Archive for the ‘Money’ Category

One would never think that investing in gold would yield such high results. After all, women buy jewelries and stock them (hoard is another term) and chances are, they never will sell them. But if you buy gold coins, there is a big chance you will be getting back your investment quickly if you sell. Gold has been the investment of choice by many financial advisors these days. They say the gold and the US dollar are inversely proportional with each other, and with the dollar on a slump right the gold is rising up. Gold is also considered a liquid investment, so you will never go wrong with it, you can dispose it quickly with no depreciation!

I have been silently reciting this old-age wisdom to myself whenever my hands get itchy and I feel the urge to shop (which is almost every other day). I have always confessed that I am not really good with handling money, that’s why no matter how big I earn, little or none goes to saving.

I have committed to change that this year and so far, I have been succeeding. Since we are still trying to invest on things for the house and I will have two kids going to school, saving is not supposed to be stressing me out. I just transfer 10% of whatever comes in to my bank account to another one that is labelled “untouchable” and I was surprised how much it could be after only a month. It’s true – little dimes add up to hundreds in no time.

However, I know saving will not be enough. We need to invest if we want our money to grow rapidly. I think it is the right time to buy gold bullion, as the demand for it has peaked and it is the only known value that has never depreciated in the economic slump of the past years.

Studies show that the top two resolutions every year never change – that is to lose weight/be healthy/go to the gym AND save/eliminate debt/shop less.

It is ironic that weight and money are equated to losses and gains, just like the stock market. And like it is today, it is risky, shaky and its future unseen. Unlike the stock market though, you have control on these things. And the bottom line or key to achieving these goals is one attitude: Discipline. Discipline with eating, discipline with your wants and discipline in spending.

And it isn’t enough that you just save and save. You need to be wise with money – invest it on something that will yield high returns. If you are not that confident, make sure that you open an account that can have perks and high interest rates. Savings Accounts usually only have 1% interest rate annually.

It is best to know about credit card interest rates, savings accounts, checking accounts and other financial matters before you start working. That way, you know where to spend, keep and invest your money. You can know more about mortgage loans, cd rates, credit cards, home equity loans, auto financing and insurance products at Banktime.com.

Most probably, people are going to be swiping their credit cards for those after-holiday sales. Remember we are just starting a new year and we must be prudent with money! A lot of people take advantage of the promo offers of 0% interest for an X number of months and what’s more, most credit card companies actually will start billing your after-Christmas purchases January of the following year already. Talk about leeway. It just doesn’t sit well with me – starting your year in debt. Even if you reason it’s not technically “debt”, you still have advanced payables to pay when the cash isn’t even right there yet. That’s not really good, even if you are good in managing money – emergencies.

I am not saying I haven’t been in debt. In fact, I have been there. I’ve done that. And I’ve learned my lesson well. It is really better to pay in cash and if it’s going to be such a big ticket item, even if it’s on 0% interest, it will be advisable if you already have half of the money in cash already. Or else, there will be a hard time paying up. Six months to pay is so long for me already.

And when you have a delinquent account, that is where Collection Agencies come in. They are the ones hired by credit card companies to follow up on late payments and delinquent accounts, and they really have high commissions!

This is a sponsored post.

Instead of resolutions and goals, I thought I would list down things I would look forward to this year, claiming it already will happen (It is all about the mindset somehow!).

1. Getting our new car.
2. Losing weight, finally – let me rephrase, going back to size 12.
3. Travelling with family.
4. Saving a lot.

We don’t have a lot of goals this year as a family. We just would like to take care of our marriage, focus on family and save. Save, save, save. No more availing of the cash advance feature of credit cards!

Let 2010 be an awesome year for you!

That’s going to be 2010 for our family. It’s going to be a big year for us, with two kids going to school and the need to invest on a new car and buy a house. Our needs are growing and changing while our incomes aren’t so we need to do major changes on our spending.

We also decided to believe in insurance, after witnessing how it saved a young family who lost their head of the family at 30. The first thing we are going to get is car insurance once we buy a new vehicle.

