Archive for October, 2009

Are you looking for credit card debt help? Like so many other people, you may have charged your cards to the max and now it is time to get serious about paying those balances off. But with finances being so tight, you may think there is no way to accomplish paying off the balances. But rest assured – you will not be in debt forever! Just follow these 6 tips below to help get out of credit card debt.

1. You are going to have to cut back on your spending. Do not spend more than you actually have in cash or in your checking or savings accounts. Only spend money on necessities not luxuries. All of the money you save will go towards getting rid of debt.

2. Gather all of your latest bills from your creditors. Write down your balances, annual percentage rates and minimum payments. This will help you make a plan of attack.

3. Make your plan in one of two ways.

a. The first way is to take the account with the smallest balance and pay it down first. Try to double the minimum payment due but if that is not yet possible, pay as much extra each month that you can afford. By achieving the goal of paying the smallest account balance first, you will become more motivated to continue on your quest.

b. Alternatively, the second way would be to take the account with the largest annual percentage rate and work your plan of attack on this bill first. Again, try to double the payment or at least pay as much extra as you can.

4. Continue following the plan you have chosen. Make the minimum payment on your other accounts while putting all extra money towards your first chosen credit card to eliminate.

5. Once your first bill is paid off, take that same payment you had been making and apply it towards your next credit card. This extra amount, along with the minimum payment due, will really begin to take a chunk off that balance.

6. Keep following the plan until all credit cards have been paid off. Do no use those accounts again to keep the balances at zero.

By following these 6 tips for credit card debt help, you will be on your way to to becoming debt free. Just stay focused, determined and positive. You can do it!

For help in creating a plan to get rid of debt in three to five years, go to http://www.rapidlyreducedebt.com and make sure to get the free report for money saving tips to help eliminate debt.

Today, if bankruptcy seems the only possible solution to your massive credit card debt amount, you could think about trying credit card debt relief.

Now days, the exorbitant rates of interest and inordinate late payment fees of certain credit card companies can push their customers to the very brink of frustration. And due to a lack of awareness about debt consolidation services, which can prove to be very helpful, being offered by a number of genuine companies, a majority of people are being pushed into filing for bankruptcy in desperation.

Although a very common phenomenon now days, bankruptcy can have a long-term effect on your credit ratings and standings, and it will require a lot of time and effort on your part to remove this black stain from your record. But you need not put yourself through all this trouble at all! You can find a solution to your financial problems by utilizing one of the many options available at debt consolidation companies.

1: Browse the Net for an Authentic Company

The best way of finding a good credit card debt relief company is to browse the Internet for one. Searching online is extremely convenient as you don’t have to step out of the comfort of your home or office and you save a lot of time, money and energy in the process as well. And the best part is you even get better results.

All the prestigious debt relief companies have their own websites where you can check out their facility of a credit card debt calculator. Any good company’s website must have the feature of this calculator.

All you need to do is enter the basic details of your case (monthly income, gross monthly installment/ amount, etc.) wherever required and the calculator will show you the number of months that will be required for you to pay off your debt. If you have an idea of the interest offered by that company on the consolidation loan, you’ll even be able to find out the amount of money you could save.

2: Debt Counseling:

You have to go through a counseling session with financial experts before you choose to go for any particular kind of credit card debt service. The experts will thoroughly examine your case and offer you expert advice on the best mode of getting credit card debt relief. You’ll see that the modest fee they might charge for such a service will be well worth it. There are also some companies which offer free counseling.

3: Methods of Debt Relief

The most popular methods of solving your financial worries and pending dues are loan consolidation, consumer credit counseling and debt settlement. Consolidation loans are generally secured in nature. That is, if you want to get a loan at advantageously low interest rates. There are a number of companies or sub prime lenders offering unsecured loans, but these usually carry high rates of interest.

However, it is better to use these loans rather than take no steps at all to curb your financial debt. For example, if you’re paying 20% interest on your credit card and you take a loan with 15% interest rate, even if it’s an unsecured loan, you get some relief from your overdue amount.

For best results and a successful financial life, use online credit card debt relief with the help of credit card debt services and escape the embarrassment of having to file for bankruptcy.

