Bad credits almost always lead to all kinds of legal problems and at times also take a much longer time to get out of it. They do not last for long and can be repaired by certain protective types of checking accounts, such as the bad credit checking accounts. For the people suffering from bad credit, and who are finding it hard to re-establish credit, this kind of account offers you to access to various secured, unsecured and low interest credit cards for personal use. This bad credit checking account not only offers a checking account, but you can also re-establish your credit and can even opt into or out of receiving bank debit cards too.

These accounts are available in many places, for those with bad credit or no credit. There’s a limit to write bad checks, by placing special checks and balances in place. This in a way not only helps the account holder to have a positive balance in his account but also for banks protection. The limitations and restrictions are removed from the account as long as the account holder maintains a healthy balance for a certain period of time.

You can take advantage of bad credit checking account by giving yourself a second chance to establish yourself by clearing up your bad credit forever.

Do a small self-study on bad credit checking accounts, or simply contact your local bank officer to check if the bank offers bad credit checking accounts. After this, you may realize that getting back in the act isn't as difficult as you had thought earlier.

Banking around the clock is no longer a remote possibility. But the banks don't have to keep their branches open 24 hours a day to provide this service. This is one of the biggest advantages of Internet banking.

One doesn't have to go to the bank's branch to request a financial statement. You can download it from your online bank account, which shows you up-to-the-minute updated figures.

Another advantage of Internet banking is that it is cost-effective. Thousands of customers can be dealt with at once. There is no need to have too many clerks and cashiers. The administrative work gets reduced drastically with Internet banking. Expenditures on paper slips, forms and even bank stationery have gone down, which helps raise the profit margin of the bank by a surprisingly large number.

As far as customers are concerned, their account information is available round the clock, regardless of their location. They can reschedule their future payments from their bank account while sitting thousands of miles away. They can electronically transfer money from their bank accounts or receive money in their bank accounts within seconds.

You can apply for a loan without visiting the local bank branch and get one easily. You can buy or sell stocks and other securities by using your bank accounts. Even new accounts can be opened; old accounts can be closed without doing tedious paperwork. Especially with the increasing acceptability of digital signatures around the world, Internet banking has made life much easier and banking much faster and more pleasant, for customers as well as bankers.

For many people with bad credit, one of the financial difficulties they have is acquiring financing. Financing can take the form of many lending instruments including mortgages, home equity loans, unsecured credit cards, and car loans. If you have bad credit and would like to acquire financing, here are some key tips.

Some loans are more difficult to acquire than others. For instance, unsecured loans such as credit cards, store cards, and personal loans are usually the most difficult to acquire depending on how bad your credit rating is. Since these loans do not require collateral, defaulting on them usually means it can be difficult and costly to retrieve any debt.

Loans such as mortgages, 2nd mortgages and home equity loans are usually a bit easier to secure mainly due to the fact that your home is used as collateral. If you default on your mortgage or home equity loan, the lender can auction it off and usually retrieve any debt that was defaulted on.

If you are planning on applying for financing of any kind, first request a credit report from one of the big three credit bureaus. You will see exactly what your current or previous lenders have reported. You might find out that your credit difficulties are not as bad as previously thought or you might find out that there are discrepancies or problems that should be corrected before applying for financing.

Usually most lenders will charge a higher interest rate, require collateral of a certain value, or include specific conditions in your loan such as income verification or a certain salary per year before approving a loan. It is beneficial for you to shop around and use the many resources such as your bank, the internet and local advertising to find lenders that offer great rates and conditions to individuals with poor credit. You can usually save money in a variety of ways including closing costs, finding a lower interest rate, or receiving a larger loan amount to pay off high interest credit card bills. Just because you have bad credit does not disqualify you from acquiring financing

Your Credit Score is quite possibly one of the most valuable assets in today’s world. Without good credit you may find it hard to buy a home, get a car, find a job, get a telephone and many other necessities that we have come to need.

The problem lies when young adults, just out of high school are getting credit cards offered to them left and right without consideration. The credit card companies understand that most young adults have no idea what they may be getting in to. Everywhere you turn credit card offers and loan money is readily available from your mail box to every time you go to the mall. Almost every department store has some form of credit you may apply for.

