are only temporary and do not reveal any private information. This temporary credit card number is good for one purchase only, meaning that it does no good for someone to swipe that number because they won’t be able to use it after the initial purchase.

For example, each single-use card number is unique to an online store that you visit and will not be valid at any other store. In addition, you may use the same number for recurring charges such as monthly bills that you elect to pay online. Although disposable credit card numbers are not available with every company yet, do not be surprised if these types of programs are offered by most major credit card companies soon. Regardless of whether you take advantage of disposable card numbers , you should always protect yourself with safe Internet shopping practices.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=164796&ca=Finances

Let A Specialist Help You When It Comes To A Car Loan For Used Cars By Louis Rix

When looking for a car loan for used cars the best way to make sure that you have got quotes from the best UK lenders is by going online to a specialist website and let them search on your behalf. A specialist website is by far the easiest and quickest way as they will do the searching based on the information you give them and then you will be able to take your time to read the key facts of the loans and decide which the best for your circumstances is.

While the specialist website will be able to find you the cheapest car loan for used cars you do have to do a little work for yourself! You will have to first decide how much you can afford to realistically pay for the loan and how long you wish to take the loan over. In order to be able to get the cheapest rate of interest for your loan your credit rating should be excellent, if it is then you will benefit from the cheapest and most competitive rates of interest. However even if your credit rating is low then you could still be able to get a loan even if it is a bad credit loan and a specialist website will still be able to get you the best deal possible for your circumstances. It can help if you check out your credit rating yourself before looking for a loan, by doing so you will be able to get a rough idea of where you stand.

You do have to set yourself a budget before using a specialist website to find you quotes, and when looking for a car loan for used cars it is essential to remember that the longer you take the loan over then the more interest you will pay for the loan.Cars do depreciate in value and a used car more so with this in mind the longer you take the loan out for then not only will it cost you more but the car might not be worth anything by the time you have paid off the loan. If you can put a lump sum deposit down on the car then this of course will reduce the length of the loan and the amount of interest you will pay on your loan.

You do have to ensure that you can afford to pay for the loan - while you will want to keep the monthly cost down, again if you want to save money, take the borrowing out over the shortest length possible at a monthly repayment figure that you can comfortably afford. It is also just as important that you checkout the details of any car loan for used cars that you are considering taking, any quotes you are given should also come with the key facts outlined and this is where you will find any additional costs that might be hidden in the loan such as early repayment fees. The key facts should also explain how much the loan will cost in total and outline how much you are going to be paying in interest over the time you have chosen to take the loan out for.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=205958&ca=Finances

Five Tips For Building A Good Credit Score By Stu Pearson

Improving yourself is always a good thing. If you thrive hard to become a better public speaker, you can might yourself a promotion. Exercising and going to the gym can help you lose weight and have the figure you have always wanted. But the best thing of all is improving and building your credit score ‘ this can help you save hundreds and thousands of dollars on your biggest purchases.

For some, it may be hard to keep up a good credit score but actually, improving credit is not that hard to achieve. You just need to be patient and learn a little bit about the credit scoring system and how it works.

A person who is patient and willing to improve their credit profile can do it easily. There are five things that they can follow in order to boost their credit scores.

1.Check your own credit report from time to time. It is necessary to regularly check your credit and take the steps to remove any inaccuracies in your credit report. Sometimes bad credit is caused by simple inaccuracies in the report. If you see something, contact your creditor immediately, and work to correct the error as soon as you can. Leaving an inaccuracy on your report counts against you.

2.Be on time with payments. Literally, it means that you have to pay all your bills on time. If you are always late with your payments, it will affect your credit report and score. Also, collections and bankruptcies have the most negative effect on your credit report. All reports including the late payments are noted and written in your credit report.

3.Learn how to manage your debt. You must maintain the balance of your credit report to 35% of your available credit limit. Make sure that you always watch your accounts and estimate if you can still handle the using more credit.

