Smarter Finances - Credit Cards, Loans, Mortgages, Investments

Finding cheaper car insurance – where to get best insurance rates online

drew — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:41:06 +0000

I recently went through Gocompare.com Car Insurance and bought my insurance over the net. I saved about 15% off buy using this site that literally goes out and compares the best rates for you.It took a couple of minutes to fill the on line form in and come back with a list of low insurance prices. It saved me a lot of time, in the past i had rang a multitude of car insurers and had to speak to surly characters who couldn’t be bothered.

GoCompare did all of the hard work for me. Entering the information once meant that actually buying the car insurance was easier as all i did was click through to the best rate listed and they had all of my details ready.

I got a healthy discount on my car insurance as i have over 10 years no claims bonus.

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Banking Changes?

drew — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:55:53 +0000

I currently bank woth Barclays Bank PLC and have done for about 10 years, whilst things have been pretty much plain sailing there have been a few times where they have annoyed me.

The most recent one involves going over my overdraft and being clobbered with an “admin” charge, this is despite having several thousand pounds deposited in a linked savings account.

I find it highly irritating that they would slap the charge on knowing that there is a significant balance in another account. I took them to task over this and demanded my money back, they quickly obliged and paid the £30.00 back into my account.

So if you get an over zealous bank slapping you with “admin” charges i suggest you contact them and complain because they will pay you back.

On that note i decided to look at alternative banking arrangements, its an incredible amount of hassle to change banks especially with the amount of direct debits i have. Some banks offer a service where they do it for you, Alliance & Leicester for one.

I may get round to it in the future, but right now i’m too lazy.

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Redstone Mortgages

drew — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:01:32 +0000

Redstone Mortgages PLC are a known sub prime lender, they often lend money to people with poor credit ratings, they are typically known as sub prime lenders.
In the current economic climate taking out a mortgage with a sub prime lender will be seen as madness by some. Others understand the need to enter the property market and get a foot on the ladder, but at what cost.

Whilst renting can be seen as dead money taking out loans with lenders who charge high interest rates is a risky move. With the interest rate rises of late 2007 many mortgage companies increased their rates to follow, some companies increased the rates higher than the Bank of England. As the BOE cut the rates the mortgages companies did not follow, many people were left facing hikes in their monthly repayments, home owners that had stretched their budgets to the limit are now finding life difficult, subsequently many homes are being repossessed. Companies such as Redstone Mortgages are far less forgiving when homeowners default on mortgages.

Before taking out a mortgage with any lender the best piece of advice i recommend is not to extend yourself, if you’re are currently renting a property sit it out, i think things will get worse before they get better.

The above text is not professional advice , just my take on the current housing situation.

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Cutting Household Bills

drew — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:42:47 +0000

Are you looking for a few ways to cut household bills? If so, you are in luck. There are many ways that you can do this with a high level of success. Of course, not everybody is in the same position so something that works for you may not be the best idea for somebody else. The way that you go about cutting your household bills has a lot to do with the way that you live, as well as how many people reside in the same home as you. As you can imagine, it can be difficult to cut certain household bills when you have several children at home.

Here are three tips if you want to cut household bills sooner rather than later:

1. Determine a budget and then work within the money that you have available. If you set your budget below the usual amount of your household bills, you will be forced into saving money one way or the next. If the money is not available you cannot spend it.

2. Have a meeting with your family to determine which household bills could be cut back the easiest. For instance, you may be able to save on the grocery bill if your kids agree to cut out certain foods. By working with your family they will see where you are coming from instead of making you out to be the bad guy.

3. Tally your household bills at the end of each month. This will allow you to see where your money is going, as well as how much progress you are making from month to month. When you see that you are making progress you will be more determined than ever before to continue moving in the right direction.

With these three tips, you should be able to cut your household bills this month!

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Finding the Best Loan Rate Online

drew — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:36:09 +0000

When shopping for a loan, you need to take many details into consideration. One of the most important is the rate that you secure. The question is: how are you going to find the best loan rate? There are many answers to this question, but perhaps the most common is online. By using the internet you should be able to find a loan rate that is not only acceptable but one that is among the best being offered at the current time.

If you are going to shop for a loan online, you need to make sure that you are careful about what you are doing. Unfortunately, there are some lenders who will try to deceive you as a way of gaining your business. You may think that they are offering a great rate, but soon enough you will find out that there are hidden fees and that the terms were not exactly what you thought they were.

