Monday, May 19, 2008

Everyday Money Saving Tips

saving money

You can save money every day. Consider some ways to save without troubles:



Save $0.50 a day in loose change - $15

Cut soda/pop consumption by 1 liter a week - $6

At work, substitute 1 coffee for 1 cappuccino - $40

Bring lunch to work (saving estimated $3/day) - $60

Eat out 2 fewer times a month - $30

Borrow, rather than buying, one book a month - $15

Comparison shop for gas (save est. $0.25/gallon) - $4

Maintain checking account minimum to avoid fees - $7

Bounce one less check a month - $20

Pay credit card bill on time to avoid late fee - $25

Pay off $1000 of credit card debt, reducing interest - $15


It is not so hard, is it?

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Making Money on the Road

traveling
There are people who pride themselves on being able to make money without having what they consider to be a real job. Many of these random sources of income allow them to be able to travel and live wherever ever they please. As skilled as they are at this, it never ceases to amaze them the new ways people come up with to make money while traveling.

You may work at hostels for a few months, have some get rich internet scheme, or just play the stocks.
Consider this way of making mone if you are fond of traveling and adventures. And share your financial wisdom with the rest of free people!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Build Your Credit

build credit
How to build credit? If you are not a lucky owner of perfect credit score today and still wish to get a credit card, don't lose your heart. Nowadays there are many profitable offers for people with bad, no and average credit. Fair credit cards are especially designed for those with credit score between 620 and 659. Of course, they come with not so attractive features as good or excellent plastics do. However, fair cards are one of the most beneficial ways to good credit history!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Tips on Selling a Business

selling a business
Some days ago I found out a book about business. The book is "In and Out of Business...Happily". It provides practical tips for getting your business ready for sale and negotiating that sale to your advantage. With these tips are dozens of examples of what companies did to enhance the value of the business and raise the selling price. Here are just a few of the tips I have learned from this book.

1. Don't let anyone know it's for sale but sell it quickly.
“Why?” you might ask. “Wouldn’t I want to broadcast it and get as many buyers as possible to bid against one another and raise my price?” No! First of all, announcing the sale of your business makes people nervous. Your employees look for other jobs, your suppliers worry about extending credit, and your customers wonder if you'll be around long enough to complete the contract they are about to sign. And your competitors play on those fears to lure away your best employees and customers. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

2. Be sure all the right things are wrong!
“Why should anything be wrong?” you ask. Because few people are willing to pay top dollar for a small business that’s perfect. That may sound strange, but think about it. The people who buy a small business have more than a financial interest in mind. They also have personal motivations—just as you did when you became an owner. These buyers will pay more when they find a business that meets their personal motivations, one that offers them opportunity to “do their thing.”

3. How to increase the value of the business without increasing profits.
Reduce the business’s dependency on you. Transfer many of your tasks to subordinates, so the new owner sees that he can “manage” without having to “do.”

4. Know the different types of buyer and what each type will pay.
To attract the right buyer (different buyers pay different prices), you have to recognize the four types.

  • Strategic acquirer: These pay the highest prices, usually in cash. They buy for strategic reasons such as economies of scale and market share. But typically they look for companies with sales of $20 million, and expect management to stay on.
  • Sophisticated or corporate acquirer: With backgrounds in corporate America, these buyers examine a business closely. Size is less important than opportunity. These buyers, maybe a group, may review a hundred businesses before selecting one.
  • Financial buyer: These are the most plentiful. They will not pay prices based upon projections. So they will not pay top dollar. This group expects terms or the ability to finance the buy. They are primarily interested in purchasing a job. Small businesses attract this type when they do not position themselves for the sale.
  • Industry buyer: These can be the best or the worst. The best, when they have a strategic reason to buy. Otherwise, watch out! Most industry buyers look only to selected assets to determine value; they do not pay for goodwill or future prospects. They pay significantly less then a sophisticated or corporate buyer.

So, all this information is much important because, as with anything else, only the right buyer pays the right price. The book shows how to identify the best buyer for a business ~ how they think ~ what turns them on or off ~ how to position a business so that the right buyer will recognize it as an exciting opportunity.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Compare Credit Offers

Master cards
Interested to have a credit card? But don't know how to get one.
Credit card is a thing you should choose wisely, check out unsecured credit card applications. You can apply for any kind of credit cards online.
At CreditRoom.com you can find some good credit card applications from credit card companies all over the world - Visa credit cards , Discover, American Express and MasterCard offers. Study the credit card offers from major banks and credit companies. You can include in your comparison the credit cards from Advanta, HSBC, Orchard, First PREMIER, Chase, and Citibank, and apply for a credit card online.
Now a days all credit cards offer rewards. Compare credit cards rewards to find offers that can help you save on your most frequently made purchases. Here you can find cash back credit cards, airline and hotel cards as well as gasoline credit cards issued for the special needs of customers. Get reward credit cards to save on flights, traveling, gas and all other purchases you make. Choose the best suitable credit cards and apply for them online.
"Immediate credit card care" service is available now. Their advisers are ready to answer all of your questions. This is the another most important thing you should care, that is the support and advise from customer care.

