Tuesday, December 30, 2008

How to Go On Vacation on Low Budget

A hectic schedule packed with appointments, sales targets to be achieved and complaints from round about everyone who knows your name; an average guy quite often finds his life revolving around such stuff. This leaves no time for him or his family.

So, it is time for you to break all shackles, and grant yourself a well deserving break. A vacation would be the perfect solution for a stressed out mind as well as body. However, the question arises, how to go for a vacation without upsetting your budget.

Budget, definitely forms a very important part in planning a vacation. In fact, many a vacation plans do not materialize, simply because of lack of funds.
You may have come across such a situation, where your budget constraints have stopped you from going for a vacation. However, it is important for you to realize that you can always go for a vacation at a very low cost.

The following are some of the ways, which would help you, go for a vacation, without upsetting your budget:
  1. If you are looking forward, to a vacation, then you need to plan first. Make sure that plan your budget well in advance and follow it with diligence. Make a list of your expenses and do not exceed the list at any cost.
  2. It is always better to go for a vacation in off-seasons. Not only does it save you from all the hustle and bustle, it is also helpful in saving you a lot of money. This is because off season rates for lodging as well as transportation are always lesser than peak season rates, sometimes, even less than half.
  3. If you are going for an off-season vacation you can also avoid hiring a travel agent. This is because, an off season vacation would mean that you would have virtually no difficulty in food and lodging, which is not so in case of peak season.
  4. When you have a shoe string budget, it is advisable to go for nearby destinations. This would be quite helpful in saving you on your travelling expenses. You can use this money for some other purpose.
  5. As far as travelling is concerned, you could always settle for economy class airfare. This would also save you a lot of money.
  6. You can also settle for a travel guide manual, instead of hiring a tourist guide. This would also help you in cutting down your cost.
A vacation is a very important mode of unwinding and spending time with your family, which is otherwise, next to impossible. If you follow the above rules, then you may be able to save more, which would help you in going for more vacations, all in the same budget.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Money Saving Tips for Las Vegas Weddings

Wedding is the most special occasion of ones life. And a wedding in Las Vegas make it much more special. To make the occasion memorable that too under low budget is a difficult task but you can do so if you plan it carefully. To save money you should first lay the plan on a sheet of paper. Here are some tips which you can use to save money for Las Vegas wedding:
  1. First calculate the amount that you want to spend for your wedding. Write down everything that you plan for your wedding. Make a list of the entire guest whom you want to invite. This will give you an overview about what location you should choose to accommodate all the guests comfortably. If possible keep the list short. Invite some close relatives and friends. For others you can plan a small party in your home town.
  2. Find out different locations where you can plan you wedding. Then prune the list and reduce it to three.
  3. Now in your list enter the amount that you want to spend on the decorations. Whether you plan a floral decoration or wish to decorate the location with different lights.
  4. For this you can contact the local agent who can suggest you some locations and small local firms that provide the decoration service for wedding. Compare them on the basis of the prices and discounts that they offer.
  5. The Las Vegas weddings mainly get expensive because of the wedding gown and tuxedo of the bride and groom. To find out a wedding dresses avoid the retail shops. Visit your relative who is in the business of designing and making wedding dresses and ask them for the service.
  6. They can offer you a huge discount for the service. If you don't have one then you can shop around and search some local boutiques offering such service. Compare their rates and make a choice. Search a tuxedo which you can use in future also.
  7. With your guest list ready you can now think of the invitation cards. The cards also suck much of the money from the account. You can save money here by designing your own cards. Use your computer instead of visiting a firm for the service. Use your creativity. Ask your friends for some creative ideas. Use your printer to print your card.
  8. If you have no time for this then find out the printers who offer stock wedding invitation which can be personalized as per your needs.
Besides this, always examine the rentals such as the glassware, plates before you approve them. Reduce the length of your reception and book in advance to save some money.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Women's Life Insurance Policies

Why should you choose a life insurance? There are many reasons. You should so that you can save some money for unforeseen circumstances. You should take a life insurance if you seriously think about your family and want your family to continue without any hiccups after your death.

You can pay off your loan or for your child education with the small amount that you deposit with your insurer every year. With the small savings every year you can assure yourself that your spouse will not face any type of financial difficulty after your demise.

The life insurance is for both men and women so that they can provide their family with the financial support in case any uncertainty happens with them. The insurance companies have designed different plans for women that they get adequate life cover.

