Building The Foundation For Wealth
You wouldn’t build your home on anything less than a solid foundation. Similarly, you can’t build wealth and financial independence without first having sound foundational principles to build upon.
I have found that many people are working on wealth building strategies such as maximizing their 401K returns, aggressive stock trading, and real estate investing without such a foundation.
Most of my clients are coming from a "one step forward, two steps back" cycle of wealth building that gets them nowhere in the long run.
There are steps you can take to make sure that you are maximizing and protecting your gains at the same time. Without these steps, you are destined to experience the gain-loss cycle which, in the end, is like spinning your wheels in the mud.
Discover how your employment circumstances affect your wealth building strategy and have more of the things you want by identifying your biggest expense and managing it without having to make more money.
Most people take gains in their cash flow to mean they can spend more on things they don’t need. It is human to want to surround yourself with the things you want to match how you feel about your new income from investments or a raise at work.
Beware of Bogus Credit Repair Companies!
So-called “credit repair” companies claim they can remove negative information from credit reports. Advertising as “Credit Advisors,” “Credit Rating Correction Services” or “Credit Consultants,” they trumpet variations on this message: “Turned down because of bad credit? We can help!” Many of these companies charge hundreds if not thousands of dollars for the promise to “clean up” bad credit reports. But the truth is, these companies can only do what you could do yourself–at no charge.
Nobody can remove negative information that is accurate from your credit report. No company has a “secret” ability to remove all negative information.
But this doesn’t stop their claims. This deceptive quote is from a credit repair company brochure: “Charged-off accounts, collection accounts, judgments, tax liens, repossessions, and even bankruptcies can be removed from your credit records in less than one year (five to seven month average).”
One tactic is to bombard credit reporting agencies with requests to verify information. If a credit reporting agency cannot verify an entry within 60 days, it will remove the information from the report. But if the information is later verified to be accurate, it will go back in the report.
Adjustable Rate Mortgage - How They Work?
How does an ARM work.
The borrowers interest rate is determined initially by the cost of money and the time the loan is made. Once the rate has been set, and it is tied to one of several widely recognized and published indexes , and future interest adjustments are based on the upward an downward movements of the index. An index is a statistical report that is generally reliable indicator of the approximate change in the cost of money.
At the time a loan is made, the index preferred by the lender is selected, and thereafter the loan interest rate to rise and fall with the rates reported by the index. Since the index is a reflection of the lenders cost of money, it is necessary to add a margin to the index to ensure sufficient income for administrative expenses and profit. Margin will usually vary from 2% to 3%. The index plus the margin equals the adjustable interest rate. It is the index rate that fluctuates during the term of the loan and the cause of the borrowers interest rate to increase and decrease, the lenders margin remains constant.
The index.
Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
FHA loan programs:
FHA Access
FHA Cal Gold
FHA Rural Gold
FHA Mutal Mtg. Insurance
FHA 203 (k)
FHA 203 b
FHA 251
FHA Title I program
FHA MIP Refund
The Federal housing administration was created by Congress in 1934 as part of the national housing act. The purpose of the act, and of the FHA, was to generate new jobs through increased construction activity, to exert a stabilizing influence on the mortgage market, and to promote the financing, prepared, and sale of real estate
nationwide. Today, the FHA is part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The FHA’s primary function is to insure loans. FHA approved lenders are insured against losses caused by borrower default.
The FHA insurance program is called mutual mortgage insurance plan (MMI). Under the plan, lenders who had been approved by the FHA to make insured loans either submit applications from prospective borrowers to the local FHA office for approval, or, if authorized by the FH to do so, from the underwriting functions themselves. Lenders who are authorized by the FHA to fully underwrite their own FHA loan applications are called direct endorsement lenders (DE Lenders). A direct endorsement lender is responsible for the entire mortgage process, from application for closing. When a direct endorsement lender has approved and closed a loan, the application for mortgage insurance is submitted to the FHA.
University: A Course in Personal Finance
Recent findings from the Educational Policy Institute indicated that the UK is the third most expensive place in the world to go to university. Combine this with figures from the Prudential, showing that a third of university students have considered abandoning their studies due to the financial strain they have encountered, and it is not surprising that many prospective students are finding the need to seriously think through the merits of going to University.
Whilst it is true that there are currently loans available from both the government and from banks that are designed to see students through their period of studies, for many this will mean emerging into their adult life with mountains of debt. Barclays Bank has stated it believes that once top-up fees are introduced it will cost about £33,000 to put a child through university in England and Wales. At a time when the number of students has greatly increased and the number of high paid graduate careers appears to have diminished, students now have to factor in the cost of living when making the important decision of where to study. In an article by the Scotland On Sunday, the experiences of a university student from Glasgow show that the question of finance already weighs heavy for some students in their choices of where, or even if, they can study. Moving out of the parental home to take full advantage of university life may become less of an option for students as costs increase and financial assistance decreases.
