Young Finance Guy

David Sokol No Longer Replacing Buffett as Berkshire Hathaway CEO

2011-03-31T15:20:00.001-04:00

David Sokol has been the primary guy in the running, and Warren Buffett's top pick, to replace the Oracle of Omaha as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Well David is no longer available for the position.

Just ask him.

David Sokol recently withdrew himself and resigned from the expected job and responsibility of running what is perhaps the most successful holdings company ever to invest.

He has allegedly stepped down after information about some personal trades of a company he purchased stock in which has recently been bought by Berkshire Hathaway.

Buffett has said that the decision does not come as a derivative of that trade nor the surfacing of that news.

I my self have to wonder a bit as the media is hitting this thing pretty hard. But I have enough confidence in Buffett to take his word... for the most part.

So now the real question is this...

Who will hop in the driver seat now that David Sokol is out?

It is a big question that needs answering. Warren who is still in relatively good health is 80 years old. He is not senile yet and still seems to navigate his way around a prospectus and balance sheet pretty well but hey... he is old.

They say there are four internal potentials that are already being considered.

I would like it to be known that I, Finance Guy, would be more than willing to squeeze in a interview for the gig.

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Business Law - Basic Agency Relationship Explained

2011-03-30T11:50:00.000-04:00

This business law article discusses the basic legal environment of the agency relationship in the world of business.

Agency Relationship

An agency relationship describes a two party relationship in which the agent is authorized to act on behalf of the principal. This relationship is created by an agreement between two parties in which one party (agent) will act for the benefit of, and under the control of, the other (principal).

For such a relationship to exist and for the agreement to be legally valid both parties must have "capacity" or the ability to make coherent decisions for themselves.

Agent Authority

There are four main types or key concepts of agent authority.

Actual Authority - Is the right to make decisions for the principal given to the agent. It is delegated or communicated to the agent by the principal party.

Express Authority - This is authority expressed by the actual words of the principal party.

Apparent Authority - This is authority communicated by the principal to a third party about the agents authority. This would be like a company explaining an affiliates role to a customer. Take note that an agent can not give itself this apparent authority.

Implied Authority - This is authority that can be reasonable assumed given the validity and understanding of the expressed authority.

Types or Class of Agents

There are three main types of agents.

General Agent - describes a party that is continuously employed to conduct transactions or business operations and actions on the principles behalf.

Special Agent - A party that is employed or authorized to conduct a specific, single, or temporary activity on the behalf of the principal party.

Sub-Agent - This is an agent of an agent appointed to assist with the role given to the agent by the principal party

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Queen Narissa's Hag Costume - 2007 Enchanted

2011-03-28T05:43:00.002-04:00

The Hag Costume of Queen Narissa

Enchanted 2007 - Hag Costume - Queen Narsia

This is the Hag Costume that Queen Narissa Wears in the 2007 Movie Enchanted.

Susan Sarandon played Queen Narsia in the 2007 movie Enchanted. She sported this costume when the Queen transformed into the Hag to trick Giselie with the old poison apple trick. Giselie was played by the actress known as Amy Adams.

The Hag costume was designed after the cloak the Hag wars in the film's animaited opening. In this opening scene Narissa throws Giselle through the portal leading to the human world where Giselle lands in New York, New York.

This costume was created by the designer known as Mona May.

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Andalasian Royal Servant Costume

2011-03-28T05:04:00.003-04:00

Nathaniel's Andalasian Royal Servant Costume

This is the Andalasian royal servant costume that the character of Nathaniel wears in the 2007 hit movie Enchanted.

Nathanial is the ever loyal servant of Queen Narissa that he is helpless but to do all the evil tasks that she asks of him.

Timothy Spall, a well known character actor, portrays Nathanial. Queen Narsia is played by none other than Susan Sarandon.

Tim wears this servant costume on the streets of New York City during the portion of the movie in which the characters are thrown through the magic portal into the human world.

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2008 King Miraz Battle Costume - Chronicles of Narnia

2011-03-28T04:57:00.000-04:00

King Miraz Battle Costume

This is the King Miraz battle costume from the 2008 block buster hit The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian.

For those of you who need a refresher King Miraz is a Lord of Telmarine and is the current King of Narnia. His thrown is kept with an iron wrist rule. He works diligently to dilute the spirt of those of Narnia and works to wipe out all memories of their storied past.

King Miraz wore this suit of Armor during the epic fight with Peter Pevenise.

King Miraz was played by Sergio Castellitto, he had the luxury of waring this battle costume. William Moseley played Peter Pevenise.

SEO Website Tip - Create Multiple Domains for Each User Language Common to Your Target Market

2011-03-28T03:15:00.001-04:00

This is a seo tip for those niche sites with target markets across multiple languages and countries.

If you have a site topic that targets users across multiple languages and cultures you may want to create a separate site that is language specific for each applicable market of users.

To create a website that targets multiple languages and cultures you will want to have domains that are specific to those languages and countries. For instance you if France and French speaking users are a major target user than you will want to have your entire site translated to the French language and you want to have the content on a mysite.fr this is all in addition to your mysite.com

The site content needs to be more than just auto translated through some sort of translation tool. To do this effectively you are going to need to have a human translate the content.

Don't go overboard with this idea. You don't need a .uk, .ca. and a .com version that is all in the same language. Not to mention the cost of this strategy is gonna cost so you are going to only want to create different language sites as these sites will be effective.

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Darth Maul Star Wars Costume - 1999 Phantom Menace

2011-03-27T22:35:00.000-04:00

Darth Maul Costume

This is the Darth Maul Costume used in 1999 in Star Wars - Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. The costume is on display at Disney on loan from the Lucasfilm Archives.

Darth Maul was played by Ray Park. Ray sported this costume as the apprentice to the evil Sith Lord known as Darth Sidious. Darth Sidious was played by Ian McDiarmid.

Darth Maul was on a quest to take out two Jedi Knights. The target Jedi were Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was played by Ewan McGregor, and Qui-Gon Jinn who was played by Liam Neeson. These two Jedi Knights were amidst their own mission which was to settle the growing hostility brewing on the planet Naboo. The conflict was with the Trade Federation.

Ray Park is a martial artist as well as an actor and wore this costume in the first film of Lucas's prequel trilogy.

1977 Darth Vader Costume - Star Wars Costume

2011-03-27T22:21:00.001-04:00

Darth Vader Costume Picture and Description
This is the 1977 Darth Vader costume.

Darth from 1977 Star Wars Movie

The six part Star Wars saga tell the story of the coming to power, the fall, and the final redemption of Anakin Skywalker. We all know of this story, these films, and the great legacy it has become. A big part of this legacy can be found in the Darth Vader Costume created in 1977.

The Darth Vader costume was worn by an English body builder named David Prowse. Though as many of us know the soul and voice was done by none other than James Earl Jones.

This costume was created by Lucasfilm for the exclusive use at Walt Disney World.

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Home Loan Approval - Your Best Financial Footing

2011-03-20T20:06:00.001-04:00

This article describes some basic steps one can take to improve the chances of approval for a mortgage loan.

Have Stable Monthly Budgeting Habits

It is a good practice whether awaiting for a loan approval decision or not to always maintain a stable monthly budget that utilizes wise spending, saving, and income earning habits.

Maintain Healthy Credit Scores

Your credit scores and your credit reports will have a big impact on the lenders decision to approve or deny you the funds you need to buy a home. You want to ensure that your credit score is as high as you possibly can get it. This means checking your reports and ensuring that all info and activity is accurate and that their are no mistakes that are hurting the appearance of your credit history.

Make sure you understand credit score basics so that you are able to do what you need to do if something is out of place. If you don't understand what your looking at than how will you know if it is OK?

Pay Off Unsecured Consumer and High Interest Debt

If you have credit card debt, owe money on store credit accounts, personal bank loans, or any sort of high interest debt than you really should pay it off.

Lenders are not going to want to lend money to folks that owe on a lot of rip off high interest credit cards or other sorts of unsecured debt.

At the very least you need to consider a debt consolidation loan with more favorable terms.

Be Upfront with The Bank or Lender - Tackle Obvious Approval Issues First

If there are some obvious weaknesses on your loan application it is a good idea to bring them up first. This allows you to offer an explanation instead of coming up with an excuse for when they find out about it anyways. Plus you will be able to avoid applying for the loan if the weakness is a automatic disapproval trigger for the lender.

If nothing else this will make you appear and feel more responsible as a borrower.

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Debt Settlement Risk Factors

2011-03-20T14:36:00.000-04:00

Debt Settlement Risk - Three Key Fundamental Risks

Debt Settlement has some fundamental risks that come with the decision to pursue efforts of settling debt for a discounted price with your creditors.

This article provides an outline of three existing debt settlement risk.

3 Financial Risks

No Guarantee

There is never a guarantee that you will be able to settle debt with a lender. Just because you want to settle and make an offer does not mean that they will take it.

Taxes

You will most likely have to pay taxes on any debt forgiven by your lender.
The government and the IRS count those funds as income. So you will get a 1099 for the discounted amount of debt in most cases.

Credit

Your credit score is not going to be in good shape. there is no doubt that you will have to become delinquent in order to have any real chance of settling any debt with your lenders. Those missed payments and default statuses go on your credit history and payment history records.

Also just because you settle a debt successfully does not mean that other potential creditors are going to view that as a good thing. Think about it. You borrowed money and did not pay the full amount back.

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California Hardest Hit Fund Foreclosure Assistance - Strategic Focus

2011-03-20T13:51:00.001-04:00

The California State Housing Authority has taken targeted measures to provide assistance to homeowners in financial hardship through the Hardest Hit Fund.

Like all states receiving help from HHF they have worked hard at developing innovative mortgage assistance programs targeted to the specific needs of their homeowners foreclosure assistance needs.

In addition to developing new programs they have adopted the approach of improving and expanding existing efforts and foreclosure prevention programs already in place.

California has decided to hyper focus borrower assistance resources towards aiding low to moderate income homeowners.

A core theme in the development and design of their approach is to ensure that their programs and the operations of their assistance efforts remain flexible and agile. This is in response to the success that the Obama home affordable mortgage assistance programs have had with the same approach.

To get the most bang out of their buck California foreclosure assistance efforts has put significant measures in place to have lenders, loan servicers, and PMI insurers to match their efforts dollar to dollar.

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California Mortgage Foreclosure Crisis - Hardest Hit Fund Assistance

2011-03-20T13:48:00.000-04:00

The Hardest hit Fund has contributed approximately 700 million dollars to aid California's fight to stop foreclosure.

California homeowners have endured comparatively high levels of financial hardship. Many borrowers in California have lost the ability to make mortgage payments due to a loss of income, divorce, medical issues and other typical causes of unpreventable hardship. The difference in California is that a large population of homeowners have been adversely affected by the unwinding housing, mortgage, and foreclosure crisis. Factors such as rising monthly mortgage payments and unprecedented statewide declining home values have created a compounding effect compared to other states. These horrific economic conditions have triggered an even worst and unforeseen trend in which homeowners are now strategically defaulting on their mortgage because of the overwhelming drop in home values and thus home equity.
.
The housing slump and economic hardships experienced in California are dramatically worst in comparison to other states. This difference appears both in the size and severity of the declining trends of the housing and mortgage slump as well as the rising rates of foreclosures. The typical mortgage solutions and foreclosure alternatives that work in other states do not prove as effective in California because of the limited dollars available to help this large segment of California homeowners suffering through financial hardship and mortgage default.

These circumstances have led to the decision to financially assist the state of California in it's fight to stop foreclosure and provide homeowners assistance through available resources of the Hardest Hit Fund which was created trough the Making Home Affordable Plan.

California Mortgage Help from Hardest Hit Fund Program

2011-03-20T13:44:00.000-04:00

California Housing Finance Agency has taken measures to offset the consequences of elevated levels of foreclosure and mortgage default by developing government mortgage assistance programs through the Hardest Hit fund. The California Foreclosure Assistance Plan provides debt help and mortgage assistance for homeowners in financial hardship.

The California mortgage assistance programs have been developed by working with lenders, loan servicers, borrowers, housing counselors, and private mortgage insurers to create, develop, and utilize targeted mortgage solutions that will reduce the growing amount of foreclosures and help financially troubled homeowners keep their home.

Four California Homeowner Assistance Programs

The California Foreclosure Assistance Plan is composed of four mortgage help programs. Three of the four programs focus on creating an opportunity for homeowners to keep their home. The fourth program provides homeowners with foreclosure relocation assistance in the form of financial aid.

Monthly Mortgage Payment Assistance for Unemployed Homeowners - Provides homeowners with financial aid to help pay the monthly mortgage payments.
Home Loan Reinstatement - Helps homeowners bring their loan current by providing financial assistance to pay of part of the past due balance.
Mortgage Balance and Principle Cuts - Gives borrowers with upside down home loans financial aid to pay off part of the principle balance on the mortgage loan.
Moving Assistance and Financial Aid - Provides borrowers who are losing their home due to a short sale or deed in lieu up to 5,000 dollars in foreclosure relocation assistance. This cash for keys like program provide financial assistance to homeowners who will incur moving expenses due to foreclosure.

Though the foreclosure and home assistance programs will help a great deal of homeowners in financial hardship they will only put a dent in the entire California foreclosure crisis. These programs that are funded through the Making Home Affordable Plan's Hardest Hit Fund will act as an effective compliment to the Federal mortgage assistance programs such as the Home Affordable Modification Program and the Home Affordable Refinance Program.

Understanding Loans That are Unsecured

2011-02-06T02:35:00.001-05:00

Understanding unsecured loans and debt is a key part of healthy personal finance.

Loans that are not secured do not have a guarantee backed by an asset of comparable value like secured loan does. This means that debt which is unsecured carry more risk for creditors than a comparable secured loan. Thus a unsecured loan carries less of a risk for the borrower. Following this logic, unsecured loans are more costly for consumers.

Creditors that lend via unsecured loans set higher interest rates and sizable fees that the borrower will have to pay. The lender asks for more to hedge the increased risk involved in investing in unsecured debt. If the borrower does not repay the loan as agreed creditors will not be able to seize or collect any type of collateral if the loan is no secured by an asset.

The comparably higher risk associated with unsecured debt derives from two fundamental notions.

The borrower will elect to pay secured debt before unsecured debt.
There is no collateral guarantee to hedge the risk of default.

Types of Unsecured Loans

Below you can find a list of typical unsecured lending products

Personal Loan
Credit Card Accounts
Peer to Peer Lending
Debt Consolidation Loan
Store Financing Loans
Some Small Business Loans
Some Corporate Loan Debt

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The Amputee Rap by Josh Sundquist

2011-02-04T02:54:00.001-05:00

Hey Guys

This video is really something.

I watched it a few times right from the get go. The guy is a skier, and a published author. Pretty sweet. He has another funny yet dramatic vid in which he turns the first chapter of his book into a self animated cartoon that is pretty well developed as far as YouTube goes.

I really like this guy and think he is someone worth knowing, listening, and watching.

Buy his book!!!!

Facebook is Down - Where is Facebook?

2011-02-03T22:47:00.001-05:00

So you are probably wondering where the hell facebook went.

Well believe it or not the youngest billionaire in the world decided to call it quits and shut down all servers!!!

He said that he just had enough.

Just kidding. No seriously I have not a clue why facebook is down. Not a freaking clue.

