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Thursday, January 8, 2009

UK Drowning in Debt, Is Debt Management a Way Out?

By Phillip Evans

Are we in the UK drowning in Debt? According to the insurer AXA, some 11.6 million people (25 per cent of the adult population) are said to be struggling financially with a significant number, around 1.3 million people, admitting their finances are entirely out of control.

The insurer goes on to say that over a million UK residents have borrowed too much credit and are now struggling to keep up their repayments, with less than 4 million struggling to manage their credit card bills.

Half a million home owners have been threatened with a bailiff or eviction and personal county court judgements CCJs has increased in quarter 3 to their highest level since the start of 2007

The public interest Company that manages the register of judgements on behalf of the Lord Chancellor has reported that within England and Wales County Court Judgements rose by 17.4 per cent year on year to 223,519, its highest level since the beginning of 2007 and from the second quarter of 2008 this is a 25 per cent increase.

Personal Insolvencies within England and Wales rose to just of twenty seven thousand in quarter 3 of 2008 which represents an 8.8 percent increase from just less that 25,000 in the previous quarter.

17,341 people went bankrupt, which has shot up 12.1 per cent from 15,463 in the second quarter of the year, and 9,746 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs), which is up 3.3 per cent from the three months before.

The credit crunch could be blamed for the increase in corporate and personal insolvency throughout 2008, however, its patently obvious that further failures are going to be compounded by the recession throughout 2009.

It was hoped that the planned Simplified Individual Voluntary Arrangement (SIVA) that had been planned to be implemented early next year would offer some way out, however this has been abandoned by the Insolvency Service.

Where an IVA needed 75 per cent of creditors to accept the proposal for insolvency a Simplified IVA or SIVA only required that a majority accept the terms. The SIVA was intended to be launched next year with a creditor cap of 75,000.

For the time being the options available to the equity challenged British public who are struggling with debt and are not wishing to go bankrupt is either seeking debt management advice or some form or individual insolvency arrangement.

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Reverse Mortgage Rates Take Leap Up In Coming Days

By Spikoliolio Vanrock

Most reverse mortgage customers choose to work with a line of credit. They do this for multiple reasons, but that is for another article.

The reason for this article is to let you know about the margin increase taking place (within 7 days) in the reverse mortgage industry. This increase will be by at least .5%

You may be asking what is the margin? Glad you asked. The margin is the profit the bank or more particularly the banks investors charges on the loan.

The line of credit based on the constant maturity treasury index is what almost all borrowers of a reverse mortgages were using if the went forward with a reverse mortgage with a line of credit.

A couple of days ago the lender's marginal charge (banks profit) was 1.75%. The constant maturity treasury index rested at a .40%, the total of these is 2.15%. This would be the real rate of interest on the loan.

Lenders were sent notice just yesterday that Fannie Mae (a group that backs loans on the secondary market) has bumped up the margin .5 percent at the least.

The effects on borrowers will be fairly limited. We've had the good fortune of rates being so low they are below the FHA floor rate which determines how much money a borrower may cash out.

Rates are tied to how much a borrower can borrow. When rates are higher they get less. And vice versa. Well, when they hit a certain low rate (FHA floor), any rate below that will not get the borrower more money.

At current standing the floor rate is high above us. This means the marginal increase, thankfully, will not put reverse mortgage borrowers above it. So it is still fine to use a estimate given to you in the last couple weeks.

The higher marginal charge will deduct from the equity in the home more quickly. Yes, I just mentioned a negative of the reverse mortgage. But remember the senior won't be paying anyone, which is a huge plus.

Interest is eating away equity, and that is the negative aspect. Due to the marginal increase, it will deduct from it a little more rapidly than before.

How to Become Debt Free using 6 Powerful Tips?

By Finance-Experts-Team

No one can deny that taking care of financial stuff is a must and necessary condition to bring your business to the next level, regardless if you are a beginner or an expert in your business. I admit that it is not an easy job and, therefore, here is your chance to learn 10 powerful tips for saving money and properly organize your financial related tasks.

1. Put and Arrange Your Bills in a unique and Well Known Place.

One of the significant tips on how to save money is to make sure that you put everything in one place. Missing bills can be the cause of late fees and can decrease your credit rating. And if you get a lot of mail, use an area that won't get filled up too quickly.

