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.

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. Mosiekk Conley is the author and editor of Mosiekk Conley.com where he shares his expertise in a number of different areas including budgeting, internet marketing, procrastination, credit repair and others. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mosiekk_Conley banking - What Makes You Think You Can Reclaim Bank Charges? You have not bothered to manage your account properly. You have borrowed money offered to you by your bank, and then not made sure you have left enough funds to pay for your direct debits or cheques. You haven't even managed to put aside money to cover those bank charges. What makes you think you are entitled to any kind of refund and that you can reclaim your bank charges? It is your account and your responsibility, so why blame someone or something else? Well to a certain extent it is your fault, it is your account and you spend the money available, just like we all do. That is the point, just like we all do. Years ago you would find it very difficult for your bank to let you spend more than you had and would have to jump through hoops to borrow even the smallest amount. These days it is openly encouraged; we all have offers landing on our doorstep which seem attractive but can have dire consequences. However, the level at which banks charge when it all goes wrong seems very unfair and there is an important point: English law does not allow a penalty clause. If a bank cannot justify that it costs '25 - '40 to send you an automated letter advising you of an unauthorized overdraft then the fee is considered a penalty. Excessive fees for overdrafts, returned cheques, unpaid direct debits and standing orders are all potentially unlawful. What can you do? Well you can claim those bank charges back for free. You can get a list of charges from your bank. Interest can be added to those charges and you can write a standard letter to your bank asking for a refund. If you are lucky they will send you a cheque, but in most cases they will refuse. A second letter will then be sent informing them that they have so many days to refund or you will pursue the matter in the small claims court. Again they may refuse, but at the end of the day if it does go to court you are unlikely not to receive a refund. The bank has to prove that the charges were not penalties. At any of these stages before a court hearing there may be an offer which you may need to negotiate. If you really don't want to get your hands dirty with this, or simply don't have the time then there are companies out there that will do this for you at a no win no fee commission. This commission is usually 25% of the won claim value. The fee also includes court costs. However, in most cases these claims do not go to court so that level of fee has to be considered carefully. Shop around and you will find the odd company that does offer a simple low fixed fee on a no win no fee basis. The benefits are you only pay for the stage at which you win your claim, and as the company does not automatically factor in court costs it may take more care to maintain the relationship between you and your bank in order not to get to that stage. Whatever choice you make do it soon as the OFT (Office of Fair Trading) are rumoured to be soon setting an acceptable level of charges for the banks. If that is the case the banks are extremely likely to limit payouts that are in excess of the new set charge. So if '12 is the ruling then it will have a massive impact on claims. Good luck!

banking - What Makes You Think You Can Reclaim Bank Charges?

