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Tuesday 17 September 2013

Credit Cards For High School Students

Students in high school that are looking to start building their credit early can get high school student credit cards.  These credits cards can help teach high school students responsibility, and how to manage their credit at an early age.  These types of credit cards are issued to high school students, with a parent or guardian co-signing with the student.  Students who have these credit cards also have a sense of responsibility as well.

Before applying for a high school student credit card, both students and co-signers should always look at their available options.  There are a lot of banks and credit card companies to choose from, which makes it in your best interest to look around.  Some cards will come with high APR and a high annual fee, while some are more reasonable.  With high school students not having any credit, some banks and companies will try to charge unreasonable rates - which is reason enough to do your research and know the best deal.

Co-signers can normally help students to make the best decision.  The co-signer will be going on the application with the student, and will be the individual that the bank or company will come to when the student is unable to pay the bill.  Parents and co-signers will know the best deals for credit cards, which is students should always ask them for help when picking out the ideal credit card.

For some students, prepaid credit cards can be an ideal investment.  These cards hold absolutely no risk for students, while they help to teach financial management as well.  With these high school student credit cards, the prepaid amount you have put on the card is your spending limit.  To ensure that the application for is filled out correctly, students should always have a parent or guardian assist them with filling the information out.

When a student gets their credit card, they should be instructed on how to properly use the credit card.  Although some students will be tempted to run up their high school student credit card, they should save it for emergency situations.  At the end of the month, they should try to pay their whole bill, to avoid getting into debt.  If a student can pay the bill - it will also help boost their credit.

If you are interested in a high school student credit card, you can always apply for one online.  The applications are processed in a timely manner, normally giving you a response in a matter of minutes.  Although credit cards are great to have, prepaid credit cards are sometimes the way to go with students.  If you are unsure - make sure you look into all options available to you and compare what you find out.

You can find the best choice of credit cards and pre-paid cards at www.CreditCards.us (http://www.creditcards.us)

Sunday 15 September 2013

http://bankmatters.blogspot.com/------What are auditors?

Accountants and auditors help to ensure that the Nation's firms are run efficiently, its public records kept accurately, and its taxes paid properly and on time. They perform these vital functions by offering an increasingly wide array of business and accounting services, including public, management, and government accounting, as well as internal auditing, to their clients. Beyond carrying out the fundamental tasks of the occupation-preparing, analyzing, and verifying financial documents in order to provide information to clients-many accountants now are required to possess a wide range of knowledge and skills. Accountants and auditors are broadening the services they offer to include budget analysis, financial and investment planning, information technology consulting, and limited legal services.
Specific job duties vary widely among the four major fields of accounting: public, management, and government accounting and internal auditing.
Internal auditors verify the accuracy of their organization's internal records and check for mismanagement, waste, or fraud. Internal auditing is an increasingly important area of accounting and auditing. Internal auditors examine and evaluate their firms' financial and information systems, management procedures, and internal controls to ensure that records are accurate and controls are adequate to protect against fraud and waste. They also review company operations, evaluating their efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance with corporate policies and procedures, laws, and government regulations. There are many types of highly specialized auditors, such as electronic data-processing, environmental, engineering, legal, insurance premium, bank, and health care auditors. As computer systems make information timelier, internal auditors help managers to base their decisions on actual data, rather than personal observation. Internal auditors also may recommend controls for their organization's computer system, to ensure the reliability of the system and the integrity of the data.

Government accountants and auditors work in the public sector, maintaining and examining the records of government agencies and auditing private businesses and individuals whose activities are subject to government regulations or taxation. Accountants employed by Federal, State, and local governments guarantee that revenues are received and expenditures are made in accordance with laws and regulations. Those employed by the Federal Government may work as Internal Revenue Service agents or in financial management, financial institution examination, or budget analysis and administration.


Friday 13 September 2013

Is Re-Financing Always Worthwhile?

This is a very important question which all homeowners should ask themselves both at the start and towards the end of the process of re-financing. The answer to this question can spur the homeowner to investigate re-financing further or convince the homeowner to table the thoughts of re-financing for the moment and concentrate on other aspect of owning a home.

