Finances can get really messed up if they are not properly maintained. If you find yourself in a difficult financial situation, you should do plenty of research. Read this article to learn some simple hints about getting your personal finances in order.

 Avoid personal loans unless absolutely neccessary many people use over 50% of their income in a lifetime paying off debt. This should be a last resort not a way of funding your lifestyle.

If collection agencies are after you, your debt will expire after some time if not repaid. Consult a credit expert about the statute of limitations on your debt. Avoid paying on old debts.

Be very careful about how you dispose of old financial information. You can buy a shredder to help with this. You could risk fraud and identity theft if you don't properly dispose of old files you no longer need. You can protect your financial future by being very thorough in your document disposable process.

Almost every new product comes standard with warranty that covers 90 days from the purchase date, and some products are warrantied for a year. Chances are, if your item fails, it will do so within the time frame of the standard warranty. An extended warranty is just a way to make more money.

Keep an envelope with you on your person. That way, you have a safe place you can store business cards and receipts. Keep this information available as a record that you might need at a later date. It will be good to have them on hand, so that you can verify all the charges on your credit card statement and contest any that are incorrect.

If you want financial stability, it's important to have an established savings account into which you make regular deposits. Having something to fall back on in an emergency is key to financial stability. Even if you can't afford to put too much money in there every month, save as much as you can.

Credit cards can be a wonderful replacement for debit cards. If you are granted a credit card, purchase everyday necessities like groceries and gas with it. The credit cards usually have benefits that will give you money back for the items you buy.

Establish an emergency fund through automatic deductions from your paycheck. Having a monetary cushion will protect you in case you lose your job or suffer a serious illness.

Try finding the best local restaurants that the locals eat to find more authentic food and better prices in foreign countries. You will want to eat at local restaurants, instead of in overpriced tourists areas and hotels. This is a great way to find authentic food at a budget-friendly price.

The loss of your home is not something you want to go through. If you are in a tough money situation, try to find a home with a cheaper payment. You do not want to lose your home, no matter what. It's best to be proactive about it.

Don't let your personal finances get to you, clear your head, and realize it is time for you to tackle the issues. The article has provided you with the information you need to get on the right track, so apply this information to your personal finances and you will make a difference.

Can You Draw The Same Conclusions With Unemployment Insurance And Car Insurance

What many people may not realise is that when deciding upon a Unemployment Insurance Cover, there are many insurance providers within the UK, all of which offer different contracts to one another. The main difference between contracts is how many critical illnesses are covered and the number of how many can differ dramatically between companies such as AXA, Fortis, Bupa, AVIVA, Friends Provident etc. Within their key facts it will list the individual illnesses covered, so you will be able to compare one against another. However some insurance brokers may be able to provide you with a table comparison chart listing clearly who covers which illnesses. It is important you understand what you are taking out, it is a policy that you could have for anything from fiver years to maybe even thirty years depending on how you wish to take out the policy. If it is to cover a mortgage then the term would most likely be the same as the length of the mortgage repayments.

Buying your first car is a life changing moment it gives you the freedom to potentially go wherever you want when you want. Now when insuring against unemployment this is totally your own choice, but when insuring your car this is a legality. You may be looking at getting a little first time run about or maybe going to a main dealer and buying a brand new car. No matter what that may be it is important you get the right car you want at the appropriate price. No matter what car you are looking it is vital to see how much the insurance will cost on a monthly basis or on an annual basis, because the price can vary depending on your age, how many no claims you have, the engine size or maybe how old the car is. The look for the best deal with car insurance is fundamental as car insurance with the United Kingdom is necessary, as no car can be used on the road without the appropriate tax, mot and insurance.

Bad_Ways_To_Save_Money

Finding new ways to save money on almost anything you buy is almost like getting a raise. Maybe it's even better. When you save twenty dollars on a coat you get to keep the whole twenty dollars. When you make twenty dollars more on your paycheck, you lose five dollars or more of it to taxes.

Finding ways to save money can go too far, though. In a recent newsletter on how to save money, one contributor suggested getting free flowers for weddings by picking up the leftover flowers at a cemetery. She didn't say how you can tell which are "leftovers."

I thought I was cheap! The following are gleaned from real suggestions on ways to save money sent in to "frugality" websites and newsletters. Some cheapskates don't seem to notice that an extra hour at work might put them further ahead than many hours of penny-pinching.