2. Do not Pay Your Bills at Once, Instead, on a schedule.

It is strongly recommended to simplify the process of paying your billing by setting up a payment schedule over definite period time, a month or two. One of the easy ways to save money is to encounter how many bills you get and how often you get them. Then, set up your payment schedule accordingly.

3. Reading Your Credit Card Statement is a Must.

It is really amazing that almost every one likes to enjoy the benefits offered by low interest credit cards, but they never read their statements when they have to pay back the bill. Credit cards involve the risk of starting by low interest to attract your and thy gradually raise the interest. Therefore, a wise recommendation of a money saving expert is always to read your statement before you pay and change your card if the interest is always getting much higher.

4. Do Not Ignore the Benefits of Automatic payments.

When it is coming to tips for saving money, automatic payments option must be your strategy. Most banks offer a way to automatically deduct money from your account to pay creditors. In return, the creditors usually offer a lower interest rate when you sign up for this payment option because they get their money faster and on-time.

5. Get Overdraft Protection.

Guarding yourself against an over drafted bank account is really one of the easy ways to save money. Most banks offer you the chance to switch the payment source for you in case you suffer from the risk to bounce a check. They do it of course in an exchange of a fee, which is in any case less than the fee you would pay incase you do not pay your check. Contact your bank for more details.

6. Account Consolidation is a Must.

Account consolidation is one of the must tips on how to save money. If you have several credit card accounts with outstanding balances, try to consolidate them into one. Also, make a list of all your accounts to see if any consolidation can be done. Keeping your money in fewer places eliminates all of the guesswork involved and reduces errors.

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Has Home Building Declined Along with Construction Loans

By Rick Gomez

Has home building declined in recent years? The answer to that question is yes. In fact, is has reached its lowest rate in 17 years. [I:0:T]

But what if there was no financial crisis? What if you can borrow money from the bank? What if you have the cash on hand? If there were no problems, then yes why not build your dream home. To help you along, this is what you have to do.

In some states, there was a decline of more than 20 percent for new housing permits. This means contracts dont have that many jobs and there is not that much money collected from real estate taxes and building permits which contribute to local revenue.

If you are employed and you are told that you have to relocate, it will be hard to move right away since it takes time to sell a house.

So what should people do now? Well a lot of experts advise consumers to tighten their belts and then wait till the smoke clears before they consider building a new home. If you have the money, you could buy a homes sine many are up for sale especially when a lot of them are foreclosed and now owned by the bank. If you dont have a lot of cash, make sure you save enough money to save it from being foreclosed.

But these things should not deter you from considering building your own home even during a time when home building is on the decline. Why? Because building a home is a one time investment unlike rent where you pay a fixed amount per month and this could up the following year.

Believe it not, the cost per square foot is higher for a small home than a big one. Why? Because the cost of items is spread over and a two story home if that is what you want has a smaller roof and foundation. The same goes for plumbing and ventilation.

Analysts believe that the decline in home building may be dramatic but it is as bad as you think because it is simply a market reaction to recent building which went way ahead of new household formation. What this simply means is that more houses were built than people could actually buy. The question on everyones mind now is how long before things are on the up trend.

It will be much easier to select the final blueprints, which is the basis of the project once you have estimated the construction expenses. As much as possible, work with even numbers because this reduces wasted materials. The ideal home to make should be not less than 32 feet deep otherwise your roof trusses will have to be custom made which will cost more.

If you had this property for a long time, then chances are the neighborhood around you is already well developed. You dont have to haul a lot of dirt, do grading, clear trees or blast through large rocks if your property happens to be somewhat secluded.

This will enable you to establish good credit with the bank when you need to apply for a loan. That may not happen right now because of the financial crisis but when it is over, you will soon realize that this was very handy.

We mentioned earlier that the second reason for the decline in home building is that people are not earning enough to buy a home. This is true for new families especially those who have children because its hard to do both when you already have children.

The sad reality out of all of this is that this is not expected to stabilize any time soon. The value of most homes will continue to drop for 5 years or even more which bring us back to the conclusion that it is better to rent than to build a home.

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Does Debt Consolidation Helpful?

By Eric Jilson

Living in today's world, it's almost impossible to function without using and managing debt. The unrelenting needs and never-ending changes in our financial lives require that we utilize credit in one way or another. When properly maintained and used, credit is a good thing for most people's financial lives, allowing them to purchase homes, vehicles, and other items they would likely not otherwise be able to get without years of savings.

