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How to Know When to Sell Your Stocks

Posted by admin on Jul 26, 2009 in Investing | 0 comments

While quite a bit of time and research goes into selecting stocks, it is often hard to know when to pull out – especially for first time investors. The good news is that if you have chosen your stocks carefully, you won’t need to pull out for a very long time, such as when you are ready to retire. But there are specific instances when you will need to sell your stocks before you have reached your financial goals.

You may think that the time to sell is when the stock value is about to drop – and you may even be advised by your broker to do this. But this isn’t necessarily the right course of action.

Stocks go up and down all the time, depending on the economy…and of course the economy depends on the stock market as well. This is why it is so hard to determine whether you should sell your stock or not. Stocks go down, but they also tend to go back up.

You have to do more research, and you have to keep up with the stability of the companies that you invest in. Changes in corporations have a profound impact on the value of the stock. For instance, a new CEO can affect the value of stock. A plummet in the industry can affect a stock. Many things – all combined – affect the value of stock. But there are really only three good reasons to sell a stock.

The first reason is having reached your financial goals. Once you’ve reached retirement, you may wish to sell your stocks and put your money in safer financial vehicles, such as a savings account.

This is a common practice for those who have invested for the purpose of financing their retirement. The second reason to sell a stock is if there are major changes in the business you are investing in that cause, or will cause, the value of the stock to drop, with little or no possibility of the value rising again. Ideally, you would sell your stock in this situation before the value starts to drop.

If the value of the stock spikes, this is the third reason you may want to sell. If your stock is valued at $100 per share today, but drastically rises to $200 per share next week, it is a great time to sell – especially if the outlook is that the value will drop back down to $100 per share soon. You would sell when the stock was worth $200 per share.

As a beginner, you definitely want to consult with a broker or a financial advisor before buying or selling stocks. They will work with you to help you make the right decisions to reach your financial goals.

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Home Loans with Bad Credit

Posted by admin on Jul 23, 2009 in Credit Issues | 0 comments

You have just seen the house of your dreams but you have had credit problems.  The ability to find home loans with bad credit can be difficult but not impossible.

Previous to 1990 if you did not qualify for a FHA or VA home mortgage it was very difficult to get a mortgage.  This since has changed and there are companies providing home loans with bad credit on a daily basis.  These loans were introduced to help high risk borrowers to secure a mortgage and become homeowners.

When you are looking for home loans with bad credit you will probably want to look into what is called a subprime loan.  This is a loan to persons with a damaged credit history and would be considered a high risk borrower.  Because of the higher risk, subprime loans normally require a larger down payment and a higher interest rate.  The higher the risk the lender feels you are, based on credit scores and other factors the higher the rate to borrow will be.  If the risk seems lower you could receive a lower rate and lower down payment even if you are still considered a high risk borrower.

Most subprime loans have .1% up to .6% higher rates than those of a conventional loan.  This may not seem like a lot but when thinking in terms of a $100,000.00 dollar home the difference is in thousands of dollars.  So even if you are considered a candidate for a subprime loan it is important to shop for the best rate available.

Home loans with bad credit are made because lenders know that often a person with less than perfect credit did want to make their payments but because of illness, loss of employment or some other event out of the borrowers control may contribute to late payments or foreclosures.

If you were searching for home loans with bad credit you will want to keep in mind a couple of important tips.   You will want to plan on keeping this loan, for about two to five yearsYou will want to be using this time to help increase your credit worthiness by cleaning up old debts and obligations.  You will want to be sure to make your new mortgage payments on time.  After this process you can try and qualify for one of the more common and lower rated loan.

If you already own a home, and had some financial difficulties a subprime loan may help you to regain your credit status.  By refinancing with home loans for bad credit you can refinance for more than you owe.  Take the cash back on the equity you have and use this to pay off high interest credit cards, liens, or collections.  You would save money each month and be rebuilding your credit rating at the same time.

As you can see finding home loans with bad credit is a bit costly but it is not impossible and the final outcome is with good money management you increase your credit rating and own the home of your dreams.

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Home Loan Interest Rates

Posted by admin on Jul 19, 2009 in Loan | 0 comments

Thinking of buying or building that perfect home?  Before you sign on the dotted line some research into home loan interest rates will be needed.  This will give you a much better chance of obtaining some interest rate savings.

To begin finding the best home loan interest rates you will want to study the current rates and rate movements or trends.  Home loan interest rates generally reflect the over all picture of interest rates.  They basically will follow Wall Street Securities with their rise and fall.

Home loan interest rates combined with your individual financial status would then determine how much you can borrow.  This would have an impact on how much house you can buy.  Higher interest rates would mean you may have to settle for a bit smaller home than you originally had planned.

One of the things that you may consider to lower home loan interest rates is to consider if you are willing to pay points or not.  A point is 1% of the total loan amount.  It is the up front fee that would reduce your monthly interest rate and the total amount of interest over the length of the loan.  By paying points you are essentially buying your way to a better rate and trading between paying now vs. paying later.  Paying points should only be considered if you plan on keeping the loan for at least four years.  The reason this is suggested is gives you time to get back the upfront money with the lower monthly payments.

Another factor to consider in regards to home loan interest rates length of loan.  A typical 30 year mortgage will have a higher interest rate than that of a 15 year mortgage.  The 30 year mortgage will have lower monthly payments but you would pay thousands of dollars more in interest rates over the life of the loan than that of a 15 year mortgage.

