Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Friday, October 18, 2013
Finance - I owe back taxes to the IRS. What should I do_ 2012 Training video Tv
Finance - I owe back taxes to the IRS. What should I do_ 2012
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Duration : 00:28:44 Mins.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Cedar Finance SCAM? | Is Cedar Finance legitimate? - The Truth about Cedar Finance Video clip Tubing
Cedar Finance SCAM? | Is Cedar Finance legitimate? - The Truth about Cedar Finance
Duration : 00:05:03 Mins.
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Thursday, October 10, 2013
Understand 7 Essentials of Building Good Credit far more
Establishing good credit is a financial necessity. A good credit rating will allow you to make large purchases, acquire a home loan, rent an apartment and buy a car. You will also save thousands of dollars with a lower interest rate because of a high credit score. But where do you begin and how do you maintain good credit? Here are 7 essential ways to build good credit:
Establish credit by obtaining a loan or credit card.
Limit purchases to what can be paid off each month.
Make payments on time every month.
Avoid too many lines of credit.
Do not max out your card.
Check the three major credit bureaus to see if your credit report is correct.
Keep track of all financial documents to prevent identity theft.
Establishing Credit
The first place to start building good credit is to attain a loan or a credit card. It seems rudimentary, but some people think by avoiding credit cards they are somehow being financially sound. True, you won't accumulate debt if you don't have any form of credit. However, unless you can pay cash for a home, car or other large purchase, you're going to need good credit. Even purchases you can afford with cash can be restricted or denied if you don't have credit, like renting an apartment or certain types of insurance.
Within Your Limits
Now that you have a credit card, do not assume it is simply free money you can use without consequence. You should plan ahead and make sure you have enough money, typically in a savings account, to pay off your purchases. You may even earn rewards by buying gas, clothing, or hotel rooms with your credit cards.
Payment History
If you must carry a balance on your credit card, do it wisely. Even a relatively low interest rate for a credit card can still cost you thousands if you accrue a large balance. A $5,000 balance at 18% will cost you approximately $7,000 alone in interest if you only make minimum payments. Nevertheless, making payments on time will reflect well on your credit report.
Lines of Credit
Accumulating too many credit cards will make using them extremely tempting. When you amass debt and your income stays the same, your debt-to-income ratio suffers. Also, lenders look for new lines of credit when you apply for a loan. If you have recently acquired several credit cards, the lender may consider that risky behavior and deny you for the loan.
Maxing out your Credit Card
Another criterion lenders look for is the total debt you have compared to available credit. Maxing out your credit cards shows you not only have more debt but are in danger of overspending; subsequently, resulting in the inability to repay what you owe and possibly leading you to bankruptcy.
Credit Bureaus
Think of your credit report as a car. Your car needs routine check-ups to make sure it's running properly or it could break down unexpectedly. The same applies to your credit. Allowing even a seemingly trivial mistake or idiosyncrasy to go unexamined on your credit history could cause major problems down the road. The three major credit bureaus you should routinely check are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Checking them frequently can help prevent identity theft.
Keep Yourself Safe
It is estimated that over the last five years identity theft has cost nearly 27 million consumers over $5 billion. Thus, it is imperative you protect your confidential information from falling into the wrong hands. Trying to prove your innocence and expunge the detrimental effects of identity theft can cost a great deal of time and money. Unfortunately in most cases, you are guilty until proven innocent when it comes to credit fraud.
You can control your financial future by building and maintaining good credit. The benefits of a good credit score can mean you save thousands of dollars on important purchases. However, if you suffer from exceedingly high debt, you might consider credit debt consolidation or debt settlement. Waiting even another month can cause your plummeting finances to crash. Due diligence and discipline are required to find and implement a successful financial plan, but a debt free life is well worth the effort.
Author Bio: Scott Sumerford has several years of experience working in the financial industry and has written a myriad of articles on various financial matters. He graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington where he worked as a writing center tutor and contributed to the university's newspaper, The Shorthorn. View more articles
7 Essentials of Building Good Credit
How To Build Good CreditWednesday, October 9, 2013
Study Credit Improvement - How to Build Up My Credit Rating additional
Building up your credit rating has numerous advantages, credit seems to be used now in areas of our everyday life. Good examples would be to determine car insurance rates and also for employment screening. Once you complete the process of improving your credit rating you will enjoy the best interest rates on items such as cars, homes and credit cards.
