Finance Roll

When it Rains, It Pours. If you're like me, perhaps you can feel overwhelmed at times by a mounting debt crisis. You're not alone! At times, our monthly cash flow is unexpectedly interrupted by a myriad of offenders. As a result, our financial obligations exceed our income and we begin to panic. Let's look at the good, the bad, and the ugly facts surrounding cash advance payday loans.

What are Payday Loans? The Good. For millions of people, payday loans are a fast and (sometimes to) convenient way to cover unexpected expenses such as unexpected car repairs, mounting utilities bills and medical bills. A payday loan can even save you money by helping you avoid bounced checks and late fees on bills.

If you're running a little behind on your bills, a payday loan may be a better option than paying late fees. Late fees and finance charges on credit cards and other monthly bills can cost $30 or more. And if your utility or phone service is disconnected, there are more fees to reconnect your service. However, you must be honest with yourself and disciplined enough to pay the personal loan and interest charges in full as soon as possible.

Cash advance payday loans are short-term cash loans based on the borrower's personal check held for future

deposit or on electronic access to the borrower's bank account. Borrowers write a personal check for the amount borrowed plus the finance charge and receive cash.

The Bad! In some cases, borrowers sign over (bad decision here, folks) electronic access to their bank accounts to receive and repay payday loans. Lenders hold the checks until the next payday when loans and

the finance charge must be paid in one lump sum. To pay a loan, borrowers can redeem the check by paying the loan with cash, allow the check to be deposited at the bank, or just pay the finance charge to roll the loan over for another pay period.

More Bad! Unfortunately, this is similar to robbing Peter to pay Paul! Often times, desperate and cash-strapped consumers run the risk of becoming trapped in repeat borrowing due to triple-digit interest rates, unavoidable repayment terms, and coercive collection tactics made possible by check-holding.

The Ugly! Payday cash loans are extremely expensive cash advances that must be repaid in full on the borrower's next payday to keep the personal check required to secure the loan from bouncing.

Why Use an Online Payday Loan Service? It is easy to find yourself in a cash dilemma, maybe you made a critical math mistake while balancing your checking account or your big commission check has been unexpectedly delayed a week. There are many ways you can get yourself into a temporarily short-on-funds situation. Luckily, there are ways to make it through until your next payday. Payday loan services offer short and long term loans to get people through to their next paycheck if they have found themselves in a critical predicament.

The Real Solution. Payday loans are not always the best solution for your financial needs. We

recommend that you look at the cost of all of your options before deciding to get an unsecured personal loan or a pay day loan from any institution. We would also recommend that you seriously look into professional credit counseling solutions and find a knowledgeable Debt Consolidation partner that you can trust as soon as possible.

Payday loans are quickly becoming the quickest growing most sought after loan type in the UK. The reasons for this growth in the market share that they are experiencing is the fact that they are very easy to arrange and fill a gap in the market place for short-term loans that can be accessed very quickly. In most cases the money that is applied for is released to the applicants on the day that they apply.

This makes them an ideal option when it comes to overcoming any short term financial problems that may arise in between pay cheques. You can borrow up to £750 which must be repaid in full when you next get paid.

Why do they receive so much bad press?

There are often articles in the newspapers claiming that the rates that are charged by the lenders for payday loans. The reason for this is the fact that they often use the APR charged as a means of comparison. This is not a valid comparison to make though it is like comparing the price of eggs to the price of cheese. The reason for this is the fact that payday loans are only taken out for a small amount of time (30 days at most), and not taken out for a year which is what the APR (Annual Percentage Rate) was devised to measure.

When you compare them like for like with the alternative products available in the market place the rates that are charged are actually very competitive. For example when you compare the costs to those that you might be charged for taking out an unauthorised overdraft and add to that the charges for every letter sent by your bank, there is no comparison. Also if you take out a payday loan you know exactly how much it is going to cost all the way through the process. The lenders usually charge a flat fee based on the amount that you borrow, which usually starts at £25 for every £100 that is borrowed.

Another similar product is the doorstep loan, where the lender calls around to collect your payment every week, which again if you compare the rates that this type of lender charges the payday loans come out far more favourable. It is very important that you do not roll the loan over for another month though, as you will be charged an extra months interest at the full rate. This obviously has a significant impact on the total cost of the loan. If you have to roll the loan over for another month you should repay as much as you can, as you are only charged on the amount that is outstanding.

So despite the bad press, you become the latest victim of a mid pay cheque financial crisis that can be resolved with a relatively small loan. You could do a lot worse than taking out a payday loan.

They are quick and convenient and so long as you pay them in full on your next payday they are also competitively priced.

Here we have seven things that you must know about buying real estate with Roth IRA funds. Even with a roll over IRA, buying real estate is a good idea, but you need to follow a few rules.

Remember that buying real estate with Roth IRA accounts requires that you have a self-directed account. Otherwise, you do not have the option. Choose an experienced custodian and if you are unfamiliar with the market, get some help from experienced investors. Soon, you will be on your way to a secure retirement before you know it!

1) With a standard, Roth or roll over IRA buying real estate cannot give you or your family members immediate benefit. So, you cannot use funds in the account to buy a property that you currently own. Nor, can it be used to buy from your parents, grandparents, children or grandchildren. If you wanted to buy something from your brother, on the other hand, that would be allowed.

2) Buying real estate with Roth IRA or other retirement account funds cannot be indirectly beneficial. For example, if you bought a beachfront property, you can not stay there on vacation. If you bought and office building, you could not rent space in it. The same goes for the family members mentioned above.

3) When it comes to the standard, Roth or roll over IRA, buying real estate presents a unique situation for titling purposes. You and your account are two separate legal entities. You are the account owner, but all deeds and mortgages must be titled to the account, not you personally. It will read something like this; "IRA Investors , Company Custodian for the benefit of John Smith IRA".

4) Most investors recommend that buying real estate with Roth IRA funds should be a cash deal, in order for you to make the most profits. But, the IRA can purchase property even if the balance will not cover 100% of the transaction. You can either partner with another individual or get bank financing (see number 5).

In one example with which I am personally familiar with, on vacation a buddy of mine saw what he thought would be a great investment property. Several acres of undeveloped ocean front land. The funds in his account were not enough to make the purchase, so he partnered with several other family members in order to make the purchase. Each owned a percentage of the property, paid that same percentage in expenses relating to the property and when the time comes, each will take that percentage of the profits.

5) If you choose to go with bank financing for the purpose of roll over IRA buying real estate, you will pay unrelated business income tax or UBIT (Unrelated Business Income Tax). Other investment returns are not subject to the tax, only those that are "debt financing". You can only take a no-recourse loan, meaning that only the property can be re-possessed if you default on the loan. The IRA cannot be used as collateral.

6) When you are buying real estate with Roth IRA or other account funds, you must remember that all related expenses must come out of the fund and all profits or income must be returned to the account. For example, if your account owns a rental property, repairs and general maintenance for the property must come from the account. All rental income goes into the account as well.

Joe Fazchas is a Real Estate investor as well as owner and founder of www.iLOCAdvantage.com, a company that partners with private individuals and lending corporations nationwide for the sole purpose of financing and/or rehabbing investment properties. All of which is done using a proven "turn-key" Real Estate system...The ILOC IRA.

When buying your first home, there are a lot of hurdles to overcome. Financing is one of them. For many people, this means applying to the friendly bank of mom and dad.

Getting Your Parents Help With Financing A Home

They say you should never do business with your friends. It is a time tested way to make them former friends. The bonds that tie us together can get tangled when differences of opinion arise. While this is all true, it barely registers compared to the complexities of a family. When a group of people live together for twenty years or so, the complexities only get more and more tangled.

While doing business with family members is often unwise, buying your first home often requires help from them. Coming up with cash for down payments, closing costs and even qualifying for a loan can be problematic. The bank of mom and dad often represent your best option to getting the deal done. While this is true, most people are uncomfortable with the idea of hitting up their parents for the help. You are out of the house and supposed to be independent. Walking through the door with hat in hand doesn't exactly make you feel independent. Well, there is a solution that both you and your parents can use without too much suffering.

Allow me to introduce you to the equity sharing agreement. This little dandy can be used by anyone, but is most often used by parents and their kids when that first home is purchased. The agreement is pretty much what it sounds like. You find a home you want to buy and then agree to an equity sharing arrangement. Let's take a closer look.

Assume I find a home for sale for $300,000. I need a $60,000 down payment for it, and cannot float this amount no matter how many quarters I roll. I go to dear old mom and dad and hit them up with an idea. If they agree to pay the deposit and closing costs, I will make all the mortgage payments, pay the property taxes and agree to keep my room clean. In exchange for this, they will own 20 percent of the home and I will own 80. When the home is eventually sold, I will pay them 20 percent of the gain. Simply put, I get their help in purchasing the home, they eventually get something out of it and I don't feel too guilty about asking them for help. Hey, it is as close to a win-win as you are going to find.

Buying your first home can be a challenge from a monetary stand point. Don't feel too guilty about applying to the bank of mom and dad.

Over the years we've learned that it's not unusual for Americans to change jobs and even careers several times in the course of a working lifetime.

