As Kimberley
Do you like these Monster Trucks’s
Rise of the Accidental Landlord?
The owners of family homes who want - or need - to move but cannot find buyers and cannot cut the asking prices of their properties are renting them out instead, becoming landlords by accident.
But while this provides an increase in houses available to rent, many of the new landlords are totally unaware of the many regulations involved.
There is a predicted reduction in rental income, that presents a challendge for those Landlords whose mortgages stay high.
People can and always should use a professional accidental landlord info to find the right tenant and manage the property. The agent would make sure that all applicable laws and regulations are abided by. A good agent will always be able to recommend quality tradesmen at good prices should any work need doing to the property.
Bad solicitors is Good news!!
How to Get There:
My preference for getting to Canberra is renting a car in Sydney, at the airport where most international flights land, and then driving a leisurely few hours south through some of Australia’s most dramatic scenery, whether along the coast or through mountains and valleys rich with wildlife and wineries. Having a car at my disposal during my stay in Canberra made it so much easier to spend a few hours a day exploring outside Canberra, all of the region’s attractions just a short drive away from Canberra’s Civic Centre.
Auto travel in Australia can be exciting, due to the wildlife and beautiful vistas. MY favorite rental company in all of Australia is Drive Now, http://www.drivenow.com.au, where I found awesomely low prices on rentals from a tiny convertible to a large 6-person campervan for my trips through the Outback. The drive to Canberra is on a well maintained highway, and driving gives you time to capture the essence of Canberra and the region.
I once did take the short flight to Canberra from Sydney, but missed the many sights along the highway, so returned via auto rental.
Where to Stay:
For all the conveniences it offers, and the close proximity to Civic Centre, where you can find food, shopping, services and entertainment, the Acacia Motel is a ‘best buy’ kind of place! The Acacia has a wonderful, clean salt-water swimming pool, rooms with beautifully equipped kitchenettes, a great staff and more. Another huge advantage to making the Acacia Motel your home base in Canberra is you can park your rental car for free, right next to your room. Excellent buy! http://www.acaciamotel.com.au.
For the traveler looking for high-class service, facilities and amenities, Rydges Lakeside is the place to be! Many rooms and suites give you a wonderful view of Lake Burley Griffin, the mountains, and the city, http://www.rydges.com.
For more accommodation choices, check out http://www.canberratourism.com.au.
What to Do:
History, culture, shopping, sports, and more, Canberra has it all. A few of my favorite things to explore in and around Canberra are: the Australian War Memorial, Questacon- the National Science and Technology Centre, the Parliament Buildings – New and Old, Embassy Row, Telstra Tower on Black Mountain, the many art galleries – both privately owned and governmental, and just walking around enjoying all the different and pleasant people!
Australian War Memorial- This magnificent memorial to Australia’s heroic military personnel is one of Australia’s most visited attractions, and with good reason! The architecture and solemnity of this grand building and grounds is beyond compare. Plan to spend at least two hours to enjoy and explore this attraction, http://www.awm.gov.au.
Questacon – This is a terrific science exhibition, but with a twist! Questacon has over 100 interactive exhibits to explore, with or without children. http://www.questacon.edu.au, and check out the schedules of roaming performers and fun things to do. Take a free-fall of six meters (almost 20 feet!) or take a virtual rollercoaster ride! But, be careful! That virtual rollercoaster ride is so well done you might just feel yourself getting nauseous!
Parliament Buildings – Old Parliament House is graced with elegant architecture and historical significance you will enjoy. Old Parliament House is easily accessible via city bus or private car. The new Parliament House, where daily parliamentary process is interesting, exciting and educational all at the same time is a great place to while away an hour or two, observing wigged and powdered solicitors (lawyers) haggle over procedural law. http://www.aph.gov.au, and sign up for a guided tour, because they give historical and humorous anecdotes, along with making sure you don’t get lost in the mazes.
Embassy Row – First off, Canberra’s Embassy Row isn’t really a row at all! The 70 plus embassies are scattered throughout a few of the nearby suburbs, predominantly Yarralumla, Red Hill, and Forrest. Most of the embassies were designed and built to identify the country. For example, the Thai embassy that is one of my favorites has the Thai roof style and construction of Thailand, with its golden roof and intricate carvings. The curving rooflines and architecture of the Indonesian embassy made me look around every corner for Balinese artists and dancers. Some of the embassies offer guided tours, and many have self-guided tours of the grounds and sculptures.
Telstra Tower and Black Mountain – Black Mountain is home to native flora and fauna, but the real attraction is the fantastic 360-degree views in the Telstra Tower. There are food and snacks available, as well as a dining area. I spent nearly four hours at the top of Telstra Tower (don’t worry, there is an elevator!) and could have spent even more time if I was not on my way to a concert with newfound friends!
Pick up a tourist map from the Tourism Offices at 330 Northbourne Avenue of stop in at Canberra International Airport and grab a stack of flyers and brochures from the stands. The cool thing about the zillions of brochures and flyers at the airport is that many of them have awesome coupons, some for as much as 50% discount!
Where to Eat:
Eating in Canberra is a national pastime, or it should be! With so much ethnic and cultural diversity, you could have French cuisine for breakfast (and, no, I don’t mean French Toast!), Australian Meat Pies for lunch, and Thai food for dinner for a month and never eat at the same restaurant twice.
There are several small (and wonderful!) wineries in the area that produce excellent wines, known throughout the world. You can find several independent microbreweries, with beers from the full-bodied stouts to creamy pale ales. Many of the wineries and breweries also have full meal service. In addition, when I say full, I really mean FULL!
At some point during your visit to Canberra, I recommend dining lakeside at The Boat House by the Lake, which prepares wondrous meals on a modern fusion menu. I still am not quite sure what ‘fusion’ food is, but I can guarantee that it is good! Add to the great food, the beautiful views and grounds, and The Boat House by The Lake is well worth the visit!
