http://www.4financialtools.com 4 Financial Tools provides financial information to help make informed decisions. Wed, 31 Aug 2005 18:50:24 GMT ListGarden Program 1.3.1 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.4financialtools.com/small-business.html <h3>Starting your business</h3><a href="http://www.checkcrafters.com"><img src="http://www.4financialtools.com/images/cc1.gif" border="0" alt="Check Crafters Business Checks" align="right"></a> <p>If you wish to profit from doing something you love; switching from employee to entrepreneur may not be all that difficult after all. Here are a few tips for starting your own business.</p> <h3>Turn your idea for a business into the reality.</h3> <ul> <li>Read material about the type of business you wish to run. The Internet is a great resource for information. Use it to educate yourself further about the type of business that peaks your interest. Go to your local library for books on the subject.</li> <li>If one exists, contact the business’s trade organization. Attend conventions so you can network with others and obtain an understanding of the industry.</li> <li>View the web sites of business owners in the field you selected. Contact a few of them to ask questions. Sample questions can be about the people and supplies required for the business, the expectations for major expenses, obtaining funding, and for any insight they can provide.</li> </ul> <h2><a href="http://www.4financialtools.com/small-business.html">Read More</a></h2> Wed, 31 Aug 2005 18:47:54 GMT http://www.4financialtools.com/savings-budgeting.html <p>When creating your financial goals it is important to be specific. While becoming rich may be your goal, it is important to make sure your goal can be tracked. A more specific goal would be to save $1,000 in 3 months. It is beneficial to have goals categorized as short-term, medium-term and long-term.</p> <h2><a href="http://www.4financialtools.com/savings-budgeting.html">Read More</a></h2> Wed, 31 Aug 2005 18:38:03 GMT http://www.4financialtools.com/retirement.html <p> Whether you are 25, 35 or even 55, it is never too late to begin planning for your retirement. The age you decide to begin the retirement planning process, however, will determine the amount you will need to save to reach your retirement goals.</p> <h2><a href="http://www.4financialtools.com/retirement.html">Read More</a></h2> Wed, 31 Aug 2005 18:16:11 GMT http://www.4financialtools.com/loans-credit-cards.html <p>People do not purposely set out to entangle themselves in a web of debt, but it happens. Over time, you find you have charged a few too many luxuries you thought were necessities, or that the interest rate you were assigned can be lowered from the original rate because of rate availability or the improvement of your credit rating.</p> <h2><a href="http://www.4financialtools.com/loans-credit-cards.html">Read More</a></h2> Wed, 31 Aug 2005 18:06:38 GMT http://www.4financialtools.com/car-purchase.html <p><a href="http://www.uniquechecks.com"><img src="http://www.4financialtools.com/images/unique.jpg" alt="Unique Checks.com" border="0" align="right"></a>Do you currently own a car? If you do and plan on trading it in to the dealer it is important that you know the value of your car. A convenient way to do this is to visit the Kelly Blue Book web site . </p><p>Their web site will provide 3 different estimates for your car. The first estimate is the trade in value; this is the amount that you can expect to receive from the dealer for the trade-in vehicle. The second is a private party estimate; this is the amount that you can expect to receive if you sell the car yourself. The third estimate is the suggested retail value; this is representative of the dealer’s asking price for your car. Use the prices found on the Kelly Blue Book web site as a starting point to determine the fair value of your car. <h2><a href="http://www.4financialtools.com/car-purchase.html">Read More</a></h2></p> Wed, 31 Aug 2005 14:50:05 GMT http://www.4financialtools.com/investing.html <p> A decision to begin investing should include two key factors: money that is completely free from any obligations and determined goals. Decide if your investment is a short or medium term goal, such as saving for an electronic gadget or new furniture, or if it is a long term goal, such as retirement. Another factor to consider before you begin investing is whether you wish to have immediate access to the money you are investing. After you have outlined your goals for investing, you are ready to open an account and get started.