It's one of the dramatic changes that's occurred in the 21st Century job marketplace. And you need to be prepared for it.

One way, of course, is to have a "failsafe career" that guarantees you're ready in advance for any job or career change that may come your way . . . whether voluntary or involuntary.

Another aspect of job change you should be aware of is to protect your assets when you make your move.
Be sure you take your TAX-SHELTERED 401(k) ASSETS with you.

* DO NOT make the fatal mistake of cashing out your account when you switch jobs.

* DO NOT have your organization write you a check that you can immediately turn into cash.

Consider the income taxes and fees you'll pay on the withdrawal. For example, buying a car for $20,000 would require you to remove up to $30,000 from your account. That's $30,000 that won't be accruing interest toward your retirement.

One report states that 50% of job-changers, ages 20 to 29, cashed out instead of rolling over their money to a new account. Workers were more likely to cash out even if the had $500 or less in their 401(k).

Bad idea . . . you're losing money.

Take the opportunity to roll your money into an account with your new employer. Don't leave it with your old employer. Also, consider rolling your 401(k) into an IRA. These accounts have more investment options than an employer's 401(k) program.

Whatever your decision regarding your 401(k) options, remember you have other assets to consider. These are your personal job and career assets you carry with you at all times. They are as valuable as your financial assets. In fact, they're what make your financial assets possible.

Check out our website to discover how to make your personal career assets work for you. Develop them properly and they'll guarantee your financial assets and your success in the job marketplace!

Looking for Small Business Financing is not getting any easier for sure. Some of us remember the days when you went in to speak to your local bank manager to get a loan from your bank and they based their approval on you and your dealings with them. This is just not the way it happens any more. This is a major reason why Discount Factoring is becoming so popular today.

To make it even worse, if you have tax arrears or other problems with the IRS or CRA, the banks will not even talk with you. With all that has been happening in our economy over the last couple of years, what is the Small Business owner to do?

Recently a business in New Mexico USA ran into a situation very similar to this where they needed a Discount Factoring facility to cover some tax arrears. The bank would not even return their call once they found out about the tax lien. The company had been having problems with their commercial customers not paying their invoices that were due in 30 day until day 75 on average. They needed financing to fix the payment gap.

With the IRS being involved it was not a simple deal to get funded. You need to understand that the implications of the IRS involvement with the file will slow things down, but at the end of the day Discount Factoring be done.

The procedure essentially requires a proposal to be done to the government which includes a plan to pay them the funds they are due along with a plan of how to get things back on track, and introducing a finance company to do management of the Accounts Receivable is looked upon very favorably. This plan is very similar to the one President Obama rolled out for the suppliers of the Auto Industry in Detroit Michigan.

Next question then becomes who will handle the process to the government? If you have a Commercial Finance Broker, they will handle it. And since they will have been down this road many times, the process will go smoother. The Professional Commercial Finance Broker will handle the negotiations with the IRS or CRA on your behalf and assemble all the required documents for the process.

So if your company needs additional Cashflow with Discount Factoring, and whether you are having issues with the IRS or CRA or not, speak to your Commercial Factoring Broker about your options.

You can prepay for a college education, and save a little money too.

The cost of education might seem high, but it is a necessary cost in today's world. Those without college educations often face a hard time finding a job today. Jobs you would never think would require a college education, do. For example, there are many cowboy jobs -- you know, riding a horse and doctoring cattle -- that require you have an animal science or ag degree. Firefighters have four year degrees. At the least, many management positions, even in retail, require that you have an associate's degree.

College tuitions are just going up and up every year. Increases are necessary to keep the level of education and boarding up to standard. Education is not cheap and it costs a lot to produce it. You can choose to pay tomorrow's college at today's tuition, tax-free.

Sounds too good to be true, but it isn't. With an Independent 529 plan, you aren't simply working with a state-sponsored savings plan. Independent 529's are offered by private colleges and universities.

You simply deposit up to $165,000 into the plan. In return, you receive tuition vouchers good for use at any of the plan's 255 participating schools and universities. You can use the vouchers between three and 30 years after purchase.

The benefit is that the actual cost of tuition will probably be at least double what it is today when you redeem the vouchers. Think of it as locking-in today's college tuition prices. Basically, you are pre-paying for an education.

The drawback is that the vouchers must be used at participating schools. If your child or grandchild enrolls at a school not on the list, you can get a refund at the rate your money was invested. You can also roll the assets into a state-run 529 plan.

State-sponsored 529 plans put your money into mutual funds or other investments that grow tax-free. You then can use the account to pay for any college tuition in the country.

Tuitions vary by school, so you will have to rely on the plan to let you know how many classes you are owed by the plan. You are also limiting the growth of your money to the rate of tuition increases. While tuitions have reportedly risen by 6% a year, there is no guarantee that they will continue that rate. However, most people agree that college tuition rates will probably never go down. You are basically risk free from losing money here.

Once you have saved for retirement, saving for your children's college educations is important. Do this for them, and you give them a step onto the right path. Research both traditional and independent 529 plans. Decide which is right for your family and use it to your advantage. Start saving as early as you can. It is the perfect answer to "What does she need for her birthday?" After all, they are ready for college before you know it.

Money is a major factor when it comes to stress. Most people who are dealing with stress related issues would tell you that money is a large part of it. Add in an economic downturn and people who have traditionally been able to avoid stress in the past are suddenly bogged down by it. From depression to sleepless nights and anxiety attacks, there are plenty of stress effects that can show up in a physical form in the body.

In this case there is only one way to get rid of your stress, get rid of the debt. Seems too impossible of a task? That's only because you're not looking at it correctly. Here's how to do it.

Assess Debt

The first thing you need to know is what you really owe and have to deal with. It's time to pull out the statements for everything from your best credit cards down to your old college loans and add it up to see your overall debt.

Debt Plan

Once you know what you owe, you need to come up with a way to pay for it. This starts as a simple math problem. Once you pay your monthly expenses, how much do you have left? This is what you have to pay down your overall debt with. If the amount you have left barely makes a dent in your debt, you need to look at some ways to make that money go further.

Balance Transfer Credit Cards and Low Interest Credit Cards

One great way to do this is to use some of the best credit cards out there, which are balance transfer credit cards and low interest credit cards. After all, if you can lower or remove the interest you are paying you will be able to get rid of your debt more quickly.

With some of the best balance transfer credit cards you can take all of those other debts and roll them into one lump sum that is on a credit card with no interest. Not all balance transfer credit cards are like this, so make sure to ask for no interest on your transfers.

Low interest credit cards are another option, as these will allow you to keep lower interest rates for all of the purchases you make. If there are some things you automatically charge each month, this will lessen the interest you are paying on them.

Implement Your Plan

Once you come up with a plan, you need to put it into action. Make notes of what you can spend and where you can spend it and keep looking at that list so you can follow it.

Manage Your Stress

The final thing you need to do is manage your stress. While you have a debt plan that will help make your problem go away, that is a long term plan. It will take time. In the short-term look to things like exercise, meditation or creative outlets to lessen your daily stress levels.

It is amazing how many people are barely making ends meet. It is even more amazing how many people are taking their finances for granted by failing to plan and budget. People assume that planning and budgeting is for the other guy, or some large corporation.

I personally believe that it is a shame that our society has not focused on teaching these basic, and yes I say basic, life skills. Planning and budgeting focus on creating short and long-term life goals, and creating controls and measures by which we can discipline ourselves to meet and achieve those objectives. Some people cringe when they hear "controls and measures", but we must remember that knowledge is power. Controls and measures provide you with the knowledge to know when adjustments must be made to keep the course. You must not be afraid of what a budget plan will disclose, instead use that information and everything at your disposal to change a potentially bad situation into something positive. The idea is to not bury your head in the sand, but with open eyes plot an expected end.

Everyone should have goals and a vision for their lives. It is not enough to just want something; you must consider and learn what it takes to get that thing you desire. A critical and base part of knowing how to get something, is knowing what you currently have. When you think of navigation, whether it is for boating or airplanes, they both must know the starting and ending points before they can plot the best track to the destination; you must also have a realistic understanding of your starting point. Your financial starting point comprises, but is not limited to your current cash flow, and other resources at your disposal.

In order to reach and achieve your goals and thusly realize your vision, you must plot a course and direction that will guide you to the destination (goal). Budgets provide the financial roadmap (navigational plan) to achieving your goals. At its best the budget should be living, and adjustable, consistently providing a view to the prize (the goal). When I say adjustable, I mean it must provide the visibility to be able to change upcoming discretionary debt sources to accommodate current day unexpected expenditures; these changes will in effect balance the budget. With regards to view, your ability to follow-through with the budget will greatly depend on your ability to keep the goal in sight.

To be successful you must plan and budget. Every small, medium, and large business including corporations plans and uses budgets. Budgets provide the roadmap for their fiscal success by ensuring that the money is applied to items that will help the company meet its goals. We than as everyday people should do no less, and use budgets as a means of achieving our goals.

