The Best Way To Avoid Credit Card Late Fees

The Best Way To Avoid Credit Card Late Fees
Nobody likes late fees and being late will cost you
thousands of dollars. For some credit cards today, if you
are late, you will have to shell out as much as $40 each
time. This can put a nice sized hole in your pocket very
quickly.

Now, I will provide you with some tips and strategies on
how to steer clear of those monstrous late fees. This will
not only save you a lot of money in the long run, but it
will also keep those money-hungry credit card companies,
from getting your hard earned money in their pockets.

This can be one of the easiest ways to avoid a late fee, is
to just pay your bill each and every month by paying
online, sending in a check, money order, or other type of
payment to your respective credit card issuer. Just make
sure you follow the numerous guidelines, which are usually
outlined on the back of each credit card bill, on how to
send in your payment. These guidelines must be followed
precisely if you want to guarantee that your payment will
go through as expected.

The payment guidelines may include everything from a
specific payment address to the time of day by which the
payment must be received to be credited that day. Many
issuers also stipulate that payments must arrive in the
preprinted envelope sent to the consumer.

With the Fair Credit Billing Act in place, it requires
issuers to credit payments the day they are received, each
issuer is allowed to set specific payment guidelines. So if
any of the guidelines are not met, then the issuer can take
as many as five days to receive credit.

A on-time payment could easily become late during that
five-day period, so follow those payment guidelines
carefully. Just skip the payment. One of the more rare
types of methods you hear of, are Skip-A-Payment services.
You can use these services to skip mortgage, credit card,
or loan payments. Usually you would need to get in contact
with your bank just to see if you even qualify or not.
There are also independent companies out there that will
allow you to do the same thing, no matter what bank you are
a member of. Depending on whose service you use, the fee's
associated with it may vary. When you use these types of
services make sure you know how much you will be charged
then decide if it's worth it.

Pay minimum due immediately. One of the best ways to
prevent a late fee from being charged to your account is to
pay the minimum due immediately. As soon as you receive
your bill, send in the minimum due. This will always insure
that your credit card issuer received payment. You can
always send in more money later if you decide otherwise.
This is a great way to avoid missing a payment because if
you forget to send extra money you can guarantee that you
won't be charged a late fee because the minimum due has
been already been paid.

You can move your due date. Are your credit card bills due
at a time of the month when you're running low on cash?
Many people have trouble saving money, so when it comes
time to paying their credit card bills, they don't have any
cash to do so. One particular solution is to move your due
date. Many credit card issuers will allow you to set your
own due date to meet your specific needs. If you have
trouble saving money, move your due date to a time when you
do have money, like as soon as you get your paycheck. If
you time your credit card bill to come the same day you get
paid, you will always have cash to pay the bill on-time.

How about paying by phone. If you are one of those people
that wait to the last minute to do everything or if you
just forgot to send in your credit card payment early
enough, you could always pay by phone. This guarantees that
your payment will be on time. Just supply the
representative on the other line with your checking account
number and your bank routing number, which is printed at
the bottom of each check. Usually the routing number is
first and the account number is second. A lot of issuers
allow you to pay by phone and some will charge you a pretty
penny for doing so. Fee's can range from $5 to $20 each.

Other express methods may include. If your bank does not
offer a "pay by phone" service and you need to get your
payment to your credit card issuer as soon as possible, I
recommend either sending your payment in by express mail or
by Western Union. Either one of these services can get your
payment to your credit card issuer immediately. These
express methods are costly, but it will always most likely
be cheaper than any fees associated with being late. Make
sure you send your express payment to the proper address.
Many issuers have separate payment addresses for express
payments. The last thing you want to do is slow the
processing of an express payment by sending it to the wrong
address in which can end up with more fees to pay.

----------------------------------------------------
Keishon Martin who also writes for
http://www.Newmoneycredit.com which is where you can get
the best self credit repair program on the internet. also
check out http://www.getrichinmusic.com

Real Estate Title Holding - Part Three

Real Estate Title Holding - Part Three
Corporations

Corporations are a legal entity owned one or more
shareholders. They can be private or public like Ford,
Microsoft, Federal Express, etc.

As a real estate investor, you can create your own private
or closely held corporation by filing articles of
incorporation and bylaws with the appropriate state agency.

Requirements for incorporation will vary from state to
state.

The primary advantage (among others) is limited liability
for share holders. Since the owners of a corporation
actually own stock and not the real estate, the most
shareholders can lose is their equity investment.