There are so many great things to do in Canberra, Australia, that I have only just touched on a few of my favorites, but with a little online trip preparation, you can explore for days! Besides all the great things to do IN Canberra, Australia, there are uncounted ways to explore and enjoy the surrounding countryside of Canberra. From the Pacific Ocean beaches to the east, wineries, nature preserves, and countless day drives, Canberra truly is a destination worth waiting for!
can I sell home quick tomorrow ??
If you’ve been trying to sell your house quickly, it’s only usual to have some reservations taking into consideration the current climate of things. Despite this, there are ways and means of making it happen, and it will need you to put in some energy and hard work if you want to rent back home.
As obvious as it seems, correctly valuing your house is quite important. So if your home is simply just sitting on the property market then the price isn’t really ideal. It is often recommended to use a Skilled Appraiser to estimate the price range of your house.
Add in a few incentives to make the buyer to notice of your property and really encourage them to pay for it, for example money back to the purchaser, free furniture, etc.
Sometimes not using an real estate agent to cut back on fees, or using a cheaper Estate Agent, might be a artificial saving as the ınexpensive Agents may not have the opportunity to secure you the very best value and the swifter sales.
A home that is available for brand new home buyers to move in quickly and very easily will entice them to make an offer to purchase it. if you make the effort to do some aesthetic changes and minor maintenance, for example upgrading worn carpets, fixing broken shutters and having some attractive plants. It needn’t be anything major or too costly, only enough to give an overall well put together and neat impression. If your house is alright for brand new purchasers to move in from the first day it will be much more appealing. You may want to make some effort with washing and doing away with your clutter, but it will be well worth the difficulty if you can rent back home for more money.
A neutral canvas is much more attractive especially when buyers can picture a house as their own house.
An extra option you can decide on a house buying business if you might need to sell the property quickly, and are unable to afford to refurbish it to help to make it more captivating to new home buyers. A agency that will assist rent back home, by purchasing it from you. They will in most cases make you a less than market offer for the house.
How can I sell house fast today ?
If you are thinking of selling your property quickly, it’s only common to have certain reservations looking at the current economy. Despite this, it is possible to make it happen, and it will need you to put in some effort and hard work if you want to sell my property faster.
It seems obvious but correctly pricing your house is pretty important. So if your property is merely just sitting on the market then the value is just not ideal. use a Competent Appraiser to verify the selling price of your property. They will help you get that sell my property faster
Add in certain incentives to get the new buyer to take notice of your property and entice them to purchase it, for example money back to the purchaser, free furniture, etc.Selecting a Estate Agent who is both knowledgeable and assertive. With the suitable expertise these agents can look for determined purchasers and make sure that your home would be sold quickly.
Using an experienced Estate Agent will support you locate a purchaser for the home in the minimum quantity of time and one that will offer the highest amount of cash.
A home that is all set for new home buyers to move in quicker and easily will entice them to make an offer to purchase it. if you make some effort to make some aesthetic changes and modest maintenance, such as replacing worn carpets, repairing broken blinds and having some attractive plants. It need not be something major or too costly, simply enough to provide an overall nice and nice looking impression. If your home is right for new buyers to relocate from the first day it will be much more alluring. You may want to make some effort with washing and removing your mess, but it will be well worth the difficulty if you can sell my property faster at a premium.
The external style of the property, is extremely important not just when it comes to selling but also, to realize a sale at the best possible price.Your front door must look at its greatest, as front door is the very first thing a person would look. Almost all purchasers of house give special attention to your bathroom and kitchen, so make it a point of keep them clean and consider any repairs on the priority basis.
A different option could be to seek the services of someone to renovate it to improve probabilities of selling. If you think about it; if your taste was crazy vivid colours with an Oriental style, what are the chances the new buyer will like it too? If they don’t, think about the charge/time of refurbishing it to their taste.
A blank canvas is much more attractive especially when purchasers can imagine a house as their particular own .
Another solution you can decide on a home investment firm if you absolutely need to sell your home quickly, and are unable to afford to renovate it to try to make it more captivating to potential buyers. A organization that will assist sell my property faster, by obtaining it from you. They will more often than not make you a less than market offer for the home.
Why you could need to sell your home quickly and rent back
You may have heard in the news about people selling their property and then renting them back. Have you ever wondered why homeowners would need to do this? They might have many reasons to do this might include money & debt problems, equity release, divorce, Broken Chain amongst some of the reasons.
Renting back your property after selling is still a new concept and has only been available for the last five years.
So what does it mean exactly? The fact is is a landlord sets up an contract which would permit a the owner of a home to sell their home at a reduced figure to the investor or company, and then remain in the home as a tenant at market rates.
Unless you have been hiding in a cave, you would have noticed that the housing market, though still slow, may actually be picking up. Some areas might be getting better.
One of the problems with this scheme, is that property can be undervalued slightly depending on the quickness of the process. An example is a valuer may give you a valuation based on tomorrow’s selling price, or the selling price may change depending on the market at the time of sell rent back.
On the bright side there are also advantages if you choose sell and rent back your home. It could help you to sell fast if you need to, reduce the risk of re-possession, and avoid countless viewings.
So sell rent back can be tailored to suit and individual’s needs , and the contract can be short or long-term lease (with the option of buy-back). The rental rates could be at market rates, while the option of buy-back may be pre-agreed in terms of prices.
How can I sell my apartment fast tomorrow ??
If you’ve been trying to sell your property quicker, it’s only expected to have various worries looking at the current economy. Despite this, there are ways and means of making it happen, and it will need you to put in some effort .
As obvious as it does sound, correctly pricing your house is important. So if your home is simply just sitting on the real estate market then the price just isn’t ideal. appoint a Commercial Appraiser to estimate the selling price of your house. They will help you get that short term accomodation
Occasionally not employing an real estate agent to save you on commisions, or working with a more affordable Estate Agent, may be a untrue economy as the more affordable Agents may not give you the chance to secure you the best price and the quicker sales.
