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	<title>Financial Planning &#187; Financial Planning</title>
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		<title>Financing_With_Business_Credit_Cards</title>
		<link>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financing_with_business_credit_cards</link>
		<comments>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financing_with_business_credit_cards#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:06:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>maxpotential</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financing_with_business_credit_cards</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Title:
Financing With Business Credit Cards
Word Count:
617
Summary:
You&#8217;ve heard the saying, &#8220;You&#8217;ve got to spend money to make money!&#8221; This couldn&#8217;t be more true, especially in business. If you want to grow your business, you&#8217;re going to need a source of funds and access to cash flow &#8211; particularly when things are moving slowly.
At one time, owners [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><body>Title:<br />
Financing With Business Credit Cards</p>
<p>Word Count:<br />
617</p>
<p>Summary:<br />
You&#8217;ve heard the saying, &#8220;You&#8217;ve got to spend money to make money!&#8221; This couldn&#8217;t be more true, especially in business. If you want to grow your business, you&#8217;re going to need a source of funds and access to cash flow &#8211; particularly when things are moving slowly.</p>
<p>At one time, owners of businesses had to get business credit against the things that they owned personally and based on their personal credit score. This is a major liability because if your business doesn&#8217;t make &#8230;</p>
<p>Keywords:<br />
credit, credit card, credit cards, credit card balance, credit history <span id="more-19"></span>, business credit card</p>
<p>Article Body:<br />
You&#8217;ve heard the saying, &#8220;You&#8217;ve got to spend money to make money!&#8221; This couldn&#8217;t be more true, especially in business. If you want to grow your business, you&#8217;re going to need a source of funds and access to cash flow &#8211; particularly when things are moving slowly.</p>
<p>At one time, owners of businesses had to get business credit against the things that they owned personally and based on their personal credit score. This is a major liability because if your business doesn&#8217;t make it, you could lose your personal assets, too! Thankfully, there are now ways to obtain business credit that is not just an extension of what you owe personally.</p>
<p>If you set the business up as an official entity- separate from yourself, you can apply for various business funding, including loans or credit cards. When a business is just starting out, it hasn&#8217;t had the opportunity to establish it&#8217;s own credit rating yet and so lenders will have to use your personal credit report to determine the level of risk in lending to a business you own. What happens if your personal credit score is not-so-good?</p>
<p>You can take some steps to increase your chances of getting a business credit card (or some other form of business funding) by doing the following:</p>
<p>Take steps to increase your personal score. Before you go any further looking for business credit cards or other sources of funding, do you know what your score is? Is your credit score below 640? If it is, it is recommended that you attempt to increase the score first. Often, making all of your payments on time for 3 consecutive months will pull your score up 2 to 4 points. Check with a financial advisor for some ways of increasing your credit score as it will only serve to help you personally as well as in business.</p>
<p>Create an LLC or Corporation. This type of business structure automatically means the business is separate, and not just an extension of you. If you are operating a business under your name, and have not filed any official paperwork with the government or with lawyers and accountants- your business finances are no different than your personal finances.</p>
<p>Have a physical address. Believe it or not, using a PO Box can hinder your ability to get a business credit card or loan! If you operate out of your home, you might consider getting a business mailbox from Mailboxes Etc, or UPS, as both offer a physical mailing address rather than a PO Box. Having a business phone line also will increase the way the business is looked at by lenders, and ensures the business is reachable.</p>
<p>If you are still unable to obtain business credit cards or financing on your first try, perhaps you know someone with a strong credit rating who would be willing to co-sign an application for you. You may not be able to have a business application for credit co-signed, but you can as an individual. Get a credit card in your name and then use it only for the business. Be sure to make the payments on time, and keep the balance manageable. Over time, you&#8217;ll build up your personal credit score, which is seen as a boost for the business validity- and eventually you&#8217;ll be able to obtain funding and credit cards under the business name.</p>
<p>Getting business credit cards and financing is a necessity that all businesses will face from time to time. There is a need for cash flow in order to grow and increase the business. With some careful planning and preparation, most businesses will be approved for a business credit card even if the owner has personal credit that is slightly less-than-perfect.</body></p>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Financial_Freedom_-_The_Main_Positive_Personalities_Of_Millionaires</title>
		<link>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_freedom_-_the_main_positive_personalities_of_millionaires</link>
		<comments>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_freedom_-_the_main_positive_personalities_of_millionaires#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:06:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>maxpotential</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_freedom_-_the_main_positive_personalities_of_millionaires</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Title:
Financial Freedom &#8211; The Main Positive Personalities Of Millionaires
Word Count:
434
Summary:
Financial freedom is a topic that is of interest to every one. Almost all of us are in search of a foolproof plan for financial freedom. One can get many suggestions on this regard from others. One person may advise you to look for job change. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><body>Title:<br />
Financial Freedom &#8211; The Main Positive Personalities Of Millionaires</p>
<p>Word Count:<br />
434</p>
<p>Summary:<br />
Financial freedom is a topic that is of interest to every one. Almost all of us are in search of a foolproof plan for financial freedom. One can get many suggestions on this regard from others. One person may advise you to look for job change. You may get a suggestion from another about beginning a small at-home business. Some people try to enrich their knowledge about the stock market, real estate market and other investment opportunities in their endeavor for financial free&#8230;</p>
<p>Keywords:</p>
<p>Article Body:<br />
