Connect With Successful Real Estate Investors

If you're just starting out in the real estate investing industry, then it's important to surround yourself with the right mentors and coaches. Surrounding yourself with the right people will save you from making basic rookie mistakes that can cause you unnecessary stress, time with your family and money.

The top 3 real estate investing tips in order to make lucrative business connections are below:

1. Informational Teleseminars/Webinars:

Real Estate Investing Teleseminars are normally held on a weekly basis and host a different guest speaker each week. Successful real estate investors spend a lot of time speaking about their specific area of expertise and the best way to reach a large group of people without traveling all over the country is to speak on these. Most of the real estate investing teleseminars has a minimal charge for listening in on these calls and occasionally there is no charge. The guest speakers normally will offer an opportunity to work with him personally or buy his product. The Teleseminar gives you the chance to check the guest speaker out to see if it is something you're interested in pursuing.

2. Live Events:

If you have the money and time to travel then there are many real estate investing boot camps out there. It should not be too difficult to find an event near you so you can plan ahead. Teleseminar hosts can normally let you in on upcoming boot camps as they usually partner with most of the speakers and help them promote their events. Attending one of these events also gives you the chance to meet the successful investor in person. This is also a great networking opportunity because there are usually other successful investors speaking or hanging around the events as well.

3. Offer Your Services In Exchange For Knowledge:

Another way to connect with a successful real estate investor is to try to contact them in order to offer your services in exchange for their coaching or mentoring. Most investors are bogged down with daily business details and would jump at the opportunity. Ways to find out how to contact the speakers are:

a. Ask a Teleseminar host for direction in which speaker is most accommodating
b. Do a Google search for the desired mentor to see if an email or phone number is available for them
c. Search social networking sites and try to contact them that way

If you're looking to be a successful investor yourself, then it is important to surround yourself with a group of coaches and mentors that have a proven track record. Most successful investors love people and making friends so don't waist another minute researching your next real estate deal attempt on your own. Follow the above 3 steps and you'll be making money utilizing wisdom in no time.

Way to Start Real Estate Investing

If you are planning to get involved with real estate investing, there are some things you'll need to know. Here are some of the most important factors in becoming a successful investor:

1. Your Mindset

Before you can have any chance of succeeding in the real estate investing, you have to realize that real estate is a business, with you being the CEO. Now seeing that you are in charge of your business it is very important that you distinguish between investing and buying a home

2. Set Objectives

You need to set goals both long term and short term. Your goals can keep you motivated when things aren't going well.

3. Market research

Know your market. Know the current values of properties and what's been sold recently.

4. Associate with local Real Estate Professionals

If you are getting started in the investment property business then it is a great idea to get a qualified professional involved. This will ensure that you are exposed to all the chances of being successful. Knowing that the person already knows the market, they will be able to help with your strengths and weakness. It is important that you work with someone that is experienced to help you out in terms if real estate investing.

Before you decide a specific individual to go with, you should get to know him or her a bit, making sure the two of you are compatible. The best way to go about in doing this is to interview them. Ask them plenty of questions both related to business and personal.

That's the list of important things you'll need if you're just starting out.

Commercial Real Estate

Foreclosure is a great way of making money in real estate. There are two opportunities in real estate foreclosure when there is a suitable agreement made. The first option is buying a home in the pre-foreclosure phase and the second option when it goes to auction. In both of these options you will transact with a home owner that has to sell there property or lose it without getting anything. They will agree to a large discount and there luck runs out. There is low risk with foreclosures. Competition is less severe and you won't have to mess with any dealers when purchasing foreclosure property. If you strike on a good deal you can save significantly.

If you plan on purchasing any kind of foreclosure property you will need to scan all available investing choices whether it be this process or in depth. When heading towards foreclosure with a pre - foreclosure stage this stage requires the contact between the investor and the seller. With this both parties linked to the deal are keen to reach there aims. This will be a big discount with low cash down and complaint sales agreement makes the foreclosure a huge investing occasion. There is a drawback to this approach and that is first of all it is difficult because it is hard to find a foreclosure home owner and second you might face competition that might increase there rates.

Real Estate Investing

Real estate investment is in reality reasonably uncomplicated. If you carry it in small stages, and pass adequate time performing the search at each pace, you will be able to discover dependable properties that will bring forth large amounts of money and riches for you across time. And, when you get rolling, it will only become more easygoing.

Simple, real estate investment for us takes place in 5 footsteps:

1. Determine precise destinations.
2. Discover and search a marketplace to invest in.
3. Find out and assess properties.
4. Purchase the property that fulfils our destinations.
5. Earn profit from it - adept realty management and paperwork.

Therefore, to begin your real estate investment and feel in force about that opening move... SET YOUR GOALS. You require to be particular about what you require, and so take action.

And with real estate it's decisive to recognize where you would like to go ahead you begin.

Ask yourself a few questions:

- Is it more significant to you to discover a property that does not cost you a lot of money or one that does not toll you very much time?
- Do you have a lot of free time?
- Are you accessible? Do you wish to work on the property?
- Are you anticipating executing more work on the property all by yourself or you don't prefer to be involved a lot at all?
- What is your hazard margin?
- Do you need real estate to represent your basic origin of revenue after a sure time period?
- How much revenue could you (or do you prefer to) commit to real estate investing against added investing?
- Do you bear fine references?

Without an open perceptive of what you would like to accomplish, it is really hard to get rolling. It is as well really alarming! Therefore obtain all the way on what you would like to do, adopt a few baby steps and so forth you will sense self-confidence.

If you are unaccustomed to goal setting, present below are the simple paces we apply:

1. Begin by numbering everything you would like to achieve in your life. We execute this without judgment.
2. Go over your endless list, and detect the ones that are most significant to you to concentrate on in the succeeding few years. We spotlight them, and then continue to break them down into the more modest paces that we require to take to motivate ourselves towards
All of those goals in the succeeding 3 years, in the incoming year and in the following month.

Debt Settlement Firm

When you need financial assistance in clearing up your debt, you may want to consider hiring a debt settlement firm. Not only can they help you to set up an affordable payment plan, they may be help to reduce the amount of debt you owe. However, how do you know you are choosing a reputable company for such a sensitive matter?

The best way to choose a reputable company is to get a recommendation from one of your family members, friends, or coworkers. If they have never experienced this debt issue, you will need to search in your local area or online. Do some research online and you will be sure to find several that sound promising. Make a list of at least four to five companies and then you can start your investigation.

With your list in front of you, you will first want to conduct a search with the Better Business Bureau. Many reputable companies will still receive complaints against them. What you are looking for is unresolved complaints and complaints that were not resolved to the customer's satisfaction. Immediately eliminate any companies that have failed to resolve complaints in a timely manner.

The next thing on your agenda should be to contact each debt settlement firm that remains on your list. You will want to have a list of questions ready for them. The information you need to find out includes: What fees will you charge for handling my debt negotiation and settlement? Is your company a non-profit organization? What plan will you follow to pay my creditors? How soon will you start paying my creditors? Will you put the plan in writing?

You will want to compare fees that will be charged by all companies and make certain that your plan will be put into a contract that requires your signature. You need to get details of how your money will be handled by the company and make certain your debt settlement will be handled appropriately by the company you choose. Compare all of these details and you will be able to confidently choose the best company for you.