A home that is prepared for new buyers to move in faster and very easily will attract them to make an offer to purchase it. if you make the effort to make some aesthetic modifications and small maintenance, for example upgrading worn carpets, fixing broken window blinds and having some pleasant plants. It need not be anything major or expensive, only sufficient to give an overall nice and nice looking effect. If the home is ok for new potential buyers to relocate from day 1 it will be a whole lot more desirable. You may want to make some effort with cleanup and the removal of your mess, but it will be well worth the difficulty if you can short term accomodation at a premium.
A blank canvas is more appealing especially when buyers can imagine a property as their particular own property.
Yet another option you can go for a property purchasing business if you absolutely need to sell the home quickly, and are unable to manage to refurbish it to try to make it more attractive to potential buyers. A company that will assist short term accomodation, by purchasing it from you. They will generally make you a below market offer for the property.
luxury flat rent , which location is best?
short stay flats
Stay at home moms face a special dilemma when they are contemplating divorce. They have no financial resources. They often stay in bad marriages for years due to the fear of being left destitute. Many have been unemployed for most of their married lives and think they have little to put on a resume. Knowing that the kind of job she will get may not support her children, often a stay at home mom will not leave a bad situation out of fear of having her precious bundles taken from her. For most, it’s worth staying in a bad marriage in order to keep the children. This is certainly understandable. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a choice between the two. Take the following steps to ensure your financial stability when you walk out that door.
First, understand that it’s best not to make the announcement that you’re leaving before you are prepared. If you can, try to live as peacefully as possible with your spouse until things are at least planned out. For the sake of this article, it will be assumed that you have at least one month before you need to leave your marriage. If you don’t, just take as many steps as you can before you head out.
Step #1: Check on titles to assets. Whether it’s cars, furniture, or the house itself, you need to know whose name it’s in. While things may get divided more evenly in divorce court, that could be a while. You need to know what you can take with you without argument during the separation period. This will give you an idea of what big ticket items you’ll need to be able to buy (or at least borrow from someone) until things are finalized.
Step #2: Check the prenuptial agreement. If you signed a prenuptial agreement, look it over and see what exactly it was you agreed to. You might find loopholes that you didn’t realize were there. Also, prenuptial agreements can sometimes be challenged, so take it to a lawyer for a review if you can. It’s an added expense, but lawyers are going to be a part of this process. You need to go ahead and find one now who can be with you from the beginning.
Step #3: Search for work. Yes, you may have spent the last few years, or your entire life, cooking and cleaning. Guess what? Cooking, cleaning, and childcare have become lucrative businesses. If these are your skills, then use them. You can find work as a nanny, a household cook, a housekeeper, or even a tutor. You can also work for more than one family and earn as much as you have time to. Check out www.gonannies.com for a listing of families in your area that are looking to hire household help. You’ll be surprised at how much these families will pay well qualified people. Some positions are even on a live-in basis and will provide you with a new home for yourself instantly (and yes, some will allow you to bring your kids as long as they are well behaved). Before you do that, go to www.careerbuilder.com with your resume and submit it for a free critique. They will help you learn how to enhance it and focus on your strengths. While this doesn’t have to be a permanent situation for you if you’d prefer to work in another field, it can get you on your feet. After all, it’s the job you’ve been holding for years, and you’re quite experienced. Build on that.
Step #4: Sell and save. Most stay at home moms find themselves needing to get their hands on instant cash before they leave. This is where places like Ebay and www.half.com come in. Whether it’s jewelry, perfume, handbags, or kitchen appliances, anything that was given to you as a gift is yours to sell as you please. It’s not a fun thought, but neither is being penniless. Try not to sell anything that is close to your heart, but less important items may have to go in order to bring you financial peace of mind. You can buy more later. Right now, think about immediate needs that will soon be before you and your children.
Step #5: Get an education. That’s right, go back to school if you didn’t get a degree after high school. You can do it all online. Even traditional colleges are using programs that at least get their students an entire associate degree online, if not a bachelor’s or master’s. At the very least, start taking a couple of courses in your desired field that will immediately teach you skills that are marketable. You can start part time if you like, but don’t delay. Get an education as soon as possible, preferably before you leave.
Step #6: Find a new home. Many stay at home moms find themselves staying with relatives for a long time after a separation. While this is fine if you have no other choice, it’s best to be ready to get right back on your feet after leaving your husband. Look at apartments and rental homes with short term leases and low move-in rates. Check on the cost to turn on all the basics and to get your new place furnished with at least the necessary items. Luxuries can come later. No, high speed internet and cable are not necessities. Think in terms of just getting the water, power, and phone turned on and putting a bed and sofa in there. All appliances are often furnished. When deciding on a home, consider what is included in the cost of the rent, how long the lease is, how hard it will be to pay the rent, and what furnishings are already in place. While one home may be one hundred dollars more per month in rent than another, the added amenities might actually make it a cheaper move. Take a look at www.apartmentbluebook.com for listings, details, and prices.
Finally, it might be a good idea to talk to a financial adviser. He/she can help you determine what moves you can make in the short term to prepare yourself for this separation and divorce more hastily. At the very least, educate yourself with articles like this and on financial sites like www.money.com. You’ll have to quickly learn how to become a savvy saver. That being said, however, don’t be afraid of stepping out on your own. Opportunities are much more rampant than they once were, so go ahead and get ready to make that first move. You’ll quickly find that you aren’t as dependent on your husband’s paycheck as you once thought.
Property for rent
sell my house fast
Should you buy or rent? It depends on your circumstances, and the real estate market where you are going to live. Years ago, I sold a home for a young couple who owed almost as much as the sales price on their house. They needed to take money from savings to pay the closing costs and sales commission. You can bet that they wished they had rented for the couple years they lived there.
This brings up the first thing to consider when comparing buying versus renting: the amount of time you’ll be there. Buying and later selling a home will usually cost about 10% or more of the value of the home. These costs mean that if the home only went up in value 10% or so in the year or two you lived there, you won’t be gaining anything (equity gain from principal pay-down is very little in the first years). You’ll often be better off renting if you’ll be in a town for less than a few years.
