Posts tagged: financial planning

The Financial Value Of Cultural Heritage

old heritage valueThe heritage and history of a country is a very important thing. It shapes the attitudes and lifestyles of the people that live there, and it is a great source of pride for so many people. Remembering where we came from is the best way to decide where to go next, and respecting the sacrifices of those that went before us helps us to appreciate the things that we normally take for granted. Heritage has an incredible emotional and spiritual value, but have you ever considered its financial value? These are the ways that the heritage of a country brings lots of significant financial benefits to its government and its citizens.

Tourism

The most obvious way that heritage benefits a country financially is tourism. Some countries depend on their natural features like beaches and hot weather to attract tourists, but when you don’t have that to offer, history and heritage can be just as big an attraction. Europe is the perfect example of this. There are still some European countries that are the perfect beach destination but for the most part, the continent doesn’t have that asset. It does, however, have a rich history that you can see in the form of tourist attractions. There are lots of museums dedicated to the continent’s history during the world wars. People come from all over the globe to see these kinds of attractions and it brings huge amounts of money to the countries.

Collectibles

You can use the heritage of your country to make yourself money personally as well. Lots of important historical events have been immortalized in the form of collectibles that will be worth a lot of money a few years down the line. Sites like www.lpm.hk sell special collectible coins dedicated to historical events. These kinds of collectibles will appreciate in value very quickly and can be sold on for a big profit in the future. Collectibles are a great investment that you can start at home fairly easily. As well as coins, you can invest in commemorative plates or even actual relics from historical periods. Items of interest from historical periods are worth lots of money to collectors and the longer you keep them, the rarer they will become as similar items fall into disrepair. The condition is one of the most important things to consider when you’re investing in these items because it hugely affects the value of them.

Trade

Countries hold grudges for a long time. The history and heritage of countries often dictate the relationship they have with other countries. Having a rocky past with another country is going to hugely affect any trade deals that they might try to make with one another. Countries may find themselves involved in unfavorable trade deals with other governments that they have had disputes with in the past. Regardless of the many years that have passed, bad blood runs deep and it can have far reaching effects on the economy of a country.

The heritage of a country is a hugely important part of life for its citizens, but it also brings serious financial benefits.

The Best Ways To Keep On Top Of Your Finances

top financial positionKeeping your finances in check is a very important thing to do in the 21st century. You’re going to need to be able to keep everything where it is because the world revolves around money! Everything you need and want you have to pay for with money, including your house and food, so it’s important to make sure it’s all in order so you don’t go without anything, but how can you do it? Well, if you read on, you’ll learn how!

Keep A Good Credit Score

Credit scores have been around for a while but have only recently become used, so what is it? Well, your credit score is a representation of how good your financial standings are in terms of credit. It takes into account things like how much credit has been used in your past, how long it’s taken you to pay it back and if there were any discrepancies with the payment. When you apply for a loan, banks will look at your credit score and judge you off it; if it’s in a poor state then they’re going to be likely to turn you down for the applied loan, however if your credit score is good then you’re going to be in the green and get your loan! Not getting loans can become a very serious problem if you need to money urgently, so we need to find a way around this, and luckily there is. Websites like usarepaircreditinc.com are able to repair your credit score by filtering through very small loans and repayments through your account, improving your credit score so you don’t have to worry about getting turned down for a loan ever again!

Opening A Savings Account

Savings accounts are brilliant ways to raise money without actually having to do anything or invest anywhere, so what are they? They are small accounts that are attached to your main bank account and serve as a way to store money. Each month, your savings account will take a predetermined amount of money from your main bank account into your savings account, which will stack up and accumulate after a while. You can open these accounts from banks like american express, and the real beauty of them is revealed once you’ve been paying into them for a few years. You’re going to have a sum of money that has interest on it so that it grows within the account, which can be a huge amount depending on how long you leave it! This can get you through a rainy day when you need funds but don’t have the available in your bank account. Another good thing about them is that they are temptation free; you need not worry about accidently spending what is in your savings account because you are unable to access it with your card, perfect for anyone that might find themselves buying extra things because they think the money is there which makes it a great tool for keeping on top of your money.

