Avoid Christmas Debt

By Ryan M. Healy

More people go into debt during the Christmas season than any other time during the year. With that in mind, let me offer a few strategies for having a good Christmas, minus the debt.

Swap Names

If you're buying gifts for multiple people in your family, then consider drawing names and buying one gift for just one person (instead of everybody).

Example: If there are four people in your family, then each family member would purchase only one gift. That would be four gifts purchased by the whole family.

On the other hand, if each family member bought a gift for the other three, then the family would have purchased 12 gifts total. So by trading names, you can reduce your spending by 200%.

Make Your Gifts

Are you good at making crafts? Then why not make your gifts yourself instead of buying them!

My wife is good at making jewelry, ornaments, and hair bows. She's used her skill to save money during the holidays.

Go "Gift Free"

There is so much abundance and wealth in the U.S., we hardly "need" anything. So is it really necessary to go nuts and spend a small fortune on gifts?

Consider putting a hold on gift-giving for a year. Instead, focus on spending quality time with those you love.

Write a List

If you decide to give gifts, use a list to guide you. Write down all the gifts you plan to buy in advance, as well as how much you intend to spend.

Window shopping is a friend of debt. But if you have a clear purpose and budget, you'll walk away with your finances intact.

Avoid Credit Cards

Only use cash or a debit card when you buy gifts. Do not use credit cards. Since you're spending more money than usual in a short period of time, it's too easy to overspend.

What's more, by leaving your credit cards at home, you won't get any unpleasant surprises when the December bill shows up in your mailbox in January.

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Get A Better Credit Rating With These Tips

By Chris Channing

Credit ratings are important for buying things in life that we can't afford on our own. An example may be a new home, or perhaps even a vacation to another part of the world. Whatever the scenario, the ability to obtain a loan and obtain good interest rates on it will depend on one's credit score. As such, bolstering the score is a good goal to have.

The first thing to do before obtaining a loan is to check one's credit report. A credit report will detail why the score is what it is. Many times there may be errors or mistakes that credit companies have logged, which could negatively impact one's rating. Because of this, obtaining a free credit report is almost mandatory before visiting a lender for the first time in hopes of obtaining a loan.

Credit is built when a positive interaction with the credit industry in maintained. This is primarily done through loans, which measure how responsible a consumer is in keeping up to date with their finances. Sometimes it is a good idea to take out a loan even if it isn't needed, especially for young adults who likely have no credit built at all. A good parent will take out loans such as this for children, who definitely need the extra credit.

Responsibility is the number one thing that can have a good effect on a credit score, as can be seen with credit cards. Those with poor use of their credit cards will likely have debts, which translates into logged activity on a credit report that isn't for the better. To counteract this fact, make payments on time and always ensure you can pay something back you put on credit.

Sometimes if one doesn't have much interaction with the credit industry, they can show a lender bills they have paid in the past. This can be something as simple as rent for an apartment or house, or even utility bills. This is an ideal way for the self employed to gain more credibility, as they are usually on the low end of the rope since self employed jobs aren't always seen as stable enough for lenders.

Something as simple as being married can also benefit a credit rating- or even negatively impact it if your loved one has a bad history in credit. While this certainly shouldn't be a pro or con in choosing a mate in life, but it should certainly be reviewed and fixed before getting married if one's rating is substantially low.

In Conclusion

Credit reports usually aren't free, since they cost money to maintain and process. But there are some lenders and online websites that offer free credit reports, as long as special conditions are met. Look online for more information on this.

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Learn more on What is a good credit score and My Credit Score.

How Does Debt Consolidation Work?

By Eric Jilson

Living in today's world, it's almost impossible to function without using and managing debt. The unrelenting needs and never-ending changes in our financial lives require that we utilize credit in one way or another. When properly maintained and used, credit is a good thing for most people's financial lives, allowing them to purchase homes, vehicles, and other items they would likely not otherwise be able to get without years of savings.

