Archive for the 'Personal Finance' Category

Teach Your Kids With A Prepaid Credit Card

by Mei Wertz

Kids these days are becoming more independent at a younger age. For parents this means they have to be increasingly aware of exactly what their children are up to.

Such includes who they hang around with and how they spend their money. Money usually sparks heated conversation between the kids and their parents.

Kids want complete freedom on their spending habits and parents want their kids to spend wisely.

A great way to accommodate everyone and teach some fiscal responsibility is with prepaid credit cards for children.

Many of us adults think of credit cards are carried by working and well paid adults. This card is actually different and it caters to teen very well.

The cards are prepaid and there is a limit for the spending.

Parent can add monthly allowance to this card and let the child uses it until the balance is zero.

Most of these cards are Visa or Mastercards and are therefore widely accepted.

The nature of the card allows the kid to understand the concept of balancing their budget.

With the limit of budget, the kid will very quickly learn to control their spending.

Children with prepaid debit cards tend to be more frugal with their money than those carrying cash in their pocket.

Such card proves to be a good platform to introduce the kid to the world of personal finance.

Prepaid credit cards for children arent subject to credit rating so your child wont damage their future credit standing or your own credit standing in any way.

Prepaid card teaches personal finance value which everyone should learn.

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Teach Your Children Good Money Habits - Control Their Spending

by William Blake

Today’s modern culture seems to always want instant gratification. The Internet provides any information we want whenever we want it. And microwaves allow us to prepare entire meals in just a few short seconds. As a result of such cultural influence, children want everything; now. You can help your children to be more patient about money by controlling how much they spend.

Children’s spending habits can be controlled by means of an allowance. Establishing a modest weekly allowance for children as soon as they grasp the concept of money will help them to understand the how useful money can be as well as how to respect it.

Children can earn money around the home by completing small jobs that aren’t a normal part of their chores. If kids want to buy something special, their creative minds will be able to invent some way to save up the money they need.

After deciding how much you will give your children for a household job, don’t change it. Allowing children to finish their work themselves and keeping the agreed on price will help them appreciate the true value of money. In order to do so, don’t help them complete their jobs or give them more money because they worked hard.

Don’t offer to pay for half. It is okay to make up the difference if they forget to account for tax and are short a few dollars. Coming to the rescue and offering to pay half encourages children to spend over their limits. If Mom and Dad are going to pay half for everything, then the kids will see their money as instantly doubled.

When parents don’t have the money to purchase something, they have to wait until they have it. The sooner your children learn this fact the better. Managing their money at an early age gives them the skills to handle a pay check when they are old enough to get a job.

Choose specific days throughout the month to go on shopping trips and stick to them. Since children tend to have access to quite bit of cash from allowance, holiday gifts, and birthday cards, they often want to spend it whenever possible. Arranging when shopping will be done helps control how much they spend.

In that time, your child will save more money. They already know the rules of shopping, but they will still try to get you to change the deal. Waiting until the appointed time teaches patience. It takes patience to save money and also discipline. They are learning both at the same time.

It is easy to give in to those cute little faces and buy the kids whatever they want. But, this won’t teach them to form good habits where money is concerned. When you set limits and schedules, stick to them.

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Personal Finance : An Introduction

by Joseph Then

Have you ever wondered how to make tonnes of money? Do you know that you can have more money and get richer just by getting you personal finance right? Personal finance is very important. If you manage it right, you can have more money, thus making you financially stable.

Financial planning covers a wide variety of money topics including budgeting, expenses, debt, saving, retirement and insurance among others. You need to understand how they work and how each of it affects us.

A rule of thumb to note; budgeting. Budgeting seem so difficult to most of use. We are always over powered by the desire to have things which we can’t afford. Competitive people around us drive us to the thought of owning things that we ourselves sometimes do not need. Therefore, you need to know the difference between needs and wants.

If you set a budget for every little thing, you will be able to see the breakdown of your income thus; you will know where your money goes to and how you have spent you money. By doing that, you are able to see the difference between your needs and wants.

However, there are five key steps to personal financing. They are assessment, goal setting, creating a plan, execution and monitoring and reassessment. All these may sound difficult and not achievable but trust me, it can be achieved.

