By financen | October 30, 2010 - 5:50 pm - Posted in Cash Back Credit Cards, Credit Card

Over the past year the credit card industry has undergone many changes, as it recovers from the recession and adapts to the new reform laws. Among those changes are cash back credit cards – many of them have changed their rewards programs, usually for the worse. With the new year 2011 quickly approaching, it’s a good time to re-evaluate your credit cards to see if they’re still the best. Here are my recommendations for the top cash back credit cards in 2011:

 

 

#1 – Chase Freedom
This cash back credit card offers 5% in rotating categories that change every quarter, as well as 1% on just about everything else. The card has no annual fee.

The only drawback on the Freedom card is that the amount of 5% cash back you can earn is capped. At the time of writing, the cap was $1,500 for the current quarter… this means you will only earn 5% for the first $1,500 spent in the reward categories. Even taking that into account, this is still a great choice for sure.

#2 – Citi Forward Card
Citi used to have several attractive reward cards on the market, but over the years they have scaled back the amount of rewards they give. However just take a look at any Citi Forward card review and you will see it still offers a very enticing rewards program.

They give you 5 Citi ThankYou points for every dollar spent on restaurants, fast food, bookstores, movies, and music stores, plus 1 ThankYou point for every dollar spent elsewhere. You can earn up to 75,000 points in a calendar year. For a full explanation of their program check out my Citi Forward card review.

#3 – Costco Credit Card
If you are a Costco member, then the Costco credit card from American Express is definitely something you should consider. It has no annual fee and gives lucrative rewards. You get 3% at restaurants, 3% on gas (on gas purchases of up to $3,000 per year), 2% on travel, and 1% on everything else.

In addition to the generous rewards offered on the Costco credit card, they also give you quite a few benefits which are unique to American Express – i.e. purchase protection, travel accident insurance, and extended warranty service. Another reason the Costco credit card is a good idea is because Costco only accepts American Express cards for payment.

Conclusion?
Over the past 12 months we have seen cash back credit cards get watered down quite a bit. Fortunately, there are still several attractive options out there.

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By financen | October 26, 2010 - 3:21 pm - Posted in Mortgage

A person who can make the full purchase on a home is said to be an informed customer and knows how to make a good mortgage deal. Large number of people do not know how to borrow money from the lender in the best of your interests. They just apply for some mortgage from the lender.

Mortgage constitutes a huge economy with different lenders and variety of mortgage deals. However, browsing through the internet and acquiring information from various sources can actually help you in making a good deal from the mortgage lender.

Here are six different ways by which you can make a good mortgage deal:

1. First know your present financial situation and how much you can afford before making a deal with the lender. Depending on whether you are employed or self-employed, you will get eligible for the type of mortgage.

2. Browse through the internet and know how the mortgage operates. This will help you to understand how to make a good mortgage deal according to your requirements.

3. Work with those lenders who have a good track record in the industry. They will explain you the whole concept of mortgage in a very detailed way. In case, you don’t understand some of the terms, set an appointment and ask any questions to clarify your doubts. While you are making a mortgage deal, understand the terms and conditions very carefully. Know the interest rates and down payment schemes. Compare it with different lenders before finalizing any deal with the lender.

4. Use the internet to compare the offers with different online lenders and see if you can shop for anything extra.

5. Once you have understood how to make a good mortgage deal, inspect any penalties that can be brought forward. Their may be some rules that you might find hard to comply with.

6. Before finalizing any mortgage deal, the most thing that you should understand with the lender is the terms and conditions of the mortgage loan, interest rates, down payments and penalties involved. After reviewing everything, you are good to go for a lucrative deal.

You can obviously take the help of the articles provide by USA.gov about Mortgages for Home Buyers and Homeowners.

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By financen | October 20, 2010 - 12:54 pm - Posted in Credit Card, Rewards Card

With over a billion credit cards circulating out there in the United States, there’s probably a good chance that you have a credit card in your wallet. So, what happens if you’re looking for a new one, or maybe you want to get one that gives you rewards?

 

If your card isn’t rewarding you, it’s time to get a new card, and I wanted to show you how you can find the best card that is going to work for you. By following these steps, you should be able to get on the right path to finding the best credit card.

#1 Get the most rewards – Find a card that is going to give you the most rewards, in the category that you spend the most money in. For example, let’s say that you spend a lot of money on clothes each month. Get a card that will give you bonuses on this category.

