The Risks Of Consolidation Loans

Author: Antonio Silver

Having several loans and juggling with the payments can be a drag on your positive attitude. But you don't need to pick and choose one debt over another if you understand how consolidation loans work. All it takes is talking with a bank or other financial institution and arranging to have all your loans lumped into one loan. This means you only have to make one monthly payment to the lender who made the consolidation possible.

There are many types of consolidation loans available to help you reduce your monthly payments. One of the most common of these is the secured debt consolidation loan. You can get this loan if you can offer the lender enough security against the amount you are borrowing. Mostly the lender will willingly accept the equity in your home to secure the loan. The great thing about such loans is that they come with a much lower interest rate than you are already paying on your other loans. The disadvantage, of course, is you are exposing your home to the risk that you might default on the loan.

However, if you overcome the idea of attaching more risks to your property, you can take advantage of the many good points inherent in consolidation loans.

1. A great benefit about taking out a consolidation loan is that it provides you with the chance of improving your credit history and, in turn improve your credit score rating. Once you have taken out such a loan you need to ensure that you make the repayments at the terms set out by the lending company.

2. This loan allows you to have just one loan so you may pay off many other loans. This means you can secure a much lower rate of interest. Also, it provides you with the convenience of just having one loan to worry about in the future. And you will find that lenders offer such loans at a much lower monthly repayment figure, as they spread out the installments over a longer time period.

3. One possible advantage you can have from using consolidation loans is the interest you pay on this may be tax deductible. Usually, when you add your first mortgage to a new consolidation loan and this amount does not exceed the appraised value of your home, the interest that you are paying on this loan is fully deductible. It is important, therefore, that you should consult with a tax accountant who can advice you on how to apply this tax saving tip.

Usually, when you take out a consolidation loan you are exchanging some unsecured debt for secured debt instead. And since lenders are in the business to make money, you should not expect a bargain. While the unsecured debt you exchanged came with a simple interest calculation, your consolidated loan will have an unfavorable interest calculation. Lenders normally calculate simple interest loans yearly. Your consolidated loan would most likely include compounded interest daily rather than yearly.

So it is important to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of taking a consolidation loan before you decide on one.

About the author: Get the latest in consolidation loans know how from the only true source at http://www.debtexpire.com. Check out our consolid ation loans pages.

Mortgage Marketing With Realtor Referrals

Author: Shane Brooks

Getting Your Foot In The Door With Realtor Referral Partnerships

When it comes to selling mortgages, you already know that those inbound mortgage calls are way better than the outbound ones, right? You also know that it is difficult to get your business receiving more inbound calls than outbound calls. The key is to find a way to make that happen so that you are handling calls instead of making them.

The best way to get more calls coming in about mortgages is to get more referrals from real estate agents or real estate mortgage referrals. How, though, are you supposed to get real estate agents, who are always being hounded by mortgage people, to send their clients to you instead of someone else? The answer is to use a variety of techniques to get the right realtors working for you. Follow my advice by following these strategies and you will be amazed at the realtor referral partnerships you create.

Finding the Right Agents

Before you can get agents working with you, you have to find the right agents, right? There are a couple of ways to do that, so consider which ones may work best for you. If you are really ambitious, try using all the methods. Remember, inbound is better than outbound any day.

1) You can work your way to the agents through a good escrow officer. The process is really pretty simple. First, find five big title companies around your area. Use the number one escrow officer at each individual company to perform a transaction and make sure you give out the best possible service to your client. Then, have the officer fill out a customer satisfaction survey at the closing to show off what a great job you do for clients. From there, send a gift to the officer and a week or so later go in and ask for referrals. You have to put in some effort, but you can find some diamonds in the ruff from some top performers this way.

2) Another way to get the right agents is to research. If you talk to your title officer, he or she should be able to tell you who the top real estate agents are in your area. Once you know who the top performers are, then you can target them and woo them for their referral business. If you are going to get referrals you may as well make sure you are getting them from the best, right?

Asking Realtors for Referrals

Once you know who the agents you want to work with are, you have to find a way to get them to talk to you. They need a reason to send their customers to you. So here are ways that may help you get your foot in the door with customers.

The Approach Letter: The approach letter is one of the best ways to make initial contact with a real estate agent. The secret is to tell them what they want to hear and make sure it gets read.

First of all, make sure you are sending out a lot of letters. In fact, it is a good idea to make it part of your routine. Send out one or two letters every day that there is mail service. You can help yourself to stay organized by using computer software.

Next, make sure you send the letter in a manner so that it will get noticed. Making sure the letter gets read is important. You can send it in an overnight package, make it look important, but don't send any chintzy gifts as you can come off as crazy since you don't even know the realtor. No matter what, though, find a way to get eyeballs on what you have to say.

In your letter, be sure to say something useful and to the point. Make sure that you offer some sort of selling proposition, tell about yourself so they know who they are working with, and give them a heads up that you will be calling in a day or two to schedule a face to face meeting to further describe the selling proposition.

Using a Program

There are never enough ways out there for you to get in partnership with real estate agents. After all, they are the ones that are in front of the clients out there. So if you do not know about letters and phone calls, consider some other methods out there. Find a golden mortgage marketing strategy that produces results.

If you do some research, you will find that there are programs out there that can help you partner up. In fact, there are some that can help you get real estate agents calling you instead of vice versa. Just like with mortgage customers, inbound calls are always better than outbound calls.

About the author: Shane Brooks is a hard nosed business man that doesn't take kindly to competition. His hard hitting no nonsense marketing techniques constantly makes waves for his competitors regardless of the market he is focusing on. Shane doesn't mind stepping on the toes of his competitors or ruffeling a a few feathers of the so-called gurus in order to level the playing field. For more info please visit http://www.MortgageSuccessBlueprint.com

Restructuring Your Debt Can Save You Money

Author: Wayne Hemrick

If you are a loan originator, a mortgage broker or loan officer, it can pay to use debt leads.

Debt leads give you the opportunity to share with eager potential clients all of the great debt elimination leads available to you. The object of your conversation is to let these people know that restructuring their debt can save them money. New brokers will find

debt settlement leads particularly useful to build your client base. More established loan officers will also rely on debt leads to improve your closing rate and thus your bottom line.

One type of debt that many people face is credit card debt. Credit card debt is typically classified as an unsecured debt. Unsecured means that there is no asset that you have promised to use to repay a loan if you cannot come up with enough money to repay it. You have defaulted on your credit card loan, or you have not met the conditions of the contract between you and the credit card company. This could mean that you missed a payment on the credit card. In contrast, a secured debt is one where the loan agency gets a portion of the rights to some kind of property. This means that the loan originator can take the property if you do not make your payments on time, and this is what makes it secure for the originator of the loan. Because of this, it enables them to offer more favorable loans to debtors because they are working from a secure position. Home mortgages are one type of secured debt, and in today's crazy financial market with credit cards raising interest at the drop of a hat, it makes financial sense to get out of any unsecured debts that you may have if you can.

If you own a home and have built some equity in it, one solution to the unsecured debt problem is to refinance your home loan and at the same time take out a second mortgage in order to pay off the credit cards, thus eliminating the unsecured debt. This is the type of information that you will want to share with your potential clients, and in doing so you will have a great opportunity to tell them all about the money-saving mortgage and debt consolidation products that you have to offer.

When you decide to purchase leads, you will want to make sure that the leads you purchase are exclusive leads. This means that they are not resold to other mortgage brokers. Also check to ascertain that your leads have indicated that they have a relatively high amount of unsecured debt, and that the contact information for each one is valid.

About the author: Wayne Hemrick has worked in the generation of debt negotiation leads and

debt consolidation leads area for 20 years. He has written numerous articles on loan debt consoldation leads and debt refinance.

