Calculating car loans

Choosing a new or used car is a big job. There are countless styles to choose from. Problem is, many people put all of their attentions into choosing a car, and don't even consider shopping around for a car loan.

Calculating car loans is an important step in borrowing the money you need to purchase a car. This is because a car loan calculation allows you to estimate the monthly payments required to own the car, before you make the final purchase.

There are many factors to consider in calculating car loans. There are three very important questions that you must be able to answer:

- What is the interest rate?

- What is the loan period?

- What is the loan principal?

A qualified lender will happily provide you the answers you need. This information may also be available online. Once you have the answers you need, you can then begin calculating car loans to help you make the final decision. Your car loan calculations will allow you to estimate your total costs, and confirm how much you're able to afford based on your income. To fully understand these calculations, you need to know what all of the financial terms mean.

Interest Rate

The interest rate is generally expressed as a percentage. This is the amount of money paid on top of the initial amount borrowed. It's considered to be the cost of financing. Let's say you borrow $10,000 to buy a car, but at the end of the term you've actually paid $18,000 in monthly payments. The extra $8,000 is the interest, and it's calculated to reflect the current interest rate. Rates do fluctuate, so shop around to get the best deal.

Loan Period

This is the "life cycle" of the loan. It's the length of time that the borrower has agreed to take to repay the loan. Most car loans are for periods of two, three or four years. The principal and interest payments are spaced equally throughout the loan period.

Loan Principal

When calculating car loans, the loan principal is the amount of money originally borrowed. Loan principal is a term used in finance that refers to the original amount of the debt, before additional fees or interest. Your total interest charges at the end of the loan period will depend upon the amount of the loan principal, as well as the loan period. With this in mind, it's easy to see that the loan principal is the foundation of calculating car loans. In some cases, the loan principal is used to refer to the amount of money owing, after the debt has been partially paid. In other words, it's the outstanding balance. With each monthly payment, this amount slowly and steadily decreases, until eventually the entire balance is paid off.

Don't be surprised if you check on the principal balance after a few months, and find that it's barely been touched. That's because your first few months of car loan payments cover mostly interest, and very little principle. Only a small percentage is used to pay off the balance. This repayment plan is common in amortization loans. After these initial months, your monthly payments will be divided in half, with equal amounts going to pay off the interest and reduce the principal. This trend continues until the remaining principal balance has been paid.

Buying a car takes a lot of research and smart decision-making; and choosing automotive financing should too. Calculating car loans is essential to arranging financial assistance that you can afford, and making your dream of car ownership a reality.

How to get a cheap remortgage and save thousands

The definition of a cheap remortgage is different for the lender and the buyer. Lenders see a cheap remortgage as one where they lose money. Home buyers see a cheap remortgage as one where they save money.

It all comes down to where interests lie. It is obvious the lenders interests lies with making money off the loan while the home owners interests lie with saving as much as possible on the loan.

A cheap remortgage is possible. Actually the whole concept of a remortgage is to get a better and cheaper deal then with the original mortgage. The goal is to secure a lower interest rate and get reduced or waived fees. A remortgage is primarily just a way for the home owner to get a better deal.

Lenders do not necessarily want to hand out cheap remortgage. The reason is that the lender is making their money from the interest accruing on the loan. They want to keep the rates higher because they earn more money that way.

However, they understand that home owners are looking for lower rates. In the end their best interest in keeping the customer happy because that will help to ensure the customer stays with them as their lending source.

To get a cheap remortgage a home owner should first discuss their options with the current lender. Once they find out what they will offer it is time to start shopping around. After finding different options the home owner can go back to their lender and try to negotiate.

As mentioned, it is in the lenders best interest to try and keep the customer, so they will be likely to be willing to negotiate upon their rates based upon the quote form other lenders.

A cheap remortgage is going to based up a few factors. It is going to be dependent upon the interest rate and the amount financed. The amount financed could be different due to the equity in the home. Additionally, the term will be shorter so the overall cost will be lower then the original loan anyway.

A cheap remortgage is a money saver for the home owner. It is a way to earn back a little of the money spent on the home purchase.

A cheap remortgage takes some work, but it can be negotiated in the home owners best interest if they know how to play their cards right. The trick is getting their lender to give them a good rate in order to keep them as a customer.

It is all about negotiating which is a skill a home owner has to learn before ever starting the remortgage process. They have to be able to ask for a deal and then back up their request with proof from other lenders that shows their lender they can get a better deal elsewhere.

A cheap remortgage is ideal for a home owner. Saving money on such a big purchase is always a good idea. It also help to free up finances for other options, like home improvements, which also help the home owner, get more for their money.

Money in a whole new avatar

Money has inspired many songs and innumerable statements. “Money makes the world go round.” “Money talks.” “It’s all about the money.” Money does play a very integral role in our day-to-day lives. Think about our three basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter, and you know that there is a fourth basic necessity which precedes these three. And that, my friend, is money. We may abuse it. We may associate it with criminal activities. We may call it the curse of modern life. But, whatever we may say, the fact remains that we cannot live without money.

