People looking to rebuild or establish credit could try secured credit cards like the kind offered by Wells Fargo and US Bank. Image: MoneyBlogNewz/Flickr.com/CC-BY

There’s a great tool for rebuilding or establishing credit called secured credit cards. Secured cards work just like traditional cards, except the limit is determined by an upfront deposit that secures the credit. Most major banks offer them.

For lousy or nonexistent credit, try secured credit cards

Credit cards are one of the most ubiquitous forms of credit in modern America. There is a way for people who have either a dismal or nonexistent credit history to get credit cards that will help with credit repair or establishing a credit score. They’re called secured credit cards. Secured credit cards have the backing of collateral in the form of an upfront deposit. The deposit, whether for a few hundred or a few thousand dollars, determines the credit limit. Other than that, they work just like typical credit cards. Payments have to be made, and discretion should be used making purchases.

Great way to get credit back on track

Just like trying to find the best personal loan rates, the interest rates and fees of card companies should be checked out thoroughly. Consumers should be cautious; there are perfectly legitimate companies out there, but others are out to rob people blind. If something looks too good to be true, it usually is. If e-mails show up from “Bank of the Gobi Desert,” don’t open them. Beware of cards endorsed by celebrities as well; the “Kardashian Kard” was rated among the worst prepaid debit cards in existence by US News and World Report. Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, and other institutions offer secured cards. You should also consult with local community banks and credit unions. Community banks and credit unions invest into the local area, whereas huge multinational banks invest in ski chalets in Scottsdale and Aspen for executives.

Credit is important

Access to credit is an important part of modern American life, for good or ill. People who want to get a loan to buy a house or fly to Birmingham to watch an Auburn Tigers game but lack sufficient cash on hand, need to have the credit available.

Sample of secured credit cards

Here are the secured credit card offers from Wells Fargo and US Bank.

Get professional credit repair help

Speak to a professional today and take proactive steps to repair your credit. For a FREE credit consultation, call 1-877-563-2076.

Source

U.S. News and World Report

How you handle these could affect your car and house insurance rates. Image from Flickr.

In a Michigan Supreme Court ruling yesterday, insurance companies were given the green light to use one’s credit score as a determining factor for insurance rates. The ruling does not change current insurance company practices. What the ruling does change, though, is the legality of the company pulling a credit report to determine rates.

The credit report insurance rate argument

The argument many insurance companies present to justify using a customer’s financial history to determine rates is simple. Insurance companies say that customers that can get the best personal loan rates also file fewer claims and cost the company less. By giving a good credit break on insurance rates, companies claim to be rewarding customers that cost them less.

The state regulator argument

In 2005, Michigan state regulators tried to ban the credit counseling approach to pricing insurance. The argument is that the practice is discriminatory, especially to customers in lower income brackets. The intent of the law was to create affordable insurance and equal opportunities for all customers.

Supreme Court ruling on credit reports

The Michigan Supreme Court, in the third ruling on this case, declared that the ban exceeded state authority. Michigan law, according to the Supreme Court’s 4-3 ruling, allows the practice of determining insurance rates on credit score. Writing for the majority, Justice Maura Corrigan wrote that “It is difficult to see how offering discounts to some insureds on the basis of good insurance scores is inconsistent with the general purpose of availability and affordability of insurance for all consumers.”

What this means for consumers

What this ruling means for Michigan insurance customers is higher rates for some people. These higher insurance rates are based on a credit score, which may give one more push for customers to explore credit repair. Though credit has not necessarily been shown to be a good indicator of behavior beyond the financial, credit reports are used practically everywhere. Job applications, insurance rates, cell phone plans, even prices on large purchases may be set by someone’s report.

Get professional credit repair help

Speak to a professional today and take proactive steps to repair your credit. For a FREE credit consultation, call 1-877-563-2076.

There are ways of getting a rate on personal loans which don't end up breaking the piggy bank. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

If you’re getting into the market for personal loans, there are a few things that can help you get the best personal loan rates.

