Mortgage, Credit, Finance And Other Money Tips

Second Mortgage Lines of Credit Can Be Powerful Financing Vehicles for Investment Properties

Peter Dobler — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 22:28:00 +0000

Many people decide to buy additional properties as investment opportunities and when the price is right you usually can’t go wrong. However, what is the best way to find money for this kind of investment. A second mortgage line of credit might be just the answer. If you already own a home then getting a second mortgage should be easy.

Many second mortgages will offer a credit line that you can keep coming back to in order to get money. At the website Cantonstreetmortgage.com it notes that a second mortgage is tied into the equity in your current property. “In most cases the interest is tax deductible,” the site explains. “Money can be borrowed for home improvement, debt consolidation, financial investments, down payment on another property or car loans.” While not all companies offer the same thing, Canton is one example offering a fixed rate second mortgage that is as low as 8% and up to 125% financing. Second mortgages can also be called junior liens or subordinate mortgages explains Bryan Wilson, a financing consultant with BD Nationwide Mortgage.

Many investors and entrepreneurs use these cash-out investments often. “[They] will often use their properties available equity to provide them with capital for investment,” explains Atlas Mortgage Corp. “A real estate investor can take out a home equity loan or credit line on a currently owned property and then use the proceeds on another property.” Additionally, it is common for entrepreneurs to “mortgage their home’s equity with a second mortgage loan to provide them with start-up or operating capital for the business.”

One thing to certainly keep in mind is that second mortgages always have a higher risk factor and therefore higher rates. Interest rates can also fluctuate on a credit line in this case and it will often depend on how much of the equity is being used from the original property. “The less equity remaining after the second mortgage is recorded, the higher the interest rate,” reports the folks at Atlas Mortgage Corp.

Another important thing to remember when deciding on a home equity line of credit versus the traditional second mortgage loan is that a second mortgage provides you with a fixed amount of money repayable over a specific amount of time. If you need a set amount of money for a specific purpose to buy investment properties a second mortgage line of credit is definitely the way to go.

Rita is an experienced free-lance writer who has published many mortgage & consumer credit articles online. Learn more about Second Mortgage Lines of Credit and refinance options, please visit the Second Mortgage & Home Equity Credit. If you need additional assistance for credit card consolidation tips or lending guidelines for Second Mortgage Debt Consolidation. Take a moment and research the various loan programs ranging from a 2nd Mortgage HELOC, to a Million Dollar Payment Option ARM.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rita_Cook

Refinance Student Loans - How and Why?

Peter Dobler — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:13:38 +0000

Vanessa McHooley

Let's face facts. Going to college these days, especially private universities, is no cheap task and can put you well into debt before you even enter the "real world" for yourself. Most people, especially young college students, do not have the tens of thousands of dollars to pony up every year for college tuition either. Therefore, most college students choose to use student loans to put themselves through college, whereby they can pay the tuition without breaking a sweat. However, when it comes time to graduate from college and pay these student loans back, many people do not know where to begin. How about refinancing these loans before you even start anything else?

Advantages of Refinancing

By refinancing your student loans, you can save yourself hundreds, even thousands of dollars before you start repaying your loans, an option that many people fail to use. When you leave college, chances are that you have a variety of loans on the books with an array of different interest rates attached to each one. Refinancing these loans can help you to lower these interest rates, or, at least, bring some of them down, thus lowering your monthly payments and saving YOU money in the end. Even if all of your interest rates cannot be refinanced, chances are that you can save money in some places through refinancing.

Where To Refinance?

But, when it comes to refinancing, where do you turn to find a reliable place to lower your interest rates? The Internet may just be your one-stop-shop for refinancing your student loans from college, as you can search a variety of sites that offer refinancing services to suit your needs. Be careful though. Not every web site offering financial help will actually help you, and non-credible sites may actually just be out to steal a buck from you. Deal with those college student loan web sites that deliver real refinancing results and are properly licensed. Then, sit back and enjoy your money-saving tactics.

This article is distributed by NextStudent. At NextStudent, we believe that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and we're dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding as easy as possible. We invite you to learn more about Refinance Student Loans at http://www.NextStudent.com.