Money has undergone many changes. It displaced the barter system in the ancient times. Then currency took over to provide for the many transactions that had to take place. We have changed a great deal from the days of metal currency in gold, silver, bronze, and copper. The coins of today are not pure metal; they are made of cheap alloys. The currency these days consists of paper that costs a lot less than its face value. Slowly, this paper currency is being subordinated to the power of plastic. Credit cards have staked their hold on the world economy. They are rapidly gaining in popularity and are quickly becoming the new face of money.

The days of worrying about carrying large stashes of cash in flimsy briefcases are gone. With the virtual world taking over our twenty-first century reality, even money is becoming a virtual entity. People today, no longer feel the compulsion to have tangible forms of money. Just the knowledge that that rectangular piece of plastic is comfortably seated in our wallets is assurance enough. Earlier on, people were hesitant to avail of credit cards because of the feeling of being indebted. However, these days, with the rise of things like cash back credit cards and 0% balance transfers, people have gained a new perspective on credit cards.

It is no wonder that credit cards are slowly taking over from the paper currency that had been the standard till very recently. With living standards rising globally, and with the rising demand for instant gratification, people have begun to flock to credit card companies. It is rapidly becoming the rule to roam around with multiple credit cards while most of our cash remains in the banks.

Is paper currency becoming obsolete? Perhaps. After all, online transactions are much in vogue today. And it is not yet possible to pay for these transactions by using paper money. Credit cards have become the need of the day.

How to get the best rates on homeowner s insurance in alabama

If you are financing your home then your mortgage company insists that you purchase homeowner's insurance. But the truth of the matter is, the vast majority of people who have paid off their homes and are no longer forced to purchase homeowner's insurance still choose to do so.

The reason is obvious. The vast majority of people in Alabama recognize that their house is their most valuable asset and they are anxious to do everything in their power to protect that asset.

This is just good, common sense. Still, it is also good, common sense to want to get the best value for your dollar and not pay more than necessary for your homeowner's insurance.

And that's where this article comes in. We are going to discuss several things you can do that can allow you to get the same homeowner's coverage that you now enjoy - only at a price that's lower than what you are now paying.

Let's start by looking at how much homeowner's insurance you have. You need enough insurance to completely rebuild your house from the foundation up and to replace all of the possessions that are currently in your home in case of a disaster. But what you don't want to do is to make the rookie mistake of including the cost of the land under your house in your calculations.

Keep in mind that most standard homeowner's policies in Alabama have restrictions on wind damage. If this is a concern to you be certain that you discuss this issue separately with your insurance agent. Also, no standard homeowner's policy in Alabama includes flood insurance. If you wish flood insurance this must be purchased separately from a government-guaranteed fund; your agent will have all the details.

If you want to get the best rates on homeowner's insurance in Alabama then you'll need to make your home as burglar-proof as possible. Install motion-sensitive floodlighting, trim bushes back away from all ground floor windows, install deadbolt locks on all exterior doors and make certain that all windows have a working lock.

You will also need to make your property safe from liability suits due to preventable accidents. This involves repairing or replacing old, broken or buckled cement walkways, repairing or replacing worn, broken or lose floorboards on porches and decks and filling in any potholes or other hazards around your property.

If you live in a fire danger area be certain that all brush and weeds are cut back at least ten feet from all structures.

If your home is 10 years old or older talk to your agent about how much you would save month after month if you made a one-time investment in your property and had your plumbing and electrical system upgraded. You might be surprised at the savings you could realize. Run the figures and if they make sense to you. If they do then upgrading your home will both save you money as well as make your home a safer place to live.

Make sure you have installed the appropriate number of smoke and fire detectors based on the size and configuration of your home. Detectors need fresh batteries twice yearly - many people change batteries each time they set their clocks forward or backward an hour.

Buy a kitchen-rated fire extinguisher and keep it handy for any kitchen fires.

Consider how large of a deductible you can afford. Keep in mind that if you have a claim you will have to come up with the cash to pay your deductible out of your own pocket, so don't make promises you can't keep. However, also keep in mind that the larger your deductible the lower your monthly premium payment.

Now go online and find 3 different websites that encourage you to compare prices from different insurance companies for homeowner's insurance in Alabama. Enter the same information into the form on each site so that you'll be comparing the same policy on all of them.

When you're done comparing prices then all that will be left is to choose the lowest-priced company and your job is done - you've found the best rates on homeowner's insurance in Alabama and you can rest easy at night knowing that you are getting the coverage you need at a price that's saving you money month after month, year after year.

Credit card interest charges - how they are determined

‘He who pays wrong, pays twice’ is a famous saying amongst lawyers. Relating this to credit cards drives home its meaning even more. After your card-swiping shopping spree, it is payback time for all credit card users. However, if the rates are not calculated properly, one may end up paying the wrong amount.

Before getting into any calculations, did you know there is a difference, or rather a similarity, between the interest charge and the interest rate? The interest charge would be based on the percentage of the balance, or in other words, the interest rate.