4.Avoid unnecessary inquiries. Every time you make an inquiry, it is written in your credit report. Even if you have no plan to open a credit account, your inquiry records will show how often someone has looked at your report, and will cast doubt on your ability to pay. So as much as possible, do not make an inquiry into your credit report unless it is important.

5.Give yourself time. Time is considered one of the most significant aspects that can help improve your credit score. Time management is important to get yourself on the right track and show that you can handle your credit responsibly. You can also keep even the oldest account open in order to help make your credit use look longer.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=50572&ca=Finances

The Basic Facts About Secured And Unsecured Loans By Ajeet Khurana

In the world of today, more and more people are seriously looking at the loan option. However, it is very easy to be taken aback by the huge number of available options for borrowers.

There are loans for different types of purposes which offer different terms and interest rates, depending on the length of repayment and the amount concerned. But this is only a small part of a much larger picture. There are penalties, refinancing charges, variable and fixed rates to consider, among others!

If you are looking for financial advice, the Internet should be able to help you; and one of the most frequent queries involves the subject of secured and unsecured loans.

If you are borrowing money, think about whether or not you want to offer some security. Security is any asset with considerable value, such as a house or a car, which may be used as collateral against a loan.

In this sense, a secured loan is the financial assistance provided by the lender to a borrower, provided that the latter puts up his assets as security; if the unfortunate situation arises that he is unable to keep up the arrangement and repay the loan, the lender obtains the right to sequester the collateral as compensation for the unpaid debt.

In the case of a secured loan, the lender is assured of payment because of the presence of a certain asset as collateral. In contrast, an unsecured loan is that which is not put up against the borrower's assets, but against the borrower himself. There are advantages and disadvantages to both of these loans. It is best to consider carefully before taking on either one.

A secured loan is a good choice if you own some property. This is especially desirable if you unfortunately have a bad history of credit, since the approval is not solely based on your rating, but on the value of your collateral. A popular type of secured loan is the savings secured loan, wherein the borrower establishes a savings account with the creditor.

A portion of this account is frozen and held as collateral until the debtor pays back the debt. This is a win-win situation for both parties, since the frozen money still accumulates interest; if the loan is not repaid, the entire frozen amount (including interest) goes to the lender. The trick is to make sure to pay the installments regularly.

As far as unsecured loans are concerned, they have some pros too. Since the loan does not require collateral, this type may charge sufficiently higher interest rates than a secured loan.

But people with bad credit scores generally get rejected for such loans. This type of loan is popularly used as the mechanisms for credit cards, wherein the debtor is charged with varying rates on his debt, especially if he does not make the full payment of it in time. The interest rate pile ups on the debt in the form of penalties. The only way to stop this from happening is by making sure that repayments are made on time.

In order to make sure that the loan you take does not aggravate your monetary problems, do your homework before signing any deals.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=206336&ca=Finances

Managing Business Expense Reports with Microsoft Excel

Keeping track of your business receipts should be mandatory and not optional. Your employee should understand the importance of this and realize how this may impact the accuracy of their report if the receipts are not present. Lost receipts can be retrieved by contacting the vendor to get a copy. The employee should realize that this is their responsibility especially if they expect reimbursement for those types of expenses.

Your standardized business expense report should have different areas to account for your employee expenses. There should be an area of general ledger accounts numbers, general ledger account names, date and location of expenses, and if necessary mileage calculations. This information will greatly assist your accounting team when they reconcile the expenses!

Lastly, your business expense reports should be submitted on a set timed schedule. It should be encouraged to submit them weekly or monthly. This should be mandatory and not optional. The goal is to reconcile for expenses in a timely manner so they company can see where their funds are being spent and if they are being used responsibly. To get employees on board with this, try incentive based rewards in the first few months to get them used the new timed schedule.

Excel templates are an excellent tool to use when you are standardizing your business expense report. Most companies already have Office or a similar product loaded on their company computers so using templates can assist in this standardization process. Below is an example of an excel business expense report. This expense report contains a sheet that allows you enter up to 30 general ledger accounts names and numbers. It also contains a weekly business expense report area that allows you to select the appropriate general ledger account and detail the expense prior to printing.