Debt Consolidation

Having and dealing with debt is part of life, and an unavoidable one at that too! Debt just means something that you need to pay back, and with the amount of things we have to borrow money for in the 21st century this covers a lot of things. Debt can come in the form of credit card payments, loan repayments, mortgages and so on, and the single thing that makes them a pain is how many there are. Debts become a problem when you’ve got lots of them; they become hard to follow and track, which means that you’re going to struggle a bit trying to work out how much money is going out of your account each month to what company! This means it’s more difficult to budget, meaning that life gets more difficult. However there is a solution. Debt consolidation loans that you can find more about if you read on at DebtConsolidationUSA.com, operate in a way that allows all of your debt repayments to be funneled into one, monthly repayment. This reduces the amount of tracking down money you have to do, you know how much you’re going to have to pay at the end of the month in one easy instalment making life easier for you!

Smart Meters

This is a great way to keep a track of how much you’re going to be spending on your utility bills at the end of the month! Smart meters are installed into your system, and it will gather data from all of the different sources your house pulls from, mainly being electricity, gas and water. It will be able to read how much of each commodity you have used, and by inputting how much you pay for a given volume or measurement of each of the commodities, it can tell you how much you’ve used and therefore how much it’s going to cost at the end of the month. It will be able to make basic predictions about your resource usage so you can effectively plan for the month ahead by knowing how much your bills are going to be instead of being stuck doing guesswork like the days of old!

Coupon Shopping

Everyone loves coupons; they’re given to us by supermarkets and other retailers and give us brilliant discounts that we then go and take full advantage of, but there is a problem with them. Nothing in the world comes for free, and unfortunately neither do coupons; they’re given away when a customer spends over a certain amount, which means that if you don’t reach the quota like a lot of us won’t, you’re not going to be eligible for the coupon and this means you’re going to miss out! So what can we do to circumvent this? Well, websites like groupon exist to serve this purpose for us. They have online coupons available for free, for everyone to use however they’re only available for a limited time so if you’re wanting to use something for a later date it’s best to do it sooner rather than later! They’re able to do this because the company coupons are a form of advertising, meaning that it’s completely legal and nothing for you to worry about getting in trouble for. Some coupon sites are illegal though, so you will have to use your head and avoid websites that look dodgy to save yourself from having a nightmare!

Budgeting Properly

Budgeting is the key to managing your finances properly, it’s an essential skill that you need to learn in order to be able to properly manage your finances. Budgeting involves being able to plan out where your money is going to go for the next month, or where it should be going at least! You’re going to have to know how much you spend each month on each bill that you have to pay, as well as for food and taking into account how much money you’re going to be putting away each month! This can all be very difficult to do when you’re starting off and chances are that you’re not going to be able to do it very well, but there is a helping hand available to you! Online budget planners are available for free on the internet, which you should take advantage of if you find yourself struggling! They’re able to take out all of the pain of trying to do all the maths work manually; instead, these planners do it for you and show how much money you’re going to have at the end of the month and how much you should be saving each payday to keep some spare.

It’s recommended to do all of these things to make sure that you keep on top of everything to do with your money, if you have a good credit score you’re not going to have to worry about getting refused for a loan when you need it most, you’ll have a savings account that you can dip into as and when you need it for those days that cost just the little bit extra, you could have yourself a debt consolidation loan to help you pay back all those small niggling debts that somehow creep up on you, a smart meter so you know exactly what your bills are going to be that month too. And then to top it all off you’ll have loads of coupons at your disposal to make your life cheaper and you’ll have a proper budget so you know what your plan for your money is for the month! When you’ve got all this income, it’s important to not only know where to spend it, but how to protect it once you’ve spent it. If you go out and buy something new with all your savings, only for it to break, you’ve just lost yourself a lot of money, so if you want to know how to keep what you invest in safe then read this!

Exploring Your Options For Buying Property

property buying optionsThere are many reasons to consider buying a property. You might want somewhere to live that you can call your own? Perhaps you see real estate or owning a property as a status symbol. Maybe you’re just trying to collect assets? Regardless of your priority needs, any purchase worth as much as a property must be considered a financial investment. That means you must assess the risks of loss, and research to determine the potential growth or increased worth.