First thing in rates for personal loans is credit score

Your credit score is one of the most important details about your financial life, and it is also significant when you apply for personal loans.  It may seem unfair, based on past occurrences and not reflective of your present ability to repay a loan, but unfortunately it is entrenched.  To better your chances to get a personal loan, you want to boost your credit score.  Pay off the credit cards, first and foremost. If you have multiple cards, pay them off until you are down to one or two, and keep the balances low.  Even if you have bad debt that’s been charged off, some payment is better than none.

Lay your money down

The more you offer as a down payment, the less you’ll owe on the principle. The less you owe on the principle, the better the interest rate will be and the less you’ll have to pay.  Typically, a down payment is something you’ll only have to worry about with a home or a car.  According to a recent Forbes piece, a 20 percent down payment on a home is beginning to get out of reach. This is part of an overall trend, as the requirements to make that upfront payment loosen.  That practice is starting to get nipped in the bud, so for any large personal loan, expect it to come up.

Shop around and don’t be afraid to refinance

As with any product or service, shop around.  One of the great things about credit unions is that they carry lower risk structurally than a bank does, and often can offer lower rates than some banks.  If a company doesn’t have lavish bonuses to shell out, that means lower overhead.  Also, if you have a large enough loan, such as a mortgage loan, car loan, student loan or business loan, don’t be afraid to refinance once you’re in the right position. Lower interest rates mean lower payments, which means more money in your pocket.

Teachers, don't bring your job search here. Tulsa Public Schools just gave 286 of your kind the axe. (Photo: Wikipedia)

Public school systems across the United States are in financial trouble – witness the school in Rhode Island that recently fired all of its teachers – and now Tulsa Public Schools are part of the disappearing budget act. According to the Tulsa World, 286 teachers (225 first-year teachers) working for Tulsa Public Schools will not be tendered new contracts, but notices of non-renewal. That’s nearly 10 percent of Tulsa Public Schools’ total faculty. It doesn’t even take into account the 125 office and support staff who had already been released. Reports indicate that this isn’t an exercise in discarding dead wood, either. Good teachers are being cast away.

Tulsa Public Schools administrators hope to recall at least half

The system wants to hire back at least half of those teachers in Tulsa Public Schools who aren’t getting new contracts. Yet as the World indicates, the Oklahoma legislature would have to come to a favorable budget agreement. Without that, letting the teachers back in simply won’t happen. They’ll need the best personal loan rates simply to make it each day.

Saving millions, losing a generation

The numbers tell a somber tale – the system is saving $9.7 million after the teaching cuts, $5.75 million on office staff cuts – but the true sorrow is in the story of human casualties. Teachers’ lives have been upended and children will receive much less attention when they are farmed out to other already overstuffed classrooms. The World quotes Tulsa Public Schools Director of Human Capital Roberta Ellis as saying that they’re trying to be kind, then relays the usual platitudes about how it’s tough all around. One wonders how much personal salary Roberta Ellis or any top-level administrator at Tulsa Public Schools sacrificed in order to make sure fewer teachers had to lose their jobs. Sadly, at TPS or anywhere else, cuts almost always come from the bottom.

Baby boomers’ claws do not retract

One of the methods Tulsa Public Schools attempted was offering a retirement/resignation incentive of 18 months of paid health insurance for up to 205 teachers in the system, but only 42 took them up on the offer. Before that, Tulsa extended a $5,000 bonus for any teachers taking early retirement, and 72 accepted. This, unfortunately, was not enough to prevent the layoffs.

The reality of a world torn apart

The Tulsa World quotes the principal of the Eugene Field school, which is within the Tulsa Public Schools system, as saying that some of their non-renewed teachers had literally just purchased new homes. One is a single mother. While some would play the world’s tiniest violin over that image, others might say that it is infinitely more sorrowful to watch administrators go on paid retreats and make golf arrangements. If the children of Tulsa Public Schools end up learning anything after being herded like nameless, faceless cattle into overcrowded classes filled with kids who disrupt class with their behavior, they should know that it’s OK to aspire to being more than a mediocre administrator.