Ways To Save Money - Don't Try These At Home

A mother confessed that she makes her kids stuff their pockets with the free ketchup, salt and other condiment packets every time they were in a fast food restaurant. Oh, if only that were all, but no. She has the kids squeeze the contents of the packets into regular jars of ketchup and mustard too. She says she hasn't bought these condiments in years. Pride is found in strange places.

One creative penny pincher found a way to save money on car washes. He washes his entire car using the squeegee at the gas station. Hmm... I wonder if he takes the toilet paper rolls home from their rest rooms too.

Would you like a free umbrella? One man suggests getting one at the lost and found department of any large public library. You just tell them you lost a black umbrella. They will almost certainly have several, from which you can pick the best one and claim it as your own. What if they have no black umbrellas? I guess we'll have to wait for this guy to publish a "lost umbrella color frequency chart," in order to know which color to try for the next day.

Several contributors to these newsletters know how to save on their long distance phone bills. The most common suggestion is to call people long-distance when you know they won't be home, and leave a message for them. Then they pay for it when they return your call. I suppose if your timing is off, and they answer when you call, you can quickly hang up on them and try again later.

I don't recommend any of these as ways to even the most frugal person. Apart from the ethical issues with some of them, they can be lumped in along with washing and re-using plastic wrap - a time wasting frugality. On the other hand, they are fun to read, and I suppose we could view such measures as cheap entertainment as well. Perhaps you can turn off the lights to save money on electricity and tell the kids it's a game of hide-and-seek, or train your dog to beg from the neighbors so you don't have to feed him.

I wonder how many people actually pay for magazines and newsletters that tell us ways to save money? Do these magazines advise that readers go to the library to read them, or stand reading them in the aisle at the bookstore for a hour? Those are some sure ways to save money.

Bad_Credit_Payday_Loans___Get_Timely_Money_Without_Enquiries

You are a salaried person, and have some problems regarding making payments, mentioned against your name. Certainly taking out a new loan in such a circumstance will be difficult. However, you can take resort in especially carved out Bad Credit Payday Loans , if you need money for urgency. However, these costly loans may become a burden as well, if taken without a careful though.

Bad credit history of making late payments, defaults, arrears and CCJs, usually, does not come in the way of borrowing money under payday loans. This is because these loans are approved without any credit checks. The loan amount is deposited within 24 hours in the borrower’s bank checking account.

These loans are made available to those people, who are in a job for at least past six months and draw a monthly salary. The borrowers are required to repay the loan from next salary cheque. The loan approval comes for two weeks only.

Depending on your monthly salary, you can borrow 100 to 1500. if you can not repay the loan at the time of next salary, then you can rollover the loan for a month as well.

However, before applying for these loans, note that interest rate goes so high that the loan may become a huge burden on the salaried people. Because of very short-term, typical interest rate may go up to 30 percent. Hence, opt for these loans only when you have to combat urgency.

Instead of rushing to the first lender you find, make an extensive comparison of as many such lenders on internet. You may find that some of the lenders are providing bad credit payday loans at comparatively lower rate of interest. Make sure that you keep enough money in your bank at the time of repaying the loan. Timely repayment will also enable you to improve your rating substantially in short period.

Bankruptcy_Forms__Having_The_Right_Ones

Filling out bankruptcy forms can be one of the most difficult parts about filing for bankruptcy, although these forms are a necessary evil to complete the legal process. Unfortunately these legalities can add major emotional stress to an already difficult situation. Especially if you have decided to go about filing on your own, without the help of a lawyer or financial service company, you may find yourself overwhelmed with trying to understand which bankruptcy forms are right for which chapter.

If you are an individual who is filing for bankruptcy, most likely you will be filling out bankruptcy forms specifically dealing with either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. Even as a business you may be filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13, although you may be filing for Chapter 11 as well. In any case, there are separate forms that need to be filled out with each particular chapter stating the intention to file bankruptcy under that chapter.

The individual or business may also have other special bankruptcy forms that go along with a particular chapter. For instance, Chapter 13 and Chapter 11 are reorganization chapters and will require a form that discusses how and when creditors will gather to meet and discuss the finances of the individual or business for repayment plans. If the individual is filing for a complete liquidation, Chapter 7, forms for possible exemption of assets will need to be filled out if the debtor plans to keep any of their personal belongings.