There are many steps you need to take before you can finally pick up the keys and let yourself in. Each of those steps might be a factor in your final decision or your reason for buying the property you chose. They might also be a reason for changing your mind too!

Time

The first consideration is time. How long do you have before you need to complete the sale? If you’re not in a rush, then you might decide to save up as much cash as possible before property hunting. The more you have upfront, the less you have to borrow. This increases the profit you can make on your property investment because you are not being charged as much interest on a smaller loan.

If you don’t have much time, then you need to find the money to cover the cost of the property. There are many other costs involved with buying real estate too. The legal costs and survey costs are just some of the expenses you need to cover up front. There are likely to be taxes, and you might incur moving fees if you plan to live in your new property. If you can spare more time, you can save more to cover each of these costs.

Financing

Financing your purchase is easy if you have a great credit rating. In fact, there are many mortgage lenders that are desperate to lend to people that have a good rating. Buy-to-let mortgages are plentiful too. If you have a substantial deposit, you might be eligible for a mortgage product that is low interest. If you’re not quite so financially ‘viable’, then financing in this way can become expensive.

Many ‘millennials’ are finding it necessary to approach the bank of mom and dad to fund the deposit. As salaries for this age group are quite low, it is essential to find quite a significant deposit. The deposit is the sum that is outstanding after the mortgage has paid for the property. The lender will expect to see that you have that outstanding amount (usually a minimum of ten percent of the purchase price) before paying the loan out.

If you are planning to become a property investor or a landlord, you might be able to develop a relationship with a business investor in this sector. This will become a legally binding business relationship in many cases. There will be responsibilities and obligations that you will need to meet. This is not usually the right option if you’re trying to buy a home.

Other Options For Raising Cash

You might already have a home that you need to sell first. This puts you in a ‘chain’ and can be difficult to coordinate. However, selling your current property may release a lot of equity so that you can buy another home. You don’t need to limit yourself to selling property to raise money for a deposit or purchase. Anything you don’t need could be sold privately or through an agent to help you raise more cash.

Your employer might also help you out with a loan or an advance. Usually, loans must be declared on your mortgage application. This might not appear favorably to any lender. Why not take some overtime, or ask for a pay rise? Changing jobs or taking a second job can also help you to raise the cash you need.

Sharing ownership of the property can also help you out financially. Legally, you are both responsible for mortgage repayments. If one of you stops paying for any reason, the other must cover the entire bill in most cases. Speak to your lawyer about this kind of arrangement and the potential consequences of non-payment.

Searching For The Right Property

Once the money is agreed, you can start searching for a property within your budget. You might already have some idea of the type of property you want. However, if you’re willing to be flexible, you might be able to secure a place with the most important requirements. You might be looking for four bedrooms, but your first choice of neighborhood means that is not affordable. You would need to reduce the bedrooms or pick a different community.

If you’re investing in property, you don’t need to restrict yourself to your local neighborhood at all. You could purchase overseas in areas that are up-and-coming. A big property search service like the one at http://rumahdijual.com/properti-dijual could help you to find something affordable. Of course, after the exchange rate, you might find you can afford incredible properties. Maybe large houses or mansions are affordable for you when you look overseas.

Whether you buy here or further afield, the purpose of your purchase must be clear in your mind. Consider your lifestyle and how the property you choose might affect that. If you’re buying as an investment, then a great deal of research on the community is essential. Look at sales data and the demographic of the region. Determine the type of person that will be interested in your property so you can strategize your marketing efforts.

Houses

Buying houses might be a little easier than other types of property. Land boundaries and rights to that plot are usually much simpler too. It’s unlikely you’ll be sharing any part of the property with others. This can make it easier to sell on when you’re ready. Of course, houses can be subdivided. You can rent out individual rooms or convert the property into flats.

Often, houses appeal to families. If you purchase a property that needs a little care and attention, you might be able to do the work then sell it on to a family in need of a good quality property. Alternatively, why not rent it out? Properties of multiple occupancies tend to net more profit and a higher rent in total, though.