About The Author

Vanessa McHooley

My goal is to help every student succeed - education is one of the most important things a person can have, so I have made it my personal mission to help every student pay for their education. Aside from that, I am just a pretty average girl from San Diego California.

Save Money and Learn More About Your Finances

Peter Dobler — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 13:14:06 +0000

Sally Summers

If you want to make shopping much, much easier -- whether you're looking for the best mutual fund, car insurance, cell phone, television or toaster...If you want to know the pros and cons about products and services -- before you shell out your hard-earned money...If you want to know the healthiest, most nutritious foods for you and your family...

When you put Consumer Reports to work for you, you get more than 100 car experts, engineers, chemists, statisticians, nutritionists, money advisors and safety gurus you can count on!

Live healthier, wealthier and wiser with the facts you find only in Consumer Reports:

* How to lose weight without feeling hungry
* What= the car salesman doesn't want you to know
* Ways to save $700 on your annual cell phone bill
* What the guy in the stereo store won't tell you
* Strategies to protect your nest egg against a volatile stock market
* What your car mechanic might not tell you
* The scary reality about chicken safety and salmonella poisoning
* What your travel agent won't tell you
* The top-rated 27-inch television
* Ways to slash your car insurance costs
* What the appliance store salesman won't tell you
* The expensive secret about premium gasoline
* The only airline consistently rated high for good service and low prices
* The truth the diet gurus refuse to tell you
* Best picks for this year's new cars
* And much, much more!

Consumer Reports compares features, sorts through the choices, analyzes the options= and reports back to you. You benefit from the clear advice. Useful recommendations. Wise insights. Simple, easy-to-understand information.

You'll discover new products. New technology. New ideas. New ways to make your life better, safer, easier and more enjoyable, too. You'll know powerful facts. You'll avoid problems. Spot scams. Get the best value for your money.

Consumer Reports is the only magazine of its kind!

Consumer Reports is 100% nonprofit. And Consumer Reports doesn't have to worry about big car companies, big manufacturers, big financial institutions or big airlines pulling their advertising dollars. That's because Consumer Reports doesn't carry any advertising. Consumer Reports is paid by you only and works for you only! Consumer Reports tells you the truth -- in plain English -- straight from the experts= at the world's largest consumer product testing center.

About the Author

Sally Summers is Editorial Director at www.BlueDolphin-Magazines.com and www.Magazine-Supermarket.com. You can read her weekly blog at http://sallysummers.blogspot.com where she talks about today's most popular magazines and how they can enrich your daily life.

Selecting An Equity Finance Consultant

Peter Dobler — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 13:13:14 +0000

William Cate

Selecting An Equity Finance Consultant
By
William Cate

Most Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) realize that it's a hundred times easier to raise venture capital for a public company than a private company. There is no shortage of individuals and firms seeking to advise and coordinate the going public process for CFOs. The problem is that many of these equity finance consultants are inept and/or dishonest. Here are some simple rules for finding a competent and ethical advisor.

Avoid firms that don't disclose anything about themselves or their employees. The Net is a wonderful free-tool for doing "Due Diligence" investigations on firms and individuals. Do an advanced search on the firm and its principals. Credit checks and background investigations are wise investments before you hire any consultant.

All equity finance consultants have two basic ways to take your company public. They can help you do an Initial Public Offering. Or they= can suggest one of several alternative ways to go public in the USA. None of the alternative tactics include a public financing for your company. Whatever solution the prospective equity consultant advises, you should ask for an estimate of costs, time to trading and the odds of being called for trading. You should also determine how the equity finance consultant expects to make money helping your company go public.

If you have an operating company and decide to do an IPO, your costs should average between $1.5 and $2.25 million. You should expect that it should take an average of 18 months to get your "Effective Letter" from the SEC. And your odds of success are about even, that is, 50/50. You should expect to pay your underwriter about 18% of the money raised. You will be expected to pay non-refundable upfront expense fees. You should budget $10,000/per broker presentation that will be needed to help the underwriter raise your IPO money. If your prospective consultant= disagrees with these guidelines, ask them in writing for the evidence to support their viewpoint.