If that is confusing, let us use a small example to clarify this. Suppose you have a balance of $1000, if you multiply it with an interest rate of about 18 %, it would result in a total interest charge of $180 for the whole year. Since the balance varies from time to time, your interest charge will not be constant

There are several ways credit card interest charges are determined. Credit card companies should state the method of calculating your interest in the terms and conditions furnished. Even if it is an insignificant variation, the methods do make a difference to credit card users.

How to Determine Credit Card Interest Charge

The annual percentage is the primary key to comparing credit products. Since the interest is computed on a monthly basis, to calculate the credit card charges, the annual percentage rate needs to be decompounded.

The methods to calculate credit card charges differ in different countries. The following are the methods listed according to the USA Regulation:

Adjusted Balance

To get the interest charge, the balance at the end of the billing cycle is multiplied by a factor. One could either get a lower or higher interest rate, as the time value given by the bank is not taken into consideration.

Average Daily Balances

Here, the sum of the daily outstanding balance is divided by the number of days included in the cycle to give the balance for that particular period. The amount is multiplied by a constant factor to the interest charge. Both the resultant interests are the same as the interest rate charged at the close of each day. Considered the simplest of the four methods, this method produces an interest charge very close to the expected one.

Two cycle average daily balance

As its name suggests, two billing cycles are taken into consideration and added to get the balance: the first being the current billing cycle, and the second the preceding billing cycle.

Breaking it up into two more sub-groups, it can be split into balance including new purchases and that excluding new purchases. The former group being a double-whammy for the regular credit card users, because the customer pays for the given activity twice, as the method considers the previous and current months’ average daily balances. On the other hand, the second group is not suggested to those who do not pay their balances in full each month.

Previous Balance

This method favors the credit card company the most, as they base your monthly interest charge on the balance of the beginning or ending of the month. Similar to Adjusted Balance, this method could consequently result in a higher or lower interest rate than the one estimated. However, the part of the balance that is carried for more than two full cycles is charged at the rate expected.

Furthermore, be mindful that if there are multiple unrecognized charges on the bill, someone may have been accessing your number without your consent. This could prove risky in not only in calculating your interest charge, but will also burn a hole in your pocket.

How to safely invest when you have credit card debt

Worried about securing your financial freedom? Invest now -- even if you have credit card debt.

Create a Plan for Yourself

Regardless of whether you have a ton of credit card debt or just a little, chances are you’re interested in investing in your financial future. Credit card debt can be a burden for the millions of Americans who invest money every year. But it doesn’t have to be.

The simple solution is to create a plan for yourself. Budget your monthly income and expenses out today and find out how much money you could be investing for yourself every year. It doesn’t have to be much. If you consistently set aside funds each month, your invested amount will multiply faster than you think.

Sure, you would probably prefer to invest as much as possible, but you need to create a plan that works for you. Sit down and figure out exactly how much you owe in credit card debt and how that will affect your plans to invest money elsewhere.

Never think that just because you have credit card debt, you cannot invest. Rather, it just requires a little more planning on your part to get the job done. Effective investing begins by getting in the habit of regularly setting aside money.

Don’t Neglect Your Debt

Before you invest a dime elsewhere, remember that credit card debt is something you cannot handle lightly. In fact, investing thousands of dollars may not help you at all if you’re hurting yourself with debt elsewhere.

Don’t forget about your debt. Be sure to make your monthly payments on time and leave yourself enough money every month to pay down your debt -- not just make minimum payments. By doing so, you’ll be both investing in your future and investing in your present.

Credit card debt can be the source of many problems -- ranging from the slight headache you may get every month worrying about your debt to more serious issues such as bankruptcy. Be careful not to overlook your debt at any time and stay on top of it every month. You’ll be glad you did when it comes time to reap the benefits of your investments elsewhere.

Keep Your Priorities in Order

Aside from both your investments and your credit card debt, you need to make sure you budget enough money every month to live the way you deserve to live.

Remember, investing is important, but you shouldn’t place everyday necessities such as food, clothing and shelter below your investments or your debt. Find out how to balance all of your priorities in life. If you need help, consult a trained debt advisor. You can find many valuable resources online or just by asking your friends and family.

Why wait another day to begin creating your ideal financial future? For another perspective, speak with a financial advisor for more tips on creating a financial plan that allows you to invest, pay off your debt, and live a healthy and happy life.

Get smart about business credit cards tips from a pro

The first thrill about starting a new enterprise is seeing the name of your creation on a business card. You want to hand them out to everyone you see — friends, family, the kid who bags your groceries. Soon after you’ve registered your trade name, the credit card offers start cluttering your mailbox. It’s flattering at first. You imagine going out to dinner, grabbing the check, and saying, “it’s okay, it’s on the company.” So you fill out one or two “pre-approved” applications and, like your business card, can’t wait to use this little symbol of acknowledgement. A corporate card tells people you’ve arrived. You’re a legitimate business.

