Fight Credit Card Fraud with Common Sense

By now, you have got undoubtedly heard of credit card fraud, an alarming and detrimental tendency that is sweeping the country. Here's the bad news: It is disturbingly easy for thieves to obtain your credit card number—-usually from discarded gross or even directly from you. For instance, many canvassers mask as legitimate businesspeople--like those who offer holiday packages, for instance--when, in fact, they're looking for you to innocently manus over your credit card number so they can rack up illegal charges.

The good intelligence is that there are many ways you can proactively and effectively protect yourself against credit card fraud:

-If your credit card have been lost or stolen, report it immediately to the card issuer. You are not obligated to pay for unauthorised charges once you report the loss.

-Sign new cards immediately once they get in the mail. Once you have them, carry them in a separate lawsuit from your wallet.

-Notify credit card companies if you are about to move, either temporarily or permanently.

-Never offer your account number over the phone unless you're dealing with a reputable and legitimate company. If you have got any inquiry about a company, contact the Better Business Agency (http://www.bbb.com ).

-Don't allow your credit card out of your sight—not even for a minute—when you're using it. It only takes 10 seconds for person to covertly compose down your account number and name.

-Things to destroy: Carbon transcripts and wrong receipts. Things to maintain in a safe place: A record of account numbers and legitimate gross for comparison to charge statements.

-Don't subscribe clean credit card receipts. Draw a line through clean parts of the reception where fake charges can be added.

Above all, don't forget to utilize common sense when you're dealing with your credit card. Don't impart your card to anybody. Don't carry around cards you rarely use. And never, ever compose your account number where person can see it…not even on an envelope! You can forestall credit card fraud from happening to you and your loved 1s by following these simple practices.

For more than information on credit card fraud and other credit issues, delight visit http://www.informedcredit.com

Insure Your Investment

You see your home. You see your life and the lives of your loved ones. Why not see your investments?

With current market statuses tossing most portfolios around, it would do sense to protect your portfolio. After all, the work we make significantly lowers the hazard of losing money in an investing we take to get involved in. But we never completely eliminate all the hazard in the market.

Buying a protective put option will assist protect your new stock purchases in the market. This tin be really helpful when you desire to purchase a peculiar stock, but the overall prejudice in the market is down. What is a put? A put option is a contract that gives the buyer the right to sell stock at a certain terms and during a defined clip period of time, up to the termination of the contract.

When you purchase a stock, three possible events can occur.

• The stock can travel up.
• The stock can do nothing
• The stock can travel down.

In two of the three scenarios above, you make NOT make money. In one of the scenarios (where the stock travels down), you have got a important opportunity to lose money. Let’s focusing on what haps when you lose money.

At this point, I believe it’s prudent to pull a comparison. If you drive a car, and your car is wrecked in an accident, you have got insurance to set you back “whole” Oregon stopping point to it, again. A put option option plant in similar fashion.

Suppose when you purchase a stock at $80, you also purchase a put that runs out in 6 months, and you pay $3 for that contract. Much like insuring your car for the adjacent 6 months. If nil haps to your car over the adjacent 6 months, you won’t get that insurance insurance premium returned to you, will you? You won’t get it returned…and inch fact, you will usually pay another insurance premium to cover your car for another 6 months.

The purchase of the put option intends you can sell the stock at $80 anytime before the contract expires. Even if the stock driblets to $35, you have got the right to sell at $80.

If the stock travels along as planned, and travels up, congratulations, you’ve made money. The insurance premium you paid for the put option was for insurance for the six months. Just like the illustration with your auto insurance, that money will not be returned to you (it was the cost of coverage).

If the stock makes nothing, although you have got got got not made any money, you cognize that your investing was covered in lawsuit of something negative occurrence for the last six months.

If the stock travels down, you have coverage, and you also have choices. Remember what you have with a put option option is the right to sell the stock, in this example, at $80, no matter what’s the current terms of the stock (whether it is $75, $45, or even $1).

• You can sell the put in the unfastened market for whatever is the current value. • You can exert the option and “put” the stock to person at $80, no matter what the current terms of the stock.