In all cases, the debtor will be required to file bankruptcy forms regarding a statement of petition, a list of creditors, personal income, personal property, and Declaration of penalty under perjury. These forms will simple let the courts know of the individual or business’ plan to file, the assets the debtor has available, the current available income, and the debtor’s knowledge that lying about finances will have legal consequences.

With the new age of technology, all bankruptcy forms are available through the United States court system at http://www.uscourts.gov/bkforms/bankruptcy_forms.html. Of course the availability of the forms does not necessarily mean that all individuals or businesses will clearly understand which forms apply to them. If you are confused about which forms to fill out, don’t be afraid to ask the court system for help.

Unfortunately the court system may be overwhelmed with other cases they feel are more important making it difficult to find answers to bankruptcy form questions. In this case, you can always consult with a legal aide, a bankruptcy attorney or even a financial service organization that can help you understand the paperwork better.

Even if you don’t plan on hiring an attorney to handle the case for you, it may be worth the time and energy to consult them regarding the paperwork that goes along with the process. You may also want to consider a bankruptcy service organizations online, which can help answer questions and guide debtors through the process.

Keep in mind that each state court system has secretaries available who can type up the forms for you, although there will be an additional charge for this service. Most law firm or legal aide organizations have similar services that may be beneficial in helping debtors get through the process of filing bankruptcy forms.

Bad_Credit_and_Unsecured_Credit_Cards

Bad Credit and Unsecured Credit Cards: Two terms that don’t often go together.

If you are a consumer that is suffering from a poor credit history you are likely to be aware of how hard it is to get an unsecured credit card. A good majority of consumers are enjoying the conveniences of being able to shop with a credit card carrying and unsecured credit limit. While it is extremely nice to be able to apply for and actually qualify for a credit card you do not have to put money down to get you will quickly see that an unsecured credit card is usually the type of credit card that someone with bad credit is not very likely to obtain.

Since an unsecured credit card isn’t very likely if you are having issues with your credit the best plan of action is to look into a secured credit card for the time being. There are many different types of secured credit cards out on the market for people with bad credit all with different options so be sure to shop around so do some comparison shopping so you locate the card that is going to best meet your needs.

Now while there is no rule set in stone about the exact time that you would be able to apply for and actually qualify for a credit card with an unsecured limit there are some factors that will determine what types of cards that you will qualify for. For instance your debit to credit ratio plays a big factor in whether or not you could get an unsecured credit card.

So while it is not unheard of for someone with a bad credit history to obtain an unsecured credit card the route that is easiest for most consumers is to obtain a secured credit card build up their credit and then apply for the unsecured credit card if they so choose.

Be_Cool__Feel_Good_And_Save_On_Utility_Bills

Besides staying cool when the warm weather rolls in, not getting hot under the collar when the utility bills arrive can be a challenge. The goal is to find an air-conditioning system that looks nice, makes you feel good and operates efficiently.

How To Measure

Cooling Efficiency

Recently enacted federal legislation helps with the efficiency issue. All central air conditioners manufactured after January 23, 2006, must have a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) of at least 13 SEER. This increase in the measure of cooling efficiency from 10 to 13 SEER means savings on your utility bills.

As manufacturers of air-conditioning systems work to meet this new efficiency standard, some are also incorporating improved comfort features in their designs. For example, the Acclimate™ Series of air conditioners from Luxaire® Heating and Cooling, a brand of the Unitary Products Group of York-a Johnson Controls company, meets or exceeds the efficiency challenge with 13 and 15 SEER units that also address important comfort issues.

These air conditioners are available with two-stage compressor technology to reduce operating cost without sacrificing comfort. On-off cycles are kept to a minimum for even, quiet, more comfortable cooling.

Cool And Quiet

The unit's exclusive SilentDrive™ System further reduces sound. A swept-wing fan design enables air to flow smoothly off the blade, reducing air turbulence and significantly reducing noise. The system also incorporates an isolated compressor compartment and a composite base pan for more quiet operation. In fact, an Acclimate air conditioner records sound levels as low as 69 decibels (dB). This is quieter than competitive units and much quieter than a typical hair dryer, which operates in the range of 76 dB.

