Energies Seasonal Trends Trade For Bigger Profits!

Seasonal trends give traders an extra tool that can be used to pinpoint the high reward low risk trades.

There simple to understand and easy to use and can increase profit potential dramatically.Last week one of the best seasonal tendencies returned over 14%!

If you have never looked at them you need to - They are great profit tool for any trader\'s novice or pro.

The seasonal tendancey for the major energy markets are outlined below.

Heating Oil

Heating oil, known also as No. 2 fuel oil, accounts for about 25% of a barrel of crude making it the second largest \cut\ after unleaded gasoline.

The demand for heating oil is obviously strongest in winter.

Therefore stocks tend to be highest in the October and November in anticipation of a cold snap and decline to a minimum in the February - March time frame in anticipation of warmer weather. June and July then become the fill months in anticipation of the colder weather ahead.

Unleaded Gas

Unleaded gasoline is the largest petroleum product refined in the United States and the world. Gasoline is the largest volume refined product used in the USA and accounts for almost half of national oil consumption.

It is a highly diverse market, with hundreds of wholesale distributors and thousands of retail outlets, which contributes to price considerable volatility.

Three-quarters of the total usage of gasoline is by individuals, with demand ebbing and flowing with the driving habits.

The seasonal in unleaded gasoline is the opposite of heating oil, where peak demand is in the summer driving months. Unleaded gasoline stocks peak in April - May in anticipation of the summer driving season and are lowest in September - October.

Crude Oil

The seasonal demand for heating oil and unleaded gas influences the seasonal demand for crude oil as production is switched between the two to make the best use of refining capacity. Crude oil seasonal tendency is for prices to move higher into the fall, as refineries switch production of gasoline to production of heating oil in mid to late summer.

This often increases demand for crude and higher prices are the result. Natural Gas

In the United States, natural gas is used mainly for heating in the Northern states during the cold winter months and is used as a fuel to produce electricity for air conditioners during the summer in the South.

Therefore seasonal demand is highest during these periods and traders need to look at storage coming into these periods of peak demand to anticipate where prices may go and if there will be a shortage or not.

How to use seasonal tendencies to trade

Always keep this fact in mind:

Price precedes consumption

Supplies must be stockpiled in ADVANCE to meet seasonal demand. The up shoot of this is:

Price tends to rally in anticipation of consumption and you need to look forward to see where prices may go. Demand on the wholesale level begins to increase in advance of peak retail usage.

A great seasonal making huge gains

Anyone reading our articles on seasonal tendencies will know how bullish we are on natural gas and as we enter the period of peak demand prices have soared by 14% in a week.

This seasonal has allowed many savvy traders to have entered market positions in ADVANCE of this move and now they are sitting on some great profits with maybe a lot more to come.

Look at seasonals for yourself and use them as an extra filter and you will find they add a new profitable dimension to your trading.

For more FREE info on trading seasonal tendancies and a FREE energies newsletter and other FREE valuable trading tolls please visit http://www.wellingtoncr.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=SachaTarkovsky

Credit After Bankruptcy Is It Possible?

One of the most common questions debtors ask bankruptcy lawyers is \Will I be able to get credit after filing bankruptcy?\.

Most people are suprised to find their mailboxes flooded with new credit offers after filing bankruptcy. Why does this happen? Why would a creditor give more credit to someone who has filed bankruptcy?

Creditors make money by lending money. If creditors don\'t lend money, they don\'t make money. Even credit cards for people with the best credit ratings often carry credit card balances that will not be paid off within the next 20 years if the debtor pays the minimum monthly credit card payment.

Creditors lend money based upon a debtor\'s debt to income ratio. Debt to income ratio is the amount of debt a debtor has versus the amount of money the debtor earns. If a debtor has monthly debt that exceeds the debtor\'s monthly income, the debtor is obviously a poor credit risk and it is unlikely that a creditor will risk loaning money to the debtor.

What happens to a debtor\'s debt to income ratio when the debtor files bankruptcy? The bankruptcy will wipe out the debtor\'s debt and leave the debtor with the same income. Filing bankruptcy transforms the debtor\'s debt to income ratio and creates a positive lending prospect for the creditor.

Creditors also know that the debtor who has filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy will not be able to file another chapter 7 bankruptcy for 8 more years under the new bankruptcy law. Creditors know that the debtor who has filed bankruptcy is stuck with whatever new credit is issued and will not be able to discharge the debt as easily in a second bankruptcy.

Filing bankruptcy can actually improve the credit outlook for many debtors. Most bankruptcy lawyers offer free consultations to discuss bankruptcy and credit issues.

BankruptcyHelpOnline.org is the bankruptcy resource solution that makes bankruptcy easy to understand. The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 has made filing bankruptcy more complicated than ever before. BankruptcyHelpOnline.org is your source for useful bankruptcy information that is easy to understand.

Working In Retirement

Most experts on the subject believe that the Social Security system will be bankrupt in about 15 years. However, some new studies have offered a ray of hope. They seem to indicate that the assumption that the boomer generation will retire at 65 or 67 and sit back to collect their social security checks is incorrect.



They believe a sufficient percentage - some estimates are as high as 80% - will continue to work in some capacity or another, relieving much of the pressure on the system.



This is probably the only ray of hope for many who have visited financial planners or bought personal finance software to see how much they need for retirement. These usually show you need a million or more dollars to retire with your current lifestyle. But again, they don\'t take continuing earnings into account.



Many in the baby boomer generation plan to retire at around 65, but then start a second career, doing something they enjoy. Most don\'t want to continue on in their present jobs or move to low paying work at fast food restaurants or supermarkets.



Rather they would rather make their accumulated knowledge work and, if possible, also give something back to society at the same time.



Health experts say this trend will be beneficial in that by staying involved, those past retirement age will stay healthier and will be happier with their life.



So it seems that several trends are converging. Those in their 60\'s, 70\'s and early eighties are healthier than ever. Because of their increased longevity and the shortfall in their retirement savings, they need to continue to earn. And many companies who once looked on older workers with distain, now seem to realize the value they can contribute to the company and to society in general.



There is speculation that colleges and universities may allow retirees to earn fast track degrees, taking into account their prior education and work experience. Also some states are already loosening license requirements for teachers to allow those with degrees in fields other than education to become teachers with little if any further training.



Another way to continue to earn in retirement is by making wise investment choices now.



Buy rental properties, learn how to manage money effectively or start your own business now in your part time so that you have something up and running by the time you retire.



The internet has opened up new ways to earn, be it drop shipping, affiliate marketing or selling goods on Bay.



If you always wanted to be an author or if you can write software programs, it is simple to self publish and sell electronic goods through services such as Clickbank.



Or you could just do something you\'ve always wanted, like baking breading or making shoes. If you\'re good at whatever you choose, you should have little trouble finding a clientele.



But if you are depressed because you have to continue to work after 65, don\'t. You\'ll have a lot of company and you\'ll will also be healthier and happier for it.



For more advice on retirement planning and personal finance, visit http://www.credit-yourself.com/financial-planning.html

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Chris Cooper a retired attorney, and his wife Aileen, who has a MBA in Finance, provide personal finance and financial planning advice at www.credit-yourself.com\>Credit Yourself

SPX: Completing the Downtrend in April

Intermediate-term technical indicators suggest SPX will be much lower within six weeks. The chart below is an SPX daily chart, with indicators, since the end of the rally in Nov. The chart shows the NYSE Oscillator\'s (i.e. NYMO) 50-day MA peaked two months ago slightly above 25 and closed at 2.12 Fri. Normally, when the Oscillator\'s 50-day MA rises to 25, it will fall to negative 25. Also, the second half of the downtrend tends to be steeper than the first half.

Moreover, the chart shows, the VIX 200-day MA fell last week to 12.38. VIX closed at 11.85 Fri and has been below the 200-day MA over most of the past month. Consequently, the VIX 200-day MA may fall to the historically low 12.29 level reached in mid-Feb \'94, when SPX pulled-back 9.7% in 60 calendar days from early-Feb to late-Mar \'94. So, there may be little SPX upside, and at least a moderate pullback may take place over the next few weeks.

Last week, the technical short-term oversold condition of the market was neutralized. The Oscillator and Stochastics reached low levels early last week and then rose with the market late in the week. However, SPX may continue to rise to just below the Parabolic SAR (i.e. purple dots), similar to the rise in late Jan, before pulling back sharply, although the 10-day MA was resistance Fri. SPX generally traded around its Mar Max Pain point at 1,275 most of last week.

There are many important economic reports next week: Mon--None, Tue--Retail Sales, Current Account, Business Inventories, Wed--Import & Export Prices, Empire State Index, Oil Inventories, Fed\'s Beige Book, Thu--CPI, Building Permits, Housing Starts, Unemployment Claims, and Fri--Industrial Production, Capacity Utilization, Michigan Consumer Sentiment. Also, next week is an end-of-the-quarter options expiration week. Consequently, it may be a volatile week.

