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Because investing is not a sure thing in most cases, it is much like a game – you don’t know the outcome until the game has been played and a winner has been declared. Anytime you play almost any type of game, you have a strategy. Investing isn’t any different – you need an investment strategy. An investment strategy is basically a plan for investing your money in various types of investments that will help you meet your financial goals in a specific amount of time. Each type of investment contains individual investments that you must choose from. A clothing store sells clothes – but those clothes consist of shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, undergarments, etc. The stock market is a type of investment, but it contains different types of stocks, which all contain different companies that you can invest in. If you haven’t done your research, it can quickly become very confusing – simply because there are so many different types of investments and individual investments to choose from. This...

How do credit bureaus compute one’s credit scores? A lot of credit reporting bureaus or agencies gathers information on the subject of the debtor’s credit history or files from reliable private and public sources. They also collect data from the creditors who extended the loan to the debtor. Accordingly, the information is clustered into five sets or categories with the corresponding percentages which reflect the importance of each category in the final computation of scores, namely: (1) Owed Amount – 30%, (2) History of Payments – 30%, (3) Duration of Credit Record – 15%, (4) Nature or Kinds of Credit Currently in Use – 10%, and lastly (5) Latest Credit Inquiries – 10%. Generally, these credit bureaus calculate the debtor’s credit score using a three figure number which range from 300 up to 850. The higher the credit score, the better chance of acquiring low interest rates for the loan being applied for and a better opening for wealth accumulation. The industry of credit-scoring has b...

It is natural for us to resort to credit when we are in great financial need, yet we are running out of cash. Instead of pawning our precious assets in exchange for the amount that we need (which is commonly minus the applied interest), we can apply for different types of loans with convenient terms of payments and affordable interest rates. In addition, there are also instances when the lender provides rebates and other forms of financial incentives to their clients, thus making credit an advantageous alternative when you are in great financial need. However, there are individuals who do not understand the limitations that must be followed when resorting to credit. Since credit allows them to make purchases in the absence of cash, they tend to spend more than what they can afford to pay later on, thus resulting to piles of debt at the end of the billing period. Though credit limit is strictly enforced, there are individuals who manage to slip away from their credit limits, thus they a...

Many homeowners find the Internet to be very useful during the re-financing process. The Internet may be useful because it provides the homeowner with a wealth of information, because it provides the ability to submit loan applications and receive estimates online and because makes it easy for homeowners to consider complicated mathematical equations for a variety of options with ease. While the Internet can be a homeowner’s best friend it can also be the homeowner’s worst enemy. Homeowners who are using the Internet to perform the majority of their re-financing research should be aware of the potential problems associated with finding information online. Additionally, this article will provide the reader with useful information regarding the types of information they may find on the Internet as well as tips for selecting reliable Internet resources. Exploring the Internet Whether you refer to it as the Internet or the World Wide Web, there is no denying the way the Internet has change...

Homeowners who are considering re-financing but are not knowledgeable about the subject have a number of options available to them for finding more accurate information regarding the types of re-financing options available as well as the ways to obtain the best available rates and tips for finding a reputable lender. This information can be obtained through a number of resources including published books, Internet websites and conversations with experts in the financial industry who specialize in the area of re-financing. All of these sources can be very helpful but there are also precautions homeowners must take when using each information source. Taking these precautions will help to ensure the homeowner is receiving accurate information. Using Books for Research Published books are often considered to be one of the most reliable resources for researching re-financing options. However, not all books on the subject are created useful. Readers may find some books provide a great deal o...

If a business breaks the rules of accounting and ethics, it can be liable for legal sanctions against it. It can deliberately deceive its investors and lenders with false or misleading numbers in its financial report. That's where audits come in. Audits are one means of keeping misleading financial reporting to a minimum. CPA auditors are like highway patrol officers who enforce traffic laws and issue tickets to keep speeding to a minimum. An audit exam can uncover problems that the business was not aware of. After completing an audit examination, the CPA prepares a short report stating that the business has prepared its financial statements, according to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), or where it has not. All businesses that are publicly traded are required to have annual audits by independent CPAs. Those companies whose stocks are listed on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq must be audited by outside CPA firms. For a publicly traded company, the expense of c...

Although it may be overstated, there is a lot of truth to people ruining their credit score due to missing payments and paying their credit card bills late. The fees can pile up and the interest rates can grow before you know it, and after a while you won’t even be able to pay the minimum amount of payment. If you don’t do something fast - it could be the beginning of the end. To make sure this don’t happen to you, you should always pay your bill on time, and always avoid missing a payment. Sometimes, it can be hard to make your payments on time, although you should always do everything in your power to ensure that you stay on top of things. Below, you’ll find some tips to help you with your credit card payments. As stated above, you should always pay your bill on time. If something comes up and you aren’t able to pay, you’ll be penalized. Even though you may think what has come up will justify a late payment, it doesn’t justify the means in the eyes of your credit card company. ...