Dealing With Debt

Dealing with debt doesn't have to be scary. Owing money can feel like a never ending problem at times but simply working out how much money you owe and then making a plan to settle the bill is the best way of dealing with the situation.

When money is tight, making ends meet can seem hard enough without having to juggle your finances as well. Many people are opting to put all their debts in one place, and it's easy to see why. By consolidating your credit card, loan and other debts you could end up with just one manageable amount to pay, making it easier to sort out your finances.

Debt consolidation is a method of managing debt by combining all debts into one lump sum so that you are repaying one loan as opposed to several.

You can either consolidate your debt on your own, approach your bank for a suitable loan or seek help from a debt consolidation company. Whatever method you choose you will benefit from having only one payment to make each month, making the repayment of debts a much more manageable process.

Debt consolidation typically allows you to secure a lower interest rate or fixed interest rate for your payments which is particularly useful if you have outstanding high interest loans or credit cards. One repayment at a lower interest rate is much better than several different repayments at varying interest rates.

If you want to get out of debt quicker then there are a few actions you can take to speed the process along. It may sound obvious but reducing your spending is one of the easiest and most effective ways to avoid getting in any more debt. In order to reduce spending, look at areas such as your mortgage, insurance and utility bills and identify any potential ways of saving a few more pounds.

Price comparison is easy with the help of the internet so invest a little time into making sure you are getting the most competitive prices for everyday bills and costs.

Increasing your income is another handy way to generate more cash which can then be used to settle debts. You could look for a second job to supplement your income or work additional hours at your current job. Taking on more responsibility at work and progressing towards a pay rise is also a good way to boost your career as well as your bank balance.

Make sure you are not overpaying tax and ensure you are claiming your full entitlement to social security benefits and tax credits.

Last but not least, you could declutter your home and sell any unwanted items. Traditional car boot sales still take place every weekend throughout Britain and online marketplaces mean you can sell any surplus bits and bobs without having to leave the comfort of your own home.

Eliminating Credit Card Debt

An individual should be careful how he or she manages her debts, especially credit card debts. Credit card companies would like to keep you in debt for as long as they can. This is how they make money. If you are not careful, you might end up finding yourself way too deep in debt.

There are interesting facts that we should know about. First, credit card companies often target college students as they have reason to believe that students are more inclined to use credit cards for everything they do. Second, complex interest fees and charges add up to our balances without us realizing it. Third, credit card companies are now performing credit checks on new job applicants and may deny them employment because of poor credit history. Lastly, most of credit card debts end up in bankruptcy.

As a recourse, the United States government is making its presence felt by trying to help its citizens take back control of their finances. Currently, laws are formulated to prevent credit companies from raising interest fees. A sad example of this situation is that many college students graduate with a large amount of debt and as a result, they already have debt obligations even before they are able to get a career.

Legal aid is also available and can be obtained so that you can legally get rid 50% of your current credit balance and get your personal finances in order again. Get yourself on the right track now and manage your debts well before they eat you up and spit you out.

Ways to End Your Financial Debts

Many people who are stuck in debts are extremely confused of where to start solving their problems. To clear off your bills is not an easy task and, a lot of determination and devotion is required if you really want to meet your goal. However, the following are some important ways to clear off your bills and track back your essential life.

The first thing you need to do is to clear off your current bills. You can hardly become debt free if you are not willing to pay off your bills. To start with, pay off all the bills with high interest rate to avoid bill accumulation. If possible, maximize your monthly payment to clear your bills fast. Move on and pay the remaining bills with low interest rate. This process will take quite some time therefore, be patient enough and you will have excellent results.

A budget plan is very important in your life since it guides your monthly expenses. With a budget plan, you will be able to save money which can be used to reduce your bills. When preparing your monthly budget, make sure you include savings to increase your income. You can even contribute this money to 401k since its tax free and make more money. You can also use the money on investment.

Once you have cleared all your bills, forget the credit cards and start buying things on cash. This will play a big important role in avoiding extra bills. However, learn from your past mistakes to avoid being trapped again. Sticking to your budget will eventually add your savings and, create more wealth.

Low-Risk Investing in Mutual Funds

If you're working with a top mutual fund company, they will know how to use your money to increase your profit margin as well as their own. They are able to make the most of every investment, which is exactly what you're after. It never hurts if you know a little something about this type of funds, too, so that you can understand when you're investing in the right fund. Investing in the wrong fund will only waste your investment capital, and you won't see the return you should be seeing. Make sure you know exactly what you want from a fund before investing.

Mutual funds have become an industry favorite, because it doesn't take a great deal of money to get started. A novice investor should spend some time educating himself about current market trends, though. When you purchase mutual funds, you're buying shares in a company. As longtime investors say, your aim is to maximize your returns while minimizing your risks. Mutual funds certainly offer you the best option as far as being flexible, and they are very fast and easy to sell when that time comes.

In a poll taken by the media, consumers overwhelmingly voted for mutual funds as the best investment, mostly because there is so little risk involved. In recent years, investments in these funds have surpassed national saving certificates and the public provident fund as the best way to save money. Investors also find that they can save on taxes by investing in them.

If you're new to investing, you will find a great deal of information on the internet that will teach you the best ways to buy and sell funds so that you can save money on your investments and earn maximum profit.

For short-term investments, you can't beat a higher risk fund. You can find funds which have won performance awards, but check them out thoroughly to make sure they fit into your investment plans before investing. As mentioned earlier, you can find a ton of helpful information regarding mutual funds just by researching on the internet.

If you're looking to save tax dollars by investing in mutual funds, you'll want to manage your funds carefully and keep track of what's going on in the market. If you don't know which funds are the best investments for you, you can always go to a broker for assistance.

It's getting harder to make ends meet in the world today, but you can make it easier by investing in the right funds. By having a cushion in the low-risk mutual fund market, you'll be able to weather the blows life throws at you with a great deal less stress.

If you're worried about your retirement years or paying for your child's education, you'll find help in mutual funds. In fact, you can make enough by investing in these funds to make your whole life much easier to live. With mutual funds, instead of you having to work for the money, it works for you.

Confused Mutual Fund Investor

With so many options for investing, concerns over who to trust and the lack of useful information from the mutual funds themselves, understanding the principles of growing money and good guidance makes a huge difference in outcome.

It's important for an investor to understand the mutual fund industry; specifically, to understand what this means to him or her individually. The mutual fund industry has really created a giant that is so overwhelming and confusing for the average investor that they almost fall down to their knees and say "Uncle." In this article, I'll show how this confusion happens.

There are some choices that you have when you invest: You can buy a growth fund, you can buy a growth and income fund, you can buy an income fund, you can buy an aggressive growth fund, a large cap growth fund, a mid cap growth fund, a small cap growth cap fund, a small cap international growth fund, a stable income fund, a large cap value fund, an international value fund, a target maturity fund, a blended fund. Of all those target maturity funds, you can by a 10, a 15, a 20, a 25, a 20-30 target maturity fund. Then there are blended funds, specialty funds, which could be in real estate or commodities or technology or health care or utilities or energy or green energy or social responsibility funds. And this is nowhere near exhausting the list. No wonder investors get confused.