But this gives us an opportunity like no other.

You can comment about how much you wish facebook was up so you could comment there instead.

Ha.

If anyone has any suggestions on what the heck we should do with our time until facebook is back please inform us. we need help. we need help now!!

- Finance Guy

The US Economy Fires Up to End 2010

2011-01-28T23:05:00.000-05:00

The GDP growth rose considerably to a annual rate of 3.2% up from the previous 2.6%

The market seems to be doing pretty well and those GDP numbers are pretty solid. Just the same I have some worries.

Housing is not looking any better and I think it is or at least could get a little worst. That scares me a bit. I think we are going to see a lot of foreclosures in the future and a lot of banks are going be taking on properties that they can not sell and I think that will be most of them.

Homeowners of course will do their best to stop foreclosure through a mortgage solution such as loan modification or even refinancing. But many will not be able to afford their mortgage payment or rather the home.

I suppose only time will tell. I would just hate to see things take a turn for the worst as I am not sure the economy has what it takes to pull itself back up from a double dip.

Found a Debt Help Review on TheReviewChimp.com

2011-01-28T21:16:00.001-05:00

Hey guys I found a review of a Debt Help Resource on TheReviewChimp.com (Hey the guy is not a monkey... just ask him).

HOMEOWNERDEBTHELP.com, Debt Help Resource For Homeowners and Consumers

Cash for Keys

2011-01-28T21:01:00.000-05:00

Lenders give thousands of dollars to homeowners who lose their home because of foreclosure. This foreclosure relocation assistance help homeowners cover the cost of moving out of their home and into another residence.

The amount paid to the homeowner or renter may vary from the amount of a thousand dollars to five thousand dollars. The program is also offered to real estate agents who gain a commission. They do so by lowering the amount paid out and keep the difference for themselves. It is wise to talk to the lender yourself to get the best amount available.

This financial aid for homeowners who lose home in foreclosure through cash for keys like programs are supposed to create good will, but is that the real motivation for the lenders?

Perhaps the reasons behind cash for keys and foreclosure relocation assistance is actually two fold.

One reason is to get the renter or homeowner to depart quickly. No one wants to sell a home that has old owners refusing to leave.
Secondly to create an incentive to for the former occupants to resist damaging or destroying property out of spite against the lender.

HAFA - Foreclosure Alternative Help

2011-01-28T20:36:00.000-05:00

HAFA is the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative program created for homeowners who can not afford to keep their home.

President Barrack Obama helped establish the program through his Making Homes Affordable Plan and it is for the homeowners who are not capable of making a payment even if those payments are reduced through the Home Affordable Modification Program.

Obama Foreclosure Alternatives

In that case the homeowner is offered other mortgage solutions that do not let the homeowner keep the home but allow them to walk away with no mortgage debt. This is done with a short sale or perhaps a deed in lieu.

Obama Cash for Keys Program

Along with the foreclosure alternative the homeowner is able to receive a few thousand dollars of foreclosure relocation assistance through the Obama cash for keys program. Typically the cash for keys program available through HAFA allows homeowners to obtain 3,000 dollars of financial aid.

Foreclosure Relocation and Financial Assistance

2011-01-28T20:29:00.000-05:00

Homeowners and renters alike are losing their homes at a rapid rate. These homeowners and renters must vacate their homes because of the home being sold due to a foreclosure sale. Many who lose their home in this manner are often left feeling vengeful and out of spite will cause damage to the home or property.

Lenders thought that angry complaints and phone calls from the former homeowner were the least of their problems and they were wrong. Former owners would get their revenge by trashing the home. A new risk management tactic was soon formed called Cash for Keys. Simply put, it is a program designed by lenders providing financial assistance to occupants who must depart and relocate elsewhere because of the foreclosure sale.

The agreement is usually fixed with conditions and requires the former homeowner or renter to agree then honor these terms and conditions including move out dates. If the former homeowners meet these terms and conditions, lenders will pay a lump sum of money to the evicted party.

Typical homeowners might be offered a monetary sum of twenty-five hundred dollars given if they vacate the foreclosed home within forty-five days and leave the residence in good condition. The program recognizes the financial hardship and relocation expense of those affected directly.

Home Affordable Mortgage

2011-01-27T17:28:00.000-05:00

There is a huge need for mortgage assistance amidst a growing population of homeowners in financial hardship. This need has not been over looked.

There are many government mortgage assistance programs and these efforts only seem to be growing in both number and level of effectiveness.

Below you will find a list of homeowner assistance programs developed to provide homeowners the opportunity to obtain beneficial debt help that enables them to make home affordable.

Home Affordable Mortgage Program List

Home Affordable Refinance

This is the Obama refinance program that allows homeowners to refinance their current mortgage to a home loan with a more favorable and affordable monthly payment

FHA Short Refinance

Allows underwater homeowners to reduce their principle by at least 10% by refinancing.

Second Mortgage Modification

Gives lenders incentives to eliminate second lien mortgage debt.

Home Affordable Modification

This is the Obama loan modification program that allows homeowners in financial hardship to lower their monthly mortgage payment by restructuring the payment terms of their home loan and thus make home affordable. This program allows homeowners to stop foreclosure and overcome mortgage default.

Unemployment Assistance and Modification Program

This government mortgage assistance program allows homeowners who are unemployed to obtain mortgage relief via forbearance and than modification

Obama Foreclosure Alternatives

Provides homeowners who have long term financial hardships that prevent them from being able to keep their home the opportunity to stop foreclosure and walk away with no mortgage debt. Foreclosure alternatives such as a deed in lieu of foreclosure or a short sale are utilized to help these homeowners. Participants are also granted up to 3,000 dollars of foreclosure relocation assistance through the Obama cash for keys program.

Hardest Hit Fund

This program provides billions of dollars to the local housing authorities of states that have been hit the hardest by financial hardship caused by the turmoils of the down economy.

How to Get an Affordable Loan Modification

2011-01-27T07:33:00.001-05:00

If you are a homeowner who wants to reduce their mortgage payment via the Obama mortgage modification program known as HAMP the Home Affordable Modification Program than you need to follow the step by step process listed below.

Qualify Yourself

The first step is to determine if you meet the basic qualifications for affordable mortgage modification program.

Preliminary HAMP Application

Next you need to obtain, complete, and submit the preliminary modification request application. This is what the government refers to as the Request for Modification Affidavit. This application is what starts the ball rolling and will get you into a HAMP trial modification.

Prepare Financial Package

With the initial application you should send a financial package that includes the following documents listed below.

Tax Form 4506-EZ. This form allows your lender access to past tax returns you submitted to the IRS.
Income documentation such as pay stubs and bank statements. Submit at least three months worth.
Document certifying that you have not been convicted of felony larceny, fraud, forgery, money laundering, tax evasion, or the like in the past 10 years.

Successfully Complete HAMP Trial Modification

You must make all your trial payments on time and respond to the packages and inquires your lender will send in the mail. Play it safe and utilize the envelopes and payment coupons provided.

Get Approval (or Unmentionable) Decision

Wait for lender to evaluate debt, income, financial hardship, and the like.

Typical Reverse Mortgage Borrower

2011-01-18T10:22:00.000-05:00

Are you considering a reverse mortgage loan?

If you are you may be wondering if you are a right fit for this particular type of mortgage product. As an effort to help folks dig into this question and find the correct answer for their unique situation I have given a brief and accurate description of the typical reverse mortgage borrower.

The typical reverse mortgage borrower is an elderly homeowner whom is in need of some cash and or cash flows. The borrower will initially own the home out right or owe very little. The borrower will live in the property secured by the reverse mortgage loan. Usually the borrower is single, widowed or divorced and lives alone.

What is a Reverse Mortgage Loan?

2011-01-18T10:17:00.000-05:00

The reverse mortgage was created to help homeowners.

A reverse home loan is a backward operated mortgage product that pays the homeowner in exchange for the right to the equity value in the home has to offer up to the amount owed at the end of the loans life or term.

A reverse mortgage loan is a loan that can be either obtained in a lump sum, line of credit, or the traditional reverse mortgage installments. The equity in a home is reduced in accordance to the money borrowed an the costs incurred.

A reverse mortgage loan is a mortgage product that offers elderly borrowers a cash flow solution in the form of a secured loan.

A reverse mortgage is a non-recourse loan and debt. This means that only the value of the home may pursued as a source of repayment.

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FHA Reverse Mortgage Equity Conversion Loan

2011-01-18T09:45:00.000-05:00

FHA Reverse Mortgage

The FHA reverse mortgage loan is known as HECM – Home Equity Conversion Mortgage.

A FHA reverse mortgage is of course guaranteed by the FHA.

There are some general requirements that a borrower must meet in order to qualify for a FHA reverse mortgage loan. Below I have listed just the very basic FHA reverse mortgage qualifications for borrowers interested in utilizing this financial tool.

Qualifications for FHA Reverse Mortgage

At least 62 years or older
One - Four Unit dwellings
Own the home, or the existing traditional forward mortgage is close to be paid off more specifically it can be paid with the proceeds obtained from the reverse mortgage loan.

Reverse Mortgage History

2011-01-18T09:25:00.001-05:00

History of the Reverse Mortgage

The reverse mortgage loan is a government inspired mortgage product designed to help elderly homeowners tap into their home equity with out the risk of losing their home.

HUD administered the program starting in the late 1980's. This was done through the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987

Initially a test run was approved in which 2500 mortgage insurance policies were authorized for issue. Three years later in 1990 which was actually closer to 1991 the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 expanded and set in motion the modern day system used to insure reverse mortgage loans with FHA mortgage insurance.

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Thoughts on Sales and Sales People

2011-01-01T20:22:00.002-05:00

A high performance sales person is one of the most valuable assets a company can have.

The purchase opportunity a consumer will pass up if left to their own isolated mind and will, the consumer will buy and pay twice the price if helped by a good sales person.

To better explore this notion let's take a look and explore some thoughts on home loan lending and the loan agent.

The loan agent for the modern day private lender is there for one reason. They are there to hold the borrowers hand, keep them happy, and most importantly to see them through the entire closing process. This is important because the borrower and home buyer has a lot to deal with. The never ending list of closing costs can be overwhelming and borrowers often want to back away as they become overwhelmed with all the financial obligations and contracts.

Because good sales people are hard to find and historically impossible to control, the typical employee to employer arrangement has proved a poor performance strategy.

Salary is a commitment and if the employer is wrong about the hired employee than they are out quite a bit of money. Sales people have a reputation of taking their own interest to the extreme. If they are guaranteed money this is gonna make managing them even worst. Why go the extra mile if there is no perceived self benefit?

Thus the commission has proven to be a great fit for the marketing and sales side of business operations.

Sales people are also good at extracting the highest price tolerable by any one given borrower. Thus loan origination points are a great match for originating loans. The sales guy is able to pull huge commissions and thus make a fruitful living and the lender carries zero risk.

By giving sales people a optional margin and commission take depending on the price obtained for any given product a company is able to give their sales reps greater opportunity for tremendously less risk. The price and risk is passed on to the consumer. If the consumer or borrower negotiates the price down to the bare minimum than they have avoided the extra cost of the reps allowable premium. The rep in this scenario still gets a commission. The commission is not as high as it could have been if they were able to get the consumer to purchase the product for a higher premium.

Sales people learn to live and cope with this uncertainty.

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Simple Thoughts On Mortgage Lending

2011-01-01T19:51:00.001-05:00

When you take out a home loan you are literally buying a dollar for three dollars. By the time you are done paying the mortgage you will have paid the lender three times the money they lent you. This is how most businesses work.

Businesses purchase inputs, transform them into an output that is worth more. Business operations create value through this transformation process.

Lenders find people who need more money than they could possibly come up with themselves by the time they need it. This person is the borrower. They also find people who have more money than need during this same short term window. The lender than connects these two. They act as a broker.

Lending money is easy. Managing the risk of losing money in a way that consistently yields more return than loss is the trick.

Thus the real trick that lenders typically and historically do so well is to find opportunities to loan money to those who will do their best to pay back that money plus interest over a period time. One payment at a time. They do this by finding folks with steady consistent income that have a history of paying their bills and following through with their past financial obligations.

Middle class consumers who are the typical mortgage borrowers are by themselves to risky to be trusted with such a sizable loan over such a long period of time. A lot can happen in thirty years.

The asset being purchased with the loan is what creates the security for the lender and allows the American dream to be more than a dream. The fact that the lender is able to obtain the right to force a sale of the property secured by the mortgage loan is what allows the American dream to become an American reality.

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Business Basics - Understanding the Certainty of Uncertainty

Ivy League College Level Education with out Leveling Your Personal Finances

2011-01-01T19:08:00.000-05:00

There are many reason we don't all graduate from those prestigious Ivy League Schools such as Harvard, Stanford, or MIT. These great educational institutions are very expensive. They are insanely competitive.

The admission offices only have room for so many, and they want the very best.

So for the vast majority of Americans it is simply not possible to get into these schools. Most US students won't be able to hear and be a part of these wonderful lectures and academic experiences.

Most of us will never have the opportunity to see what goes on behind those institutional walls of academic excellence.

Right?

Wrong.

Everyone is able to be a part of these institutions and classes. You can take whatever class you want. You can take these classes when ever you want. All the high caliber schools around the world are available free. They are free to all via the Internet and a special website called AcademicEarth.Org

If you would like to get a free Ivy League Eduction that will not break your finances via Academic Earth simply follow the step by step instructions I detail in that article titled...

How to Get a Ivy League Education Free

How to Get a Ivy League Education Free

2011-01-01T19:01:00.001-05:00

This article describes how to get a free ivy league caliber education.

What if someone told you that you were able attend the same lectures held by the same professors that only the academic elite and or extremely rich were able to attend through top notch universities such as Harvard?

Would you believe that person?

Believe it.

How is this possible?

The Internet.

More specifically a wonderful website known as Academic Earth.

This is a how to article describing the step by step process one can follow to attend a vast and impressive library of current and ongoing lectures from the top rated Universities and elite professors that the planet earth has to offer.

First thing one needs to do is to hop on the computer and get online.
Once you have made your way on to the Internet. Go to your browser and point it towards the following URL...
- http://www.academicearth.org
Next step is to take a look around and decide which degree you would like to unofficially obtain. You will find that the website is nicely put together and organized. It looks a bit like Hulu.com and other like sites.
After you have decided on a topic and had a chance to look around the site pick your first class and hit play.
Make sure you have a note book and even a spare laptop or iPad may be of use.
Finally start watching and taking notes or just relax while you get a free 3,000 dollar lecture.

With Academic Earth you can get all the benefit with out ruining your personal finances.

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Lindsay Lohan - She is Back - Video of her Photo Shoot in Skimpy Black

2011-01-01T15:26:00.000-05:00

Well much of the blogging and vlogging world have their hopes up and are excited about the release of Lindsay Lohan from rehab. Her endless stream of content inspiration so much of the online publishing community craves will most likely start flowing as it once did.

That it ever really stopped. But with her out and about the quality, excitement, and financial profitability of all inspired content should soar as it did before.

I know vloggers such as Phillip DeFranco, and bloggers such as Perez Hilton are happy and busy.

I thought I would get in the fun and post a video of her.

This video is a photo shoot of Lindsay Lohan wearing seductive black outfit. The theme is dark, bloody, and of course sexy.