Steps To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

Author: Jon Arnold

The crime of identity theft increases daily and therefore so do the chances that you will become a victim of it at some point if you do not take precautions to protect your personal information. Identity theft, as much as being a crime being committed regularly, is a royal pain in the backside to get straightened out, often taking as long as months and even years to get these bogus entries removed from your credit reports.

Identity theft is by no means limited to online transactions. Reports and studies indicate that it is just as rampant for offline activities. How about those offers for pre-approved credit cards or reduced rate mortgages that you get much more often than necessary delivered via US mail? What do you do with them? Of course, you have purchased an inexpensive paper shredder from your local office supply store like Best Buy of Office Depot and shred them, right? Please don't tell me that you just throw them in the trash, because that is a prime place for identity theft robbers to get the information that they need to make YOU a victim of their antics.

From an offline perspective, you are encouraged to look over your credit card bills when they arrive in the mail. This includes bank statements and your mortgage statements every month. If someone were to steal the mail out of your mailbox while you were at work, is there enough information on any of those statements to enable an identity thief to open new accounts using your identity? If so, you may wish to have your statements sent to a PO box that is much more secure than your mailbox standing out by the road all day long where someone could steal your mail, or even check with your lender to see if they could send statements electronically via a secure connection to your secure emailbox.

You should place a fraud alert on your credit report, even if you are not a victim of identity theft. There are different names for this service, but it will require you to be contacted if anyone (including yourself) applies for credit using your name. This needs to be done with each of the three major national credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. If they give you any trouble with this, you are encouraged to report them to your state's division of financial regulation. You are trying to protect yourself, they are providing a service, and if they are uncooperative, you do not need to put up with it.

One point to be taken very seriously is that if you have become a victim of identity theft, do NOT make any payments on any of the bills opened by the thief. If you do, this action could be used by the creditor to claim that it really is your account since you made at least one payment on it. As ludicrous as that sounds, you need to understand that the creditor realizes that if identity theft can be proven, they will most likely not even be able to collect as much as a penny on the dollar for the balance owed. So the creditor will make every attempt possible to claim that the fraudulent account really is yours, and if you make any payments on it, that will only service to substantiate their claims.

Be vigilant! You have rights and you need to be aware of what they are. You should also be aware that identity theft protection is available if you wish to utilize that route to protect yourself against identity theft.

About the author: Jon is a computer engineer with extensive experience in many areas. For more information about Identity Theft Protection please visit his web site at http://www.identity-theft-info.com

Higher Property Value Help in Getting Low Cost Secured Loans

Author: Johan Jeuring

Are you looking for a loan deal with minimum burden on your monthly budget? So that you could not only get rid of your financial emergency but also could pay off in easy installment. Why do you not resort to the low cost secured loans, without having any kind of debt burden on your mind?

Low cost secured loans are given by lenders to those borrowers who have any kind of property and are willing to place their property as collateral. You can offer any of your property like home, car and any other valuable assets as collateral. Generally the value of collateral given by you is enough to satisfy the lender that the money given by him is secure for repayment. Secured loans are given at low cost just because of the security given by the borrower.

With low cost secured loans you can borrow the loan amount from £ 5000 to £ 75000. As per your comfort you can pay the low cost secured loans in easy installments which can stretch from 3 years to 25 years depending on the loan amount. Depending upon the value of collateral you can brought your interest rate down significantly. Your credit record may also play a major role in getting low cost secured loans. However, low cost secured loans are also given by lenders to individuals who might not have good credit history because they have bad credit instances like mortgage arrears, county court judgments, individual voluntary arrangements, etc.

Depending on your asset value and credit history you can find a wide range of low cost secured loans deals available on the internet. Vast range of choice available on the internet makes the decision easier. For getting low cost secured loans you should compare rates from all the lenders giving online credits at the most affordable rate in the financial market. So online you have the better choice to get the low cost secured loans.

About the author: Johan Jeuring holds a master degree in Commerce from JNU. He is working as financial consultant in Chance For Loans. To find Low cost secured loans, debtconsolidation loan, debt management advice, personal loans, secured loans, unsecured loan that best suits your needs visit http://www.chanceforloans.co.uk

Do I need a holiday let mortgage?

Author: SeanH

If you are considering purchasing a second property you may have asked yourself this question. Do I need a holiday let mortgage?

Well the answer rather depends on a couple of points because

Holiday Let Mortgages are different to standard mortgages.

The main two differences are what the property will be used for and can you afford the holiday let mortgage by yourself or do you need the rental income. Mortgage lenders will always want to know what a property will be used for. Most of the time the property in question will be a main home and will be used as such. Buy to let properties are generally 100% tenant occupied, the owner does not and will not live there and the tenancy is based on an AST.

Second properties however can fall into one of 2 camps. Firstly, you could use your second property simply as a holiday home, friends and family will use it but you will not let the property out to strangers. Secondly, you could occasionally use the property yourself but it will also be let out to holidaymakers to bring in some additional rental income. Most holiday let properties will command high weekly rents in the peak season making the rental option a very attractive one.

Many mortgage lenders are happy for you to buy a second home and use it as a holiday home for friends and family. They will look for your personal income to cover both mortgages together. However, if you intend to rent the property out then a holiday let mortgage will generally be required.

A holiday let mortgage will allow you to use the holiday rental income as the extra 'salary' needed to get the mortgage. The rent needs to be a certain percentage above the mortgage payments but as you will be putting in a 15% or 20% deposit the calculation can work nicely. This is basically how a buy to let mortgage will work. If there is a shortfall in the rental income then some lenders will look to see if your own personal income can used to cover the difference.

If you are buying a holiday home you need to find out if there are any restrictions on how the property can be used. Contact the local authority planning department for these details. Some properties have a restriction making them unsuitable as a retirement property as they have to be rented for part of each year. Holiday let mortgages can be granted on these properties but the choice of lenders is limited.

Seeking the advice of an experienced mortgage broker is vital in this market. Many lenders do not openly advertise their holiday home offers and so the help and advice of a holiday let mortgage broker will save you both time and money.

About the author: Sean Horton is a Director of

Holiday Let Mortgages who also offer a specialist

holiday home insurance policy

What is Critical Illness Insurance?

Author: Barry Waxler

There is a gap in Insurance coverage when a person suffers certain critical illnesses. Their medical expenses could be covered, but they are now ill and unable to work. Critical Illness Insurance fills this gap.

Critical Illness Insurance pays a lump sum cash payment when a person is diagnosed with a covered critical illness and survives a set period of time. The survival period is not a long time, but rather is usually from two weeks to a month. Serious heart attacks, invasive cancers, and strokes are common critical illnesses that are covered by the Critical Illness Insurance policy.

According to one recent study, more people in Canada will suffer a serious critical illness before the age of 75 than will die before that age. This fact illustrates the importance of Critical Illness Insurance as a supplement to Life Insurance and Health Insurance in the overall risk control planning process. While Health Insurance will cover a major portion of the medical expenses incurred in the onset of the illness and even some follow-up care and Life Insurance will provide for the needs of your survivors should you die, it is survival that sometimes causes problems.

A stroke victim, for example, will be unable to work. He may survive for years with a need for in home care and other needs not covered by his Health Insurance. The lump sum cash payout of the Critical Illness Insurance can be used for any purpose at all. This gives the insured the choice of how the funds will be used. They might be used to pay off a mortgage, or provide help with domestic tasks. It could possibly be reinvested in a long term annuity that will provide funds for as long as the insured survives.

The medical conditions that are considered critical and are covered by an individual policy differ from policy to policy. The survival period differs as well. As with all Insurance, it is the responsibility of the purchaser to understand the details of the coverage. Insurance agents are always glad to explain these details and suggest ways to tailor the coverage to your own individual needs.

Critical Illness Insurance has long been a part of the risk management process in the United Kingdom and is starting to grow in popularity in the United States. Improvements in Emergency Medical care and advances in the treatment of many critical illnesses have made survival more and more likely. This trend is expected to continue. A situation is often created whereby a person regrets his survival when he considers the impact on his family. This horrific thought is the driving force behind Critical Illness Insurance and is fueling its increased popularity.

