New Reverse Mortge Law Raises Lending Limits - Huge Difference

By Tiog Stausenberg

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act, signed by President Bush on July 30, most notable for its mortgage bailout provisions, also included raising the FHA national reverse mortgage lending limit to $417,000.

Before the new law took effect, most parts of the country had a maximum reverse mortgage lending limit of $200,160. On November 6, mortgage companies started the funding and closing of loans with the higher limits.

The new law allows homeowners, 62 years and older, to borrow as much as twice the amount as formerly possible. Additionally, the law provides for a relative reduction in closing costs for homes valued above $200,000.

The reverse mortgage lending limit increase has come at exactly the right time for homeowner and commercial flooring company owner Wilma Johnson. Mrs. Johnson's flooring business is one of the casualties of a bad economy. Since the beginning of 2008 flooring jobs have trailed off to next to nil, and Mrs. Johnson must concern herself more and more with simple things like paying day to day bills. Her mortgage payment alone eats into her dwindling savings at a rate of $1,450 per month.

With many unknowns in the commercial marketplace, she is unsure when her income will return. With that in mind Mrs. Johnson exercised the option to completely eliminate the burden of her mortgage payment by refinancing her home with a reverse mortgage.

One of the common misconceptions regarding senior homeowners getting a reverse mortgage is that these borrowers all must own their home with out liens or a mortgage against the home.

The facts paint a different picture. Even before the new law came into effect most reverse mortgage customers were getting reverse mortgages to pay off an existing mortgage. In effect the reduction in mortgage payment is a net increase in income.

The new law comes as a boon to many 62+ homeowners with mortgage amounts in excess of the former lending limits. Now, these same homeowners can use a reverse mortgage to pay off their mortgages to free up much needed monthly income for other life expenses.

About the Author:

Learn more about the reverse mortgage at Texas Guide Book to the Reverse Mortage. Another source for informations is Home of the Texas Reverse Mortgage.

Prepare an Expense Spreadsheet to Help You Plan for Retirement

By Michael Geoffrey

When you reach your retirement you will still have expenses. Now while you are planning for your retirement you need to try to plan a budget for those expenses. An expense spreadsheet for your retirement can help.

With an expense spreadsheet you can see how far the money you save for your retirement will go. It will help you make future projections about your expenses over the next 10 or 20 years. You can also use this expense spreadsheet to help you find ways to invest your money so that it will go farther for you.

There are different types of retirement planning expense worksheets. Most importantly, you would start with the one that helps you with managing your current expenses and then future expenses. You can take the mystery out of your finances, if you wisely plan for your retirement with effectively utilizing retirement planning expense worksheets.

A good spreadsheet helps you stay clear about what your financial situation is. If your goal is to maintain the same standard of living in your golden years as you are enjoying right now your expense worksheet can show you how to do that. It will help you identify areas where you may need to adjust your spending so that you can stay on track with your retirement goals. It gives you a clear view of the money you have coming in and what you are spending.

It is Wise to Plan for the Future

It is nave to think that things will not change in the future. Inflation is a fact of life. The financial world is ever changing. A good expense spreadsheet will help prepare you for these changes and will teach you how to adjust your plan if you find yourself falling behind.

You will be equipped in analyzing and strategizing your financial welfare and not be caught by surprise. You will be able to establish a solid and successful retirement plan. You will be able to finance your dreams and goals more effectively. You will be better prepared for the change that is about to take place in your life. You will be able to make better decisions and make amends to any short falls that you may experience.

It is important to start now so that you can build a strong retirement plan. You do not want to be like so many people who reach the age of retirement unprepared and have to return to work just to take care of their necessities. With some planning and forethought you can avoid that outcome.

About the Author:

Is secured debt consolidation a good way to get your debt paid off? Find out more about how it works and whether it's a good choice or not at the Debt Smackdown website. Visit http://www.debtsmackdown.com for more helpful tips & advice.

60-Second Guide to Getting out of Debt

By JR Rooney

Imagine for a minute being free of debt -- no more sleepless nights over mounting credit card balances, no more ball-and-chain of debt feeding your anxieties, and no chance of threats from dreaded collection agencies. You can do it! Here's the scoop -- in one minute flat.

0:60 Resolve to spend less than you make! Make it a habit as fundamental as changing your underwear. Realize once and for all that if you can't pay for it today -- you can't afford it.