Love her or hate her Lohan makes the entertainment world go round.

Be sure to tell me what you think of the video.

For Hip Hop News & Entertainment at DimeWars.Com

Special Thanks to DimeWars.com

How to Refinance and Lower Your Monthly Payment

2011-01-01T11:31:00.000-05:00

This article is a step by step guide on how to refinance and lower your mortgage payment. It is intended for homeowners who need to lower their monthly payments in order to stay current on their home loan.

I have another post in which I describe what borrowers are the best match for this particular mortgage payment solution. I suggest you make sure you are a good fit for refinance help to lower your payment before you move forward.

Below I have created a list of nine steps to take in order to refinance and lower your monthly mortgage payment.

Steps to Refinance and Lower Your Mortgage Payment

Create monthly budget.
Write hardship letter.
Income and tax documents.
Call your lender.
Ask about refinancing options for distressed borrowers.
Complete financial package that they request.
Submit financial package.
Follow up to make sure they received it and ask when to expect a reply.
Wait for approval.

Refinance Help - Lower Mortgage Payment

2011-01-01T11:07:00.001-05:00

Many homeowners, who are still current on their mortgage, are worried about making their next monthly mortgage payment on time. Some will be able to make the next payment, but they know that something has to be done in the near future, or they will default.

These homeowners need help making home affordable for the long term.

If you are a homeowner who has found yourself amidst a financial hardship during these slow economic times than you know of the stress and worry it brings to your life.

If you are dealing with this stress, if you are a homeowner who knows you have to do something or you will eventually default on your mortgage, than be sure to read the rest of this post.

I have financial hope here...

You can refinance your mortgage to a loan with more favorable terms. You can lower your monthly payment

Characteristics of Homeowners who May Be Able to Lower Their Mortgage Payment by Refinancing

They have at least 9 - 12 percent of home equity that has accumulated.
They are still current on their mortgage payments.

Those are only generic qualifications. If you are interested in a specific program than you need to reference the applicable qualifications for that refinance program of interest.

If you are a homeowner who meets this basic borrower profile than you may be able to refinance and lower your mortgage payment.

Where to Go From Here

If you want to explore this opportunity or move forward towards refinancing your mortgage loan than I suggest taking a look at another recent article of mine that lists all the steps involved in refinancing your loan to lower your mortgage payment. The post is titled and linked below...

How to Refinance and Lower Your Monthly Payment

I wish any homeowners who try to refinance and lower their monthly payment luck.

Good Luck

- Finance Guy

Google Advertising - The Basic Landscape of AdWords

2010-12-31T21:44:00.000-05:00

Google makes the vast majority of it's money through advertising revenues. More specifically Google generates advertising revenue through there advertising program known as AdWords.

The heart and soul of googles advertising success is the ability to target advertisements to the target market. When a consumer searches for a product or service the most applicable advertisements will be shown to that consumer. Thus Google has introduced an unsurpassed relavency to advertising.

Google advertisements are distributed through two main channels. The first, most effective, and thus valuable is the search based advertisements. The second and ever growing source of Google advertisements is through the content network.

Two AdWords Distribution Channels

Advertisers can place ads on content websites or search engine result web pages.

Search

The search advertising or search engine marketing which is often abbreviated as SEM has and remains Google's bread and butter when it comes to revenue and advertiser success. The success of search advertising derives from the three R's of online marketing.

The ability to reach the interested consumer at the time of interest was never possible before AdWords. This ability to target both relevance, and peak interest is amplified by the ability to track the performance of almost every aspect of an advertising campaign. Advertisers can track almost anything whether it be time of day, location, demographic, search query, landing page, ad copy, or practically any other variable you can think of. This ability to track performance allows advertisers to hyper focus their advertising budget like never before.

Another big advantage of SEM is the notion that you only have to pay when a user clicks on your advertisement. Instead of the pay for display method of advertising Google search advertising only charges an advertiser if a user clicks on the ad.

Content

Google search advertisements are not always clicked on. In fact the majority of the time a search user will elect to click on a organic search listing. So what is an advertiser to do once the user has left google and found a site or online resource with the information that they are looking for? Google came up with a solution.

Google partnered with online publishers and content providers through a program called AdSense which allows advertisers to obtain an enormous advertising reach via the websites participating in AdSense. Websites that partner with Google through AdSense allow Google to place advertisements on their website. Google in return shares the advertising revenue with the websites.

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How to Change Servers (DNS) for Domains Hosted with GoDaddy.com

2010-12-31T20:42:00.000-05:00

This is a simple step by step "how to" article describing how to change your domain name servers hosted in your GoDaddy.com hosting account.

Simple 7 Step Procedure

Below is the seven steps to change DNS in your godaddy.com account.  

Step 1

First things first, go to godaddy.com and log in.

Step 2

Once you are logged into your account go to your account manager.

Step 3

From your account manager you need to find and select the Manage Domains option from the domain names drop down menu. An alternative route is through the manage your account list.   

Step 4

Select the site or domain you wish to change.

Step 5

Once you have identified and selected the applicable site you need to select the set name servers option by using the check boxes provided.

 Step 6

Locate the blue colored name servers label heading. It should be located on the right side of the page. In the input box directly underneath you simply enter the desired name servers.

Step 7

Finally hit save.

Your Done!!

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Credit Websites for US Consumers

2010-12-29T13:56:00.000-05:00

There are three official websites that a US consumer can visit and access their free annual credit report. These three sites belong to (one each) the three major credit bureaus. I have listed the 3 credit bureaus below.

Three Credit Bureaus

Equifax
Experian
Transunion

The three applicable websites that allow consumers to obtain their free annual credit report (and more) are listed below.

Consumer Credit Reminder

I just wanted to let folks know, or at least remind them, that they will be able to get their credit reports just fine, however, they will not be able to obtain their actual credit score.

the credit score is something you generally have to pay for unless you make use of some sort of promotion or service in which you are generally going to have to give someone some sort of business somewhere.

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Keeping Up with Your Credit Reports? - You are Not the Only One

2010-12-24T20:00:00.001-05:00

Many consumers like to keep an eye on their credit. Monitoring your credit report and credit score is a healthy habit of the financially savvy. It is a sign of smart personal finance and debt management habits. This is no secret.

What many folks don't know is that they are not the only ones looking at their credit reports, credit history, and their credit scores.

In this post I will provide a list that discloses some of the typical third parties that commonly access and consider consumer credit scores.

Third Parties That May Review and Monitor Your Credit

Employers
Potential Employers
Underwriters
Insurers
Anyone who receives a credit application from you.
Businesses considering or currently taking part in any sizable transactions with you.
People Involved with legal matters in court may need to access your credit history.
Residual billing services such as cell, cable, power.
Land Lords and Rental Agencies

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Creditors are Willing to Eliminate Debt - Find Out Why

2010-12-20T19:04:00.000-05:00

It often comes as a shocking surprise to people when they learn just how much folks typically save through debt settlement.

People often do not expect lenders to be willing to eliminating tens of thousands in credit card debt for people who are in financial hardship. None the less it is true.

Lenders routinely agree to forgive 30% - 70% of outstanding credit card debt through debt settlement offers for credit card consumers who are unable to pay the full amount.

Why are Lenders Willing to Settle Credit Card Debt?

Lenders are will to do reduce the outstanding debt on credit card accounts for several reasons.

Unlikely to obtain full amount anyways.
Large cash payment.
The tax write off they will get for doing so.

Want to Learn More About Debt Settlement

If this post has sparked some interest then I suggest that you check out another article I posted not to long ago. It is a guide outlining a DIY Credit Card Debt Settlement Plan.

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Business Basics - Understanding Risk and the Certainty of Uncertainty

2010-12-19T14:45:00.002-05:00

Anyone who has been responsible for a business for some amount of time knows or quickly finds out that one of the biggest mistakes a business operator can make is not expecting to make a mistake. It can even get worst at times. Sometimes disaster will strike with no notice and no fault. This potential disaster, this uncertainty, this certainty of uncertainty is known as risk.

This post will outline some potential risks and more specifically the typical horizons of which risk tends to rise.

A key to risk management is to catch problems early. The best way to do this is to be looking for the problem before the problem even exists.

Below are seven common horizons where risk in known to arise.

Seven Potential Risk Horizons

1) Industry Demand

Perhaps this is the worst. Nothing is worst than trying to sell that of which no one wants to buy. Depending on your product and industry you may be likely to encounter a fluctuation in market demand (not in your favor). The best way to hedge this risk is to use one or a combination of three risk adverse safeguards prior to the strike of a lacking market demand.

a) Have savings and a cost cutting plan for the occasion and wait out the storm. Extra financing does not hurt.
b) Diversify your revenue and have plenty of sources
c) Tweak your revenue streams to yield a residual income

2) Outside Regulation from Authorities

Nothing sucks more then the government stepping in and suddenly squashing your means of making a living. The only way to beat them is to join them (aka getting into politics some how and beating them at their own game.)

3) Fluctuating Demographics and Populations

This can creep up on you if you have been in business for a long time. If the surrounding market population steadily gets older, or changes some how with out replenishing the "meat and potatoes" of your target market then you better move or find a new business.

4) Competition of the Third Kind

Everyone in business typically has a good nose for the direct competition. However if you are the unfortunate soul to encounter a new competitive technology that you have never seen before because ... well... they never existed before (aka new competitive technology) then you can be in for a very rude and humbling experience.

For example = NY Times meet my friend she is called "the Internet".

5) Long Term Supply Disruption

If you rely on something that suddenly goes out of style or perhaps worst is suddenly used for something totally different and totally more profitable thus increasing your costs out of your league then you are gonna have to figure out how to do what ever is smarter then what you were doing.

6) Loss of Competitive Edge such as Patent

Did you invent something? Time sure does fly huh?

7) Legally Taken to the Cleaners

Lawyers suck. No doubt about it. If one sees a way to gut you for everything you got expect a bill for at least twice that. This may be the worst and most infuriating

Budget Bucket Saving

2010-12-18T17:02:00.002-05:00

As the economy continues to struggle consumers and homeowners a like are starting to see the importance of increasing their savings and their savings rate.

I have taken the time to post some simple steps you can take to save more through a strategy known as budget bucket saving.

Bucket Budgeting and Saving - Six Easy Steps

Determine Budget Categories

First you are going to want to categorize your spending. this is simple all you need to do is to set down with pen and paper and write down a list of spending categories whether its home expenses, clothes, entertainment, etc., etc.

Plan Tracking Method

Step two is to make sure you keep some sort of record of everything you spend. this can be done automatically through credit and debit cards.

Assign Budget Figures for Each Spending Category

The third step is to set a max amount for each spending category. Tell yourself that you may spend up to this amount but no more.

Start Living and Spending According to Budget

You may have to make some initial adjustments to your category budget amounts.

Once all budget figures are workable really focus on coming out ahead.

Monthly Bucket Audit

At the end of every month see how you did. If you have money left over in a category then scoop it up and dump it into your savings account. Do this with every "bucket".

Savings Bucket Management

You have to protect the savings from you and all that is around you. There are plenty of good reasons to spend that money but you need to get in the habit of making hard decisions.

You need to hoard that cash and focus on making sound financial decisions.

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Amidst the Ash of Subprime

2010-12-16T09:45:00.000-05:00

A New Borrowing Era - Post Subprime

Following the subprime mortgage crisis, and the political and economic changes that it has caused, will you be able to rely on your mortgage broker?

This is an important question for potential home buyers to ask themselves because mortgage brokers and lending agents were a cause of the mortgage and foreclosure crisis.

Irregularities in subprime lending have played a large role in the current economic crisis.

Many mortgage brokers that forced borrowers to forge documents and escalate income levels to enable borrowers to qualify for a mortgage that they weren't eligible for. Theses borrowers took a home loan that they could not afford.

As a result these homeowners were the first to fall behind and lose their home to foreclosure.

If you are planning to take out a mortgage and you are not a financial expert, you can and should seek financial advice from a professional.

Just the same you want to make sure that you have some basic knowledge

It is important for you to be aware of the terms and conditions you are agreeing to at closing. Borrowers that have fallen prey to misleading mortgage brokers could have easily avoided such mistakes by taking the time to understand the mortgage terms on their own.

Be careful and don't allow yourself to be taken for a ride that results in you losing your home through a mortgage foreclosure sale.

Home Buyer Considerations

2010-12-16T09:32:00.000-05:00

Mortgage lending has been the catalyst and factor allowing most of today's homeowners to own their home. Depending on your personal finances you also may one day take out a mortgage. In which case there are several factors that home buyers should consider before buying a home and taking out a mortgage. This article contains essential mortgage questions home buyers should consider when obtaining a mortgage.

Financial Questions Home Buyers and Mortgage Borrowers Should Seriously Consider

Are you comfortable with the Mortgage loan term (15 yr - 30 yr)?

You have to decide whether you will opt for a 15-year or a 30-year loan term.

If you are opting for the 15-year loan term you have to make higher monthly payments but the rate of interest will be lower.

When you opt for 30-year loan term, you pay lower monthly payments but the rate of interest will be high. You get more time to pay off your mortgage.

Adjustable Rate or Fixed Rate?

If you opt for an adjustable-rate mortgage, your monthly mortgage payments will be less in the first few years. The rates will change as per the prevailing rates in the market. Thus your monthly mortgage payments will also differ.

If you opt for fixed-rate mortgage, your monthly mortgage rates will be fixed and predictable. This may make it easier for you to keep up with your financial obligations and stick to your monthly budget.

Does your income support the size of the mortgage?

Your income is undoubtedly an important factor that determines what size and type of a mortgage you can afford. It is important that you live within your means.

What is your debt to income ratio?

Your DTI or debt to income ratio is another factor that can help you to decide how much mortgage you should take out. The more debt you have the less you should consider borrowing.

What is Your Credit Score?

Your credit score has a big impact on the cost of borrowing. The better your credit report and credit score the better and more favorable your financing options will be.

If you think you will be able to improve your credit score in the short term then it may be worth the wait.

How big of a down payment can you afford?

The down payment that a home buyer is both willing and able to make is one of the most important factors considered by lenders.

The bigger the down payment is the cheaper the financing costs will be.

Is buying a home the best use of those funds?

There is no question that owning a home is one of the most beneficial purchases that people make. However before you purchase a home you still need to weigh the pro's and con's of the purchase as well as the opportunity cost.

Debt Settlement Basics

2010-12-16T09:23:00.001-05:00

Debt Settlement

Debt settlement can be defined as resolving distressed loans and debt through a pay off agreement between both creditor and borrower. Typically the debt to be payed is drastically reduced and the new reduced amount is paid immediately in one large payment.

Settling debt and financial obligations is a great way to get rid of unsecured debt that has accumulated from credit cards and or other high interest unsecured debt that one may have.

Who Performs or Negotiates a Debt Settlement Agreement?

A debt settlement agreement must be approved by both the lender and the borrower. As this would imply all that is needed for a person overwhelmed with credit card debt is a means to contact the lender as well as a lender willing to settle.

However many consumers have been known to hire debt settlement firms and or debt settlement lawyers or debt settlement counseling agencies or even a friend better suited to to do so. Having said this there is no reason what so ever that you should not partake on this task on your own if you feel you are able to so adequately enough.