If you make up one's mind to exert the put, you have got yet another set of choices. You can set the money in your pocket (remember that you effectively sold the stock for $80). Or you can purchase the stock back at the lower market price, if you like the stock and believe it do sense for you. If the stock have dropped a lot, you could conceivably purchase even more than shares than you originally purchased.

This strategy isn’t for everyone. And you shouldn’t trust on this article as complete and personalized investing advice for your situation. But if you are investing money that you care about, whether it is in a home, a car or a stock, you should take stairway to protect it. Which is why we should really talk.

With the market on defense, it do sense to have got some protection for some of your prized possessions. If you’d like to see how you could get some coverage for the pillory you own, visit Mullooly Asset Management, at www.mullooly.net, Oregon phone call us, toll free at 877-223-7300.

I hear too many people state they’re staying away from the stock market, because it is too risky and you can lose a great deal of money. Without measurement or knowing the risk, or a game program in place, you are almost certain to lose money. In my adjacent article, I’ll share with you a strategy that tin bounds the amount of money you lose in a stock, to a small amount. This attack can maintain you afloat in the market longer than trying your fortune on purchasing a single stock.

Offshore Merchant Accounts

Many people are interested in ways to reduce their current tax liability with the current business they have. They may be concerned about ways to travel some of their assets offshore without public notification. Some people are interested in setting up a new business, usually on the Internet, and they need a manner to accept credit orders. No matter what your requirement, an Offshore Merchant Account may be what you need.

A merchant account is a installation that allows you to accept credit card orders from your clients online or offline. So what is the chief advantage of an offshore merchant account vs.a local one?

One thing that is certainly true about the planetary credit card business, is that it have go very competitive. As a consumer, you will cognize that interest rates charged on credit card balances have got come up down. For business owners, it have got meant that where as you were charged high rates in the past to procedure your customer's credit card purchases, those rates have come up down on average. Yet, there are still problems for the common small businessman wanting to put up his or her ain merchant account.

One major problem is the application requirements, and the initial sedimentation requirements. Some banks or credit card processors will not even accept your application unless your business have been operating for two old age or more. Others desire a security sedimentation of £2,000 or more. Some others even desire to "hold back" your monthly card payments as an further "security deposit" for possible "charge backs".

Many people would hold that engineering and modern telecommunications have provided at least some benefit. We now have got facsimile machines, e-mail, and of course of study the Internet. What many people make not believe about however, is the fact that the human race have go a much smaller place. What this agency for the business proprietor is, you no longer are "locked in" to doing business with just the bank or company in your town or state. You can literally "shop the globe" for the best rates, the best products, the best service, or what ever. You now can make business with a bank or credit card processor in Germany, Singapore, Holland, or any topographic point else just as easily as "the bank down the road". In fact, nine modern times out of ten, you will happen the degree of service to be much better with a bank one-half manner around the world, then you will with your vicinity bank. Why? They desire your business, and they are willing to turn out it. The other benefits are obvious. If you mean to be virtual, the best topographic point to get is by becoming practical in fact. An offshore merchant account topographic points you in a practical / offshore jurisdiction.

The problem of course of study with some offshore banks or credit card processors are the higher processing fees. The ferocious competition that have been seen in the US, have not reached some parts of the world, at least not yet. However that is slowly changing. In addition, such as things as "Internet Banking" and offshore merchant accounts are new services that many offshore banks are just starting to take a expression at. Even in a banking location such as as Panama, these services are not even available with a smattering of banks.

Well, being able to get better service, small or no fusses getting your account opened, and lower or perhaps no sedimentation demands are only the "tip of the iceberg". The fact of the matter is, if you have got an offshore bank or merchant company procedure your credit card transactions for you, your money already is "offshore". This beingness the case, you now have got the agency to really do the most of your business income and maintain more than of what you earn.

Estate Planning & Living Trust Information

There is often confusion, that estate planning is something only rich people or people in their later years need to take care of. This is a real problem because almost everyone but the very poor needs Estate Planning. Wherever you live in the United States, and if you own anything worth over $30,000, including personal things worth nothing to anyone, but you or your family, you will be subject to probate, left to the state to decide who will get, what ever there is. Property, Investments or even a photo album. Put some times aside and do some planning and save yourself a lot of grief and a ton of money in court costs and taxes.