The companies have designed plans and benefits so that all the women no matter they are working or housewives they get a life cover. Thus single moms, singles, working, housewives; women with disability can get an adequate cover for their lives.

The insurance companies broadly group women in two categories. The first category includes the women who are not earning but have a property to look for. This category also includes the housewives who are not earning. The second category includes women who are earning and are in different types of profession such as medicine, accountancy etc.

The premium is decided on the basis of factors such as the profession, age occupation. Certain factors such as pregnancy and other women specific critical illness may raise the premium amount. These factors are separately covered under different plans or are covered as riders in insurance plans.

The women life insurance policy includes certain riders or special covers. This include any pregnancy related complications, critical illness specific for women, congenital disability in new born, post delivery complications, death of mother during child birth, any defect that is detected two hundred days after delivery, any non congenital diseases in new born and miscarriage and infanticide.

Besides these heart diseases, kidney malfunctions and other diseases that lead to critical illness are covered through the health insurance plans.

Non working women who are full time housewives can get the benefit either through the combined or joint insurance plans with their partners or through the individual plans under their names. With all these plans and policies they can name their spouse or their child as their nominee.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Motor Trade Insurance

Motor trade insurance is for those who are involved in the buying, selling, repairing and related services of the motor trade. Different types of motor trade insurance policies are designed fro the motor traders. But there are five broad types of motor insurance policies. These are:
  1. Third party only
  2. Fire and theft motor insurance policy
  3. Comprehensive policy
  4. Liability policy
  5. Combined policy
The third party only policy caters to the minimum requirement of the insurance. This policy meets the minimum legal requirement and thus is most suitable when you don't require any insurance.

Fire and theft insurance covers the vehicle for the losses due to theft and damages due to fire. The combined policy covers for everything. It covers for damages due to fire, theft, accidents and other features. It also covers for the repair and road risks. Such covers are provided keeping in mind the place where and when the goods are being dispatched.

The comprehensive policy covers for the comprehensive costs such as for the repairs and damages caused due to factors other than accidents besides covering for the third party theft and fire. Liability insurance policy provides cover for the vehicles which have public as their property and thus are involved in commuting activities. This policy is beneficial for those businesses which have employees working with the vehicles. The liability coverage is thus of three types- public, employers and product and service types.

Determine your business needs before you choose any policy. This will help you to determine the best policy for your business. You can also take the help of a broker who can explain you different options and plans available for your business. It is important for you to understand your business needs before you decide to take any plan.

To find out a suitable insurance plan for your business you can search for the option online. Browse the sites of different companies and download the quotes. Compare them and then make a choice. You can also take the help of the sites giving comparative quotes of the different plans from different insurance companies.

Find out about the limits and exclusion of the policies. There are different policies which differ very slightly. Therefore give the process some time. Think before you take a decision.

Consult the broker or an insurance agent to understand the plan, its features, the different benefits that the plan provides and the clam process. Ask them about the different information that you will have to furnish them if you take the plan.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Tips To Avoid Investment Scams

We all invest our hard earned money in different plans with different companies. We do this for several reasons. We invest to increase our wealth, we invest for our child education and we set aside some part of our income in different plans so that we have ample money to support our living when we retire.

Everyone is now aware of the advantages of investments. With growing awareness among the individuals new companies are entering into the field. This has made the field vulnerable to scams. To avoid such scams and to invest your money safely you can use the tip mentioned below.
  1. Avoid the plans that offer you higher returns than any other plan in the market. If they sound too good to be true then they probably are. Don't get swayed away with the fancy returns that they promise you.
  2. Avoid the plans that promise you huge returns in shorter time. Such plans are a scam. Also avoid the companies where the officials lure you with their fancy plans and stress you to take the plan at that very moment.
  3. Find out everything about the plan before you put your money in it. Search for the information online. Inquire that the company you approach is a recognized one. Find out whether the company is a registered with the state.
  4. Clear all your doubts which you have about the plan. Ask the officials about the documents and the risk associated with the plan. Find out about the terms and conditions related to the plan. Ask the officials about your obligations for the plan. Ask them about your responsibilities and rights that you have if you take the plan.
  5. Always avoid the cold calls and mails that you receive.
  6. If you smell some scam then report at once to the concerned authorities.
  7. Take practical decisions. Never let your emotions overpower you.
  8. Ask the officials for a regular report. Monitor all you investment that you make. Note down everything and maintain a record. This will help you to detect any scam in initial stage. With all the records you can question the authorities for the default that you detect.
  9. If the company delays the processing of withdrawal then probably the company is not interested in giving you your money. Take measure at once. If you are sure that the officials are cheating you then you can report the case to the concerned state authority at once.
Never take hasty decisions. Always take some time and think over the matter before you decide to put your money into any plan.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

What Is Crash in Stock Market

Crash in stock markets is sudden decline in the stock prices driven by market psychology and economic events. Strange are the ways of financial market. Best time to buy the stocks is when everyone is selling and appropriate time to sell the stocks is when everyone is buying.

