When You Should and Shouldn’t Take Out a Loan

There are many reasons why people apply for a loan. Sometimes people apply for loans out of necessity. Sometimes people apply for loans to buy products or services that are not really needed. It is important for people to understand the cost of taking a loan. There are many factors affecting the cost of getting a loan, such as your credit score, your assets and your job. The size of a loan varies from a few thousand dollars to a few hundred thousand dollars. There are many reasons why someone should take a loan or should not take a loan.

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Why you should take a loan

1. Buying your first home

This is one of the good reasons for you to apply for a loan. A home loan allows you to own a home instead of renting an apartment. The loan can be repaid in 15 or 30 years and you will get the lowest interest rates if your credit history is good. A home loan also gives you tax benefits, and can be easily calculated with a no charge tax tool!.

2. Student loan

If you are a student, then applying for a student loan is a good choice, as it allows you to get a degree in an area that offers good job opportunities. The government backs most of the student loans and the payment terms are very generous. The loan offers a way of funding your future.

3. Loans for Investments

If you are financially independent and responsible, then you can take loans to fund your investments. For example, you can borrow money to buy investment properties. These kind of loans are not suitable for regular folks. You must have the necessary financial knowledge and assets to apply for such loans.

Why you should not take out a loan

1. Bad credit history

If your credit history is not good, then you will not get the best loan terms. You must work on increasing your credit score before you applying for a loan. Typically, banks and lenders will charge you higher rates if your credit is not good. If you are someone with a poor credit history, then you should refrain from taking a loan.

2. Purchasing assets that are depreciating

If you are planning to buy assets such as automobiles, which are depreciating over periods of time, then you should not consider taking a loan. It is always recommended to take a loan to purchase items such as a home, which are appreciating in value and act as a hedge against inflation. Most people are in the habit of purchasing depreciating assets such as furniture, TV, smart phones, and automobiles by taking high interest loans. This is not a good idea.

3. Private loans

There are many private loans available today. These are very expensive. You will end up paying very high interest rates. It is always recommended to get a loan from major banking institutions and lenders. If your credit is not good, then you may be tempted to get private loans. You should not consider this option unless it is for an emergency situation.

4. Borrowing from credit cards

Credit card companies offer balance transfers. However, after the initial period of lower interest rates, the interest rates will increase drastically. Your monthly payments will go up. Do not fall for high interest balance transfer offers from credit card companies.

There are many reasons why people take out loans. However, there are not many good reasons why people should take a loan or should not take a loan. Some of the reasons listed above are helpful if you are a would-be borrower planning to take a loan. Taking a loan is a financial burden and should be avoided unless it helps you to accumulate real assets, which are appreciating and lead to financial independence.

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How to Become a Top Financial Advisor

Today we are going to take a look at one of the World’s top financial advisors and what skills you are going to need if you wish to be a financial advisor. Being skilled with numbers and finance is a skill that you can of course learn but in order to be able to give advice to people you are going to need far more than this. Financial advisors need to have a firm understanding of the financial markets and how people can wisely invest their cash in stocks, shares, bonds, bank accounts and property. Let’s take a look at an example of a great financial advisor, Patrick Dwyer Merrill Lynch wealth manager and what skills you are going to need to replicate his success.

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Patrick Dwyer

Dwyer is currently managing over $2 billion worth of assets for wealth management giant Merrill Lynch and is considered one of their key advisors. After gaining his MBA from the University of Miami, Dwyer went straight into the MBA program with Merrill Lynch and has been with the company for over two decades. During his time with the financial services company he has been regularly featured in the Barron’s list of top 100 advisers as well as being featured as one of the best advisors in the World by the Financial Times In 1999 he joined Merrill Lynch’s elite group of professionals who would solely advise the ultra-rich in managing their finances which is where he currently plies his trade.

Here are Some of the Skills You Need

If you want to be a top advisor like Patrick then you are going to need to be an industry expert, this involves you constantly keeping an eye on market trends and global positions as well as new industries. You will never stop becoming a student of the financial world and the moment that you think you know all that there is to know, is the moment that the industry will pass you by.