0:55 Distinguish between Bad Debt and OK Debt. OK Debt has an interest rate well under 10% -- preferably with some tax advantages also. In the best case, what you bought with borrowed funds will appreciate in value. Home mortgages and student loans are examples of OK Debt. Car loans are on the border: Hopefully they satisfy the low-rate piece, but automobiles almost never appreciate in value. Bad Debt is everything else -- from your Platinum credit card to the 600% loan from Fast Freddy's Pay Day Loan.

0:50 Pick a winner. Out of all your cards, pick the one or two major credit cards that feature the lowest annual interest rate. Resolve to use those cards for emergencies only. As for the other credit cards in your wallet, remove temptation by taking them out of your wallet. Throw them behind a major appliance, freeze them in a bowl of water, or put them to a shoe box. Do whatever it takes not to use them.

0:41 Gather all the bills from your accounts. Line these up on the kitchen table. Find the minimum monthly payment for each account and then add these up to get an overall monthly minimum. Pledge to pay this overall minimum PLUS a hefty additional chunk every month -- enough to make a solid dent in the outstanding balance of at least one account. If you can't pull this off, you'll have to make a drastic move to increase your income or lower your expenses. It's harsh, we know, but it's also an inescapable fact.

0:34 Pick the card with the highest interest rate and: Attack! Next, order the latest bills according to annual interest rate charged. Apply the "hefty additional chunk" (beyond the minimum) to the highest rate account(s). Repeat this process monthly until the last Bad Debt account is paid in full.

0:26 Ask for a lower interest rate. Grab a bill from any account charging you more than 14% interest. Dial the toll-free number on the bill and ask to have your rate reduced -- say, to 11%. Tell them that you'd really like to stay with them out of customer loyalty (embellish according to your acting skills), but that you have received offers for much-lower-rate cards. Expect to be made very uncomfortable, but stand firm and remember that, to them, you are both a customer and a profit center. You also stand to save a bundle. The more calls you make, the more persuasive you'll become.

0:18 Be prudent. Be aggressive in paying down Bad Debt, but don't get so ambitious that you risk missing minimum payments on your mortgage, automobile, or any other secured credit account. (Secured means that if you miss enough payments, the bank can show up and take away the item.)

0:12 Commiserate with others. You'll find plenty of emotional support and great ideas by visiting debt relief discussion boards. Help others celebrate their debt-free "happy dance."

0:05 Dance, Fool! You're done when the Bad Debt is 100% exorcised and you can make remaining OK Debt payments with ease, leaving plenty of budget room for savings.

About the Author:

JR works for a Debt Collection Agency. If you do not have the means to pay your debt it is best to try and settle with the Collection Agency

Do You Need a Bailout?

By Doug West

Whether a shoe is flying at him or he is showing off his dog, President Bush has been on the TV a lot lately. Too late for him to go down in history as a good president, but we will give him credit for trying. The Pres. has assured us all that we can grow our economy by spending more money. He even sent us each a few hundred to help us do that.

Next came the BIG bailouts for the banks and boys on Wall Street. Hey, where do we apply for some of that 700 Billion dollar pie? Well, don't hold your breath on that one (in a moment we will show you how to cash in on the bail out actions with simple mini-dow index trading)!

Let's see, if you are already in debt up to your ears - like the US government is, how is sending out free money going to stimulate the economy? And, how is that going to help the US government?

OH, don't forget our friends over at the FED. The Reserve! The agency that is owned by the bankers. That masquerades around like they are part of the government. What many folks still don't know is that they all pulled a fast one on us by sticking that word Federal in front of their name. The same thing the guy at Federal Express did when starting his company.

Frederick W. Smith founded FedEx. I clearly remember years ago when he was on 60 Minutes, he said that by the time folks figured out that he was not part of the government his company was already well on it's way to success! Can't blame his reasoning? What a PLAN! IT WORKED for the FED why not FedEx too?

Let's quote right from the FedEx web site:

"Federal Express was so-named due to the patriotic meaning associated with the word "Federal," which suggested an interest in nationwide economic activity. At that time, Smith hoped to obtain a contract with the Federal Reserve Bank and, although the proposal was denied, he believed the name was a particularly good one for attracting public attention and maintaining name recognition."

