banking - Banks Slogans are Not Bank Brands

Differentiating products and services through advertising is common for many industries. Financial services marketers seem to be having a particularly tough time. In preparation for my role on a branding panel at the recent Washington Bankers Association marketing conference, I hired a clip service to capture Western Washington bank print advertisements for two months. The panelists also collected their personal financial direct mail for the same period. The result was thousands of ads from scores of banks and credit unions. The junk mail must have weighed 30 pounds. Consumers are being inundated with financial ads, direct mail, and telemarketing. With direct mail, much of the effort attempts to persuade consumers to open envelopes with fake checks, fake government documents, and fake come-ons that offer incredibly low interest rates that aren't that low when one looks at the fine print. Everyone at the conference agreed that this tactic is expected from loan brokers, yet seemed surprised to see this tactic from quality institutions like Bank of America. Still, we are seeing more of it. Precious little direct mail demonstrated why each bank was the right choice. Much of the advertising is not much better. Carrie Williams, president of BrandLab (www.brandlab.com), agreed to sort through the marketing messages and create brand maps to demonstrate how banks appear to consumers and how banks compete against each other. Carrie has a lot of experience doing this for industries such as healthcare, fashion, and the airlines and is skilled at getting to the essence of what she calls the brand soul. As she says, brand soul is a reflection of what is core to an organization. It encompasses its values, personality, its style of doing business, and how it gives back to the community. The good news is that any bank that wants to stand out through exceptional advertising has almost an open field. The bad news is that the financial industry is rapidly moving to commodity status by educating consumers that all they should consider is the best deal. With the exception of a handful of financial institutions, none of the ads contained any brand attributes at all, per Carrie. In essence, most financial institutions are not talking to consumers in ways that are memorable or compelling. Rather than cluster by brand attributes, the work focused around product and service features. In rank order, offers focused on the following: 1) better rates 2) higher return 3) personal service 4) product specific 5) promotions 6) local community Advertisements feature pictures of happy customers, happy employees, and experienced bankers. And most of the work is remarkably similar. There were some exceptions. Bank of America, Washington Mutual, Key Bank, and Wells Fargo all have the kind of advertising one would expect from giant ad budgets. Their messages are consistent, they emphasize ideas that differentiate them from other banks, and they look like quality institutions by having well produced ads. Banks with more modest budgets, such as Sterling Bank, Banner Bank, and Homestreet Bank, have also done a good job creating work that differentiates and offers marketplace consistency. The rest of the work is just wallpaper. More of the financial industry is moving away from human interaction and relying increasingly on electronic service, and consumers are embracing this trend in growing numbers. Now they can shop for loans from the privacy of their homes, and they can consider institutions from across the U.S. Fabulous communications are mandatory in our less-personal-touch world. They can give consumers a sense of relationship with their financial institutions and help illustrate through storytelling each bank's personality in a way that resonates. Still, the evidence would say that banks are being wooed by the notion that ROI is all that counts in communications. If you get the greatest response rate, the story ends there. But does it? I learned at Disney decades ago that several factors should go into evaluating advertising performance. Campaign performance and ROI count for a lot. Equally important is the net impression that the communications leave behind. With direct mail in particular, a two percent response rate is not the only factor. What was the take-away for the 98% who did not respond? At Disney, we cared more about the 98% than the 2%. And most important of all, we cared that the work reflected well on the Disney values, which every employee understood. Shareholders and consumers will be well served when bank messaging reflects each bank's people, values, and personality and the consumer experience reflects those unique attributes in a consistent and winning way. With that said, stop the slogans, research your brand personality, and create work that makes it possible for Carrie's concept of brand's soul to penetrate through the ad clutter and engage the right customers to propel your business forward. Bill Fritsch is president of Hydrogen Advertising, an award-winning, Seattle-based advertising agency emphasizing superb ideas efficiently produced. Reach him at 206-389-9500, ext. 224 or email bill@hydrogenadvertising.com. For more information, visit http://www.hydrogenadvertising.com. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Fritsch banking - Is Your Information Protected Online or Are You At Risk? This question comes up more and more frequently and when the news is about hackers compromising hundreds of thouands of users on a network system it has to be a concern. We are concerned about our privacy but we leave the computers on twenty four hours a day since we are on the fast speed dialups. And, what about having your banking information online and only protected by passwords. I am sure that you have read about the FDIC making new rules for the banks, well hurray for them. Of course, we can not blame the banks or the businesses for lack of knowing what to do, when the technology and the Internet applications change so rapidly. Do you remember a time when we did not even know what www stood for or .com? I am still amazed at how our world has changed with the advent of the information super highway. Technology overload, information overload, and of course bringing along the guys who are always looking for a fast buck without having to work for it. Another question, have you been getting all of those emails that are asking you to be a business partner with them and allow them to put 10 percent of every transaction into your bank account? Well,that is if you have any money after they get your information. Here is something that occurs to me very frequently, so beware if it hasn't to you yet. Paypal.com frequently has people not from their company of course, emailing me regarding my having added an email to my account and please verify my account information. Or better yet,they ask you for your information so that you can add a credit card to your account. Be very careful with any of those emails and do not respond to any of them. I send them to spoof@paypal.com so that theycan investigate the spammers. Now one more question, what about your health information. Are you familiar with the term HIPPA? It is a health care privacy act that is now in effect and all health care providers have to follow the security issues or be faced with stiff penalities and heavy fines. So, not only is the banking industry and the health care industry becoming high risk for doing business online so are the online businesses. Is this all gloom and doom? Absolutely not. It is as with any new change there are related issues that have to be addressed. And, the technology IT programmers and whiz kids are definitely getting on top of the concerns and finding new ways for protection. The Internet has changed our lives just as the telephone and television made an impact on the older generations. Can you imagine what the people in the 1920's have gone thru all of the technology developments? And,it seems that we will be continuing ourselves. It is hard to imagine that there can be anymore types of dramatic technologies to come but I am sure that it is just around the corner. So, let's just keep on moving and improving and protecting our businesses and personal information as best as can until they get it figured out. And, they will and it will change very soon. That is one thing about technology one replaces the other very fast and some become obsolete as well. Just think about the outdated ones that have been replaced or soon will be (vcr tapes, cassettes, fax machines, beepers,etc) and you can remember a whole lot more.

banking - Is Your Information Protected Online or Are You At Risk?

This question comes up more and more frequently and when the news is about hackers compromising hundreds of thouands of users on a network system it has to be a concern. We are concerned about our privacy but we leave the computers on twenty four hours a day since we are on the fast speed dialups. And, what about having your banking information online and only protected by passwords. I am sure that you have read about the FDIC making new rules for the banks, well hurray for them. Of course, we can not blame the banks or the businesses for lack of knowing what to do, when the technology and the Internet applications change so rapidly. Do you remember a time when we did not even know what www stood for or .com? I am still amazed at how our world has changed with the advent of the information super highway. Technology overload, information overload, and of course bringing along the guys who are always looking for a fast buck without having to work for it. Another question, have you been getting all of those emails that are asking you to be a business partner with them and allow them to put 10 percent of every transaction into your bank account? Well,that is if you have any money after they get your information. Here is something that occurs to me very frequently, so beware if it hasn't to you yet. Paypal.com frequently has people not from their company of course, emailing me regarding my having added an email to my account and please verify my account information. Or better yet,they ask you for your information so that you can add a credit card to your account. Be very careful with any of those emails and do not respond to any of them. I send them to spoof@paypal.com so that theycan investigate the spammers. Now one more question, what about your health information. Are you familiar with the term HIPPA? It is a health care privacy act that is now in effect and all health care providers have to follow the security issues or be faced with stiff penalities and heavy fines. So, not only is the banking industry and the health care industry becoming high risk for doing business