So to paint a very basic picture of what happens; the young adult gets credit cards which almost seem like “free money”, they spend, they spend some more, they get more credit cards until their credit limit is reached and they can’t pay any more bills, (if they even paid the bills in the first place.) This understandably is however the individuals fault, but consideration should be made at the life experiences of one so young and having to adapt to a 9-5 world outside of school and their parents house.

So once in debt, many seek numerous methods of fixing debt such as debt consolidation, consumer credit counseling, debt negotiation and other various forms of financial help. Some of these work and some of these don’t as well depending on the institution. Debt Consolidation is the process of combining all of ones debts in to a single monthly payment, often through debt consoladation one can effectively fight debt initially, but this doesn’t solve the problem in the long run. Without personal change no debt help is completely functional.

This concept of changing the way we think about debt is crucial in maintaining healthy credit and not falling in to debt. Here are some pointers to help your self from getting stuck in the debt trap:

1. Take a personal finance course. Go to a local college and take a personal finance course. The lessons learned may be invaluable in achieving financial success.

2. Make a budget or financial plan for yourself. Having a financial plan with specific financial goals can keep you from going over your budget and falling in to debt.

3. Always keep all your receipts and records. Don’t forget to organize them.

4. Never use credit to pay bills and when credit is used, pay of as soon as possible. This may even help your credit score in the long run.

All this sounds simple, but it is the simple things that keep us from making significant mistakes. Follow this simple plan to effectively manage your money and to help stay away from the debt trap.

A good budget is made to last throughout the years. Yes, you can budget in the short term to get through troubled times, but the best budgets will take you out of trouble and to your goals. Budgeting is essential in planning for your future.

There are ways you can make your budget easier to commit to. The number on thing to remember throughout the budgeting process is that a budget is not a fixed document. It has to be flexible, as your spending changes over time. It is a guideline, but detours do happen.

1. Start with a budget that fits your family's situation and spending habits. The key is having money left over, not where you are spending money. Don't follow someone's percentages as to how much you should be spending on groceries or gasoline. Your budget must fit your family.
2. It is necessary to accurately list your income and expenses. Don't round things up or down. Don't smudge on how much of your income goes to taxes. Don't leave things out. Be honest, or it won't work. Never budget for a future income, budget for right now.
3. You need to include enough categories so that you know where your money is going. However, too many people go to extremes in details. You don't need to necessarily track every single category, you can lump some together. For example, my family budget includes a free spending category. This can be anything from clothing (we don't purchase a lot of clothing) to a night out on the town.
4. You have to include things that don't happen monthly, such as your auto insurance, homeowner's insurance, property taxes and yearly leases. Make sure that you are putting these amounts in an account for when they come due. This will save your budget when you get the bills for yearly expenses. You won't be left scrabling. This is just as important as having an emergency account for auto maintenance and other repairs.
5. You need to regularly review your budget to determine that you have enough categories and are budgeting enough for each category. You should also look for ways to cut your spending in your categories. Some things you can consider a challenge. Aim to cut your grocery bill by $40 next month. Look for ways to save. They are there.
6. Make sure that you track how much cash you are spending. Keep receipts if necessary -- this is usually easier than writing things down as you spend them. If you aren't good at tracking, give yourself an allowance of cash. This is all you have to spend. We do this as we are awful at tracking our spending. But we never overspend on our cash limit for the month. We know what can and can't come out of our checking, so it protects our budget. In fact, most people respect cash more than checking, so they will actually be stingier with their cash reserves.
7. Budget your savings as a bill that must be paid. I recommend having it automatically withdrawn from your checking each month. That way, there is no way to avoid paying your savings. It is already gone. You won't spend it thinking you'll put a little extra in next month. The most important bill you have to pay is your future.
8. Have realistic goals. Budgeting isn't about tracking money, it is about meeting financial goals. It allows you to save for your future, for your kids' college, for vacations and other things you want to do in your life. Without these goals, there is no reason for a budget and it will fail.

Getting personal checks designed and made up is becoming more popular, especially because you can choose your own design. Among popular themes are cartoons, fine art, geometric, plain checks, watercolors, sceneries, or animals and fun checks like teddy bears, games, rainbows, toys, fantasy, trains, planes, motorcars, and sports.

Among the exclusive designer checks available are paintings by famous artists and favorite book characters like those from Winnie the Pooh. Some companies offer

“Limited Edition” designs, while there are also special designs for the sight-impaired that have embossed, easy-to-feel guidelines.