The best way to begin to build up your credit is by challenging any negative items on your report. A good credit rating is made up of both past credit history as well as future items on your report. The older a negative item on your report, the better. This means that you will have a good chance of having the item deleted when you do challenge it.
The fair credit reporting act is what makes cleaning up your credit possible. It requires that credit bureaus look into at your claims and prove that items that you challenge should remain on your report. If they cannot come up with prove, then they need to delete the negatives with thirty days of receiving your dispute in the mail.
You should also make sure that any credit accounts that you have are paid on time. A good portion of the credit scoring formula looks at your timely payments on accounts that you have any late payments more than thirty days late will take significant points away from your credit rating.
Building up your credit takes time but it is well worth the effort due to the credit you will be able to receive once you are done.
Visit do-it-yourself-credit repair or credit repair services to learn more on raising your credit score 200+ points to get approved for car, home and credit card loans.
Credit Improvement - How to Build Up My Credit Rating
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Glenn Beck: An Introduction to Shariah Finance Video Hose
Glenn Beck: An Introduction to Shariah Finance
Duration : 00:25:34 Mins.
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Monday, October 7, 2013
Read through How to Build a Rocking Chair - Tips to Get Started far more
How to Build a Rocking Chair - Tips to Get Started
How To Build Good CreditRocking chairs would make a good furniture piece on the porch or by the fireplace. It definitely is worth the effort to learn how to build a rocking chair. It is one of the most comfortable chair to have around the house.
And I should know, several times, I found myself dozing off just after a few minutes sitting in my chair.
First Things First
Before building a rocking chair, you need to decide first if you wish to build the whole set or you may just want to add a rocker to an existing chair.
Yes, you do have the option to do this and yes, adding a rocker to an existing chair is a whole lot easier than building the whole thing but for a woodworking enthusiast like me, it's definitely less the fun.
Plus, not all chairs can be made for this purpose. You'll need to have a sturdy chair made of hard wood.
To build a rocker, you'll be needing a plywood onto which you will draw and cut the template for the rocker. This template is then used as an easy guide for drawing and sawing the rocker from the wood.
WOOD
In building a this kind of chair, you need to decide which type of you are going to use.
As mentioned earlier, the sturdier the wood the better. Pine is the least expensive choice for this purpose but if the chair is intended for outdoor use, I'd suggest something sturdier like oak.
TOOLS
Back when I was learning how to build a rocking chair, I haven't used some fancy tools. Basic woodworking tools like a band saw, t-square, screwdriver and a drill I've borrowed from a relative was able to do the job.
Now, I'd welcome the help of some power tools anytime to get the job done faster.
SOME TIPS TO FIX ROCKING CHAIR CREAKS
Even if you are still in the process of learning how to build a rocking chair, you may want to know some tips to fix rocking chair creaks.
* Tighten the nuts and bolts of the chair.
* Use WD-40 to lubricate the metal joints. Or if the noise is due to wooden pieces rubbing into each other, you may use talcum powder instead.
* If squeaking persist, you may want to transfer the chair to another area as the noise might be due to the flooring. Pretty obvious, I know, but hey, it happened to me so might as well mention this.
DESIGN AND PLAN
The one thing I can credit my successful initial attempts at building this kind of chair is due to a very good, step-by-step, DIY rocking chair plan.
Sure,you can always draw your own diagram with your own design and your own dimension. But I want to do away with the headache that's associated with numbers and dimensions. I just wanted a very easy to follow chair plan that I'm sure would work so I can spend my time doing what I love the most, getting my hands working in building things.
So to everyone who also felt the need of a very good rocking chair building plan, check out this nifty resource I've used not just in building a rocking chair but in my other woodworking projects as well.
http://www.WoodworkHaven.info
Similarly, you may want to check out this other resource on how to build a rocking chair.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Study Good Beacon Score - How Does Somebody Define What is a Good Credit Score Report? much more
Your credit score report has a profound effect when it comes to the interest rates you will be paying when you apply for a loan. Your score is the basis that creditors employ to determine if you will be able to pay your bills in the future.