The average investor works eight hours a day, then has to tend to personal matters, family, home, etc. Maybe they get some recreational time if they're lucky. And if they're really, really lucky, they get to see a friend once a month, and maybe spend time with their spouse or partner if they have the time. Is it any wonder that investors turn to financial advisors or just kind of throw their hands up and say, "I -- I really don't know. Just give me something. Make it clear. Better yet, you do it Mr. Financial Advisor."

Some mutual fund companies have as many as 300 mutual funds, plus even more choices and confusing explanations on top of that. By presenting you with something called share class (or share type), the mutual fund industry makes investing even more overwhelming. Makes one wonder, is the object to invest or to confuse?

Here is very brief history on share class. It was rule 18F-3, it came out in 1995, and basically what this allowed was the mutual fund industry to come out with different types of share classes. At one of the largest fund families in the world, there are 14 different classes of shares.

Here are a couple of examples: You can buy Class A, which is a front-end load that has a fee anywhere from 3-6%. You can get a Class B, which has no front-end load, but it has a 12B-1 fee, which is a marketing fee which will be there for 5 years. The broker who sells this fund to you gets that 12B-1 fee all up front, all 5 years of it, which is about equal to the front-end load that the investor thought he or she was getting away from. It's actually a sales commission. If the investor sells these shares before the 5-year period, the balance of the deferred sales fee is deducted from the sale.

Another example: The Class C share, which keeps the 12B-1 fee forever. The fee never goes away. 75% of those fees go to the financial advisor who sold the stock to the client. Now, these Class C shares are the favorites of financial advisors, because a financial advisor usually does not have a license to offer Class B shares, so they can't collect fees as they can on C shares; hence, they sell Class C shares to their clients.

The financial advisor will say to his or her clients, "Just so you know, I get paid from the mutual fund; but you'd have to pay those fees anyway." This is not true, because there is a share class where there are no fees, there are no front ends, back ends, side ends, or 12B-1 fees on them. So they really aren't being entirely honest with you.

Then there are Class D shares, which are sold through the supermarket funds, like Schwab, Fidelity, or Ameritrade; Class S shares and Class Z shares, which are closed to new investors; Class I shares and Class Y shares and so on. The average investor can quickly become confused about options and differences between funds and Class A, B, C, D, S and Z shares, and the different ways the 12B-1 fees apply. When all the different types of shares and mutual funds that are being offered are added up, there are about 100,000 and growing different products to choose from. This excludes stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds or exchange-traded notes or closed end.

Conventional wisdom says that brokers should know more than their clients and have their best interest as first priority. But to do so, they have to first get good information themselves; and if the industry, as well as the companies they work for, are conflicted regarding the client's best interest, this can cause dangerous (to your money) and expensive problems.

Consider Before Investing in Mutual Funds

It is believed that an investment does not have to be complicated and difficult. The following are some of the things that you should take into consideration when deciding on investing in a fund. It can be also applied when considering investing in a property investment.

Investment objective

Setting an objective is common regarded as one of the major factors when deciding whether to invest in a fund. If you are investing for wealth accumulation and capital growth, then you might to consider aggressive equity fund. On the contrary, if you are investing for your retirement fund and you are about to retire soon, then you should consider investing in bond fund because the risk is much lower as compared to equity fund.

So long as you have defined your investment objective, it would not be difficult to figure out the right fund to match your investment need.

Risk profile

As people always say, the higher the risk; the higher the return. There are always risks when it comes to investing, it doesn't matter whether it is property investment or investing in mutual funds.

There are various risks of investing in mutual funds. Examples of risks include country risk, currency risk, performance risk, interest rate risk, management risk, foreign market risk, inflation risk as well as management risk.

If your risk appetite is not high and you cannot take most of the risks that mentioned above, you are not advised to invest in equity funds because these funds tend to have higher risks as compared to bond funds.

Truth About Mutual Fund Fees

Have you ever been "fee'd" to death? It's probably happening to you right now by the mutual fund industry, and you don't even know it. The worst part: the fees are deceptive, and you probably wouldn't pay them if you knew the truth.

The fee game involves getting "fee'd" to death by the mutual fund industry, what I like to call the "industrial-investment complex."

Here's some background: The fee that is charged is always presented as a percentage of assets under management. It's really smart for the mutual fund industry to do this. If they're managing a thousand dollars and their fee is 1 %, they're going to get $10. But if they're managing a billion dollars, the fee for assets under management is still the same percentage. It's still that small 1%. So the investor is thinking "Oh, wow, that's only 1%, that's small for all that service."

As the mutual fund industry has grown over the past 20 years, they manage more and more money; $10 trillion today, which comes to $500 billion in potential fees each year. That small fee that's shown as a percent of assets under management never looks that large. That's a main reason why investors think, "Oh wow, this is cheap and not that much" when, in fact, it's very expensive. Seemingly small percentages, added up and compounded over time, make a huge difference for your investments. Every unnecessary investment expense that recurs time and time again cuts deeply into your returns.

A much more equitable fee would be a percentage of income, or a percentage of performance. So if the fund grows its client's money 10%, it would charge the fee to performance and not the fee for assets under management. If it loses 40%, there would be a negative fee to performance. This would give a very accurate, absolute fee structure; however, the mutual fund industry would never do this because it would cut into their profits and show clients the truth, which is that fees are very, very expensive, and they are not good at growing your money.

There are also fees that you probably don't even see or know about. One of these is called the direct brokerage fee. This is how mutual fund companies pay inflated trading costs to their "preferred brokers." These preferred brokers are organizations that help the mutual fund industry sell and market their funds. So the mutual funds turn around and do business with them at an inflated rate. Basically, they're paying a higher rate than they have to.

Then there's what's called the principal-agent problem. This means the agent's attention is not on what is best for their client, but on what is best for the agent. What applies here is that they're not getting the best price for you. Instead of getting the best trading price that the public could get, they're giving business to a company based on how well they succeed at marketing to you, the investor.

Here's an example: In 2001, when the mutual fund industry was a lot smaller than it is today, America Funds, one of the largest fund companies in the world, paid out $34 dollars in direct brokerage fees. The brokers receiving these fees were selected purely because of "excellence" at marketing their funds to investors. That's an extra $34 million they paid out to organizations that helped sell their funds. That's a hidden fee that the mutual fund companies absolutely do not have to disclose for what it truly is: a sales commission.

It's completely bogus to pay these sums as brokerage commissions, but they do because it puts their funds at the top of a list, a list that your 'financial advisor' will promote to you. While this shows up on the books in such a way that it looks like the cost of conducting stock transactions, it's really a form of sales incentive that the clients end up paying for so that the mutual funds get sold to them. The brokers who sell the most mutual funds get a disproportionately large percentage.

The mutual fund industry calls this a brokerage commission, but it's really a sales commission. These are not investment companies; these are sales organizations masquerading as investment companies. What they are selling and trading is your future. You have to do something about it so your future isn't another pawn on a chess table. The first step in taking control of your financial future is to begin to understand the myths that are holding you b

Safest Mutual Funds

The safest mutual funds have a great track record for safety, and they pay interest in the form of dividends. They have a share price that is pegged at $1, which does not fluctuate like the share price of other mutual funds. Trillions of investor dollars have been safely invested in these money market funds over the years.

