Sunday, March 23, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
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Saturday, March 15, 2008
How to Build Wealth After Debt
The best way to prevent falling back into debt is by making sure you have enough money to cover unforeseen expenses. Most financial advisors suggest saving up an emergency reserve of cash equal to about six months' worth of your salary. To establish an emergency reserve, you need to learn basics of how to build wealth.
The Wealth-Building Process
Building wealth involves three main steps:
1. Earn money: The amount of money you can save and invest depends on how much you earn. Your goal should be to earn enough money to cover all your monthly expenses and provide a surplus of at least a few hundred dollars.
2. Save money: Set up a savings account through your bank. Your account should have no setup or monthly fees and should pay interest. You should then deposit whatever amount of money you have left over each month into your savings account. Withdraw money from your savings account only for emergencies, such as unforeseen medical bills.
3. Invest money: As your savings grow, you'll soon be able to buy investment products such as index funds and ETFs (explained below), which can grow your money at rates much higher than savings account will.
How to Get Started Investing
To begin investing,you'll first need to set up an investment account,also known as a brokerage account. Once you've saved $500-$1,00 or so(generally the minimum required to set up an account), contact a major financial service firm,such as Vanguard(www.vanguard.com)or Fidelity (www.fidelity.com) to set up an account.
As a beginning investor, consult your financial services firm for guidance on which funds or ETFs to buy before you begin investing.
Copyright 2007 Quamut
All rights reserved.
Quamut is a registered trademark of Barnes & Noble, Inc.
www.quamut.com
The Wealth-Building Process
Building wealth involves three main steps:
1. Earn money: The amount of money you can save and invest depends on how much you earn. Your goal should be to earn enough money to cover all your monthly expenses and provide a surplus of at least a few hundred dollars.
2. Save money: Set up a savings account through your bank. Your account should have no setup or monthly fees and should pay interest. You should then deposit whatever amount of money you have left over each month into your savings account. Withdraw money from your savings account only for emergencies, such as unforeseen medical bills.
3. Invest money: As your savings grow, you'll soon be able to buy investment products such as index funds and ETFs (explained below), which can grow your money at rates much higher than savings account will.
How to Get Started Investing
To begin investing,you'll first need to set up an investment account,also known as a brokerage account. Once you've saved $500-$1,00 or so(generally the minimum required to set up an account), contact a major financial service firm,such as Vanguard(www.vanguard.com)or Fidelity (www.fidelity.com) to set up an account.
As a beginning investor, consult your financial services firm for guidance on which funds or ETFs to buy before you begin investing.
Copyright 2007 Quamut
All rights reserved.
Quamut is a registered trademark of Barnes & Noble, Inc.
www.quamut.com
Monday, March 10, 2008
How to Repair Your Credit After Getting Out of Debt
Credit repair is the process of improving your credit and boosting your credit score. Good credit behavior is any behavior involving credit that demonstrates an ability on your part to manage and pay back debt responsibly. Good credit behavior is the only way to repair bad credit.
Credit Repair Takes Time
The credit repair process can take years. Negative entries may remain on your credit report for seven years or move, but creditors tend to put the most weight on your more recent payment history. With patience and diligence, you will be able to repair your credit. And in doing so, you'll develop the responsible financial habits needed to maintain the good credit you have worked so hard to build. Good credit behavior is only way to repair bad credit.
The Five Rules of Good Credit Behavior
Though practicing good credit behavior requires discipline, the ideas behind good credit behavior are easy to follow.
They can be broken down into five basic rules.
1. Pay all bills on time.
2. Pay down existing debt, and pay more than the minimum whenever possible.
3. Keep debt levels down-maintain a low proportion of the balance to credit limits.
4. Build better credit through banking. Open a savings account and borrow and repay a small
personal loan.
5. Monitor credit reports and correct errors when necessary.
Copyright 2007 Quamut
All rights reserved.
