Please Help Me Get Out of Credit Card Debt

By James Johnson

A sad fact of life today is that too many individuals spend their monthly income to pay off debts. If you've been paying only the minimum on high interest credit cards all this time, you are doomed to pay a great deal more than what you spent. As disposal income diminishes and the cost of everyday necessities continues to climb, people all across the country are saying the same thing: "Help me get out of credit card debt."


Getting yourself out of credit card debt is difficult but you need to commit yourself to a plan to pay the debt off. The faster you can pay off your credit debts now, the more money you will save yourself for the future.


The most important thing to do for getting a handle on your finances is to make a list of your debts, including the creditor and the amount due. Devise a spreadsheet either on your computer or manually for each creditor and show the balance due, minimum monthly payment and applicable interest rate. You will refer to this "get out of debt" worksheet each month as you make credit card payments.

Once youve established the amount of your total debt. It will be extremely helpful to start making extra payments to start getting it paid off as quickly as possible. One of the key elements to making your "help me get out of debt" plan work requires that you to make additional payments and when you don't do this, the plan wont work.

If you have a certain amount of money each month that you can dedicate toward reducing your debt, begin by trying to pay off the credit card on which you owe the least amount of money. That will give you a big boost toward helping you get out of debt. The reason you'll wish to do this, rather than focusing on paying off the highest interest rate credit card first, is that a credit card which is paid off looks much better on a credit report than four credit card paid off only halfway.


Completely paying off at least one credit card balance will have a positive psychological effect. By paying off even the one credit card, you will have eliminated a portion of your debts and you will feel like you are making progress toward your goal. This can encourage you to continue in your quest to get out of credit card debt.


Stay firm with your goal to pay off your credit card balances and in no time at all, you will not have to say, "help me to get out from under my credit card debt." You will have your finances back under your control and will be able to put your income to use for more important matters.

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The Mistake with your Billing Statement

By Paul J. Easton

In paying your debts, you always dread to look at the billing statements because of the horrible amount you are to be paying for the next decades to come. Not studying these bills actually makes you more a victim of the credit card companies. I know that there are many emotional reasons why you prefer not to look at it but consider the small changes and you can end up saving a lot of money.

By taking the time to meticulously look at your billing statements before making payments, you will attack the problem upfront. Most utility companies do their billing process electronically. But this does not mean that an error cannot be made. Sometimes, it pays to check that you are paying the right amount or find those mistakes. By inquiring to their customer support, mistakes can be taken care of and remedied. This prevents you from paying more than the supposed payment because of one unintentional yet costly mistake for your part. They can even offer something to relieve you from that inconvenience they brought due to that mistake.

Find out too what you can do with your credit card debts. Some credit card companies offer their debtors with financial assistance when they observe that you are having some problems paying your bills. If will probably offer you a plan to consolidate your loans with lower interests and free from other charges. Always read the fine print with these deals. Make certain that you are in the position of really getting out of debt instead of acquiring more.

Compare all your bills and prioritize expenses that you can maintain and are very necessary. If you can't afford it, find a cheaper alternative or just cut off the service. One of the examples for these common expenses that keep you in a debt cycle is the cable TV subscription. Is your cable TV so expensive you are struggling with paying it on time? Try a cheaper alternative that will work just fine. This package might have lesser choices but this is part of an important move you are making to get ahead with life financially later. Moreover, you can still live without that cable package, so ditch that off now.

Another thing you can eliminate to cut costs is your landline and cell phone postpaid plan. Just choose between the two to maximize its use. Find better deals with your cell phone plan provider.

By merely looking at the bills, you become conscious of what you pay for. You become more aware of the things you are expending at and you end up making the most from the services you subscribe to. This is what you call focusing yourself with what you have. Surely, if you are paying more than the things you can afford, you might have overlooked payments in your statement. So find out how to reduce your expenses today. You'll be happier when you did it finally. Get debt-free today with tips on how to get rid of debt here.