While designing a check, you can mix and match various features and have fun creating your own personal check. The traditional wallet check or the top stub or end stub checks—with stubs at the top or end to keep records—are among the types you can choose from. Enhancing the design of you personal check by adding a symbol or monogram adds that extra bit of distinction to your check.

The lettering style you select for the design of your personal check also adds to its exclusivity. From the standard block lettering to a calligraphic or artisan style, the point is that it should complement the overall design of your check. Adding a message or byline can also add extra character to your checks. Or, using a shadow print as a background graphic will further enhance the overall impression of the check.

Once you have a budget in place, you need to look at ways to cut your spending. Cutting the amount of money you are spending will help you to meet your financial goals. If you are in a tight situation when it comes to your money, cutting your spending can really relieve some of your stress as well.

Look at the basics. What isn't necessary?

You may find that you don't ever watch your satellite television except one night a week. You could cut back on that bill by having it turned off and renting a cheap movie for that night instead.

Go to the library instead of buying a book to read.

Eliminate your home line phone if you use your cellular all of the time. Many people only use their cell phones today. There isn't a lot of need for land lines for most people.

Cut back on your coffee habit at the local coffee shop. Instead buy a coffee maker. Replace things you are paying for with better alternatives.

For example, we were renting a water softener and reverse osmosis system. We realized that if we could have bought five of these systems in the years we have rented it. And we've never needed the free servicing that comes with rental. So we simply bought our own and now have one less payment a month to make.

Look for ways to even start reducing your utility bills. Don't turn the thermostat quite so high or low. Close your blinds and drapes to keep your home cooler in the summer. Make sure you are well insulated for the winter. Run full loads of laundry. Turn off some lights.

If you are really in a tight spot there are more things you can cut back on. Trade your car in for something more economical and cheaper. Consider refinancing your mortgage if rates are lower. Reduce your interest rates on your credit cards. Better yet, pay those cards off.

We were able to cut over a thousand dollars out of our budget spending by eliminating some unnecessary spending items and debt. We sold a motorcycle that was only ridden twice a month or less. We paid off all of our credit cards. We cut back on services we didn't really use.

Internet banking refers to banking operations carried out between banks and their clients through Internet. It is also commonly known as online banking. Internet banking helps in expediting banking operations, reducing the cost and ensuring that you can utilize various banking services in your living room or even while traveling thousands of miles away from your home.

The process of Internet banking begins with every customer being given a unique user name and password by a particular bank. The customer can log on to the bank's Web site and use this user name and password to access his or her bank account. Then he or she can give instructions online to the bank regarding any particular transaction.

All major banks provide the option of Internet banking to their customers. The banks keep a record of all online transactions. Though Internet banking is fast becoming the most popular mode of banking, there are certain security issues which still remain to be tackled. Though most of the banks claim that their Web sites have enough firewalls to prevent unauthorized access to anyone's account, hackers have shown this claim to be false more than once.

There is always the possibility that you didn't log out from your bank's Web site according to the set procedure, as you were in a hurry while working on a public computer or over a non-secured wireless connection. This could have serious consequences, as someone else could misuse your account.

One important safety precaution is to keep changing the password at regular intervals. For safety purposes, it is better to memorize your user name and password than write it on a piece of paper. If you have forgotten or lost your password, call your bank immediately. They will either help you to retrieve your old password or give you a new password

You have to manage your debt in order to keep from being overwhelmed. You see, debt gets out of control very easily. That is what makes it so dangerous. It is so very tempting and easy to just live with. And before you know it, you can no longer live with it.

In the perfect world, there would be no debt. But most people must acquire some debt along the way. There are good debts and bad debts. Good debts are the debts that you can afford to pay. These are debts that give you more in return than you pay for them. For example, your reasonably priced home is an investment that can pay you more than you pay for it.

Bad debts are all those debts that you can't afford. The average American household carries around $9,300 in credit card debt. This debt is never a good debt. You usually use it to buy things that you can't afford otherwise. And yet, these things don't pay you back in the long run. You can usually pay for an item in a month or two of savings -- however, if you charge it, it may take you up to a year of payments.

