Thursday 30 October 2008

No magic wand to cure debt

There are no genies or fairy god mothers to wave a magic wand on our debt problems, so do not fall prey to debt management companies who promise to remove all of your debt worries in a flash. Many debt management companies will make these exaggerations without even looking at your financial status.

If you have run up debt, it needs to be repaid. All advertisements that claim they can ‘clear your debt, without you having to pay a penny’ are a complete farce. Unless, you opt for bankruptcy or an alternative debt solutions such as an IVA, there is no way that your debt will disappear unless you do something about it.

Do not rush out and sign up to the first debt management company that you find as there are many organisations out there waiting to take advantage of your desperation. Keep a cool head when looking for a suitable company and do not be sidetracked into believing that your debts can be wiped out overnight, even if some debt management advisors tell you otherwise.

What should I look for in a debt management company?

A good debt management company will require you to submit all of your outstanding accounts within 45 days so as they can work out a suitable repayment plan. This will include how much you should repay each month, how long it will take to settle your debt and by how much you can reduce your current repayments.

If anyone gives you a quote without asking for detailed information regarding your creditors, run as fast as you can as these companies usually require a hefty upfront fee. In return, they will do very little to resolve your financial situation.

Wednesday 29 October 2008

Best Savings Account Interest Rate

There are many different types of savings accounts available. Choosing one that is right for your financial situation is an important part of your future. The biggest consideration is the rate of return on your balance. So we are going to take a look at several types of accounts and their benefits so you can get the best savings account interest rate.

Standard savings accounts

These are the accounts you can open at your local bank. The deposits are made by either through direct deposit manual deposit. The usual interest rate is around 5% or so annually, or per year. Currently as of 10/12 2007, the interest rates are ranging from 4.17% to 5.5% depending on the bank you choose.

Watch the minimum deposit and minimum balance requirements. There may be a minimum balance requirement to even receive the interest return. One bank has a 1$ minimum deposit but you need to hold a balance of $10,000 to receive the interest! This is a safe investment as your cash is secured and the interest is guaranteed but the interest accrues slowly.

Money market accounts

Basically a money market account (MMA) is a high interest savings account. MMA's are available at just about any bank. The cash you keep in an MMA will be invested, but the banking institution manages the investing and thus collects the returned interest.

Your money is usually put into low risk, short term investments like CDs (certificates of deposit), Treasury bills or other safe investment vehicles. The institution rewards you reward for letting them use your money by offering you a premium interest rate that may be significantly higher than a normal passbook account.

As of the writing of this article, the offered rates were between 4.55% and 5.84% A money market account is a decent low risk savings strategy but there are certain restrictions associated with it. Unlike a passbook savings account, a money market account usually has a minimum deposit and minimum balance. Withdrawals can be made but you cannot go below the minimum balance. If you do, there are stiff penalties.

Health savings accounts

An HSA or Health Savings Account is available to people who purchase a high deductible health plan. The money is deposited either on a pre-tax (tax deferred) basis or post tax (after tax) and is to be used for medical purposes. These deposits can be made up to the age of 65. Withdrawals can be made for medical purposes without tax liability.

Basically, this is another way to save for retirement and help with medical expenses along the way that are not covered by medical insurance. This could be dental care, eyeglasses or vision and chiropractic care.

As of 2007 plan years, deposits are limited to $2850 for individuals and $5650 for families. Those over age 55 can add another $800. Since the deposited money may be invested similar to IRA's and 401(k)'s, the interest earned is dependent on the options offered by the HSA plan you choose.

IRA accounts

Individual Retirement Accounts or IRA's are another savings vehicle. The money deposited cannot exceed $4000 per year and can be placed in any number of investments of your choice. This could mean money markets, CD's or other interest bearing instruments. Thereby you can determine the rate of return your cash receives.

A little research is all it takes to choose the highest yielding option. Hope this information will help you to find the best savings account interest rate.

Thursday 23 October 2008

Consolidating Student Loans Made Easy!


If you’ve had preceding or newborn enrollee loans then you’ll most probable been receiving a clean deal of accumulation most how you crapper consolidate your enrollee loans. At prototypal the give covering impact module seem arduous specially if you’ve had more than digit give with a some assorted lenders. However it’s a ultimate impact and here’s a some tips on what to wait when you end to consolidate your enrollee loans.