I'm sure Smith did want a relationship with the Federal Reserve - who wouldn't! These guys have the legalized right to print money! Think about it. It does not matter if it is a $1 bill or a $100 bill, it cost them about the same to make it (a few cents each). Then they "LOAN" that money at full face value to the US government. Full face value PLUS INTEREST! So now you know where the national debt comes from. We now owe that money - Plus Interest - to the FED. A private corporation controlled by international bankers.

So if you are thinking that Bush's plan to grow the economy by handing out $100 bills won't cost anything - Think Again! Where is that money going to come from? That's right - the good ol boys at the FED. These mystical folks seem to be able to pull money out of thin air! Just think, with today's high-tech world, the FED can just punch a button on a computer somewhere and release new funds to the world. Most of which never represents new bills being printed, but just credit in some bank or financial institutions account. Electronic numbers moving through nanoseconds of time and space.

Not only does the FED create money, they also have the ability to set their own interest rate!

- The Fed's Open Market Committee (FOMC), announces their interest rate decisions. This is NOT the interest rate that you and I can get money for, (why don't we all meet at the Fed Discount Window - wherever that is) but what the BIG boys who keep the whole world flowing receive. They in turn pump up the volume and pass the savings on to you and me right - WRONG! It could take weeks or even MONTHS after a cut to see any savings at the consumer level. So why do the markets get so active after an FOMC announcement?

The BIG boys are the ones who really move the market right (and they CAN line up at the FED window for a bailout). We just want a small slice of it. That's all. Remember that when you are trading (or practicing the FED move trade -after an FOMC announcement).

So how do you cash in on the bailouts without getting a slice of the pie? Index trading! With all these bailout moves, the FED buying stock and giving away billions of dollars, it has caused some GREAT moves in the market. Not so good for stock traders, but Wonderful for those of us that just trade and follow the overall index.

No matter what happens, we can all do well with Simple Mini-Dow Index Trading. I look for GREAT times ahead for Index traders. We might have to pay more for the things we need, (because of the FED printing out bailout money like candy these days) but at least we can stay home and earn the money to get them!

Remember those FOMC announcements mentioned earlier? Many times after an announcement, the market moves and moves BIG. Much like the market moves we have all been seeing here lately with the bailout manipulation of the markets. The FED won't give you a partnership deal like FedEx was looking for, but you can capitalize on their dealings.

You may not be able to get in line for a bailout, but you can stick your hand in the market and cash in on the Wild moves we are now seeing in the FED manipulated market. Just follow an index and stay away from stock!

About the Author:

Mini-Dow Index Trading Made Simple. Discover how to build your trading income. Get Doug's Debt-Free Report. Read his blog here.

Multiple Rate Quotes On Auto Insurance Are Needed

By Susan Tanner

We all want to be certain with all the new drivers that seem to be on the road these days, we have adequate insurance coverage for ourselves. We also want to make sure that we have appropriate coverage for the newest teen drivers in the family. This often leads us to start comparing companies to see which will provide the best coverage for our needs at the least cost. Some people choose Geico because they advertise that they have the best deal, but isnat important to compare this with quotes from other companies to make sure?

It is very important to get several quotes in order to compare rates otherwise you will not know if there is a better rate available with another auto insurance company or not. Just because Geico advertises that it offers the best plan does not mean that you should not research other companies to see if you can find a plan that offers the same plan at less cost. No one wants to pay more than they have to, including the cost of automobile repair after an accident.

You want to make sure that when you get a quote you look at all the features and coverage they will give you for that price. You don't want to get just liability because it is less than full coverage and loose out on the perks like rental cars. Also you have to consider that you need a decent minimum. I mean if your insurance doesn't kick in until you have thousands of dollars of damage you might want to lower that minimum.

Another thing to look for in shopping rate quotes is discounts. Many companies offer discounts for multiple vehicle coverage, drivers in certain age groups, or good grades for student drivers. The additional savings can be a big plus. You may also want to see if the company requires you to use a particular mechanic or garage for repairs or if you can choose wherever is convenient for you.

Many insurance companies have specific mechanics that they would prefer that you take your auto to for repair. This might be a serious issue if you live in an area with few mechanics or garages and you might have to drive a good distance to get to one they recommend or approve. This could be an obstacle if you must go to a garage that is very expensive and you have a less expensive mechanic close by that you prefer.