The disadvantage of a corporation relates to initial
expenses:

It costs money to have an attorney draw up the
organizational documents. There are also costs to cover
extensive reporting requirements at state and federal
levels for maintaining corporate status. If these
requirements aren't meant or if there's lack of
capitalization, creditors or lien holders can seek personal
liability from individual shareholders.

There are two types of corporations:

C corporations One advantage of this type of corporation is
that it has continuity (it continues in the event a
shareholder dies). It has two disadvantages: The major
disadvantage of a C corporation is that it's taxed
twice--once when the business makes a profit and then a
second time when those profits are distributed to
shareholders. Another disadvantage is that if the
corporation has losses, it has to carry them over to the
next tax year because the shareholders can't use C
corporation losses on their personal returns. S
corporations This type of corporation has the advantage of
avoiding double taxation by passing all tax liabilities
onto shareholders. As such, S corporations are only taxed
once.

However, they're seldom used in real estate ownership
because their primary disadvantage is that the liquidation
of an S corporation is a taxable event. This means that
even if the shareholders agree to an equitable distribution
of assets, the Internal Revenue Service will consider the
liquidation as taxable. The shareholders will then be
forced to pay capital gains taxes and possibly sell some of
the assets.

In addition, there's the issue of material participation.
This is an IRS term that indicates whether an investor
worked and was involved in a business activity on a regular
basis. It has a series of tests to determine material
participation which affects the tax benefits you may or may
not receive.

Generally speaking, incorporation is an expensive choice
for holding real estate assets if you're an average real
estate investor. You must be willing to pay for the
professional, legal and accounting advice not only at the
beginning but also on a continual basis. These expenses can
mount up. You also have to deal with the hassle of ongoing
technical requirements and the possible expensive
possibility of double taxation.

Key Point: Know your investment objectives and state and
federal laws concerning title holding; then, select the
form that best meets your investment needs. Do seek out the
services of an attorney first.

Jack Sternberg

----------------------------------------------------
Jack Sternberg is a nationally recognized expert on real
estate investment and the creator of the renowned "Buyers
First Program" who's been in the business for more than 30
years. Sternberg's deals have totaled over $750 million and
he's been to the closing table more than 1,500 times. For
more, visit http://www.askjacksternberg.com

The Spiritual Aspects of Living Debt Free

The Spiritual Aspects of Living Debt Free
To maintain debt free all your life, you must be willing to
tackle the spiritual as well as the practical aspects of
money and finance. The three basic spiritual aspects of
money management are gratitude, sharing, and trust.

Be grateful of what you have, and stop complaining!

Why is gratitude important?

God may have given you less than others ' or at least that
may be what you think. Remember, everything is relative.
Maybe God has given you less so that you will have the
incentive to make more.

In your present life, you may be struggling from paycheck
to paycheck; you may be working hard, and still you can
hardly keep your head above water.

"You plant much but harvest little. You have scarcely
enough to eat or drink and not enough clothes to keep you
warm. Your income disappears, as though you were putting it
into pockets filled with holes." Haggai 1:6

Yes, your pockets may seem to be filled with holes.
Nonetheless, be grateful! Instead of whining, put your time
and effort on making money to live a debt-free lifestyle.

Whatever you have, however meager it may be, share it with
those who are less fortunate than yourself.

"'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so that there
will be food enough in my Temple; if you do so, I will open
up the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing so
great you won't have room enough to take it in! Try it! Le
me prove it to you. . . . ,' says the Lord Almighty."
Malachi 3:10-11

You are willing to give and share in spite of your meager
possession because you trust in God. You wholeheartedly
believe that God some day may actually "open up windows of
heaven for you and pour out a blessing so great you won't
have room enough for it" as He promised.

Your giving is based on your trust, not on your own need.
Mother Teresa once said: the more you give, the more you
will receive. It is more than giving out from your surplus:
it is sharing out of your lack.

You should follow God's principles of living based on these
three spiritual aspects of gratitude, sharing, and
trusting, which should be interwoven in your attitudes
towards money and finance.

These attitudes are not only life-changing, but also
attainable. The right spiritual attitudes help you break
your bad spending habits. They are not only exemplary but
necessary for success in curbing spending and making you
ultimately debt free for your financial freedom.

Another important attitude towards your money and finance
is that God owns it all and that you are merely a steward
of God's money. When you come to think of that, you have
your personal responsibilities to fulfill your stewardship.
Responsibilities of good stewardship include the following:
diligence and productivity (if you don't work hard, you
will not make money); proper time management (if you cannot
manage your time, you will find it difficult to manage your
money); and self-discipline (if you don't control your
spending, you will never get out of debt).

