Archive for September, 2006

Save Money and Save the World

Posted in Finances on September 26th, 2006

Saving money is the game now if you really want to bank on a good future for you and your family. This is one definite way to ensure that you make yourself able and ready for whatever big plans you have ahead, be it getting a new house, buying a car, sending a kid to college or even a grand vacation.

There are many ways to save money. It can range from setting aside a portion of your monthly paycheck or avoiding the little temptations for you to spend. Make it your goal.

Start at Your Own Home

Saving money should be part of your way of life to make it most effective. It is best that the effort to save be shared by everyone in the family.

Little Efforts

Do not drive if you really dont have to. If you can, just take a walk or take the bus. Riding the bike can also be very good for your body. Have a car pool with friends or neighbors. You can also suggest doing errands together like doing the grocery store.

Avoid the little temptations that may come your way. It is naturally fine to reward yourself after a hard work every now and then, but do stay away from splurging. Cut back on your expenses.

Use Less and Save Energy

Electricity - Turn off appliances that are not used. Turn the TV off if the show is not worth it. Close the refrigerator after getting what you need. Use lower wattage bulb for rooms that do not need much lighting. These will definitely add more data to your savings!

Water - Check for any leaks in your pipes. Always make sure that the faucet is not dripping. Avoid long showers. Use a glass when brushing your teeth instead of leaving the faucet on.

Phone Choose a provider that has savings plans especially for long-distance calls.

Gas - Have your car tuned up so you can save on gas. Get membership benefits also from stations. Fill up the tank when the prices go low. You can also do a research on gas saving cars if you have to purchase a new one. Turn off the air conditioning. If there is no need for that, simply keep the windows open. Enjoy the ride and the cool wind.

You may not realized this before, but your households basic utilities can actually be your key to saving more money. This has a two-way benefit. You get to save some dollars for your family. You also contribute in addressing the energy crisis.

Debt consolidation loans: Helps you start life afresh!

Posted in Debt Management on September 25th, 2006

Have you exoerienced this situation: Your payments are mounting and You don’t even know what you can do to pay off those mounting bills. Also, your excessive spending and cumbersome financial responsibilities are slowly taking you to bankruptcy.

Fortunately, more and more people are now beginning to look at different alternatives to manage their debts.
Debt consolidation loan programs help consumers to get rid of the burden of excessive debt. Debt consolidation experts can help consumers to assess their individual situation and give recommendations on how to get out of their tough situations.

Read more about Debt consolidation loans

As in Sports, You Can Also Warm Up in Real Estate

Posted in Finances, Financial Management, Investing on September 25th, 2006

Real estate investing is a vast and open field. Ask any successful real estate investor and they will tell you that investing in real estate can be an overwhelming task for first time investors, especially IRA investors who are new to investing in real estate with their IRA funds; although one may be have purchased real estate as a personal residence, purchasing investment property is an entirely different animal and it requires a totally different skill set if one wishes to be successful. First time investors can easily be overwhelmed when directly buying and selling ‘123 Main Street’ due to either a lack of real estate investing experience, a lack of time, or a small amount of funds in a 401K/IRA. Real Estate like products such as (tax liens, private mortgage notes, real estate notes, private REITS, or private limited partnerships) might be just the right fit for first time investors who truly wish to begin investing in real estate like products without hassling with collecting rents, dealing with tenants, or lining up contractors to rehab properties.

If you’re hesitant to begin your real estate financial education by “wheeling and dealing” in properties, you can choose to go on “warm-up” mode. One way of warming up without feeling that you’re diving head on into uncharted waters is by purchasing some shares issued by a private real estate investment trust (REITs) which you’ve may have heard about. Private REITs are companies that typically own and manage large undertakings like warehouses and shopping centers and office buildings.

If you are keen on IRA wealth building strategies, a smart maneuver would be to own shares in several private REITs. Your self-directed IRA adviser should be able to come up with a short list.

However, history has proven that investing in the real estate market – selling/buying and managing properties - will give you an edge over passive investors who stick to more traditional ways of investing. So ideally you’d have private REITs in your portfolio when you’re in your 20’s and 30’s. By the time you hit your 40’s and 50’s, and begin to feel that real estate runs in your blood, you may want to take a more aggressive stance by buying and selling within your IRA and still be able to enjoy tax-deferred growth.

This is a copyrighted article provided by Joshua Geary, Asset Exchange Strategies

To learn more about Tax Deferred Strategies visit The Tax Deferred Strategist Blog

“The Bad Credit Card That May Do Good.”

Posted in Credit Cards on September 24th, 2006

Millions of people use credit cards all around the world. A huge chunk of those users made mistakes when dealing with their credit cards. The consequence of the errors is costly.

A lot end up in debt and most of the time these are the people who rant about the credit card being the devil. But fact of the matter is, this is not the case. When used properly, credit cards are very good financial tools.

Credit cards are not necessarily just for people who have large sums of money to use. There are some cards even for the financially challenged, and these are called the: Bad Credit Cards.

A bad credit card is just precisely that: a card with a very bad or low credit limit.

There are two types of credit cards: there is the secured and the unsecured credit cards.

Unsecured credit cards are the accounts that are free from the limits of a bank account. The limit of credit is up to the banks discretion and not up to the size of the bank account. If the bank thinks that a person is deserving of a bigger credit, then it will be given.

This is the usual type of credit cards in the market and is fairly popular among the card shopping people. These are also the cards known to be more respected by other companies. These are also the cards known to send people to a very deep debt.

This is the type of credit card that should be avoided if the applicant is already in a financial mess.

The secured credit cards are the bad credit cards. These cards are grounded on the size of the account a person has. For example, if a person has a $1,000 balance, then that is all the credit a person is going to get. If there is a point where the balance reaches $0, then the person should go and re-fill the account.

The bank limits the credit to the money already present to avoid overspending, thus preventing even deeper debt. This will monitor the expenses of the person and will help the development of a financial recovery for some.

These credit cards are also known as pre-paid credit cards for there is only a fixed amount that can be used and the holder is the one who puts it there.

What is a S Corporations

Posted in Finances on September 23rd, 2006

What is a S Corporations

S Corporation is a normal legal corporation filed with the Secretaray of State. Then the shareholders elects to be taxed under Subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code. The S corporation is separate and distinct from the corporation’s owners. Under most state law, there is no distinction between a C corporation and an S corporation. The incorporation process is the same. However, the two type of corporate entities are subject to differing federal and state tax treatment.

Eligibility for S corporation tax status is based on compliance with IRS regulations regarding the number and characteristics of stockholders, type of stock issued, and other characteristics specified in the regulations.

S corporation tax implications are that income or loss, including capital gains, pass through to the stockholders, and is treated as income to the receiving individuals, like a partnership. S corporation income passed through to stockholders and is subject to state and federal income tax, but is not subject to self-employment tax when employee-stockholders receive adequate compensation salaries. Pay of corporation employees for a S Corporations are subject to payroll taxes in the same manner as is the case for employees in any other type of economic activity.

Questions or help in setting up a S Corporation contact CPA Moms