Math and Computer Skills

Math and computer skills are the basic requirements for any financial advisor and the industry relies heavily on these skills. You cannot hope to achieve anything in the world of finance with poor math skills and your computer literacy should be high as you will be using them for a huge range of tasks on a daily basis.

Communication Skills

If you are going to be advising people on what they should do with their vast wealth then you need to have a good bedside manner. The wealth management industry is highly competitive and you need to ensure that, for the good of the company, that you can gain your client’s trust and loyalty. Your communication with your clients should be outstanding.

Salesman

When you are offering your advice to a client, you are essentially selling them an idea of yours and you need to be able to do so in such a way that will make the customer want to go ahead. In order to do this you need to be able to analyze complicated details and present in a way that your client will understand.

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New Records Expected in the U.S. Economy and Stocks with President-elect Donald Trump

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With market volatility rising, spread betting could see major winners in the coming weeks and months as analysts believe that Trump could cause U.S. stocks and the economy to set new highs according to the Deutsche Bank.

The news and reactions seem to points to Trump being a positive influence over the U.S. stock market and economy. It is believed by analysts such as Chief U.S. Equity Strategist David Bianco that by the time Trump is sworn in as President of the United States of America, the S&P 500 index will rise over 2,250.

Investors are getting behind the idea that there is a much higher chance of a continued and long-lasting expansion in the economy that could match or beat the 10 year U.S. record. Investors believe that by the year 2018, the S&P 500 could reach as high as 2,500.

If the American economy can make it to 2019 without suffering another recession, it could break the last 10-year record set from 1991 to 2001.

The largest component of the GDP is dampened by the consumption of the growing retirees on Social Security, lowering variability while the structural decline in the growth potential equates to smaller shocks to the market needed to cause a downturn in U.S. market activity.

Bianco does not ignore the risk of a rising dollar on the Corporate America’s bottom line, the possible trade policies that can be seen as protectionist under the new Trump presidency and rises in the Treasury yields, they still think that the most important aspects for investors will be the increases in profitability in banks and the lower taxes.

An estimate from the Deutsche Bank sees the U.S. corporate taxes to drop by as much as 25% bringing it closer to the current OECD average. This suggests that earnings per share on the S&P 500 could see a $5.00 increase with every 5% tax cut. Bianco has therefore increased their earnings per share to at least $130 in 2017 for the S&P 500. This constitutes an annual growth rate of 9%, assuming they hit their 2016 mark of $116. Bianco is unsure of the exact amount the corporate tax rate will be cut but are sure that it will be significant.

If people do not convert their financial holdings from foreign currencies to their country’s currency, the tax reduction that is expected for corporates would provide various benefits to the domestically-orientated organizations. Since November, the Russell 2000 Index has performed vastly better than the S&P 500.

Financial asset prices could be kept afloat by a special repatriation tax holiday, especially if the funds were used for dividend boosts, M&A or buybacks. Bonds will still not be enough of an alternative to shrinking stock valuations or make businesses turn to higher interest expenses. Bianco went on to say that as the Fed continues to the current tightening cycle, it will help to keep the labour market from becoming too volatile as well as help to put a cap on the longer term U.S. Treasury yield curve. Because the utilities stocks have been battered since the election, Bianco has recommended that investors should turn to it as a source of income.

Historically, utilities have seen benefit from lower U.S. corporation tax rates since it gives all the profits back to the U.S. and there is then little foreign exchange risk. It also benefits from a continued the 15% tax rates on dividends as opposed to income tax rates and 3.8% the Affordable Care Act tax that will likely be dropped. Furthermore, utilities will benefit from Federal loans and infrastructure grants as well as benefiting from safe-havens for retirees and other institutions that are looking to lower their fixed income exposure.

Spread betting on sites such as CMC Markets could therefore see some major winners in the coming weeks and months as Trump becomes sworn in and does what most analysts expect him to do. Americans are the most hopeful they have been in a long time based on reports by a Bloomberg sentiment index from the University of Michigan. It showed a broad increase in confidence across incomes, ages and religions. While this might be a post-election honeymoon period for some, confidence is much higher than expected pre-election results.