Article written by Jessica Bradbury, she has a site dedicated to bottom line information on debt consolidation companies, including business debt consolidation loan.

John and his family were on the annual vacation trip to Darjeeling, a beautiful tourist spot in the east of India. After three or four days stay there he realized that the cash in hand would not suffice the expenses he has to make till the family reaches back home. Fortunately he had brought the credit card which a foreign bank had recently issued him. He went to the nearest ATM and withdrew the required cash.

Sunita, a BPO executive, was never interested in any type of credit card. But a call centre executive called her so many times that at last she agreed to get a credit card for herself. She did not know that she would soon have occasion to thank that sweet voiced lady on the phone who sold her that sleek plastic card. Her husband coming back on bike from his night duty was hit by a speeding vehicle and was admitted to the hospital unconscious. Sunita needed urgent cash. She went to the credit card ATM.

Thus presently the credit card has become a necessity. But it is necessary to use it very carefully, otherwise it can prove to be very costly. First of all it should be understood that the credit card has to be used at a time extreme necessity.

Nowadays there are a number of banks which are recklessly issuing credit cards as they give them a great return. The banks  issue a card to a person even if he already has got one or more than one credit cards in his possession. A person goes on accepting more and more cards and soon a time comes when paying back the card dues becomes very difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the number of credit cards in one’s possession. Some experts believe that one card is enough and two cards are more than enough. Never be in possession of more than two credit cards.

Sometimes, the bank sends you an add on card in the name of your spouse. Decline such a card and if the bank still sends it to you, destroy it and inform the bank about it. Make sure that you accept the add on credit card only if you really need the same.

Sometimes you may need to close your credit card. In such a case it is necessary to first repay all your dues on the card. Inform the bank of your intention of closing the card. The executive on the other end would try to convince you not to close the card and may offer you many things to desist you from the closing it. But be resolute in your decision. Sometimes even if you have told the bank about closing your credit card and have paid all your dues, they may still send you a bill for a very insignificant amount, for example, Rs 1.83. You may think that it is a very small amount and would do any of the two things: Ignore the amount or send, for example, a check of Rs 5.00.

Ignoring that small due may prove you costly as the bank will later charge you late payment fee, interest and hefty penalty. The amount would reach thousands of Rupees before you know it. So please do not ignore that small amount and clear it. As a second option, if you pay more than the amount, the bank would still keep you sending the bill. For example in the present case you sent a check of Rs 5.00 against the dues of Rs 1.83. The bank would send you a bill of  -Rs 3.17. Which simply means that you have overpaid that much amount. But you must again contact the bank and ask it to either send you the check of the remaining amount or ignore it and stop sending you any bill in future. Please make sure that when you close a credit card and clear all your dues, the bills should stop coming to you. Because if the bills keep coming, it may mean that your card is still active.

Always read your credit card statement carefully. Sometimes the bank tells you that if you accept a particular offer, your annual fee will be waived off. You accept the offer but the bank includes the annual fee in its bill of the concerned month. In such a case it is necessary to contact the bank as soon as possible. Normally the bank reverts the fee.

Please make sure that you pay the credit cards dues in time. Failing to pay the dues promptly may entail heavy penalties. It is always better to keep your previous credit card bills. It is not mandatory but in certain situations becomes helpful. The credit card numbers are always 16 digits long. It is always not possible to memorize the same. Many people store these numbers and also the bank helpline numbers in their mobile phones. In such a case it is better to store these numbers in some other names so that if the mobile is stolen or lost no body is able to misuse them. Moreover, never store your credit card pass words in the mobile phones. Store all this information at some other and secure place as well.

If your credit card is misplaced or stolen, the bank should be informed with in 24 hours so that your card is blocked. You will be responsible for any purchases made by the card before the bank is informed about it being misplaced or stolen. After informing the bank, also lodge an FIR with the police. It is necessary from the point of view of security and to save you in case the card is misused by any criminal element.