SPX has been in a slow and volatile uptrend, over the past 3 1/2 months, after the rally ended in Nov, which is a bearish pattern, e.g. a rising wedge (within another two year rising wedge) or a double top (or potential triple top). Uncertainty about monetary policy may heighten, although the FOMC is expected to raise the Fed Funds Rate 25 basis points Mar 28th, because of stagflation concerns, i.e. slowing growth with rising inflation.

Charts available at PeakTrader.com Forum Index Market Forecast section.

Arthur Albert Eckart is the founder and owner of www.PeakTrader.com Arthur has worked for commercial banks, e.g. Wells Fargo, Banc One, and First Commerce Technologies, during the 1980s and 1990s. He has also worked for Janus Funds from 1999-00. Arthur Eckart has a BA & MA in Economics from the University of Colorado. He has worked on options portfolio optimization since 1998.

Mr Eckart has developed a comprehensive trading methodology using economics, portfolio optimization, and technical analysis to maximize return and minimize risk at the same time and over time. This methodology has resulted in excellent returns with low risk over the past four years.

Real Estate Investors: July 4th Weekend Perfect Opportunity for House Hunting

While driving to the home improvement store Saturday before the 4th of July, we noticed that the usual \Open House\ signs were missing. The real estate offices were closed. No real estate agent wants to work on the 4th of July holiday week. In fact, earlier in the week, I called two real estate agents about listing a property and another agent about a home we wanted to see. They all put me off until July 5th!

However, these are the conditions that mean real estate investors can pick up a deal. Home shoppers put off looking for a home because of holiday decorating, shopping, and parties. Plus, the hot weather makes home buyers prefer to stay home. Investors can take advantage with little competition from other buyers.

Other reasons why now is the time to buy real estate:

Motivated Sellers

Home sellers who didn\'t sell during the recent buying frenzy are worried that their home will not sell. Any seller offering their home for sale during the holiday season is motivated.

Affordability

Interest rates continue to creep up. Who knows what the rates will rise to next month?

Qualifying

Lenders threaten to tighten up qualifications. Last summer, loan officers were able to get through almost any loan. Today may be your best shot to buy real estate and get a decent rate with the easiest qualifications.

Easy Escrow or Closing

Title insurance agents, closing agents and appraisers are not as busy. Appraisers need work. Too many people became real estate appraisers when there was too much work. It used to take a week or more to schedule an appraisal. We just ordered an appraisal and the appraiser wanted to come out the same afternoon! Also, appraisal fees cost less today than last month.

Clear some time from your busy holiday schedule and go find a bargain house. Make many offers. You won\'t get this break until Labor Day Weekend.

Copyright 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Jeanette Fisher teaches five ways to make money investing in real estate. FREE Beginner\'s Real Estate Investing Guide

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=JeanetteJoyFisher

How I Raised My Credit Score 40 Points In 24hrs. And Saved $658 A Month In Interest

It's never easy to talk about credit. Not with friends, not with family, not online, and, most of all, not with myself. Yes, I let a monthly payment go by here and there. I've maxed out my share of credit cards. I've bought cars that I really couldn't afford. I ate out. A lot. At expensive restaurants. And I always ordered the lobster. I always knew, in the back of my head, that I was teetering on the brink of credit destruction. Yet I couldn't bring myself to admit that my credit was going downhill. I continued applying for credit cards anyway. I didn't want to run them up, honestly. It just happened.



One day, reality gave me a swift kick in the rear. I grew weary of renting, so I decided to pursue the proverbial American Dream and purchase a home. I sort of knew that my credit was troubled, but I kidded myself into thinking that it couldn't be that bad. I went to a mortgage company to finance my dream. When I got there, I filled out an application, and they pulled my credit report. I truly was not prepared for what the loan officer said to me next. I'm sorry, sir, he said, your application has been declined. I was absolutely stunned and numb. I could not believe my ears. My dreams were decimated in mere seconds. I left the office so dumbfounded that I didn't even remember the drive home. I got back to the apartment and I torched every Homes For Sale magazine in the fireplace.



From that very moment, I resolved to clean up my act. Not knowing much about credit, I had to swallow the last ounce of pride I had and called up the loan officer I met with. They have general guidelines for approving mortgage loans, he explained. One of the major factors that go into an approval is your credit score. Quite simply, the higher your credit scores, the better your chances of being approved. What's more, the higher your score, the better the terms of your mortgage; that is, better interest rates, better payments, and lower down payments to name but a few. In my particular case, my score was low. Their minimum requirement is a score of 620. My score was 604.



The only way that I could get an approval for a home loan, he said, was to raise my credit scores. The good news, he said, was that he could refer me to their sister company. They specialized in approving mortgages for people with challenged credit. In fact, they have been known to approve loans for people with scores as low as 500!



With a glimmer of hope, I contacted the company he spoke of, known as a subprime lender. Sure enough, they had good news for me. We received your application from our sister company, and I'm happy to tell you that we are able to approve you for a mortgage!



Something didn't feel quite right, though, so I asked about the terms of the mortgage he approved. It turned out that their loan was going to cost me a whopping $7896.00 in additional interest for the first year, which amounted to roughly an extra $666.00 per month! That was about twice what I used to pay on my car. Think about thatbecause my scores were so low, I had to pay the equivalent of two car payments in order to purchase a house. Heck, I could've bought a Mercedes with that kind of money, although I probably wouldn't have been approved for a car loan anyway. Not only would the extra interest have a disastrous impact on my bank account, it would price me completely out of my dream home - a terrifying thought indeed.



While I celebrated the approval, I shuddered at the terms. I begrudgingly went forward with the lending process. Although I loathed that extra interest, I hated the thought of not owning a home even more. In the meantime, I resolved to find another way. Either I could sign their loan and pay almost $8000 extra just in interest, or I could try again with the first company after raising my score. To me, the choice was clear. At the time, there wasn't much I could afford anyway, let alone two cars' worth of payments. I resolved not to pay any more than was absolutely necessary to purchase the house. I had to repair my credit! With no money in the bank and no room on my credit cards, I simply could not fathom spending $400-$500 on a credit repair agency. My creativity had to exceed my financial means for me to get the results I needed.



I was able to obtain a ri-merge credit report and found my aggregate scores were 604, 576, and 606. A tri-merge refers to a single credit report that contains information, including scores, from the three major credit reporting bureaus; namely, Experian (formerly TRW), Equifax, and TransUnion. Each has a unique formula for scoring your credit. Many mortgage companies will use a tri-merge report to determine whether your creditworthiness deserves an approval. Depending on the mortgage company, they will consider one of your three scores and go from there. In my case, the loan officer advised that I needed to get one of the numbers up to at least 620.



Throughout the course of my research, I found a lot of resources that explained the credit repair process. One of the most common methods is to write letters to the credit bureaus, disputing the erroneous information on my credit report that caused my scores to decline. In fact, the credit bureaus themselves explain this process. Basically, you scour your report and locate invalid entries, such as an incorrect credit limit, or even an entry that's not yours. Then, you write a letter to the credit bureau explaining that the information is wrong and ask for it to be removed. If they manage to confirm that the entries are correct, then it stays on the report. If they can't confirm it, off it goes. Make no mistake; this technique is quite effective if done correctly. The problem is credit bureaus, by law, have thirty days to investigate the information. That doesn't even include the time it takes to mail my dispute, and for them to mail an answer back letting me know what happened. At best, it would take about 40 days before I knew anything. I simply could not wait that long. Plus, there was no guarantee that they would remove the information anyway.



Undaunted, I continued my quest to boost my credit scores quickly and inexpensively. Time was running out, however. The closing for the subprime mortgage was only days away. My persistence was rewarded when I managed to discover little-known methods that I utilized to increase my score. As a matter of fact, my Equifax score went from 604 to 644 in only 24 hours! Like a thermometer next to a blue-hot flame, my score shot up 40 points, literally, overnight. I went back to my loan officer, and he was flabbergasted. Never had he seen anyone raise their credit scores so quickly and dramatically. He put my application back through. Miraculously, I was approved!



I saved myself hundreds of dollars a month, and thousands of dollars a year by being able to raise my credit scores. The best part is that, because of the techniques I used, it only took a matter of days and not months like the credit bureaus would have you believe. There's an adage that says Cash is king. These days, it's more accurate to say that Credit is king. Your credit scores have so much impact on your life that it would be catastrophic to take them lightly. By raising your credit score, you can experience the same kinds of savings that I achieved. You'll be able to better afford that dream home or dream car, and you'll realize the benefits for years and years to come.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Frank Bruno has spent the last 3 years assisting hundreds of clients in saving thousands of dollars in Interest rates by teaching them unique techniques on how to quickly and dramatically raise their credit scores. For more information please visit his website - www.CreditScoreBooster.com

Maternity Health Insurance Coverage

A woman naturally gets excited when she finds out that she is pregnant. In many cases, this happiness is soon diminished when the financial burden of having a child is realized. Thirteen percent of American women who become pregnant have no maternity insurance coverage. They face the risk of inadequate pre-natal care and must find their own resources for funding the cost. If the pregnancy is complicated, this adds to the burden.

Even those with insurance may find to their dismay that maternity is not covered. A costly add-on premium may be required. Some insurers do not offer maternity coverage or consider it a pre-existing health condition. This is illegal by Federal law, and there are several loopholes.

