Frequently Asked Questions About Bad Credit Credit Cards

Frequently Asked Questions About Bad Credit Credit Cards
Bad credit is a big, and growing problem in the US. In this
article, we will be answering questions regarding bad
credit. If you are currently having problems with your
credit score, check out these questions and find out what
you can do about improving your credit rating.

If you have bad credit, does that mean you can never apply
for a credit card?

No. Even with bad credit, you can still apply and be
approved for a credit card. Although standard credit cards
generally require excellent credit or high credit scores
from their applicants, there are credit card companies that
have special programs designed especially for people with
bad credit. Bad credit credit cards were created to cater
those who will not qualify for a standard credit card due
to a low credit score.

What are bad credit credit cards?

Bad credit credit cards have specific requirements that are
suitable for people with bad credit. Some bad credit credit
cards are secured, which means the card holder would need
put it in a certain amount in his savings account as
deposit or as security for his debts. Therefore, the credit
card company is assured that in case he fails to keep up
with his credit card bills, the money he deposited can be
used to pay off his dues. Some are unsecured meaning you
are given a credit line much like a regular credit card.
The only difference is that most unsecured bad credit cards
have small credit lines and higher than normal interest
rates. The good thing about both of these cards is that
they are easy to get approved for, report to the credit
bureaus, and with a good payment history the credit
companies will increase the lines of credit that you are
approved for.

Are they really worth taking?

Bad credit credit cards can be used as a tool in rebuilding
credit or improving one's credit score. The important thing
to remember is to be aware of the charges and to be
consistent in submitting your payments. With this in mind,
it is important for your, the card holder to remember to
charge only the amount that you know you can pay back in
full by the end of the month. This way, paying the interest
is avoided and your credit history is protected as well.

Can you really improve your credit score with a bad credit
credit card?

Yes you can, but you need to make sure your credit card has
a few choice features. It is important to find a credit
card company that reports your payments to the three major
credit bureaus regularly. It is important to note that not
all credit cards companies provide this feature. Look for
one that reports to the credit bureaus and that offers and
instant upgrade on the credit card you use. This means,
after a year or so of keeping up with your payments, you
should be eligible to own a standard credit card with
better rates.

Are there other ways to improve your credit report?

Getting a credit card for people with bad credit is just
one way to rebuild your credit report. There are other
steps you can do to improve your credit. For instance, you
must be aware of all your debts to all your other
creditors. You will need self-control and determination to
exercise control over bad spending habits. Nevertheless,
your hard work will pay off once you have started down the
road to improving your credit.

----------------------------------------------------
Melanie Mathis is a credit analyst and a writer for 8
years. She has been participating in the programs of NHBS,
Inc such as their continuous effort in giving out Free
Credit Repair and Building Ebook. NHBS also has a list of
recommended bad credit credit cards.
http://www.newhorizon.org/Info/unsecured.htm
Copyright 2008.

Buying Property in Central Algarve Portugal

Buying Property in Central Algarve Portugal
Overseas buyers considering Portugal as the place to buy a
dream home in the sun, will have thought of the Algarve in
Portugal. The most recognised area in Portugal it is known
mostly for its popular beaches, golf courses and nightlife.

Central Algarve is without doubt the most heavily visited
of all the parts of this region. It is sandwiched between
the two largest cities in the region, Faro on the eastern
edge and Portimao on the western edge, and has kilometers
of beaches and lots of activities to keep visitors and
residents alike busy.

The climate is gorgeous in the Central Algarve for just
about the whole year. Summer is hot, spring and autumn are
moderate and the area is great for doing outdoor activities
for at any time of the year. The winter is cool and wet,
but even that time of the year is a nice change from much
of northern Europe.

The Central Algarve stretches from just west of Faro to
just east of Portimao, near Lagoa. The area is about 50
kilometers wide, so everything is within an easy drive no
matter where you are, and the rest of the Algarve is easy
to reach as well. This section of the Algarve is known for
its resorts, and the towns of Albufeira, Sesmarias,
Valamoura and Quarteira are a few of the more popular
seaside resorts. This area also has plenty of golf
destinations. Loule and Lagoa are popular towns with plenty
of places to stay.