Financial freedom is a topic <span id="more-18"></span> that is of interest to every one. Almost all of us are in search of a foolproof plan for financial freedom. One can get many suggestions on this regard from others. One person may advise you to look for job change. You may get a suggestion from another about beginning a small at-home business. Some people try to enrich their knowledge about the stock market, real estate market and other investment opportunities in their endeavor for financial freedom. </p>
<p>Learn from millionaires</p>
<p>Let us analyze these millionaires that have been successful in their lives and accomplished their objective of financial freedom. They all have had some skills that have helped them in financial freedom. Here are some key elements of their personality, the strategies they adopted and the rules they followed in their lives. </p>
<p>Importance of working with people</p>
<p>The biggest advantage that these millionaires have in financial freedom is that they are masters in the art of team work. Having the right kind of people to work with you and knowing how to handle them is the most important tool that you have in your hands for financial freedom. You can observe that whenever and wherever someone has made a great fortune theres a group of talented people was involved. </p>
<p>Power of decisiveness</p>
<p>Power of decisiveness ability is also very important for financial freedom. You should have the ability of going through the pros and cons very quickly to reach at any decision. Once, you make it a habit you will always be at an advantage over others when it comes to cashing on any opportunity. </p>
<p>The characteristic of persistence</p>
<p>Every one who is successful in financial freedom is persistent with his work. You should also be ready to develop this quality. Instead of giving up at an early stage you should be prepared to work for extra hours. Make use of whatever you do for getting new ideas for financial freedom. Go through the financial related magazines that provide many useful suggestions in this regard. Write down these ideas and analyze them on a regular basis. You don&#8217;t know when a particular idea clicks and you get an opportunity to reach your goal. </p>
<p>Resourcefulness of time</p>
<p>An important characteristic that is present in the personalities of all millionaires is good time management. Understand the importance of time. When you are putting all your efforts into making money then wasting time can be detrimental to your efforts. After all, all of us have been grown up listening to the popular phrase &#8220;Time is money&#8221; right from our childhood.</body></p>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Financial_Planning_Is_A_Good_Choice</title>
		<link>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_planning_is_a_good_choice</link>
		<comments>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_planning_is_a_good_choice#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:06:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>maxpotential</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_planning_is_a_good_choice</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Title:
Financial Planning Is A Good Choice
Word Count:
462
Summary:
If you have several credit cards and have found that making just the monthly payment to be difficult then you may want to look into ways to manage your debt and learn some financial planning skills.  If you want to avoid bankruptcy then you may need to try [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><body>Title:<br />
Financial Planning Is A Good Choice</p>
<p>Word Count:<br />
462</p>
<p>Summary:<br />
If you have several credit cards and have found that making just the monthly payment to be difficult then you may want to look into ways to manage your debt and learn some financial planning skills.  If you want to avoid bankruptcy then you may need to try debt consolidation.  </p>
<p>One way to consolidate debt that is quite fast and easy is to transfer the balance of all of your credit cards onto another card.  Many cards will give you 0% APR for six months to a year and this c&#8230;</p>
<p>Keywords:<br />
Debt <span id="more-17"></span> Consolidation, consolidate debt, financial planning, bankruptcy</p>
<p>Article Body:<br />
If you have several credit cards and have found that making just the monthly payment to be difficult then you may want to look into ways to manage your debt and learn some financial planning skills.  If you want to avoid bankruptcy then you may need to try debt consolidation.  </p>
<p>One way to consolidate debt that is quite fast and easy is to transfer the balance of all of your credit cards onto another card.  Many cards will give you 0% APR for six months to a year and this can help you to save money and save money that you would be paying on high interest rates.  Youll want to make sure that the sum of all your balances will fit on the new card.  If the new card jumps into a very high interest APR it might not be worth it if you cant pay your whole debt off by that time.  Do some math and figure out what works for you.  </p>
<p>When you do the math on your debt youll want to see how long the credit card offers this great 0% APR offer.  It can vary a lot from card to card so youll wan to read all the fine print and make sure you know exactly what you are getting into before you sign up for anything.  Sometimes you will be able to pay off your debt within the time period for the 0% APR, but sometimes it might take you much longer to pay off the debt.  If this is the case you must really watch how you transfer your money because it may not be worth it.  Youll want to make sure you dont get in a situation that you cant out of once all your credit card balances are on one card.  A high interest rate payment in a year or even six months could wreck your whole debt free plan.  Being prudent in the whole process will help you to better manage your money and learn good financial planning.  </p>
<p>This is not the only solution and there are a few other ones that you could try.  You might want to ask a friend or family member for a loan and then you can pay off your credit card bills at once.  You want to make sure you write all these terms down before dealing with a friend or family member and money.  You could offer other services to them for their help instead of money or maybe a very low interest loan.  Try a non-profit organization if you think you need more serious and professional help for your credit card debt.  Go online to find the best resources around when it comes to taking care of credit card debt.</p>
<p></body></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Financing_A_New_Car_With_A_Personal_Loan</title>
		<link>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financing_a_new_car_with_a_personal_loan</link>
		<comments>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financing_a_new_car_with_a_personal_loan#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:06:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>maxpotential</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financing_a_new_car_with_a_personal_loan</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Title:
Financing A New Car With A Personal Loan
Word Count:
613
Summary:
Buying a new or second hand is always an expensive business and unless you are one of the dying breed of motorists lucky enough to be a cash buyer, then how you finance your new purchase is going to be a major consideration.