Often, though, debt piles up rather than being paid and people begin to slowly feel their freedom being drained as the debt begins to take over their financial lives. Becoming always short of money, barely able to make payments on time, or being late because you just didn't have the money yet. Sacrificing lifestyle choices and worse, all begin to get worse as the debt mounts. Eventually this comes to a head and has to be dealt with.

Before it gets to that point, though, many people turn to debt consolidation to relieve the pressure and take off the stress. A debt consolidation and management program can reduce your debt, provide you with a means to get out of debt, and manage your credit to show you how to utilize it in a healthy manner that doesn't build your debt load, but instead lowers it.

So how does this work and is it really what it says it is?

Debt consolidation works by consolidating all of your debt into one loan at a lower interest rate, usually paying off your existing debt at lower rates than what's owed. This means your new loan is for a lower amount that you owed before and at a lower (usually fixed) interest rate. So now instead of many monthly payments at varying interest rates, you have one payment at one interest rate.

Some of these programs will, instead of setting up a new loan, set up a management program in which current debts are "fixed" with the creditors, lower payments and interest rates are set up, and your single payment to the management program pays all your creditors automatically. These are not "loans" but they are consolidations of credit under one management system.

Most creditors are happy to either cut what's owed in order to get paid off so they do not have to worry about a struggling client or to take lower interest payments in return for getting a more guaranteed monthly payment to service the debt. A creditor's biggest worry is that a debtor will declare bankruptcy and the creditor will walk away with nothing at all but an unpaid debt.

Some management companies will offer incentives to the client looking to consolidate their debt, making claims about how quickly the debts will be paid and how a "new start" will be had once it's done. In reality, it takes time to pay off these debts and, in the mean time, the person's credit is often on hold and unusable.

Further, some consolidation management companies take monthly payments, issue "cease and desist" orders as attorneys to creditors, demanding that they talk only to the management company about the client's debt, and then let the monthly payments pile up without being sent to creditors. They do this in order to pressure the creditors into taking even lower payoffs (in lump sums from this "account") and to collect interest on the money being paid to them as it builds in an account. While this is legal, it is deceptive and often ruins the client's credit for a very long time.

So finding a reputable and reliable debt consolidation and management firm is a must if you're in the market to consolidate your loans and want to manage your debts correctly. Consolidation is often the best and most effective way to reduce debt or to completely eliminate it and get clear of it as quickly as possible without totally destroying your credit.

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Eric Jilson shares his vast knowledge at www.everlife.com. You may not always get what you want, but you can find what you need on reduce credit debt.

Emergency Fund Should Be Large Enough

By Darren Cason

Financial experts agree that a family's emergency fund should be large enough to pay their expenses for three to six month's worth of living. This means enough money to pay your monthly budget for up to six months. Seems like a lot, and it can be if you have no savings at all, but it's not impossible to save this amount. The first thing you'll need to know is how large your "Rainy Day Fund" needs to be.

So the first step is to figure your monthly expenses: mortgage payment, car payments, insurance, household expense, groceries, and so forth. Include everything. Don't forget your monthly bills like cable television and electric. For the average household in America, this totals to about $3,400.00 per month. Once you know what your number is, you can times it by three and by six to get your three and six month goals. So if yours is the average, three months is $10,200 and six months is $20,400. Big numbers, but you'll see how they can become workable.

What is this emergency fund for and why are you supposed to have it? That's a good question and one that should be answered because it's your incentive for working towards having your six month's of funds available. We live in an uncertain world with uncertain times and economies. You never know if you're going to lose your job tomorrow, need a new roof on your house, or have a disaster happen. Emergencies have a way of showing up when it's most inconvenient. That is what your emergency fund is for.

If you're saving for retirement, then (in a way) you're putting away an emergency fund. Your emergency fund can be as easy to set up and build as your retirement fund is. All you need to do is think about your goal and figure out how you're going to attain it. You'll soon see that saving three or six month's worth of expense money is chump change compared to your fifteen or more years of retirement funds.

