FAP Turbo

Make Over 90% Winning Trades Now!

Monday, May 25, 2009

Choosing Between Secured and Unsecured Loans

By Rhonda Brown

Human beings are creative in nature, and they use this creativity in order to find solutions for life's problems. Paucity of funds is one such problem and one of the solutions available to us is loans.

It is not always the people who have financial problems who go in for loans. People who want to expand their dwellings, or who want to live a sensational and adventurous life by traveling far and wide, and even those who just want to consolidate their liabilities, all look for loans.

Secured and unsecured loans are the two types of loans available in UK. In secured loans, the lender insists that the borrower give as a collateral any of their assets, namely their home, their car, stocks, or any other asset of high value. If the borrower fails in repayment, the lender will recover the dues by selling the asset thus given as collateral.

Advantages of a secured loan are that the money lent is usually more than in the case of an unsecured loan. Also, the repayment period is longer. The lender also feels safe as the loan has the back-up of an asset. Therefore the interest rates are also comparatively cheaper. Even if the borrower has a weak credit history, a secured loan may be considered since it has the back-up of an asset.

In an unsecured loan, no asset is involved. The borrower's credit-worthiness is assessed based on their present income, their other loans, how they are currently repaying their other loans, and other factors. Once this assessment is over, the lender decides the loan amount, the repayment period, and the rate of interest. In this case, the money lent is usually less than that in the case of a secured loan, the repayment period is shorter, and the rate of interest is higher. The lender may insist on a guarantor, for if the borrower does not repay the loan, the lender recovers the loan amount from the guarantor.

The advantages of an unsecured loan are that since no collateral is involved, there is no question of the borrower losing the asset. The borrower need not possess any asset to get the loan, and since the repayment period is relatively short - they can quickly get rid of the burden of the loan if they plans their finances properly and repay the loan comfortably.

Starting a business or business expansion may also be a reason for a person to borrow. But borrowers should keep in mind that raising a loan should only be for a temporary period. They should not become habitual borrowers because it become a vicious circle if they get entangled in borrowing.

It is usually said that lenders are very strict. People should plan their finances meticulously and follow their plans strictly. Loans must be taken only if it is absolutely necessary. If loans are raised, there should be fool-proof plans for repaying on time. - 23208

About the Author:

The Hard Reality of Making Money Online

By Sara Ferguson

Many people these days are trying to make money on the internet. New websites, books, seminars, programs, and other sources hit the web everyday with some scheme, theory, or new idea on turning your computer and internet connection into a full time job. Like always the dreams of vast riches has brought out the scam artists and the get rich seekers to flood the net with every conceivable way of making money.

While there are many legitimate ways to make money on the internet, they are over shadowed by the thousands of scams being sold. So how do you sort out the real legitimate ways from the scams? While learning the hard way (trying them all) is a choice, most of us can not afford nor have the time to spend weeks if not months exploring what works and which is just another scam designed to drain your wallet.

Over the course of the last several years, I have tried and failed many times with just about every programs, scheme, and other possible way of making money on the internet. In that time I have learned a lot. Common sense and a little self education will go a long way in helping to sort out what to spend time experimenting.

Basic Rules to Follow:

Someone selling you a program: Think about it a minute. If someone had information that was so valuable that it can make you rich in months, why would someone be selling it? Why are they not so rich they could care less about selling it? Why would they be willing to sell something that makes them rich? Common sense will tell you the only thing making them money is the information they are selling to you.

Buying Free Information: Ever see the ads for information on government auctions? What about the people selling information about government grants? The truth is that all this information is out there FREE for anyone who just contacts the government agency and asks them for it. The only thing you really save is the time to find the information yourself. Let us face the real truth, if you need someone else to find the information that you can find yourself with a little bit of effort, than you will never succeed in using the information to your benefit. Save yourself the money, go find the information yourself.

If you already have decided making money online is the thing for you the first thing you must realize is there is no get rich quick method that works. Making money takes work and time; if you arent willing to put in both then dont waste your time. Making money online is like a fulltime job, you will work forty plus hours a week and it can take months before you see any real return for your time and money.