So, what are your options?
Basically, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><body>Title:<br />
Financing A New Car With A Personal Loan</p>
<p>Word Count:<br />
613</p>
<p>Summary:<br />
Buying a new or second hand is always an expensive business and unless you are one of the dying breed of motorists lucky enough to be a cash buyer, then how you finance your new purchase is going to be a major consideration.</p>
<p>So, what are your options?</p>
<p>Basically, you can look at the dealers own finance schemes (schemes in most cases, being the key word here!); by taking out a car loan from a loan provider or bank; or, by remortgaging.</p>
<p>Car dealer finance</p>
<p>With car&#8230;</p>
<p>Keywords:<br />
car finance, car loan, personal <span id="more-16"></span> finance, personal loan</p>
<p>Article Body:<br />
Buying a new or second hand is always an expensive business and unless you are one of the dying breed of motorists lucky enough to be a cash buyer, then how you finance your new purchase is going to be a major consideration.</p>
<p>So, what are your options?</p>
<p>Basically, you can look at the dealers own finance schemes (schemes in most cases, being the key word here!); by taking out a car loan from a loan provider or bank; or, by remortgaging.</p>
<p>Car dealer finance</p>
<p>With car dealership finance, there are many different types available. However, in most cases, they work out the most costly way to fund a new motor. This is because car dealers are in the middle men between you and the finance company who are offering the loan and while the money is changing hands, the car dealer likes to take his own little cut.</p>
<p>This will be reflected in the interest rate you are offered by the dealership, which will in most cases be bumped up from what the finance company are asking.</p>
<p>And if you see a 0% finance deal, while it will seem attractive to everyone, even those who could be cash buyer, you need to ask yourself why they are offering such a good deal. Is it because they need to shift this particular make and model of car as it isnt selling?</p>
<p>If this could be the case, what hope will you have of selling a few years down the line when you decide to get another vehicle?</p>
<p>Or is the 0% finance deal on offer because there are hidden extras that will be added in to the overall costs so that the dealership stills makes a nice little profit, which mans you are paying over the odds for the car?</p>
<p>Also remember that should you miss your monthly credit repayments on the car, it could be repossessed, leaving you literally stranded.</p>
<p>Do your research thoroughly before signing up to a 0% finance deal  everything in life comes with a price tag even if it is hard to see.</p>
<p>Personal loans</p>
<p>By arranging a personal loan even before you set foot inside a showroom, you put yourself in a much better position as you will have a lot more bargaining power. Plus, it means that once you sign on the dotted line for your new car, you own it completely, even if you do have a debt to pay it.</p>
<p>Finding the cheapest personal loan in order to finance a car can be simple. Its all a case of shopping around for the right deal. Of course the internet makes this easy for you, giving you access to literally hundreds of providers and deals. You can compare interest rates as well as terms and conditions and can even apply online.</p>
<p>Always get a fixed rate loan for a shorter time as possible in order to know exactly how much you are paying out each month and to minimise the amount of interest you will repay.</p>
<p>Remortgaging</p>
<p>Finally, remortgaging is another way to finance a new car. However, do bear in mind that while you may be paying a low rate of interest (mortgage rates in general are lower than personal loan rates), the payment will be spread over a longer period of time &#8211; up to 25 years depending on the term on your mortgage.</p>
<p>So, youll be paying lots and lots of interest back on it.</p>
<p>You should also ensure that the extra repayment is affordable. Should this extra repayment be a burden on you finally and you start to miss repayment, it will be your home, not your car, that will be repossessed.</p>
<p></body></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Financing_Strategies_For_Investors</title>
		<link>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financing_strategies_for_investors</link>
		<comments>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financing_strategies_for_investors#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:06:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>maxpotential</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financing_strategies_for_investors</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Title:
Financing Strategies For Investors
Word Count:
1955
Summary:
Real estate investors can be broken down into three categories with the distinctions between them based on the length of time the property is held. On the short end, you&#8217;ve got flippers. These guys look for properties on the cheap, maybe put some money into fixing them up and then selling [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><body>Title:<br />
Financing Strategies For Investors</p>
<p>Word Count:<br />
1955</p>
<p>Summary:<br />
Real estate investors can be broken down into three categories with the distinctions between them based on the length of time the property is held. On the short end, you&#8217;ve got flippers. These guys look for properties on the cheap, maybe put some money into fixing them up and then selling for a profit. For the most part, they have no intention of renting the property out and work as quickly as possible to complete the deal. This category represents a lot of the people chasing&#8230;</p>
<p>Keywords:<br />
Mortgage,real estate,interest rate,purchase,refinance,home <span id="more-15"></span> equity,line of credit</p>
<p>Article Body:<br />
Real estate investors can be broken down into three categories with the distinctions between them based on the length of time the property is held. On the short end, you&#8217;ve got flippers. These guys look for properties on the cheap, maybe put some money into fixing them up and then selling for a profit. For the most part, they have no intention of renting the property out and work as quickly as possible to complete the deal. This category represents a lot of the people chasing foreclosures and probate sales. From the lending perspective, their biggest motivators are low down payments and NO prepayment penalties. They&#8217;ll even pay exorbitant Subprime interest rates to put these deals together without penalties.</p>