Also a higher down payment would have a positive effect on home loan interest rates.  This down payment would typically need to 20 percent or more.  This would furnish you with more equity in you home giving you a much better interest rate.

Most lenders offer a variety of options to help assist you with home loan interest rates.  When shopping around make sure you are looking at comparable points and rates amongst the different lenders.

One of the final things in regards to considering with a home loan interest rates is, do you want a fixed rate mortgage or an adjustable rate mortgage.  A fixed rate will allow you more money, is fixed throughout the life of the loan.  This kind of loan the interest rate stays the same.  The other a variable rate has the possibility of going up or down bed By paying points you are essentially buying your way to a better depending on the current market.

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Your Well Being And Taxes

Posted by admin on Jul 18, 2009 in Tax | 0 comments

Few things threaten your well-being like the harassment and anxiety of persistent tax problems. Most people make 3 mistakes that get them in trouble with the IRS. They procrastinate. They attempt to represent themselves. They hire sub-par representation and now are in MORE need of help than ever before.

These are the kind of services a Tax Attorney can provide: Offer in Compromise Cases, Penalty Abatement Petitions, Full Audit Representations Business Strategy Sessions. Preparation and Filing of Tax Returns. Settle taxes for Pennies on the Dollar owed, Stop IRS wage and bank levies (garnishments), Have property liens lifted, get affordable installment agreements, File bankruptcy against the IRS, Have penalties and interest forgiven, Reduce taxes by running out the IRS’ time to collect. Offer in Compromise: Settle your taxes for Pennies on the Dollar owed Professional law offices can help get you a favorable settlement with an experienced IRS tax attorney. The IRS’ Offer in Compromise program allows taxpayers to settle their tax debt.

What is an IRS offer in compromise?

It settles your tax liability for less than the full amount owed, providing you can prove you don’t have the ability to pay. Depending on how much you can afford, you really can pay “Pennies on the Dollar Owed” in taxes. If it is done correctly – this option could save you an enormous amount of money, and is the best strategy for most taxpayers. You should take extreme caution. You should hire a professional with knowledge of the IRS’ procedures. This professional should determine the least amount that the IRS will accept from you. If the Offer is not submitted correctly it will be rejected, or you may be required to pay more than is necessary.

An Offer in Compromise may save you a LARGE amount of money. Do you know that the IRS only has a limited time to collect your back taxes? Let a Professional Tax Attorney determine when the IRS’ time limit to collect taxes runs out. In most cases the IRS has only a limited time to collect the unpaid taxes. You must CAREFULLY evaluate exactly when that time period will run out. Your troubles may be solved. and moreover: If the IRS’ time has run out, or if it will run out soon, your troubles may be over.

Delaying tactics may be used to stall the IRS while their time runs out. Once the IRS is out of time, they MUST stop ALL collection action against you.

The IRS MUST release all property liens

TAX RETURNS – FAILURE TO FILE

Many people fail to file Individual Income Tax Returns for a variety of reasons. Some reasons are innocent, although the most common is the fact that people can’t afford to pay the taxes.

When this happens it becomes difficult to get back into the system. “I filed for 1998. I couldn’t pay for 2000, so I did not file. Then I was afraid to file for 2001. I haven’t filed since then. What can I do now?”

If you do not file Income Tax Returns you commit a criminal offense. However, no one who has voluntarily filed back returns before being caught has ever been criminally prosecuted. That is the first key: filing BEFORE they catch you.

IRS Penalties
Some IRS penalties can be as high as 100% to 150% of the original taxes owed. Even if you could pay the taxes owed, the extra penalties will make it impossible to pay off the entire balance.

The IRS imposes penalties to punish taxpayers and keep them in line. The IRS does forgive penalties. Before you pay the IRS any penalty amounts, you may want to consider requesting the IRS to not punish you because it wasn’t your fault.

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Your Tip Earnings and Taxes

Posted by admin on Jul 13, 2009 in Tax | 0 comments

Your Tip Earnings and Taxes

The internal revenue service takes a very simple approach to tips. It views all tips you make in your job as taxable income that must be reported and for which taxes must be paid. Put another way, the IRS has a simple but brutal view towards taxes

Now tips come in different forms. Some are received directly from customers while others are automatically added to the customer’s bill. The IRS takes the position you must report and pay taxes on both amounts. This also includes taxes you earn through any group splitting where all tips are collected together and then split amongst the employees. On top of this, the IRS also takes the view that any non-cash tips such as tickets to something are also income that should be reported and taxes paid on. Put another way, the internal revenue services gets you coming and going.

To make things a little more brutal, the internal revenue service requires you to take some steps in reporting tips. If your tips total $20 or more in any calendar month from a single job, you are supposed to report the total to the employer by the 10th day of the next month. The employer is then supposed to withhold federal income tax, social security and Medicare taxes from your paycheck. Keep in mind that the failure to do so can lead to the placement of a 50 percent penalty on your taxes. Obviously, the IRS is fairly serious about getting its money.

Tips paid to waitresses, bartenders, barbacks and so on are a hot spot with the IRS and always have. Since tips tend to be given in cash form, the potential for forgetting to report them is particularly high. The IRS seems to think so and has shown a generally aggressive attitude on the subject. If you indicate you are a waitress or bartender on your tax return, but fail to report any tip income, it could be audit time.

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