#2 Get a nice rebate back – Compare a few cards, before you sign up for one. Find one that is going to give you the most back on your card. For example, I signed up for a gas card back in the day, and found that one gave me 3% back, while the other gave me 5%. Which one would you choose?

#3 Read the fine print – The reward cards are notorious for duping you with your intro rates. Make sure you read the introductory rates to see how long your rates will last, as well as what you will get afterwards.

#4 Read reviews – Look online to see what other people think about the card. You don’t want to apply for a card that isn’t going to work for you. The best way is to simply trust your gut. This is the best way to go on average.

#5 Pay off in full – Always pay your card off in full. When you do this, you’re going to find that you can get a free loan in a way. You won’t have to pay interest, nor will you have to worry about those 20%+ interest rates.

There are a lot of cards out there. What you’re going to want to make sure is that you find a card that works for you. If you compare at least 2-5 cards, you will find that one will work great for your wallet!

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By financen | October 18, 2010 - 2:38 pm - Posted in Mortgage

Have complete knowledge about the mortgage loans: Mortgages can be very confusing especially for the newbie. One who is new in the world of real estate lending will get bewildered with the terms like home equity loan, second mortgage, home equity line of credit and credit score and its effects. You have to stand as an educated customer before applying for any kind of mortgage deals.

Examine your capabilities: Before comparing your choices, you need to be sure that you have the capabilities. You need to know your capabilities as a credit holder and whether you can qualify for a mortgage? If you can qualify for a mortgage, will you be able to afford the monthly payments? You should also be aware of the risks and responsibilities of getting a loan.

Examine your alternatives: Before you apply for a mortgage, give a serious thought whether you really need it. See if you have other alternatives instead of getting a loan. Choose from the available financial resource choices before you finally apply for the mortgage because it is a long term financial commitment.

Check your credit scores: Your credit score is very important when you apply for any kind of loan or credit. Based on your credit scores, you will be granted new credit or get approved for a loan and the interest rates will be applied. If your credit scores are not good, you will be charged high interest rates.

Improve your credit scores: If you do not have a good credit scores, then you must first work on it and improve it. Based on your credit scores, the lender will charge you competitive interest rates.

Shop for choices in your local area: Try to find a local mortgage company in your area rather than looking for some company in a different location not within your reach. You should first shop with your bank where you have your savings or checking account. They might offer you attractive mortgage packages.

Shop for choices on the internet: Do not limit to the choices in your vicinity. Browse through the internet and find out a variety of lending institutions that may provide low interest rates too.

Consult an expert: Before you make the final decision, consult an expert to analyze your choices and make the best financial decision according to your requirements. It may be a friend or a relative, or it may be a real estate consultant in your area.

Settle only for the best: Do not just grab any offer that comes in your way. There are many mortgage options and different lenders who are ready to offer you the best deals on their table. You need to consider the interest rates, the required collateral, payment schedule and the forbearance agreement.

Learn to negotiate: When it comes to real estate deals, you should be able to negotiate better with the lender. You will be paying interests on the loan offered to you. So don’t settle for whatever is offered to you. Ask and negotiate in order to get the best deal.

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By financen | October 13, 2010 - 3:38 pm - Posted in No Fax Payday Loans, Payday Loan

No fax payday loan is called the hassle free quick loan. The main feature of this kind of payday loan is that there is no need of faxing any kind of documents to obtain it. By clicking of the mouse few times you can obtain this loan. By filing up the online form and submitted you can get the loan easily. The condition is that you have to pay back the loan amount with interest on the next payday.

 

 

The only important criterion is that the person who is applying for no fax payday loans must be employed. The other good thing is that you can still obtain this loan in spite of having a bad credit history. Generally the loan is approved on the application date. Few things that required for the approval of the loan are personal and employment details along with bank statement and past 2 months salary certificate, an email address which will be used to remind your due payment date and checking account. The loan amount will be in your bank within 24 hours of time as long as the documents get verified.

The interest rate may be a bit high in this kind of loan but as it is for shorter period of time so it doesn’t matter much for the customers. No fax pay day loan is suited for most of the salaried persons. When you are in need of quick money with no time in hand then it is really tough to fax all necessary documents for the loan. But here the advantage of no fax payday loan is that you don’t have to bother about the documentation and faxing them. This is one of the successive points of no fax payday loan.