This generally happens when few market participants sell their stocks which drive others to sell their stocks as well. As a result of such panic selling there is abrupt and sharp decline in the stock prices which ultimately leads to stock market crash.

Selling of stocks takes place when the stock market is weak and the participants are pessimistic. At this point of time the market is said to be undervalued. The investors generally the corporate insiders, hedgers and other such traders now buy the stocks at bargain with the intention to sell them at higher prices in future.

Due to such accumulation of the stocks, the prices rise. The mutual funds also contribute to the increase in the stock prices. They are the powerful motivators which accelerate the stock prices. In such conditions the stocks Indies show an upward trend. With a substantial gain, the prices can move no further.

At this point the retail investors enter the market. They enter the market with the sole purpose of making money. Such investors take their decisions on the basis of the news and reviews in the newspapers, financial magazines and other similar source of information. these investors are driven by the market sentiments and economic events happening around the world.

As more and more retail investors enter the market, more money flows in and companies are encouraged to launch more IPOs.

This is the time when the stocks are considered overvalued. The market specialists now sell the stocks to the retail investors. This is also the time when most of the scams take place in the market. Now no more money can flow in. the market is now supersaturated. Just a small news of scam and the market precipitates.

The investors start selling their stocks as soon as the news of any market scam arrives. Few sellers drive others to sell their stocks. There is panic in the market and everyone just wants to sell.

At this moment some retail investors hold their stock. They still hope that they will make money. But as the prices continue to fall they too sell their stock which chops the market further. As no one is willing to buy now, the stock prices fall rapidly. The market thus crash under its own weight.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

How to get More Funds for your Small Business

Finance is the backbone of any business. A business needs capital to support day to day activities. It needs funds to promote its products, to purchase the equipments, pay to their employees, creditors. In fact every business activity requires money.

The finance for small business is available in the form of short term loans, medium term and long term loans. The small business can also raise funds from accounts receivable financing and business line of credit. Payday loans and personal loans are also a good option to raise short term fund to support the working capital needs. Let's discuss them one by one.

Payday loans
These loans are one of the best ways to raise funds to meet immediate needs of the business. If you own a small business then you can apply for the payday loan. For this you sign a post dated cheque of the amount that you borrow.

The loan amount is credited to your account. The best thing about such loans is that the processing is fast. The loans are sanctioned without any delays. Moreover the financial company is not concerned with the way you use the money. But the bad thing is that the immediate funds come with high rate of interest. You are also liable to pay the penalty in the form of high interest rates in case you are not able to pay your amount on time.

Term loans
These loans are available for different terms. Loans for more than one year are the medium term loans. Loans taken for more than five years are the long term loans and loans which you have to pay off within a year are the short term loans.

You can apply for long term loans if you need funds to expand your business. This is the better way to raise funds to buy an equipment or plant for your business. Such loans are available as secured and unsecured loans. Leasing is also an option which should be considered. The interest on this loan is tax deductible and the repayment is spread over the years which make the term loan a good option for raising funds.

Account receivable financing
This is also known as factoring or invoice financing. This forms an alternative source of finance. The business account receivable form the current asset for a business. If your business needs immediate cash and you have invoices that will realize after 30 to 60 days then you can approach the factoring company, sell them your account receivables for a fee and take the amount.

Besides these forms, government grants and credit unions can also provide you with the necessary funds so that you carry on your business smoothly.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Best Tips to Formulate a Profitable Trading Plan

A profitable trading plan is one which has a combination of different types of securities and financial instruments which diversify the risk and maximize the returns. If you wish to be a successful investor in the stock markets then you can follow the tips mentioned below.

Find out about different types of securities
Find the different financial instruments which are there in the financial market. Find out the return and risk ratio of these investments. Higher the return more risky is the instrument.

