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When you or someone you love has been arrested, emotions can run high. Instead of getting concerned and worrying about “worst case” scenarios, educate yourself about the bail process.

Here are three myths about bail debunked.

1. If a family member can’t pay your bail bond, you stay in jail.

Although a family member is allowed to post the money required for your bail (if any), you can also have friends take care of this for you.
The basics of bail are fairly simple. You are innocent until proven guilty, so after your arrest, the court must gather evidence to convict you of wrongdoing. Likewise, you are allowed to obtain a lawyer to defend you. Bail is a document that states you can be set free on the condition that you will return for your court date(s). You may have to pay a certain amount of money for bail as a deposit of sorts. This increases the likelihood that you will return to court if there’s a good reason why you may not want to.

A family member or friend that pays the amount requested for your bail bond is called a guarantor. This person is responsible financially if you do not come back to court for trial (of course, you are also legally responsible for deciding not to return, too).

2. There is no rhyme or reason to bail amount.

This is untrue, too. The court has many reasons for setting bail at the amount they choose to set it at. One factor in determining bail is the severity of the crime. If a crime is very minor, there may not be any money required for a bail bond. If the crime is more serious, the amount can be hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. Also, the court may consider the evidence, as well as your general character and past criminal record when determining bail amounts.

3. You have to come up with the whole bail amount.

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about bail and bail bonds. The only time you have to come up with the total sum requested for bail is if you “skip” bail, or do not show up in court when you are required to. If you do what’s asked of you, typically only ten percent or so of the total amount needs to be paid to the bail bond agent.

South Korea has reached a significant financial milestone, with the country’s foreign reserves hitting a record high. This may be encouraging news to exporters in South Korea, who like exporters throughout Asia are currently facing the challenge of a slump in demand – but what exactly are foreign reserves, and how does this development affect South Korea’s global financial position?

About Foreign Reserves

Foreign exchange reserve (or forex reserve) is a term used to describe the total amount of foreign currency deposits and bonds held by a country’s financial authorities and central banks. The purpose of official foreign currency reserves is to ensure that a country’s central bank can purchase the domestic currency (despite the fact that it is considered a liability) and in so doing, stabilise that currency’s value. China is currently home to the world’s largest foreign exchange reserve; other top countries include Japan, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Brazil. The latest rise in South Korea’s foreign reserves saw the country rise to seventh place in the global rankings at the end of January 2012.While the term foreign reserve strictly refers only to matters of foreign currency bonds and deposits, it is also more broadly used to refer to gold, position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and supplementary assets known as Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).

About South Korea’s Foreign Reserves

South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves reached an impressive 315.8 billion dollars at the end of February 2012 –according to the Bank of Korea, this marks a 4.46-billion-dollar increase between January and February.

What is the cause of this phenomenal rise in South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves? BOK representatives say it is due to the country’s increasing investment profits, as well as the increased conversion value of South Korea’s non-dollar-denominated assets.How are the foreign reserves of South Korea (also known as the Republic of Korea or ROK) divided? The Bank of Korea reported that the reserves consist chiefly of:

• Securities – 289.5bn dollars

• Deposits – 179.7bn dollars

• Special Drawing Rights – 3.56bn dollars

• International Monetary Fund positions – 2.6bn dollars

• Gold bullion – 2.17bn dollars

Based on the figures above, it seems that the core foreign reserve assets – namely securities and deposits – have been the main contributing factors to the rise in the ROK foreign exchange reserves, followed by those included under the broader category of foreign reserves (SDR, IMF positions and gold).

Will the coming months see South Korea’s foreign reserves reaching even greater heights and rising up through the ranks among the top five, or even the top three? We’ll be paying close attention to foreign reserve developments in the ROK this quarter.

While everything is a gamble in investment, it helps if we are guided by good analysis and understanding of the risks involved so we can make informed decisions.   Commodity trading offers a lot of benefits not offered by conventional fund management, principally the possibility of large profits in a short time, but it pays to have the proper research and knowledge to succeed.  We have seen a continual rise in the goods that commodity investment has to offer for trading, but there are also risks that we should take into consideration.

Since commodities futures are highly leveraged investments small price changes can cause the loss of your entire investment and even create “Margin Calls” where you are required to add additional funds. When we are able to manage the risks, we can be assured of generating satisfactory returns. Below are some risks that we need to be careful of when investing in commodities.

Natural risks (Risks involving nature)

Since commodities are usually goods of the earth, such as wheat and corn, geographical risks will definitely affect the commodities that we are trading.  Any hurricane or bad weather changes can easily affect the supply of wheat and corn, consequently affecting its prices. Droughts can cause major changes but also plenty of rain which produces a bumper crop and lowers prices because of the larger supply.

Political Risks

One of the best examples of how political risks can make commodities fluctuate greatly  is oil.  Large supply of oil is found in the middle east and oil companies would need to handle the laws of the middle east countries that have jurisdiction over this natural resource. Many conflicts happen in oil producing nations which can send prices rapidly higher.

Speculation Risks

Commodities markets are not any different in some ways from stock markets, the market can also be populated with traders whose interests lie on speculation whether the prices will go up or down or longer term investors who have a stake in the products traded.  It is important to distinguish whether the market participants are truly commercial users or just plain speculators.

