A personal check is a check drawn against funds deposited in a personal checking account. It can be printed to match ones taste and can be designed in a variety of styles. Checks can have colorful images that are boldly captured and address labels. There are checks that are depict an environment-friendly scene capturing a beautiful environment in design and printed in a soy-based ink and recycled paper.

Personal checks are printed mainly for the protection of an individual’s privacy. Personal information is kept confidential by not selling, renting or sharing any personal information with anyone. Prints are made in micro printed text manner that are very smaller letters that can only be read through the use of a magnifying glass, but may appear to be dashed or solid lines to the unaided eye. Printing on the backside or the check-reversed text is very light to avoid easy duplication by any color copier, laser printer or scanner. Security features of each printing company personal check are ensured to pass on the requirements of almost all financial institutions.

Printing company personal checks can be used as payment for purchases. Safekeeping of the printing company personal check is very significant. One should have a record of every check transaction in possession. The records must have details of each account activity, likewise with the statements of paid checks. Statements may include amount paid, number of check, and the date you paid for it. Cancelled checks must also be recorded. Recording of your check transactions always keeps financial records secure and convenient.

There is nothing more satisfying than ordering a personal, customized check. The satisfaction multiplies when you know that you have obtained an extremely good deal. Personal checks are often far more economical, especially when ordered online.

Banks obtain their checks from national printers, so they cost more. When you order online, you are ordering directly from the manufacturer, therefore saving money.

Many companies can produce specially designed checks at a lower cost than the plain ones because they supply the checks directly to you and there is no middleman involved. Checks from the bank are costlier because the prices they charge are designed to make a profit for the bank and the printer they order from. So the prices are marked up twice over.

The most important strategy to obtain inexpensive personal checks is to watch for special offers, like buying a box of 150 single checks for $9.95 or $10.95 and getting a second box for just 95¢. The greater the number of checks you order, the greater the discount available. So, if you get 250 checks with 50 free for $37.99, by ordering 2,000 checks from the same company at one time, you will get 500 free checks for $139.99, bringing the price from 12¢ per check to 6¢ per check. This kind of offer will often come with the option of having your own custom logo printed on the check for free, as compared to the regular printing charge of $24.99. Most companies print and ship orders within three to five business days. At an extra minimal cost, same day processing and shipping is also available.

So if you are considering ordering personal checks, be sure to check out all discounts available online to ensure you are getting value for your money.

A personal loan center is a one-stop solution to all financial needs in UK. These loan centers established over a couple of years provide online assistance to borrowers in raising funds or loans to realize their personal needs.

Such loan centers are proficient in handling personal loans to cater to personal needs such as purchase of a car, revamping an old home, ferrying to a dream destination, fund education abroad or just consolidate earlier debts.

Benefits of seeking out a Personal Loan Centre:

-The loan centre shops around for best personal loans on behalf of the borrower

-Arranges loans with major banks and financial companies

-Assistance out of sound financial experience

-Some also have an insurance cover (helps to cover the loan payment during sickness or unemployment)

-No brokerage charges incurred

Such personal loan center makes the whole process of applying and finding the most competitive rate and the right loan simpler. The borrower, no more drains out his time and energy hunting out for a right personal loan. These centers help them seek out for a personal loan by scouring through the competitive loan market.

Online loan calculators provided by such loan centers are quite handy in making loan rate comparision in UK without running from one uk lender to another such competitor. Just a click on the mouse can make the whole process of online loan comparision hassle-free.

All these services are provided with at most care and confidentiality. Any financial information furnished by the borrower will be secure in the hands of a professional personal loan center. Thus ensuring quality, cost-effective and friendly service online.

Thanks to Google, you can now save money while searching for local businesses or getting directions. Imagine the next time you're looking for a local store to get an oil change, and not only will you find store locations and directions, but a coupon you can print and take with you for a discount you may not have gotten otherwise.

OK, so online coupons aren't anything new, but here's what is new. In an effort to get more local businesses listed, Google is allowing local businesses to add a coupon to their Google Maps listing for free. Other online directories charge a fee to allow businesses to ad a coupon to their listings.