In addition, all debt that you can't afford is bad. Stretching into a home at the risk of your finances is not a good financial decision. Taking on debt for an education you will never use is not a good idea either. Some people do use credit cards for large items that they pay off in a few payments. They are wisely managing their credit with very little in payment in interest. However, these people are very few. Most people have to face the fact that credit card debt gets out of control very easily.

The first thing you have to do is to manage your spending. If you don't spend, you don't owe. Most people spend thousands of dollars a year on little things that they don't realize they are buying.

Ever look in your wallet and try to recall where your money went so fast. You need to start by tracking your spending for a month. Write down everything you spend. Keep receipts for all purchases to make this process easier.

Sit down and see where your money is going and where you can cut back. If you can cut out $20 a week, you could have $980 less debt by the end of the year.

Many advisors will tell you to pay the smallest debts first. This costs you a lot of money in interest payments. You should always pay off the highest interest rate debts first. Make a list of your debts, from highest to lowest interest rates. Start at the top and work your way down.

Have you ever hit the ATM one day to find that you've spent it all the next? You look in your wallet and wonder where did it all go. What did you spend it on?

Hey, if you haven't noticed by now, money goes fast. The little things just keep adding up. For many people, their entire paycheck is spent within two days. Sometimes, it is partly spent before it even comes in.

The fact is that we all waste our money. In some way we make decisions that aren't necessarily great ones. We may not even realize that money is trickling through these cracks in our management. But once you know where the money is leaking out, you can apply some stop leak to the problem.

Most of us have things that we just can't live without. Heck, we don't even use or understand those things most of the time. Are you paying for call forwarding? Do you use it? Does it make your life easier? Or could you simply check your messages when you get home and save the fee?

These fees go hand in hand with those silent upgrades. We are "given" things on top of our normal service -- for a fee. Don't pay for things you don't want or need. There is no point. It is just a waste of money.

I am convinced that the best way to waste money is to sign up for a gym membership. Believe me, as soon as you start paying to work out, you will stop working out. If you don't use it, cancel it. If you don't cancel it, use it. Otherwise, you are wasting money.

And don't fall for package deals. Hey, that calling plan sounds great, until you realize that there are $30 worth of taxes and charges tacked onto it. And you don't need to pay more for unlimited usage if you don't need it. If you only make one phone call for five minutes a month, don't pay for the largest package -- buy the smallest. Make sure you read everything. And again, if you don't need something, don't pay for it.

Finally, you need to develop some self-control when shopping. Don't buy something just because it is on sale. Don't buy something that you won't use. Don't buy anything that isn't on your shopping list. Don't buy in bulk if you tend to throw food away.

Qualified retirement plan

This form of retirement plan is one that is certified by the “ Internal Revenue Code Section 401(a)” and the “Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)” therefore it has more advantages regarding tax treatment, allowing employers to subtract yearly permissible contributions for every participating employee and the earnings on these contributions are “tax-deferred” until taken out for every participant; and some taxes may be deferred further by means of transferring into another different kind of IRA.

Let's look at what this can do for employers.

First of all it can Draw experienced employees into their company. It can also motivate and retain good employees. It encourages employees to set aside financial aid for future use or for retirement because the benefits of the Social Security alone are not enough to support a sensible way of living for retirees, and it can Protect plan assets from creditors.

Two main categories of “Qualified retirement plans”

1. “Defined benefit plans” are company retirement plans, like pension plans, where when an employee, on reaching retirement, will receive a specified amount that is usually based on his salary and number of years in the service, whereby the employer carries the full risk in investment. Both employer and employee, or just the employee alone, can contribute.

2. “Defined contribution plan”. This type of plan outlines the amount that flows to employees and how much should be contributed by an employer each year to the retirement plan. It also keeps account balances of all members, and states that no member should receive an allotment greater than 25% of compensation or 30,000 dollars, (whichever is the lesser of the two) throughout any year.

“Non-qualified retirement plan”

These type of retirement plans do not meet requirements set by “Internal Revenue Code Section 401(a)” and the “Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)”. They are financed by employers therefore are flexible compared to “qualified retirement plans” but do not have the tax benefits that “qualified retirement plans” offer. Benefits, structured in annuities form, are paid generally at retirement age and are liable to “tax” just like “ordinary income tax”; or in “lump sum” or in a payment that may be transferred or converted into IRA, to suspend or defer taxes.

“Top-Hat plans” (THP), “Excess benefit plans” (EBP) and “Supplemental executive retirement plans” (SERP) are types of non-qualified and deferred compensation plans patterned to complement or enhance “qualified retirement plans”.