Regarding the payment of the loan amount, normally the payment is electronically debited from your checking account for your appliance. But you can go for alternative payment arrangements also.

By financen | October 12, 2010 - 4:27 pm - Posted in Forex

Although most people have never even heard of it, the foreign-exchange market is by far the largest financial marketplace in the world. Each day over $4 trillion changes hands in this market! To put into perspective how much money that is, consider this: if you were to add up the average daily turnover in the New York Stock Exchange with the average daily turnover in every stock exchange in America, Europe, and Asia, the total dollar amount would still fall far short of the $4 trillion that changes hands each day in the forex market.

 

The reason most people have never heard of the forex market is because it is still very much in its infancy stages as an open marketplace. Until the late 1990’s, the only players allowed in the forex market were international investment banks, large hedge funds, and very wealthy individuals. It wasn’t that no one else was allowed to trade in the market by law, but the minimum contract size with most dealers was generally between $100,000 and $1,000,000; thus, anyone besides banks, hedge funds, and very wealthy people simple could not afford to hold even 1 single contract.

The advance of the internet and technology changed that, though. Today, a trader can open a small online retail forex account with as little as a $100 deposit. Retail brokers have negotiated with large banks such as Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, etc, and landed deals where instead of passing through single orders of $100,000, they pass through hundreds and hundreds of order each day for very small amounts, but in the end, there is still a large enough amount of order going through to keep the banks happy.

Forex trading has literally exploded in the last ten years. There are many advantages to trading in the forex market over the stock or commodity markets.

Increased Leverage

This is probably the single greatest draw for most investors, and, unfortunately, it is also the single biggest cause of traders blowing out their accounts and losing all of their money. In the forex market, traders can leverage up to 200:1 or even more with some brokers outside the United States. In the U.S., the National Futures Association has capped leverage at 100:1.

This means that after checking a forex broker review and depositing funds with a broker, traders can control a $100,000 position in the market with a $1,000 deposit. Any profits a trader earns with that $100,000 position, he gets to keep, but that size of leverage can easily kill an account. For example, if a trader is trading a $100,000 position in the forex market, then each pip is worth $10. If his account equity is only $1,000, then he can only allow a 100 pip move against him. Once he loses 100 pips, his account will be at $0. If a trader were taking multiple positions during a highly liquid time of the day, he could easily lose 100 pips in a matter of minutes.

24 Hour Market

The forex market is not a centralized market. Instead, it is a loosely connected network of international banks and large financial firms. Thus, the market never closes from Sunday evening to Friday late afternoon. Liquidity simply moves from one time zone to another. This allows traders to trade around the clock and they do not have to deal with gaps and overnight event risks.

Depth of Liquidity

The market is so large, liquidity is always present and the market cannot be manipulated by large players as stocks can.

Low Transaction Costs

Compared to the stock market, transaction costs in forex are a fraction of the price. On 1 single contract of $100,000, a round turn commission will usually range between $10 and $20.

The forex market has many advantages, and it is only going to grow larger as more investors become informed and aware of its many benefits.

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What happen when you are in some financial crunch and you need some cash urgently, who do you turn to?

You can try one of your family members or friends or relatives. But many people don’t feel like sharing their personal financial problems with their close ones. This will basically leave with two options in hand: an online cash advance loan or a storefront payday loan. You will have to decide which of them is better?

If you are worried about your privacy and you don’t want anyone to see you going to a storefront payday loan, then online cash advance loans over the internet will be the best option. You don’t have to worry about anyone driving by and seeing you walk in the storefront payday loan store.

Most online payday loan companies use advanced security tools on their sites. This makes the electronic transfers to your bank account much easier and safer. Only you and the payday loan company will know the transaction and no one else. This is much safer than the brick and mortar experience.

When you are applying for online payday loans on the internet, you don’t need to send any documents by fax or mail to get the cash advance loan. Everything will be done online from the comfort and security of your own home or office, within a few seconds and with as few hassles as possible.

Online cash advance loans avoid many hassles of the traditional storefront payday loans. They provide the advanced security on their website, anonymity, and ease of use. If you don’t want to apply for a loan by going to a store and compromise your safety and integrity, online payday loans over the internet is the best way to go.

So, it is quite clear that at the time when you require fast cash, you don’t need to worry much and don’t need to go to any friends or relatives and get embarrassed. There are many companies waiting to provide you loan at the time when you need it most. Just go online and find reputed companies on the internet for your payday loan.