Apartments

Apartments in the city can be very attractive to career driven singles and couples. However, the location of the property can drive the prices up. Nobody likes commuting, so many apartments are purchased or rented for mid-week living close to work. This means that you could tap into this market with your next property investment.

There are several things to consider though. There will be fees or rent to pay for the communal areas when you buy a property in a block. Empty apartments are rarely exempt. Access will be required periodically by the building owner. This could be for maintenance and testing of the block safety facilities like fire alarms. Ultimately, you have no land that is your own. The value of the bricks, therefore, may not appreciate as much as you would like.

For You, Your Portfolio, Or Business?

Once you’ve considered all of the above, you’re probably ready to make the final decision about the purpose of your purchase. Are you buying a home for yourself? If so, how long do you intend to live there? If the property is a forever home, do you intend to leave it to the kids as an inheritance, or sell it to fund your later-life care?

Perhaps this property will be part of a big portfolio you intend to develop over time? Maybe it’s the first one! Are you going to rent it out, or do it up and sell it on? Perhaps you’ll sit on it for a few years and wait for the value to go up? How will you start to reap a return on your investment in the meantime?

If you’re buying for business, then you need to consider the purpose of the property or the land it sits upon. You might be keen to develop the area. This might include demolition and rebuilding. Or maybe you’re converting or renovating the buildings on the land? Check the legal and planning restrictions on the real estate before buying.

The Process Of Buying

Buying a property takes a long time. Once you’ve found the one you want, you put in an offer to the vendor. They might go away for a few days to consider your offer. Even if it is agreed, you then need to find legal representation and finalize your financing. Surveys and checks can take weeks. If anything is found that your lender doesn’t like, you might have to start a new application with another lender.

At any point, the sale can fall through. There may be delays with other purchases and sales in the chain. Until the keys are in your hand, nothing is certain. It can be a bit of a waiting game. Of course, once the property is yours, it may be a long wait to see any return on your investment. Are you ready to buy a property?

Why Every Small Business Needs QuickBooks

small business taxFinances are very crucial to business organizations. They are basically the main reason organizations are in business. Firms invest their resources and through their operations and product offerings, they aim to recoup as much finances as possible. To be able to tell their financial position after all this, businesses have to account for every penny invested into the business as well as funds earned from the products and services rendered. Initially, firms would rely on excel sheets for their accounting processes. Different columns would be created for funds invested into the business and another for funds generated from the business operations. The figures had to be entered manually of course and the firm’s bottom-line generated manually as well. This method was error prone and as a result, it could not be relied upon to give the best financial position of a firm at a given time. Accounting software were invented specifically for this purpose. Using these software, and particularly QuickBooks, businesses are now able to manage their finances in a stress-free manner. This post about QuickBooks explains in detail why every small business needs QuickBooks for its business operations.

1. QuickBooks provides real-time financial insights into a firm.

QuickBooks has an online version known as QuickBooks Online that allows firms to access their financial data and information online and in real-time from their PCs and mobile devices. You, therefore, don’t have to be at the office for you to access your company’s finances. This ensures that you can go about your business remotely and this goes a long way to help you save time. This online visibility gives you secure access to information such as profits and losses, incomes and expenses at a given time. Other activities that have been made possible with this online feature is the management of payrolls as well as sending invoices. Impressive isn’t it?

2. Minimizes accounting errors.

The use of excel spreadsheets for business operations results in a lot of errors. Misplaced figures and data entry errors can put the entire bookkeeping process into disarray and this makes the financial position arrived at using excel sheets false and misleading. QuickBooks feature a level of automation whereby financial information is fed directly from your bank and other financial institutions. QuickBooks is also quick to identify mistakes early in the bookkeeping process and this helps the concerned parties to correct them early in advance.

3. Filing your taxes is easy.

Filing tax returns was a labor-intensive process that small businesses had to go through way back before QuickBooks was invented. Firms had to rifle through its paper records to find receipts and invoices needed for filing the returns. This process has been made easier with QuickBooks whereby you get to update your tax figures in real time every time you upload financial records into the system. This takes place throughout the year and when the time comes to file your returns, you are able to do it in a very short time.

