Applying For an Online Payday Loan is Easier Than You Think!

Applying For an Online Payday Loan is Easier Than You Think!
A payday loan is nothing more than a personal loan that is
lent on a short contract. If you are having a difficult
time meeting your obligations financially from paycheck to
paycheck, this type of a loan can certainly help you.
There are plenty of companies that offer this type of loan
on the Internet and it is becoming increasingly easy to get
this kind of money.

Before Applying for One of These Loans

Although they can be helpful if you find yourself in a
financial bind, you should make sure that you educate
yourself before actually applying for one of these loans.
One of the first things that you need to check is if you
actually need the loan or if you're able to get by until
the next paycheck. If you're in an emergency, such as
having your electric shut off or a car that is broken then
you may need to apply for one of these loans in order to
take care of the situation until your next paycheck. You
should avoid, however, taking these loans if you are unable
to repay them in a timely manner.

Researching these loans on the Internet is also a very good
idea prior to actually applying for them. By doing a
simple search on Google, you will come up with quite a few
of these companies and be able to research the requirements
that they have for their loans. Make sure that you look
over any fine print that is on these websites in order to
get a true understanding of what they require.

What should you look for in a payday lender?

Before you even decide on which lender to use, you need to
make sure that you understand fully what the company is
offering you. Everything from the loan amount to the
length of the repayment terms should be included in your
research. Another thing that you should check into are any
fees that are associated with the loan. It is important
for you to understand this fully, along with any penalties
that may be included by extending the length of your loan.

Don't be too casual whenever you're looking at the
requirements that these companies have. If you choose the
wrong one, you can find yourself in a lot of hot water in a
hurry. Look over the contract, that is why they are
included for you to view in advance. Don't take anything
for granted and don't take anyone's word for it, do the
research and make a smart decision.

Applying for a Payday Loan

After your research is complete, it is time for you to
actually go through the application process. You will need
to, however, make sure that you meet a few of the basic
requirements so that you can actually apply for the loan
itself. Typically, there are three main requirements that
include your being 18 years old, proof of employment and
proof of your having a checking account. Your employment
and checking account must have been maintained for several
months and your checking account typically cannot have any
bounced checks associated with it. At times, you may have
to provide this information to the payday loan company but
at other times they may check into the information
themselves.

A contract that is associated with the payday loan company
is not the same thing as an agreement with the typical
lending institution. If you apply for a loan with a payday
advance company, you are simply letting them know that you
are interested in taking out a loan with them.

You also need to make sure that you are in control of the
situation yourself. Many of these loan officers associated
with the payday loan company are commissioned and they can
be very pushy in trying to get you to sign on the dotted
line. As a matter of fact, you can almost equate it to
trying to purchase a used car, you are going to be told
what ever it is that we'll get you behind the wheel. It
doesn't matter how desperate you feel, don't think that you
need to do anything if you are uncomfortable with it.
Putting yourself in a worse situation in order to take care
of a temporary crunch is no way for you to get out of
financial difficulty.

----------------------------------------------------
Let us help you sort out the good payday loan lenders from
the bad! http://www.HotFastCash.com is a comprehensive
source of payday loan lender reviews and lending
information for consumers.

Property in Egypt

Property in Egypt
The current hotspot for overseas investors is without a
doubt Egypt.Low prices means many investors are not having
to approach cash starved banks who have made lending
harder. Seasoned investors can put a deposit down using a
credit card and pay small monthly payments on many off plan
or pre construction properties

So lets learn more about Egypt. Officially the Arab
Republic of Egypt situated in North Africa it includes the
Sinai Peninsula, Egypt borders Libya to the west, Sudan to
the south, and Israel and the Gaza Strip to the northeast;
on the north and the east are the Mediterranean Sea and the
Red Sea, respectively. Egypt increasing tourism and desire
to attract overseas property investors combined with low
prices makes it a very attractive place to buy property

Egypt Property Hotspots

Tipped for the Top Sahl Hasheesh Egypt.

A stunning s mega resort in the shape of Sahl Hasheesh,with
20 five star minimum hotels and eight golf courses.Sahl
Hasheesh is just 20 kilometers south of the Hurghada
Airport and located along a 12 kilometer-long bay of the
Red Sea. The climate here is nearly perfect year round,
with averages in the winter around 14ºC and in the
summer approaching 30ºC. There will be an Old Town
with bars, shops and restaurants at the heart of the new
development, as well as medical facilities, water sports
and a sunken city for divers and snorkeling.

The first golf courses are scheduled to open in 2008, with
the Old Town opening its first shops and clubs in mid year
as well. Several hotels are already open, including the
Pyramisa, The Oberoi and Palm Beach Piazza.