For information on how to get rid of debt, go to http://www.Howtogetridofdebt.net/ by Paul J. Easton.

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Looking To Erase Debt

By Nathan A. Bargigh

You probably are trying to get ahead in life and want the best way to do it, and erasing your debt is a great start. In the event you can erase your debt, you will open up a whole new life for yourself and be able to enjoy it on a different level.

First to lower the amount of debt you have you must start to take control of it. You need to add up how much you debt is, this will aid you in making up your mind on what you can pay back. But you have to be organized before you can do anything. Make positive that you understand all the types of debt that you are carrying, and what amount of it has to be paid back before you are in charge of it again.

Once you have all your stuff organized and you totally know what kind of debt you are trying to deal with, remember to set yourself up some kind of payment schedule as to how you think you can pay it back. This is so vital; due to the fact that it will help you know what minimum payments you can pay. Your decision needs to be the amounts your payments can be, and then contact your credit establishments. A great majority of them will let you pay your amounts down a small chunk at a time; this will be good and will help you in your quest to erase your debt.

If you are really serious about getting your debt paid, follow this next things that will assist you. The one thing you need to do is pay monthly payment targets which you can actually do every month easily. These targets should always be what you know you are able to pay, because you will know what targets you need to aim for every month, this will help you. This step will assist you down the line too, it will help you remove as much debt from your life as you possibly can.

The next thing you need to be sure of doing is to keep paying the debt back. Little by little this debt builds, and this way is truly the best method of getting on top of it. You can pay the debt back quite fast, as long as you are not acquiring new debt, and making your payments on time. This is the one fact to always remember especially because it will help you erase debt simply and helps you focus on the method in which you will live the rest of the life you have left.

It is a good thing not to get in more debt too. Be certain to make your schedule payments on time. This is the best method for getting rid of debt and avoiding it too. Along with this you want to make plans on what money you can spend without having more debt. This one point is so very crucial for staying out of debt from now on.

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Credit Card Fees And Interest Rates

By Darren Cason

Many American consumers have recently defaulted on their credit cards. Recent hurricanes along with high gas prices have affected consumers. However, having to pay more for gas should not be enough to push you over the edge, if you are using your credit card responsibly.

There are many excellent reasons to use credit cards. They eliminate the need to carry large amounts of cash, and many offer rewards points or cash back options. Discover Card in particular offers a well-known cash back program. Credit cards also come in handy during emergencies, as a convenient way to make unexpected purchases if you do not have cash saved up for such emergencies.

However, the bottom line is that if you can't pay cash for a purchase, then you should not charge it. Credit cards are often used to buy luxuries that you can't really afford. Being able to make the minimum payment is not the same as being able to afford the item.

If you have a balance on your credit card, particularly if you only make the minimum monthly payments, then you need to get control of your finances. First, read the fine print of your credit card agreement. If it has a yearly fee, cancel it. If it has an exorbitant interest rate, call the credit card company. Many will lower your rate just for asking. Next, compare the late fee, especially if you are often charged this fee because you pay late. By shopping around, you may be able to save money on the fees.

Penalty rates can be very high on credit cards. Over three quarters of credit card companies raise rates as a penalty for carrying a monthly balance and paying your bill late. However, there are still some companies who do not do this, so if you often carry a balance or are late paying, you should look for a credit card with lower interest or one which will not raise your rates. Another penalty fee to watch out for is the fee charged for going over the card's credit limit or when you desire for the best card to transfer.

Another factor to consider when choosing a credit card is the minimum payment. Minimum payment amounts are very important when calculating the total amount of interest you'll owe on the amounts you charge. If you're charging items because you can't afford them in full now, why would you want to pay interest on top of that amount? According to one study, paying the minimum payment on a $12,000 balance at 18 percent interest will take more than 60 years to pay off! And you'll end up paying nearly three times your original balance because of all the interest charges. Many people only make the minimum payment each month, but it will take you many years to pay it off if you do that. As a result, new laws require that the minimum payment is at least 1 percent of the balance. If you paid that on the same $12,000 balance, it would cut the payment time to 30 years, and the interest down to less than $6,000.