Firstly, by assessing your financial situation you will be able to know how much you actually earn, save and use. By compiling a balance sheet, you will be able to see how your money is spent.

It is common for people to have more than one goal. Some people may try to clear off their debts while some people want to save. Whatever your goal is, it should be targeted at improving your personal finance. Debts can be very vicious. It will create big problems if they are not settled at the specified time. In short, your debt should always be the priority.

Goals aside, now comes the planning. How do you achieve your goals? Some financial plans involve cutting down on unnecessary stuff, increasing one’s monthly income and in some drastic cases, downgrading.

The assessment, planning is not as difficult as the execution itself. For some people who are used to a carefree lifestyle, it may be difficult as the execution of the plan requires a lot of discipline and perseverance.

It does not end there. Reassessment plans are made to see if the financial plans actually work and also to see if the person is actually sticking to the financial plan drawn up for him/her.

Moving on, do you own a credit card? Do you own more than one credit card? Well, if you do this may spell trouble. Take this tip.

In order to have a credit you may have to have a good credit, am i right? Well, if you do, there is always a possibility of you getting you interest rate for your credit card lowered. Why don’t you give them a call now to see if you are eligible. What is the worst that can happen?

So, there you have it, All you need to know about personal finance. Remember, with good personal finance planning, you can achieve so much more.

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Prime Targets for Identity Thieves

by Jed Jenson

Nearly 80 million baby boomers are expected to apply for Social Security benefits over the next two decades and chances are most of them will either be the target of identity theft or actually fall prey to an identity theft scheme. Because boomers are more likely to draw two incomes, i.e. retirement and social security benefits, thieves are more likely to target their financial resources than that of others. In addition to the extra income, boomers are being targeted by identity thieves because of their tendencies to avoid the internet, to rely on paper checks and paper mail, and to easily fall victim to pre-texting scams. Because of this, it is more important than ever for baby boomers, who, in the prime of their lives, are prime targets for identity theft, to use LifeLock’s Identity Theft Protection Services.

One of the top reasons baby boomers are being targeted by identity thieves is because older boomers (ages 51-60) have not completely moved into the electronic age and still use pen and paper to pay bills and send correspondences. This leaves boomers’ mailboxes prime targets for theft. Because LifeLock removes members’ names from pre-approved credit card mailing lists as well as junk mail lists, LifeLock protects boomers from identity theft and enables boomers, who so choose, to stay in their non-electronic comfort zone.

The second way LifeLock protects boomers, and saves them time and energy, is by pulling annual credit reports from all three credit bureaus and mailing them to their members. Because some boomers have never used the internet and are not aware of how to access their credit reports online; they do not keep as close a watch on their credit activity as younger adults do. LifeLock gives boomers the ability to check their credit report for discrepancies in order to prevent identity theft from occurring. In addition to pulling credit reports, LifeLock also places fraud alerts on member’s credit files so that lenders must call the member for approval prior to issuing credit or loans.

A third way LifeLock protects boomers from identity theft is through their eRecon and TrueAddress services. LifeLock’s eRecon service monitors criminal websites for the selling or trading of social security numbers, credit card numbers, driver’s license numbers, etc. LifeLock’s TrueAddress service detects any changes to a member’s address that may show-up in various national databases. If there is a discrepancy between a member’s name and known address, the member is contacted for verification of the change.

A fourth way LifeLock works to protect the identity of baby boomers is through their WalletLock service. Boomers are more at risk of having their identities stolen through the loss or theft of a wallet. Because boomers tend to keep their personal documents close, in case of emergencies, they are more likely to have multiple sources of personal identification in their wallet. If a member’s wallet is lost or stolen, LifeLock’s WalletLock service assigns members a WalletLock specialist who helps in contacting each credit card company, banking institution, and any state and federal agencies who issue driver’s licenses, etc. to cancel the accounts and begin the process of reinstating missing documents.