Do some fundamental analysis and technical analysis of the stocks
Find out about the sector in which the company is operating, find out the growth of the industry in the two to three years. Study the historical prices of the company stock in previous years. Find out about the growth pattern, the strategies of the company and the steps taken by the company in recent times to expand their business. Collect information about the dividend policy, P/E ratio of the company.

Study the previous trend in the company stocks. Monitor the prices and other indicators to judge well prices of the stocks, profitability and growth of the company.

Decide the term for which you will invest different securities
Frame a portfolio. After deciding the ratio in which you will combine different securities, decide the term for which you will hold these securities. You can plan them for short term, medium term and long term. There are securities which you can hold for long term to make profits. This is especially for the government securities. These are the least risk securities and they earn profits in the long run. Similar is the case with the bonds. Some securities can earn you profits in short term. You can actively trade stocks of some companies to earn profits in short term.

To be on the safer side you can be a medium term trader. If you are a beginner then you can start as a medium term trader.

Time your trade
The financial market rises and falls. When it rises you make profit and when the market falls the stock prices fall and you face losses. To minimize the losses study the market trends carefully. A good trading plan should minimize the losses and help you earn profits. Monitor the daily swing in the prices of the stocks you hold. If you smell any drastic swing then take immediate steps.
If you trade in forex market then take a note of stop loss and trade profit. Stop loss help you to move out before any down swing in the currency prices take place.

There is no formula to device a perfect trading plan. But you can follow the above mentioned steps to increase the profitability of your trading plan.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Commercial Building Insurance

The commercial building insurance cover the commercial building against the damages caused due to fire or natural calamities. The insurance also provides cover for theft and vandalism. Some form of commercial building insurance cover the death and injury on the premise while some other cover the furniture and other property inside the building.

The commercial building insurance policies can broadly be grouped into two types-all risk policies and named peril policy. The named peril policy provides cover for the calamities mentioned in the policy document. If the policy is taken to cover the damages due to fire and flood then the policy can be claimed for these calamities only. In case the building is damaged due to earthquake then the building owner cannot claim for the policy cover.

The all risk policy on the other hand is just opposite to the named peril. Such policy covers all type of calamities. This type of policy is especially suitable for the small owners.

You can apply for the actual value cost coverage or the replacement coverage. The actual value cost coverage is cheaper than the other. This will give you the amount which will be equal to the actual cost of the building and the contents of the building that damage during the calamity.

The replacement coverage on the other hand gives you the cost that you will incur in replacing the building and the contents that get damage in the calamity. This is costlier than the actual value coverage but is the most preferred one.

There are number of banks providing the commercial building insurance. You can get hold of all the information online. Visit the sites and find out about the different lenders specializing in commercial building insurance.

Search them and get the quotes. Download the list and the quotes and compare them. Find out the terms and conditions that these lenders have for the policy that they give you. Compare them and then make a choice.

You can apply for the landlord insurance. If you are looking for this type of cover then ensure that the plan provides you all the necessary cover that you are seeking for. It is available in the form of unoccupied property insurance, landlord content insurance, landlord building insurance, loss of rent cover and rent guarantee insurance.

If you are unable to rent your property due to the calamity insured in the property then the loss of rent plan will give you the necessary cover. The rent guarantee insurance is an extension of the legal expense insurance. This provides the necessary cover if the tenant defaults the payment of rent.
It is important to have a commercial building insurance as it ensures you cover for the losses that may arise due to the fire, theft or any other natural calamity.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

What Is General Equipment Financing

Different forms of loans are available for the general equipments. These are the equipments which you cannot categorize in some common categories like the equipments for agriculture, commercial vehicles, automobile equipments and the likes.

The machines used in the laundry business, the vending machines and the different amusement equipments are all general equipments. Finance for such equipments is available in different forms. Different financial companies offer financial assistance as loans and lease at low interest rates for such equipments.

Financing for vending machines come under general equipment financing. The vending machines help the individuals involved in the business of bottle, can and juice vending to generate revenues from their respective business. Such individuals can reach the financial institutions to raise funds as loans. They can also apply for lease financing and avail the latest technology in machines at affordable rates.

Financing for the laundry and dry cleaning equipments also come under general equipments. Leasing provides the best option for such business. The modern heavy dry cleaning equipments can be leased and the repayment spread over the years. The capital saved can be invested or used for other business activities.

Besides this the fitness and exercise equipments in the gymnasium and the coin amusement equipments also come under the category of general equipments. Growing awareness of the masses towards health has opened business opportunity in the fitness and gym industry. The equipments here also can be purchased with the help of loans from the financial institutions.