online so are the online businesses. Is this all gloom and doom? Absolutely not. It is as with any new change there are related issues that have to be addressed. And, the technology IT programmers and whiz kids are definitely getting on top of the concerns and finding new ways for protection. The Internet has changed our lives just as the telephone and television made an impact on the older generations. Can you imagine what the people in the 1920's have gone thru all of the technology developments? And,it seems that we will be continuing ourselves. It is hard to imagine that there can be anymore types of dramatic technologies to come but I am sure that it is just around the corner. So, let's just keep on moving and improving and protecting our businesses and personal information as best as can until they get it figured out. And, they will and it will change very soon. That is one thing about technology one replaces the other very fast and some become obsolete as well. Just think about the outdated ones that have been replaced or soon will be (vcr tapes, cassettes, fax machines, beepers,etc) and you can remember a whole lot more. About the Author Judy LaMont, R.N. MA. Sec Ed. is an Internet Consultant who shows Entrepreneurs how start their online home-based businesses in very easy simple steps. She resides in Orlando, Fl. and is well known for her Internet knowledge and dedication to helping people. Judy can be reached at support@bizwizzle.com http://www.bizwizzle.com or read her blog at http://sweetspotkey.blogspot.com or call her at 407-832-1996. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judy_LaMont banking - A Guide to Offshore Banking Offshore banking has often been associated with the underground economy and organized crime, via tax evasion and money laundering; however, legally, offshore banking does not prevent assets from being subject to personal income tax on interest. Except for certain persons who meet fairly complex requirements , the personal income tax of most countries makes no distinction between interest earned in local banks and those earned abroad. Persons subject to US income tax, for example, are required to declare on penalty of perjury, any offshore bank accounts'which may or may not be numbered bank accounts'they may have. Although offshore banks may decide not to report income to other tax authorities, and have no legal obligation to do so as they are protected by bank secrecy, this does not make the non-declaration of the income by the tax-payer or the evasion of the tax on that income legal. Following September 11, 2001, there have been many calls for more regulation on international finance, in particular concerning offshore banks, tax havens and clearing houses such as Clearstream, based in Luxembourg, being accused of being a crossroads for major illegal money flows. An offshore bank is a bank located outside the country of residence of the depositor, typically in a low tax jurisdiction (or tax haven) that provides financial and legal advantages. These advantages typically include some or all of: * Strong privacy * Less restrictive legal regulation * Low or no taxation (i.e. tax havens) * Easy access to deposits (at least in terms of regulation) * Protection against local political or financial instability While the term originates from the Channel Islands "offshore" from Britain, and most offshore banks are located in island nations to this day, the term is used figuratively to refer to such banks regardless of location (Switzerland, Luxembourg and Andorra in particular are landlocked). What type of services are available from offshore banks? The same as the services from any high street bank, plus the extremely confidential Swiss style numbered accounts. Many of the offshore banks listed on this site are respected AA credit rated international banks, that everyone has heard of before. They have simply set up an offshore division or branch division within a tax haven to attract a share of the enormous international trade, and offer almost the same services as any domestic bank. Such as the following: * Personal and corporate current/checking account * Personal and corporate savings accounts * Secure internet banking facilities * Anonymous numbered accounts (extremely confidential) * Debit and ATM cards, which are accepted globally * Credit cards * loans * Mortgages Going offshore in simple terms means placing your savings, investments, assets or business concerns outside of your home country, within one of the many tax havens. A tax haven is a country that has very favourable tax advantages, which means that your savings, investments, assets or business profits can grow free of almost any taxation. Although taxation is only one reason why many decide to go offshore. Privacy To protect the free flow of your personal information and dealings. An offshore entity has no obligation to release your personal or business information, affording you with a great deal of privacy & confidentiality. In general terms your personal information will not be divulged to any governing body or tax authority unless suitable evidence can be shown to prove that you have been involved in criminal activities, such as money laundering or drug trafficking. Financial privacy is becoming a thing of the past. Almost every single transaction made at a bank or ATM, by law, must be recorded and filed. Consumer credit