When you have decided to put forth the time and work to succeed in making money online, you will first have to decide how you intend to make the income. There are a whole host of methods from writing to building and selling websites to selling products. Which method you decide to use to make money, you need to first explore and see if it is right for you and the skills that you currently have mastered.

Just like no everyone was meant to be a writer, not everyone is good at selling retail products. So explore different ideas before you start to see what makes you happy since you will be doing a lot of work for free when you start. - 23208

About the Author:

Renting and letting out your first property

By Andrew Sutton

Introduction The present recession has forced many unlucky people into rental accommodation. So investing a 'house to let' is possibly a very good time, that's if you have the money to invest. A lot of people consider buying a house to let, this article though is about some of considerations you should be thinking about before making those first steps.

Finding the right house. It is possible to hand over all the 'buy to let' process to property management company, but some of the fun is finding one for yourself. Finding the right house though really is down to you, depends how much you want to be involved.

Some of my advice would include: Is the area a common place for renting , i.e students ? If you did need to sell the house quickly, could you ? Is the house right for renting ? meaning does it have expensive fittings that would cost a lot to replace if broken. Does the house need renovation before you could start renting it out, is it ready to go ? People renting are not looking for a place forever, it is properly a stop gap for while.

Should I engage a property management company ? My advice would be unless you really comfortable with the idea or have experience of handling the public then consider a property management company. The property management company can deal with all the awkward side of tenants and you collect the money. Now you maybe thinking how hard can it be ? Surely renting out a house is just a case of keeping one eye on the property and make sure the rent gets paid. Depends on what deal you strike but think carefully before proceeding.

A good company should offer the services shown here: Collection of rent each month Inspections (reports on request) Regular Contact and Updates Service of Notices Initial rental valuation Arrange safety checks Accompany viewings Check References Estimates for repairs and refurbishment Insurance claims dealt with Receipt of Damage Deposit in cleared funds Final Inspection at the end Tenancy Agreement

Yes you might lose a small amount of money, but just one of the above could potentially take a lot of your time.

Things you have to do, some are lawful requirements and some aren't ? As of October 2008 all buildings, whenever they are built, sold or rented out, will require one. Improving the energy performance of buildings - Energy Performance Certificates. The EPC provides 'A' to 'G' ratings for buildings, with 'A' being the most energy efficient and 'G' being the least, with the average to date being 'D'. The EPC is designed to bring about a series of measures being introduced across Europe to reflect legislation which will help cut buildings carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

Property Maintenance It may be necessary to carry out general repairs on your property from time to time. Maintenance problems may occur at any time, day or night and to any property. When such a repair is reported by the tenant, you or the property management company will assess the repair. Based upon the inspection, you will need to repair or get someone to repair. You don't hold all the liability of repair and you should think about this when interviewing a potential tenant.

Please remember that it is in the interest of your property, your investment, to ensure that these repairs are carried out efficiently and quickly. Lets hope repairs won't occur very often.

Buildings and Contents Insurance Are you aware that you might have inadequate Buildings and/or Contents Insurance? As you are letting your property you current insurance may be void if there were ever to be a claim. You will need an insurance which is designed for tenanted properties housing professional, working, DSS or students. The policies available may cover a full replacement value for possessions buildings, (Subject to terms and conditions of selected policy).

Gas Appliances Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations Act 1994, any person (Landlord) who is letting (Renting) properties must maintain all Gas Appliances and have them checked for safety by a CORGI Registered engineer or company at least once every twelve months. The records of these checks including any repairs are to be kept by the landlord or the landlords agents (which ever is carrying out the letting) for the tenants to see upon request. You are therefore legally obliged to have all the Gas Appliances in the property or properties you are letting out checked for safety and bought up to standard by a qualified engineer or company.

You should note: It is in your own interest that you ask to see copies of this certificate beforehand to ensure that they are properly qualified to carry out the checks. These requirements are by current British Law. You are therefore allowed to use any company or engineer of your choice to carry out the safety checks provided that they are CORGI registered and can provide certificates.