Hurghada Egypt.

Considered by many as the leading bathing resort of Egypt
this area has attracted international investors.

Red Sea Egypt.

The Red Sea Riviera is a great place to dive with a
stunning coastline and low prices for off plan property and
new homes buyers can find cheap property in Egypt

Luxor Egypt.

Luxor is an attractive place for tourists and includes the
Valley of the Kings and Karnak.Luxor is a city of some
150,000 people and is governed by special statues that
allow it more autonomy

Investment property in Egypt.

Overseas investors know that profits are made on the
purchase price and with low entry prices Egypt is set for
good capital growth. Buying off plan property in Egypt
allows investors to pay with staged payments. This means
for the price of a second hand car investors can enter a
market that has so much potential. The government is
continuing to commit to legislative initiatives designed to
enhance the investment climate demand for quality property
for sale and short term let is increasing.

Buying property in Egypt is a very attractive proposition;
it offers a whole host of advantages including:
Lots of sunshine
Inexpensive flights
Low cost of living
A unique atmosphere
Low property prices
Diving destination of the world
Increasing tourism
Government favourable to overseas buyers
Sound investment potential

----------------------------------------------------
Nicholas Marr is CEO of overseas property portal at
http://www.homesgofast.com his knowledge has been gained
comes from the relationships he has numerous Egypt based
real estate agents and developers at
http://egypt.homesgofast.com/

Business Valuation Case Study: The Canteen

Business Valuation Case Study: The Canteen
The following case study is designed to give prospective
business acquirers, business owners, financiers, and
advisors some insight into the role an independent business
valuation may have in identifying mispricing of assets and
grounding expectations regarding price and value.

The Canteen is a local franchised restaurant and pub
serving quality lunches at reasonable prices at ten area
locations in the tri-city area. The franchise is
well-known throughout the region and has a strong customer
base, ranging from professionals on the go to retirees and
local college students. The Canteen's five area locations
are organized as individual corporations which are, in
turn, owned and operated by Thor Holdings, LLC, a local
company that also owns several other franchise restaurants,
ice cream shoppes, and gourmet coffee houses. Louie
Peters, Helga Stevenson, and Harvey Rogers own Thor
Holdings, LLC and are seeking to sell two of the Canteen
locations that are outside their immediate territory. They
had started the two locations about eighteen months ago as
part of an expansion plan incentive offered by The
Canteen's parent company. Since then, Thor Holdings
declined the rights to additional franchises in those
outlying locations.

The two Canteen locations that Thor Holdings is seeking to
sell had revenues of roughly $750,000 each in the last
fiscal year as compared to the other locations that each
generated revenues in excess of $1 million per year. Both
locations have had trouble maintaining quality staff, and
the managers have been largely unsuccessful in running the
business and controlling costs. However, the locations are
in high traffic strip malls where rent is roughly $10,000
per month. These two locations experienced net losses for
the last fiscal year of roughly $50,000 each.

Mark and Diane Jones both work at one of the Canteen's more
profitable locations. Upon hearing rumors that Thor
Holdings is contemplating a sale of the two underperforming
locations, they approach Louie Peters to discuss the
possibility of purchasing the franchises. All parties
agree that this would be an ideal situation, given Mark and
Diane's background with the Canteen and their commitment to
increasing the franchises' revenues through additional
marketing and cost cutting initiatives. Thor Holdings
offers to sell the two franchises for an aggregate price of
$1,000,000. Mark and Diane agree, in principle, on the
price. The deal is contingent upon their ability to secure
financing for the acquisition.

Mark and Diane consult Lee Davis, a local business
consultant and former head of the state's Small Business
Development Center who has extensive experience in
negotiating deals and working with entrepreneurs to develop
a viable business plan. After reviewing the tax return
(which lacks a balance sheet) provided by Thor Holding's
accountants, Lee has several concerns over the viability of
the plan. Mark and Diane believe that they will be able to
increase sales by over $200,000 at each of the locations
within twelve months. In subsequent years, they anticipate
sales to increase by 8% annually. They expect to
accomplish this through increased advertising initiatives
that will have a marginal cost of $10,000. In addition,
they estimate that employee retention and training programs
will help to reduce their turnover expenses by roughly
$20,000 per location. They also believe that they will be
able to reduce their cost of sales from 35% to 30%, saving
$50,000 at each location, through better employee training
and inventory management. The other Canteen locations have
cost of sales of roughly 32%.

As a way of assessing the acquisition of the Canteen
locations and in order to facilitate the lending process,
Lee suggests that Mark and Diane engage a business
valuation firm to provide an estimate of the fair market
value of the firm. They agree to this and feel this is an
excellent way of obtaining an impartial opinion on the
value of the business relative to the price being paid.