<p>Next up, you&#8217;ve got speculators. These guys look for quickly appreciating markets. The idea is to get in, buy a bunch of properties, keep them for 3 to 5 years and then move on to the next booming market. For that length of time, they have to rent out their properties but are not particularly interested in paying down the principle balance on the mortgage. In fact, if they&#8217;re confident in the appreciation potential, they may be willing to accept negative amortization loans in order to keep the cash flow on their properties positive.</p>
<p>The last category is investors. These guys try to accumulate a portfolio of properties and have the rental income pay down the principle balance over time. The idea, obviously, is to own a number of properties outright or with minimal mortgages and enjoy positive cash flow on each. From the lending perspective, these investors are looking for longer term loan products like intermediate ARMs or 30-year fixed mortgages. Clearly, a property with a 30-year fixed mortgage and a sustainable cash flow will eventually be paid off, leaving just the property taxes and insurance behind.</p>
<p>So, let&#8217;s talk about each of these a bit more. A lot of flippers do this stuff full time. In terms of underwriting, it makes it a lot easier if they&#8217;ve got a real job. But if they don&#8217;t, they don&#8217;t have a verifiable source of income either. Of course, if they&#8217;ve done it for more than two years, we can say they&#8217;re self-employed and get the loan done that way. But if theyre new at the game  and many of them are  we almost always have to use a No Doc program. Thats the lowest level of documentation and the pricing reflects the increased risk.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, if we say they&#8217;re self-employed, they obviously have an investment property as well as a primary residence  and maybe more than one  all without any rental income. So they&#8217;re supporting two houses. That means we&#8217;d have to show a VERY high income to fit within debt ratio limitations. The moral to the story is the vast majority of these deals end up in Subprime programs because it&#8217;s easier to get approvals, particularly for low or no down payment programs.</p>
<p>Now, the question is: does it matter? Well, not really because you&#8217;re only planning to keep the property for a few months anyway, so the monthly payment isn&#8217;t that important. Yes, the payment may be big but you only have to make three or four of them (hopefully) before you can get out. It&#8217;s just another cost of doing business. By the way, I&#8217;m not saying A-paper and Alt-A programs are impossible for these types of deals. They&#8217;re just harder to qualify for.</p>
<p>What about the speculators? People buying for 3 to 5 years. Well, the negative amortization Option ARMs are extremely popular. I&#8217;m not a big fan of Option ARMs because they&#8217;re risky and largely misunderstood by those who get into them. The big attraction the low initial monthly payment but that&#8217;s balanced by the resulting negative amortization and an interest rate that&#8217;s variable from the very first month.</p>
<p>Anyway, they do have advantages for speculative real estate investors because they make it more possible to have positive cash flow on investment properties. So we should really take a moment or two to fully understand how they work. First and foremost, the initial payment is an artificially low payment. In many cases, it&#8217;s based on a 1% interest rate but that definition is based more on marketing than reality. Fact is; the minimum payment is less than the accrued interest so the mortgage balance goes up every single month.</p>
<p>This minimum payment doesn&#8217;t stay the same forever. It&#8217;s fixed for the first 12 months and after that, it increases by 7.5%. Then it&#8217;s fixed for another 12 months and increases by another 7.5%. The minimum payment increases by 7.5% each year for the first seven years OR until the loan balance has reached its ceiling. Depending on the program, these loans can grow to either 110% or 125% of the original loan balance. Actually, the ones that can go as high as 125% are becoming increasingly rare. Most will only allow you to go as high as 110%. Anyway, once you&#8217;ve reach that ceiling, the loan starts amortizing right away  and that means a BIG payment shock at that point.</p>
<p>For obvious reasons, these loan programs are only justified if the real estate market is appreciating FASTER than the loan is growing. Although it depends on where interest rates go, most of these loan programs grow by 2% or 3% each year if you only make the minimum payment. So if the real estate market is appreciating faster than that, you&#8217;re still building equity. If not, you&#8217;re losing money every month. That&#8217;s the scary part. If it ever comes to that, you actually SAVE money by selling today  unless you&#8217;re okay making the larger interest only payment. And dont forget the interest rates on these programs are variable so the interest only payment can be different each and every month.</p>
<p>But we also have to keep in mind that these loan programs will only go as high as 95% financing. In fact, on investment properties, some lenders won&#8217;t even go that high. Depends on the lender. Also, the 95% financing is generally split into two separate loans. The 1% start rate loan usually only applies to the first 75%. The 20% second mortgage makes up the difference and is usually a fully amortizing loan with a much higher interest rate. Sometimes, you can do an 80/15 but most are 75/20s. So that means you have to come up with at least 5% down payment to qualify for one of these loans. That makes it more difficult to buy more and more, unless you continuously refinance and take cash out of other properties.</p>
<p>The speculative investors who use these programs are trying to keep their properties cash positive, or as close to cash positive as possible. But as we discussed a moment ago, the payments rise by 7.5% each year. After three or four years, the payment will be 24% or 33% higher (respectively) than it was at the beginning. If the market is still appreciating strong at that point, the investor may want to keep the property for another three or four years and refinance into another identical loan product, bringing the payment back down to the initial 1% point again. Doing so would increase the negative amortization but it may also keep the cash flow positive on that property.</p>