You have not bothered to manage your account properly. You have borrowed money offered to you by your bank, and then not made sure you have left enough funds to pay for your direct debits or cheques. You haven't even managed to put aside money to cover those bank charges. What makes you think you are entitled to any kind of refund and that you can reclaim your bank charges? It is your account and your responsibility, so why blame someone or something else? Well to a certain extent it is your fault, it is your account and you spend the money available, just like we all do. That is the point, just like we all do. Years ago you would find it very difficult for your bank to let you spend more than you had and would have to jump through hoops to borrow even the smallest amount. These days it is openly encouraged; we all have offers landing on our doorstep which seem attractive but can have dire consequences. However, the level at which banks charge when it all goes wrong seems very unfair and there is an important point: English law does not allow a penalty clause. If a bank cannot justify that it costs '25 - '40 to send you an automated letter advising you of an unauthorized overdraft then the fee is considered a penalty. Excessive fees for overdrafts, returned cheques, unpaid direct debits and standing orders are all potentially unlawful. What can you do? Well you can claim those bank charges back for free. You can get a list of charges from your bank. Interest can be added to those charges and you can write a standard letter to your bank asking for a refund. If you are lucky they will send you a cheque, but in most cases they will refuse. A second letter will then be sent informing them that they have so many days to refund or you will pursue the matter in the small claims court. Again they may refuse, but at the end of the day if it does go to court you are unlikely not to receive a refund. The bank has to prove that the charges were not penalties. At any of these stages before a court hearing there may be an offer which you may need to negotiate. If you really don't want to get your hands dirty with this, or simply don't have the time then there are companies out there that will do this for you at a no win no fee commission. This commission is usually 25% of the won claim value. The fee also includes court costs. However, in most cases these claims do not go to court so that level of fee has to be considered carefully. Shop around and you will find the odd company that does offer a simple low fixed fee on a no win no fee basis. The benefits are you only pay for the stage at which you win your claim, and as the company does not automatically factor in court costs it may take more care to maintain the relationship between you and your bank in order not to get to that stage. Whatever choice you make do it soon as the OFT (Office of Fair Trading) are rumoured to be soon setting an acceptable level of charges for the banks. If that is the case the banks are extremely likely to limit payouts that are in excess of the new set charge. So if '12 is the ruling then it will have a massive impact on claims. Good luck! Mark Bateman started http://www.iWantMyChargesBack.co.uk in order to help people and businesses claim back their bank charges at a transparent low fixed fee. Coming from an accountancy background and also having fallen foul of the charging system Mark has made his own successful claims and is now helping many others to do the same. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Bateman banking - Special Report Secrets Of Asset Protection Section 1: The Current Landscape (Battlefield) ' Out of control lawsuits ' Bloated government with an ever-increasing appetite. ' Advancing Socialism ' Insane over-regulation Section 2: Economic Slavery ' The Middle Class Treadmill ' Hidden inflation guarantees failure ' "Debt is good" - another lie ' Anesthetized Society Section 3: Solutions ' Asset Protection for Current and Future Wealth ' Why a Bank may be the Worst Place For Your Money ' Set Up Your Own Virtual Bank Account ' Take Action Introduction We live in a dangerous world. What you do not know can hurt you. The purpose of this report is to help you to better understand and protect yourself from the many dangers that threaten your economic survival. Section 1 The Current Landscape (Battlefield) "America has degenerated into the most litigious society in the history of the World." There are now well over one million attorneys in our country - that's 70% of the world's attorney population, and Americans only comprise 5% of the world's people! Our law schools are presently graduating over 40,000 attorneys a year. For every 20 engineers, Japan only has one attorney. For every 2.5 attorneys, we have just one engineer. Is it any wonder we can't find justice? In 1993, the American Bar Association estimated there to be a 37% probability of the average American becoming involved in some form of legal action in any given year. This, of course, is very good news to the trial attorney who will charge you an average of $100/hr and up: and whether he wins or loses your case, he still gets paid! What would you do if you were to be sued today? Hire an attorney? In many cases, having an attorney is worse than not having an attorney at all! At an American Bar Association dinner in New York in 1978, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger, as the guest speaker, stated: "Ninety percent of all trial attorneys in this country are incompetent." If you believe that an attorney can always better represent you than you can represent yourself, you have bought the attorney's lie that, "The man that represents himself has a fool for a client." Did you believe that an attorney will always represent your best interests first? "The Attorney is an Officer of the Court. His first duty is to the courts and the public, not to his client" 7 Corpus Juris Secundum, '4, pg. 802 Source: Economic Solutions, by Peter Kershaw, 1997 The American landscape today is filled with many dangers - any of which can spell financial disaster for you. Here are just a few of them: a. Out of control lawsuits b. Bloated government with an ever-increasing appetite c. Advancing Socialism d. Insane "over-regulation" Out of Control Lawsuits As noted in the opening quotation, lawsuits have now become so prevalent that you can no longer believe that you will not be affected. It is now a matter of "when" not "if" a lawsuit enters your life. Bloated Government Bloated governments are expanding at an incredible pace and they never seem to have enough money. Their growing appetite and inefficiency causes them to need more and more tax revenue. When they can't tax any more, they begin "licensing" and "permitting" those things that are supposed to be our "rights" and they tack on another fee. When they get desperate they resort to outright confiscation of the people's private property! Advancing Socialist Philosophy Another dangerous trend is the Advancing Socialist Philosophy. This is the philosophy of "government knows best". This Advancing Socialist Philosophy punishes innovation and industry and rewards laziness and non-productivity. In 1848, Karl Heinrich Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto, which has since become the most widely read political pamphlet in the history of the world. These are Nine Planks of the Manifesto : 1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes. 2. A heavy progressive or graduating income tax. 3. Abolition of all right of inheritance. 4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. 5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly. 6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State. 7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State, the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan. 8. Equal liability of all to labor. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture. 9. Free education for all children in public schools. Source: Economic Solutions, Peter Kershaw, 1997 Many people will argue that most of these Planks are already in place! What do you think? Insane "Over-Regulation" Do you believe we live in a "free" country? Try and do something without a permit, license, or Social Security Number (read: Socialist Security Number). "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelation 13:17 The immense explosion of laws, codes, ordinances, and regulations have created one the greatest threats to one's assets and private property. The following quote from Ayn Rand's novel says it well: "Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We WANT them broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against - then you'll know that this is not the age of beautiful gestures. We're after power and we mean it. You fellows were piker's, but we know the real trick, and you'd better get wise to it. There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one 'makes' them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of law-breakers - and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Rearden, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with." (Page 406 of Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand). Consider another quote concerning the voluminous 6000 plus pages of the Internal Revenue Code that no one understands: "Is it possible to ever learn the truth about income taxes, especially in light of all the confusion, if not blatant misinformation? Yes, you can, but not by trusting attorneys and accountants. These, after all, are highly compromised individuals - taxes are their very livelihood! Higher taxation and more tax laws with ever-increasing complexity are to their advantage. Yet, even these tax "professionals" seldom have a clue as to how to properly interpret the tax laws. The results of a 1989 Money Magazine survey of 50 top "Professional Tax Preparers," unequivocally demonstrates the utter ncomprehensibility of the income tax laws. The fifty preparers were given the assignment of preparing tax returns for a fictitious American family. None of them arrived at even close to the same bottom line figure. In fact, discrepancies ranged anywhere from $12,539 to $35,813! Imagine the absurdity of trying to figure your own taxes correctly, when even the "professionals" are incapable of doing so!" - Economic Solutions, Peter Kershaw, 1997 In fact a survey in 2003 showed that the IRS "help line" gave wrong answers to taxpayers questions 47% of the time! In summary, we live in a dangerous world and the American landscape is fraught with land mines that are direct threats to your financial well being. Section 2 Economic Slavery Americans, living in what is called the richest nation on earth, seem always to be short of money. Wives are working in unprecedented numbers, husbands hope for overtime hours to earn more, or take part-time jobs evenings and weekends, children look for odd jobs for spending money, the family debt climbs higher, and psychologists say one of the biggest causes of family quarrels and breakups is "arguments over money." - Billions for the Bankers, Debt for the People, Pastor Sheldon Emry What they don't tell you is that, after inflation, taxes and debt payments...most people are worse off than when they started! They are simply