Top Saving Plan

Logging onto the computer to check my emails, a task I tend to do with absurd regularity, I noticed that I had an email from my bank suggesting that I take out some life insurance. It was actually something that I needed to do, so using it as a prompt I decided that I would actually do the job properly as the banks aren’t known for offering the best deals around. Logging onto the quote comparison sites was virtually as easy as logging on to my emails and within 15 minutes I’d got the quote I wanted. The reassurance that one gets from seeing the quote you have elected to go with compared to the other quotes from other companies makes the whole exercise well worth it and should almost be a requirement for people taking out financial products as so many people are probably paying way too much money and wasting their hard earned wages lining the pockets of the banks. The banks that were already given lots of our hard eared money a few years ago when some nearly crashed as a result of their absurd lending practices. Whilst I was logged on to the insurance comparison websites I was also able to get quotes for a number of other financial products I was able to get quotes from a life insurance comparison and the best rates for holiday insurance and also critical illness cover.

Source: http://lifeinsurancecomparison.uk.com/blog/2012/01/26/great-deal-using-life-insurance-comparison-website/

My wife and I needed to reduce our overall monthly expenditure due to a change in our personal circumstances. We sat down with a list of our monthly outgoings and a clean sheet of paper and tried to come up with ways that we could achieve the savings required to live within our means. Ideally our plan would save us three hundred pounds a month and we would aim to renegotiate all of our policies plans and utilities and any shortfall would be made up by cutting back on our holiday plans and social lives. We started with our direct debits and logged onto the internet to get a life insurance comparison, mortgage costs and utilities. The savings it’s possible to make were substantial although we weren’t able to save the entire amount we were virtually there and our lifestyle will not suffer tremendously, so we’ll be able to enjoy our lives as much as we did before. With hindsight  it’s clear that those who put off  carrying out such an exercise are being stupid and wasting money unnecessarily, money that most people can ill afford to give away. It’s not as if there isn’t enough adverts on the television telling us to log onto our computers to compare the price of our car insurance, home insurance and so on.

Source: http://www.lifeinsurancecomparison.uk.com/blog/2011/11/18/financial-austerity-beginning-bite-save-money-free-life-insurance-comparison/

You deserve more money. Everyone does. We work too hard to only get paid what we currently get paid. Its not a scam. Its simply using the assets you have to leverage a greater investment!

Here are a few ideas to help you increase your income. But if youre reading this while youre on a website that highlights secured loans, youre probably wondering what increasing your income has to do with a secured loan. There are actually many reasons, so youll have to read on.

But first, one of the ways you may want to increase your income is by finding a part time job to do in your spare time from the comfort of your own home. For example, you may increase your income by selling things on eBay or by working over the Internet to design websites for people. This way, you can keep your current job but build up some additional income. Who knows? You may eventually end up becoming so busy that you have to quit your day job! This is using your asset of time to make money.

The second thing you can do to increase your income is to invest in the stock market. This is not as scary as you might think and it involves the same principle that you know from owning a home. When you bought a house, how did you think you would make money on it? Simple: Just by hanging onto it for some time, many homes rise in value over time. Its the same with the stock market. Sure, not all homes (and not all stocks) rise in value. But if you give even half the thought choosing stocks that you gave to choosing a house, you should find one that should generally rise. But the key is to hang onto it. You dont sell your house every time the market fluctuates! In fact, you probably dont know or care how much your house is worth until youre ready to sell it. It should be the same with the stocks you buy and sell. This is using your assets of shares to make money

The third thing you can do to increase your income is to get a secured home improvement loan. As you already know, your house is an investment and if you can do something to increase its value, you should! Getting a home improvement loan is an easy and affordable way to increase the value of your home so that when it comes time to sell your home, it will be worth more. This is using your assets around you to make money.

The fourth way to increase your income will surprise you. Consolidate your debts! Get a debt consolidation loan to pull all of your outstanding debts together and put them in one secured loan. The interest rate will be less, the monthly payment will be less, and the monthly payment will be fixed. A lower rate and payment will mean more money for you and a fixed payment will mean it will be easier to budget! This is using your assets of current habits to make money

Most experts on the subject believe that the Social Security system will be bankrupt in about 15 years. However, some new studies have offered a ray of hope. They seem to indicate that the assumption that the boomer generation will retire at 65 or 67 and sit back to collect their social security checks is incorrect.

They believe a sufficient percentage some estimates are as high as 80% – will continue to work in some capacity or another, relieving much of the pressure on the system.

This is probably the only ray of hope for many who have visited financial planners or bought personal finance software to see how much they need for retirement. These usually show you need a million or more dollars to retire with your current lifestyle. But again, they dont take continuing earnings into account.