<p>You have to understand how underwriters evaluate investment properties. It really doesn&#8217;t matter how much equity you have. They only look at the cash flow impact of owning it. And you can show that impact in one of two ways. You can show lease agreements on the properties but the underwriters will always take the monthly rental figure and mark it down by 25% to account for periodic vacancies. It&#8217;s called the occupancy factor and most loan programs give you credit for 75% of the rental income listed on lease agreements. Incidentally, many Subprime programs will give you 90% or even 100% of such rental income  another example of easier Subprime guidelines.</p>
<p>The other way to show the cash flow impact is with the Schedule E of your federal tax return. That schedule details the income you make from rental properties but you clearly have an incentive to reduce that income as much as possible to limit your tax liability. Meanwhile, for underwriting, you want to show as much income as possible. So there&#8217;s a conflict there. Point is, there are disadvantages with both methods and you should usually look at both options to see which one will calculate the highest.</p>
<p>Each time you have a property that&#8217;s got negative cash flow, you have to show more income to squeeze into the same debt-to-income limitations for the next loan. It makes sense. If you&#8217;re subsidizing a property with your own income, it represents a monthly expense just like a car payment. So each time you add another property you have to subsidize, you have to show more income to qualify for the next loan. Depending on how much you&#8217;re subsidizing, you will quickly be claiming more income than you actually earn and will eventually be considered unreasonable by underwriters.</p>
<p>If a speculator wants to continue accumulating properties in hot markets, one of his or her top priorities is staying cash positive, or as close to it as possible. That priority exists for long-term investors as well but so does the repayment of the mortgage balance. As a result, these investors tend to consider more factors than just annual real estate appreciation. Appreciation is attractive but so is a healthy rental market, and the rental market depends on the types of jobs available in the local area and the health of the local economy.</p>
<p>There are plenty of companies that study this type of information and provide various reports and ratios to help identify healthy markets. I&#8217;m sure you could go to Google and find a lot of such offerings. I recently read an article that chose Charleston SC, Jacksonville FL and Austin TX as particularly attractive markets for long-term real estate investments. All three cities have diversified economies, good wages and affordable housing. Anyway, the motivation is clearly different then speculators or flippers. Long-term investors want a stable market where they can cover an amortizing loan payment  thats principle AND interest  with the rental income from the property.</p>
<p>Now, a well planned real estate investment strategy may involve more than one type of investment. For example, a long-term investor may buy a property in a hot market using a negative amortization loan and keep the property for only three or four years. After realizing some appreciation, the investor may sell the property and use the profits to pay down a mortgage on a different property in a more stable market. Perhaps the reduced mortgage balance will bring that property from a cash negative situation to a cash positive one. For the right investor, this strategy can work well even for flipped properties.</p>
<p>There are plenty of promoters encouraging people to take these profits and leverage them even further into more and more properties. Many of these promoters encourage negative amortization on all their properties. That&#8217;s where I have to disagree. That would&#8217;ve been fine four years ago but I just don&#8217;t believe the real estate market will continue to appreciate the way it has in recent years. Given the current market conditions, I don&#8217;t believe it makes sense to expose yourself to that much risk. If real estate goes sideways, these loans erode your equity and add volatility to the market.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s always a balance. That balance will definitely be different for a sophisticated investor than it will be for an average homeowner but that doesn&#8217;t mean you have to stretch it to the absolute limit. At the end of the day, the ideal situation remains; owning properties free and clear and collecting monthly rent payments on each.</p>
<p></body></p>
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		<item>
		<title>Financing_A_Lawsuit</title>
		<link>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financing_a_lawsuit</link>
		<comments>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financing_a_lawsuit#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:06:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>maxpotential</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financing_a_lawsuit</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Title:
Financing A Lawsuit
Word Count:
510
Summary:
Financing a lawsuit provides monetary help when a person seeks legal remedy in a court of law, and does not have the finances to bear the expenditure. The expenses covered by lawsuit financing companies include attorney fees, medical bills, health care, rent and mortgage, food etc. Cases funded by lawsuit firms include [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><body>Title:<br />
Financing A Lawsuit</p>
<p>Word Count:<br />
510</p>
<p>Summary:<br />
Financing a lawsuit provides monetary help when a person seeks legal remedy in a court of law, and does not have the finances to bear the expenditure. The expenses covered by lawsuit financing companies include attorney fees, medical bills, health care, rent and mortgage, food etc. Cases funded by lawsuit firms include personal injury, workers compensation, motor vehicle accidental injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability, breach of contract, fraud and o&#8230;</p>
<p>Keywords:<br />
fees, costs, lawyers, attornies, attorney, settlement, loans, interest, sue, money, cash</p>
<p>Article Body:<br />
Financing a lawsuit provides monetary help when a person seeks legal remedy <span id="more-14"></span> in a court of law, and does not have the finances to bear the expenditure. The expenses covered by lawsuit financing companies include attorney fees, medical bills, health care, rent and mortgage, food etc. Cases funded by lawsuit firms include personal injury, workers compensation, motor vehicle accidental injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability, breach of contract, fraud and others.</p>
