Can you tell me which is better , debt settlement or debt consolidation?

January 2nd, 2009

I want to try to pay off the debt in approx. 3 yrs. I do care about my credit score, but at this point I want to payoff the debt as soon as possible.

Panama Banking Information

Which creditors are more likely to sue w/ debt settlement?

January 2nd, 2009

We are joining a debt settlement program with a law firm I’m wondering if anyone can tell me your experience with Debt settlement and if you know if any creditors will still sue..We have already tried a debt management program, but the payments were still to high so we dropped out.

Offshore Banking Information

What is the difference between consolidation and debt settlement company?

January 1st, 2009

I called creditsolutions a minute ago and they told me that they are not a consolidation company. I told them that I have a debt for 16,000. They told me that they can get my debt company to settle for 9,800. and they charge a 15% fee. Does this sounds okay. Please recommend me to some other company but not consolidation I do not want to consolidate I want a debt settlement company. That I would still pay, I heard when these consolidation company pays for me It haunts my credit score.

Panama Banks

Has anyone actually used debt settlement and it worked?

January 1st, 2009

I am considering debt settlement and I am very scared after looking at some of these posts. Has anyone actually used it and it worked for them without a problem? I am currently current on all my credit cards bills, but I don’t think I can keep it up and I am wondering if this is an option. I don’t want to have to go to court.

Offshore Banking

Real Estate Investment Strategies to Accumulate Cash

December 12th, 2008


fancy words have been written about real estate investment strategies. But I want to cut to the chase in this article. No matter how fancy the language is, investment strategies boil down to two objectives:

Buying real estate to accumulate cash.

Buying real estate to build equity and wealth.

Which strategy to choose depends entirely on you?your needs, your personality, and so forth. Frankly, either choice is fine as long as you choose one early in your career, commit to it over the long term and do everything you legally can to make it successful.

In this article, I’ll look at the cash accumulation strategies and the pros and cons of each. I’ll treat the build equity and wealth strategy in another article.

The Cash Accumulation Strategy - Let’s assume you’re relatively new to the real estate market and need methods for pursuing a cash accumulation strategy. Below are several methods you can try:

Bird Dogging - In simple terms, you find good properties for investors and charge them a finder’s fee for doing so. This is strictly a cash strategy.

Advantages: It doesn’t require any cash on your part or previous knowledge. It’s also the fastest way to earn cash. In addition, it’s a great way to “learn the ropes” of the local real estate market.

Disadvantages: The money you earn per transaction is the least in the market. It also takes considerable time and effort to locate suitable properties.

Flipping - Flipping is the art of buying a property, waiting for the right moment, and then selling it for a quick profit. In basic terms, you’re get control of the property with a binding purchase contract. Essentially, it’s a speculative strategy; that is, you’re gambling that the market value will rise to the point where you can make a fast profit before you close on the deal. This strategy is most effective in areas where the demand for housing is so high that there’s a limited supply, causing prices to rapidly rise.

Advantages: With this method, you’ll get negotiation leverage and good profit potential. You can put little money down and get great gains. Also, it can be a good life if you enjoy an entrepreneurial life style and a lot of freedom.

Disadvantages: Volume can be low, depending on market conditions so your income can fluctuate. Although flipping is entirely legal, it received bad press due to con artists making a quick buck by duping customers. So, you may need a very thick skin in terms of other people’s opinions of you. A second disadvantage occurs when too many speculators get into the market. When that happens, prices drop quickly, and you end up stuck with the property and no immediate profit. A third possible downside is that interest rates can rise, thus dampening the demand for housing. A final disadvantage is hidden property problems. If you don’t pursue careful due diligence, you can end up with expensive repair costs that eat up your profits or even cause a loss.

Buy and Sell As-Is - This method is simple: buy a property, leave it as-is, and then put it back on the market but at a higher price.

Advantage: When done right, you’ll find that the profit margin is even higher than with the flipping method.

Disadvantages: This method takes time and, due to that fact, volume may be low.

Buy, Improve, Sell - With this method, you purchase a property, make cost-effective improvements, and then sell it at a higher price.

Advantage: Margins are even better with this “rehabbing” method than with the previous methods.

Disadvantages: With this method, you have a much bigger investment of time and money than the previous methods.

Key Point: Choose the strategy that best suits your situation and your personalit



Offshore Banking Information

Has anyone completed the debt settlement program with Enhanced Debt Assistance? and if so what was the outcome

December 12th, 2008

Debt settlement program out of Texas
I am aware of the rip off report and they assure me this was a one time incident with an impatient customer. They tell me time is what it takes to get thru the program… I am looking for someone who has worked with them to advise me on their outcome.