Given the times in which we live, budgets are more of a requirement than an option. Look for a budgeting program that provides visibility, changeability, and maintainability. Visibility is the ability to consistently see the goal; your vision and goals will provide the continued motivation to follow-though with the plan. Changeability is the ease at which you can make changes that are rolled out through the entire budget. The ability to be able to easily create, edit, and delete income and debt sources will determine the ease at which you will be able to tailor a budget the meets your requirements. And lastly, the budget must be maintainable, it must be living and not rigid; you will need the ability to see where a current expenditure has caused the budget to go negative in the future, so you can adjust an upcoming discretionary expenditure to balance the budget.

A video biography is a lot more than just videography; it is a personal documentary filled with interviews, photographs, narration, archival footage, home videos, and music that is produced and edited into artistic, television-quality documentaries. Think of your family scrapbook on steroids. It comes to life, it speaks, it sings, and it tells stories to you and to generations to come. It's an awesome way to preserve and share memories. It's one of those, "Just Gotta Have It," kind of gifts, for which you will never experience a moment of regret.

In life we can expect some big-ticket items: college education, wedding, purchasing a house, buying a luxury car or boat, getting that much-needed facelift. These big-ticket items cause U.S. consumers to ask themselves, "Can I afford this?" Some folks are lucky enough to have disposable income for these kinds of purchases; some can only dream; while others, even in this lousy U.S. economy, embrace the notion that some items - even though considered "luxury" - are worth every penny... especially if they impact our lives in a positive way.

If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, wouldn't an entire video biography/documentary be worth at least several thousand dollars? Are your family memories worth as much, or more, than a sub-compact car? If the answer is "yes," then you are the perfect candidate for a video biography.

Think about it this way. Education is of paramount importance, but you have a choice: state-subsidized or private university.

Weddings are matters of the heart, so standing before the Justice of the Peace is just as legal and binding (not to mention cheaper) as a $16 million extravaganza.

I suppose a 1,300 square-foot house is big enough for a family of four, but 6,000 square feet is even nicer, especially when you have more bathrooms than bedrooms, as well as heated Pietra Firma LuxTouch tile on the outside balcony to ensure your comfort on cool evenings.

When it comes to economy and ecology, we owe it to this planet to buy sub-compact hybrid cars with great gas mileage, but oh... the feel of that Rolls Royce car seat with its 400 pieces of German Bavarian bull leather on your skin is just too glorious.

Speaking of cars and skin - my face needs more than a nip-'n'-tuck, it requires a complete overhaul. Do I choose the cheapest plastic surgeon, or the guy who did Raquel Welch's work? I'm going with the latter.

So, this brings us to the question: "Can money make us happy?" Maybe not entirely, but it can make the journey to find happiness a lot more comfortable and interesting. And once more it can finance extraordinary memories. I'm not talking about scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef or skydiving into the Haleakala Crater in Maui; I am talking about capturing a lifetime of memories and sharing them with family and friends.

Video Biographies

"What the heck is a video biography?" you ask. I can assure you, it's not just videography. A video biography is a personal documentary filled with interviews, photographs, narration, archival footage, home videos, and music that is produced and edited into artistic, television-quality documentaries. Think of your family scrapbook on steroids. It comes to life, it speaks, it sings, and it tells stories to you and to generations to come. It's an awesome and practical way to preserve and share memories.

Gone are the black lick-'em-and-stick-'em photo corners, plastic hold-your-photos-in-place film, and the tower of archival photo boxes marked by years. What can I say? Things change. Just think about what we did before zip-lock plastic bags - we used waxed paper! With the incredibly strict air travel rules today, can you imagine having to wrap your allowed items in waxed paper to take onboard with you? Crazy, yes? Well, in a way, so is keeping your prized memorabilia stuck between sheets of paper, crammed in shoeboxes, locked in the safe deposit box, or left to self-destruct on cassette tape (audio & visual).

Enter the world of professional video biographies, also known as:

• Celebration videos
• Corporate videos
• Family history chronicles
• Funeral and memorial tribute videos
• Genealogy videos
• Legacy videos
• Living tribute videos
• Personal and family history documentaries

Whatever you want to call it, it's the here-and-now wave of technology that will let your memories ride to the next millennium.

Some of you artistic types who are adept with multi-media gizmos and video/audio technology may tackle the project yourself, but for the other 98% of us, we will more than likely choose a professional company that offers the expertise and the equipment to render our family memorabilia into an A&E-quality documentary. There are several companies that provide video biography services - some are more comprehensive than others, a few offer higher-end technologically, some are more artistic, some cheaper while others are more expensive. Here are just a few to whet your whistle:

DAC Video Productions. Based in the Cleveland, Ohio, area, DAC serves clients nationally, offering video biographies and photo montages. It also provides transfer and conversion services.

Family Legacy Video. Arizona-based Family Legacy Video offers custom-crafted legacy videos, audio CDs, and photo books. It also offers guides and webinars with video biography tips and tricks, as well as royalty-free music.

Legacy Multimedia. This Houston, Texas, company covers the gamut of services, as well as offers a blog post.

Reel Tributes is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and produces what it calls "Documentaries of a Lifetime." It offers full, high-end service, including initial consultation, planning, production, and editing. A single producer is responsible for each project.

Save Their Story is located in San Diego, California, and offers basic to extended interviews. Interviewers are located throughout the U.S.

Your Story Here handles projects mostly in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, but is extending locations in the U.S. The company specializes in video biographies, veterans and genealogy videos, and ethical wills (aka spiritual or legacy letters). It also works with Alzheimer's patients to coax memories by using "reminiscence therapy."

Whatever your budget is; whatever your celebration, tribute, or memorial may be... a video biography is one of those "Just-Gotta-Have-It" kind of treats we allow ourselves in our lifetime and never have a moment of regret. It's not just for today, it's for generations to come.

If you are in tune with the daily news, or if you watch TV regularly, you might see different advertisements of financing and loaning companies claiming to be the savior for people with credit problems. Bad credit might come from incurred debts, unpaid loans, and many other financial crises that you should not have to experience. In fact, with a lot of practice, prudence, and good sense, bad credit does not have to be your problem.

In the distant past, people were considered gentlemanly or virtuous if they stayed out of debt or the debtor's prison. People who paid their bills on time, hardly took out loans, and had the power to lend money were considered to be stable people who had a lot to bring to the table, not only in terms of finances, but in terms of other good personality traits as well. Today, however, people who have the most number of credit cards are often regarded as rich, and a platinum card holder - essentially a person incurring debts through a piece of plastic - is seen as a prime catch for the ladies, a woman who is independent, or someone who simply has money to burn.

Sadly, credit cards can also mislead us into thinking that we are not spending anything, which can be problematic if we often take the swiping for granted. Small amounts swiped will eventually build up and make even higher, larger, more massive amounts; and these higher, larger, more massive amounts will eventually lead you into debt if you are not careful. If you do not want to have any problems with bad credit, start with the root of all bad spending: the credit card. True, it can be difficult, not to mention dangerous, to carry cash around, but if you carry only a little cash, you will not only be forced to spend less, you can also avoid having to carry a credit card.

If you live in a tough and dangerous neighborhood and a credit card is the only way that you can buy anything at all, then make sure that you have only one credit card; you can have two at the most, with the other one acting as your backup. The more credit cards you have, the harder it will be for you to monitor your finances, and the more difficult it will be for you to keep track of your payments by the time payment time rolls along. If you limit yourself to one or two credit cards, you can have an easier time monitoring and limiting your spending. This should put a hold on your potential shopping sprees, and it should allow you to exercise prudence and discipline when making your purchases.

Living within your means is a motto that is easy to say, but hard to do. When you see something that you absolutely like, you might be tempted to get it, not sure if it will be on sale, or if it will still be there by next week or next month. However, is this something a something that you absolutely need? Is it a nice dress that you know you will wear more than twice or thrice? Is it a pair of shoes that is not trendy, but still useful for a lot of your work? Before making any purchases, weigh all possibilities carefully, and if you must pay with your credit card, make sure that you pay your debts on time. Bad credit will not be your problem if you keep yourself free from debt.

Lastly, always keep some money saved from your salary or wages. Set a certain amount of your salary that you will keep each month, say twenty percent, or forty percent, depending on your needs. Keep this amount in another bank account if you can, and do not touch it unless you absolutely need it. This way, you discipline yourself in your purchases, and you limit the amount of money that you can spend.

These are only a few ways by which you can avoid getting into debt and damaging your credit rating. Bad credit should not be a problem for you if you spend wisely and live within a budget. If you know how to budget your money, you can still buy the things you want and live comfortably, and perhaps have a lot of money set aside for living even better in the future.

Wow, I am impressed at what the "New" Mazda has in their stable. This was always the one manufacturer that has been able to stay under the radar. Mazda's always putting out fantastic cars, just take a look at the popular Mazda-3 and MX-5 (Miata) roadster, the consumers love them. It hasn't been since the new CX-7, did the company ever have an SUV that compared to some of the best. I had the pleasure to come take a look at the 2008 CX-7 and its stable mate, the nine passenger CX-9. Both variations had a lot to desire, and more to appreciate when you have the ability to get behind the wheel and eagerly push like you would it's rotary inspired cousins.