<p>However, this should not be mistaken for a loan, as it is non-recourse. That is, the client does not have to repay the amount if he or she loses the lawsuit. The risk is undertaken entirely by the companies. A loan, on the other hand, usually has a definite payback schedule within a fixed period. As there is no way of determining how long a case will run, there is no rigid schedule of repayment followed by lawsuit financing companies.</p>
<p>These companies usually lookout for cases that have a strong chance of winning, in order to reduce the risk of losing money. They have an in-house attorney who studies cases, and decides which of those are more likely to win. Subsequently, they fix the amount that is to be provided to the client, according to his or her needs.</p>
<p>There are basically three types of funding:</p>
<p>1. Pre-settlement funding:<br />
Companies provide funds before the verdict is announced. These are generally provided when the client, due to some injury or some other reason, cannot work and earn money to pay the fees. If however, the verdict goes against the client, the company does not retrieve the money.</p>
<p>2. Post-settlement funding:<br />
Firms give money only after the lawsuit is settled. In such cases, however, they do allow partial advances.</p>
<p>3. Attorney Loans:<br />
The firms directly provide the attorney a long-term credit that will take care of all the expenses incurred.</p>
<p>However, before accepting help from such companies, it would be wise to consider the terms of repayment, and options available. The terms include the flat fee and the recurring fee. One should make an exploratory survey of different companies, and choose the one that is the most suitable. However, the chances of getting such funding would be negligible, if a case has a higher probability of losing, because lawsuit-financing firms scrutinize each case very carefully before providing help. Generally, this kind of service is provided to only those whose attorneys are ready to bear the huge expenses, which the client cannot provide.</p>
<p>Some clients are often compelled to obtain lawsuit financing at a high cost. For example, they may either need to pay their medical bills, pay the rent or mortgage, or avail of health care facilities. If there is no other source of income, lawsuit loans are often the best option. It is advisable to involve your attorney in processing a lawsuit loan, since he or she may be able to find you a funding company that offers the best terms. An attorney will also be able to help you review the contract before you sign up with the lawsuit funding company.</p>
<p></body></p>
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		<title>Financial_Planning_Make_Big_Jobs_Doable</title>
		<link>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_planning_make_big_jobs_doable</link>
		<comments>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_planning_make_big_jobs_doable#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:06:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>maxpotential</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_planning_make_big_jobs_doable</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Title:
Financial Planning Make Big Jobs Doable
Word Count:
447
Summary:
For most homeowners, their home is their number one asset and the largest line of financial security and equity they have.  For this reason, coming up with home improvement plans can be quite frightening.  Homeowners know that improving their home is a good thing for the bottom [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><body>Title:<br />
Financial Planning Make Big Jobs Doable</p>
<p>Word Count:<br />
447</p>
<p>Summary:<br />
For most homeowners, their home is their number one asset and the largest line of financial security and equity they have.  For this reason, coming up with home improvement plans can be quite frightening.  Homeowners know that improving their home is a good thing for the bottom line, but they also know how expensive it can be to do.  Many homeowners do not have the skills or talents necessary to perform home improvement duties on their own.  What they find themselves needs is&#8230;</p>
<p>Keywords:<br />
personal finance, financial planning, bankruptcy</p>
<p>Article Body:<br />
For most homeowners, their <span id="more-13"></span> home is their number one asset and the largest line of financial security and equity they have.  For this reason, coming up with home improvement plans can be quite frightening.  Homeowners know that improving their home is a good thing for the bottom line, but they also know how expensive it can be to do.  Many homeowners do not have the skills or talents necessary to perform home improvement duties on their own.  What they find themselves needs is some guidance as to what tools, materials, and jobs are best selected for improving the worth of their home. </p>
<p>Home improvement plans need not be pricey, nor should they put you in danger of having to file bankruptcy.  In fact, there are many projects that the main requirement for performing them only requires the ability to read and follow directions.  These types of projects will allow you to repair or make improvements to the home for only the cost of the materials.  </p>
<p>For example, if you intend to or would like to paint or tile any areas in your home, you may be able to perform the duty yourself.  Be sure to include using positive self-talk to motivate you, and doing your research and homework by talking to professionals and reading the tips online before starting any home improvement task.  You should also consider writing your plan of attack for completing the task you have selected.  </p>
<p>Part of successfully completing projects is to properly plan and prepare for them.  This includes properly preparing a financial plan and a long-term project scheme that outlines remodeling wants, needs, and anticipated expenses.  By listing everything out, you can best adjust your financial planning and timelines by available funds.  Also, you can see ahead to plan researching and attending demonstrations to help you learn to do a lot of the work yourself which will free up your need to rely on expensive contractors. </p>