Often, though, debt piles up rather than being paid and people begin to slowly feel their freedom being drained as the debt begins to take over their financial lives. Becoming always short of money, barely able to make payments on time, or being late because you just didn't have the money yet. Sacrificing lifestyle choices and worse, all begin to get worse as the debt mounts. Eventually this comes to a head and has to be dealt with.

Before it gets to that point, though, many people turn to debt consolidation to relieve the pressure and take off the stress. A debt consolidation and management program can reduce your debt, provide you with a means to get out of debt, and manage your credit to show you how to utilize it in a healthy manner that doesn't build your debt load, but instead lowers it.

So how does this work and is it really what it says it is?

Debt consolidation works by consolidating all of your debt into one loan at a lower interest rate, usually paying off your existing debt at lower rates than what's owed. This means your new loan is for a lower amount that you owed before and at a lower (usually fixed) interest rate. So now instead of many monthly payments at varying interest rates, you have one payment at one interest rate.

Some of these programs will, instead of setting up a new loan, set up a management program in which current debts are "fixed" with the creditors, lower payments and interest rates are set up, and your single payment to the management program pays all your creditors automatically. These are not "loans" but they are consolidations of credit under one management system.

Most creditors are happy to either cut what's owed in order to get paid off so they do not have to worry about a struggling client or to take lower interest payments in return for getting a more guaranteed monthly payment to service the debt. A creditor's biggest worry is that a debtor will declare bankruptcy and the creditor will walk away with nothing at all but an unpaid debt.

Some management companies will offer incentives to the client looking to consolidate their debt, making claims about how quickly the debts will be paid and how a "new start" will be had once it's done. In reality, it takes time to pay off these debts and, in the mean time, the person's credit is often on hold and unusable.

Further, some consolidation management companies take monthly payments, issue "cease and desist" orders as attorneys to creditors, demanding that they talk only to the management company about the client's debt, and then let the monthly payments pile up without being sent to creditors. They do this in order to pressure the creditors into taking even lower payoffs (in lump sums from this "account") and to collect interest on the money being paid to them as it builds in an account. While this is legal, it is deceptive and often ruins the client's credit for a very long time.

So finding a reputable and reliable debt consolidation and management firm is a must if you're in the market to consolidate your loans and want to manage your debts correctly. Consolidation is often the best and most effective way to reduce debt or to completely eliminate it and get clear of it as quickly as possible without totally destroying your credit.

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Thinkorswim, The Best Broker

By Walter Fox

A time when the financial institutions because of their harsh conditions easily was not getting credit. In the heavy flow of money market funds in banks was limited, despite lying. All the countries of the world's new liberal economic policies because of the general public to access loans from banks easily have got to.

Money in their hand, it is exploring new ways to invest their money and found that stock option transactions and foreign exchange transactions is very fruitful. More and more people jumped into the competition, introduction of online options trading systems. They are aware of the importance of technology in a few trading sessions.

In order to help investors, many of the new brokerage sector experts. Commerce, who come from different sectors of society and the lack of basic knowledge of the discovery of the trade deal prompted by the choice of these agencies is very useful. This is a win-win - a win-win situation for traders and brokers of the success of a trade.

Along with the growth of market, new agencies are come into existence and some of them became very popular and successful. Thinkorswim brokerage is an American based broking company which offers live and online education services to its customers across the globe. They are the prominent advisers in the field of futures and option spread trading. They manage more than seventy thousand customer accounts which include individual traders and institutional users.

Options brokerage Thinkorswim very tips of the trade for their account holders is a very healthy rate of success are found to be helpful with. They invest in various categories including equities, the fund currency, bonds, futures trading of mutual funds can help their customers. Top of the list in order Thinkorswim your level of customer satisfaction index several times because of a slot is obtained.

Thinkorswim customer satisfaction rate of options trading tips and their popularity of the world's other major markets in the commission and also the best in the Nasdaq has given. In an international market you so that you can earn money from your business to meet the challenges of a sufficient knowledge is required.

Agent skills and technology are important tools through which people can trade in the market. It also can buy professional advisers in the form of software products. A new comer in the market and recommendations of these tools is very important to obtain some results from their trade. AIDS can not help them survive in the market longer.

Financial markets in which these, your hard earned money from the very remote possibility of profit-making is like until you tips and techniques are equipped with the resources are increasing and more and it applies to a trader immature way. For a businessman who is the best option at this business for a long period and are continuing research on corporate financial performance and our best bet is Thinkorswim online brokers is to get advice.