First hand impressions of the new SUV was one of complete awe. Never did I see such a breakthrough look of the conventional box SUV, this one has acquired some of it's streamlined looks from its car lineup. The Front end design kinda had a blend of RX-8 while keeping true to a muscular front facsia. The CX-7 had stunning factory 18" wheels and a nice low center of gravity to compliment the look. This not only helped with the stability and body roll, but it also made ingress and egress a snap. It's no wonder all the women had nothing but great things to say about that element. Sleek, bold, and clean were just a few words to describe the CX-7.

Secondly, I was thrilled to drive a nicely loaded touring model with sport cloth seating and navigation. The seats were sporty, they had some nice lateral support and fabric was durable. Something a little different than other car companies. I really adored the way the dash was put together, lots of angular cockpit shapes and anti-glare facing give it a high quality appeal. This model was also equipped with the automatic tranny with active select, a feature I liked even more when I don't have to mess with the clutch deal. It was easy to transition all the gearing on my own. Additionally, the stereo system sounded great, the XM satellite radio is a plus, and the navigation was clear and simple to operate. Truly an up to date piece of tech-mobile, and would clearly win shoppers over with the controls' ease of use.

I got up into the back seat, and found the head room just a tad bit small. And that's easy to understand because from outside, it is one of the shortest looking SUV's out there yet, so there is the tradeoff. The AWD model I looked at with all the options short of a sunroof and leather put my tally just a smidgin over $33k. And base models click in at a mear $27,990 with about $37k at the peak pricing. Expect anywhere between $1,800-$2,700 of wiggle room from invoice to MSRP, so there is a little negotiation to swing plus you'll receive any applicable incentives. A modest price range for a midsize and is easily competitive with similar types.

I'm glad I had a chance to review the new CX-7, it ranks high on my list of SUV's with decent gas mileage and a look that appeals to a younger generation. I'll soon be doing a review on it's longer bodied CX-9, and tell you exactly why its the best compromise to the Suburban and Expedition EL. Check back soon for more reviews!!

More Than Meets the Eye

Unless you are independently wealthy and pay for everything with cash the content of your credit report has a profound effect on every single moment of your life. Think about it. How many things in your immediate personal environment have been determined by your credit report? The impact may be greater than you are aware.

The Ripple Effect

Do you have a mortgage? If so, your monthly payment was determined by your credit score. The amount of money that you part with each month to pay for your home may be the biggest single financial obligation that you have, and its impact ripples through everything else in your financial life. Every dollar that you spend on your mortgage is one less dollar that you have available for the other expenses in your life.

Every Financial Decision is Effected

A larger mortgage payment may very well shape every single financial decision that you make. When you make decisions about your children's school, your vacation options, that large screen television that you want, and even dining out, your choices are dictated by the money available after paying large bills like your mortgage.

Little Things Add Up

And as obvious an impact as your mortgage payment has on your life you should not overlook the myriad other items that are determined by your credit scores. Your automobile loan payment, like your mortgage payment, ripples through your lifestyle by limiting other purchase choices that you make. Credit cards, personal loans, debt consolidation loans, home equity loans; all count.

Tough Choices

In a perfect world every consumer would understand the relationship between the purchase decision that is right in front of them and the inevitable impact that it will have on every future decision that they make. In the credit repair business we see cases everyday where good judgment was absent at the exact moment that it was needed most.

Paying the Price

Have you every purchased a new car? Did you find yourself checking out the higher end models on the floor? Many people simply forget their budget and buy the car of their dreams. Nothing wrong with that! But when vacation time comes and that trip to Mexico is no longer possible, the relationship between that automobile and everything else in life becomes all too tangible.

Credit Repair

Given the major impact that your credit report can have on your life, from the smallest credit card to your mortgage, you should not take the content of your credit report for granted. Credit repair can pay tremendous dividends. Did you know that over seventy percent of all credit reports have errors? Did you know that even the neutral information on your credit report can play a major roll in your credit score?

A Thorough Checkup

When you examine your credit report, if you are like most consumers, you scan it quickly to see if there are any late payments that have been reported. You probably look for the obvious derogatory information on the report. In the credit repair business we discover an amazing number of harmless looking errors, such as account opening dates, high credit limits, current balances, and duplicate accounts. You might think that these items can not have much of an impact. This is not so; we regularly see credit score improvements of up to one hundred points simply by correcting things that the customer never thought to look for.

Your Credit, Your Life

Nothing can have as much of an impact on the quality of your life as your credit. You owe it to yourself to take a good look at your credit report. Don't neglect anything. The Fair and Accurate Credit Reporting Act, in response to the tremendous number of errors that continue to impact consumer's financial life, forced the three credit bureaus to provide a copy of your credit report once a year for free. Take advantage of this. If you feel daunted by the task, hire a reputable credit repair company to do it for you. You work hard for your money. Make sure that your credit works just as hard for you.

Copyright © 2007 James W. Kemish. All Content. All Rights Reserved.

As a nation, we annually waste billions of dollars on uneaten food,
over priced clothes, unused, unnecessary items, uncompetitive savings
account rates and excessive credit cards interest. American consumers
throw away money as never before and the credit card bills roll in
with their record of excessive Christmas spending. This makes January
a perfect time to start putting your personal savings finances in
order.

I know that I find something freeing, almost liberating about
spending money away on treats for myself. It can be something as
cheap as a pad of notepaper with some fancy design on it that costs
$5, or as expensive as staying at a hotel room instead of driving two
hours home after a conference. However, there is no reason why people
who save their money should accept minuscule interest rates or sky-
high credit card interest charges.

Spending a few minutes now to find a better deal will leave you
better off by December 31. Leaving things the way you have left them
in the past is like setting fire to your own money. By making a few
changes to improve your accumulation versus your spending will make
it so that the odd taxi home, the takeout chicken or spontaneous
clothing purchase will not have a dramatically negative effect on
your bank balance or credit card debt."

Here are 10 easy ways to save money in 2005 and every year beyond.

1 SAVE ON FOOD

Healthy eating doesn't have to be expensive. Making your sandwiches
at home and taking them to work might cost you $3 a day if you really
go all out on the fixings and drink. Buying a sandwich, drink, and
chips at Subway or McDonalds and you've dropped $5 - $9 plus ingested
more calories, fat, and preservatives than is healthy for you. If you
cut $2 a day out of your spending, and weekly or monthly put that
money into a special account at your bank or freezer, you will have
$10 a week, $40 a month, $500 a year. Maybe that is your Christmas
present fund?

Slash supermarket bills by making a shopping list and sticking to
it. Avoid picking up the over priced "bargain" extras placed at the
end of the aliases where they can tempt you. (Tip: Leave the kids at
home when you grocery shop.) Give the store's own brand a try, their
value ranges can cost a third the price for name-brand items and
contain the same nutrition. Buy fruit and vegetables in local farmers
markets in season - prices are competitive, you know the people who
grow the food and you get to be outside for a bit of fresh air.
Make your meals at home and freeze portions for future meals. Often
times the home cooking is lower in fat, sugar and salt than ready-to-
eat meals and having the food in the freezer, ready to thaw will
reduce the temptation to by over-priced takeout.

2 SAVE ON DAILY SPENDING

Take a good look at what you really use. Do you have a gym
membership that you only visit occasionally but seem to renew every
year? Do you take the bus or taxi to work? Save a few dollars and get
in some free exercise by getting out a couple blocks early.
Leave the ATM machine card at home, and when you do use it, take
less money out than you normally do. It's harder to waste the money
if you don't have it in your pocket. Join the local library - you'll
spend less time in bookshops. Shopping for purchases can also save
money - many major stores offer a price promise matching any
advertised price.

3 MORTGAGE SAVINGS

Penny watching will save a small fortune over the years, but taking
the trouble to find the lowest over-all cost mortgage available can
also save a small fortune. If you can recoup your costs through a
lower interest rate in less than 2 years, go ahead and refinance,
over the long haul that lower interest rate can save you some real
change.

2003 provided the lowest interest rates in 50 years, yet many
homeowners failed to switch to a cheaper mortgage rate. 2004 was also
a year of decent interest rates, yet many homeowners are still paying
too much interest. Instead of simply writing a check next month looks
into the possibility of refinancing.

4 CUT HOME INSURANCE COSTS

Cutting home insurance is also easy. Identify the level of coverage
you need and then shop around to find the lowest premiums based on
that coverage. If you are willing to self insure more than the
standard $500 deductible - that is pay the first $1,000 or $2000 of a
loss - you will find a significant savings in the annual rate. Just
beware, that many of the small things like broken windows, a few
shingles off your roof will not be paid by the insurer because they
cost below that $1,000 deductible.

Lower premiums are also offered by some companies to members of a
neighborhood watch or to the people with extra security. Good quality
locks, alarms, and security systems deter break-ins and some insurers
discount for that. Don't forget your outbuildings when looking for
insurance coverage. Many of the items in your garden shed are
expensive to replace if they disappear.

5 CUT CAR COSTS

Your car can be expensive to operate. Fuel, maintenance, and
insurance can cost per mile more than the current 37.5 cents the IRS
says a vehicle costs to operate. Depreciation can total nearly 60% of
a new cars cost in the first 2 years. Keeping your tires properly
inflated, the filters clean and the starting and stopping to a
minimum will increase your mileage and decrease expenses.

