Archive for July, 2009

Different Types of Bonds

Investing in bonds is very safe, and the returns are usually very good. There are four basic types of bonds available and they are sold through the Government, through corporations, state and local governments, and foreign governments.

The greatest thing about bonds is that you will get your initial investment back. This makes bonds the perfect investment vehicle for those who are new to investing, or for those who have a low risk tolerance.

The United States Government sells Treasury Bonds through the Treasury Department. You can purchase Treasury Bonds with maturity dates ranging from three months to thirty years.

Treasury bonds include Treasury Notes (T-Notes), Treasury Bills (T-Bills), and Treasury Bonds. All Treasury bonds are backed by the United States Government, and tax is only charged on the interest that the bonds earn.

Corporate bonds are sold through public securities markets. A corporate bond is essentially a company selling its debt. Corporate bonds usually have high interest rates, but they are a bit risky. If the company goes belly-up, the bond is worthless.

State and local Governments also sell bonds. Unlike bonds issued by the federal government, these bonds usually have higher interest rates. This is because State and Local Governments can indeed go bankrupt – unlike the federal government.

State and Local Government bonds are free from income taxes – even on the interest. State and local taxes may also be waived. Tax-free Municipal Bonds are common State and Local Government Bonds.

Purchasing foreign bonds is actually very difficult, and is often done as part of a mutual fund. It is often very risky to invest in foreign countries. The safest type of bond to buy is one that is issued by the US Government.

The interest may be a bit lower, but again, there is little or no risk involved. For best results, when a bond reaches maturity, reinvest it into another bond.

Posted by science on July 26th, 2009 No Comments

Life insurance, What’s that

Life insurance provides a safety net against unexpected death. Most people rely on a regular income to survive and to fulfil their goals and dreams in life. If that income was to go, what then? Life insurance is not needed by everyone. Investments can successfully replace life insurance and are available even when the insured lives. Being wealthy should preclude the need for life insurance, but many wealthy people include life insurance as part of their portfolio.

Life insurance is essential for anyone who has a family that depends on his or her income in order to live.

In many ways life insurance is a waste of money. All those months and years of paying premiums for cover that you have never needed! But if and when something happens to change your life then the benefits of life insurance come into play.

There are alternatives to life insurance. To start you can accumulate great wealth. Start a business and turn it into a multi-million corporation. A lifelong investment strategy can help build up reserves that can be used in an emergency or in the event of the death of the breadwinner. This requires strong discipline, and unless there is money in the family the investment is long term. You can live for the moment and hope that you never die.

Life insurance comes in two main forms. Term insurance provides cover for a fixed term and only covers death. If you die while the policy is in force then your beneficiaries get paid. But if you live, you lose! Term insurance is generally the most cost effective form of life cover it is simple to administer and it does not incur huge commission costs.

Whole life policies generally include an investment portion which acquires a cash value over time. These policies are much more complex and the cost includes huge commission payouts.

John and Mary are a young married couple living in a nice middle class neighbourhood. They have bought a house and are struggling to keep up with the repayments. When Felicite was born, Mary stopped working to become a full time mother. John is the main breadwinner in the early stages of his career. The cost of a new baby, running a home and two cars uses most of their resources. Life insurance takes a back seat. “We can’t afford it. We’ll look again when I get my next raise.”

If something happens to John, Mary will need to find employment fast! Felicite will have to go to a child care facility. Mary may have to adjust her life expectations. She may have to move to a cheaper area, find cheaper accomodation and consider a government school rather than the private education they had in mind. Luckily she is still young and will probably re-marry.

If Mary is the one that is lost then John will have to find additional resources to cover child care or a full time nanny. There will also be the loss of Mary’s future earnings (she did not plan to be a permanent home executive).

In these circumstances, life insurance could make all the difference. Ideally, the life cover should be sufficient to provide an income equivalent until the children are grown up. At worst, the cover would help the family survive through the adjustment.

Life cover cannot be taken out after the event. It is best taken young when health is good and the risk is low. Even though the health of the insured may change over the years, these new risks do not affect the cost of cover. Lifestyle changes such as becoming a smoker or taking up a hazardous occupation must be notified to the life company. Once one has a dread disease or a terminal illness it may be too late. Cover becomes prohibitively expensive or worse.

Ideally life cover should be coupled with investment. The greater the value of the investment, the less life cover that is required. This can be achieved through term life insurance and separate investments in equities and property. A whole life policy that includes an investment portion is a more expensive way to achieve this.

Yes, life insurance is needed. Don’t wait until you can afford it. Get it now. The best outcome is that you waste your money and never claim. The worst is that you don’t have cover when your family need it.

Posted by science on July 21st, 2009 No Comments

Advice on Getting Fast Cash Advance Approval

Let’s face it. The lending companies appreciate the business you bring in when you avail of a cash advance. They earn as much as 20 percent for every $100 you borrow, after all! Still, it’s a business that lending companies run so your application may or may not be approved based on how well you can follow their guidelines.

With that said, here are tips to get you cash advance fast. Or at least, increase your chances of having it approved!

Eligibility Requirements

This is the most important step. Don’t waste your time filling in the required information, complying with the required documents and consenting to credit checks without asking for the eligibility requirements necessary for loan approval.

Each company will have specific requirements so always ask. Nonetheless, common grounds include legal age, more than 3 months of employment with present employer, residency status, and minimum net salary. The last factor is of special significance since your payday loan will be determined based on this information.

Fill In All the Blanks

The blank spaces on the cash advance application form are there for a purpose - for you to fill up with the right information. The emphasis is, of course, on the right information as any significant deviations can cause your application to be rejected on the grounds of fraud. (Or some other similar reasons)

Admittedly, some lending companies will conduct little credit checks. Still, you must be as honest as possible with the information you provide especially when it comes to employer data.

Comply with Required Documents

Yes, there will be required documents like employer certification and bank account certification, among other things. You don’t have to worry though as the required documents for a payday cash advance is not as voluminous as, say, availing of a loan in a bank. Generally speaking, the documentary requirements are mostly easy to secure.

Anyways, when you have all the required papers, your application will be processed much more quickly. You don’t have to worry about it getting relegated to the bottom of the pile waiting for a credit officer to call you about your lacking documents.

Apply in One Company at a Time

No matter how desperate you are in your quest to find money to finance emergency situations, don’t shop around for payday loans by submitting applications to each and every lending company you come across on the Internet. You might just find yourself rich in one day because all your applications were approved and then, a month or so later, in direr straits because you have to pay all of them, pronto!

And then where will you be? You will either be applying in other companies for a bigger cash advance to pay your smaller loans (think borrowing from Paul to pay Peter) or refinancing your loans. In both instances, you will be sinking deeper and deeper into debt.

Indeed, when it comes to having your cash advance application approved, you must play by the rules of the lending company. You are, after all, the one who is in need of the money, fast!

Posted by science on July 20th, 2009 No Comments