The valuation analyst receives the tax returns for the
Canteen locations. The valuation utilizes an income
approach and a market approach to value these two
locations. Within these approaches, the valuation analyst
employs the multi-period discounted earnings method (income
approach) and the direct market data method (market
approach). The final value estimate for each of the
Canteen locations is $300,000 for a total value of $600,000
for the two locations. In arriving at this indication of
value, the valuation analyst suggests the following:

There is little to suggest that Mark and Diane will be able
to reduce the cost of sales at each location to 30%, a
level that is below that of the other Canteen locations,
particularly given that the cost of sales is now in excess
of the average.

The growth expectations for the two locations are higher
than the current and historic growth rates of the more
established Canteen locations. The 8% growth rate is
unlikely to be sustained indefinitely into the future.

The valuation analyst states no opinion as to the
likelihood of the marginal increase in advertising to
increase sales by such a disproportionate amount.

After a visit to both locations, the valuation analyst does
not believe that the local traffic is sufficient to support
any dramatic increase in sales. Further, the analyst does
not believe that the locations are conducive to the
business.

The break-even point for each of the Canteen locations is
roughly $1.1 million. The ability of the firm to reach
this level of sales is possible only under highly
optimistic projections. In addition, Mark and Diane would
likely be forced to make additional capital contributions
to the business in order to maintain operations until they
reach break-even.

In light of the comprehensive valuation report, Mark and
Diane begin to reassess their acquisition of the two
Canteen locations. Lee is glad that he arranged for the
valuation to be conducted. The bank is also glad to have
the insight on the business in order to more fully assess
the loan request. Thor Holdings is not pleased with the
results of the valuation and its role in killing the deal
that would unload these two unprofitable assets that are a
drain on the resources of the other Canteen locations. The
Thor owners realize, however, that it is the job of the
valuation analyst to provide an objective opinion of value,
not to work toward a particular value that would get the
deal done.

This case study should clearly indicate the value-added
nature of business valuations when entrepreneurs are
assessing the acquisition of an existing business. The
prospective owners benefit from the valuation of the firm
which reveals, in this case and in many others, that the
companies being acquired are underperforming assets that
warrant a lower valuation than the contemplated transaction
price. The valuation report may also serve as a reality
check to the prospective buyers by providing an independent
assessment regarding the future earnings potential of the
firm and the errors or overreaching in their assumptions
regarding future operations. In addition, the bank
benefits from not making a loan to the prospective buyers
whose business venture would likely be doomed from the
start. Finally, Thor Holdings could also benefit by
considering its options for the two underperforming
locations—close the locations and liquidate the
limited assets, maintain existing operations that drain the
other resources of the company, or sell the locations to
Mark and Diane at a lower price that is more reflective of
fair market value.

----------------------------------------------------
Robert M. Clinger III has strong experience in the fields
of business valuation and financial analysis, having earned
the Accredited Valuation Analyst (AVA) designation from the
NACVA and the Certified Business Appraiser (CBA) More
information on business valuations/appraisals may be
obtained by visiting Highland Global's website
http://www.HighlandGlobal.com .

Investment Ideas for Small Investors

Investment Ideas for Small Investors
You don't have to be made of money to be an investor. There
are many investments ideas for small investors that you
probably aren't aware of. And these investments can be a
lot closer and simpler than you think.

One investment idea for small investors is stocks. Now this
may come as a surprise since most people think you need to
have scads of money to get involved with the stock market.

Many stocks, however, do not cost an arm and leg to buy.
They can be quite affordable and you can start with a few
shares and work up to larger investments.

Shares in start up companies in a hot industry are one
example of a good investment idea for small investors. A
few shares of a blue chip stock is another.

Stocks are influenced by several different factors. One of
the most important factors, for many companies, is the time
of year. The season will often influence how well a
particular company does based on the product or service it
sells. In addition, business performance can change as it
enters a new part of the yearly business cycle.

Seasonal Stocks. Seasonal stocks refer to companies which
offer products and / or services which are in high demand
in one season but not in the other season. As their level
of demand changes, their value and therefore their stock
price increases or decreases.

For example, a company that produces mittens may do really
well in the cold winter months but is completely dead in
the middle of summer. This means that the majority of it's
profits come from the winter season.

Just be sure to do some research first and be willing to
hang on to your stock through ups and downs, as stocks tend
to be more profitable in the long term and will definitely
see some ups and downs.

Government bonds and securities are other investment
options for small investors.

Many government bonds can be bought at a low to moderate
price, and they will give an investor the advantage of
interest payments.