Establish Financial Goals

This should be the first step in the process of determining whether or not re-financing is worthwhile. Without this step, a homeowner cannot accurate answer the question of the worth of re-financing because the homeowner may not fully understand his own financial goals. While financial goals may run the gamut from one extreme to another the most basic question to ask is whether the more significant goal is long term savings or increased monthly cash flow. This is important because re-financing can usually achieve these two goals.

Do You Want to Save Money in the Long Run?

Homeowners who establish a goal of saving money in the long run should consider re-financing options such as lower interest rates or shorter loan terms. Both of these options can considerably lower the amount of interest the homeowner is paying on the loan. This is significant because paying less interest will result in a greater cost savings.

Consider an example where a homeowner has an existing debt of $100,000, an interest rate of 6.25% and a loan term of 30 years. Just by reducing the loan term to 15 years the homeowner can significantly decrease the amount which is paid in interest during the course of the loan. However, this option will also result in an increase in the monthly payments made by the homeowner. Therefore this type of re-financing option may only be available to those who have enough cash flow to compensate for the increase in monthly payments.

Do You Want to Increase Your Monthly Cash Flow?

Some homeowners may have a chosen goal of increasing their monthly cash flow. For these homeowners the overall cost savings may not be as important as having more money available to them each month. These homeowners might consider a re-financing option in which they are able to extend their loan terms. This means they will be repaying the existing debt over a longer period of time. The homeowner will pay more in interest in the long run but will achieve their goal of lower monthly payments and an increased cash flow.

How Will Re-Financing Affect Tax Deductions?

This is another serious consideration for homeowners who are interested in investigating the possibility of re-financing. The interest paid on a home loan is often tax deductible. A homeowner who re-finances in a manner which results in less interest being paid annually may adversely affect their tax strategy. The implications of this type of chance can be amplified for homeowners who were previously just below a significant tax break line. A significant decrease in the amount of interest paid will mean a significant decrease in the deduction the homeowner is allowed to take. This reduced deduction can put the homeowner in an entirely different tax bracket and could end up costing the homeowner money in the long run. For this reason, homeowners who are considering re-financing should have a tax preparation professional determine the ramifications re-financing will have on their tax return before a decision is made.

Wednesday 11 September 2013

The Air Mile Credit Card

Air mile credit cards give you points or miles with every purchase you make, which you can redeem for traveling related expenses.  In most cases, you can use your points or miles to get a free airline ticket to travel to a destination of your choice.  Frequent flyers can use those very miles or points to redeem your reward faster.

There are a lot of companies out there that offer air mile cards.  You can choose to get one online, through a bank, or even a credit card company.  Each one is unique, and offers it’s own unique set of features.  Before you select your card, you should always look at different companies and compare them as well.  Normally, you will get a point or mile for every dollar you spend.  You’ll also want to look at blackout dates as well, as many companies have decided to drop them and their expiration dates completely.

You will also want to find out what type of purchases you make with your card give you reward miles.  Some purchases that you make may not be included in your reward incentives, which is why you’ll want to find out what purchases are and aren’t included.  The bigger purchase items, such as televisions and furniture may have more miles included, which is why you’ll want to inquire.

Another area of importance is the interest rate.  You should look deeper into the air mile credit card that you are interested in and find out how much the interest rates are and if there are any annual fees to using the card.  Although your rewards may sound great, you don’t want to pay too much in fees or an annual rate just to reap the benefits.

Even though they have been around for many years, air mile credit cards are very popular for those like to travel.  These cards can also help you with rental cars and hotel expenses as well, as long as you use the points you have accumulated by using your card.  The get the most out of an air mile credit card, you should use your card on a frequent basis.  You can really rack up the points if you purchase everything with your credit card - instead of using cash.

Air mile credit cards are great to have, as long as you don’t end up paying an arm and a leg in fees, and the annual rate isn’t that high.  If you check into what each manufacturer offers, you can normally get a great deal.  Also, make sure that find out what other rewards are included with the air mile credit card you get as well - as this can help you to make your decision when you finally decide to get the card.

You can find the best choice of credit cards and pre-paid cards at www.CreditCards.us (http://www.creditcards.us)

Tuesday 10 September 2013

How to aviod Bankruptcy

Keep in mind that when it comes to bankruptcy you will want to look for other solutions, because you need to find someway of getting your individual and business financial obligations.