In 2008-2009 millions of investors took major losses in mutual funds, and many of them made a false conclusion: that mutual funds in general are risky investments. This is not the case. Stock funds involve considerable risk, and longer-term bond funds come with moderate risk. Unfortunately, many investors had most of their investment assets in stock funds in 2007, and continued to hold them as the stock market tumbled.

High quality short-term bond funds involve less risk and money market funds (MMFs) are at the top of the list for safe mutual funds. If you want safety and/or are putting money aside for a shorter-term goal like college funding or to accumulate a down payment to buy real estate, consider investing in both of these fund types.

If you want to add safety to your retirement portfolio, hold these funds along side your stock funds and other investments.

Both bond funds (also called income funds) and money market funds pay interest in the form of dividends. These dividends are normally subject to income tax unless the fund is held in a tax-qualified plan (like a 401k or IRA). In this case the income from dividends is either tax deferred or tax free.

There are also tax-exempt (tax-free) income funds and MMFs designed for folks in higher tax brackets. These invest in municipal securities issued by government entities like the State of Ohio. The interest paid to investors (dividends) is free from federal income tax.

Traditional (taxable) money market funds and income funds invest in debt securities (IOUs) of the federal government, banks, and other corporations. Now, here's the difference between money market funds and bond or income funds, including short-term income funds.

All bonds and income funds come with interest rate risk. In simple terms this means that if you hold them you will lose money if interest rates in the economy go up. This risk is highest for long-term bonds and funds, and much lower for quality short-term bonds and short-term income funds, which are the safest bond funds.

The advantage of bonds (and funds that invest in them) is that they pay higher interest (dividends). Long-term income funds pay the most, and short-term bond funds pay the least. Generally, these short-term income funds pay a bit more in dividends than money market funds.

The traditional money market fund (MMF) invests in high quality short-term IOUs issued by the federal government (T-bills), banks and other major corporations. This short term debt is of very high quality and generally matures in a matter of weeks or months. This arena of investments is referred to as the money market.

Because of the short term nature of these securities, an MMF is continually replacing those securities that have matured with new ones at current competitive interest rates. Hence, as interest rates go up, so do the dividends for the fund. When interest rates fall, fund dividends do as well.

Due to the short term nature of their holdings, these funds have virtually no interest rate risk; and since their holdings are of such high quality there should be very little investment risk to be concerned with.

You can earn competitive interest rates by simply holding an MMF, with very little risk of losing money.

In the early 1980's investors earned double digit returns in money market funds because interest rates were at historical highs. Unfortunately, 2008-2009 ushered in a period of historically low interest rates, and MMF returns followed suite.

When rates rise, the dividends for these safest of mutual funds should as well.

A retired financial planner, James Leitz has an MBA (finance) and 35 years of investing experience. For 20 years he advised individual investors, working directly with them helping them to reach their financial goals.

Debt Management Programs

Debt management programs are designed to help those individuals who fall in endlessly debts. These programs meant to manage your existing debts in a way that it well suited for settling various debts. It is beneficial for those borrowers who have taken a large some of money from the creditors and now facing difficulties in repaying. When you opt for this program it is the duty of the concerned debt management company to manage your existing debts.

You had single or multiple debts, debt management program is equipped with various policies to settle and consolidate your debts with a single stroke. It is serving various debtors to overcome the issues of debts. These polices of program are effective as it has been taken after assumptions and survey that can melt away the debts in the easiest manner. Spend some time online and study about the programs advantages and the companies offering it. In this way you can easily get the management plan that suits your needs and fall within your budget.

These programs also help you to improve your credit conditions and fulfil your every need. So all the debts will no more haunt you and you can live a life free from debts. The sole aim of providing these services is that to offer everyone the debt free life. It is tagged with different names but they serve the same objective. Some of the names include debt consolidation loan, debt management services, instant debt management, online debt consolidation service, debt consolidation advice and respectively. The remuneration to carry these services is quite affordable.

Usually these debts problems tagged you as bad creditors. So it is advisable that you go for the debt management programs to disperse your bad credit disputes. At the single price you can conveniently borrow the two services. Sometimes these financial experts talk to your lenders and lower down your interest rate so you can easily repay the pending amount.

Dealing With Debt Collectors

Whereas most debtors have no experience of debt collection and have next to no knowledge of the law, the majority of debt collectors have both experience and training, which means that it's normally easy for them to trick and to intimidate the debtor.

So if you're afraid to answer your phone because you're worried that the call will be from a collection agency, then it's vitally important that you know what to say to them, and what not to say to them, and more importantly that you know what you can sign, and what you definitely mustn't sign.

Understand and fully internalize, that debt collectors are only contacting you for one reason,

They Want Your Money!

Most debt collectors get paid on a commission basis, and a large number of them will lie to you, and try to bully and con you into paying them.

So Be Prepared

If you don't have your credit report then you must get one, because without it you won't know the details of your various debts, whereas the debt collector will know, and that is something that would put you at an immediate disadvantage when you answer the phone.

I'd suggest getting a triple report from one of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or Trans Union) because they're far easier to read than trying to cross-check three different reports.

At the time of writing they cost $39.95 and if you don't have that kind of money then you can search around for a free report, although most of the advertised ones don't end up being free.

Once you have the report in front of you, make a list of all the unpaid debts and their balances, and make sure you list who the money is owed to, and keep your list next to your phone

A Debt Collector Phones You

1. When somebody calls you about a debt, always start with the premise that the person doesn't have the legal right to collect the debt.

2. It's the caller's job to prove that he has the right, and not vice versa.

3. Under no circumstances, admit that you owe the money!

4. Tell the caller to mail you details of the debt, and ask him to include the amount of the debt, and the name of the original creditor, and if he doesn't know your address then he's not legit, which means that you can safely hang up the phone.

5. a) If he knows your address and all the relevant details, then ask for the collection agency's address and tell him that you will write and request a debt validation letter.

b) According to law (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is Section 809 Validation of Debts), you need to write to a collection agency within 5 days of first being contacted by them, and you must request the amount of the debt as well as the name of the original creditor.

c) The return letter that you receive from the collection agency should state that if you fail to dispute the debt within 30 days of receipt of their letter that the debt will be considered valid.

d) If you write a return letter disputing the debt, then the collection agency must mail you a verification of the debt, or a previous judgment from a civil court case.

e) If you dispute the debt the collection agency must halt all collection attempts for either 30 days, or until they provide you with the requested information.

6. If the debt is 2-3 years overdue then I wouldn't offer them any more than 20% of the original debt, because it's unlikely that they paid more than a few cents on the dollar for it.

7. Don't offer more than you can pay, and don't make any promises you can't keep.

8. If possible, use a lump sum to pay the debt, and get a letter from them in advance stating that,

a) The payment 100% satisfies your obligation to this debt, and is considered 'paid in full'.

b) That the debt will not be transferred or sold to another collection agency.

c) They will not attempt to collect on the remainder of the debt at some future date.