There are many group insurance plans that do provide maternity coverage as a service to members. There may be a waiting period of three months to one year before the clause becomes effective. What happens if one becomes pregnant during the waiting period? If you are carrying COBRA (extended coverage from a previous employer), check to see if maternity is covered. This may be costly but well worth it.

Some states have plans for pregnant women like Medi-cal in California. Federally sponsored programs like Medicaid also exist, but they are mostly for low-income groups.

Another option is MaternityCard. It is designed to provide help to pregnant women and is well accepted. This covers a wide spectrum of maternity medical needs and less expensive than regular insurance.

Ideally, maternity coverage begins immediately. There are some women that naturally get excited when they finds out that they are pregnant. In many cases, this happiness is soon diminished when the financial burden of having a child is realized. Thirteen percent of American women who become pregnant have no maternity insurance coverage. They face the risk of inadequate pre-natal care and must find their own resources for funding the cost. If the pregnancy is complicated, this adds to the burden. There are some plans

that have a 30-day waiting period. Always study the package that is offered before accepting it.

Health Insurance Coverage provides detailed information about health insurance coverage, individual health insurance coverage and more. Health Insurance Coverage is affiliated with Individual Health Insurance Quotes.

The Easy Guide To Finding The Best Health Insurance Coverage

Health insurance coverage is a major necessity for today\'s active consumer. Taking the chance of not setting enough money aside in order to pay your monthly health insurance premium is basically gambling with your financial and physical well-being. Typically, health insurance benefits and coverage vary widely among the many different health insurance providers. However, they all have one common trait or feature and that is they all pay for a pre-determined amount of incurred medical cost for the policy holder or insured individual.

Health insurance may not seem as important to you right now and in many cases most people don\'t acknowledge the fact that they even need health insurance until it\'s to late. This usually happens right around the time when a consumer requires significant medical attention or assistance. For some folks even routine doctor\'s exams and medical appointments can be the catalyst or wake up sign that health insurance is very vital to living a health and stress free life.

The United States health care system is unique in its own right due in large part to the privatization that has occurred in the medical and health care community. This is spurned the demand and need for an adequate health insurance policy and coverage system. Many other countries actually use a government-sponsored form of health care that doesn\'t require insurance coverage in any form.

The three primary forms of health care insurance include the self-insured and uninsured consumers, managed care plans and indemnity health care plans. The self-insured and uninsured group of consumers normally consist of the self-employed and unfortunately folks that are currently not working or out of work. The latest figures show that about 35% of the folks needing health care insurance fall into this category.

Chances are you\'ve probably already familiar with what a managed health care plan is, thanks in large part to the stories discussed in the newspapers, TV and local radio stations. After all, health care is a hot topic for many consumers living in the United States. Basically all a managed care plan does is offer contracted health care providers at pre-negotiated prices. There are three different versions of the managed health care plans provided in today\'s medical community. The most commonly known is the Health Maintenance Organization or HMO. This plan requires its insured members to contribute a set dollar amount or fee each month in exchange for medical care. The typical medical services that are readily provided by an HMO include routine appointments, surgery and some outside specialization treatments (although the HMO plan usually frowns upon seeking medical assistance outside of the HMO network of providers).

The next managed care plan is the Preferred Provider Organizations or PPO. This health service plan normally requires the insured to make payment up front and then provides a re-imbursement to the member of the health care plan. Much like HMOs the PPO has a set network of doctors and health care providers that ity has negotiated with in advance in order to obtain better rates for medical treatment that may be required by its members.

The final plan offered by the managed health care plan is the Point of Service or POS plan. This plan isn\'t really talked about as much as the HMO and PPO health insurance plans based on the fact that it\'s not as common. A member of this plan avoids having to pay a deductible and a small co-payment fee provided they use a doctor that is a member of the POS network. The major drawback with this plan is if the insured member seeks treatment outside of the referral network then a rather large deductible is incurred along with some rather stiff charges.

Aside from the self-insured/uninsured plan and the managed health care plan there is still one more form of health insurance coverage that can be obtained by consumers who have a little more money that they wish to spend on their health insurance coverage. This plan is the indemnity plan and although it offers the least amount of restrictions when compared to all other health care plans it is also the most expensive. The reason for the high cost associated with this form of health insurance coverage is due to the ability for the plan member or insured consumer to visit any doctor or health care specialist they want to receive health care from as often as needed or required.

With several choices between which health insurance plan or coverage to choose from it really boils down to each individual consumer\'s own unique needs, wants and desires when it comes to the health care they want provided to them. Searching for the right health insurance coverage can be a mundane and laborious task but it doesn\'t have to be difficult if you know what you\'re choices are prior to beginning your quest to find the best health insurance plan at the most affordable price.

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Easy Health Insurance Guide. A website that specializes in providing health insurance advice to include easy ways to find cheaper managed health care plans that you can research in your pajamas from the comfort of your own home.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=TimGorman

Fixer Upper Homes

You've bought a fixer upper home you can make some money on. Where do you start? What improvements and repairs are most important? Actually, you need to know this before you buy. Always start with the end in mind, and have a plan to get there. Whether before and after you buy, though, there are some simple rules for analyzing possible fixes.



Return On Investment



Years ago I was a real estate agent sitting across the kitchen table from a very disappointed young couple. I had just told them there house was worth $110,000. But we just put $40,000 into remodeling the kitchen! they told me. I looked around, and it was nice. Maybe they added $10,000 in value to the house by spending that $40,000. There's was a classic example of a bad return on investment.



With fixer upper homes, you need to do things which give the most ang for the buck. Try aiming for a three-to-one return on improvements. Before you resurface the driveway for $1000, ask if it will raise the value of the home by $3,000. Even if it's a guess (especially if it's a guess), keep this three-to-one formula in your head, if you want to invest safely.



How To Fix Fixer Upper Homes



With new curtains, flowers, ceiling fans and such, you can't really estimate the increase in value for each item. Instead, group together the many small repairs and improvements you're considering, and imagine how the house will look when you are done. Then estimate whether you will increase the value enough to justify the cost.



Often it's in the small details that you'll get the best return on investment, so look at these first. New mailbox, flowers on the porch, a raked yard and trimmed trees - $35 total if you do the work yourself - can make a big difference in the first impression potential buyers have. First impressions are important.



Other small investments that more than pay their way include shiny new switch covers (less than $1 each), shelves, a birdhouse, new doorknobs, new light fixtures, curtains, new rocks or wood chips on outdoor paths, new faucets, new woodstain on decks, and general cleaning. Stand out in front of the house and imagine what it might look like with all the various small improvements (flowers, wood-rail fence, birdbath, etc.).



Big Fixes



Of course there are things that just have to be repaired. Basic systems must function. Improvements, however, should be subject to the three-to-one rule. You can get creative here. A friend of mine once had a simple wall put up, and for less than $1000 created a new bedroom, probably raising the value of the house by $8,000. That's a good return on investment.



Bathrooms and kitchens are important to buyers. A $1000 updating of a bathroom can add $4000 in value to a home. Spend $2000 wisely in the kitchen (New fridge, re-finish the cupboards, add a garbage disposal, etc.), and you can add $8000 to the value of the house. Look for the changes which are most universally valued (don't paint the kitchen pink because YOU like that color), and be sure you get a decent return on investment.



Depending on the fixer upper homes you look at, there are many types of potential improvements that may be worth doing. These include adding carports, new doors, fences, gazebos, sheds, painting, carpet, benches, a new closet, a new toilet, a new stove, a shower/tub surround, and trees or bushes. The bottom line is the bottom line: be sure anything you do returns more than you spend, preferably three times as much.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Steve Gillman has invested in real estate for years. To learn more, go get your free real estate investing course at: www.MakeThatOffer.com

Introduction to Angel Investing

What is Angel Investing?

Angel Investing is the process of finding start-up companies and
funding the early stages of their development in exchange for a
share in the company and percentage of turnover. Businesses
often opt for angel investment as the funds do not appear as a
debt on the balance sheet. If the business chose to raise
capital with a bank loan then if the company fails they are
still liable for the debt.

Angel Investors are normally confused with venture capitalists.
An angel investor is a passive investor that will fund an
enterprise during the first stages of development. They will
provide seed capital to companies who have potential for massive
growth. Angel investors are normally wealthy individuals and
their contributions are anything up to a $1 million. Venture
Capitalists generally take a more proactive view of controlling
the project as they often provide significant funding of $5
million or more.

Angel Investors make money by claiming a portion of ongoing
turnover and also realize a large lump sum gain when the company
is sold or floated.

How Angel Investing play a part in your portfolio

Angel investors can invest in a number of ways; with their own
money direct into a start-up company, as part of a pooled fund
known as an 'Angel Group' or through an Angel Investing Managed
Fund.

The target exit time for angel investors is fairly long with a
sale of their share coming after at least 5 years. That can seem
a long time to tie up amounts around $1million. Angel Investing
can be very risky if the correct due diligence is not conducted.
As in every kind of investment you should thoroughly research
your proposed strategy and make a decision based on the facts.
Not on gut feeling or even market sentiment. Markets can change
in an instant but solid numbers take time to appreciate or
deteriorate.