These interest payments can be used for another investment
idea. In fact, the interest payments on government bonds
and shares can make it possible to diversify investments
for small investors.

Investment ideas for small investors can be in more
tangible types of items as well. Items such as coins, cars
and collectibles are often a good place for small investors
to begin.

These types of investments often make an investor feel more
secure than when they're dealing with what is often
referred to as "paper " money. They like being able to keep
their investments close to them.

The advantage this can have is that if a coin or
collectible has a sudden spike in value it can be easily
gotten to and sold for a profit. And, after all, the best
investment idea for small investors is the one they feel
the most secure and comfortable making.

----------------------------------------------------
If you would like more information about investing in
stocks, check out http://www.onlinestockinvestingcourse.com

In a Financial Bind? Use a Payday Loan!

In a Financial Bind? Use a Payday Loan!
One of the problems that we are now facing is a declining
economy. At times, this can causes a lot of problems of a
financial nature and may leave us with not enough money to
make it from paycheck to paycheck. It is not difficult for
bills to pile up on us and even if we work hard or make
decent money, it is still possible for us to get into a
situation such as this. If you find yourself with a
problem where you do not have enough cash on hand to handle
these situations or if an emergency comes up, there are
some ways for you to get over this financial crunch and get
back to your normal routine. This is done through a cash
advance loan.

What is a payday loan?

Here's a typical situation that may happen to more people
than you realize. We're going to use this, just for the
sake of example. Let's say you allow your daughter to have
her own cell phone but while you are at work, she is
constantly calling all of her friends without regard for
the minutes that she is using. Everything is fine until
the bill actually comes in and it adds up to several
hundred dollars. This is where you need to make a decision
and weigh all of your options carefully so that you don't
end up paying the bill late. You may be in a situation
where you are tight financially and unable to take care of
this large phone bill. What can be done in order to
overcome a difficult situation such as this?

Using a cash advance lender, one that will give you a small
loan to cover the cost of the phone will help you to make
it through this situation until you get your next paycheck.

The Inner Workings of Cash Advance Loans

In order to apply for a cash advance loan, you need to make
sure that you meet some of the minimum requirements.

Proper Age - When you apply for one of these loans, you
need to be able to enter into an application contract
legally with somebody else. In the United States, this age
is typically 18 years old unless you have a cosigner who is
over the age of 18.

Proper Income - You are also going to have to provide proof
of the fact that you have held down a job for several
months at the same company. There are also some minimum
requirements as far as the amount of money that you earn on
a monthly basis which is typically around $1000. If you
meet this requirement, you can apply for the loan and
typically do not have any problems. You would also,
however, need to provide some kind of check stubs in order
to prove to them that you are actually earning this kind of
money. The loan company may also contact your employer in
order to verify these numbers.

Place of Residence - Believe it or not, living at the same
place for several months is also a requirement of some of
these payday loan companies.

One of the things that you can expect whenever you apply
for the loan include letting them know how much money you
intend to borrow. This is something that you should figure
out an advance so that you are ready to answer these kinds
of questions. If your payday advance loan is approved,
then you will be able to receive the money that you asked
for within about 24 hours. This is typically fast enough
to be able to take care of most situations, even emergency
problems.

There are a few things, however, that you should keep in
mind whenever you get one of these cash advance loans. In
the first case, you are going to be expected to repay the
loan in a relatively short period of time along with a
fairly large fee. If you cannot pay off the loan in this
initial payment period, you may be able to roll the loan
over into payments by extending the loan but this will cost
you in a big way as far as interest is concerned.

Cash advance loans are relatively easy to get but that
doesn't mean that you don't end up paying for it in the
end. The fees for the loan tend to start at about $25 for
every $100 that you borrow and if you are late on the
payments or have to roll over the payments then you will
also be facing large fees. Take all this into
consideration before you actually sign for the loan.

Getting a payday advance loan can be a quick way to take
care of a financial crunch that you would otherwise be
stuck with. Make sure that you take the time to look into
each of these companies to make sure what they are offering
before entering into that your agreement. Read over all of
the fine print and make sure of the conditions involved
with the loan in order to make sure that you do not make
any problems that you are having financially even worse.

----------------------------------------------------
Want to find a good, reliable lender for payday loans? Let
http://www.HotFastCash.com help you sort out the good
payday loan lenders from the bad. HotFastCash.com is a
comprehensive source of payday lender reviews and lending
information for consumers.

