What you need to manage your money

With record bankruptcies, mortgage foreclosures and prices skyrocketing, it's more important now than ever before to properly and effectively manage your personal finances.

Statistics show that most people could manage very well on the income they have now if they were able to keep their bills and expenses within their income. Sadly, too many people do not understand how to do this or how to recover once they have overextended themselves.

Personal Money Management is not a one step process. Simply having a budget in place or keeping up with your checking account isn't enough. You need to follow a set process that covers several aspects of money management. Here are the basics of this process:

Set Your Goals

Most people think of setting goals as strictly long-term like retirement and college for the kids. While these are very important goals they are just the beginning. You need to decide what you and your family want your future to be and make all financial decisions with that in mind. This could include things like setting aside money for an annual vacation, replacing your car or home repairs.

Find Out Where You Stand Now

It's absolutely necessary that you know what you have coming in and what you have going out. While a pre-set budget form is best to accomplish this you can do it on a piece of notebook paper. Just right down your bills and expenses in one column and your income in another. Then add them up and subtract your expenses from your income. You will know at a glace if you have money problems.

Develop A Budget You Can Live With

There are literally thousands of budget sample forms available and most are very effective. However, many have as many as 50 categories of expense items you must keep up with to make it work. This requires entirely too much time and effort and are usually abandoned within a few days or weeks. Find a simple budget with very few categories and once set up only requires your attention for a few minutes on payday.

Cut Expense In Every Budget Category You Can

There are thousands of ways to cut your expenses and not change the way you live. As an example, the current trend that is saving a lot of money is to eliminate your land line and use your cell phone as your primary phone. It's a fact that most people could cut their monthly expenses by 10% or more leaving that money to be used for more important purposes. The internet is the best place to get tips that you can use.

Set Up A Debt Repayment Plan

Consumer debt is robbing people of hundreds of dollars each month in interest charges and late and over limit fees. Your goal should be to eliminate all of your debt as soon as possible. There is a simple process called snowballing that will allow you to pay off your debt much earlier and save you possible tens of thousands of dollars in interest charges.

Basically, snowballing is where you add up all of your minimum payments and choose one bill to add extra money to the payment until it is paid in full. Then you take the extra money and the payment you were making on bill 1 and add it to the next bill and so on. The extra money you add doesn't have to be much. Just adding $25 will pay down your bills much faster because the amount of money you have allotted for bills remains the same until all of your bills are paid off.

Know Your Credit

Your credit rating, or credit score, is very important when obtaining a loan. As an example according to Myfico. com, show that for a $300, 000 loan, an individual with a credit score of 760-850 would pay $1745 and an individual with a credit score of 500-579 would pay $2676 per month.

The only way to really know what your credit looks like to lenders is to obtain a copy of your credit report regularly. Residents of the US can obtain a free copy of their credit report from the three credit reporting agencies each year. I urge you to get your free copies by visiting https:// annualcreditreport. com/cra/index. jsp

Look For More Sources Of Income

If your paycheck doesn't stretch far enough to cover all of your bills and expenses you may need to look for additional sources of money to cover everything. I would employ the expense cutting method mentioned above first but if you still can't make it then more money would help.

Each of us have our own specific talents. Trying to come up with a one size fits all method of generating more income is next to impossible. But, if you take the time to really look at the talents you have you will probably find that you could use them to provide a product or service that people are willing to pay for.

Like I said, these are just the basics. There are other areas of personal finances that are just as important like investing and building your personal wealth, but those are topics that you can concentrate on when you have the basics covered.

If you aren't aware of where you stand financially you may be a victim of what I call "Financial Complacency". That is simply defined as not being willing to put in the time and effort necessary to control all aspects of your personal finances. Normally, this is a result of being confused about your money and how it should work because you were never taught the right way.

Simply by making a concerted effort to properly manage your money will go a long way toward solving any problems you may have. You may be surprised at how easy the solution can be.

Beware of junk fees with online mortgage brokers

Refinancing your home is a big decision. When done for the right reasons, with the assistance of a reputable mortgage broker, refinancing your home can be a great way to save money and even put cash in your pocket. Many people utilize online mortgage brokers to handle their home refinance needs. Using online refinancing options can result in a savings of time and money, assuming that the company you select to handle your needs is a reputable one.