IPO alternatives range in costs from $60,000 to several million dollars. Amazingly, the most expensive IPO alternative is the most popular. While doing a reverse merger shouldn't cost your company more than $150,000 in out-of-pocket Due Diligence costs, the expense of maintaining your shell float's share price will run into millions of dollars.

In a reverse merger, the public shell insiders retain their shares. This means they have several million shares of your stock to sell. You are responsible for finding the public buyers of their stock and all future shareholders of your public company. Let's assume that the reverse merger insiders have three million of your public company's shares. Your goal is to maintain a $4 share price. The previous shell owners will gross $12 million on the sale of their reverse merger shares. It should cost you $0.25/share to buy the past= owners' shares. The past owners will take a three million-dollar bite out of your investor relations' budget.

However, that's only the beginning of your problems. Your reverse merger public company must now find the buyers, each quarter, for those past insider shares. Assuming you can maintain the same $4 share price, the estimated annual investor relations costs will be $12 million per year, in addition to any other shares in the public float. This $12+ million investor relations cost will continue as long as the company is public and trading at $4/share.

The cash price of an OTCBB (Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board) shell with 90% or more control is about $1.5 million. The primary advantage to a shell purchase is that the buyers are certain that their shares will trade. The major disadvantage is that the shell insiders often create shares for themselves and hide this fact from potential buyers. The industry axiom is that there is no such thing as a clean shell. Thus= the buyer also inherits the future costs of finding the buyers for those hidden shares.

There are alternatives to taking a company public whic cost less than $100,000. They don't create stock that enters the float. If you are interviewing potential equity finance consultants, you should ask them for their low cost strategy and determine its odds of working for your company. You should also ascertain the ongoing investor relations costs of any public company strategy.

Most professionals in the equity finance business have far more interest in short-term profits than long term earnings. If your purpose in going public is to give your investors a "liquidity event," you'll easily find equity finance consultants who share your myopic vision. If you are going public to build your company, you should read my ebook Venture Capital Profits. It's the formula for a win/win public company strategy. The public profits. The insiders and private placement investors maximize= their profits.

About the Author: Since 1981, William Cate has been managing Director of Beowulf Investments [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/], a Merchant Banking and Equity Finance Consulting firm. He can be contacted at: Beowulfinvetments@Earthlink.net

About the Author

He has been the Managing Director of Beowulf Investments [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/] since 1981 and is the Executive Director of the Global Village Investment Club [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/globalvillageinvestmentclubwelcome/]

Shopping for a Personal Loan to Suit Your Finances

Peter Dobler — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 13:13:08 +0000

Holly Bentz

Just as one would shop around for the right automobile to suit your taste and financial style, the same is true in shopping for a personal loan. If you're thinking about taking out a personal loan, it's important to make sure it matches your paying and financial composite. For example, do any of the following apply to you?

If you plan to take out a personal loan do you plan to repay the loan off fast?
Would you prefer to stretch your repayment plan out for as long as possible?
Do you have poor credit therefore gaining a personal loan approval is important to you?
Are you looking for the lowest interest rate possible on a personal loan?
Because you require a large sum of money (over $10,000) you would like to put your home up for collateral?

As the above questions depict, personal loans come in all assortments with varying terms and payment guidelines. As we all know all men are created equally, but not all salaries and personal loans are right for all financial needs.

Did you know that the average American consumer (almost 60 percent) carries an average debt of over $10,000? Moreover, almost 60 percent neglect to remit their monthly credit card and mortgage balances on a timely basis. The profile of the middle class family is generally cash-challenged and used credit cards for their basic necessities.

In the realm of personal loans, American consumers must take caution during the search for a personal loan. Financial desperation has a way of affecting a consumer's judgment. Banks, creditors and lending institutions are targeting the financially fraught consumer. The sector is referred to as a "sub-prime" market. The target audience is the working poor or impoverished who are in most cases unable to make payments.

The rampant growth of the industries has been evident in both mortgage lending and cash advance firms. Normally, sub-prime loans (home financing and payday) are accompanied by mammoth interest rates. In reality, it boils down to supply and demand.

After all, why should an organization dole out loans or credit to consumers who are unable to pay or have demonstrated a poor payment history.