</p> <h2><a href="http://www.4financialtools.com/investing.html">Read More</a></h2> Wed, 31 Aug 2005 18:03:33 GMT http://www.4financialtools.com/home-purchase.html <p>There are several different types of mortgages available for home purchase. Below is a brief overview:</p> <p>Fixed-Rate Mortgage: The interest rate is set for the full length of the loan. Because the monthly cost of fixed-rate mortgages stays the same each month, it is easier to plan a budget.</p> <p>Adjustable Rate Mortgage: Otherwise known as an ARM, an Adjustable Rate Mortgage usually starts with a lower initial interest rate than a Fixed-Rate Mortgage. Once the set initial payment period has expired (often from 1 to 10 years), the monthly payment amount changes. However, ARM mortgages feature an adjustment “cap” which limits the interest rate increase. This is an important feature as it can help protect ARM consumers from experiencing too large an increase in their monthly payment. ARM mortgages are particularly attractive if the home purchaser does not expect to live in a particular home for a long period of time, or for those who expect their income to increase over the course of the mortgage loan.</p> <h2><a href="http://www.4financialtools.com/home-purchase.html">Read More</a></h2> Wed, 31 Aug 2005 18:01:11 GMT http://www.4financialtools.com/debt-consolidation.html <p>Determining the best benefits of debt consolidation depends on your situation and your goals. Here is a listing to consider:</pP <ul> <li>One convenient monthly payment</li> <li>Can lower debt payments by as much as 50%</li> <li>Help to avoid filing for bankruptcy</li> <li>Eliminates harassment from creditors</li> <li>Saves interest fees</li> <li>Reduces your overall monthly debt</li> <li>Improves your credit rating by establishing a history of timely payments</li> <li>Helps you to establish a monthly budget</li> </ul> <h2><a href="http://www.4financialtools.com/debt-consolidation.html">Read More</a></h2> Wed, 31 Aug 2005 15:08:28 GMT http://www.4financialtools.com/estates.html <p>You may think you are too young to plan for things such as death and disability. The reality is that we have no promise of tomorrow and the importance of planning for the unexpected can not be ignored. You should have an estate plan if you have property that you care about, you want to set specific plans for your health care treatment, and especially if you have a minor child or children. Create an estate plan now, while you are legally capable of creating one. If you wait until you are unable to manage these types of affairs, your plan could face the challenging of those who will fight against your wishes.</p> <h2><a href="http://www.4financialtools.com/estates.html">Read More</a></h2> Wed, 31 Aug 2005 17:55:03 GMT http://www.4financialtools.com/credit-management.html <h3>Make payments on time</h3><p>It is very important that payments are made on time to your creditors. When payments are late, you can be charged a late fee. Creditors can also raise your interest rates when payments are not made on time and too many late payments can have a negative impact on your overall credit rating.</p> <h3>Make at least the minimum payment</h3> <p>The only way to reduce your credit debt is to send a payment that is larger than any charges accrued over the billing period, which includes interest. The minimum payment is usually an amount which is not much higher than the interest that you owe. By paying only minimum payments, you will not lower your debt. However, making the minimum payment will prevent negative impact to your credit rating.<h2><a href="http://www.4financialtools.com/credit-management.html">Read More</a></p> Wed, 31 Aug 2005 14:59:20 GMT http://www.4financialtools.com/education.html <h2>Saving for the Future</h2> <p>The cost of a college education continues to climb higher and higher each year. Time moves so quickly, that before they are aware, the high school years begin and many parents are faced with an impending fear: How will I pay for college education and expenses?</p> <p>Your child or children are never too young for you to begin investing for their higher education. Much like saving for your eventual retirement, the sooner you begin to invest for college, the better off you will be. It is not impossible to prepare for these costs.<h2><a href="http://www.4financialtools.com/education.html">Read More</a></h2></p> Wed, 31 Aug 2005 15:24:32 GMT