About the author: Get Quotes on

California health insurance plans at UFCAmerica.com.

Fine Tune Your Budget with Mortgage Refinancing

Author: Trevor Goald

Everyone who owns a home knows firsthand the financial obligations involved. A sizeable portion of your monthly income is delegated to a cover a number of expenses, the largest being the mortgage.

Simply put, a mortgage is a long term loan that's repaid over a period of time. Most mortgages are set on a monthly payment basis, while others are ""accelerated"" to allow the borrower bi-weekly or weekly payment options.

As with all loans there is an interest rate. A lower interest rate means lower payments, so it's best to shop around for the lowest possible rate. Even if you have ""locked in"" with a plan at a set rate, it may be possible to refinance your mortgage to take advantage of a lower interest rate.

There are two basic types of mortgages: fixed, and floating. A fixed rate mortgage locks the borrower in to pay one rate for the full term, where a floating arrangement means that the rates, and payments, can be higher or lower. Both types of mortgages have benefits and downfalls, and your particular situation will determine which plan is best for you. Homeowners generally use mortgage refinancing as a tool to move from a higher adjustable rate mortgage to a lower fixed rate mortgage.

In our prevailing market, mortgage rates will change on a regular basis. If you have already committed to a loan at a higher rate than today's interest rate, you might want to consider mortgage refinancing. When you refinance your mortgage, the full payment of your current agreement will be entered into a new loan at today's interest rate. This can be a wise move when rates drop dramatically, by two points or more. Watch the prevailing interest rates and compare them to what you're currently paying.

Should you choose to refinance your mortgage, there are important factors to consider. If there are only a few years remaining on your mortgage term, it just doesn't make sense to commit to a lengthy new term. Mortgage fees and borrowing costs can also come into play. Some banks and financers will charge fees for closing a mortgage early. There may also be prepayment fees on new mortgages, and closing costs on new agreements. Ask questions of your lender and read fine print before committing to any new mortgage agreement.

Refinancing your mortgage can also bring extra cash when you need it. If you have built a significant amount of home equity, you can use mortgage refinancing to obtain a home equity loan. In this case, you can use your home equity to generate cash. The proceeds from mortgage refinance can be used for various purposes, like debt consolidation, home improvements, or as a college fund for your children. Many people wisely use mortgage refinancing to consolidate their debts. Choosing one monthly payment over many bills is not only easier, but it saves you a lot of money by avoiding higher interest payments from credit cards and private lenders. Your pocketbook, and your credit rating, will look a lot healthier.

If you need cash, are faced with mounting debt or are locked into a lengthy mortgage at a high interest rate, speak with your bank about mortgage refinancing.

About the author: Author Trevor Goald loves writing for several well-known web sites, on home security and home buying issues.You can get a unique content version of this article .

The Importance of the FICO Score

Author: Jason Vogel

What is a FICO score and why is it so important? For those in the credit industry, knowing what a FICO score is can help a lot in maintaining a healthy lending business. That is because the FICO score is being used in order to assess a person's credit worthiness. Lending money to people is always a risky endeavor. Lenders always have the fear of never ever getting back the money that they have loaned. And because it is a business, lending institutions can only make a profit if borrowers actually make the payments on the money that they loaned. For them, it is very important to know about an individual's borrowing as well as debt payment behavior before they can ever decide on handing out the money in the form of a loan or other types of credit.

Creditworthiness of an individual is something that lending institutions really want to know before they ever want to decide of loaning any amount of money. And the best way to do that is by knowing the FICO score and what it represents in terms of an individual's credit behavior and pattern. And just what is a FICO score? It is simply a way of being able to measure an individual's creditworthiness without requiring the lending institutions access to an individual's income history or employment status and, in a way, being able to maintain a person's privacy in some way.

What is a FICO score and how did it come to be? It was originally developed by the Fair Isaac Company in order to help the credit industry assess individuals applying for credit. The FICO score is calculated taking into consideration certain factors that determine one's credit behavior. Such factors included in calculating for the FICO score include one's credit history, current credit owed, the length of the credit history, recent loans applied for as well as the various types of credit each individual has obtained. The FICO score is now widely used by major credit reporting agencies in providing lending institutions with a credit report on individuals applying for a loan, getting a mortgage or trying to get approved for a credit card. Credit card providers and banks also use the FICO score in order to determine credit limits and the setting of interest rates.

Before an individual's FICO score can be calculated, he or she must at least have one credit account open and active for a minimum of six months. This is the bare minimum of information that is needed for calculating an individual's FICO score, although it would still be a long way from being considered credit worthy. Most lenders prefer to see an individual having minimum of three or four credit accounts that have been maintained for at least 12 months. This is what banks look for in providing large lines of credit and mortgages to its clients.

What is a FICO score in terms of your credit worthiness? A FICO score is rated at scale from 300 to 850. The accepted median for the FICO score is around 720. FICO scores that are 725 and above are considered good scores while those found below 600 are considered bad. Making sure that one keeps his or her FICO score high would ensure that lenders would approve of credit or loans being applied for.

About the author: Jason Vogel owns and operates http://www.ficoscorespro.com . For more information and additional articles about FICO Scores, please visit FICOScoresPro.com

How To Determine Which Mortgage Is Right For You

Author: Joseph Kenny

The choices that you have facing you when it comes to picking the right mortgage does not make it easy to get a good one. To make it worse, there are possibly so many different options with each one that you would almost think it was made to deliberately confuse. In order to make your selection easier, here are a few things you need to know.

Before you actually start looking, you should sit down and think some things through. One of these important things to consider is how long do you want to take to pay on your mortgage. You receive much greater savings for fewer years. A standard mortgage is 30 years, but you can also get 15, 20, 40 and even 50 years.

The next thing you want to do is to become a watcher of market interest rates for a while. By watching them go up and down, you will know when it is a good time to get an excellent rate. It will also indicate to you (don't just take the lenders word for it), whether you should get an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) or a fixed rate mortgage. Of course, if you should make a mistake, or the economy changes significantly, you can always refinance down the road.

A fixed rate mortgage is the way to go when the interest rates are either on the way up, or if you simply want something that is stable and cannot cause you problems later. With an FRM, you always know what your payments will be. An adjustable rate mortgage, however, will give you lower rates when the interest rates are down, but can cause a problem if that changes.

Sometimes, lenders encourage people to get an ARM because it would allow you to buy a larger house. While this is true, it does not mean that you will be able to make the payments once the adjustable interest rate part of the mortgage becomes activated. It is a good idea to stick to the general rule of 36% total indebtedness (required by prime lenders) as a wise guideline for healthy finances.

Watch out for those mortgages that promise a lot. While they may deliver up front - it is what you do not see that can cause problems. It is a real good idea to familiarize yourself with the types of mortgages out there so you can be a careful consumer. There are some real traps when it comes to some mortgages and some lenders.

You also want to get several quotes from more than one lender so you have something to compare. Look at the various fees, the total cost, the interest rate, and more. You will quickly discover that not all lenders give the same deal. It will not take you long to find one or two that will stand out - then make your choice for the best deal.

Then you want to see if there might be some ways to get a greater savings. This can be done be reducing your indebtedness, and raising your credit score. You should check on this before you apply. It is also possible to reduce your interest rate even more by possibly buying points, or by making a larger down payment. Be sure that you at least consider these money saving options.

About the author: Joe Kenny writes for Rebuild.org, offering mortgage loans , or visit NationsFinance.co.uk is you are UK resident for UK mortgages Visit today: Mortgages from Rebuild.org

Lightning Fast Credit Repair Ideas

Author: Bill Paulk

Keep in mind that nothing in the world of consumer credit happens at a ""lightning rate,"" but I have personally seen the following strategies implemented -- and have seen ficos pop up 40+ points in under 2 weeks. So, let's get to it:

1. Get a tri-merge of your credit report. This is one report that consists of your credit information from the 3 major credit repositories: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. If you must, spend the extra couple of dollars to see your actual scores -- if you don't know what your beginning scores are, how can you tell if they've improved?