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How To Easily Reduce Your Utility Bill By 20%

By Jenni Snook

Receiving our gas and electrical bills is certainly not the most pleasant experience. Despite not receiving a pleasant bill, many people quickly assume that there's nothing they can do to help it. In reality, there is a lot families can do to significantly reduce both their energy consumption and their utility bills. All this is possible by following the tips in this article.

A simple way to start saving money is by researching what different utility companies charge. You may find cheaper alternatives that you didn't know about. Utility companies are in fierce competition with rivals, which can only be a win-win situation for you and saving money.

If, by chance, you currently live in a region where there is only one utility company, or where your utility company is the cheapest option out there, then the next logical step is to find out how to use less energy. This may seem impossible but it isn't. Even by applying very simple energy saving techniques, you can accumulate quite a large amount of savings.

Simply turning off the lights in rooms that are not being used is a great way to start saving energy. It's very common to people to leave lights on even after leaving the room. This will increase your electric bill quite substantially over time. Saving hundreds of dollars a year can be simple as switching off unnecessary lights at home.

Insulation is something to consider if you currently live in an older home. Insulation does wonders for cutting down the amount of heat that leaves your home. Insulation can allow your family to save a significant amount of money. If you have a boiler in your home, you may want to insulate that as well. This would also assure that your water is warmer during the cold months of winter. This process of insulation assures you savings both on the quantity of water and the heat used to heat it. In addition, insulation assures that your boiler reduces its wear and tear meaning that it will last longer.

There are those people who do not consider reducing their energy bill simply because they are convinced that it is out of their control. Nevertheless, it's amazing how much of our energy bills can be cut by simply seeking out alternatives. By cutting down on energy, you are saving money as well as helping the environment.

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Total Visa

By Daniel Moskel

The Total Visa is a bad credit unsecured card. It was designed for individuals with blemishes on their credit report.

It reports to all the major bureaus monthly. By making on time monthly payments you can start to build a positive payment history.

This is very important when your score is calculated. Your utilization ratio will determine another large part of your score.

This compares the amount of debt you have versus unused credit. It is how the bureaus determine if you can afford a new credit line.

They estimate that your utilization ratio and payment history make up to 80% of your score. It will help if you have unused credit.

However it is still a priority to remove any negative marks from your report. This will help to show a positive payment history.

Your card will have an initial $250 limit and a 19.92% APR. It is issued by Plains Commerce Bank and has an annual fee of $48.

They offer a 19.92% cash advance APR which is actually lower than many prime credit cards, in case of a financial emergency. They do give quarterly credit limit increases.

With our current economic conditions there has been a wave of good credit cards raising their APR's to 20% and higher. They have been doing this without cause, meaning the customer did not pay late.

Congress has responded and made new laws to prevent this in the future. However these laws will not go into effect until 2010. Additionally we have seen lower limits and much more stringent approval requirements.

Your card will have fraud protection and free online account access. Your card is accepted everywhere Visa is.

With responsible use a new credit line can help a damaged score. However with irresponsible use it can damage your score even more.

This is why we think it is important for you to look at your budget and what you can comfortably afford to spend before you apply for any new credit.

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How Prepaid Credit Cards Work

By Gray Rollins

One thing that we all find very difficult to keep in perfect state is the credit. In order to get credit, you have to be old enough and financially stable too. If you falter in making payments at the right time, your image will get tarnished and you may disqualify getting the credit again. So you have to be very careful in keeping the credit perfect if you really want to enjoy all benefits provided with this credit.

Credit card is the major factor influencing your credit. You can build your credit with their help but they also have the power to take your credit away. That makes the prepaid cards a popular choice for people who want credit. They enable you to change the credit score if you need any changes.

With the help of a prepaid credit card, you can have a check on the amount you use without putting your credit on risk. There is not any danger involved with these cards as they have some big companies with good reputation backing them. So there is no question of their being illegitimate or not right in any ways. Make sure that you know more about the company before opening an account with them. Your credit back up can be built with your prepaid card. Therefore you must first be sure to select the prepaid card after knowing about all that are available in the market. Your little effort will help you to gain a lot of benefits through your card.