But it can also spell trouble.

The purpose of a business credit card is to have the convenience of charging legitimate business expenses. You avoid using a personal credit card and submitting receipts for reimbursement. You have the ability of making online and telephone purchases to expedite shipment. The revolving account helps you plan your cash flow. The statements provide a detailed accounting record.

Used wisely, a business credit card provides these important benefits and is essential to building your corporate credit profile. Demonstrating reasonable usage and maintaining a good payment history not only allows you to gain more credit, but also helps you negotiate better interest rates on loans, lines of credit, and other revolving accounts. In fact, using a credit card properly is better than paying cash because lenders want to see a credit profile with positive activity. One small business owner had been vigilant about paying cash for all his purchases to avoid having monthly bills. He had had some personal credit issues in the past and was determined to avoid a recurrence. He felt great about keeping his costs under control. When the owner applied for a business loan at the local bank, he was advised that the black marks on his profile were minor. The biggest problem was that he had no recent credit history. So, he got a credit card, budgeted a monthly allowance for the payment, and made small purchases to establish reports on his credit profile.

A business credit account is clearly valuable for a lot of functions. What it isn’t is a license to spend without regard to the consequences. Just because you’re not writing a check doesn’t mean you haven’t spent corporate cash. By following some basic guidelines, you can manage your corporate credit card account so you reap the rewards instead of paying the price.

* Get credit from your own bank. Once you establish a business banking relationship with a local financial institution, continue to grow that relationship by applying for your business credit card at the same place. The more business you do with this bank, the more they get to know you. The comfort level increases the likelihood that they will consider your request for funding when the time arises. Show loyalty to them and it will be repaid in kind.

* Read the fine print. Many credit card companies shout out low introductory rates. The key word here is “introductory.” After the honeymoon period is over, the rate can shoot up above the interest you’re paying on your current card. There might be hidden fees that can rack up the bottom line on your monthly statement. Look for an annual fee, the first sign that this card is going to cost you money. If you have to pay for the privilege of having the card, chances are you don’t need it. There are various other features that you do want: overdraft protection, 24-hour customer service, and detailed account reports for your business. In the long run, these services are far more important business benefits than frequent flyer miles or discounts on rental cars that are often accompanied by numerous restrictions of their own.

* Find a card and stick with it. With all the offers of lower interest rates and appealing incentives, you might be tempted to switch your account from one issuer to another. Unless you are dissatisfied with your credit card company, stay put. Card hopping shows up on your credit profile and will likely be unimpressive to a prospective lender. Use your valuable time to manage your business instead of pitting one credit card company against another.

* Do not mix business with pleasure. A business credit card is intended for business purchases only. In the event of an IRS audit —†and they do occur via random selection — questionable expenses will raise suspicion.

* You don’t need a deck of cards. You shouldn’t require more than one or two major credit cards for your business. The more credit cards you accumulate, the higher your debt potential. You charge a hundred dollars at the office supply store, then charge computer equipment with another account, and maybe pay for gas, meals, and a nice little antique table for your conference room on your corporate bank card. There’s still room on each card, so you’re okay. But when the monthly bills come, the totals come as a surprise. You can only make a minimum payment so the finance charges will start to kick in. By keeping track of the expenses as you make them you won’t heap up a debt that puts a stranglehold on your accounts payables. Whenever you take that card out of your wallet, ask yourself if the purchase is necessary and valid for the company.

* A credit card is not a loan. The account should not be viewed as a source of funding when cash flow is tight. The interest rates and transaction fees are too high! Avoid taking advantage of the cash advance option. If you are resorting to borrowing from your credit card, chances are you’re not going to be able to pay the bill when it comes due.

* Limit the number of users. A company credit card is as much a demonstration of trust as it is a convenience for the user. The bookkeeping for multiple cards can be a nightmare, however. Before applying for a card, make sure you can get itemized reports for each card so your frustrated bookkeeper doesn’t have to chase down people to identify charges. To avoid excesses, specify to the employee how much and what type of charges will be acceptable. Review the monthly statements to verify that the cards are being use appropriately.

A business credit card is an essential tool to manage your finances and get the items you need on a timely basis. In order to take full advantage of the benefits, choose your credit card company wisely, making sure you understand the services and the limitations. Be clear about how the card will be used. Credit cards follow a basic law of physics: for every action (a purchase) there is an equal and opposite reaction (a bill). By getting proactive about the company credit card, you can keep your finances in balance, boost your credit profile, and enjoy a terrific convenience.

Credit card services - icing on the cake

When you are being encouraged to use the credit cards for transactions of all kinds that you do, it is but natural that the credit card issuing banks would also be eager to provide world class credit card services as well. Still there are apprehensions in some quarters about the secured environment that the credit card issuers provide, and this forms the first issue associated with the credit card services. Security is an area of concern, as this is what deters the user to go online or even to use the card services otherwise. The inhibition for a client to use the credit cards is the status of dilemma arising on account of the magnitude of card related frauds that keep on happening at different places all the times. To obviate this dilemma credit card companies are coming up with various kinds of credit card services. The whole gamut of services is to ensure that the credit card user is encouraged to use the card without any doubt in his mind.