agencies maintain databases full of sensitive information that is used and shared by other organizations and agencies. Asset collectors routinely advertise their ability to locate bank accounts, brokerage accounts, and real estate and business holdings. Should asset collectors find substantial wealth, the individual or corporation becomes an easy target for a lawsuit. Unless ethical and legal steps are taken to insure privacy, sensitive and confidential information could easily get into the wrong hands. Placing your assets, investments, savings bank and brokerage accounts offshore will keep them off the asset collector's radar screen. Consumer credit agencies and government departments do not have access to foreign account records or transactions. Domestic property may be held in the name of a foreign corporation (IBC) or trust. This insures that asset collectors and agencies cannot locate it. By taking advantage of these methods an individual or corporation becomes a smaller target and the likelihood of being sued is reduced. Utilizing offshore tools to protect privacy could mean the difference between keeping and losing what is rightfully yours. Tax Efficiency As stated above, your savings, investments, assets or business profits can grow almost free of any form of taxation. This does not mean tax avoidance, it simply means whilst your assets are held offshore they will benefit from very favourable tax advantages. There will for many however, be a potential tax liability when you look to repatriate your assets to your home country. This will depend on your nationality and your country of residence at the time of repatriation. Asset Protection There are many methods in which to protect your assets using an offshore structure, in the form of an investment product, an IBC (International Business Company) or a offshore trust, or even a simple offshore bank account. These will protect your assets from: * Protection from invasive bureaucracy * Protection against lawsuits * Protect your assets from seizure The simplest form of protection offshore is the nature of the offshore privacy rules. What isn't known can't be attacked. The basic form of offshore privacy combined with a IBC or Trust is a very secure method to legally protect your assets from prying eyes. Lawsuits are filed every week. Ex-spouses, ex-business partners, disgruntled employees or predatory lawyers may file a suit if they believe a potential defendant is an attractive target. Losing such a lawsuit could cause a lifetime's worth of savings, investments and real estate holdings to be lost. In light of this, placing assets offshore is a wise and effective means of protection from frivolous lawsuits. Once your assets are held offshore they are unreachable by domestic courts. In the event of a lawsuit, a defendant may be forced to forfeit domestic assets, but offshore assets will remain untouched. Offshore courts do not recognize or carry out domestic judgments. This insures that assets sent offshore will remain confidential, secure, and permanently in the hands of their rightful owners. Moving assets offshore will create peace of mind that what's yours will always be yours. Regulatory Advantages The regulations in force within most high tax countries, are there to protect investors, and rightly so. However, due to the very strict nature of these regulations, fund managers feel as if they are wearing a financial straight Jacket. It is difficult for them to compete with the returns of their offshore-based partners who enjoy less restrictive regulation. Many offshore jurisdictions have very mature regulatory systems in place, often based on those present within the US or the UK, yet they allow fund managers great freedom to add value for their investors. This is why offshore funds nearly always outperform their onshore equivalents. Within the high regulation onshore countries, excessive rules and bureaucracy often plague domestic businesses and operations. Valuable resources are diverted away from the productive process in order to monitor compliance as a result of the restrictions imposed. Curing this problem is as simple as moving to friendlier shores. Offshore jurisdictions are intentionally business-friendly and have regulations that are straightforward, simple to understand and inexpensive to comply with. Moving a business offshore and enjoying a more pleasant business climate may require nothing more than forming an offshore corporation and transferring assets from the domestic corporation to the foreign one. Is all of this legal? Do you trust your current bank or investment provider? Chances are that they too have an offshore operation; most of the world's major banks and investment companies have an offshore present. Do you honestly believe that a triple A credited rated investment company or bank would operate in an illegal activity? Companies such as Merrill Lynch, HSBC, ING Barings, UBS, Barclays, Deustche bank, ABN Amro all have offshore operations. It is not the offshore industry itself that is illegal, it is only the devious activities of certain individuals who may give the offshore industry a poor reputation. It is also true that the due diligence, and money laundering checks performed by offshore companies is increasing, especially after the 911 terrorist attacks. Which will ensure that it becomes difficult for criminals to abuse the offshore industry.