Consolidate Student Loans
Step 1
Select a beatific pledgee with a substantially ingrained business institute. You crapper avow if they are substantially ingrained because the hit a actuality of enrollee loans plans and reduction schemes. If you consolidate your enrollee loans with a beatific pledgee they module be inferior probable to delude your give to added pledgee in the future.
You should not hit to clear a gift or some charges when you consolidate your enrollee loans and there is no requirement for a assign analyse because “Federal Student Loans” are secure by the dweller government.

Step 2
You’ll requirement to modify discover your covering modify and attain trusty you hit every needed aggregation most some of your enrollee loans. The covering modify requires a individualized meaning so attain trusty you hit one. Last but not leat you’ll hit to clew the modify but before you do feature the dustlike indicant (terms & conditions) and communicate most the incentives and discounts that become with the loan. Most lenders who consolidate enrollee loans module hit a estimator so you undergo what your repayments module be.

Step 3
Once you’ve clew and posted your consolidate enrollee give covering your newborn pledgee module beam every your preceding lenders a “Loan Verification Certificate” to avow the turn turn of your preceding enrollee loan. It should verify around 30 life to convey the give substantiation certificates. Interest rates module be finalised along with the revealing statements.
Then apiece pledgee module obtain a analyse of the turn you owe to as a clear out. Once every your preceding lenders are stipendiary soured you hit successfully complete your enrollee give consolidation.
This whole impact crapper verify anywhere between 30 life to 180 life and if you hit not filled discover your covering aright or you hit absent aggregation it module verify modify individual to consolidate your enrollee loans.
Remember to ready stipendiary soured your underway loans until your newborn pledgee and complete the process. A beatific pledgee module hit client representatives that module be in occurrence with you with some updates.

Now before you go soured and move consolidating your enrollee loans you should undergo that newborn welfare rates are premeditated every assemblage on the 1st of July. You crapper easily encounter beatific lenders to consolidate your enrollee loans by doing a hurried see in Google or MSN. There’re plentitude of beatific lenders discover there but attain trusty you hit a analyse itemize of what you are hunting for. Good phenomenon and I wish you savor the rest of your studies with lowercase business worries.

Consolidate your enrollee loans today and spend up to 60% on your monthly repayments. Find discover how you crapper move action money and encounter discover more most consolidate enrollee loans.

Wednesday 22 October 2008

Should You Consolidate Your Student Loans

Spending instance in college effectuation feat to classes, composition papers, studying for exams, and enjoying the college undergo of fun, food, and frolic. Oh, if it exclusive were that easy! Chances are you are painful up whatever earnest debt in the modify of students loans. If you hit already graduated, then you are belike in the impact of stipendiary your loans back. Are you bright yet? Maybe not, especially if your enrollee loans are more of a charge than you originally had expected. Read on, please, for whatever structure you crapper assist the charge and springy a chronicle that goes beyond stipendiary soured debt.

For whatever students, it isn’t every that exceptional to correct with a bachelor’s honor and encounter yourself owing 10, 30, modify 60 cardinal dollars or more in enrollee give debt. How did every of this happen? High tuition, that’s how. Likely your prototypal employ discover of college isn’t stipendiary you a strike meet still either. Car payments and assign game bills connected with routine experience expenses crapper encounter you dig a full that exclusive gets deeper. What should you do? Perhaps you should study hunting into a polity enrollee give consolidation.

So, meet what is a polity enrollee give consolidation? For starters, it is a identify of a give that allows you to verify binary enrollee loans, clear them off, and attain monthly payments to meet digit lender. For example, if you hit threesome loans cod to threesome assorted lenders at threesome assorted nowadays of the month, you crapper ready meliorate road of every of it if you had meet digit ultimate commercialism to attain every period to digit lender.

In addition, a polity enrollee give compounding haw modify your welfare rates, accept you to defer your defrayal schedule, and earmark for you to verify discover whatever added player money to clear backwards another creditors including assign bill providers.
Some things to ready in nous before you superior a enrollee give compounding include:
Amount Borrowed. Will the give compounding clear soured every of your enrollee loans, or meet a proportionality of what you owe? Your consolidator haw poverty to wager clear stubs and another proofs of income before approbatory your loan.