Fact: Annually, creditors and financial institutions charge over $7 billion in late fees.

Despite the advantages and drawbacks of personal loans, here are a few ways to shop for a loan customized to your financial style:

Fast Repayment Plan

If you plan to take out a quick personal loan to hold you off until you receive a tax refund or even a salary bonus, look for a personal loan that does not have a prepayment penalty. Since many payday loans and other personal loan products are designed to make the company money over the life of the loan, many carry a pre-payment penalty clause. Read the fine print and thoroughly review the contract to avoid being pigeon-holed into a personal loan.

Extended Repayment Program

The unemployed consumer should look for the personal loan where the repayment plan can be stretched out overtime. Opting for this type of loan can circumvent the chance of biting off more personal loan than one can afford while they are looking for gainful employment.

High Interest Rate

Some consumers do not have the luxury of being choosy in pursuit of a loan. Particularly, for the indebted with a low credit rating, the chances of personal loan approval may be limited. Generally, financial institutions up the interest rate based on how risky they deem the loan to be. Also, if a person has shown a poor payment history, the only way for the lending company to protect their interest is by charging an excessive interest rate.

Lowest Rate

Although the lowest interest rate possible always sparkles with appeal, it can be tricky. Pay particular attention to any personal loan that sounds too good to be true. For example, certain fraudulent lending companies will detail ambiguous wording in a personal debt agreement to purposely defraud the consumer of property (house or car).

Secured Loan

For a lending institution's perspective, the secured personal loan is completely failsafe for the bank. In any case, if the borrower defaults on the loan, they have an expensive property to sell to even make a profit. Before selecting a secured personal loan evaluate if the risk of possibly losing one's home is worth the pay-off of any loan worth $10,000 or more.

Whatever you personal loan you decide to take out, remember to prioritize what is important and only select the loan tailored to your financial situation.

About The Author

Holly Bentz is a finance writer and a contributor to About Personal Loans.

About-Personal-Loans.com

Short on cash? Finance the Mortgage Points

Peter Dobler — Wed, 31 May 2006 13:13:04 +0000

Syd Johnson

Once you get a quote for a home loan don't be tempted to take the entire amount if it looks like you overqualified. Most consumers fill out an application for a home loan and hope they can get enough money to buy their dream house.

A nice chunk of those consumers also overqualify for their home loans. If go to your local bank, credit union or mortgage broker and you are approved for a $500,000 home loan, they payments might be a bit more than you realistically afford.

Look at your entire budget
If you are not good with your money or would prefer to not stretch your finances to the limit to get a home, get your hands on a good mortgage calculator as soon as you get the figures on your home loan. You might think all will be fine as long as you can own your own property.

However, you must take into account all of the things that come along with owning a home. Sometimes you can get so caught up with the actual dollar amount of your home loan= that you forget the other pieces of your budget.

Check your budget to see if you still have money to enjoy things like going out, purchasing new furniture, a family vacation once per year and regular manicures and pedicures. Then add in your student loans, car payments, credit card bills, lunches at work and tickets to take your family to baseball games a couple of times every season.

Don't forget home maintenance costs
There are also the home maintenance issues that are not included when you qualify for a home loan. If you live in a part of the country that's particularly hot or cold, your heating and air conditioning bill could easily add up to a couple of hundred dollars per month.

Your home loan package does not include budgeting for lawnmowers, landscaping and fixing broken windows. Some of these expenses can be put off until a later day, but some of them will require your immediate attention once you move into your home.

Know your spending= habits
If you are used to living paycheck to paycheck and generally not taking care of your budget as a renter, you will probably carry over some of the same habits to your new home.

The best way to avoid a financial disaster is to make your home loan a part of your financial life instead of the centerpiece of your financial life. If you are stressed out about money issues from the very first move in, it is unlikely that you will enjoy your new home or anything else in your life for a long time.

About the Author

This article may be freely distributed as long as there's an active link to http://www.rapidlingo.com
Syd Johnson
Editor

Should I Refinance?

Peter Dobler — Mon, 29 May 2006 13:13:08 +0000

Barrett Niehus

Should I Refinance?