You must understand how credit card fees if you want to use them responsibly and avoid falling into debt. Think wisely, and avoid using the card if you can.

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Starting a Business but don't have Enough Capital?

By Paul J. Easton

Are you starting a business but cannot raise the necessary capital to invest? Why not try to consider opening a self-directed IRA? This tool will let you finance a business with your retirement funds.

Have you heard about Guidant Financial and their offerings? Guidant Financial offers you the ability to set up and manage a self-directed IRA. In addition to that, it enables you to use your retirement funds to finance a business later. Financing a small business using retirement funds is now possible with Guidant Financial.

The popularity of self-directed IRA to finance small businesses catapulted the Guidant Financial Group from a mere start-up business founded last 2003 to a market leader in the industry of financing small business. This steady growth of the company enabled them to provide better control and services to their more demanding clients.

When looking for an instrument to invest with, Guidant Financial provides you with much greater control of your IRA using this self-directed model. A self-directed IRA model gives its policyholders complete control over where the money is invested in. Unlike most IRA where the money invested is trusted to an investment department or managers, you are given the opportunity to direct where your funds will be invested. You can venture in real estates or invest in private businesses you have already entrusted. And most certainly, you can have personal loans as well.

Guidant Financial also has an amazing product which allows you to invest your retirement funds for a new business venture. By investing them in a new startup or a franchise, they provide you more flexibility by eliminating the incurring distribution penalties. That's like working to grow your own business and have a direct positive effect on the value of your IRA.

This type of money management is not for everyone though. Many individuals especially with business background find this form of retirement vehicle more worthwhile to invest in. A lot of skeptics doubt the management of their IRA funds and they can't be blamed for that. With the proper skills and the knowledge, they believe that they are able to achieve much better interest gains in the long run. As an additional bonus, the freedom of controlling your IRA is definitely considered a great feature of this model according to most account holders. So get your IRA account in a self-directed model now.

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How to get Rid of Credit Card Debt Fast with FREE Articles Tips at DollarGuides.com. Help tips and more plus Credit Card Debt Information

Fraudsters target UK credit card users

By James Gladstone

London has been named and shamed as the credit card fraud capital of the UK for the second year running, according to figures recently released. Insurance company CPP reported that 38% of the capitals credit card users had been the victim of fraud in 2008 " a jump of 10% on previous figures. In just 12 months nearly three million people had their identities stolen and their credit and debit cards scammed. This number constitutes a third of all credit card fraud in Britain and is on the rise. The average amount stolen was 650, although some people suffered much higher losses. Often completely unaware that they had been the victims of criminal activity, the first customers knew of the attack was when notified of it by their bank.

These worrying statistics show just how easy it is for determined criminals to get access to sensitive personal details, pin numbers and credit card information. Online fraud is of particular concern for many people as millions of very convincing but utterly fraudulent emails are sent to accounts every day, pretending to be from legitimate banks and asking for customers to confirm their details. These emails " known as phishing emails " look like the genuine article and once a customer has responded to the request their details are in the hands of the criminals and the bank account starts to empty very quickly.

However, there is a very easy way to protect yourself against this kind of attack and that is never respond to any email asking you to confirm sensitive information. No bank will ever ask you to do this legitimately either by phone or by email, so you can be sure those that do are scams. If you have any doubts, contact your bank directly. The growth of online auction sites and Internet shopping has given criminals a new route into peoples personal details, but again it is fairly easy to carry out a few basic checks to ensure that the site you are using is secure. A secure site should have a URL address that includes the prefix https and a padlock icon in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. If these are missing then the site is unsecured and so are your credit card details.

