Finance And Mortgage Blogs | Jadeastrust.org

Posts Tagged ‘personal finance’

We allow the credit card industry to make fools of us and we do nothing about it. If someone told you that you were being made a fool of, wouldn’t you address the issue? I know I would.

Credit card companies have revenue of $76.03 billion dollars and the majority of this revenue comes from late penalties and over limit and cash advance fees. $29.2 billion came from late penalties, $15.2 billion from over credit limit fees and $3.04 billion from cash advance fees. This amount is 62% of the credit card companies’ revenue and this does not include finance charges. Nice profit!

The above is the reason why credit card companies can afford to mail over 5 billion credit card offers per year. This equals to 6 offers per household per month. Maybe the $2 billion in postage alone is a reason why our government does not look into the credit card industry seriously. Read the rest of this entry »

Traditionally, anyone with a house to sell in the U.K. would use an Estate Agent. As they were ranked 2nd in a Radio 4 poll of “least respected workers” (M.P.’s were 1st!), for many people they are seen as a necessary evil.

A small minority of people manage to sell their house privately by doing their own advertising and putting up their own For Sale board, but as their property does not appear in the Estate Agent’s press adverts or websites, this is very much a hit and miss affair.

Even when a sale is secured, the legal system in England & Wales means that until contracts are exchanged – typically many weeks later – the sale can fall through. In fact one in three agreed sales do not complete, meaning that the sale process has to start all over again.

For anyone relocating or emigrating this is frustrating and annoying as plans have to be put on hold. For people with financial difficulties or in danger of having their house repossessed, it can be very serious indeed.

A realistic alternative to Estate Agents

At last there is an alternative to using an Estate Agent. Using a specialist property-buying company offers the speed and certainty lacking if selling on the open market through an Estate Agent.

Companies like A Quick Sale (http://www.aquicksale.co.uk ) are now offering a service that more and more people see as a better alternative than waiting and hoping for an elusive buyer. They will normally make an offer to buy a property within a few days, completing at a date to suit you, so that people can move on with their lives.

So, what’s the catch? Well, the main one is that they will be looking to buy the property at a reduction from the open market value. How much of a reduction often depends on the type and size of property but is likely to be at least 10%.

The other thing to watch out for is that some of these companies charge an upfront valuation fee of several hundred pounds. Whilst this is usually refundable if you go ahead and sell to them, it is quite possible that their offer on your property will be unacceptable to you, leaving you out of pocket!
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1-Make List of Your Debts
First of all know how much deep you are in credit card debt. Many credit card holders are shocked when they know the total credit card debt to be paid. They unconsciously stay away from compiling this list. But you will have to know your total debts. List down lender name, date of debt, total amount to be paid and interest rate. Arrange list according to interest rate. Highest interest rate credit card debts should be shown first.

2-Pay Credit Card with Highest Interest Rate
Now start paying highest rate credit card first. Always pay more than minimum amount. If you are addicted to minimum payment traps then you will never be out of debt for whole of your life. Banks have arranged minimum debt trap in such way that a loan could take many years to be paid off if you are just paying in minimum amounts. Always pay more than minimum. These small extra payments will save you literally thousand dollars.
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The last thing most people think about when starting a business is doing taxes. But proper planning will make doing your taxes much easier – and keep the IRS happy!

Here are 3 simple tips for keeping proper records:

1. Whenever you buy anything for your business, keep the receipt!

Not only will this make record keeping a lot simpler, but if you are ever audited (having your tax return reviewed in detail by the IRS), you can prove your expenses, and save yourself money.

2. Write down all your expenses and income as they happen.

As your business grows, you’ll have more and more activities to keep you busy. The last thing you’ll want to do each April 15 is to organize your records for the year. So, it’s a good idea to write down all your financial activities as they happen. You’ll find preparing your taxes will take much less time if you are organized.
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