Acclimate's quiet, comfortable, efficient operation is easy on the ears and easy on the pocketbook. The unit is also easy on the eyes, with a sleek contemporary look that brings style to home cooling.

Bad_Credit_Personal_Loans_-_What_Are_Your_Options

Bad Credit Personal Loans are readily available across the country even if you have experienced bad credit problems such as in bankruptcies, delinquencies, foreclosures, repossessions or other adverse credit problems. Bad credit personal loans are usually easy to qualify for and re-payments can be flexible and even affordable. Bad credit personal loans are classified into two groups, secured and unsecured, with the intention to make it even easier to get the loan you need. Personal loans are to suppose be used for personal needs, not for business related needs, but other than that they do not have any specific requirements.

Secured Personal Loans

Secured bad credit personal loans usually have lower monthly payments and will generally have lower rates of interest. If the value of the property that is used for collateral for the loan is more than your loan amount, then the interest rate can be very low. Lenders have much less risk since the loan will be secured by the customers property, so they think it will be less likely the borrower will miss payments or default on the loan.

Unsecured Personal Loans

An unsecured bad credit personal loan lender is one who provides lending without requiring any form of collateral. Unsecured personal loans can take less time to get the cash you need but if you have bad credit it can be much more expensive due to high interest rates. Unsecured personal loans are readily available for both renters or home owners. An unsecured loan requires no property owner-ship or collateral for approvals.

Two things about bad credit personal loans are sure, the high rate of interest that will be charged on the loan, and the requirement of a down payment or collateral if you have a bad credit history . If used wisely bad credit personal loans can be the first step for those in financial troubles to get back on their feet. Compare lenders today and see what type of bad credit personal loan is right for you.

Banks__Loans___How_To_Save_Big_Bucks

When shopping around for a loan, whether it be auto, home or consolidation, most individuals turn toward banks for the money that they need. There are a number of factors that can determine how much, or how little, money you can save.

Are you familiar with your credit report and FICO score? If not, you should be. Visit annualcreditreport.com to receive a free copy of your credit report, from each of the three credit reporting agencies, once every 12 months. Typically, these reports are $9.00 each but many consumers do not realize that they are entitled to a free copy every year. There are no catches, no gimmicks and no trial period in any type of paid service in order to gain access through this website. The information contained in your credit file is one of the top factors in determining your loan amount, interest rate and ultimately a decision as to approval or denying the loan request. Everyone should be familiar with their credit report, verify the accuracy of their contents and correct any mistakes that are present. The FICO score is a number that is calculated based on previous payment history, debt to balance ratio and length of credit history. The higher your FICO score, the lower your interest rates.

During the loan application process, banks will retrieve a copy of your credit report. They will also request certain other information, which only you can provide. Among the items that banks request when processing a loan application include current pay stubs, a copy of the previous two years of tax returns and possibly even bank statements and proof of employment. When applying for a large loan, patience is the key. Some banks respond within 24 hours while others may take up to a week. Even if one bank denies your request, don’t give up. Try other banks, who may be enticed to extend a loan in hopes of gaining you as a future customer.

These days, there are loan opportunities for practically everyone. No credit, bad credit, slow credit. You name it and there are banks out there who want your business, but there may be a catch. Depending on your credit history, you may end up spending more than twice as much in interest as someone with a spotless credit record.

Some banks do not specialize in large loans, such as home and auto, but rather extend smaller lines of credit to consumers. These lenders typically issue credit cards to those who are approved. While your credit history does play a large role in determining your interest rates with credit cards, it does not determine other miscellaneous fees. Certain fees, which are charged by banks issuing credit cards, are blanket fees issued to everyone who carries a line of credit. Late fees, overlimit fees and annual fees are among the miscellaneous fees charged by many credit card companies. Avoid banks that charge excessive fees upfront and reduce a large amount of your available credit with said fees. With credit cards, keep in mind that interest rates can skyrocket after only one missed payment. You will save a lot of money by paying on time, every time and by keeping your credit card debt to a minimum.

A_New_Wall_Street_Line_Dance__Performance

It matters not what lines, numbers, indices, or gurus you worship, you just can't know where the stock market is going or when it will change direction. Too much investor time and analytical effort is wasted trying to predict course corrections… even more is squandered comparing portfolio Market Values with a handful of unrelated indices and averages. If we reconcile in our minds that we can’t predict the future (or change the past), we can move through the uncertainty more productively. Let's simplify portfolio performance evaluation by using information that we don’t have to speculate about, and which is related to our own personal investment programs.