2. Get a ""quick sense"" of your credit. If it's bad, why? This is not as hard as it seems, and you don't need to be an expert to figure it out. Some examples are collections, judgements, tax liens, bankruptcies, slow/late payments, mortgage lates, repossessions...that's the sort of thing. Figure out what's taking the biggest toll on your scores. We'll come back to this in a moment.

3. Count up your active accounts...you need at least 3. The credit agencies like a blend of accounts: revolving credit, installment, and long-term installments like a mortgage. But for now, you need at least 3 active accounts. If you don't have any open accounts, do not start applying for credit cards! New lines of credit like this will actually drop-kick your scores. Instead, here's the lightning fast solution: Piggyback off of someone's good credit card. Here's how you do it: identify someone in your life -- family and/or friend -- who you trust, and most importantly, who trusts you. Tell them that you're working on improving your credit scores. Ask them if they have a credit card that meets the following criteria: at least 2 years of unblemished, never-been-late payment history; a balance that is no more than 40% of the credit limit (ie, $400 balance on a $1000 limit card). If they have a card -- or ideally, a couple of them -- that fits this bill, then you're in luck! Now, here's where the trust comes in: You're going to have them add you to this credit card. They will call their card company and ask that you be added as an authorized user of the account. Again, the trust factor is paramount! You will not be receiving a copy of the card in the mail; you will not be using the card...it's not your card. You are merely being added to the account, and in turn, this nice, credit friendly account is being added to your credit history. It will appear as a Joint Account...and the credit history -- as long as it is -- will appear on your credit report, just as if the account had been yours all along!

4. Pay down your debt! When I speak to people about their credit scores, they always want me to magically fix their scores without any effort on their part. Well, you ran up the debts, it's your responsibility to pay them down. Here's the formula: your first goal is to pay down the balance to 50% of the limit (so a $1000 limit card needs to be paid down to $500). Do this for all of your accounts before you take aim on a single account and decide to pay it off entirely. At a 50% balance, you should no longer be penalized for out of control balances. Second step: knock those balances down to 30% of the limit. If you do this, your scores will really soar! It's a fact that the credit agencies reward you with positive points when you balances are at 30% or less.

5. Finally, DO NOT CLOSE YOUR CREDIT CARD ACCOUNTS ONCE YOU'VE PAID THEM. This is a huge mistake that I see committed again and again. If you can get your balance down to zero, throw yourself a party (pay with cash, not credit), but don't close the accounts. Closing accounts hurts your credit because it's bridge you're burning: you'll never receive any more good credit points from a closed account.

As someone who helps people through credit repair situations daily, take it from me...these things work. There is hope! Don't give up!

About the author: Bill Paulk writes on marketing & business-related issues. You can learn more by visiting my blog at http://credit-debt-repair.blogspot.com/

Five Credit Tips For Every Woman

Author: Sean Matteson

Have you ever wondered if banks have a tendency to approve credit cards and loans for one sex more than the other? If you are married (or plan to be) I will share with you five vital keys every married person should know before signing any credit application.

VITAL KEY #1: According to the Federal Equal Credit Opportunity Act (FECOA) creditors cannot deny consumers access to credit because of their sex. However, on average (in surveys) it's reported that women earn less money than men. Regardless of what the FECOA states, the relationship of credit to income is very strong.

In our society if you make less money you will get less credit, period. The sad fact is that women on their own have less access to credit. It's for this reason (I believe) it is imperative that women learn and acquire more knowledge about credit than men. Knowledge is power; and in the world of credit that knowledge will often times prove to be priceless, especially for women.

VITAL KEY #2: If you are a married woman with JOINT credit (meaning all your credit accounts are jointly held with your husband) you have NO CREDIT yourself. Many women in America find this out the hard way every year when they get divorced and lose all their credit privileges since all their accounts were jointly held with their spouse. If you are a woman in this position you can greatly benefit by beginning to build your own credit in your own name starting today! The benefits are two fold.

1.) If your spouse has financial difficulties (for any reason) and is forced to file bankruptcy or their credit becomes derogatory, you and your spouse will have your credit in reserve to survive on.

2.) If you ever get divorced down the road (over 50% do and 76% in the state of California) you will NOT end up in financial hardship due to no credit and/or derogatory credit. Instead, you will have your credit to transition to and (believe me) this can be the difference between sailing off in the sunset or drowning in a storm.

VITAL KEY #3: If you are currently married (with some credit or no credit) to a spouse who has excellent credit, you can leverage their credit to build credit in your own name much faster than if you had to build it by yourself. Later, once you have established enough accounts on your own, you may choose to cancel accounts that were held jointly with your spouse.

VITAL KEY #4: If you are a single woman with excellent credit and are getting married you may want to think twice about adding your new lover to all your credit accounts. If he messes up or you end up in divorce down the road your credit will end up taking the beating (regardless of how many years you diligently spent building it up). For this reason, I strongly suggest married couples keep their credit separate. Why?

In most cases spouses have far more to lose than to gain. Of course, some credit will have to be joint no matter what you do. If you purchase a home (which will possibly require both incomes to qualify) this will appear as a joint account on the credit report. However, the potential abuse with a home mortgage is almost non existent as opposed to Credit Cards.

VITAL KEY #5: Spouses have more to gain by each building strong individual credit reports rather than joining all accounts and building one joint report. For obvious reasons, banks and credit card companies love the ""credit ignorance"" of spouses who join all their credit accounts upon marriage.

Here's why: If you take 500,000 couples with credit before they got married, those 500,000 couples actually represent one million credit accounts and liabilities for the banks and lenders. When those couples got married, those one million credit liabilities were instantly were cut in half from one million to only 500,000. For banks this is a very advantageous situation. For the couples getting married (if they have financial trouble) the deal is a little raw. If they have trouble, although they are two people, they are represented by only one credit report. The bank now has the right to go after two different people for one account (regardless of who was financially negligent).

For moment, let's play out the same scenario with a couple which is financially savvy (note: they're both on the same ""team"" but financially savvy). In this scenario, the couple gets married, but instead of joining account each builds their individual credit reports. Now this couple (team) has not one credit report representing them but two. Metaphorically, if the perfect storm (financially) is to rise, this is the difference between the couple being in the ocean with two ships instead of one. If the one ship starts to sink, the couple can always ""jump ship"" to the second.

While some may criticize this thinking it is no different than buying any kind of insurance. You buy insurance not because you plan on a problem. You buy insurance because you are thinking ahead. This type of thinking is no different. However, if you want to be ahead of the pack that you need to think ahead of the pack.

I cannot tell you how many times I have talked to loving married couples in financial trouble who only WISHED they would have known about these five vital keys before they got into financial trouble. Take them, study them, apply them to your life. As I heard one woman put it ""In business and in life I've learned to expect the best but plan for the worst"". I thought her words were brilliant. However, I have found that when I expect the best... many times I tend to get it! Take these five vital keys. Study them. Apply them. Then pass them on to someone else who can benefit from them.

About the author: The ""CREDIT SECRETS BIBLE"" has been in print since 1994 and is published by Consumer Publishing Group. For more information on the ""CREDIT SECRETS BIBLE"" you may visit: http://www.squidoo.com/credit-secrets-bible/

10 Must Know Check List Items When Filing Your Taxes

Author: Barry Allen

As the tax filing season draws near tension fills the air and many people tend to get stressed. If you plan your tax filing exercise you can undertake filing of tax returns without getting into a flap.