Using the Internet will help you cut your insurance costs
dramatically if you go online to shop for a better insurance rate.
Another thing that will help with your insurance fee is keeping your
driving record clear of moving vehicle tickets - don't speed.

6 SAVE ON UTILITY BILLS

Depending on where you live the deregulation of gas and electricity
means suppliers have competition now and deals are available if you
go looking. Consumers stand to save nearly a third of their gas bill
if they live in areas with competition and are willing to shop around
and ask for the savings.

You can save even more with energy-saving measures like drawing the
curtains at dusk, turning the TV off rather than using standby,
buying energy-efficient light bulbs and turning the thermostat down
just one degree, at night or while you are away during the day.
When you go to renew your cell phone - shop around. The act of
Congress mandating the option to take your phone number with you has
proved many cheaper rates and more incentives to get you to switch
from one carrier to the other.

7. LIFE INSURANCE

Life insurance rates have fallen the last few years, especially for
the term rates. At a minimum buy enough insurance for your spouse to
be able to live without employment until the kids are old enough to
go to school. Get on the internet and search for the best rate you
can find. You won't even have to deal with an insurance salesman.

8 SAVE ON CREDIT AND BANKING

Credit is a way of life today, and many of us are paying through the
nose for trillions in unsecured personal borrowing on credit cards.
APRs can reach almost 25 per cent for in-store credit, and many
struggle to pay the interest, adding punitive years to the borrowing
term.

Instead look at low-cost loan to consolidate debts, or a new credit
card with an introductory rate of zero per cent on purchases and
balance transfers. You can even switch your borrowing from one card
to another as the free introductory rate expires. The key is to hold
your payments level, even as the minimum required drops. Doing this
will cut 20 years off most repayment times.

Competition means better banking deals, though you might need to
find a small bank to get the best rates of interest or lowest cost
for services. Always pay attention to what your level of service is
going to cost you, what does a box of duplicate checks cost, and if
you accidentally bounce a check what is the overdraft charge and how
much you'll be charged to receive a copy of your paper checks.

9 INVESTMENTS

Always make sure you are getting the interest rate you deserve for
whatever savings you've got. The rate will depend on your level of
comfort dealing with the internet, telephone banking or if you need a
live person to deal with. Online banks offer a higher interest rate
because they have less overhead costs than a brick-and-mortar bank
staffed with live humans.

Check rates regularly - banks tend to be slower to raise their
payment rate than when raising the cost of borrowing. Don't forget to
max out your IRA, 401k, or whatever savings vehicle you have that is
tax deferred or tax free.

10 CUT TRAVEL COSTS

Using a website like http://www.travelocity.com can mean you save a lot of
money when buying a package deal. The savings can be really huge if
you are willing to shop online at the last minute. Shop around for
reasonable priced travel insurance - an annual insurance policy may
be cheap if you take several trips a year. Try to fly an airline that
is not in bankruptcy trouble so you can be confident they will
probably still be in business when you need to travel

A new craze is sweeping across the Australian continent - on face value, there are numerous lenders changing the traditional way money has been lent. They advertise slogans like - 24 hour approval, on the spot approval, easy money, very low interest rates, etc. These lenders seem to advertise rates which are as low as half the bank's standard variable rates. If you recall the old adage of 'if it's too good to be true - it usually is'

There are various terms used to describe this style of lending and they extend to car loans as well as personal loans. If you're lucky, you might not be familiar with the term "payday loan". This is a loan which is supplied by a third-party lender and it is supposed to help consumers get out of last-minute financial jams by offering a cash advance on an upcoming paycheck. While getting out of a tough spot is certainly a good thing, the interest charged by payday lenders usually exceeds 100%, which could make a tough spot even tougher. In my opinion, payday loans are examples of loan shark companies preying on peoples' desperation under new marketing campaigns.

The way they work:

A payday loan works like this: You're short on cash and can't wait until your next paycheck comes around, so you head off to your local payday lender (many are online these days), and ask to set up a payday loan -- usually somewhere between $50 and $1,000, although the higher limits are usually harder to qualify for. You write a post-dated check for that amount plus the fees you now owe to the lender. You get your money right then and there and, when payday rolls around, the lender will cash your check and collect its profit. Typically, people who use payday loans find themselves in situations where they are presented with few other financial alternatives. In their eyes, a payday loan is a way of staying afloat for a short period of time without having to ask for handouts. People with low credit or no credit are ideal customers for payday lenders.

One step forward, two steps back

In most cases, these loans are not attractive options for short-term financial problems. Exorbitant interest charges, sub-par lender reliability, small loan size, future dependency and the possible negative effects that borrowing from these lenders can have on your credit rating are all valid reasons to avoid a payday loan if at all possible. The amount of interest charged by payday lenders is no joke. Annualized interest rates of between 200% and 500% are the industry standard. Payday lenders are often able to get around usury laws (government limits on the amount of interest a lender can charge) by calling their interest charges "service fees", which aren't subject to the same regulations as interest fees are in many places. The other way is to advertise monthly interest rates instead of the standard annual rates. E.g. the current standard bank variable rate is 8.07% which is significantly cheaper than a monthly interest rate of 3%. A 3% interest rate equals to a 36%pa.

Paltry sums

With all the detractors from these loans, the size of most of these loans seems of little consequence. But when you consider the fact that most of these lenders won't typically authorize anything more than a maximum of a few thousand dollars, their usefulness -- particularly if someone is concerned about keeping up car or mortgage payments -- really comes into question. The small loans act in the lenders' favors in more ways than one: Smaller loans mean more borrower diversification because spreading money over more customers means less risk. Also, limiting loans to small amounts can often disguise just how extreme the interest rates are.

Learning to live without

Another major risk that goes along with these loans is the risk of dependency. While a payday loan might get you through the end of the month, will the interest charged on the loan make things even more difficult for you the following month? A cycle of dependency like this can cripple a person's financial health. As these types of loans become more commonplace and are being handled by more established companies, some of these lenders are starting to report to credit bureaus. Given the precarious nature of most payday borrowers' finances, defaulting on your payday loan could mean a lasting scar on an already weak credit rating.

Better alternatives

Such loans are not the only solution to short-term liquidity problems. If you need money and you find that collateral and credit aren't major problems, a conventional loan is the best-case scenario. Don't make the decision yourself as to whether you qualify for personal loans or other types of emergency funds - go to a reputable finance broker and let them advise you. If taking out a personal loan isn't a realistic possibility, asking your employer for a pay advance is a much better option. Despite the old adage that warns against borrowing from friends and family, you might want to consider it over resorting to taking out a payday or similar loan -especially considering the payback options put you in a deeper hole. The final option is to approach the bank you have your home or car loan with, and advise them of the financial difficulty you are facing. In most cases, they will work with you to get over the hardship period by putting in place a payment arrangement. Contrary to popular belief, finance lenders are not in the business of 'kicking people out of their homes' and selling them for a profit. In fact, they do everything they can to avoid this scenario. If your loans are for personal use (instead of business purpose), you are covered under the Uniform Credit Consumer Code which extends many protections to consumers - especially for their primary place of residence.

Conclusion

Resorting to a payday loan must be your last resort and your only option. If this is the case, it's important to weigh your options and reflect on all your facts before you enter into a financial agreement that's 'stacked in the house's favor'. Ensure you have approached a few reputable mainstream finance brokers which deal with 'non conforming personal loans' before committing to these last resort loans. If your past shows you have had periods of financial pressure, be proactive about planning for the next 'unforeseen' financial pressure by organizing access to emergency funds when you DON'T need them. Ensure these funds are not costing you anything to have them and also ensure you do not use these funds for any other purpose except emergencies. Again, finance brokers are the best way to organize these funds but ensure you speak to a financial advisor and / or accountant who can advise you on the best strategies to 'stay afloat' financially and how to get ahead.

What is going on to the global financial market? This probably is the question being asked most frequently in the mean time. I am not an economist. But I do really concern about the current financial crisis and the economy like the other people. I want to understand the current situation. I want to see the complete picture. Therefore, I try to understand and analysis the whole event in a simplified way, and prepare to express my idea in laymen text.

Let's start thinking from the ground up
 
In the society, reasonably, trades among people are negotiated by the participants as a fair exchange of goods and services. However, it is not easy to match the same values of different goods and services every time. Therefore, money appeared. What is money? It is a recognized medium of exchange, agreed by all the participants. In other words, it is an IOU or a credit for the seller and a debt for the buyer. For example, A sells goods in the market. When B comes to buy the goods from A, B gives an IOU to A as an exchange. With that IOU, A can buy goods back from B or other parties with the equal value. The IOU is the money. It gives people a flexible way in trading.
 
As money is a credit that is widely accepted as a medium of exchange, therefore, we need a central place to have the control on money, such as to standardize the appearance, to control the amount of money supply to the market, etc. This is the government, or the Federal Reserve. Having a central control is very important, because this can enable us to measure the value of a good or service against another, based on what each sells for in the market. How many bottles of beer are equivalent in value to a pair of sport shoes can only be determined in the market place. Once again, money is credit. Every dollar of credit is matched by an equal amount of debt. You work hard and get paid with an IOU worth the amount $1000. Then you can use this to exchange for goods and services.
 