taking one step forward and two steps back and they wonder why they never get ahead! Consider this statistic from a recent government report: At age 65, ninety-five out of one hundred people will be dependent in some way upon their family, their church, or the government. Four of them will be comfortable and only one will be rich. Society has been so "anesthetized" by television and recreation that we don't see our money being taken from us from right under our noses. Most people in America can tell you what episode of "Survivor" they saw last night but they can't tell you the last time they read the united states Constitution or the Declaration of Independence! Did you know that our Founding Fathers revolted over a 5% tax by the King of England? Yet today Americans pay as much as 50% in local, state and federal taxes! "If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them (around the banks), will deprive the people of their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." Thomas Jefferson Because the Federal Reserve is privately owned by international banking families, and 'creates' our money by loaning it to our nation, it is mathematically impossible to ever repay the national debt. We are slowly and methodically progressing towards the day our nation goes bankrupt. When this happens we will see the rapid drop in the value of the dollar. This will shatter our current economic condition and create the "mother of all depressions". For a sneak peak into our future do an Internet search on Argentina's recent default on their national debt in 2002. When this happened the Argentine Peso lost over 60% of its value in less than six months! Unemployment soared to over 25% percent and the country went from being a thriving economy to a third world country. "No currency has suffered a smaller loss from inflation since World War II than the German Mark. Yet even so, 71 percent of it's value vanished between January 1, 1949, and the end of June 1995. The world reserve currency during this period, the U.S. Dollar, lost 84 percent of its value. This is a measure of the wealth that governments expropriated by exploiting their territorial monopolies on legal tender." From The Sovereign Individual, by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg The Federal Reserve, by attempting to regulate the economy with the expansion and contraction of credit, has created an economic environment that greatly magnifies our boom and bust cycle. The "boom" times are signified by greatly exaggerated prices like the stock market "bubble" of the nineties and the housing bubble of the years 2003 - 2005. Combine these two major forces and it doesn't take much to recognize that we are in for some very rough seas over the next 10 to 15 years. The place to be during these tumultuous times will be in precious metals. In times of economic uncertainty people will flock to gold and silver. Gold and Silver have been real money since biblical times - long before "paper" money was created - and they will be here long after "paper money" returns to its intrinsic value which is nothing. Here are some interesting quotes on gold: "For more than two thousand years gold's natural qualities made it man's universal medium of exchange. In contrast to political money, gold is honest money that survived the ages and will live on long after the political fiats of today have gone the way of all paper." Hans F. Sennholz "If you don't trust gold, do you trust the logic of taking a beautiful pine tree, worth about $4,000 - $5,000, cutting it up, turning it into pulp and then paper, putting some ink on it and then calling it one billion dollars?" Kenneth J. Gerbino "Gold is not less but more rational than paper money. Money holds value so long as it is in limited supply; gold will always be in limited supply, and would require real resources to produce even from the sea; paper and printing ink are not in limited supply. The gold system is much closer to a modern automatic scientific control system than the crude and relatively unstable system of paper." William Rees-Mogg "Of all the contrivances for cheating the laboring classes of mankind, none has been more effective than that which deludes them with paper money." Daniel Webster "Betting against gold is the same as betting on governments. He who bets on governments and government money bets against 6,000 years of recorded human history." Gary North "Gold is worshiped in all climates, without a single temple, and by all classes, without a single hypocrite. Caleb C. Colton Section 3 Solutions How do you protect yourself and your assets in these treacherous times? We believe that there are two critical steps that you must take to protect your financial future. The first thing you must do is protect your current assets so they are insulated from these financial threats. The second thing you must do is create additional sources of income that will help you weather the storms that comes your way. Asset Protection for Current and Future Wealth Asset Protection is the act of positioning your assets in such a way that they are out of reach of predators, lawsuits and even government agencies. The key is to "control" your assets without actually "owning" them. A good Asset Protection Plan is designed to make your assets difficult to discover or too expensive to pursue. A good Asset Protection Plan is put into place before it is needed. In a sense, it is a type of insurance that will enable you to sleep well at night knowing that you are protected. How do you "control" your assets without actually "owning" them? First, let us define "asset". An asset is anything of value that you want to preserve or protect against hostile third parties. To protect your valued assets against these predators you must own your assets in an entity other than in your own name. There are many types of entities that you can choose from and here are just a few: Corporations Partnerships Trusts Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) When you "control" the company you also control the checkbook. As the President or Manager of your company you make all the decisions on behalf of the company and benefit from all the assets of the company. Corporations work well but are often difficult to maintain and, If you do not keep proper records, you can lose your personal liability protection. General Partnerships are generally not effective in asset protection although Limited Partnerships offer some liability protection. Limited Liability Companies are quickly replacing Limited Partnerships as Asset Protection vehicles. Limited Liability Companies have become the premiere Asset Protection vehicle because of their superior asset protection features, their ease of operation, their low maintenance, and their relatively low cost. A Trust is an effective Asset Protection vehicle but only if it is an irrevocable trust. This simply means that you give up control of the trust to an independent trustee. An Unicorporated Business Trust Organization takes the limited liability features of a corporation and combines them with the "pass through" tax benefits of a partnership. It is literally the best of both worlds. U.B.T.O.'s are flexible and simple to form and are much easier to maintain than other entities. Internationally, the U.B.T.O. is the most common form of business entity in use. The Unincorporated Business Trust Organization is now the entity of choice for individuals and businesses seeking the ultimate in privacy and asset protection. You also have a much lower profile. The Unicorporated Business Trust Organization is one of the ultimate asset protection and privacy tools! With an Unincorporated Business Trust Organization Protecting Real Estate, Rental Property, Business Assets, and Financial Accounts with Multiple U.B.T.O.'s The basic idea when using U.B.T.O.'s as an Asset Protection Strategy is to separate High Risk Assets (cars, businesses, rentals) from Low Risk Assets (bank accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds). You can buy just about any kind of personal and real property in separate U.B.T.O. to maintain maximum privacy and asset protection. You can also have your business assets, real estate, and equipment owned by a separate M.T. (or multiple U.B.T.O.'s) and then lease them back to your business. Owning a Vehicle With An U.B.T.O.: U.B.T.O.'s are a great privacy tool and are great for owning cars, heavy equipment, and recreational vehicles. Imagine you are in an auto accident and you are sued. When the hostile party discovers that the owner of the vehicle is an U.B.T.O. (which has no other assets) and that you don't own anything either (your assets are owned by other U.B.T.O.s) they give up or settle at a greatly reduced amount. The more assets you have, the more U.B.T.O.s you may want to set up. Why a Bank may be the worst place for Your Money: Did you know that banks may be the worst place to keep your money? Try this little experiment: Pick up your Account Holder Agreement (if you don't have one go pick one up from the bank) and read it. Here is what one from Wells Fargo states: "The Bank may accept and act on any legal process that it believes is valid, whether served in person, by mail or by facsimile transmission, at any Bank location. Legal process includes, without limitation, a levy, garnishment or attachment, tax levy or withholding order, injunction, restraining order, subpoena, search warrant, government agency request for information or forfeiture relating to your account." Does that make you sleep well at night? With the new, so-called "Patriot Laws" if you "look" suspicious you are at risk! (What does a suspicious person look like?) It gets worse. You must first understand the monster called "fractional reserve banking" (which is the way our banks operate). *Fractional Reserve Banking means what it says. The banks only keep a fraction of the deposits on hand as reserves to cover any withdrawals. Sounds innocent enough but let's examine it further: Banks only keep about $1 in reserves for every $10 in deposits. This means that if more than one out of every ten account holders were to appear at the same time at the bank to make a withdrawal, THE MONEY WOULDN'T BE THERE! Another way of looking at this is the fact that the banks have the ability to loan out $10 for every $1 they take in! If you think Enron and WorldCom had crooked books, this makes them pale in comparison! Banks have the ability to create money out of thin air. If we tried that we would be thrown in prison for counterfeiting! What about the FDIC? The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation only has about 1/2 of 1% in reserves to cover insurance claims. The FDIC is nothing more than a "confidence" game. What's the solution? One solution is to keep as little money as possible in your bank. Only use banks to cash your checks. Take Action Never before in history has there been such a threat to your personal financial security than right now. Like the story of Noah's Ark in the Old Testament, you must build your financial lifeboat before you need it. When the rains come it will already be too late. Contact us for a Complimentary Consultation 219-228-7356 or by e-mail at fa2z@aol.com! ubto.info Evident, LLC 228 Ogden Hammond, Indiana Republic