Property in Brazil

Property in Brazil
Brazil is an emerging market with ample investment
opportunity low prices and a growing economy. Increasing
tourism and increasing flights makes Brazil a great place
to buy property abroad. Property in Brazil is causing great
interest from overseas buyers and the trend is set to
continue. In fact financial leading financiers Goldman
Sachs, are ranking Brazil amongst the top 5 world economies
by the year 2050. Brazil is one of the world s largest
countries, with a current population of over 180 million,
Brazil s economic potential is enormous. The optimism is
based on current availability of cheap labour and
materials, coupled with undervalued real estate and growing
economy

Property Hotspots in Brazil.

Overseas investors should sit up and think about Natal
Brazil this area is ripe for investment and all the
indicators appear positive. The property market in Natal is
in its early stages and investors who get in early may
benefit the long term. The coastline around Natal is
development free and within the last few years land has
been sold to property developers and is ready for
construction. Buying a beachfront plot of land in Natal
could serve as a great investment. The area will have a new
airport and will be the place for Brazilian s and
international tourists to visit.

Fortaleza Ceara Brazil.

My tip for the top is another part of North Eastern Brazil
the city of Fortaleza. This thriving capital of Brazil's
North eastern state of Ceara is stunning with miles of
beaches and un spoilt landscape. Popular with Brazilian and
South American holiday tourists it is now being recognised
by foreign property investors as an area that is taking the
overseas property market by storm

Fortaleza Brazil

Fortaleza is guaranteed with good weather at least 90
percent of the time with more than 335 days per year of
glorious sunshine. Beaches, beaches, beaches, Hundreds of
miles of untouched pristine beaches.The all year climate
gives ocean surface temperatures of 82 F all year round
with 65 feet of visibility underwater. Brazilian tourism is
on its way up. recent reports of a 270% increase in tourism
over the last eight years this is expected to increase to
nearly double the current number of foreign visitors.North
Eastern Brazil benefits from low crime. Fortaleza, Brazil's
fifth largest city, ranks 23rd in crime. Brazil is
considered low risk in respect of war, terrorism SARs.You
are probably more at risk where you are right now.

Investment property in Brazil

Buying property in Brazil is a very attractive proposition
some of our buyers who bought off plan in North east Brazil
in 2003 have made substantial capital growth and are
benefiting from the strengthening Brazilian currency the
Real.

Reasons to invest in Brazil
Lots of sunshine
Inexpensive flights
Low cost of living
A unique atmosphere
Excellent property prices
Sound investment potential
Strengthening economy
Early market means high returns

----------------------------------------------------
Nicholas Marr is CEO of overseas property portal at
http://www.homesgofast.com his knowledge has been gained
comes from the relationships he has numerous Brazilian real
estate agents at http://brazil.homesgofast.com/

How to run a FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN Part 6

How to run a FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN Part 6
Could Your Organization Get a Grant?

Firstly, where do grants come from? There are several
sources; foundations and federal government, state
government, local government and private grants. With the
federal government paying out 300 billion dollars each year
in grants - not including foundations, there is a distinct
possibility that you may be able to get a share.

To do this you will need to be able to demonstrate that
your organization is fulfilling a desperate need in the
community - and doing it in a way that works and is really
innovative and professional. In other words, you need to be
good at what you do.

To apply for a grant you need to prepare your application
in a way that demonstrates that your organization is
fulfilling this need in a way that is innovative and unlike
others. Set out your organization's aims, goals and what
you hope to accomplish in the future, as well as your past
accomplishments.

The application will go before a grants committee who may
not be able to relate naturally to your project, therefore
it is essential that you include such things as a case
study of the help given in the past, and demonstrate the
need for your project by including pertinent and specific
facts.

Your plan should reach into the future by at least twelve
months, with projections aimed at both financial needs and
accomplishments. Pay particular attention to your budgets,
both past, present and future. The slightest hint of
dishonesty or inaccuracy will put your hopes of a grant
beyond the pale.

Information about foundation grants is not that easy to
find, but if you go to The Foundation Center's website
you'll be able to access foundation summaries and contact
information. Details of the latest grants are available via
electronic newsletters. You could even take their course on
grant seeker training to learn the proper basics of grant
writing and budgeting. Using The Community Foundation
Locator you can access grants information in your
geographical area by the use of an online map.

You may be able to access even more information from your
local library, as many subscribe to national databases like
the Foundation Directory Online.

For information about government grants, go to
http://www.usa.gov/Business/Nonprofit.shtml, or Grants.gov

If you are fundraising as an individual rather than an
organization, or if your organization is a private or a
for-profit one, then you will not be eligible for a grant.
A not-for-profit organization is one in which the members
do not benefit from any part - surplus or otherwise - of
the monies made. When and if the organization closes, then
surplus finances must be distributed to a similar
not-for-profit organization.

