Banks for You!

Ever since the first credit card was introduced more than 50 years ago, the debate has raged on about whether or not they hurt or help consumers.   A lot of the economic mess I read about today has to do with Americans in massive amounts of debt; due largely in part because of home and credit card debt.  But even though a good amount of credit card holders don’t use their cards responsibly, that does not mean that credit cards are evil.  In fact, I would argue there’s one card on the market today that does it’s best to reward and teach consumers about the pitfalls of using credit poorly, and that card is the Citi Forward® Card.

The Citi Forward® card opens up by offering a limited time bonus of 10,000 ThankYou® points for all new cardholders.  9,000 of those points come after spending $650 in the first three months and the other thousand are added when you sign up for paperless statements.  10,000 ThankYou points can be redeemed for $100 in gift cards or varying amounts of cash and travel rewards, so even though it’s not as massive as some other credit cards out there, it’s a good start.

The big draws on this credit card comes for a variety of  reasons.  First and foremost, cardholders of the Citi Forward® Card can reduce their APR by 2%, simply by staying within their credit limit and paying on time each month.  A 0.25% APR reduction occurs each time your account stays within good standing for three consecutive months, so after 24 months, the full 2% drop can occur.

The Citi Forward® Card also includes a rewards program, that gives out ThankYou® points in the following amounts:

• Earn 5 ThankYou® Points for every $1 spent at restaurants and on books, movies and music
• Earn 1 ThankYou® point for every $1 you spend on all other purchases
• Earn up to 1,200 bonus points for paying on time and staying under your credit limit (every year, 100 a month increments)

The purchase APR on the Citi Forward® Card is 12.99% – 22.99% variable but before that kicks in, all cardholders will receive a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months and on balance transfers for seven months.  There is no annual fee to own the Citi Forward Card but the $100 gift card bonus is set to expire at the end of November so act fast if you have the good (not excellent) credit required to obtain this card.

• Visit the secure application page for the Citi Forward® Card.

Secured debts are extremely poles apart from unsecured debts; however a lot of people are bearing the burden of both types of money owing: a mortgage, for instance, other than one or two credit cards, a personal loan and a shop card as well. Under the circumstances where your expenses arrive at a position in which you cant credibly take control over everything you pay each month, then you might need to take a debt solution into account like a debt management plan perhaps.

Work with a debt management company

The purpose of debt management is to help an individual manage their unsecured debts through putting their monthly unsecured debt payments down to a degree they can meet the expense of. However it is not to assure coping with their secured debts would be easier then. Through cutting the outlay of repaying their monthly unsecured debts, an efficient debt management plan will help someone firmly manage their secured debts as well.

Talk with the mortgage company

Nevertheless, reimbursing a mortgage is truly one main concern; and unsecured creditors will frequently allow lesser monthly pay outs if it is evident that its the sole sensible means a loaner can manage to pay for a shelter, food and other lifes basics.

So what goes down with mortgage liabilities in the midst of debt management?

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Product importers face an interesting financing challenge. On one side, they have foreign suppliers that demand prepayment by letter of credit before shipping (or even manufacturing the goods). On the other side, they have customers that demand 30 to 60 days to pay their invoices. Their cash flow is caught in the middle of these two challenging financial demands. Few have the necessary capital to operate their businesses this way for for many, the only solution that allows them to grow is to use business financing.

The challenge with using business financing is that it’s difficult to obtain especially for small businesses. Most financial institutions are still retrenching and are not providing financing for small companies. And those that are providing business funding for small companies have very strict lending requirements and will only provide financing to companies with substantial assets and a long track record of success. These requirements rule out most small businesses.

There are two alternatives that have been gaining popularity as a way to finance import transactions. They are invoice factoring and purchase order financing. When

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Ah, marriage. It’s always “happily ever after,” isn’t it?

Not always, at least when it comes to talking about finances. In a recent American Express poll, 61 percent of couples said that talks of household finances lead to arguments, as reported by CNN Money. That’s up from 45% just last year.

It’s no big surprise that the strain on the economy is straining the economic situation of couples as well. So what can nearly newlyweds do to avoid the money arguments?

Talk now about how you’ll be managing your finances after marriage. To give you some help, we’ve compiled this quick guide of three different approaches to marriage and money, and how each one affects your credit, your bank accounts and your debt.

Money can be a touchy subject in marriage, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Come to a decision about how you’ll manage your finances together before you say “I do,” and be open about your current financial situation. You’ll likely avoid a lot of conflict simply by being up front before the wedding.

Yard sales can be great. Cruising themunity, taking note of all the many lawn sales sporting massive amounts of bargained merchandise is mighty enticing. And in these trying economic times, shopping for bargains and buying used is one of the easiest ways to save money withoutpletely cutting off your spending valve. Whats more is the quality may be equal if not better than what you’d buy at the store! You might even get a cute little backstory of your purchase thrown in, free of charge.

Yet, certain things should never be bought used. Bad deals happen, but bad deals that threaten you or your child’s life shouldn’t. Avoid buying these items at your neighborhood garage sale:

Baby Cribs

Only two months ago, the Consumer Product Safetymission (CPSC) issued new regulations for baby cribs. Under the new regulations, drop-side cribs a standard of the nursery because it made parentel access to the infant easier are now illegal. According to the CPSC, from 2007 to 2010, unsafe cribs resulted in 150 deaths due to strangulation or suffocation. In spite of new regulations, old, unsafe cribs may still be sold at garage sales and on eBay.

The CPSC offers further rmendations on safe sleeping for infants.

Buying a used crib at a garage sale also assumes that all of the parts for the crib are accounted for. Askin

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