Even though there are many reputable mortgage companies doing business online, there are also a number of companies who seek to take advantage of consumers with junk fees. If you find yourself dealing with a company that starts adding on fees that weren’t disclosed in the beginning, you may be dealing with an organization that isn’t reputable. Such companies often charge consumers fees that the consumers should never have to pay,

Examples of Junk Fees

Some websites that allow consumers to fill out one form so that a number of lenders can bid on the opportunity to provide your loan actually charge a fee to fill out their contact form and use their services.

Some companies will add on “computerized origination fees,” claiming that such fees cover the costs of allowing you to use their websites to apply for refinancing. This junk fee is the equivalent of a grocery store charging you a cover charge when you walk in the door to cover the costs of using their store to find groceries to buy.

Other junk fees to watch for include application fees, charges to lock in an interest rate, and courier fees.

Protecting Yourself From Junk Fees

Don’t rule out working with an online mortgage broker just because some of them are not reputable. Asking people you trust for referrals of reputable online lenders can be a good way of finding a reputable broker. As a consumer, you need to be informed about your rights and you need to ask the right questions when selecting a mortgage company.

When dealing with an online mortgage broker, read the Licensing & Disclosure statement on the company’s website. All fees should be disclosed in that statement. It is also a good idea to ask the representative with whom you are working to disclose all fees to you.

If an online mortgage broker is asking you to pay a fee that seems like a junk fee, ask a local mortgage broker if the fee is reasonable or not. If a company charges a fee just to fill out a form on its website, you should keep looking for another lender.

When selecting an online lender, ask for references. Learn everything you can about the company’s background so that you can be certain you are not working with a shady organization.

When you find a good broker, by letting other people know about him or her, you can play a role in helping to reduce shady online lenders by spreading the word about the reputable lender that you found. When you refer your colleagues to reputable online lenders, you are playing a role in making the online lending industry better and safer for consumers.

Is there income after peak oil and economic collapse there is if you re clever

Many predict that the world will soon experience an economic depression, brought on by a variety of factors, but most particularly Peak Oil - the lessening production of petroleum. (For full information on Peak Oil, see Dry Dipstick - drydipstick. com)

No matter what happens to the economy, you'll probably still need income. Work continues even in hard times. Sadly, and ironically, at a time when so much more needs to be done, it gets harder and harder for people to actually find jobs.

We can guess what type of jobs might disappear first as a result of decreasing oil supplies and economic collapse--such as housing construction, highway construction, just about any kind of construction for that matter, credit cards, banking, stocks and bonds, overnight tourism (daytrip may do okay), airlines (but bus and maybe even railroads may do well), the automobile industry and all its related businesses, hotels and motels, drive-through fast-food, car washes, chain stores dependent on cheap goods from China, and so on--but it's probably more useful to try and predict what type of jobs and skills will be most needed.

We assume they will involve basic needs--food, water, health, and the like. There will probably be much more focus on repairing items than replacing them, so cottage industries like small appliance repair and clothing repair could do well. Escapist entertainment and fads were thriving during the Great Depression of the 1930s and there's no reason to believe similar, low-cost businesses might not do equally well now.

But you shouldn't count on someone hiring you. Plan now to work for yourself, providing goods and services to people who need them.

We can't make any guarantees, but the following ideas are good possibilities. And they should get you thinking in the right direction about other likely businesses.

Barter Network

When people don't have money, they do barter. They've always got stuff--and skills--that they can exchange. Set up a barter network, help others do it, and take a small cut of the action.

Beer and Wine Making

No matter how hard times get, people will still want beer and wine. If you can turn the stuff out at home, you've got an endless supply of barter material.

Bicycle Sales / Repairs

The first thing you should do right now is run out and buy as many used bicycles as you can. Used bike sales and repairs should do very well. You could even add motorcycles and scooters, because of the good gas mileage they get.

Car Repair

While this is no time to be in the new car sales business, car repair should be fine as people try to keep their existing vehicles running as long as they can--and as long as they can afford the gas. Consider basic car repair/maintenance where you go to the customer's home to do the service. You might even have luck with ongoing maintenance contracts. You could also give car repair classes.

Cheap Luxuries

Even in hard times--actually particularly in hard times--people will want to spoil themselves now and then. But the luxury has to be cheap. It might be a special chocolate chip cookie, or delicious homemade candy. Or maybe it's very special handmade giftwrapping paper. Or fragrant handmade soap or a hand-carved wooden toy.

