The topic of personal finance is not a popular topic with most people. Most of us are struggling to get control over our personal finances and it is a losing battle. However, there is hope for even the most lost among us. There is plenty of personal finance advice out there and all it takes is reading some that advice and putting it to work to begin down the road to control over your personal financial situation.

The following are some great tips in a variety of areas of personal finance:

- Set spending limits. Give yourself an allowance to curb unnecessary spending throughout the week.

- Save for large expenses. Set a goal to save for a large expense, that way you know you can afford it and will not end up draining your bank account to make the purchase.

- Prioritize your spending. Learn to identify what you must have, what you need and what you want and prioritize in that order.

- Pay your bills on time. This eliminates late fees which can add up over time.

- Track your spending habits. This will help you identify wasteful spending so you can make a positive change.

- Look for savings everywhere. Shop at dollar stores, join discount clubs and use coupons.

- Always shop around before making a large purchase. Compare prices and look for the best deal.

- Save. No matter what start a savings plan. If the only thing you can do is save change then that is at least a start. If you can afford more then add it to your budget.

- Invest smartly. Know yourself when making investments. Learn about your investing personality so you feel comfortable with your investments.

- Stay on top of investments. Do not just hand your money over to a broker. Keep track of your investments and make sure you are always in loop about anything going on with them.

- Know when to get professional help. If you are in a financial crisis seek help. There are plenty of companies out there who will help you for free to get your finances back on track.

Your personal finances are important. Do not let them slip out of your control. Avoid living beyond your means and letting your finances run your life. When you get control over them you will find you are much happier and that you feel as if you can spend without worrying.

By: Joseph Then

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Store cards are offered by numerous retailers nowadays in the UK and everybody has no doubt experienced walking into a shop and being offered a store card. Most of the stores will even offer you a discount on the items you are purchasing at the time just for filling in an application form.

The way a store card works is similar to a credit card as you use the card to buy items instead of cash and then you make repayments either monthly or in one go if you would prefer.

Of course there is a major difference between credit cards and store cards as store cards can only be used in certain shops and chains and this obviously limits your choice when making purchases. There is however, a plus side to be seen here, as this would mean that you wouldn’t spend as much as much as perhaps you would do with a credit card.

There are however, other disadvantages with store cards such as the enormous amount of interest you have to pay if you choose to spread out your repayments on the card, as store card interest rates are even higher than credit card rates.

As well as these disadvantages, there are of course some benefits to these cards, such as; discounts at certain shops and on certain products there as well as a whole host of other perks on offer.

The only thing to do is to weigh up whether or not the limitations and high interest if you fail to clear your balance each month are worth the few benefits that you receive.

One thing to keep in mind is not to be pushed into getting a store card just so you get the discount at the point of sale or just so that you can get rid of the pushy sales assistant, especially if you’ve got a bad credit history because you get refused for the store card and end up damaging your credit history even more.

If you are looking for plenty of choice in the types of cards that you can get and also where you can use the cads then a credit card may be more ideal for you. Nowadays, the majority of places accept credit cards both here and overseas.

You can make sure that the card is suited to your spending and repayment needs. There are also interest free credit cards available so you could even avoid paying interest altogether, just as long as you pay back the debt within the allocated time, otherwise, you will find yourself paying high interest rates.

By: Gill Critchley

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Debt Management plans offer credit counseling clients a different and new approach to tackle their finances. Finding out if a debt management plan is right for you can take some time. However looking into the pros and cons now will help you know if entering into a debt management plan is right for you.

Pros

Consolidated Monthly Payment – Debt Management Plans consist of one monthly payment of an individual’s credit card debt and other unsecured debt. Instead of several payments that are sent out monthly the credit counseling agency will receive your monthly payment and break it down to individual payments to all of your creditors.