I cannot believe I talked about spending on the first two paragraphs when the title of my post is supposed to be saving! Well, I did a bit of googling to help me know some tricks of the trade. I came across this article, 30 Ways to Save Money by the DumbLittleMan, and aside from using coupon codes (which I am learning to do!), here are some of the points he raised which hit me right in the head.

1. Cook in the house more often. You would not believe the number of times we eat out or order take-out in a week. Imagine if we can convert all those into savings!
2. Make a list before grocery shopping. And if I may add – stick to that list!
3. Consolidate and pay off debt as soon as possible. We are proud to say we are now living on one credit card and have closed off all others. And I only have two months to pay off my loan from two years ago. Yay!

Good luck on saving this year

Christmas is just but two days away and chances are, you are now broke, after buying the necessary gifts for loved ones and friends, attending parties which require you to shop for new outfits and eating out all the time. You might also have exhausted the money from the payday loans you have applied for.

How to get some cash before the year ends? Here are some ways that can help you.

1. E-bay.

Chances are you have some things you can dispose of – and E-bay will be your best bet to reach the most number of people with the least inconvenience. Almost all money-making articles you will find online will mention E-bay.

2. Freelance your services.

If you can write, take pictures, have organizing skills to become a virtual assistant/secretary, market yourself. It can be as easy as babysitting for an hour everyday.

3. Online jobs – read e-mails, take surveys, click on link advertisements.

There are lot of these “mindless” jobs online that pay in cents but if you have time to kill and have got nothing better to do than surf the net, you can always earn a little on the side while killing time.

4. Craigslist

You will be amazed at how much people are willing to give away and how much you can take and sell over at E-bay. I also notice how it can become concentrated on a local area so making money – getting things to sell, offering services – is easier.

5. Small Businesses

Many people are still ignorant in making websites. If you know HTML (most web design interfaces offer WYSIWYG editors already) – you can make a little money with this.

Investing is a risky thing, most especially now when the stock market is still unstable and there are more losses than gains. Keeping your hard-earned money in the bank is just like storing your money at home, the interest rates have dropped so low. There have been talk that investing on gold is a wise investment. For one thing, gold has never been known to depreciate in value and the value of gold has been very liquid – there has always been a clamor and demand for it. In fact, isnt it gold has always been a measure of one’s wealth?

You can buy gold in bullion or coin form like this one:
 

Gold American Eagle coins first minted in 1986, the Gold Eagle is the #1 gold bullion coin choice among investors across the world. Buy American Gold Eagle coins as an investment in safety and growth.

In every business, expansion means growth. It also means that you encounter more risks. When expanding, it would always be wiser to have an accountant or a third party do book keeping for your finances. There is a Las Vegas accounting firm called KondlerCPA. They are a known respected leader in the financial account world that is committed to providing value to their customers as well as their stakeholders.

There always has been a lot of problems that arise when it comes to financial matters so it will always be best (and wise) to make sure that every cent is accounted for.

Everybody seems to be paying by debit card and credit card these days. We are definitely on the electronic age, with online banking going streamline and cash-less purchases being preferred over paying by cash. Online shopping has also boomed.

While these advancements are in no way a disadvantage to people (because they are truly convenient – no need to withdraw cash every time you shop or pay for something, no looking over through paper statements when reviewing financial status – everything is online!), there will always be a tendency for people to overspend and underestimate their spending.

That is why most older people still prefer to pay by personal checks. They can track expenses better and can even request for copies of the issued checks for auditing purposes if needed. It is better than paying by credit card too, as you are forced to pay with the money you have right at the moment, and you don’t have to pay for interest.

While one might argue that paying by check would be more expensive in the long run because you need to order and replace your checkbook from time to time, you can always order straight from the printer and not the bank – and even order in bulk! My Personal Checks has direct connection to discount bank check printers, having personal checks in multiple check designs and styles that fit one’s your budget and personal identity.

Everything is being carded these days. Most restaurants and stores accept major credit cards so it will be easy to attract customers (It is just easier to charge everything to the card, right?). But along with credit card availability and its convenience, steps are needed to ensure that credit cards swiped are protected against stealing and stores are protected from fraud.