So approach the emergency fund like you would any financial goal: think ahead and plan right now. You've already figured out your monthly expenses, so now you need to look at an overall monthly budget. How much do you make in a month and what is the difference between that and your expenses? Most people consume about 65% of their incomes in just housing, food, and transportation. That means you've got about 35% of your income to work with: income that is "discretionary."

Now you have your goals and an idea how you're going to get there. Obviously, that whole 35% number isn't available, but it's your starting point. Consider your savings plan over a 2, 3, and 5 year period and see if you can achieve your three month's emergency savings inside 3 years. Working with our $3,400/month number from before, you'll see that this is only $340.00 per month for two and a half years. That's 10% of your income.

Now for the fun. Over time, you can increase what you're putting into savings by changing some of your lifestyle habits in the long run. For instance, when it comes time to buy a new car, opt for one that's less expensive to purchase or to operate (or both). Find out if refinancing your home mortgage or a debt consolidation procedure would save you money over time. Consider donating time, money, or items to charities to increase your tax savings. And if you are using more than one credit card, check if a balance transfer option would work for you. These are just some of the ways you can increase your savings over time.

If you keep your goal in mind, set up the payments to the emergency fund in the same way you do all other bills, and then work towards your goal diligently, you can have a six month emergency savings before you know it.

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Which Is More Secure: Your Job Or Your Car?

By Susan Tanner

Security always becomes a concern when the state of the economy is questionable. Many question their job security even though they may have little to no way of securing it. However, one thing that you can and should secure in tough times is your automobile.

With a plethora of auto insurance companies all offering competitive rates, you may ask which one best suits your needs and your budget? Getting quotes from several different companies is a smart start. Then you can compare the rates and decide on the ideal plan for your vehicle.

Foremost, the cheapest insurance is not necessarily the best choice. You should consider other factors that will affect the cost before you settle on a specific plan. These factors include the amount of drivers that will be authorized to drive your vehicle, the ages of the drivers, the safety equipment that comes with the car, the option of the insurance company covering the cost of your car loan in the event of total loss, and the coverages and liabilities that are available. Furthermore, you must know the insurance requirements of the state in which your vehicle will be driven.

Your standard rate may vary from the different insurance companies if you are the sole driver of your vehicle. However, if you add another driver, especially if he/she is underage, you will see that the premiums will vary sometimes largely from company to company. The more quotes the better though, as it is important that all drivers are insured.

In most cases, discounts are offered for vehicles that have supplemental safety features such as multiple airbags, theft deterrent devices, and driver assistance systems. The modern car comes standard with seat belts, but check with the insurance carrier if they offer a discount for seat belts. A vehicleas safety discounts are usually inconsistent from company to company.

If the car is being financed as opposed to leased, pay attention to the terms of the insurance plan when it comes to accidents. If the vehicle is totaled, a good insurance plan will cover the remaining debt of the loan for the vehicle. Be sure to shop around for this option as many insurance companies do not offer this.

Coverages and limits of liability are relevant to the insurance customer. How much should the deductibles be? What is affordable is a question that each person needs to consider. Also, what does your state require? Some states require that the car insurance cover uninsured motorists. Every state is different. Find out the requirements for yourself. Don't expect the auto insurance company to automatically know.

In short, do your homework. Multiple car insurance quotes will help you get the insurance you need at a price you can afford. Check each company's quote carefully. Compare each quote line item by line item. If it is Allstate that has the best coverage and price, go for it. But until you compare, don't go anywhere. Uninsured is a poor choice when there are so many companies to choose from. Insurance equals automotive security during a time of economic insecurity.

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Serious Information About Debit Cards

By Dillon Azungen

You definitely have several causes for reducing the standard credit card loan. If you are planning to buy a new house and you want it to be purchase from the loan of the bank or any other institute who provide loans to you, we know very well that the loan is only possible when you do not have any indebtedness of credit card, and reducing the credit card or keeping of the payment of the card will give you good amount of loan on a home mortgage. Even if you have your own house and do not want a loan against your credit card from the market to buy a house or for anything but still you don't want to be indebtedness of loan for the future reason or any other reason than want to decrease your credit card bill so you need to have additional disposable income.