You can successfully obtain a debt settlement arrangement all by yourself if you are willing to put in the time and effort. Prior to this post I posted a DIY article outlining how to settle credit card debt. If you are interested in getting rid of credit card debt than that may be a helpful resource and worth taking a look at.

I also wanted to make sure that everyone realizes that negotiating with credit card lenders is no easy task and should be given considerable consideration and effort.

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DIY Credit Card Debt Settlement

2010-12-16T08:01:00.002-05:00

Borrowers who are amidst a financial hardship and can not make timely monthly payments on their credit card debt can benefit from debt settlement. Distressed borrowers are able to avoid bankruptcy as well as reduce the total amount owed by successfully negotiating a settlement with their creditors.

This post discuses how consumers of credit card debt can obtain debt help and a debt settlement offer on their own.

How to Obtain a Debt Settlement Agreement with Your Creditors

1. Raise the Cash

Before you can seriously entertain the idea of settling your debt you need to have some serious cash.

This may mean saving for a while. Many people are only able to do this by defaulting on their credit card payments.

The lender already has a monthly payment arrangement with you that you have most likely defaulted on sense you are in the current predicament that you are in.

The lender is not going to be quick to jump to another monthly payment plan and is certainly going to want more then you would have to pay in a lump sum agreement.

2. Determine Your Settlement Target

Typically a debt settlement agreement is anywhere from 20 - 70 percent of the outstanding balance that is owed to the lender.

Figure out what percentage you are able to pay. Is this amount realistic?

Rationalize how you are going to lay these cards out on the table once you get on the phone.

For instance if your dealing with a 8,000 dollar acct and you have 5,500 dollars that you can some how muster then in terms of debt settlement you are doing pretty well. Here I would suggest offering 3000 and no higher the 3500 to 4000 dollars in this initial round of negotiations.

3. Make the Initial Contact

When you do get on the phone and you get that first rep on the phone you can probably expect to hear "NO". This does not really mean "NO" this will almost always be the case because you are most likely talking to somebody not able to say yes.

Try to go around them if you can, this comes surprisingly natural to some but it can also be like moving a mountain depending on your personality and how long of a lunch break your rep on the other end took if any.

What you can do is to collect as much information as possible. Important information would be the time the reps id info and the questions and responses that accumulate between you and the rep. It does not hurt to let it be known that you are in fact recording information and responses.

4. Find a Decision Maker

Remember that it is not easy finding a decision maker who can approve a settlement offer. The longer you have been in default the easier it is going to be to get a settlement offer. However it is never going to be easy to find a decision maker which is what you really want.

Once you do get a decision maker on the phone you should be able to get a settlement offer at some point.

Sometimes you will have to correspond by mail. This is especially true with bigger banks.

If you get a offer through the mail continue correspondence and lender communication via that outlet of communication.

5. Getting the Agreement

Generally they will send it in the mail.

You need to look it over of course and sign it and send it back with the payment but only after you know that the representative has signed it as well.

Then you can count on that credit card account and card to be useless.

Cash For keys

2010-12-16T07:04:00.000-05:00

Foreclosure sales are at all time highs.

Homeowners are losing their homes everywhere. Many people who lose their home to foreclosure have to move, and thus incur significant expenses and moving costs. This is a financial hardship in itself but is often endured while the former residents are already amidst a current financial hardship which has caused them to default on their mortgage payments and fall victim to foreclosure in the first place.

A program called Cash for Keys was developed to address this homeowner difficulty.

Cash for keys offers homeowners and renters who must move due to foreclosure financial aid and foreclosure relocation assistance.

How Cash for Keys Works

The lender or mortgage servicer offers the occupant who must move due to a foreclosure financial assistance through a conditional agreement.

The occupant must agree to move out by a certain date.

The occupant must agree to leave the property in acceptable condition.

If the occupant follows all requirements of the agreement they are given thousands of dollars in foreclosure relocation assistance and financial aid.

Typical Cash for Keys Amount

The exact amount received through a cash for keys like program is variable.

The typical amount will range from 1,000 - 5,000 dollars.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

2010-12-16T06:22:00.000-05:00

Borrowers with overwhelming financial obligations can obtain debt help through a chapter 13 bankruptcy given the borrower has income and is able to make good on their financial obligations through a feasible and fair compromise with the existing creditors.

What is Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?

This bankruptcy chapter is the legal process of restructuring the debt under the supervision of a trustee.

This is not a liquidation like chapter 7 bankruptcy. Instead this chapter of bankruptcy restructures the existing debt of the borrower by developing a feasible and fair payment plan. Creditors are paid according to the plan developed in the chapter 13 bankruptcy process.

Key Points of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

The repayment plan will be for a term of about 3-5 years.

Chapter 13 will stop foreclosure.

The mortgage payments will be due as usual after you file and the back owed portion will be part of the chapter 13 repayment plan.

Designed for individuals or unincorporated businesses.

Other Important aspects of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is not a pleasant or relieving experience. Nor is it cheap. There are many consequences which carry a long shelf life and the consideration of Bankruptcy should be done so with extreme care, time, responsibility, and the proper resources and guidance such as a qualified attorney.

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

2010-12-16T05:57:00.000-05:00

Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows businesses to obtain debt relief by restructuring the existing financial obligations of the distressed business. This type of bankruptcy is ideal for businesses that would be profitable if not for unmanageable levels of debt.

What is Chapter 11 Bankruptcy?

Chapter of bankruptcy that is used for businesses that have to much debt but are worth more as an operating business then the sum of all proceeds that could be raised from a total asset liquidation sale.

How Chapter 11 Works

A trustee will overlook the reorganization of the debt and efficiency of a business.

Once this process is complete the business is simply to follow the terms of the restructured debt agreements.

Remember...

Bankruptcy is not usually thought of as a nice or relieving experience, nor is the process of bankruptcy cheap. There are many consequences to bankruptcy that can last a long time.

Bankruptcy is a legal process and decision so one should discuss bankruptcy with there own qualified attorney.

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

2010-12-16T04:16:00.001-05:00

Chapter 7 bankruptcy is a legal process which exists, and was created, as a debt solution for those who are overwhelmed with debt, and further, this chapter of bankruptcy is intended to help borrowers who have no feasible way of complying with the terms of the debt in it's current form.   This chapter is able to provide consumers help with debt and financial hardship.

How Does Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Work?  

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is a legal process of liquidation of the borrowers assets in which the proceeds are used to repay all or a portion of the debt owed to the creditors.

Liquidation bankruptcy is available to both businesses and individuals.

 The Process of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

The first step of the process of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is the petition submitted by the borrower. The petition includes a detailed financial package that outlines the assets, liabilities, and expected earnings of the borrower.

Once the court has the filed petition a trustee is appointed to the bankruptcy by the court.

The trustee will then organize and carry out several meetings with the creditors to determine the allocation of the future proceeds from the liquidation of the debtors assets.

The liquidation of assets is executed and the proceeds are distributed as planned.

Other Important aspects of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Remember that bankruptcy is a last resort and is not a pleasant or relieving experience. Nor is it cheap. There are many consequences which carry a long shelf life and the consideration of bankruptcy should be done so with extreme care, time, responsibility, financial consideration, and the proper resources and guidance such as a qualified attorney.

Bankruptcy Basics

2010-12-15T10:34:00.001-05:00

This post will discuss the fundamentals of bankruptcy.

The goal of bankruptcy is to settle debt that has become unable to be settled in it’s current form.

What is Bankruptcy?

Bankruptcy is a legal action available as a debt solution to those who have become overwhelmed with debt and financial hardship.

There are several types of Bankruptcies each with their own unique qualities, purposes, eligibility, guidelines, rules, cost, and proceedings. All of these different types and variables with in each type of Bankruptcy have and will change with time as new legislation and laws are introduced or modified. Also the proceedings and details of bankruptcy may differ from state to state.

Bankruptcy is an issue that should be discussed with a lawyer who is qualified.

Bankruptcy and Homeowners

Many homeowners have turned to bankruptcy in response to their financial hardship. Homeowners are able to use bankruptcy as a way to stop foreclosure.

Bankruptcy will stop any currently scheduled foreclosure sale of a property tied to the bankruptcy. Just the same most bankruptcies will only delay the inevitable and homeowners should use caution and take great care when considering bankruptcy.

Three Main Types of Bankruptcy

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy - This Chapter is often referred to as a liquidation Bankruptcy

More on Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy - This type of Bankruptcy is often referred to as Business bankruptcy

More on Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy - This Chapter of Bankruptcy is focused on restructuring the debt

More on Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Small Business Marketing - A Warning to Small Business Owners

2010-12-15T10:22:00.001-05:00

As you may or may not know there are many outlets for dentist, family physicians, lawyers, and any other common local business owners to obtain professional help with advertising, marketing, and related efforts and needs.

What you may not know is that there is most likely no other consumer with in the marketing and advertising industry that is more sought out by marketing firms then this target market.

The reasons behind this is simple.

They meet the perfect sales and marketing business model.

Professionals such as yourself have a lot of money and excellent sources of cash flow. This is true of many folks. There are much bigger and fatter wallets out there that firms don't bother with because those “wallets” don't have the other key characteristic.

The consumer (you) has no idea of what to expect or what is possible in terms of results, cost (margins or the premiums you guys pay), or knowledge of what is involved in terms of providing the marketing and advertising services. This is really appealing when you couple that notion with the idea that you guys are as busy as you can possibly be. No time to explore your options.

These services, that local dentist and other medical professionals buy into, will charge very high prices for services the sales guy will promise to do for you. The services provided will often be much different and will account for much less of the firms cost then probably any other type of expense.

On top of this they will be sure to lock you down on some sort of residual service that will be about as much as a cell phone bill or a little less. This is so that in large volume the fees will add up but the amounts are small enough that the customer (you) will more or less forget about, not think about, or perhaps not care about. The margins are enormous.

If you own a small business you may find it more beneficial in both a financial sense as well as the overall marketing performance.

Related Articles

Articles of Organization - LLC

How to Market and Advertise Small Local Business

Articles of Organizaton - LLC

2010-12-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

In the wake of the economy and the correlating loss of employment that has effected many Americans more and more professionals are taking matters into their own hands. Folks are going into business on their own and many of these folks plan on starting a LLC to work under.

This is generally a smart decision as a LLC provides some legal protection and limits exposure to both legal and financial liability.

To form a LLC one must first write and file the Articles of Organization.

The Articles of Organization is the most important document of an LLC. In fact this document is what makes an "LLC" a "LLC". Given this notion it has been suggested that anyone whom starts an LLC take great care and concern when writing the Articles of Organization.

This article is here as a step by step guide outlining the fundamental process and components one needs to follow in order to write and structure the "Articles of Organization" for an LLC. The exact requirements for this document vary from state to state so you need to use this guide along side your own research.

How to Write the Articles of Organization for an LLC

Article 1

First section consists of just some very basic information; the LLC name.

Article 2

The second section is a outline and description of who will manage the LLC. Nine times out of ten this is the members of the LLC.

Article 3

The third section is dedicated to the members, managers, and resident agent of the LLC. The members are the ones with a financial stake in the company. The members generally are the managers as well. However in the case that the managers of the LLC are different from the members then the managers need to be listed. Finally the resident agent needs to be listed. Along with the names of all the applicable individuals the addresses as well as any contact info that you wish to include.

Article 4

Finally the agents office address must be documented. This will be filed as the registered office of the LLC that will be on file.

Warren Buffett - Talking Plain Sense to the Plain Dumb

2010-12-11T06:34:00.004-05:00

This is a interview with Warren Buffett.

He has made numerous pleas, public appearances, self-less efforts, a rich man's challenge that has gone unanswered, and campaigned tirelessly to no avail.

Shame on us.

Please allow me to explain.

The Bush tax cuts have been quite a controversy in congress. I have posted on the topic a few times. Just the same the conflict is this.

The Bush tax cuts are set to expire. Obama as well as most of the democratic party have fought tooth and nail to keep the tax cuts for the middle class or 97% of the American people. However the Republican party and the republican voters have been opposed to getting rid of the Bush tax cuts for the very rich.

Despite the very rich, the top 3%, already paying proportionately lower levels of taxes then the poor and middle class, they think the rich deserve to pay less then everyone in our country's time of need.

Here are the highlights of the vid you need to understand.

Buffett Internal Office Poll

Buffett asked the 18 employees in his executive office (assistant, receptionist, janitor, everyone he sees on a daily basis) to partake in a survey of personal tax rates. 15 participated. Including Buffet there was 16.

Out of the 15 participants the mean (average) tax rate was 32.9% of income. About 1/3 of their total income goes to taxes.

Warren Buffett paid a tax rate of 17.2%. Warren admitted that he does not pay a tax guy or accountant.

His employees pay over a 90% higher tax rate. 90 plus percent. There is no one in his office that pays a lower tax rate then the second richest man in the world. It is this privilege that is being protected by the republicans and the republican voters.

Warren Buffett Campaigned for The Middle Class

Warren took an initiative, a self-less initiative to campaign against the current corrupt system. He has made numerous public appearances via interviews, talks, and the like to try and educate the American people of this unjust tax system.

Yet FOX News has got their viewers trained. He was unable to convince the Republican middle class to support a middle class tax break and a wealthy class increase that would barely put them even with the middle class. I just don't get you people. I use to think it was sad.

Now...

I just don't like you guys.

Warren's Challenge to The Rich.

Warren offered a 1,000,000.00 dollar prize to any billionaire that could prove that they paid a larger tax rate then their office assistant.

No one could. NO ONE!

What is it... what is it that you people don't get? Make no mistake... It is you.

97% of us were going to get a tax break and finally make the rich pay at least the same amount as us. They should be paying tons more. But instead you choose to carry this burden on your own back. I wish I could do more to separate myself from you people. You are destroying your own country because you have to watch FOX.

This is what really gets me. After reading this post you will still feel you have made the right decision. I am so upset and disappointed with each and every one of you, me, and the United States of America. We don't deserve to make any decisions. We don't deserve to be a superpower. We are idiots. You people who voted for your republican congress and have given Obama nothing but crap for trying to stick up for you. You are an idiot.

Watch it for yourself. You have nothing to say. It is over. Don't you dare comment here if you are a republican FOX News watcher.

If your in the top 3% then by all means speak your mind. You, after all, are a freaking genious. I have to hand it to the rich, the lobbyist, and the republican politicians. You guys are obviously right. We don't deserve it.

here is the video...

I am so ashamed... I don't think I could look Obama or Warren in the eye at this point.

I am so sorry, forgive us.

- Finance Guy

Hang On... (This is Going to Be Fun)

2010-12-07T10:46:00.000-05:00

It just hit me that it has been a while since I posted anything fun or playful.

For all you new readers who have just found my finance blog if you stick around and pay me a visit from time to time you will learn that I like to mix things up by throwing you folks a little fun time.

Typically I will stumble upon a video clip that makes me laugh out loud (that is typically a good sign that it is worthy of Finance Guy Fun) and will feature it on my blog. I like to do this kind of thing from time to time because finance and business can be a bit taxing at times and I just think it is a good idea to take a break from the norm and have a bit of fun.

This run at showing you some fun is a bit different. I wanted to mix up the fun mix up by developing and posting a simple application or game. This one has always been one of my long time favorites.

Any guesses?

hmmm....

Hang Man - The Classic Spelling and Word Guessing Game

I hope you guys enjoy it. It took me a sec to get this all formatted correctly. Let me know if it works for you. Actually tell me if it doesn't work, and leave me alone if it does.