That is where Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard comes in. This standard was created to help organizations that process card payments prevent fraud through increased controls around data and its exposure to compromise.

The best PCI compliance solution was developed by Braintree Payment Solutions. They handle everything from online credit card payment processing to completely eliminating the handling, processing and storage of credit card data. All these are PCI compliant.

I personally would want all stores where I charge my card to to be PCI compliant. There are so much credit card fraud these days that I don’t want mine to be compromised.

People never learn. With recent tragedies happening left and right, I realize that I should always save for the rainy day. And for more rainy days. I am quite serious to saving now, unlike before. I am reading up on where we can invest hard-earned money and which ones would likely be stable and have a big return. Investing on gold is becoming a trend. It is the only investment that never depreciates and is never risky unlike mutual funds. (I will be writing about that soon). You can invest in gold by buying jewelry or better yet, buy gold bullion – it is like a coin but has more monetary worth. It can also be formed like a bar. You can get one at the Monex Deposit Company (MDC).

Since I spend about 90% of my time online most of the time, I have discovered other ways to make money and even get involved deeply into a hobby. That hobby my friends is digital scrapbooking, which can actually be mistaken for graphic design, sometimes. So as long as you got nice and decent design principles, know color palettes and have a good knowledge on Photoshop and Illustrator, you can be one. Of course, typography know how is also a must.

So a buddy saw my potential and has invited me to become a business partner. She is willing to invest and buy card printers from RACO Card Solutions and be a marketing associate as long as I take care of the design and production aspect. This is not your average card-making business. Card printers these days like Zebra, Fargo and Datacard have dual-side printing, monochrome and color card printers.

When you have it, the possibilities are endless. You can scope the market for offices and organizations who need new ID cards. Even libraries and schools (day care centers) need one. You can offer design work for brochures, calling cards, marketing materials and print them yourselves.

The more I think about it, the more I am comfortable with the idea!

Can’t you believe it’s already October? I wouldn’t believe it myself if not for the increased heating costs I will be paying this month for the change of weather. It is a reminder to me to start planning Christmas present shopping for my family and loved ones. My immediate family is actually accounted for, I just need to buy small nothings for relatives and of course, my godchildren. I will not be giving them cheap presents because I take my role as a godparent seriously. Besides I only see most of them once a year so I feel I need to make up.

Some even apply for payday loans to be able to get some decent Christmas shopping done. While this is a solution, think about having to pay for something after the holiday season is over – it might not be the best way to start the new year.

Here are some tips for you to be able to shop wisely for the holidays:

1. Make your list early and keep it all in one notepad.

2. Visit malls before the holiday shopping season starts, about a week before Thanksgiving and take note of which stores have what you want to buy.

3. Organize your list so each item is grouped by store. This way you can efficiently maximize your trips to the stores and finish shopping sooner.

4. Map out your trips so you hit two or three stores in one trip.

5. Plan your trips to these stores in the late morning between 10 and 11:30 or early afternoon, between 2 and 4 when there are fewer shoppers clogging the aisles.

6. Any gifts you can’t buy during mall downtime, buy online. It’s still the best way to beat the rush.

The holidays are fast approaching. Just today, I saw a neighbor clean their Christmas lights and decorations on their garage. I read full-page mall-wide sale alerts in the newspapers. Everybody is gearing up, full speed ahead towards holiday season. And what do I think about first? How to make sure I’d still have enough cash for spending once Christmas week happens – for parties, food, new clothes and miscellaneous expenses, when I might be blowing my budget for buying gifts alone. The solution – payday loans. For someone like me who doesn’t want to use her credit card all the time, cash from FastWire Cash is the way to go. It is a reliable state licensed lender that you can turn to when you need extra cash.

No matter how tough and trying times could be at times like these, make sure to make an effort to give gifts to your family and loved ones. It is highly encouraged when I was working at the office that we exchange gifts even for a small amount. A little gift goes a long way, especially if it was well-thought of and sincerely given. It is also a lot better if you plan ahead and believe me, lists help a lot.