Lenders figure out your credit worthiness by investigating your payment history, the quantity of obligation you owe, the length of your credit history, and the balances on your loans or installment accounts.
A beacon score that is more than 720 means that have a good beacon score. This means you're more able to obtain other financing and better interests in comparison to someone who scored lesser. Sixty Percent of consumers get pleasure from the rewards of a beacon score over 720.
Should you be one of those individuals who is in misery from a lower rating, you'll be glad to know that there are ways to enhance on your beacon score rating. You can attain a good credit rating by paying off your debts on time. The best method is to pay off the credit card that has the highest interest rate first. This formula will help you to tackle the largest deficit which in turn frees up more money.
The capability to apply for and get bank cards is excellent, but if you over extend yourself, you may soon find yourself in serious debt. At the same time, if you already have a lot of credit cards, it is not recommended that you close them. If you are able to pay down on your cards, it will help your credit rating immensely as opposed to closing them.
There are a few who know that they deserve a better beacon score than what their credit report is reflecting. In these cases, you should definitely get a copy or your score and report to make sure that everything being reported is correct. If you find any errors on your beacon score report, it is a must that you have this updated immediately.
The existence of a good credit score at all times makes for certain that you will never have any issues as far as financing. A good beacon score can be effortlessly accomplished with some control and making certain that you don't become a recipient of identity theft. To thwart the latter, it is highly recommended that you acquire a copy of your free credit report and scores annually or you can use a credit monitoring service to keep you updated on any activities with your account.
How To Build Good CreditGetting a copy of your free credit scores and free credit report yourself saves a negative inquiry, for your free credit scores and report visit [http://www.3creditreportingagencies.org/].
Good Beacon Score - How Does Somebody Define What is a Good Credit Score Report?
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Examine How to Estimate the Cost of Building a New Home more
This will serve as a help guide by providing some tips and techniques for estimating the cost of building a new home. As an expert residential estimator there are many things to consider before you begin estimating.
Construction estimating can be difficult and it does require a high level of accuracy and detail. It also requires good math skills and a little geometry knowledge. It requires the ability to read and understand construction drawings and details and how they are applied. Basic construction knowledge helps and being familiar with the local building codes.
You may want to enroll in a construction estimating course at the local college or technical school. Another option is to purchase an estimating manual from your local bookstore or go to estimating.org which offers online courses and has a bookstore.
One of the rules that I have learned along the way is the old saying, "measure twice cut once." Whenever I do a takeoff or an estimate I always follow this rule in order to help minimize mistakes.
What will you need to put an estimate together?
You will need a notepad, a calculator, an architectural scale, and an engineering scale. These are the basic tools you need to put an estimate together.
Architectural & Structural Drawings
Now you are ready to open the plans and begin to review them. The easiest thing to do is look them over and get a feel for the basic building concept. You should get familiar with the information that is contained on each sheet.
Most construction projects have a set of architectural drawings and a set of structural drawings. I will explain the difference between the two.
It is important that the plans are to scale and have all the required details and wall sections needed to properly estimate from.
What is typically included in a complete set of architectural plans? The drawings at a minimum need to contain the following sheets: a title/cover sheet, a site plan, a floor plan, a foundation plan, four elevations, a roof plan, an electrical plan, a sheet with a typical wall section, a sheet with the window and door schedules, and a sheet with the necessary building and architectural details.
The structural drawings are drawn by a structural engineer, not the architect, unless the architectural firm has an in-house engineer. Any interior shear wall or bearing wall is detailed on these drawings.
The engineer calculates all the uplift and bearing loads of the roof trusses on all the interior and exterior. After doing the calculations they determine which walls are shear or bearing or both and what is required to properly support those uplift and or bearing loads. The engineer will put a structural note on any wall that is bearing or shear. The note will indicate the sheet number and detail number illustrating how that wall needs to be built.
A load bearing wall for example could have a thickened concrete footer with two pieces of steel and the wall above it may need to be framed out of southern yellow pine versus spruce with special metal hardware. These should be highlighted on the plan so they will not be overlooked. Sometimes the hardware called out by the engineer is a special order and can take several weeks to get. So if you wait until the framing package needs to ordered and there are a two or three shear walls with special order hardware it could delay the construction.