The fifth way LifeLock safeguards boomers from worry about identity theft is by easing their concerns about spending excessive amounts of time and money if their identity is stolen by offering a $1,000,000 full service guarantee. Although most boomers are receiving additional income, their income is barely enough to cover their cost of living expenses. Through LifeLock’s $1,000,000 guarantee, LifeLock will hire attorneys, investigators, accountants, case managers, etc. to restore a member’s good name and, if any money is lost as a result of the theft, they will reimburse the member the amount of money lost.

In the prime of their lives, baby boomers are prime targets for identity theft due to additional income, the tendency to use paper vs. the internet and because they can easily fall prey to pre-texters. Through LifeLock’s Identity Theft Prevention services, boomers no longer need to worry about the security of their identity leaving time for more important things, like retirement.

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What is LifeLock?

by Jed Jenson

With so many different identity theft protection companies available to consumers, choosing the right company can be a heavy burden. However, falling victim to identity theft and having to spend countless hours to clear your good name can be an even heavier burden. When it comes to choosing an identity theft protection company, it is important to weigh the pros and cons of each provider before choosing a company that is right for you and your family. LifeLock, an identity theft protection company, has time and time again outweighed the competition when it comes to protecting its members against identity theft.

To begin with, one pro of LifeLock is that they offer child identity theft protection services. At this time, LifeLock is the only company to offer credit checks and monitoring services for a member’s child who is under the age of 15. With the number of child identity thefts growing each year, LifeLock is leading the market in providing this needed service.

Another pro of LifeLock is that LifeLock works to prevent identity theft. While most companies provide identity theft monitoring services, LifeLock’s services are proactive in preventing identity theft from occurring in the first place. LifeLock’s identity prevention services include detecting when a member’s address has been illegally changed in national databases through their TrueAddress services; placing fraud alerts on your credit files; and monitoring the internet for black market activity regarding the illegal use of credit card numbers and social security numbers through their eRecon services.

An additional pro of LifeLock services is that LifeLock reduces the amount of pre-approved credit card offers that come in the mail and the number of telemarketing calls received. Phishing scams, or pretexting, are prime ways for identity thieves to steal your personal information, not to mention stealing identifying information from your mail box or trash can. LifeLock prevents identity theft by reducing the amount of access thieves have to your personal information.

Con number One and Only: Although LifeLock pulls credit reports annually, which is a great safeguard against unauthorized issuing of credit or loans, they do not perform daily scans of a member’s credit report and only send credit reports annually. Other theft identity services send member’s their credit reports on a quarterly basis. In addition, LifeLock does not provide members with their FICA scores which give the member an idea of how they measure-up when it comes to their credit report. However, LifeLock does have plans to add this to their list of services in the near future.

Pro number four: With LifeLock’s $1,000,000 total service guarantee, no one will lose time, energy, money and effort in fighting to restore their good name and repair their credit report. LifeLock guarantees that they will provide attorneys, investigators, accountants, case managers, etc. to restore your good name and, if you lose money as a result of the theft, they will reimburse you the amount lost.

When it comes to weighing the pros and cons of using an identity theft protection company, the scales are tipped towards LifeLock. LifeLock offers some of the most comprehensive identity theft protection and prevention services available. When deciding which identity theft protection company is right for you and your family, it is clear that LifeLock’s identity theft protection services outweigh the competition.

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Why Protecting Your Identity is Not Necessarily Free

by Jed Jenson

According to the FTC, an estimated 9 million Americans are affected each year by identity theft. Although the federal government has made it possible for each citizen to protect their identity by initiating free fraud alerts, placing their name and contact information on “do not call” or mail lists, and accessing free credit reports, many individuals do not realize that they must continuously request these “free” services. When taking into account the amount of time it takes to repeatedly request these “free” services and the risks involved in forgetting to put these protective measures in place, “free” can turn into thousands of dollars of financial ruin and thousands of hours spent trying to restore one’s good name and credit. When it comes down to it, if time equals money, then nothing is free when it comes to protecting your identity. Fortunately, though, there is an economic way to protect your identity and prevent identity theft through a company called LifeLock. LifeLock’s Identity Theft Prevention services can help you protect your identity and prevent identity theft in six valuable ways.