Deciding on who gets what, is the function of estate planning. The most important part is having legal documents, that are acceptable in you state. There should be a step by step outline, expressing your wishes after you are deceased. If you do not have an estate plan, it will be left up to the state. Every state had different rules and trust me, they will not necessary be in your best interest. The state laws will apply, and your assets, will be divided to your wife and other family members according to state law. Guide your own destiny and do not leave it to the state and leave your family in a state of confusion. Have an estate-planning document in place.

People are becoming more educated but a great many have no provisions for when they die. There is neither a living trust nor a will in place. For the most part we are consumed with our everyday duties. This is an area we don’t like to think about and contemplating our demise is our least favorite subject. But sad as it is a great many people die at an earlier age they expected with out a living trust or a will. The sooner you take care of it, the sooner you can move on, and forget about. Protect your family and whomever you care about and do not put them through the grief that will cause if you have no such document.

So what will be my choices for a living trust and estate planning?

Traditionally, estate planning has involved creating a will. This is the legal document that decides who gets what after you die. Who will be the administration of your estate that will be there to make the decisions you no longer can? Or you can leave it up to probate court.

This procedure can be relatively quick if there are not a lot of financial resources and could be over in a manor of months but if there is real wealth could take years.

Once you have a will, and as long as you have your wits. You can makes changes as many times as you wish. Depending on whom is in favor at the time.

Peak Plays

Peak plays are very short term in nature and you have to be prepared to get in and get out very quickly. There are several reasons for Peak Plays, some of which are: rumors, earnings forecasts or reports, mergers, upgrades, merger speculation, stock splits and sometimes they occur for no noticable reason at all.

There are basically two ways to play a peak: a pullback and the peak itself.

Peak Plays

If there is still alot of pressure built up and you are fast, you can partake of the run up. If you feel the peak will hold for a quick play, get in at the open. If you are more of a risk taker, you can place your order before the open or if you are more conservative, then wait out the first 30 minutes of trading to verify the move. Often a stock that has a peak that continues for a second day will experience a small pullback at the open and then will reverse and continue up. One stategy is to place a limit order before the open at the closing ask price from the previous day.

Since this is the second day of the peak, you want to get in and out on the same day (maybe, even within an hour). More than likely the stock will top and pullback very soon. Always know your exit before you buy (Wade Cook) and once your buy order is filled, immediately place a limit order to sell ( this may be for a little as 1/4 to 1/8 of a point ). The biggest play on a peak occurs with the pullback, so if you are going to ride the peak, you have to do it quickly, this is not the time to get greedy! And remember if you cannot afford the stock, look to see if it has call options, probably at least two months out.

The Pullback Play

This is an easier play and the one that is used most often because the time frame is longer. A general rule for the biggest peaks is: the quicker and bigger the run up, the quicker and bigger the pullback.

On some peaks it will take a session or two before the pullback starts. The big question here is "when will the peak hit its top or will it even top out"? Sometimes the peak is just a quick move for a stock that turns into a rocket. Generally, if we are going to see a pullback, it will happen slower than the run up did. One way to help determine if the stock is reaching a top is to observe the volume. Look for a return to more normal trading volume with little or no upward price movement. And please don't get greedy, you are not always going to hit the very top of the peak, if you try to do so, you risk not getting in on a quick pullback, you must be in position to participate.

Sometimes the pullback will occur the following morning of the peak, but more often we see it continue on for part of the following morning. If you can watch the stock, wait until it hits a resistance point and then open a short position (don't forget put options). What if you cannot watch the stock? Simple, enter a limit order for your short position to be hit a little below where it's currently trading. This way you avoid opening a position until the stock has definitely moved into the pullback.

You should not expect the pullback to give back more than half of the peak because this does not happen often, especially if the stock has been trending upward over a longer period. To ensure a solid return in a shorter time frame, don't look for more than a 25% pullback from the original peak. By following this guideline you can move on to compound your money in another play.

What if you feel there is a larger, more gradual pullback coming? Then watch the openings very closely, if you see the stock opening above the previous days close, you should give serious consideration to buying to cover.

