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A secured card is recommended for people with challenged credit or no credit. This card requires a deposit to secure a certain amount of credit, but you will have the same privileges of unsecured cards. A secured card may be used for renting a car or for other purchases that may require a credit card.

Do I Have to Pay Interest on a Secured Credit Card?

Yes, you will be required to pay interest on the credit card if you do not pay the card in full each month. If you are late on the payments, the interest rate may be increased. The credit card company will also report your payment history to a credit reporting company. Poor payment history will damage your credit even with a security deposit.

Who Will a Secured Credit Card Help?

People Who Have No Credit History. If you have no credit history, obtaining a credit card may be difficult because creditors have no way of knowing whether or not you are a responsible person or not. A secured credit card is an excellent way to establish credit if you have none.

People Who Need to Reestablish Their Credit. Secured credit cards to rebuild credit will help clients repair their credit score over time. If your credit history is damaged, you will be able to apply for a secured credit card. Some companies will issue a secured credit card to even a person with the worst credit available.

If you have a Visa or MasterCard and make consistent on time payments, your credit card company will take notice and report this to the credit agency. The credit card company will then serve as a reference for your on-time payments and your credit history will improve.

What Privileges Do I Have with a Secured Credit Card?

Your secured credit card allows individuals to charge hotel reservations, airline tickets and rental car reservations. As long as your credit history is strong, you will have some of the same privileges as some of these other credit cards. If you pay more than the minimum on time each month, many customers may be able to qualify for an unsecured card in as little as 12 months. Secured credit cards are also protected by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

What Happens If I Get Into Debt Again?

A secured credit card can help you avoid getting deep into debt again. If you do get in debt again and your account becomes delinquent, your security deposit will be seized and your account will be closed. This will help to minimize your losses due to debt.

To avoid getting into debt, do not sign up for a credit card with a subprime interest rate. These cards prey upon people with bad or no credit. The fees on subprime cards can easily total in excess of $200 annually. Most of your credit line may consist of paying fees on a small purchase.

Conclusion

Credit card companies understand that sometimes circumstances in this world cause us to become delinquent on our accounts. However, a secured credit offers a second chance to those who need it. Choose your secured credit card wisely to avoid paying exorbitant interest rates and fees.

It seems that every time you go grocery shopping it is a little more expensive than the last time. Prices seem to be consistently creeping upwards by a few more cents all the time. Weather damaging the crops, animals falling ill, gas prices increasing – these and many more factors are such that their impact will be resilient enough to be felt at the grocery store as well. Instead of dreading shopping use these tips to help save money and keep your grocery bill in check –

Coupons

Coupons are a great way of saving money on groceries. There are some Sunday papers that still offer coupons to cut out. In order to get more of them do a quick search on the Internet and you will come across websites which will feature coupons. Some will need to be printed while in case of others you would simply need to load the coupon to your favorite grocery store card. Now if the coupon is used for an item that is on sale it can result in added savings. Some grocery stores double and even triple the value of a coupon up to at least a dollar.

Price Book

This is one of the easiest things to do and can take the form of a notebook or even an excel sheet. Since there are certain items like canned goods which are purchased every time, they could be written down per page or column if using a spreadsheet. List the stores that you shop at on the left and then list the normal price that is usually paid. This type of system makes it easier for tracking popular items and then comparing the sale ads to see if the best price can actually be picked up at.

Meals

Write down the meals that you would like to cook for the time in between your shopping. This makes it easier to look through the ads and see if the needed ingredients are available on sale anywhere. Planning meals helps to make the money last even longer when shopping for grocery.

Cook from Scratch

No matter how many members are in a household it always seems to be easier to come home and serve a packaged meal. This is nice but it does cost almost double than if you made it yourself. It is understandable that after a long day at work you are worn out and exhausted but it is equally important to realize that a crock pot on the counter is the perfect way to make your meals. Just put everything in it before getting ready for work and upon your arrival at night it is already cooked and ready to serve.

List

As you thumb through the ads and gather your coupons make a list while proceeding downwards. This helps you stick to buying only what is needed and hence ensures maintaining of the budget. Sometimes when walking through the store there will be items on sale that might seem tempting. However, before grabbing these it would be wise to think if the offer is a good one and if the items are truly needed at home.

There is a common misconception that when you sell an ounce of gold in any form, it is worth the spot price of gold. The spot price of an ounce of gold is the price that a buyer will pay or a seller will accept for the immediate delivery of the precious metal.

People are sometimes shocked to find that a store offering to pay for any old gold jewelry only offers them a fraction of the spot price for their gold chains and gold rings. The confusion is usually attributable to the fact that people do not understand that gold jewelry is not made of pure gold.

What is most gold jewelry made of?

Almost all gold jewelry contains a less-expensive alloy like silver, copper or nickel to increase the strength and durability of the jewelry. The vast majority of gold jewelry is made of 14 or 18 karat gold. Gold content is measured in terms of karats in the jewelry trade. Pure gold is considered 24 karat gold. An 18 karat piece of jewelry is 75% pure (18/24) and a 14 karat piece of gold jewelry is 58.3% (14/24) pure.

Scrap gold dealers will only pay you for the actual gold content. They also reduce the amount they pay for the cost of melting down the gold, delivery charges and a commission for their services.

Gold bullion, whether it is in the form of gold bars or coins, is considered pure gold. It is at least .999 fine and has a value very close to the spot price of the metal. Purity aside, you will pay slightly more for gold bullion coins because they are easier and more convenient to handle. Large 100 or even 1,000 ounce bars offer the lowest price per ounce for gold bullion. Commissions and dealer markup accounts for the higher price you will pay when you buy instead of sell bullion gold.