Every December, with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads, investors begin to scrutinize their performance, formulate coulda’s and shoulda’s, and determine what to try next year. It’s an annual, masochistic, right of passage. My year-end vision is different. I see a bunch of Wall Street fat cats, ROTF and LOL, while investors (and their alphabetically correct advisors) determine what to change, sell, buy, re-allocate, or adjust to make the next twelve months behave better financially than the last. What happened to that old fashioned emphasis on long-term progress toward specific goals? The use of Issue Breadth and 52-week High/Low statistics for navigation; and cyclical analysis (Peak to Peak, etc.) and economic realities as performance expectation barometers makes a lot more personal sense. And when did it become vogue to think of Investment Portfolios as sprinters in a twelve-month race with a nebulous array of indices and averages? Why are the masters of the universe rolling on the floor in laughter? They can visualize your annual performance agitation ritual producing fee generating transactions in all conceivable directions. An unhappy investor is Wall Street’s best friend, and by emphasizing short-term results and creating a superbowlesque environment, they guarantee that the vast majority of investors will be unhappy about something, all of the time.

Your portfolio should be as unique as you are, and I contend that a portfolio of individual securities rather than a shopping cart full of one-size-fits-all consumer products is much easier to understand and to manage. You just need to focus on two longer-range objectives: (1) growing productive Working Capital, and (2) increasing Base Income. Neither objective is directly related to the market averages, interest rate movements, or the calendar year. Thus, they protect investors from short-term, anxiety causing, events or trends while facilitating objective based performance analysis that is less frantic, less competitive, and more constructive than conventional methods. Briefly, Working Capital is the total cost basis of the securities and cash in the portfolio, and Base Income is the dividends and interest the portfolio produces. Deposits and withdrawals, capital gains and losses, each directly impact the Working Capital number, and indirectly affect Base Income growth. Securities become non-productive when they fall below Investment Grade Quality (fundamentals only, please) and/or no longer produce income. Good sense management can minimize these unpleasant experiences.

Let’s develop an "all you need to know" chart that will help you manage your way to investment success (goal achievement) in a low failure rate, unemotional, environment. The chart will have four data lines, and your portfolio management objective will be to keep three of them moving upward through time. Note that a separate record of deposits and withdrawals should be maintained. If you are paying fees or commissions separately from your transactions, consider them withdrawals of Working Capital. If you don’t have specific selection criteria and profit taking guidelines, develop them.

Line One is labeled “Working Capital”, and an average annual growth rate between 5% and 12% would be a reasonable target, depending on Asset Allocation. [An average cannot be determined until after the end of the second year, and a longer period is recommended to allow for compounding.] This upward only line (Did you raise an eyebrow?) is increased by dividends, interest, deposits, and “realized” capital gains and decreased by withdrawals and “realized” capital losses. A new look at some widely accepted year-end behaviors might be helpful at this point. Offsetting capital gains with losses on good quality companies becomes suspect because it always results in a larger deduction from Working Capital than the tax payment itself. Similarly, avoiding securities that pay dividends is at about the same level of absurdity as marching into your boss’s office and demanding a pay cut. There are two basic truths at the bottom of this: (1) You just can’t make too much money, and (2) there’s no such thing as a bad profit. Don’t pay anyone who recommends loss taking on high quality securities. Tell them that you are helping to reduce their tax burden.

Line Two reflects "Base Income", and it too will always move upward if you are managing your Asset Allocation properly. The only exception would be a 100% Equity Allocation, where the emphasis is on a more variable source of Base Income… the dividends on a constantly changing stock portfolio. Line Three reflects historical trading results and is labeled “Net Realized Capital Gains”. This total is most important during the early years of portfolio building and it will directly reflect both the security selection criteria you use, and the profit taking rules you employ. If you build a portfolio of Investment Grade securities, and apply a 5% diversification rule (always use cost basis), you will rarely have a downturn in this monitor of both your selection criteria and your profit taking discipline. Any profit is always better than any loss and, unless your selection criteria is really too conservative, there will always be something out there worth buying with the proceeds. Three 8% singles will produce a larger number than one 25% home run, and which is easier to obtain? Obviously, the growth in Line Three should accelerate in rising markets (measured by issue breadth numbers). The Base Income just keeps growing because Asset Allocation is also based on the cost basis of each security class! [Note that an unrealized gain or loss is as meaningless as the quarter-to-quarter movement of a market index. This is a decision model, and good decisions should produce net realized income.]