You need to make enough copies of the architectural and structural plans for multiple subcontractors and suppliers bidding the job. To save you money, ask your architect and engineer to convert the drawing files to a PDF file. This will save you time as well and make it convenient because you can email them to as many subcontractors and vendors as you like.
Specifications
A list of product specifications must be provided so all the subcontractor and vendors are bidding apples to apples. This is a list detailing all the products and finishes you want in your new home. It does not make sense to send the plans out to bid without a set of specifications. Without this, the bids you receive will not be apples to apples. Then you will need to have them all rebid the project. It wastes a lot of time and creates a lot of unnecessary work for the subcontractors. Remember these guys do not need practice bidding and some of them may not submit a bid without a set of specifications included. Therefore, everything from paint colors to the floor finishes need to be selected. They need to be listed on the plan or on a separate document.
Doing the Takeoffs
It is too technical to put in a written guide how to quantify the concrete, masonry, lumber, and shingles just to name a few. For example let's assume you need to quantify the masonry block on a single story block home. You have to know how the wall is assembled which includes the ability to visualize and understand construction methods. If the exterior walls have multiple heights, a regular block (8x8x16) needs to be added and a lintel block needs to be deducted in each location where the plate heights change. If some of the walls are on a 45 degree angle you need to be able to know whether to estimate an angle block or butterfly block. The door and window openings need a certain quantity of regular blocks deducted plus a half block every other course on each side of each opening. You could have too much of one size block and either not enough or some units not accounted for at all. These inaccuracies will throw off your budget and cost you time and money. This ability and knowledge can not come from a book but through hands on experience combined with years of estimating experience.
If you decide to quantify the materials yourself I suggest you refer to Walker's Building Estimator's Reference Book, frankrwalker.com which has instructions on how to estimate the quantities of concrete, masonry, lumber, drywall, etc. It is considered the bible for construction estimators and it is one of required books included in the study guide for most state contractor's exam. Just keep in mind that these reference books do not have tips and tricks as well as real world experience as explained above.
You can employ the help of your subcontractors bidding the work or your suppliers. You may pay more for their product or service or you can hire us. Either way you are paying for someone to review the plans and quantify what is needed to build the project.
If you have your lumber yard quantify the material remember he is trying to win the job so he may provide a takeoff that is too tight. This does not benefit you if you have to keep reordering more lumber. The obvious answer to this is to have your framer put together the lumber list for you. Well that does not work either because he will over order so he does not run out of material and have to make additional trips to finish. They want to finish as fast as possible so it can get inspected and they can get paid. The bottom line is neither are working in your best interest.
I recommend you do not attempt to quantify the materials yourself. I have outlined valid reasons why. It is very technical and requires someone with years of estimating experience combined with hands on field experience.
Soliciting Bids
This part of preparing an estimate can be done by most anyone. I suggest you contact your local builder's association to get subcontractor referrals or use Angie's List, angieslist.com which prescreens contractors as well
You may have heard the term RFQ - Request for Quote. You want to solicit at least contractors. Most people will say three bids, so why do I recommend five bids? Let's say you contact five contractors and all five contractors bid the project. You got to figure one will be the high bid and one will be the low bid. So those should be set to the side because chances are the low bid is probably missing something and the high bid is priced too high. The remaining three bids should be reviewed thoroughly to make sure you are comparing apples to apples.
When you contact all the subcontractors that you want to bid your project be sure to give them a bid due date. That way you do not have to chase them. Give them a reasonable amount of time to review the plans and specifications, typically a week or two.
Analyzing the Bids
First organize all your bids by trade, such as putting all your electrical bids together. A three ring binder with dividers and tabbed with each category is a good way to organize all the bids.
Once you receive the bids you need to read them carefully and review them against the plans and specifications. They should have the project information and the date. They need to be detailed and itemized. The cabinet bid should not say "cabinets". Instead it should list and quantify all the cabinets by finish, style, size, and location, example 15 lnft of 42" oak raised panel kitchen cabinets, 1/ea 60" melamine master bath cabinet, 1/ea 36" melamine hall bath cabinet, etc. If it does not include the countertops it should state that so there is no misrepresentation.