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Thinking of filing for bankruptcy? Here’s what you need to know…

Thinking of filing for bankruptcy? There may be another way (or not)
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In debt up to your eyeballs? If you can’t even come up with enough money to cover your monthly minimums, you might have to file for bankruptcy through a firm like Olympia Law PC.

However, the process of defaulting on your financial obligations is no simple matter. Below, we’ll discuss what you need to know before filing for bankruptcy.

You may not even need to file for bankruptcy

Virtually all people that consider filing for bankruptcy are in a mental space of overwhelm when it comes to dealing with their debts.

They think that their income will never be sufficient enough to repay the loans they hold, so they think that waving the white flag is the only option available to them.

However, by doing things like changing your mindset and negotiating a lower interest rate from your creditors, a situation that might have seemed unmanageable at first glance can become resolvable over a period of time.

Given the destructive effects that bankruptcy can have on your credit rating, opting for a protracted repayment plan (even if it takes years) is the preferable option.

Can I file for bankruptcy?

Even if you have a desire to file for bankruptcy, there might be legal roadblocks that may prevent you from doing that.

The most basic test that you must pass to file for bankruptcy is that you must owe more than $1,000, and lack the ability to make payments on that debt when it is due (i.e. you are insolvent).

However, it gets more complicated than that, as there are certain types of debt that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.

If you owe alimony, child support, student loans (if you are less than seven years removed from graduation), legal fines, or if your debt came about due to illegal activity, you will not be able to make these obligations go away by filing for bankruptcy.

Additionally, secured loans such as mortgages and car loans may not be able to be discharged, although you might be able to renegotiate payment terms with your creditors to better fit your financial situation.
If you hold unsecured debt through credit cards, pay day loans, etc though, you may be able to get these debts dismissed or restructured through bankruptcy proceedings.

If you do, pick a trustee dedicated to your cause

Your creditors will do everything they can to limit the damage caused by your default, so it is important that you have competent representation throughout the entire bankruptcy process.

They are responsible for drawing up the paperwork, negotiating an amenable settlement with the parties to which you owe money, and to provide you with expert advice on how you should manage your finances going forward into the future.

By choosing one who executes their duties professionally, this stressful process can proceed smoother and with better outcomes for you and your family.

You have duties during this process: fulfill them

Declaring bankruptcy isn’t as simple as hiring a trustee and calling it a day. You have important duties to carry out before the process can proceed to its conclusion.

Generally, you must provide them with proof of your monthly income each month, attend credit counseling sessions, and pay any surplus income to your trustee during the time you are in bankruptcy, among other responsibilities.

Know that you’ll have a long road back to respectability after discharge

Even after you’ve eliminated your debts, your life won’t be easy after emerging from bankruptcy. The fact that you opted to default on what you owed will act as an anchor on your credit score for as long as seven years, plunging it anywhere between 160 to 220 points from wherever it was before you declared insolvency.

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Things to Consider as You Plan for Retirement

There are many Things to Consider as You Plan for Retirement
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Like getting an education, beginning a career and starting a family, retirement is an important stage of life and one that should be planned for in order to get the best results. It is always a good idea to get professional advice from an expert like Keith Springer, but there are some general things that you should keep in mind as you think ahead to retirement.

You Are Never Too Young to Start Planning

From the perspective of your twenties or thirties, it may be hard to imagine that there will ever be a time when you are not working – it can be difficult to think past 40, let alone to imagine yourself at 60 or beyond. Perspectives and circumstances change, of course, but you are never too young to imagine the kind of life you want to have in your senior years and to begin thinking about how to make it happen. Are you interested in early retirement? Do you want to live on a tropical island? Do you expect to have a family to take into account of in your planning? The best part about thinking seriously about retirement when you are young is that you will benefit from the incredible power of compound interest to maximize your wealth with relatively small investments.