If the right steps are taken from the beginning, you can keep yourself and your family out of financial trouble and away from bankruptcy.

You will need to start off by educating your children. Many of us growing up weren’t presented with the tools and knowledge to establish and maintain good credit and keep away from the scare of bankruptcy.

You should be honest to your children about your finances, but also need to be able to guide your children to make the right decisions in the future. Teaching children that hard work, no matter the job, has its rewards and if you spend on a budget, there will never be a fear of bankruptcy.

You’ll also need to establish a budget in order to keep bankruptcy from happening. You cannot spend what you don’t have. Many people today have multiple credit cards and are in essence spending money they don’t actually have, plus more for interest.

You also don’t want to pay off the credit cards with another credit card. This is just an awful chain reaction that will not get you anywhere. You’ll need to spend what you can afford and only what you can afford.

But you will want to make sure you have something socked away for an emergency. You will find that that it is a good idea to have at least two thousand dollars set aside for just in case purposes.

It is another step to take to keep out of financial trouble. Probably the most important thing though is to watch your bank account. Don’t allow yourself to be in a situation where you overdraw. 

Keep in mind that there are so many people who rely on the overdraft in order to keep them financed each month, but you will find that your actions are destructive to your credit report but they are also The fact is more than a third of adults rely on their banks overdraft to keep them going on a month-to-month basis. Such actions are ones that lead individuals on a path to bankruptcy.

Monday 9 September 2013

Bookkeeping Basics

Most people probably think of bookkeeping and accounting as the same thing, but bookkeeping is really one function of accounting, while accounting encompasses many functions involved in managing the financial affairs of a business. Accountants prepare reports based, in part, on the work of bookkeepers.

Bookkeepers perform all manner of record-keeping tasks. Some of them include the following:

-They prepare what are referred to as source documents for all the operations of a business - the buying, selling, transferring, paying and collecting. The documents include papers such as purchase orders, invoices, credit card slips, time cards, time sheets and expense reports. Bookkeepers also determine and enter in the source documents what are called the financial effects of the transactions and other business events. Those include paying the employees, making sales, borrowing money or buying products or raw materials for production.

-Bookkeepers also make entries of the financial effects into journals and accounts. These are two different things. A journal is the record of transactions in chronological order. An accounts is a separate record, or page for each asset and each liability. One transaction can affect several accounts.

-Bookkeepers prepare reports at the end of specific period of time, such as daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. To do this, all the accounts need to be up to date. Inventory records must be updated and the reports checked and double-checked to ensure that they're as error-free as possible.

-The bookkeepers also compile complete listings of all accounts. This is called the adjusted trial balance. While a small business may have a hundred or so accounts, very large businesses can have more than 10,000 accounts.

-The final step is for the bookkeeper to close the books, which means bringing all the bookkeeping for a fiscal year to a close and summarized.

Saturday 7 September 2013

Re-Financing with Shorter Loan Terms

For some homeowners there is the possibility of making a sound re-financing decision even when interest rates are stagnant, the homeowner does not have a great amount of equity in the home and the homeowner’s credit score has not increased significantly. You might wonder how this is possible. It certainly isn’t an option for every homeowner but those who can afford to pay significantly more each month can yield huge financial benefits by refinancing their loan terms from 30 years to 15 years. The benefits which may result from this type of re-financing include a significant overall savings, the ability to gain equity quicker and the ability to repay the balance of the loan quicker.

Higher Monthly Payments Increase Overall Savings

Re-financing with shorter loan terms is definitely not an easy option but homeowners who have a large monthly cash flow or who receive a sizable promotion at work might be able to consider the possibility of re-financing by decreasing the loan terms from 30 years to 15 years.

The result of this type of re-financing will be a significantly higher monthly payment which is not conventional but can be worthwhile if it meets the needs of the homeowner. In particular this type of re-financing option is a viable solution if the homeowner can afford the increase in monthly payments and has an overall goal of reducing the amount of interest they will pay over the course of the entire loan.

Reducing the amount of interest is critical to the overall savings plan because the homeowner does not have the option of reducing their original debt but they can drastically reduce the amount of interest paid over the course of the loan. Consider two loans with a 5% interest rate. One loan is to be repaid over a period of 15 years while the other loan is to be repaid over a period of 30 years. It is clear that in this example, the homeowner with the 30 year mortgage will pay more during the course of the loan.