What about towns with faster rates of appreciation? Have you done some serious homework? If not, to assume appreciation will be more than the rate of inflation is just gambling. The sellers in the example above sold for the same price they bought the house for two years earlier - and this was in a decent and growing area. You can’t count on fast appreciation just because it has been that way recently.
To Buy Or Rent - Cost Comparison
Looking at buying versus renting, you have to take into account that in many places it cost much more to buy. In Tucson, Arizona, for example, a small home can cost $200,000. The mortgage payment, taxes, insurance and maintenance will add up to about $1,600 per month, but you can rent the same size home for about $800.
What does that mean? Many real estate fanatics will say you’re at least buying something for your money, and renting is throwing your money away. Of course in this example more than $1,000 of your payment will be going towards interest alone, and that’s not buying you anything.
Suppose you can afford the $1600 per month, but instead you rent for $800 and put the other $800 into a decent safe investment that makes you 5%? In three years you’ll have over $30,000 in this account. If the home appreciated at 6% per year (it has been more like 25% per year recently, but that can’t continue, and assuming so is not planning, but gambling), it would be worth $231,000. The costs of initially buying it and then selling it would be around $13,800 (2% buying and 6% selling), leaving you with a gain of about 19,000 once we include your principal pay-down.
In other words, you would be at least $11,000 better off if you rented and banked the difference. Every market is different, of course, so you have to do the math. Compare the total costs of owning versus renting, and then make safe assumptions about the rate of appreciation for homes.
If you’ll definitely be in one place for a long time to come, it will almost always be better to buy than to rent. In the last example, buying becomes a better bet after about four or five years. Also consider that if you get a fixed rate mortgage, your payment will never change, a benefit landlords won’t offer you that on your rent payment.
To sum up, look at the time you’ll be there, the comparison of total monthly costs, whether rents are going up fast, and whether you have good reason to believe home prices will be going up fast. Then look also at all the personal factors. Do you want to be responsible for the maintenance, yard work and unpredictability of ownership problems?
To buy or to rent? In the end, you have to work this one out by yourself.
I hate celebrity happenings
Britney Spears and her compression girdle/outfit at the Grammys
Aiming to at least partially distract people from staring at the asteroid that landed on lady Gaga’s head, Britney Spears showed up at the Grammys in what her trainer told her to wear for a full 8 hours a day to keep the Mickey D’s from forming into unsightly lumps. The best part of the
click hereBritney Spears and her compression girdle/outfit at the Grammys
Aiming to at least partially distract people from staring at the asteroid that landed on lady Gaga’s head, Britney Spears showed up at the Grammys in what her trainer told her to wear for a full 8 hours a day to keep the Mickey D’s from forming into unsightly lumps. The best part of the
Property list, maybe you need one?
Property List
The State of Connecticut has released the newest Big List for unclaimed property. You can access the list here at State of Connecticut Big List.
Connecticut’s Big List is from the state treasurer’s office and is searching for the 34,767 newest owners of as much as $401 million in unclaimed funds waiting for them in the unclaimed property division.
Connecticut’s Big List is released by Connecticut State Treasurer Denise Nappier. The Big List has current or former residents and businesses that have un-cashed checks, insurance policies, dormant balances in old checking and savings accounts and much more. Un-claimed wages and contents of unclaimed safety deposit boxes are on this list also.
Nappier said that this year, the list of individuals and businesses with dormant assets has grown to 887,000.
“The treasury is one of the few agencies in government with an express mission to give money back,” she said. “We have millions of dollars waiting to be returned to rightful owners.”
Copies of the insert will be in newspapers and have also been provided to town halls and public libraries throughout Connecticut. You can also access the Big List on line at www.CTBigList.com.
There is an unclaimed property list for almost every state. Many people have reclaimed money, some in very large amounts that they were unaware of even existing.
If the person who is the rightful owner is deceased, there is a process for the next of kin to claim the property. It is simple, and involves proving your relationship through birth certificates and other easily accessible papers.
Search your state today. The Big List for The State of Connecticut has just added new accounts and money to their list. It has existed for years and has been available on line to search. The same goes for the other states. You can find these lists through the official state site, treasurer’s page.
Do you think pick up lines get the girls
“Baby, somebody better call God, cuz he’s missing an angel!”
I found this and other good pick up lines at this funny pick up lines site. I think its a new website as it looks like it hasn’t been totally finished yet. Have you heard this one:
“I know I’m not a grocery item but I can tell when you’re checking me out.”
Have you ever thought if pick up lines really work? If you are the ugliest man in the bar then any good pick up line isn’t going help you to seduce women. Well at least most of the pick up lines are quite funny.
Bad credit is a big problem
Credit cards can be a great way to build good credit. However, they can also provide a quick route to debt and financial distress. If you are in the process of trying to rebuild your credit, or simply establish credit for yourself, you’ll want to consider the following five tips.
1. Make sure you choose a credit card with the lowest APR percentage rate. Choosing one that offers three to six months with no APR is even better. This will give you time to use the card, and make timely payments without accumulating interest. Demonstrating responsibility by keeping your account in good standing will prevent your APR rate from going up, and may eventually lead to a lower percentage rate.
2. Don’t go for the cards that have a high credit limit. Having a credit card with a high limit is too tempting. It’s also a good idea to set your own spending limits. Choose an amount that you are sure you can repay in a timely and consistent manner and do not exceed that amount.
3. Many credit cards let you withdraw a certain amount of cash as well. Try to avoid this if possible. The cash usually accumulates more interest than simply using the credit card for purchases, and may even require a fee for withdrawing the cash. You may end up paying $35.00 for a $20.00 cash withdraw or more if you do not pay it back all at once.
4. Some cards allow you to pick a payment date for the card, if this is the case make sure you choose wisely. When will you have the money to make the payment? If you get paid on the 15th of each month, set up the cards payment due date for about six days after you get paid. This will ensure that you are able to make the payment, and if you pay by check, that it will get there on time. If you make payments online, try to do so at least 48 hours before the payment date, to allow processing time. Late payments will reflect badly on your credit score.