To ease the process of filing tax returns H & R Block have designed a check list that will not just save time but ensure that you make no mistakes in filling out the tax forms. Keep the list on your PC and use it through the year to stay organized.

To breeze through the tax form filling and filing you need:

1. Personal data:

a. Social security details of the family, yourself, spouse, as well as children and other dependants.

b. Child care provider: Name, address and tax ID as well as Social Security number.

c. Alimony paid: Social Security number.

2. Employment and Income:

* W-2 forms for the current year.

* Unemployment compensation: Forms 1099-G.

* Miscellaneous income including rent: Forms 1099-MISC.

* Partnership, S Corporation, & trust income: Schedules K-1.

* Pension and annuities: Forms 1099R.

* Social Security/RRI benefits: Forms RRB-1099. * Alimony Received.

* Jury Duty Pay.

* Gambling and lottery winning.

* Prizes and Awards:

* Scholarships and fellowships:

* State and local income tax refunds: Form 1099-G.

3. Homeowner/Renter data

* Residential addresses for this year.

* Mortgage interest: Form 1098.

* Sale of your home or other real estate: Form 1099-S.

* Second Mortgage interest paid.

* Real Estate taxes paid.

* Rent paid during tax year.

* Moving expenses.

4. Financial Assets :

* Interest Income Statements: Form 1099-INT & 1099-OID.

* Dividend Income Statements: Form 1099-DIV.

* Proceeds from Broker Transactions: Form 1099-B.

* Retirement pan Distribution: Form 1099-R

5. Financial Liabilities

* Auto loans and leases (account numbers and car value) for business vehicles.

* Student loan interest paid

* Early withdrawal penalties on CDs and other time deposits

6. Automobiles

* Personal property tax information

7. Expenses

* Gifts to charity (qualified written statement from charity for any single donations of $250 or more)

* Un-reimbursed expenses related to volunteer work

* Un-reimbursed expenses related to your job (travel expenses, uniforms, union dues, subscriptions)

* Investment expenses

* Job-hunting expenses

* Job-related education expenses

* Child care expenses

* Medical Savings Accounts

* Adoption expenses

* Alimony paid * Tax return preparation expenses and fees

8. Self-employment Data

* Business income: Forms 1099-MISC and/or own records

* Partnership SE income: Schedules K-1

* Business-related expenses: Receipts, other documents & own records

* Farm-related expenses: Receipts, other documents & own records

* Employment taxes & other business taxes paid for current year: Payment records

9. Miscellaneous Tax Documents

* Federal, state & local estimated income tax paid for current year: Estimated tax vouchers, cancelled checks & other payment records

* IRA, Keogh and other retirement plan contributions: If self-employed, identify as for self or employees

* Records to document medical expenses

* Records to document casualty or theft losses

* Records for any other expenditures that may be deductible

* Records for any other revenue or sales of property that may be taxable or reportable

Tax filing can be made easy if you are organized. Make life easy by using tax software. Find out about IRS Free File software providers. In case of expected problems or delays file for an extension, the IRS normally grants around 6 months.

About the author: Barry Allen is a freelance writer for http://www.1888tax.com , the premier website to find tax, return tax, tax software, free tax filing, sales tax, services tax, income tax, property tax and many more. He also freelances for the premier REVENUE SHARING discussion forum for Legal Advice Site http://www.1888discuss.com/legal-advice/f-other-tax-laws-49.html

Remind Yourself Why You're A Mortgage Professional

Author: Tom Domin

Remind Yourself Why You're A Mortgage Professional

You've probably had one of those days since starting your own mortgage business. It seems like work is piling up, your bank balances aren't where you want them to be, and part of you is yearning for those ""employee kind of days"" when all you had to do was give the company eight hours and collect your regular pay check.

You know better than to do that again, of course. But it seems temporarily inviting doesn't it? If you want to rejuvenate yourself and find an extra incentive to push you forward with your small mortgage business, take a moment or two to remind yourself of exactly why you're here.

Call a former co-worker you know who's still on the job and ask them if they'd like to meet you for a cup of coffee at two in the afternoon on a weekday. Listen closely as they decline, explaining that they just can't leave work like that.

Ask either an hourly or salaried employee that you know what he or she must do if they want to change hours or take an extra vacation day or two. Remind yourself of those Human Resources Departments, request forms, inflexible situations and all of those other nightmares.

Hop on the freeway for a casual morning drive while all the commuters are heading off to work. Give yourself a healthy dose of the ""drive time"" traffic jam that you no longer need to contend with.

Do you remember those old company memos announcing policy changes and how you didn't have any influence or input on those alterations? And yet, they impacted you greatly. Compare that to your current opportunity to translate your thinking, imagination and effort into immediate action and more importantly, immediate results.

As a loan officer or mortgage broker you are a small business in itself. Even if you work for a mortgage broker business or lender you are in business for yourself. You alone determine your success and your income.

Remind yourself that as a ""Mortgage Professional,"" you are the most important cog/gear in the entire real estate process.

Think about it. Depending on the transaction and the lender...you're responsible for the scheduling and the successful completion of the application, the appraisal, the final inspection (new construction), the title order, the survey order, the flood certification, the pest inspection, the well test, the septic inspection, the mortgage itself, the coordination of the closing date, the timely funding of the loan, the final documents required to close, and finally, the loan and it's documents must be in compliance with both state and federal regulations.

Sometimes it's even more than that...sometimes it may be less. Either way, there is no doubt that your efforts are what make it all happen and the mortgage process to be successful.

You put people in homes...you make the American dream of home ownership a reality...you assist first-time homebuyers...you spend time with the credit challenged to help them purchase or refinance their home...you help refinance and consolidate people's debt...you save FSBOs and investors great amounts of money...and, you are the driving force in the economic well-being of this great country.

I'm sure you get the idea. Don't let a rough patch make your forget why you decided to do your own thing in the first place. You made a serious and radical decision to become your own boss. That's proof that there were some very strong motivators at play.

The next time part of you is imagining ""bailing out"" on your business, remind yourself of why you're here. Take another look at what convinced you to start your own business.

Tom Domin is the author of ""101 Ways to Originate Mortgages"" and publisher of ""Tom's Mortgage Tips"" a twice monthly Mortgage Newsletter geared for Mortgage Professionals. Put your mortgage career on the fast track and sign-up for FREE at http://www.MortgageMarketingToolKit.com/

About the author: Tom Domin is the author of ""101 Ways to Originate Mortgages"" and publisher of ""Tom's Mortgage Tips"" a twice monthly Mortgage Newsletter geared for Mortgage Professionals. Put your mortgage career on the fast track and sign-up for FREE at http://www.MortgageMarketingToolKit.com/

Mortgage Marketing Over the Phone

Author: jay conners

For mortgage brokers and loan officers, marketing your products and services can be done in a variety of ways. From business cards to mailers, to face to face meetings.

Perhaps one of the trickiest methods of marketing ourselves and our mortgage products is over the telephone.

The telephone offers many challenges. For starters the potential customer is unable to put a face with your name, which more often than not leads them to draw inferences based on the sound of your voice. This may or may not be a good thing.

Also, these days everybody has caller id and has the option to screen your call should they not be in the mood to discuss mortgages. Many times you can be left hanging with nothing but somebody's voice mail and never have an opportunity to speak with your customer.

However, voice mail can actually be considered a blessing in disguise. Here is where you have an opportunity to dangle a carrot in front of your customer.

If you just so happen upon a voice mail while cold calling, don't just leave your name, number, and the company you work for with a hint of disappointment in your voice, be sure to leave them with a reason to call you, make them wonder what you meant behind your message.

Say something like this;

""Good evening Ms. Jones, my name is Jon Smith and I work for XYZ mortgage company. I understand that you are interested in a mortgage. I have looked over your scenario and I believe that I have the right product to meet your needs, so please give me a call back at a time convenient for you. Thank you.""

And smile while you are talking, the inflection will come out in your voice.