21% of credit card fraud is the result of details being skimmed when a credit or debit card is inserted into an automatic cash dispenser or pin reader. Although these high-tech methods are becoming increasingly difficult to detect, any ATM machine or pin reader that looks suspicious (has damage around where the card is inserted, for example) should be avoided and your suspicions reported to the bank. Simply placing your hand over the keypad when typing in your pin number should shield it from prying eyes or secreted cameras.

One of the commonest mistakes people make is to have the same password for all their Internet activity. This is fine until that password becomes common knowledge to a fraudster. Avoid using obvious passwords such as pets names or birth dates as passwords " these are the first things that fraudsters will check and once they have access to your details it is easy for them to start using your credit card with impunity. The first you will know about it is a nasty shock when the next monthly bill arrives. However, by ensuring that your passwords are secure and unique you can foil the fraudsters before they take advantage of your credit card limit. These are all easily employed methods that anyone can use to beat the scammers, but what about the banks? What are they doing to ensure your details are safe?

After a flurry of reports about personal banking details being left in rubbish bags for refuse collection, the banks and financial institutions are now much more conscientious over the security of their customers details. They are also working much more closely with the Police serious fraud and high-tech units in an attempt to combat the rising tide of fraud and identity theft. It is a continuous battle as many of the fraudsters operate outside the UK. But by pulling together in a concerted effort perhaps the UK can shake off its reputation of being an easy target for the cyber-criminals and fraudsters and secure the general publics details from prying eyes.

About the Author:

James Gladstone writes for various popular websites about financial based topics. You can find out more information on the credit card topic here.

Financial Advisors Learn From the Experts

By Michael Geoffrey

Retirement planning seminars for financial consultants are structured to help consultants stay abreast of what is current in the financial world. If you are interested becoming a financial consultant, attending one of these seminars will teach you a lot about how give good financial advice and direction. If you are currently a financial advisor you may be able to increase your knowledge and sharpen your skills.

The financial world is ever changing and it is important to stay in step with current happenings in order to be the most help to your customers. Also there are always new and innovative tools and programs that financial consultants can utilize in their practice. Retirement planning seminars for financial consultants will keep you right in step with what is new in the world of financial planning.

These seminars are advertised in many different ways, through television or radio commercials, ads in the local paper or financial magazines, or online. You may hear about a seminar by word of mouth, through colleagues or through your employer. When you hear that a seminar is available make the effort to take part so that you can benefit from the valuable information that will be shared.

Remaining Current

As technology becomes more advanced, and as information frees more freely, theres more and more ways to help people save for the future. This is what youll learn when you attend a retirement planning seminar for financial advisors. Youll hear from experts in your field who are professionals at helping others save.

At these seminars you will learn the best ways to invest and the right way to money aside for the future and you will be able to pass this knowledge on to your customers.

By attending all the retirement planning seminars for financial advisors possible, you will surpass your competitors so that when people get the urge to being saving for retirement, theyll seek you out before they seek out any of your competing advisors.

Youll be at the top of your field and youll know all the latest tips and tricks to help them save for their retirement years. Thats what being the best financial advisor is all about and thats what youll be when you attend the latest retirement planning seminar for financial advisors.

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We offer objective reviews of many resources in the debt, credit, investing and real estate markets, to name a few. Visit http://www.financeproductevaluations.com to take a look at our latest reviews, such as our latest pick Leo Quinn's How To Own Your Paycheck Again.

Thinkorswim- The Best Brokerage

By Walter Fox

A time when the financial institutions because of their harsh conditions easily was not getting credit. In the heavy flow of money market funds in banks was limited, despite lying. All the countries of the world's new liberal economic policies because of the general public to access loans from banks easily have got to.

With money in their hands, people to invest their money and stocks and currency options trading business found great new methods of detection. Online option and people with the beginning of the trading system jumped into the fray. Within a few trading sessions, felt the importance of the business techniques.

