Life is experience. Substance dependence overtakes a person?s ability to make her own decisions to experience life, and life is no longer actively participated in. Therefore, in overcoming addiction, it is vital to learn to re-experience life. This lesson helps a treatment center resident reintegrate into the world after therapy is through. Experiential therapy is this bridge to leaving a life of substance dependency and commencing a life of health, both physical and mental. Experiential therapy is a necessary component in the steps towards a complete therapy. In addition to counseling and more traditional therapies, experiential is the door to the world - it forces the patient to test herself, to get up when she falls, to learn that giving up is not an option. This is a vital lesson to learn when overcoming addiction, as when problems arise after therapy, the former patient will remember that there are other means of dealing with problems than turning back to addiction.
Experiential therapy includes many various forms, and can be divided into two main categories: outdoor experiential therapy and indoor experiential therapy. Both aim at physical and mental challenges in order to succeed. Equine therapy, which falls within the category of outdoor experiential therapy, is worth reviewing on its own due to its uniqueness and successful results. Research supports the use of experiential therapy, as motivation increases and social integration is easier through the experience of such therapy.
The great outdoors is well known for its healing abilities, and exercise in itself releases the same good-feeling endorphins as a high does. There we have it: the high that is healthy. Outdoor experiential therapy utilizes nature to help residents work through their problems and free themselves from dependency through the physical challenges offered in nature. Activities can include winter sports like snowshoeing, and summer sports like hiking. More radical activities, like a heli-experience, are also possible. The heli-experience takes people to literally previously unknown heights. In opening new worlds, these experiences reconnect residences to their world, which is so important to eventually helping them reconnect with the people who live in this world. While outdoor activities are beneficial for the social aspect of interacting with other residents, their main achievement is to make the resident introspect and put a perspective on the resident?s own life in the context of the towering natural world.
Indoor experiential therapy can be based on an indoor ropes and challenge course. While also containing the aspect of physical challenge, indoor experiential therapy is a greater internal challenge. The resident must mentally prepare herself for the challenges that come at such heights. Also, trust is an invaluable lesson learned in indoor therapy. Partners rely on each other to succeed in these activities, thus learning to communicate effectively and learning to trust another. This can be an especially difficult aspect of healing from addiction, as for so many, trust is not a part of a life of addiction. Learning to rebuild personal self-confidence and trust in others is vital for a successful recovery from substance dependence. Reintegrating into society after therapy is one of the most difficult aspects of recovery, so having a treatment program that rebuilds the elements of trust and confidence, needed for a successful life in our society, is especially beneficial.
Equine therapy, a certain highlight of the outdoor experiential therapy, combines aspects used both in outdoor and indoor therapy. From the aspect of the outdoors, equine therapy offers the chance to be with, in and beyond nature, with a living being that sees us only for who we are. Horses are extremely intelligent creatures, having a special history with the human race. So vital in the development of the modern world, horses were the first vehicles for transporting messengers and mail efficiently, as the Pony Express reminds us, and were man?s trusted guides in exploration and on battlefields. And, while a horse does not judge mankind, it certainly can read a character and will cleverly use a human?s personality to its advantage. Trust is an essential element of equine therapy, and it is a relationship with a creature that will not lie about its feelings. When a genuine friendship is formed between horse and man, it is a lifelong bond. Equine therapy combines the power of nature and a physical challenge with the need to build a trusting relationship with a fellow living creature and increase self-confidence. In this manner, equine therapy is especially helpful for residents of treatment centers, as it combines all elements so beneficial to recovery in one activity.
Experiential therapy teaches lessons of confidence in the self as well as in others, and teaches facing challenges and overcoming them. Motivation is of prime importance in overcoming an addiction, and what better place to find motivation than where we naturally seek it: in situations that encourage us to aim higher than we imagine is possible. Through the motivation that appears in the physical activities, treatment center residents learn to carry it over to their own lives, and find the necessary motivation to deal with personal issues. Simultaneously building confidence and trust in themselves and others only strengthens the desire for motivation. The added health benefits of partaking in physical exercise show themselves both on the bodies and minds of patients. Getting the body into shape helps stabilize the mind, and helps lead a generally healthier life. There is never an easy cure to addiction, and many paths and steps must be followed to guide to a better life. The step of experiential therapy is one of the most rewarding steps in treatment, as the treatment resident is aware first-hand of its results. This personal feeling of achievement in overcoming challenges makes great headway in the recovery process from addiction.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Acne and Menopause
Menopause has some very interesting symptoms. Women can experience insomnia, hot flashes, extreme night sweats, irritability, anxiety, headaches, achy joints, mood swings, trouble concentrating, and even acne. Some women never experience the last one, but for at least ten percent of all menopause patients, pimples and blemishes are a real problem. Some women haven't had a zit since their teen years, and suddenly their faces are full of them. The truth is, though, those teens and the women going through menopause have a number of things in common. Acne is typically caused by hormone swings, which occurs on an extensive basis during both puberty and menopause. It is hard for most women to regress back to their teen years of worrying about a pimple in the mirror when they're struggling to deal with all of the other symptoms of menopause.
Acne during menopause occurs for much the same reason that acne occurs during any other portion of life. The skin has a number of sebaceous glands. These glands produce skin oil, scientifically known as sebum. Skin cells are consistently regenerated. Old ones die, and they are quickly replaced with new ones. When the body's hormones rage, hormones that include estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA, the sebaceous glands become sensitive and started producing more sebum than they need to. More skin cells begin to die. As a result, not only do you have more facial oil than you need, you also have more dead skin cells than you need. Your body cannot keep up, and it cannot get rid of the unwanted materials fast enough. The hair follicles on the face get clogged with the oil and the dead cells. The sebum production increases again, and your teenage acne flairs up anew.
Those terrible white heads occur because all skin has bacteria that live off of the sebum. Then the sebum builds up under the skin, as occurs with too much sebum production, the bacteria and the oil combine. An inflamed area builds up with white puss underneath. Blackheads also occur when the bacteria and oil combine under the skin, but with a blackhead, air leaks in. As a result, the material that is caught in the pore turns black. Menopause acne isn't entirely like all other acne, though. Both the sebaceous glands and the hair follicles on the face contain an enzyme. This particular enzyme is able to turn estrogen into androgen testosterone. This can cause more oil production than all other sources combine. This means more breakouts than you probably had in your teen years.
The acne you experience during menopause can be overly frustrating. You, however, do have some ways to try to clear it up. Your first step is to examine your diet. You need to be eating foods that are high in calcium and fiber. Also, be sure you cut back on your fat and the carbohydrates you eat. Carbohydrates can take your body's insulin and turn it into androgens. As we talked about before, androgen can increase the sebum production in the skin. One other change you might want to make in your diet is to be sure that you are drinking eight to ten glasses of water each day.
In addition to making some dietary changes, you might want to consider adding some supplements to your life. There are so many vitamins, herbs, and minerals widely available that can help you get rid of the oil production in your body. Most studies suggest that you should add Vitamin B and Vitamin C to your diet. Your diet and supplement things aren't the only things you should consider, though, you should also clean your skin at least twice each day. You should exfoliate on a regular basis, as this can help get rid of those dead skin cells. Also, be sure to use a toner to close up those open pores that are so famous for collecting the things that create acne.
Jonathan Gracey is CEO of a new web portal called http://www.canyoutellme.com which is focused on providing information to researchers about a variety of topics, not here-to-fore available on the major search engines.
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Acne during menopause occurs for much the same reason that acne occurs during any other portion of life. The skin has a number of sebaceous glands. These glands produce skin oil, scientifically known as sebum. Skin cells are consistently regenerated. Old ones die, and they are quickly replaced with new ones. When the body's hormones rage, hormones that include estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA, the sebaceous glands become sensitive and started producing more sebum than they need to. More skin cells begin to die. As a result, not only do you have more facial oil than you need, you also have more dead skin cells than you need. Your body cannot keep up, and it cannot get rid of the unwanted materials fast enough. The hair follicles on the face get clogged with the oil and the dead cells. The sebum production increases again, and your teenage acne flairs up anew.
Those terrible white heads occur because all skin has bacteria that live off of the sebum. Then the sebum builds up under the skin, as occurs with too much sebum production, the bacteria and the oil combine. An inflamed area builds up with white puss underneath. Blackheads also occur when the bacteria and oil combine under the skin, but with a blackhead, air leaks in. As a result, the material that is caught in the pore turns black. Menopause acne isn't entirely like all other acne, though. Both the sebaceous glands and the hair follicles on the face contain an enzyme. This particular enzyme is able to turn estrogen into androgen testosterone. This can cause more oil production than all other sources combine. This means more breakouts than you probably had in your teen years.