Health Consciousness and Insurance Rates

money invest for healthDid you know that being smarter about your health can directly affect your health care costs? It’s true! Lower health care literacy has been linked to unnecessary over treatment, fewer scheduled preventative services, and higher hospitalization rates, all of which increase your health care costs and put you at greater risk. In the following article, we review the types of behaviors associated with having a high health literacy and how these behaviors save people money on their insurance rates.

They Learn to Advocate for Themselves

Those of us who are health conscious are smart enough to know which treatments and medications we need and which ones are unnecessary. These unnecessary treatments, including over prescribed medications, fall under a term called “overutilization.” Overutilization occurs when health care is provided at a higher volume than necessary or at a higher cost than is appropriate to the treatment. In other words, if patients don’t have high health care literacy, they may not be able to advocate for themselves and refuse excessive or redundant tests or treatments.

In fact, overutilization is such a problem in health care that the Institute of Medicine (IOM), now known as the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), estimates that 30 percent of US health care expenditures are a waste of money. Of that percentage, the IOM estimates $210 billion stems from unnecessary health care services.

They Schedule Regular Doctors Visits and Use ER Sparingly

Those with high health literacies tend to go to the doctor regularly, which helps them understand their current health status better than those with lower health literacies. This helps them avoid the common traps of overutilization, which we see in doctors over-prescribing medications (such as antibiotics for upper respiratory infections), excessive imaging services, unnecessary surgeries, excessive stress tests, and emergency-room visits for symptoms normally seen at a person’s doctor’s office. Many of these instances of overutilization can be avoided if a patient fully understands his or her health status and the full range of treatment options available. For example, rather than visit the ER for suspected strep throat, a health-literate patient would hold off and schedule an appointment with his or her family doctor. Doing so not only helps you save money, but also reduces the overall costs of healthcare for everyone.

They Take Advantage of Preventative Services

Health conscious patients take their health seriously. They schedule physicals with their primary care provider annually, make other appointments when necessary, and live a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent health problems later in life. Unfortunately, even if you’re trying to live a healthy lifestyle, if you’re not keeping your annual doctor’s appointments, you may still be part of the problem that drives up health care costs.

The yearly physical is often included in insurance plans free of charge because it’s such an essential part of keeping insurance rates down. Preventative services like these can spot illnesses and risk factors early, long before they have a chance to develop into life-threatening concerns. Too often, we hear of cancer patients who didn’t know they were sick until they were diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, and while many cancers do indeed grow quickly, preventative services have a better chance of spotting them before it’s too late for treatment.

As a health-conscious consumer, you should adhere to your doctor’s recommended visits and consider other areas that positively impact your overall health, such as dental, vision, and physical therapy services. Staying on top of these areas of health ensures you save money on health care costs and don’t strain the system.

Keeping Your Insurance Rates Down

The reality is, many Americans don’t spend enough time researching health insurance benefits options before choosing their plan. Those with higher health literacy will compare their options, perform research beyond the packet their employer has provided for them, ask questions to get a clear picture of what’s included in each insurance plan, and get their questions answered by an expert in the field to make sure they are getting the right insurance plan for them. The same can be said for life insurance.

Health IQ celebrates health conscious consumers by extending special rates on life insurance to those who deserve it most. When you’ve spent a lifetime eating right, exercising, keeping up with your annual physicals, and doing your best to stay healthy, statistics say you should live longer than the average American. Naturally, this means enjoying special rates on term life insurance.

If you’re already a health conscious consumer, enlist the help of an expert to find the right insurance plan for you and your family. Our services are particularly beneficial to endurance athletes and strength trainers with low resting heart rates and muscular builds. Muscular builds can mean having an increased body mass index (BMI) that puts you over a weight limit for discounted health insurance rates, but we take these things into account at Health IQ. Simply verify your activity level to qualify.

Being health conscious has many benefits, so why not reap the rewards? Contact Health IQ to see how much you can save.