Computer Repair

Computer repair and maintenance should do exceptionally well. People will no longer be running out to buy the latest upgrade (computer, monitor, printer, etc.) but will be more interested in keeping what they have working properly.

Delivery Service

It makes much more sense to pay a slight fee to have a store deliver a purchase to you than to get in your car and make a round trip to do it yourself. Smart store owners will offer free delivery in order to attract customers. (On a larger scale, companies like UPS and FedEx should do well.)

Entertainment

People want to be entertained, particularly when times are tough. Consider bringing together talented people to offer live entertainment in neighborhood or community locations. You probably won't get rich but you'll have a good time, and you and the entertainers will end up with more money than when you started.

Errand Service

On a more personal level than a delivery service, errand services can combine your needs with similar needs of others, to provide services cheaper than you could do them yourself. This might be pickup and delivery, but could also include banking, taking children to after-school classes and sports or pets to the veterinarian, and a variety of other activities.

Fads

It would be nice to invent, and get rich off, the next fad. But you can also stay in touch with the culture, and offer low-cost ways for your community to enjoy those fads.

Farming

You don't have to have a huge farm to have a healthy farming business. An acre of land and a lot of hard work will produce what you need for a small-scale business. Consider also specialty items such as mushrooms, herbs, or sprouts. Because of the many uses of hemp, that will be a great crop once it's legal--or at least possible without enforcement--to grow.

Herbal Treatments

You can grow, or forage for, herbs and use them to make healing concoctions, syrups, salves, teas, and a variety of other healthy items. You could also use flowers for Aromatherapy.

Home Repair

People will have to do what they can to keep everything in their home in working order. If you have carpentry, plumbing, electrical and a wide variety of other relevant skills, you can be a big help to those people. You might even have success at teaching these skills to others.

Instruction

You name it, someone will be interested in it. Whether it's using tools, playing music, sewing or storytelling. The lessons likely to do best will be those focused on basic essentials, saving money and protecting health, such as gardening, food canning, inexpensive home cooking, yoga and other health exercises, meditation and relaxation, herb foraging and use, and pet care.

Instructional Video Library

Considering setting up an instructional video library; videos and DVDs that teach people various skills, whether they're home or car repair, sewing, musical, language or any of hundreds of other subjects.

Raising Chickens and Rabbits

Lots of people might start their own gardens, but very few will raise their own meat. You can take advantage of that by raising chickens and rabbits-and other critters if you've got room.

Rental Library

Libraries aren't just for videos and books. Consider offering specialty kitchenware, car and woodworking tools, games, toys, household repair tools, gardening equipment and literally anything else you can think of.

Seamstress / Tailor / Clothing Alterations

In hard times, people can't afford to simply buy new clothes to replace slightly worn clothing. Darning socks will be back again. Sewing and knitting skills are no longer common, nor are sewing machines. Anyone with these skills will be much in demand.

Small Appliance / Electronics Repair

Till now it's been cheaper to throw away a broken radio, telephone, blender, microwave, coffee maker and similar appliances than to have it repaired. That time is over. With the end of cheap imports, and loss of income, people will no longer be able to afford new items. They will either have to do without, or find someone with the skills to fix them.

Soap Making

Everybody needs soap. While there might not be a time when you can't find soap to buy, you'll save money, have some fun, and end up with an excellent barter item by making your own soap. Here are some more recipes. While you're at it, here are some skin care recipes.

Toys and Games

There was a time when toys were not mass-produced plastic things. They were carefully crafted from wood, cloth and other natural materials, were treasured by the children who received them, and were passed down from generation to generation. Create some yourself, and you'll have customers.

Web hosting - choose affordable cheap web hosting

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The Basics:

Web hosting offers you the opportunity to put your web site online, when you think about it; it’s the only way you can do it. No matter how large or small in content your web site happens to be it has to go onto a web server. A web server is simply a larger and much more powerful computer than your own. Your internet content simply sits on this server for people to access and view your information. The web servers are stored within data centers, all you are simply doing is renting some space on the server.

Why use a web hosting service:

Firstly it’s very affordable. Web hosting companies will look after and update all software required to maintain your site, they will also add all security patches making sure your content is safe from hackers/viruses and unwanted spam. Once you register your domain name (web site name) you have to have it hosted for the public to view your information. If you run into any difficulties you will have a full technical support team to help you out. To host your own will cost too much on hardware, bandwidth and ongoing software updates.