As you can see the importance of money, immediately, maybe the next question you will ask is: Why not print more money? Will our country be wealthier in that way? This is a good question. It should be explained by an example. Let's suppose the government suddenly print out a huge amount of money, and then give every person a certain amount of that money. What would people do with that extra money? Some people will use that to pay the debt, some will save the money up, and some will spend that. Let's assume some people are going to buy a notebook from Dell. If the supply of notebook remains unchanged, but the demand suddenly increased, then obviously Dell will raise the price accordingly. On opposite, if Dell wants to keep the price unchanged, then they need to manufacture more notebooks. However, there are many limitations to increase the productivity, such as the increase of costs of labors, materials and transportation, etc. When the maximum capacity of production is arrived, then the price of the notebook will increase unavoidably.
 
So, similar to all other goods and services, print more money will only cause the raise of prices, which is inflation. Finally, the supply and demand will back to the point of equilibrium again. Therefore, money is just a medium of exchange, it is a tool. The responsibility of the government or the Federal Reserve is to keep the supply of money in a reasonable balance with the needs of producers and the availability of goods and services. You can imagine that this is a very complicated work and required a wide range of knowledge in the economy and finance area.
 
Next, let's think about the bank
 
What is bank? A bank is a business that provides financial services, usually for profit. The basic services provided by a bank include receiving deposits of money, lending money and processing transactions. A bank accepts deposits from customers like you and in turn makes loans based on those deposits. Every fee you pay to your bank enables them to reinvest in themselves, giving them more money to loan to the others. Banks are in business to make a profit. Their profit generally comes from the difference in interest paid to depositors and the interest earned on loans. Making loans helps banks make money.
 
Banks will offer other financial services to make additional profit, services provided usually include:
* Taking deposits from their customers and issuing checking and savings accounts to individuals and businesses
* Loans to individuals and businesses
* Home loan
* Cashing cheques
* Mutual Funds
* Signature Guarantees
* Facilitating money transactions such as wire transfers and cashiers checks
* Issuing credit cards, ATM cards, and debit cards
* Selling insurance products or investment products
* Stock broking
* Storing valuables, particularly in a safe deposit box
* Cashing and distributing bank rolls
* Consumer & commercial financial advisory services
* Pension & retirement planning

Creativity is key when you own your own business. If you are a small company you might be the owner, marketing department, sales, accountant, cashier and even the janitor all rolled into one. And each new challenge requires a creative new solution. Even if you are larger you probably still have a hand in everything that goes on in the company.

It makes sense then, that you would need to have creative business financing when it come to your business as well.

There are basically two ways you can approach the problem of creatively financing a business. You can try to bring in money from an outside resource to help you meet expenses, or you can try to cut expenses in the first place. Fortunately, there are plenty of creative businesses financing techniques you can use for both.

Spending Less-Creatively Financing by Saving Money

Create a Buying Alliance

Many vendors will give a discount to those who buy in bulk. Unfortunately you're not Wal-Mart. However, by partnering with another local business or buying alliance, you can receive the same discount as the large retailers.

Use Open Source Software

Instead of purchasing Microsoft Office for every computer in your business you might consider using the open source software OpenOffice. It's free and an excellent substitute. If you need to do some basic photo editing, you might try GIMP. For virus protection try AVG or windows Security Essentials. Go to Cnet.com and take a look through all of the free downloads offered there. You might find some excellent alternatives to the expensive software you were considering.

Brainstorm with employees

If you have employees, gather everyone together and explain that you need to save money. Ask what ways they can think of to save money. You may find your employees are willing bring their own coffee mugs to work, or make the office party a potluck if they understand the company's situation.

Getting more-Finding the Most Creative Business Financing Options

If cutting costs wasn't enough, it may be to time to look for some creative business financing from outside sources. Here are a few places you should check.

Business Financing from Family and Friends-- Virginmoneyus.com

Many companies have borrowed money from family and friends to get them through tough times or off the ground. Family and friends can be an excellent resource, providing low-cost or even free loans. It can also be dangerous for the relationship. Unlike a typical creditor, you will need to spend time with this lender. They may also feel that because they gave you money they have a right to interfere with how you do business. Companies such as Virginmoneyus.com will help you make the loan official. Laying out terms and making sure that both parties understand them is the best thing you can do to protect their investment, your business, and your relationship.

Creative Revenue Based Lending

Another creative business financing option is revenue based lending. At a time when the Credit Crunch has banks hesitant or unable to loan, this alternative lending process has appeared. Revenue lending focuses on what a business actually makes, rather than its owner's credit score. This allows companies to lend to business owners at highly competitive interest rates and with much more flexibility on repayment options. Performance is not alone, as hundreds of revenue based lenders have received press coverage recently by an excited media.

Crowd Funding-Indiegogo.com

If you want some REALLY creative business financing, check out Indiegogo.com. Users can post a project, and how much money they need to raise. You can then set what sort of incentives people who donate can receive. For example, one user received a few thousand dollars for her small business collected from a few hundred lenders, who expected nothing in return. The idea is very creative and will allow you to practice your pitch at the very least. So far this crowd funding website has funded more than 5000 projects across the world. 

This list may be short, but as the beginning of the article stated, you need to be creative to be a business owner. Hopefully this was enough to get your mind moving in new directions so that you can come up with your own creative business financing solutions. If you have ideas, then please share them with a comment or a message. 

Warehouse receipts are a crucial element for risk mitigation, enabling a financier to lend to a borrower, who wants to finance the shipment of commodities for sale or purchase. Using warehouse receipt finance, a bank, or trader, relies on goods in an independently controlled warehouse to secure financing. Usually providing (among many things) there is an off-taker and that there are other forms of recourse (the borrowers balance sheet for example) banks will lend against commodities stored in a reliable warehouse and which have been properly pledged to them in a sound legislative environment. So warehouse receipts provide for a degree of physical risk mitigation and, in support of an exchange-based trading system, they are important for underpinning futures.

Accordingly, warehouse operators can act as key influencer's of risk management. If they are able to issue warehouse receipts, which can be used as collateral by banks, they may use this as a way of encouraging deliverers of commodities to move stocks into their facilities. Warehouse operators receive goods into the warehouse and issue receipts showing the goods have been received into the store. Among other things, the receipts themselves contain information about the quality and type of the commodity taken into store. The receipts are for the information of the depositor of the goods or, if he is a borrower, for his bank. However, these receipts are not negotiable documents of title, i.e. the title to the goods themselves may not transfer from one to another person via the passing of the related warehouse receipt.

Herein lies the potential for some degree of confusion. The term warehouse receipt means different things to different groups of people around the planet. For example, in the United States, the term ?warehouse receipt? is used for a document evidencing storage of a commodity in a warehouse. Unlike elsewhere, it is a document of title, supported by legislation; in this case the US Warehouse Receipts Act of 2000, which replaced a piece of legislation enacted in the US in 1916. By contrast, in the United Kingdom a warehouse receipt is a non-negotiable instrument simply notifying that at a certain moment in time a certain amount and quality of a commodity was delivered into a warehouse. In the UK, a negotiable form is represented by a warehouse warrant of the type issued by London Metal Exchange-nominated warehouses.

The main advantages of warehouse receipt financing from a risk management perspective are:

The identity of the collateral is less contestable and the intention of the borrower to pledge it is clear, avoiding ownership disputes and competing claims. The collateral can be auctioned or sold promptly and at low cost if there is a loan default. A lender holding a warehouse receipt can claim against the issuer (the warehouse company) as well as the borrower in the event that the collateral goes missing. In a bankruptcy scenario a document of title can cut off the claims of competing creditors.

Warehouse receipts can be negotiable or non-negotiable. A non-negotiable warehouse receipt is made out to a specific party (a person or an institution). Only this party may authorize release of goods from the warehouse. He may also transfer or assign the goods to another party, for example a bank. The warehouse company must be so notified by the transferor before the transfer or assignment becomes effective.

The non-negotiable warehouse receipt in itself does not convey title and, if it is in the name of, for example, a trading firm, it needs to be issued in the name of or transferred to the bank in order for the bank to obtain more than just a security interest. A security interest is much less attractive to a bank than if it has what is called possessory collateral, i.e. it has direct recourse to the warehouse where the goods are stored and in the event of a default or similar, it is easy for the bank to sell the commodities in a shorter time frame.

Issuers of non-negotiable warehouse receipts include collateral managers. They are becoming increasingly important, with companies like ACE, Cotecna, Control Union, Drum and SGS rolling out collateral management products to serve a growing international market. Notwithstanding the fact that most bankers, borrowers and warehousemen say they find collateral management ?just too expensive? their desire to use the services of collateral management companies is increasing. In the absence of totally secure physical commodity storage facilities and resulting from the risks in moving commodities about, banks are obliged to find other structures for protection against physical risks. The collateral management agreement, or CMA, offered by a number of global firms, offers one such solution.

Many people drop out of school because they do not have the necessary financing to complete their college education. Nonetheless, there are some very strong-minded students who want to have a degree with their names on it, and they struggle to find ways to pay for their own college education.