Annual Percentage Rate. Will the give evaluate be immobile or module it be adjustable? You haw poverty to hair in your evaluate to attain trusty that your monthly payments rest constant.
Your Loan Term. Can you care with stipendiary backwards a your polity enrollee give compounding for as daylong as note years? Take into kindness you haw poverty to acquire a home, intend married, move a family, acquire a newborn car, etc. It crapper be arduous to look the future, but module the give command you with debt individual than necessary?
A enrollee give compounding is definitely not for everyone. Make destined that you see the cost of your commendation with the give consolidator and clew null until you crapper hit the lessen reviewed independently. It is your life; matter every of your options carefully.

Matthew Keegan is The Article Writer who writes on a difference of topics including: advocacy, automobiles, aviation, business, faith themes, family, news, creation reviews, travel, writing, and more. Samples from his portfolio are acquirable correct online.

Money Market Savings Account

Many individuals are starting to discover that a money market savings account is a very beneficial type of account. This particular account is basically a savings account that many credit unions and other types of banks offer to individuals. It is quite similar to a basic savings account. However, the money market savings account is a little bit stricter when it comes to the guidelines it has. Here, you will receive an introduction to the money market savings account.

With this type of savings account, an individual is normally permitted to have a total of three checks on average to be written each month. In order to maintain this type of savings account, an individual must usually have a minimum balance that is quite higher than that of a standard savings account. Normally, a basic savings account will require anywhere from $25.00 - $100.00 as a minimum balance. However, with a money market savings account, it is not uncommon to have to maintain a minimum balance of at least $1000.00. In many cases, the minimum balance may be as much as $2500.00.

Many individuals do not mind the fact that they are required to maintain a higher balance than that which is required of a standard savings account. This is because the money market savings account normally pays a higher amount of interest on the balance than similar accounts. In addition to this benefit, individuals with this type of account also benefit from having their money insured by the FDIC, or Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This means that regardless of the losses that the financial institution incurs, the money in a money market savings account is always available.

Money market savings accounts are extremely important to the overall functioning of the financial institution. This is because the business actually earns money on the amount of money that you have in your account. While your money is always available, the money in these accounts is what the bank uses to loans to others. They charge others interest on the loan, and in turn, they are able to pay you interest on the amount that you have. Furthermore, the interest, or free money, that the financial institution pays you is also compounded. This means that they also pay you interest on top of the interest that they already paid you.

Having a money market savings account is a wonderful way to not only save money, but actually make money as well. When you open your account, you are given a register. This is the paperwork that you will use in order to keep track of all the money that you deposit in your account, and all the money that you withdraw from your account. If you open this type of savings account, you should use it for saving money only. This way, you can maximize the potential of return that you have on the account as a whole.

Many individuals ensure that they make regular deposits into their money market savings accounts to ensure that they make as much money as possible. This is one of the few bank account types that will allow you to earn a large amount of money in a short amount of time. If you are interested in saving money, a money market savings account is the best possible choice!

Thursday 16 October 2008

High Yield Savings account

You've heard of a regular savings account that a bank offers, but just what is a high yield savings account? Well, to tell you the truth, it is just like a regular savings account only wrapped up in a few little perks!

Usually banks will only offer these high yield savings accounts to a limited number of their customers. In order to even be considered in the running, you probably have to meet at least one of the following criteria:

- You must be able to make a large initial deposit
- You must also maintain other banking relations
- You must be able to keep a high balance over the life of the account
- You must be able and willing to limit transactions both in and out of the account

As you have probably already guessed, banks only want to offer these special savings accounts to their valued customers.

Internet Bank Accounts

Now comes another exception to the rule. You can always shop around on the Internet and get the most bang for your buck! These accounts offer higher interest rates with your account size being as small as one dollar. The only trade off in having an account online is that you are going to have to do more of work yourself rather than some bank teller doing the work for you. You will have to be able to use the internet, link account, and manage transfers.