The other good way of decreasing your credit card bill is by reducing your other monthly expenses and saving it to pay off your bills of credit card.

A spending diary should always be maintain

Lot of people they do not know that how much their spend on their expenses in the daily basis or on the monthly basis, so it is important to maintain the day to day expenses, to check out that how much money they spent in a day and then calculated the monthly expenses in this way you will come to know that which are the expenses that you are doing unnecessary and instead of doing it you can save it to pay your credit card payments.

The first thing you need to do is to find out that in which ways you are spending your money. For one week you keep record of everything you buy with checks, cash, debit card and the credit cards. You can keep this record any where like you can carry a small note pad all the time and when you spend just write it down or if you feel or you always carry your laptop you can maintain your expenses they, or in any other way it does not matter only your purpose should be maintain.

Do not wait till the end of the day to write your expenses, research has shown that when you try to write your expenses you will forget it or undervalue it. This might seem as a tension of writing all the time but this is not as much as your credit cards bill.

If you don't carry your note book you can also write or maintain it in the cell phones which is always with you. After you have written all your expenses, then go though it and tell your self that all the expenses you have done is worth while or it has been done unnecessarily and try to reduce whose expenses the next week and you will find that at the end of the month you have save money and make sure that you use that money in paying your credit card bill.

About the Author:

Dillon Azungen very often produces reports on information on eliminating high interest credit card debt. One can discover his comments on eliminate credit card dept and how to eliminate credit card debt here.

Credit Cards To Help Rebuild Credit

By Dan Moskel

You can use a credit card to help rebuild your credit score. This card will help you build a positive payment history and will improve your ratio of available credit to debt; both these factors are heavily weighed in your credit score.

When you have a damaged score you will be faced with a sub prime interest rate. This means you will have an interest rate around 19%.

You should still make efforts to remove derogatory items off your credit report. However it is rumored that once a derogatory item ages four years it will not impact your score as dramatically.

With your card you are going to have to pay an annual fee and around 19% APR. This is called a sub prime credit card because it is designed for individuals with a damaged credit history.

On your card you will be given a credit line of $300. Your other choice is to get a secured credit card.

With a secured card you will have to put an initial deposit down and how ever much your deposit is that will be your available credit. The benefit of a secured card is that they approve everyone.

With an unsecured card it will be instant approval and your payments and balance will be reported to all major credit bureaus. It is important to double check and make sure your credit card will report to all three credit bureaus.

A helpful tip to get the most positive credit built from your card is to keep your balance at 10% of your available credit. If your card has a credit limit of $300 it will help if you can keep your balance at around $30.

This shows the credit bureaus that you do have available credit; this is called your available credit to debt ratio. In addition it shows the bureaus that you do use your credit.

The last option for a card is a shopping card or a credit card that is only accepted at a specific location. We do not suggest these cards; they often come with large upfront payments and only report to one credit bureau.

A prepaid debit card is another option. We suggest this option to individuals in chexsystems because it will work just like a bank account.

In sum we suggest a sub prime unsecured credit card. This will give your credit score the most benefit because it will increase your ratio of available credit to debt and help you create a positive payment history.

About the Author:

We suggest the Tribute MasterCard an unsecured credit card or you can see a review of the Orchard Bank credit card a secured card by visiting us.

No Credit Check Payday Loans

By Maxwell Smithson

We all need a little extra money from time to time to cover something that has happened quite by accident, but that doesn't mean that the only option available is arranging a personal loan. To get over this short term financial situation, a 'payday loan' can be arranged which until recently normally require a bank checking account to arrange. By understanding exactly how this works, it is easy to see why it's such a popular form of loan and why so many people opt for it today.

You may have received some unexpected bill for repairs to your car and need to pay them as soon as possible. In these cases, you don't need a large loan and you can repay the amount as soon as your paycheck comes in and this is where the payday loan comes in. Quite simply, you arrange with a lender to forward a small amount of money which is normally restricted to less than a 1,000 dollars, into your bank account where it becomes available for use immediately; but is paid back in full on the day you are paid plus any interest that has been agreed upon.