That is the trick with some insurance companies they will send you to the most expensive place and you have to pay a big deductible before they pay. It really is sneaky and you have to be careful who you choose. All in all it really is so important to get as many quotes as possible and see what they offer to you. Some even have great coverage for pets in case you are a pet lover.

This is great because if they get hurt you can have help getting them the medical attention they need as well as for you too. There really are a great number of added perks and benefits to each individual insurance policy and for that you need to compare. Everyone would love to have extra coverage and benefits so it is good to find the best one for you.

Perhaps the best reason to get multiple quotes is getting the best coverage for the best price. You need to have good coverage for all the drivers in the family and since there is no way to avoid the need for insurance coverage, it should be worth investing some time to avoid overpaying for the coverage that best serves your needs

About the Author:

To find out exactly how I got car insurance, visit my website about auto insurance

Curious About How To Make Money Day Trading?

By Sam Lockwood

One way you can make money buying and selling on the stock exchange is by day trading. This method uses the volatility of the market over the course of a given day to help traders make their money. Currently, we're in one of the most volatile markets since the late 1990s, making it one of the best day trading markets.

Through short selling, day traders can profit from stocks even when it looks like the price is on its way down. In every case, day traders will need to use a broker, and to pay very close attention to two basic indicators. These are the NDIX and the TDISC. At the beginning of trading on a particular day, these will tell you a lot about several different exchanges. They're extremely sensitive to volatility, so if the market's going up, the NDIX will rise by two thousand ticks or more in a half hour after opening. If it's going down, the TDISC will drop by that much in the same period.

These rapid fluctuations are how day traders make their money. Doing quick buys and sells are the way that people in this kind of trading make a lot of money. However, these are also the way that they lose it all, if they're not careful. If you're day trading, you won't be buying for the long term. That means it's tempting to ignore your research and buy in volume. You may get lucky, but most times this doesn't happen.

Day trading isn't passive income - it's a job. Anyone who wants to do day trading should make sure that they've been properly trained. There are plenty of good online courses and seminars out there that'll help you be sure you know what you're getting into.

In addition, you'll need to have a brokerage account. After all, short selling is one of the most important tricks day traders have to use. Short selling is when you borrow a share of a given stock from your broker, then sell it right away. You expect to buy another share later on to give back when it comes due. Profit comes to you when the price of stock drops after you sell. Time things right and understand the market well, and you can do very well.

Of course, there's a reverse to short selling, too. Borrow or buy a share at one price, then sell it for more over the course of the same day.

To do well in day trading, you must have excellent observational abilities and amazing nerves. You also have to have a short memory. That's because you're going to have to look at losses, and you have to be able to do it without letting stress take over.

One thing that is possible, using the right tutorials and programs, is doing day trading from your home. You need to have a very good plan to execute your trades, and you must make sure you accomplish them before the last half hour of the trading day.

About the Author:

You can find all sorts of Day Trading Tips out there so it's easy to start educating yourself about this exciting way to earn an income. Click Here to read about a day trading system that makes many people a lot of money.

Retirement Planning - A Career Worth Considering

By Michael Geoffrey

As baby boomers begin to reach retirement age many are not thinking about swapping the office desk for a rocking chair and are looking for a change of pace once they hit retirement age. Many are being welcomed into retirement planning careers to put the skills they learned throughout their working life to use to benefit younger workers. With more companies offering 401K retirement plans in addition to other retirement benefits many workers are lost when it comes to how best insure they have enough money to live on after retirement.

Many financial services companies offer a range of employment opportunities for experienced individuals that also provide continued training and support. Special fields within retirement planning careers allow people to use their communication skills, accounting technical resources and abilities to analyze complex plans to work for them and to the companies with which they come into contact.

A career in retirement planning means working along with businesses to establish a plan for their employees and helping their employees benefit from the retirement plan provided.

There are different aspects of financial planning that might be appealing. There are some who work to market and sale the services of financial planning consultants. There are others who work directly with companies in setting up a plan that is a good fit for the employees of that company. Others offer support to companies who have a retirement plan in place.

Learning New Trends In Financial Services

New business is important to every company and finding new ways to meet the needs of the client is part of retirement planning careers handled by specialists who formulate new plans and help in the migration from the old plans. Disbursements can be handled by many financial services companies who process payments as well as handle loans available from many plans to the participants.