Another challenge you may face is when a customer tells you that they need to speak to their spouse before making a decision.

Should this happen, ask if their spouse is available now, and if so, ask to speak with them now.

If not, ask if there was anything that you did not explain clearly enough and that you would be happy to go over everything again.

If this doesn't work, back off and ask if you may call back at a designated time convenient for your customer.

The more you cold call and work the phones the better your mortgage marketing skills will become over the phone. And as long as you know your products and you are prepared to explain them, success will come all the easier for you.

About the author: Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry. He is the owner of http://www.jconners.com, a mortgage marketing and resource site, he is also the owner of http://www.callprospect.com, a mortgage lead company, specializing in real time mortgage leads.

Beware The Leaky Affiliate Program

Author: Halstatt Pires

A popular method for making money on the web is through the promotion of products or services offered by a third company. This affiliate relationship works well, but there are some things to watch out for.

An affiliate program is often touted as a perfect relationship. You, the affiliate, have traffic and need to make money off of it. The provider, in turn, needs traffic and is willing to pay you for it in one form or another. While this sounds like a perfect match at first, anyone who has tried these programs knows there is much more to it.

The number one issue with affiliate programs is known as the shave. Simply put, are you being credited with every sale or revenue producing action that your traffic produces? If a site is only crediting you for every second sale, you are losing out on a lot of money. Shaving is a huge issue in the affiliate community, but let's talk about another issue with affiliate programs.

Most affiliate programs ""encourage"" you to drive traffic to particular landing pages. Many an affiliate has set up their sites to do just that without really taking a look at the landing pages in question. Fail to do so and you can end up sending traffic to a page that is not going to produce for you.

The biggest issue with landing pages is the inclusion of an 800 phone number. Obviously, you are not going to receive a penny of revenue if someone picks up the phone and makes a call. Let's look at an example.

Quicken Loans offers a mortgage loan affiliate program through Commission Junction. Both companies are reputable, so you really don't have to worry too much about being shaved. The landing pages offered by Quicken to affiliates, however, are nightmares. A query to call the 800 number is listed at the top of the page. On many of the landing pages, a banner with an attractive young lady tells the visitor to do the same on the bottom of the page. Filling out mortgage applications is a pain, so how many people do you think will pick up the phone and call Quicken? Probably enough to put a pinch on your affiliate revenues!

All and all, affiliate programs tend to be a win-win for the parties involved. If you can avoid issues of revenue shaving and horrific landing pages, you should be able to do really well.

About the author: Halstatt Pires writes a free online internet marketing newsletter which you can join at MarketingTitan.com.

Foreclosures for Sale Becoming the Trend

Author: Brian McQuirk

A foreclosure for sale comes about when a lender is allowed to recover the amount owed to them by either selling or retaking ownership of the property. Usually the owner has defaulted on their mortgage or loan payments over a period of time. The process begins when the lender does a public default notice. The public notice is called a Notice of Default or a Lis Pendens. In 2007, a record number of homeowners are falling behind on their house payments. The foreclosures for sale are a common theme in many markets across the nation especially in California. The variable interest rate figures into many foreclosures for sale situations. Homeowners are not always able to handle the expense of an increase mortgage payment to their living expense. The novel ideal of a low interest initial wears off quickly with loan payment increases of $300 to $500 per month. In addition, the changing U.S. economy and job situation and quick credit lifestyles have lead to keeping up with the Joneses and over spending. However, the foreclosure for sale phenomenon has no easy culprit or easy fix. Homeowners are losing their property at record pace; it is a trend that does not seem to be abating. High utility costs and slowing economy are only a couple more factors adding input to an already worrisome situation. What Can the Home Owner Do? When facing losing their home, the property owner has a few options. Ideally after the investment in purchasing their home, up keeping and maybe even renovating their home a foreclosure for sale is not the option they had anticipated. However, in today’s financial world these things happen. Initially the home goes into pre-foreclosure; during this time the homeowner can reinstate their loan if they pay off the default amount before their grace period ends. The grace period is what is called the pre-foreclosure. If the owner is facing a foreclosure for sale situation, they also have the option of selling their home to a third party. This third party person comes in and pays off the loan. This allows the homeowner in the foreclosure for sale circumstance to have a better credit record by not having a foreclosure on their history. In this situation, the lender can take the property back to re-sell it. The lender may option to sell the property to anyone or they can go through a public auction. There are many people looking for a foreclosure for sale who earn money by buying and reselling property. It is usually considered a good deal to get the home at less than 20 per cent of the market cost. These investors then flip the property to make a profit. Ideally, the homeowner with a foreclosure for sale is either looking to retain their property by repaying their loan and returning to financial stability or to release the property without a blemish on their credit history. It is important to look into all options in order to decide what to do.

Author: Brian McQuirk Webmaster and owner of http://www.foreclosedbuys.com

About the author: Author: Brian McQuirk Webmaster and owner of http://www.foreclosedbuys.com

Real Estate Investing Book

Author: Gerald Romine

How To Choose The Real Estate Investing Book That Is Right For You!

As a new real estate investor you are overwhelmed with the number of real estate investing books available. You want to start investing buy how do you choose the real estate investing book that is really going to teach you about investing.

The sad truth is most real estate investing books do a good job of talking about why you should invest in real estate but fall miserably short in giving you the real tools and information you need to become a successful and knowledgeable real estate investor. In short most real estate investing books tell you what to do, but not how to do it.

So let's go over a few rules to help you find a real estate investing book.

* Real Estate Investing Book Rule 1

Who Is The Author? Every good real estate investing book is going to have a section where the author tells you about who they are and what they have done. If this section is not in the book it has been left out deliberately and it is likely the author has not been successful in their investing.

* Real Estate Investing Book Rule 2

Why Invest In Real Estate? The book should cover why real estate is a great vehicle for creating and building wealth. Tax laws, depreciation, and write offs may not be exciting but should be briefly explained so you realize the advantages that only real estate investing provides.

* Real Estate Investing Book Rule 3

Why Real Estate Works In Any Market. Many new real estate investors give up when they are faced with a little adversity. It's human nature. The book needs to prepare the investor for the challenges ahead show them that investing works in all markets.

* Real Estate Investing Book Rule 4

Determining The Type Of Market. Many books try to sell you on the one size fits all strategy and this is utter BS. There are three distinct markets, Buyer's, Seller's, and mixed. Each market has its advantages/disadvantages and your strategies will change depending on the market you are in.

* Real Estate Investing Book Rule 5

Real Estate Investing Strategies. The book must cover the different type of strategies available. You will choose the strategies that most interest you but you must understand strategies available. At a minimum the following subjects should be covered:

1. Wholesaling - AKA Flipping. Wholesaling properties is the basis of the entire real estate business, because if you do not learn how to buy properties right then none of the other investing strategies will make much of a difference on your profitability. 2. Buy and Hold - AKA Rentals. There is wealth building in having rentals but you want to do it the right way. Property management and fixing toilets should not be part of your personal involvement or you will learn to hate rentals and tenants. 3. Rehabbing. The art of buying, fixing and selling properties. 4. Buying ""Subject To."" Legal in most states this method deals with taking over existing financing without having to qualify. Note: Banks do not like this and have the right to call the entire loan due. Although this sounds scary when you understand the strategy it will be clear. 5. Lease Options & Options. Not my personal favorite but still a method that should be talked about.

* Real Estate Investing Book Rule 6

How To Find Deals. There is a big difference in telling you to find deals and showing you HOW to find deals.

* Real Estate Investing Book Rule 7

How To Determine Market Value. Sounds simple but very few people understand how to determine the market values of properties. Most Realtors miss the boat completely on this and haven't a clue why until it is explained to them and then they wholeheartedly agree.

* Real Estate Investing Book Rule 8

Estimating Repairs. If you are a real estate investor it is only a matter of time before knowing how to estimate property repairs is something you will have to do. The truth is you don't need any experience when you are shown the right method to use.