The above information will hopefully have given you a clearer understanding of your rights, and will enable you to better deal with the next debt collector that calls. If however you haven't yet got debt collectors calling you, then please seriously consider contacting a credit counseling agency, and investigate both debt settlement and debt consolidation, and the sooner you do it the better.

And keep your head up high, because things haven't been this bad since the Great Depression (the 1930s), and being in debt right now, is sadly becoming par for the course.

Debt Payment Plans

Debt payment plans are known by various other names too, including debt management plans, debt payment programs and debt consolidation. These terms all means the same thing, which is a process of consolidating all your debts into a plan that leaves you with one monthly payment, which is lower than the sum of your old debts. An important point about this kind of debt payment plan is that it does not involve borrowing any more money, so does not increase your burden of debt any further.

Debt payment plans are arranged by debt management companies, who offer this service in the US, UK and other countries. You will need to approach a company that operates in your own country of residence. What the plan involves is the management company talking to your creditors to agree new deals for paying back their money. This tends to mean that interest charges can be reduced and some fees are often waived. The result of the new arrangements will be that your debt stops getting bigger and you get agreement to new payment amounts that you can afford.

When agreements have been set up with all your creditors, all you have to do is make one payment to the debt management company, and they pass it on to all your creditors. The more obvious benefits of such arrangements are that you only have to worry about one easy payment, and you no longer have creditors phoning you all day long to get their money.

You normally need to have quite a large amount of debt for a debt payment plan to be suitable for you, and the type of debts must be what are known as unsecured debts. All this really means is that you cannot include debts which are legally secured to assets, such as your mortgage. Unsecured debts refer to such things as personal loans, credit card bills and other unpaid bills.

The other requirement if you are interested in arranging a debt payment plan is that you have enough spare income to meet the regular repayments. It can be a useful exercise to work out your monthly income and expenditure, to see how much you could afford to pay. Include all your regular household costs except your debts, and see what you have left each month that you could put toward the debt payment plan.

If you find that you do not have enough spare money to meet the repayments on a plan, then you may need to look at other alternatives such as debt settlement. This is suitable for people with serious debts and not much spare income, and involves negotiating settlements with your creditors that include writing off significant amounts of the debt you owe. The equivalent to debt settlement in the UK is called an individual voluntary agreement, or IVA.

Most importantly, once you understand what a debt payment plan is and decide you wish to look into it, take some time and care over which companies you contact to help you. It is important to approach at least two of three, so that you can compare them against each other, but it is more important to only approach reputable companies. Look for well established and reliable organisations with a history of helping people to get rid of debt.

IRS Tax Debt Relief Methods

Owing tax debt to the IRS is not a major problem if you are willing to deal with it as soon as possible. The real problem comes into your life when you know you owe taxes but are trying to avoid paying. This is not something the IRS will look kindly upon. If you find yourself owing the IRS money you need to consider all of the relief methods that are available to you.

How should I go about paying my tax debt? This is a question that should be answered after you consider how much money you owe, what you have in savings, and much more. The way you find relief from tax debt is not going to be the same as somebody else. There are entirely too many options to get stuck thinking like the next person.

Here are a few IRS tax relief methods to consider:

1. Just pay. If you owe taxes and are tired of worrying about all the run-around the best thing you can do is pay your debt. There is no good reason to wait around if you have enough money to pay your liability.
2. Installment agreement. This type of relief method allows you to pay the taxes you owe over many months. Those who benefit most from an installment agreement are taxpayers who do not have enough cash to pay in a lump sum.
3. Offer in compromise. This is a relief method which allows you to settle your tax debt for less than what you owe. Not everybody is eligible to take advantage of an offer in compromise. The IRS has strict rules on who they will work with in this way.

If you are having a hard time making a decision it is a good idea to hire a tax relief professional. He can analyze your tax situation and make suggestions on how to move forward.

Tax Debt Relief

An offer in compromise may not be something that you can take advantage of to relieve your tax debt. But at the same time, you need to consider all options and this is one of the best. Many people don't even know that an offer in compromise exists. They think they know everything, and are unaware of what this is all about. If you truly want to get out of tax debt you need to think about every last strategy that could work in your favor.

An offer in compromise is easy to understand. As a taxpayer in debt you will make an offer to the IRS to settle for less than what you owe. If they accept you will pay the amount and the rest will be wiped out. When you hear the phrase "paying pennies on the dollar" this is what it means.

In order to be considered a candidate for an offer in compromise the IRS requires you meet one of the three following requirements:

* Doubt as to liability - You can show there is doubt that the amount owed is the correct amount.
* Doubt as to collectibility - You show it is highly unlikely that you would ever be able to pay that amount in full.
* Effective Tax Administration - If the debt was collected it would be unfair or inequitable because it would create financial hardship.

The main issue with tax debt relief through an offer in compromise is that the IRS does not have to accept. They can tell you that you do not qualify, which will then mean that you have to find another way to settle your taxes. It is believed that the IRS accepts approximately 10 to 15 percent of offers.

If you don't want to waste your time or are confused of how to get started, hire a tax firm with experience with this method of debt relief. Not only can they review your case, but if you are a candidate for an offer in compromise you will have all the professional help that you need. If you are not a likely candidate they will tell you the next best option for a person in your tax and financial situation.

An offer in compromise can help you find relief from tax debt. If you qualify, this is the option for you. Everybody wants to settle their debt for less than what they owe, but only a select few are eligible. There are many other methods available to settle tax debt owed, so if one doesn't qualify for an offer in compromise there are many other options that can help one's ability to resolve their tax problem.

Tax Preparation

Tax preparation is an arduous task, which many people prefer to neglect until the last minute. It is an overwhelming task to wade through the paper work, calculate taxes, make provisions and file for the returns. However, it is mandatory so it has to be done.

Tax preparation involves various steps: choosing the tax form, preparing the return, and sending the return. For this, you need to know certain things, like: what forms do you require? How are the calculations done? Are there any penalties? How do you get the best refund? What are the various deductions that I am eligible for? How do I confirm whether IRS has received by my return? How do I know my filing status? What do I do if I moved during the past year?

Tax preparation has now become relatively easy with the Internal Revenue Service’s easy-to-understand books and web pages. There is a lot of useful information on the IRS’s website that can be used for tax preparation.

The information required for tax preparation is: wage statements (Form W-2), pension, or retirement income (1099-Rs), Social Security card(s), driver's license(s), dependents' Social Security numbers and dates of birth, last year's tax return, information on education expenses, commissions received and/or paid, sales of stocks and/or bonds, self-employed business income and expenses, lottery and/or gambling winnings and losses, state refund amount, Social Security and/or unemployment income, income and expenses from rentals, alimony paid or received, record of purchase or sale of real estate, medical and dental expenses, real estate and personal property taxes, estimated taxes or foreign taxes paid, cash and non-cash charitable donations, mortgage or home equity loan interest paid (1098), unreimbursed employment-related expenses, job-related educational expenses and childcare expenses and provider information.

There are also tax consultants and other professional tax preparers willing to help for a small fee. Using their services would help you to avoid any irregularities or blunders in filing. Tax preparation through these consultants can also be done online by using certain software tools. All the information has to be entered, and the form can be sent via e-mail to the IRS or it can be printed out and sent via post. There are special tax preparation software packages available that make it a very easy task. These can be downloaded from the internet. They can also be bought from stores. Some of the most popular tax preparation programs are: TurboTax, Quicken TurboTax and Kipplinger TaxCut.