So, stop spending on yourself, start giving to others,
discipline your spending, begin to live below, not beyond,
your means, and start saving for the future.

If you are in debt right now, only YOU can make a
difference in your financial life. Only YOU can set a
financial goal for yourself and work at it. Only YOU can
exercise the self-discipline to spend below your means and
still give to others in spite of your lack. But all these
require your trust in God, and God's blessings, which often
come in the form of wisdom. Yes, you may be working hard,
but your pockets are "filled with holes." You need God to
show you the way ' the right way to make money and the
smart money management to stay debt free. If you believe
everything comes from God, and you are willing to share
what you have and trust in divine providence, you will be
living debt free for the rest of your life.

----------------------------------------------------
Stephen Lau is a researcher and writer of medical research
for doctors and scientists worldwide. His several
publications include "NO MIRACLE CURES" a book on healing
and wellness, and "HOW TO TEACH CHILDREN TO READ" a book on
reading strategies. He has also created several websites on
health, golf, Zen living, mental depression, and money
management, including the following:
http://www.smartcreditsmartmoney.com
http://www.longevityforyou.com

4. Learn how you can make money from the Forex trading Grid system

4. Learn how you can make money from the Forex trading Grid system
We are now coming to the heart of how to make money using
the no stop, hedged, forex trading strategy. In the
previous articles in this series we discussed trading
without stops, not being concerned about which way the
price goes and places to cash in on profitable trades. We
are now going to explain how it is possible to make money
buying and selling at the same time using the grid
structure.

The no stop, hedged grid trading system uses the principle
that one should be able to cash in at a gain no matter
which way the market moves. The only way this is logically
possible is that one would have a buy and a sell
transaction active at the same time. Most traders will say
that doing this is trading suicide but let's investigate
this in more detail.

Let's say that a trader enters the market with a buy (buy
1) and sell (sell 1) active when a currency is at a level
of say 1.0100. The price then moves to level 1.0200. The
buy will then be positive by 100 pips. The sell will be
negative by 100 pips. At this point we would cash in our
positive deal and bank 100 pips. The sell is now however
carrying a loss of -100 pips. The grid system requires one
to make sure that the trader can cash in on any movement in
the market. To do this one would again enter into a buy
(buy 2) and a sell (sell 2) transaction at this level
(level 1.0200).

Now for convenience let's assume that the price moves back
to level 1.0100 (the starting point).

The second sell (sell 2) has now gone positive by 100 pips
and the second buy (buy 2) is carrying a loss of -100 pips.
According to the rules you would cash the sell (sell 2) in
and another 100 pips will be added to your account. That
brings the total cashed in at this point to 200 pips (buy 1
and sell 2). Now the first sell that remained active has
moved from level 1.0200 where it was -100 to level 1.0100
where it is now breaking even.

The 4 transactions added together now magically show a
gain:- 1st buy (buy 1) cashed in +100, 2nd sell (sell 2)
cashed in +100, 1st sell (sell 1) now breaking even and the
2nd buy (buy 2) is -100. This gives an overall a gain of
100 pips in total. We can liquidate all the transactions
and have some champagne as we have made a gain of 100 pips.

Please make sure you understand the mathematics behind the
movements discussed above. You may have to reread and draw
the movements on a piece of paper to make sure you
understand the concept.

This formation is the 100% retracement formation where the
price moves up to a grid level and then returns back to the
starting grid level and results in a nice gain for the
forex trader. There are many other market movements that
turn this strange "buy and sell at the same time" activity
into gains. The next article will cover the 50% retracement
formation which produces the same amount of profit.

There will be much more on the no stop, hedged grid trading
system in future articles in this directory. Don't miss
them.

----------------------------------------------------
If you have missed any of the previous articles on no stop,
hedged, forex trading using the grid system please contact
the authors David Lloyd and Mary McArthur at
http://www.forextrading-alerts.com/GRIDSystem.html or for a
free course showing you how to double your trading account
in 3 trades go to

http://www.forextradersupportservices.com We look forward
to any feedback, questions or comments on this article.

Proposed Credit Card and Banking Regulations

Proposed Credit Card and Banking Regulations
It looks like the government will be getting serious about
credit card regulations. The Federal Reserve Board proposed
rules to prohibit unfair practices regarding credit cards
and overdraft services that would among other provisions,
protect consumers from unexpected increases in the rate
charged on pre-existing credit card balances.