There are quite a lot of different ways in which the credit card services are extended. One of them is the Authorized payment gateway through which a payment is done on the Internet. The authorized gateway is the fulcrum of the services under the credit card services, which certifies that the transaction that has been done is full proof and secure. The credit card services do this by encrypting the whole process of payment and the standard benchmark for the industry is 128-bit encryption.

The other manner in which the credit card services are extended is through the web sites. The web sites offer multitude of services and these services are facilitated through the credit card services, and it is the responsibility of the web sites to ensure that the transaction being performed is genuine. To ensure this the web sites take the telephone or e-mail of the user and send to them a correspondence confirming the conductance of the transaction. The mushrooming of the multitude of web sites is a pointer to the fact that the credit card services are working in the right direction.

Before the advent of the Internet era, the only option available for the credit card companies to extend the credit card services was through the retail stores. In fact the popularity that the credit card services have come to acquire for themselves has owed majorly to the encouragement that has been provided by the retail stores to popularize the usage of credit cards. With the mobile phones become a necessity rather than a luxury; they have also been incorporated as another medium for extending credit card services. Integration of credit card services with the mobile phones has further widened the horizon of the credit card usage. Now even if one is not having an Internet connection, one can perform all the transactions over a phone. To allay the apprehension about misuse of the card, the direct sales agent confirms that the information about the credit card being exchanged over the phone is fully secure. He also informs that for security and monitoring purposes whatever discussion is being conducted over the phone would be recorded for future reference, so that the customer is confident enough to conduct transactions.

Wealth knowledge

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What is wealth knowledge? It is knowing how money is made, and how wealth is protected. It isn't really a secret. In fact, there are hundreds of books out there that spell it all out for anyone willing to pay a little bit. The problem is that the essential truths are not popular with those who want to get rich easily.

Wealth Knowledge - Creation of Wealth

The first thing to understand if you want wealth knowledge, is that wealth is created. It isn't shuffled around from person to person depending upon who is "trickier." There is more wealth on the planet now than ever before, and more being created every day. No one has to get poorer for a man to become wealthy.

Start to recognize and understand the ways in which value is created. This is the basis of your own financial enrichment. You have to create something of value to others, and that is how you really make money. Any other way of making money is fragile, probably unethical, and likely temporary.

In the business of property "flipping," for example, it may appear that there is no value created. Buy a fixer-upper for $120,000, sell to another investor for $130,000 - where is the value you created? In the application of your knowledge of values, how to find properties, and how to structure deals. You put a neglected property into the hands of someone who will renovate it and make it a nice home for some family.

Think first of how you will give people what they need and want. In any business you'll make more money finding ways to solve other peoples problems than in finding ways to get paid. There are always enough ways to get paid if you create enough real value.

Wealth Knowledge - Habits of Wealth

A wealthy person is different from a poor person. No, he or she doesn't have different feelings, or even a superior character. What makes the wealthy different is what they consistently do. Wealth knowledge is in knowing what habits to cultivate.

Debt is a means to buy "toys" for most people. Put another TV on the credit card. It isn't that wealthy people avoid debt. They have much more usually. The difference is that they use debt to invest, to generate more wealth. The next time you borrow any money, do it to buy income producing real estate, or to start a business.

Wealth knowledge is about knowing what pays you the most for your time. Discover that, and do those things more. Make it a habit. Just spending two hours to re-arrange your banking, might make you hundreds more in interest over the years. Does your job pay you $100 per hour? Those you sell real estate know you can make several times as much for the same time selling $300,000 properties as selling $30,000 lots. Why not concentrate on working where the money is?

Everything gets easier as you do it more. There are tasks that you want to avoid, but are important to your financial future. It's tough to get motivated to do them. Get in the habit of starting each day with these most difficult tasks, though, and it gets easier. Of all the things you need to learn and do, developing good habits is the key to wealth knowledge.

Mortgage calculator helps you find the right mortgage

Your dream house may not be everyone else's idea of "Home, Sweet Home," but it's going to be all yours.

Now if you can just figure out how to finance that bit of real estate. Not wanting to leave any stone unturned, you're on this site to get some background for your decision.

One kind of mortgage calculator ("how much house can I afford" type) takes a look at your budget and, with your input, works out how much you can afford to pay, either monthly or annually. Some are not comprehensive enough to take into account taxes, insurance and the increased costs of homeownership.

It's worth your extra time to pull up several of these mortgage calculators and run your numbers through them for comparison. Then you're ready for the next step.

The fixed rate mortgage gives you the same monthly payment for the life of your mortgage. That's what you just worked through. This means you can set up your household budget more precisely and have greater control over how your money is spent.

A "how much can I borrow" mortgage calculator helps you work out how much you can afford to pay for the house altogether. Can you afford that dream home? Maybe yes; maybe no.