If you have insufficient funds to directly invest into a
business you could join an Angel Group. With a minimum
investment of $100,000 you could join an Angel Group and have
your funds diversified into a number of start-up projects. This
will diversify your investment and you realise a gain that is an
aggregate of the group's total turnover.

If you are not comfortable with having your money tied up for a
long period of time then an Angel Investing Managed Fund may be
a suitable option. Returns are vastly diluted by fees, failures
and by having your investment more liquid.

Angel Investing is definitely worth an investigation as the
returns can be very high. The perceived risk of this kind of
investment is high but relative to the potential returns, and
relative to potential falls that can occur in the stock market,
this kind of investment is stable.

Solve your financial dilemmas

No one likes to budget. It\'s a lot of work for little reward. But the secret of budgeting and personal financial management is simply to ensure that there\'s just enough money left over each month to pay your bills and maybe have a little fun. Many people do not budget but it should be done to really help you get ahead.



If you have made poor financial decisions over time - and it happens to the best of us - you may have allowed your bills (your loans) to get out of control. This could come back to haunt you if you want a loan for a car or a house or anything else you need to get a loan to buy.



Here\'s what you need to make sure that you have control over your financial situation. Here are some valuable budgeting techniques to guide you in your expenses and income.



The first thing you want to do is make sure that you pay for your utilities on time and in full every month. Don\'t wait until it\'s too late to pay them. The second thing you need to do is make sure that you don\'t have too many credit cards. Only a few credit cards are necessary to get by in life. You should consider cutting up the rest of them. And the third thing you should do you, if your bills have gotten the best of you, is to consolidate them into a single loan. This will enable you to pay them off over time without getting slammed with high interest rates.



Finally, establish a budget for yourself. This seems difficult and that\'s why most people don\'t do it. And because people don\'t have a budget they find themselves in financial straits.



The easiest way to establish a budget is to take a draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. On the left, write down your after tax household income. Be sure to write down the after tax amount as you want to measure available income only. After all, you don\'t get to spend the before tax amount, right?



In the right column, list an average of each monthly bill. But you should also include your typical spending habits as well, like eating out, or impulse shopping. Don\'t forget to include paying off your credit card as part of the bills!



Now that you have a list of income and expenses, see if there\'s a way to increase your income, or reduce your expenses. Usually you\'ll find a way to do a little to both.



While it seems so simplistic, so few people do it. And yet, creating a budget and sticking to it often separates the successful people from everyone else. What\'s stopping you from doing it right now?

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Jeff Lakie is a contributing author at our website where
You can get a free
Secured Loans Quote right now. Take a moment and see
for yourself.

Refi Home Mortgage Loans Different Types Of Mortgage Refinance Loans

With today\'s lenders, you have more refinancing options than ever before. So whether you are looking to reduce your rates or lower your monthly payments, you can find financing that is right for you.



Lenders also let you compare loan quotes online without hurting your credit score. So with real numbers, you can determine which is the best lender and loan for you. You take the guesswork out of the refinancing process, knowing how much you can save.



Stability Of A Fixed Rate Mortgage



Refinancing for a fixed rate mortgage can lower your rates and give you peace of mind. By setting your mortgage rate today, you know exactly how much your interest will cost and how long your loan will last.



Fixed rate mortgages also allow you to buy down the rate, saving you thousands if you keep the mortgage for several years. You can also extend the loan period to reduce monthly payment amounts.



Betting On Lower Rates With An Adjustable Rate Mortgage



Refinancing with an adjustable rate mortgage will qualify you for some especially low rates a year or more. With these introductory offers, you can save hundreds a month.



There is the chance that rates will increase, along with your monthly payments. Depending on your caps, you may also see your mortgage lengthen due to high rates. But if you aren\'t planning to keep your loan or house for too long, you may find the savings worth the risk.



Cashing Out Your Equity With A Refi



Cashing out part of your equity during a refi saves you money on application fees and higher rates with a separate home equity loan. When you pull out your equity, you can still select fixed or adjustable rates. You also have the options of extending or shortening your loan terms.



Creative Terms For Unique Situations



Interest only loans and similar creative loan terms work for those in unique situations. For instance, if you are planning to move in a year, refinancing with an interest only loan can cut your mortgage payments by hundreds of dollars. And by selling before the loan payments jump, you don\'t have to worry about high payments.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Visit www.abcloanguide.com/refinance.shtml for a list of mortgage refinance lenders online. View our recommended home mortgage refinance lenders online.

The Best FHA Home Loans

FINDING THE BEST FHA HOME LOANS

For many, finding the best FHA home loan should not be a
problem. Although there's a number of different kinds of FHA
homes loans, in this article we'll talk about just 2 of them.
For most first time home buyers this will suffice.

The first will be the FHA 203b home loan. Now if you're into
technical stuff and want some good bedtime reading go ahead and
get a copy of the Department of Housing and Urban Developments
(HUD) handbook 4155.1 REV.4.

It'll surely bore you to death but at least you'll see where I'm
coming from when sharing this information with you.

The reason we'll talk about the 203b is most likely, this is the
best FHA home loan and used most often.

THE BEST FHA HOME LOANS (203b) EXPLAINED

So what does 203b stand for? That is the section number under
which the underwriting guidelines can be found in the National
Housing Act.

The main thing for the first time home buyer to know is this
type of loan program is a great way to start down the path of
homeownership.

The US Government has this loan program in place to build
stronger communities and to help people become homeowners. Also
it aids the US economy. Think about that for just a moment. The
more homeowners in a neighborhood, the stronger a community
becomes. Homeowners have pride of ownership and take good care
of their properties.

To qualify for this type of FHA loan is really quite simple.
There are certain credit requirements, income and other things
to consider. For the most part, this is best way to get started.

Many mortgage people might try to steer you away from this kind
of loan product. Do your homework. Take it from me; this is not
nearly as hard as people make it out to be.

For many Loan Officers, they just do not know how FHA loans work
or just resist the extra efforts involved helping you to become
qualified.

If you meet with resistance when asking for information on FHA
203b home loans, move on. Find someone you trust and that has
knowledge of the product.

There is much more to this loan product. If you want to learn
more about how this can help you visit the HUD website.

MY FIRST HOME LOAN WAS A 203b

If you recall, when I was telling you my experience on the home
page of my website, my first home was purchased under an FHA
203b home loan. Now, I didn't know that at the time because all
I was looking at is the $570.00 down payment.

FHA 203b loans require a 3% down payment. In my case, the
purchase price was $19,000.00 so my 3% down payment equaled
$570.00. So all I could think about was that I was going to
become a homeowner for a small amount of money. In fact it was
equal to about 2 months rent for me. Now this was back in 1978
so homes are a little costlier now of course.

Yet still today, first time home buyers are getting into FHA
loans with $3,000.00 or more. I strongly feel if you have $3,000
- $5,000 your dream of home ownership could be just 30 days away.

THE BEST FHA HOME LOANS (203k) EXPLAINED

The other FHA loan is called the 203k. This loan product is used
far less often since it requires more for you to qualify.

The way this loan product works is it allows you to both buy and
repair a home with borrowed money. Again, the same 3% down
payment requirement applies.

Where this is different, you can buy a house in need of repairs.
The total repairs must equal at least $5,000.00. Like the 203b
home loan you must plan to live in the property as your primary
dwelling.

So you get to add the cost of repairs on top of the purchase
price of the home.

A HUD licensed Consultant will meet with you at the property to
complete a Work Write-Up of the repairs to be made on the house.

There will be mandatory repairs which will bring the home up to
HUD's minimum standards. Also there'll be some recommended
repairs the borrower would like.

You can act as your own general contractor, take estimates and
use these to determine costs or you can hire the work out to a
licensed professional.

The HUD licensed Consultant will need to be paid for this
service up front before closing on your loan. This fee is
normally somewhere from $400-$1,000 dollars.

The repairs must begin within 30 days of closing on the loan and
should not have any delays longer than 30 days otherwise your
loan may be called in to be paid in full.

The money for repairs is held in escrow until the work is
completed. You can take 5 draws during the construction process.

The real downside to this kind of a loan, if you plan to do your
own work, you must have sufficient funds to make repairs before
taking a draw. In other words, you get reimbursed for completed
work only. So you will have bought and installed the materials
before getting paid.

You do not get paid for your labor. Although when you begin, you
use the estimates for both labor and materials to determine your
overall loan amount. So in a sense, you sort of get paid for
labor. Many use these excess funds to make additional
improvements on the house.

So then really, one of the best FHA home loans is the 203b
talked about just above.

If using the 203k loan, most people use a contractor since he
uses his own money to make the repairs and takes draws as needed.

Like the 203b loan, there's more to this loan product as well.
To find out more on the best FHA home loans visit the HUD
website or request my FREE 14pg Guide 10 Critical Steps
for First Time Home Buyers at my website.

Who Are You? Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft

In the movie The Net, Sandra Bullock played the role of a victim of identity theft. In fact, she was basically erased from the community. Another woman consumed her identity, taking with it everything Sandra Bullock's character had - including her bank accounts, license and social security number, and even her home. It seems crazy to think this could happen; after all it's only a movie. But just as fairy tales can come true, so can your worst nightmare. Theft of identity is happening at an alarming rate. Over 100,000 identity theft complaints are filed each year.