Equity Gained Quicker

Another major advantage to re-financing by reducing the loan terms from 30 years to 15 years is the ability to gain equity in the home at a significantly faster rate. The amount of the equity in the home is equal to the amount of the principal loan which has already been repaid by the homeowner. Under a conventional loan, the homeowner typically pays a combination of principal and interest with their monthly payments. The amount of the principal which is repaid on two mortgages for the same amount and with the same interest rate will be different if one loan is a 30 year term and the other is a 15 year term. The homeowner with the 15 year mortgage will be paying more of the principal each month and will therefore be accumulating more equity each month. Gaining equity in the home quicker is ideal because it gives the homeowner greater flexibility. The equity in the home can be used for a number of purposes including home improvement projects, travel, educational pursuits and small business ventures.

Loan Repaid Quicker

One advantage of shortening the loan terms, which cannot be denied by some homeowners, is the ability to repay the loan quicker by re-financing to shorten the loan terms from 30 years to 15 years. In this case the homeowner will have completely repaid the home loan a full 15 years earlier than they would have under the conventional loan. This is advantageous because it can enable the homeowners to enjoy living mortgage free a full 15 years earlier. Once the mortgage is fully repaid, the homeowner may be able to make significantly more sizable contributions to his retirement plan. Some homeowners may even be able to afford to retire once their mortgage is repaid in full. This ability can have a significant impact on the quality of life for the homeowner. Homeowners may find themselves with the financial means to travel, assist family in educational pursuits or invest in a small business.

Friday 6 September 2013

How To Avoid Late Fees

Although it may be overstated, there is a lot of truth to people ruining their credit score due to missing payments and paying their credit card bills late.  The fees can pile up and the interest rates can grow before you know it, and after a while you won’t even be able to pay the minimum amount of payment.  If you don’t do something fast - it could be the beginning of the end.

To make sure this don’t happen to you, you should always pay your bill on time, and always avoid missing a payment.  Sometimes, it can be hard to make your payments on time, although you should always do everything in your power to ensure that you stay on top of things.  Below, you’ll find some tips to help you with your credit card payments.

As stated above, you should always pay your bill on time.  If something comes up and you aren’t able to pay, you’ll be penalized.  Even though you may think what has come up will justify a late payment, it doesn’t justify the means in the eyes of your credit card company.  Inside of your bill, you’ll find detailed instructions regarding payment.  You should always follow them as accurately as possible, pay where and when you are supposed to pay - and do it on time.

If you simply aren’t able to pay your entire bill, you shouldn’t worry about it - but instead pay the minimum amount possible.  Even though you may be able to pay more later, you should always pay at least the minimum amount.  Then, when you have more money, you can always add to your minimum payment by sending in an additional payment. 

The easiest way to do this, is to always have the minimum payment amount set aside, so that you have it once your credit card bill arrives.  Once you have assured yourself that you won’t be penalized or charged any late fees, you should look into paying a higher amount than just the minimum balance.  By paying the minimum amount, you’ll also ensure that no other fees will be added to your next credit card bill.

Another option includes skip a payment, although you’ll need to check whether or not your credit card company offers it or not.  This service will allow you to request a waiver regarding your payment, when something comes up and you don’t have the money to pay your bill.  Make sure that you use this service wisely if you have it, as it can only be used once a year.  Therefore, you should always ensure that the situation is truly an emergency and there are no other options available for you.  This service will normally have a cost as well, and you’ll need to pay it the following month. 

Although credit cards can be great for numerous reasons, you should always know your interest rates and have a good general idea of what your bill is going to be before you make a purchase.  Many times, those who have credit cards will make purchases, knowing they can’t make the payments - then suffer when they get the bill and aren’t able to pay it.

Anytime you have a credit card, you should always make sure that you have the money to pay the bill, or the minimum amount, the minute it arrives.  This way, you’ll remain in good standing with your company and your credit score will continue to increase.  If you simply aren’t able to make your payment, you should contact your credit card issuer immediately and see if you can work something out.