Related Video:

The Oregon Trail - as a game, a historical reality or a re-enactment - is a powerful force. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

For most children of the ’80s and ’90s, nothing sticks in the brain more than the game Oregon Trail. Oregon Trail the game was originally developed in 1971 as a way to help students learn about traveling the Oregon Trail. The game required students to choose their profession, find the best personal loan rates, buy supplies, hunt, gather and generally try to travel the Oregon Trail to fame and fortune. Now, you can choose to travel the Oregon Trail yourself – on foot, or on your iPhone.

Oregon Trail, the game

The Oregon Trail game may be almost 40 years old, but it is still an educational powerhouse. Updated five times now, the Oregon Trail digital game is available for the iPhone, Palm phones, computers and more. Oregon Trail has also been parodied by everyone from Thule corporation to Fall Out Boy. If you feel like going a bit retro and playing the Oregon Trail game online, you can do so on Virtual Apple’s Oregon Trail site.

Oregon Trail, the history

Of course, the Oregon Trail game did actually have an educational purpose – teaching kids about the historical Oregon Trail. The Oregon Trail served as a pathway for people who wanted to become a part of the American West. Two thousand miles start to finish, the Oregon Trail was a long, tough journey that killed 10 percent of the people who attempted it. From 1836 to 1896, hundreds of thousands of people traveled the trail, and you can still see Oregon Trail ruts in many places in the west.

Oregon Trail, the recreation

If you want to get a true feeling of the Oregon Trail now, you have many, many options. For the cost of payday loans, you can fill your car up with fuel to drive the full 2,000 miles. If you feel like going a bit more rugged, you could watch Oregon Trail documentaries like In Pursuit of a Dream, where two dozen college students re-create a trip on the Oregon Trail.

However you choose to experience the Oregon Trail, it is a historical adventure that still reverberates through America. No matter if you’re checking out the 150-year old Oregon Trail ruts, or playing the 40-year old Apple II game – Oregon Trail is simply awesome.

Are your next employers looking at your Unvarnished profile?

Your professional and personal reputation is next up for review – by anybody – on the Unvarnished website. Unvarnished gives an opportunity for anyone to post their “review” of you as a person. While this could be an incredibly useful tool, in the end Unvarnished could end up more of a headache than it’s worth. In the end, we can only hope that Unvarnished doesn’t become a reason for banks to deny you the best personal loan rates.

Unvarnished bills itself as reputation management

Unvarnished is a website that invites you and others to post your “unvarnished” reviews of people. As a business tool, Unvarnished claims that it helps you “get recognition for your accomplishments and actively manage your career growth.” Any user can post a review, and any user can create their own profile. It appears that Unvarnished uses Facebook profiles to “verify” identity – which means if you have no Facebook profile, you cannot post or claim Unvarnished profiles. The Facebook link also means that Unvarnished will be much easier to cheat than a payday loan company – because a “verified” Facebook profile is just about anything but.

The problem with Unvarnished

The problem that Unvarnished presents is much the same as Yelp and RipOffReport.com. These websites can provide a very valuable service and caveat emptor reviews. However, there are always two sides to every story. Unvarnished claims to have a “community” system that will help keep bad reviews in check. However, the simple reality of Unvarnished is that, like every other review website, unhappy people are much more likely to speak out than happy people. This means that Unvarnished could present an unvarnished – if very skewed – view of you.

Should I get an Unvarnished account?

So, yes, Unvarnished review could be very skewed. And yes, Unvarnished could provide a real pain some days. However, in the end, most professionals and businesspeople would do well to get an Unvarnished account. If nothing else, knowing what others are saying about you is important – especially if it is negative. Unvarnished is one more place to keep an eye out for feedback, and respond if you need to. Most especially in a difficult job market, keeping a close eye on your reputation on places like Unvarnished is important.

The author of The 48 Laws of Power was inspired, in part, by Machiavelli's book The Prince. Image from Flickr.

Written in 1998, Robert Greene & Joost Elffers’ The 48 Laws of Power is a book that is part self-help, part philosophy, and part history. The 48 Laws of Power takes the view that human interaction is based on an exchange of power and provides an outline for how to manipulate that power exchange for your benefit. Though much like getting a fax payday loan, getting the upper hand often takes effort and consideration.