Since the card is prepaid, you are in complete control of what goes on with it. You are the one who adds the money to it so you can control the amount that you spend. If you try to spend more then you have on the card, then the transaction will be denied. This makes it impossible for you to go over the credit limit. There will not be any over the limit fees and your credit will stay safe.

The prepaid credit cards do have plenty of advantages but there are some other points that you have to remember before you plan to get one for yourself. You have to follow some rule and regulations specified by these companies. Don't think that they don't cost anything; you have to spend some amount as the standard fees for the prepaid cards. Besides that, there are some companies that charge you certain amount for putting money on your card. Some charge you for withdrawing that money. Sometimes you have to pay a fine if you don't keep a certain amount of money on the card also.

Prepaid credit cards are good for those who wish to control their spending and to improve their credit. You just need to do a little homework before you make your choice in what company to go with. Be sure that the report to the credit bureaus so that you will be able to improve your overall credit score. You want to know what fees they may or may not access for each transaction and when you put money on or take money off.

Be sure that you know what your limits are even though this is a prepaid card. The credit card company may have a limit as to how much you need to keep on the card or there may be a limit as to home much cash you can get off the card each day just like a regular card. Read all the guidelines so you can make an educated decision.

If you have bad credit or you are just starting out and want to get some credit, then a prepaid credit card may be just the thing that you need. You can finally get a leg up in the credit world so that you can open new doors and be able to do more where your credit is concerned.

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A Simple Guide To Securing a Boat Loan

By Stefanie Swaggert

Many lending institutions specialize in boat loans and most banks or credit unions will offer them. Getting a boat loan is more not all that difficult is youre prepared. It is a large purchase so extra care is taken.

Pre-qualifying for a boat loan is a great first step. Talk to a few places and tell them what youre looking for. Be sure to find out how much total and how much of a boats value theyll lend.

Research your boat and its accessories to get the most accurate value. Knowing the value of your boat is vital to boat loans. Write down all identifying numbers on your boat.

Make sure that your credit reports is accurate to ensure you qualify for a boat loan. If your credit is poor it will negatively affect your interest rate. Check for any inaccurate information so that youre aware of it before applying.

Gather your paycheck stubs, monthly bills and financial assets in anticipation of this. Boat loan companies will likely take awhile to investigate so be patient. Boat loans are big risks for a lending institution so expect questions about your finances.

You know how much you can afford so dont be persuaded into more than you need. Use your boats value as a general guideline for how much to ask for. Know how much money you need with your boat loan.

Providing a down payment is a good idea with boat loans. It is not required but can help with a better interest rate. Collateral is usually not required so a down payment will look favorable to the lending institution.

Compare all the offers made before choosing one for your boat loan. Fill out your boat loan applications carefully and be sure on the numbers you are providing. Submit multiple applications at the same time to save time with this approval process.

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Making a Budget: The Basic Steps

By William Blake

If you want to start living a more frugal life, you will need to start the process by doing some important planning. The most important part of planning for your finances is making a solid budget. Regardless of how much you make, how you make it, and how much you have now, you can make a budget that will work for you. Consider the following steps that will help you take the first step to a thriftier lifestyle: making a budget.

1. Keep track of your spending. You need to know what your current spending habits are before you can adjust them by means of a budget. Bring a small notepad with you wherever you go and note how much you spend every time you make a purchase. That way you can track your spending.

2. Make a list of all your expenses and include the spending you have in your notebook along with any monthly bills that you might not have written down. Total up the categories that you have and the total spending as well.

3. Write down how much money you make and how often you receive it, whether that be on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. Then total up how much you earn.

4. Write out your budget (based on the last month that you recorded). Compare that budget with your income. If you have more going out than coming in, then it's time to make some changes. You can either cut your expenses or you can make more money.

5. Take some time to think about the budget you have planned. You might find some that some changes need to be made. For instance, if you tend to watch a very small amount of TV each week, you might decide that you don't need to pay for cable each month. If your closet seems overly full, plan to shop less.

6. Once you have cut out all possible expenses, look at your budgeted totals for earnings and spending. If you still wind up spending more than you earn, you might consider getting a better or second job. Your budget will not be able to help you save money if you plan to spend more than you earn.

7. Review your budget. Since our lives are in a constant state of flux, your budget will no doubt need to be adjusted from time to time. As your lifestyle gets progressively more frugal, you may notice more expenses that can be cut.

Having a keen understanding of your own spending habits will enable you to live frugally, successfully. Making a budget and sticking to it is an essential first step.

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