Reduced Interest Rates – Although some creditors have tightened what they will as far as an interest rate reduction for a client who is working with a debt management plan there are still some credit card companies that will reduce rates as far as charging no interest while on the debt management plan. However that is not the norm so it is reasonable to expect a slight decrease in interest rates and if you receive a larger break in rates that is more of a benefit to you.

Reduced Monthly Payments – The days of a creditor reducing the monthly payment by half or more seem to be over, however several creditors reduce payments required by several percentage points for a customer of theirs that is enrolled into a debt management plan. This can help free up money to apply elsewhere such as a savings account or a retirement account.

Stopped Late & Over Limit Fees – This is probably the most beneficial portion of the debt management plan for a credit counseling client who is behind with their payments to their creditors. The average late or over limit fee is about $29 so if you combine that with an average of six credit card accounts the savings on the fees alone could be up to $174 dollars for that example.

Customer Service – Often overlooked by a person researching a debt management plan that is appropriate for them, customer service means that all of your credit card accounts should be accessible by the credit counseling agency you are working with and any questions you have regarding those accounts should be answered in a timely fashion. A well rounded customer service staff will go a long way as far as assisting you to get out of debt.

Con -

Accounts Closed – All of your credit card accounts are closed to further charging. This can be initially looked at as a con by the consumer because it takes away their ability to charge, however in the long run this portion of the debt management plan should be viewed as a pro because it allows the client to rely more upon the income they are bringing in and will result in less overall debt that is accumulated while on the debt management program.

Debt management programs offer an array of help with little to consider as negative. The service is designed to assist anyone in need from freeing themselves of the burden of debt. One important factor is that a debt management plan has no negative impact on your credit score. This is according to Fair, Isaac the nation’s credit scoring system, also known as the FICO Score.

These are a few points to consider in determining if a debt management plan is the best option for you. Contact an agency to determine if their plan can meet your needs.

By: Rick Munster

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The majority of people who commit insurance fraud don’t think they’re hurting anybody directly. In fact, they think they’re hurting major corporations who have enough money that they don’t care anyway. This is not the case. In the United States, insurance scams cost an estimated $875 per person annually. It adds up to approx. $80 billion per year, and with the rapid growth of technology, it’s getting harder and harder to catch.

There are different types of insurance fraud.

One of the leading forms of insurance fraud is in our health care system. Health care fraud results in over $30 billion per year in the United States. There are two kinds of health insurance fraud: member fraud and provider fraud. An example of member fraud is when you deceive your insurance company by purposely not declaring something, where an example of provider fraud is if you were to bill for a service that was never rendered.

One fast-gorwing form of insurance fraud is automobile insurance fraud. Staged rear-end car accidents are a common form of this type of fraud. This is when a scam driver will stop suddenly in front of a car deliberately so they other car rear-ends them. Another popular scam is when there’s already an accident, you add damage purposely in the hopes to collect more money. Often times, this works, which is why it’s important to take photographs of the damage.

Another form of insurance fraud is when the beneficiary tries to collect the benefits while the insured is still alive. This is called life insurance fraud. The best thing you can do in this scenario is to know your insurance broker. When you go in to pay your premium on the insurance, don’t pay in cash. make sure you understand your policy, and if you don’t, bring it to someone who does.

And last but not least, I want to talk about fire insurance fraud. This form of fraud is very common because it’s hard to prove. If you lose your house to a fire, who’s stopping you from declaring stuff you didn’t have in the first place? There is no real way to prevent this kind of fraud. This will haunt you in your taxes and that’s about it. The best thing you can do is report it if you hear of anyone making false claims.

As I mentioned previously, the best thing you can do if you’re a victim of fraud or if you hear of any sort of fraud taking place, is to report it. You can report fraud to the National Fraud Information Center at 1-800-876-7060. I hope this article has opened everyone’s eyes a little bit to how this serious crime is affecting each and every one of us.