Quamut is a registered trademark of Barnes & Noble, Inc.
www.quamut.com
Credit Repair Takes Time
The credit repair process can take years. Negative entries may remain on your credit report for seven years or move, but creditors tend to put the most weight on your more recent payment history. With patience and diligence, you will be able to repair your credit. And in doing so, you'll develop the responsible financial habits needed to maintain the good credit you have worked so hard to build. Good credit behavior is only way to repair bad credit.
The Five Rules of Good Credit Behavior
Though practicing good credit behavior requires discipline, the ideas behind good credit behavior are easy to follow.
They can be broken down into five basic rules.
1. Pay all bills on time.
2. Pay down existing debt, and pay more than the minimum whenever possible.
3. Keep debt levels down-maintain a low proportion of the balance to credit limits.
4. Build better credit through banking. Open a savings account and borrow and repay a small
personal loan.
5. Monitor credit reports and correct errors when necessary.
Copyright 2007 Quamut
All rights reserved.
Quamut is a registered trademark of Barnes & Noble, Inc.
www.quamut.com
The Process of Getting Out of Debt
Many debtors make the mistake of assuming that once they're out of their current debt spiral, they somehow won't end up in another one. Getting out of debt not only means resolving your current debt-it also means taking steps that will prevent you from getting into debt again. Here are some steps to help you avoid these pitfalls again.
Step 1: Manage Your Current Debt
The best way to deal with debt is to design your own budget and payment plan that ensures you'll pay off your debt within a specific timeframe.Unfortunately, this approach rarely works for people with serious debt problems, instead, often the only way to put a stop to a debt spiral is to use one of the three most common debt management strategies:
*Debt settlement
These approaches can help you pay off your exisiting debts, but won't necessarily help you avoid getting back in debt. The strategy you choose depends on the amount of your debt and the urgency of your financial situation.
Bankruptcy as a Last Resort
Step 1: Manage Your Current Debt
The best way to deal with debt is to design your own budget and payment plan that ensures you'll pay off your debt within a specific timeframe.Unfortunately, this approach rarely works for people with serious debt problems, instead, often the only way to put a stop to a debt spiral is to use one of the three most common debt management strategies:
*Debt consolidation
*Credit counseling*Debt settlement
These approaches can help you pay off your exisiting debts, but won't necessarily help you avoid getting back in debt. The strategy you choose depends on the amount of your debt and the urgency of your financial situation.
Bankruptcy as a Last Resort
Bankruptcy is a legal proceeding that wipes away most bad debt entirely and gives you a fresh start. If you're tried the conventional approaches to getting out of debt that this guide covers and have not had success, or of your debt is causing a financial crisis in your life that you need to resolve immediately, it might be best for you to consider bankruptcy. But keep in mind , that bankruptcy is only a last resort. I hope you realized your debt spiral, before its to late.
Step 2: Avoid Getting Back Into Debt
Once you settle your debts, prevent future ones by tracking your spending and abiding by a monthly budget that prevents you from spending more than you earn or can afford.
Step 3: Repair Your Credit
Debt problems almost always lower your credit score, a numerical assessment of your reliability as a borrower. Lenders examine your credit score in determining whether to lend you money, and at what interest rate. After getting out of debt, you should try to improve your credit.
Step 4: Build Your Wealth
Saving and then investing a certain amount of money each month is the most effective way to prevent getting back into debt. In time, the money you save and invest will grow to become a "safety cushion" you can draw upon to pay bills or cover unforeseen expenses. Over the long term, you can also invest to save money for major life expenses, such as a child's college education or your own retirement.
Let me give you an example by saving $200 monthly savings for 35 Years (Age 30-65) At:
3% Interest=$148,680 6% Interest=$286,370 12% Interest=$1.3 Million
*Rates of returns are nominal rates, compounded monthly. Contributions are assumed to be made at the beginning of the month. The chart above is not indicative of any particular investment or savings vehicle. It does not take consideration taxes or other applicable deductions.
