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Posts Tagged ‘cash’

There is a harsh fact about reality. The good job that you have may not last your entire life or career. The stability of the job may change and the particulars about it may change it to one that is completely undesirable. You must think ahead and plan on making your money work for you. No matter how much you have, you must plan on saving at least three months salary for a rainy day. Additionally you must set aside a proportion of your salary to invest now in well performing businesses on the stock exchange, as well as through available mutual funds which have a superior performance and you should consider investing in real estate. Particularly you should consider real estate that you can fix up for rental properties.

Stock investment on the internet in one such new technological avenue. Stock brokers have understood long before the public the great advantage that the speed of the internet gave them in financial matters. They offer to the public the advantage of internet sales and buying of company stocks and mutual funds. At least seven years ago the stock market utilized proprietary computers, intranets, wide area networks (WANS) to manage and predict the public sales and purchases of commodities, stocks, and bonds. The market place is a very competitive place. The government and the stock market board exist to provide a fair market where no one person or block of investors have a larger influence than any other. Prior to the internet and the 21st century only large blocks of investors or extremely wealthy ones could purchase stocks and commodities as an investment. This is because they were limited to how small or large a package of stock could be sold. When banks or other groups of investors, retired math teachers, became involved then investment packages could be subdivided smaller. Hence more people could afford to invest their surplus cash into more risky but profitable ventures. The invention of the telegraph allowed the transfer of information at the speed of light. After this the invention of the Teletype maintained the technological edge into most of the 20th century. when the age of the personal computer arrived then financier Mr.Bloomberg advanced both the electronic management of stock but provided the pioneer work to facilitate the inclusion of the internet into the confines of Wall Street.

You can acquire attractive properties which require very little in the way of repair. Some only need cleaning and painting to become profitable rentals. Today in Tulsa, Oklahoma there is a vast excess of available homes which have become available. These are offered by banks, mortgage investment firms, and real estate agencies. On the other hand the reason why these are available should be mentioned. The city of Tulsa has been through a devastating financial depression which began shortly after major internet companies and communications groups went bankrupt. This led to the loss of over 75,000 technical jobs and over $250,000,000 in lost revenues from income and sales taxes. These jobs have not be replaced but have been out sourced to off shore resources. I remember walking several miles along the edge of several housing divisions which were marked by the rarity of an occupied house. Most were marked by the “For Sale” signs and tall unmown grass. There are some real bargains here in Tulsa for those with good salaried jobs! These can become a smart investment for you which has stability and that can increase in profitability over the years.

It is a fact that sometimes, money is tight. Everyone will be in this situation at some stage in their life. They are in urgent need of funds to avoid bouncing checks or missing important payments. If you have a steady source of income, and you need money for only a short period of time, a cash loan, or paycheck advance may seem like an attractive option. But take care, as they are often a lot less attractive than they seem.

Cash loans are for relatively small amounts and are very fast and easy to arrange. They are for very short periods but the rates of interest charged can be very hefty indeed. The whole loan can be arranged in minutes and typically involves presenting your paycheck or other security such as a car title. If the loan is approved you can walk out with a check or a transfer can be made instantly to your account.

However, they are extremely expensive forms of credit. While most credit cards offer a grace period during which you can pay your bill and avoid interest charges, cash loans usually start charging interest immediately. There may also be a fee for arranging the loan and other charges. If you add this up, the interest rate will usually be shocking. Indeed, even the high rates of interest charged by credit card companies for taking out a cash advance may turn out to be significantly cheaper than cash loans.

Luckily, there are alternatives to these cash loans. One such option is an overdraft on your current account. This will be provided by your bank and will have associated fees, but it means that you can spend up to an agreed amount more than you have in your account. While the charges and interest rates vary, they should work out cheaper than cash loans.

Another option is to contact your creditors and try to negotiate an extension or rearrange your repayment schedule. Many lenders will be willing to work with you if you are having trouble keeping up with repayments. For example they may be willing to extend the period of the loan so that your monthly repayments are lower.

Finally, if you do need to go for the cash loan, try to take out the bare minimum necessary to tie you over till your next pay check. Then, when you have the money, pay back the loan immediately. It is tempting to extend the cash loan but in the long run, the cost of this is not worth it.

Ultimately keeping you credit card safe is you responsibility. Indeed, in a worst case scenario, if it can be proven you may have been negligent in keeping your credit card safe, you may find yourself liable for the cost of all transactions made fraudulent on your account should you lose the card. To help you avoid this, here are 5 basic credit card safety tips:

Never have more cards than you need

While it is always advisable that you have more than 1 credit card, in case it gets lost, you should never have more credit cards than you actually need to use. The principal reason why this is the case is because it becomes harder to keep a track of which cards you have and where you have kept them with the more cards you have.

Always keep a photocopy of your cards

How many times have you been asked what you card number is only to find yourself looking for your card to get the number? Now, what happens if you have a card stolen and no credit card statement to-hand? You have a problem! For this reason, it is always best practice to take photocopies of you credit cards to so that always know where to find the number should anything unfortunate happen to your card.

Always keep your receipts separate

Among the most important of the basic credit card safety tips you’ll receive is never to keep your credit cards and credit card purchase receipts in the same place – because likely as not if you have lost your card, or if it is stolen, then you’ll have lost or stolen the receipts as well. Now there is no way for you to vouch which transactions were yours and which where not – or, there is no way to tell which was the last genuine transaction you made.

Moreover, never keep a record of your PIN with your card, this is only asking for trouble!

Never give your account number to someone you don’t know

If you are ever asked to give your credit card details to someone you don’t know, or who as initiated a discussion with you (rather than the other way round) over the phone or via email, you should always refuse. Worst come to the worst, phone the card issuer and ask them if it is okay for you to divulge the information or phone the enquirer back. If the enquirer seems reluctant to accept this, you have to ask yourself why!

Never leave your account details open to public viewing

It may sound rather basic to say you should never let ‘Joe public’ see your credit card account details, but ask yourself this question: “How often have you received a publication subscription form in postcard format?” Now, suppose you complete this with your credit card details filled in. Suddenly half the world has access your credit card number, expiry date and signature!

Although the above may sound like 5 basic credit card safety tips you already know, you would be surprised to see how many people fail to follow one or all of them!