Since this is free advertising for businesses, you're likely to see more search results in your local listings, and packed with coupons. Just think, even if you already know the location of a certain business, it may be worth it to you to look them up on Google Maps anyway, just to get a coupon.

With gas currently being around $3.00 a gallon, if you can get three dollars off with a coupon, you just saved yourself a gallon of gas for a short trip across town. What if you had several errands to run? Check Google Maps for coupons for each business you need to go to, even if you already know where it is. These coupons could really add up after awhile.

You're not likely to see a whole lot of businesses with coupons right away. It's going to take some time for the word to get out, but if you have a few businesses that you visit frequently it may be worth your while to tell them about the Google Maps service and how they can advertise with a coupon for free.

I personally am not much of a coupon clipper, but believe me, with gas prices being as high as they are, I'll be checking out Google Maps for coupons to offset that cost on a regular basis. No small business is going to turn down free local advertising, and the possibilities are endless. Groceries, pharmaceutical, oil changes, you name it. You can now save on things you use every day!

Throughout your working life as an employee, or for that matter, as an employer, you are required to pay social security which is deducted from your pay check. Depending on how long you are in employment, (you could retire early or be forced into retirement through ill health) will determine what you are entitled to receive in your retirement. The varying forms of benefit are social security benefits, disability benefits, military benefits and private funded benefits. The payments that you made whilst working away to secure your future were collected and lovingly cared for by the government. Now if all goes to plan and with the wind in the right direction! then theoretically this money has been invested and multiplied and should be re-paid to you in your later years. The question remains; is there, or will there be anything in the pot at the day of reckoning?

As of this writing over 96% of the population in America are payees into the social security system. The system has, up until now, a pretty good record of looking after it's own and one or two others along the way. The sum that you receive in retirement is calculated from the amount, or for how long you paid in to the system, in a nutshell, the longer you were a member of the social security system, the more you got back.

On the subject of early retirement through disability, there's no reason why you shouldn't receive full disability benefits throughout your retirement, provided that your case is genuine and that you have been certified as unable to carry on working as a result of your disability. Naturally this must be certified by a medical doctor in one of the social security accredited hospitals.

Military veterans and their dependants are automatically part of the health care system provided specially for their needs by the government. Any member of the armed forces requiring information about social security benefits should get in contact with their local government agency.

For the more astute and forward thinking individual, and of course the ones that have the funds to spare, private savings and pensions are the best alternative to ensure a comfortable retirement. Although initially they are more expensive to maintain, they are a good and usually safe investment for the future. A private pension is also probably more flexible, with the option of lump sum payments or higher monthly payments for life.

A Roll over refers to moving the eligible retirement funds of an employee that were left with a previous employer to one’s individually managed Rollover IRA account. One can do a rollover leaving a job or changing it. It is also possible for employees who are retiring to do a roll over. It means that en employee is taking away the retirement assets after leaving the job.

This ensures that the money continues to grow at a tax-deferred basis, even if it is retirement money. In other cases, it helps employees build up tax-deferred savings when they change jobs with a direct, trustee-to-trustee rollover. There are several advantages of doing a roll over, like when your pension funds are in jeopardy as your company is under distress. Once this is done, you are safe.

Doing a roll over also helps keep pension funds safe in case of company mergers. It also helps you build a diversified portfolio. With your IRA account, you can make the investment choices. It helps cut down on expenses, as your 401K plan fees may be higher than the rollover IRA fees. If you change your job frequently, it might be difficult to keep track employers. In these cases, the best option is to roll over your funds to reduce the risk of misplacing or losing tract of your money.

A rollover IRA also provides the flexibility to take out a small part or all of your money, if needed. However one might have to pay certain taxes and penalties on the amount withdrawn. There are certain provisions that waive off these penalties.

While it may sound ironic, bad credit mortgages have certain advantages over regular mortgages. The main advantage of bad credit mortgages is that they are easier to qualify for even when the applicant has a bad credit history.