“Non-qualified retirement plan” supplement “qualified retirement plans” by compensating the benefits that are unavailable to qualified plans and typically covers higher paid company employees. It may be non-funded or funded. The huge disadvantage with this plan is that there is no security promised to the employees in the event that the company should go into bankruptcy, or is sold to another company.

You must always know your options and should develop a plan way before your retirement. Pursuing professional investment advice will help you manage and synchronize your options with a complete and secure financial plan

Money management aims at ensuring that a sufficient amount of money is raised from appropriate sources at the right time, and is invested in suitable projects which would increases the net returns of the firm and thereby the value of the firm. Thus, money management consists of raising required funds, investing the funds and managing the working capital.

For the long and short-term requirements of the firm, a sufficient amount of funding is to be raised from different sources. While selecting the resources, they should match the purpose for which the fund is required. For example, the need for long-term funds like construction of building, acquisition of machinery, etc., should be sought from long-term sources like share capital, debentures or term loans.

Once the funds are raised, their investment may pose a serious problem. The basic criterion for investing in a particular asset is that it should realize a positive net return, i.e., the benefits should be more than the cost. Moreover, if there are mutually exclusive projects with positive net returns, the project with the highest net return should be selected. For this purpose, various techniques of capital budgeting are employed.

In addition to long-term capital, a concern wants short-term capital to manage the day-to-day running of the business. For efficient performance, the firm has to maintain a sufficient level of inventory to ensure uninterrupted production and distribution. Enough cash is required to meet the expenses and obligation of suppliers and creditors. There should be provisions for meeting any contingency, and a desired level of accounts receivable to retain the customers and to improve sales.

The money required for these purposes can be called working capital; the money locked up here does not generate income. But, for maintaining liquidity, the firm has to make sufficient investments here. Proper management of working capital is necessary to reach a trade-off between liquidity and profitability.

One of the greatest things that information technology has given the world is convenience. You can get almost any kind of information with the click of a mouse; you can transact many kinds of businesses in your pajamas, right in your living room anytime of the day.

A few years ago, it would have been impossible to imagine that traditional institutions like banks would follow the leadoff other companies and utilize the website as a major venue for transacting business. But the unmistakable advantages of Internet banking have convinced them to go high-tech. This trend has also seen the rise of a new breed of bankers: online financial organizations.

What You Should Know

An Internet bank functions much the same way as a traditional bank. It allows you to deposit your money and earn interest. You can withdraw, invest, and pay your bills through the bank as well. But with Internet banks, you usually get a higher annual percentage yield (APY).

The difference is derived from the savings a bank gets from doing away with overhead costs that a traditional bank has to worry about like maintaining a building at prime realty spots; an Internet bank does not have to have an office or branch you can visit to transact your banking activities. All the bank has to do is maintain a website you can access anytime, anywhere. This lower cost of operations ideally lets the Internet bank increase your savings interest rate.

Guide to Internet Banking

Before choosing the Internet bank where you will put your money, you have to have a clear set of priorities or requirements. For example, you have to decide which is more important, higher APY or high convenience when it comes to setting multiple accounts and investments through the bank. Some people need to have bank that can help them with moving money back and forth from one bank account to another without any hassle. Others prefer convenience in paying bills or purchasing products online using their bank savings. Still, many put excellent customer service at the top of the list.

You may have to be clear with yourself what kind of online banking experience you would like to get. But above all these preparations, you must remember to always check with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to determine the legitimacy and credibility of the banking institution you trust with your money

Actually, I am not jealous of my neighbor's pool, I am jealous that they do not seem to have to worry about money the way I do (although, maybe they do and built a pool anyway). Lately, every dollar must count in our lives now, or, to put it another way, we must count every dollar -- no pools in our near future, we just want to make sure that we can pay the bills and get the things we need. I worry about how long we will be able to maintain the discipline that we have showed this summer as we have worked on managing our money to get out of debt and start to live more comfortably. I worry that while I have worked so hard to organize and manage the finances, I have not really done that much to make significant change. After all the years of not keeping good records, I can only guess at the effect of our changes.