It also depends upon the interest rates you negotiate with the lender, an increase in the size of your down payment, the number of years you want the note for and the actual price you negotiate for the house.

Using the mortgage calculator, you can input these factors individually and see what happens to your bottom line. A small additional prepayment to your regular mortgage payment may be what pushes you over the top.

A prepayment mortgage calculator can show you what it means over the life of your note. The beauty of the prepayment is that it is optional, not contractual.

Unlike an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM), you are not locked in to an increase every one to five years. You're only responsible to make the original mortgage payment. If you are not so financially constrained with a monthly budget, and prefer to have a lower rate of interest to start, then use an ARM mortgage calculator.

This will give you a rough idea of monthly payment over a period of time. ARMs do have the distinct disadvantage of putting your home in danger financially should the interest rates rise dramatically.

You need to use the mortgage calculator to find out what your optimum interest rate would be before you reached that financial crisis. Make sure that the price of the house you buy gives you quite a large safety net so that the interest rate can rise without danger. The beauty of mortgage calculators is that you get experiment before committing anything to paper or even speaking realtors or lenders.

You find the information you need to complete the mortgage calculator's questions by using your own financial information, an approximate house price and the rates advertised on any piece of junk mail that's arrived in your mailbox. You work in the privacy of your own home without the fear of being hounded by a salesman doing follow-ups!

Take the preferred options you worked out on the mortgage calculator with you when you begin discussions with the broker.

It's proof of your intentions and serves warning of your willingness to follow up on those you're negotiating with.

What you need to know about frequent flyer credit card

There are lots of people who travel everywhere in the world either for personal or official purposes. In this manner, both passengers and airline companies are mutually benefited. The passengers always see it as an advantage because their needs to travel could be turned out into something profitable.

Some airline companies have originally put up facilities on frequent flyers which promotes good customer service to earn their loyalty and reward it with generous back up plans.

Another popular form of mutual benefits availed by the passengers and the airline companies are the frequent flyer credit cards. In fact, the benefits are extended even to several banking sectors. Some of these frequent flyer credit cards are entitled to be used in many ways to different places. You can use it on drugstores, gas stations, department stores, supermarkets, and hospitals to serve a particular purpose such as for United States postal services, home improvements, and others.

Frequent flyer credit cards are the best type of credit cards giving rewards to its holders. It is very important to find the best offers by comparing different frequent flyer credit card deals. There are simple steps to follow so that you could find one that will suit your needs.

-The basic step is to understand how frequent flyer credit card works. If you use this card for purchasing things, then you are earning points for that. The money that is being charged to the frequent flyer credit card is equivalent to the amount of points that you have earned.

Eventually, these points can be redeemed as free airline tickets, or discounted airline tickets if you reached its equivalent points. The idea is that the users are rewarded for making use of the frequent flyer credit cards rather than incorporating other ways so that they could make a purchase.

-The frequent flyer credit card's major characteristics are similar to other types of credit cards. There are also interest's rates and fees together with grace periods as well as other general features. Make sure to have enough time for shopping to find the best features and right prices. Consider the points that you are going to earn. Each dollar that you are spending corresponds to a certain point however it varies with every company.

Likewise the amount of points to earn a free airline ticket also varies. Keep in mind that it is worth it if you get a frequent flyer credit card's offer on point systems that will give you the best advantage. Also ask about the terms and conditions of the free airline tickets because some cards are only appropriate to use on specific airlines. Get the card that will give you the best benefit for using the airline more often.

Passengers can have their air travel via single airlines using their frequent flyer credit cards. However, it is a perfect example and a very organized way of utilizing financial capital to extend influences to various sectors in the market. Besides frequent flyer credit cards offers different options and variety perks for every traveler. The fees and rates of these cards are also very competitive.

Frequent flyer credit cards are equipped with the best card protection to curtail any credit card risks. It also gives peace of mind to the holders because of its insurance coverage and ATM advantages.

Choose your mortgage protection insurance wisely for the best deal

When it comes to getting the best deal and the cheapest premium on your mortgage protection insurance then without a doubt the only way to go is to shop around and go with a specialist provider. A specialist provider can make sure that you understand the policy and that it is suitable for your particular needs, as well as highlighting any exclusion within them. Of course, you should always make sure that you read the small print too to make doubly sure that the policy is right for you.

Mortgage protection insurance can be a worthwhile safety net, after all, your monthly mortgage repayments are surely your biggest financial outlay and that is why you should give some consideration as to how you would meet your commitments if your income should stop. In cases where you become out of work through having an accident, prolonged sickness or involuntary unemployment, a policy will normally pay out for up to a period of 12-24 months once you have been out of work for a predefined period of time.

The majority of policies - around 80% - are usually sold alongside the mortgage and are taken from the same provider, which is usually the high street bank or lender. However, while the high street lender can offer you great deals when it comes to the interest rate on your mortgage, very few offer low premium mortgage protection insurance. They make up the profits ‘lost’ from the cheap mortgage deal by whacking it on to your mortgage protection insurance cover.