Where to Get Your Online Finance Degree

An online finance degree is a wonderful option for individuals who want to go to college, but for whatever reason prefer an online forum as opposed to a traditional classroom. Frequently, those who opt for an online finance degree have busy schedules already because of family and work commitments, and juggling a typical class schedule is nearly impossible. Also, individuals who have disabilities often times opt for an online finance degree simply because it is easier to work straight from home. No matter why you want an online finance degree, there are many options out there for you to choose from.
The online finance degree is a very popular major, and because of this almost all of the online universities offer the online finance degree. In addition to this, the online finance degree is not only available in bachelors, but also in masters and in some cases PhD. So, no matter if you want just a bachelor's online finance degree or want to get an online finance degree at ever level, the choice is totally yours.
Paying for your online finance degree is not as difficult as it ahs been in the past, either, because now you can get student loans and choose different payment plans for your online finance degree. Paying for your online finance degree has never been easier.
In addition to this, you will need to decide exactly what you are looking for in the university where you will obtain your online finance degree. The reason for this is because there are so many online university options that range in popularity, accreditation and cost, that you will need to find out which ones offer the best online finance degree for your budget.
Be sure, however, before you begin studying for your online finance degree that you know your university is accredited and has many successful graduates with their online finance degree.

Help! My New Car Financing Has Eaten My Raise!

Let's take a look at the facts: Housing prices are rising at a clip of 10-15% per year, tuition costs are rising by an average of 10% each fall, and energy costs - well, the average rise in prices depends on the week you happen to be looking at, but double-digit increases have been the norm for the past few years. And now, the really depressing fact: Average wage increases have hovered between a measly 3 and 4 percent for the past three years. Now what, you ask, does any of this have to do with car financing?
Hey, as simple as can be stated, it boils down to numbers. Interest rates: These are the hidden little killers that can destroy retirement plans and lifestyles over the course of a lifetime. Car financing is the second most important credit-related decision you will ever make, the first being the mortgage on your home. So, just as an example, let's say that you make $30,000 per year and are looking to finance a $25,000 car over five years. The difference between attaining approved car financing at 6% interest and 16% interest equals $130 per month if you take the loan out over 5 years! And here's the clincher - a 3% annual increase in salary will net you an extra $900 per year (and that's before taxes), while saving $130 per month on your car financing puts nearly $1600 more dollars in your pocket. (And hey, that's after taxes!) Even a few percentage points difference on your car financing can actually equal or exceed the raise you got from work this year!
I had no idea those tiny numbers could add up to so much money! What is my best option for getting an approved car finance plan - with the lowest interest rates?
In the end, your credit rating, and the interest rates it commands, can make or break you over the course of your life. Car financing is not rocket science, but you really have to be careful with the numbers - or you can end up paying thousands of dollars more than you have to. Your best approved car finance option is probably going to be obtained through a bank or credit union. The great things about getting your car financing through a bank is that you tend to get the best rates, personalized service, and you don't have to worry about some pushy car salesman trying to shove useless add-ons down your throat every five minutes! However, banks and credit unions have higher car-financing standards, so you need decent credit to consider this as an option.
But wait a minute - the banks always take forever to process a loan, and the salesperson at the dealership can get me approved in minutes!
This is very true. But there is a price for that convenience, isn't there? The dealer almost always offers you a higher rate on car financing - and be prepared for them to try and sell you every single add-on you never wanted in the hour it takes them to fill out the paperwork! That approved car finance arranged through the dealership may save you a week over financing through a bank - but just a few percentage points difference in interest rates can easily cost you $1,000 more each year for the entire length of your loan. So in the end...how much is that week worth to you?
All right...the dealer can be a bad option for car financing - but what about those online places that can approve me in minutes?
In all honesty, the Internet can be a great place to secure approved car finance. With the ability to hop around and shop the different sites, you can definitely get some decent interest rates, sometimes comparable to those offered by a bank - plus you can get approved in minutes, and be driving your new car in a day or so. So what's the catch? Well, the Internet has more than its fair share of scammers just looking to get your social security number and other vital information. If that car financing information ends up in the wrong hands...well, you can do the math! Plus, the ‘Net can be terribly impersonal at times - but it is still a viable option for approved car finance at competitive interest rates.
Impulsive and poorly made car financing options can literally cost you the price of an entire new car over the course of your life. Approved car finance is available through a number of outlets, and each has its own benefits and disadvantages. However, if you want to be able to afford actually driving your new car someplace other than home and work for the next few years, you may want to avoid the inflated car financing, AND those useless add-ons, offered by dealerships.