Reduce Your Tax Bill

Buy to let tax information is often very hard to come by with the required information scattered around various sources fro the inland revenue, hearsay from friends or colleagues or dotted around various websites on the internet. Here we will try to cover the basics and hopefully give some pointers on how to minimise the tax bill from your buy to let investment.

Understand what you have to pay.

There are two main obligations a buy to let landlord has to the tax authorities in the UK (and indeed in most countries):

1. Capital Gains Tax

This is a tax on any gains in the capital value of your buy to let property when you come to sell it. In other words if you buy the buy to let property for £100,000 and sell it 5 years later for £150,000 then you would be liable to pay tax on the profit of £50,000. Following he recently announced changes to a capital gains tax rate of 18%, your tax bill following the sale of this property would be £9,000 (£50,000 x 18%).

2. Income Tax

This is the tax you'll have to pay on the rental income of your buy to let pproperty. For example if you rent the property for £800 per month and the property is let out all year you would be liable to pay taxes on £9,600 (£800 x 12months) income. If yo are a higher rate tax payer your tax bill would be £3,840 (£9,600 x 40%). This obviously can affect the profitability of you buy to let investment significantly so it is important to understand how to minimise this tax bill.

Your can offset expenses such as repairs and maintenance of the property again your income liability (£9,600 in the example above). However the biggest way to reduce your bill is by off settiing the interest on your buy to let mortgage against the income. It is because buy to let mortgage interest (not capital repayments) is tax deductible that the majority of landlords choose to finance their buy to let investments using interest only loans.

Useful Information on Taxes Relief

If your main interest is information on tax fraud or any other, such as tax relief 2008, Tennessee extension bill property taxes or the expansion of the economy incentives for relief from taxes on income This article can be useful.

Reduction of sentence is another method of tax relief which you may qualify for, especially if their non-payment of taxes and the resulting sanctions were due to the events you had no power. These are usually in the form of serious illness, death, natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and fires; On the other hand, problems such as poor reception of tax advice or even errors made by the IRS and the sudden shift in tax laws.

Benefits under the Law include the elimination of tax liabilities, reducing tax rates on income, capital gains and dividend income, the simplification of the rules of retirement plan and pension plans, increased credit for dependent children and child care, the depreciation of assets, and more.

Tax relief can also be beneficial through checks mailed to taxpayers by federal or state tax authorities to reduce the burden of taxes. These controls can also be in the form of refund checks received from the tax authorities of tax paid in advance when it was found that excess taxes paid by the taxpayer after calculating the tax assessment of the current or previous assessment of the year.

You must remember that if this article has not provided an accurate tax information scam, you can use any of the major Internet search engines, like Ask com, to find the exact tax relief scam information you need.

This form of tax relief is available only to the original purchaser of the hybrids or advanced lean burn technology, vehicle. However, if the vehicle is leased the credit is passed to the leasing company. Once 60,000 vehicles in particular have been sold, will benefit from this tax relief will be reduced and eventually be eliminated. Its full tax credit may be claimed until the end of the 3rd month after the quarter in which the manufacturer sells its 60000th vehicle.

Tax time is one of those terrible events in the U.S. for many people each year. If you have fallen behind in their taxes will have to find some relief from the tax debt. One of the keys to the alleviation of the tax debt is to act quickly before the cargo is so large that it can not escape. This article was hanging in some potential for debt relief tax solutions for you.

While the recruitment of tax relief aid can not be cheap, not realizing that letting his tax debt with the growth of all sanctions and the imminent rise in interest actually cost much more and be harder to solve, even for a longer time.

For your information, we found that many people who were searching for a tax scam also searched online for Indiana property tax relief, state tax forms, and even Wisconsin property tax relief.

Mortgages in the UK

The current state of the economy has had a huge impact on finances for many. Families are in strife; workers are facing redundancies, cuts in hours and even cuts in wages. Many house owners are trying to 'tighten their belts' as much as possible, making savings where they can on their outgoings, denying themselves luxuries and cutting back on non-essential expenditure where they can. As a mortgage consumes a large chunk of a monthly income people are looking for the best deals from banks and mortgage brokers. A small percentage on a big figure can result in worthwhile savings. Some people feel that a tracker mortgage may be a solution to their problems - at least in a small, immediate way.

A tracker mortgage is a loan secured against a property where the interest that is charged is guaranteed to remain the same through following or "tracking" the Bank of England base rate at a set margin agreed above the current base rate and will not revert to the SVR [Standard Variable Rate] at any point during the life of the loan. They continually track the base rate until you have either paid off your mortgage or switched your mortgage provider or product.

Usually they work out cheaper than a capped, flexible, or fixed-rate mortgage - and though the cost of a tracker mortgage will fall to match a fall in interest rates, it will also rise to match an increase in interest rates. Tracker mortgages that have discounts and stepped discounts built into them are also available.

Latest figures show that the number of tracker mortgages available has fallen 81% in the last year from 1,937 to 366 and one-year tracker mortgages have been the greatest victims of the fall - astonishingly down to two from 522. Two and three year deals have fallen by around 73%, a reflection of the meltdown in the mortgage market in the current economic climate. It is understandable that customers wish to strike the best deal and the move of borrowers to fixed rate deals over recent months since bank rates slashed makes sense and has had an impact on tracker mortgage availability and attractiveness; choice is now limited. The new lower Bank of England rates means that margins on tracker mortgages over the base rate rise from 0.9 per cent a year ago to 2.5 per cent now.

However, there will probably be a drop in the level of fixed rate mortgages being sold as rates increase and as there has been little change in tracker rates, their appeal will increase unless of course interest rates start increasing rapidly.

Advantages of the tracker mortgage are low or no ERCs [Early Repayment Charges] and a good rate and fee arrangement with the possibility of an offset facility also. The ERC is probably the most appealing aspect of the tracker mortgage as it allows for clients to avail of switching to a fixed mortgage when it suits them better, providing they are not 'locked in' or includes a 'droplock' clause.

Good Mortgage Refinancing Deal

Choosing the right mortgage lender, is nearly as important as choosing the right refinancing option. To help homeowners easily choose a good mortgage lender here are 4 things you should know. Using these tips and getting a good mortgage lender can lead to huge savings for homeowners.

1) Know your reasons for wanting a mortgage refinancing.

Are you looking to lower your interest rate? Want the stability of a fixed rate loan? Need some cash from the equity you have built in your home? Any of these things is possible through mortgage refinancing. Most homeowners refinance to take advantage, especially lately, of lower mortgage interest rates than were available to them. Other popular reasons to refinance include getting out of an ARM (Adjustable rate mortgage) loan and into a stable, fixed rate, mortgage. Also, a lot of homeowners desire or need a large amount of cash. Homeowners who have equity in their home can refinance their mortgage against that and pocket the difference. Homeowners may also be able to just refinance into an extended mortgage length which would reduce the monthly mortgage payments.

2) Know the different Mortgage Types, and a variety of Mortgage Lenders.