* Real Estate Investing Book Rule 9

Determining Your Purchase Price. How much can you pay for a property is not a number where you use the PFA (Plucked From Air) Strategy. Simple formulas can keep you safe and profitable.

* Real Estate Investing Book Rule 10

Understanding Foreclosures. No real estate investing book would be complete if it did not touch on buying properties where sellers are going into foreclosure. The subject alone is worthy of a separate book or course but as a new investor you should be given a crash course on the subject.

* Real Estate Investing Book Rule 11

Where To Get The Money. Most people purchase property with conventional financing through banks or mortgage brokers. While this is normal for homeowners real estate investors use a number of other sources that you need to know about so you can close a deal in days instead of weeks.

When looking for a real estate investing book make sure the book covers the 11 rules and you will be learn more about investing than most Realtors or investors have learned after being in the business for years. Great real estate investing books are hard to come by and you should start with ""Real Estate Magic 101 - How To Get Rich In Real Estate Even If You Are Dead Broke!"" This unique book should be read by every person considering a real estate career, whether it be as Realtor, investor, or developer. Especially impressive is the amount of detail and how to advice that can be found in the book.

For more info, please visit http://www.kickassrealestate.com

About the author: Gerald Romine is a nationally recognized real estate expert that has been featured across North America sharing the stage with political leaders, film stars, and business leaders. Since 1989, Gerald has been involved with real estate as a real estate agent, broker, rehabber, investor, and builder and has been involved with everything from houses to apartments. For more information about Gerald's products or services visit http://www.kickassrealestate.com

Advantages Of Credit Card Debt Management Are Many : Select The Right One

Author: Apurva

When you are seemingly lost in a sea of debt and are left wondering if there is a way out and dread facing your various creditors, a program such as a credit card debt management can bring welcome relief. Consider making one payment with an affordable, lower interest rate instead of several payments each month, each with varying, much higher interest rates, and cutting down the outstanding dues by almost half as well as lowering interest rates by 50%, yes with a good credit card debt management, it is a definite possibility. The icing on the cake is being able to rectify your credit profile and being debt free within a few years!

Credit Card Debt Management

Selecting a good credit card debt management firm is the first step towards credit card debt management. There are many firms that offer free debt consolidation help. You may select a non-profit firm and once their financial experts study you situation, they may offer you several ways in which you may effect credit card debt management.

Some firms offer debt consolidation services, some offer a debt consolidation loan, some offer to negotiate your debt, some will offer debt settlement services. Some firms offer to help debtors secure a loan, some offer mortgage refinancing services. It is up to the customer to use the counseling services offered by the credit card debt management firm and determine what kind of a credit card debt management program they wish to opt for.

There are two sides to every coin, so while there are several genuine firms willing to offer quality services, there are other firms that are out to fleece those who are already vulnerable and in need of help. It is therefore necessary to make the right choice after considerable research. Most people are so worried and in desperate haste to seek relief from the escalating outstanding dues that they just opt for the first firm they come across, which may not be the best way to secure your future.

The right credit card debt management firm will make it easier and much more affordable to make monthly payments and to become debt free faster. A firm commitment is also required on the customers part as opting for a credit card debt management firms services while continuing using their credit cards can be the perfect recipe for disaster that you would want to avoid. No more harassing phone calls from creditors, no more are your debts unaffordable, just use the services of a good credit card debt management firm and stay focused on repairing your credit profile.

About the author: Apurva writes articles about

credit card debt consolidation and tips for selecting a

debt consolidation loan .

Tips for Saving

Author: Roger Theron

Whatever your income, you are capable of saving. Big savings are built from humble beginnings, but a beginning is required nonetheless!

By keeping tabs of the money you spend on a day to day basis you will soon realise where your money is going and learn to adjust your lifestyle accordingly. To create a working budget it is vital to know what you spend on what. It is essential that you work out a way to spend less than you earn, leaving you some money to invest.

Making little changes in your day to day life you will be able to save Rands and cents that add up at the end of the month. Here are some tips to take into consideration.

When buying a home, always compare mortgage packages. You will be amazed at the savings you can make by choosing a deal with a better rate. Be sure to understand the different rate packages, be it fixed or fluctuating. An educated home buyer will save much money!

When buying a car, establish your needs very clearly and seek out the manufacturer and model which will meet your needs best. Take into account the fuel consumption, insurance, maintenance and service costs. Shop around for good interest rates if you are purchasing with a financing plan.

Selecting your insurance policy, make sure that you are well informed. Shop around for the best rates and ask about raising the excess to minimise monthly costs. A slight increase in your excess could save you considerably on monthly payments.

About the author: MensLifestyle is a site for men who are looking to live a lifestyle of health, wealth and adventure. The idea is to bring together the tips, tools and products that will help you make more money, live healthier and enjoy your life that much more.

How to Get a Low Home Equity Interest Rate

Author: Mayoor Patel

All of us like the idea of building equity in our homes. In a sense, it is like money in the bank. But what do you know about the process of getting a low home equity interest rate in the event you need to fix up a few things around the house, or have a sudden need for some extra cash? Here are some things you need to know about equity interest rates and what you are up against when it comes to getting the lowest rate of interest.

Chances are that you have heard all of the grim news by now. Homes are not worth nearly as much as they were a couple of years ago and the baseline home equity interest rate is on the rise, making it harder for you to sell your home and more expensive for you to refinance it to pay off your bills. But what if everything you heard on the news was not actually what is happening in the real world? What if interest rates are not really as high as they want you to believe they are?

Amazingly enough, interest rates are not nearly as high as many of the news outlets would want you to believe. According to them, interest rates are skyrocketing and making the value of home and the price of money change at an alarming pace. However, this is simply not true, as you can still get a home equity interest rate at roughly the same amount that you would have been able to get a few months ago. Sure, they are not at the amazing lows that you could have gotten an adjustable rate loan at a few months ago, but they are still low enough to make refinancing a real possibility.

So where can you find these low rates when so many people are saying that rates are on the rise? Well, you should start with loan agencies that are lacking a massive staff with a huge budget. These companies will always charge you more in interest rates for fixed rate and adjustable rate loans. Instead, you should look for the best home equity interest rate from companies that do the majority of their business online and do not have the large amount of employees that would require them to raise their rates. Whether you choose an adjustable rate or a fixed rate mortgage from these kinds of companies, you will have an amazingly low rate that will usually beat the industry average.

About the author: Mayoor Patel is the writer for the website http://interest-rates.w ares-are.us . Please visit for information on all things concerned with

Home Equity Interest RateI

Make Your Bad Credit A History With Bad Credit Debt Consolidation Program

Author: Apurva

You can eliminate all kinds of bad debt dilemmas with bad debt consolidation programs. Whether you are looking for consolidating your credit card debts or accumulated unpaid bills, loans or taxes, seek assistance from a debt consolidation company to erase your status of poor credit score. By consolidating your dues, you are actually merging multiple debts into one loan that is easy to manage and control. Before you head towards a debt management firm, confirm the accessibility of quality and authentic services from them to ensure that you are really lowering, not adding debts.

Why Is Bad Credit Debt Consolidation Program Useful? Most of the lenders, mortgage brokers and credit card issuers, financers will ask you to sign a Privacy Act Declaration, through which they possess authority from you to check your credit ratings as per CRAA. This is the first thing a lender or financer checks about borrowers, even when the consumer is not aware of it. A research is done on the consumers financial background to view required information for credit checking. Consumers should consider therefore, viewing their own credit ratings through a copy of CRAA report. Often it is not possible for us to maintain an impeccable credit rating with all the obstacles of life to overcome. Therefore, people with faulty credit rating may find getting loan approval quite challenging. This is where bad credit debt consolidation comes in handy. Such services are a boon for those who do not enjoy an impeccable credit score and thus are forced to pay higher interest rates on credit and loan products.

