Archives for April 2016

Top 5 Credit Repair Agencies

April 26, 2016 1 Comment

My view has always been to avoid credit repair agencies and start on your own. It is just the last option for you, to me. You can consolidate your debt and arrange for payoff assistance from your lender. you don’t really need help of experts. you just need to learn some tricks and you must be aware of some law. All information is available over the internet.

Top Credit repair Agencies

I am going to list the top 5 credit repair agencies you can reach out to when you think you do need experts’ help. Be careful and read the reviews about the company you elect to go with. be sure to ask all relevant questions and instruct them to keep you informed on every steps that they’ll take on your behalf with your creditors.

How Money Moves

April 23, 2016 2 Comments

Money constantly moves in a cycle from consumer to business to employee. Every time you send or receive money, you take part in that cycle. Money can move an impressive distance as these transactions happen. On average, a dollar bill moves two miles per day and changes hands 55 times per year. And that’s just printed for currency — digital transactions help move money even farther and much more quickly.

The lifespan of a $1 bill is less than six years, so new money is constantly printed to replace old. As a matter of fact, 90 percent of all new money merely replaces currency already in existence. Moreover, new money is getting more advanced, including measures to prevent counterfeiting.

U.S. dollar bills are printed in Washington, D.C., and Fort Worth, TX, by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and U.S. coins are minted in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver. Then the money travels across the United States to Federal Reserve Banks, where many smaller banks have accounts allowing them to pay for cash withdrawals.

Tips for Selling your Diamond Jewelry

April 23, 2016 1 Comment

While it may be true that the timing is perfect, selling your diamond can be a very stressful task. This is mainly because, unlike gold, which comes with measurable melt value, there is no objective measure when it comes to the resale prices for diamonds. Indeed, this is the reason why this may be a very perplexing and overwhelming encounter for inexperienced sellers.

Selling Your Diamond

Sorting out which diamond buyers are truly qualified can be a knotty task especially if one isn’t experienced and knowledgeable enough of what to search for. Below are some useful tips and guidelines you can contemplate on if you find yourself in the position to sell a piece of diamond jewelry or a diamond.

Top Websites and Apps that Can Save Money which You’d Otherwise be Paying

April 20, 2016 4 Comments

I remember when I got my first smartphone, it was in 2010, just before embarking on a three-week-long road trip across the northeast USA. Apps like Priceline to book our next days hotel, AroundMe to find a place of interest around our location, Mapquest to replace expensive GPS navigation systems and GasBuddy to find the cheapest gas price in the vicinity.

Money Saving Sites

What career prospects do you have if you study business administration

April 18, 2016 Leave a Comment

A qualification in business administration can open up a whole range of opportunities for you. Many people who hold a business qualification decide to start up their own business or go into finance, marketing or business management. If you feel that you want to look for a role in a specific area then you can choose a course that offers a specialization in that area.

Career Growth

If you feel that you have a future in business, but you are not sure exactly what area is right for you, you can take a look at the courses on offer from universities, to help you with your decision.

Top 5 Sites to Order Online Bank Checks To Save Money

April 13, 2016 2 Comments

I don’t use bank checks very often, I’d prefer e-check facility most banks provide today. Where in you can send payment via email ID, phone number or simply by name and address. But there are often times when you need to write a paper check. When I last ordered paper checks it cost me around $40 for 50 leaves. This time, I did my research and obtained 200 leaves for only $12 from Bradford Exchange Checks.

Based on this experience my advice to you would be to go for cheaper online check ordering sites, rather than ordering them directly from your bank. It’s secure, convenient and cheap. While ordering I did my research on the sites that offer check order service. Here I’ll list of 5 tops sites to order checks from.

Pre-considerations

Different factors need to be considered when you plan on ordering checks online. You would definitely be considering the price, the delivery options, the security. Here are some factors that you can use as a guideline when choosing the company to order check from:

Financial Advice to my Younger Self

April 11, 2016 2 Comments

As far back as I can remember, my parents always stressed the importance of an education. My mother was an English teacher, and my father worked in finance. They came from a 3rd world country, worked hard, and put my brother and I through school.

I love them dearly for that. Many people in this world, including many of my friends, grew up in single parent homes or were not pushed to succeed by parents that stressed the importance of an education. To be sure, many of these same friends who did not have the benefit of encouraging parents still received excellent educations, great careers, and have gone on to start families of their own.

Now, I am a firm believer in education as instrumental to success. I have an undergrad degree and a graduate degree as well. However, I do not necessarily believe that one must get educated and acquire skills through expensive universities. Looking back on the past 15 years or so, I wondered what I would tell my former self with the benefit of hindsight.

5 Must Do Financial Planning Tasks for New Grads

April 6, 2016 3 Comments

If you’re a recent college grad with a lucrative job, you may be unsure how to prioritize your spending and investing. Use these tips to organize your current finances and map out a bright financial future.