Ha.

Hang Man Brought to You by Finance Guy

Play Hangman

Hangman

provided by The Free Dictionary

Young Finance Guy - Finance Blog

If you are able to beat it at least a few times in a row please leave a comment and let us all know how long your streak lasted.

If you are in the mood for some other time wasters I have a few cool sport clips that are worth checking out. For instance there is this really cool baseball clip of an absolutely wild play at home plate and there is also a middle school football clip that will just leave you speechless.

Also a Celtics fan dancing like I have never seen one dance before. That clip makes me laugh all the time.

If you are in the mood to sit back and relax then watch the charlie brown holiday special. I have the full episode on site; you should check it out!!

Long Term Decline in Manufacturing Jobs

2010-12-07T01:09:00.000-05:00

There has been a long term trend of declining manufacturing jobs in the United States. This article will discuss the downward trending track of US manufacturing jobs.

Manufacturing jobs have been on the decline for some time now in the United states. This article will explore the reasons for this decline in manufacturing employment opportunities.

Productivity

Increasing productivity allows companies to maintain or increase their output using fewer workers. As new technologies are created fewer workers are required to carry out the operations of the applicable firm.

Outsourcing

Some manufacturing work has been outsourced to more productive companies. Some times a firm will outsource jobs to another country where labor prices are considerably cheaper.

Basic Types of Business Operations

2010-12-07T00:41:00.000-05:00

List of Catagory and Type of Business Operations with Business Examples

Goods Producing

Farming
Mining
Manufacturing
Power Generation

Storage and Transportation

Warehousing
Trucking
Mail service
Moving
Taxis
Buses
Hotels
Airlines

Exchange

Retailing
Wholesaling
Banking

Renting

Leasing
Library
Loans

Entertainment

Films
Radio and Television
Concerts
Recording

Communication

Newspapers
Radio and Television
Newscasts
Telephone
Satellites
Finance Blog

Creating Value through Business Operations

2010-12-06T20:27:00.001-05:00

This post discusses creating value through process and operations of businesses.

Operations as a Value-Added Process

Operations start with raw materials and services much like dinner starts with ingredients and the cook's labor. The ingredients and the cook's labor translate to Input(s) in reference to operations.

Operation Inputs

Material
Machines
Labor
Management

Transformation Process of Business Operations

Just as a cook must "cook or bake the food to "transform the ingredients and effort into whatever is for dinner so to must a business transform inputs into outputs. In the world of business operations and operations management this is known as the transformation process.

Operation Outputs

The goods and services that a company produces are known as the output.

Finance Guy's Final Thoughts

I have a great way to sum up the very nature of business and operations as an added value through process concept.

Here it goes...

"Business is essentially nothing more than buying something for a dollar and figuring out how to sell it for two."

- Finance Guy

Challenges of Managing Services

2010-12-06T20:03:00.000-05:00

Managing a service based business is complicated through a variety operational characteristics. In this post I wanted to discuss why and how managing services is challenging.

Compared to their counter part services are much harder to manage and much harder to keep consistent productivity and quality levels.

Input and Output Variability

Input and output variability is higher and less stable than a typical manufacturer operation.

Loosely Structured Job Duties

Service jobs are often less structured than manufacturing jobs. This is for several reasons. One big one is the sales aspect of service orientated operations. both the typical pay structures as well as the nature of the agents responsibility lend them selves to flexible and agile activity structures.

Customer Relations

Customer contact is higher. Typically services orientated operations have to "court" or service the customer from time to time.

High Employee Turn Around

Services hire many entry-level workers. This is because the employee turnover seems to be much higher then a manufacturing job. Employees burn out and move on. Many new employees just are not cut out for the work. But there is often no clear way to screen applicants so companies need to constantly subsidize the folks leaving with new employees. This is amplified during a growth period for a service orientated firm.

Service performance can be affected by worker’s personal factors. Because employees must often play a part that requires them to be engaged and also deal with customers that are not happy or high maintenance yet the agent must maintain the image that best represents the company. This can be difficult if the agent is having a period of depression or if they are sick or just having a bad day.

Finance and Profitability Variations

The service industry experiences large fluctuations in demand and profitability which are some times not anticipaited. This makes it hard to deal with complicaited financial decisions.

Business Operations - Productivity

2010-12-06T19:31:00.001-05:00

Business Productivity

This article discusses operations productivity and measuring business productivity.

The founder of Godaddy.com is famous for saying that anything watched and measured tends to go up. Keeping track of company productivity is essential to running a successful business venture.

Productivity

Productivity is a measure of the effective use of resources, usually
expressed as the ratio of output to input.

Productivity measures are useful for tracking an operating unit’s performance over time. Productivity tracking is also used to rate the performance of an entire industry or country.

Process Yield

Process yield is the ratio of output of good product to input. Defective products are not included in the output.

Process yield is also used in service orientated industries. For example the ratio of hotel rooms sold to rooms vacant.

Outsourcing

Higher productivity in another company is a key reason organizations outsource work. Improving productivity may reduce the need for outsourcing.

There are other considerations as well. For example, a company may take a PR hit if they outsource jobs to another country.

Managing the Finance Side

It is very important that a business have an intimate understanding of what they are getting per dollar invested in the company. This is the responsibility of the finance department.

Once a business is able to accurately track what a dollar is worth to them than they are able to easily make common financial decisions involving loans, debt, and proposed investments.

Competitiveness, Strategy, and Productivity

2010-12-06T16:34:00.001-05:00

Organizational Strategy Formulation Explained

Businesses compete using operations and more importantly their operational strategy. This article discusses strategy and operations planning.

Product and Service Design Considerations

Cost
Location
Quality
Quick response
Flexibility
Inventory management
Supply chain management
Service
Managers and workers

Environmental scanning is a task that one must do before they are able to effectively plan operations strategy.

Order Winners & Qualifiers

Order Qualifiers

Characteristics that customers perceive as minimum standards of acceptability to be considered as a potential purchase

Order Winners

Characteristics of an organization’s goods or services that cause it to be perceived as better.

Distinctive Core cCompetencies

Core Competencies

The special attributes or abilities that give an organization a competitive edge. To be effective, the core competencies and strategies need to be aligned to compliment one another.

Types of Strategy for business Operations

Agile Operations

Agile operations is a strategic approach for competitive advantage that emphasizes the use of flexibility to adapt and prosper in an environment of change.

Involves the blending of several core competencies:

Cost
Quality
Reliability
Flexibility

Measuring productivity and operational performance is a must for any successful business.

Operations Management

2010-12-06T16:20:00.001-05:00

Core Fundamentals of Operations Management

This article will discuss the basics of operations management as it pertains to business.

What is operations?

The part of a business organization that is responsible for producing goods or services. Operations, in a sense, is business.

How can we define operations management?

The management of systems or processes, including financial matters, that create goods and/or provide services.

At the core of operations management is the supply chain.

Supply Chain

The supply chain is a sequence of activities and organizations involved in producing and delivering a good or service.

For a better idea of how a supply chain works take a look at the list of typical supply chain components or parties below.

Supply Chain Hierarchy

Supplier for suppliers
Direct suppliers
Producer
Distributor
Final customers

The management of the supply chain may be the most important aspect of operations management.

The other function of operations management that rivals supply chain management in importance is the overall planning and purpose of the company.

This must be planned and constantly reviewed and revised as needed.

Hierarchical Planning Process

Mission
Goals
Organizational Strategies
Tactics
Functional Strategies

I have posted an article worth reading if you are interested in learning more about operations planning for organizational strategy

Cash, Credit, or Cell?

2010-12-01T20:30:00.000-05:00

"Hey can you cover me I left my charger at work?"

This is how you will sucker your friend in to paying for your night out in a year or two.

Confused?

Yeah... you, Master Card, Visa, and American Express too.

In just a few short months consumers will have the option to pay with cash, credit card, or their smart phone.

That's right soon your smart phone will be just like a credit card except better; it won't be a credit card.

Who Is Behind This New Payment Method?

More then several players are going to be directly offering a cell phone payment method.

Below is a quick list of the bigger companies creating an alternative credit method for your smart phone.

Isis

AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile are all joining forces to form a company or entity or whatever they are call such a partnership. This new transaction processing company will be called Isis.

Google and the Android Operating System

Google is developing a system that will integrate with their Android operating system. All a phone will need is the embedded chip.

New Start-Ups

There are several new companies that have already formed that are going to offer solutions for both consumers and merchants as an alternative to paying with the old credit card.

Why the Push to Create a New Payment Method and Credit Card Alternative?

Mobile Networks

This is the obvious answer. All the big data networks such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile will expand their offered services in a big way. The electronic transaction solution business is one hell of an extra business to get in to. They will get a cut of every transaction just like the credit card companies do now.

Consumer Choice

Then of course there is the consumer demand for an alternative to credit cads. there is an obvious benefit to being able to pay with your smart phone in addition to the other two choices that we already have. though this is an obvious motive for coming up with another merchant transaction solution and alternative to credit cards it is not even close to the main driver of this new industry.

Merchant Incentive - A Cheaper Better and Smarter Alternative

Merchants are going to welcome this thing with open arms. Merchants have a real love hate relationship with credit cards. The problem that merchants have with the existing credit card transaction solutions is the price they are charged by the credit card companies. It really puts a dent into the margins.

Also the credit card companies have been increasing rates on the merchants to make up losses that the banks have incurred during the credit crunch and massive waves of loan defaults.

To top it off the credit card companies have made it a breach of contract for merchants to say anything about the expense to consumers.

In fact many people have no idea how credit card companies make money. It's not the interest we all pay.

Merchants will be able to cut the transaction expense in half. This means bigger gains in margin. This thing will be huge for merchants.

Credit Card Companies are in Trouble

The one thing that is crystal clear amidst all this new possibility and choice that consumers, networks, and merchants will have in the very near future is that credit card companies are not going to fair well.

Sure there is going be a place for credit cards. Trust me when I tell you that credit cards are not going anywhere. I am actually surprised that the bigger credit cad companies are not more involved with this new movement but the again I guess these phone networks have a pretty solid infrastructure already in place.

My next post is going to be on what this will mean for consumers and merchants as well as the data networks. The positive impact and benefits of ths shift is going to be a lot bigger then most people would think and I really want to paint a vivid picture for everyone.

So check back soon!

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US Unemployment Checks - Two Million Say Good Bye

2010-12-01T06:32:00.000-05:00

Today two million unemployed Americans say goodbye to their unemployment checks.

I have never been good at saying goodbye. For the purposes of this post that really does not matter.

I have never received unemployment benefits. So I will not be one of the two million US citizens who will have to say goodbye to their unemployment checks today.

These folks have been collecting free money from the US Government for at least 99 weeks. That is about two years for all you math gurus.

Many democrats are disappointed. They wanted to extend unemployment further. They felt that we should keep on paying folks who have been out of work for two years.

hmmmm...

Personally I think that logic is nuts. I think two years is nuts. I think our policy makers must be ignorant to the fact that a HUGE portion of the folks who collect unemployment are milking the system for a free ride. I know I was clueless until about 4 or 5 years ago when I I was of the age and maturity to have friends and acquaintances who were unemployed.

I must confess that I do not know a whole lot of folks who make less than 40,000 especially if you don't include those whom are students.

Just the same I have estimated that I know of about 8-12 people on unemployment. Nine of those folks (in my humble opinion) are working the system over. They are not working because they are getting paid not to work. Many of them would look at you stupid if you asked why they don't want to go get a job while they are collecting unemployment. Maybe they are right.

Life is all about incentive and very little else if anything else.

So why is it that someone whom collects a pay check whether they clock in for 8 hours doing something they would most likely rather not do or if they do as they would if on an extended weekend.

I am not sure one can argue with that logic.

There is pride... but that is "hit" once your on unemployment, so why not milk it.

There is principle... but those folks never apply for unemployment.

Frankly, I think anything over two or three months of "free money" is plenty. Sure maybe in many situations those folks should still get some sort of aid from their government. But the shape and form of that assistance should not be a blind check week after week.

If nothing else we should at least put them to work and get some kind of value for the tax payers buck.

I would not be surprised if some of you are growling as you read this post. but let's just take a second and step back.

Every week 2,000,000 checks go out. These checks are going to folks who under normal conditions would have been dropped from unemployment due to the normal expiration of a citizens right to unemployment. However we extended them. So these people whom have already maxed out the system were given an additional 100 pay checks. The working man paid for an additional two million salaries every week for two years. Don't forget these are just the folks whom were extended the extra 99 week duration. By this I am implying that there are way more then two million collecting unemployment.

Given the above considerations, if we do the math at just a 100 dollars a week then we come up with about 20 billion dollars. That is about the amount that all online advertisers spend over 3 to 5 months total. That accounts for at least a decade of porn revenue. Now our figure we just calculated is wrong. People get more then 100 a week.

I don't want to take part in a more realistic calculation. It is to scary.

So... as I stated earlier, two million unemployed Americans will have to say good bye to their unemployment checks.

GOOD!

How much you want to bet we see a spike in employment numbers with in 25 - 35 days.

I am calling it.

Bush Tax Cuts and Republican Shame

2010-11-30T12:41:00.003-05:00

I just posted on the proposed budget cut idea by president Obama. If you are unfamiliar with the issue then I suggest that you check out my post on the federal employee civil servant pay freeze.

The republicans seem to welcome the measure (as do I), and that got me thinking about the bush tax cuts again. I have also posted on this matter recently and you should take a look at that post on the Bush tax cut conflict.

Here is what was running through my head...

I wonder how they (republicans backing preservation of the Bush tax cut for the wealthy) are going to justify backing fiscal actions that demand a pay freeze on all civil servants to save 28 billion and then insist on spending the 700 billion dollars to pay the richest of the rich.

I know why.

They were purchased.

What is really sad is that the Middle Class of America are split on the issue. People who watch FOX are brainwashed into thinking that Obama is some how trying to take away from them when it is plainly these whom they are voting for who are pulling one over their eyes.

I sure hope these Republicans backing the bush tax cuts got a big pay check. There is a lot of risk involved in stealing from the American middle class in such a blunt and obvious way.

Shame.

Shame and Balls... Big Balls. This is pretty much saying...

"Hey dumb dumbs (America), not only are we going to screw you, we are actually going to trick you into backing our effort. We know that you (the American people) are a bunch of sheep who can't think for yourself. So we are going to simply have Fox News manipulate you like we do every day"

Hey if it's not broken... seriously...

Are you dumb?

Do you think for yourself?

Do you?

Because most of us don't, and someone has to say something besides John Stewart. He has a fake News show for Christ sake.

Let's all start being grown ups.

Stop watching FOX.

It is so... so... sad. Also impressive. Hey the republican media is a power house and they have their audience hook, lock, and sinker.

Got to give them credit.

Obama Suggests Two Year Pay Freeze for Federal Employees

2010-11-30T12:37:00.003-05:00

Obama has proposed an idea to aid in America's effort to cut back on spending and to try and tackle this enormous budget deficit.

Obama has suggested a two year pay freeze for all civilian federal employees or civil servants.

I want to be clear to communicate that the pay freeze will not effect the military. So if you are in the armed forces and are expecting a raise, or something of the like, than you can rest assured this fiscal action will not effect you.