Monday, May 5, 2008

How to Teach Your Child About Budgeting

children
As a parent it is your primary responsibility to equip your children with life skills. Learning how to properly manage a budget is one of life's most valued skills; both spending and saving habits can be taught early on. If you show them an appropriate balance between the two, you can save them many years of financial difficulty.
Steps:
1. Be a role model. Allow your child to see you budget, comparison shop, and save. Bring them to the bank and let them watch you put money in a savings account. Explain to them what you are doing while you are doing while you are doing it.

2. Invite them to participate. Ask your child to help you find and read the unit price numbers at the grocery store in order to find the best bargains. Encourage them to look for coupons and sales in weekly fliers. Review the family budget with your children, especially if you're also trying to teach them to help cut down on expenses by doing things like turning off lights when they leave a room. Plan the family vacation together with your child, assigning them the task of researching air fare, hotel rates and rental cars.

3. Provide an allowance. Start with a small amount as soon as they are old enough to understand that money can buy things. Pay their allowance with bills and coins to allow the child to sort them into different containers labeled with different budgeting categories. Encourage part-time work instead of an allowance when the time is right. It will teach them not only to manage their money but also to manage their time.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Debt Professionals

debt professionals
Our world actually is a huge family, you know? In the case of poor countries which have debts there are global financing programs specially issued to help poor countries pay their debts. Actually managing debts means managing money and having a special vocation for it. There are people and countries as well that are not able to manage finances. In the case of people they might be bright persons, educated ones in their domain, but they are always overwhelmed by debts because their brain is not business oriented. At this point they need help from professionals who can assist them organize their income and their expenses so that debt should not be a problem for them anymore. These professionals are able to personalize financial schedules according to any particular situation.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Available Credit Cards

no credit cards
I was surprised when I saw this credit card company that does business with people with no credit history because I know most of those credit card companies prefer consumers or clients with the best track record of credits. Some of the no credit check credit cards coming from clients who applied sometimes get rejected because they don’t have enough credentials or proof that they can be creditworthy. This is because most credit card companies nowadays require a lot of documents before issuing you your plastic card. Sometimes they reject your application because of just one document lacking. Other applications were denied also because of bad previous credit history problems. But at RequestCredit.com, you can consider your application for credit card approved. All you need is an amount of money that you will deposit in a bank and will be your credit limit. You will not be rejected by applying for a secured card because it offers a guaranteed approval.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Some Humour

smile
A mathematician, an accountant and an economist apply for the same job.
The interviewer calls in the mathematician and asks "What do two plus two equal?" The mathematician replies "Four." The interviewer asks "Four, exactly?" The mathematician looks at the interviewer incredulously and says "Yes, four, exactly."
Then the interviewer calls in the accountant and asks the same question "What do two plus two equal?" The accountant says "On average, four - give or take ten percent, but on average, four."
Then the interviewer calls in the economist and poses the same question "What do two plus two equal?" The economist gets up, locks the door, closes the shade, sits down next to the interviewer and says "What do you want it to equal?"
An economist is a trained professional paid to guess wrong about the economy.

A woman hears from her doctor that she has only half a year to live. The doctor advises her to marry an economist and to live in South Dakota. The woman asks: will this cure my illness? Answer of the doctor: No, but the half year will seem pretty long.

The First Law of Economists: For every economist, there exists an equal and opposite economist.The Second Law of Economists: They're both wrong.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Some Personal Finance Tips

personal finance
You should have a savings account to meet your needs. Save at least 10% of income in your saving account. It will be very helpful to your in case of an emergency. You can also spend this money on higher studies of your children.
Always save some money for emergencies. Keep this money in a separate bank account and don’t touch this money unless there is an emergency. This money will help you in emergencies like loss of job, sudden injury or medical emergency.
In some departments, a fixed part of salary of employees is automatically deducted to the retirement fund. This deduction plan is beneficial. Contribute as much as you can to your retirement fund and don’t touch this money because it is for your future. If you withdraw some money from this fund before retirement then various tax implications and early withdrawal penalties will reduce the principal amount.
If you have two credit cards then you should make all payments with that credit card which has higher interest rate. Suppose rate of interest on one card is 12 percent and on another card is 15 percent then you should make all the payments with credit card which has 15 percent interest before using the second card.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Your Credit

credit
What do you think about credit cards? Are they your friends or foes? If you have bad or no credit history, you surely faced a lot of problems. High interest rates and fees, long waiting, etc. Fortunately, nowadays you can get instant credit card approval even if you have bad credit rating. It is convenient option, indeed! Besides, being a lucky owner of high credit score, you can apply for one of the best visa card deals and enjoy its advantages.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