By Barrett Niehus

Interest rates are at an all time low. Lower in fact than they have been in forty years. With this low rate comes huge opportunity for home owners to lower their payments and take some equity out of their home. The question about weather refinancing is necessary is dependent on your current financial situation, and what you will save versus how much the refinance will cost. The analysis is a simple one, but one must understand the process in order to benefit from the refinance activity.

When weighing the decision to refinance, one must simply look at your current monthly payment and your remaining payoff period. Then compare this to the monthly payments and required payoff after the refinancing activity. If the benefit of refinancing outweighs the cost of the process, then the refinance makes sense.

The easiest way to evaluate if a refinance makes sense from a quantitative sense is to list= your current monthly payment the amount left on your mortgage, and the number of payments that you have left. Multiply the number of remaining payments by your current monthly mortgage payment and list this under all of the numbers.

Next to these numbers write down the amount that you are refinancing, the refinance period, and the estimated monthly payment. The payment amount can be calculated using a spreadsheet, or possibly a mortgage calculator like the one found at http://www.freetrainer.com/overview.htm. Within the amount that you are refinancing, be sure to include the cost of the refinance, origination fees, appraisal fees and transfer and escrow costs. Once again, multiply the monthly payment by the total number of payments and record this number.

If you are refinancing your current mortgage and not taking out any equity, the refinance makes the most sense if you can reduce your monthly payment, and if the total amount paid (number of payments multiplied by= the monthly payment) after the refinance is less than the total amount to be paid on your current mortgage. If the monthly payment is less than your current payment, but the overall amount is greater, you must decide if paying less monthly outweighs the increased amount you will need to pay. The opposite decision is required if your payment goes up but the total amount due decreases. If in either of these situations, care must be taken and the returns evaluated carefully to make the best decision.

A caveat to the above analysis is that the amount refinanced must be equal to the existing mortgage. If the refinance amount exceeds the amount currently due on the mortgage then a much more complex analysis is needed. For this type of analysis, you will require a spread sheet with present value and amortization calculations. If you are not comfortable with these type of calculations, consult a financial advisor or accountant to assist with quantifying your= decision.

------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT IP WARE
http://www.freetrainer.com

With IP Ware Real Estate Investment Software, you can evaluate rental properties in seconds. Weed out unfavorable properties in minutes, and save weeks of research with a quick and concise analysis. Begin using this amazing tool TODAY! http://www.freetrainer.com

About the Author

Barrett Niehus is the Managing Director or IP Ware Real Estate Investment Analysis Software, http://www.freetrainer.com

Should I Refinance With My Current Lender?

Peter Dobler — Sat, 27 May 2006 13:13:00 +0000

by Craig Romero

With so many homeowners refinancing lately, there are hundreds of refinancing questions being asked. One of the most common is "Should I refinance with my current lender?" The answer is both yes and no.

Your current lender should be the last lender that you obtain a quote from, but you should definitely contact them when you are thinking of refinancing. Get together quotes from other lenders, and then approach your current lender and ask them to meet, or even better, beat those quotes.

You can also ask them to waive certain settlement costs and other fees involved since you are already an established customer and your lender may have customer retention programs, but you will need leverage before you do this. That leverage should come in the form of quotes from your lender's competitors.

In fact, your lender may opt to just decrease the interest rate you are currently paying, thereby allowing you to avoid settlement costs= altogether.

However, there are drawbacks to using your current lender. Your lender already has your business, once you pay the lock-in fee, they have your money too. Since they already have your mortgage, they have no incentive to close the deal in a timely manner. There are also times when lenders will not quote you the best rate they have, but will quote you a rate that is lower than your current rate.

For instance, if you're at an eight-percent interest rate currently, your lender may offer you 6.5 percent because it's significantly lower than your current rate. Normally, that would be great, but if rates are at 5.5 percent, your lender isn't doing you any favors. That is why it is so important to be prepared with quotes from other lenders. It lets you know what rates are available to you, and lets your lender know that you're not going into the situation blind.

A wise decision is to treat your current lender as you would any other lender (see examples= at: http://debt-solution.biz ). If they do not come in with the lowest rate or best service, take your business elsewhere. While it is nice to do business with a familiar face, you are not obligated to refinance with them, and if you can save money by going elsewhere, you should do so.