banking - A Guide to Offshore Banking

Offshore banking has often been associated with the underground economy and organized crime, via tax evasion and money laundering; however, legally, offshore banking does not prevent assets from being subject to personal income tax on interest. Except for certain persons who meet fairly complex requirements , the personal income tax of most countries makes no distinction between interest earned in local banks and those earned abroad. Persons subject to US income tax, for example, are required to declare on penalty of perjury, any offshore bank accounts'which may or may not be numbered bank accounts'they may have. Although offshore banks may decide not to report income to other tax authorities, and have no legal obligation to do so as they are protected by bank secrecy, this does not make the non-declaration of the income by the tax-payer or the evasion of the tax on that income legal. Following September 11, 2001, there have been many calls for more regulation on international finance, in particular concerning offshore banks, tax havens and clearing houses such as Clearstream, based in Luxembourg, being accused of being a crossroads for major illegal money flows. An offshore bank is a bank located outside the country of residence of the depositor, typically in a low tax jurisdiction (or tax haven) that provides financial and legal advantages. These advantages typically include some or all of: * Strong privacy * Less restrictive legal regulation * Low or no taxation (i.e. tax havens) * Easy access to deposits (at least in terms of regulation) * Protection against local political or financial instability While the term originates from the Channel Islands "offshore" from Britain, and most offshore banks are located in island nations to this day, the term is used figuratively to refer to such banks regardless of location (Switzerland, Luxembourg and Andorra in particular are landlocked). What type of services are available from offshore banks? The same as the services from any high street bank, plus the extremely confidential Swiss style numbered accounts. Many of the offshore banks listed on this site are respected AA credit rated international banks, that everyone has heard of before. They have simply set up an offshore division or branch division within a tax haven to attract a share of the enormous international trade, and offer almost the same services as any domestic bank. Such as the following: * Personal and corporate current/checking account * Personal and corporate savings accounts * Secure internet banking facilities * Anonymous numbered accounts (extremely confidential) * Debit and ATM cards, which are accepted globally * Credit cards * loans * Mortgages Going offshore in simple terms means placing your savings, investments, assets or business concerns outside of your home country, within one of the many tax havens. A tax haven is a country that has very favourable tax advantages, which means that your savings, investments, assets or business profits can grow free of almost any taxation. Although taxation is only one reason why many decide to go offshore. Privacy To protect the free flow of your personal information and dealings. An offshore entity has no obligation to release your personal or business information, affording you with a great deal of privacy & confidentiality. In general terms your personal information will not be divulged to any governing body or tax authority unless suitable evidence can be shown to prove that you have been involved in criminal activities, such as money laundering or drug trafficking. Financial privacy is becoming a thing of the past. Almost every single transaction made at a bank or ATM, by law, must be recorded and filed. Consumer credit agencies maintain databases full of sensitive information that is used and shared by other organizations and agencies. Asset collectors routinely advertise their ability to locate bank accounts, brokerage accounts, and real estate and business holdings. Should asset collectors find substantial wealth, the individual or corporation becomes an easy target for a lawsuit. Unless ethical and legal steps are taken to insure privacy, sensitive and confidential information could easily get into the wrong hands. Placing your assets, investments, savings bank and brokerage accounts offshore will keep them off the asset collector's radar screen. Consumer credit agencies and government departments do not have access to foreign account records or transactions. Domestic property may be held in the name of a foreign corporation (IBC) or trust. This insures that asset collectors and agencies cannot locate it. By taking advantage of these methods an individual or corporation becomes a smaller target and the likelihood of being sued is reduced. Utilizing offshore tools to protect privacy could mean the difference between keeping and losing what is rightfully yours. Tax Efficiency As stated above, your savings, investments, assets or business profits can grow almost free of any form of taxation. This does not mean tax