Offshore Banking

Tips For Your Real Estate Finance and Investment Strategy

December 12th, 2008


You may have decided you would like to start investing in property but you are not exactly sure how to go about it. One thing you should do before you begin is to research the financing options that may be available to you.

Most people, when they first begin their endeavor with property investing, find that financing is their only means of purchasing property. The following is some information regarding real estate financing and investment strategy that may be beneficial to you.

When you hear the term “leverage” applied to real estate financing and investment, you will find that this term simply means to use borrowed money for financing your property investment. Your initial investment will be the money that you use for a down payment.

In order for this leverage to be beneficial in your real estate finance and investment strategy, you will want to secure the borrowed money at a low-interest rate and make sure the term of the loan is over the longest period of time that is possible. This is to avoid yourself from being tied up in the property and having least money for your own or other investment usage.

You do have to remember, however, that the risk of your investment is tied in directly with leverage. If you place a small down payment on the property, the leverage is high and the ratio of the amount owed to the value of the property is high, making the property a high risk. The more money you put as a down payment on the property, the lower the leverage and the lower the risk.

Many, in their real estate financing and investment strategy, use pyramiding to acquire more properties. What this simply means is that you are using the equity on one property to help you purchase another.

For example, you purchase a property for $100,000 by making a down payment of $20,000 and borrowing $80,000. The properties value at the time of the purchase is $110,000. Six months later, you have a positive cash flow of $1,000 a month on the property and its value has increased by $40,000 due to your renovations. You now have equity of approximately $70,000 or more in the property.

You take out a home equity loan of $30,000 and this is used for the down payment of another investment property. This is also known as pyramiding and is a real estate finance and investment strategy used by many.

Pyramiding through sale is also another real estate finance and investment strategy used by many, as well. In this method, when your property’s value has increased, you sell instead of taking out a home equity loan.

In the example above, if the same property was sold for its value of $150,000, you would use the money to pay off the initial loan of $80,000, deduct your initial investment of $20,000, what you have paid in interest and principal, as well as the cost of renovations, to discover you’ve made a profit of approximately $25,000 to $30,000 in a matter of a six-month period. This money can then be used as a down payment on another property.

Before you begin investing in property, it is crucial to understand what real estate finance and investment strategy you plan to use. However, it is also important to understand that property investment comes with risk. Research the facts and figures before you make any decision with your real estate finance and investment strategy.



Panama Banks

Investment Strategies for the Stock Market

December 11th, 2008


When it comes to Investment Strategies for the Stock Market most people believe that there is only one safe strategy.

‘Buy and Hold’

The reason why most people believe that this is the safest investment strategy for the stock market is because that is exactly what their financial advisers have told them. Have you ever heard the phrase

“The key to successful investing is Time In the Market NOT Timing the Market”

I believe that this is a lazy approach to investing and is really just an excuse to hide the fact that some financial advisers have no idea what the market is doing. Wouldn’t successful investors use multiple investment strategies for the stock market? If the market is at a record high and there is a chance of a correction then surely there is something that you can do (other than selling your stocks) to protect some of your profits?

The reason why financial advisers don’t want you to know about any other investment strategies for the stock market (other than buy and hold) is because it isn’t in their interest for you to know about them. They want you to remain reliant on their advice and have you feel as if the stock market is a very scary and dangerous tool - only to be tamed by the so called experts.

What is your opinion? I certainly believe that at times the stock market can be very scary and dangerous but like any thing; the more you educate yourself the more comfortable you will feel with it.

So what are some Investment Strategies for the Stock Market other than buy and hold?

Let’s have a quick look one very simply investment strategies that can be used to great effect on any stock market.

Covered Calls

This is one of the most effective, low risk investment strategies that can be used on the stock market. The basic idea to sell call options on a stock that you own. What? I hear you saying. In simple terms it means that you are renting out your shares for a monthly premium and in return you are giving somebody the option to buy your shares at a predetermined price that is higher than what you paid for them.

Let’s say you own 1000 XYZ shares that are worth $15.00 each. People will pay you a monthly premium to have the option to buy these XYZ shares at a predetermined price within a predetermined time frame.

For instance someone might offer you $500 for the right to buy your shares at $16.00 within the next month. Why would they do this? Because if the shares happen rise up to $18.00 they will be able to buy 1000 XYZ shares at a $2.00 discount per share ($18-$16).