Finding High Yield Savings Accounts

If you are comfortable with banking on the Internet, perhaps you should look here to find an account. You will probably have fewer restrictions here that going with an ordinary bank on the street. All you have to do is a Google search to find some reviews of some of the most popular accounts on the Internet. You may also want to utilize the banking blogs and communities for the most recent additions to the Internet marketplace.

A very prominent online bank offering is the High Yield Savings account that is offered by Capital One. This is much like many of the online bank accounts except for some unique features.

Capital One does not offer just a High Yield Savings account. A High-Yield Money Market Account is now being offered in its place. The main difference with this new account is that you now get free checks along with a debit card so that may easily access your cash. Bear in mind that there are some money market accounts that limit your withdrawals during every statement cycle so plan accordingly.

If you are thinking of using a certain bank's services, you should always go online and visit the bank's website to make sure that you read all of the fine print.

Capital One's High Yield Savings account is much like other Internet bank accounts. The main attraction here is the Annual Percentage Yield or APY. You can usually earn much more than your typical bank on the street. Also, there are no fees for the service nor are there any minimum balance requirements. You can open a High Yield Savings account with as little as $1.

When you open an account with Capital One, you are able to keep the checking account you already have and link it to your new High Yield Savings account. To move money back and forth from account to account, you just have to login to your new High Yield Savings account and merely request a transfer.

There you have it, the scoop on a High Yield savings account. Feel free to check it out further to see if this might be a sweet deal for you!

View our current accounts here
http://www.totagit.com/bookmarks/monicaw

Wednesday 15 October 2008

Best Savings Account Interest Rate

There are many different types of savings accounts available. Choosing one that is right for your financial situation is an important part of your future. The biggest consideration is the rate of return on your balance. So we are going to take a look at several types of accounts and their benefits so you can get the best savings account interest rate.

Standard savings accounts

These are the accounts you can open at your local bank. The deposits are made by either through direct deposit manual deposit. The usual interest rate is around 5% or so annually, or per year. Currently as of 10/12 2007, the interest rates are ranging from 4.17% to 5.5% depending on the bank you choose.

Watch the minimum deposit and minimum balance requirements. There may be a minimum balance requirement to even receive the interest return. One bank has a 1$ minimum deposit but you need to hold a balance of $10,000 to receive the interest! This is a safe investment as your cash is secured and the interest is guaranteed but the interest accrues slowly.

Money market accounts

Basically a money market account (MMA) is a high interest savings account. MMA's are available at just about any bank. The cash you keep in an MMA will be invested, but the banking institution manages the investing and thus collects the returned interest.

Your money is usually put into low risk, short term investments like CDs (certificates of deposit), Treasury bills or other safe investment vehicles. The institution rewards you reward for letting them use your money by offering you a premium interest rate that may be significantly higher than a normal passbook account.

As of the writing of this article, the offered rates were between 4.55% and 5.84% A money market account is a decent low risk savings strategy but there are certain restrictions associated with it. Unlike a passbook savings account, a money market account usually has a minimum deposit and minimum balance. Withdrawals can be made but you cannot go below the minimum balance. If you do, there are stiff penalties.

Health savings accounts

An HSA or Health Savings Account is available to people who purchase a high deductible health plan. The money is deposited either on a pre-tax (tax deferred) basis or post tax (after tax) and is to be used for medical purposes. These deposits can be made up to the age of 65. Withdrawals can be made for medical purposes without tax liability.

Basically, this is another way to save for retirement and help with medical expenses along the way that are not covered by medical insurance. This could be dental care, eyeglasses or vision and chiropractic care.

As of 2007 plan years, deposits are limited to $2850 for individuals and $5650 for families. Those over age 55 can add another $800. Since the deposited money may be invested similar to IRA's and 401(k)'s, the interest earned is dependent on the options offered by the HSA plan you choose.

IRA accounts

Individual Retirement Accounts or IRA's are another savings vehicle. The money deposited cannot exceed $4000 per year and can be placed in any number of investments of your choice. This could mean money markets, CD's or other interest bearing instruments. Thereby you can determine the rate of return your cash receives.

A little research is all it takes to choose the highest yielding option. Hope this information will help you to find the best savings account interest rate.