Many in the baby boomer generation plan to retire at around 65, but then start a second career, doing something they enjoy. Most dont want to continue on in their present jobs or move to low paying work at fast food restaurants or supermarkets.

Rather they would rather make their accumulated knowledge work and, if possible, also give something back to society at the same time.

Health experts say this trend will be beneficial in that by staying involved, those past retirement age will stay healthier and will be happier with their life.

So it seems that several trends are converging. Those in their 60s, 70s and early eighties are healthier than ever. Because of their increased longevity and the shortfall in their retirement savings, they need to continue to earn. And many companies who once looked on older workers with distain, now seem to realize the value they can contribute to the company and to society in general.

There is speculation that colleges and universities may allow retirees to earn fast track degrees, taking into account their prior education and work experience. Also some states are already loosening license requirements for teachers to allow those with degrees in fields other than education to become teachers with little if any further training.

Another way to continue to earn in retirement is by making wise investment choices now.

Buy rental properties, learn how to manage money effectively or start your own business now in your part time so that you have something up and running by the time you retire.

The internet has opened up new ways to earn, be it drop shipping, affiliate marketing or selling goods on Bay.

If you always wanted to be an author or if you can write software programs, it is simple to self publish and sell electronic goods through services such as Clickbank.

Or you could just do something youve always wanted, like baking breading or making shoes. If youre good at whatever you choose, you should have little trouble finding a clientele.

But if you are depressed because you have to continue to work after 65, dont. Youll have a lot of company and youll will also be healthier and happier for it.

For more advice on retirement planning and personal finance, visit http://www.credit-yourself.com/financial-planning.html

Why You Should Care At All About Choosing A Bank And What To Watch Out For…

People quite often make decisions impulsively, without considering the consequences. This may work okay in some situations but it could come back to bite you when dealing with financial topics like investments, financing, refinancing, insurance and mortgages. To be a wise investor we should take some time to consider and know more about the place where we are going to deposit our money.

A very wide array of banks exist. Just to name a few that you’ll probably recognize; Citizen Bank, Well Fargo Bank, Region Bank and Scotia Banks.

Here are some guidelines to consider before choosing a bank:

1. Location: While choosing a bank, you must consider the location. If you wish to access your bank account regularly then you should choose a bank located near to your business place or home.

2. Availability of ATM Machines: Always choose a bank with a large number of ATM machines close by. Also, regarding the ATM’s you should ensure they can provide the following services: a) Do the ATM machines allow you to make deposits? b) Do they give printout statements of transaction made by you? Most do nowadays but some countries may not. c) Can you order more checques through the ATM?

3. Telephone Banking: If you are a very busy person and can not go to the bank during banking hours then you should choose a bank, which can provide you with telephone banking services. With telephone banking you can make transactions and check on your account anytime of the day. With the help of telephone banking you can do the following operations:
a) Transfer money from your account to pay utility bills.
b) Cancel recent transactions.
c) Order another cheque book.
d) Sign up for additional services like loans, credit cards or lines of credit. 5. Internet Banking: Internet banking allows you to perform the same services as telephone banking. But here inquiries and transactions can be done via any internet connection through the banks website. If they have one! So do ask as it’s a great convenience when traveling.

If you are searching a bank for small business, here are some guidelines to help you while choosing a bank. 1. Again, consider the location and make sure the bank understands the nature of your business to meet your requirements. For example, if your run a movie rental business that’s open till midnight you may want to do late night or very early morning deposits. So in this case ensure the bank has a night deposit box. 2. Find out the transaction fees and don’t assume the fees are similar to personal accounts. Banks generally charge businesses way more due to the increase in transactions. 3. Find out the rates for small business loans or lines of credit and the turn around time to secure funding. You may find youre self in a situation where you need an extra few thousand or more to secure better pricing on bulk orders of supplies or something else.

The above list is in now way exhaustive but a place to begin if youre just now looking or considering a switch.

The typical scenario is that you get your paycheck. After you recover from the shock at how little is left after taxes, you proceed to divvy it up among all your outstanding bills, intending to put whatever is left over into your savings.

But there never seems to be anything left over and your savings dont grow.

A better plan would be to pay yourself first. Dont let the money get into your hands.
You might find that you actually begin to grow your savings much quicker this way.

If you work for an employer with a 401K plan, the first thing you should do is to fund it to the max. If you cant afford that, at least put enough in to get the full matching contribution form your employer.

This investment is made before taxes. Your investment is larger and with the employers contribution grows quickly.