Here are a couple of clues to give you more of an advantage. Look at the chart on the evening of the peak. Look to see if the stock hit a price significantly higher than the closing price, if it did, this may be an early sign of a pullback. The second thing you should look at is a one year chart of your stock. Try to determine if it has been stuck in a range over the last month or two, if it has, look to see how many other times over the last year it had been in this support/resistance level. If it has visited this area several times before and also exhibits the first sign mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, you have a great indication of a pullback coming!

Get in and get out quickly!

And keep in mind that on a pure peak play you are going to have a shorter window of opportunity (usually a one day play), the opening of the following morning is very critical and you cannot get greedy.

For the pullback play you are looking at a time frame of from two days to a month, keep an eye open for a return to more normal volume and price plateauing (these are topping signs) and don't look for more than a 50% pullback from the original peak (be happy with 25% or less).

Reduce College Debt with Scholarships

Six Scholarship judges were sitting around an oval
table. Forms were piled into 50 boxes. Each one
had the name of a state. I looked at the boxes and
wondered why some of them were overflowing and
others had just a few. This was the first round of
judging. By the time the contest was over almost
16,000 applications would be examined. Some of the
comments were really critical, "Why did this
person bother to send in an application? It’s so
sloppy." "This person put the wrong address on
the envelope, even though the correct one is at
the top of the application." One had a cassette
tape inside. We played it and it was a country
song. The applicant was a good musician.

That was twelve years ago, and many people still
do not know or realize that College Scholarship
Planning could reduce or totally eliminate college
financial debt.

One of the first questions I am always asked is,
"When should we start looking?" Then some answer
their own question with, "I’ll bet we’re too late
already huh?" The ideal time is to start is the
8th grade to freshman year. Good planning starts
early, but scholarships are posted monthly, and if
you start planning early, you have a chance to
win, big. Many win the very first time. If you are
a junior or senior in high school, go for it. But
remember, your chances to win increase with every
completed application.

You should start College Scholarship Planning even
if there is a chance your child may decide not to
go to college. But if the decision is yes, you
will have everything in place. And the planning
experience is more than filling out a few
applications.

Another common concern is assuming your family
income is too high to win scholarships. Fact: 80%
of all scholarships are need based and income
related, but 20% are not. This means millions of
dollars are still available. It makes good solid
financial sense to make an effort to win
scholarship money regardless of income.

Always remember: the college scholarship effort is
truly a family affair.

Adding Value With Home Improvement

Many people ship on home improvement undertakings with the purpose of raising the overall value of their homes.

Whilst some undertakings will add existent value to your home, other undertakings will not even re-coup their costs.

We look at the undertakings most likely to supply a good tax return on investment.

Central heating

This is pretty much an indispensable trade goods nowadays and homes without cardinal warming are likely to have a poor reaction from possible buyers.

Opt for energy efficient systems that potentially utilize 20 to 40 per cent less energy.

Kitchen

Stylish, modern, good quality kitchens be given to be an first-class merchandising point, but retrieve to maintain your spending in proportionality to your home's value.

Fitting a extravagance kitchen into a starter motor home is improbable to increase the property's value enough to warrant the expenditure.

Bathroom

Buyers will also be impressed by a well appointed bathroom. A good move for proprietors of larger household homes would be to put in a second bathroom, provided the space is available.

Insulation

Increasing energy costs and environmental concerns supply a strong lawsuit for good insulation. Areas to look at include; roof lagging, hot H2O army tank covers, tobacco pipe lagging, draft excluders and dual glazing.

Extension

Extending your home to do a larger kitchen or add an further sleeping room have traditionally being a good manner to add value to your home.

However the value of your property volition also depend on your neighbourhood, so transforming a former council house into a seven sleeping room sign of the zodiac is improbable to bring forth a important increase.

Decorating

A quick and simple manner to better the visual aspect to your home and win the approval of possible purchasers.

Although decorating will not significantly addition the value of your home, it will assist you sell your property quicker and accomplish your desired sale price.

Garden improvements

Neat, well-maintained gardens are popular with buyers, providing a clean canvass for acute nurserymen and lower care for those with less clip or interest.

As with decorating, the garden is improbable to make a important impact on the property's value, but can be very helpful in achieving a quicker sale.