There are plenty of qualified mortgage lenders who will handle your mortgage refinancing. Banks, mortgage lenders, credit unions, and mortgage brokers, just to name a few. Mortgage brokers, are representatives on your behalf who shop your situation around to a variety of different mortgage lenders and banks, and are usually worth their extra cost. Especially if a homeowner is having a hard time getting a decent quote.

Also get to know the basic terms, conditions, and expectations from a mortgage lender before you apply. Know what an ARM loan is, what points are, and the average mortgage rates across the country. This is all easily available online. This way you have a rough idea, and can ask more questions, when refinancing a mortgage.

3) Be sure to Comparison Shop between different Mortgage Lenders.

Mortgage refinancing is easier to do these days than it ever has been before. There are a large number of online companies, in addition to the traditional brick and mortar lenders, that will be happy to have you as a customer. Each lender has its own policies, terms, and conditions. That is why quotes from different lenders will often be different. It is good to get quotes from all potential mortgage lenders, and make the choice from there.

4) Negotiate for the Best Mortgage Refinancing deal which will Meet your Financial needs.

Typically, the terms, conditions, and interest rate you get when refinancing are dependent on which type of refinancing and loan you wish to get. Make sure you know exactly what you want, and expect, from each mortgage lender. If there are problems, extra costs, or things which seem expensive, like closing costs, ask to have those costs lowered. Always remember, you are the customer, and you can leave and choose another lender.

These are just a few simple mortgage refinancing tips which all homeowners can use. Refinancing a home loan can be a great financial move for a lot of people to make. However, if you refinance the wrong way, or get taken advantage of, you will probably be in a worse situation than you are in now. Make sure you take a little time and do some research on refinancing and potential mortgage lenders.

Real Estate Loans

You are looking for a nice home to live in rest but what is worrying you is the limited budget. Well, in such situation real estate loans could help you a lot. These loans are widely recognized for their quick financial assistance and easy solutions. Let us get inside these loans to have a basic understanding.

Real estate loans offer you a good amount of money with adjustable repayment option. What you need to do is to place any of your security for the loaned amount. This security could be your property and could come in the form of any valuable paper, jewellery, car etc. It is actually a security which ascertains the safe return of the loaned amount to the lender himself. And as a lender gets security, he feels no hesitation to offer flexible offer to borrower.

Real estate loans can be accessed by everyone. Thus both good and bad credit holders are welcomed here. With a hefty loaned amount, everyone is given a chance to meet their needs satisfactorily. Here excluding financial assistance for buying home, a bad credit holder can also improve his adverse credit score.

To search out lenders regarding real estate loans, you should find out the exact medium of application for these loans. Here comes the reference of World Wide Web. Here, innumerable lenders offer sound loan offers. You can search out a lender according to your choice of locality. Moreover here you get the chance to access loan quotes, which are available at free of cost. By loan calculators, comparison tools, you can further compare their loan offers of online lenders. And in this way, you can take your pick satisfactorily and without any hassles.

Global Investment Banking

A global investment bank's business thrives on doing deals. Global investment banking entails raising capital such as debt or equity for their clients as well as advising on a customer's possible merger and acquisition transactions. On top of that, global investment banks also market securities such as stocks, bonds, and treasury bills to their institutional investors. These international investment banks actually trade for their respective accounts. There are numerous existing investment banks that are also involved in the management of third-party assets. International investment banking involves various departments such as the departments of debt capital market, equity capital market, asset management, risk management, trading, treasury management, merger and acquisition, as well as research.

The global investment banking world could be really confusing to an ordinary individual and that is a reason for people to seek help from qualified investment banks. A truly fine provider of the different global financial services should have a solid foundation in terms of dealing with the international market. It should also be able to timely deliver the global financial services and solutions that their clients might require from them. A few traits that a good international financial services provider have is that it should be able to offer sales, trading, advisory, and most importantly, the various strategies to raise a company's capital.

A first-rate global investment bank should also be supported by a competent staff that boasts of a high level of execution capabilities together with an extensive and impressive track record. They should be able to properly distinguish the exact needs of their every client, set up customized financial proposals, and provide tailor-made financial strategies. Topnotch international financial services provider also maintains good corporate governance. These corporations try to fulfill all their social responsibilities to their shareholders as well as the other stakeholder groups. They enhance their corporate values and instill these in their employees while offering market-focused financial solutions and advice to their clients.

Some global financial markets that top investments banks cater to are those of New York, Tokyo, and London, among others. Global investment banking actually works to provide quality service to a vast clientele all throughout the world. Clients of international investment banks include the government sectors, major corporations, hedge funds, financial institutions, and also to other organizations. Global investment banks offer their services all around the world such as North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, as well as the Middle East.

Global investment banking is very important to numerous clients worldwide. It has a lot going for them and it also offers flexibility for their clients. The primary objective of international investment banks is to ensure the financial success of their clientele. This is the reason as to why these banks offer plenty of solutions, strategies and services that involve the raising of capital from the public and private sectors, financial restructurings, and also financial solutions or even financial advisory. By providing these services, it guarantees that these international investment banking units offer extensive financial market knowledge as well as coordinated execution to their clients all over the world.

Impact Of Technology In Banking

In the world of banking and finance nothing stands still. The biggest change of all is in the, scope of the business of banking. Banking in its traditional from is concerned with the acceptance of deposits from the customers, the lending of surplus of deposited money to suitable customers who wish to borrow and transmission of funds. Apart from traditional business, banks now a days provide a wide range of services to satisfy the financial and non financial needs of all types of customers from the smallest account holder to the largest company and in some cases of non customers. The range of services offered differs from bank to bank depending mainly on the type and size of the bank.

RESERVE BANK'S EARLY INITIATIVES
As a central bank in a developing country, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has adopted development of the banking and financial market as one of its prime objectives. "Institutional development" was the hallmark of this approach from 1950s to 1970s. In the 1980s, the Reserve Bank focused on "improvements in the productivity" of the banking sector. Being convinced that technology is the key for improving in productivity, the Reserve Bank took several initiatives to popularize usage of technology by banks in India.

Periodically, almost once in five years since the early 1980s, the Reserve Bank appointed committees and working Groups to deliberate on and recommend the appropriate use of technology by banks give the circumstances and the need. These committees are as follows:
-Rangarajan committee -1 in early 1980s.
-Rangarajan committee -11 in late 1980s.
-Saraf working group in early 1990s.
-Vasudevan working group in late 1990s.
-Barman working group in early 2000s.

Based on the recommendations of these committees and working groups, the Reserve Bank issued suitable guidelines for the banks. In the 1980s, usage of technology for the back office operations of the banks predominated the scene. It was in the form of accounting of transactions and collection of MIS. In the inter-bank payment systems, it was in the form of clearing and settlement using the MICR technology.

Two momentous decisions of the Reserve Bank in the 1990s changed the scenario for ever there are:
a) The prescription of compulsory usage of technology in full measure by the new private sector banks as a precondition of the license and
b) The establishment of an exclusive research institute for banking technology institute for development and Research in Banking Technology.

