There will come a day when you need credit. You may want to buy a home or a car and your credit rating will become very important to help make these dreams come true. One of the first things you will need to learn is the basic principle of money management, especially the ability to repay your creditors on time within the 30-day grace period they establish for you. Most people secure credit cards as the first way to establish credit in High...more
You have finally found the home of your dreams. You have searched all over and are ready to purchase it. Before you even make your offer you should seek out the financing first. In some cases, it is easier to have a pre-approval in hand before making any financial commitment through a contract. Why get your hopes up after you purchase the home when you can buy with assurance and wait by the settlement table. Before you can buy anything, you will...more
With today's credit card companies, there are many opportunities to get your cards rate of 21% or more reduced. The higher the amount of interest your card charges will cost you more for a simple purchase and ultimately may take you years to pay off instead of months, should you make the minimum payment allowed. People often just pay the minimum balance as a way to improve their credit rating; this couldn't be a more dangerous way to increase your credit score. Leveraging the credit card company to say "Uncle" to your ability to switch over is easier than you think.The switch over tacticIf your credit card interest rate is over 20% you should definitely seek relief in several ways. One of these ways is to let them know you are thinking of moving to a competitor's credit card because they are offering a lower rate. They will move promptly to earn your dollars and interest. Let them know how unsatisfied you are about their ability to reduce your percentage rate commensurate with your ability to pay your bill in a timely manner. They will probably put you on hold immediately and speak with a manager to get your rate reduced.Don't be afraid to move to another credit card companySome...more
Chances are you may need a little extra money to get some work done around the home or perhaps your current interest rate is 7.5% and the prime interest rate is 6.0% there is a benefit to restart the clock on an existing mortgage and save thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. The first thing you must realize is that refinancing your home...more
What we now call "marketing" began long before the name was coined. In the mid-1800s, traveling salesmen dressed "snake oil" and other tonics in fancy packaging and extolled their virtues to a gullible public. New marketing applications soon proliferated in the belief that marketing could make many new things possible in virtually any business...more
Tuition costs are climbing, housing costs are climbing, it seems like all the costs for students are climbing these days. Students can afford cost increases less than any other demographic in Canada. Because of this, parents and students alike are looking for new ways to offset the costs of education.Student loans can be used to defer these costs to some extent, but they need to be repaid after graduation. It's difficult to climb the corporate ladder or get ahead in life when you have $30,000 worth of debt before your first job is even found! Bursaries, grants, and scholarships are another great source of funding for a student. However, the amount of money available is thinning, and the competition is growing stiffer for this money each year. The average student, over a 4 year degree, pays over $16,000 in tuition and books. Housing costs approximately $38,000 for a 4 year degree. This is based on rent of $800 per month for 48 months. This means the total cost of education for a student is over $54,000 before paying for any clothes, food, or recreational expenses. Given that the average student doesn't qualify for more than about $9000/year in student loans, this means an average...more
One thing you can count on during the holiday season is the obligatory office party. No matter what the size of the organization, there is always an effort to bring coworkers together for one more moment of merriment. Some people look forward to the...more
If you are anything like me, you probably find yourself often thinking of new projects to start, new things to achieve. I did that in my beginning on Internet. That in itself is very beneficial and indeed a required ingredient for success. The trick...more
Rip Out Your Phone Lines I hate the phone company. Reading my phone bill is like reading hieroglyphics. I thought that the break up of ma bell was suppose to make it easier for the consumer. We were suppose to get more choice. The choices seem to all...more
As a business, non-profit or association manager trying to get a bang for your PR buck, you could pretty much concentrate on simple print and broadcast mentions or, for that matter, the whole basket of tactical public relations weaponry including old...more
As a small business operator, personal checks may be one method to receive payment for your goods or services. As a way to receive payment, a personal check is actually better than credit cards because the fees are less and there can be no charge...more
A home-based business becomes for the business owner, an entity in and of itself. Because so much hard work, blood, sweat and tears goes into every home-based business, it is easy to view it as having a "life" of its own and a home-based business can...more