You Are Never Too Old to Start Planning

Maybe you never quite got around to really thinking about retirement until it was looming on the horizon. Or, maybe you were thinking about it but didn´t feel like you had any extra financial resources to sock away for retirement – between career and family obligations the budget was stretched tight already. Chances are though, as you enter your 50s, the heavy expenses that come with raising a family are mostly behind you, and have probably come close to your highest earning years. Don’t give into the “it’s too late to start saving now” mindset. Yes, it is better to start earlier, but it is definitely better to start late than never. And, there is a certain advantage in starting later – the questions that were open-ended when you were young are now mostly answered and you have a clear focus that can motivate you to save in a purposeful way.

Inflation Makes Savings Not Worth Saving

It is true that some of the safest investments (bank accounts, some bonds or T-bills) may be hard-pressed to keep up with inflation. However, the younger you start to make these sorts of investments, the longer you can “lock in” your money and the higher the rates you can expect. Riskier investments have the potential to bring higher payouts, but of course, the older you are, the less likely you are to want to take risks with your savings. But a carefully selected and diverse portfolio can go some way towards minimizing risk while maximizing returns. And some investments are more resilient against inflation than others – real estate, for example, is generally seen as a way to hedge against inflation. The bottom line is that fears about inflation should not be reason that you don’t save.

No matter how old you are, the time is right to think seriously about the life you want to have in your retirement and to begin planning today.

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Top Tips to Make Your Money Go Further

Money rules all, and it always will, the main concern in almost everyone’s lives is having enough money, enough money to survive, enough money to buy what they want or enough money to achieve their dreams. Whatever your reason for being concerned with the size of your income or bank account I’m sure that you will echo these sentiments. So, how do we go about solving the issue of money worries, well, there are two approaches that you can take, making more of it and working hard to spend less of it, both of which can give you a more positive view of your finances and ultimately a happier life. Here are some tips for you as to how you can achieve this.

Couponing

Gone are the days where people would rake through magazines searching for a 50 cents-off promotion in the back pages or walking into the grocery store armed to the teeth with glossy pieces of paper to save them cash. These days the online world of couponing is a craze that is engaging everyone with internet access and it is a brilliant way for you to save money. The emergence of voucher and coupon websites has not only encouraged businesses to make more money by offering great deals for their prospective customers but has saved the general public tens of millions of dollars in purchases that they have made simply by downloading a coupon for free online, get involved and save some money.

Use Your Cash

There are several ways of using your money to make even more money, firstly you should be looking into what kind of account your bank offers you, if you have an APY of anything less than 0.2% the you should be looking to put your money elsewhere to let it grow. If you have large savings then consider investments into businesses, stocks or property to hopefully take some big profits from your investments. Money does breed money and the same goes for things like online gambling, if you take the risk then the rewards could be huge, you can start off risk-free as well with a bonus for online casino games that means that you won’t even be gambling with your own cash to start with, what better way to learn the trade than by using someone else’s money!

Sharing Economy

The values of a sharing economy can work wonders in your life and for your finances, the essence of this economic system is that people live within their means and open up opportunities for others to share parts of their lives. Whether this means that you decide to use a car pool to get to work or rent out your spare room, the idea of collaborative consumption is the perfect way to save more money in your life and something that you should be looking at trying out to aid your financial situation. By spending less and sharing more you can give your monthly finances a boost and give yourself the opportunity to meet more people and create a more sociable World, the perfect combination.

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Are You Cashing in on Credit Cards?

How is your small business standing apart from competitors? In some cases, it is the customer service that you and/or your employees (if applicable) provide those buying from you. Others, meantime, turn to stellar advertising and marketing to attain success.

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Then again, there are also those small business leaders that work feverishly on bringing the latest technology to their companies, making the shopping and buying experience as smooth as possible for the public.

No matter where you fit in these areas – there is one aspect of being a good business man or woman that one should never overlook – credit cards.

Stop for a moment and think about where your business would be if it did not accept credit cards.

Sure, you could make sales with cash and even checks, but accepting credit cards makes life much easier for you and of course your customers.

With that being said, are you up to speed on the latest in credit card technology?

Credit Cards and Informed Consumers

It should not come as a major surprise that credit cards are a booming part of purchasing products and services across America.

While many consumers still deal with sizable credit card debt, still others have worked to reduce such debts in recent years. That said your small business should make the credit card buying experience as simple and informative as possible.