1. Fraud Alerts - A Fraud alert is a “flag” placed on your credit report that notifies a lender that they must, among other things, verify that you are who you say you are before credit is issued in your name. Fraud alerts are free; however, after 90 days, you must contact the credit bureau and request that another fraud alert be placed on your credit report. LifeLock takes care of requesting Fraud Alerts for you by making sure that alerts are continuously requested every 90 days. Through this service, LifeLock ensures that there are no lapses in Fraud Alerts on your credit report.

2. Do Not Call or Mail Lists - LifeLock protects your identity by removing your name from pre-approved credit card mailing lists and by placing your name on “do-not-call” lists on an annual basis. Identity thieves can easily steal your identity and affect your credit status is by taking pre-approved credit card offers from your mailbox. They can also act as telemarketers and call to tell you that you have won a free trip and then ask for your credit card number in order to pay for the expenses not covered by the award. LifeLock makes it easy for you to remove your name from solicitation lists and prevent this type of identity theft.

3. Credit Reports - Being sure to check your credit report is a good way to help protect your identity. By checking your credit report, you can see if you have had any unauthorized loans or credit cards opened in your name. Although the federal government has made it a law for you to receive a free credit report from each of the 3 credit agencies yearly, the only way to ensure that your credit is checked all year long is to request a credit report from one of the credit agencies every 4 months. This can be very time consuming and cumbersome. LifeLock takes the time and effort out of remembering to pull your credit report by sending you a copy of your credit report four times a year.

4. WalletLock - If you really want to protect your identity, don’t lose your wallet. Of course, that is easier said than done. If you have ever lost your wallet, chances are you have experienced a sense of fear and panic and thought, “What was in my wallet and how do I stop someone from using my credit cards?” With LifeLock’s WalletLock system, there is no need to feel fear or panic if you lose your wallet. Through WalletLock you will be able to identify what was in your wallet and will be assigned a WalletLock specialist who will help you contact each credit card company, banking institution, and any state and federal agencies who issue driver’s licenses, etc. to cancel the accounts and to begin the process of reinstating missing documents.

5. Identity Monitoring -LifeLock provides an additional way of preventing identity theft from occurring through its eRecon and TrueAddress systems. eRecon protects your identity through searching criminal websites for the selling or trading of your personal information and notifies you if such use is discovered. TrueAddress works by detecting any change of address information attached to your name in nationwide databases. You will then be alerted if a criminal tries to steal your mail or obtain your financial information by attempting to change your address. LifeLock also ensures that new bank accounts are not opened in a member’s name by monitoring check systems.

6. Recovering Your Identity - Because criminals find ways around the system, preventing identity theft is not always fool-proof. Because of this, LifeLock offers a $1,000,000 total service guarantee that if someone happens to discover a weakness in their system and uses it to steal your identity, they will provide attorneys, investigators, accountants, case managers, etc. to restore your good name and, if you lose money as a result of the theft, LifeLock will reimburse you the amount of money lost. Todd Davis, CEO of LifeLock, has even been quoted as saying “If you get thrown in jail [because of identity theft], we’ll bail you out of jail.”

Deciding to protect your identity and choosing the way in which you go about protecting your identity is completely up to you. There are ways to protect your identity which will only cost you in terms of time and effort vs. money; however, there is no guarantee that you will recover your money and good name if your identity is stolen. The time, effort and money involved in protecting your identity and in having your identity stolen and credit ruined is incalculable. A smart consumer knows when it is time to ask, “When is free actually “free” when it comes to protecting my identity?” LifeLock’s Identity Protection and Theft Prevention services take the time and effort out of you protecting your identity and backs up their work with a guarantee that any money involved, up to one million dollars, in restoring your good name, credit and money lost if your identity is stolen while you are a member of LifeLock will not come out of your pocket.

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How To Defend Against Identity Theft

by Jed Jenson

Research shows that 10 million individuals will become a victim of identity theft this year. Chances are you too will become a victim of identity theft unless you are aware of the ways your identity can be stolen. Once you know how your identity can be stolen, you will be able to defend yourself against becoming a victim. Therefore, your first line of defense is knowing a thief’s offense. The following are six ways you your identity can be stolen.