Identity thieves work in various ways. One of the most common is to open up a new credit card in your name, using your date of birth and social security number. They rack up charges, don't pay the bill and the delinquent account is reported on your credit report. They can also change the mailing address so that your credit card will be sent to a false address, giving them more time to make purchases, until you realize there is a problem. They may also establish cellular phone services and bank accounts in your name, making costly phone calls and writing bad checks.

Identity theft today is much more than losing your wallet full of cash. You could lose your entire savings account. Some victims are stuck paying false loans and huge credit card debt. At the very least victims will lose their good credit rating. Most people spend endless hours trying to clear up security and financial problems that arise. This can be costly, time consuming and causes enormous stress to the victim and their family.

Don't wait to take actions to prevent identity theft. You can be proactive in reducing your chances of becoming a victim using some simple strategies. Don't put this off - you can do it a little at a time and it's easier than you think - and the irony, is that other areas of managing your life will be more organized as well! Here are some tips you can do right away.

Never give out your social security number to anyone - unless the agency requesting it can guarantee confidentiality.
Take your social security number off your Drivers license and checks.
Cancel and cut up unused or extra credit cards.
Check your credit card statements for any purchases that seem odd to you - keep track of what you buy!
Watch your phone bill, cable bill, internet bill, etc., for any increase in charges.
If your credit card bill is late or you suspect it is lost, call the credit card issuer immediately.
Check with your creditors on their policy for stolen cards or fraudulently accessed accounts. (You could be liable!)
Mail bills from the post office or official postal box instead of your home.
Keep important documents, (passport, birth certificate, stocks, savings accounts), locked in a safe or file drawer.
Shred old bank and credit card statements, making sure account numbers, passwords, and addresses are unreadable before discarding.
THINK about what you are throwing in the trash. Assume anyone can and will go through it after it leaves your home!
Keep a written record or photo copy (locked away) of the contents of your wallet or purse. Don't carry your wallet with you when it is not necessary.
Create passwords that make sense to you but are not the usual birth date, anniversary, pet or maiden name.
Use only web sites that are encrypted and secure and have a privacy policy -before you type in your credit card number.

It is helpful to check your credit report annually as well. You should request this information from all three credit agencies (TransUnion (800) 888-4213; Experian (888) 397-3742; Equifax (800) 685-1111) and verify that the information they give you is correct. In addition, ask these agencies to put a Fraud Alert on your account, so that before anyone can borrow money they have to contact you in person.

Unfortunately, even with extra effort, identity theft can still happen. We trust total strangers with our personal information everyday - applying for a car loan or mortgage - writing a check - patient care at a hospital - even stamped on our children's back pack! It would be ludicrous for us not to give out this information from time to time, but knowing where we give it out and to whom is helpful. The key to quick recovery from such a disaster is to notice it quickly and take immediate action. Here's what to do if you think you may be a victim of this crime:

Contact the fraud department of all three credit agencies (listed above) and report your findings.
Call your financial institutions or creditors for any accounts that have been fraudulently accessed or opened and close these accounts.
Report the identity theft to the police. Get a copy of the police report to give to your creditors for poof of the crime.
File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission 1-877- ID-THEFT, (www.consumer.gov/idtheft.com).

Staying proactive and organized will pay off in the long run, for life in general and particularly in trying to avert identify theft. Keeping accurate accounting records, personal files and paper management is key to a calmer, safer existence. If you find it difficult to do on your own, consider hiring a professional organizer who specializes in this expertise. Regardless of the stage of life you are in, get your affairs in order. You are a unique individual with your own identity. No one should be able to take that away from you!

Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com

Brokerage Firms

Brokerage firms facilitate the trading of stocks, commodities and currencies by providing opportunities to the interested sellers and buyers for a specified fee. These firms also provide borrowing facilities against an underlying asset to enhance liquidity in the markets and to spur trading.

Brokerages are required to register with a recognized exchange, such as the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ. Exchanges are meant to regulate trading in their role as the guarantor of final settlement between a buyer and seller. Further, exchanges also regulate trading to ensure that the game is played by the rules. Therefore, exchanges and brokerages inspire confidence in traders and in turn ensure smooth functioning of the markets.

Big banks, hedge funds, mutual funds and insurance companies are key players in the financial markets. Banks usually play a key role in currency markets, where the private players are not allowed to buy and sell currencies directly from the open markets. Banks also act as stock brokers in addition to investing money in the markets. Banks may also be active in the trading of commodities like gold and silver on exchanges.

With the advent of internet-based exchange trading, the brokerage business is growing at a fast clip. With online discount brokerages such as E*Trade, anyone interested in \day trading\ can log in from anywhere and begin to trade, provided that they have access to the Internet. This increased access to the markets has in turn led to a phenomenal increase in exchange-based trading transactions, particularly by small players who had limited access before the arrival of web-based trading. The trend is often seen wherever small players are allowed to participate in trading, and has been hailed by many as the \democratization\ of the financial markets.

Brokerage Firms provides detailed information about brokerage firms, commodity brokerage firms, discount brokerage firms, and more. Brokerage Firms is affiliated with Fixed Asset Management.

Home Loans Online Services And Resources To Help You

Copyright 2005 Dean Shainin

Interest rates on home loans are at the lowest they've been in
many years. Now is a great time to take advantage of home loan
financial services and resources available online. With a little
education online you can get some of the best loans available on
the Internet. It is well worth the time and effort to research
loans online to save yourself thousands of dollars.

Online home loan services and resources can help you get linked
up to hundreds of home loan lenders. These services and lenders
can help find the best home loan for your financial situation.
The best home loan can change very quickly, so it is a good idea
to find a good licensed home loan broker to help with your needs.

First time home buyers can get help with home loans from FHA in
purchasing a new home. You might pay a slightly higher interest
rate for the home loan, but you do not have to come up with a
large down payment with FHA loans.

Home loan services and resources online can help you decide
whether or not to have a long term or short term home loan. You
may want a 15 year loan instead of a 30 year loan if you can
afford higher loan payments. These services and resources can
also provide you with information and ideas on many different
options available to you for your financial situation.

Take time to shop online for the best home loan brokers and you
can save yourself time and money. They have the skill and
experience to get you the best home loan rates available. Home
loan brokers have the knowledge required to get you the best
rate discounts and incentives for your financial credit rating.
With your FICO credit score, they will know which lenders can
get you the lowest and best home loan rates in today's home loan
market. It is a good idea to know what your credit is like
before shopping for a home loan.

Important Home Loan Definitions

Amortization Period - The number of years it will take to pay
back a home loan in full.

Conventional Mortgage - A mortgage home loan that does not
exceed 75% of the lesser of the appraised value. A mortgage that
exceeds this limit must be insured.

Equity - Home equity is the difference between the price for
which a property could be sold and the total debts owed on the
property.

Mortgagee - The lender.

Mortgagor - The borrower.

Refinance - To arrange a new mortgage for an increased amount.
The old mortgage is paid off from the new home loan.

Term - The duration of a mortgage agreement.

Many Internet resources, tools and information can save yourself
valuable time and money on finding a home loan. If you're
looking to buy a new home and getting a home loan, shopping
online may be the best way to go. You will know you have made a
wise financial decision by educating yourself on the home loan
process and options available to you. With a simple Google
search you can have instant access to hundreds of home loan
lenders that are competing for your business. In the end, this
will help you get the best deal by shopping online for a home
loan.

Are You Running the Risk of an Uninsured Business? Beware & Get Business Insurance

Human life is precarious and so are the activities they indulge in. So it is not just the human life that needs to be protected but the work that he does - his business etc. that needs to be safeguarded. A business is a living not just for its owners but also for the workers and the ones benefited by it. Business insurance thus is too significant to be understood in today's life.

What is business insurance?

Like life insurance takes care of one's life, business insurance looks after one's business. All one needs to do is to select what aspects or parts of the business should be secured. This can be comfortably done after one makes an appropriate assessment of his company's turnover. Since the insurance companies provide insurance on the basis of company's turnover.According to the turnover a businessman can decide how much he can afford to spend on the insurance of sentient (his partners, workers, he himself, main suppliers etc.) as well as the insentient (machines, the workplace, the equipment used, the cash transactions from factory to bank, shipments and the like). A case in point can be- a dye machine that is supposed to be the main machine in a factory and has a high cost price should be insured first. Not just this, the worker handling the machine should also be insured for if any accident happens with him the insurance money will take care of its medical expenses and all. Besides this all heavy machinery, any new machine or plant to be set up, the place where the business is set up, partners in business, workers who work day and night and all other things whose damage or loss can incur financial burden or even crisis can be successfully insured.

Initially there were one or two insurance companies like Oriental Insurancebut now there are ample of agencies like TATA AIG, Chola Mandalum etc., which gives an entrepreneur an opportunity to be selective.Many companies nowadays provide certain complementary benefits once you get your work ensured by them. The preferable can be the one that offers you a slightly less premium, good and spontaneous returns or benefits and additional facilities. However, the premium rates and returns etc. do not vary significantly from company to company.