The acne you experience during menopause can be overly frustrating. You, however, do have some ways to try to clear it up. Your first step is to examine your diet. You need to be eating foods that are high in calcium and fiber. Also, be sure you cut back on your fat and the carbohydrates you eat. Carbohydrates can take your body's insulin and turn it into androgens. As we talked about before, androgen can increase the sebum production in the skin. One other change you might want to make in your diet is to be sure that you are drinking eight to ten glasses of water each day.
In addition to making some dietary changes, you might want to consider adding some supplements to your life. There are so many vitamins, herbs, and minerals widely available that can help you get rid of the oil production in your body. Most studies suggest that you should add Vitamin B and Vitamin C to your diet. Your diet and supplement things aren't the only things you should consider, though, you should also clean your skin at least twice each day. You should exfoliate on a regular basis, as this can help get rid of those dead skin cells. Also, be sure to use a toner to close up those open pores that are so famous for collecting the things that create acne.
Jonathan Gracey is CEO of a new web portal called http://www.canyoutellme.com which is focused on providing information to researchers about a variety of topics, not here-to-fore available on the major search engines.
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24 Reasons to Do Your Workout Today
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Need a little extra motivation to get moving today? Here's a quick list of the ways that today's workout will boost your mind, body, and soul.
Exercise:
? Improves the quality of your sleep.
? Burns fat.
? Boosts your metabolism.
? Charges your immune system for one to three hours after each workout.
? Increases your circulation.
? Eliminates toxins through the sweat glands and lymph system.
? Regulates blood sugar levels.
? Lowers blood pressure.
? Lowers cholesterol.
? Lowers your risk of stroke. Even low-intensity workouts, such as walking and biking, can lower this risk by 23 percent, the American Heart Association reports. A job entailing physical activity can lower it by 49 percent.
? Increases muscle mass.
? Strengthens your heart and lungs.
? Reduces your risk of various kinds of cancer, including breast cancer.
? Slashes your risk of developing coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Burning 2,000 calories per week in your workout and daily activities reduces your risk of heart disease by 40 percent.
? Helps you control anxiety.
? Provides an appropriate outlet for aggression and tension.
? Helps you lose weight. Exercise is critical to any weight loss strategy, and it may be an even more significant factor than diet. A study in Great Britain involved researchers tracking 1,000 female twins. Researchers considered all factors that might influence the women's weight, including smoking, hormone therapy, diet, and physical exercise. Physical activity had the most profound effect on weight. Even the women whose physical activity consisted of relatively low intensity exercises, such as golf and bowling, had less body fat--particularly dangerous abdominal fat.
? Helps keep your body looking great. Your clothes fit better and your posture improves.
? Improves your self-esteem.
? Improves your sex life. One study reports that physically active women are more likely to describe themselves as assertive, sexy, and physically strong. A majority of them also said exercise helped to boost their career, relationships, self-esteem, and sex life.
? Enhances your mood and relaxes your body by increasing blood flow to the brain and triggering the release of endorphins.
? Increases creativity and alertness.
? Reduces stress.
? Energizes you like nothing else. The energy boost from cardiovascular exercise is instantaneous and lasts for hours.
Susie Cortright is the founder of Momscape.com. Read her reviews of behavior modification programs, including programs designed to help you eat for health and enjoy exercising - or read more articles by Susie Cortright at Free-Article-Bank.com, featuring free, quality articles for your website or ezine.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
How Interest Rates are Determined
It's important to know how much interest you earn on your savings. This helps you to project where your financial standing is in the future. This is often necessary, as in saving for retirement. It's a good idea to understand how financial institutions determine their interest rates.
There are so many factors that affect interest rates. The Federal Reserve lowers and raises the short-term interest rates in order to stabilize our nation's financial system. Economic ups and downs are monitored by the Fed on a routine basis.
Rates are raised during good times, called economic expansions. This helps keep the economy from growing too fast and suffering from inflation. Inflation occurs when prices rise on goods and services. The idea behind raising the rates is that lending becomes more expensive. Businesses and individuals will therefore spend less and save more.
When the economy is slowing down, or contracting, the Fed lowers short-term rates. Lower rates usually result in more borrowing. The economy is boosted by an increase in spending, which helps to prevent recession. Recessions occur when consumers stop spending and save their money. Businesses find that they are no longer able afford to stay in business. Employment rates will drop also.
The short-term rates are the rates that banks charge each other to borrow money. When a bank can borrow money at a lower rate, they will lend money at a lower rate. And the same for higher rates. Cuts are raises are passed on to businesses and consumers.
There are other factors that influence interest rates. Crisis and disasters that affect oil-production, even overseas, can have major economic impacts. Long-term rates aren't as easily influenced as are short-term rates, but eventually the impact is felt by both.
What is good for the saver isn't good for the borrower. When rates are high, you will earn a lot on your savings, but if you need to borrow, you will pay more. When rates are low, it's the perfect time to borrow, but your savings will not see high growth.
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There are so many factors that affect interest rates. The Federal Reserve lowers and raises the short-term interest rates in order to stabilize our nation's financial system. Economic ups and downs are monitored by the Fed on a routine basis.
Rates are raised during good times, called economic expansions. This helps keep the economy from growing too fast and suffering from inflation. Inflation occurs when prices rise on goods and services. The idea behind raising the rates is that lending becomes more expensive. Businesses and individuals will therefore spend less and save more.
When the economy is slowing down, or contracting, the Fed lowers short-term rates. Lower rates usually result in more borrowing. The economy is boosted by an increase in spending, which helps to prevent recession. Recessions occur when consumers stop spending and save their money. Businesses find that they are no longer able afford to stay in business. Employment rates will drop also.
The short-term rates are the rates that banks charge each other to borrow money. When a bank can borrow money at a lower rate, they will lend money at a lower rate. And the same for higher rates. Cuts are raises are passed on to businesses and consumers.
There are other factors that influence interest rates. Crisis and disasters that affect oil-production, even overseas, can have major economic impacts. Long-term rates aren't as easily influenced as are short-term rates, but eventually the impact is felt by both.
What is good for the saver isn't good for the borrower. When rates are high, you will earn a lot on your savings, but if you need to borrow, you will pay more. When rates are low, it's the perfect time to borrow, but your savings will not see high growth.
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How to Achieve Currency Trading Success Part 1
Currency trading success can be achieved by anyone, as everything about trading currencies can be specifically learned, by any trader wishing to put it in the time and effort to do so.
Trading currencies successfully is a combination of two factors:
Firstly, you need a successful trading method for long term currency trading success to predict market direction and these systems fall into two categories:
1. Fundamental analysis
A currency trader who makes trades based upon fundamental analysis, will look at the supply and demand situation relevant to the particular currency studied, and try and predict the impact of such factors as:
? The health of the economy
? Interest rates
? Balance of payments
? Employment
? Trade deficit
? Other factors
In today?s markets with the all-fundamental information available in seconds anywhere in the world, fundamental news is quickly reflected in the price.
Traders therefore, can have difficulty acting quickly enough to position themselves in the market in relation to breaking news.
In light of this, more traders looking for currency trading success are using a technical approach to the markets.
2. Technical analysis
Technical analysis is the study of a currency, based strictly on using only the price history of the currency.
Technical analysis uses no information about the currencies supply and demand situation - it simply focuses on price action.
The common belief is that the currency price reflects all the known information about the currency as it is immediately discounted in price action.
Technical analysis however does something more - it indirectly studies human psychology.
Since price patterns reflect shifts in human psychology, one can assume that certain patterns, cycles and trends, will repeat themselves again, as human nature has remained constant over time.
Technical analysis takes into account both the fundamentals and the market participants psychology and this gives us a simple equation:
All known fundamentals + human psychology = Price action
The fundamentalist studies the cause of market movement, while the technician studies the effect.
For currency trading success, you need to catch the longer-term trends that yield the big profits. The technical trader does not care how and why these trends develop; all they want to do is make money from them when they occur.
Look at any currency price chart over time and you will see long-term trends and many of them last for years.
The secret of currency trading success is using technical analysis to spot them.
Long Term or Short Term Trading
For long term currency-trading success, is it better to be a long term trader, rather than a short-term trader.
While traders can, and do make money with short-term methods of trading, the fact is, currencies trend longer term and these are the trends that yield the biggest profits.
The reason for this is obvious:
Currencies reflect the underlying health of the economy.