The 48 Laws of Power are amoral

Similar to the book’s inspirations, The Prince and The Art of War, Greene and Elffers take a very amoral view of the world. Rather than saying certain actions or laws are good, bad or otherwise, the book just lays them out with real-world examples. By writing in this style, the authors are asking readers of the book to make their own moral judgments about the laws and whether they should be followed or not. This amoral style of writing can be tough to read at times, but in the end it encourages discussion and deeper thought.

What are the 48 laws?

While the book The 48 Laws of Power itself is more than 400 pages, just reading the 48 laws themselves can be a starting point for thought or discussion. So what are the 48 Laws of Power?

• Law 1 Never Outshine the Master
• Law 2 Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies
• Law 3 Conceal your Intentions
• Law 4 Always Say Less than Necessary
• Law 5 So Much Depends on Reputation. Guard it with your Life
• Law 6 Court Attention at all Cost
• Law 7 Get others to do the Work for you, but Always Take the Credit
• Law 8 Make other People come to you, use Bait if Necessary
• Law 9 Win through your Actions, Never through Argument
• Law 10 Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky
• Law 11 Learn to Keep People Dependent on You
• Law 12 Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm your Victim
• Law 13 When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest, Never to their Mercy or Gratitude
• Law 14 Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy
• Law 15 Crush your Enemy Totally
• Law 16 Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor
• Law 17 Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability
• Law 18 Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself. Isolation is Dangerous
• Law 19 Know Who You’re Dealing with. Do Not Offend the Wrong Person
• Law 20 Do Not Commit to Anyone
• Law 21 Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker. Seem Dumber than your Mark
• Law 22 Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power
• Law 23 Concentrate Your Forces
• Law 24 Play the Perfect Courtier
• Law 25 Re-Create Yourself
• Law 26 Keep Your Hands Clean
• Law 27 Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following
• Law 28 Enter Action with Boldness
• Law 29 Plan All the Way to the End
• Law 30 Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless
• Law 31 Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal
• Law 32 Play to People’s Fantasies
• Law 33 Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew
• Law 34 Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one
• Law 35 Master the Art of Timing
• Law 36 Disdain Things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best Revenge
• Law 37 Create Compelling Spectacles
• Law 38 Think as you Like but Behave Like Others
• Law 39 Stir up Waters to Catch Fish
• Law 40 Despise the Free Lunch
• Law 41 Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes
• Law 42 Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter
• Law 43 Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others
• Law 44 Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect
• Law 45 Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform too much at Once
• Law 46 Never Appear Perfect
• Law 47 Do not go Past the Mark you Aimed for; In Victory, Learn when to Stop
• Law 48 Assume Formlessness

Source: Perdue University

The Influence of The 48 Laws of Power

In a CNN article today, reporter John Blake examined the influence of The 48 Laws of Power. Most recently, rapper 50 cent teamed up with Greene, the author of the original 48 Laws of Power to write The 50th Law which uses the 48 Laws along with stories from 50 Cent’s life to illustrate the “admittedly cutthroat” principles.

This success, however, does not mean that The 48 Laws of Power is not without criticism. Some say that the book uses examples that are too “isolated” to truly illustrate their truth, while others claim that the 48 laws are simply too many for people to effectively understand. The only way to really form an opinion aboutThe 48 Laws of Power, though, is to read it yourself. Once you’ve done the research, just like with finding the best personal loan rates, you’ll be able to make an educated decision about The 48 Laws of Power.

People without kids are more likely to walk away from their homes.

Many people have reasons for wanting to stay in their home, regardless of how much they’re paying. People don’t want to uproot their families or don’t want to go through the hassle of moving. However, some people are so fed up with the housing market that they’re willing to allow their mortgages to go into default and walk away from their property.

Those who choose this option generally don’t have a whole lot of money already invested in the home, don’t have kids or actually cannot afford the monthly payments anymore. Even those who got the best personal loan rates are looking at what their house is worth versus what they are paying for it and deciding that allowing foreclosure is the best decision. Here are some reasons people have chosen to do so.

10. Cheaper monthly payments

Some homeowners, realizing that it could be years before they’d be able to make a profit on their home, have decided to let their mortgages default in favor of paying less expensive rent each month.