<p>In attempting to make improvements on your home, try to avoid applying for a second mortgage to cover materials and supplies.  Instead, use your long term map to prepare budgets and time lines that are reasonable.  Use the pre-scouted plan to identify what items can be picked up ahead of time, especially on sale.  All of these techniques will help you save a lot of money on the home improvement projects.  Remember too, that you dont have to buy all the tools, but you may be able to lease or rent some things like tile cutters, etc.  All of these tips can help you stretch your home improvement dollars into more equity and savings in your home, and that really is a good thing.</p>
<p></body></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Find_A_Cheap_Home_Owner_s_Insurance_Quote_In_Louisiana</title>
		<link>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/find_a_cheap_home_owner_s_insurance_quote_in_louisiana</link>
		<comments>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/find_a_cheap_home_owner_s_insurance_quote_in_louisiana#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:06:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>maxpotential</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/find_a_cheap_home_owner_s_insurance_quote_in_louisiana</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Title:
Find A Cheap Home Owner&#8217;s Insurance Quote In Louisiana
Word Count:
321
Summary:
Louisiana homes are prone to wind and water damage as the state is at high risk for hurricanes and rain storms. Therefore, Louisiana home owners must make sure their homes are as wind- and water-resistant as possible. Home owner insurance companies are going to look at [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><body>Title:<br />
Find A Cheap Home Owner&#8217;s Insurance Quote In Louisiana</p>
<p>Word Count:<br />
321</p>
<p>Summary:<br />
Louisiana homes are prone to wind and water damage as the state is at high risk for hurricanes and rain storms. Therefore, Louisiana home owners must make sure their homes are as wind- and water-resistant as possible. Home owner insurance companies are going to look at several factors regarding these kinds of resistance as they determine a Louisiana home owner insurance quote.</p>
<p>After you are moved in and settled, you have no control over the age of your home; however, you d&#8230;</p>
<p>Keywords:</p>
<p>Article Body:<br />
Louisiana homes are prone to wind <span id="more-12"></span> and water damage as the state is at high risk for hurricanes and rain storms. Therefore, Louisiana home owners must make sure their homes are as wind- and water-resistant as possible. Home owner insurance companies are going to look at several factors regarding these kinds of resistance as they determine a Louisiana home owner insurance quote.</p>
<p>After you are moved in and settled, you have no control over the age of your home; however, you do have control over the condition of your home. Many old homes are prone to more damage than newer homes, so you have to make sure your old home is well-maintained. Make all necessary repairs and replacements before you search for your Louisiana home owner insurance quote. By doing this, you are more likely to get a cheap home owner insurance quote. Take into consideration your roof and your plumbing and electrical systems, as these factors can cause additional water damage as well as fire damage. Make sure your windows and doors are sturdy, as well.</p>
<p>Once your home is as hurricane- and storm-resistant as it can be, start thinking about other safety factors. Fire damage isnt always caused by a faulty electrical system. Install smoke alarms in each room throughout your home, and keep the appropriate number of fire extinguishers depending on the size of your home. Do you feel that your home is as burglar-proof as it can be? Install an anti-theft system in your home. Replace weak doors and locks with thicker, sturdier doors and dead bolt locks. Make sure the locks on all of your windows work, and that there are no cracks or openings in your windows.</p>
<p>Your Louisiana home owner insurance quote will depend on each of these factors. Take care of them. Make repairs and replacements, and take extra safety precautions, before you start shopping for a Louisiana home owner insurance quote.</p>
<p></body></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Financial_Planning_And_Becoming_Debt-free</title>
		<link>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_planning_and_becoming_debt-free</link>
		<comments>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_planning_and_becoming_debt-free#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:06:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>maxpotential</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_planning_and_becoming_debt-free</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Title:
Financial Planning And Becoming Debt-free
Word Count:
525
Summary:
The cash crunch raises its ugly head in all our lives. Any individual who has been working and earning his monthly income will have faced debts at some point of time in his life. This is because there are so many expenses that we don&#8217;t anticipate that crop up out [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><body>Title:<br />
Financial Planning And Becoming Debt-free</p>
<p>Word Count:<br />
525</p>
<p>Summary:<br />
The cash crunch raises its ugly head in all our lives. Any individual who has been working and earning his monthly income will have faced debts at some point of time in his life. This is because there are so many expenses that we don&#8217;t anticipate that crop up out of the blue and throw us off balance. All that we might have planned out now has to be changed. As a result, we have to keep making more changes to the same. Many of us have to resort to the age-old method <span id="more-11"></span> of securin&#8230;</p>
<p>Keywords:<br />
free debt consolidation, online debt consolidation, debt management plans</p>
<p>Article Body:<br />
The cash crunch raises its ugly head in all our lives. Any individual who has been working and earning his monthly income will have faced debts at some point of time in his life. This is because there are so many expenses that we don&#8217;t anticipate that crop up out of the blue and throw us off balance. All that we might have planned out now has to be changed. As a result, we have to keep making more changes to the same. Many of us have to resort to the age-old method of securing loans so that we can get through the financial crunch. Sometimes meeting loan installments becomes very difficult. Thus, many of us find that we are ill-equipped to handle these debt burdens. At such times, it is a good idea to consult a professional in the field.</p>