Aside from this, bad credit mortgages can help the owner gather wealth. Owners can build equities even when they are in bankruptcy. The rates required by bad credit mortgages may allow the owner to get a home at a minimal down payment. While the rates may be higher than regular mortgages, they are still comparable to the costs of a rent payment. Owners can even enjoy tax deductions.

Credit mortgages also do not require sub-prime loans. This saves the owner from premium costs. However, sub-prime loans can still be availed of with bad credit mortgages. Most sub-prime lenders are also open to doing business even with those who have bad credit standing.

In general, bad credit mortgages allow people to own properties without the need of waiting for their credit standing to improve. They can buy houses at current prices. This would be a great investment because prices of these properties are expected to appreciate in years to come.

To find lenders who are open to applicants with bad credit standing, the Internet can be used. It contains a vast resource of information of sub-prime lenders and their corresponding offers.

Applicants, however, should avoid being overwhelmed with the choices available. Their bad credit standing should not prevent them from exploring all available opportunities. It is advisable for them to get a mortgage broker. These mortgage brokers are the ones who weigh the available options for the applicant. Sometimes, they also offer special deals.

Quotes should also be asked from the available lenders. These quotes contain closing cost estimates that may be useful in comparing options. The applicants or the mortgage brokers can also negotiate with the lenders to get better deals or fees.

401K refers to a section in the Internal Revenue Code of the Federal government aimed at encouraging workers to establish retirement savings plans. This section was established in 1981.

A 401K plan is actually a tax deferred investment and savings plan. Under this plan, an employee of a corporation or a private company is allowed to save and invest money for retirement purpose. A 401K Plan thus acts as a personal pension fund for employees of corporations and private companies. In a 401K plan an employee authorizes the employer for pre-tax payroll deductions from a salary. These deductions are invested in various investment options including mutual funds. These options could differ for company to company. Under this plan the investment earnings and the employees’ contributions continue to grow. They are taxed as ordinary income at the time of withdrawal, which is assumed to be at retirement. Till then both the investments and contributions continue to grow tax-deferred.

It is a very simple concept. A 401K plan is set up by the employer. The employee has to decide what percentage should be deducted from the income before his or her paycheck is taxed. That means it is the employee who pays into the plan. But once an employee decides then the rest of the things are taken care of by the employer and the plan provider. The contribution to this plan is automatically deducted from the pay of the employee in each pay period. This money is then invested before the employee’s income has been taxed. The money continues to grow in your personal 401K account. The money can be withdrawn in case of certain emergencies. In some cases one can borrow against it also. But generally the money is supposed to stay in an employee’s account till he or she attains the age of 591/2 years.

Foreign etiquette is key to a sophisticated traveler. How much do you know about the different cultures encountered in international travel?

Q: When in North Africa or the Middle East what hand do you use to eat traditional meals?

A: The right hand only. At traditional meals, the left hand is not used for eating.

Q: In North Africa or the Middle East what part of your body do you not face toward another person?

A: In some parts it is considered rude to face the soles of one’s feet toward other people.

Q: What do you ask in a restaurant in Europe to see if they have already included the tip?

A: Is service included? The tricky part is when a patron asks the waiter if the tip is included in the total and the waiter will say "no". That's because it's true, there is no tip so he will say "no". You don't ask if the "tip" is included-ask instead if "service" is included. If you see "Service compris" on the menu, it means that the tip is included.

Q: In Moscow, what should you not do with your hands?

A: Don't put your thumb between your first two fingers. It is a very rude gesture.

Q: How many drinks are too many in Moscow?

A: There is no such thing as too many. You should accept all alcohol and food that is offered to you when visiting friends, even if it is a lot. Refusing a drink or a toast is very poor etiquette. An open bottle must often be finished. You may end up drinking quite a bit.

Q: What do you do when riding an escalator in Vienna?

A: Stay on the right hand side so people may pass you on the left. There are signs everywhere stating this, and if you don’t listen you will find an annoyed person standing behind you.

Q: When dining in China how should you rest your chopsticks?

A: When not in use, chopsticks should be placed on the rest or horizontally at the side of a dish, not on top of the bowl and never standing up in the rice as this symbolizes death.

Q: How serious is it to carry drugs, even prescription drugs in Indonesia?

