Finance2007   Finance for personal business

Help yourself avoid overdraft fees by understanding checking.

While there is a lot of attention put on people who get into financial trouble based on the amount of money that they charge to their credit cards, that is not the only problem that people commonly have. For instance, checking accounts can cause trouble as well, especially if you do not know how checking works. Therefore, before you start using your checking account frequently, you should find out exactly how your checking account works.

Your checking account is just another bank account, though it is usually not the same or attached to your savings account. Many people find it worthwhile to have both a savings account and a checking account. The reason for this is that you get interest on your savings in the savings account – while in a checking account, you have more freedom with when and how you withdraw your money.

When you write a check, it is true that the money will not be taken out of your account immediately. However, trying to beat the system and writing checks before you have money deposited into your account is a good way to get into trouble with bounced checks. This is why it is important to keep a detailed checkbook, so that you will know exactly how much money is in your checking account at all times.

One thing that you should keep in mind, as well, is that in most cases, debit or check cards will withdraw the money from your account immediately. Therefore, you should make sure that you count these transactions in your check book just like you would any other transaction.

Another tip that you should think about is that it is usually a good idea to keep some extra money in your checking account. If you have a $200 buffer, then you’ll be able to take care of business if something unexpected should come up. For instance, if there is an emergency and you need to spend money at first, then the extra money in your account will come in handy. This is also useful just in case you are waiting for a deposit into your account and it is late.

Find me a person who doesnt want to make more money. Its nearly impossible to find! Everyone wants to make money and theres nothing wrong with that because money makes the world go round! But many people dont know that you can actually make money with a loan! Did you know that? Its true! One way that you can get more money is with a secured loan.

Wait a minute, youre saying. How can a loan give me more money? Doesnt a loan, by its very nature, reduce the amount of money I have?

Its true that it may seem like that, but a secured loan is an ideal way to make money. Heres how:

A secured loan is a loan that provides some kind of asset as a guarantee to a lending agency. So when you apply for a loan, you also suggest that if you cannot pay, you have some kind of asset that will cover the default amount. For some people, its their car. For others, it may be their jewelry or some stock certificates.

Whatever it is, lending institutes like secured loans because it reduces the risk they have when lending money. Unsecured loans are high risk endeavours for them because if someone defaults on the loan, there is little they can do to get their money back. On the other hand, secured loans have some kind of guarantee which makes them a risk-free investment for the lending agency. And because there is little risk to them, they are willing to pass some of that savings on to you in the form of reduced interest rates and longer repayment terms.

So heres how you can make money from it. First, collect all of your credit card bills together. Add up how much you own. Many people owe in the thousands and are shocked to discover that the interest rate is abysmally high. Second, find an asset that you can use to get a secured loan. Third, shop around and find a loan provider.

Collect those debts together and consolidate them under one secured loan. That way, youll reduce the amount of interest you pay on each debt because secured loans have lower interest rates than credit cards. And, youll stretch out your repayment period beyond the short term that credit cards give you. And, even better, youll have a fixed amount of money you know you have to pay each month, rather than get surprised every few days with another bill from a credit card company.

Since people often pay half as much above the purchase price in interest on credit cards, youll make money you would have spent by consolidating your loan into a UK secured credit card consolidation loan.

You have been accepted to college. Now, how are you going to pay for it?

For college-bound students and families, this is the moment of truth when they find out the amount of money being offered by a specific college. Each school will offer different award packages, which can include a combination of grants, scholarships, work study or student loans. Students and families should carefully read all of the information contained in the award letters and clearly understand the letters’ terms and conditions. Equally important, try not to panic if the amount of money awarded is not enough to cover college expenses.

“The financial aid award package is not the end of the road by any means,” says Martha Holler, spokesperson for Sallie Mae, the nation’s No. 1 paying-for-college company. “Never simply settle for a school based on cost alone. With roughly $143 billion in financial aid awarded last year, financial assistance is out there for students to attend their dream school.”

In addition to thoroughly reading each award letter received, students and families should ask themselves the following:

• What are the enrollment requirements for grants and scholarships?

• Are the awards for one year or all four years?