Also, because many of my readers are not financial gurus. I want to make clear that a pay freeze does not mean these federal employees will not be paid for the next two years. This simply means that they will not get a raise.

The proposed plan will cut the deficit by almost 30 billion dollars over the next five years.

The average salary for a civil servant that deposits a federal pay check on a regular basis makes around $125,000 dollars. This is about twice the salary of the average American.

I am personally OK with this measure as I don't really think the government needs to be increasing salaries. This move seems obvious. Kinda like eliminating the Bush Tax Cuts.

Republicans seem receptive to this idea from Obama.

I recently posted on the Bush tax cuts and the conflict thriving amidst it's looming expiration. I have something to add...

I was going to put it right here but I think I will go ahead and just create a new post for it.

Find the new post on some of my additional thoughts on the Bush Tax Cuts and Republican Shame.

Business Basics - Taking a Look at the Competition

2010-11-29T11:47:00.001-05:00

All businesses have competitors. All businesses must compete for customers and their market share. If there is any room for competing firms then you can rest assured that the applicable industry will see new competing firms.

For all those notions expressed above exploring the competition and the competitive environment of your industry is a necessary activity for any business.

Business competition can come in many different shapes and forms.

Competition can come from a local business, it can come from web based company. It may come from a substitute product or service. It may come from a vast variety of sources.

No matter what shape or form competition comes in one thing that is absolutely concrete and necessary for any small business is that one must understand the competition on a intimate level if you are to have any sort of chance at maintaining a long term competitive edge over your competition.

Considering Competition

What and how you go about examining and considering the competition will depend on your business. Below I have prepared a list of key areas to explore when considering the competition.

Local Competition

If local competition exists then this should be a definite focus of competition consideration. Taking a look at factors such as location, local advertising mediums, community reputation, and operation history are some very important aspects of local competition.

Competing Alternatives

Explore alternative products or services does the consumer have to choose from. Explore the strengths of these alternatives. Find the weaknesses of these choices. Figure out how you can exploit the weaknesses and offer one of your strengths that makes your product or service the superior solution to what ever problem or need your product fulfills.

Future Competition

What does the future competitive landscape look like?

Take a look at how new technologies will influence the competition. Examine the barrier to entries. How sturdy are those barriers. How can you make it harder for new competitors to get started. Try and create a generic game plan for dealing with a new competitor.

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Thoughts on The Bush Tax Cuts

2010-11-29T10:19:00.000-05:00

The Bush Tax Cuts

If you happen to live amidst any sort of US media than you have no doubt been exposed to the Bush tax cut conflict.

The Bush tax cuts is a heated political issue. Democrats want to get rid of them for those who make more then 250 thousand dollars and keep them for those who make less then 250 thousand dollars.

If I had to pick one of the two choices (keep them or eliminate for 250k and above) I would eliminate them for the 250k income and above and keep them for those that bring home less then 250 thousand.

But if I was able to manipulate the choices a bit I would elect for the following compromise...

Keep the tax cuts for 350 thousand and below.
Keep half the tax cuts for 350k - 700k.
Eliminate the tax cuts for 700k and up.

To me this is the way to do it.

It protects the life style of the folks who are wealthy but part of the "income elite".

I can see how the tax cuts may be important to those whom are not millionaires. This is why I propose a sliding scale. This seems like a good compromise.

Also I am forced to give much consideration to what buffet has said on the matter which is that he thinks that rich need to step up and pay more taxes.

How can you argue with that?

I want to hear from you so tell me what you think and how you have come to that conclusion by leaving a comment.

- Finance Guy

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Hey Check out What Google is Advertising...

2010-11-27T19:15:00.001-05:00

I was on Alexa or somewhere and saw a Google banner advertising this link....

http://20thingsilearned.com/

Have you guys seen this before? Is this old News?

Let me know what you think about it.

- Finance Guy

Google - Buying the Best Worst Stock Money Can Buy

2010-11-27T10:34:00.002-05:00

Best Worst Stock Money Can Buy - Own What You Don't Own

Google has created it's own natural resource. Harvesting is year round. The fields yielding Google crops are worked and created by others. The fruits of which Google sells are limitless in some sense. No other product is able to outperform the product that Google sells.

Google has no debt. They have made themselves the most essential company to business that exists on Earth.

If you need buyers Google can send you some any time you want. They have them, they will keep getting them. They know who is ready to buy and what they want.

Who could think of a more marvolous company to own than Google?

However when it comes to owning Google stock, I argue that they are the best company but the worst company to be a share holder of. I say this becuase they simply show zero appreciation and zero respect to their share holders.

Google, in my opinion, is the worst stock that money can buy.

They are a disrespectful corporation in the way that they treat their owners. They give zero rights to the very people that own Google. Shareholders traditionally have the right as share holders or owners to vote on the members of the board. They can fire and replace board members as they see fit. This is how shareholders are able to protect their interests. Google however does not let the very owners of Google vote.

Nor has Google ever paid one penny to any share holder via a dividend. Perhaps one of the most profitable companies in the world. Google is debt free. Google dilutes share holders stake in the company by compensating their employee's with generous stock options. They will go to great lengths to not pay cash. They don't care about their share holders.

To give some perspective publicly traded corporations will pay dividends after reaching a reliable level of profitability and getting control of their debt. A high dividend is 60% - 80% of the profits. The profits as one may assume, is the owners reward for buying into a company with no rights to a dime if the company is unable to become profitable. Bond holders and creditors are at least entitled to what ever is left of a company that goes under. Share holders or owners have only their faith and belief in the company as collateral. But they are rewarded in the end by the dividend of the company once it is mature and profitable. Unless your stock has the ticker (goog).

Microsoft pays about 20% - 30% of their earnings out to their owners.

Why someone would buy stock in a company that has zero accountability to their share holders is beyond me. Further, why you would buy stock in a company that has zero intention of paying out any profits. Why would you buy into a company that has every intention of diluting your stake by paying employees in stock.

They are worst then Enron in my opinion....

Zero Transparency
Zero Explanation
Zero dividend
Zero Voting Rights
Zero Support to the Victims of Google Dark
Zero accountability

Why???? I have no idea. I just don't understand. I would love to know.

Anybody?

Quick Site Update

2010-11-26T20:30:00.002-05:00

Hey guys not that anybody cares (nor should they) but I found an old article that I forgot to post a while ago so I posted it and put in the appropriate archive.

Ben Bernanke Gets Go Ahead from Obama

from Aug 2009

Since I have this oppurtunity I thought I would remind folks of the cool posts I did on Thanks Giving.

I did one that I called the...

10 Links of Thanks

I also posted a Thanks Giving Treat for all to enjoy it is a classic....

Charlie Brown - Thanks Giving Special

While I am at it there is a really freaking hilarious clip I posted of a Celtics Fan realizing his 15 mins of fame.

Celtics Fan Dance - Funny

Ok Thanks Guys

- Finance Guy

Looking Back at Cash For Clunkers - Obama Plan

2010-11-26T20:12:00.000-05:00

August 2009

Cash for Clunker - Obama Stimulus Program

The phrase "Cash For Clunkers" has been all over the media as of late and for good reason. Cash For Clunkers is thus far the most successful economic stimulus program, this notion is impressive by any measure but is even more impressive when you take in the fact that it makes up less then 1% of the stimulus budget. Not to mention that this figure was increased three fold from the original 1 billion dollar budget to 3 billion which was passed by congress due to the overwhelming success.

What is the Cash For Clunkers Program?

The Cash For Clunkers Program is a Consumer spending and automotive industry stimulus program that awards consumers with a substantial rebate in the amount of 3,500-4,500 dollars for meeting the following:

The consumer must trade in a "clunker" which is a term to describe a older automobile that gets poor gas mileage. Clunkers get 18 or less miles to the gallon.

The consumer must then purchase a new car that is fuel efficient and at least 4 miles to the gallon more efficient then the clunker traded in. The Incentive or amount of the rebate awarded is much higher for a car that is 10 miles to the gallon more efficient then the clunker traded in.

3500 dollars is awarded for a four mile improvement.
4500 dollars is awarded for a 10 mile improvement.

As mentioned in the beginning of this article the Cash For Clunkers Program performed much better then expected which was the catalyst behind congress's decision to triple the budget. Taking a look at the financial numbers describing the economic activity makes the popularity of the Obama stimulus program quite evident.

Resulting Economic Activity of the Cash For Clunkers Program

Approximately 700,000 - 750,000 Transactions or new car purchases
Approximately 20 billion dollars in sales

Benefits of the Cash For Clunkers Program

Economic Activity surged and more importantly then how much is where. Consumer spending as well as the automobile sales were two of the most troubled aspects of the recession and these were the beneficiaries of Obama's Cash For Clunkers Program.

Consumer Value

The Cash For Clunkers Program allowed the consumer participants to obtain substantial value per dollar.

Environmental Implications

This program will obviously help the environment because of the programs focus on fuel efficiency.

Gas Prices

The cost of fuel or gas will inherit downward pressure because of the quarter million clunkers that have been taken off the road and replaced with a more fuel efficient counter part.

Jobs and employment

This program will obviously help improve the employment numbers given the increased consumer spending.

Credit and Lending Activity

These new automobile purchases gave an upward push to lending activity, as consumers took on secured debt to finance these purchases.

Three Foreclosure Soloutions

2010-11-26T17:40:00.000-05:00

3 Foreclosure Options

Deed in lieu of Foreclosure

This is a foreclosure solution for homeowners that can not afford the home. This option simply involves handing over the deed to your home in place of the debt owed to your mortgage company.

What is the benefit to the Deed in lieu of foreclosure as opposed to just letting the home go to foreclosure?

Well the big benefit of a deed in lieu is that the debt is forgiven free and clear. This is different then if the property went to foreclosure because if at the foreclosure the property did not sell then the mortgage company would have to find a different avenue to sell the property. Many times the lender will end up selling the property for a loss which thew lender can then come after you for the difference.

That's right if you let your home go to foreclosure you can lose more then your home.

Deed in Lieu Fundamentals

Repayment Plan

Many times a Homeowner will be able to obtain a repayment plan from their lender as an alternative to foreclosure.

A repayment plan is perfect for any Homeowner who has faced a short term financial hardship and who has since recovered. As long as you can show your lender that you can now afford the monthly payments without any problem then they will generally give you another shot to make good on the mortgage.

Restructured Mortgage - Loan Modification

A loan modification also known as a mortgage modification is perhaps the most popular foreclosure solution out there for Homeowners. The reason for it's popularity with Homeowners is because a modified mortgage agreement which is a rewrite of the terms of the existing mortgage agreement based on the present financial situation of the homeowner, is usually given new terms that favor the Homeowner.

This means that if you were to obtain a mortgage modification you could potentially lower your principle on the mortgage as well as the monthly payment and interest rate.

Modification Basics

Related Articles

Homeowners Can Stop Foreclosure

Stop Foreclosure with a Deed in Lieu

Debt Help for Homeowners

Homeowners Can Stop Foreclosure

2010-11-26T14:21:00.001-05:00

Many homeowners are finding themselves staring down the barrel of mortgage default and a looming foreclosure sale. There are a lot of homeowners who think that all hope is lost and that their is nothing that they can do. They feel hopeless. The thoughts of uncertainty are too much for many to deal with.

Where will we go?
Will are kids be able to stay in school?
What about the dog?
How am I going to tell my family?

I have good news for these homeowners stuck amidst the cloud of uncertainty and fear. There is hope for a brighter tomorrow. Homeowners are able to stop foreclosure. There are literally dozens upon dozens of foreclosure solutions available for homeowners who find themselves amidst a financial hardship.

Below I have created a list of some of the most common methods homeowners use to stop foreclosure. Under each label is a brief description as well as links to resources offering further research.

Hang in there. You can stop foreclosure.

How Homeowners Stop Foreclosure

Loan Modification

Loan Modification has become increasingly popular. This debt help solution allows homeowners to lower their monthly mortgage payment.

Mortgage Refinance

Mortgage Refinance has become increasingly difficult but if a mortgage refinance is obtainable it is one of the more favorable mortgage workouts available to Homeowners.

Short Sale

Short Sale is quite common in the world of foreclosure but the homeowner will always lose their home in this situation.

Hard Money Loan

Hard Money Loans are very lucrative for investors if equity has accumulated in the property.

Hard Money Loan

Loan Audit

Loan Audits performed by lawyers in effort to find grounds to legally challenge the lender is a new trend. Many have found success, as the lender will often opt for loan modification at the threat of a lawsuit.

Stop Foreclosure through Law and the Courts

Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy will stop the foreclosure proceedings but generally the Homeowner will eventually lose the home down the road.

Forbearance

The lender often grants a forbearance agreement or a repayment plan to the Homeowner in efforts to retain home ownership.

Home Sale

Selling the home on the open market is a way to stop foreclosure but it is generally a better idea to postpone the sale to relieve the discounting pressure on the sales price of a home when in foreclosure.

Home Sale

These mortgage solutions that allow Homeowners to stop foreclosure are just some of the many mortgage workout options that are available to Homeowners who need to stop foreclosure and save their home.

When and How Subprime Went Wrong - Explained

2010-11-26T13:17:00.000-05:00

Subprime Lending Went Wrong

Subprime loans have enabled thousands upon thousands of Americans who did not qualify for prime loans the opportunity to buy a home via the funds obtained through a subprime loan.

However the subprime lending market got a little to ambitious for their own good.

These overly ambitious subprime lenders began lending to borrowers who did not qualify. These loans were doomed from the get go but they were masked by fill in the blank financial documents and even worst missing documentation.

The other direction was perhaps worst from a ethical stand point but an understandable strategy from a purely cost benefit analysis.

Subprime loans were given to prime borrowers. Even worst many of these loans were taken blindly by borrowers who did not understand what they were getting themselves into. Many prime borrowers were refinancing out of more favorable home loans into less favorable much more expensive loans with exotic terms that the borrowers did not understand.

Thus the end result is today's and yesterday's head lines. First the bad subprime loans to less then subprime borrowers started to go bad. This put pressure on the housing markets. Then that new pressure on housing prices started to push a lot of typical subprime borrowers with subprime loans down the default trap and this really started to put some weight on the housing market.

At this point the level of foreclosures every month is starting to skyrocket out of control. Loan agents and real estate agents start to quickly find themselves out of work. They start defaulting on their financial obligations including their loans and their home loans as well.

Then the prime borrowers with subprime loans begin to crumble under the quaking of a faltering economy. Once this wave of borrower starts going so to do retail sales, automotive sales, jewelry sales and the like.

As these sales go so to do the salaries and commissions that the employees and agents of those industries were making. Then there mortgages begin to default. Many of these borrowers are prime borrowers.

The mortgage market is in free fall right behind the home sale figures. Businesses are laying off employees and cutting back.

From here it just gets worst.

Nationwide panic leads to world wide panic.

Then there was a bottom. Then there was Obama. Then there was stimulus.

Then the US started on their way back up.

Lead by the sectors with a strong financial base such as tech and online businesses we are emerging from the depths of chaos. These depths and the stories they have to tell will be told.

But they will be told in a different post.

Related Articles

Subprime Economy

Subprime Lending

Subprime Lending

2010-11-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

Sub-prime Mortgage Lending and Home Loan Borrowing

A sub-prime mortgage is a mortgage that was created for the sub-prime borrower or in other terms borrowers who did not qualify for a prime mortgage which generally have more favorable terms.