Regulation AA (Unfair Acts or Practices)
The proposal would amend Regulation AA to prohibit unfair
or deceptive acts or practices by banks in connection with
credit card accounts and overdraft services for deposit
accounts.

Credit Cards

- More Time To make Payments
The proposal would stop banks from treating a payment as
late unless the consumer has been provided with reasonable
amount of time to make that payment. There would be a new
safe net for banks that send periodic statements at least
21 days prior to the payment due date.

- Allocation of Payments
When you have a credit card with different balances (for
example, purchases, and cash advances), typically the
annual percentage rate (APR) is higher on the cash advance.
When you make a payment on a scenario like this the bank
will apply your payment to the lower of the two. With the
new regulation the payment will be split equally amongst
the two balances. In addition, to enable consumers to
receive the full benefit of discounted promotional rates
(for example, on balance transfers), during the promotional
period payments in excess of the minimum would have to be
applied first to the balances on which the rate is not
discounted.

- Two-Cycle Billing
The proposal would stop banks from imposing finance charges
based on balances on days in billing cycles preceding the
most recent billing cycle. Credit card issuers will not be
allowed to use previous billing cycles to calculate
interest on your current bill. Current double cycle billing
uses the average balance from the previous two months to
calculate interest charges, even if you paid part of the
previous balance.

- Rate increases to existing balances
Credit Card companies will not be able to increase you APR
on existing balances, unless you had a promotional offer
and/or was late on a payment

- Less bait and switch credit card offers
The proposal would require banks making firm offers of
credit advertising multiple APRs or credit limits to
disclose exactly what the qualifications would be for those
terms.

- Finance of Security Deposits and Fees
The proposal would address concerns regarding subprime
credit cards by prohibiting banks from financing security
deposits and fees for credit availability (such as
account-opening fees or membership fees) if charges
assessed during the first twelve months would exceed 50
percent of the initial credit limit. The proposal would
also require financed security deposits and fees exceeding
25 percent of the initial credit limit to be spread over
the first year.

- Credit Card Holds
The proposal would prohibit banks from imposing a fee when
the credit limit is exceeded solely because a hold was
placed on available credit. This can occur where the final
dollar amount of a transaction was not known in advance
(for example, when a consumer checks into a hotel, a hold
is placed for the expected cost of the stay).

Overdraft Services

- Debit Holds
This proposal would stop banks from charging a fee when an
overdraft takes place to due to a hold placed on available
funds in an account.

- Right to opt out
The proposal would stop banks from imposing a fee for
paying overdraft unless the bank gave the consumer an
opportunity to opt out of the payment of overdrafts and the
consumer has not done so. This would apply to all
transaction types. This would also be applied to overdrafts
resulting from ATM and point of sale transactions.

----------------------------------------------------
About the Author: Mike Clover is the owner of
http://www.creditscorequick.com/ . CreditScoreQuick.com is
the one of the most unique on-line resources for free
credit score report, fico score, 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.

The Right Way to Get A Credit Card

The Right Way to Get A Credit Card
Tips on how to apply for a credit card is based on a need
to understand the need for credit cards in this Internet
age. Where this can be for many different reasons. For
instance some people might need help with their bills that
they cannot pay. Then there are people that want a credit
card so they don't have to carry cash around or maybe just
they just want to shop online. Or maybe you need one to go
on vacation with. Whatever your reason is, most if not all
people know that they need a credit card. But the bad part
is that credit cards are not handed out so easily. Where
most people have to apply for a credit card before they can
get one. So if you are thinking about getting a credit
card, then you should read on to get some tips on how to
apply for a credit card.

You can apply for a credit card using several different
methods. The best way to apply is by going online which can
give you instant results, next is to call the credit card
company, and then the most used is to fill out the
application that was sent by mail. Do keep in mind that
when you apply for a credit card you will have to present
your personal information. As all credit card companies
will need your social security number so that they can run
a credit check. Where your credit score can determine what
your APR (annual percentage rate) will be.

Please remember before you apply for a credit card, it
would be best that you do some research you do some
research on which credit card company offers the best APR
rate and bonus programs. Many credit card companies have a
low introductory APR rate for new credit card holders
especially those who have a high credit score. Plus there
are some credit card companies that offer no APR for 12
months. Then there are the bonus programs that credit card
company's offer, which can vary where some offer cash back
bonus awards. Some have free airline mileage. Others give
you points towards specific items.