Even if it is small scale business (a cottage industry or so) one should not hesitate in getting it insured. For business insurance can save you from many unwanted and unexpected hazards for instance theft, robbery, any accident-breaking of fire, problems that come with time-the malfunctioning of an old machine, and any damage to life and property. Nowadays all sorts of businesses even those which are operated online can be safeguarded through insurance. All it takes is to inquire a little about the companies that can take up your work's insurance and with open eyes decide what is essentially to be insured and so secured.

Be sure that you and your business is insured.

Mansi Gupta writes about Small business insurance topics.

Bad Credit Loans For You

Loans are now the requirement of everybody not only people with good credit history but also people with bad credit history as well. People like to go in for loans because either the cause is too expensive for them or the amount is minimal and the borrowers do not want to put in their savings and lower their bank balances.



Earlier the people with bad credit history were refused for loans but now days they are also granted the loans for any purpose that they need it for. The loan can be required for any of the following purposes. For home improvement, debt consolidation, for business or for education reasons.

People are considered with a bad credit history because they have previously taken loans and have trouble in repaying the loans and therefore have a poor credit score i.e. a score which depicts their financial credit worthiness. A good credit score is one above 620 and a poor one is below 600. Besides that there are other scores as well to calculate a borrower\'s credit worthiness.

People who are considered as people with bad credit history are,



CCJ\'s

IVA\'s

Defaults

Arrears

Late payments or

People who have previously filled for bankruptcy



The answers to their problems are bad credit loans. These loans are available to people who have had bad credit history. Bad credit loans are available to people in two forms i.e. secured bad credit loans which are available only after the borrowers promise to render a security to the creditor by which they can get the benefits of low interest rates and low monthly installments.



Another option is that of unsecured bad credit loans here there is no obligation to provide a security thus catering to every section of the society. Only blockades being that these loans may carry a little higher rate of interest than secured bad credit loans.



One advantage that the bad credit loans provide to people with bad credit history is, that by taking the bad credit loans the borrowers can improve on their credit scores. Hence can the loans next time on more helpful terms.



Applying for loans is not difficult after you have assess your requirement just go on line and apply for the loan one thing for bad credit loans is that the borrowers must know their credit score to get the best deals.



It is difficult being a person with bad credit history for various reasons. With bad credit loans however it is a little easier to cope up with that tag. With bad credit loans we can do almost everything we want to do so we can say that they are a blessing in disguise.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

James Taylor holds a Master\'s degree in Commerce from JNU. he is working as financial consultant.To find a Personal loans,Bad credit loans that best suits your needs visit www.chanceforloans.co.uk

Buying a House in Scotland

Buying a house in Scotland is slightly different from buying a house in other parts of the UK. It's not particularly complicated, and buying north of the border can often be quicker, but for those relocating from England and Wales there are a number of points you need to bear in mind.

Agreement in principle

Before you begin house-hunting in Scotland you need to have an agreement in principle for your mortgage. An agreement in principle takes the form of confirmation from your lender that, subject to various conditions, they are prepared to give you a mortgage up to a certain amount. This amount will be based on your income in much the same way as it is in the rest of the UK. Without an agreement in principle in place, any offers you make on properties are unlikely to be taken very seriously.

Sealed bids

In England and Wales, houses are normally advertised at a given price and the vendor accepts that he may well have to settle for a price that is lower than the original asking price. Under the Scottish system, the vendor sets a price and invites offers in excess of this via a sealed bids system. Although this type of secret bidding is sometimes seen in the rest of the UK, it is normally only in cases where the property is particularly expensive or desirable.

Commitment

When you buy a house in Scotland, if your offer is accepted, you are immediately under an obligation to buy that property. This is why an agreement in principle is required before you go house-hunting. By contrast, in England and Wales, you can pull out of buying the property without penalty up until the time when contracts are exchanged.

The Scottish vendor is also committed to the deal as soon as he accepts the buyer's offer. Hence the risk of gazumping (where the vendor later accepts a higher offer from someone else) is removed.

Solicitors

Because of the earlier commitment to buy, solicitors play a much greater role in the buying and selling of homes in Scotland. In many cases the solicitor will act as the selling agent for a property rather than an estate agent.

The actual house-hunting process in Scotland is much the same as anywhere else. But don't forget, when you are looking at properties, that the advertised price is the minimum you will have to pay, and is not a starting point for bargaining downwards.

As a buyer, you will need to appoint a solicitor before, or as soon as, you see a property you want to make an offer on. Once you are ready to make an offer, your solicitor will contact the selling agent and ask them to ote interest.

Finalising the mortgage

After this, you will need to finalise your mortgage application by going back to your lender and providing details of the specific property you are planning to buy. Once this is done, the lender's valuation and your own survey can be carried out.

Arranging a survey

Although your own survey is not compulsory, it is strongly recommended that you have one done before making an offer.Because you are legally committed to buy the property once you make your offer, it is important to know as much as you can about its condition. The results of the survey will help you as well when it comes to deciding how much to offer.

Of course, at this stage, there is no guarantee that your offer will be accepted, and so it is not uncommon to end up having to pay for surveys on more than one property. This is, unfortunately, one of the disadvantages of the Scottish system.In England and Wales, where you can make your offer and then pull out before contracts are exchanged, buyers normally only have to pay for one survey.

Making an offer

After the seller's solicitor has received notification of interest from two or more buyers, he will announce a closing date by which all of the offers must be received. Because a sealed bids system is used, no-one knows what anyone else has bid. Also, each buyer can only bid once, so it is important to think very carefully about what size offer to make and get it right first time.

Your solicitor will make the offer on your behalf and will also advise a date of entry. This is the date when you will be given the keys to your new home, and is the equivalent of the completion date used in England and Wales.

Once the closing date for offers comes, the vendor will accept the highest bid and from this point on both parties are committed. There are no deposits involved unless you are buying a new property, but if either the buyer or the seller pulls out from here on, they are liable for any losses the other party may have incurred.

Concluding the missives

After the offer is accepted, the buyer's solicitor will conclude the missives. This is similar to exchanging contracts under the English system. Once all the details of the sale have been agreed via this procedure, you as the buyer are responsible for the structure of the building and need to make sure you have adequate buildings insurance in place.

Settlement

All the funds to buy the property, together with all the fees, need to be ready for forwarding to your solicitor about two weeks before the date of entry. These monies will be transferred to your solicitor the day before your date of entry, and you will then need to sign the title deed to the property.

Finally, the vendor's solicitor will hand over the keys and the disposition document which legally transfers ownership of the property to you.

----

Copyright 2004 David Miles. You are welcome to reproduce this article on your website, so long as it is published as is(unedited) and with the author's bio paragraph (resource box) and copyright information included. In addition, all links to external websites must be left in place.

David Miles is the editor of a number of mortgage and personal finance websites including Scottish Mortgages - a website that contains a range of useful information on mortgages, remortgages, and house-buying in Scotland.

If I Have More Than One Employer Can I Have More Than One 401k Limit of $14 000?

One of the questions we get asked a lot is, I know the limit that the IRS puts on my 401k contributions for the year is $14000 (for a person under 50) (2005) but is this the limit I can get from one employer or is it the total amount I can get from all my employers? So if I had 5 jobs could I get a total of $70 000 5 x $14 000 in contributions?

The simple answer is $14 000 is the personal limit you have as an individual and there for the total from all your employers, so if you have more than one employer then between you all the total that can be added for each year is $14 000. If you do over pay into the plans you have, it is easy to do if you are running more than one plan with more than one employer making contributions, you can claim back the overpayments but the claim must be made by 15th March.

The part of the IRS guidelines that causes a lot of confusion with reference to these limits is this paragraph;

\Additional limits. There are other limits that restrict contributions made on your behalf. In addition to the limit on elective deferrals, annual contributions to all of your accounts - this includes elective deferrals, employee contributions, employer matching and discretionary contributions and allocations of forfeitures to your accounts - may not exceed the lesser of 100% of your compensation or $42,000 (for 2005, $44,000 for 2006). In addition, the amount of your compensation that can be taken into account when determining employer and employee contributions is limited. In 2005, the compensation limitation is $210,000; for 2006, the limit is $220,000.\

Now a lot of people ask us at http://www.the401k.info how the limit can be $42 000 and this is the best explanation we have seen so far,

Ok, let\'s say you make $260,000 per year, your plan allows you to defer up to 100% of your compensation, and your employer matches all your deferrals up to 3% of your compensation plus makes a 5% profit sharing contribution to all participants. In your case, for 2006, you could defer the maximum legal limit of $15,000 (roughly 6.8% of your legally capped compensation of $220,000), receive a match of $6,600 (3% of your legally capped compensation) plus $11,000 in profit sharing contribution (5% of your legally capped compensation), for a total of $32,600, well below the $44,000 overall contribution limit. If, however, your employer decided to make a 15% profit sharing contribution ($33,000) instead of a 5% contribution, because the total of these contributions exceeds the overall limit of $44,000 for 2006, your profit sharing contribution would most likely be reduced so that you would not exceed the overall limit. As you can see, there are numerous limits applied in different situations in different layers that must be adhered to.

