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January 11, 2015

Expect the unexpected in finance

Financial expectationsIn October 2014, the personal saving rate, the ratio of personal income saved to personal net disposable income, was only five percent in the United States. Americans are not known for being savers; the all-time high for personal saving ratio was 14.60 percent in 1975 which is lower than many developing countries.

The truth is, life happens and it can often be expensive. By building your savings into a nest egg, you will be better prepared for these developments.

A Nation of Spenders

Almost half of American households (44 percent) have no more than three months of expenses in a savings account, leaving them unprepared for medical, legal, or other emergencies. Many rely on credit which accumulates expenses through interest rates and in some unfortunate circumstances, late or missed payments.

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling conducts a survey every year on consumer financial literacy. According to the latest survey, 16 percent indicated that their emergency fund was insufficient. The same percentage also admitted to not having enough in savings to retire.

Saving Is Necessary

Relying on credit instead of stashing away money is a risky game. As your balances rise, so do interest rates and fees. Many people file bankruptcy because they do not keep up with servicing their debt.

As this pattern continues, credit scores drop but life does not stop happening. If a car needs brakes, a water heater blows up, or you get sued or face legal charges and need to pay criminal defense lawyer fees, this means having to find money quickly. A household that is liquid asset poor is also vulnerable to predatory lending that only deepens financial insecurity.

Get Started

The economy is unpredictable and only a healthy savings account ensures stability. The time to develop this habit is now. Here are suggestions to get started:

  • Start Small. Even if you only transfer $5.00 from every paycheck into savings account, it is better than nothing. The trick is to make this a habit and putting aside a small amount will accomplish that. You will likely increase this amount later, due to the satisfaction of saving.
  • Set a Goal. A $1,000 emergency fund covers most every day emergencies like car or home repairs. While legal fees and medical bills could easily wipe out a fund of this size, $1,000 is a good goal to start saving. Break it into two $500 goals if that seems more feasible.
  • Schedule Automatic Transfers. Some employers offering direct deposit will allow you to split your paycheck into two accounts. If that is possible, arrange a certain amount for your savings account. Otherwise, set up an automatic transfer from checking to savings at each pay period so the saving process occurs despite any lapses in discipline.

A nest egg means an emergency becomes an inconvenience instead of a disaster. If you are relying on credit or living between paychecks, take it as a sign to change your financial habits. Rather than mull over your mistakes, take action today to start a good savings plan.

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November 19, 2014

Managing your finances as a self-employed worker

Finance for freelancerSelf-employed workers may be extremely focused and have an entrepreneurial spirit that will lead to business success but they are also notorious for being disorganized when it comes to paperwork. It really is not possible to be an excellent businessperson and an office administrator. Unfortunately, administration is the backbone of every business and it absolutely must be carried out on time and accurately for a business to maximize its profits.

Many self-employed workers or contractors actually find the financial side of their business intimidating and confusing. There are so many ways to set up a company and manage its finances, and many rules concerning the filing of company accounts and record-keeping.

A small business whose financial side is not managed correctly may find that it loses money and this can hit profit margins hard. Sometimes money is lost simply because a business forgets to invoice for work carried out, or because it undercharges. Suppliers and subcontractors will rarely chase up a late invoice.

Ask any accountant and they will tell stories about entrepreneurs who have months of receipts and invoices piled on their desk, check payments with no details of what the payment was for and receipts of funds into their bank accounts with no note of why they were paid. Couple this with the need to file tax returns correctly and on time and the result is an extremely chaotic office that acts as an anchor weighing down the whole business.

Taxation is one of the most complex areas for any size of business and keeping accurate records of all set-up and ongoing costs is vital to allow you to submit an accurate tax return after your first year of trading. Poorly-managed accounts often result in paying more tax than you should – you cannot claim expenses if you lose your paperwork.

Many employee benefits are tax-deductible such as life insurance and pensions. In fact, all HSA contributions are tax-deductible. Self-employed workers can also deduct from their tax bill the cost of disability and dental insurance premiums along with legal and liability cover. Few self-employed workers manage to claim all these expenses correctly.

Efficient business finance management requires both time and excellent organizational skills. There are several areas of financial administration where self-employed workers repeatedly fail, such as chasing invoices, pricing services and keeping up with tax matters. It’s especially easy to fall behind and get into debt when taking part in an MLM. Check out mlm scam reports to see how you could be in danger of losing lots of money if you aren’t careful.

Fortunately, there are many accountants that offer specific tax advice for contractors and some provide business administration as well as accountancy services. These are called umbrella companies and they provide a way for contractors and self-employed workers to receive help from qualified accountants with the financial and tax aspects of running their business.

An umbrella company essentially acts as an operating company for an entrepreneur, contractor or small business. The umbrella company manages all business finances from daily accounting and administration tasks through to the filing of annual accounts and management reports. The umbrella company manages all the accounts and pays you a salary so that you can focus on what you do best – running a great business.

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November 15, 2014

Do you look after your money?

All about moneyYou should think about this. Meanwhile I tell you a story.

One weekend my daughter was invited to the swimming pool with a friend’s family. The day was not so good for swimming because of the weather, however my daughter was enjoying it much.

But then she discovered that her money disappeared from her purse.

And she was not alone who did not find her money. A mother of her friend also had no money left. It might be done during the group was swimming and their bags were left unattended. But my daughter was quite lucky, because her iPhone was not touched.

