Archive for July, 2009

A husband and wife team purchased a tractor truck from me and were making payments according to our agreement, which they signed. They are now not making payments and have decided to keep the truck.

I want to pressure them by placing the loss on their credit profiles. How do I do this??

My fiance and I are getting married in October of 2008, and at some point before the wedding we are going to meet with a financial planner to help us with things like setting our household budget, but more so for important things like investing in retirement plans and working toward a down payment for a house. There’s so much information out there, and it gets complicated if you’re not familiar with the field, so we figured this would be a good way to help us get started.

Do you have any tips about working with a financial planner? What to ask, what to look for, companies to use or avoid, etc.? Relevant/helpful answers appreciated. Thanks!

Hello!
I am interested in persuing a career path in the Financial Planning field. I am 26 now, and currently a Financial Planner in a Fortune 50 company. However, I’m questioning whether I want to work in corporate America all my life, or if I want to persue a career path in more “private” financial planning – mainly for individuals.

So for those of you who are Financial Planners right now – whats it like? What are the best aspects…and the worst aspects….of your job? Is getting the CFP worth it – or is an MBA more valuable? I’m questioning right now which path to take – 1) get an MBA or 2) get a CFP ($$ is not an issue since my company will pay for my full education).

Any insight you could provide into the field would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Only one answer? Are there any Financial Planners out there?????

Managing your finances on your computer can be extremely helpful. For example, if you write a check to somebody and they don’t deposit it until a few weeks later, you may forget you even wrote the check. Also, debit card transactions can sometimes take a few days to appear on your online bank statement. Even when they do appear, if the transaction is at the stage where it hasn’t cleared yet, the amount might not be accurate. This is often the case with transactions at restaurants (usually due to the tip) and gas stations. These scenarios can all lead to NSF fees. Paying fees to a bank because you weren’t responsible with your money is the same as flushing your money down the toilet, and nobody wants that! What if you want to track where your money is going? Or what if you’re trying to plan ahead and want to know how much your electric bill was for a certain month last year so that you’ll have a rough idea of how much it’ll be for that same month this year? You can see why managing your finances on your computer is a good idea. There are so many reasons to do it, and with a free application like Money Manager Ex (comparable to Quicken or Microsoft Money), there’s no reason not to.

One of the reasons I asked was also because I’m still a rookie at investing and wanted to hear some opinions. I’m as green as can be when it comes to stock market investing, and I understand people lost lots of money, but is the drop really a reason to be nervous? I understand it’s a sign there might be a change in the lending market, but is this a reason to be nervous about investing in the stock market or to start trading all your stocks? I mean it’s not like the America is an unstable country. It’s no reason to start pulling all of your money out of the stock market, right? This is a proven market that should stabilize itself in a while, no? Is this just an opportunity to buy cheap stocks?

Chime in on the stock market plunge?

Our very own Bankaholic Banker Alicia Lagan shares some great tips on how to raise your credit score (FICO).

www.viewonlinecreditreports.com – Get a copy of your Credit Report now

Find the Best Investments for Your IRA
Whether your IRA will play a core or supporting role, learn to pick the right investments to stay on track to meet your needs.

Read more on Morningstar.com via Yahoo! Finance

Complete video at: fora.tv Author Mary Buffett discusses billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s emphasis on investing for the long-term, and warns against overvaluing short-term profits. —– Mary Buffett on “The Tao of Warren Buffet.” A collection of pithy and inspiring sayings from America’s favorite businessman that reveal his secrets of success. Like the sayings of the ancient Chinese philospher Lao-tzu, Warren Buffett’s worldly wisdom is deceptively simple and enormously powerful in application. In “The Tao of Warren Buffett,” Mary Buffett – author of three books on Warren Buffett’s investment methods – joins noted Buffettologist and international lecturer David Clark to bring you Warren Buffett’s smartest, funniest, and most memorable sayings with an eye toward revealing the life philosophy and the investment strategies that have made Warren Buffett, and the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway, so enormously wealthy. Warren Buffett’s investment achievements are unparalleled. He owes his success to hard work, integrity, and that most elusive commodity of all, common sense. The quotations in this book exemplify Warren’s practical strategies and provide useful illustrations for every investor – large or small – and models everyone can follow. The quotes are culled from a variety of sources, including personal conversations, corporate reports, profiles, and interviews. The authors provide short explanations for each quote and use examples from Buffett’s own business transactions whenever possible to illustrate his words at work. – Books Inc.

Bernard Hickey details the key news overnight in 90 seconds at 9 am in association with ASB, including news from the US Federal Reserve that it has held its official interest rate near zero % and will hold it there for an “extended period”. The Fed saw the economy slowing, but at an easier pace, and it pledged to keep buying back bonds and printing money. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the European Central Bank lent a record US$619 billion to 1100 banks to pump cash into a weak banking system. However, in a fresh sign of ‘green shoots’, the OECD has improved its forecasts for GDP for its member countries. It now sees a 4.1% contraction in 2009, which is better than its previous forecast for a 4.3% contraction. It also now sees 0.7% growth in 2010, versus its previous forecast for a 0.5% contraction next year.