The fixture equipments and building maintenance equipments also fall in this category of general equipments. Some organizations need garbage disposal equipments and general equipment financing is the best option to raise the funds to purchase such equipments.

These loans are available in the form of both secured and unsecured loans. If you plan to start such venture in this industry then you can apply for either secured or unsecured loans. For secured loans you have to place collateral. The unsecured loan has no such condition and the loan is sanctioned just on the basis of your creditworthiness.

The interest rate for unsecured loan is generally higher than the secured loan. This is because with secured loan you place your property as collateral which lowers the risk of the lender.

With general equipment financing you can raise funds to acquire any of the general equipment that you think that you need for your business so that your business runs smoothly. For financing, reach the company that provide you with the solution immediately and does not fix you in cumbersome procedures.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Important Things to Look for in an Online Savings Account

Online saving account gives higher yield than the traditional saving account. The account is safe to operate. You can check your account balance from any place and at any time. The account provides you with the liquidity but at the same time you think twice before you withdraw the money from the account. This is because the money transfer takes one or two days. This helps you to spend less.

With all these advantages the online saving account is a better choice than the traditional saving account. To open an online account compare them on the basis of different features before you make a choice. Compare them on the basis of the interest rates, minimum deposits, account fees and interest penalties.

It is your financial behavior which you should consider while you choose an online saving account. Find out the type of transactions you make on regular basis and then compare the accounts on the basis of the features.

Minimum deposit required
Inquire about the minimum amount you need to deposit to open the account. Many of the online saving accounts do not require you to have a sum to open an account. But there are some companies that lay down minimum amount limit of say $1500 or $2000 to open an account.

Fees
Find out whether you need to deposit any fees to open an account. Visit the website and navigate it thoroughly. Visit the frequently asked question option. Some sites also provide with the direct inquiry facility. In this they display the toll free number which you can use to call the customer care and ask them all that you want to about the account.

Access to your account
Find how you can access the account. Some sites link your account to normal bank account which provides you with the additional convenience.

Interest rates
Inquire about the interest rates attached to the account. Compare the different rates offered by the different players in the market before you make a choice.

Interest penalties
Some financial companies charge penalties for the transactions you make through your online saving account. Find about such penalties.

When you open the online account you operate online and submit all your personal details. Make sure that the site is secure and safe. Take all the precautions whenever you make any transaction. Install a firewall. Delete all the cache and close the browser when you finish with the procedure.

With more and more companies entering in this field, you can find a range of offers. You can find companies which give you the facility at very high interest, on fees and penalties. All you have to do is compare them and then make a wise choice.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

How Landlord Building Insurance Policy Works

The landlord building insurance provides insurance cover to your building for any permanent damage caused due to fire or flood. When your building catches fire, a permanent damage may occur. Also the flood or any other natural calamity like the earthquake or storm may cause permanent damage to your building.

Under such conditions you don't get the rent from your tenants and you no more receive the income from your building. The landlord building insurance helps you in such conditions. The insurance cover provides you with the money so that you can rebuild and repair the damages to your building caused due to such calamities.

To ensure that you get the adequate amount of cover under such unforeseen circumstances, you pay certain regular sum as premium. This premium gets accumulated over the years and when any such calamity occurs, the company gives you the amount along with the built up interest so that you can rebuild your damaged property.

You can find the information about such insurance covers online. Visit the site and have a look. Inform yourself of the different eventualities that are covered in such insurance plans. Consult the insurance agent and find out the different documents that you need to apply for the policy. You can also find the information online.

But before approaching the advisor evaluate the present value of your property. Then contact the advisor and find out how much premium you have to deposit to avail the benefits of the insurance plan. Find out about the mode of payment for the premium. Also ask the advisor of the benefits which you will be given under the plan. Inquire about the different terms for which the insurance plans are available. Find out about the additional covers for the different landlord liabilities.

There are additional benefits provided in the insurance plans. These may include a cover for the claims made by the tenants. The tenants can claim for any injury which they suffer when any calamity occurs. The landlord liability insurance provides you with the cover for such claims.

Other is the employer liability cover. In this the plan gives you the cover for the claims made by the employees if they get injured or fall ill when any such misshaping occurs.

Other type of plan under this group is the content insurance which ensures you for the damages to furniture, paintings, fixtures and similar things in the building. Thus the building insurance gives you the financial assistance when the building and all the structures are damaged due to the natural and man made calamities.

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