Some of these students find jobs to pay for their college expenses. Nevertheless there are also students who have a hard time balancing their studies and work, and they would rather get loans from the federal government and other financial institutions in order to finance their education.

Due to a limited budget, students may have a hard time repaying all the loans they got in order to pay for their education, and this is where a college consolidation debt loan will considerably help. This type of loan is specifically designed to help students manage their finances while they are still in school.

Thinking about loan repayments while studying for exams can be very disturbing. That is why getting a college consolidation debt loan is the ideal way out for students who wish to focus on their studies and at the same time, manage their budgets effectively. The way a consolidation debt loan works is just like any other debt consolidation loan. All the student's loans will be rolled into one big loan which will be paid with a single monthly installment with a much lower interest rate and longer repayment period.

In order to get a college consolidation debt loan, the student must get in touch with a debt consolidation company and submit the necessary requirements for eligibility. One good thing about this kind of loan is that there are no fees involved. Students can continue to pay their loans after they have graduated from school and started their own careers. Such a loan even gives the students flexibility to increase the amount of monthly payments after they have already established themselves in the professional world.

Students who are in the process of getting a college degree can also get a college consolidation debt loan and use the money for other expenses such as accommodation, food, travel, books, etc. The benefits of getting a college consolidation debt loan goes beyond the financial solutions it can give to the students, because it actually gives them the chance to improve themselves by completing an education.

People have financial setbacks for a variety of reasons. For some of us, our whole lives seem to be one big financial setback, while for others of us, we've gotten it together, and then one day (it seems), our finances fall off track. This article will tell you how to get on track, whether setbacks have been a lifelong event or a recent occurrence.

The first thing you should know is that not having enough money and having financial setbacks does not happen in a day. Rather, it is the result of mental, emotional, and physical habits being performed over and over again. Some of these habits were given to us by our well-meaning parents, others are just our own "stuff". In any event, once you see that you have a financial problem, the solution is to...

Stop, Drop, and Roll

Sound familiar? It should, because that's what we were taught to do, as children, in case we ever caught fire. When your money goes up in smoke, it is like a torch has been set to your finances and you must put that fire out fast!

Stop

The first thing is to stop-stop worrying, stop crying, stop buying extra snacks and clothes to make you feel better, stop complaining, stop using prayer as your only plan of action, stop assaulting yourself by calling yourself names, stop making excuses, stop pretending not to care, stop "forgetting" to deal with it. Just stop and be.

Drop

In this place of stillness, think about what you have dropped that was working for you. Was it a certain habit, routine, or action that you've recently neglected? What about a certain philosophy that you gave up? Has the money clutter re-accumulated (i.e. bills lying around the house, not honoring your payment schedules, financial arguments with your significant other, letting people owe you money, etc.)? Have you slipped back into the panic-and-poverty mindset? Have you dropped an important support person in your business?

Now, from this place of stillness, think about what you need to drop. Is your schedule too full for you to enjoy life, so you compensate by buying things or ignoring your accounting? Are negative people taking a toll on your self-esteem, and thus on your financial point-of-attraction? Do you need to drop a client? Do you need to drop an expense? Do you need to drop a particular self-limiting belief?

Roll

Roll out a new plan. Write it in three short paragraphs. Anything else is too complicated.

In paragraph one, write out the things you have dropped that you will get back or re-establish, why, and by when (give an actual date). If you can't get the exact thing back, find a suitable replacement.

In paragraph two, write out what you will drop, why, and by when.

In paragraph three, write out the possible blockages to dropping, as well as all the solutions you can come up with, so that if you experience resistance, you know what to do.

Now, post your plan where you will see it. Make several copies if need be.

And remember: Never stay in a house (financial or otherwise) that is on fire. Always stop, drop, and roll!

Copyright © 2010 Freedom Speaks Ink. All Rights Reserved.

Many borrowers think they have found the perfect loan - the 125. But you should be cautious when considering this product.

A 125 loan is named for the amount of equity you can pull out of your home, which is usually 125%. Some of the loan is secured by your home and some of it isn't, making it a mixed loan type. The portion that is unsecured causes your interest rate to be higher than with a fully secured home equity loan.

Many borrowers turn to 125 loans because they can simply make one payment to their lender instead of several payments to many lenders. The single payment is often lower than the total of all the payments it replace, due to differences in interest rates. The rates are often much better than credit card rates, but if you roll other loans in, such as student loans, you may actually be raising some rates on your debt.

For example, you may have a car loan with a balance of $11,000. You have an interest rate of 8.5% and 4 years left of payments. You roll the note into your 125 loan, which has a rate of 11.5%. You've actually raised your interest rate.

If you roll in a credit card with a $12,000 balance and an interest rate of 19%, you are lowering your rate. But you will be looking at upwards of ten years of payments.

The real danger comes in when borrowers take out a 125, roll over their credit card debt and then go out and max out those cards again. This is called reloading. You now have double the debt to repay. You are in a worse situation now and are risking losing your home.

When you take out a 125, you have to be dedicated enough to cut up each credit card right then and there. This will help you avoid temptation.

You may be saying, but wait -- I get to deduct the interest on a 125 on my income taxes. Yes, you are saving 28 cents for every dollar you spend. Doesn't make a lot of sense. Plus, the amount of interest on the loan above the value of your home is not tax deductible. If you deduct it, it will bite you in the taxes.

You are also now upside down in your home equity. You owe more than your home is worth. You can't sell it until the value of the house increases or you pay off the loan enough to reduce the balance below the value of the house. That takes around five to 10 years in most cases.

If you are forced to sell your home, you will probably have to pay money at closing just to get it off your hands. You are paying to sell your home. If you plan to stay in your home for a long time, you may not need to worry about this as much.

But keep in mind that the unexpected happens. When you open yourself up to a lot of debt, you are putting your future at risk. Taking out a 125 loan to get rid of the debt isn't necessarily your best option. It certainly isn't the easy way out, as you may have been told. It is the same debt, just new place. Be very careful, it's your house on the line this time.

As a new year scrambles to roll out the carpet for you, isn't it time to ask yourself if those words still echo down your memories-the time when Grandpa said: 'You're really gonna be somebody. You'll make a dent. You'll be successful.' Or have those words withered out of memory's ground? Connect with that big picture unless you want to leave your life to careen to a dead end story! Stop sending out that press release about what you're going to do while leaving it to amnesia to pay the bill. If you discovered an inner streak of non conformism, a propensity for risk taking and been a beaver for a new opportunity, hungry to be different, then it's time to fulfill Grandpa's prophecy.

Replant the plant. It's time to think of your full potential, saddle up and blaze fresh, new trails. Walk away from the treadmill, break rank from the mundane where you know you're just going to be a square peg in a round hole all over again. Get ruthless. Make the new year a year of beginnings, renewing the pages of your individual history. Become more of what you really are and seize the day! We've all had career missteps but change has to start now. The past should not hold hostage the future. As the new year rings in recall Grandpa's words again.

Here's an avenue: become a problem solver instead and start preparing for an anyday future personal financial hostage crisis.

To your future,

Cally Rao

Over the last 20+ years of helping people like you, and families like yours, find, qualify for, and own the home of their dreams, often with little or no money down and even with less than perfect credit, I have observed the spending habits and life styles of a large cross section of Americans. I have counseled first time home buyers, young upwardly-mobile professionals, generals, officers and enlisted personnel of all ranks and services, construction workers and DOT COM Millionaires. For decades, most middle class Americans felt like they were simply "Living the American Dream". What Does That Mean, you might ask? Was this Fact or was it Fiction?

For most middle class American families, living the American dream meant consumption not savings, with the thought that "he who dies with the most toys wins". Has this always been a bad thing? My answer, of course, would have to be that it didn't use to be! So, what changed you might again ask? Millions of Americans are now facing the daunting task of paying out more than they are taking in every month, How did this happen to them, and how could they have been so foolish? The truth for many is that they were paying their bills, were putting a little away for retirement, had good credit and were living the American dream. Others were simply living from refinance to refinance. They were paying off their deficit spending with the paper profits from the appreciation of their homes, and who can blame them? They weren't doing anything different than their deeply indebted government? These same Americans are now facing the realities of a collapsing economy and restricted credit. So what happened to the responsible people, the individuals and families with stable jobs, 401Ks, and good retirement programs? Many of these hard working responsible Americans have watched as good paying jobs have been systematically shipped over seas. First it was an outsourcing of manufacturing jobs. This was followed by factories, and entire industries moving overseas. Next came the loss of the white collar and technology jobs. This was followed by a virtual dismantling of America's manufacturing base through sweetheart trade deals. Last, but not least was the creation and issuance of a Worker Visa Program sponsored by your government. It was designed to import "Cheap Foreign Labor" that under cuts the remaining good paying jobs that were available to the middle class. This practice endorsed has been widely supported by the Corporate Elites of Business such as Bill Gates of Microsoft fame. They have even gone so far as to state there are No Qualified American Workers and have embraced the concept of Globalization as long as it supports their corporate profit agendas and have ignored and scoffed at this virtual destruction of the American economy.