Never divulge your three digit CVB number to any body. This number is written on the back of your card. Never provide your credit card number to any one online, particularly in response to any e – mail. Be careful while purchasing anything from a foreign company through credit card. (The End)

Syed Iqbal Afsar Naqvi belongs to the famous Indian town of Amroha. He works for a website, www.globalhaat.com and writes articles on current affairs, politics and economy under the pen name Iqbal Amrohi.

Budgeting

Ugh, budgeting is one of those topics we’d rather avoid, but in business, it’s an absolute necessity. To prepare a reasoned and thoughtful budget, an accountant must start with a broad-based critical analysis of the most recent actual performance and position of the business by the managers who are responsible for the results. Then the managers decide on specific and concrete goals for the coming year. It demands a fair amount of management time and energy. Budgets should be worth this time and effort. It’s one of the key components of a manager’s job.

To construct budged financial statements, a manager needs good models of the profit, cash flow and financial condition of your business. Models are blueprints or schematics of how things work. A business budget is, at its core, a financial blueprint of the business. Budgeting relies on financial models that are the foundation for preparing budgeted financial statements. Those statements include:

–Budgeted income statement (or profit report): This statement highlights the critical information that managers need for making decisions and exercising control. Much of the information in an internal profit report is confidential and should not be divulged outside the business.

–Budgeted balance sheet: The connections and ratios between sales revenue and expenses and their corresponding assets and liabilities are the elements of the basic model for the budgeted balance sheet.

–Budgeted statement of cash flows: The changes in assets and liabilities from their balances at the end of the year just concluded to the projected balances at the end of the coming year determine cash flow from profit for the coming year.

Budgeting requires good working models of profit performance, financial condition, and cash flow from profit. Constructing good budgets is a strong incentive for businesses to develop financial models that not only help in the budgeting process but also help managers in making strategic decisions.

The benefits from Credit card debt consolidation, ‘Credit card debt consolidation’ seems to be the most talked-about term in the world of credit cards. It’s true that credit cards have been very useful and convenient for us and we, in fact, treat the credit cards as a necessity. However, with every good you have evil too. In the world of credit cards, ‘Credit card debt’ is that evil and ‘Credit card debt consolidation’ is often regarded as a medicine for treating credit card debt.


Anyone who has read any newspaper articles on ‘Credit card debt’ would already know what credit card debt consolidation is. However, just for the benefit of others, credit card debt consolidation, in simple terms, is the process of consolidating debt which you hold on various high APR credit cards onto just one low APR credit card. Thus, the main benefit of credit card debt consolidation is realised in terms of APR reduction (and hence reduction in credit card debt growth rate).


This is touted as the most important benefit (and sometimes the sole benefit) from credit card debt consolidation. However, credit card debt consolidation comes with few more benefits as well. Some of these credit card debt consolidation benefits are widely publicised by the credit card suppliers and some not so much:


1. Initial APR: As mentioned above, lower APR is the biggest benefit from credit card debt consolidation. Since credit card debt consolidation is used by credit card suppliers as a tool to attract consumers, they generally offer a 0% APR for a initial period of 6-9 months of you joining their credit card debt consolidation programme i.e. first few months after you get the new credit card.


2. Standard APR: Lower standard APR (i.e. the long term APR) is the other important benefit from credit card debt consolidation. Though not all credit card suppliers offer a lower standard APR with credit card debt consolidation some do design credit card debt consolidation programmes with good standard APR. These credit card debt consolidation programmes offer a trade-off between initial and standard APR rates.


3. 0% on purchases: This is another common benefit from credit card debt consolidation. The 0% interest (or some lower percentage) on purchases is offered as an incentive for credit card debt consolidation. This credit card debt consolidation benefit is again applicable only for a short initial period.


4. Easy management: This credit card debt consolidation benefit is not as discussed as others. However, one benefit of credit card debt consolidation (from multiple to single credit card) is the fact that you need to track and manage a lesser number of credit cards.


5. Other benefits: The credit card debt consolidation exercise might bring you some more benefits in terms of rebates, discounts and reward points (especially if you move to a co-branded card as part of credit card debt consolidation).

Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor and co founder of Free Affiliate Programs

For more information and resource links on credit visit: Cheap Credit Cards