To help the investors many new broking agencies are formed by experts. Traders, who hail from different sections of societies and lack fundamental knowledge of trading found option trading tips given by these broking agencies very useful. It is a win - win situation for both trader and broker in case of a successful trade.

Along with the growth of market, new agencies are come into existence and some of them became very popular and successful. Thinkorswim brokerage is an American based broking company which offers live and online education services to its customers across the globe. They are the prominent advisers in the field of futures and option spread trading. They manage more than seventy thousand customer accounts which include individual traders and institutional users.

Option trading tips from Thinkorswim brokerage are found to be very helpful for their account holders with a very healthy success rate. They help their customers on different categories of investments including equities, exchange traded funds, bonds, futures of mutual funds. Thinkorswim has attained a slot in the top ranking list many times because of its customer satisfaction index level.

The satisfaction rate of Thinkorswim customers and the popularity of their option trading tips gave them the best brokerage in NASDAQ and also in other prominent markets of the world. In an international market you need to have enough knowledge to meet the challenges so that you can earn money from your trade.

Tricks and techniques to broker through a market in which trade can have some important tools. In addition, a software product you as a professional adviser can buy. A new visitor in the market for these devices and advice very few benefits to your business to make are important. A long time in the market for the period can not survive without the help of these aids.

Financial markets in which these, your hard earned money from the very remote possibility of profit-making is like until you tips and techniques are equipped with the resources are increasing and more and it applies to a trader immature way. For a businessman who is the best option at this business for a long period and are continuing research on corporate financial performance and our best bet is Thinkorswim online brokers is to get advice.

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TheScienceOfTrading.com provides 90 free minutes of videos on option trading systems and provides a complete and detailed option trading course for beginners to experts.

Can I Keep My Good Credit Through This Bill Consolidation

By Frank Froggatt

Have you ever taught about what might occur to your credit if you followed through with a debt consolidation?

If this is the what's happening, you aren't alone, and there is help obtainable for you. You can start a debt consolidation anytime, you merely discover a debt consolidation party with a healthy track record and render them with the obligatory data. Usually, any accessible accounts you possess will be closed by your lenders so you can no longer use them, but at this point, you've been incapable of paying them anyhow.

Numerous individuals worry that a debt consolidation will make their credit worse, and it could perhaps. Unfortunately, it depends. In a average debt consolidation program, there are ways to assure that your credit rating doesn't suffer. Start by closing the accounts that you want to consolidate. Closing these yourself spares you from getting your creditors do it. When they shut them, your record displays that there were troubles and they had to cut back or take away your credit privileges.

The best thing you can execute to keep your credit healthy is enter a debt consolidation program while you are still current with your accounts. That way you will pay them all but with a smaller interest rate and you won't obtain the comment: "paid as agreed" on your credit rating account. This annotation signifies you paid them back, merely not the full amount, presenting future creditors with the fact that you might not be worthy of much credit because you didn't repay in full.

If you possess or are buying your own dwelling, a house equity loan for debt consolidation presents fewer problems with your creditors. Nonetheless you still need to delete all those business relationships yourself anyway while fixing the amount on your loan to pay them all off in their totality. Again, this keeps an "As Agreed" remark away from your credit rating record.In addition, since your home is the collateral for the loan, you'll have your bills paid off in full and the loan gets paid back at a lower rate of interest, potentially preserving you thousands of dollars over the long haul.

Regardless which means you select to go about performing a debt consolidation as long as you select a good company you will gain a good deal of help in mending your credit rating so that you will still be able to get financing when needed. Only remember to ask, if they don't offer up the tips, that way you don't miss out.

About the Author:

This piece was written by Frank Froggatt, an expert on Bad Credit Debt Consolidation. You can clear up a lot of your confusion about this topic while sitting at home in your easy chair by visiting mydebtconsolidationsite.us

Market for Chicago Condos

By J. Kim

It has been a dismal 2008 for Chicago condos, but it doesn't look like it is going to get any better, especially for South Loop, once a hot sizzling market during the building frenzy of 2005 and 2006. What made this neighborhood so hot during the building boom is its proximity to the lake and the museum campus for all the cultural attractions.