I Made a Good Deal

chair
I busied myself making some posts for my blog when I got a call from my friend. He told me he was in a furniture store which is very close to my house. I have seen this store everyday but never thought of dropping by to see what's inside. And today, I went there and was surprised how cheap their furniture items are. They sell hotel furniture items which are slightly used. They have entertainment units, decorative mirrors, lamps, sofas, wall frames and a lot more. While looking around, amazed how cheap the items are, I noticed this very nice, leather black computer chair. They sell it for $50 but the owner gave it to me for only $35.00. I decided to buy it for myself so I can sit comfortably while working at home. I really like it.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Some Mistakes which Can Harm Your Credit Worthiness

credit
We all want to have better credit and to see our score in an around 600. But to maintain this much credit score you need to wipe out some mistakes. In this post I am discussing some basic mistakes which consumers do.

1. A credit card for wrong reasons: Consumers sometimes ended up taking a credit card for some wrong reasons or without any reason. Credit card companies are there to do their business and to take as much money as possible from consumer’s pocket. But you have to decide which card is essential for you.
2. Choosing a wrong card: This is one of the biggest mistakes made by so many credit card users. They don’t shop for the right card. Actually I want to mean, do a search before taking a card. Look for companies that offer less interest card. In fact 1 percent less interest card can help you a lot.
3. Crossing credit limit: Crossing the limit of your credit card can have a bad effect on credit report. It has been found that many customers exceed their credit limit. So it is better not to do so.
4. Ignoring monthly statement: Monthly statements are very important for any customer. And they need to check it properly because there may be some wrong information or discrepancy involved. Also you should go though the terms and conditions of that credit card and the charges of late fees.
5. Buying unnecessary things: Credit card is easy money for the customers and that’s why they tend to purchase many things which are unnecessary for day-to-day life. Credit card should be use only to purchase necessary things and in the time of emergency.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Airline Credit Cards – Save Money on Journey

air miles
There is a great variety of credit cards with rewards on the market today. They attract many consumers and business owners who want to save some money spending with plastics. And airline cards are among the popular ones. Such cards enable to make purchases, withdraw cold cash at the ATM (even abroad), book hotel stays, airline tickets and so forth. Moreover, they give the opportunity to earn miles and redeem them for a free ticket and other rewards. You can make purchases with great credit card deals and get points for every dollar spent. The more you spend the more points you earn. Simple, isn't it?
The rewards of air miles credit cards differ from company to company. But no doubt, you can find a beneficial and suitable one for you.
Unfortunately, all these benefits can be used only by those active travelers with good or excellent credit score. If your score is far from perfect, credit cards with rewards can be a good stimulus to improve your credit and get benefits in the future.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Developing a Spending Plan

spending plan
Are you the type of person who falls behind on their bills and other regular monthly payments? Do you apply for credit and then spend all the way up to the credit limit because you think it's a type of "free money"? Do you have problems balancing your checkbook or stretching your money from payday to payday? While many of us struggle to stay above water financially, there are many solutions to our money problems that can be dealt with using common sense.

First of all, if at all possible, follow a zero-balance policy for your credit cards, if you're going to use them at all. Since you are probably paying way too much in interest, try to only buy items on your credit card that you know you can pay off before the next statement. A zero-balance strategy will allow you to use credit cards conveniently, and gain points from reward systems without being penalized by high interest charges. And if possible, eliminate the use of store credit cards entirely, as they tend to have much higher interest rates than traditional VISA and Mastercard credit cards.

If you feel you must access other services, such as short term loans or payday advances, use the money wisely to pay off other outstanding debts that would otherwise incur other service charges or fees. Short term loans will provide you with fast cash, but you must be able to manage it wisely as you are paying a very high price for this service. Whenever possible, use your bank's lending services (overdraft protection, line of credit) to deal with situations that require you to use money that you don't have.

It's important that you develop a plan that will minimize the use of credit and rely more on spending only money that you have. Sit down and figure out what your monthly costs are, and how much you are earning, and design a system whereby you will be spending less that you earn, allowing you to eradicate your credit card (and other) debts, reduce service charges, and eliminate other fees that are taking money right out of your pocket. The money would be better spent on personal investments rather than on some financial organization.