One way your identity can be stolen is through a lost or stolen wallet. Once thieves have your personal information from a driver’s license, social security card or other identifying information from your wallet, they can open credit card and utility accounts in your name. They can also charge large amounts of merchandise on your credit cards. Thieves may also use your identity when dealing with the government to obtain public services, get a driver’s license or official ID card issued in your name, but with their picture, or even give out your personal information when arrested. Some thieves have even been known to use someone else’s identity when applying for jobs in order to use their background to pass criminal screenings.

Another way your identity can be stolen is by becoming too comfortable with your day to day happenings and let your guard down concerning your paper trail, especially your financial paper trails. Believe it or not, identity theft crimes are more likely to be done by someone you know or who you feel comfortable with. For example, if you employ someone to clean your home, you need to be sure that your personal papers are kept in a secure location within your home. Also, be aware of sales clerks, waiters or cashiers who process your credit cards for you. Untrustworthy clerks can duplicate your credit card receipt or use a special device to capture your data. Be aware of who you perceive to be trustworthy before you allow them access to your home or credit cards.

Another way thieves can access your personal information is by scouring dumpsters or trash cans and to find receipts from financial institutions or pre-approved credit card applications. Thieves then use this information to create counterfeit checks or open credit card accounts in your name. Mailboxes are also locations where thieves can steal checks, bank statements and other financial documents before you ever know they are missing. Monitoring your incoming and outgoing paper mail and shredding all financial documents before trashing them is crucial to protecting your identity.

The fourth way thieves steal your identity is through telephone phishing scams. Pretexters call and pretend to be an employee of a popular company, such as Target, and proceed to tell you that there is a problem with your payment. Who wouldn’t be inclined to answer questions regarding financial information if they shop at Target and receive this sort of call? Furthermore, it is crucial that you are careful about what you tell others about yourself when on social websites or employment websites.

The fifth way thieves steal your identity is by watching your actions at ATM’s. Thieves are literally looking over your shoulder and stealing your information. You should always be aware of your surroundings when using automated teller machines. Thieves look to see what numbers you type in when entering your pin. They then follow you, wait for a chance to get your ATM receipt, and then gain access to your bank account.

The sixth way to have your identity stolen is to, as simple as it sounds, fail to put protective measures in place to keep thieves from gaining access to your personal information. Whether you purchase identity theft protection services or put your own identity theft protection services in place, the important thing is for you to be proactive when it comes to protecting your identity. If you are not protected from identity theft, you inevitably have your identity stolen.

When it comes to knowing how your identity can be stolen, what you don’t know can hurt you. Learning the 6 ways your identity can be stolen is the first step in being knowledgeable about protecting your identity. What you choose to do with this knowledge is up to you. If you don’t do something regarding your identity, a thief certainly will.

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Creating a Personal Budget

by Fred Hopkins

Where does all that money go each month? Everyone wants to know but no one wants to tackle the one thing that can answer the questions: create a personal budget. You may as strapping and handcuffs. A personal budget is not an easy task to do, but it is worth the effort if you were able to complete one.

For better comprehension of the whole thing, we’ll start on the basics first. A personal budget is the complete list of expected expenses for a particular period of time, say on a monthly basis. This includes salaries from work, child support, alimony, income from real estate investments, and pensions. These sources put together, make the monthly income which can be put towards household expenses.

Run a total. This is the amount you have to start with. You probably can’t believe you have that much money coming into the household when you open your wallet at the end of the month and nothing but moths fly out.

At this point, we move on to dealing with the debt. Name your monthly expenses. The liabilities part include mortgages, monthly utility bills, payments of various loans, child support, alimony, credit card payments, child care expenses, entertainment bills, policies and insurance payments. If the price of these bills stays the same each month your budget will be easier to figure out.

You also need to set aside some money for variable expenses. All basic expenses are included in this category. This kind of entertainment could mean,taking in a movie,or a play going out to dinner. The bills for monthly cable television service would be included in the monthly bills.

Total of all recurring debt should be subtracted from your income. What is left over will make for each month, allowances for the variable expenses. Money sent to the saving account every month can be recorded as an expense by the people. Create a budget plan you can live with and make sure to include putting away a little money in your savings account.