A sub-prime mortgage will traditionally have higher interest rates, higher closing costs and or servicing fees. The higher cost of debt is justified by the higher risk taken by the lender.

The sub-prime mortgage has caused the recent recession and housing crash.

Though the Subprime mortgage industry has contributed in large part to the turmoils of our economy not all subprime mortgage loans are a bad thing.

The practice of sub-prime lending has enabled consumers to obtain home loans that they were able to use to buy a home and thus live the American Dream.

Sub-prime borrowers are unable to get approved for the more borrower friendly prime mortgage loans. This is for the simple fact that only prime borrowers qualify for prime home loans.

Since a sub-prime borrower does not qualify for a prime mortgage, one can easily deduce that if such a borrower is unable to borrower via a sub-prime loan then that borrower is not going to be able to buy a home. Following this logic there is a clear space and market for sub-prime mortgage loans and thus sub-prime lending.

Related Articles

Subprime Economy

Subprime Economy

2010-11-26T12:45:00.000-05:00

The American economy has seen better times.

The catalyst behind the current recession is the mortgage and housing sector.

Foreclosure levels are skyrocketing and the American homeowner is suffering the worst.

A large part of the mortgage trouble consumers are having is due to subprime mortgage loans. Many prime borrowers took subprime mortgages. This is unfortunate as many of these folks were misinformed and assumed that they were getting a good deal. Large portions of the once prime borrower population have now needlessly lost their home. They simply did not bother to read the loan contracts they were signing, or they failed to see the risk they were assuming.

It is important for consumers to understand basic mortgage lending and borrowing concepts.

One such concept related to mortgage lending is the difference between a prime mortgage and a subprime mortgage.

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Debt Help and Debt Solutions

Short Sale Basics

2010-11-26T12:29:00.001-05:00

Short Sale

A short sale is a discounted real estate transaction involving the sale of a distressed property.

If a homeowner is behind on their mortgage and they are unable to sell the property on the open market or they are unable to sell the property for more then they owe on the mortgage then the homeowner may request a short sale authorization from the lender.

By authorizing a short sale the lender gives the go ahead for a discounted sales price. the lender agrees to accept less then what is owed on the mortgage.

The lender will often agree to a short sale in recognition of the lousy housing market or in recognition of the fact that the property is upside down.

If the property is upside down the lender understands that recovering the full amount due is simply unrealistic. This is because the property is simply worth less then what is owed on the mortgage.

For these reasons a lender will often welcome a discounted cash offer from a third party borrower.

A short sale transaction can solve a messy situation very quickly. All three parties walk away reasonably happy.

The lender avoids much of the cost of foreclosure, managing the property, selling the property, as well as the opportunity cost incurred from having the cash tied up in the property while they are trying to get rid of it on their own.

The homeowner or borrower is able to walk away from a nightmare that they could not afford and they are free of all the mortgage debt. They are able to repair their credit score sooner and they have avoided foreclosure. In many cases homeowners are even able to obtain a few thousand dollars in foreclosure relocation assistance.

Finally the third party buyer is pleased with their purchase of a discounted real estate property.

In the end everyone is still standing.

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About Loan Modification

Fundamentals of a Deed in Lieu

Debt Help and Debt Solutions

Deed in Lieu - Fundamentals

2010-11-26T12:16:00.000-05:00

Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure

Many homeowners who are in financial distress find themselves in foreclosure. The stress and anxiety that foreclosure causes can make it easy for a homeowner to simply give up and put their head in the sand. Many homeowners feel there is nothing further they can do and they just want to let their home go to foreclosure.

However this is a big mistake.

Foreclosure does not necessarily get you off the hook with the lender. Your lender can come after you for any funds that were not recovered after the foreclosure sale.

If a homeowner simply does not want their home and they are unable to sell their home then a deed in lieu of foreclosure may the answer.

It is much wiser to stop foreclosure through a deed in lieu. This allows you to free yourself of all debt in exchange for the deed.

Basics of a Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure

Deed in lieu of foreclosure is an agreement that on the surface is very similar to simply letting your home go to foreclosure. This is at least true for our homeowner with their head in the sand.

A deed in lieu allows you to simply hand over your home free and clear of any further obligation to your lender.

Many homeowners are also able to obtain thousands of dollars in financial aid through a program known as Cash for Keys. 1500 - 3500 dollars is often given to homeowners who agree to a deed in lieu of foreclosure as foreclosure relocation assistance.

Another solid reason to stop foreclosure with a deed in lieu rather than just letting your home sell at a foreclosure auction is your credit score.

Though a homeowners credit score is not going to be in good shape no matter what by the time it gets to this point. Homeowners who stop foreclosure through a deed in lieu or short sale will find that their credit scores begin repairing much sooner then those scores of homeowners who remain head first in the sand and simply watch their home go into and all the way through the foreclosure process.

Related Articles

How to Stop Foreclosure with a Short Sale

How to Obtain Thousands of Dollars in Foreclosure Aid

Loan Modification Basics

Forbearance Basics

2010-11-26T11:46:00.001-05:00

Forbearance

Forbearance allows the homeowner to stop foreclosure and keep their home.

The Homeowner will either make normal payments with the late payments and arrears simply put on the end of the loan or the Homeowner will have increased payments until the mortgage is brought current.

Often their may be a period in which no mortgage payment is due. This period of mortgage relief allows the mortgagee time to solve their financial hardship. This is often as simple as getting a new job or sometimes may involve the borrower raising funds from another source and then using those funds to pay off the arrears of their past due mortgage balance.

A lender is much more likely to offer a forbearance agreement to a homeowner who can demonstrate that they have incurred a short term hardship as opposed to a long term hardship.

If the homeowner has incurred a long term hardship then a mortgage workout such as a loan modification will prove a better fit.

What I really want homeowners to remember is that there is a lot debt help and mortgage assistance available for those in financial hardship. So if one mortgage solution will not work for you don't give up. There is something out there that can help you no matter what the financial matter may be.

Related Resources

Mortgage Solutions

Stop Foreclosure with a Deed in Lieu

How to Write a Hardship Letter

Modification Basics

2010-11-26T11:29:00.001-05:00

Loan Modification

Loan Modification is the restructuring of the existing terms to loan or mortgage.

Loan Modification may allow borrowers amidst financial hardship to stop foreclosure and keep their home.

Payment terms and payment variables such as the interest rate are adjusted in a way that lowers the monthly installments. Lowering the monthly mortgage payment via mortgage modification allows the homeowner to make home affordable and thus keep their home.

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Giving Thanks with 10 Links

2010-11-25T12:42:00.002-05:00

I wanted to try and do something fun for Thanks Giving.

What to do. What to do.

I came up with the following...

I will come up with ten things that I am thankful for... but there is a catch.

The catch is that not only do I have to be thankful for them but I also have to be able to link to that of which I am tankful for. Thus these ten things must have a site or blog.

Young Finance Guy's 10 Links of Thanks

Taylor - You Must Go On

Amidst the chaos of spam, 30 billion dollars of advertising, 150 billion in sales, and the 30 something million websites that Alexa tracks, there is a small tiny excuse for a blogger named Taylor.

She writes about her thoughts, her day, her trials, and her tribulations. She calls herself out, she calls her friends out, and she will even call her family out.

I am thankful for her, and I am thankful for her blog.

I often wonder...

What is it about her blog that I like?

In truth I have not quite figured it out yet. But I have made some progress. It has something to do with the way she writes. Her tone at times seems so real. Her voice so honest. There are some posts, not every post, but there are some posts, that as I read I find myself in her shoes, living her life and viewing the world as it appears from her perspective. This, I imagine, is what writing is all about.

If you don't follow a blog like I follow Taylor's You Must Go On, then I encourage you to find one, even further...

I encourage you to start with Taylor's Blog.

You Must Go On - Taylor's Blog

Phil DeFranco

Man... I love this guy.

He is a vlogger. A true vlogger. In my eye's he is the first of his kind.

He provides me a few minutes every week where I escape and set back as he entertains.

For this, for Phil DeFranco, I am Thankful. You can find him on YouTube or you can start with his blog.

PhillyD.TV

Blogger.com

I love what blogger does and what blogger is all about. Thanks Blogger.

By the way a lot of people do not know this...

Blogger was started by the same guy who started Twitter.com

Start a Blog on Blogspot - Blogger.com

WordPress.com and WordPress.org

I love what Wordpress is all about and what they do for the Internet.

Start a Free Blog on Wordpress.com

Use the Wordpress Blogging Platform on Your Own Site - Wordpress.org

Thanks Wordpress

Ken's Blog

I love Ken Envoy and his life mission. He is a bit crazy. So am I.

You can find Ken's Blog below...

Ken Envoy - Blog - SiteSell

President Obama

I am so thankful and Grateful for President Obama. I believe in President Obama and am thankful that he has come to lead in this country's time of need. I am grateful for what he has done for the American Homeowner.

You can find his blog below...

President Obama's Blog

Thank You Obama

Google - The Best Search Engine in the World

Google, in my opinion, may be the most important company in the world.

If not... they are surely the most convenient.

Search the Internet

Thanks Google

Warren Buffet and Berkshire Hathaway

Warren Buffet is like no other person on Earth. I know of no one quite as selfless as him. He does things the right way, for the right reasons, and shares his wisdom with all who will listen.

Thanks Warren

Berkshire Hathaway

Facebook.com

These guys...

Without Facebook I would not have the sex life that I have today. Like a fountain of potential partners, each new female friend request I receive may very well one day lead to another special night, and another morning of shame. They offer a world and a life time of potential.

Also they have reshaped the site rankings at Alexa.com - With out their contribution to the web all my sites would be at least 200,000 - 400,000 ranks away from where they are today.

Thank You Facebook.com

Facebook.com

Craig's List

What started as a hobby grew into what the Internet is all about. The first true web 2.0 property. Letting humanity be humanity and letting people be people.

Thanks Craig

Craigslist.org

Well that about sums it all up for this thanks giving day appreciation post. I hope you enjoyed it!

If you want more thanks giving day cheer then I suggest checking out another post that I published today. The post includes and features a video...

Charlie Brown's Thanks Giving Special

Hey it's a classic.

That's all I got folks.

Happy Thanks Giving!

- Young Finance Guy

Charlie Brown Thanks Giving Special - Happy Thanks Giving Guys

2010-11-25T10:52:00.002-05:00

To help spread the Thanks Giving Cheer I thought I would post a classic.

That's right good old Charlie Brown and his Peanut friends.

They are all here.

I hope you enjoy this family classic.

Happy Thanks Giving

- Finance Guy

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Basic Fundamentals of an Investment

2010-11-23T18:29:00.001-05:00

Investment

When most people talk about an investment they most commonly are referring to a financial decision to commit financial resources to a current use with the expectation of receiving back the financial resources committed as well as a return or reward in the form of financial resources as profit. Investments are generally thought of as involving money but can involve any sort of resource that is of value.

Fundamentals of an investment:

Investments are measured in terms of risk and return. The higher the risk, the higher the corresponding return. Investments are primarily valued and tracked as a function of time and rate of return. The longer the investment takes to yield a return, the longer the rate of return is applied.

Types of Investments:

Investments come in all shapes and size’s and countless different risk levels. However all investments generally fall into one of two different categories:

Real Investments
Financial Investments

Real Investment

Real Investments involve the commitment of real assets.

Real Assets - These are inputs that can be owned. Do help you understand see the list below of common examples of real assets.

Property such as real estate
Equipment and machines
Labor
knowledge and education
Software
Natural resources like oil

Real Investments are not nearly as liquid able as financial investments. Real investments are used to create real assets that are more valuable then the real investment that were used as inputs.

Financial Investment

Financial Investments involve commitments of financial assets.

Financial Assets - These are claims often contractual claims or paper representing the value of a real asset, ore even the claim on the ownership of a future real asset that may not yet exist. Refer to the list of financial assets below to get a better understanding.

Cash
Loans or bonds
Stock or other forms of equity
Stock options
Commodity futures

Now if that did not get your blood pumping then you are most likely normal except for the fact that you were able to get through it.

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Small Business - Why Most Small Businesses Fail

2010-11-22T12:27:00.001-05:00

The vast majority of small businesses fail. Why is this?

Well for one starting, running, maintaining, managing, and growing a small business is no easy task. In fact it is absolutely grueling if not impossible.

Well if we are honest it is obviously not impossible. So given this is true we still have not answered the question.

Why do so many small businesses fail?

I have come up with ten common reasons why most small businesses fail. By taking a look at some of the known small business killers we can learn from the mistakes others have made in the past and learn from their mistakes.

Below is a list of the top ten reasons that small businesses fail.

10 Reasons Why Small Businesses Fail

Lack of a Long Term Company Vision
Failure to Establish Goals and Business Objectives
Inadequate Financial Planning
Not Listening to the Consumer
Underestimating the Competition
Lack of Leadership
Ineffective Operations Procedure and Process
Lack of Skilled and or Seasoned Business Talent
Lack of Company Agility
Failure to Communicate Internally

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Nothing is Hotter Than Potter

2010-11-22T12:16:00.000-05:00

I saw the figures from the weekend box office results of the new Harry Potter flick.

My goodness, does this brand not run out of steam? Apparently not.

Potter's latest flick took in a total of 330 million dollars world wide over the weekend and 125 million in the US. The figure you are most used to hearing is the latter 125 million.

The latest flick, known as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I", has set a new standard for Potter movies in terms of debut revenue.

The movie grossed 20% - 25% more then the next best debut performance of a Harry Potter flick. The next best was "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" which yielded just over a 100 million during it's debut weekend in the US.

Harry Potter is now closing in on the 6 billion dollar mark as a franchise.

Online Retail Sales are Booming

2010-11-22T12:12:00.001-05:00

Well business on the Internet has been booming like always.

The online retail sales and finance figures for the third quarter of 2010 are in. The figures are very impressive.

Nearly 42 billion dollars of retail commerce took place over the three month period ending in September.

This figure is up 15% year over year. If that was not impressive enough take the following notion into consideration.

During that same period when Online retail increased by 15% retail sales in general dropped by almost 5%.

WOW.

That is some steady growth.

Online retail sales are up 33% since the lows of the recession. Further online retail sales have doubled since 2005.

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Ireland Takes Bailout

2010-11-22T12:09:00.000-05:00

If you have followed global finance at all over the last couple of weeks then you have undoubtedly been exposed to the current Irish bailout controversy.

Many folks with in the EU felt and continue to feel that Ireland was unstable in a financial sense. This feeling was shared by some Irish. Though many folks from Ireland vomit at the notion of getting a bailout. Many feel they can handle things on their own.

Outsiders had mixed views as well. Certainly Germany, whom has been a strong economic rock amidst their peers struggles to obtain billions and billions in loans and other forms of stimulus, has their hang ups about financing yet another bailout. They have hardly been rewarded for all their comparative stable economy. They have just been writing checks left and right to bailout those who have fared less well.

Ireland finally accepted a 110 billion dollar bailout package which is composed of an 80 billion Euro three year loan package.

Personally I am just glad to see this thing through. I have been sick of hearing it.

Business Basics - Staying Competive

2010-11-21T11:07:00.001-05:00

To survive as an ongoing entity, a business must stay competitive. The free market dictates that if there is room for competition someone, some company, will try to squeeze their way in. That company, or new competition, won't stop there.