How to Accept Fundraising Donations Online

Once you have your fundraiser website set up, the next step
is to monetize it. This can be done in a number of
different ways. There are organizations that specialize in
selling a number of goodies such as cookies, candles, light
bulbs and many other types of things for fundraising and
they offer lots of help.

These days most people accept that shopping online is a
safe and secure way to go. It saves them the hassle of
negotiating traffic, finding a parking space and finding
time to go in the first place. In fact shopping online is
cheaper and easier all round.

So how does this selling online thing work? You don't have
to have a room full of goods at your home to sell and you
don't have to pack and post. You can simply deal with
people called drop shippers who take the order and post it
off to the correct address with no hassles for you to worry
about. How good is that? In fact, it's far better than you
buying a quantity of goods and having the risk of not
selling them all.

All you need is an online catalogue for your customers and
you can change the goods around to reflect the seasons if
you want to. Or if you see that something is not selling
very well, you can change it for something else. Paypal is
a secure way to accept donations or for people to pay for
their goods online. It is quite simple to install a Paypal
button or shopping cart on your website. Firstly you need
to get your Paypal account which is free, and then read the
easy instructions on their website for installing their
button.

When you are setting up your website, there are things
called Meta tags that you need to make your website visible
to the search engines and so to people who might be
searching online for your products. Don't panic! A Meta tag
box will usually be provided automatically. You just need
to fill it in with certain words. These words should
reflect what you are selling, such as candy bars, candles
or whatever it is. Meta tags are invisible to all but
search engines, but they are certainly necessary.

If you do your fundraising with the help of a fundraising
organization, you may be able to get lots of help such as
customizable donations pages with downloadable or printable
receipt options, automated tax receipts and thank you
message, tell-a friend and email features and even survey
questions and donation tracking facilities. Low processing
costs apply, but it's worth it for all the features.

How to Create a Gift Campaign to Raise Funds for Your
Organization

Fundraising depends on a number of strategies to acquire
the needed funds. There can be product fundraising, which
relies on the sale of a product such as cookies, chocolate
or a non-consumable product. There can also be event
fund-raising which, as its name suggests, is when the
fundraisers organize an event and sell tickets to it. A
variation of this is the 'a-thon' in which participants
often solicit their own funding, e.g. parents or
grandparents sponsor a certain number of kilometers for the
participant to walk.

Then there is the gift campaign, where people are
challenged to pledge an amount of money for no return
except perhaps a good reputation and to see good come from
their gift. In this case the cause needs to be presented
primarily as an investment to the giver, rather than a
need. For instance, better educational facilities will
eventually translate into better-trained employees for a
company in the district that recruits and trains staff from
the surrounding area. They may even save a considerable
amount on future training of their staff.

So rather than selling tickets for a raffle or function or
thinking of some other way to raise money such as an
'a-thon', it might be feasible for your organization to
create a gift campaign to raise money. A gift campaign will
encourage donors to pledge gifts over a period of time, so
that the increase grows with a minimum of work, even if it
takes a lot to put it into place the first time.

However, you must ask yourself if your organization is
ready for this major step. While a gift campaign if done
properly, is sure to raise a great deal of money, you do
need to have plenty of staff and the resources to put into
the effort. There must be adequate preparation before the
campaign actually begins. It will be necessary to have a
strong base support of giving from the Board of Trustee
members, while guidance from a Development Committee will
be invaluable.

Companies and individuals should be identified as
prospective donors and rated on the amount they could be
expected to give. The report presented to them must be
compelling and show how they are likely to benefit from
their gift. They like to be able to write it off their tax
as well as see some other benefits.

They can be presented with the option of a challenge to
match another gift, but the most important part is that
they should be made to feel a valuable part of the whole
process and to this end, kept informed of all the past,
present and future data as it becomes available.

More to come in Part 6...

----------------------------------------------------
If you'd like to get this article, plus all previous and
future articles on How to Run a Fundraising Campaign on an
Interactive CD-Rom, Please visit:
http://bigimpactaudio.com/fundraising

Consumers Advised To Take Steps Against Energy Bill Rises

Consumers Advised To Take Steps Against Energy Bill Rises
Britons need to be wary of the impact that energy price
rises can have on their finances, it has been stated.

According to TheEnergyShop, the increases actioned by the
country's six major gas and electricity providers - British
Gas, npower, Scottish and Southern Energy, EDF Energy,
ScottishPower and E.ON - over the first few months of 2008
have seen the average utilities bill rise by 14 per cent.