As part of your small business branding strategies, make it clear to consumers that you accept credit cards, but customers may also pay with cash, checks, debit cards etc.

If you have a small business blog (and you should), you can add posts about how consumers can and should be responsible when it comes to their credit card usage. Sure, you want them to buy your products and services, but a customer saddled in credit card debt is not good for them or your business for that matter.

There are countless articles, infographics, videos and more out there talking about the role credit cards play in the lives of American consumers, so add some of that material to your website’s blog, giving consumers a whirlwind of financial information.

Technology Continues Expanding

Another topic of recent interest is the nationwide chip-card explosion.

For those consumers and/or businesses not fully up to speed on this, chip-cards are credit cards that provide added security measures, making it harder for identity theft thieves to manipulate them and use for their own financial gain.

When one’s current credit card expires, more card providers are now sending new cards that have the chip in them. Instead of swiping the traditional credit card through a machine at check-out, consumers now place the card inside the card-reader, removing it after several seconds.

Again, informing consumers about this latest technology is another way for your business to cash-in on credit cards, showing customers that your business is adapting to the changes.

Speaking of identity theft a moment ago, what is your small business doing to limit the possibilities of you and/or some of your customers becoming the next victims?

With all you have to do in running a small business, it can be easy to overlook security needs from time to time. When that happens, identity theft thieves and others looking to cause you and/or your customers financial pain can strike at a moment’s notice.

Stay a step or two ahead of such criminals by continuously reviewing your in and out of office security procedures. Yes, this means extra time and effort is needed on your part (and your employees too), but the benefits far outweigh the time spent doing this.

Reviewing your security measures on a regular basis will also help assure many of your customers that they can continue to trust you as a reliable source to do business with.

Given how just one lapse in credit card security can cause financial pain for both the customer and the small business owner, you never want to take credit card protection for granted.

Take the time today to see how the credit card industry is not only helping your company, but also how card usage needs continuous monitoring.

When you play things as safe as possible, you can cash-in on having a successful small business.

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Tips For saving Extra money for a rainy day

Saving Money For Rainy Day

Every wants a few extra bucks for the proverbial rainy day, am I right? While everyone knows they should be saving money it is not always as easy as you’d think. Whether you you want to stash cash for a dream vacation, a wedding, retirement, a down payment on a house, or just a bit of stability;  here are a few tips for saving extra money for a rainy day.

Saving Money For Rainy Day
Make a Budget
Writing out a budget, whether it is on a fancy new app, a spreadsheet, or the old school pen and paper; it doesn’t matter so long as you write down how much money are making and how much you are spending. This will help eliminate the ever present “where does all my money go” we have all been asking ourselves since our first paper route. Having a budget will allow you to make a realistic expectations for savings as well eliminate wasteful spending. It will also put things in perspective, 4 bucks a day on coffee doesn’t seem like too much until you realize that it is $120 a month that could easily be building your savings.

Enroll in a “Keep the Change” Program
Fewer and fewer of us are using cash. While some say a debit card makes it harder to stay on a budget, there are plus sides. Many banks over a “round up” or “keep the change” program which will round your transaction to the next dollar and put that extra money into a separate account. For example every time you buy lunch for $6.49 or your gas is $28.08,  the 51 or 92 cents will be moved to your savings account. While this may seem like (and is) just pennies, it can add up very quickly. These programs are incredibly helpful for those who want to These programs are incredibly helpful for those who have a hard time putting money into a seperate account. Now the only trick is to leave your savings account alone!

Teamwork
Everything is easier when you a partner. Just like are more likely to go to the gym if you have a gym buddy, you are more likely to save money if you have a saving. If you are planning a vacation with your best friend, make an agreement that you will both save $20 dollars a month until you reach your goal. Planning a wedding? You and your spouse could open a joint account and add equal amounts each week until you have enough. This way you have someone to hold you accountable and encourage you to put money into your savings and more importantly someone to deter you from taking it out!

No one has ever complained about having too much money saved for a rainy day. So follow some of these tips and hopefully it will help you in saving money for a rainy day.

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