Albufeira is the major resort and tourist destination in
the whole Algarve. The year round population of 35,000
increases exponentially in the summer. There are a number
of golf courses and resorts around the town and the resort
of Vilamoura, just to the east of Albufeira, is known as
the golf capital of the Algarve. Albufeira makes a superb
central Algarve base for family golf and recreation
holidays. The diverse choice of golf courses near Albufeira
coincides with a number of great family holiday
attractions, particularly beaches. Quinta do Lago near
Quarteira, just to the east of Vilamoura, is recognized as
one of Europe's best golf holiday resorts. There are four
luxurious 18 hole golf courses are in the area, and two of
these are listed in Europe's top 25 golf courses.

For nightlife, Albufeira is the best place to have some
fun. The Strip near the Montechoro section of town is very
popular, particularly with younger crowds. There are lots
of great bars and clubs along this stretch. Vilamoura also
has a casino and some popular nightclubs as well.

Loule is one of the larger urban areas in the whole Algarve
and is a good place to find housing. Whether to buy, rent
or just a quick visit, this town has lots to offer for
reasonable prices on up to luxury accommodations. There are
also some new golf resorts around the town that have become
popular. Lagoa, on the western end of Central Algarve, is a
historic old town with lots to see and plenty of places to
buy or rent.

Property in the Central Algarve, as in most of the entire
region, is focused along the coastal areas. There are any
number of new developments and resorts, and you can find a
wide variety of housing and property for sale. Golf is most
popular in this part of the Algarve, so if you want to find
a golf resort or development this is a great place to look.
Property around Lagoa in the western end of this area is
quite popular, and you can find some of the nicest and most
exclusive places around this town.Be sure to compare like
for like when buying property in Portugal.

Albufeira is a popular seaside town with lots of local
properties and several resorts as well. Several other
seaside areas include Quarteira, Sesmarieas and Carvoeiro.
Inland just a bit are the towns of Loule and Almancil, both
of which are near Faro and very convenient to get to from
the airport. Prices for housing in this region can be
reasonable for smaller apartments, and can reach in the
millions of euros for large villas with great views.

To get to the Central Algarve, the fastest and least
expensive route is to fly into Faro Airport (FAO). This
airport is located 7 kilometers west of the city of Faro in
the southeast part of the Algarve, right on the border with
the Central Algarve. It is one of the most popular airports
for discount carriers, offering quick and reasonably priced
service to most major European and UK cities.

Just a few of the airlines that fly to Faro include Aer
Lingus, British Airways, Atlantic Airways, easyJet, Flybe,
Jet2.com, Ryanair and Thomsonfly. It is possible to fly
from almost any major airport in the UK direct to Faro.
There are many more flights during the warmer parts of the
year, but this airport is becoming popular for business
travelers so it has a good number of flights that operate
year round.

----------------------------------------------------
Buying property in Portugal requires research , Expert
Author Nicholas Marr the CEO of overseas property portal
http://portugal.homesgofast.com
has undertaken that research for you providing independent
guides and advice

Biblical Principles of Wise Money Management, Pt 1

Biblical Principles of Wise Money Management, Pt 1
When you preach on stewardship you should make sure to
include teaching on wise money management. Most people
around the world violate these principles and suffer the
consequences. To help you in the preaching task, I'm
including the first two points from the second sermon in
the stewardship series presented in Pastor Driven
Stewardship: 10 Steps to Lead Your Church to Biblical
Giving.

I. Use a Budget (Prov. 21:5a).

A. "The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage"

1. The plans that the "diligent" (determined, steady
worker) make lead to financial prosperity.

2. The verse doesn't say, "Use a budget," but the principle
of diligent planning implies the need for a budget.

B. A budget is simply a way of planning your financial life.

ILLUSTRATION: The late Larry Burkett was a Christian
financial planner. He made a wonderful contribution to the
church with his books and tapes on biblical principles of
money management. In his book, Answers to Your Family's
Financial Questions, he writes about the purpose and value
of a budget:

A budget is nothing more than a short-range plan for how
you will spend your money during the coming year. A budget
should not restrict your freedom to enjoy life; it should
expand it.

"How," you say, "can living on a budget expand my freedom?"
By helping you live within your means and not go into debt.
If you're already in debt, a budget will help you out of it.

A budget is not magical, and living on one won't permit you
to spend more than you make and avoid debt. But a budget
will tell you when you have spent all you can afford to
each month in each category, such as entertainment, food,
and gasoline.

A budget also tells you how much you must save each month
for one-time annual expenses, such as car insurance,
property taxes, and clothing.

ILLUSTRATION: My wife is wonderful at handling money and
she takes the responsibility for planning our budget. We
have lived on a budget since the first day we were married
and the careful planning involved has enabled us to avoid
financial trouble.