Import Company Financing Options

Running an import company can be very exciting yet challenging at the same time. As demand for cheap produced goods has increased, so has the number of importers that are constantly growing their businesses.
To be a successful importer you need three things - good suppliers, solid customers and the right financing. As a matter of fact, having the right financing can make or break your company.
Importers always play a delicate balance with their financing. The idea is to have as much financing as possible that is active (in use), backing up active purchase orders from clients. However, this delicate balance of living on the edge with financing has its drawbacks. What happens when you get an order that exceeds or exhausts your bank financing? Unless you have a great track record, it is unlikely that the bank will extend you further financing.
Your best option is to use purchase order financing.
Purchase order financing can cover up to 100% of the necessary financing to deliver on a purchase order from a large client. The financing company handles the process of getting a letter of credit (or similar method of payment) and paying your supplier. This enables your supplier to deliver the product and allows you to book the sale.
Purchase order financing also allows you to increase your purchasing capabilities dramatically, enabling you to book orders that in the past may have been too big for your company. With it, you can take your company to the next level.
As a financing tool, purchase order funding is easy to use. The process of establishing an initial account with a financing company can take a week or two. All qualified orders after the account is established can be financed in days. And, qualifying for purchase order financing is much easier than qualifying for a bank loan or line of credit. The main requirement is a purchase order from a solid commercial customer.
Purchase order financing is commonly used in conjunction with factoring (invoice factoring). Generally speaking, factoring is cheaper that purchase order financing. So, by combining both financing tools, you can lower the total cost of financing.

A Mortgage Without Fees? By Francis Ghiloni

Let’s face it, no one likes paying a charge if they don’t have to. And when it comes to mortgages, where the expense can already be onerous, avoiding fees can seem like a good idea. But is it possible to get a mortgage without paying any fees? The answer is - almost certainly not!

Even if you manage to avoid a fee for one part of the mortgage transaction, it is likely that you will be charged one for another part.

There are fees when you are seeking a mortgage: an arrangement fee (or booking fee) is charged by many lenders at the point at which they originally lend you the mortgage amount. At the time of writing (7 August 2007) all of the top 10 three year fixed-rate mortgages for house movers include a start-up fee. These range from £215 to £999 for a £150,000 mortgage. You will also have to obtain a property valuation (or survey) and there will be a fee for this, although it is not strictly part of the mortgage. Even if you get the survey carried out independently of the lender you may still be charged a “valuation administration fee” to cover the lenders’ administration expenses.

If you are borrowing a large amount relative to the value of the property (say over 90%) then you could have to pay a “higher lending charge”.

There will also be legal expenses involved, although in some cases lenders cover this cost for remortgages.

If you decide to change your mortgage before the special deal period is up you may have to pay an early repayment charge.

And even if you manage to avoid all of these you may still have to pay a “deeds release fee” when you transfer your mortgage to another lender!

So the upshot of all of this is that fees are now part of the overall package of costs a lender charges with a mortgage. If you want to be sure that you are getting the best overall deal use a mortgage comparison site that compares the true cost of all mortgages – this includes all the fees that you are likely to be charged.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=175014&ca=Finances