Blog of Personal-finance-info.org

As of July 2009 the stock market is still well below the highs recorded in 2007. The stock market has rebounded noticeably from its March 2009 lows. Based on the current upturn toward partial recovery, you might think we are heading toward better times financially and that now would be the time to start investing again.

The fact is, we do not know. After all, the overall economy isn’t exactly stable. While housing sales are increasing on a monthly basis, the overall picture shows that sales are still below year-ago levels. The economy has suffered in many ways, unemployment being just one way (a most important indicator) and was last reported at around 9.5%, which is the worst it has been in more than 25 years. You may be thinking “buy low and sell high” and that this is the time to invest. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should just call your broker tomorrow and start buying as many stocks, bonds and mutual funds as you can.

More

Fairfield Greenwich Group The investment firm headed by Walter M. Noel Jr., who had a long-running business relationship with Madoff, is the biggest loser in the fraud, facing potential losses of $7.5 billion, more than half the firm’s assets, according to the New York Times.

More

Personal Finance Info Bernard L Madoff

Buying shares of Berkshire Hathaway is the easiest way to invest like Warren Buffett. While the A shares cost around $70,000 apiece as of this writing, the B shares sell for only around $2,300 each - roughly 1/30 of the A shares. The B shares do have their disadvantages. For example, holders have less in the way of voting rights and aren’t entitled to indicate where Berkshire charitable contributions go. (Berkshire is unusual in allowing shareholders to recommend how Berkshire’s charity money should be allocated.) And while you can convert A shares into B, it doesn’t work the other way around.

Which to buy? Berkshire is nothing if not shareholder friendly, and Buffett has given this advice: Buy the A shares, if you can afford them, unless the B shares are trading cheaply. “In my opinion, most of the time the demand for B will be such that it will trade at about 1/30 of the price of the A. However, from time to time, a different supply-demand situation will prevail and the B will sell at some discount. In my opinion, again, when the B is at a discount of more than, say, 2 percent, it offers a better buy than A. When the two of them are at parity, however, anyone wishing to buy 30 or more B should consider buying A instead.”

More

When you are looking to get the application for your business grant, you will likely be a bit nervous about what it will contain. The applications themselves are simple enough. It is mostly the business plan or proposal that is going to be difficult.

More

Tags: business+grants

Powered by Qumana

Should you ever face the unfortunate experience of filing bankruptcy chances are that you will see someone else who is filing bankruptcy for the 2nd time or maybe even the 3rd time. This simple means that although bankruptcy hampers your credit ratings substantially, it’s not impossible to get credit, you just have to know how. More importantly, you should try not to get into the same situation again.

You must remember is that although a bankruptcy can legally remain on your credit report for up to ten years your credit can start improving immediately after your case is closed. You must understand that while after bankruptcy you may be tempted to never use your credit card again in order to build up a credit score. It is better that you do - to the extent that you start using it immediately if you can muster the will power to use it wisely and pay your bills on time.

More

Tags: bankruptcy

Powered by Qumana

Credit is hard to come by if you have a bankruptcy on your record. You are guaranteed higher interest rates. You may even be targeted by unscrupulous lenders who believe that you are probably desperate and will agree to anything. Don’t despair; there are ways to re-establish your good credit. Make this your main goal.

First make a budget. Look at your income and your expenses. Decide what your priorities are for spending and saving your money. You have to learn to control your money, don’t let it control you.

Learn that cash is your best friend. Make a deal with yourself. You can only pay in cash. Once you run out of cash, that’s it until the next pay day.

Make sure that you pay every bill on time every time! This is one of the most important factors for repairing your credit report. Bounced checks, overdrafts and bank fees can show up on your report. Pay attention to what you spend and when you spend it.

Keep an eye on your credit report. You want to make sure that everything is reported accurately. You want to make sure that there aren’t any errors. You need to know what others are seeing when they look at your report. Only then do you know what to fix.

You do need to get a credit card. This card should only be used to raise your credit rating. Only charge very little. And you must pay it off every month in full. This shows that you have changed your ways and can use and pay for credit wisely. You could try deducting your credit card charges directly from your checkbook register. When the bill comes in, you’ve already taken the money out of your account.

Read more at Ways to Bounce Back from Bankruptcy

Tags: bankruptcy

Powered by Qumana

If you want to increase your chances of qualifying for a mortgage after bankruptcy, here are some steps you can take:

First, if you plan to apply for a mortgage after bankruptcy, you will want to have any inaccurate or obsolete negative information on your credit reports corrected or removed. This can help increase your credit score.

Also, you will want to establish some new accounts, and pay them in a timely manner over time. If you’ve paid the accounts on time for about 18-24 months since your bankruptcy, this should help rebuild your credit - which can be a plus when applying for a mortgage after bankruptcy.

Next, you will want to work with an experienced mortgage broker. Why? Because buying a home is probably going to be one of the biggest investments you’ll make. You will want to have an experienced professional guiding you through the lending process - especially when it comes to applying for a mortgage after bankruptcy.

Read more at Mortgage After Bankruptcy: These Steps Could Help

Powered by Qumana