A: Drug offenses are a very serious matter in Indonesia. If you need prescription drugs or carry syringes for medical reasons, carry a copy of the prescription. Drug trafficking is punishable by death in Indonesia.

Q: Is it polite to burp after a meal in Japan?

A: Unlike in some other parts of East Asia, it is considered bad manner to burp.

Q: How should you approach a businesswoman in Singapore?

A: Exchange cards with respect (with both hands), and note who the other person is before pocketing the card. In relating to businesswomen, always avoid comments on her appearances, as Asian women tend to be more conservative. Never touch, hug or kiss a person of the opposite sex at a business meeting. This could be misread.

Q: What should you not give as a gift to your host in China?

A: Never give a clock, handkerchief, umbrella or white flowers, specifically chrysanthemums, as a gift, as all of these signify tears and/or death. Never give sharp objects such as knives or scissors as they would signify the cutting of a relationship.

The management of your finances should be simple and to the point. If done properly, your money will be easy to manage. It shouldn't be something you struggle with. It shouldn't take hours of your time.

It may take a little work in the beginning, but once you have a plan in place, your finances will take you less time and less stress.

Let's start with the biggest time saver of all. Balancing your checkbook frequently. Have you ever waited a month or more to balance your account? You dread it because it takes hours and still doesn't all add up. However, did you know that it doesn't have to be so hard?

If you balance your account once a week, it will probably take you anywhere between five and 30 minutes, depending on how well you track your spending. Not only does it take you less time, but there are fewer surprises when you balance your account often. Things start adding up better because you are dealing with fewer numbers. If you did miss something, chances are that a few days are not going to hurt you badly. You catch things as they happen.

Take advantage of online statements or automated telephone tellers to keep track of your spending on a weekly basis.

When it comes to your checking account, you need to sign up for overdraft protection. By linking your checking account to a line of credit, you avoid the hassle and cost of a bounced check. But you should never use this line of credit unless it is absolutely necessary. It is just a bad idea for many reasons.

Start with enrolling in direct deposit for your paycheck. This saves you a trip to the bank. Have your savings automatically transfered from your checking into your savings account. This makes the savings payment just like any other bill. You don't put it off because it is already gone.

Electronic bill payments are wonderful. Anything that is a fixed amount should be automatically withdrawn from your account. This saves you a lot of time. You just have to remember that it is coming out. I have a list of what comes out on what date paperclipped to my account log. I take it all out at the end of the month and don't worry about forgetting about it.

If you can consolidate your finances, that is great. Having three credit cards leaves you open to accidently missing a payment. You have to make three payments when you could simply make one.

A bank check is a guaranteed check issued by the bank on the bank’s own account, after a purchaser (usually a depositor in the bank) “buys” it. It is guaranteed because it is as good as cash – the purchaser of the check pays the bank the sum indicated on the check (either directly or through account debit), so there is no way the check will bounce.

Bank checks are very handy when you need to pay a large amount of money but do not want to carry cash. Most purchasers of bank checks use them to pay for big acquisitions like properties, to pay taxes, to close business deals, etc.

A bank check typically looks like a regular check, except that it is bank issued and does not depend on anyone’s account. It also has the basic elements of the regular check: a date and place of issue, a check and account number, a clearly written payee name, a clearly written amount of currency, and of course, the signature of the drawer (in this case, the bank manager).

Like a regular check, a bank check is typically valid for six months after the date of issue (except in special cases when the validity date is otherwise indicated).

Anyone can apply for a bank check, but the process is made much easier if you are already a depositor at the bank where you want to buy a bank check. In this case, they simply debit the amount of the check from your account, write up the check, give you a receipt and the check, and send you on your way. If you do not have an account in the bank you want to buy from, you can pay them upfront, and they can immediately write you a check. Note, however, that banks usually impose service charges for this request. The service charge varies, but it is typically only a few dollars (or more, depending on bank regulations or the amount of the check).

A savings account is a balance of funds maintained with a depository institution in order to accumulate money. It is a useful and time-tested way of saving up money for whatever the future holds. The bank or depository institution makes a pledge to repay the amounts maintained in the account. Typically, such institutions are regulated in the United States and provide a depositor protection insurance, which guarantees the funds will be available when needed by depositor.