I hear of shared web hosting – What is it?

When shopping around for a web host company you will find that many are offering shared web hosting. Shared web hosting is simply a server that has a number of different web sites sitting on it simultaneously. You will be allocated a certain amount of disk space on the server and this may allow you to have a number of web sites hosted on the one server. Shared web hosting is a very secure service even though you could be sharing the server with many different companies. No other company will have access to your files. Many people think that using a shared service will make the web site act very slowly, this is totally incorrect, the information will be displayed and downloaded equally as fast as if it where on the server on it’s own. Web host companies offer shared hosting simply to use up all the space on the server, there is no benefit to you or them having empty hard disk space.

What makes a good web host site?

If you have developed a web site for business opportunity or to sell merchandise online you need reliability. Downtime costs you money so the less downtime you experience the better chance of making money. You need to compile a list of questions to ask the web host company when it comes to hosting your site. You need a guarantee response time if the unthinkable should happen and the site goes offline. You need 24 hour access to your files with 24 hour support if you intend selling products online, most of your sales could be made in the evening or night time so you have to have support for any issues that could arise. Statistics are also important; you need to know how many unique hits (people visiting your site) you are getting so you can see the trend of people just visiting to those who are buying. Some web host companies offer very substantial stats while others can be less informative, you should ask for a demonstration.

Word of mouth is a great way to hear as to who is a good host and a bad host. If you know somebody in a similar position to you, ask their opinion from their experience. There are plenty of good honest web host companies out there but like every market there are a few bad apples. Ask the questions and make sure you are confident with the replies before you join up.

Will it matter if I host my web site in my own country or in another?

Generally speaking no. If you are happy with your questions answered and the company have 24 hour support to allow for time differences you should have the same level service as if the web host company was based just down the road. Some people think that by hosting their website outside of their registered country they will lose their domain identity, this is false e. g. if I was based in Ireland and I had a computer website it would be something like computerparts. ie The. ie is the identity of Ireland but if I wanted this site hosted in the US I would still keep the. ie, there is no need to change to. com. That’s the great thing about web hosting, the world is your oyster and you can shop online globally until your are truly happy with the service.

Choosing an online stockbroker - different types of broker services

The world has changed incredibly over the past couple of decades – and there is no greater indication of that than in the world of stock trading and investing.

In times gone-by, the majority of investors would pick their stocks via a traditional stockbroker at a brokerage firm. The transaction would involve paper based stock certificates being issued to the stock buyer. The types of investments available to the “average investor” were also highly limited.

Today, the same “average investor” can trade anything from single stocks to currencies, commodities and indices – all with the simple click of a mouse – and without ever leaving the home.

But with choice comes confusion – deciding on what stockbroker fits your needs like a glove can be a daunting process. This guide has been designed to give you an understanding of the different types of stockbroker services that exist, and help you decide which one is right for you.

Here are just a few of the many issues that you will need to consider when deciding on your preferred stockbroker:

- Do you feel comfortable executing your trades online, with one click ease, or do you prefer doing your business with an actual person, on the phone or even in person? The availability of technology has meant that firms are able to process large volumes of trades cheaply, so if you don’t need a person to talk with to make your trades then there are a large number of “no frills” online brokerage services that will allow you to do business for a few dollars per trade.

- How many transactions you make will go a large way towards deciding which brokerage service is the right one for you. Some firms will offer price breaks for frequent traders – so if you’re a day trader then you can find a service that’s far better equipped for your needs than if you were an infrequent investor.

- Do you require a basic “execution only” service or do you require some advice when making your trades? Clearly, an execution only service is going to be cheaper.

The Different Types Of Stockbroker Services Available

There are three basic types of stock-broking services available to the public:

1. Advisory Service – Any firm that offers advice to the public as part of an advisory stock-broking service must be registered and authorised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSA is a government body that is set-up to ensure that financial companies comply with the many regulations that ensure a fair and fraud-free environment.

A company that offers an advisory service must ensure that any staff members that offer financial advice are adequately qualified to do so. A list of companies that are FSA approved can be found on the FSA website ( fsa. gov. org).