As the new private sector banks came on the scene as technology-savvy banks and offered several innovative products at the front office for the customers based on technology, the demonstration effect caught on the reset of the banks. Multi channel offerings like machine based (ATMs and pc-Banking), card based (credit/Debit/Smart cards), Communication based (Tele-Banking and Internet Banking) ushered in Anytime and Anywhere Banking by the banks in India. The IDRBT has been instrumental in establishing a safe and secure, state of the art communication backbone in the from of the Indian Financial NETwork (INFINET) as a closed user group exclusively for the banking and financial sector in India.

CHANGING FACE OF BANKING SERVICES
Liberalization brought several changes to Indian service industry. Probably Indian banking industry learnt a tremendous lesson. Pre-liberalization, all we did at a bank was deposit and withdraw money. Service standards were pathetic, but all we could do was grin and bear it. Post-liberalization, the tables have turned. It's a consumer oriented market there.

Technology is revolutionizing every field of human endeavor and activity. One of them is introduction of information technology into capital market. The internet banking is changing the banking industry and is having the major effects on banking relationship. Web is more important for retail financial services than for many other industries.

Retail banking in India is maturing with time, several products, which further could be customized. Most happening sector is housing loan, which is witnessing a cut-throat competition. The home loans are very popular as they help you to realize your most cherished dream. Interest rates are coming down and market has seen some innovative products as well. Other retail banking products are personal loan, education loan and vehicles loan. Almost every bank and financial institution is offering these products, but it is essential to understand the different aspects of these loan products, which are not mentioned in their colored advertisements.

PLASTIC MONEY
Plastic money was a delicious gift to Indian market. Giving respite from carrying too much cash. Now several new features added to plastic money to make it more attractive. It works on formula purchase now repay later. There are different facts of plastic money credit card is synonyms of all.

Credit card is a financial instrument, which can be used more than once to borrow money or buy products and services on credit. Banks, retail stores and other businesses generally issue these. On the basis of their credit limit, they are of different kinds like classic, gold or silver.

Charged cards-these too carry almost same features as credit cards. The fundamental difference is you can not defer payments charged generally have higher credit limits or some times no credit limits.
Debit cards-this card is may be characterized as accountholder's mobile ATM, for this you have to have account with any bank offering credit card.

Over the years, the banking sector in India has seen a no. of changes. Most of the banks have begun to take an innovative approach towards banking with the objective of creating more value for customers and consequently, the banks. Some of the significant changes in the banking sector are discussed below.

MOBILE BANKING
Taking advantages of the booming market for mobile phones and cellular services, several banks have introduced mobile banking which allows customers to perform banking transactions using their mobile phones. For instances HDFC has introduced SMS services. Mobile banking has been especially targeted at people who travel frequently and to keep track of their banking transaction.

RURAL BANKING
One of the innovative scheme to be launched in rural banking was the KISAN CREDIT CARD (KCC) SCHMME started in fiscal 1998-1999 by NABARD. KCC mode it easier for framers to purchase important agricultural inputs. In addition to regular agricultural loans, banks to offer several other products geared to the needs of the rural people.

Private sector Banks also realized the potential in rural market. In the early 2000's ICICI bank began setting up internet kiosks in rural Tamilnadu along with ATM machines.

NRI SERVICES
With a substantial number of Indians having relatives abroad, banks have begun to offer service that allows expatriate Indians to send money more conveniently to relatives India which is one of the major improvements in money transfer.

E-BANKING
E-Banking is becoming increasingly popular among retail banking customers. E-Banking helps in cutting costs by providing cheaper and faster ways of delivering products to customers. It also helps the customer to choose the time, place and method by which he wants to use the services and gives effect to multichannel delivery of service by the bank. This E-Banking is driven by twin engine of "customer-pull and Bank-push".

CONCLUSION
Technology has been one of the most important factors for the development of mankind. Information and communication technology is the major advent in the field of technology which is used for access, process, storage and dissemination of information electronically. Banking industry is fast growing with the use of technology in the from of ATMs, on-line banking, Telephone banking, Mobile banking etc., plastic card is one of the banking products that cater to the needs of retail segment has seen its number grow in geometric progression in recent years. This growth has been strongly supported by the development of in the field of technology, without which this could not have been possible of course it will change our lifestyle in coming years.

Estate Plan Maintenance

Estate planning is one of the critical elements of a comprehensive financial plan. Who inherits the assets, how the assets are to be used or disbursed, and how best to minimize taxes are all questions estate planning can address. Thus, considering these questions as part of a plan is critical, but as critical are a few small steps you can take to ensure that all documents impacted by your estate plan are up-to-date and are in alignment with your plan.

A few of the steps you can take are as follows:

Beneficiaries

Certain types of assets including retirement accounts and insurance policies typically allow beneficiaries to be named, and those beneficiaries inherit the asset should the account owner pre-decease them. From time-to-time it is necessary to change beneficiaries, most often due to death of a named beneficiary or divorce. Don't forget to check beneficiaries on all relevant accounts, including insurance policies and employer retirement plans.

Documents

At a minimum, in our opinion an estate plan should include a will, a financial (or durable) power of attorney, and a medical power of attorney. The first two documents should be kept in a secure location, typically a safety deposit box, but you'll want to keep the medical power of attorney in a location that is accessible at any time. If you need treatment that only the person granted your medical power-of-attorney can authorize, you'll want that person to be able to present the power-of-attorney to the treating hospital at any time. Lastly, make sure that those acting as your executor and financial power of attorney are aware of the location and have access to the relevant documents.

Executor and Power-of-Attorney

As with named beneficiaries, it makes sense to review who you've chosen as your executor, as well as to whom you've granted powers-of-attorney to ensure that they are still willing and able to function in the capacity in question. Additionally, be sure that those you've chosen to serve in these roles are aware that you would like them to act in the chosen capacity. While it is certainly flattering to be chosen for a position of such trust, some may not feel comfortable with the responsibility it entails.

While estate planning isn't the most cheerful topic to contemplate, knowing that your affairs are in order does bring some peace-of-mind.

Estate Planning is not something that everyone wants to think about. But it's an important thing to consider if you have a significant amount of property or wealth. Even if you only have a small amount of wealth, you want to make sure that if you pass on, your property goes to the right people in your life.

Without the proper planning this may not happen. Let's say for example you have no children and have yet to be married. Let's say also that you spend all of your time working with a children's charity, and that if you did pass on you would want your money to go to this group.

Without the proper planning, your money could go to your closest surviving family member. This could be a sister that you don't get along with or a cousin you never knew. If you know where you want your money to go, then estate planning should be a top priority.

Nobody likes to think about death. When you start to think about estate planning, you start to think about how you might die. It's a sad thing to think about for many people. But you should try your best to stay strong so that those that you love can get what you would've wanted them to have.

Another way to approach the issue is to do it with an experienced company. Estate planning companies with experience dealing with this sort of thing can make the process much easier. They know it's hard to think about these matters, so they make the questioning process as brief as possible for you. Working with a professional in the field will make the whole process much easier.

You can do some shopping around to find the right company. Your estate planning choices are some of the most important choices you will have to make in your lifetime. You want to make sure that you choose the right company to handle them.

It is important to note that the estate planning process doesn't have to take a long time. You generally know how you would like things to be worked out before you begin the process. Your estate planner will just help to make your words legally binding, and remind you of issues you might have forgotten.