What makes gold jewelry expspensive?

When you are talking about expensive gold jewelry, the value is determined in part by the gold content, but also by the design and embellishment of the particular piece of jewelry. A similar premium is also placed on collectible gold coins. The condition and rarity of a particular coin can make its numismatic value worth much more than its gold content.

An educated consumer should understand the importance of knowing the gold content and any other extrinsic factors that affect the price of their gold items. By being aware of the type of gold they may be thinking about buying or selling, they are more likely to get a fair price when they make a transaction.

What are the risks associated with private equity finance and how can investors be successful? 

Understanding Private Equity

Private Equity Finance refers to the initiative of raising capital from external investors and in turn rewarding them a share of the business.  It consists of equity shares of companies not registered and traded on a public stock exchange.  There are various ways of investing in private equity – leveraged buyouts, venture capital, growth capital, distressed investments and mezzanine capital.

Private Equity Finance: Risk Capital

Private Equity is often considered as “risk capital” due to its inherent nature and characteristics. In the case of private equity, operational issues make it hard to determine who ultimately is responsible for economic risk that arises out of a leveraged buyout.  These are the result of using increased complex credit derivatives. The chances of these derivatives not being confirmed in a timely manner is very high and this may lead to more amount being traded than underlying assets. Private equity finance is also considered a risk as a conflict of interest may arise between the responsibilities the firm has towards itself and the companies owned by the funds.  Private equity investors are faced with huge turmoil along their way and need to be more prudent while making, managing and exiting investments.  It is always important to have an entrepreneurial spirit when taking up such high risk ventures.  Private equity investors spend tremendous amount of their time and energy looking for good business investments and enable them boost their performance.  Entrepreneurs always believe in the concept of more risk equals more return! 

Successful Private Equity Investing

Private Equity Finance, with its inherent risk characteristics can be a successful venture by knowing what you’re getting into. It is essential to be in places where successful entrepreneurs are.  Success breeds further success, after all.  This will give investors valuable insights and gain knowledge of new companies. They are masters in their field and just being in their presence will enrich investors with a lot of information.  Developing an exit strategy is crucial to the success of private equity finance. The investor should have a liquidity event in place and make sure it brings rewards.  A very important aspect is diversification.  When there is effective diversity in the portfolio, small losses can be negated by higher profits in other investments and lead to long term success. With all these tips and insights, private equity finance can be highly rewarding for an entrepreneur, both as an investor as well as a business owner seeking investment yourself!

DealMarket’s online platform is meant to help the private equity world become simpler. Private Equity Finance can be successful if parties meet each other and close profitable deals. Powered by cloud-based technology, this onlie platform is considerably more efficient than using e-mail and Excel spread sheets.

The key to frugal living is avoiding the unnecessary big purchases while cutting back on the little everyday purchases. This may sound simple in theory, but is incredibly hard in practice. This is due to the fact that many consumers are simply unaware of how to cut back on their daily spending, and exactly what about their big expenditures is unnecessary.

The following is an easy to follow guide that will help set you on the path to frugal living:

1. Housing and Transportation

If you are in the market to buy a house, buy small. For every extra square foot of real estate you purchase, you will have to pay that much more in property taxes, utility bills, insurance, and mortgage. If you are looking to rent a space, look for a compact room. With the freedom that mobile technology provides, there’s no reason to have your bedroom be anything more than a place to sleep.

Carpool to work. Share a car with your spouse or roommate if you can. If you have an expensive gas guzzler, trade it in for a smaller, fuel-efficient vehicle. An SUV will cost you much more on gas and insurance and is generally a waste of resources. Most SUV drivers, after all, do not purchase their vehicles with the intent to go off road. If possible, try moving to within walking distance of where you work. The time you save on the commute will also make you better rested and happier, and the morning walk will be good for your health.

2. Don’t Eat Out

If you eat groceries, meals on average can amount to $1 per person. In contrast, a typical restaurant or fast food experience can run you anywhere between $5 and $20 dollars per meal. Over the course of a year, you could be losing thousands of dollars on meals alone. Invest that money and over time the amount can grow into the hundreds of thousands. The power of compound interest is the main reason why saving nickels and dimes is important.

3. Eliminate Debt

Just as the interest from savings accounts compound, so does debt. Worse yet, credit card interest is typically five or six times higher than the growth of your bank account. Debt will devour your finances faster than you can earn it, and cutting the size of your obligations should take priority over any other purchase, no matter how much you think you need it. If it isn’t food and shelter, you can do without it.

4. No More Cable

Cable is a bloated, expensive luxury that offers you 100 channels you never watch and don’t need. When you buy a package from a cable company, you pay for every single one of these channels, from the home shopping network to the soap opera channel. This never made much sense, but in the past people were handicapped by the lack of options. Now you can watch these programs through online and DVD rental services, many of which are low cost or even free.

5. Staying Healthy

The rising cost of medical care has crippled many individuals as they struggle to pay for prescription medication, vital exams, and surgeries. The best way to lower these costs is to stay healthy. Eating right and exercising regularly will help you remain strong and fit, lowering your susceptibility to disease and the need for doctor visits. However, you don’t have to purchase an expensive gym membership and organic food to live a healthy lifestyle. Just utilize your local park for exercise, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to maintain a balanced diet.