• Is the required GPA to maintain the awards realistic?

• If student employment is part of the financial aid package, what types of jobs are available and what rate of pay is typical?

“Above all, it is important for students to compare their award packages on an apples-to-apples basis,” says Holler. “While one letter may total a higher amount, it may be more heavily weighted with loans and not free money, like grants and scholarships.”

Holler adds that while most colleges rarely negotiate or match another school’s award package, they should be alerted if a family’s financial circumstances have changed. In that case, families should contact the financial office as quickly as possible for a reassessment.

Most people dream of making a lot of money. The question is, what does that mean?

The truth is that money is highly subjective. Certainly, a billion dollars is a lot of money; there are only a handful of billionaires in the world. Is a million dollars a lot? In terms of total wealth, no; a significant minority of the population has a million dollars or more in total assets to leave to their heirs, largely due to the appreciation of real estate. Were one to make a million dollars a year, however, that person would be among the most highly paid in the world.

Personal perception has a significant role in determining the amount of money that a person can expect to make. The reason for this is that the two factors that most influence earnings–level of demonstrable skill, and payment requested from an employer–are very dependent upon the individual. Moreover, while skill is partially based on individual confidence and partially dependent upon innate ability, the amount of money that a person asks an employer to provide is solely based on the individual.

Of course, the two are related. One cannot have a minimal skillset and expect to receive a high salary. However, many people have excellent skillsets yet are paid comparatively little versus their peers. Why?

The truth is, they probably didn’t ask–or if they did, they didn’t ask in a way that conveyed they really thought that they deserved what they wanted. In many cases, the boss knows the most that he or she can pay, but will be pleased to pay less if an employee will accept it.

Of course, the boss will not tell the employee what he or she can actually afford to pay. But dealing with that is comparatively easy in the Information Age: there are salary guidelines for given locales and positions available on the Internet. The real challenge is not asking a high level of compensation, but feeling that you deserve the high level of compensation for which you are asking.

To do that, one must understand the relative value of money. We have established that being a billionaire is truly remarkable, and that accumulating a million dollars over a lifetime is not but that making a million dollars per year is. What about lower income levels–the sort that we tend to see in everyday life?

How much is a lot?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Federal Poverty Guideline for a family of four in 2006 is $20,000. A family that makes this amount or less is, by definition, poor.

The median income reported for a family of four in 2006, however, ranged from a low of $45,867 in New Mexico to a high of $87,412 in New Jersey. These figures include single- and multi-earner households.

Consider a candidate in New Jersey who holds a degree in a moderate-demand field. Will he or she accept a salary of $20,000? Probably not. Expecting a salary of $87,412 may seem excessive, though, because he or she would, as a single earner, be requesting the average income of a family of four.

But is it excessive? Actually, no; if $87,412 is the median salary–meaning there are an equal number of earners above and below that mark–the candidate could, in fact, confidently request $90,000 or more. The reaction from a hiring manager would depend in part on the industry and also in part of the applicant’s specific skillset. Another candidate, in another job, however, could ask for it and get it. The trick is to have the audacity to ask.

A real-life story

Shortly after I finished college, someone I knew earned $40,000 a year. His stated goal was to reach a salary of $50,000. He worked hard to apply himself to education and professional development, and volunteered for special projects to expand his skillset.

His next job offer caught him off-guard: $73,000. He took it, of course, astonished at how much he now made. Within a few months, though, he realized that others in the field made considerably more. He stayed active in professional development and worked hard to master new skills.

A year into the job, he requested an increase in salary, providing his employer with salary survey data and other information. He received a raise to $89,000 and was offered an incentive plan based on performance.

After three years, he decided to leave. He interviewed at a number of top companies that were excited to meet him. He had an offer from one for $110,000 and then got an offer from another for $115,000. Deciding that he prefered the first company, he asked if they would increase their offer. Knowing that this would require approval, however, he offered to take an initial salary of $100,000 until he finished his probationary period. They accepted.

Four years ago, he aspired to someday make $50,000. Today, he makes $115,000–and considers $200,000 to be easily within reach given a few more years. And why?

Because he asked.