Now the last things you should research when applying for a
credit card is if there is an annual fee to have the card
and what your credit limit will be. Some cards have an
annual fee you must pay up front just for having their
credit card so you may not want this type of credit card.
When deciding on a credit limit, most credit card companies
will base it on your income meaning your ability to pay it
back and your credit score. So you must never get a credit
limit that is too high for you to pay off which will have
devastating results on future credit applications.

Then you should remember one of the most important tips
when applying for a credit card, is not to apply for to
many cards which makes research so important, where having
to many companies checking your credit report will actually
lower your credit score. But these are some important tips
on how to apply for a credit card. There are dozens of
companies to choose from. So take you time and pick the
best credit card that will suit your needs before you apply
for it.

----------------------------------------------------
The Article was written by Keishon Martin who operates
http://www.Newmoneycredit.com which is where you can get
the best self credit repair package on the internet and
more. also check out http:www.getrichinmusic.com

Panama Bank Secrecy Laws & Offshore Banking in Panama

Panama Bank Secrecy Laws & Offshore Banking in Panama
Panama is one of the most popular places for offshore
banking. Numbered accounts no longer exist in Panama,
instead Panama has what are known as bearer share
corporations and those corporations own a bank account.

These corporations work because they have no ownership
records. The person in actual possession of the shares is
considered the actual owner of the corporation and the bank
account, creating an excellent level of privacy for the
parties involved.

Of course there has to be someone as a signatory on the
company bank accounts but within every corporation there
can be more than one person with signing authority. Being
a signatory on an account is not proof that the corporation
funds are your funds.

Technically, the owner of the bank account is the
corporation and not the people with signatory privileges.
Panama's banking secrecy laws are what make it an appealing
place for offshore companies to be formed.

Lets Take a look at some of those laws:

Article 74 of Decree 238 makes it so the banking commission
of Panama can't conduct an investigation on personal
banking clients. Additionally, if it uncovers any
information during normal operations they aren't allowed to
reveal that information to any person or authority. They
may only do so if they are subpoenaed by a Panama court.
Violators of this law are subject to another law which
imposes fines or jail time on the guilty party.

Article 65 of Cabinet Decree 238 regulates the manner in
which the National Banking Commission can gain access to
banking information and documents. The law states that they
may only inspect the banks general books and that they may
not single out individual bank accounts. That law covers
both deposits and securities at the bank, and this to can
only be broken by a court order.

Article 170 states that any person with access to
confidential banking information through either occupation
or activity, that uses this information without the consent
of the involved parties, in a way that causes someone
damages, they can be punished and possibly imprisoned.
That sentence can be anywhere from ten months to two years,
it may include monetary fines and they will also be barred
from practicing their profession for a two year period.

Regardless of where you bank today there are three reasons
that can lead to your banking secrecy being violated. Those
three reasons are severe criminal activity such as
terrorist funding, money laundering and drug smuggling.

In Panama tax evasion is not considered a serious crime.
There is no court in Panama that will allow your banking
secrecy to be violated for tax related violations unless a
case is brought that can show this money was also involved
in a serious crime.

Panama is a member of the mutual legal assistance treaty.
After 9/11 it is required that all jurisdictions who move
funds to and from North America and Europe be a part of
this treaty. When you analyze this treaty it does not
threaten any of the strict secrecy laws set fourth in
Panama.

The following are the basics of the treaty. The activity in
which an investigation is being conducted must be a crime
in both countries. If a country wants information they have
to prove they have no other alternative method of obtaining
it and they must also show they can not go fourth with
legal action without the information. When information is
requested it has to be specific. They can't just be fishing
for information.

They must also first file a criminal case in its court
system on a national level, which ensures that smaller
cases are not covered under the treaty. If another country
meets all of the conditions, the request is pushed through
diplomatic channels and then Panama must consider the
information request.

Panama values its banking secrecy laws and they may ask for
more information before they break the laws they hold with
such esteem. It is not uncommon for Panama to deny an
information request since they need to feel the matter is
serious on their end to bring action against a person. They
do have the right to refuse a request within the
aforementioned guidelines.

Panama does not in any way shape or form participate in any
tax treaties. They also do not acknowledge tax related
investigations as criminal situations. Panama will never
disclose a person's financial information for any reason
relating to a tax issue. Tax evasion is considered a civil
matter in Panama. In Panama you must commit a serious crime
to risk your financial privacy.

----------------------------------------------------
For more information about Panama banks, offshore banking
in Panama or to get a Panama bank account please visit the
author's website:

http://www.offshorelegal.org/