With such costs equating to an 128 pound increase to the
typical household's bill, it was claimed that demands for
payment for the 2008 winter quarter which are set to arrive
in the weeks to come could place particular monetary strain
on consumers. With the price comparison site pointing out
that as the three-month period accounts for between 35 and
40 per cent of consumers' year-long energy usage, it was
suggested that the forthcoming bill might cause increased
strain. Meanwhile, a further round of tariff increases are
predicted to take place later this year.

Following on from increased energy bills - particularly in
the midst of current economic uncertainties - it may be
possible that consumers find that they struggle even more
to manage other sources of constraint on their spending.
Such areas may well include loans repayments, mortgage
costs and affording the cost of the weekly grocery shop.

Although all of the country's major energy providers have
increased both the cost of their electricity and gas during
the first few months of 2008, those who are customers with
npower might find themselves under the most monetary
pressure. The supplier opted to put up its gas and
electricity costs by 19 and 13.2 per cent respectively. In
addition, the firm was also the first of the big six to put
up its prices, choosing to make such changes effective from
January 5th.

Commenting on the figures, Joe Malinowski, founder of
TheEnergyShop, said: "Consumers are much more likely to pay
attention to the rising cost of their mortgage than they
are to their energy bill. But because energy bills are
often estimated and payment amounts adjusted infrequently,
consumers can be storing up trouble down the line, which
they may not be able to afford. It's best to be prepared."

As such, Britons were urged to take steps to reduce the
financial impact that their utility bills will place on
them. One way Mr Malinowski advised that this could be done
is for those consumers who are charged on the basis an
estimated meter reading to make a note of their actual
energy consumption, send this to their supplier and request
a revised bill. In addition, consumers who have concerns
about their ability to pay their bills were recommended to
get in touch with their provider as soon as possible. It
was pointed out that although inaccuracies with statements
impacts upon "a very small proportion of customers", those
who are affected by this can develop debt difficulties.

The director of TheEnergyShop also asserted that companies
are legally required to offer assistance and alternative
methods of payment to those who are experiencing problems
with making repayments. Meanwhile, it was stated that
changing to a monthly direct debit payment method and
moving to an online tariff could save consumers about 200
pounds per year.

Britons who are worried about their ability to manage
higher energy costs and other expenses they will incur over
2008 might wish to consider getting a debt consolidation
loan. By doing so, borrowers may be able to meet the cost
of utility bills, in addition to expenses such as
outstanding credit and store card repayments, other loans
and mortgage arrears, quickly and effectively. And by being
left with a single low-cost payment to make each month,
consumers could find that they have more disposable income.
Getting a consolidation loan might also be of particular
help to many people after a recent Abbey Insurance survey
showed 48 per cent of adults currently have money worries.
The study also showed that about 500,000 Brits spend up to
25 hours a week fretting about their finances.

----------------------------------------------------
Abbi Rouse writes for All About Loans where visitors can
apply online for cheap loans. We also specialise in bad
credit loans, and debt consolidation. Vist Today:
http://www.allaboutloans.co.uk

Stock Market Crash? Your Options Explained

Stock Market Crash? Your Options Explained
We live in interesting times...

You cannot switch on the TV or read a newspaper without
hearing of doom and gloom. If it's not property and stock
market falls it's oil prices going through the $100 level,
and the situation in Iraq seems to be deteriorating.

Well, we will stay clear of most of that, except the issue
of markets across the world going down. At this point we
feel like saying please take a deep breath everybody.

It's certainly true that the 'sub prime' crisis has badly
affected the confidence in the markets. Just as has the
Northern Rock fiasco in the UK and the Bear Stearns
collapse in the US. Are there any more 'nasties' around the
corner people will rightly ask?

The answer is yes there could be, and things may take
several more months for any residual problems to make an
unwelcome appearance.

So what has happened?

Well, in a nutshell, it's partly down to greed.

In the last few years many banks have devised complex
products to sell on at a profit, with the full
ramifications of what they were selling not known at the
time.

They packaged various types of debt together - good,
average and poor quality - and sold it on. The banks priced
these packages with a formulae devised by themselves.

With the benefit of hindsight, it could be argued that they
got it wrong in spectacular style.

Roughly speaking, the high risk debt became worthless, the
medium grade debt halved in value, and even the high
quality reduced in value by circa 30%. This was made worse
of course because in forced sales you tend to get less.

There is also the issue of how banks lend to each other,
called the Interbank rate, so that they have the money to
lend to people like us.

Gone are the days (but coming back?) when the bank used
purely savers' money to then lend. So when confidence is
hit, and banks are reluctant to lend to each other, and any
lending they do do they charge a lot more for.

What we need of course is a period of stability, with bad
debt being written off, and Interbank rates settling down.
Working capital needs to be found, with wealthy companies
called Sovereign funds helping - at a price.