You can find the best choice of credit cards and pre-paid cards at www.CreditCards.us (http://www.creditcards.us)

Thursday 5 September 2013

Bankruptcy and Divorce



If you believe that you and your partner are headed for divorce, and you both have a lot of debt between you, it might be a good idea to decide to file for bankruptcy before you begin to file for divorce. This will pave the way for the divorce to proceed much more easily because it will allow you to get rid of some of your debt and to clear the way for a clean break. If you can file for bankruptcy, then you can have a better idea of how to deal with the debts that do remain between the two of you. It will also mean that if your ex files for bankruptcy later on down the road, you can be protected because you are going to take care of your debts before the divorce.

The way it works is rather simple. When one or both of the spouses file for bankruptcy, all of the property that has been shared by both of them will become a part of the estate and will then be available to pay for the debts. This will also mean that you have been granted an automatic stay, which means that the creditors can’t hound you for money. Remember that this stay does not prevent you from getting spouse or child support from your ex. The next thing that will happen is that the bankruptcy court will decide what shared property is exempt from the bankruptcy, meaning that it cannot be sold in order to pay for your debts. Then, the divorce court can divide that property between you and your ex spouse.

If you are trying to negotiate property settlements, and also going through bankruptcy, you are going to be dealing with very complicated issues. Some of the debts that might be related to a property settlement might not be wiped out during the bankruptcy, so you will still need to pay them. However, these debts can be wiped out if you can show that you can’t pay the debt and still take care or yourself or your children, or that if you wipe out the debt it is going to be better for you than the harm that would be done to the people that you owe by not paying it. This means that if you think your spouse is going to consider filing for bankruptcy after the divorce is final, you need to make sure that your finances are squared away so that you aren’t going to be faced with any more debts.

Wednesday 4 September 2013

Consolidate Your Credit Card Debt


Even though there are many reasons why to consolidate your debt, one of the better reasons is to get a better rate.  If there is a way to get lower rates on a current consolidation, then you’ll have no reason to consolidate your debt.  Anytime you are able to consolidate your debt and save yourself a bit of money - you should never hesitate to do so.

Consolidating your credit card debt will also save you a lot of money as well.  If you have managed to get yourself in debt, chances are that you owe a lot of money on your credit card, or possibly several different credit cards.  Consolidation will put everything into one bill, making it easier for you to pay.  Paying just one bill can help you save a lot of time, as well as prevent stress.

Although consolidation will put your credit card payments into one bill, you should never do it for that reason alone.  The last thing you want, is to pay more money to avoid getting more than one bill a month.  Credit card debt consolidation is a wise investment though, as it may give you lower monthly payments over an extended period of time.  It will also close out other accounts as well, which could help you to improve your credit.

If you are looking to consolidate your credit card debt, you shouldn’t hesitate to let the professionals help you.  There are a lot of companies and banks that specialize in consolidation, and would be more than willing to help you.  Before you make your decision though, you should always research your options available and find the best one for your needs.  You should also make sure that there are no hidden fees or other problems as well.  If you take the time to research, you’ll save a lot of money in the future.

A lot of people who turn to credit card debt consolidation, let their credit cards get the best of them.  A credit card can be great to have, although it can be easy to abuse as well.  If you aren’t careful in your spending, you can rack up debt before you know it.  Once you get yourself in credit card debt, it can be really hard and very stressful to get out of it.  Normally, it will take you months and possibly even years to get out of debt.

If you’ve made the decision to turn to credit card debt consolidation, the first thing to do is to look at your debt, and see exactly how much you owe.  If you know what you owe and who all you owe it to, it will be much easier to contact the professionals and get them to help you.  When you contact them to help you, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask them any questions, as you should always be looking for the best deal possible.  Although credit card debt consolidation is a great thing, you should always do yourself a favor and wait until you find the best deal possible.

You can find the best choice of credit cards and pre-paid cards at www.CreditCards.us (http://www.creditcards.us)

Monday 2 September 2013

How to aviod Bankruptcy

Keep in mind that when it comes to bankruptcy you will want to look for other solutions, because you need to find someway of getting your individual and business financial obligations.

If the right steps are taken from the beginning, you can keep yourself and your family out of financial trouble and away from bankruptcy.

You will need to start off by educating your children. Many of us growing up weren’t presented with the tools and knowledge to establish and maintain good credit and keep away from the scare of bankruptcy.