1. If you are not using some kind of budget in your family,
you cannot be obeying God's word, which teaches us to
carefully plan our lives.

2. There are many fine resources in Christian bookstores
about how to make a budget for your family.

(The second principle of wise money management is to. . .)

II. Have a Savings Plan (Prov. 21:20).

A. The footnote on this verse in the Ryrie Study Bible
makes this comment: "The wise man plans and saves for the
future, but the foolish person squanders what he has."

1. A wise man doesn't spend everything he makes.

2. He saves some of it for unforeseen emergencies and for
future anticipated needs.

ILLUSTRATION: Again, Larry Burkett gives sound advice: "I
believe that every family should allocate a percentage of
its income to savings. If you don't have any savings and
your car breaks down, or the washing machine goes out, or
the refrigerator quits, then you'll have to rely on credit
and ultimately end up deeper in debt."

ILLUSTRATION: We have always tried to save something on a
regular basis. For several years we were saving for a
future car purchase. Then, one year I had a major surgery.
Our insurance covered most of the bills but we did owe a
significant amount. We were able to pay those unexpected
costs out of our car savings. By enabling us to save that
money, God had provided for our medical bills in advance.
We are now going to trust God to meet our need for cars
when our present ones quit working.

B. If you spend everything you make and never save
anything, you are not being a wise manager of God's money.

1. Save something, no matter how small, out of every
paycheck.

2. It will add up over time and it is a good habit to
develop.

----------------------------------------------------
Rod Rogers, D.Min., is a stewardship consultant, speaker,
and author of Pastor Driven Stewardship: 10 Steps to Lead
Your Church to Biblical Giving. His ten-step Dynamic Giving
System™ has helped over 900 churches worldwide
biblically increase their giving 10% - 300% in five weeks.
Get a FREE twelve-page eSermon when you sign up for his
FREE monthly e-zine. http://www.leaderskillsinc.com

Term Deposits

Term Deposits
A term deposit involves depositing an amount of money with
a financial institution and making an undertaking not to
make a withdrawal for a specified period in time. This time
period or term is normally anywhere between 3 months and 5
years. Once the term expires, you can choose to either
withdraw the money and the interest you have earned, or to
make a redeposit. Generally speaking, the longer the term,
the greater the returns on the money deposited.

For the Australian consumer, it is unfortunate that term
deposit plans have not been rated by Cannex as yet. This
certainly makes identifying the top term deposit plans more
difficult than if the rating had already been done. To help
you along your way, here are a few things you may want to
bear in mind when researching and comparing term deposit
plans.

Assess your future financial needs before committing to a
term deposit

Before you enter into a term deposit, you will need to know
how much to deposit and how long you want the term to be.
When making this decision, be sure to take a good hard look
at the foreseeable future, to plan your cash flows
carefully and to consider any longer term contingencies
that may result in your having to prematurely end the term
deposit agreement. Only deposit money you are fairly
certain you will not need for the term of the deposit.

Interest rate cycles influence term deposit viability
Interest rates are cyclical. At times they are at a high
and at other times, low. Make a point of understanding
where the interest rates are at before entering into a term
deposit. This is especially valid if you opt for terms two
years and longer. At present, the Australian interest rates
are fairly high and you may stand to benefit from being
locked in at this higher rate over the term of the deposit
- more so if the interest rate cycle takes a downward turn.

Choose the best banking institution for your term deposit

Shop around. When you evaluate the different term deposit
plans offered, be sure to consider the following:

o Minimum amount - most banking institutions have a minimum
amount that has to be deposited when opening a term deposit
account.

o Interest rate - These differ greatly between banks. Also
check whether the rate is variable or fixed.

o Account fee - Some institutions waive account fees. Make
a point of understanding hidden fees and charges.

o Minimum term - make sure that the bank's minimum term
matches the term you require.

o Penalty fee - Early withdrawal generally results in a
penalty. Check what the maximum penalty will be if you are
forced to make a withdrawal before the end of the term.

o Renewal and Withdrawal window - In the fine print, you
should look out for the automatic renewal clause. This
clause generally details that should you not withdraw your
money within a certain time frame after term deposit
expiry, your money will be re-deposited.

Finally, do not hesitate negotiating for better interest
rates and better terms. There is a very real chance that
you will find the banks fairly ready to compromise in order
to secure your term deposit business.

----------------------------------------------------
Richard Greenwood is founder of
http://www.high-interest-saving-account.com.au . The site
allows users to compare high interest online saving
accounts & term deposits reviewing features such as
interest rates, minimum deposit and fees.