Generally, the high street banks and lenders will, in comparison to a standalone provider, charge way over the odds for the cover, meaning that you could be paying thousands more than you should be. An independent provider can not only offer you the cheapest premiums but you will also benefit from their expertise in the area. A specialist will know the product inside out and can help you to make sure that you won’t be buying a product that isn’t suitable for your needs.

It is important to understand the product and the majority of specialist providers will give plenty of free information and great advice on their website.

Certificates of deposit cd s

Certificates of Deposit, commonly referred to as CD’s, are a cross between an “investment” and a savings account. CD’s have federal deposit insurance up to $100,000- which is what sets it apart from the investment world, but they have much higher interest rates than the traditional savings account.

A certificate of deposit allows you to invest a specific amount of money over a specific period of time. There are certificate of deposits for as short as one year, for five years, or longer terms. The longer you keep your money in a CD, the higher the interest rate you will receive. When your time period has ended, and you cash out your certificate of deposit, you not only receive the original sum of money that you invested, but you’ll also get the interest that the money earned while invested.

While certificates of deposit are great ways to save money at high rates of interest, they’re not the best choice for people who may have to withdraw money from their CD’s before the investment period of time has been reached. You can access the money you’ve put into a CD before the time is up, however, you will either give up some of the earned interest or pay an early withdrawal penalty. Financially, it’s always better to leave money invested in a certificate of deposit, but it’s certainly a comfort to know that you could get the money out if an emergency occurred or you absolutely needed that money before the time is up.

Certificates of deposit have a variety of interest earning options that you must choose from when you deposit your money. There are fixed rate interest options, long-term CD’s, and variable rate CD’s, among others. If you’re not sure how each option affects your money, ask!

Who Should Use Certificates of Deposit?

While anyone is able to purchase and invest their money in a CD, it makes the most sense for a younger investor. Because CD’s earn more interest the longer they are taken out for, a younger investor can use CD’s to diversify their investment portfolio and maximize their earnings by taking the Certificate of Deposit for a long period of time. If an individual is rapidly approaching retirement, however, it may not be the best option for investing if he or she is going to need the money in a short period of time.

Understand Certificates of Deposit

Before you put your money into a CD, it’s important that you understand some of the most commonly used terms in relation to Certificates of Deposit.

Penalties: There are penalties for early withdrawal. Even if when you are opening a CD you have no plans for removing the money before your investment period is reached, you should definitely understand the penalties in case some unforeseen circumstances come up that require you to access the money you’ve put in your CD.

Interest: Always know whether or not the interest rate is fixed or variable, and how often the interest is paid on the money in your CD.

Maturity: There is a maturity date on every certificate of deposit, but there are so many possibilities for maturity dates that you should always be sure you know whether your CD matures in 1year or 5 or 20.

Call Features: Banks often put a “call feature” on all issued certificate of deposits. Callable CD’s mean that the bank that issued the CD can terminate it and give you the amount you invested plus any unpaid, accrued interest if interest rates fall.

CD Holdings: There is a difference between a traditional bank CD and a brokered CD. If you use brokered certificates, it’s possible that there are groups of investors that actually own small pieces of your CD. Regardless of the type of CD you choose, be sure that they have FDIC coverage up to $100,000.

Home insurance and selling your home

If you are selling your home, hopefully you have considered hiring a real estate agent to help you with all the fine details. If not – get to work!

The process of choosing the right real estate agent can be just as difficult as it is important. Below are guidelines to follow when you start your search for the right real estate agent for you.

Look at insurance companies that specialize in real estate. Usually these companies will be able to provide you with a list of their own real estate agents who are trained to the company’s specifications. Perhaps your current homeowner’s insurance company provides tools you need to sell your home; they may even have their own real estate agents from which you can choose. If not, they may be able to point you in the direction of a reputable insurance company or real estate agency that does.

Make sure the real estate agent you choose is trained or accredited. Most real estate agencies, or insurance companies that supply real estate agents, have specially trained their real estate agents, or have hired real estate agents who are in some way accredited. Look for special training or accreditation when choosing your real estate agent.

“Interview” the real estate agent. During the selling process, the real estate agent you eventually choose is going to handle a lot of things for you – many of which are better left handled by the real estate agent. However, there are certain factors you may want to know about, such as how the real estate agent plans to list your home and how the real estate agent plans to “show” your home. Make sure the real estate agent provides you with all the information you want to know.

In the end, choose a real estate agent you with whom you feel comfortable, whether the real estate agent is from an insurance company or real estate agency.

Bankrupcy tips - notice to the creditors and meeting - part 3

After filing your petition for bankruptcy under Chapter 7, paying the necessary fees, and complying with the legal requirements, an “automatic stay” is granted to you by operation of law. This stay will effectively stop most collection actions against you and your properties (11 U. S.C. 362). This means that as long as the stay is in effect, creditors cannot initiate or continue lawsuits, wage garnishments, or even telephone calls demanding payments.