Next have a brokerage or mutual fund company debit your banking account monthly. This money should first go into an IRA if you have five years or more to go to retirement, make it a Roth IRA.

Next have a few dollars more be debited to go into a no-load, low cost mutual fund. The younger you are, the more aggressive your choice of fund can be.

After that is done, then figure out how to pay your bills and living expenses. If money is tight, cut back on your living expenses and use the extra money to pay down your debt.

Start with the lowest balance first. Once that debt is paid, take the amount of money you were paying on that debt and add it to the payment on the next lowest balance debt. Continue doing this and you can be totally debt free within 5 to 7 years.

Another version of this method is paying the highest interest rate debt first. The principal is the same, you just see more progress with the first method, although it could be more costly based on how your debt is distributed.

(If you dont believe me, get the premier version of Microsoft Money or Quicken and use the Debt Reduction module. You will be shocked at how much money you will save and how fast you can eliminate debt this way.)

The idea is to scrimp at the expense of your current lifestyle, while leaving your savings to grow and you debt to shrink.

I know many of the people reading this will scream that this is an impossible plan.
But it is quite doable with a little will power and the ability to delay gratification for a while.

The problem is that if you dont do this, your future might turn out to be very bleak.

Where do you keep your money that you set aside for annual or semi-annual payments or for emergencies where you need extra cash quickly? You dont want to draw funds from any of your savings or investment accounts there may be a penalty for early withdrawal or it might be financially disadvantageous at that time.
Most people just keep what they have in their checking accounts where it earns nothing or next to nothing. Some dont keep funds for emergencies and just hope for the best or depend on luck.

Luck always seems to be against the man who depends on it.

-Unknown

Heres another question. Do you set anything aside in case you need to pay the deductible on an insurance claim?

A good place to put funds for infrequent payments or for possible emergencies is in a money market account where interest rates are most often higher than savings accounts and are more accessible. Some banks offer even higher rates on Internet money market accounts. You really need to check your banks rates on various types of accounts to see which would be best. Its good to compare banks. There can be a big difference. Money market accounts require a higher balance, but the amount you will need to keep in it will more than meet that.

The good thing about money market accounts is that even though there is a limited number of checks you can write on it in a given time period, it is usually more than enough for most people.

When you plan your budget, you will need to make payments to this account until the balance is sufficient to cover your home and auto annual or bi-annual payments and cover all your deductibles for your home, auto, medical and dental policies. Once this account is fully funded, the interest earned will be able to reduce your monthly budget payments that go to replace that which was used for insurance payments or for emergencies.

With this account in place, you will be able to take the highest deductible allowed thereby reducing your monthly insurance payment. If you pay your auto insurance quarterly or twice a year, you now will be able to make an annual payment, saving on the service charges.

Money market accounts may not earn the kind of return as a mutual fund or other types of investments but it is definitely better than most savings and checking account interest rates. Money market accounts have the advantage of easy access for your infrequent financial needs.

With a little self-discipline, you can give yourself some efficient financial security by enabling your money to work for you in several ways.

Annuities may be a useful tool for those who want a steady stream of income throughout their lives. While most annuities include a death benefit, an annuity is almost the opposite of a life insurance policy – annuities offer financial protection against outliving your income.

Buying an annuity can be a complicated decision. Following are a few key considerations for buyers before deciding whether to purchase annuity policies:

* Review all of your other savings plans, pensions or retirement funds to determine whether you need an annuity and whether the annuity you are considering is the right one for you based on your age, financial status, investment objective and risk tolerance. Is there a possibility that you could outlive your assets? Will you keep the annuity long enough so that the charges do not eat up your investment?

* Determine whether you want your investment to be steady and fixed or variable. While variable products offer an opportunity to capitalize on market highs, they also carry additional risk in a downturn.

* Be careful about exchanging one variable product for another. For instance, exchanging a variable annuity for a fixed or equity-indexed product may result in a “surrender charge” and higher annual fees, along with a new period of time during which you cannot withdraw money from your account without substantial surrender charges. Always check the schedule of surrender charges and other fees. They may be higher on the variable annuity with the bonus credit than they were on the annuity you already own.

* Make certain the company from which you are considering buying an annuity product is reputable. A good place to start is to look for the Insurance Marketplace Standards Association logo. Only companies that have proven through extensive outside review that they adhere to IMSA’s stringent Principles and Code of Ethical Market Conduct can display this logo.

Annuities may be a useful tool for those who want a steady stream of income throughout their lives. While most annuities include a death benefit, an annuity is almost the opposite of a life insurance policy – annuities offer financial protection against outliving your income.