What type of loan rate can you shop for online? Generally speaking, there is no limitation in this area. Most commonly, you will find rates for automobiles and home loans online. But with that being said, if you search long and hard you can find rates for any type of loan that you are interested in obtaining.

To find the best loan rate online, you need to take your time. Even if you find a great deal after a few minutes, you should continue to search. You never know when another deal is going to cross your computer screen that is just as good or better. With a lot of competition, lenders are forced to offer good rate deals if they want to secure new business.

Overall, finding the best loan rates can be done easily enough with the help of the internet.

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You have rights even when you are acutely indebted

drew — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:40:26 +0000

When you are acutely indebted, you tend to be depressed and defensive. Since you consider yourself guilty, you would tend to accept more that your share of abuse. The fact that you would be faced with all types of collect agents would make you feel vulnerable and defenseless. If you are experiencing this type of situation, cheer up. You should know that you have rights that can protect even when you are swamped by snowballing debts.

Stand Up For Your Rights And Face The Situation Squarely

While it is true that you should be careful about how you manage your finances and avoid reaching a situation where you are unable to pay your bills, you need to keep in mind that you are protected by the law against unnecessary harassment. The first step in this direction would be to gather information on these rights and what you should do when you are faced with what seems a no-win situation.

Here are some of the aspects that would help you:

You are protected against harassment – collecting agencies engage agents to recover their money and these agents are meant to meet you and discuss possible means to get the loan repaid. They are not meant to harass you in any way. Be aware that any type of threatening gesture whether it is in direct or implied is infringing upon your rights. The law dictates that the agent cannot make it known at your work place or residence area that you have an outstanding debt; neither can he or she use abusive language, violence and intimidating behavior.
Misrepresentation – the debt collector is not permitted by law to use false identity (such a law enforcement officer, or posing as Government representatives, etc) in order to intimidate you into making a payment. They cannot push you into signing any document by misrepresenting the true facts.
Abuse of your contact place – the debt collector should not visit your place of work unless he or she has obtained your express permission for it. Their calls too, should be within the limits of a normal day, i.e. not after 10 PM or earlier than 8 AM since this would amount to harassment. If the debt collector uses a third party for contacting you, the same law applies to them as well.
Right ID – the debt collector should announce to you that they are debt collectors and not engage you in discussion under false pretences to “corner” you into giving additional information.
Legal action threats – be aware that no debt collector can claim than they can have you arrested, have the salary attached to the financial institution or seize your property unless the pre-agreed terms state so. If such action takes place, you would be entitled to legal protection.

These are only some of the rights that you are entitled to as listed by the Fair Debt Collection Practices (FDCPA). Do not despair when you are finding yourself indebted beyond your means. Take steps to remedy the situation at the earliest; in the meantime be aware that you have rights that you can exercise.

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How To Cut Your Gasoline Costs In Half

drew — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:17:17 +0000

Consumers are getting crushed by the soaring cost of gasoline here in the US. Prices are increasing almost daily and people’s budgets are stretched to the limit. However, there are a number of things that you can do to combat these wicked price increases. Following are some proven techniques that can reduce your gasoline costs by 50%.

1. Use regular gas instead of the premium blend if your owner’s manual permits it. There is thirty to fifty cent difference between the cost of regular and premium gasoline. And if your car is designed to run on regular gas, there is no advantage in filling up with premium. Of course, if your car requires premium, you should never use regular as it may cause some damage to your engine.

2. Keep your engine well maintained. A dirty air filter can reduce your gas mileage by as much as 40%. Change the air filter according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. However, if you live in an area that is prone to dust and dirt in the air, you should change the air filter more frequently.

3. Ensure that your tires are inflated to the proper pressure. Tires that are over or under inflated can reduce your gas mileage by a considerable amount. Use a tire gauge to check your pressure. Do not depend on the guage that is attached to the air hose where you get air. They are frequently inaccurate.

4. Slow down! By far the primary cause of most poor mileage is speed. As far as gas mileage goes; speed kills! Traveling at 75 miles per hour as opposed to 55 mph can reduce your gasoline mileage by a whopping 25%. So the next time you are late for an appointment, call them and tell them that you can’t afford to get there on time.

5. Keep your car well maintained mechanically. Worn out spark plugs not only rob your car’s gas mileage and power, it’s stealing the money right out of your pocket. A six cylinder car that has one fouled spark plug is wasting 17% of the gas you buy.