<p>One can go in for some debt consolidation plan as well. Debt consolidation basically involves compiling all debts into one single payment plan. This helps one to plan out one&#8217;s finances in order to be able to settle the debts at a fast pace. What this does is that it makes the person answerable to only one creditor while also lowering the monthly payments that the borrower has been trying to meet. Once the person in debt has decided to go in for debt consolidation, he will be required to divulge all his finance related data to the advisor so that together they can sort out the mess and discover a way out of one&#8217;s money woes. This also gives one&#8217;s creditors the hope that one is making a sincere attempt to clear the loan. As a result, the creditors also stop pushing further and give the borrower some breathing space. Debt consolidation can be carried out at any level to deal with any amount of debt. However, one must follow the strategy that the financial advisor has mapped out. Deviating unnecessarily may once again place one in the debt trap from which one was trying to escape</p>
<p>The one downfall of having debts is that you fall into the category of people with bad debts. Hence, this will adversely affect your credit scores. However, if you are able to meet all the payments and successfully manage your finances, you will be able to get back on your feet and rebuild your credit ranking. Being in debt causes stress to most people, but with a sensible financial plan, anyone will be able to find a way out of financial troubles. If one has a financial plan in place, panic will not set in. In many cases, debt consolidation loans take the form of secured loans where a house or property is given as collateral. Thus, the borrower needs to make sure that his asset is safe. He can guarantee this by making payments regularly without defaulting. If the borrower is not able to make the payments, then it would be smart to talk to the lender directly to come to a conclusion on how to close the loan and clear the existing debts. Anyone can become debt-free if he only does some financial planning.</p>
<p></body></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Financial_Planning_Guide_-_Credit_Card_Debt_Consolidation</title>
		<link>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_planning_guide_-_credit_card_debt_consolidation</link>
		<comments>http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_planning_guide_-_credit_card_debt_consolidation#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:06:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>maxpotential</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial Planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://simple-financial-planning.com/blog/financial-planning/financial_planning_guide_-_credit_card_debt_consolidation</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Title:
Financial Planning Guide &#8211; Credit Card Debt Consolidation
Word Count:
408
Summary:
So many people are lumbered with credit and other cards and some of them struggle to make those monthly repayments.  If this describes you then you would be well advised to consider looking into debt consolidation and some help with financial planning to avoid risking bankruptcy. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><body>Title:<br />
Financial Planning Guide &#8211; Credit Card Debt Consolidation</p>
<p>Word Count:<br />
408</p>
<p>Summary:<br />
So many people are lumbered with credit and other cards and some of them struggle to make those monthly repayments.  If this describes you then you would be well advised to consider looking into debt consolidation and some help with financial planning to avoid risking bankruptcy.  Loans are also available, but you should take time to analyze all the possible options.</p>
<p>The simplest way to do debt consolidation with credit and other cards is to transfer the combined balances &#8230;</p>
<p>Keywords:<br />
Debt Consolidation, financial planning, bankruptcy</p>
<p>Article Body:<br />
So many people are lumbered with <span id="more-10"></span> credit and other cards and some of them struggle to make those monthly repayments.  If this describes you then you would be well advised to consider looking into debt consolidation and some help with financial planning to avoid risking bankruptcy.  Loans are also available, but you should take time to analyze all the possible options.</p>
<p>The simplest way to do debt consolidation with credit and other cards is to transfer the combined balances onto another credit card with low interest rates and one low monthly payment.  Most card companies do offer special introductions with low rates for this type of consolidation just for trying their card.  However, though obvious, make sure the balance on your new card will cover the outstanding balances of your other cards.</p>
<p>Look for low interest transfers to allow for successful consolidation.  Many cards offer these transfers at just 0% interest over an agreed to time period, making them perfect for consolidating your credit and store card balances.  However, before taking the plunge you should understand your own situation and how much you can afford for monthly repayments.  Never transfer any further balances onto a card when the introductory period is over and the transfer rates have risen to regular high levels.  You could jeopardize your situation and ability to pay.  What would you do at this point if your personal circumstances suddenly changed?  Fact &#8211; you would be facing the same spiraling problem of accruing interest and no way of extending your time period.</p>
<p>Another way to consolidate your credit and store cards is simply to ask your family and friends for help.  You will have to swallow your pride and embarrassment.  However, family and friends have no service charges and don&#8217;t charge interest.  They are much more likely to offer the lowest payment plans around.  You are also definitely guaranteed to make your payments on time and talk to them if one month your finances are tighter than expected.  They are much easier to negotiate with.  but be wise and get everything in writing so that neither party can default on their agreement.  Misunderstandings can happen.  Hedge against them ahead of time.</p>
<p>Finally, you may wish to look into non-profit groups.  They can renegotiate with your creditors to lower payments and help you avoid having to borrow money through loans or from other sources.  Look at all the options now and decide what is best for you.</p>
<p></body></p>
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