We have made a lot of changes, I know that: we got rid of one credit card altogether (shredder), we lowered our interest rates on all our other cards, we reduced our costs for insurance, and, most importantly, we stopped spending money without thinking about it first. We have been using a lot less money in our everyday lives and we have not increased our debt. We have some money saved, and I really am taking care of the bills. We still need to do better so we can afford our necessities without ever putting them on a credit card, but, we certainly are moving in the right direction. And, although we should have been doing this all along, I need to stop thinking about the past and just move forward from here.

That has been my mantra lately. We must not just look back and see all the mistakes, we must look today at all the steps we have taken to correct the mistakes, and look at the future knowing that we are making choices about money, not being blind to the realities of our financial situation. I find myself constantly evaluating potential expenditures: is this something that is more important than paying off more of the debt? Most "things" are not; some are (most of the things that are seem to relate to my children, but that is a whole other discussion). Meanwhile, I learn a few new ideas every day. I fix up our paperwork more and more every day. I de-clutter our house a little bit more every day.

All of that is making me feel better: we can be in control of our money because we have it organized and we know where it is going. I have made some amazing changes: I manage the money so much better now than I did two months ago. I worked hard to put a structure in place to allow me to track our money and keep it under control; now that it is there, I am using it every day and it is working really well to keep us focused on our goal of eliminating debt and increasing savings.

All of this work must be having an effect on our financial bottom line. Certainly, we have made strides: some are not measurable yet, but I can feel us living on less and paying off more all the time. We are in front of the bills for the first time ever. The bills are paid through the end of the month; when I pay again, before the month is over, I will be paying September's bills. That is huge: we have never been in front of our bills. These are forward steps. They must be having an effect on the bottom line.

But when do we get to take a breath? When do we get to stop worrying and just live? When will we feel comfortable financially? When will we have enough money? My answer to that, today, is that you have enough money when you can afford what you need and perhaps, some of what you want on top of that. I am not a materialistic person, so why so much focus on money? We have what we need: we sleep in a home, we have transportation, our children get good, solid educations and opportunities for lots of niceties in life, we eat, we are clothed and we basically enjoy a very lovely life. So, obviously we have enough. We have worked hard to achieve these things: we are both professionals in our fields and we work to earn every penny we have ever made.

So, why are we in a bind financially? Why am I so worried about money? Because my husband and I stuck our heads in the sand when it came to money for so long that we failed to make choices about money; our attitude was that we both have good jobs, the money comes in, so what do we have to worry about? That has allowed us to make poor money choices, or, perhaps, even worse, we have failed to even make choices. Now we are in a precarious financial position: an illness or job loss would put our lives in serious jeopardy. That is why we need to take control over our money NOW: while we have what we need, and have little need for much else, we need to shift from paying debt to saving money for emergencies, and other expenses; then, we can think about the extra goodies.

I do not really have pool envy. My real envy is that I want to be able to afford a pool, (metaphorically speaking). I do not actually, necessarily, want to own a pool. The goal of our recent efforts to manage our finances and to systematically eliminate debt is to gain financial freedom. What is financial freedom? True financial freedom cannot be about having enough money to buy more stuff; as I have learned, stuff is just stuff -- it is temporary and much of what we buy is irrelevant to good living. So what is financial freedom? Today, I am starting to think that financial freedom is a feeling that you are in control of your money. Financial freedom is becoming unshackled from the chains of spending what you do not have. It is freedom from debt, because paying money on the use of money is often a gigantic vise grip that forces you to work harder and harder to enrich the institutions that loaned you the money.

The most important function of money is to serve as a medium of exchange. As a medium of exchange, money removes all the difficulties of barter. There is no necessity for a double coincidence of wants in a money economy. The man with the cow, who wants to purchase a horse, need not hunt for a horse-seller who wants a cow. He can sell his cow in the market for money and then purchase a horse with the money thus obtained. The convenience is very great when the person has to sell his services or goods in an unfinished state, which no consumer in the narrow sense wants. They can be easily turned into money, the general purchasing power.

Furthermore, in a money economy it is easy to compare the relative values of commodities and services, which are dissimilar and entirely different from one another. The values are in proportion to their respective prices. Expression of values in prices enables us to add them up and have a definite idea of a person's or a community's wealth.