Keep a log such as a check register, or use finance software aids in tracking where the money goes. There are cases where your money just disappear through the ATM machine without you knowing the reasons behind it. It is a guaranteed method for destroying your budgeting efforts.

Personal budget creation is an activity for the entire family. Parents don’t have to do it by themselves. Ensure every person here gets involved with the end result. After all, each person will be governed by it in some way. Children will watch how you handle money each day and learn from your actions.

Budgets are not easy as it seem, they should be carefully prepared and calculated. Like any other habit it practice before it becomes second nature. You have change an original budget on fits your lifestyle before you done. The best budget allows flexibility and also structures your actions according to the goals that you’ve set.

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6 Ways One Can Improve Your Credit Score

by Allison Thompson

Today many people are struggling with credit problems, and this is only exacerbated further by the way the economy has been going lately. Keeping your credit score in good shape can be very difficult. Many people are finding today that their credit scores are not as good as they should be, yet there are ways that one can improve your credit score. To make your credit score look better we offer a few tips that you may find helpful.

Way No 1 - Always Pay Promptly - First of all, if you want to improve your credit score, it is important that you always pay your bills promptly. Don’t let bills go overdue or they will make your credit score look even worse. Paying on time can help make your credit score look better over time.

Way No 2 - Get hold of your Credit Report - This is crucial if you want to improve your credit score as this way you can be aware of any problems that appear on it. By knowing what your credit report and score look like you are far better prepared to deal with problems and get them fixed.

Way No 3 - Dispute Any Problems - If you find that there are any errors on your credit report, it’s important that you take the time to dispute them right away. These errors may be affecting your credit score negatively, so take care of them as soon as you can.

Way No 4 - Avoid Too Much Debt - Having too much debt can negatively impact your credit score. If you want to improve your score, avoid going too far into debt. When your credit score is calculated, the available credit is compared to the amount you have used, so if you avoid using too much credit, your score will look better. As you pay down your debt, your score will get better as well.

Way No 5 - Don’t Open Too Many New Accounts - Opening new accounts is not a great thing if you want to improve your credit score. If you suddenly are opening a lot of new accounts, this can send your credit score plummeting.

Way No 6 - Retain Those Old Accounts - You may well be tempted to get rid of your old accounts, but keeping them can actually help your credit score. Rather than getting rid of them, keep them open and functioning. This way you can raise the amount of available credit you have and this will in turn help to improve your credit score.

As you can there are several ways to improve your credit score. Certainly if you are in a position where you need to raise your credit score, then consider using one of these ways to help improve it quickly.

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Everybody Needs Insurance

by Johnson P. R.

If you own a home then you will certainly want to have a suitable amount of property security. Not having adequate could be disastrous should a fire or other natural disaster occur and destroy part or your entire home. That is because if you have a very high deductible or more you may find that it is as if you don’t even have cover simply because you can’t come up with that amount of cash.

People should evaluate what they want the most when it comes to insurance. That is because having enough policy in the areas that are most needed is better than not having enough across the board. Disability insurance is also important should you become disabled and is unable to work.

Figure out how much money you could manage to pay for health coverage at a moment’s notice should you need an immediate operation or something of that nature. If you work for a company then you more than likely already have this insurance through your company. How would you rebuild without adequate insurance benefits? If you are the major breadwinner in your home then you may want to revisit your budget and find a way to afford this type of coverage. Since this would be very difficult if not impossible it is highly recommended to have enough, or more than enough, property insurance.

If you pay for your own health cover then you will have to bump up your policy and pay as much per month for the best policy you can possibly afford. That way you will know that whatever happens you will be covered health wise. This is really important because all too often people are under insured and can’t receive the medical treatment they need as a result. It might take some sacrificing, but you really have to make adequate room in your budget for the cover you and your family need in case of a life-changing event.

Keep all of this information in mind when you are trying to decide what type of cover you want and how much you can afford. When you need health, life, property, disability, and more types of policies it is easy to see in a hurry that the cost can outweigh the amount of money that individuals can pay. Another type of coverage is on your life. This is great coverage to have if you are married with children so that you may leave the family enough money to pay the bills and survive without the additional income.

If you are self-employed there is a high possibility that you do not have this and cannot manage it.

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