But note that there are certain types of actions listed under 11 U. S.C. 362(b) that'are not stayed when you file the petition. In some situations even, the stay is only'for a short period of time. So this should serve as warning.

After the bankruptcy case has been filed, the bankrupcy clerk will give notice to all creditors whose names and addresses you provided. Then, the case trustee willhold a meeting of creditors between 20 and 40 days after you filed your petition. This meeting is otherwise known as the 343 meeting, after the codal provision 11 U. S.C. 343 that provides for such.

In a 343, the debtor will be put under oath and both the trustee and the creditors will ask questions regarding your financial affairs and property. Your attendance is a must. Within 10 days of the creditors’ meeting, the trustee will then report to the court whether the case should be presumed to be an abuse under the means test described in 11 U. S.C. 704(b).

=== Cooperate with the trustee ===

The case trustee has a very important role in a bankruptcy case. His primary responsibility is to liquidate your nonexempt assets in a manner that maximizes the return to your unsecured creditors. He does this by selling your property, if it is free and clear of liens and as long as it is not exempt, or if it worth more than any security interest or lien attached to the property and any exemption that the debtor holds in the property.

In addition to having the authority to sell your nonexempt property, he also has the power to recovery money or property. This is called the trustee’s “avoiding powers,” which necessarily includes the power to:

• Set aside preferential transfers made to creditors made within 90 days before the petition

• Undo security interests and other prepetition transfers of property that were not properly perfected under nonbankruptcy law at the time of the petition

• Pursue nonbankuptcy claims such as fraudulent conveyance and bulk transfer remedies available under state law

In view of the broadness of a trustee’s power, it is important therefore that you cooperate with the trustee. Provide any financial records or documents that the trustee requests and answer questions, which the trustee is required to ask at the meeting of creditors under the bankrupcy Code.

This is to ensure that you are aware of the potential consequences of seeking a discharge in bankruptcy such as the effect on your credit history, the ability to file a petition under a different chapter, the effect of receiving a discharge, and the effect of reaffirming a debt.

=== After the discharge ===

If all goes well with your bankruptcy case under Chapter 7 – that is, no one files a complaint objecting to the discharge or a motion to extend the time to object – the bankruptcy court will issue a discharge order relatively early in the case, about 60 to 90 days after the date first set for the meeting of creditors (Fed. R. Bankr. P. 4004(c)).

A discharge order is an order issued by the bankruptcy court, releasing you from personal liability for most debts and preventing your creditors from taking any collection actions against you. As previously mentioned, there are certain types of debts that will never be discharged (see Step #1). As a rule, excluding cases that are dismissed or converted, individual debtors receive a discharge in more than 99 percent of Chapter 7 cases.

For someone filing under Chapter 7, a discharge of almost all of your debts is the ultimate goal. With the release of all your debts and creditors stopped from pursuing any further collection actions against you, the opportunity for a fresh start is apparent.

To get a new home mortgage refinance or not that is the question

When is it right to get a new home mortgage and when is it not financially wise to do so? Find out through this informative article.

More and more people are opting to get a new home mortgage to replace their existing ones. This should not be surprising considering the potential for getting better deals when you refinance your loan. You can lower your interest rates to a favorable extent, and you can save up quite a lot to pay off your principal sooner than if you still with your existing loan.

However, some people still choose to wait it out or look for the right timing before they jump right in and get some mortgage refinancing. This is primarily because interest rates have seemed to slowly increase in the recent years, and home owners who refinance seem to face the risk of getting even higher interest rates later on. So the question still remains, should you refinance or not? Should you get a new home mortgage now or wait a little more for a better time?

For the longest time, the 2% formula in refinancing has been believed by many people. It basically says that home owners should only refinance if they can improve their current interest rate by at least 2%. Nowadays, this formula may not be the rule of thumb any longer. Today, the points (sometimes including the fees) you pay at closing are just as important as the interest rates. Normally, the more points you pay, the lesser the interest rates, and vice versa.

When is it a great idea to refinance? Well, to be specific, it is best to refinance if you can improve your interest rate at very little, or no cost at all. No fee, no point loans have been very popular in the recent years. So, if you qualify for such, then you will surely get a great deal when you get a new home mortgage. It may also be wise to refinances if you have a balloon payment due soon. This can naturally be catastrophic if you do not have any other option to cover your debt, except your home equity. (If you need to tap right into your home equity, make sure you do so for the right reasons.) In addition, it is wise to get a new home mortgage and change into a fixed rate mortgage if you have an adjustable rate loan which is just about to spike up.

When is it not great to refinance? If you have stuck with your loan for quite a while now, say more than half-way to your mortgage terms, it may not be a good idea to get a new home mortgage. This will only re-extend your terms and may only cost you more. A pending pre-payment penalty on an existing loan or a maxed out home equity loan or credit line are not great reasons for a new home mortgage, so try not to put yourself at even greater risk. Furthermore, if your credit rating or score has recently gone through a hit, try not to refinance soon as you may not get the best market rate that you are aiming for.