Summary Hopefully this article hasn't put you, if it hasn't, then you could make good money from renting out property. Make sure you get good advice from the right people, all people will have a point of view on renting, but the right advice for you is what you need.

Andrew Cambridge writes articles for Investment opportunities , as well as many other money websites. He has many articles published on the internet. What interest him about Lettings in peterborough is that so few websites offer good impartial information. - 23208

About the Author:

How Seasonal Trends Effect FX Markets?

By Hass67

Many forex traders depend on either fundamental analysis or technical analysis in their trading. The savvier among them try to combine both in making predictions about the direction a particular currency is going to follow in the future.

Fundamental analysis uses study of economic forces whether they are financial or socio political that affect currency markets in the long run. Technical analysis also know as Charting studies the past price action charts to make predictions about the future price action in forex markets.

If you have been trading stocks, you must be familiar with the term: The January Effect. It has been observed over a long period of time that stocks tend to perform very well between the last week of December and the first week of January.

The explanation why this effect takes place is quite simple. At the end of the year, many investors try to realize capital gains or losses to file their tax returns. Many corporations also try to adjust their balance sheets favorably at the end of the year.

Seasonality is not peculiar to the stock markets. In fact forex markets also tend to exhibit strong seasonal effects. Seasonality can be defined as a pattern that occurs at a particular period of the year.

The January Effect also takes place in forex markets due to the same reasons. Many investors who are adjusting their stock positions try to convert their local currencies into dollars at that time.

However, dollar shows stronger January Effect in some currency pairs as compared to others. There is a summer effect also. It has also been observed that dollar shows a summer seasonality when it tends to rise in USD/JPY pair and USD/CAD pair in the month of July and give back its gains by August.

There are other seasonal patterns that have been studied in other parts of the year. Now, it does not mean that these seasonal effects take place exactly the same way every year.

Seasonality only shows that there are strong probabilities that during a particular period of the year, the chances of a certain currency pair going up or down are more pronounced.

Forex traders should keep these seasonal patterns at the back of their minds while trading during that period. - 23208

About the Author:

Mutual Fund Checklist for Beginners

By Sara Ferguson

There are many ways to select a mutual fund, each one has its own ups, downs, and risks. As you select your first mutual fund, consider these factors:

The fund manager: Often a fund is only as good as its management. If the fund manager has shown great performance in the past, future performance is likely to be above average. If the fund manager has been replaced, past performance becomes less meaningful and may even be worthless. A poor-performing fund that gets a new fund manager may turn around and become a top performer.

The objectives of the fund: Some funds focus on specialty or sector funds (gold funds or biotech funds) and often offer great returns. However, they arent good funds for the online investor who wants to own just one mutual fund. If you own just one specialty fund, you lose the advantage of diversification.

The objectives of the fund: Some funds focus on specialty or sector funds (gold funds or biotech funds) and often offer great returns. However, they arent good funds for the online investor who wants to own just one mutual fund. If you own just one specialty fund, you lose the advantage of diversification.

The objectives of the fund: Some funds focus on specialty or sector funds (gold funds or biotech funds) and often offer great returns. However, they arent good funds for the online investor who wants to own just one mutual fund. If you own just one specialty fund, you lose the advantage of diversification.

Fees: A debate has raged during the last ten years about which is better: no-load or load mutual funds. All the studies indicate that paying a sales commission doesnt ensure a greater return. However, investing in a fund with high fees and high returns is better than investing in a fund with low fees and poor performance. Fees are part of life, investing is no different; fees can also overwhelm you so make sure you understand the fees before you commit.

Fees: A debate has raged during the last ten years about which is better: no-load or load mutual funds. All the studies indicate that paying a sales commission doesnt ensure a greater return. However, investing in a fund with high fees and high returns is better than investing in a fund with low fees and poor performance. Fees are part of life, investing is no different; fees can also overwhelm you so make sure you understand the fees before you commit. - 23208

About the Author: