Credit Cards - How to compare online

Credit Cards - How to compare online
Today the credit card market has reached almost saturation
point in Australia. However this hasn't stopped credit card
providers from offering lucrative deals or promotional
schemes, neither has it stopped the average Australian
consumer from procuring more cards.

If you are new to the market, here is a guide to help you
compare credit cards and pick the best one for you.

Interest rates

This should be one of the first things to look out for when
shopping for credit cards. Credit card interest rates can
be unusually high and if you're not reading the fine print
you could be taken for a ride. Many financial institutions
charge 0% interest rates for a certain duration only. Hence
such credit card interest rates are more of promotional
offers. In such cases be sure to read the offer document
carefully and ask what the interest rate will be after the
promotional period.

The grace period

The grace period is usually the number of extra days the
bank gives you after the due date, to pay off your
outstanding balances. During this time no interest gets
charged to your account. Usually the grace period is from
30 to 55 days. However with the credit card market being so
competitive it would do you good to compare credit cards
and look for the one with the highest grace period.

Annual fees

Annual fees are more like service charges which banks
charge from customers in return for their offerings. Today,
however, most banks issue credit cards with no annual fees,
while some others may issue cards which have a zero annual
fee only for a specific duration. After that it goes to the
regular standard. Be sure to keep a tab on the duration.

Rewards programs

In an effort to lure more customers by the day, many
financial institutions today issue credit cards which
provide cash back, frequent flyer miles and other rewards
points. Some may help you accumulate rewards points on
purchases made on the card while others may reward you when
you use the card to purchase airline tickets etc. Thus when
you compare credit cards make sure to scrutinise this
feature as you can mostly extract a good deal owing to the
competitive industry.

Fixed and variable interest

Other than just the rate of interest on the card, usually
you'll also need to check the kind of interest on it.
Credit card interest rates usually come in two types -
fixed and variable. The fixed one, as the name suggests
will entail paying a fixed amount every month. However, the
variable one can be a little tricky as it fluctuates based
on market conditions. So if the market interest rates are
low you are one of the lucky few. However if it is on the
upside then you're in for a lump sum payment every month!

Late fees

Depending on how much you default on your payments, credit
card companies will charge a late fee. Be sure to check on
this aspect as well when you compare credit cards as a
steep late fee can mean having to pay a large amount when
you miss the payment!

----------------------------------------------------
Article by Richard Greenwood, founder of finance and credit
card comparison website http://www.click4credit.com.au .
The site compares credit cards side by side from major
Australian banks such as ANZ, NAB and St.George bank.

The Fast Track to Your Financial Freedom (Part 1) - Leveraging Your Money

The Fast Track to Your Financial Freedom (Part 1) - Leveraging Your Money
Think about the money you deposit in a bank. The bank
happily pays you interest from the day you deposit the
money. And the longer you agree to leave it there, the
higher the interest rate the bank is willing to pay. Did
you every wonder why?

The answer lies in what the bank does with your money after
you deposit it. You may say that the answer is very
simple; they lend the money back out at a higher rate.
That answer would be accurate but not complete. In fact,
they do not just lend your money out. They effectively
lend out up to TEN TIMES your deposit. They have the
advantage of LEVERAGE. The reason for this is that the
Federal Reserve Bank only requires banks to keep a portion
of their loans in reserve; currently 10%. As the bank
makes a loan, the loaned money is deposited back into the
banking system and a new loan is made. This happens
repeatedly until ten times the amount of the original
deposit is loaned.

So the bank is very happy to pay the 2% interest on your
loan when they will in effect be able to lend out ten times
the amount at, say 6%. So on your $1,000 deposit, they pay
you $20 and they earn $600. Not a bad return, considering
they are using YOUR MONEY. Of course, the more the bank
receives in deposits and the more loans it can make, the
greater its returns and profit.

Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong or evil with the way
banks make money. In fact, it is essential to an expanding
economy for the banks to create money in the way they do.
What most of us don't realize is that we can use the same
principles to expand our own money supply. We simply have
to apply these principles to our own investing.

What the bank does is use leverage, i.e., other people's
money and velocity, continually moving that money, to
continually expand their profit base. Individuals have the
same opportunities but many of don't realize it. A simple
example of compound interest can illustrate how individuals
can use the bank's money to increase their own wealth and
cash flow:

Suppose, for example, that an individual has $20,000 to
invest. Most investment advisors would tell that
individual to put the money in a mutual fund to receive the
"high" returns of the stock market. So, let's suppose the
investor follows that advice and invests the $20,000 in a
mutual fund. Let's say also that the mutual fund does well
and returns a 10% return every year for seven years and
that all income from the mutual fund is reinvested at the
same 10% rate.

At the end of seven years, the investor's $20,000 will have
grown to $39,000, or almost double the original investment.
Most investment advisors (and most investors) would be
very happy with this return. In fact, it would be most
unusual to do this well over a seven-year period given the
stock market's fluctuations. This result is actually a
demonstration of compound interest.

Now let's look at what happens if the investor instead uses
leverage to increase the return on that $20,000 investment.
For simplicity, let's use real estate for our example. We
could use other investment vehicles, such as business
activities or stock options, but we are all familiar with
how leverage works in real estate.

Instead of investing the $20,000 in a mutual fund, let's
suppose instead that the individual invested in a
single-family home. Let's suppose the investor puts down
10% on a $200,000 house (including closing costs). Let's
further suppose that the investor then rents the house for
an amount equal to the monthly mortgage and maintenance
expenses of the house. Then, let's say that the house
appreciates at an annual rate of 5%.

At the end of seven years, the house will be worth
$281,000. The investor's $20,000 will have grown to
$101,000, or roughly 2.5 times the return from a good
mutual fund. It's probably safe to say that this is a
considerably better result than the mutual fund. This
result occurs because of the principle of LEVERAGE.

The investor in this case received not only the 5%
appreciation on the original $20,000 investment, but also
received 5% on the bank's loan of $180,000. Of course,
many real estate markets are currently appreciating at a
much higher rate than 5%, so this return could be
unrealistically low. But the average appreciation in real
estate over the past several decades has been around 7%, so
5% is a nice, CONSERVATIVE, example.

You may now be thinking that this whole idea of leverage is
great and earning $81,000 on a $20,000 investment over
seven years would be terrific. The problem with this is
"IT'S STILL TOO SLOW." We can still do much better.
Besides leverage, we need to add the principle of VELOCITY.
For more on Velocity, please see my article: "The Fast
Track to Your Financial Freedom (Part 2) - Adding Velocity
to Your Investments".

Warmest Regards,

Tom

----------------------------------------------------
Tom Wheelwright is not only the founder and CEO of
Provision, but he is the creative force behind Provision
Wealth Strategists. In addition to his management
responsibilities, Tom likes to coach clients on wealth,
business, and tax strategies. Along with his frequent
seminars on these strategies, Tom is an adjunct professor
in the Masters of Tax program at Arizona State University.
For more information, visit http://www.tomwheelwright.com

How to Quick Sell a Fixer Upper (Once You've Fixed It Up)

How to Quick Sell a Fixer Upper (Once You've Fixed It Up)
Okay, it's time. All the hard work is finished. It's time
to sell that house or investment property you bought as a
fixer upper. You've toiled, or paid others to toil for you;
now you want to profit from a successful sale. As well, you
want to get a return on the labor costs you paid to bring
this property up to snuff.

How do you sell the place in the shortest time possible?

After all, you don't want to keep making payments on it.
It's ready for sale and that's what you hope to accomplish,
the sale. Your approach to selling quickly will determine
whether you're soon on the way to the bank... or a
therapist.

Certainly, there are concerns to selling your home or
investment property. Concerns that can keep you awake at
night. To make the selling process as smooth and painless
as possible you need to do certain things.

What to Consider when Quick Selling a Fixer Upper

* Does your sale price adequately reflect the investment
into upgrades (with profit added onto the price of the
upgrades)?

* Do you have the 'intestinal fortitude' to handle a longer
selling period in case things do not proceed as rapidly as
you wish? The thought of all that work and no quick return
can be upsetting.

* Have you investigated the market, to see what other homes
you knew were 'fixed up' are selling for in your area?

* Will you be passing real estate fee savings onto buyers?

* If advertised as 'recently renovated' can you discuss the
particulars of the renovation intelligently with buyers?
This applies to work done to your place by outside trades'
people.

There's a wealth of information available to you when it
comes to selling your house or investment property. Check
books, house and home magazines and the Internet for
information related to selling real estate. Look for
specific content on selling a newly renovated fixer upper.
Look for those who offer legitimate real estate tutorials
and systems that help you sell your home for maximum profit.

When you offer your house for sale, highlight the
improvements. Buyers want to know of recent modern upgrades
that enhance the value of the property. Kitchens and
bathrooms are rooms that buyers love to see upgraded. Make
sure these rooms receive maximum exposure during an open
house or showing, if they were the target of your
renovation.

An excellent way to flip your home or investment property
quickly is to 'blitz the market'. Don't perform a gradual
staged approach to getting the word out. Take advantage of
your own personalized system of high impact marketing.
Remember, your aim is to sell your house immediately. The
longer it's on the market the harder it is to sell. When
buyers see your listing 'still there', they may feel it's
not a desirable property or location.

You can blitz the market by:

* Talking it up, word of mouth goes a long way.

* Advertising in local newspapers

* Using the classifieds' on the web

* Using websites that promote private selling of real estate

* Distributing your own flyers, postcards, or brochures

Have your showings and open houses for a set number of
days, however many you decide; then indicate a specific
date when you will take offers. Your goal is to generate
multiple offers that could precipitate a bidding war.

Take advantage of all resources available to spur on the
sale of your house or investment property. They're out
there for you. All designed to help you quick sell that
fixer upper.

----------------------------------------------------
Jason Loucks is the Nation's Leading Expert at Selling
Houses and Investment Properties Fast and For Top Dollar.
To Discover more about his "7 Day Sale" Method for selling
properties at retail price in 7 Days, visit
http://www.7DaySaleGuy.Com .

Credit Repair

Credit Repair
You may have bad credit due to some irresponsible moves or
some unforeseen events in your life. Protecting your credit
score could prove to be very important to your future.
There are lots of ways to keep your credit good, but if
it's already looking pretty bad, consider some repair
options. One way is to go through a credit repair
organization.

If you think you should use a credit repair company to fix
your credit problems, you should educate yourself first.
Credit repair companies can make a lot of promises, but be
careful who you give your information to. There is a lot of
deception going on in this industry and there are a few
signs that you should look out for.

First, if they ask you for any money up front, then it
isn't a legitimate or ethical company. The Credit Repair
Organizations Act says that companies aren't allowed to ask
you for any money until everything that they have promised
has been completed. So this should be something that you
are mindful of.

Secondly, they should always inform you of your legal
rights and the steps that you can take yourself to repair
your credit. Crazy promises to remove all bad things from
your credit should be ignored. No one can do this. You can
investigate your credit files to dispute any inaccurate or
incomplete information, but you can't make negative
information just vanish. If a credit repair organization
tells you not to contact a credit reporting agency
yourself, you should probably hang up the phone and do just
that. Anything that a credit repair company can do for you,
you can actually do for yourself, for free. Research a
little online and find out what your rights are under the
Fair Credit Reporting Act.

The Credit Repair Organizations Act is in place to protect
you. If you decide to go with a credit repair company, then
you should familiarize yourself with the basics of this act
before you proceed. We've mentioned that they can't charge
you until they've completed everything that they've
promised, but you should also know that they must provide
you with payment terms for their services. They must inform
you of all fees and a final total amount that will be due.
They must give you a detailed description in writing of
everything that they plan to do. They have to give you a
timeline in which the process will be completed. Any
guarantees must be in writing and included in the contract.
The company's name and address must also be included on the
contract.

Before you sign anything, they must provide you with a copy
of the Consumer Credit File Rights Under State and Federal
Law. They can't start working on your credit until they
have a signed contract in hand and have completed a three
day waiting period. Anytime during the waiting period you
have the right to change your mind and cancel the contract,
owing nothing. Keep your rights in mind throughout the
process and educate yourself before you start. Remember,
anything they can do for your credit score, you can do
yourself for free.

----------------------------------------------------
About the Author: Mike Clover is the owner of
http://www.my720fico.com . My720fico.com is one of the most
unique on-line resources for free credit score reports,
Internet identity theft software, secure credit cards, and
a BlOG with a wealth of personal credit information. The
information within this website is written by professionals
that know about credit, and what determines ones credit
worthiness.

Christmas and the Ghost of Forex Past

Christmas and the Ghost of Forex Past
With Christmas fast approaching and another New Year almost
upon us, it hardly seems possible that 2007 is already
reaching a close.

Around this time every year the TV will undoubtedly be
showing one of the many versions of "A Christmas Carol"
originally written by Charles Dickens in which Scrooge is
visited three ghosts - The Ghost of Christmas Past, The
Ghost of Christmas Present and The Ghost of Christmas
Future.

Many versions of this popular Christmas Classic have been
filmed over the years, and even Bill Murray has starred in
one of the more humorous versions. My personal favourite is
the 1951 version starring Alistair Sim.

In the story, Scrooge - a very mean, money hungry and
unkindly man - is shown the error of his ways by the three
ghosts. The first ghost shows him where he went wrong in
the past. The second, how he is now viewed by his peers and
the final ghost shows him what the future holds if he does
not change his ways.

So how does your forex trading stack up to the scrutiny of
the three forex ghosts this Christmas?

How did you fare in the past year? Was your trading up to
the standard that you would wish it to be? Or did your
trading leave much to be desired?

Did you exercise caution and patience measured with self
discipline? Did you plan the trade and then trade the plan
or were you so money hungry that you simply threw caution
to the wind and traded every rumour and tip that you heard?

When examined by the ghost of forex present, how did you
do? Was 2007 a profitable year or could it have been
better? Did you have a plan or trading system and stick to
it? Are you able to acknowledge that you are where you are
right now as a direct result of your own decisions - good
or bad?

As can bee seen from "A Christmas Carol", it is never too
late to change your ways!

If your trading has been less profitable and less
pleasurable than it might have been, take a leaf out of
Scrooges book and mend your ways.

Never trade without a plan or system. Always have the
discipline to stick to that plan or system. Understand that
trading is about winning and losing and accept both with
good grace, but make sure that your plan or system
consistently gives you more wins than losses.

Remember that trading takes time and patience. Many traders
fail not because they do not have the ability, but because
they wrongly believe that they need to be in a live trade
for most of the time that they are trading. In truth,
successful traders spend more time watching and waiting
than actually being in a live trade.

Be generous. If you have made money this year - give some
to a worthy cause.

Before we know it, Christmas 2008 will be knocking on the
door. Make sure that if the forex ghosts visit you next
Christmas, you will have had a year to be joyous about.

And on that note, I would like to wish you a Very Merry
Christmas and a Most Prosperous New Year.

----------------------------------------------------
Martin Bottomley is a full time professional forex trader,
acknowledged author, forex tutor and co-developer of forex
trading software including The Amazing Stealth Forex
Trading system.
You will find more information at:
http://www.stealthforex.com

The Absolute Basics for Selling Your House

The Absolute Basics for Selling Your House
The time has come for you to sell your home. You've made
the necessary upgrades to ensure optimum return. You've
made the decision to sell it yourself, bypassing a real
estate agent and their fees. You want to be sure that
you're going to hit the market prepared.

There are basic things you need to do to sell your home or
investment property. Devoting time to these basics will
improve your chances of selling your property quickly.
Properly performed, these activities will make the selling
process an easier task for you. It will also make the
buying process easier for your potential buyers.

First off, get the word out that you are selling. Trumpet
that fact like a swing-era horn line. Put a sign on the
front lawn. Tried and true, but effective. Tell people you
meet, so they can tell people they meet. They may know
family or friends who are shopping for something in the
vicinity. They may as well check you out while they're at
it.

Advertise in the local paper, on the grocery store bulletin
board and on the World Wide Web. There are online home
listing sites you can exploit that cater to private sales.

While on the web, why not check out resources to help you
market your property properly. Check online sites that
teach proper selling techniques and systems for selling a
home. Research sites that offer tutorials on the basics of
promoting real estate.

Make up inexpensive, but professional looking flyers that
advertise your home or investment property. You want to get
information in front of as many people as possible.
Remember, you won't have the resources to get the exposure
you want as a real estate agent does. You will have to work
hard and think smart, to make it known you're selling your
property.

An addendum to the above is if you're in a high demand
area, with a high demand house because of its features. You
won't need the exposure that would normally be required.
It's the perfect scenario for a fast sale because of the
quality of the product, and location, location, location.

Make sure the market price you set reflects time on the
market. You may want to price lower to encourage a quick
sale. You're saving real estate fees anyway so you may be
able to take a bit less.

If you decide you want to ask more, you may have to risk
the house being on the market longer. With that, you have
the extra carrying costs and the impact it will have on
your final profit.

Now the games begin. Before showings or open houses make
sure you remove all personal effects, within reason, from
view. This includes family photos and 'unique' (re:
bizarre, strange) knick-knacks. You want the house to
appear as being neutral. You want it to appeal to the
widest audience. Most homebuyers cannot see past the
clutter or the personal ambience you've created for your
home.

Therefore, de-clutter. Spaciousness is a selling feature.
Create a feeling of openness. Let the walk through the
house flow easily from room to room, as much as you
possibly can.

Stay out of the way when people view your house, but be
available for any questions they may have. Let them feel
comfortable and not hovered over. Don't act like a
salesperson ready to attack in a shoe store. If you have
children or pets make sure they are elsewhere as potential
buyers wander about.

Institute the above suggestions to give yourself the best
chance to sell your home or investment property quickly.
Think, also, of times you attended showings and open houses
and what things the seller did that appealed to you. Do the
same. Think back on any model homes you viewed and how the
builders' displayed them. Do the same.

Applying the above principles will present your property in
the best light. You may find that selling a house or
investment property can actually be an enjoyable
experience. You may find that your home sends the right
signals and catches a buyer's eye right away.

You may find that potential buyer anteing up and making you
an offer you can't refuse.

----------------------------------------------------
Jason Loucks is the Nation's Leading Expert at Selling
Houses and Investment Properties Fast and For Top Dollar.
To Discover more about his "7 Day Sale" Method for selling
properties at retail price in 7 Days, visit
http://www.7DaySaleGuy.Com .

St.George Credit Card Range

St.George Credit Card Range
Now the 5th largest bank in Australia, St. George Bank is
among the 15 top public listed Australian companies. It has
a wide range of low interest credit cards issued for the
benefit of the consumer. As far as operations go, St.
George Bank operates in retail banking, wealth management,
business and institutional banking etc.

Wide variety of cards

Depending on what your individual requirements are St.
George Bank has brought out a wide range of credit cards
meant to satisfy each unique need. St. George credit cards
are known to be flexible in terms of the payment modes,
have a wide range of attractive features and even provide
low interest rates on the cards. As compared to the other
varieties it is the low interest credit cards which are the
most popular.

Vertigo Master Card

Known as Australia's cheapest card, this is one of the best
St. George credit cards yet. It comes with an unbelievably
low 9.95% APR and a low annual fee of just 45 dollars. For
a promotional period of 6 months the balance transfer rate
if 0%. However the card does not cover purchase cover,
extended warranty insurance, domestic flight inconvenience
insurance or personal concierge service. However with these
low interest credit cards you can get one additional card
free.

Starts Low Stays Low

These St. George credit cards provide you a 55 day grace
period on all interest payments for purchases made on the
card. It comes with a 12.5% interest rate and an annual fee
of 59 dollars. It comes in 4 color variants namely black,
pink, blue and yellow. When you get one of these low
interest credit cards you can avail 3 additional cards free
of cost too. Just like the Vertigo Master Card the Starts
Low Stays Low card also does not include purchase cover,
extended warranty insurance, domestic flight inconvenience
insurance or personal concierge service.

No Annual Fee

This No Annual Fee Card from St. George Bank is good for
all crisis and emergency situations. As the name suggests
these St. George credit cards do not come with any annual
fee. In addition you can avail immediate discounts as well
as extras and instant benefits with this card. Plus when
you buy one of these low interest credit cards you can get
up to 3 additional cards free of cost. It does not include
purchase cover, extended warranty insurance, domestic
flight inconvenience insurance or personal concierge
service etc.

Gold Low Rate

These low interest credit cards come with a low 13.505
interest rate and an annual fee of just 79 dollars. In
addition, unlike the other cards mentioned earlier, this
card covers purchase cover, extended warranty insurance as
well as comprehensive overseas travel insurance.

Platinum

This is one of the premium St. George credit cards which
comes with a 13.50% APR and an annual fee of 89 dollars. It
provides coverage for a wide range of travel insurances as
well as shopping insurance costs. These low interest credit
cards also come with 24/7 coverage of personal concierge
services. When you buy one of these cards you can get 3
additional cards free of cost.

----------------------------------------------------
Richard Greenwood is founder of
http://www.click4credit.com.au which compares credit cards
from a range of banks including St.George bank.