These cycles of expansion and contraction, tend to last for many months or even years and a long term position trader has huge profit potential, if they can lock into and hold these longer term trends.
The choice between long term, and short term trading is subjective, but generally the longer-term price trends tend to be easier to predict, and offer better risk / reward, so a long-term approach is the one to focus on.
New! A valuable FREE Currency Trader CD containing 9 critical trading reports, tips, strategies and currency trading success. Visit our web site now and grab your CD http://www.tradercurrencies.com.
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Trading currencies successfully is a combination of two factors:
Firstly, you need a successful trading method for long term currency trading success to predict market direction and these systems fall into two categories:
1. Fundamental analysis
A currency trader who makes trades based upon fundamental analysis, will look at the supply and demand situation relevant to the particular currency studied, and try and predict the impact of such factors as:
? The health of the economy
? Interest rates
? Balance of payments
? Employment
? Trade deficit
? Other factors
In today?s markets with the all-fundamental information available in seconds anywhere in the world, fundamental news is quickly reflected in the price.
Traders therefore, can have difficulty acting quickly enough to position themselves in the market in relation to breaking news.
In light of this, more traders looking for currency trading success are using a technical approach to the markets.
2. Technical analysis
Technical analysis is the study of a currency, based strictly on using only the price history of the currency.
Technical analysis uses no information about the currencies supply and demand situation - it simply focuses on price action.
The common belief is that the currency price reflects all the known information about the currency as it is immediately discounted in price action.
Technical analysis however does something more - it indirectly studies human psychology.
Since price patterns reflect shifts in human psychology, one can assume that certain patterns, cycles and trends, will repeat themselves again, as human nature has remained constant over time.
Technical analysis takes into account both the fundamentals and the market participants psychology and this gives us a simple equation:
All known fundamentals + human psychology = Price action
The fundamentalist studies the cause of market movement, while the technician studies the effect.
For currency trading success, you need to catch the longer-term trends that yield the big profits. The technical trader does not care how and why these trends develop; all they want to do is make money from them when they occur.
Look at any currency price chart over time and you will see long-term trends and many of them last for years.
The secret of currency trading success is using technical analysis to spot them.
Long Term or Short Term Trading
For long term currency-trading success, is it better to be a long term trader, rather than a short-term trader.
While traders can, and do make money with short-term methods of trading, the fact is, currencies trend longer term and these are the trends that yield the biggest profits.
The reason for this is obvious:
Currencies reflect the underlying health of the economy.
These cycles of expansion and contraction, tend to last for many months or even years and a long term position trader has huge profit potential, if they can lock into and hold these longer term trends.
The choice between long term, and short term trading is subjective, but generally the longer-term price trends tend to be easier to predict, and offer better risk / reward, so a long-term approach is the one to focus on.
New! A valuable FREE Currency Trader CD containing 9 critical trading reports, tips, strategies and currency trading success. Visit our web site now and grab your CD http://www.tradercurrencies.com.
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24 Reasons to Do Your Workout Today
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Need a little extra motivation to get moving today? Here's a quick list of the ways that today's workout will boost your mind, body, and soul.
Exercise:
? Improves the quality of your sleep.
? Burns fat.
? Boosts your metabolism.
? Charges your immune system for one to three hours after each workout.
? Increases your circulation.
? Eliminates toxins through the sweat glands and lymph system.
? Regulates blood sugar levels.
? Lowers blood pressure.
? Lowers cholesterol.
? Lowers your risk of stroke. Even low-intensity workouts, such as walking and biking, can lower this risk by 23 percent, the American Heart Association reports. A job entailing physical activity can lower it by 49 percent.
? Increases muscle mass.
? Strengthens your heart and lungs.
? Reduces your risk of various kinds of cancer, including breast cancer.
? Slashes your risk of developing coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Burning 2,000 calories per week in your workout and daily activities reduces your risk of heart disease by 40 percent.
? Helps you control anxiety.
? Provides an appropriate outlet for aggression and tension.
? Helps you lose weight. Exercise is critical to any weight loss strategy, and it may be an even more significant factor than diet. A study in Great Britain involved researchers tracking 1,000 female twins. Researchers considered all factors that might influence the women's weight, including smoking, hormone therapy, diet, and physical exercise. Physical activity had the most profound effect on weight. Even the women whose physical activity consisted of relatively low intensity exercises, such as golf and bowling, had less body fat--particularly dangerous abdominal fat.
? Helps keep your body looking great. Your clothes fit better and your posture improves.
? Improves your self-esteem.
? Improves your sex life. One study reports that physically active women are more likely to describe themselves as assertive, sexy, and physically strong. A majority of them also said exercise helped to boost their career, relationships, self-esteem, and sex life.
? Enhances your mood and relaxes your body by increasing blood flow to the brain and triggering the release of endorphins.
? Increases creativity and alertness.
? Reduces stress.
? Energizes you like nothing else. The energy boost from cardiovascular exercise is instantaneous and lasts for hours.
Susie Cortright is the founder of Momscape.com. Read her reviews of behavior modification programs, including programs designed to help you eat for health and enjoy exercising - or read more articles by Susie Cortright at Free-Article-Bank.com, featuring free, quality articles for your website or ezine.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Low APR Credit Cards Selecting the Best
Hunting for and selecting the very best low APR credit cards has become easier with the advent of the Internet where you can do easy comparisons (from the various options available to you at the click of a mouse) as to which low APR credit card will be the best for your needs.
Simply put, low APR credit cards charge you an interest rate even lower than the standard APR offered by most traditional credit cards. The lower the interest rate or APR, the cheaper the card is to carry and the more money you'll save on it. Easy enough, right? So if you carry a large monthly card balance, a low APR credit card could be very beneficial for you. In some cases, low rate credit cards can help cardholders save a lot of money. But what?s an APR anyway?
The Rationale of Low APR Credit Cards
The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is the cost of credit; it is the amount of interest rate that is chargeable to any outstanding balance on a credit card. If you don?t make the full payment within the grace period certified by the credit card company, the card issuer has the right to charge you an interest rate for the service, a fee known as the APR. For a credit card to be considered a ?cheap? credit card it should have a low APR.
With a low APR credit card, there is always fine print in the terms and conditions to take note of. Commonly, consumers fail to read the fine print that might include the following:
1) Annual Fees: Many low APR credit card offers might provide a low interest rate or APR but require you to pay a substantial annual fee. If the effective interest rate (after counting the annual fee) is indeed higher than the actual rate, then this credit card is obviously masked in the garb of a low APR credit card.
2) Low Introductory Rates: Credit card companies know that low introductory rates are a great incentive. So when suddenly, the initial period ends, and your monthly minimum payment increases dramatically, you know something definitely smells fishy. Check it before you fall prey.
3) High Balance Transfer Fees: Another trick in the trade is that some amongst the low APR credit card fraternity offer low balance transfer rates that come with a high balance transfer fee (which would be mentioned in the fine print).
The moral of this story: Read and re-read the fine print associated with any low APR credit card before you apply.
Want Low Rate Credit Cards?
Follow these simple steps:
-Call the institutions in which you already have a bank account or credit card account. Discuss with them the possibility of converting your existing account to a low rate account.
-If your existing credit card company cannot provide this request, seek out an offer and a card issuer that does.
-Get in touch with the companies you are interested in applying for low rate credit cards. They might be able to provide information about existing card offers that you might not be aware of.
-Fill out the card application and return as per the instructions. Make a follow-up call to the credit card company if you have not heard from them within the next 10 to 15 business days.
-You have the right to obtain an explanation if the credit card company has turned down your application. The denial letter must explain how you can obtain your credit report.
Keep in mind, however, that credit card issuers reserve the lowest possible interest rate offers for customers with the strongest credit histories, so maintain a good credit history is essential when trying to secure all types of low APR credit cards.
For more information on a variety of low APR credit cards, Robert Alan recommends that you visit CreditCardAssist.com
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Simply put, low APR credit cards charge you an interest rate even lower than the standard APR offered by most traditional credit cards. The lower the interest rate or APR, the cheaper the card is to carry and the more money you'll save on it. Easy enough, right? So if you carry a large monthly card balance, a low APR credit card could be very beneficial for you. In some cases, low rate credit cards can help cardholders save a lot of money. But what?s an APR anyway?
The Rationale of Low APR Credit Cards
The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is the cost of credit; it is the amount of interest rate that is chargeable to any outstanding balance on a credit card. If you don?t make the full payment within the grace period certified by the credit card company, the card issuer has the right to charge you an interest rate for the service, a fee known as the APR. For a credit card to be considered a ?cheap? credit card it should have a low APR.
