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A good reason to refinance now and get your rates locked in due
to the recent bad news with mortgage rates climbing, which can
be taken as good news due to a sign of a recovering economy.
Rising interest rates mean more money in your pocket if you are
being smart with your money and investing in money market and
high interest checking accounts. Lately, we just need a place to
keep our money safe away from the hasty stock market where
you can build your savings. A few examples of the higher interest
earning banks - HSBC Advance at 1.35%. We have found several
Savings and Money Market account rates up to 1.76% APY.
Debt Consolidation & Planning
Yes it is the beginning of the year and it is once again time to pay
off your federal income taxes. We can help you with that personal
loan to pay off your income tax. Also, remember to save on next
years taxes by refinancing or buying a new home and writing off
the interest from your closing or settlement statement. Prepaid
interest, discount points, and origination fees, are just some of the
deductions. more on tax time tips>>
Almost half of all U.S. adult Internet users now manage their bank
accounts online, making banking the fastest-growing online
activity, according to a recent survey released from the Pew
Internet and American Life Project. The survey says that Forty-
four percent of U.S. Internet users bank online, up from 30
percent two years ago. Internet Banking Deals: Citibank has
promotions such as a credit or free IPod with new accounts.
Granting personal loans for people with bad credit strikes many
as a risky practice for lenders. After all, a person with bad
credit most likely has a history of late or missed payments. But
most bad credit personal loans are actually far more risky for the
borrower. That's because such loans usually require collateral in
the form of a home, and come with extremely high interest rates
and high monthly payments. If the borrower defaults on the loan,
the lender can sell the house to make up for the loss. If a person's
bad credit is directly related to lower income, making steep loan
payments on time can be tremendously difficult. With a house on
the line, getting too far behind on the loan can come at a very
high cost.
USE OF CREDIT CARDS
1. Avoiding Fraud
Debit cards and checks are some of the worst ways to pay for
anything. Sticking with credit cards or cash can save you a lot of
money.Pretty much anything you do involves risk. When you carry
around $50 in your pocket, there is a risk that you might lose it or
get robbed. When you give a credit card to a waitress, there is a
risk that she might steal the number. When you write a check at
the grocery store, there is a risk that someone might take your
personal information and use it to steal your identity. When you
carry your ATM card with you, there is the chance that you it
might get stolen, lost, someone might watch you type in your pin
and then steal it, etc.No matter what you do, there is an element
of risk. What you want to do is minimize your financial exposure.
Unfortunately, the two money vehicles (debit cards and
checks)that are usually most touted to help keep people out of
debt are also the ones that give you the least protection from
fraud.
Let’s say someone steals your check book or uses the account
number to withdraw money from your account. You notice the
problem on your next statement and call the bank. You now have
to prove to the bank that they need to refund your money and put
it back into your account. The money is already gone, you have to
try to get it back. In the mean time, your mortgage and car
payment are due, but you can’t pay them until you can convince
the bank that fraud was committed.
Now assume that your credit card number is stolen. You notice a
bunch of fraudulent charges on your statement and you call the
credit card company. Normally, they will mark the charges as
disputed and work with the merchants to obtain proof that you
indeed made the purchases. You will pay the amount of
undisputed charg
2. Keeping Records
Credit cards are one of the easiest ways to track your spending.
When coupled with a program like Microsoft Money or Quicken,
you can easily see where your money is going and keep track of
how your spending is changing from month to month. Some
companies are adding management features into their accounts
so you can categorize charges online and view the totals for each
category even without downloading them to your computer.
4. Other Benefits
Most cards have a bunch of other benefits that are buried in the
fine print and people generally don’t take advantage of. For
example, most VISAs have an extended warranty plan. If you buy
something with a 1 year warranty and it fails 18 months after the
purchase, the credit card company will replace or repair the
device for you–even though the original warranty has expired.
Some cards offer a service where they will keep track of all of the
warranties on all of your appliances and home electronics. A
number of cards give you theft protection if you have an item (that
was purchased on the card) stolen within a certain period of time.
Other cards give you travel insurance in case you die or are
dismembered (the term they actually use) on a flight paid for with
your credit card. Many have insurance that can be used in lieu of
the additional insurance car rental companies try to sell you when
you rent a vehicle.
Some cards (particularly American Express) offer roadside
assistance, travel planning, international travel emergency
assistance and even personal concierge services.
Take the time to look through the fine print that came with your
credit cards. You’ll probably find a bunch of features that aren’t
useful to you, but you may find one or two that are actually
valuable and could save you some money.
.
Online
"You don't use a debit card online," says Susan Tiffany, director
of consumer periodicals for the Credit Union National Association.
Since the debit card links directly to a checking account,
Big-ticketitems
With a big ticket item, a credit card is safer, says Chi Chi Wu, staff
attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. A credit card
offers dispute rights if something goes wrong with the
merchandise or the purchase,
newcustomer
Online or in the real world, if you're a first-time customer in a
store, skip the debit card the first couple of times you buy
Futuretravel
Book your travel with a check card, and "they debit it
immediately," says Foley. So if you're buying travel that you won't
use for six months or making a reservation for a few weeks from
now, you'll be out the money immediately.