banking - Special Report Secrets Of Asset Protection

Section 1: The Current Landscape (Battlefield) ' Out of control lawsuits ' Bloated government with an ever-increasing appetite. ' Advancing Socialism ' Insane over-regulation Section 2: Economic Slavery ' The Middle Class Treadmill ' Hidden inflation guarantees failure ' "Debt is good" - another lie ' Anesthetized Society Section 3: Solutions ' Asset Protection for Current and Future Wealth ' Why a Bank may be the Worst Place For Your Money ' Set Up Your Own Virtual Bank Account ' Take Action Introduction We live in a dangerous world. What you do not know can hurt you. The purpose of this report is to help you to better understand and protect yourself from the many dangers that threaten your economic survival. Section 1 The Current Landscape (Battlefield) "America has degenerated into the most litigious society in the history of the World." There are now well over one million attorneys in our country - that's 70% of the world's attorney population, and Americans only comprise 5% of the world's people! Our law schools are presently graduating over 40,000 attorneys a year. For every 20 engineers, Japan only has one attorney. For every 2.5 attorneys, we have just one engineer. Is it any wonder we can't find justice? In 1993, the American Bar Association estimated there to be a 37% probability of the average American becoming involved in some form of legal action in any given year. This, of course, is very good news to the trial attorney who will charge you an average of $100/hr and up: and whether he wins or loses your case, he still gets paid! What would you do if you were to be sued today? Hire an attorney? In many cases, having an attorney is worse than not having an attorney at all! At an American Bar Association dinner in New York in 1978, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger, as the guest speaker, stated: "Ninety percent of all trial attorneys in this country are incompetent." If you believe that an attorney can always better represent you than you can represent yourself, you have bought the attorney's lie that, "The man that represents himself has a fool for a client." Did you believe that an attorney will always represent your best interests first? "The Attorney is an Officer of the Court. His first duty is to the courts and the public, not to his client" 7 Corpus Juris Secundum, '4, pg. 802 Source: Economic Solutions, by Peter Kershaw, 1997 The American landscape today is filled with many dangers - any of which can spell financial disaster for you. Here are just a few of them: a. Out of control lawsuits b. Bloated government with an ever-increasing appetite c. Advancing Socialism d. Insane "over-regulation" Out of Control Lawsuits As noted in the opening quotation, lawsuits have now become so prevalent that you can no longer believe that you will not be affected. It is now a matter of "when" not "if" a lawsuit enters your life. Bloated Government Bloated governments are expanding at an incredible pace and they never seem to have enough money. Their growing appetite and inefficiency causes them to need more and more tax revenue. When they can't tax any more, they begin "licensing" and "permitting" those things that are supposed to be our "rights" and they tack on another fee. When they get desperate they resort to outright confiscation of the people's private property! Advancing Socialist Philosophy Another dangerous trend is the Advancing Socialist Philosophy. This is the philosophy of "government knows best". This Advancing Socialist Philosophy punishes innovation and industry and rewards laziness and non-productivity. In 1848, Karl Heinrich Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto, which has since become the most widely read political pamphlet in the history of the world. These are Nine Planks of the Manifesto : 1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes. 2. A heavy progressive or graduating income tax. 3. Abolition of all right of inheritance. 4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. 5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly. 6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State. 7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State, the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan. 8. Equal liability of all to labor. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture. 9. Free education for all children in public schools. Source: Economic Solutions, Peter Kershaw, 1997 Many people will argue that most of these Planks are already in place! What do you think? Insane "Over-Regulation" Do you believe we live in a "free" country? Try and do something without a permit, license, or Social Security Number (read: Socialist Security Number). "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelation 13:17 The immense explosion of laws, codes, ordinances, and regulations have created one the greatest threats to one's assets and private property. The following quote from Ayn Rand's novel says it well: "Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We WANT them broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against - then you'll know that this is not the age of beautiful gestures. We're after power and we mean it. You fellows were piker's, but we know the real trick, and you'd better get wise to it. There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one 'makes' them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of law-breakers - and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Rearden, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with." (Page 406 of Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand). Consider another quote concerning the voluminous 6000 plus pages of the Internal Revenue Code that no one understands: "Is it possible to ever learn the truth about income taxes, especially in light of all the confusion, if not blatant misinformation? Yes, you can, but not by trusting attorneys and accountants. These, after all, are highly compromised individuals - taxes are their very livelihood! Higher taxation and more tax laws with ever-increasing complexity are to their advantage. Yet, even these tax "professionals" seldom have a clue as to how to properly interpret the tax laws. The results of a 1989 Money Magazine survey of 50 top "Professional Tax Preparers," unequivocally demonstrates the utter ncomprehensibility of the income tax laws. The fifty preparers were given the assignment of preparing tax returns for a fictitious American family. None of them arrived at even close to the same bottom line figure. In fact, discrepancies ranged anywhere from $12,539 to $35,813! Imagine the absurdity of trying to figure your own taxes correctly, when even the "professionals" are incapable of doing so!" - Economic Solutions, Peter Kershaw, 1997 In fact a survey in 2003 showed that the IRS "help line" gave wrong answers to taxpayers questions 47% of the time! In summary, we live in a dangerous world and the American landscape is fraught with land mines that are direct threats to your financial well being. Section 2 Economic Slavery Americans, living in what is called the richest nation on earth, seem always to be short of money. Wives are working in unprecedented numbers, husbands hope for overtime hours to earn more, or take part-time jobs evenings and weekends, children look for odd jobs for spending money, the family debt climbs higher, and psychologists say one of the biggest causes of family quarrels and breakups is "arguments over money." - Billions for the Bankers, Debt for the People, Pastor Sheldon Emry What they don't tell you is that, after inflation, taxes and debt payments...most people are worse off than when they started! They are simply taking one step forward and two steps back and they wonder why they never get ahead! Consider this statistic from a recent government report: At age 65, ninety-five out of one hundred people will be dependent in some way upon their family, their church, or the government. Four of them will be comfortable and only one will be rich. Society has been so "anesthetized" by television and recreation that we don't see our money being taken from us from right under our noses. Most people in America can tell you what episode of "Survivor" they saw last night but they can't tell you the last time they read the united states Constitution or the Declaration of Independence! Did you know that our Founding Fathers revolted over a 5% tax by the King of England? Yet today Americans pay as much as 50% in local, state and federal taxes! "If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them (around the banks), will deprive the people of their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." Thomas Jefferson Because the Federal Reserve is privately owned by international banking families, and 'creates' our money by loaning it to our nation, it is mathematically impossible to ever repay the national debt. We are slowly and methodically progressing towards the day our nation goes bankrupt. When this happens we will see the rapid drop in the value of the dollar. This will shatter our current economic condition and create the "mother of all depressions". For a sneak peak into our future do an Internet search on Argentina's recent default on their national debt in 2002. When this happened the Argentine Peso lost over 60% of its value in less than six months! Unemployment soared to over 25% percent and the country went from being a thriving economy to a third world country. "No currency has suffered a smaller loss from inflation since World War II than the German Mark. Yet even so, 71 percent of it's value vanished between January 1, 1949, and the end of June 1995. The world reserve currency during this period, the U.S. Dollar, lost 84 percent of its value. This is a measure of the wealth that governments expropriated by exploiting their territorial monopolies on legal tender." From The Sovereign Individual, by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg The Federal Reserve, by attempting to regulate the economy with the expansion and contraction of credit, has created an economic environment that greatly magnifies our boom and bust cycle. The "boom" times are signified by greatly exaggerated prices like the stock market "bubble" of the nineties and the housing bubble of the years 2003 - 2005. Combine these two major forces and it doesn't take much to recognize that we are in for some very rough seas over the next 10 to 15 years. The place to be during these tumultuous times will be in precious metals. In times of economic uncertainty people will flock to gold and silver. Gold and Silver have been real money since biblical times - long before "paper" money was created - and they will be here long after "paper money" returns to its intrinsic value which is nothing. Here are some interesting quotes on gold: "For more than two thousand years gold's natural qualities made it man's universal medium of exchange. In contrast to political money, gold is honest money that survived the ages and will live