Following the 5 easy tips above, you can easily reduce your gasoline costs by 50%. Check out my newest ebook for tons of other details on how to cut expenses and put money in your pocket!

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Making money online, easy?

drew — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:08:12 +0000

Making money is never “easy”. Easy money is usually not as easy as you think it might be and easy money, in many cases, is not very legal, or in the very least, not safe. Making legitimate real money takes hard work and planning. You have to provide for yourself and your family and you need money in order to make ends meet. The good news is that there are ways that you can make money using the Internet with a minimal amount of work on your part. With a solid stragetgy you may will be able support yourself full time, or simply use the added income to help you with spending money and other expenses.

So, if this has peaked your interest, then you may wonder how to make easy money online. Your computer is a great way to utilize some creative and completely legal. The Internet is full of ways to help you make money and if you do a little research and learn how to implement your newly found techniques, then you are on your way to extra spending cash. Here are some other ways how to make easy money online.

Selling items: If you like to shop online, then you are not alone. Millions of people love shopping the Internet. Half.com and eBay are popular shopping sites and you can get a piece of this action when you learn how to sell items. Half.com allows you to sell all kinds of books and with eBay, if you can get your hands on it, you can sell it. How about making some money on those old childhood toys you still have sitting around in the attic? How about selling those old college textbooks taking up shelf space? Dust that stuff off, and get busy on the Internet. You can even comb flea markets and garage sales for items to sell on these websites. In no time, you will make easy money online.

Writing articles: There are many websites that you can join that will actually buy your articles that your write. Look at Associated Content for starts. You can join the site, write original content and start making $10 or more per article. With some work, you can build up readership and make money with your articles. There are also websites that will give you contacts for clients that will buy your articles. This does take work, but it will lead you to money.

Graphic Design: If you have a savvy eye and some creativity, you can make some money as a graphic designer using the Internet. There are people from all over that will love to buy your work and will need it for their own purposes. Make business cards, brochures and even work on websites and logos. This is a great way to use the Internet for making money.

Use your creativity to help learn how to make money online. These are just a few ways that will have you earning money in no time at all. There are plenty of opportunities waiting for you.

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Chart your Expenses for Free with the help of your Computer

drew — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:50:43 +0000

In order to keep your personal finances in check, you must make sure that you chart your expenses month in and month out. The more in tune you are with the money you spend the better off you will be when it comes to saving and increasing your net worth. Unfortunately, many people do not have the skills and/or know how to chart their expenses. If this sounds like you, it is time to fire up your computer. There are many ways that you can chart your expenses with nothing more than a computer and some hard work.

First things first, you need to decide if you want to pay for a software program or set up a system free of cost. If you are new to charting your expenses or simply want to save money, you may want to skip on buying software for now. You can use a spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft Excel, for free.

When setting up your spreadsheet, accuracy is very important. You need to make sure that you are including all of your income, as well as every last expense that you regularly incur. To go along with this, you may also want to add a “miscellaneous” category so that you can account for expenses that are unexpected.

If you have never charted your expenses in the past, there is a chance that you will run into some issues from time to time; this is bound to happen. With that being said, you will quickly become used to the numbers that you are inputting.

Overall, using your computer to keep track of expenses is a great idea. You can save yourself a lot of time and money by relying on a simple spreadsheet as opposed to the “old style” of paper and pencil.

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Do you know where your money is going?

drew — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:36:29 +0000

Believe it or not, many consumers have no idea what they spend their money on. This is not a habit that you want to get into. In fact, you should know exactly where your money is, and where it goes each month. If you do not, you could find yourself in a situation where you are not able to save nearly as much money as you were hoping.

The question is: how are you going to successfully keep track of all your money? One of the first things that you need to do is put together a budget. This should include details on how much money you earn each month, as well as how much you spend. By doing this, you will have a concrete answer as to exactly where your funds are disappearing to.

Keep in mind that your budget can and will change over time. While your mortgage and car payment may be a fixed number, other expenses such as groceries and utility bills will fluctuate. Make sure that you leave enough money in your budget to make up for any increases that may take you by surprise.

If keeping track of your money on paper is too difficult, you may want to look into one of the many software programs that can help you. For those who do not want to spend any money, setting up a budget with a free program such as Microsoft Excel is easy enough.

The key to knowing where your money is going is to keep track of every purchase that you make. As long as you keep a close watch on your budget and balance your checkbook when you make a purchase, you should always know where your money is being spent. From there, it is much easier to save and prosper!

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