One other important detail No matter how conservative your selection criteria, a security or two is bound to become a loser. Don’t judge this by Wall Street popularity indicators, tea leaves, or analyst opinions. Let the fundamentals (profits, S & P rating, dividend action, etc) send up the red flags. Market Value just can’t be trusted for a bite-the-bullet decision… but it can help. This brings us to Line Four, a reflection of the change in "Total Portfolio Market Value" over the course of time. This line will follow an erratic path, constantly staying below "Working Capital" (Line One). If you observe the chart after a market cycle or two, you will see that lines One through Three move steadily upward regardless of what line Four is doing! BUT, you will also notice that the "lows" of Line Four begin to occur above earlier highs. It’s a nice feeling since Market Value movements are not, themselves, controllable.

Line Four will rarely be above Line One, but when it begins to close the cap, a greater movement upward in Line Three (Net Realized Capital Gains) should be expected. In 100% income portfolios, it is possible for Market Value to exceed Working Capital by a slight margin, but it is more likely that you have allowed some greed into the portfolio and that profit taking opportunities are being ignored. Don’t ever let this happen. Studies show rather clearly that the vast majority of unrealized gains are brought to the Schedule D as realized losses… and this includes potential profits on income securities. And, when your portfolio hits a new high watermark, look around for a security that has fallen from grace with the S & P rating system and bite that bullet.

What’s different about this approach, and why isn’t it more high tech? There is no mention of an index, an average, or a comparison with anything at all, and that’s the way it should be. This method of looking at things will get you where you want to be without the hype that Wall Street uses to create unproductive transactions, foolish speculations, and incurable dissatisfaction. It provides a valid use for portfolio Market Value, but far from the judgmental nature Wall Street would like. It’s use in this model, as both an expectation clarifier and an action indicator for the portfolio manager, on a personal level, should illuminate your light bulb. Most investors will focus on Line Four out of habit, or because they have been brainwashed by Wall Street into thinking that a lower Market Value is always bad and a higher one always good. You need to get outside of the “Market Value vs. Anything” box if you hope to achieve your goals. Cycles rarely fit the January to December mold, and are only visible in rear view mirrors anyway… but their impact on your new Line Dance is totally your tune to name.

The Market Value Line is a valuable tool. If it rises above working capital, you are missing profit opportunities. If it falls, start looking for buying opportunities. If Base Income falls, so has: (1) the quality of your holdings, or (2) you have changed your asset allocation for some (possibly inappropriate) reason, etc. So Virginia, it really is OK if your Market Value falls in a weak stock market or in the face of higher interest rates. The important thing is to understand why it happened. If it’s a surprise, then you don't really understand what is in your portfolio. You will also have to find a better way to gauge what is going on in the market. Neither the CNBC "talking heads" nor the "popular averages" are the answer. The best method of all is to track "Market Stats", i.e. Breadth Statistics, New Highs and New Lows. . If you need a "drug", this is a better one than the ones you've grown up with.

Bargain_Finder_Secrets

Want to be a bargain finder? Want to be the one that always finds the deals and has money left over? Start by learning the secrets of opportunism.

Do you know that you can eat a wider variety of fruit than your neighbor, and spend only half as much to do so? How? By buying fruit in season, when it is at the lowest price. As a bonus, it is also of the highest quality at these times. This is opportunism.

Notice that this means not always getting exactly what you want when you want it. You get more variety this way, and you spend much less, but you go with the flow. If oranges are cheap, you'll be eating oranges. If apples are in season, you'll be eating apples. Whatever the case, you'll always be finding bargains.

You never have to eat things you don't like or deny yourself pleasure. You just shop for those things that you like among those that are cheaper now. There will be other, different, great deals next week or next month. Unless you are extremely picky about what you eat, you'll almost always find delicious foods that you like on sale.

That's the premise of opportunism - that you get more by going with the flow. A true bargain finder gets more variety in the long run, and more for the money. This can be applied to many areas of life.