avoidance, it simply means whilst your assets are held offshore they will benefit from very favourable tax advantages. There will for many however, be a potential tax liability when you look to repatriate your assets to your home country. This will depend on your nationality and your country of residence at the time of repatriation. Asset Protection There are many methods in which to protect your assets using an offshore structure, in the form of an investment product, an IBC (International Business Company) or a offshore trust, or even a simple offshore bank account. These will protect your assets from: * Protection from invasive bureaucracy * Protection against lawsuits * Protect your assets from seizure The simplest form of protection offshore is the nature of the offshore privacy rules. What isn't known can't be attacked. The basic form of offshore privacy combined with a IBC or Trust is a very secure method to legally protect your assets from prying eyes. Lawsuits are filed every week. Ex-spouses, ex-business partners, disgruntled employees or predatory lawyers may file a suit if they believe a potential defendant is an attractive target. Losing such a lawsuit could cause a lifetime's worth of savings, investments and real estate holdings to be lost. In light of this, placing assets offshore is a wise and effective means of protection from frivolous lawsuits. Once your assets are held offshore they are unreachable by domestic courts. In the event of a lawsuit, a defendant may be forced to forfeit domestic assets, but offshore assets will remain untouched. Offshore courts do not recognize or carry out domestic judgments. This insures that assets sent offshore will remain confidential, secure, and permanently in the hands of their rightful owners. Moving assets offshore will create peace of mind that what's yours will always be yours. Regulatory Advantages The regulations in force within most high tax countries, are there to protect investors, and rightly so. However, due to the very strict nature of these regulations, fund managers feel as if they are wearing a financial straight Jacket. It is difficult for them to compete with the returns of their offshore-based partners who enjoy less restrictive regulation. Many offshore jurisdictions have very mature regulatory systems in place, often based on those present within the US or the UK, yet they allow fund managers great freedom to add value for their investors. This is why offshore funds nearly always outperform their onshore equivalents. Within the high regulation onshore countries, excessive rules and bureaucracy often plague domestic businesses and operations. Valuable resources are diverted away from the productive process in order to monitor compliance as a result of the restrictions imposed. Curing this problem is as simple as moving to friendlier shores. Offshore jurisdictions are intentionally business-friendly and have regulations that are straightforward, simple to understand and inexpensive to comply with. Moving a business offshore and enjoying a more pleasant business climate may require nothing more than forming an offshore corporation and transferring assets from the domestic corporation to the foreign one. Is all of this legal? Do you trust your current bank or investment provider? Chances are that they too have an offshore operation; most of the world's major banks and investment companies have an offshore present. Do you honestly believe that a triple A credited rated investment company or bank would operate in an illegal activity? Companies such as Merrill Lynch, HSBC, ING Barings, UBS, Barclays, Deustche bank, ABN Amro all have offshore operations. It is not the offshore industry itself that is illegal, it is only the devious activities of certain individuals who may give the offshore industry a poor reputation. It is also true that the due diligence, and money laundering checks performed by offshore companies is increasing, especially after the 911 terrorist attacks. Which will ensure that it becomes difficult for criminals to abuse the offshore industry. Thomas Crown is an American financial advisor currently living and working in the Grand Cayman Islands. He currently runs the website Offshore banking which is a Beginners Guide to Offshore Banking. The site covers a wide range of topics; Offshore banking laws, Types of services offered, A large data base of banks, A pros and cons of using offshore banks, Guide to starting your own offshore bank. All of the information at Offshore banking is listed for free, their is no charge for anything on the site. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Crown banking - 9-11, Usury, Interest, and the Cost of Money Prospectus for the Bank of New Zealand declares a 1.1% profit against assets. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Not until you figure in that BNZ capital is only about .1 of its asset base. In other words, the true profit for the bank(s) is over 10%; and the bank does not create a single portion of new wealth. And this is after a whole lot of people have been paid good salaries for supplying banking "services". This looks more like hiway robbery to me. An interest rate of 10% may seem like a reasonable return to most folks. Until one begins to realize that the true cost of money in a balanced and healthy system is only around 1%. And the only reason interest rates are so high across the board is because the banks set it up just that way. And how do the banks achieve such a high return on "their" money with no wealth creation at all? It's really quite simple. Under the present banking systems, the banks are allowed to create money out of thin air, using our assets as security. The money supply grows at more than 7.5% per year (even faster in New Zealand), and all of this new money is issued by the banks as interest-bearing debt. And how is it that the banks have such an important and powerful monopoly? When government borrows and taxes from the people, a huge liquidity crisis is created in the private sector. We are forced to turn to the banks to replace the money "stolen" from us. And so, the entire world money market is driven by this liquidity shortage; driven right into the greedy fingers of the banking oligarchy! Through a device known as "Fractional Reserve Banking", the banks are allowed to multiply their deposits with ledger-entry cash secured by our assets. So the banks willingly pay high interest on deposits knowing that each deposit allows them to create more new money; money that forms the basis for the huge banking profits. And the bank rates for deposits then affect every other area of commerce and industry. Why take less than "bank interest" for your capital? We are paying through the nose because these same bankers' money controls the media, the education system, pharmaceuticals, multinationals, and nearly every level of government. And because these same bankers have no regard for anything but more money and more power, every little excuse for conflict, war, death, and destruction is seized upon with glee. 9-11 was not really about Islam, oil, Osama Bin Laden, or exporting Democracy to the middle east. It was all about money. The banking oligarchy has made trillions from 9-11, and their patsies down the line have done well, too. The multinational arms manufacturers have profited hugely. Government insiders have made millions. Shareholders and investors have profited with high interest returns. In fact a whole lot of people have profited with job security or service opportunities. This is what makes the banking scam so insidious. So many people are so blinded by the prospect of high interest or profit at some level that they don't see the bodies. They don't see the bodies of Arabs, Jews, or Christians caught up in the chaos. And they don't see the bodies of their own children until it is too late.

banking - 9-11, Usury, Interest, and the Cost of Money

Prospectus for the Bank of New Zealand declares a 1.1% profit against assets. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Not until you figure in that BNZ capital is only about .1 of its asset base. In other words, the true profit for the bank(s) is over 10%; and the bank does not create a single portion of new wealth. And this is after a whole lot of people have been paid good salaries for supplying banking "services". This looks more like hiway robbery to me. An interest rate of 10% may seem like a reasonable return to most folks. Until one begins to realize that the true cost of money in a balanced and healthy system is only around 1%. And the only reason interest rates are so high across the board is because the banks set it up just that way. And how do the banks achieve such a high return on "their" money with no wealth creation at all? It's really quite simple. Under the present banking systems, the banks are allowed to create money out of thin air, using our assets as security. The money supply grows at more than 7.5% per year (even faster in New Zealand), and all of this new money is issued by the banks as interest-bearing debt. And how is it that the banks have such an important and powerful monopoly? When government borrows and taxes from the people, a huge liquidity crisis is created in the private sector. We are forced to turn to the banks to replace the money "stolen" from us. And so, the entire world money market is driven by this liquidity shortage; driven right into the greedy fingers of the banking oligarchy! Through a device known as "Fractional Reserve Banking", the banks are allowed to multiply their deposits with ledger-entry cash secured by our assets. So the banks willingly pay high interest on deposits knowing that each deposit allows them to create more new money; money that forms the basis for the huge banking profits. And the bank rates for deposits then affect every other area of commerce and industry. Why take less than "bank interest" for your capital? We are paying through the nose because these same bankers' money controls the media, the education system, pharmaceuticals, multinationals, and nearly every level of government. And because these same bankers have no regard for