9. Too long to wait for profit

People who purchased property before the recession and have owned it only a few years, believe they’ll save money in the long run if they simply let the bank take the house. One condo owner in Miami says he believes it could take until 2025, possibly 2040, for his condo to be worth what he paid for it again.

8. Need to move now

Many people who have to move because of employment or other reasons are finding that letting the bank take the house is simply faster and easier than trying to sell right now, in a market where no one wants to buy.

7. Political outrage

A lot of people simply are angry that the Wall Street executives who got bailed out by the government are getting bonuses again, while they are struggling to pay mortgages on practically worthless property.

6. Loan modification disappointing

The federal loan modification helped some people somewhat, but many feel it wasn’t enough. The New York Times says the plan “raised the expectations of many but satisfied only a few.”

5. Home is worth 75 percent of purchase price

Research cited in the New York Times says that once property loses 25 percent of its value, homeowners begin to seriously consider walking away.

4. Fear of future deflation

Though many economic experts believe the housing market will eventually return to normal levels, some people worry that their property will only depreciate in value. They don’t want to continue to pay for something that is losing value every day.

3. No encouragement or improvement

Though some economic indicators point to improvement, the housing market has stayed stagnant. Many people who aren’t planning to stay in one place for long, and thus foresee ending up trying to sell worthless property, would rather just let the bank deal with it.

2. No sentimental value

Sam Khater, a senior economist with First American CoreLogic, the firm that conducted the recent research, said part of what motivates people is that they simply become unattached to their homes when they decrease in value so much. “People’s emotional attachment to their property is melting into the air,” he said.

1. All of the above

For most people who decide to go through with walking away from their homes, it’s a combination. The frustration of “feeling like a sucker,” the  lack of government intervention, the high monthly payments, low property value and bleak outlook are too much. They’d rather simply mail their keys to the bank and walk away, free from future financial burden and a failed investment.

Don't let all of your wrapping paper end up at the dump. Image from Flickr.

Christmas is a time of joy, when we get to see loved ones we haven’t seen for a while. Christmas in many families is filled with history and tradition. Christmas has a lot of pros, but it also has more than a few cons.

One of the biggest problems with Christmas is waste. Once you add up the wrapping paper, boxes, toy packaging and full-sized trees, you’re looking at some significant landfill contributions. But fear not, there are ways to have a traditional Christmas and still respect our planet.

Oh, Christmas Tree

For a reasons I don’t understand, a lot of people are dead set against getting a fake Christmas tree. While this is the most environmentally responsible method, some people simply can’t be swayed, even though it saves money, like getting the best personal loan rates, and it saves waste.

There are ways to keep your real tree from ending up in a landfill. Many people have big bonfires with their Christmas trees or burn them in their fireplaces at home. Try to figure out a way to get your tree to people who can use it to help heat their homes or use the materials to create something else. For instance, you might be able to get your tree to a plant that could use it to make …

Wrapping paper

Many people aren’t sure whether wrapping paper is recyclable, but guess what! It most certainly is. A lot of cities with pick-up programs accept wrapping paper in the recycling bins. The same thing goes for cardboard boxes.

A lot of toy packaging can’t be recycled, but much of it can. It may seem like a huge hassle, but look around at all the houses around you. Now think of what it would look like if you all piled up the waste that resulted from your Christmas presents. Do the right thing and make sure you recycle everything possible so that there will be many joyous Christmases on this Earth to come.

Image from greyhoundsinseattle.blogspot.com.

I hate to say it, but if you are trying to get a job right now, you are up against stiff competition. Although the economy has shown signs of improvement, unemployment is stable at best and in many states increasing. It is definitely an employer’s market out there right now. Employers have plenty of choices now — many of whom are over-qualified but willing to work for lower wages than usual.

So if you are looking for a job right now, you must find ways to make yourself stand out. Your cover letter is your first chance to make an impression on your potential future employer, and you know what they say about first impressions. Make sure your cover letter is quick but killer by using these five tips.