You should be honest to your children about your finances, but also need to be able to guide your children to make the right decisions in the future. Teaching children that hard work, no matter the job, has its rewards and if you spend on a budget, there will never be a fear of bankruptcy.

You’ll also need to establish a budget in order to keep bankruptcy from happening. You cannot spend what you don’t have. Many people today have multiple credit cards and are in essence spending money they don’t actually have, plus more for interest.

You also don’t want to pay off the credit cards with another credit card. This is just an awful chain reaction that will not get you anywhere. You’ll need to spend what you can afford and only what you can afford.

But you will want to make sure you have something socked away for an emergency. You will find that that it is a good idea to have at least two thousand dollars set aside for just in case purposes.

It is another step to take to keep out of financial trouble. Probably the most important thing though is to watch your bank account. Don’t allow yourself to be in a situation where you overdraw. 

Keep in mind that there are so many people who rely on the overdraft in order to keep them financed each month, but you will find that your actions are destructive to your credit report but they are also The fact is more than a third of adults rely on their banks overdraft to keep them going on a month-to-month basis. Such actions are ones that lead individuals on a path to bankruptcy.

Sunday 1 September 2013

Benefits of Re-Financing

There are a number of benefits which may be associated with re-financing a home. While there are some situations where re-financing is not the right decision, there are a host of benefits which can be gained from re-financing under favorable conditions. Some of these benefits include lower monthly payments, debt consolidation and the ability to utilize the existing equity in the home. Homeowners who are considering re-financing should consider each of these options with their current financial situation to determine whether or not they wish to re-finance their home.

Lower Monthly Payments

For many homeowners the possibility of lower monthly payments is a very appealing benefit of re-financing. Many homeowners live paycheck to paycheck and for these homeowners finding an opportunity to increase their savings can be a monumental feat. Homeowners who are able to negotiate lower interest rates when they re-finance their home will likely see the benefit of lower monthly mortgage payments resulting from the decision to re-finance.

Each month homeowners submit a mortgage payment. This payment is typically used to repay a portion of the interest as well as a portion of the principle on the loan. Homeowners who are able to refinance their loan at a lower interest rate may see a decrease in the amount they are paying in both interest and principle. This may be due to the lower interest rate as well as the lower remaining balance. When a home is re-financed, a second mortgage is taken out to repay the first mortgage. If the existing mortgage was already a few years old, it is likely the homeowner already had some equity and had paid off some of the previous principle balance. This enables the homeowner to take out a smaller mortgage when they re-finance their home because they are repaying a smaller debt than the original purchase price of the home.

Debt Consolidation

Some homeowners begin to investigate re-financing for the purpose of debt consolidation. This is especially true for homeowners who have high interest debts such as credit card debts. A debt consolidation loan enables the homeowner to use the existing equity in their home as collateral to secure a low interest loan which is large enough to repay the existing balance on the home as well as a number of other debts such as credit card debt, car loans, student loans or any other debts the homeowner may have.

When re-financing is done of the purpose of debt consolidation there is not always an overall increase in savings. Those who are seeking to consolidate their debts are often struggling with their monthly payments and are seeking an option which makes it easier for the homeowner to manage their monthly bills.

Additionally, debt consolidation can also simplify the process of paying monthly bills. Homeowners who are apprehensive about participating in monthly bill pay programs may be overwhelmed by the amount of bills they have to pay each month. Even if the value of these bills is not worrisome just the act of writing several checks each month and ensuring they are sent, on time, to the correct location can be overwhelming. For this reason, many homeowners often re-finance their mortgage to minimize the amount of payments they are making each month.

Using the Existing Equity in the Home

Another popular reason for re-financing is to use the existing equity in the home. Homeowners who have a considerable amount of equity in their home may find they are able to cash out some of this equity for other purposes. This may include making improvements to the home, starting a business, taking a dream vacation or pursuing a higher degree of education. The homeowner is not limited in how they can use the equity in their home and may re-finance a home equity line of credit which can be used for any purpose imaginable. A home equity line of credit is different from a loan because the funds are not disbursed all at once. Rather the funds are made available to the homeowner and the homeowner can withdraw these finds at anytime during the draw period.