Friday, April 06, 2007

Many People Have Bad Credit, But Few Care To Repair It

Well, in modern society, the world is driven by credit, unless, of course, one is a millionaire, and even so, millionaires sometimes use credit.

When You Apply For A Loan

The first thing a lending company does is to ask for your credit report. This is as important as your Social Security Number. They want to know who you are and what kind of payment responsibility you have, they want to know if you have a steady job or a home business and whether you have a bank account or not.

This kind of information gives the prospective lender an X-Ray of your finances and will affect the quality of the loan that you obtain. What interest rate you will have to pay, the amount you will be able to apply for and whether you will need collateral or not. This is a security that the lender takes in case you interrupt your payments. It can be property, a car or some valuable of yours to backup the loan.

As You Can See

The information contained on your credit report is capital to the way you move about in life. If you can’t use credit, you will have to use cash and the old savings “piggy bank” in order to save up for any purchase larger than your monthly capability. Today’s economy moves on credit. It is like wheels that help it to move around. Whether it is a credit card or buying a car in installments, credit is a great part of our everyday life.

Bad Credit Ratings Can Be Repaired

Nothing is forever. All your financial “misdoings” are kept for seven years on the records, by law, and then erased. All entries must be accurate, obviously and all operations must be registered. Therefore, what is not registered must be informed. What is wrong must be corrected and what is outdated must be erased.

The source of these changes is none other than yourself, so you must take action and write to the credt bureaus and inform them about the correct data. Write in common language, since they don’t like to be addressed “officially” and give proof of what you are informing.

It Takes Some Time

There is a minimum time frame for the changes to appear on the report, but in around 30 days you will begin to see the new info. From this moment on, every loan you apply for will have to be perfect in payments and timing, so as to build up positive records. If you add up the amount of cash you can save on interests by having good credit, you’ll be surprised.

You can do the math by getting free quotes. Test it. Give a different name twice running. On the first occasion, enter “bad” credit and on the second enter “excellent” and watch what happens.
Well, in modern society, the world is driven by credit, unless, of course, one is a millionaire, and even so, millionaires sometimes use credit.

When You Apply For A Loan

The first thing a lending company does is to ask for your credit report. This is as important as your Social Security Number. They want to know who you are and what kind of payment responsibility you have, they want to know if you have a steady job or a home business and whether you have a bank account or not.

This kind of information gives the prospective lender an X-Ray of your finances and will affect the quality of the loan that you obtain. What interest rate you will have to pay, the amount you will be able to apply for and whether you will need collateral or not. This is a security that the lender takes in case you interrupt your payments. It can be property, a car or some valuable of yours to backup the loan.

As You Can See

The information contained on your credit report is capital to the way you move about in life. If you can’t use credit, you will have to use cash and the old savings “piggy bank” in order to save up for any purchase larger than your monthly capability. Today’s economy moves on credit. It is like wheels that help it to move around. Whether it is a credit card or buying a car in installments, credit is a great part of our everyday life.

Bad Credit Ratings Can Be Repaired

Nothing is forever. All your financial “misdoings” are kept for seven years on the records, by law, and then erased. All entries must be accurate, obviously and all operations must be registered. Therefore, what is not registered must be informed. What is wrong must be corrected and what is outdated must be erased.

The source of these changes is none other than yourself, so you must take action and write to the credt bureaus and inform them about the correct data. Write in common language, since they don’t like to be addressed “officially” and give proof of what you are informing.

It Takes Some Time

There is a minimum time frame for the changes to appear on the report, but in around 30 days you will begin to see the new info. From this moment on, every loan you apply for will have to be perfect in payments and timing, so as to build up positive records. If you add up the amount of cash you can save on interests by having good credit, you’ll be surprised.

You can do the math by getting free quotes. Test it. Give a different name twice running. On the first occasion, enter “bad” credit and on the second enter “excellent” and watch what happens.