1. Give examples to back up your claims

You can list off your “positive attributes” all you want, but unless you give examples of your “strong communication skills” or “excellent leadership abilities,” the cover letter reader has no reason to believe you. You wouldn’t believe that a payday lender had the best personal loan rates until you actually saw their rates, would you?

Use real life examples to show your skills, but make sure you keep it brief. Pick two or three of your best skills to focus on, and then keep your examples to one or two sentences. That brings me to my next tip.

2. Keep it Short

More people in the job market means more cover letters to read. Keep your cover letter to one page to ensure that the potential employer reads the whole thing. The best cover letters are four paragraphs. As you already know, one of those paragraphs should be examples of your strongest skills. One paragraph should also address the employer directly and address the exact specifications the company is seeking.

3. Keep it 50-50

In fact, your cover letter should be just as much about the employer as it is about you. Include what you know and like about the company and why you want to work for that company based on what it does. If you can directly quote the qualifications the employer is looking for and then give real-life examples to show that you have those qualifications, that’s ideal.

Don’t include things about yourself that have nothing to do with the employer’s needs. If the employer is looking for a good writer, don’t waste his or her time talking about your college scores in calculus.

4. Edit, edit, edit

Not only does it make you look uneducated when you make spelling, grammar or punctuation errors in your cover letter, it makes the employer think that you are careless and unmotivated. Anyone who doesn’t even bother to edit their cover letter for mistakes or ask someone with more grammar knowledge to edit it for them doesn’t come across as being very serious about the job.

Everyone has a friend or family member who is good with grammar and punctuation and, you know, words. Even if the job you are applying for doesn’t require writing, a perfectly spelled and punctuated, grammatically correct letter will show that you are serious.

5. Formal business letter format

It’s very important to use formal, business-letter format in your cover letter. Remember when you learned that format in high school? Remember to not indent paragraphs, and instead leave a line space between each paragraph. You should start off with the recipient’s (employer’s) company name and address, then put the date you wrote or sent your letter, then your own contact information including mailing address, e-mail and phone number.

Personal Money Market finds the best personal loan rates

You've come to the right place

Looking for no fax payday loans with no credit check? You have come to the right place. Personal Money Market will find you the best personal loan rates on a no fax payday loan, plus no credit check will be run. That means your payday loan can be completed online — and fast!

To get started just click on the green “apply now” button. Click here if you were looking for an installment loan instead. Here is what you can expect when you apply for a no fax payday loan with no credit check through Personal Money Market.

Step One: After you click “apply”

After you supply a few simple pieces of information, Personal Money Market will find an online lender who serves your area and offers the best personal loan rates on no fax payday loans with no credit check. This process only takes a few minutes, so you’ll be in touch with a lender quickly.

Once you apply online for your no fax payday loan, it just takes a few minutes for your lender to let you know the best personal loan rates they can offer and approve your loan. Once your loan agreement is approved, your lender will automatically transfer your cash directly into your bank account. The process is completed totally online.

Step 2: Accessing your cash

Personal Money Market won't ask you to bother with one of these things. Image from poomcs07.wordpress.com.

In order to access your cash from your no fax payday loan, all you need to do is relax and wait, usually just for a couple of hours. Your no fax payday loan with no credit check will automatically be deposited into your account while you wait. You can use your cash with your debit card, checks, ATM withdrawals — any way you normally access your bank account funds. Its as easy as getting a bail bond loan.

After the cash is transferred to your account, it is yours. You can use it all in one big chunk or spend it little by little. You will only the charged the fees that you and your lender agreed on. Remember, when considering whether to get a no fax payday loan with no credit check, banks usually charge an overdraft fee for each transaction after your account is overdrawn, regardless of the amount. You could get charged a $35 overdraft fee for a $1 transaction! No fax payday loans only charge one fee, and it’s due when your loan is due.

Step 3: Paying back your loan

When you are approved for your no fax payday loan, you and your lender will agree on a payback date. This date should be shortly after you get your next paycheck so you can repay the full amount of your payday loan plus your lenders fees.

It’s very important to pay back your no fax payday loan with no credit check on time. There can be hefty late fees if you default on your loan.

Click APPLY NOW to start your application.