Bargain Finder Examples

When I went to Ecuador a few years ago, there were many interesting places I wanted to go. I chose Ecuador because it was a thousand dollars less to go there than to any other country. I had a fantastic time for a month for $1040 (including airfare). I also met the most wonderful woman I know there, and eventually married her, so you never know what riches you'll find when you go with the flow.

We go to the movies here in Tucson on Tuesdays, when we can get in for $2.00 each. Others are paying $8.75 a couple miles away. What are they getting by paying four times as much? They get to see the movie six weeks earlier. The movies don't change in those six weeks, by the way, and enough friends have seen them by then to let us know if they're good or not.

Opportunism means not paying more unless you are getting more. It also means making honest choices. Will you actually enjoy that movie more by seeing it now? More than you'll enjoy the FOUR movies you can see in it's place? Do you have to take that fishing trip now? If you're planning to take both a fishing trip and a gambling trip, why not do each when it's cheapest?

When William Danko and Thomas Stanley wrote "The Millionaire Next Door," they found that MOST millionaires bought used cars. They bought BMWs and Mercedes, not old Ford Pintos, but the lesson was clear: They understand opportunity. Cars often lose half of their value in the first three years, but they're not half used-up, are they? Is it worth an extra $6,000 to say you have a new car (And you will have to tell people, since it's hard to tell a three-year-old car from a new one)?

To be an opportunist doesn't mean just settling for whatever is easy and cheap to get in life. We all have our areas that are more important to us. If you really love those $15 cigars, why not buy them? On the other hand, if you really can't tell the difference between the $5 and $50 wine, why not buy the former? Opportunism is one of the keys to being a true bargain finder.

Bankruptcy_Information__Some_Basics

Finding yourself in a difficult financial situation can be scary. Facing the possibility of dealing with bankruptcy can be even scarier, especially since most individuals or businesses don’t spend time making themselves aware of the legalities that go along with the process. Since many debtors are ashamed of the situation, they often fear asking too many questions regarding the process. As bankruptcy is one of the most important financial decisions a business or individual will ever make, it is essential to have correct bankruptcy information before getting starting with the process.

The federal court systems in the United States deal with all bankruptcy information and set the laws regarding the process. This does not mean that an individual has to go to Washington D.C. to file though, as each state will deal with individuals and businesses during proceedings. This may mean going all the way to the state capitol though. The federal laws on bankruptcy information state that these laws are in place simply to give an honest, but fallible debtor a fresh start.

One of the most important pieces of bankruptcy information to know is that the courts don’t come to the individual or business to file, the individual or business goes to the courts. Simply by filing a petition called a Statement of Intentions, the debtor lets the court system know that they are applying for bankruptcy.

Just because a debtor files the Statement of Intentions does not always mean they will go all the way through the legal system. The courts will need to gather important bankruptcy information through forms that will need to be filled out by the debtor. These forms allow the courts to review a debtor’s credit history, list current creditors and the amounts of the debts, as well as current and past work history. From this the federal court system will make a determination as to whether or not a debtor can proceed with the court case.

Keep in mind that the debtor does not have to hire an attorney to represent them through the proceedings, although attorneys can be a great source of knowledge regarding bankruptcy information. Many debtors are scared to hire an attorney because of additional charges that they cannot afford, but most attorneys are reasonably priced due to the circumstances. Often times attorneys will not charge a fee for an initial consultation when the debtor is simply trying to acquire bankruptcy information.

Unfortunately, most of the general public does not have a thorough understanding of bankruptcy information. This causes misconceptions regarding bankruptcy. One of the major misconceptions of bankruptcy is that all possessions are taken and repossessed by the courts. Since there are many different chapters of bankruptcy, there are also many different takes on repaying debts, and only Chapter 7 requires a complete liquidation of assets. Even with Chapter 7, debtors are allowed exempts, or items that are necessary for living.

One more important piece of bankruptcy information to keep in mind is that there is a new bankruptcy law in place called Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act. This law was implemented in 2005 to stop fraudulent bankruptcy claims and may make it more difficult to convince the courts of a claim.

Although filing for Chapter 13 and Chapter 11, or reorganization plans, have not changed that much, filing for Chapter 7 has becoming increasingly difficult. Previously, debtors were not required to take courses on debt, but with the new law in place, Chapter 7 debtors are required to take Credit Counseling and Financial management courses before the process can be completed.