5. Stay beneath 50% of your credit limit and, if possible, don’t make any purchases you won’t be able to pay off within six months. If you make purchases with your card that exceed these limits, you may very likely end up in worse debt and damage your credit rather than improve it. Using these guidelines when charging your card will help you keep your account in good standing, which will reflect well on your credit score.
To figure out whether you will be able to pay off a purchase in six months do the following.
a. Take the purchase cost: (example $500.00)
b. Multiply by percentage rate: (example:12%APR = 500 x 12%)
c. Add the percentage rate to the purchase cost: (example: $60 + $500 = $560)
d. Subtract your monthly payment from the total: (example: $560 - $100 = $460)
Repeat the above steps six times, with the amount you end up with each time, to see if the total will be paid off in six months or less. For instance, in the example above we ended up with $460.00, so we would now multiply that by 12% (which is, $55.20), add them together ($515.20), then subtract our monthly payment ($100), and we end up with $415.20. Continue to do the same now with the $415.20 we’re left with.
6. Make at least double the minimum payment. If you only make the minimum payment, it will take forever to pay off your balance. It’s even better if your payments cover the interest accumulated on the card each month in addition to a double the minimum payment.
For example, if you have a balance on your card of $200.00, and a 14% APR, your account will accumulate $28.00 in interest that month. If your minimum payment on the card is $10, you should pay double that, plus the $28.00 in interest. So, your monthly payment would be, $48.00.
7. Do not make random purchases. It’s tempting when you have a credit card, to buy something that you want right now, and pay for it later, but this is a big mistake. This is exactly how people get into serious debt with their credit cards. If you want to use a credit card to build good credit, you have to set limits for yourself and be responsible. If you can’t seem to turn down great deals at the store, do not bring the credit card with you.
Having a credit card can be a blessing or a curse; it’s up to you. Either way, there’s no doubt that it requires a lot of responsibility and discernment. If you have a credit card or are planning to get one, keep these tips in mind.
unsecured loan credit bad
Property market in real trouble, what will happen next?
sell my property
Southern culinary queen, Paula Deen, now has her finger in another pie — renting her personal vacation beach property. Affectionately named Ya’ll Come Inn, Paula’s beach house is now open to the public, just in time for summer vacation. The Ya’ll Come Inn beach property, which is located in Tybee Island, Georgia, is a veritable Paula Deen playground.
Georgia native, Paula Deen, has conquered Food Network, authored her own cookbooks, created the landmark The Lady & Sons restaurant and done just about everything else you can shake a stick at. Just four blocks from the Tybee Island beach in Georgia, Paula’s personal Ya’ll Come Inn three bedroom beach retreat is certainly beautiful, but it also comes with a pretty price tag of $295 per night.
Located at 2B Village Place in Tybee Island, Georgia, Paula’s beach property is part of Mermaid Cottages Vacation Rentals in Tybee Island. There are many vacation beach properties listed on the Mermaid Cottages Web site to choose from, but Paula Deen’s Ya’ll Come Inn is almost the most expensive. The high price tag is pretty much expected. After all, who else can say that they’ve slept under the same roof as the infamous Paula Deen?
At the Ya’ll Come Inn beach home, you can play with all the Paula Deen toys you want. The two-story Ya’ll Come Inn is loaded with Paula’s brand new line of furniture and rugs and the full kitchen is stocked with Paula Deen cookbooks, Paula’s seasonings, spices, dressings and sauces. Captain Michael’s of Savannah Coffee Collection is also provided, that’s Paula’s hubby, in case you didn’t know. Booking a stay at the Ya’ll Come Inn in Tybee Island, Georgia, includes a special welcome gift full of Paula Deen’s products, a personalized Paula Deen Cook Book and guaranteed reservations at Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House and The Lady & Sons restaurant.
Paula’s Tybee Island beach house property, Ya’ll Come Inn, sleeps eight and has three charming bedrooms and two and a half baths. The bedrooms have a queen bed, one double/full bed, a sleeper sofa and one bunk bed. The Ya’ll Come Inn has complimentary high speed internet and WIFI, a large screen TV in the living room and TV/DVDs in the bedrooms. An outdoor deck/porch has a picnic table, a gas grill and there’s even an outdoor shower. A whirlpool tub and washer and dryer are also included at the Ya’ll Come Inn in Tybee Island, Georgia. Off-street parking for two cars, with a two-car garage, is included in the Ya’ll Come Inn package.
There’s no smoking and no pets allowed at Paula’s Tybee Island, Georgia, Ya’ll Come Inn beach house. There are additional fees, besides the $295 per night cost. Housekeeping fees range from $75 to $200 and there’s also a $30 reservation fee. Travel insurance is also offered on the website.
Paula’s 2,100 square feet Ya’ll Come Inn beach rental property is within walking distance to several fresh seafood and Low Country cooking restaurants. Historic downtown Savannah is less than 30 minutes away, with Paula’s The Lady & Sons restaurant and her brother’s Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House within minutes of the Ya’ll Come Inn.
As a Georgia native, a patron of Paula’s famous Lady & Sons restaurant in Savannah, an avid viewer of Paula’s Home Cooking on the Food Network (and a QVC/Paula Deen addict … shh, don’t tell anybody), Paula is an inspiration to all women who are struggling to put food on the table and a roof over their children’s heads. Now filthy rich, and well-deserved I might say, Paula hasn’t changed her values at all and holds her family near and dear to her heart. I am so proud of this rags to riches true southern belle.
Sources:
http://bookings.mermaidcottages.com/site/Overview/PropertyID__39370/page__3/2390/DesktopDefault.aspx
http://theladyandsons.com/
http://www.unclebubbas.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_dean
What Retail slowdown, is it bad?
In recent months, investors have realized to their dismay that professional investors have been amiss in anticipating the downturn in financial markets. It is time to ask whether an individual investor could do just as well and not have to pay the exorbitant fees that financial “experts” demand. The Internet is a huge resource for information, discussion and advice. While mastering the knowledge available on the Internet may initially seem overwhelming, the more seasoned investors will tell you that it gets enjoyable, if not addictive, once you begin to master it. Here is a short guide to resources individual investors could use for stocks.