Now that you’ve landed that big job and are earning a healthy paycheck, you may be unsure how to prioritize your spending and investing — or maybe you’re so happy to be earning money instead of living the student lifestyle that you’re skipping financial planning altogether.

5 Must Do Financial Planning Tasks for New Grads

These simple steps will help you get your finances organized and get you headed down a smart fiscal path.

5 Financial Tasks for New Grads

1. Set Up a Budget

Think you’re earning so much that you don’t need to budget? You might be fooling yourself:

68% of Americans destroy their credit before age 30, according to a 2016 Credit Karma survey. More than a quarter of these young people had to move back in with their parents to recover financially.
Of households earning $100,000 or more per year, 40% said their spending was the same as, or more than, their income, according to a Federal Reserve report.
71% of millennials earning $75,000 or more annually said lifestyle purchases like dining out and entertainment caused them to save less than they should, a 2015 Suntrust survey found.

Convinced? Budgeting doesn’t need to be an overwhelming task. Apps like Mint, BillGuard and GoodBudget can track your spending.

Monitoring your money helps strike a balance between spending on the indulgences you want now (renting a luxury loft apartment) and investing for your future goals (owning a luxury retirement home in Costa Rica).

2. Establish an Emergency Fund

It can be tough to motivate yourself to save for a future financial crisis that might not happen, like a layoff or losing your uninsured iPhone, but everyone needs a rainy day fund to help them weather tough times — just in case.

In fact, building up your rainy day savings should be your first financial priority once you start earning a paycheck.

Most people should set aside about six month’s living expenses. Goal Investor’s Emergency Fund Planner can help you quickly run the numbers to see if a six-month cushion fits your situation, and make realistic savings plan to reach your target.

Setting up automatic contributions will build your emergency fund with the least effort. You’ll sleep easier at night knowing you can handle whatever financial challenges life throws at you. You’ll also avoid overspending your way into expensive credit card debt in a financial crisis.

3. Start to Save for Retirement, ASAP

Does a 20-something worker really need to pay attention to retirement planning? Retired workers think so: More than a third of retirees regret that they didn’t start saving for retirement earlier, and suggested the best time to start saving was before age 30, according to an HSBC survey.

We agree the best strategy to maximize your retirement nest egg is to start investing when time is on your side. The earlier you begin preparing for retirement, the more years your investments have to benefit from compound earnings.

Take advantage of your workplace 401(k) or fund a Roth IRA at the very beginning of your career, and spare yourself the added pressure of playing catch-up with retirement savings when you’re older.

Do you have any idea what you might need to invest for retirement? Use our sophisticated Retirement Planner to calculate a target goal.

4. Establish Credit in Your Own Name

If you’re just starting out in the working world, you’ll need to build credit if you ever want to borrow money to buy a house, car or other big purchase.

Start by pulling a copy of your credit report to see where you stand and make sure the information in your report is correct.

Major credit cards like Visa, AMEX or MasterCard, store credit cards, auto loans and student loans help you create a credit history. You may already have some credit history if your parents cosigned a card for you while you were in college.

Now it’s time to apply for a credit card based on your own income and assets. If you’re turned down for a regular credit card, open a secured credit card account, which requires you to make a cash deposit to back up your credit line.

Once you have a credit card, paying your bills on time boosts your credit score. People with excellent credit scores frequently save money because they qualify for the best loan rates.

5. Tackle Student Loans

As a recent college grad, odds are good you’ve got some student loans to deal with. Choosing the right repayment option and staying on top of your payments will get you out from under that debt as quickly as possible, and will build your credit history.

There are actually a number of different repayment plans for federal student loans (as opposed to private loans). The U.S. Department of Education has a handy Repayment Estimator that shows what your monthly payments would be under each repayment option. Consider total payments, too.

Full Steam Ahead

The first chapter of your adult life is an exciting time to explore new opportunities and challenges. Once you get your finances squared away, you can be on your way to a successful financial future.

If you don’t know what you’ll need to invest for retirement, chances are you’re not saving enough. Take care of your future self by creating a retirement investment plan.

About the Author: Janet Stanton Burt of Goal Investor. This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide investment or legal advice. SEI does not claim responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of the information provided.

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7 Smart Money Moves for Any Age

April 4, 2016 2 Comments

When it comes to money, making more of it does not necessarily mean you have more to spend. Even people bringing in six or seven-figure incomes can run into financial problems if they don’t have basic budgeting management skills in place. The way you spend and save money on an everyday basis impacts your overall financial health, both in the short- and long-term.

Not sure where to begin? Take a look at seven ways to get your finances in better shape.

1. Pay Off High-Interest Items

If you have high-interest credit card debt, now is the time to pay it off (and not rack any more up). In late 2015, the Federal Reserve announced the first rate hike in over a decade. Several more are expected over the next few years and this interest could add up quickly, depending on your balance.