Typically, longer-term investments are put into equities or fixed deposits because they yield a higher rate of interest. Each depository institution maintains their own policies about how savings accounts can be used. In many cases one bank can have several savings account offerings depending on the type of customer they seek.

People may open a time deposit account, wherein the cash deposited is kept for a predetermined tenure. However, withdrawals can be made after giving a notice or incurring loss of interest. A dormant savings account typically has no transactions except collecting interest from the savings amount for a specified period of time.

A passbook savings account is one in which deposits and withdrawals are documented in the depositor's passbook. Other types of savings also include corporate retained earnings and a government budget surplus.

In simple terms, ‘savings’ sounds easy to understand. However, there are a few definitions of what exactly the term savings can mean. One may argue that the portion of a person's income that is utilized on mortgage settlements and not spent on present consumption should consequently be termed as savings.

You have credit card debt, and you wan to pay it off as quickly as you can. We will assume that you are going to stop creating more debt. You have changed your ways. You also understand that paying credit card balances with a consolidation loan or rolling it into a mortgage isn't paying it off. In fact, paying a lower interest rate, but paying on the debt for many more years, usually means paying much more, not less.

Okay, so you really want to be rid of that credit card debt. First, you have to understand that not all debt is the same. Of course you know this. Some of your cards have a higher interest rate than others. How do you use this fact, though, to pay off the total debt in the most efficient way?

Credit Card Debt - The Way Out

Find and budget the money to start paying down those balances. If you order pizza every week, for example, you may be spending $60 or $80 per month right there. If you are serious about getting those debts paid, you may have to eat $4 frozen pizzas for now. Do what you have to do, and determine how much you can apply towards the debt each month.

Suppose you can budget $300 per month to pay the credit card balances. For this example, we'll also assume that you have four credit cards. To keep it simple, we'll say that the minimum payment on each is $45. With four cards, now, you could just divide your budget four ways, and pay $75 on each card every month. This, however, is all wrong.

Instead, what you want to do is pay the minimum payment on all the cards but one, and apply the rest of the budget to that card. Which card? The one with the highest interest rate, of course. $45 towards each of the other three cards leaves $165 to apply towards the one with the highest interest. Continue in this way until this card debt is paid in full. This is how you pay the least in total interest charges.

Now that one card is paid off, do you have an extra $165 to spend every month? Not if your serious about paying off your debts! Maintain the $300 budget, but again pay the minimums on the lower interest cards, and the rest on the one with the highest interest rate. You'll have $210 per month to pay on that one now, so things will start to get done more quickly.

An adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) is a mortgage with an interest rate that is variable. Unlike a fixed rate mortgage where the payments are steady throughout the term of the mortgage, interest rates for adjustable rate mortgages are linked to an economic index and tend to vary over a period of time.

Adjustable rate mortgages usually have an initial fixed rate that is lower than the interest rate of a comparable fixed rate mortgage. This is because these kinds of mortgages transfer a part of the interest rate risk from the lender to the borrower.

A lower initial rate means lower payments, which can allow you to take a larger loan. However, if the interest rates start rising, your monthly payments will increase or the term of the mortgage will increase depending upon the policies of your lending institution.

An ARM begins with a rate that is fixed for the initial period. Once this initial period is over, interest rates vary at adjustment intervals. For example, a "3/1 ARM" has a initial low rate that is fixed for the first 3 years, and then gets adjusted every year, based on the variations in the economic index to which it is linked. Common adjustable rate mortgages include: 1/1, 3/1, 5/1, 7/1, and 10/1.

Some adjustable rate mortgages may be allowed to get converted into fixed rate mortgages. However, a conversion fee is levied, which could be high and could take away any savings that you might have gained from the initial lower rate.

Lenders do not allow you to choose the economic index to which the adjustable rate mortgage is linked; however, you can choose the lender based on the index that will apply to your loan.

It is advisable to ask the lender how each index used has performed in the past and choose the index that has remained fairly stable.