Basics with stock-picking
Stock-picking, to be successful, requires five important decisions to be made for the overall wealth of the individual to increase and these are
· Return: A positive rate of return at least equal to the average rate of return earned by the combination of stocks that represent the market index.
· Minimal Risk: A positive return from a stock in one period could be followed by a negative return in subsequent periods of time. This type of risk can be minimized if another stock is added which is likely to earn positive returns when others earn negative returns. Investors need to choose a combination of stocks or a portfolio to maximize their wealth.
· Stock-selection methods: What are the characteristics of stocks that perform best and how do you choose them? Is a strategy for holding stocks for a short period of time better than keeping them for long periods of time?
· Tax minimization: The final rate of return depends on the taxes paid on capital gains. How can the tax liability be minimized?
· Investment Advisors: Are investors likely to earn higher rates of return if they use the services of advisors enough to justify the fees paid to them? Is it more cost effective to come to decisions about investment on your own?
More information on issues in investing can be found at http://www.pathtoinvesting.org/
Why is this critical for you? The choices that a person makes in stock selection have a very significant impact on a person’s life in terms of time commitment, peace of mind, comforts in life and risk of fraud. Here are some of the ways in which it could influence your life
· Conservative and aggressive investing: Conservatively invested stocks earn an average rate of return of 8-10% per annum over a lifetime while the average for aggressive investing is 21%. Returns from conservative investing are much more certain, take very little learning and time commitment while the opposite is true for aggressive investing.
· Peace of mind: Conservative investing brings much greater peace of mind; investors have to make very few decisions because they choose to hold stocks over the long run and change them only when a company is likely to decline for good. Aggressive investing is for those who enjoy making bets and are motivated by the prospect of high levels of wealth; these investors enjoy reading about businesses and economic trends.
· Fraud: At its worst, bad judgment and excessive greed in stock selection can mean ruin as you become victim to aggressive salespeople who pump up worthless penny stocks. The movie Boiler Room, based on a true story, shows the shenanigans that go in such schemes. To keep track of the latest frauds in stocks, see http://www.stockpatrol.com/
Choosing stocks that fit your risk tolerance levels is important otherwise you could be losing sleep and making bad judgments. Those who choose an aggressive investment style should ask themselves whether they can weather steep drops in stock prices like the meltdown in October 1987. On the other had, conservative investors should ask themselves whether they will be satisfied with a relatively lower level of consumption. You could estimate your level of risk tolerance at http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/money/riskquiz/
What are your options?
Types of stocks: In terms of risk and return, stocks can be divided into three broad categories of securities and these are
· Growth stocks: these are securities of fast growing companies often in the technology industry. Such stocks potentially earn the highest returns when their profit growth accelerates. The stocks of such companies are also more likely to disappoint if their growth falters. You can find growth stocks at http://www.stocktables.com/
Value stocks: these are stocks of well established companies and earn moderate return with a much lower risk. To select good value stocks, see www.magicformulainvesting.com/.
High Dividend stocks: these are stocks of slow growing but profitable companies which reinvest very little of their cash surplus and distribute a higher share of their profits to investors. These stocks have the lowest risk. You can select dividend stocks at www.dogsofthedow.com
Portfolio Diversification:
Investors looking to diversify their portfolios and lower their risk have to look for a combination of stocks whose returns move in opposite directions. In current conditions, they have two major options:
· Invest in combination of small stocks and large stocks: While small stocks are generally profitable in the early stages of the business cycle such as in the period 2002-2005, larger companies do well in the later stages of the business cycle as is the case now.
· Invest in domestic and international stocks: the prospects of foreign economies and American economy often move in opposite directions. You can lower your risk by buying a combination of domestic and overseas stocks.
Method of picking stocks:
There are two major methods of investing; the lazy way and the more active one. Conservative investors believe that stock prices move randomly so that the highs and lows in price movements cancel out. The only realistic choice is to earn an average return. Such investors hold proven companies for very long periods of time and buy and sell only when there is a compelling reason to do so. Aggressive investors look for opportunities when they can buy cheap and sell at a high price to maximize their return. They can do this over infrequently or often. These investors typically buy in the early stages of the business cycle and sell towards the end of it.
Taxes and Returns
The rate of taxation is higher, equal to the rate of tax on income, for short-term gains while it is lower on long-term gains. In addition, short-term investors have pay more in trading fees when they buy and sell frequently. Taxes on long-term gains have dropped to 15% (for lower-income tax payers it is lower at 5%). For dividend income, the tax is lower at 15% instead of the regular income tax.
Taxes can also be saved when stock investments are part of retirement plans rather than brokerage accounts. According to estimates by Burton Malkiel, the value of a retirement fund will be $1.7 million if the marginal tax rate is 28% and average rate of return 8% with yearly investments of $4000 for 45 years. On the other hand, the equivalent amount will be $600,000 if the money is invested in a brokerage account. After paying taxes on withdrawals, you are left with $1.2 million.
Gurus and Advisors
Investors often presume that they need to consult an expert to understand the complexities of investment before they make their decisions. The reality is that the performance record of an average advisor is poor; one estimate shows that they got their forecasts right only 49% of the time. For more detailed information about advisors, see www.cxoadvisory.com/gurus/
What should you do?
Investors can choose to depend on reliable advisors to make their decisions about investments or they can do it themselves. Those who want to leave stock-picking to advisors, the ratings at Invertu will help to find a reliable investment advisor. Alternatively, they can decide to take responsibility for their own investments. For them, the Internet offers a huge variety of resources for finding information and opportunities for brainstorming that are powerful aids for decision-making.