With a low APR credit card, there is always fine print in the terms and conditions to take note of. Commonly, consumers fail to read the fine print that might include the following:
1) Annual Fees: Many low APR credit card offers might provide a low interest rate or APR but require you to pay a substantial annual fee. If the effective interest rate (after counting the annual fee) is indeed higher than the actual rate, then this credit card is obviously masked in the garb of a low APR credit card.
2) Low Introductory Rates: Credit card companies know that low introductory rates are a great incentive. So when suddenly, the initial period ends, and your monthly minimum payment increases dramatically, you know something definitely smells fishy. Check it before you fall prey.
3) High Balance Transfer Fees: Another trick in the trade is that some amongst the low APR credit card fraternity offer low balance transfer rates that come with a high balance transfer fee (which would be mentioned in the fine print).
The moral of this story: Read and re-read the fine print associated with any low APR credit card before you apply.
Want Low Rate Credit Cards?
Follow these simple steps:
-Call the institutions in which you already have a bank account or credit card account. Discuss with them the possibility of converting your existing account to a low rate account.
-If your existing credit card company cannot provide this request, seek out an offer and a card issuer that does.
-Get in touch with the companies you are interested in applying for low rate credit cards. They might be able to provide information about existing card offers that you might not be aware of.
-Fill out the card application and return as per the instructions. Make a follow-up call to the credit card company if you have not heard from them within the next 10 to 15 business days.
-You have the right to obtain an explanation if the credit card company has turned down your application. The denial letter must explain how you can obtain your credit report.
Keep in mind, however, that credit card issuers reserve the lowest possible interest rate offers for customers with the strongest credit histories, so maintain a good credit history is essential when trying to secure all types of low APR credit cards.
For more information on a variety of low APR credit cards, Robert Alan recommends that you visit CreditCardAssist.com
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Make Money Fast Invest In Energy Markets and Make Huge Profits Now
The recent move in crude oil to all new time highs has shown the potential to be made trading energy markets and many savvy traders make triple digit gains or more!
If you want to get involved in energy markets and get a share of this profit potential then this report is for you, even if you have never traded energies before.
Let?s look at these exciting markets and one move that could yield even bigger profits than crude oil!
Why trade energies?
Quite simply, they offer a speculators dream that includes the following advantages
1. Trending nature
Energy markets trend longer term and traders can lock into these trends for huge profits.
2. Profits in bull and bear markets
Traders can buy or sell energy contracts depending on their view and this gives constant opportunities for profit.
3. Volatility & liquidity
Energy drives the world economy and by its very nature is volatile and price swings are always present.
Liquidity is high (crude for example is the biggest commodity market in the world) this means that positions can be opened and closed quickly to lock in profits and limit losses
4. Seasonal trends
Many energy markets exhibit highly reliable seasonal trends due to consumption patterns. For example, unleaded gasoline demand is highest in the summer holiday driving months and heating oil demand is strongest in the winter months
What vehicle should I use to trade energy markets?
With energies there is the possibility to make large rewards however with reward goes risk.
Risk management is critical to long term success in trading any volatile market. The ?safest? method to trade these markets is by options, which offer unlimited profit potential and limited risk.
How should I trade?
Energy markets to exhibit reliable trends and the best way is to use a technical trading system that simply follows the trend. There are many good simple systems that can be used.
I Missed the recent bull move up in crude oil have I missed the boat?
There are always trends to take advantage of, so the fact you have missed one does not mean others will not come around.
Here is a quick outlook for energies, that includes a market that could take off shortly and give far bigger profits than crude oil!
Crude oil
Prices should remain firm as demand exceeds supply, add in geo political concerns in major oil producing areas such as the Middle East and prices can go higher.
Pullbacks therefore represent buying opportunities.
The same applies to heating oil and unleaded gasoline that are ideal markets to trade from a seasonal point of view.
Natural Gas
Natural gas could take soar in value simply because crude and its products have increased so much in price. Natural gas has the following advantages:
1.It is a clean fuel and environmentally friendly
2.It is produced in the US ( and is not imported ) and is therefore free of geo political concerns that surround oil
3.It is relatively cheap in price
With the US looking for alternative energy sources, a buy and hold strategy in natural gas could yield huge long term gains.
While natural gas is plentiful in the long term in the short term demand is exceeding supply and this scenario looks to be in place for the next few years.
With a rising demand and supply already short we have the perfect scenario for higher prices.
Energies the perfect markets to seek huge gains
Energy markets offer great potential for profit for traders with risk capital and represent an ideal diversification away from traditional investments such as stocks and bonds.
For FREE Energy reports
For free energy reports on the potential of these markets and a complete comprehensive guide on how to to trade for big profit potential visit:
http://www.wellingtoncr.com/new_energy_reports.html
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If you want to get involved in energy markets and get a share of this profit potential then this report is for you, even if you have never traded energies before.
Let?s look at these exciting markets and one move that could yield even bigger profits than crude oil!
Why trade energies?
Quite simply, they offer a speculators dream that includes the following advantages
1. Trending nature
Energy markets trend longer term and traders can lock into these trends for huge profits.
2. Profits in bull and bear markets
Traders can buy or sell energy contracts depending on their view and this gives constant opportunities for profit.
3. Volatility & liquidity
Energy drives the world economy and by its very nature is volatile and price swings are always present.
Liquidity is high (crude for example is the biggest commodity market in the world) this means that positions can be opened and closed quickly to lock in profits and limit losses
4. Seasonal trends
Many energy markets exhibit highly reliable seasonal trends due to consumption patterns. For example, unleaded gasoline demand is highest in the summer holiday driving months and heating oil demand is strongest in the winter months
What vehicle should I use to trade energy markets?
With energies there is the possibility to make large rewards however with reward goes risk.
Risk management is critical to long term success in trading any volatile market. The ?safest? method to trade these markets is by options, which offer unlimited profit potential and limited risk.
How should I trade?
Energy markets to exhibit reliable trends and the best way is to use a technical trading system that simply follows the trend. There are many good simple systems that can be used.
I Missed the recent bull move up in crude oil have I missed the boat?
There are always trends to take advantage of, so the fact you have missed one does not mean others will not come around.
Here is a quick outlook for energies, that includes a market that could take off shortly and give far bigger profits than crude oil!
Crude oil
Prices should remain firm as demand exceeds supply, add in geo political concerns in major oil producing areas such as the Middle East and prices can go higher.
Pullbacks therefore represent buying opportunities.
The same applies to heating oil and unleaded gasoline that are ideal markets to trade from a seasonal point of view.
Natural Gas
Natural gas could take soar in value simply because crude and its products have increased so much in price. Natural gas has the following advantages:
1.It is a clean fuel and environmentally friendly
2.It is produced in the US ( and is not imported ) and is therefore free of geo political concerns that surround oil
3.It is relatively cheap in price
With the US looking for alternative energy sources, a buy and hold strategy in natural gas could yield huge long term gains.
While natural gas is plentiful in the long term in the short term demand is exceeding supply and this scenario looks to be in place for the next few years.
With a rising demand and supply already short we have the perfect scenario for higher prices.
Energies the perfect markets to seek huge gains
Energy markets offer great potential for profit for traders with risk capital and represent an ideal diversification away from traditional investments such as stocks and bonds.
For FREE Energy reports
For free energy reports on the potential of these markets and a complete comprehensive guide on how to to trade for big profit potential visit:
http://www.wellingtoncr.com/new_energy_reports.html
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Making A Good First Impression When Selling Your Home
The decision to buy a home is often dependent upon the first impression of the buyer. This means your home must be spiffed out so buyers will make the emotional attachement.
Making A Good First Impression When Selling Your Home
Imagine you have always wanted to work in a particular job for a particular company. After years of education, you have finally received an interview for the position. How are you going to present yourself at the interview? Are you going to wear jeans? A t-shirt? Of course, not. You are going to get out your best professional outfit, go get a haircut and so on. Why? You want to make the best first impression available.
Selling a home is no different that going for a job interview or a first date. You must spiff up your home so it makes a great impression on potential buyers. For many buyers, the decision to purchase a home is an emotional one. Recognizing this fact, you want to make it love at first site. This issue is so important that an entire industry has evolved to help you do so.
The home staging industry is exactly what it sounds like. A person comes in and reviews your home from an objective perspective. They will then reorganize the home to make it more buyer friendly. They often will ask you to leave before doing this so they can get the job done without objections.