A broad range of services to consolidate debt, are made available for people who have a bad credit rating. Various organizations are extending free debt consolidation help that encompasses free services for assessment of consumers' financial background and precise loan advice according to the assessment. These companies study papers and credit status of the clients to provide them an analysis on their financial score. Thereafter, these companies either devise a debt consolidation loan for their clients or locate a loan devised by any third party lender.

Bad credit debt consolidation loans have two variants - one loan requires pledge of consumers valuables such as house or car as collateral while the other comes with higher interest rates with no requirement of consumers' collaterals. If you own a home, you will be qualified for a secured debt consolidation loan for bad credit. Or else, look for unsecured consolidation loans without any pledge of property or valuables. Consumers are suggested to consider punctual payment of these loans to get rid of accumulation of further liabilities through higher interest rates of these loans.

Besides free debt consolidation quotes and advice, there are different consolidation programs that do not entail loans for reducing or eliminating ones financial liabilities. These bad credit debt consolidation programs charge small monthly fees for negotiating with your creditors to reduce the outstanding amount, payments, interest rates, loan terms and/or late fees or penalties charged by your credit card creditors.

Bad credit debt consolidation companies bring great relief only when you choose legitimate companies with reputed standing and a profile showing management of similar debt management situation as yours.

About the author: Apurva writes about

debt consolidation loan and selecting a

bad credit debt consolidation company

How To Apply For A Mortgage If You Have A Low Credit Score

Author: Vanessa Arellano Doctor

One of the worst things that can happen to a person when trying to apply for loans and mortgages is to have a low credit score.

Having a low credit score may hamper your chances of being able to get credit, in whatever possible circumstance or terms. This can cost you thousands of dollars in added interest over the life of any loan or mortgage that you have applied for. Lenders will always review your credit report, especially if you apply for loans or mortgages. This will help them gauge how you manage your finances by taking a look at your credit history and your credit score. If you have a low credit score, this can affect your ability to qualify for a mortgage, including the terms of the loan, as well as the interest rate.

Credit scores are basically a tool that helps the person who arranges or makes a loan to predict another person's likelihood of certain credit behaviors. The credit score system adds or subtracts points based on select data in a person's credit report. Negative factors that contribute to the taking away of points include late payments, maxed out credit cards, and bankruptcies, while a solid payment history and prudent use of available credit add points can help add points to a person's score. The final score will help measure a person's likelihood of repaying a loan, which is why this system is commonly used by a lot of lenders nowadays.

Since having a low credit score cannot help you in your mortgage application, or get a much lower interest rate for your mortgage payment, you should not be disheartened since people with low credit scores can still get mortgages, just not as easy and as beneficial as with people who have higher credit scores.

When applying for a mortgage, your credit score will definitely be scrutinized. One way that you can help yourself with this is by trying to improve your credit score before you even attempt to apply for a mortgage. Even if you have a low credit score initially, you can help improve it by avoiding any recent late payments since these can affect your credit score more than old late payments. The longer you avoid paying your debts, the more points will be subtracted from your total score, which will be very damaging to your plans of applying for any mortgages.

Another way of increasing your credit score is by making sure that you pay on time or early, since these are considered to be positive factors that also affect your overall credit score, putting you in a much better position to apply for a mortgage, and maybe get a much lower interest rate, which is something that could greatly help reduce the monthly mortgage payment that you are supposed to make if your mortgage application is approved.

However, if you cannot improve your credit score anymore, you do not need to worry since it is just a fraction of what mortgage lenders look into when deciding on whether they should give you the loan or not. Other factors that they consider include your credit report, which can show your credit history, your past employment, your income and the amount of it that you will apply to pay the debt, as well as the value of the particular property that you want to purchase. You can try to choose a home that is not valued that highly in order to improve your chances of getting the mortgage that you have applied for. You can also reassure the mortgage lenders that most of your income will go into the payment of the debt, and getting another job may not be such a bad idea also.

Applying for a mortgage with low credit scores is not easy, especially since lenders use these to gauge your ability to pay your debt, which in turn influences their decision to whether approve or deny your mortgage application. The best thing that you can do is to try and improve your credit score before hand in order to put you in a much better position in your mortgage application.

Vanessa Arellano Doctor http://realestatepress.org

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Mortgage Lenders - Your Options

Author: Joseph Kenny

Finding your dream home is usually the simplest part of the house buying process! Once you see somewhere you want to put in an offer for, you'll want to move fast. It helps, therefore, to have your mortgage sorted before you find somewhere you want to buy.

You can choose a lender and mortgage, apply for the loan and get your mortgage 'approved on principle' before you even start looking for a house. This means that you know what your budget will be and can be fairly certain that your mortgage will be accepted. The lender will still want to see the valuation survey, however, and there may be other checks that have to be completed before the deal is closed.

While most people used to take out their mortgage with a building society or bank, these days there are a number of other options to consider. Smaller, specialist mortgage providers can offer good deals and are sometimes more flexible about terms.

Banks and Building Societies

Since the market has become much more competitive, the larger finance houses have adapted their practice to become much more flexible with their mortgage deals. You will have the advantage of knowing that a reputable lender provides your mortgage, and local branches can make your day-to-day banking more convenient.

Insurance Companies

Some companies now offer their own range of mortgage products, which can give good terms, along with insurance products and investments. Legal and General are a well-known example. Check that you are not committed to taking out insurance policies with the lender along with your mortgage.

Specialist and Centralised Lenders

Generally this type of lender operates from one location - you won't be able to visit a local branch, but they may offer lower rates as a result of having fewer overheads to cover. Virgin Direct and Mortgage Trust are two lenders who can offer particularly flexible mortgages. Telephone and internet banking make this kind of borrowing more convenient.

Local authorities

Council house residents may wish to apply to their local authority for a mortgage. There are also some mortgages available from some authorities for people who wish to renovate derelict houses - contact your local council for more information.

It's good practise for a lender to subscribe to the Mortgage Code - this is a voluntary scheme that means the lender has promised to uphold commitments to good service.

About the author: Joseph Kenny writes for the financial portal http://www.financefool.co.uk and get information on the best mortgages in the UK.

100% Mortgage Financing - A Way To Avoid Private Mortgage Insurance

Author: Carrie Reeder

Ideally, traditional mortgage lenders want new homebuyers to have a 20% down payment when purchasing a new home. Thus, if purchasing a $200,000 home, you should be prepared to have $40,000 as a down payment.

Unfortunately, many people do not have this kind of money lying around. For this matter, private mortgage insurance (PMI) was created as a way for mortgage companies to recoup their money if a homeowner defaults on the loan. There are various loans available to assist people with down payments. In some instances, homeowners can obtain 100% financing, and avoid PMI

What is Private Mortgage Insurance?

Because Americans are earning less money, and home prices are steadily increasing, the majority of the population is unable to save the recommended down payment of 20%. In order to make owning a home possible, mortgage companies created a particular mortgage insurance, (PMI), for people with less than 20% to put down on a home. This insurance protects the lender if you default on the mortgage.

How to Avoid Paying Private Mortgage Insurance

On average, PMI may increase your mortgage payment by $100 - sometimes less, sometimes more. However, there are ways to avoid paying this additional insurance. The obvious involves having at least 20% as a down payment. If this is not an option, homeowner may agree to a higher interest rate. Another tactic entails getting approved for 100% financing.

How Does 100% Mortgage Financing Work?

100% mortgage financing makes it possible to buy a home with no money down. Also referred to as a piggyback loan or 80/20 mortgage loan, 100% mortgage financing involves obtaining a first mortgage for 80% of the home cost, and a second mortgage, or home equity loan, for 20% of the home cost. Together, the first and second mortgage allows a home purchase with no money down, and no private mortgage insurance.

About the author: View our recommended 100 percent financing mortgage company online.