Competitors will always look for ways to take a bigger share of the market.

This is why, as a business, one must do as your competitors do, in the sense that you always have to look for that edge.

You have to keep an eye out for a way to stay one up on the competition.

This post takes a broad look at how business operations influence the competitiveness of a business.

Business Competitiveness

The competitiveness of a business refers to how effectively a business or organization meets the needs and wants of their target market in comparison to their competition.

There are 10 basic areas of business operations that yield themselves as opportunities to stay competitive. Below I have lusted these ten competitive areas of business operations

10 Competitive Areas of Business Operations

Product and Service Design - The design of a product or service can have a large impact on how competitive a business is when compared to their peers. Every detail can have a big influence on how a consumer thinks or feels about your product in comparison to your competitors.
Costs - A companies management of costs is a huge factor in the competitiveness of any one business comparison to it's peers or competitors. If costs are to high then that firms margins or that firms price will suffer and the competitor will have an opportunity to exploit the issue whether by reducing their price to a level that the you will not be able to compete or simply by doing nothing and raking in the big margins until it feels it needs to exploit the competitive advantage that it has looming in the shadows.
Location - Location, location location. Location is a huge factor in the competitive world. How convenient is your location relative to your competitor. How much more or less are you paying for a certain location compared to your competitor.
Quality - The quality of your service or product is a big factor for obvious reasons. The factor of quality really comes to the forefront when you compare the cost difference to the consumer. Is the extra quality worth the increase in cost that the client must pay?
Response - How quickly a company can respond to new opportunities and developments with in a industry will have a huge impact on how competitive that business is and becomes
Agility - the agility of a company in terms of response to consumer wants and concerns will have a large impact o that companies competitiveness
Inventory - How efficient a company is at maintaining inventory levels will effect many variables such as price, wait time and the company product availability all of which will greatly impact the firms ability to stay competitive.
Supply Chain - the management of the company supply chain ill effect the firms competitiveness and can even effect how competitive their competitors are able to be through contractual obligations and exclusivity agreements. The management of a supply chain can also have huge implications on the finance and overall financial matters of a company. This of course has a huge impact on a firms ability to stay competitive amidst a ever growing competitive landscape.
Service - whether a company is a service or whether a company sells a physical product either way a company will have some degree of service that attaches itself to the primary product or service. this may bet the front line sales team or perhaps he consumers retail experience when shopping n the stores of the company. there is a lot that can happen from the moment a consumer steps in a store to that point of purchase and their is still more during the life of the product or service. Thus the overall servicing that a firm provides it's consumers has a tremendous effect on the competitiveness of a firm.
Employees - The behavior of a companies employees has many influences on the overall competitiveness of a firm.

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On-Site SEO Activities

2010-11-19T14:10:00.002-05:00

This post is simply a helpful resource identifying some common on-site seo activities.

Below is a general list of on-site activities that will enhance search engine visibility.

Common On-site SEO Activity

Linking keywords with in your site to other corresponding pages with out taking away from user experience.
Creating relevant meta tags for keywords and descriptions that are short, accurate, and precise.
keeping a consistent feel and design through out your entire site.
Maintaining common sense and easy navigation system or strategy for your site including the actual structure of the URLs themselves.
Try to keep out bound links to a minimum and perhaps only do so from a blog.
Write articles in a structured user and search engine friendly manor.
Keep article topics narrow and focused on the topic and keyword you are optimizing for.
Use relevant pictures and provide keyword in tags, description and title of picture. Provide captions.
Have a site map.
Track your sites performance with some sort of statistics and analytical software such as Google Analytics.
Update and improve upon your existing content as needed.
Make sure you can get to every page on your site from any given page.

Search Engine Mechanics

2010-11-19T14:06:00.000-05:00

How Do Search Engines Search?

The exact nature of search engines and how they work will vary from one engine to the next. The bigger ones such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing have similar conceptual mechanics and solid white hat search optimization techniques will positively influence a websites rankings in all three.

Search engines are powered by elaborate, forever growing, and changing algorithms that are fed data from spiders and bots that run around the net collecting data from one website to the next. For example Google, the worlds most popular search engine and website for that matter, has a program or bot that they refer to as GoogleBot.

GoogleBot will find a website and analyze the code of the website and take a copy or download of all or part of the site back to its digital home where another bot or program will categorize and index the site in the relevant categories and search algorithms that are appropriate. If a user searches for a related keyword of a site that is indexed by that particular search engine then the search engine will display the site listings for that particular website in the search results or output.

No one knows exactly how google and yahoo or bing work but we do know some general concepts that are significant to all three. though you should know that the exact algorithms that these search engines operate with are kept as secret as possible and all three are different from one another though you will generally find that there results will have the same or close to the same sites listed for certain keywords though the positioning will be different and will constantly shift and change as more and more data and info is indexed and more and more publishers submit and change content.

Here is the basic idea of what the search engines are looking for when the calculate page rank or search engine listing positions:

Search Engine Rank Variables - (Obviously Speculative)

Number of incoming links
Quality of incoming links
URL Name
Meta tags
Relevance of site content
Size of the site
Use and interaction of users with the site
Organization of the site
How the site advertises and more specifically where does traffic originate
Traffic Quality
Age of the Site
Brand Name and Recognition
Design
Navigation structure
Content focus
Locality

Again the exact equation is unknown, but the one consistent concept or advice that search engines such as google will give publishers and web masters is to create and design sites with the human end user in mind websites are made for your audience. If a site is mad exclusively for search engines then it may be penalized.

On Site Optimization and Off Site Optimization

2010-11-19T14:01:00.000-05:00

Their are two components of SEO work that must be completed to obtain a competitive reach in terms of search listings and rankings. With out both components of search engine optimization a Website is not reaching max search exposure potential, and thus missing out on quality search engine traffic.

The two important aspects of Search Engine Optimization are refereed to as on-site SEO, and off-site SEO.

On-site SEO

Search visibility enhancement efforts carried out through site design, structure, and content focus are all on-site SEO activities.

Off-site SEO

Search visibility efforts such as article marketing, link building, social networking, and other activities that are carried out away from the target site are all examples of off-site seo work.

We strongly urge users to take a good look at both off-site and on-site SEO activities and strategy. Both are very important components to the success of any website when it comes to obtaining relevant search engine traffic.

SEO - On-Site Optimization VS Off-Site Optimization

2010-11-19T13:59:00.000-05:00

The ultimate goal of both on-site optimization and off-site optimization are one in the same. The goal is to support the target website SERP's and grow the relevant search engine user traffic.

The differences are straight forward.

Off-site SEO is geared towards building incoming links that increase page rank and traffic. Another goal of off-site work is to build a positive reputation for the target site and to establish that site as a "go to" expert or authority on the particular niche of that website.

On-site SEO focuses on producing relevant content that awaits search engine users who find the target site. Also structure and design efforts focus on creating a make sense navigation structure that is user friendly. Also the design and structure should be easily read by search engine spiders who crawl the web as an effort to organize all the web pages in a vast index that determines when and where to place a search listing for any given search query that a user submits.

Both on-site and off-site are necessary components of search engine optimization.

Three R's of Online Advertising

2010-11-19T13:54:00.000-05:00

The three "R's" of online advertising are three important aspects that all advertisers need to consider when developing an advertising campaign.

This article will discuss the three "R's" of online advertising and why they are important.

3 R's of Online Advertising

Below is a list of the three R's of online advertising as well as a description and explanation of why they are important.

Reach

The reach of an advertisement refers to the portion and frequency the population of users are exposed to the ad. For example Google has a reach of approximately 150 million American Internet users which is approximately 80% of the US Internet user population.

The reach of an advertisement is important information for advertisers because it allows them to determine if the reach available is enough or not enough for their advertising needs.

Relevance

The relevance of an ad refers to the degree the ad is similar, useful, or "like" the content, needs, and interest of the user and what the user is currently doing. For instance, a advertisement for a divorce lawyer is relevant to Ralph a mechanic and a current search user who is researching divorce attorneys. That same advertisement is not going to be a relevant to Ralph three years from now when he is viewing the NYTimes.com story on Ford Motors.

The relevance of an advertisement is going to a big impact on the performance of the advertisement.

ROI - Return On Investment

The ROI or Return On Investment is the value or benefit that received by the advertiser per dollar the advertiser spends or invest in the advertisement.

If the advertiser spends $200.00 on content network advertisements through Google and that advertising generated $10,000 dollars worth of revenue, then one can most likely say that given the cost of the product or service is not to outrageous that advertiser should probably turn up the dial on their content network advertising budget.

Google Search Result Listing - Taking a Close Look

2010-11-19T13:50:00.000-05:00

When a search engine user submits a search query to Google the user will get a search result page with search listings in order of relevancy according to Google search algorithms.

This article will discuss the make up and components of a search listing within a search results page.

3 Parts to a Google Search Listing

A Google search listing is composed of three main sections which are listed and described below.

Page Title

The first and most obvious component of a Google search listing is the title. The title is blue, bold, underlined, and linked to the applicable page.

Description

The second component of a search listing is the description which is a snippet of text that describes the contents of the page. It is generally two lines of text.

URL Line

The final component of a listing is the URL line which has three parts to it. The main one being the site URL which stands out because of the green text.

Next to the URL is a link in light blue which reads "cache" if a user clicks on the link they will be returned a page that is a copy of the page that Google has in it's index. The cache page will also feature highlighted keywords that the user originally used in the search query.

Next to the cache link is a link that reads "similar pages." If the user clicks on that link then they are returned search listings of similar pages in terms of content as determined by Google.

Google - The Company Basics

2010-11-19T13:45:00.000-05:00

Google Basics

Google is a publicly traded corporation.

Google's mission statement and proclaimed purpose is to;

"...organize the world's information"

Google is best known as a search engine which is also the engine that allows the company to grow and prosper.

Google has much more to offer then just search. Google has and continues to create and develop new products and services on an ongoing basis. Many people have no idea how many products Google has to offer.

The Heart of Google

The heart and soul of Google is search. Thus the algorithms that power the search engine Google offers to the world is the backbone, life line, or the roots of the company.

Google search algorithms were created and developed in a dorm room by two Stanford students named Sergey Brin and Larry Page. They developed Page Rank which is what really added the useful relevance of the search results for users.

What started from a crazy notion and then an actual attempt to download the entire internet in a week, has turned into a much longer and more profitable concern that is now known as Google a corporate search engine and web company.

How Google Makes Money

2010-11-19T13:36:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered how Google makes money?

Today most people are know the basic concept behind how Google generates almost 30 billion dollars in advertising revenue. Still, many of you most likely don't know or are just now saying to yourself...

"Huh, I guess I never really thought about it."

Google makes money from displaying advertisements that advertisers pay Google for. These advertisements are displayed on the search results page as well as on websites that are part of the content network.

The Google advertising programs are AdWords and AdSense

AdWords is the platform that advertisers come together and bid for advertising space Google, the search network, and the content network. Google also sells inventory for radio and TV time.
AdSense is a program and platform for content providers. It is an outlet that allows publishers to monetize their content and websites with Google ad's.

Google also makes money from charging fee's for business services. These fee's are not much compared to the value that is easily derived from the applicable product.

Mechanics of a Google Search

2010-11-19T13:28:00.000-05:00

From User Query to Search Results - Break Down of the Step by Step Process

Have you ever wondered what is going on behind that friendly, plain, and useful page which we have all come to depend on and expect it to be there eagerly awaiting to help us find what we want, what we're looking for.

What is going on behind that search box during the split second in between the time that we submit a search query and then get the results page.

From Submit to Results - The Mechanics of a Search Query

First the obvious. A user must go to google.com and enter a search query into the the search box.
After the user hits submit then the query is picked up and stored in the web server.
The google web server will then shoot that information over to the index servers. These servers are like a vast table of contents or book index for the entire known Internet. The index servers rush as fast as they can to find all pages that contain those keywords in the query.
After the index servers have retrieved all the index information the index servers then shot that information over to the document servers. These servers contain all the cached pages that Google bot has found over the many years of crawling the web. the document servers takes links, snippets of information and orders them in relevancy.
The document servers then as quickly as possible returns the resulting search information of that query as fast as it possibly can. It will even give a estimate of how many documents it found.
That whole process takes only a fraction of a second. In fact for practical purposes it is instant.

History of Online Advertising

2010-11-19T13:21:00.001-05:00

Online advertising is a relatively new platform for advertisiers. Here we will briefly discuss the history of online advertising and more specifically the rapid growth and success that the young advertising medium has yielded thus far.

The First Advertising Online

Online advertising got it's start via the banner ad in the fall months of 1994. The banner ad was displayed on HotWired.com

The first full year of online advertising spending was a rather humble figure of just a few hundred thousand dollars. But it started to catch on and by 2004 a decade later from that first banner on HotWired.com the online advertising platform grew to approximately 10 billion dollars.

Today in year 2010 and for the upcoming 2011 the figure is much larger and will climb ever higher. Google alone should be clocking in at around 25 - 27 billion dollars in advertising revenue.

There has been a lot of advertising mistakes, trials, triumphs, and tribulations. We are making our way through the infancy of a platform that has already revoloutinalized the world of advertising and business.

Final Thoughts on the History of Online Advertising

The online advertising platform is still young and dumb. However, it is making leaps and bounds with every passing quarter. The new advertising medium will most likely become the dominate advertising platform of the future.

** As a side note and to give credit where credit is due the info on the first banner advertisement came from a Google copyrighted text book. It is titled...

Marketing and Advertising Using Google

(You can't buy it - They only send it)

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Another Fun Sports Clip

2010-11-16T20:07:00.002-05:00

This is a must see for anyone who has ever played football.

So I got a comment on the post I did featuring that great baseball clip I found on Yahoo.com

Raquel, a fellow blogger, left the comment. I imagine she spends way too much time online and viewing online content. I only joke with her because she made a great recommendation. She recommended that I take a look at a certain middle school football clip.

So I did. I searched for it (based off her comment) and there it was on YouTube.

It is one of a kind. I honestly think this clip even out does the baseball clip.

It really is something else. You are going to have to see it for yourself.

Seriously this is something special. I wish I knew who came up with the idea. You have to have a lot of balls to pull something like this off. I wonder if this would ever work at a higher level.

Has anyone seen this tried before or is this an original idea?

Now that I have watched this thing two or three times... I want to give a shout to #19 in yellow. He almost got him. At least one of them had their head in the game. Ha.

Watch that QB!

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Home is Shrinking - US Homes Shrink by Almost 10 Percent

2010-11-16T19:40:00.002-05:00

Is your home shrinking?

In 2007 at the height of the housing illusion the average US home was approximately 2300 feet.

That is actually bigger then many surveys had consumers reporting what they thought the ideal size of a home was. The survey showed 2,000 feet to be ideal.

The average was about 15% larger as you can see. Notice how I said "was"...

The average new home today is now closer to the American "ideal" of 2,000 sq feet. Today the average new home is just a hair over 2,100 square feet. This is about 8% - 9% smaller then levels recorded at the height of the housing crisis.

This is most likely due to the markets demand for cheaper homes. That or builders are just trying to cut corners and increase margins.

Either way, I think this drop will make it easier and cheaper for new home buyers to obtain the financing they need to get a new home.

This information was found in a article from the USA Today newspaper.

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