on long after the political fiats of today have gone the way of all paper." Hans F. Sennholz "If you don't trust gold, do you trust the logic of taking a beautiful pine tree, worth about $4,000 - $5,000, cutting it up, turning it into pulp and then paper, putting some ink on it and then calling it one billion dollars?" Kenneth J. Gerbino "Gold is not less but more rational than paper money. Money holds value so long as it is in limited supply; gold will always be in limited supply, and would require real resources to produce even from the sea; paper and printing ink are not in limited supply. The gold system is much closer to a modern automatic scientific control system than the crude and relatively unstable system of paper." William Rees-Mogg "Of all the contrivances for cheating the laboring classes of mankind, none has been more effective than that which deludes them with paper money." Daniel Webster "Betting against gold is the same as betting on governments. He who bets on governments and government money bets against 6,000 years of recorded human history." Gary North "Gold is worshiped in all climates, without a single temple, and by all classes, without a single hypocrite. Caleb C. Colton Section 3 Solutions How do you protect yourself and your assets in these treacherous times? We believe that there are two critical steps that you must take to protect your financial future. The first thing you must do is protect your current assets so they are insulated from these financial threats. The second thing you must do is create additional sources of income that will help you weather the storms that comes your way. Asset Protection for Current and Future Wealth Asset Protection is the act of positioning your assets in such a way that they are out of reach of predators, lawsuits and even government agencies. The key is to "control" your assets without actually "owning" them. A good Asset Protection Plan is designed to make your assets difficult to discover or too expensive to pursue. A good Asset Protection Plan is put into place before it is needed. In a sense, it is a type of insurance that will enable you to sleep well at night knowing that you are protected. How do you "control" your assets without actually "owning" them? First, let us define "asset". An asset is anything of value that you want to preserve or protect against hostile third parties. To protect your valued assets against these predators you must own your assets in an entity other than in your own name. There are many types of entities that you can choose from and here are just a few: Corporations Partnerships Trusts Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) When you "control" the company you also control the checkbook. As the President or Manager of your company you make all the decisions on behalf of the company and benefit from all the assets of the company. Corporations work well but are often difficult to maintain and, If you do not keep proper records, you can lose your personal liability protection. General Partnerships are generally not effective in asset protection although Limited Partnerships offer some liability protection. Limited Liability Companies are quickly replacing Limited Partnerships as Asset Protection vehicles. Limited Liability Companies have become the premiere Asset Protection vehicle because of their superior asset protection features, their ease of operation, their low maintenance, and their relatively low cost. A Trust is an effective Asset Protection vehicle but only if it is an irrevocable trust. This simply means that you give up control of the trust to an independent trustee. An Unicorporated Business Trust Organization takes the limited liability features of a corporation and combines them with the "pass through" tax benefits of a partnership. It is literally the best of both worlds. U.B.T.O.'s are flexible and simple to form and are much easier to maintain than other entities. Internationally, the U.B.T.O. is the most common form of business entity in use. The Unincorporated Business Trust Organization is now the entity of choice for individuals and businesses seeking the ultimate in privacy and asset protection. You also have a much lower profile. The Unicorporated Business Trust Organization is one of the ultimate asset protection and privacy tools! With an Unincorporated Business Trust Organization Protecting Real Estate, Rental Property, Business Assets, and Financial Accounts with Multiple U.B.T.O.'s The basic idea when using U.B.T.O.'s as an Asset Protection Strategy is to separate High Risk Assets (cars, businesses, rentals) from Low Risk Assets (bank accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds). You can buy just about any kind of personal and real property in separate U.B.T.O. to maintain maximum privacy and asset protection. You can also have your business assets, real estate, and equipment owned by a separate M.T. (or multiple U.B.T.O.'s) and then lease them back to your business. Owning a Vehicle With An U.B.T.O.: U.B.T.O.'s are a great privacy tool and are great for owning cars, heavy equipment, and recreational vehicles. Imagine you are in an auto accident and you are sued. When the hostile party discovers that the owner of the vehicle is an U.B.T.O. (which has no other assets) and that you don't own anything either (your assets are owned by other U.B.T.O.s) they give up or settle at a greatly reduced amount. The more assets you have, the more U.B.T.O.s you may want to set up. Why a Bank may be the worst place for Your Money: Did you know that banks may be the worst place to keep your money? Try this little experiment: Pick up your Account Holder Agreement (if you don't have one go pick one up from the bank) and read it. Here is what one from Wells Fargo states: "The Bank may accept and act on any legal process that it believes is valid, whether served in person, by mail or by facsimile transmission, at any Bank location. Legal process includes, without limitation, a levy, garnishment or attachment, tax levy or withholding order, injunction, restraining order, subpoena, search warrant, government agency request for information or forfeiture relating to your account." Does that make you sleep well at night? With the new, so-called "Patriot Laws" if you "look" suspicious you are at risk! (What does a suspicious person look like?) It gets worse. You must first understand the monster called "fractional reserve banking" (which is the way our banks operate). *Fractional Reserve Banking means what it says. The banks only keep a fraction of the deposits on hand as reserves to cover any withdrawals. Sounds innocent enough but let's examine it further: Banks only keep about $1 in reserves for every $10 in deposits. This means that if more than one out of every ten account holders were to appear at the same time at the bank to make a withdrawal, THE MONEY WOULDN'T BE THERE! Another way of looking at this is the fact that the banks have the ability to loan out $10 for every $1 they take in! If you think Enron and WorldCom had crooked books, this makes them pale in comparison! Banks have the ability to create money out of thin air. If we tried that we would be thrown in prison for counterfeiting! What about the FDIC? The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation only has about 1/2 of 1% in reserves to cover insurance claims. The FDIC is nothing more than a "confidence" game. What's the solution? One solution is to keep as little money as possible in your bank. Only use banks to cash your checks. Take Action Never before in history has there been such a threat to your personal financial security than right now. Like the story of Noah's Ark in the Old Testament, you must build your financial lifeboat before you need it. When the rains come it will already be too late. Contact us for a Complimentary Consultation 219-228-7356 or by e-mail at fa2z@aol.com! ubto.info Evident, LLC 228 Ogden Hammond, Indiana Republic 20+ years in the fields of Mortgage Financing.....Real Estate Acquisition.....and Asset Protection for Business as well as Personal Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jai_Bea banking - What Is Your Bank Charging You? A Guide To Bank Charges When you're shopping around for a bank account there are a lot of factors to consider. Many people go for up-front incentives, such as money paid into the bank account, vouchers or a gift. However, it is worth looking at bank accounts in more depth to find out what you might be paying for various transactions. Here are some of the transactions that banks might charge you for. Authorised Overdraft An overdraft is like a short term loan. The bank gives you permission to spend more than the funds you have in your account. This amount is usually fixed in consultation with the bank and may be reviewed at stated periods. Some banks have a free authorised overdraft up to a certain limit and charge for any balance over that limit. This is the best way to arrange an overdraft. Unauthorised Overdraft When customers spend more than they have in their accounts without arranging an overdraft limit, this is known as an unauthorised overdraft. Banks penalise customers heavily for this by charging an unauthorised overdraft fee of more than '35 in some cases. The excess spending will also be charged interest at a higher rate than normal. Cheque Services Some banks charge for clearing cheques more quickly than the standard period (this can range from three to seven days depending on the banks involved and the day of the week). There may also be fees for processing cheques in a foreign currency. Taking Money Out Sometimes customers need to set up direct debits, where companies take certain sums from a bank account each month. They may also wish to set up standing orders, where they arrange to pay a certain amount to another bank account or company each month. Some banks charge a setup fee for these services. . It is also worth looking at the daily withdrawal limit on a current account. This can vary widely depending on the bank you choose. Other Bank Charges Banks may also charge for other services such as: 1. setting up a loan facility 2. changing or issuing foreign currency 3. writing cheques that exceed the cleared balance in an account 4. stopping a lost cheque Banks will also charge customers if they have to write to them about an infraction of bank rules, such as exceeding the overdraft limit or defaulting on loan repayments. This means that defaulting customers have to repay the debt as well as the additional charges. Doing some research could save consumers a small fortune in bank charges. In addition for looking for incentives, consumers should look for banks that keep their charges as low as possible. With a bit of digging, it is easy to find banks with: 5. an automatic overdraft limit for which there is no charge 6. free standing orders and direct debits 7. free transfers between banks 8. low unauthorised overdraft fees 9. low charges for other bank transactions Choosing a bank that fits this profile will help with overall financial health.