Buying an annuity can be a complicated decision. Following are a few key considerations for buyers before deciding whether to purchase annuity policies:

* Review all of your other savings plans, pensions or retirement funds to determine whether you need an annuity and whether the annuity you are considering is the right one for you based on your age, financial status, investment objective and risk tolerance. Is there a possibility that you could outlive your assets? Will you keep the annuity long enough so that the charges do not eat up your investment?

* Determine whether you want your investment to be steady and fixed or variable. While variable products offer an opportunity to capitalize on market highs, they also carry additional risk in a downturn.

* Be careful about exchanging one variable product for another. For instance, exchanging a variable annuity for a fixed or equity-indexed product may result in a “surrender charge” and higher annual fees, along with a new period of time during which you cannot withdraw money from your account without substantial surrender charges. Always check the schedule of surrender charges and other fees. They may be higher on the variable annuity with the bonus credit than they were on the annuity you already own.

* Make certain the company from which you are considering buying an annuity product is reputable. A good place to start is to look for the Insurance Marketplace Standards Association logo. Only companies that have proven through extensive outside review that they adhere to IMSA’s stringent Principles and Code of Ethical Market Conduct can display this logo. Visit www.IMSAethics.org to see if the company is listed and for other information.

* Be sure the company offering the annuity product is financially strong. Many independent services rate the financial strength of insurance companies, such as Standard & Poor’s Insurance Rating Services (www.standardandpoors.com), Moody’s Investor Services Inc. (www.moodys.com), Fitch Ratings Inc. (www.fitchratings.com) and A.M. Best Co. (www.ambest.com).

* Check with your state’s insurance department to be sure the company you’re considering buying from is licensed to do business in your state.

* Remember, an annuity is a legally binding document. Read the annuity contract carefully and be sure your agent has answered your questions thoroughly before you buy. – NU

The Woeful Inadequacies of Traditional Estate Planning: The Four Critical Questions You Need To Ask Yourself

When I mention the words, estate planning, most people think of meeting with an attorney and drafting legal documents. Traditionally, those documents include a will, durable power of attorney, health care proxy and perhaps a trust. After you draft these documents, you meet to sign them, then you put them somewhere safe, cut a check to the attorney and breathe a sigh of relief because you finally have things covered. All is well and your estate is perfectly in order, right? WRONG!

Too often the drafting of legal documents is confused with developing an estate plan. Sure, legal documents are part of an estate plan, but they are not the estate plan. You need to make sure that you have everything in one spot. If not, you could cause yourself some real problems. Thats why 98% of all estate plans fall short. Thats why you have debacles like the Terry Schiavo case and the Ted Williams dispute. In order to make sure that these sort of things dont happen to you, you have to have a plan. Most people plan out what should happen in the event of their deaths. What if you are disabled or mentally incapacitated? Effective estate plans must be drafted in order to account for these kinds of contingencies.

If you wish to have an effective estate plan, you must answer four extremely critical questions:

1. What documents do I need?

You need a will, durable power of attorney, and health care proxy. Additionally, you need an original marriage certificate, military discharge paperwork, health and life insurance information, beneficiary designation forms, deeds, and appraisals. Another necessity you need to have is a listing of important contacts with telephone numbers.

2. How will my beneficiaries find these documents?

We all have our own personal and unique filing system that has worked well for us over the years. Thats fine. You should use your own unique filing system, whatever works for you. However, you do need to create a system that unlocks your personal filing system. For example, if something ever happened to you, how would your beneficiaries even know you had a safety deposit box, let alone the location of the bank or key?

3. Who should have access to these documents and when?

I know thats actually two questions camouflaged as one. Remember, these documents are personal and confidential. Today, we are all too aware of the very real threat of identity theft. Safeguarding these documents and making them available, under specific circumstances, to a select group of individuals will allow you to protect your privacy while still preparing an effective estate plan.

4. Who will best advise my beneficiaries?

Your estate plan needs to address not only your financial assets, but also your dreams, wishes, and values. You need to designate that one person who can capture all these characteristics of your life, someone with whom you have shared those most personal thoughts. At you or your beneficiaries time of need, who should be that one call?

Dont confuse proper estate planning with simply drafting the needed documents or purchasing an insurance policy or special investment product. An effective estate plan can only be accomplished with a well thought out approach that is designed to protect your most important information and guide your heirs. Only then will you have peace of mind in knowing that youve done your best for your loved ones and nothing important will be overlooked.

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For a review copy of the book or to set up an interview with Mark H. Kaizerman for a story, please contact Jay Wilke at 727-443-7115, ext. 223 or at jayw@event-management.com.