6 Things to Consider Before Refinancing
Perhaps you’re a homeowner in need of some quick cash.
Maybe you want to consolidate your debts so you have better control of your money.
Perhaps a lender is urging you to refinance because interest rates are low, and he has a too-good-to-be-true deal that will shorten your current loan’s term.
Here are 6 essential questions to ask yourself before making the decision to refinance.
1. What’s My Motive-and What Will It Cost Me?
Before you even consider a refinance, ask yourself this fundamental question: "Why do I need it?"
"Many times, people take out a new, larger loan to pay off credit cards, automobiles or even to purchase another home," says Norm Bour, host of the nationally syndicated U.S. radio program The Real Estate & Finance Show, and an experienced mortgage lender. "Sometimes they need the money to do home improvements or renovations."
If, however, you want to lower your current loan payments or switch to a different type of loan, you must calculate the benefits before going the re-fi route.
SuperCharged Secret 1 of 5 - Credit Card Utopia
I AM THE CONSUMER. AND I HAVE LOW-RATE SUPER-POWERS!
Note: The following is part 1 of a 5 part series. Over the course of these next 5 articles, I am going to introduce you to several methods for maximizing the use and benefits of the best Credit Cards and offers on the market today. This information, when used in conjunction with one another, is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. I like to call this approach, the "5 SuperCharged Secrets to Credit Card Utopia."
Without further Ado, let’s get started:
SECRET 1: I AM THE CONSUMER. AND I HAVE LOW-RATE SUPER-POWERS!
1) How would you like a zero interest credit card?
WHAT? Did you say ZERO interest? That’s like 0.00%, or .0000000%, or nothing, or nada, or no interest? Tom! Can’t be!!!
2) Actually, that’s exactly what I mean.
Debt Relief with this Simple Formula
Is there a way to get out of debt without getting a second job or having to increase your income in some way? Can the average person take his or her current income and pay off his or her bills in a matter of a few years, including the car and mortgage payments?
The answer is YES!!! You can do it without having to cut out all of your fun and extra-curricular activities as well. Now, you may need to cut down on going to the movies or going out to eat, but you will not have to stop altogether. It is a matter of putting together your plan and then sticking to your plan!
The process is fairly simple, most people just don’t realize it. Anyone can get started right away, including YOU right now! Here is what you need to know:
1. What is your total net income?
2. What are your debts and minimum monthly payments? (Don’t include any extra money you are paying towards any debt. You want only your minimum required monthly payments.)
Okay, are you ready to begin?
Types of Investment
The word ‘investments’ is one that most of us are familiar with hearing in financial context. For many of us, it may make us thing of big business and vasts sums of money, but there’s much to the world of investments than multi-million dollar deals.
Although it’s true that, at the top level, investments may run into many millions, it is possible for the average person in the street to invest smaller amounts of money and to invest it wisely. If you’ve ever thought about trying to help your money to grow, then maybe you’ve wondered what opportunities are available.
In truth, investments can cover a wide range of options. One of the most traditional types of investing is in the stock market. This has been viewed by some as being a difficult type of investment to get into, but times are changing. The new range of online stockbrokers available mean that it’s now easy (and fairly inexpensive) to get involved in buying and selling shares. If you’re interested in share dealing yourself, then you’d be wise to remember that there is a risk involved (”shares may go down in value, as well as up”). It’s vital that you investigate the area thoroughly before taking the plunge and you should view shares as a medium to long-term investment. If you invest expecting to make a quick buck, then you’re likely to be disappointed.
Refinancing Your Auto Loan
Refinancing your loan is one of the best kept secrets around for saving you money, but most people never think of it. Whether refinancing your home or car the process is the same. When refinancing car loans, you pay off your current car loan with a refinancing car loan from a different lender that has a lower APR. The beauty of this is that by refinancing your auto loan you lower your monthly car loan payments significantly, and your interest rate drops, which can allow you to pay off the balance of your car loan even quicker. You can save thousands by refinancing you auto loans.
If you have bad credit it is crucial that you refinance your auto loan to lower your APR. Even with bad credit it is possible for you to refinance. Many people do not even bother trying to refinance because they erroneously believe that they are stuck at a 21-25% APR.
Whether you are paying a high APR or even a decent one, it is possible for you to refinance your auto loan. The refinancing racket is growing in popularity among lenders. They pay off your current car loan, and you pay them back at your new lower APR rate. Your loan can usually be completely refinanced within 2 days after you apply.
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