Senior Financial Planning and Life Settlements

All too often seniors find themselves with a great life insurance policy but not enough money to keep up the premiums or to enjoy their final golden years. A great way for them to get some hard, cold cash is with life insurance settlements. The senior simply sells their life insurance policy trough a life insurance settlement and ends up with less than the face value of the policy but still a good amount of cash money to help finance their final years. Life settlements are a rather new type of investment and while they can have amazing payoffs if the individual dies quickly they can also be a drain if that is not the case. Regardless, seniors considering selling their policy trough a life insurance settlement don’t need to worry about when they are going to die. They simply need to worry about how much they can sell their policy for today.

Life insurance settlements sell for less the longer an individual is anticipated to live. So, any senior with no health issues that wants to sell their life insurance policy will receive less money than a senior with terminal cancer or another disease that is likely to kill them very soon. Of course, there is no guarantee which of these senior citizens will live the longest, but the odds are in favor of the healthy individual. So, the closer a senior citizen can appear to death when negotiating will result in a higher payout. Another way senior citizens can go about financial planning is to buy a policy early on that is more than they can really afford but plan on selling it through a life insurance settlement down the road to get more money. Doing this results in a higher payout as well because the face value of the policy is higher.

There are a lot of things to consider when using a life insurance settlement to finance your golden years. But, it is one option and a good one at that for older individuals who need the money to live and aren’t worried about their beneficiaries after they are gone. For these folks life insurance settlements make good financial sense.
All too often seniors find themselves with a great life insurance policy but not enough money to keep up the premiums or to enjoy their final golden years. A great way for them to get some hard, cold cash is with life insurance settlements. The senior simply sells their life insurance policy trough a life insurance settlement and ends up with less than the face value of the policy but still a good amount of cash money to help finance their final years. Life settlements are a rather new type of investment and while they can have amazing payoffs if the individual dies quickly they can also be a drain if that is not the case. Regardless, seniors considering selling their policy trough a life insurance settlement don’t need to worry about when they are going to die. They simply need to worry about how much they can sell their policy for today.

Life insurance settlements sell for less the longer an individual is anticipated to live. So, any senior with no health issues that wants to sell their life insurance policy will receive less money than a senior with terminal cancer or another disease that is likely to kill them very soon. Of course, there is no guarantee which of these senior citizens will live the longest, but the odds are in favor of the healthy individual. So, the closer a senior citizen can appear to death when negotiating will result in a higher payout. Another way senior citizens can go about financial planning is to buy a policy early on that is more than they can really afford but plan on selling it through a life insurance settlement down the road to get more money. Doing this results in a higher payout as well because the face value of the policy is higher.

There are a lot of things to consider when using a life insurance settlement to finance your golden years. But, it is one option and a good one at that for older individuals who need the money to live and aren’t worried about their beneficiaries after they are gone. For these folks life insurance settlements make good financial sense.

Five Tips That Will Get You Cheap Life Insurance Quotes

So you're looking for life insurance quotes. Congratulations on taking the first steps toward protecting your family. It takes a mature individual to do what you're doing, and I'm not just saying that to blow smoke. I'm saying it because statistics show that not nearly enough individuals and families have the coverage needed in order to protect themselves in the event of a tragedy. I salute you. Here are a few tips that may help you find a lower cost life insurance quote.

#1. The first consideration is going to be your age. The younger and better health that you're in, means the lower the quote you'll receive. I always recommend that people buy Term Life Insurance. The reason that I say that is because there are other ways that you can invest your money, other than Whole Life Insurance policies that will pay higher interest rates than what you would be getting. There is always a bit of risk when you invest, but I would definitely check into it if I were you. Pay for Term Life and you'll have pure insurance coverage and that's all you need. Invest your money elsewhere. Oh, I have to cover myself here by saying "take this advice at your own risk. I'm not a financial planner and the advice given is my own opinion. I cannot be held responsible for any loss incurred by anyone by taking my advice." Next subject.

#2. You may want to consider moving. It's true that you'll get a lower Life Insurance Quote if you happen to live in certain areas of the country. Why is this true? Well, Life Insurance, like other types of insurance, are figured out based on statistics. In this case, you'll probably have more deaths in a big city than you would in a small, rural area. I said probably. I don't have statistics handy for every region of the country, but it makes more sense if you think about it. There is more pollution in the city, more traffic in the city, gangs = homicides and other crimes. It just makes sense.