You must let a staging professional do their job. They are going to help sell your home. They will organize the home in a manner that facilitates this. You, on the other hand, have organized the home in a manner that makes it livable for you. The two goals are very different and you must realize as much.
Once you make the decision to sell a home, your personal tastes are no longer relevant. You will suffer less if you can come to grips with the fact the home is emotionally no longer yours the moment you decide to sell, not when escrow closes. From the moment you make that decision, the property is no longer where you live. It is an asset to be sold for as much money as possible and as fast as possible. You must learn to let go. Don?t worry, you can start looking for a new home to get attached to!
Independent parties that spiff up your home are not all that widespread. It is a growing service sector, but has a lot of room to grow. If it is available in your area, you would be wise to give it a try.
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Making A Good First Impression When Selling Your Home
Imagine you have always wanted to work in a particular job for a particular company. After years of education, you have finally received an interview for the position. How are you going to present yourself at the interview? Are you going to wear jeans? A t-shirt? Of course, not. You are going to get out your best professional outfit, go get a haircut and so on. Why? You want to make the best first impression available.
Selling a home is no different that going for a job interview or a first date. You must spiff up your home so it makes a great impression on potential buyers. For many buyers, the decision to purchase a home is an emotional one. Recognizing this fact, you want to make it love at first site. This issue is so important that an entire industry has evolved to help you do so.
The home staging industry is exactly what it sounds like. A person comes in and reviews your home from an objective perspective. They will then reorganize the home to make it more buyer friendly. They often will ask you to leave before doing this so they can get the job done without objections.
You must let a staging professional do their job. They are going to help sell your home. They will organize the home in a manner that facilitates this. You, on the other hand, have organized the home in a manner that makes it livable for you. The two goals are very different and you must realize as much.
Once you make the decision to sell a home, your personal tastes are no longer relevant. You will suffer less if you can come to grips with the fact the home is emotionally no longer yours the moment you decide to sell, not when escrow closes. From the moment you make that decision, the property is no longer where you live. It is an asset to be sold for as much money as possible and as fast as possible. You must learn to let go. Don?t worry, you can start looking for a new home to get attached to!
Independent parties that spiff up your home are not all that widespread. It is a growing service sector, but has a lot of room to grow. If it is available in your area, you would be wise to give it a try.
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Miles Credit Cards Strategies to Accumulate Miles
Put simply, miles credit cards allow cardholders to earn points for every dollar charged on the card. The accumulated points can be redeemed for reduced or, in some instances, free airfare. There are many promotional offers and some cards offer more points than others. To entice the customer, certain miles credit cards offer no annual-rate, no APR fees, additional bonus miles with new sign-ups, balance transfers at reduced or no interest rate for a certain period as well as no blackout date for miles redemption.
Credit card companies have also come up with affinity card programs that allow cardholders to collect airline miles with purchases at some of their most preferred retailing outlets and merchants. This lets cardholders add more miles at a faster rate with purchases from their favorite retailers. On the downside, these cards tend to have high annual fees and interest rates.
Frequent flyers tend to be mostly business travelers, who travel often due to work. However, careful planning can help normal travelers to accumulate good miles. Some tips to accumulate miles at a fast rate are:
1) Utilize Partner Services - Miles cards normally have tie-ins with car rental companies and hotels as part of their marketing strategy that also provide mileage points accumulation. Using these car rental companies or hotels and charging them to the miles card will also help to increase the points accumulated by using necessary travel expenditures.
2) Vacation or Tour Packages - Miles credit cards offer vacation or tour packages to encourage customers to travel and thus to increase demand for their airlines. Once again, by utilizing these vacation or tour packages, cardholders can accumulate more mileage points on the card per trip, earning more points while vacationing.
3) Non-frequent Travelers - For less frequent travelers, it is better to charge any travel related expense to the miles card when you travel. The travel related expenses could be anything from buying souvenirs, groceries, fuel while in a different location, etc, which also helps to accumulate additional miles on the card.
4) Affiliate services - Some miles card programs partner with a network of allied airline carriers. Examples of these kinds of network alliance services include the Star Alliance or Flying Blue programs. If your preferred airline does not fly to the location that you desire, try to choose from another airline that is part of the alliance network, giving cardholders yet another opportunity to accumulated miles.
Most miles credit cards have numerous benefits for frequent flyers. However, the benefits could vary, based on the specific program. Some mile cards provide additional or bonus points while making certain purchases. The points can later be traded for airline miles. Some miles credit card programs allow portability or the transfer of points to other frequent flyer accounts, and some even offer consolidation of all accumulated points to one single card. These earned miles give you free or reduced travel tickets. In addition, most of these cards also offer various other travel-related benefits, including free additional tickets, upgrade opportunities, lost baggage insurance, car rental insurance, and greater coverage amount for travel accident insurance.
Apart from points, most mile cards also offer different type of rewards for members. This could be anything from free hotel stays to car rentals, discounted vacation packages or even free airline tickets, in some instances. Certain airline miles card programs entice customers with an attractive offer to take advantage of free bonus miles, as high as fifteen to twenty thousand free points, in some cases. In general, you will receive flight miles per trip taken, but some miles card programs will offer a generous point total per flight, amounting to more points per mile than the actual miles flown. (Be sure to check with each reward miles program for specific details.)
Miles credit cards can be pretty costly for the credit card companies as well as the airlines. As such, miles credit cards tend to have higher interest rates and annual fees than traditional credit cards. One of the most recent promotional trends with certain miles cards programs is to enable cardholders carrying balances to qualify for a free domestic airline ticket on any airline. It is advisable that customers evaluate the pros and cons of such offers as in most cases, the cost of finance charges on the left over balance outweigh the benefits of getting a free ticket.
These cards will also have an expiration period, before which the accumulated miles need to be used. It is important to know this period and use the accumulated miles to get the maximum benefits. Nevertheless, miles credit card offers have become immensely popular as they allow customers to accumulate valuable miles through ordinary purchases, which later can be transferred to free flights and vacations.
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Credit card companies have also come up with affinity card programs that allow cardholders to collect airline miles with purchases at some of their most preferred retailing outlets and merchants. This lets cardholders add more miles at a faster rate with purchases from their favorite retailers. On the downside, these cards tend to have high annual fees and interest rates.
Frequent flyers tend to be mostly business travelers, who travel often due to work. However, careful planning can help normal travelers to accumulate good miles. Some tips to accumulate miles at a fast rate are:
1) Utilize Partner Services - Miles cards normally have tie-ins with car rental companies and hotels as part of their marketing strategy that also provide mileage points accumulation. Using these car rental companies or hotels and charging them to the miles card will also help to increase the points accumulated by using necessary travel expenditures.
2) Vacation or Tour Packages - Miles credit cards offer vacation or tour packages to encourage customers to travel and thus to increase demand for their airlines. Once again, by utilizing these vacation or tour packages, cardholders can accumulate more mileage points on the card per trip, earning more points while vacationing.
3) Non-frequent Travelers - For less frequent travelers, it is better to charge any travel related expense to the miles card when you travel. The travel related expenses could be anything from buying souvenirs, groceries, fuel while in a different location, etc, which also helps to accumulate additional miles on the card.
4) Affiliate services - Some miles card programs partner with a network of allied airline carriers. Examples of these kinds of network alliance services include the Star Alliance or Flying Blue programs. If your preferred airline does not fly to the location that you desire, try to choose from another airline that is part of the alliance network, giving cardholders yet another opportunity to accumulated miles.
Most miles credit cards have numerous benefits for frequent flyers. However, the benefits could vary, based on the specific program. Some mile cards provide additional or bonus points while making certain purchases. The points can later be traded for airline miles. Some miles credit card programs allow portability or the transfer of points to other frequent flyer accounts, and some even offer consolidation of all accumulated points to one single card. These earned miles give you free or reduced travel tickets. In addition, most of these cards also offer various other travel-related benefits, including free additional tickets, upgrade opportunities, lost baggage insurance, car rental insurance, and greater coverage amount for travel accident insurance.
Apart from points, most mile cards also offer different type of rewards for members. This could be anything from free hotel stays to car rentals, discounted vacation packages or even free airline tickets, in some instances. Certain airline miles card programs entice customers with an attractive offer to take advantage of free bonus miles, as high as fifteen to twenty thousand free points, in some cases. In general, you will receive flight miles per trip taken, but some miles card programs will offer a generous point total per flight, amounting to more points per mile than the actual miles flown. (Be sure to check with each reward miles program for specific details.)