Value stocks and dividend stocks: Growth stocks are expected to earn the highest rates of return since their profits increase at the fastest rate. A good example of a growth stock is Google which is growing rapidly because it introduced new concepts in online advertising. However, such stocks are also exposed to much greater risk. Google, for example, is facing competition from Yahoo! Microsoft and Wikipedia and it could lose its dominance to them. Whenever the market perceives Google’s profits are going to slowdown, its prices drop sharply. On the other hand, its price will rise rapidly if growth exceeds expectations.
Value investing looks for well established companies in mature industries selling at relatively low prices. Indicators such as high book value-to-market value, high earnings growth relative to price and high cash inflows point to value that has not been priced in. In other words, this kind of investing looks for bargains. A good example of this would be Gillette.
Finally, the least risky stock investment strategy is to pick high dividend yield earning stocks. These are companies that are in low growth sectors like coal which accumulate high levels of cash because they reinvest only a small proportion of their profits. The downside is that these companies could go out of business as they are replaced by other industries.
Portfolio Diversification:
Small stocks and large company stocks: One important consideration of diversification between stocks is the choice between small and large company stocks. In general, small company stocks earn higher returns at a higher risk level while large company returns are more moderate and their risk is low. In addition, stock returns of small companies tend to be higher in the early stages of the business cycle when interest rates are low and credit supply more abundant. On the other hand, large companies perform better in the mature stages of the business cycle when markets are more volatile and they have more cash reserves to cope with slower growth in credit supply. Data on the performance of large companies can be found at http://www.forbes.com/2004/12/22/05platinumland.htmllarg and small companies at http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/23/biz_06200best_The-200-Best-Small-Companies_land.html
Another important consideration is the choice between domestic and international stocks. Very often, the returns from overseas stocks are higher when they are low in the USA. American investors have invested large amounts of money in international markets in early 2000s while the domestic market was sluggish. Conversely, international markets were performing poorly in the late 1990s while the American stocks were booming. Some international stocks trade on American stock exchanges as American Depository Receipts. Other ways to buy Exchange Traded Funds that are a combination of stocks that form an index in a foreign country.
Method of picking stocks:
Just how do you make money in stock-markets? What are the characteristics of stocks that perform well? At what price do you buy and sell a stock? What is a reasonable profit from a stock? How does an investor ensure that he or she does not lose money in stocks?
There are really two serious methods in stock-picking and these can be described as the “the lazy way to making average profits” and the other says “it takes hard work and experience to make higher than average profits”. We have excluded the numerous “get-rich-quick” theories which we don’t consider to be serious.
The best exponent of the first theory is Burton G Malkiel who has written the much acclaimed book “A Random Walk down Wall Street: the time-tested strategy for successful investing”. The premise of the book is based on the idea that markets are efficient and they take into account the profit prospects, the risks, the sentiment and the news to determine the price of a stock. Actual prices of stocks hover around the average value of the stock and fluctuate randomly; there is no point in making predictions to try to earn more than the market rate of return. By the logic of this method, you choose your level of risk tolerance and target rate of return and pick stocks that you hold on over a long period of time. The best stocks to pick are those that form the index; they will earn as much as the market rate of return which is the most reasonable level of expectation.
There is another method of stock-picking which times the market. This method seeks to buy stocks at the lowest price and sell it at the highest price possible. This type of method is practiced in a variety of ways but the most successful implementation has been done by people like Warren Buffet, Peter Lynch and Ken Fisher. This style of management recognizes that market timing is hard to get right and takes a great deal of experience. On an average, an investor has to be right at least 70% of the time; the successful investors of this kind also earn twice as much the average market rate of return. Typically, such investors do not try to time every turn in the market; they look at the ups and downs in the business cycle. They will buy in the early stages of the business cycle and sell when it is expected to go down. Such investors buy for the long-run and pick stocks when there is strong evidence to show that they are under-priced and have a high chance of performing well in the long-run. A serious step-by-step guide helps you to find your way.
There are two other methods of predicting and timing the market and these are called technical and fundamental analysis. Technical analysis looks at short-term trends as uncovered by charts. This type of analysis tries to find patterns which point to the highs and lows in the market; there are far too many of these methods to explain all of them here. A commonly used method is the identification of the support and resistance level in price movements. While a support level is a relatively firm bottom in the prices of stocks, the resistance level is a relatively firm high in their prices. Prices will fluctuate around the resistance or support level before they break away from them. When prices fall below the support level, they are likely to go down and vice versa. More information on technical analysis can be found at http://www.equis.com/customer/resources/TAAZ/Default.aspx?
Another method of identification of suitable stock is fundamental analysis. This method looks at the intrinsic value of a stock based on its future growth rates. The higher the future growth rates, the higher the value of the stock. Since the earnings in the future are of a lower value than the money invested today, the expected cash inflows in the future are discounted at a rate that is equal to the risk-free rate of return plus the compensation required for taking the risk. If the actual price of the stock is less than its intrinsic value, it is worth buying. The internet provides tools to screen stocks for their fundamental and technical worth with the MSN Stock Scouter with convenient snapshots.
Taxes and Returns
In general, taxes on short-term are higher than those on long-term gains. Currently, the rate for short-term gains is the same as that on ordinary income and on long-term gains it has dropped to 15% (for lower-income tax payers it is lower at 5%). For dividend income, the tax is lower at 15% instead of the regular income tax.
When investors put all their money in retirement plans, they save all of these taxes. They pay taxes on withdrawals for IRA accounts but not for Roth IRA (however, they don’t get tax benefits when they invest their money for Roth IRA). The cumulative benefit of investing in retirement funds is considerable. According to estimates by Burton Malkiel, the value of a retirement fund will be $1.7 million if the marginal tax rate is 28% and average rate of return 8% with yearly investments of $4000 for 45 years. On the other hand, the equivalent amount will be $600,000. After paying taxes on withdrawals, you are left with $1.2 million.