As a background to all this, it must be said that the last
15 years have been quite amazing with low interest rates
and high growth. This 'Goldilocks' period is ending, with
growth down and inflation up. This brings to mind the
dreaded word stagflation, and this is perhaps worse than
recession.

Another point is that compared to other periods of stock
market volatility the fall in the markets has not looked
huge. Compared to the end of 2007 the FTSE is down around
14% and of course may fall further or recover. But in 1974
the market fell 51%, before bouncing back in 1975!

So what should investors do?

Well, if you don't need your invested capital now (or
within 1-3 years) our advice is to hang on. Don't turn
paper losses into real losses by selling low. We have seen
new clients tell us that they have sold when the markets
went down, and bought again when they went up.

Why?

Well, they simply felt that this was the 'sensible' thing
to do.

This is the classic way for investors to lose money, time
after time. For example, if you had missed the best 25 days
out of the 7,300 days between 1986 and 2006, your compound
annual returns would be 6.72% instead of the 11.74% the
market returned.

Here is a recent article that discusses these issues:

http://tinyurl.com/3cucrb

Key Considerations:

The old adage of buy and hold is very true. If you do not
need the money our advice is to hang on.

ACTION POINT

Perhaps inaction is a better way of putting it - ride out
the storm.

If the volatility has really upset you, then revaluate if
you should be reducing your risk here, or should you be in
the stock market at all?

----------------------------------------------------
Ray Prince is an Independent Financial Planner with
Rutherford Wilkinson plc, and helps UK Resident Doctors and
Dentists get the best deals on mortgages, protection and
investments, as well as helping them achieve their
financial objectives. Just visit
http://www.medicaldentalfs.com to get your free retirement
planning guide. Rutherford Wilkinson plc is authorised and
regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Credit vs Debit? What's best for you?

Credit vs Debit? What's best for you?
There is one fundamental difference between credit cards
and debit cards. With credit cards, you can use the card
issuer's money now and pay it back later. With debit cards,
you use no one else's money but your own. What is the best
one for you?

Credit Cards:

Credit cards essentially provide you a revolving credit
line, accessible and available on demand, and payable every
month, either in full or partially. The credit card issuer
sets a spending limit which you should not exceed, under
pain of stiff penalties and high interest charges.
Normally, those who pay off their entire balance due for
the statement period are not charged any interest. Credit
cards do not remove your need to use money; they merely
delay your parting with your money until the time comes to
pay the card issuer.

Debit Cards:

Debit cards work like, and are usually linked to, your
checking account. It is also possible to link debit cards
to other types of deposits, e.g. mutual funds or savings
accounts. In that sense, debit cards are ATM cards. In the
1990s, the largest credit card brands arranged with banks
to "co-brand" their ATM cards, so that you now have
MasterCard and Visa debit cards. This is very convenient
when you make purchases because, like their credit cards,
MasterCard and Visa debit cards are accepted in millions of
establishments worldwide. Used in this manner, debit cards
function like paperless checks. The card issuers do not
extend you credit when you use debit cards; it is your
money that pays the merchant, taken immediately from the
linked account.

Other features: - Debit cards can be used only with a
personal identification number (PIN), making them more
secure than credit cards, in case they fall into the wrong
hands. However, you may now arrange for PINs on your credit
cards.

- Debit cards instantly reduce the money available in your
deposit account, while credit cards allow you to make
credit purchases at no interest (during the grace period).

- Since your account is instantly reduced by debit cards,
you lose the chance to withhold payment (e.g. for a
purchased item that later turns out to be a lemon), or, as
you would do when paying by check, order a stop payment.
Because of the lag in payment, credit cards allow you to
dispute bills or hold payment until the issue is settled.

- You don't pay any interest charges with debit cards,
unlike with credit cards. However, this is applicable only
to those who carry balances on credit cards. Those who
settle their bills in full every month also do not pay
interest.

- If you charge too many items on debit cards, you could
incur an overdraft. This exposes you to the risk of
overdraft penalties. If you exceed the spending limit on
credit cards, you are exposed to over-limit interest
charges and penalties.

- For those who use debit cards with care, you will realize
that they develop a sense of spending discipline that may
not be possible with credit cards.

Prudence may dictate that you should have both debit cards
and credit cards. With experience, you will be able to
determine the situations where it is appropriate to use one
or the other. Debit cards do give you the advantage of
built-in discipline, but there are times when there's not
enough balance in the bank account and you will have to use
credit cards to pay for the transaction at hand.

----------------------------------------------------
Richard Greenwood is co-founder of The Click 4 Group which
runs a number of finance comparison websites including
http://www.click4credit.com.au which compare products
including debit cards and credit cards.