When a proposal needs to be revised, make sure it states the revision date or states "revised". That way when you compile the bids and you need to refer back to them you will be looking at the latest one.
The proposals should also indicate workmanship and warranty. All this is important, especially if the contractor does not perform and mediation or worse litigation is required.
How to Negotiate the Best Price
Once you determine the three competitive bids the hard part is negotiating with the contractors. You have to assume that all the quotes will be inflated with the understanding you will negotiate less. Therefore, you need to get them down as low as you can to the real number. I always ask my subcontractors and vendors if the bid is negotiable. Remember it never hurts to ask, the worse they can say is no. And if they say yes, then I ask them what is the maximum they can cut their bid. They normally respond with, "how much do I need to cut it to get the job" and again I put it back on them by saying, "the maximum you can cut your price". Never name a price first! You should already have a budget of what you can afford to spend on each item. You never know whether or not they would be willing to do it for less than that.
Once they lower their bids and you determine the low bidder you need to compare warranty, workmanship, and references. Price is important, but if they can not finish the job the price does not mean anything. You definitely need to check both project references and credit references. The bottom line is you want the best contractor for the least amount of money.
Preparing an Estimate
Once you have awarded the job to each subcontractor you will want to prepare an estimate. I recommend using Microsoft Excel to organize your estimate. It is the easiest and mostly widely used spreadsheet application, especially in construction.
It helps organize your estimate. You can use a separate worksheet for each trade within the Excel workbook. You can enter all the material lists and bid amounts you receive. You can track the job to make sure you are on budget. You can email your local suppliers your material lists so they can enter their unit prices and they can email it back to you.
One of the sheets needs to be the estimate summary which has the total cost for each phase or trade. It should include your preconstruction costs and direct construction costs.
It should have the estimate total at the bottom.
There are endless possibilities you can do with Excel and the level of detail is up to you.
We have for sale blank estimates that are in Excel. These are templates that we use which can help you calculate some of the material quantities and can also be used to prepare your estimate. They contain prebuilt formulas for calculating concrete, steel, masonry, and lumber. All you need to do is enter counts and lengths where indicated and the quantities are calculated for you. Contact us to send you a sample template.
Conclusion
I hope this has provided you will some good information on how to prepare an estimate if you are building a new home. We are available to answer any questions you may have. We can help you put together an estimate for any type of construction project, big or small, residential or commercial.
Total Takeoffs is a professional independent cost consulting firm specializing in building and construction cost estimating. We are experts providing all types of construction estimates and material takeoffs to building professionals. Our network of certified estimators have experience providing estimates on residential, commercial, and civil construction projects. We provide computer consulting services to contractors who need to purchase an estimating program and require technical support. We also post on our site the latest building material costs.
We are members of AACE and ASPE. We are a registered expert witness for contractors involved in litigation. Our network of estimators are proficient using many construction estimating programs. We turnaround most takeoffs within 24-36 hours with an accuracy rate that comes within 1-3% of actual cost.
Contractors who are backlogged, understaffed, and are downsizing as a result of the current slump can turn to us for any type of construction estimating. Contractors bidding one project or multiple projects can contract with us, we welcome the opportunity. We offer volume discounts for multiple estimates and takeoffs.
To request an estimate or a material takeoff please visit our web site http://www.totaltakeoffs.com
You can also call us Monday thru Friday from 7 AM to 5 PM at 813-478-5568 or email us lou@totaltakeoffs.com
How to Estimate the Cost of Building a New Home
How To Build Good CreditFriday, October 4, 2013
Study How to Build a Rocking Chair - Tips to Get Started extra
Rocking chairs would make a good furniture piece on the porch or by the fireplace. It definitely is worth the effort to learn how to build a rocking chair. It is one of the most comfortable chair to have around the house.
And I should know, several times, I found myself dozing off just after a few minutes sitting in my chair.
First Things First
Before building a rocking chair, you need to decide first if you wish to build the whole set or you may just want to add a rocker to an existing chair.
Yes, you do have the option to do this and yes, adding a rocker to an existing chair is a whole lot easier than building the whole thing but for a woodworking enthusiast like me, it's definitely less the fun.