By: Louis Zhang

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Today more and more people are turning to balance transfer credit cards to help save money. With mortgage companies being fickle about whom they loan money to, and gas prices at $4 bucks a gallon people’s credit card balances are stacking up. Fortunately there are still a few credit cards on the market that offer balance transfer credit cards for fair credit.

We thought we would do our part and outline some of the best credit cards that are on the market for those with fair to average credit.

First, what exactly is fair credit? Fair credit is best described as a person who basically pays their bills on time but has a few late payments, or a little too much debt. The credit card companies look at your job, housing, debt load and overall capacity to repay the card when approving a credit card.

Some of the categories for credit cards for fair credit are balance transfer cards, business cards, rewards cards, cash back cards and more. Having fair credit shouldn’t mean that you have to get an obnoxious credit card that hurts you more than it helps you.

Outlined below we have listed, what we feel, are some of the top rated fair credit credit cards on the market. Each of these credit cards has distinct advantages and disadvantages that the card holder should know about before applying for the card, so always read the fine print before applying.

Regular Credit Cards – IberiaBank Visa® Classic Card is hands-down, one of the best credit cards for average credit. IberiaBank credit card is offering a 0% transfer offer and a 4% rate on purchases! For those of you whose credit leans more to the “fair” side of the “fair to average credit” there is the Citi® Platinum Select® Card. This card offers rates as low as a decent 10.9%, no annual fee and a 0% introductory rate for balance transfers. Both of these credit cards are great deals for people for fair to average credit.

Rewards Credit Cards for Fair to Average credit – Most credit cards that are offered for fair to average credit card applicants don’t offer a descent rewards program. Not this card, we found a great credit card with a great rewards program for average credit. The Bank of America Accelerated Rewards™ American Express® Card is for borrowers whose credit leans toward the average side. It offers a low fixed rate for new purchases and balance transfers with average credit who qualifies. It also has a 0% introductory offer with access to their rewards program and there is no annual fee!

Card issuers that issue credit cards for fair credit want to approve you as much as you want to get approved. What you have to do is to make sure you fill out the application completely. Some people skip through the application missing important questions that could add “points” towards their approval. Here are a few things that can help you with your application.

Report all of your gross income (before taxes); be sure to include side jobs, seasonal jobs and second jobs. If asked, be sure to list your checking and savings accounts, believe it or not having some money in savings helps. Job time is important; many people have worked for a company then left and came back. You can add those two time periods together to show the longer job time. Make sure you list the total years and months of you residence as well.

Last but not least, go after the card you really want! Most people with fair to average credit “under-apply” for the credit cards they really want for fear of being turned down. If you have decided that you are going to get a credit regardless, we suggest that you pick the card that you really want to have and make a solid application. At the same time you can apply to a card that is more likely to approve you. If you get two cards you can simply close the least attractive one or keep it open for a rainy day.

By: Aubrey Clark

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Last fall, after years as a “do-it-yourselfer” in the area of fitness, I surprised myself and decided to hire a personal trainer, Laura Creagan of New England Endurance Training. No, I’m not a Hollywood starlet trying to get her pre-baby, red carpet-ready body back or an elite athlete trying to win Olympic gold. I’m not even trying to compete in, much less win, any races at the local, “age group” level.

I’m just someone who loves the same activities Laura loves – cycling, cross-country skiing, running, etc. Someone who gets a kick out of reaching new milestones in old favorite activities. Someone who loves getting out in the great outdoors for a couple/few hours of aerobic activity. Someone who values the resulting health benefits…

So why on earth would I need a personal trainer? The thing is: I like these activities so much so that I sometimes overdo it and end up injured. (So much for those health benefits!) Plus I’ve got a few new milestones in mind for next bike season.

So when I read an article about Laura describing how she’d excelled in a grueling winter triathlon in Austria, I couldn’t help but think: “If she can perform at that level, she obviously knows something I don’t. And I’d sure love to know whatever that is (sooner rather than later) without Googling and poring over books and distilling boatloads of information and using trial and error.”