Miles credit cards can be pretty costly for the credit card companies as well as the airlines. As such, miles credit cards tend to have higher interest rates and annual fees than traditional credit cards. One of the most recent promotional trends with certain miles cards programs is to enable cardholders carrying balances to qualify for a free domestic airline ticket on any airline. It is advisable that customers evaluate the pros and cons of such offers as in most cases, the cost of finance charges on the left over balance outweigh the benefits of getting a free ticket.
These cards will also have an expiration period, before which the accumulated miles need to be used. It is important to know this period and use the accumulated miles to get the maximum benefits. Nevertheless, miles credit card offers have become immensely popular as they allow customers to accumulate valuable miles through ordinary purchases, which later can be transferred to free flights and vacations.
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Money Market Accounts
If you are looking for a higher interest rate than a traditional bank savings account offers, a money market account (MMA) may be a good investment for you. Like savings accounts, money market accounts are liquid savings accounts. They usually offer you the ability to write a certain number of checks from the account each month. Most banks and credit unions offer money market accounts that are insured up to $100,000 by the FDIC of the NCUSIF.
Money market accounts usually earn about twice as much interest as a regular savings account. However, many MMAs require a higher starting balance than savings accounts.
High-yield MMAs are money market accounts that offer double or triple the standard bank MMA rates. These high-yield accounts are usually found through online banks. There is a lot of competition for you deposits and online financial institutes usually have lower expenses resulting in better rates for you.
There are several large corporations, including General Electric and Ford, which offer high-yield MMAs to the general public. While the yields are very competitive, there is no FDIC guarantee on the account. You will be taking a little more risk in return for a higher-yield account. If the corporation goes bankrupt, you will lose your money.
Most MMAs offer check writing and money transfers only over a minimum amount. You are limited by federal regulations to only six electronic, telephone or preauthorized transactions every month, with no more than three check, draft or debit transactions. There may be certain fees charged if you make too many withdrawals or if your balance falls below a certain level. Make sure you read and understand all terms before you open any account.
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Money market accounts usually earn about twice as much interest as a regular savings account. However, many MMAs require a higher starting balance than savings accounts.
High-yield MMAs are money market accounts that offer double or triple the standard bank MMA rates. These high-yield accounts are usually found through online banks. There is a lot of competition for you deposits and online financial institutes usually have lower expenses resulting in better rates for you.
There are several large corporations, including General Electric and Ford, which offer high-yield MMAs to the general public. While the yields are very competitive, there is no FDIC guarantee on the account. You will be taking a little more risk in return for a higher-yield account. If the corporation goes bankrupt, you will lose your money.
Most MMAs offer check writing and money transfers only over a minimum amount. You are limited by federal regulations to only six electronic, telephone or preauthorized transactions every month, with no more than three check, draft or debit transactions. There may be certain fees charged if you make too many withdrawals or if your balance falls below a certain level. Make sure you read and understand all terms before you open any account.
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Money Market Funds
Money Market Mutual Funds (MMF) are offered by banks, brokerages and mutual fund companies. Many people who sell stock place their proceeds in a MMF until they decide where to reinvest their money. But these accounts are excellent places to save money for an emergency fund or for other short-term goals.
No matter where you open a MMF, the accounts are not FDIC insured, so there is a slight risk associated. They often offer better interest rates than basic bank money market accounts.
The reason that the risk with MMFs is so minimal is that they are highly regulated. The money in the fund is invested in very safe, short-term debt securities such as certificates of deposits and U.S. Treasury bills. The goal of the fund is to maintain a share price of $1. There is no guarantee that the fund will maintain its share price, however, consumers haven't lost any money in these funds.
You will pay a fee called the expense ratio. This fee helps to pay the cost of someone to oversee the fund and manage the investments in it. The expense ratio has already been deducted from the advertised yield. It is important to look for a fund with a low expense ratio. Vanguard has a reputation for charging low fees. For example, if their expense ratio is at .30%, then you can expect the industry average to be at .50%. You want to avoid funds that charge above the industry average. You can look in the fund prospectus or on many Web sites to find expense ratio information.
There are two types of money market funds: taxable and tax-free. The taxable funds will usually pay a higher yield, but they aren't for everyone. You can use a tax-equivalent yield formula to see which fund will give you the best overall return.
Most money market funds have a minimum dollar amount. They will allow you to write checks and make electronic transfers. Federal regulation limit electronic, telephone and preauthorized transactions to six per month, with only three by check, draft of debit card. Some institutions may impose a fee if you have a certain amount of withdrawals beyond your account minimum balance.
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No matter where you open a MMF, the accounts are not FDIC insured, so there is a slight risk associated. They often offer better interest rates than basic bank money market accounts.
The reason that the risk with MMFs is so minimal is that they are highly regulated. The money in the fund is invested in very safe, short-term debt securities such as certificates of deposits and U.S. Treasury bills. The goal of the fund is to maintain a share price of $1. There is no guarantee that the fund will maintain its share price, however, consumers haven't lost any money in these funds.
You will pay a fee called the expense ratio. This fee helps to pay the cost of someone to oversee the fund and manage the investments in it. The expense ratio has already been deducted from the advertised yield. It is important to look for a fund with a low expense ratio. Vanguard has a reputation for charging low fees. For example, if their expense ratio is at .30%, then you can expect the industry average to be at .50%. You want to avoid funds that charge above the industry average. You can look in the fund prospectus or on many Web sites to find expense ratio information.
There are two types of money market funds: taxable and tax-free. The taxable funds will usually pay a higher yield, but they aren't for everyone. You can use a tax-equivalent yield formula to see which fund will give you the best overall return.
Most money market funds have a minimum dollar amount. They will allow you to write checks and make electronic transfers. Federal regulation limit electronic, telephone and preauthorized transactions to six per month, with only three by check, draft of debit card. Some institutions may impose a fee if you have a certain amount of withdrawals beyond your account minimum balance.
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Mortgage Refinancing Title Insurance Basics
If you are refinancing your mortgage your lender will require title insurance when closing on the new mortgage. Here is what you need to know about this insurance policy.
Mortgage lenders require title insurance to protect them against third party claims on a property. Title insurance protects from losses due to a disputed title.
There are two varieties of title insurance. Mortgage lenders require you to purchase title insurance that protects them; this title insurance does not protect the homeowner. The second variety protects the homeowner and is generally not required by the mortgage lender. Lender title insurance expires when the mortgage is repaid; homeowner title insurance is valid for as long as you own your home.
When you apply to refinance your mortgage the lender will order a title search to make sure you are the rightful owner of the property. Your lender will charge you a fee for this title search. The purpose of the title search is to uncover any liens that may have been placed on the property. A lien on the property for example could be for unpaid property taxes.
Title insurance costs vary regionally depending on where you live. You may be able to save money by shopping around for a better deal. Refinancing you mortgage may enable you to find a cheaper rate for your title insurance; the insurance provider may discount the re-issue rate of your policy.
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Mortgage lenders require title insurance to protect them against third party claims on a property. Title insurance protects from losses due to a disputed title.
There are two varieties of title insurance. Mortgage lenders require you to purchase title insurance that protects them; this title insurance does not protect the homeowner. The second variety protects the homeowner and is generally not required by the mortgage lender. Lender title insurance expires when the mortgage is repaid; homeowner title insurance is valid for as long as you own your home.
When you apply to refinance your mortgage the lender will order a title search to make sure you are the rightful owner of the property. Your lender will charge you a fee for this title search. The purpose of the title search is to uncover any liens that may have been placed on the property. A lien on the property for example could be for unpaid property taxes.
Title insurance costs vary regionally depending on where you live. You may be able to save money by shopping around for a better deal. Refinancing you mortgage may enable you to find a cheaper rate for your title insurance; the insurance provider may discount the re-issue rate of your policy.
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Mutual Funds An Introduction and Brief History
Each one of us does not have the expertise or the time to build and manage an investment portfolio. There is an excellent alternative available ? mutual funds.
A mutual fund is an investment intermediary by which people can pool their money and invest it according to a predetermined objective.
Each investor of the mutual fund gets a share of the pool proportionate to the initial investment that he makes. The capital of the mutual fund is divided into shares or units and investors get a number of units proportionate to their investment.
The investment objective of the mutual fund is always decided beforehand. Mutual funds invest in bonds, stocks, money-market instruments, real estate, commodities or other investments or many times a combination of any of these.
The details regarding the funds? policies, objectives, charges, services etc are all available in the fund?s prospectus and every investor should go through the prospectus before investing in a mutual fund.
The investment decisions for the pool capital are made by a fund manager (or managers). The fund manager decides what securities are to be bought and in what quantity.