Plus, not all chairs can be made for this purpose. You'll need to have a sturdy chair made of hard wood.
To build a rocker, you'll be needing a plywood onto which you will draw and cut the template for the rocker. This template is then used as an easy guide for drawing and sawing the rocker from the wood.
WOOD
In building a this kind of chair, you need to decide which type of you are going to use.
As mentioned earlier, the sturdier the wood the better. Pine is the least expensive choice for this purpose but if the chair is intended for outdoor use, I'd suggest something sturdier like oak.
TOOLS
Back when I was learning how to build a rocking chair, I haven't used some fancy tools. Basic woodworking tools like a band saw, t-square, screwdriver and a drill I've borrowed from a relative was able to do the job.
Now, I'd welcome the help of some power tools anytime to get the job done faster.
SOME TIPS TO FIX ROCKING CHAIR CREAKS
Even if you are still in the process of learning how to build a rocking chair, you may want to know some tips to fix rocking chair creaks.
* Tighten the nuts and bolts of the chair.
* Use WD-40 to lubricate the metal joints. Or if the noise is due to wooden pieces rubbing into each other, you may use talcum powder instead.
* If squeaking persist, you may want to transfer the chair to another area as the noise might be due to the flooring. Pretty obvious, I know, but hey, it happened to me so might as well mention this.
DESIGN AND PLAN
The one thing I can credit my successful initial attempts at building this kind of chair is due to a very good, step-by-step, DIY rocking chair plan.
Sure,you can always draw your own diagram with your own design and your own dimension. But I want to do away with the headache that's associated with numbers and dimensions. I just wanted a very easy to follow chair plan that I'm sure would work so I can spend my time doing what I love the most, getting my hands working in building things.
How To Build Good CreditTag :
How to Build a Rocking Chair - Tips to Get Started
Thursday, October 3, 2013
MBA Career Search at Darden: Finance Movie Tv
MBA Career Search at Darden: Finance
:
Duration : 00:03:39 Mins.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Alternative Finance Webinar Series - Part 2: Working Capital Training video Hose
Alternative Finance Webinar Series - Part 2: Working Capital
Duration : 00:19:00 Mins.
:
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Go through How to Build Your Credit Back Up After a Short Sale additional
A short sale can damage your credit score, which may take a beating of more than 80 - 150 points. While a short sale may be a viable alternative to foreclosure, your equity gets reduced because the value of your home is less than what you owed. So, a low credit score increases your likelihood of having to pay a higher rate of interest for credit cards and mortgages in the future.
Normally, after a short sale, it will take 18-24 months before you become eligible for refinancing. This is because short sale proceedings follow payment defaults, which harms your credit score. Ideally, to reach a score of at least 650, consider the following tips:
Get a copy of your credit report and carefully scrutinize for discrepancies or irregularities.
Make all payments on time. Pay your major credit instruments, like car loans and credit cards, on time. This is vital when you are rebuilding your credit.
Pay off any collection accounts by negotiating with your creditors for a lower amount as total payment on the account.
Use your credit cards with caution and keep the balance on each card to ideally 25% to 30% of the approved credit line.
Remember to contact your local consumer credit counselor or credit bureau to understand your credit report better. Also, setting up an automatic payment plan with your credit card company can help ensure that you never miss your minimum credit card payment.
Other alternatives:
You can request a personal loan from any bank. Banks can extend secured loans against property you own. In this case, that property is money. By borrowing against funds already in the bank, you may make installment payments on the loan and have a positive line of credit inserted in your credit report as a result. Funds borrowed against may be frozen by the bank until the personal loan is paid in full.
If you do not have any collateral to offer for the approval of installment debt, you can find a co-signer to ensure loan approval. The co-signer must have a good credit history. In the event of your non-payment of a loan, the bank will approach the co-signer to demand these payments.
How To Build Good CreditTo build a good credit score following a short sale or a foreclosure, you should seek professional help. You can do this by visiting www.floridashortsaleshelp.com for all real estate and short sale related advisories.
We are Florida foreclosure assistance attorney offers foreclosure prevention assistance. Call today for a Consultation!