Sean D has been a tax specialist for 20 years, teaching and working in the financial industries his free ebook is available here 401k info Now.

Interest only mortgages FSA introduces new regulations

According to Abbey, over a quarter of homeowners choose an
interest-only mortgage. It\'s obvious why - the payments are a
lot more affordable, as this example shows: a 25 year 125,000
interest only mortgage at 5% costs 525 per month - but on a
repayment mortgage it\'s an extra 210 a month, totalling 735
per month.

First time buyers are finding it tough enough to get on the
property ladder as it is, so it\'s quite understandable that they
should choose to take the option with the lower payments.
However, a large proportion are not making enough provision for
the time when they have to pay the capital off at the end of the
mortgage term. In fact, 37% are failing to save enough money.

For this reason, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has
decided to step in and change the regulations. They now ask
lenders to request firm evidence from new borrowers that they
are saving a sufficient amount to cover the capital. Borrowers
used to be able to say that they\'d sell the property to raise
the capital, but that will no longer be allowed. From now on, if
an interest-only mortgage is sold and the application does not
provide details of a savings vehicle to cover the capital - the
mortgage will be judged as being mis-sold. The lender would then
be in trouble with the FSA for breaking regulations.

So what does the lender now need to see? They will expect to see
either a personal equity plan (PEP) or an Individual Savings
Account (ISA). You would also be able to use the 25% tax-free
cash from a personal pension plan (PPP) to cover the capital.
However, your savings vehicle will have to be in place and you
must be able to provide proof of that - simply saying that
you\'re going to do it will not be good enough!

We have already seen that individual lenders are treating the
FSA\'s new regulations in different ways. The Nationwide Building
Society now say that repaying using an inheritance or depending
on future pay rises will not be good enough. This is because
they can\'t be guaranteed. Using a bonus scheme to cover the
repayment will also only be counted if there is absolute proof
that you will be able to achieve the required level of savings.

The above stipulations relate to first time buyers, existing
homeowners can still get a Nationwide Building Society mortgage
if the amount to be borrowed is less than two thirds of the new
property\'s value, and there is 150,000 of net equity left in
your current property.

Many mortgage advisers seem to agree that interest only
mortgages are not the best option, and really should be treated
as a last resort. With a repayment mortgage, you are guaranteed
to pay off the mortgage by sticking to the repayment schedule,
but a separate investment vehicle with an interest only mortgage
could ultimately fail to deliver sufficient capital at the end
of the term. It is a risk and many advisers will recommend a
repayment mortgage to avoid that risk.

On the other hand, mortgage advisers do agree that interest only
mortgages are very handy as a short term solution, and are more
likely to support the decision if the borrower plans to switch
to a repayment mortgage after four or five years. Even if it is
only planned as a stop gap, the FSA will still expect the lender
to get proof that a suitable investment or savings plan is in
place, so you won\'t be able to pull the wool over anyone\'s eyes!

We think that the best way to help those that can only afford an
interest only mortgage, is to point them towards a mortgage that
allows them to make penalty free overpayments. That way, if they
get some spare capital, they can actually pay some of it off,
thereby reducing the outstanding mortgage. There are a wide
variety of mortgages available like this, and the majority allow
the borrower to repay 10% or more of capital each year, without
having to pay any penalties. Of course, make doubly sure of this
before you sign up for the mortgage.

Real Estate Investing: Don't Invest Without a Cash Reserve

The number one rule in investing or business is obtain positive cash flow. Everyone knows that, don\'t they? But many beginning investors forget a rule that may rank ABOVE that one, especially if you\'re planning to invest in real estate over the long haul, and that is the importance of maintaining a CASH RESERVE.

Even some of America\'s largest businesses have forgotten about the importance of having a healthy cash reserve. And most of those businesses are either longer with us or have emerged from bankruptcy after having learned a painful lesson. (The most recent example of the latter took place when the once-venerable retail Goliath K-Mart almost disappeared.)

It goes without saying that no business or individual investor can go on indefinitely with a negative cash flow. But there are times when a particular piece of property only needs some time before the market will catch up to it, and when that happens, an investor will need to feed that property until the circumstances are right for changing that red ink to black - and that means calling on cash reserves.

Not having enough cash reserves also means that an investor can\'t make the repairs that will be necessary to improve the overall value of the property, both now and in the future. The axiom is simple: if you have the cash reserves to weather the hard times at the beginning, you\'ll eventually profit from your investment, and if you don\'t, you won\'t.

There are times when a property will need to be held for months (or even years, if you buy the wrong property!) before it will finally recoup its initial investment, and if you don\'t have the cash reserves to ensure that you\'ll be able to hang on to the piece of property, you\'ll end up having to sell, or worse yet, having the property foreclosed upon. In either case, all the time, money, effort, and stress you\'ve invested in that property will go up in smoke - all because you didn\'t begin the venture with enough cash reserves to guarantee your success.

If it\'s a rental property, having a strong cash reserve can allow you to make the property appealing to a better class of clientele. You can hold out for better qualified tenants, and you can withstand periods of vacancy without having to panic. You also won\'t have to be held hostage by poor tenants who threaten to vacate, for fear that the property will sit vacant for some time. All those situations can be avoided by maintaining a strong cash reserve.

You ultimately need to make money on your investment, of course, but there will be a variety of situations that will arise from time to time that will make you glad you also followed the other top rule of real estate investment, which is to maintain a CASH RESERVE.

Copyright Jeanette J. Fisher

Join our FREE Teleseminar \How to Get Started Investing in Real Estate\. Get expert advice for beginning real estate investors from Jeanette Fisher. More real estate investing tips http://doghousetodollhouse.com/

Where Is The Beef?

Where is the beef? Or maybe it should be where is the bull? Market, that is? The chief investment strategists and analysts of the major brokerage houses have been promising us a new bull market.

So far the bull hasn't come in from the distant pasture.

Some of the cows have been wandering back. I see stocks and mutual funds with names like Small Cap Value, Real Estate, Leisure Group and Gold, but all the rest of the herd are not coming to the barn. If you look at the herd, as scattered as they are, they don't seem to want to participate in any kind of a bull move.

If you are a very smart farmer (investor) you know which ones are the best ones to milk right now. The others should not be fed any more of your green. And you know what that is.

When I look at the 10 largest mutual funds in the U.S. I see there is only one that is going up and that is a bond fund. All the rest are now headed south again looking for those September low prices.

Why are you holding on to losers that can only get worse?

When I lived on the farm and we noticed livestock might be runts we immediate took them to market and sold them. It was better to get a few dollars now than to keep feeding an animal that would not make a profit. My Dad would take that money and buy another animal. When you are in the stock market you must have the same philosophy. You cannot fall in love with a loser. It will only break your heart and your pocketbook.

Al Thomas' book, If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't BuyIt! has helped thousands of people make moneyand keep their profits with his simple 2-stepmethod. Read the first chapter athttp://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he's the man that Wall Streetdoes not want you to know.

1-888-345-7870; al@mutualfundstrategy.com

Land for Sale in Tucson Securing your Perfect Spot

Whether you are looking for land for sale in Tucson to build a home or a business, or some other venture, you have plenty of options to choose from. However there are many other considerations you will need to make before you purchase any land for sale in Tucson. You will need to look at the surrounding development, the zoning, the terrain and soil, as well as the flood plain, and many other factors. If you do this before you purchase the land, it will save you a lot of trouble later.

Surrounding development is a major factor in any land purchase. Does your intended use of the land for sale in Tucson fit in with the homes and businesses in the area? If you are building a home, for example, what kinds of homes are already in the area? If your home value is too high, it may lower the selling price in the future. If you are building a business on land for sale in Tucson, how many other businesses like yours are already in the area? Will the surrounding community support a business like yours?

Most people are familiar with the principle of zoning. If the land for sale in Tucson that you are looking at is zoned for something other than what you intend to use it for, you have basically two choices: you can look for other land for sale in Tucson, or you can apply to the city for a zoning variance. This process may take months with public hearings, applications and other requirements, so if you proceed with this course of action, you will need to be patient.

For those of you unfamiliar with Tucson, it is in a desert valley. When it rains, the sandy soil is often unable to hold all of the water causing flooding in low areas and washes. Before you purchase any land for sale in Tucson you will need to make sure that you are not in a flood plain or you will need to take precautions and insurance to protect you and your land. Sandy soil is also a problem for some farming and other uses. You may have to do soil preparation and adding other soil if you want to grow things, such as for a farm or a golf course on the land for sale in Tucson.

If you are in an unincorporated area of Tucson, you will want to make sure that the land for sale in Tucson has access to utilities such as water, gas and electric as well as fire department and other emergency services. Many times these are provided by private contractors or companies.

Tucson is a beautiful, growing vibrant southwestern city, with cultural richness and heritage that goes back for centuries. If you are thinking of starting a business or a life there, you will find it has much to offer.

Eriani Doyel writes articles about Real Estate, Home, and Family. If you are interested in Land for Sale in Tucson visit real-estate-lx.com.