The value of units changes with change in aggregate value of the investments made by the mutual fund.
The value of each share or unit of the mutual fund is called NAV (Net Asset Value).
Different funds have different risk ? reward profile. A mutual fund that invests in stocks is a greater risk investment than a mutual fund that invests in government bonds. The value of stocks can go down resulting in a loss for the investor, but money invested in bonds is safe (unless the Government defaults ? which is rare.) At the same time the greater risk in stocks also presents an opportunity for higher returns. Stocks can go up to any limit, but returns from government bonds are limited to the interest rate offered by the government.
History of Mutual Funds:
The first ?pooling of money? for investments was done in 1774. After the 1772-1773 financial crisis, a Dutch merchant Adriaan van Ketwich invited investors to come together to form an investment trust. The goal of the trust was to lower risks involved in investing by providing diversification to the small investors. The funds invested in various European countries such as Austria, Denmark and Spain. The investments were mainly in bonds and equity formed a small portion. The trust was names Eendragt Maakt Magt, which meant ?Unity Creates Strength?.
The fund had many features that attracted investors:
- It had an embedded lottery.
- There was an assured 4% dividend, which was slightly less than the average rates prevalent at that time. Thus the interest income exceeded the required payouts and the difference was converted to a cash reserve.
- The cash reserve was utilized to retire a few shares annually at 10% premium and hence the remaining shares earned a higher interest. Thus the cash reserve kept increasing over time ? further accelerating share redemption.
- The trust was to be dissolved at the end of 25 years and the capital was to be divided among the remaining investors.
However a war with England led to many bonds defaulting. Due to the decrease in investment income, share redemption was suspended in 1782 and later the interest payments were lowered too. The fund was no longer attractive for investors and faded away.
After evolving in Europe for a few years, the idea of mutual funds reached the US at the end if nineteenth century. In the year 1893, the first closed-end fund was formed. It was named the ?The Boston Personal Property Trust.?
The Alexander Fund in Philadelphia was the first step towards open-end funds. It was established in 1907 and had new issues every six months. Investors were allowed to make redemptions.
The first true open-end fund was the Massachusetts Investors? Trust of Boston. Formed in the year 1924, it went public in 1928. 1928 also saw the emergence of first balanced fund ? The Wellington Fund that invested in both stocks and bonds.
The concept of Index based funds was given by William Fouse and John McQuown of the Wells Fargo Bank in 1971. Based on their concept, John Bogle launched the first retail Index Fund in 1976. It was called the First Index Investment Trust. It is now known as the Vanguard 500 Index Fund. It crossed 100 billion dollars in assets in November 2000 and became the World?s largest fund.
Today mutual funds have come a long way. Nearly one in two households in the US invests in mutual funds. The popularity of mutual funds is also soaring in developing economies like India. They have become the preferred investment route for many investors, who value the unique combination of diversification, low costs and simplicity provided by the funds.
Know more about mutual funds at http://www.completeonlinetrading.com
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A mutual fund is an investment intermediary by which people can pool their money and invest it according to a predetermined objective.
Each investor of the mutual fund gets a share of the pool proportionate to the initial investment that he makes. The capital of the mutual fund is divided into shares or units and investors get a number of units proportionate to their investment.
The investment objective of the mutual fund is always decided beforehand. Mutual funds invest in bonds, stocks, money-market instruments, real estate, commodities or other investments or many times a combination of any of these.
The details regarding the funds? policies, objectives, charges, services etc are all available in the fund?s prospectus and every investor should go through the prospectus before investing in a mutual fund.
The investment decisions for the pool capital are made by a fund manager (or managers). The fund manager decides what securities are to be bought and in what quantity.
The value of units changes with change in aggregate value of the investments made by the mutual fund.
The value of each share or unit of the mutual fund is called NAV (Net Asset Value).
Different funds have different risk ? reward profile. A mutual fund that invests in stocks is a greater risk investment than a mutual fund that invests in government bonds. The value of stocks can go down resulting in a loss for the investor, but money invested in bonds is safe (unless the Government defaults ? which is rare.) At the same time the greater risk in stocks also presents an opportunity for higher returns. Stocks can go up to any limit, but returns from government bonds are limited to the interest rate offered by the government.
History of Mutual Funds:
The first ?pooling of money? for investments was done in 1774. After the 1772-1773 financial crisis, a Dutch merchant Adriaan van Ketwich invited investors to come together to form an investment trust. The goal of the trust was to lower risks involved in investing by providing diversification to the small investors. The funds invested in various European countries such as Austria, Denmark and Spain. The investments were mainly in bonds and equity formed a small portion. The trust was names Eendragt Maakt Magt, which meant ?Unity Creates Strength?.
The fund had many features that attracted investors:
- It had an embedded lottery.
- There was an assured 4% dividend, which was slightly less than the average rates prevalent at that time. Thus the interest income exceeded the required payouts and the difference was converted to a cash reserve.
- The cash reserve was utilized to retire a few shares annually at 10% premium and hence the remaining shares earned a higher interest. Thus the cash reserve kept increasing over time ? further accelerating share redemption.
- The trust was to be dissolved at the end of 25 years and the capital was to be divided among the remaining investors.
However a war with England led to many bonds defaulting. Due to the decrease in investment income, share redemption was suspended in 1782 and later the interest payments were lowered too. The fund was no longer attractive for investors and faded away.
After evolving in Europe for a few years, the idea of mutual funds reached the US at the end if nineteenth century. In the year 1893, the first closed-end fund was formed. It was named the ?The Boston Personal Property Trust.?
The Alexander Fund in Philadelphia was the first step towards open-end funds. It was established in 1907 and had new issues every six months. Investors were allowed to make redemptions.
The first true open-end fund was the Massachusetts Investors? Trust of Boston. Formed in the year 1924, it went public in 1928. 1928 also saw the emergence of first balanced fund ? The Wellington Fund that invested in both stocks and bonds.
The concept of Index based funds was given by William Fouse and John McQuown of the Wells Fargo Bank in 1971. Based on their concept, John Bogle launched the first retail Index Fund in 1976. It was called the First Index Investment Trust. It is now known as the Vanguard 500 Index Fund. It crossed 100 billion dollars in assets in November 2000 and became the World?s largest fund.
Today mutual funds have come a long way. Nearly one in two households in the US invests in mutual funds. The popularity of mutual funds is also soaring in developing economies like India. They have become the preferred investment route for many investors, who value the unique combination of diversification, low costs and simplicity provided by the funds.
Know more about mutual funds at http://www.completeonlinetrading.com
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New Spring Las Vegas Homes 2006
With a booming tourist industry, Las Vegas remains a great provider of employment. It is perfect to live and work. Many new homes stand on higher elevations. You can view the breath taking Red Rock. There is always something new and exciting. Calculate monthly and bi-weekly mortgage payment from online mortgage calculators without any pressure after you find your dream home.
Juhl by CityMark
CityMark continues to electrify with Juhl. Juhl is just a walk away to gourmet restaurant, museums, cultural centers, and photo galleries. In minutes, you begin to enjoy the lights, sounds of what Las Vegas is known.
Solera, Sun City, The Club by DelWebb
DelWebb proudly build homes for active adults. Close to golf courses and fairways, it is a paradise for avid golfers. Amenities include fitness center, swimming pool, hobby craft, bocce, tennis, and more.
Boca Raton by PB Resorts
PB Resorts developed an excellent luxury home which combines the energy of Las Vegas, and lifestyle of South Florida. Boca Raton is situated at the South Strip. There are plans to establish fabulous retails, residential homes, casinos, and restaurants.
Avilla Park, Carlisle at Summerlin, Laguna Palms, Marquesa, and Valencia by Pacifica Companies
Pacifica Companies creates affordable two to three bedroom from low $100s. With 5.25% interest rate, 30 year term, and $100,000 principal, your monthly mortgage payment comes to only $552.20.
Monterrey, and The Boulders
Rich and Famous lived at this Las Vegas Country Club community where Monterrey now stands. Now, you can afford to live at this dream location. Majestic Lone Mountain and blue sky surrounds the 1, 2, or 3 bedrooms condominiums of the Boulders. The amenities pamper and cater your relaxation crave.
Dennis Estrada is a webmaster of mortgage calculators website which calculate the monthly payment, bi-weekly payment, affordability, refinance, annual percentage rate, discount points, and more.
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Juhl by CityMark
CityMark continues to electrify with Juhl. Juhl is just a walk away to gourmet restaurant, museums, cultural centers, and photo galleries. In minutes, you begin to enjoy the lights, sounds of what Las Vegas is known.