Their are different financial investments that one can achieve these results. My advice to you is find an financial advisor to help you find the right investment.
Copyright 2007 Quamut
All rights reserved.
Quamut is a registered trademark of Barnes & Noble, Inc.
www.quamut.com
Step 2: Avoid Getting Back Into Debt
Once you settle your debts, prevent future ones by tracking your spending and abiding by a monthly budget that prevents you from spending more than you earn or can afford.
Step 3: Repair Your Credit
Debt problems almost always lower your credit score, a numerical assessment of your reliability as a borrower. Lenders examine your credit score in determining whether to lend you money, and at what interest rate. After getting out of debt, you should try to improve your credit.
Step 4: Build Your Wealth
Saving and then investing a certain amount of money each month is the most effective way to prevent getting back into debt. In time, the money you save and invest will grow to become a "safety cushion" you can draw upon to pay bills or cover unforeseen expenses. Over the long term, you can also invest to save money for major life expenses, such as a child's college education or your own retirement.
Let me give you an example by saving $200 monthly savings for 35 Years (Age 30-65) At:
3% Interest=$148,680 6% Interest=$286,370 12% Interest=$1.3 Million
*Rates of returns are nominal rates, compounded monthly. Contributions are assumed to be made at the beginning of the month. The chart above is not indicative of any particular investment or savings vehicle. It does not take consideration taxes or other applicable deductions.
Their are different financial investments that one can achieve these results. My advice to you is find an financial advisor to help you find the right investment.
Copyright 2007 Quamut
All rights reserved.
Quamut is a registered trademark of Barnes & Noble, Inc.
www.quamut.com
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Why Families are not Debt Free and Financially Independent

Debt and insufficient income is one of the major reasons why families are struggling everyday.
America is facing a financial crisis. Millions of people are carrying too much debt. The average family owes upwards of $9,900 just on credit cards. That's not even counting mortgages, car loans and student loans. The Commerce Department reports that as a nation, we spent more than we earned for the last two years. Household debt should be about 10 percent of your income. But as a country, our household debt is at a whopping 19 percent.
The one thing that hasn't change is that no one has gotten anymore education than they had 20 years ago on how to use credit, but credit has gotten to be a much more powerful tool, so people are having a more difficult time handling it."
The government is taking steps to try and solve the issues by cutting interest rates, but that may encourage people already in debt to borrow more and dig themselves a deeper hole. Bottom line: Don't count on the government to bail you out. You've got to take charge of your own finances.
The first step is figuring out your debt problem. Do this simple debt test and if your monthly expenses, including debt, exceed 65 percent of your income. You need to take a hard look at your finances and take action.

First, add up everything you pay a month in loans: car loans, credit cards, personal loans and student loans if you have one, but exclude your mortgage. Divide that number, your monthly loan payment, by your monthly income and you get your debt ratio. Your debt ratio should be less than 10 percent. Your total debt ratio, including mortgage, should be less than 36 percent.
Once you realized that you have a serious problem on your hands. You need to start implementing a plan of action right away to work your way out of debt. Because if you don't, that's when bill collectors start calling, you pay your mortgage late and in danger of losing your home to foreclosure. Then you get desperate and feel that you don't have a way out. You go ahead and file for bankruptcy and ruin your credit history. But for every problem, their is a solution. I know, "BEEN THEIR, DONE THAT" You need to get a grip on your own personal spending and educate yourself on how money works.
Financial independence is defined as a point in your life when you no longer have to work to maintain your lifestyle.
"Don't work hard for the money, let your money work hard for you."
"Don't fight the system, learn how the system works and make it work for you."
"Your mind is a powerful tool, educated it and you will open the doors of opportunity."
So my question to you is:
DO YOU HAVE A WRITTEN PROGRAM TO GET OUT OF DEBT AND RETIRE FINANCIALLY SECURE?
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