Most people with internet access now arrange their payday loans online as it is much more convenient. This is an easy way to arrange to funds and once approved, the money is in your account almost straight away. Until recently, the only way you would be granted a payday loan was if you had a bank checking account which would ensure the money would be repaid without any hiccups as soon as you were paid.

The same hassles do not exist today with lenders much more flexible in their approach, even lending to people with adverse credit histories but normally proof of a savings account is enough. It is often just enough for a person to have a verifiable income to qualify for a loan. If the situation arises again where you require some cash short term in the form of a payday loan you will know what to do.

As the process is simpler, you will only need to prove that you have a job or some money in a savings account. Words of warning though; do not use this facility regularly as that is not what they are designed for and the interest can become costly if used all the time. It is easy to forget that it doesn't take much to start relying on these types of loans for the wrong reasons; you need to improve your financial position rather than continue to use this facility as a crutch which will eventually cause more problems than it solves.

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?Foreclosure Homes for Sale: A Good Investment Opportunity

By Michael Geoffrey

Foreclosure homes for sale are often advertised by means of a list of such homes that can be found online or by calling a toll-free number. If a person is seriously interested in purchasing such a home, a list of this nature could be a useful tool in the buying process. Paying for these homes is sometimes questionable, however.

The majority of these foreclosure home lists make you pay before you are given access to the list itself. All too often the home that you were interested in purchasing by means of the foreclosure homes list has already been sold or auctioned.

People looking to buy a home or investors looking for a bargain are constantly checking out lists of foreclosure homes for sale, as well as finding them listed in the newspaper. Checking the local courthouse every week or so can also uncover some of the homes that will be foreclosed upon once the action has been approved by the court.

Before you buy any foreclosure home, you should take advantage of any opportunity to inspect the home yourself. You will want to check to see that everything in the house is operating correctly and determine whether the house can be lived in or sold. In most states the value of a home is determined based off of the estimates of three separate appraisers. Try to get a hold of their appraisals of the foreclosure home since they will have noted any problems that the home has.

Some Disclosures Not Readily Available

Foreclosure homes are not guaranteed like most homes sold by a real estate agent. The person who is interested in buying the foreclosed property might not be able to get much information at all about the home they are interested in, especially if the property is being sold for tax assessment.

It would also be wise to speak with the neighbors and other individuals who live nearby the property you are interested in purchasing, this being especially true if you are not familiar with the area. Their comments might affect how you feel about the property. Information regarding drainage or flooding problems, for example, may not be available from other sources and probably will not be evident on the day of the home auction.

Even if you are expecting to save a lot of money by purchasing a foreclosure home or other property, you need to consider whether or not these savings will be greater than the possible losses you could incur by buying a property with unexpected problems. You can enable yourself to make the best decision possible by collecting as much information as you can before deciding on whether or not to make a purchase.

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Before deciding to cut up credit cards to help you get your debt paid off, you need to understand how it can hurt your credit. Find out what you need to know first on the Debt Smackdown website.

Tribute MasterCard - Review

By Daniel Moskel

The Tribute Credit Card is a sub prime unsecured card. Often this card is used to re-establish a damaged credit score.

The First Bank of Delaware issues this card. They are a reputable sub prime lending institution.

Your card can be used to improve your credit score. It will create a positive payment history on your credit by making your on time monthly payments.

Your payment history is factored heavily when your credit score is calculated. This card will also help your ratio of available credit to debt. This ratio is how much debt do you have compared to the credit you have that is not being used.

You will have an annual fee with this card; this is common with bad credit cards. Your APR will be 19.50% which is the industry standard.

Your card does report monthly to all three major bureaus. It will be issued with a $300 credit limit.

The First Bank of Delaware is committed to helping consumers so they have created an additional Tribute MasterCard for those with a very low score. When this card is issued instead of a $300 credit limit it comes with a $70 credit limit.