Gurus and Advisors
Many investors would rather they did not have to understand the apparently arcane world of investment and leave the job to investment advisors. The reality is that the performance record of well-trained finance professionals is at best good but variable, mostly mediocre and at its worst it is downright dishonest. Dr. Malkiel in his book “Random Walk” has hundreds of pages of information, commentary and satire tearing down the pretensions of analysts. Those who still want to use analyst ratings, more information can be found at http://www.newratings.com/
There is compelling data to show that well known gurus don’t do any better than a throw of a dice. The average success rate of pros is 49% which is about average you would get by tossing a coin. The conclusions were based on 3000 forecasts made by gurus over two years and these were compared with the outcomes. The detailed data for the entire sample and individual gurus can be found at http://www.cxoadvisory.com/gurus/
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
Stock-picking is clearly not an exact science; it is really analogous to finding a partner in life. In both cases, you are stepping into the unknown. When you have no idea and are inexperienced, the chances of getting suckered are high. Extending the analogy of partners, young women looking for partners on MySpace get duped by charming men who sometimes turn out to be conmen. Similarly, inexperienced investors can get carried away by stories of people who get rich by buying stocks and are caught off-guard when the market crashes. Over time, you get the sense that there is a method that succeeds but you can’t be entirely sure it will work. Just like we learn to look for signs of a desirable partner and decide to date quickly when we see them, we learn to recognize the characteristics of good stocks and pick them quickly before we lose the opportunity.
Many of us want to use advisors to avoid the burden of understanding the many factors that influence the movement of stocks. One strategy to cope with this is to buy brand name companies, selling at relatively low prices such as Corning, Pfizer, and hold on to them for the long-run. Advisors are like counselors who can help you to think but they can’t provide the final answers.
The best of gurus like Buffet, Peter Lynch and Ken Fisher are in the habit of repeating their belief that their methods can be emulated by anybody who has steady nerves and common sense. Peter Lynch used to give spending money to his daughters when he visiting retail stores. He would observe what they were most inclined to buy. Their favorite purchases provided him with ideas about investments.
The best way to begin is to first honestly assess what level of risk you can bear. This is important because it is important to keep ones cool and look at facts when the markets are in turmoil. In early 2007, the markets crashed as a result of erratic movements in the Chinese stock-markets. People tended to believe Alan Greenspan who made his characteristic ambiguous statement “recession is probable and has a one in three chance of happening”. Cooler heads looked at the spreads between corporate bonds and treasuries and saw no change there. The premiums earned on risky bonds are a very good indicator of how market actually perceives risk. If you don’t think you can take the suspense, its best to choose proven companies and remain happy with moderate returns.
Those who decide they are ready for risks have plenty of resources to help them make a decision. Many stocks with good value lie under-priced for long periods of time and information about them is available in the public domain.
The business press is full of lists of fastest growing companies, the most admired companies, the best places to work in based on large sized samples. Forbes, for example, issues an annual list of fastest growing technology companies. The stock performance of the fastest growing companies is better than the Nasdaq index. For a review of the stock performance of the fastest growing companies, see http://www.forbes.com/strategies/2006/01/26/lifecell-celgene-winnerslosers-cz_pm_0127sf.html.
However, fast growth does not necessarily ensure that the company is going to be able to sustain its performance. Biotech companies, for example, grow fast but they often run into situations where their drugs or devices do damage to patients and have to be recalled. The companies that are more likely to perform consistently are those that have strong managements, well rewarded and trained employees and ethical methods.
The Fortune Magazine has been producing annually a list of companies that are most admired in the USA. These companies are selected based on the judgments of 10,000 executives, business leaders and security analysts. One study compared the stock performance of the portfolio of the most admired companies with the S&P index. It was found that the Fortune list returned an average of 17.7% compared to 13% for the S&P 500 index. All the companies in the Fortune magazine list are stable companies so the difference in the rates is not explained by any risk premium. For the details of the analysis, see http://www.economics.pomona.edu/GarySmith/FortuneAdmired.pdf
The key to successful stock-picking is checking facts against the majority opinion and you will find information that others have missed. Of the list of “gurus” we had discussed earlier, Ken Fisher is the most successful because he trusts his own analysis. He discusses how he checks out commonly held views and comes up with an idea that is uniquely his. For more, see http://www.financial-planning.com/pubs/fp/20061101025.html
Stock-picking involves two simple decisions which are the same for buying any product or service. One, does the stock have value or does the company have the ability to perform better than its competitors in the same industry? A related question is whether the company is part of an industry which does better than other sectors in the economy. Two, is the price of the stock equal to its intrinsic value or the discounted value of its expected future earnings? It’s a no-brainer that anybody should buy stocks with high value and low prices and we will find out this is the least implemented practice.
One source for screening for sectors and well performing companies is http://www.equitytrader.com/structure/default.php. Click Yields to get a selection of companies that yield high income. You can also look for sector with a substantial difference between the potential and actual performance for finding high growth companies. We had cited sources earlier which will help you to identify companies that are under-priced and growing fast. While fundamental analysis is a poor guide to future growth, it is not hard to find data to confirm whether the target company has higher than average growth rate. To judge whether the performance is going to be sustained, look at the news about what the company is doing to launch new products and find new markets.
Companies have to not only grow fast but they have to be also perceived to be growing fast. Here is where technical analysis proves useful even though this method is also imperfect. While technical analysis is not useful in forecasting the future, it does help to track where market perceptions are moving. Any unusual increase in volumes or a breakaway from trend indicates that the traders are changing their view of the company. You can confirm this by listening carefully to the news. Also, data on insider trading is a solid measure of the assessment of company executives about the prospects of their company. This information is readily available at http://finance.yahoo.com/q/it?s=msft.
The reason why people don’t make money lies in psychology: group think. Most of us look our shoulders and see what stocks others are picking and lemming like follow them. Recall the Internet bubble when everybody bought money losing stocks and literally sank in the sea of loss. Most managers in mutual fund companies don’t want to take decisions their colleagues will not like and choose to pick underperforming stocks everybody approves of rather than go for the winning ones which their peers don’t like.
The Internet provides all the resources an independent investor needs to make good decisions. It also has discussion sites where you can brainstorm ideas. Why pay financial advisors to make your picks. If you lose, you will learn enough from the loss to eventually profit from a success.