banking - What Is Your Bank Charging You? A Guide To Bank Charges

When you're shopping around for a bank account there are a lot of factors to consider. Many people go for up-front incentives, such as money paid into the bank account, vouchers or a gift. However, it is worth looking at bank accounts in more depth to find out what you might be paying for various transactions. Here are some of the transactions that banks might charge you for. Authorised Overdraft An overdraft is like a short term loan. The bank gives you permission to spend more than the funds you have in your account. This amount is usually fixed in consultation with the bank and may be reviewed at stated periods. Some banks have a free authorised overdraft up to a certain limit and charge for any balance over that limit. This is the best way to arrange an overdraft. Unauthorised Overdraft When customers spend more than they have in their accounts without arranging an overdraft limit, this is known as an unauthorised overdraft. Banks penalise customers heavily for this by charging an unauthorised overdraft fee of more than '35 in some cases. The excess spending will also be charged interest at a higher rate than normal. Cheque Services Some banks charge for clearing cheques more quickly than the standard period (this can range from three to seven days depending on the banks involved and the day of the week). There may also be fees for processing cheques in a foreign currency. Taking Money Out Sometimes customers need to set up direct debits, where companies take certain sums from a bank account each month. They may also wish to set up standing orders, where they arrange to pay a certain amount to another bank account or company each month. Some banks charge a setup fee for these services. . It is also worth looking at the daily withdrawal limit on a current account. This can vary widely depending on the bank you choose. Other Bank Charges Banks may also charge for other services such as: 1. setting up a loan facility 2. changing or issuing foreign currency 3. writing cheques that exceed the cleared balance in an account 4. stopping a lost cheque Banks will also charge customers if they have to write to them about an infraction of bank rules, such as exceeding the overdraft limit or defaulting on loan repayments. This means that defaulting customers have to repay the debt as well as the additional charges. Doing some research could save consumers a small fortune in bank charges. In addition for looking for incentives, consumers should look for banks that keep their charges as low as possible. With a bit of digging, it is easy to find banks with: 5. an automatic overdraft limit for which there is no charge 6. free standing orders and direct debits 7. free transfers between banks 8. low unauthorised overdraft fees 9. low charges for other bank transactions Choosing a bank that fits this profile will help with overall financial health. Joe Kenny writes for SelectLoans.co.uk, a UK personal loans comparison site, visit us today for information on all loan topics including secured loans and links to leading UK providers. Our Site: http://www.selectloans.co.uk/ Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Kenny banking - Why International Banking Services May Be Right for You Many baby boomers are starting to look at retirement. In doing so they are looking for ways to get more bang for their retirement buck. One thing many are thinking of is retiring to other countries with a lower cost of living and that are somewhat foreign and exotic to their present lifestyle. This is causing many to look into international banking services to see if offshore banking will be right for them as they seek an offshore retirement life. So just what services do international banks provide? To speak of international banking, you will find it covers a large assortment of different topics which can range from providing personal bank accounts to business bank accounts to providing foreign currency services and so on. This will allow you to make transactions into foreign currencies from your retirement funds much more easily, especially if the trade takes place between the Euro, the US dollar or even Swiss Francs. Further services that international banks can have include providing you with traveler's' checks, allowing you to have a foreign currency account and even providing you with advice should you desire at some point to begin the importation and exportation of goods or services. They will provide you with investment consultations in foreign countries as well. Beyond this, by managing your finances in an international bank in another country, you may find you can take advantage of lower taxes or even of no taxes as well. This will certainly give you something which can stretch your retirement dollar further. And even though this article addresses mostly baby boomers thinking about retirement, as a business person you will find that international banking services that are provided may allow you to take your business global. That is no small feature when it comes to growing your business. If you open an account in another country that you wish to do business in and have an account in an international bank with offices in that country as well as others, you will find it much easier to make payments, and receive them as well, in the local currency. This could save you quite a bit in transactional fees. Not to mention that most banks will keep a close eye on the political and economical happenings in the country. As you can see international banks could be a boon not only to the baby boomer looking at retirement but also to the business person seeking to expand into the global market. However you will need to carry out your research carefully before opening an account to determine just how stable and secure the bank is and how many international banking services are provided by the financial institution you are looking at. Many banks on the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey are considered to be very stable as such institutions are highly regulated there. The political and economical climates are very stable as well.

banking - Why International Banking Services May Be Right for You

Many baby boomers are starting to look at retirement. In doing so they are looking for ways to get more bang for their retirement buck. One thing many are thinking of is retiring to other countries with a lower cost of living and that are somewhat foreign and exotic to their present lifestyle. This is causing many to look into international banking services to see if offshore banking will be right for them as they seek an offshore retirement life. So just what services do international banks provide? To speak of international banking, you will find it covers a large assortment of different topics which can range from providing personal bank accounts to business bank accounts to providing foreign currency services and so on. This will allow you to make transactions into foreign currencies from your retirement funds much more easily, especially if the trade takes place between the Euro, the US dollar or even Swiss Francs. Further services that international banks can have include providing you with traveler's' checks, allowing you to have a foreign currency account and even providing you with advice should you desire at some point to begin the importation and exportation of goods or services. They will provide you with investment consultations in foreign countries as well. Beyond this, by managing your finances in an international bank in another country, you may find you can take advantage of lower taxes or even of no taxes as well. This will certainly give you something which can stretch your retirement dollar further. And even though this article addresses mostly baby boomers thinking about retirement, as a business person you will find that international banking services that are provided may allow you to take your business global. That is no small feature when it comes to growing your business. If you open an account in another country that you wish to do business in and have an account in an international bank with offices in that country as well as others, you will find it much easier to make payments, and receive them as well, in the local currency. This could save you quite a bit in transactional fees. Not to mention that most banks will keep a close eye on the political and economical happenings in the country. As you can see international banks could be a boon not only to the baby boomer looking at retirement but also to the business person seeking to expand into the global market. However you will need to carry out your research carefully before opening an account to determine just how stable and secure the bank is and how many international banking services are provided by the financial institution you are looking at. Many banks on the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey are considered to be very stable as such institutions are highly regulated there. The political and economical climates are very stable as well. Discover how International Banking Services can help you further with your personal or business or even investment banking needs by checking out our site at http://www.internationalbankingnotes.com Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandra_Wilson banking - Credit Cards Aging Well As After 40 Years They Take On The Internet The world of personal finance has come a long way since the first credit card was introduced by Barclays in June 1966 and the first cash machine became available in 1967. The latest figures from APACS, the UK payment association, suggest that there are approximately 32 million credit card holders in the UK alone, possessing nearly 70 million credit cards between them and owing an average of '1772 on cards alone. The ease with which credit cards enable retail transactions to be made combined with the addition of useful extras such as purchase and travel insurance, customer loyalty schemes, introductory rates, increased security, and lower rate credit cards, mean it is not surprising that UK card expenditure exceeded cash transactions for the first time in 2004 and is still continuing to rapidly rise. The explosion of online shopping has also been a major contributory factor in the increase in UK electronic payments. Last year 310 million purchases were made online, accounting for around '22 billion in spending, and constituting 5% of all personal card payments. Moneynet credit card news quotes Sandra Quinn of APAS on the rise of the role of the internet in UK personal finance as saying, "The internet is now very much part of mainstream culture in the UK, and for many people it is the first port of call when looking for certain items to buy. In 2005, for the first time, more than half of all adults made an online purchase, which demonstrates this increasingly important role the internet is playing in the lives of UK consumers." This level of internet purchasing looks set to rise still further as net access increases and more businesses gain a web presence and start to introduce online shopping carts, alongside increased security and fraud protection measures and the ability to make real-time payments which will help to generate a general improvement in the confidence in internet shopping. The capability for micropayments to be successfully dealt with, which is expected in the near future, will advance the ability of companies to process transactions still further by allowing small payments to be made for many online services. Whilst it is rapidly becoming safer to perform transactions online and carry out all aspects of personal finance using the web, it is important to note that until the internet is made entirely secure, care must always be taken by ensuring anti-virus software is kept up to date, shopping is performed on secure and trusted websites, and customers must always be vigilant about using their personal and financial details online. For more information visit Barclays Personal Banking Submitted by: Michael Hanna About Michael Michael is a keen writer, and internet marketer living in Scotland: Contact details: E-mail: samqam@googlemail.com Phone: 0131 561 2251 Michael's Website: Belfast Taxi