Money also serves as a standard of payments made after a lapse of time. Lending and borrowing, therefore, must take place in terms of a commodity that will, reasonably speaking, keep its value stable over time. Most commodities deteriorate with the passage of time. But if the money material is properly selected and managed, its value can be kept more stable than that of other articles. By serving as a standard measure of payments over time, money makes borrowing and lending much less risky. Thus, it helps in stimulating all kinds of economic activity, which depends on borrowed money or credit.

The online banking trend has caught up quite fast with bank customers in recent years. Even traditional, and oftentimes rigid, banking institutions are now pushing their websites and online presence through heavy advertising and promotions.

In a world that is becoming dependent on Information Technology for commerce and other activities, it pays to be at the top of developments. And in this case, it means having an online presence.

People all over the globe are looking to the Internet to make their lives easier. And online banking is just one way to simplify many things like managing financial resources, investments, bill payments, and money transfers, among many others. It also helps that people with Internet bank accounts earn a higher Annual Percentage Yield than those who still go to a branch to deposit or withdraw their money.

The Best One for You

An Internet bank account should be able to work for your convenience. The least a bank can do for you is give you interest for your savings. And even with this service, you still have a lot of choices among the different APY rates available.

The views of the economists about the nature of money have undergone changes during the past century or so. The early classical economists, for example, gave little importance to the role of money as a causative factor in the national economy of a country. They looked upon money as an unimportant and passive factor in the operation of the economy.

In modern times, however, the conception of money has undergone a change. The modern economists disagree with the classical view that money is a passive and insignificant factor, that monetary disturbances are rare and that they automatically correct themselves with the lapse of time. According to the modern economists, money plays a leading and decisive role in determining the level of economic activity in a country.

Money, according to them, is a powerful instrument, which controls and regulates the level of general economic activity in the economy. The supply of money, for example, has significant effects upon the total volume of investment, output, employment, distribution and consumption of wealth. An increase in the supply of money, for example, may lead to greater investment, output and employment.

An excessive increase in the supply of money may result in hyperinflation, rising prices and growing shortages in the economy. A decrease in the supply of money, on the contrary, may produce just the opposite effects on the national economy. It may result in deflation, falling prices and falling production. Both inflation and deflation have far-reaching effects not only on the production, but also on the distribution of income and wealth in society. Furthermore, money is a liquid asset, which can be easily hoarded as a form of wealth.

There are certain rules that govern the operation of a 401(k) plan. Rules and regulations for 401(k) plans are established by the US tax advertisement code. The Employee Benefits Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor regulates the operation of these plans

One of the rules put a certain dollar limit on the amount an employee may decide upon to defer each year. There are certain other limits also that may apply to the amount that an employer may have to contribute on your behalf. The employers, if they desire, can make a matching contribution to a 401k plan. But it is not mandatory for them to make any contribution. The money deposited in an individual employee's 401K plan is generally not allowed to be withdrawn till retirement.

Though it is a retirement plan but in certain circumstances an employee may be allowed to utilize some of the funds collected under this plan. Every individual has a separate 401k plan account. Before final withdrawal, an employee does not pay any taxes on this fund. When at the time of retirement one withdraws the money from this account, then that amount is taxed as an ordinary income. Under the rules and regulations governing this law, if low compensated employees do not contribute enough by the end of the plan year, then the limit is changed for highly compensated employees. These and some other provisions ensure that the employers are encouraged to make this option not only to the highly compensated but other employees also.

There are many ways to order bank checks - you can go personally to a bank, call a vendor's toll-free number to place your order, or log on to websites and request your checks via a secure connection. Each of these methods has pros and cons. Read on to find out which one works best for you.

Ordering bank checks in the bank is rather troublesome method of ordering checks that is still used by many people, especially those whose banks are near their places of work or residence. To order checks from a bank, you typically need to visit personally, fill out a form, pay the processing and printing costs, and then wait for a week or two so you can come back and pick up the checks. This is a sensible option if you regularly go to the bank to take care of deposits and transactions. But it is not advisable to go to the bank only to order checks - with the cost of gas and of your lost time, you would have already spent double what you would if you had used another check ordering method.

You can order bank checks via the telephone. This is definitely more convenient than having to drive to a bank to order your checks, but it has a downside: it is prone to human error. The customer service representative on the other line may mishear your name, address, or account number, for example, so you may end up with misspelled or inaccurate checks (that are virtually useless). Most check vendors offer a refund or replacement when this happens, but this can be catastrophic if you need new checks immediately