The great thing about this strategy is that both parties can win e.g. If this was to happen you would be happy too because you would get to keep the $500 premium and you would also make $1.00 from every share that you sold because you bought them at $15.00 and sold them at $16.00.

What happens if the share price was to go down?

If the share price was to go down from $15.00 to $13.00 then you would still get to keep the $500 premium which would reduce your paper loss from $2.00 per share to $1.50 per share.

Writing covered calls (or renting out your shares) is one of the most commonly used investment strategies by the rich. It is a great low risk low risk investment strategy for the stock market that everybody deserves to know about.

So there you have it a simple investment strategy for the stock market that can help increase your cash flow and also gives you downside protection. What more could you ask for in a stock market investment strategy? So next time you see your financial adviser ask them about covered calls and see what response you get. My bet is they probably won’t even know what you’re talking about because their university course didn’t teach that subject.



Panama Banking Information

Business Investment Strategies That Work Every Time

December 11th, 2008


There are many, many ways that we can invest in the world. We live in a phenomenal time in human history when there are literally thousands of investment vehicles available to us. Many of them are confusing and hard to understand.

We want to get back to some of the basic investment strategies that have been proven over time, location, and destination to work again and again for many people who may not be spending 100 percent of their time trying to understand investing.

The secret to investment success is the consistent application of time-proven strategies, not the use of complex, hard-to-understand investment vehicles created by investment bankers out to take your money!

When most of us invest, we do not have the leisure of spending 24 hours investing and doing nothing else. But we still have to have investing strategies that work.

If you look at the world as a whole, most people make their money by doing what?

They do it by working.

They have a job and earn money.

But even if you are working for a living, you still need to invest that money to grow it, because if you want to master wealth, you need to be able to create, grow, and protect your wealth.

The mastery of wealth requires you to create, grow, and protect your wealth.

Investment is the primary means of growing your wealth.

Investment is the primary means of expanding your wealth!

Through investment, you are going to turn your money into something bigger than it was before.



Offshore Banking Information

Real Estate Investment Strategy

December 11th, 2008


Real Estate Investment Strategy

Real estate investing is serious business and can provide you with substantial returns to support a lavish lifestyle. However, you need to develop an investment strategy suitable to your individual budget and situation in order to maximize the return on your investment. You must examine and decide what strategy to pursue before you actually make a foray into the real estate investment arena. Among several possible strategies for real estate investors selectively employing any one of following three may prove worthwhile in all cases of real estate investments.

The first is locating and buying bargain real estate. A real estate purchase is known as a bargain purchase when you are able to buy it for a price that is at least 20% lower than its present market value.

The second can by using an increase value strategy. Using this strategy you buy property at the prevailing market rate but buy only that type which you decide has got some unrealized value appreciation potential. Once the purchase is complete you go about making whatever changes need to be done to realize that potential i.e. for increasing the value of your bargain property. However, for this strategy to be worthwhile you must be able to affect a minimum 20% increase in value within six months of your purchase.

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Thirdly you can choose to buy for taking advantage of a double digit cap rate. This means buying the property on conditions that it has a 10% or more capitalization rate. In simpler terms capitalization rate refers to the net operating income from the property. You derive the net operating income when you deduct all operating expenses related to the property, not including costs of debt servicing, from the total annual rent received from the property. This amounts to the cash you will have in your hand at the end of the year when you rent out free and clear property. However, other than in the case of bargain purchases double digit cap rates are extremely difficult to find and may occur in temporarily depressed markets or in selective market segments. 

In real estate investing you also need to have an exit strategy in place right at the time you enter into the investment game. There are two categories usually applicable to the holding period. 

You can hold the property long term or you can flip. If you decide to hold long term it may be years before you sell it off. Long term holding is not advisable in the present times as it would require accurately predicting the state of the real estate industry quite far in the future which at best can be termed as unpredictable. In flipping you resell the property without wasting any time after acquiring it. There are ways in which you may be able to sell it even before you buy it by putting it under a contract for a very small amount and letting the ultimate buyer close the sale. Although possible this is really quite difficult and may not be worth the trouble of the whole exercise of buying and selling. Successful flipping is selling for a profit as soon as possible after buying. 

Other strategies like buying foreclosure property require large cash reserves. If you have the cash buying foreclosure property can also be a good option.

Title: Real Estate Investment Strategy

Written by: John Lall

Date Written: 07/28/2008

Reviewer Assigned by: David

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