#3. Get married. This may be a crock because my wife and I drive each other nuts some days, but statistics say that married people are happier. Happier people live longer and, therefore, save money on their life insurance premiums. I'd really like to meet the people that conducted this survey, but I'll take their word for it. I'm joking of course.

#4. Quit smoking. This is a no brainer. You need to quit anyway. Your life insurance quote will be less once you've got one year smoke free under your belt. Hey, I did it! I smoked for thirty one years and then, with the help of God and the "patch", I finally did it. You know what? It really wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I did put on twenty five pounds though. I've been doing my Homer Simpson imitation. Mmmm, food good! Which brings me to my last tip.

#5. Lose weight, if you need to. This is just good advice. You should try to stay close to your ideal weight, if possible. I know that this is tough for some people and doesn't make sense for others. I have a medium build, but am large boned and look awful when I'm close to my ideal weight. I'm good about 15-20 pounds over that. If you are too much overweight you will be uninsurable so make sure to keep those pounds down before you get your Life Insurance quotes. Good luck!
So you're looking for life insurance quotes. Congratulations on taking the first steps toward protecting your family. It takes a mature individual to do what you're doing, and I'm not just saying that to blow smoke. I'm saying it because statistics show that not nearly enough individuals and families have the coverage needed in order to protect themselves in the event of a tragedy. I salute you. Here are a few tips that may help you find a lower cost life insurance quote.

#1. The first consideration is going to be your age. The younger and better health that you're in, means the lower the quote you'll receive. I always recommend that people buy Term Life Insurance. The reason that I say that is because there are other ways that you can invest your money, other than Whole Life Insurance policies that will pay higher interest rates than what you would be getting. There is always a bit of risk when you invest, but I would definitely check into it if I were you. Pay for Term Life and you'll have pure insurance coverage and that's all you need. Invest your money elsewhere. Oh, I have to cover myself here by saying "take this advice at your own risk. I'm not a financial planner and the advice given is my own opinion. I cannot be held responsible for any loss incurred by anyone by taking my advice." Next subject.

#2. You may want to consider moving. It's true that you'll get a lower Life Insurance Quote if you happen to live in certain areas of the country. Why is this true? Well, Life Insurance, like other types of insurance, are figured out based on statistics. In this case, you'll probably have more deaths in a big city than you would in a small, rural area. I said probably. I don't have statistics handy for every region of the country, but it makes more sense if you think about it. There is more pollution in the city, more traffic in the city, gangs = homicides and other crimes. It just makes sense.

#3. Get married. This may be a crock because my wife and I drive each other nuts some days, but statistics say that married people are happier. Happier people live longer and, therefore, save money on their life insurance premiums. I'd really like to meet the people that conducted this survey, but I'll take their word for it. I'm joking of course.

#4. Quit smoking. This is a no brainer. You need to quit anyway. Your life insurance quote will be less once you've got one year smoke free under your belt. Hey, I did it! I smoked for thirty one years and then, with the help of God and the "patch", I finally did it. You know what? It really wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I did put on twenty five pounds though. I've been doing my Homer Simpson imitation. Mmmm, food good! Which brings me to my last tip.

#5. Lose weight, if you need to. This is just good advice. You should try to stay close to your ideal weight, if possible. I know that this is tough for some people and doesn't make sense for others. I have a medium build, but am large boned and look awful when I'm close to my ideal weight. I'm good about 15-20 pounds over that. If you are too much overweight you will be uninsurable so make sure to keep those pounds down before you get your Life Insurance quotes. Good luck!

Managing the Unforeseen With an Emergency Fund

Do you have any money set aside in a reserve fund in case there is an emergency in your life? If you don't, it worthwhile to give it a deep thought now because no one knows when an emergency could occur, you need an emergency fund to manage through any unforeseen incident that may happen at any point of your life.