banking - Credit Cards Aging Well As After 40 Years They Take On The Internet

The world of personal finance has come a long way since the first credit card was introduced by Barclays in June 1966 and the first cash machine became available in 1967. The latest figures from APACS, the UK payment association, suggest that there are approximately 32 million credit card holders in the UK alone, possessing nearly 70 million credit cards between them and owing an average of '1772 on cards alone. The ease with which credit cards enable retail transactions to be made combined with the addition of useful extras such as purchase and travel insurance, customer loyalty schemes, introductory rates, increased security, and lower rate credit cards, mean it is not surprising that UK card expenditure exceeded cash transactions for the first time in 2004 and is still continuing to rapidly rise. The explosion of online shopping has also been a major contributory factor in the increase in UK electronic payments. Last year 310 million purchases were made online, accounting for around '22 billion in spending, and constituting 5% of all personal card payments. Moneynet credit card news quotes Sandra Quinn of APAS on the rise of the role of the internet in UK personal finance as saying, "The internet is now very much part of mainstream culture in the UK, and for many people it is the first port of call when looking for certain items to buy. In 2005, for the first time, more than half of all adults made an online purchase, which demonstrates this increasingly important role the internet is playing in the lives of UK consumers." This level of internet purchasing looks set to rise still further as net access increases and more businesses gain a web presence and start to introduce online shopping carts, alongside increased security and fraud protection measures and the ability to make real-time payments which will help to generate a general improvement in the confidence in internet shopping. The capability for micropayments to be successfully dealt with, which is expected in the near future, will advance the ability of companies to process transactions still further by allowing small payments to be made for many online services. Whilst it is rapidly becoming safer to perform transactions online and carry out all aspects of personal finance using the web, it is important to note that until the internet is made entirely secure, care must always be taken by ensuring anti-virus software is kept up to date, shopping is performed on secure and trusted websites, and customers must always be vigilant about using their personal and financial details online. For more information visit Barclays Personal Banking Submitted by: Michael Hanna About Michael Michael is a keen writer, and internet marketer living in Scotland: Contact details: E-mail: samqam@googlemail.com Phone: 0131 561 2251 Michael's Website: Belfast Taxi Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Hanna banking - Can I get Bad Credit and Unsecured Credit Cards? Regardless if you have good credit or bad credit or even if you are rich or poor, there is a credit card on the marketplace for you. If you have bad credit then you will need to find a company that offers unsecured credit cards. The secured credit cards are for families and individuals that have money, yet want a credit card to maintain their credit rates on the records. Spending money is not going to build their credit, therefore they will use the cards to build there credit line. Frequently these people will expend a couple of hundred each month and repay the charges off quickly. This is ludicrous since the repayments paid sooner than the date due will not build any credit lines. Rather, the cardholder must show good faith by paying the cards off on the due date. If you have bad credit, then be aware that providers that offer unsecured credit cards may require a small deposit. The deposit is a security to the lenders that if you fail to make payments, they can use the deposit to meet the debt amount. If you apply for the card and are approved, most likely you will not receive a credit line above the depositing amount. In other words, you credit card may only provide you $500 credit and if you exceed these amount you are at risk of loosing your card. Most unsecured credit cards offer low fixed interest rates and a credit line, starting at $200 and up, depending on the card provider and the depositing amount. The providers may even offer additional benefits, including cash back or points per purchase made on the credit card. You will need to be very cautious while looking for an unsecured credit card. The Pesky Sales People Salespeople will often go out of their way to make a sell. At times, you may receive phone calls, emails, or letters in the mail with special offers on credit cards. The credit lines may range from $200 up to $10, 000 regardless of your credit ratings. Most of the offers tell you to sign up now before the offer expires. BE CAUTIOUS! Most of these offer a 'slicks' to lower you into a web of debt. Also, watch out for the advertising slicks that send messages, claiming that you are approved for a Guaranteed Credit Card. Most likely, the slicks have a high-paying approval line of credit to offer. If you do find a credit card and are approved it will help you when times are tough. One advantage of credit cards is that you can head over to the bank and withdraw $500 when you need quick cash. The downside is being aware that you will be paying more than $500 back in most instances. On the other hand, you are not going deeper in debt really, (depends on the payday advance amount and fees), but Payday Loan lenders will attach a higher fee than many credit card lenders. For example, you could get a payday loan up to $500 at a Payday Advance store and may pay $82 for the loan borrowed. If you exceed three extensions on Payday Loans then you could pay up to 449.9% interest rates on the loans. Therefore, credit cards are more reliable for offering payday loans. No matter if, you have good, bad or no credit at all, the unsecured cards are more available to be on your side, than few of the other types of cards offered are. If you have bad credit or no credit, you may want to check out the High-Risk card lenders, since many will work hard to get you a card. The lenders will also go out of their way to find a card that better suits your needs. Furthermore, if you are searching for an unsecured credit card, or any card for that matter, be sure to stay alert to each detail laid out in the terms and agreements. Some card providers will charge yearly rates, monthly rates, and additional hidden charges. Therefore, reading the fine print before signing a contract is the wisest thing you will ever do!

banking - Can I get Bad Credit and Unsecured Credit Cards?