Fraud Risks

As with any other business transaction, there is the possibility of fraud.  There are institutions that are regulating the market to prevent or minimize fraud in commodities investment however there are still deceptive practices to be careful of and some of these may lay within legally accepted statutes.  To prevent fraud, it is important to research thoroughly on the company you are transacting with.  It helps to have more than enough information about the firm before you release your funds.  While you may never be assured that everything will be fraud-free, it pays to do your homework and maintain careful and complete documentation on all your trades and positions.

If you’ve got a pickup truck sitting in your driveway and need extra money, why not put it to work for you? As more people make the change to smaller, more economical cars, they have more of a need for people with trucks. Here are five great ways to make money with your pickup truck:

Help Someone Move

Have you ever watched a neighbor try to move, hauling carload after carload of stuff to their new house? It can take forever! Eventually, you’ll see a U-Haul show up in the driveway to help move the larger items like furniture and appliances. Why not offer your truck for the job?

Pickup trucks, especially those with larger beds, are great to use when moving house. Many people spend hundreds of dollars on moving vans.  Why not get some of that money for yourself? The next time a neighbor, family or friend is moving, offer them the use of your truck, for a small fee of course.

 Haul Dirt, Gravel or Mulch

With spring just around the corner, now is the perfect opportunity to hire your truck out to haul landscaping supplies. Chances are that you know someone who could use some help getting mulch from the nursery into their front yard.

Maybe you know someone who is putting in a sidewalk or driveway. There’s no doubt that this person would be more than happy to give you $50 to use your truck for the day! It will be far cheaper for them and easy money for you.

 Garage Sale Delivery

People announce their garage sales in the newspaper about a week in advance. If a phone number is provided, call the homeowner and offer your delivery services. Decide what you can fit in your truck and what you can reasonable move, and then set your fee. The benefit is twofold: people will be more apt to buy larger items if there is someone available to move them, putting more money in the pocket of the homeowner, and you’ll also make money delivering the goods.

Plow Snow

Turning your truck into a plow will take an initial outlay of cash, but you’d be surprised at how many people are willing to pay someone to plow their driveway in the winter. Install a plow onto the front of your truck and go visit your neighbors. Charge $20 per driveway, get five clients and you can easily make $100 on a snowy day. If you show up on time and do a good job, word will spread and you’ll be making more money than you can shake a stick at.

Transport Junk

Everyone has something sitting in their house that they don’t want anymore, simply because they don’t have the means to take it to the dump. Offer to take items to the town dump for a fee. You won’t be able to make a living out of doing this, but it can be a good way to make some money on the weekends or your days off.

If you decide to put your truck to use for you, there are some great ways to advertise. Put an ad in the newspaper, post an ad on Craigslist, or even hand out flyers around the neighborhood. Think of performing one or all of these services.  It can be a great way to make extra money each month with a vehicle that would otherwise be doing nothing but taking up space.

Author Dan Nielson is a contract electrician and blogs for trucksping.com, a site that specializes in suspensions for trucks. They have everything you need from replacing an air bag suspension to leveling kits.

Most consumers start their home buying process by visiting preexisting houses and evaluating their worth for a potential purchase. However, there is an alternative to this old fashioned way of thinking. What if the buyer could put his or her input into the actual construction of the home, right down to the electrical outlet placement? Enter the house and land package.

A house and land package allows the buyer to purchase the land that the new home will be built upon. Once the home is built, he or she owns both the land and physical structure. There are a number of different benefits that pertain to these packages. Let’s take a look.

Investment opportunity

Since the home has not been built yet, buyers can be vocal about additions and substitutions to the actual construction process. By customizing the home, buyers can begin to advertise the house’s features as a selling point. Large skylights in the living room? The buyer can make sure to have these installed for a potential customer. The fact that the home is brand new is another selling feature; buyers can stress this selling point for a fast sale, as well as the fact that no surprise repairs will be needed after the purchase since every part of the home is unused.

Saving Money Initially

Another benefit to house and land packages is the initial investment amount. Buyers do not purchase the combination of the home and land in the beginning; the house does not yet exist to be an asset for sale. As a result, the buyer simply puts down a deposit for the land only, not the house. This process can save the buyer thousands of dollars in the beginning.

Customizing Your Own Home

Many buyers are extremely picky about their home features; some prefer carpeting, while other prefer hardwood. However, purchasing the house and land package will allow buyers to customize their own home. In fact, they can choose almost any material option within the home since it has not built yet. As a result, the paint color, flooring choice, and even the amount of bedrooms can be personalized for the buyer. The resulting home will be the perfect dream house for the buyer.

In the end, a house and land package is a smart choice for savvy investors and particular homeowners. Buyers should research the seller, or developer, so that the real estate process is smooth; construction of the home should stay within budget, as well as on time. The benefits of these packages will make a happy home for the buyer.

If you’re int he market for beautiful house and land packages in award winning residential estates, see LWP property development Perth. LWP offer house and land packages in a number of popular locations across W.A, both north and south of the river. Visit a display village for yourself and you’ll be impressed.