In 2009 developers will bring over 2,000 new units to South Loop which is 66 percent above 2008. Even with many incentives and lower prices, the pure number of units will be hard to digest in this down market. Definitely you will find some bargains with many developers having over supply of inventories.

Chicago condos will see price pressure in 2009 with many seller's unloading available condos at well below the pre-construction price. This is going to be a buyer's market which Chicago hasn't seen in long time.

But if you are investor thinking about the 2016 Olympics coming to Chicago, you probably want to invest in one of these Chicago condos. The South Loop area will be where many of the Olympic festivities will be held, but 2016 is still far away.

Another reason you might want to take a look is the low interest rate currently being offer by many financial institutions. The interest for mortgage have been lowest in recent years. The 30 year and 15 year fixed mortgage is around 5 percent.

Many housing experts have predicted that the market for housing will rebound sooner or later. Whether it is South Loop area or busy downtown area, right now be just the right time to purchase before the real estate market rebounds.

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For reason why you should buy Chicago condos, please review Chicago Condominiums, and Chicago Condos

Home Equity loan facts

By Doc Schmyz

Home equity loans are a great source of cash. However, before you plunge right into the process of drawing out a loan out of the equity of your property; you should take a look at the fine print and what it means to you.

Are you thinking about getting a home equity loan? Home equity loans might be an easy to acquire type of loan, but somehow even a seemingly great deal might turn out to be bad if the process of getting one is not done right. Make sure you understand all the language used in the loan process.The more you know and understand going in the better off you are at spotting trouble spots.

Let us look at the following areas to better understand the "speak" used for this type of loan.

Points

How are you affected by this? Most of these lenders charge a part of the loan for commissions for themselves and for their sub-agents. Actually such points vary from little to exorbitant; it all depends on the company and the type of loan. If you are charged 1 point, this would mean 1 percent of the loan. And so 1 percent of a 100,000 dollar loan is an up front charge of 1000 dollars. Do not worry, there are lenders that do not charge points.

Loan "rate" terms

It it a fixed or variable loan. A fixed rate means you pay the same amount every month for the life of the loan. But on the other hand, if you have variable type of loan, you may actually have an initial good interest rate. Interest rates that go up naturally makes your monthly payments go up too in the process. So what do you want " a home equity loan with interest rate that stays the same all throughout the duration of the loan, or one with the possibility of going up anytime? Understand that more often then not, a variable loan starts out one or two percent lower then a fixed rate. The big question is where does it stop once it starts to adjust?

Pre Payment penalties

Perhaps it might be a concern if you earn penalties for paying off your loans early. You have to be aware that indeed, many second time loans have pre payment penalties. Pre-payment penalties lock you into paying off your loan over its entire duration, and if you still decide on paying it off early, the lending company will have to add a penalty, usually running to a thousand dollars.

Late payment fees

In some cases, while you may have a low interest rate, you may have a clause in the contract for the loan that will increase your interest if your late on a payment. In most cases this can add up to several thousands extra over the life of the loan.

Insurance

You have to check if the home equity loan that you are prospecting has insurance costs hidden somewhere, a cost that you definitely do not want. Whenever you get a loan, you can take in corresponding credit insurance. You can have credit life insurance, which takes care of your loan in the event that you die. However, if in the case of home equity loan, if you feel that insurance is just added cost, then by all means avoid the lender that requires you to pay for them.

About the Author:

Doc Schmyz has invested all over the US. His free website shares Real estate investing information for all over the US. Find Real estate investing information by state

Sending Money to Brazil

By Chloe Banks

There are different ways to send money to Brazil. One of these is through having a relationship with an American bank that also has a presence in Brazil.

If the sender and recipient both have accounts with one of these banks, it might be a good idea to open an account locally in Brazil. Money being sent between accounts within the same bank is often processed quickly and at little or no cost.