Regardless if you have good credit or bad credit or even if you are rich or poor, there is a credit card on the marketplace for you. If you have bad credit then you will need to find a company that offers unsecured credit cards. The secured credit cards are for families and individuals that have money, yet want a credit card to maintain their credit rates on the records. Spending money is not going to build their credit, therefore they will use the cards to build there credit line. Frequently these people will expend a couple of hundred each month and repay the charges off quickly. This is ludicrous since the repayments paid sooner than the date due will not build any credit lines. Rather, the cardholder must show good faith by paying the cards off on the due date. If you have bad credit, then be aware that providers that offer unsecured credit cards may require a small deposit. The deposit is a security to the lenders that if you fail to make payments, they can use the deposit to meet the debt amount. If you apply for the card and are approved, most likely you will not receive a credit line above the depositing amount. In other words, you credit card may only provide you $500 credit and if you exceed these amount you are at risk of loosing your card. Most unsecured credit cards offer low fixed interest rates and a credit line, starting at $200 and up, depending on the card provider and the depositing amount. The providers may even offer additional benefits, including cash back or points per purchase made on the credit card. You will need to be very cautious while looking for an unsecured credit card. The Pesky Sales People Salespeople will often go out of their way to make a sell. At times, you may receive phone calls, emails, or letters in the mail with special offers on credit cards. The credit lines may range from $200 up to $10, 000 regardless of your credit ratings. Most of the offers tell you to sign up now before the offer expires. BE CAUTIOUS! Most of these offer a 'slicks' to lower you into a web of debt. Also, watch out for the advertising slicks that send messages, claiming that you are approved for a Guaranteed Credit Card. Most likely, the slicks have a high-paying approval line of credit to offer. If you do find a credit card and are approved it will help you when times are tough. One advantage of credit cards is that you can head over to the bank and withdraw $500 when you need quick cash. The downside is being aware that you will be paying more than $500 back in most instances. On the other hand, you are not going deeper in debt really, (depends on the payday advance amount and fees), but Payday Loan lenders will attach a higher fee than many credit card lenders. For example, you could get a payday loan up to $500 at a Payday Advance store and may pay $82 for the loan borrowed. If you exceed three extensions on Payday Loans then you could pay up to 449.9% interest rates on the loans. Therefore, credit cards are more reliable for offering payday loans. No matter if, you have good, bad or no credit at all, the unsecured cards are more available to be on your side, than few of the other types of cards offered are. If you have bad credit or no credit, you may want to check out the High-Risk card lenders, since many will work hard to get you a card. The lenders will also go out of their way to find a card that better suits your needs. Furthermore, if you are searching for an unsecured credit card, or any card for that matter, be sure to stay alert to each detail laid out in the terms and agreements. Some card providers will charge yearly rates, monthly rates, and additional hidden charges. Therefore, reading the fine print before signing a contract is the wisest thing you will ever do! Please visit http://www.finance-online.net for more information regarding finance and credit cards. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bueford_Copeland banking - Get More Flexibility And 24 Hour Access With Online Banking Online banking has changed the way we do business. It has made banking and bill paying quick and easy. There are many conveniences available. You can deposit money from one account to another, order checks, or check your balance all with out getting out of your pajamas. This is also a great thing for people who live out in the country or a customer who is unable to travel for some reason and they can't get to the physical bank. Online banking offers many advantages to the customer and the bank. For the customers it is the ability to access your account at any time or place. There are usually only small fees or no fees for transactions done online. Then there is the time that is saved from going to an actual bank and waiting in line. For some people time is money and they don't have the time during a business day to go to a physical bank. Also without the extra costs associated with a brick and mortar building, an online bank is able to offer better interest rates and remain competitive. The advantages for the bank are they don't need as many personnel to operate at a physical site. Transactions are done without the use of paper and all the costs that are related to putting together a paper trail of a transaction. The down side to this for the bank is that there isn't any face to face customer service. As long as the web page is working correctly there is no need for the customer to visit the bank. Of course the big issue with internet transaction is security. There are hackers out there that want your money and have nothing better to do than try to get into your accounts and steal it. They first thing you should do before using an online banking site is find out what type of security they have. They should have multiple safe guards in place to protect your information and your money. Another advantage of online banking is simplicity. You know what you want to do and often the online site will have a step by step guide to get you and your money where you want it. To begin on your online banking adventure you need to sign up at an online site. Or you could find out if the bank you are currently using offers internet services. Next is to decide what type of account you want whether it is a savings, checking, or both. Then you can deposit your money and discover the convenience for yourself. The first time you pay a bill online instead of writing a check and mailing it, you will immediately love the convenience.

banking - Get More Flexibility And 24 Hour Access With Online Banking

Online banking has changed the way we do business. It has made banking and bill paying quick and easy. There are many conveniences available. You can deposit money from one account to another, order checks, or check your balance all with out getting out of your pajamas. This is also a great thing for people who live out in the country or a customer who is unable to travel for some reason and they can't get to the physical bank. Online banking offers many advantages to the customer and the bank. For the customers it is the ability to access your account at any time or place. There are usually only small fees or no fees for transactions done online. Then there is the time that is saved from going to an actual bank and waiting in line. For some people time is money and they don't have the time during a business day to go to a physical bank. Also without the extra costs associated with a brick and mortar building, an online bank is able to offer better interest rates and remain competitive. The advantages for the bank are they don't need as many personnel to operate at a physical site. Transactions are done without the use of paper and all the costs that are related to putting together a paper trail of a transaction. The down side to this for the bank is that there isn't any face to face customer service. As long as the web page is working correctly there is no need for the customer to visit the bank. Of course the big issue with internet transaction is security. There are hackers out there that want your money and have nothing better to do than try to get into your accounts and steal it. They first thing you should do before using an online banking site is find out what type of security they have. They should have multiple safe guards in place to protect your information and your money. Another advantage of online banking is simplicity. You know what you want to do and often the online site will have a step by step guide to get you and your money where you want it. To begin on your online banking adventure you need to sign up at an online site. Or you could find out if the bank you are currently using offers internet services. Next is to decide what type of account you want whether it is a savings, checking, or both. Then you can deposit your money and discover the convenience for yourself. The first time you pay a bill online instead of writing a check and mailing it, you will immediately love the convenience. Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as checking account alternatives at http://www.checkingaccountalternative.com Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gregg_Hall banking - Online Savings Account Basics Saving accounts are always a good thing, in the past it used to take some time until you could have opened an account and it would be time consuming to check up on it every now and again, the internet has changed all of this and now internet banking allows you to open your own account with a press a few clicks, and it also allows you to do your research work just in front of the computer screen. Did you ever have a problem about where to keep your money? Well, maybe it is time to consider applying for a savings account. The most convenient way of keeping and saving money is by going to your local bank and opening a savings account. Savings accounts offered by banks pay interest; however, you cannot issue checks against this type of accounts. Savings accounts cannot be used like money as one would use a current or on-demand account. Nevertheless, savings accounts commonly offer higher interest rates than on-demand accounts and provide unrestricted access to funds even without the check-issuing privileges. Savings account transactions are usually summarized in either a passbook or a bank statement mailed to you each month. Savings accounts comparatively have small opening balances required. There are banks where you could open a savings account for just a dollar; after which, you are given a few days or weeks to raise your account to the required minimum balance, say a hundred dollars a month. These accounts may charge you for maintenance fee whenever your savings account falls below the required minimum balance. The interest earned on savings accounts can be widely varied. Most banks give as little as one-fourth of 1% annually. For most people, interest rates offered by savings accounts are too low, if not downright unfair. If you want to earn higher interest, you might consider opening high-yield savings accounts that are found online. With the increasing popularity of Internet banking, high-yield savings accounts have become more widespread. High-yield savings accounts have become prevalent, as virtual banks are able to offer very competitive interest rates by maintaining only a handful of retail locations thereby lowering operating costs. Plus, as transactions become more automated and dependent on computer cyber highways, customer service overhead has become negligible for virtual banks. An online bank account that commonly offers high-yield savings accounts, is relatively simple to open. However, not everybody may feel comfortable with such type of account because it will require submitting personal information over the Internet that could ruin one's privacy. Also, if ever you enjoy walking to a local bank and talk to the bank manager every time you want to make a deposit or withdrawal, high-yield savings account may not be right for you.