When she returned home, we had a discussion that valuable things must not be left unattended. We reminded her that we always leave someone to look after our stuff, or lock it to secure, when we go somewhere. If you leave your things they can be easily stolen.

This was a simple example when a person did not look after her things very carefully.

So this returns us to my question. Do you always take care of your money? Or can you just allow someone take your things away?

Do you feel that using coupons is a shame or just not worth your attention? So in this way you let retailers take more of your money that it is necessary.

Do you forget to turn off your thermostat in order to save costs when you do not stay at home for weekends? Does it take much time or is it too difficult? In the same manner you can just throw away some dollars every week.

Do not you shop on sales just because you can afford buying things at their full price? It also means that you do not think how pricey your work is.

Do you take long-term credits if you know you can not pay them back? I was always a supporter of Direct Payday Loan Lenders UK at VitaLoans. It is much easier to return and they do not put you in the debt hole. So you should better think what to choose.

Do you watch all channels with your cable package or just pay for them? Nobody except you must monitor this.

Do you prefer only brand items and can not permit yourself to buy clothes and shoes in ordinary shops? I hope you feel cool about it, because it does not matter to anybody else.

Do you remember what plan package you have on your cell phone? But you should pay attention to this, because mobile phone providers often change the pricing system without notifying you.

Does it sound familiar to you to leave your money unattended? If you can catch yourself on any situations from the above, you must think about your money better. You should not forget how hard you work to earn them, and always respect your labour and money.

Please do not just give it away so easily. If you have too much, I can help you to respect it. (A joke)

So I ask you for the last time. Do you take enough care of your money? You should just begin doing this, and it will become a habit. It is not so difficult as you can imagine.

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October 23, 2014

Some Secrets To Make Savings In The End Of 2014

Money saving ideasAutumn is not a period you should spend much money. Moreover it is time before holidays, that is why you are supposed to save for gifts. As for me I try to reduce any extra spendings.

Here you can find different ways to save money in the following period:

Cook food at home

Many of us like going out for food. But if you want to save some cash, you should decrease such spendings. You should start to prepare food at home. You can try different recipes and improve your skills.

A good variant is to use a crockpot. I prefer cooking with it, because I need just to put all ingredients in it and forget about it for approximately two hours. And then you will have tasty food with no hassle. This will obviously cut down your spendings and make your food healthier. Also you can find cooking as a new good hobby.

Stay with opened windows.

The weather at autumn is wonderful, so you may enjoy it with your windows opened. In such a way you can save on your air conditioning or heating. Also it will bring nice smells and different colors of autumn leaves.

Stay outside more.

You can use this weather to make different sport activities. You may run, ride the bicycle, or do other gym exercises, play football, basketball or tennis. All this will help you to save on your gym membership. Also you can use all staff you can find at home to work with appropriate weight. This will not only improve your body state, but will also have positive influence on your health.

Relax outdoor.

You should not spend time at home or other places, you may just go out and enjoy the autumn. It is always much better to meet friends not in the crowded bars, but in your garden. In such a way you can transfer all your activities outside, if it is not too cold of course.

Also there are many outdoor activities that you may like. They can be really cheap, especially if you have chosen and bought some particular necessary staff. But if you do not have appropriate equipment you may always rent it. For this you can use quick & easy loans online service. It provides short-term loans, so it will be easy to pay it back within a month, that will not harm your budget.

Below I name some activities you may like:

Hiking.
Kayaking or canoeing
Riding a bicycle
Making BBQ
and many others

Make a swap of clothes

You always want some new jeans or skirts, but buying them in the brand markets may be expensive. That is why you should try to exchange clothes with your friends or even make a list with photos of what you have in the Internet. In such way you can find someone who wants especially what you have, and you can change or even sell it. Making such swaps will help you to get rid of the clothes you do not wear and to find new ones. Also you may meet some interesting people.

So you should try the recommended tips to save your money. This will also help you to make changes in your life and feel something new.

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October 19, 2014

Changing Faces of the Credit Card

All about credit cardsThe credit card is completely different to the original concept of the idea of using credit. While the original credit card was paper, this quickly developed to the plastic one that adorns many purses and wallets around the world.

The original idea behind the credit card was to pay the debt in full at the end of each month. You only became eligible for a credit card if you were a special and privileged client. Often the banks lost money on the credit card, with high fees, but this didn’t matter if it meant a customer was happy and loyal. The change in the use of the cards is apparent as customer’s now, often have balances from previous months spending.

However, slowing the evolution of the credit card took place and it was no longer a privileged accessory but one many people demanded as an easy access to some form of credit.

A credit card has become a necessity in the majority of homes; it pays for luxuries but also a way to pay for the essentials. With the companies competing for the larger slice of credit from the consumers, more and more people opted for the credit card as a way to pay for everyday life.

While improvements in the economy is a positive angel, wages have stayed comparatively low. This has led consumers to look for credit in all places and credit card companies have obliged.

What is staggering is the fact that in 2008 credit card transactions over took cash transactions in America. This is a worrying statistic in the current economic climate.

However, life has changed.More and more families are in a lot of debt due to the credit cards and rising housing costs. Consumers are struggling with the debt they are experiencing, the credit card companies are continuing to push the cards and increase the amount of debt.

Credit problems are bad that the amount on bankruptcies are increasing, meaning the credit card companies are potentially losing money through bad debt.

However, whilst this might seem that the evolution of the credit card is bad, the changes haven’t completed and there is still hope for the future.

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