One of the benefits you can get from a company especially if you are working or is expected to do field work is getting a car. That’s all part of the car allocation and travel expense locked in with your employment. There are companies who are generous when it comes to this. There are companies who really need help allocating car allowance schemes into their employee budget so they can give away cars to their employees.

This is where Corporate Reimbursement Services, Inc. (CRS) comes in. They will do everything for you. They can give personalized services – evaluating each driver and how much reimbursement he should get. They will obtain the yearly Motor Vehicle Records (MVRs) to make sure the company has responsible drivers/employees. Their Fleet program is truly one of a kind.

This set up benefits both employers and employees. For employers, getting into partnership with CRS might be costly at first but they will be cutting a lot of time management and reducing liability by letting CRS take care of everything. The ease of administration is one thing too – you just need to refer to them if anything about the car and mobile plans crop up.

For employees, the simple thought of having someone take care and make sure you are doing your job is enough.

Life gets turned upside down whenever there would be an emergency. Like exactly what happened to one family last week. Somebody was clearly not taking care of herself that a hospital admission was needed, an outpatient procedure that only took 2 hours but cost them $600. It didn’t help that they did not have health insurance so they were forced to pay in cold hard card. (They didn’t have any choice, right?)

It is a good thing that there is such a thing as cash loans. Cash Advance Loan is what helped them get through their week. It is also a good thing that they were able to find one so quick because their lead time was incredibly short. They were able to find one online at CashAdvanceFast.net and were able to narrow down their choices to two.

If you have full-time job and it pays at least $1,500 a month, have a checking account and need cash and payday is still a week (or two) away, consider getting a cash advance loan instead of charging or withdrawing cash from your credit card. It would have less interest and be easier to pay because of your checking account.

Lessons learned: 1.) Get health insurance. NOW. 2.) Always have more savings in cash. and 3.) Take care of your health.

I have been closely monitoring US President Barrack Obama’s health care reform plan for days. Parts of it I still cannot understand, like how getting all American citizens health insurance (their basic right, mind you) is regarded as controversial.

Quoting what Obama said in an interview:

In the United States of America, no one should have to worry that they’ll go without health insurance — not for one year, not for one month, not for one day.

"And once I sign my health reform plan into law, they won’t

This issue hits close to home. As a mom who has been hospitalized once a year WITHOUT health insurance, it was a pain in the neck and draining to our very limited financial funds. It was a good thing that the husband’s office gives away payday advances so we were able to secure cash in such a short amount of time.

Not anybody can be granted a payday loan though. For starters, you need to have a job which has your salary directed to your current account, because you need a checkbook and a debit card for this. Of course once you get paid, you need to pay the full amount plus interest too. There are other financial payment plans one can avail of (if you also cannot afford to pay it all at the same time).

Here’s to health insurance – may it be a basic human right.

Let’s face it – money has become increasingly unstable these days, especially with the economic crisis. What is extremely disappointing is the retirement accounts have been compromised and all those savings are now gone. Most baby boomers are stuck working again because they need funds for their retirement. They should have invested on gold ira. Gold in IRA is extremely stable and ira gold is instantly liquid.

You can be educated on how to put gold in an IRA. Basically you can buy gold bullions (Gold American Eagles) and deposit them into your IRA account. You fill out a Gold IRA form and upon inspection, they will be repackaged and verified with a code – I have been wondering how to put gold in my IRA that is why I read up on it. That way, instead of me having literally worthless money when the times comes, I have my gold 401k and I am secured!

My grandmother was right. No other womanly possessions are worth money than good jewelry. When I started working and bonuses would arrive, she would tell me to buy jewelry instead of gadgets or bags or shoes.

She was right. Gadgets depreciate fast, requiring you to upgrade every six months, bags have wear and tear and shoes are useless once your feet are in it.  But jewelry – gold to be exact – doesn’t depreciate. Its worth even increases in time. And when time gets rough, you can go to selling your gold online for cash. Of course, you need to act with caution in dealing with online trading sites. You can always go to the pawnshop to be sure.

Never trust any site claiming to be Cash4Gold when selling your jewelries online, only deal with the official Cash4Gold not imposters. Find out how you can stay away from these scammers here.