anything but more money and more power, every little excuse for conflict, war, death, and destruction is seized upon with glee. 9-11 was not really about Islam, oil, Osama Bin Laden, or exporting Democracy to the middle east. It was all about money. The banking oligarchy has made trillions from 9-11, and their patsies down the line have done well, too. The multinational arms manufacturers have profited hugely. Government insiders have made millions. Shareholders and investors have profited with high interest returns. In fact a whole lot of people have profited with job security or service opportunities. This is what makes the banking scam so insidious. So many people are so blinded by the prospect of high interest or profit at some level that they don't see the bodies. They don't see the bodies of Arabs, Jews, or Christians caught up in the chaos. And they don't see the bodies of their own children until it is too late. More information on the 9-11 banking scam can be found at http://www.truthaboutax.com. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carl_Peterson banking - What Happened To My Money? Have you ever found yourself asking this question? If you have you are not alone. There are thousands of people who find themselves looking at their bank statements or calling their banks and asking this same exact question. The problem is two fold. By this I mean, as consumers it is our money so it is our duty to keep track of our finances not the banks or anyone else. Most people lack the knowledge to understand that we as consumer should not be calling the bank to ask this question, we should already know the answer. Let's discuss this a little deeper... Why is it that most people don't keep track of their finances? Some of the top 'excuses' I hear are: 1. Lack of time 2. "Forgetfullness" 3. Don't know! Lack of Time Today it is not unheard of for people to complain about not having enough time in a day to do all of things we have to do. Between soccer practice, doctor's appointments, and helping with homework and all of the other things we have to do in any given day it is no wonder we don't have the time to do the simple things. Keeping track of your account is really a simple task if you learn how to do it the right way. The ironic thing about all of this is that the banks GIVE you the tools you need to effectively manage your accounts. But majority of use fail to even use a fraction of those tools. For example, most banks offer some sort of online banking option. This option makes it easy for you to monitor your banking transactions from anywhere with an internet connection. You can also perform some basic maintenance task without ever having to call your bank. What makes this such a great tool is that it is available 24 hours a day. So after you have had a chance to put the kids to bed and settled down you could balance your daily expenses using this helpful tool. Note: It is important to note here that any of the tools that the bank put at your disposal are just that... tools! They are not there to keep track of your account for you. That is your job. Forgetfulness! Let's face it with all that is going on in our days how can we remember every single thing that we buy in a day. It is inevitable that we will forget something and that is one of the reasons that we find ourselves scratching our heads and asking the question "What Happend To My Money?" Creating a system that allows for you to keep on schedule but at the same time keeping accurate records of your daily expenses is crucial. Depending on your lifestyle you should examine your daily routines and find a way and/or time when you can track what it you spend your money on day in and day out. Don't Know This one comes down to complete and total laziness. It just couldn't be said any other way. People get lazy. It is easier to not do it and expect someone else to do it than it is to take an interest in where your money is going every single day. It goes without saying that being lazy almost always leads to more troubles. By not taking OWNERSHIP of YOUR finances you are leaving it in the hands of strangers. My dear sweet Grandma used to say "If you want something done right... do it yourself!" If that ain't about right! If you want to change your life financially you have to know where to start making changes. That simply cannot be done if you don't already know where your money is going now! Well now that we have covered some of the more common reasons most people don't keep track of their finances what are some solutions? 1. Hire an accountant 2. Get off your lazy butt and do it. 3. Let things continue the way they are. (Not Recommended) Take your pick. I suggest option #2. If you would like to know just how myself and my wife started to keep better track of our finances visit the following link: http://www.budgetingbasics.com Not only will you learn how track your daily expenditures easily and quickly, but you will also receive additional tools and tips to help create the ultimate budgeting system that will have your bank account growing at an alarming rate.