Bank transfers between different banks aren't difficult, but can entail a waiting period of up to 5 business days with higher costs.

Through banks, you can also initiate wire transfers to Brazil. A wire transfer gets the money to its destination quickly, but there needs to be a corresponding bank to receive the wire transfer. Fees can be very high for international wire transfers, but if the money needs to arrive quickly, this is a viable option.

Yet another way to send money regularly to Brazil is through an ATM or pre-paid debit card. This is not the best method in case of an emergency as it takes time for the card to be sent to the person receiving the funds.

The money can be withdrawn from a large network of ATMs in Brazil if the debit card has the PLUS or CIRRUS logo on the back. Only use an ATM card if you trust that the cardholder is not accessing funds without authorization. A pre-paid debit card is a more secure way of sending the exact amount of money intended for the recipient.

Online payment services such as ATM Cash are also a good way to send money to Brazil. These kinds of services allow you to inexpensively send money 24/7 from your own computer.

These are some of the safest and most efficient ways of sending money to Brazil.

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For the very best prices and selection of Brazil remittance online, there is no better place you will find than send money to Brazil

Safe Investments with Self-directed IRA

By Paul J. Easton

More investors as of now want a safe yet innovative option to invest for their retirement in the near future. With the baby boomers having the most influence in the economy today and they are retiring soon, this market of investment-seekers are going to grow dramatically even with the gloomy financial outlook.

Guidant Financial, as the leader in providing self-directed IRA services today, allows investors the control to make alternative investments in real estate, franchises, and businesses. The company, along with most financial services firms, anticipated the significant downturn in their business. But the trend in their business analysis shows that the traditional financial turmoil appears to encourage many investors to consider other platforms of investments for their security in their retirement. People have been traumatized by the meltdown in the real estate market and the volatility of the stock markets. With the instability in these markets, many people are avoiding the traditional securities markets altogether. People are more intelligent right now with their money and wanted a new and secure way of controlling their assets. This is probably the driving force behind the staggering growth of the Guidant Financial Group.

More investors are afraid of investing further and some are deciding to transfer their retirement savings out of the stock market. These investors are looking for other asset classes offering better control and monitoring for their money. They found that self-directed IRAs offer them the chance to control their investments without first committing to a specific investment. This concept, though had been there for a long time, was not very much promoted due to the absence of middleman profits for financial companies. Now, it has steadily gained some popularity since last year.

Guidant Financial Group's self-directed IRA is a form of retirement account where the investor has the ability to invest in both traditional and non-traditional assets. Most Guidant clients prefer to invest in rental properties or private loans. Similarly, they also considered private stock and tax liens with a little education in these fields. These alternative investments generated cash-flow opportunities making them a very attractive option for those retiring soon.

With more direct form of management, they have saved a few thousand of dollars from holding and administrative fees. They also monitored personally where their money is invested. This is peace of mind for most of them. This is the major reason behind the unexpected growth in Guidant's self-directed IRA business.

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How to get Rid of Credit Card Debt Fast with FREE Articles Tips at DollarGuides.com. Help tips and more plus Credit Card Debt Information

Teaching Money Management to Young Children

By Laura Nelson-Smith

Kids catch onto the importance of money in life pretty quickly as they watch us use it. The way to show your child the value of a dollar is by teaching them the different ways a dollar is used.

Begin When They're Young

Begin explaining to your child how money works from a young age. It's important for kids to know you get money by earning it. Items (or services) in life are given in return for money, and the value or worth of that item varies according to the seller. If you do not have enough money, you can not purchase the item.

You also want to talk about the significance of saving money. Tell them that a kid with a few bucks can buy candy that they will eat right away or a toy that will break because it is cheap. Next explain that if that child saves the money and adds more to it over time, they will be able to buy something with more value that will last a little longer.