It took a few months before I could convince myself to take action – what with not being a starlet or star athlete – but I kept hearing the echo in my head of words I’d said to potential financial planning clients thinking about making the switch from do-it-yourselfers. “Yes, you might achieve your goals on your own, but getting one-on-one advice from someone who’s been trained and is around this stuff all the time is likely to get you there sooner with fewer missteps.”

So I finally decided to give it a try. And – no surprise – it turns out Laura does know plenty that I don’t about training, but our work together has also taught me a lot of lessons about advisor/advisee relationships of all sorts, especially those I have with my clients. Not all of these lessons are new, nor are they rocket science. But my experience working with Laura has helped me to better understand them from the advisee’s perspective, which I’m convinced will reflect benefits back in my practice.

In keeping with the fact that this is the third in a trilogy of articles of physical/fiscal fitness analogies ( see footnote for other two ), and to reuse a fun gimmick I recently ran across, those lessons… each in exactly 3 words.

1. It’s not magic. There are no guarantees in personal training or personal finance, but if you stick to a plan based on time-tested principles, you’ll get better results.

2. Goals dictate actions. Only do enough to reach your goal, no more, no less. Less isn’t enough, and more could cause burnout or injury. (Remember, you can always up the ante with a new goal once the current one proves achievable.)

3. Trained eyes see. If there’s a hole in your plan, the advisor can’t help but notice cause/effect relationships that the advisee may not recognize. For example, just as having no emergency fund can lead to costly credit card debt in the personal finance realm, no strength training can lead to physical strain and injury.

4. Reach new heights. With the help of an advisor who has more insight into what’s possible AND what needs to be done to achieve it, you can reach new heights, e.g. “You really think I can retire (complete the Assault on Mt. Mitchell ) this year?”

5. Reconsider discarded ideas. Just because you tried spinning (monitoring expenses) before and hated it doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t work this time. Getting creative with a new tool or technique, or finally seeing the power of the idea, may be just the thing that makes it click.

6. Apply technology judiciously. You can benefit greatly from using the technology that exists to measure heart rate (investment performance), but if you try to watch it 24/7, you’ll probably get distracted from your goal, perhaps even crash.

7. Measure progress periodically. Monitoring your heart rate, power, and strength (net worth and cash flow) over time will tell where you are vs. your goal, allowing you and your advisor to adjust as necessary.

8. Accountability is good. We’re all adults here. Still, having to ‘fess up to having skipped an important workout (IRA contribution) sure is a great motivator.

9. Avoid boom/bust. Overtraining (living like a pauper) when you first start a plan is more likely to result in injury (binge spending) than in improved performance (a bigger nest egg).

10. Persist through setbacks. Reaching your fitness (financial) goals takes time, and you won’t always make progress in a nice straight line. Instead of getting discouraged and abandoning your plan for the new hot shortcut you saw in “Get Fit (Rich) Kwik” magazine, check with your advisor. While you may need a course correction, it’s possible a few words of encouragement will do the trick. (Thanks, Laura!)

By: Sherrill St. Germain

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While you are going through a phase of developing your career, it is very common to wait for a good option. Or, you have just finished your collage studies and have not found out a job yet. Take this instance also, where you are deliberately refusing the job offers, as you want to first acquire some new skills. Until that period, loans for employed may prove to be a good source of finance for such people. However, since you do not have a good income to support the repayment, borrow the loan in a careful manner and search for a suitable deal.

The loan will come at low rates and relaxed terms-conditions, if you have build up a credit history and it should preferably be a good one. But, if you do not have a credit history or it is bad or poor one because of some missed payments or defaults, convince the lenders of your intention of repaying the amount in timely manner and take a good repayment plan to the lender.

You should also know that loans for employed are categorized in secured or unsecured options. Those, who can offer any property like a vehicle, valued papers and even a home, they can borrow an amount at low rate of interest through the secured loan option. Depending on collateral value, they can find