The skills that a person has obtained through working for many years can be put to good use by retirement planning companies. In every aspect of the services they provide they benefit from the knowledge of those who have experience in different areas. For this reason there continue to be more opportunities made available for people getting close to retirement who would like to start a new career in financial planning.

So if you are nearing the age of retirement but are not quite ready to leave the working world a career in financial planning may be worth considering. The opportunities are out there and you may find this new career very fulfilling.

About the Author:

Before deciding to cut up credit cards to help you get out of debt, you need to understand how it can affect your credit score. Find out what you need to know first on the Debt Smackdown website at http://www.debtsmackdown.com

How To Get Social Media Sites To Link To You

By Brian Armstrong

Using social bookmarking or social media websites is a relatively easy way to get traffic to your website. These resources can be used very successfully to not only help your website with getting direct traffic from these sites, but also help with getting your website into the search engines for the keywords you're going after.

The first thing you'll need to do is create the original content you're attempting to get ranked into the search engines. Obviously you'll have to have something before you can bookmark it or add it to social media websites. So, do your keyword research and then begin to create your blog post.

You'll need to setup new accounts because you most likely haven't done this before. Start at socialmarker.com and get the new accounts setup by the recommendations they make there. These sites are typically very well respected with a high authority as it relates to how they're judged by the search engines.

The title should have your main keyword phrase and the title of your blog post or article. These may match some of the time, or most of the time, but when you don't have the keyword, add it unless it makes the keyword too long.

The description is another part of using socialmarker.com. Use this description as a strong call to action to get people to your website. You obviously don't want to deceive people into visiting by promising them something that isn't there, but make sure that in the description, you give a compelling reason for people to want to read more or find out more information.

The URL is your web address of the page you're bookmarking. Do NOT use only the domain name. Make sure you are using the actual web address of the specific page you're trying to get bookmarked. If you don't do this, you'll get errors on several of the sites complaining that you've already or someone has already bookmarked that domain or that main page.

The tags are a vitally important part of the process because not only will your tag page get ranked for the "low hanging fruit" keywords, but it will also get ranked for the more competitive keyword phrases. Several of these bookmarking sites have a lot of authority in the eyes of the search engines which means that their tag pages have the ability to rank well, especially when you use the less competitive keywords as your tags.

These social bookmarking sites are a great way to get relevant links back to your sites and depending on which ones you use will have a very high "authority" in the eyes of the search engines. These sites can also help you generate a significant amount of traffic all by themselves. The majority of these sites also allow you to create profiles in which you can usually add links to whatever site you want to as well which will also help with the search engines and your overall traffic strategy.

About the Author:

Brian is an internet business coach who specializes in outsourcing, search engine optimization, and online credit card processing. He helps businesses just like yours process credit cards at a low rate with a very easy setup.

Deflationary Times - Cool Checks

By Nancy Hammershied

People are often confused about the economic conditions they find themselves. Everything has a cool check about label, and the extremes are that either we are living in inflationary times or a period of deflation.

Deflationary times means it costs less to buy goods and services. The purchasing power of the dollar increases and is able to buy more.

In a deflationary environment, the measure of value of almost everything decreases. Your home decreases in price; the value of gasoline, goods and services come under pressure. The value of stocks and hard good assess decreases.

There is only one exception; the U.S. dollar goes up by definition. The opposite is true. When the cost of goods and services goes up the state of value of the dollar shrinks.

When the value of the U.S. dollar goes up in the United States inevitably it goes up against other currencies. When the dollar buys more, its level of value is rising and acts like a magnet.

Everything is costing less. The guage of value of a particular currency has nothing to do with how their economy is doing. The value of a currency is base on how it compares with other currencies. You can't evaluate a currency in isolation.

When goods and services cost less, you're living in a deflationary environment. The U.S. dollar buys more and the level of value of the U.S. dollar abroad increases also.

Regardless of what times you live in, getting good value for your money helps you live better. You can buy really cool checks at ElegantChecks.com. Checks that will stretch your budget dollar and offer an abundance of choices.

About the Author:

Great looking, cool checks are found at ElegantChecks.com There you'll discover the greatest variety of categories and a amazing playground of personal checks designs. Also, you'll discover coupons that additionally discount your purchase that give you cool personal checks an added bonus!