You see, it has become a Global Environment for Big Business. Profit is everything, and the loss of American Jobs, income, retirements and even homes is simply below them. Let them eat cake rings out from the Heights of Corporate America and the Secret Halls of Political Power.

So Why All the Rhetoric; Is, this an article on Debt Reduction, or an Economic and Political discussion? The Answer is appropriately yes on all counts. You see, to properly embrace this problem you must understand its root causes and the fact that you are in it alone. "The Best Government Money Can Buy" will not bail you out. That Bail Out was reserved for Wall Street...not "Main Street". The 700 Billion Dollar Bailout was all the Graphic Proof needed by "Main Street" and a root cause of the Populist backlash that is now swelling against Wall Street, Corporate America, and Our Very Halls of Political Power.

Now I need to ask you some questions? Are you spending more than you're making? Are you on the debt treadmill with no end in sight? Do You Feel Trapped or Beaten?

Are you Mad? Don't Get Mad...Just Get Even!

This article is a first step in your process of understanding the problem, embracing the problem and creating a Strategy to "Help You Get Even" This is not a Bean Counters approach to debt reduction but a Strategy Session that helps you separate Facts from Fiction. It will help you define and focus on the specific steps you need to take to achieve your own measure of financial freedom and the Key to your "XTREME" Financial Makeover!

Stop the Madness!

What ever you are presently doing with your finances...STOP! Stop the Madness Now!

Isn't it a Fact that you didn't get in this position by making good choices...so stop whatever you are presently doing and look at all the ways you might be able to save money and reduce your monthly debts. When credit cards are maxed or out of control; if you're paying double or triple the minimum payment and seeing no real change, extreme debt calls for extreme actions. Spending is an addiction to many even when it's used to cover basic expenses.

What is Fact and What is Fiction? What Really Works To radically reduce your debt? Remove emotion from the buying decision and replacing it with good old common sense.

Fact: You must create a budget if you are to understand where you are and where you want to be. You have to create a plan, and a budget is simply spending your money with intention. When you create a budget, you are spending on paper, on purpose, before you go shopping or leave the house, your budget is your road map to your financial destination.

Fiction: I don't have time to work on a budget.

Fact: Debt is not a tool: It is a method used by banks to earn money. This consumer debt does not Benefit You!

Fiction: Debt can be used as a tool to leverage your assets and help you create prosperity. In spite of expert commentary by a host notables, it simply doesn't work that way for the rank and file.

Fact: Actual debt reduction solutions begin when you come to grips with your spending habits. True debt help is not easy, and it starts with your understanding. Start using cash or debit cards only. Put your credit cards in a locked drawer, Lock the keys in your safe deposit box.

Fiction I can solve my debt problems by simply moving things around, like switching our balances to low-interest cards. I can fix my debt problems with a simple phone call to a credit counseling service. These services will never correct the real problem, which is your behavior. Companies promising quick fixes are usually scams and can cause almost irreparable damage.

Fact: Debt consolidation is like using a band aid on an infection! It simply gives the illusion of fixing the problem. You can't borrow money to reduce debt! Debt consolidation is not only dangerous, but it is contagious. It treats the symptom leaving the habits that caused it unchecked.

Fiction: Debt consolidation is the solution to my problem.

Fact: Being covered in debt is more common than ever before, and being buried in debt is rampant.

The average person has between six and 10 credit cards; the average household carries about $10,000 in credit card debt. My personal small sample of mortgage customers indicates numbers many times this amount. In fact, I rarely see numbers this low, even for a single person.

Unfortunately, many Americans are simply in Denial. With today's classic credit denial being, that I have to charge because I can't live on what I'm making. They are watching their debt continue to spiral out of control. To make matters even worse, these same individuals typically have no Emergency Fund. You need at least one month's total cash flow in the bank for an emergency. They also won't have a retirement account because there is simply nothing left over at the end of the month to save. You have too much debt when you are switching your balances from card to card and at your current rate of payments if it will take more than 4 to 5 years to have all your debts paid off! Making your minimal monthly payments is not handling your debt. I ask you, is this, the American Dream?

Fiction: If can handle my debt, how can it be too much?

A Dirty Little Secret

You are a creature of habit. The longer you have been in debt, the more comfortable you are with it, and the harder it is to get rid of it! Money problems are primarily solved by lifestyle changes. To get out of debt, you must make hard choices that change the way you have been living. Real Change...means life style changes not just rolling debt from one card to another. It requires that you "Stop the Madness Now"!

Fact: Credit management services take a fixed payment from you and spread it around, to all your cards and usually to the satisfaction of no one. If you stick with this method long enough you may get out of debt, unfortunately your credit will be trashed.

Fiction: I know who can save me...I'll hire a credit counseling or debt management service!

Fact: Pay off your smallest debt first. This will create more cash flow which you can use to accelerate the pay off of the next smallest debt and so on and so on! Always pay your essential services first before any bills are covered as it does little good to be debt free living under a bridge or in a home with no utilities. Be sure to evaluate the options available to you regarding the settlement of high balance credit cards at less than the full amount. The same applies to renegotiating your mortgage through a Loan Modification Agreement from your lender. Sub Prime, High Interest Rate and A.R.M. loans are prime candidates for this form of relief. Stick to your guns...This Is All About You!

Fiction: I should pay off the debt with the highest interest rate first or I better pay these guys first because the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Fact: Bankruptcy is a life changing and gut-wrenching experience. An experience that continues on long after the gavel has fallen.

Fiction: I'll just file bankruptcy and start over. It's Just That Easy"!

Your debt reduction hit list! What You Can Do Starting Today!

Extreme debt calls for extreme measures and "Xtreme" debt reduction means reducing the cost of everything we do and whenever the possible negotiating the balances on outstanding accounts. Ask Yourself How Can You Lower these monthly expenses.

-Living Expenses including the home that we live in.

Can you move to a more affordable home, rent out a room/basement, cut utilities by being more energy efficient?

-What car we drive and how many we have.

Selling a vehicle saves a payment, insurance, gas, And maintenance. Many people have started to car pool or commute during the recent gas crunch and are loving it

-Vacation or play time expense.

What are you doing spending money on toys or trips when you can't get out of debt?

Sell the motorcycles, boats, snowmobiles, and sports cars. Dump the premium cable package and every other Play Time Diversion.

-Public, or home school, can easily save you about $5,000 a year and that's for elementary and high school tuition! Private Schools are simply not in the budget!

- Negotiate a reduced pay off on your large high balance credit cards. I'm sure you have seen the ads on T.V. offering this option. You don't need an external service to do this. This option is available to those who are delinquent or find that their financial status has changed. If your house is now worth less than it was when you bought it, and you can't sell it because you don't have any equity, renegotiate your mortgage by working with tour lender to avoid foreclosure. A more affordable payment might also mean the ability to pay off your other obligations quicker.

Pay Cash: people who pay with cash spend less and even tip less. They save money because it's harder to part with the green than throw out the old plastic. No More Big Spender For You! Shift your priorities, scale back, modify your lifestyle choices, and did I Say...Pay cash or debit only!

Consider those little extras that you don't need. A Starbucks a day is about 5 Bucks. A pack of cigarettes is another 5 Bucks. A sit down lunch 20 bucks! Thirty bucks a day times 360 days in a year is $10,800 and that's after tax.

Go for a hike, walk around a lake, or go for a bike ride. Inexpensive and healthy options to saving money.

Sell Something: Have a garage sale, sell that extra car, motorcycle, boat, snowmobile etc. Do you really need those musical instruments you haven't played in the last ten years? What do you have to sell? Retirement Accounts: Don't Even Think About It! Don't cash in your retirement accounts...you're going to need them later.

This article is but the first step in your understanding of how you got to where you are at today. It is a glimpse of the choices you can make to rectify your past mistakes, and a clear vision of how you can look at your future! Don't Get Mad...Just Get Even!

Now on to the steps:

• Clip coupons. You can save up to $20 to $30 every time you shop. That leads to big time savings. Use your local papers to find coupons or go to the myriad coupon sites on the internet to find them. This is one of the easiest ways to save money each month.
• Buy Groceries on sale. But only items that are on sale. Base your meals and snacks around sales. You'll be surprised at how little your grocery bill can be. You'll save a good $50 a month by doing this.
• Get rid of your landline phone. Only use your cellphone. You can now get all services from your cell phone provider as your landline. And then some.
• Only buy generic items at the store. Generic items are just as good as name brand and they are a lot cheaper.
• If you smoke, roll your own cigarettes. This may sound silly, but you will save a ton of money by not buying name brand cigarettes. This may sound like a pain, but look at the money you'll save. The same goes for drinking beer. Drink domestic rather than import.
• Share rides. If you share a ride to work, or bike, instead of driving everyday you can save at least $50 a month if not more. And it's good for the environment to boot.
• Plant your own garden. In the summer you won't have to buy vegetables and most likely you'll have enough to give to friends and neighbors.
• Cut out the daily Starbucks, or don't eat out more than once a week. If you are eating out all of the time, that could mean $50 a week for lunch, maybe $100 on the weekend eating out at restaurants.

So there is a start. You probably know other ways.