The Rich are Making Big Money in Real Estate

The over-whelming majority of America's wealthiest families have
made their fortunes in real estate, according to a new study.

The survey, conducted over a two-month period before the end of
2005, indicates those surveyed made their fortunes investing in
real estate. The study was conducted by Real Estate Add, which
is an information driven website.

Many start out investing in single family homes, par-lay their
profits into other real estate and discover wealth in investment
real estate. The stock market has produced many wealthy
individuals, but not like real estate. Only eleven percent of
the 500 respondents surveyed said they made their fortunes in
stocks or other investments.

An over-whelming majority of 83% of the Nation's wealthiest
families surveyed made their wealth investing in real estate.
Only 11% made their first million dollars in the stock market or
other investments. The full report may be read on the Real
Estate Add.com website.

Fifty-one percent bought their first few investment properties
and waited long enough for the real estate market to appreciate
to make substantial profits. Nearly all got financing to start.
Some 92% said long term planning was the key to their success.

Only 10% indicated they made great profits by buying
fixer-uppers or other properties they made repairs to and sold
quickly.

Flipping properties, which is buying real estate and making
either repairs to the property or taking advantage of a rapidly
appreciating market without making any changes and selling them
for a great profit, is the exception to the rule rather than the
norm, according to the study.

Most real estate investors who are in the investment real estate
market for more than 5 years, which is considered a long term
investor in real estate, make their profits over more than
double the initial amount they invested. That's understandable
when there are real estate markets like Portland, Oregon, which
has tripled in price in the last 10 years.

Other places like Destin, Florida, which is a resort real estate
market and as such is leading the real estate industry growth in
the second home market, has seen property values double in the
past five years. The Silicon Valley, home of the high tech
industry in San Jose, California has seen prices increase at
even higher levels.

There are many places like that in the Nation's real estate
markets from coast to coast. However, there are still some great
buyers markets where there are shortages of investment real
estate for tenants to rent.

Real Estate economists compare the trend to other forms of
investing, but caution investors to have a long term plan to
cover expenses in case there are unexpected periods of vacancy.
Some investors in today's real estate market have purchased
properties without sufficient funds to cover expenses in case
tenants suddenly move out.

The Importance Of French Property Surveys

In general, when people buy property in this part of France,
they do not tend to have structural surveys done. This is very
different to buying a property in the UK where nobody buys a
property without having a survey.

In the UK, a bank or building society will insist upon a
valuation survey to make sure that the property in question is
suitable collateral for the amount of the loan. In France, the
lending source doesn't always require a survey. A lot of
emphasis is put on Honour over here. So if you tell the bank
that the house is worth 150,000, why should they think
otherwise?

If you do want to get a Languedoc property survey done you can
either have a friendly builder take a quick look, or you can
have a formal survey done by a qualified surveyor. Languedoc
Property Finders always work with companies who have RICS (Royal
Institute of Chartered Surveyors) qualified surveyors to survey
your house for you. Weather you want a full written report, a
bullet point report , a simple verbal report or a combination of
these they can tailor a survey to suit your requirements.

They will obviously look out for obvious things such as damp,
the condition of the roof and any structural defects but they
should also be able to advise you on whether the property is
prone to flooding and any other information about the local area
which could affect the future value or sale of your property.

With my experience of selling property in both France and the UK
I can't emphasis enough the importance of having a survey done
on any property which you are buying. It would be like marrying
someone without dating first!

We have heard of people buying their dream holiday home and it
turns into one disaster after another. We have also all seen the
programs on TV which highlight both the ignorance and to a
degree the laziness of many holiday home owners who seem to
arrive in France with there heart and head no longer connected.

To give you an example of the costs of the surveys we have just
arranged a survey for some clients who were purchasing a
150,000 house. The survey cost 900, at first this seems a lot
but it only represents just over 0.5% of the value of the
property, this in my opinion is money well spent.

Mike Schaeffer's Favorite CBM Company

Having read through the May 23rd newsletter \Energy and Capital,\ we were astounded to read about Mike Schaeffer\'s favorite coalbed methane (CBM) stock, Pacific Asia China Energy (TSX: PCE). The widely read CBM guru aggressively argues PCE will become a major winner for his subscribers, telling his subscribers, \The bottom line: PCE is a dreamboat companyAll the pieces are falling into place. The only thing you need to do is sit back and enjoy the ride up.\

What pieces is Schaeffer talking about? Prior to his initial recommendation of Pacific Asia China Energy (acronym is PACE; ticker is PCE.V), the stock quickly doubled on (a) anticipation of drilling and (b) Schaeffer\'s recommendation of this stock. Those who have closely followed Schaeffer have come to realize he has one of the best eyes for a CBM deal before the company rockets up the stock charts. And they do take off.

The initial drilling amazed Schaeffer (and us). He wrote in his recent recommendation, \PACE examined twenty coal samples from nine seams. When they did, they found that the initial gas content was high much higher than they expected. In fact, in only 6 days (out of the originally planned 60 days) of drilling, PACE was able to confirm Sproule\'s \most likely\ estimate of 5.2 TCF. In other words, it\'s almost a shoe-in that PACE will be able to extract much more gas than outlined by Sproule.\

Let\'s clarify what Schaeffer is talking about. Sproule International is a Calgary-based engineering company, which evaluates the economic viability of many of the world\'s CBM projects. Many consider Sproule to be the leading CBM resource evaluation firm. They were among the first to negotiate joint venture research projects with the Chinese, through the state-owned China United Coalbed Methane (CUCBM). TCF is a trillion cubic feet. In an earlier interview with Eric Nuttall, a research analyst with Sprott Asset Management, which has a stake in PACE, Nuttall explained that each TCF might equate to $1 billion in market capitalization (and of course warning of various discounts with regards to developing projects elsewhere, maturity of a project, etc). Using Nuttall\'s appraisal method of $1 billion for 1 TCF, and PACE, according to both Schaeffer and Sproule, might have five times that. Well, we\'re not going to print anything that could be construed as a price target here, but the math is not rocket science.

Schaeffer appraised PACE\'s potential market capitalization relative to Great Eastern Energy, which trades on London\'s AIM stock exchange. He wrote, \In comparison, Great Eastern\'s in place methane resource is only 1.4 TCF, nearly a quarter of PACE\'s resource, and the company has a market cap of more than C$308 million.\ (Editor\'s note: PCE\'s market cap is about 30% of that). Schaeffer concluded, \Simple mathematics suggests that when compared to Great Eastern Energy, PACE is severely undervalued.\

The PACE May 3rd news release, which caught our eye, announced Dr. David Marchioni as the company\'s new Vice President of Exploration. The same news release announced Tunaye Sai as the company\'s new president. Five days later, the company announced its results. Both Mr. Sai and Dr. Marchioni were in China, during the drill program. It appears Dr. Marchioni, whose name is well respected in Canadian CBM circles and in the United States, wanted to ensure the Guizhou property\'s CBM potential had the economic permeability he desired. In our previous interviews with Dr. Marchioni, he repeatedly emphasized the property must have a certain level of permeability for it to be economic. The Boatian-Qingshan property\'s (in Guizhou province) CBM permeability level appears have sufficiently satisfied Dr. Marchioni to accept the exploration vice-presidency.

As Mike Schaeffer wrote in his opening paragraph, \Any lingering uncertainties that Pacific Asia China Energy won\'t soon become one of the most prominent coalbed methane companies operating in China should be long left in the dust.\ That statement carries even more weight when you consider that Schaeffer reaches that conclusion in the context that some of those \other prominent CBM\ explorers include Chevron-Texaco and Conoco-Phillips.

James Finch contributes to StockInterview and other publications. Sign up for free updates by visiting http://www.stockinterview.com Write to James Finch at jfinch@stockinterview.com Find out more information about this company at http://www.pace-energy.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=JamesFinch

Investing In Equestrian?

The majority of us regular Joes wish we had more money, but it seems the only way to make more money, is to actually have money in the first place, i.e. to invest.



This is not strictly true. There are many ways of investing small amounts of money, some of them you would not necessarily class as \investing\ but investing by definition means - laying out money or capital in an enterprise with the expectation of profit.



Now take betting on a horse for example, I\'m sure your significant other isn\'t going to buy into it when you tell them that you are investing, but by definition, you are. Every investment has an element of risk to it, betting on a horse of course, has a little more!



The other kinds of investing \Alternative Investments\ are usually the area of collectors and hobbyists, but these can also generate a decent return on your money. This includes everything from art, antique furniture and wine to vintage cars, stamps and toys.



When it comes to wine, there is a convincing argument that as an investment, it produces returns comparable to equities and the cost of fine wines will keep on rising.



There are many other avenues to pursue when you are not wealthy enough already to invest your money into property and real estate. Taking a look in your attic to see what delights you may find could be a start.



The internet holds lots of information in regards to ideas for investing, there are bonds to consider, stocks and shares, gold or silver, even currency! Investing need not be for the privileged people, even us, the average Joes can start investing somewhere along the spectrum. Remember you have to start somewhere, and take your first little steps, but always think BIG.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Sharleen Standling is a proud contributing author Find more articles here. For more info visit Investing or Investment Ideas