So, what is an emergency fund? This is a fund to be used when a hurricane or a tornado blows the roof off your house, you lose your job, or your union calls a strike. The need could come in the form of a disability or an illness that keeps your our of work for an extended period of time, or it could be the immediate expenses of an untimely death in the family. In short, it is a poll of money that you put aside and the uses of any unexpected incidents.

How much should you Save? The is no an exact answer on how much should you save in your emergency fund, it be an amount that makes sense for you. It will depend on whether you are already debt-free or loaded down with debt. It will depend on whether you have a single- or dual-income household. The conventional wisdom is to have at least 3 months' worth of living expenses set aside and if you can do it, six months' worth stashed away is even better. The bottom line is your emergency fund should an amount that make you feel secure.

Please note that 3 months of living expenses is not the same as three months of income. The emergency fund is for you to cover at least for the basic of living. How you determine your basic living expenses? Take a look at your cash flow: what will it take to maintain your lifestyle, rent/mortgage payment, groceries, monthly utilities, childcare, insurance payment, and etc. That is the amount time 3 that you need to save in your emergency fund.

Where will I keep my Emergency Fund? This question is more important than you might imagine. If your Emergency Fund is too easy to access, you might be tempted to dip into it for things that are ... well, not emergencies. At the same time, though, it needs to be liquid (easily convertible to cash) and kept somewhere that allows fairly prompt access. After all, they call them "emergencies" for a reason.

The money market is a good place to put the money. Use a mutual fund money-market account with check-writing privileges. A potential drawback here is that the minimum amount needed to open such an account is usually $1,000. You may think of other ways of saving your emergency fund, the bottom line is your emergency fund should not that easy to be accessed but it must be liquidized enough to cash out your money when emergency happen.

In Summary

Unforeseen stuff happens and there is no sign when it will happen, you need to plan on how to face this unexpected incident. The unforeseen incident usually costs money. If you don't have an emergency fund equal to three to six months worth of basic living expenses, you're living on the edge. There's no time like the present to get started. Hence, it's time for you to start thinking of and put in actions on how to manage the unforeseen with an emergency fund.
Do you have any money set aside in a reserve fund in case there is an emergency in your life? If you don't, it worthwhile to give it a deep thought now because no one knows when an emergency could occur, you need an emergency fund to manage through any unforeseen incident that may happen at any point of your life.

So, what is an emergency fund? This is a fund to be used when a hurricane or a tornado blows the roof off your house, you lose your job, or your union calls a strike. The need could come in the form of a disability or an illness that keeps your our of work for an extended period of time, or it could be the immediate expenses of an untimely death in the family. In short, it is a poll of money that you put aside and the uses of any unexpected incidents.

How much should you Save? The is no an exact answer on how much should you save in your emergency fund, it be an amount that makes sense for you. It will depend on whether you are already debt-free or loaded down with debt. It will depend on whether you have a single- or dual-income household. The conventional wisdom is to have at least 3 months' worth of living expenses set aside and if you can do it, six months' worth stashed away is even better. The bottom line is your emergency fund should an amount that make you feel secure.

Please note that 3 months of living expenses is not the same as three months of income. The emergency fund is for you to cover at least for the basic of living. How you determine your basic living expenses? Take a look at your cash flow: what will it take to maintain your lifestyle, rent/mortgage payment, groceries, monthly utilities, childcare, insurance payment, and etc. That is the amount time 3 that you need to save in your emergency fund.

Where will I keep my Emergency Fund? This question is more important than you might imagine. If your Emergency Fund is too easy to access, you might be tempted to dip into it for things that are ... well, not emergencies. At the same time, though, it needs to be liquid (easily convertible to cash) and kept somewhere that allows fairly prompt access. After all, they call them "emergencies" for a reason.

The money market is a good place to put the money. Use a mutual fund money-market account with check-writing privileges. A potential drawback here is that the minimum amount needed to open such an account is usually $1,000. You may think of other ways of saving your emergency fund, the bottom line is your emergency fund should not that easy to be accessed but it must be liquidized enough to cash out your money when emergency happen.