Obviously, most stockbrokers will charge a fee for their advisory services. Typically, the stockbroker will discuss your investment aims and objectives and then recommend a range of investments that they feel would best suit your needs. You can, of course, accept or reject their proposals. Advisory services tend to be done via the broker in person – either at their office, your home or over the telephone.

2. Discretionary Service - With a discretionary service, the stock-broking company will take a sum of money that you provide and invest this on your behalf. It’s significantly different to an advisory service because the stockbroker does not have to tell the investor about every trade that is made on their behalf – the stockbroker has a lot of “discretion” on how to invest the clients’ money.

3. Execution Only - As the name suggests, execution only trades are when the broker is simply instructed to buy or sell a particular investment. The broker has no say about the trade (even if they thought the stock was going to drop by 90% tomorrow they are not obliged to say anything). This is the type of service that has recently been made available to the masses via online brokerage houses that typically offer trades for $10 or so each.

You'll be spending a lot of time and money with your broker - so it's worth taking the time to understand which broker is right for you.

Get real with reality tv

Reality TV is far from educational but you have to admit that they are damned well good fun to watch.

I can not speak for others and I have no jurisdiction over television stations that air these types of programme. However this type of entertainment can be very fulfilling in providing pleasure to viewers who get withdrawal symptoms should they not get their weekly fix of reality TV.

Then we have the vast majority who find it all so false and irritating.

Who do you please? A catch 22 situation,

Why the big issue over the showing of these series is beyond me. No one twists your arm up your back to view the antics of the Big Brother house; no one holds your head steadfast while you squirm at the creepy crawlies swallowed by the inhabitants of the Australian jungle.

There is no imposed law out there stating that you the viewer have to watch this garbage as some would see it. Millions of people tune into their favourite channels and are content to watch what they enjoy, and if reality TV is one of those channels, then so be it.

Freedom of choice, so many laws out there dictating how we run our lives with out some critic sticking the oar in to scrap reality television all because it is not educational.

If people want educating then surely they will tune into the discovery channel, where they get to see the gruesome remains of bodies unearthed for DNA testing.

For updates as to what is going on around the world we have the CNN news showing the bombings in Iraq followed by flashes of pictures of bony skeletal starving kids in Africa.

Crime watch another awareness programme on how to catch a thief or nail a mugger while they load up a mug shot on our screens of the bloodied battered face of the 80 year old woman mugged for her pension. Sorry I have done enough crying for the day watching all that suffering.

If reality TV can generate a strong presence of pleasure and put a smile on the faces of millions who enjoy this type of entertainment, then leave it be.

To much crying in the world today and if reality TV takes on the role of being clown for the evening to put a smile on your face then make sure to tune in every week.

Remember you will always get the critic or the anti reality TV person ready to wipe the smile of your face. Well for those people against, face up to reality and deal with it, as it is here to stay.

Overseas driver s license auto insurance

Many countries do not recognize a U. S. driver's license. However, most countries accept an international driver's permit. Before departure, you can obtain one at a local office of an automobile association. The U. S. Department of State has authorized two organizations to issue international driving permits to those who hold valid U. S. driver's licenses: AAA and the American Automobile Touring Alliance. To apply for an international driving permit, you must be at least age 18, and you will need to present two passport-size photographs and your valid U. S. license. Certain countries require road permits, instead of tolls, to use on their divided highways, and they will fine those found driving without a permit.

Car rental agencies overseas usually provide auto insurance, but in some countries, the required coverage is minimal. When renting a car overseas, consider purchasing insurance coverage that is at least equivalent to that which you carry at home.

In general, your U. S. auto insurance does not cover you abroad. However, your policy may apply when you drive to countries neighboring the United States. Check with your insurer to see if your policy covers you in Canada, Mexico, or countries south of Mexico. Even if your policy is valid in one of these countries, it may not meet its minimum requirements. For instance, in most of Canada, you must carry at least $200,000 in liability insurance, and Mexico requires that, if vehicles do not carry theft, third party liability, and comprehensive insurance, the owner must post a bond that could be as high as 50% of the value of the vehicle. If you are under-insured for a country, auto insurance can usually be purchased on either side of the border.

You also need to check and see what the rules of the road are for the country you are visiting. You may find that you will be driving on the opposite side of the road from what you are used to. Remember, you will be in a foreign country and subject to their rules – so study before you go. Be safe and watch out for the other guy.