Solera, Sun City, The Club by DelWebb
DelWebb proudly build homes for active adults. Close to golf courses and fairways, it is a paradise for avid golfers. Amenities include fitness center, swimming pool, hobby craft, bocce, tennis, and more.
Boca Raton by PB Resorts
PB Resorts developed an excellent luxury home which combines the energy of Las Vegas, and lifestyle of South Florida. Boca Raton is situated at the South Strip. There are plans to establish fabulous retails, residential homes, casinos, and restaurants.
Avilla Park, Carlisle at Summerlin, Laguna Palms, Marquesa, and Valencia by Pacifica Companies
Pacifica Companies creates affordable two to three bedroom from low $100s. With 5.25% interest rate, 30 year term, and $100,000 principal, your monthly mortgage payment comes to only $552.20.
Monterrey, and The Boulders
Rich and Famous lived at this Las Vegas Country Club community where Monterrey now stands. Now, you can afford to live at this dream location. Majestic Lone Mountain and blue sky surrounds the 1, 2, or 3 bedrooms condominiums of the Boulders. The amenities pamper and cater your relaxation crave.
Dennis Estrada is a webmaster of mortgage calculators website which calculate the monthly payment, bi-weekly payment, affordability, refinance, annual percentage rate, discount points, and more.
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Non Profit Debt Consolidation Advice
Debt consolidation advice is meant for consumers who are in need of support and guidance due to their mismanagement of their financial situation. This advice is given by non profit debt consolidation organizations. It is a service now given by these organizations or ?consolidators? to counsel and educate the clients of their financial issues, namely in their budgeting plans. Their main objective is to help their consumers gain control of their finances and plan their budget well.
Budgets are plans that each and every working person needs to achieve financial freedom. Many people have trouble setting or following their budgets and go into debt as a result, and that is where non profit debt consolidation organizations come in to personally assist them in keeping a stable budget. They will advise the consumers on their inflow and outflow of money and will design a payment plan that is specific to their individual needs. The advice given is not merely a guideline but also a stepping stone for the individuals to take reign over their financial situation. Regardless of the consumer?s location, they would have access over online materials, guideline books, and financial planning books.
Such advice does not cover only budgeting plans, but credit debts and plans for keeping the financial level of the consumer at a safe level. The advice given is on consolidating their debts as one single loan and other programs. The main objective is to assist the consumers in keeping up with a safe financial plan.
Ever since the beginning of this service, it had helped various types of people with debt problems.
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Budgets are plans that each and every working person needs to achieve financial freedom. Many people have trouble setting or following their budgets and go into debt as a result, and that is where non profit debt consolidation organizations come in to personally assist them in keeping a stable budget. They will advise the consumers on their inflow and outflow of money and will design a payment plan that is specific to their individual needs. The advice given is not merely a guideline but also a stepping stone for the individuals to take reign over their financial situation. Regardless of the consumer?s location, they would have access over online materials, guideline books, and financial planning books.
Such advice does not cover only budgeting plans, but credit debts and plans for keeping the financial level of the consumer at a safe level. The advice given is on consolidating their debts as one single loan and other programs. The main objective is to assist the consumers in keeping up with a safe financial plan.
Ever since the beginning of this service, it had helped various types of people with debt problems.
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Non Profit Debt Consolidation Programs
Debt consolidation programs exist to help troubled consumers out of their financial crises are proven to be effective and tend to be really helpful in numerous ways. These programs were drafted for people who are willing to pay off bills and pay down debts and meant for all those who are not currently able to meet their debt and expenses with their salary. If someone is having trouble meeting the minimum monthly payments on their bills, they should seek these non-profit debt consolidation companies to handle them.
Companies with counseling offices provide programs that enable consumers to speak to a certified consolidation specialist who will design a payment plan that is specific to their individual needs. This programs comes with courteous counselors who are trained to take a proactive approach to both the clients' and the creditors' needs. Certified financial counselors that work under these programs are specialized in debt policies and rules. This helps them to work as a link between both sides, the consumer and his or her moneylender so that the outcome would be a debt with lower interest rates.
Debt consolidation is also done to reduce monthly payments and to decrease late payment charges. A famous slogan supported by this program is that ?the counselors work for you, not for your creditors.? This is much to the advantage of the consumer, who was troubled before and now better off in maintaining his or her financial situation.
These programs are also known for their flexibility in which the customers will have various options in making payments for their consolidated debts. After the merging all the separate debts, the consumer has only to pay the consolidated debt and not necessary think about the smaller debts.
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Companies with counseling offices provide programs that enable consumers to speak to a certified consolidation specialist who will design a payment plan that is specific to their individual needs. This programs comes with courteous counselors who are trained to take a proactive approach to both the clients' and the creditors' needs. Certified financial counselors that work under these programs are specialized in debt policies and rules. This helps them to work as a link between both sides, the consumer and his or her moneylender so that the outcome would be a debt with lower interest rates.
Debt consolidation is also done to reduce monthly payments and to decrease late payment charges. A famous slogan supported by this program is that ?the counselors work for you, not for your creditors.? This is much to the advantage of the consumer, who was troubled before and now better off in maintaining his or her financial situation.
These programs are also known for their flexibility in which the customers will have various options in making payments for their consolidated debts. After the merging all the separate debts, the consumer has only to pay the consolidated debt and not necessary think about the smaller debts.
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Non Profit Debt Consolidation Refinancing
Consumers with a huge amount of debts with creditors need to be aware that there are always some means of refinancing their debts. One of the ways to do so is by using the services of a non-profit debt consolidation refinancing company. Many people do not know what this debt consolidation refinancing really is. Ever since it was introduced some years back, this service has done much to benefit troubled consumers who are in serious need of assistance in solving their financial crises.
Refinancing is known to benefit those who would want to lower their interest rates at least by 5-8% of their current rate of interest. The most common reasons why people wish to refinance may include lowering their monthly payments, changing from an adjustable to a fixed rate loan, taking cash out of their current home equity, and eliminating private mortgage insurance.
Debt consolidation refinancing is where the debts or loans are consolidated and the cash for the consolidated debt comes from refinancing through the debt consolidation refinancing company. Credit cards, car loans, student loans, revolving credit, and other debts that can be consolidated will make up the debt consolidation refinancing. This is a good way to consolidate debt because the mortgage is by far the cheapest money that a consumer will ever borrow.
It is much to the advantage of consumers where the companies handle the loans by consolidating them through negotiations with the creditors, set a lower interest rate, and opt the payment through the refinancing by the mortgage, a secure source of cash. This goes back to the principle objective of the companies being the keepers of the conscience of the consumers, to safeguard their financial status and keep them from having to declare bankruptcy for not paying their debts. Much credit is given to them as they are non-profit and help their consumers who are in need of help to manage their finance by giving them the best option of getting the best cash source possible to pay for their debts.
Non Profit Debt Consolidation provides detailed information on Non Profit Debt Consolidation, Non Profit Debt Consolidation Advice, Non Profit Debt Consolidation Companies, Non Profit Debt Consolidation Loans and more. Non Profit Debt Consolidation is affiliated with Bad Credit Debt Consolidation Loans.
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Refinancing is known to benefit those who would want to lower their interest rates at least by 5-8% of their current rate of interest. The most common reasons why people wish to refinance may include lowering their monthly payments, changing from an adjustable to a fixed rate loan, taking cash out of their current home equity, and eliminating private mortgage insurance.
Debt consolidation refinancing is where the debts or loans are consolidated and the cash for the consolidated debt comes from refinancing through the debt consolidation refinancing company. Credit cards, car loans, student loans, revolving credit, and other debts that can be consolidated will make up the debt consolidation refinancing. This is a good way to consolidate debt because the mortgage is by far the cheapest money that a consumer will ever borrow.
It is much to the advantage of consumers where the companies handle the loans by consolidating them through negotiations with the creditors, set a lower interest rate, and opt the payment through the refinancing by the mortgage, a secure source of cash. This goes back to the principle objective of the companies being the keepers of the conscience of the consumers, to safeguard their financial status and keep them from having to declare bankruptcy for not paying their debts. Much credit is given to them as they are non-profit and help their consumers who are in need of help to manage their finance by giving them the best option of getting the best cash source possible to pay for their debts.
Non Profit Debt Consolidation provides detailed information on Non Profit Debt Consolidation, Non Profit Debt Consolidation Advice, Non Profit Debt Consolidation Companies, Non Profit Debt Consolidation Loans and more. Non Profit Debt Consolidation is affiliated with Bad Credit Debt Consolidation Loans.
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