In Summary

Unforeseen stuff happens and there is no sign when it will happen, you need to plan on how to face this unexpected incident. The unforeseen incident usually costs money. If you don't have an emergency fund equal to three to six months worth of basic living expenses, you're living on the edge. There's no time like the present to get started. Hence, it's time for you to start thinking of and put in actions on how to manage the unforeseen with an emergency fund.

Quick Unsecured Loans - At The Speed Of Light

A loan not secured by an underlying asset or collateral is an unsecured debt. This implies that the borrower is free from the risk of repossession of the asset by the lending institution. But, as it is said, there is nothing like free lunch on this earth. Every offer comes with terms and conditions. In case of unsecured loans, the rate of interest charged by the borrower is much higher than that on secured loans. In fact, the difference between the two is enormous. At present, the current APR on secured loans starts from 6.2% and that on unsecured loans is from 13%. And the base rate decided by the Bank of England is 5.25%. So, that explains all.

Still, as the UK loan market trends reveal, borrowers prefer to pay more APR on unsecured debts than pledge their home as security. There are many reasons as to why borrowers prefer fast unsecured loans to secured ones, which usually require prolonged procedures. Some of them are cited below.

Fast processing of loan- Loans that don't require any security are quick unsecured loans. They take less time in processing and approval as well. In case of secured loans, it generally takes around two to three months for the loan money to actually get transferred to the borrower's account. So, when in need of quick cash, apply for unsecured personal loans.

No risk of repossession- The major drive that forces Brits to go for unsecured loans. A secured loan would put collateral against the value of a loan, guaranteeing that the borrower's home, car, or any other asset will be handed over to the creditor, in the case of default. If one seeks a fast unsecured loan, property is not attached to the value of the loan. This relieves the borrower's mind from tension and uncertainty.

Most Britons already in debts- Latest study by one of the leading financial websites reveal that most Britons are in debt from head to toe. This also refers to the increase in personal insolvencies that multiplied extensively last year. So, most Britons either have lost their homes due to defaults on their secured loans, or already incurred so many debts against their homes that they are left with no equity in their homes.

There are many other factors that incline borrowers towards quick unsecured loans, less and easy documentation is another one. Then, there is no need of property evaluation and other related legal formalities. So, apply for unsecured personal loans when your financial requirements are immediate and short-term.
A loan not secured by an underlying asset or collateral is an unsecured debt. This implies that the borrower is free from the risk of repossession of the asset by the lending institution. But, as it is said, there is nothing like free lunch on this earth. Every offer comes with terms and conditions. In case of unsecured loans, the rate of interest charged by the borrower is much higher than that on secured loans. In fact, the difference between the two is enormous. At present, the current APR on secured loans starts from 6.2% and that on unsecured loans is from 13%. And the base rate decided by the Bank of England is 5.25%. So, that explains all.

Still, as the UK loan market trends reveal, borrowers prefer to pay more APR on unsecured debts than pledge their home as security. There are many reasons as to why borrowers prefer fast unsecured loans to secured ones, which usually require prolonged procedures. Some of them are cited below.

Fast processing of loan- Loans that don't require any security are quick unsecured loans. They take less time in processing and approval as well. In case of secured loans, it generally takes around two to three months for the loan money to actually get transferred to the borrower's account. So, when in need of quick cash, apply for unsecured personal loans.

No risk of repossession- The major drive that forces Brits to go for unsecured loans. A secured loan would put collateral against the value of a loan, guaranteeing that the borrower's home, car, or any other asset will be handed over to the creditor, in the case of default. If one seeks a fast unsecured loan, property is not attached to the value of the loan. This relieves the borrower's mind from tension and uncertainty.

Most Britons already in debts- Latest study by one of the leading financial websites reveal that most Britons are in debt from head to toe. This also refers to the increase in personal insolvencies that multiplied extensively last year. So, most Britons either have lost their homes due to defaults on their secured loans, or already incurred so many debts against their homes that they are left with no equity in their homes.

There are many other factors that incline borrowers towards quick unsecured loans, less and easy documentation is another one. Then, there is no need of property evaluation and other related legal formalities. So, apply for unsecured personal loans when your financial requirements are immediate and short-term.