Have A Savings Plan

To develop a savings plan, help them decide on a percentage they can save each time they earn money. Ten percent is a good amount to work with since all they have to do is move the decimal point one place to the left. That will help them to see that for every dollar they earn, ten cents can be saved. You can also show the other examples too.

Make sure that they know that the account is not for the better short-term item, but for a "rainy day", a car or even their college fund. With the remaining 90% they get the candy or "better item" that you previously told them about. This principle is a good way to teach the about child being discipline and saving for long-term savings; like when they want to buy a house or retirement when they're grown.

You already know that a six year old could really care less about saving for an emergency or even driving a car, but they will be able to see that saving ten percent over the years adds up. This teaching is a good for when they get their first job because they will already know about putting some money to the side.

You can also share with them about putting some money to the side to give to a charity they are interested in. Concepts like this teach them even more about managing their money.

As Your Child Grows

Once your child is old enough, take them down to the bank to open a savings account in both of your names. Take them to the bank once or twice a month to put so that they can deposit their savings. When the bank statement comes sit them down and show them how money is grows with the help of interest.

Interest is a huge part of using money. Either it'll make you pay more than what your item was originally worth (credit) or it can help you make more money. Teenagers need to understand that unless you can pay off that debt within 30 days, you'll actually be paying more for your purchased item.

One of the best ways to teach about how good or bad interest can be is by role-playing. You can find an item your teenager wants to pay for with a credit card as an example. Make a chart showing that by only making the minimum payment, it will take longer and cost more because of interest.

You can even switch it by taking the number of months it will take to pay off the debt verses the interest they would earn with a savings account if they save money for the item they want. The amount of interest may not be much, but you want them to see that if you save money to purchase the item, you pay only that amount and there will be no interest to pay along with it.

When children understand how money works they'll (hopefully) be more inclined to use responsibility when making money decisions.

About the Author:

Laura Nelson-Smith is the resident editor of Career & Finance at http://www.Schmoozins.com - an online magazine for women that gives all women a voice. Join us as a contributor, schmoozer or just hang out a while.

Debt Settlement - What Does That Mean?

By William Blake

When you are in debt over your head and you know there is no way out on your own you may be need to think about trying to reach a settlement with your creditors. Your situation is not unique. Most people have found themselves with financial difficulties at some point and sometimes settlement is the best option. Debt settlement is a serious step, however, and should be carefully understood and considered.

Debt settlement involves using a third party to manage the debt situation. You may have tried to talk to the creditors but to no avail. Each month that the payment is late, there is a fee. Once the fees push the balance over the credit limit, there is another fee. Things can get out of control in an as little as a few months.

There are agencies that specialize in helping people settle their debts with their creditors. A specialist can analyze your unsecured debt to see if you are a candidate for debt settlement.

An unsecured debt is one that is not backed by any collateral. It is a greater risk for the creditor because they extend credit to you with nothing to fall back on except your promise to pay. Credit cards are the most common unsecured debts.

Creditors have the right to report your debt settlement to credit reporting agencies. This means that a debt settlement will have an impact on your credit scores. These affects could be somewhat long term so you want to consider this before moving forward with debt settlement.

If the debt settlement agency determines that your debt does not exceed the amount that you could reasonably pay then you will not be eligible for debt settlement. If in your case the amount of your debt does exceed what you could reasonably repay the agency will begin to work up a proposal based on what you can afford.

Interest rates and late fees will be considered first. The settlement agent will see if he can negotiate a reduction of interest charges or the forgiveness of certain fees or penalties to help you focus on repaying the principal amount of the debt.

Working with an agency, the monthly payments agreed upon are made to the debt settlement agency. From there, they forward the payment to the appropriate creditors in accordance with the terms of the debt settlement. Your payments may include their fee for the services rendered.

About the Author:

Tire of struggling to keep up with your credit card payment? Get some simple credit card tips on the Debtopedia website. Get a free copy of my report "Secrets Of Credit Card Debt" at http://www.debtopedia.com