It will still report to the bureaus and the limit can increase to $300 with responsible use. There are no finance charges and no account set up fees.

There is no application fee and you have free online account access. In addition there is no minimum income requirement and easy approval.

Your card will be eligible for limit increases up to a maximum of $2000. When you apply you will know if you have been approved within 30 seconds of submitting your application.

You should also know to get the most benefit on your credit with this card you should aim to keep the balance at roughly 20% of your credit limit. This will help your score because it shows you are in fact using your card and using it responsibly.

In sum we do suggest the Tribute MasterCard to anyone with a damaged credit history. You can use it to create a positive payment history and improve your ratio of available credit to debt.

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For more about the Tribute MasterCard or online credit cards visit us.

Credit Cards: How To Avoid Debts

By Don Pedro

With the introduction of the credit cards, buying and selling have become as much effortless as it could be. People now do not need to count the cashes, they simply just spend and then forget. And thus comes the term f credit card debt. When someone spends more than the maximum amount of his limit, he finds himself to be in credit card debt.

Credit card debt can become hazardous in times. And when the debts of more many cards have been transferred to another credit card which is new is called consolidate credit card debt. Unlike other debts, credit card debts can be desired sometimes and its sometimes popular among those people who wants their credit cards maximum grant limit increased.

Sometimes even people are rather willing to go on debt with their credit card, simply because it gives them better chance to get the increment on credit card limit. Whatever, a credit card has becoming an essential part in the busy day-to-day life as it can save a lot of time and hazards. You now need to simply log in to the internet and buy whatever you need sitting before your PC.

But above all, we all should be aware of not being in debt. Therefore, we need to change the habit of buying without keeping the track of the expenditure.

A business credit card is used for more facilitated services, which makes life easy for businessmen. It can even give the account of business expenditures for studying or keeping records.

Though online buying has become so popular and there are billions of money being transferred through this media, is it totally safe to do financial interactions world wide web using your credit card? Well, if you can take the necessary defensive measures to avoid frauds only then you can enjoy the most out of your card.

The most renowned cards, which are acceptable in most of the countries of the world, are MasterCard, visa, America express, citi, diners club, JCB, and Discover.

When you get the first credit card in your hand, remember that is not the key to financial liberty or its not a mean for spending without knowing about your expenditure, but those who can use their credit cards most wisely are sure to do better in their financial life afterwards.

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Credit Repair - how to repair credit

By Daniel Fox

The majority of Americans have errors and other unverifiable information on their credit reports that could be dragging down their credit score. Odds are good that your credit score is lower than it should be. The unfortunate thing is that odds are you will be yet another one of the millions of Americans who will continue to suffer with an unfair credit score because you will do nothing to repair your credit.

More likely, the reason people do not repair their credit is a mix of apathy and lack of understanding of the credit reporting system. Too many people assume the credit reporting system is some official government bureaucracy with an extensive system of checks and balances designed to ensure the safekeeping of their credit history. This couldn't be further from the truth.

So why is it that, though everyone has the right to dispute the negative items in their credit reports, very few people do? It certainly can't be because they don't understand the importance of a high credit score. After all, it doesn't take a genius to figure out the benefits of a good credit score when it can be the difference between paying $2,500/month and $2,000/month for the exact same house.

Nobody at the credit bureaus or in the government is going to make sure your credit reports are accurate. The way the credit reporting system is set up, there is only one person who will ever bother to check up on your credit reports - and that person is you. You are the missing, and ultimately the most important, piece of the credit reporting puzzle.

So now you are asking yourself, how do they ensure this information is correct? If a creditor reports something that is wrong, how do the credit bureaus make sure it doesn't end up on your credit reports? The answer to both of these questions is: they don't. Your creditors report information, the credit bureaus record it, and for most people, the story ends there.

Whether you attempt to repair your credit on your own or with the help of a credit repair expert, by taking an active role in the credit reporting system, you can ensure your credit score is as good as it can be and that you have the advantage over the millions of people out there with bad credit who haven't taken action to do anything about it.

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