About the Author

Written by Craig Romero/Mortgage Analyst

Discover how to quickly build a minimum of $40,000 worth of home equity and pay your mortgage off in 10 years or less without making biweekly mortgage payments. Visit:
http://debt-solution.biz

Should you refinance?

Peter Dobler — Tue, 23 May 2006 13:12:56 +0000

Michael VanDeMar

There are several reasons that might make someone consider refinancing their existing mortgage. One would be to get a lower interest rate than what they currently have, thereby reducing monthly payments and lowering the overall cost of the mortgage. Another is to shorten the length of the loan, which can save quite a bit in interest payments. Thirdly, someone may have other debts that they wish to pay off, and refinancing may provide them a means of consolidating that debt into one overall lower payment.
A lower interest rate isn't the only thing that should be taken into account when thinking about refinancing. There are costs and fees associated with refinancing your mortgage. The bank will charge fees, there will be costs for a new inspection and a new appraisal, title search, and so on. The process that is gone through is very much like the process that one goes through on getting a first mortgage. It requires a new application with a new credit= check, survey, and appraisal. As it is with a first mortgage, this can be a long and costly process.
In general, it makes sense to refinance if the interest rate on the new loan is at least two percentage points lower than that of the current loan, although this is not always the case. Some things that need to be taken into consideration are the total cost of the refinancing, the total monthly savings, and how long you plan to stay in your house after you refinance. You can calculate how long it will take you to break even on refinancing costs by dividing the total cost of the refinance by the monthly amount you will be saving. For example, if the cost is $2,500, and you reduce your monthly payments by $100, then it will take 25 months to start seeing the savings from the reduced mortgage rate. If you plan on staying in your house longer than this, then it may just make sense for you.
Another reason that someone might consider refinancing is if they are trying to consolidate= debt. In such cases, there is also the tax impact that one should look at. Many loan types are not tax deductible, whereas mortgage loans are. Therefore for that reason alone it may be a good idea to consolidate outstanding credit card debt, student loans, car loans, as well as others.
Some people may not have a choice about refinancing, it is a must for them. This happens in cases where they have a loan with a balloon payment coming up and no conversion option. In instances like this the best bet is to refinance the mortgage a few months before the balloon payment is due.
If you do decide that the costs associated with doing a refinance outweigh the benefits, you should ask your bank or financial institution if you can get some of the terms that you want by agreeing to a modification of your current loan. However you choose to go, remember that it always makes sense to consult with a mortgage professional before making your move. This can end up saving you both time and= money. You should also do research before making a decision. Spend some time on the web familiarizing yourself with what you are getting yourself into. Take the time to read up on and understand what your options are.
More on Mortgage Refinancing.

About the Author

None

Six Ways Under Your Nose To Finance Your Home Business

Peter Dobler — Sun, 21 May 2006 13:12:50 +0000

George A. Parker

There are lots of ways to get additional capital to expand a home-based business. But before you look outside for financing, leaving the decision about your company's progress and merits to someone else, consider these six ways under your nose to finance your home-based business:

Personal Savings

Savings are easy to tap and involve no paperwork.

The negatives: if you use the money in your business, it eats into your safety reserve and is no longer there for emergencies. It diverts funds from a very low risk investment to a high one.

Whole-Life Insurance

Whole life policies accumulate tax-deferred cash value that you can tap for your business. But the only way you can tap this cash without paying taxes is to borrow against your policy. As long as you keep your policy intact and pay premiums when due, loans remain tax-free.

The negatives: you will be converting a low risk investment into a high one; if you decide to terminate your policy or if you default on repaying your loan, taxes will be due on all cash value accumulated under the policy; if you die before your loan is repaid, any distributions to your beneficiaries will be reduced by the amount of your outstanding loan.

A Loan from Your 401-K Plan

You can borrow up to $ 50,000 of the money you have saved under many 401-K plans. There are no credit checks. Interest is usually a percentage point or two above the prime rate and the interest that you pay back to the plan will be tax-deferred to the plan. Most loans are repayable out of salary deductions over five years.

The negatives: you will have less money invested toward retirement; the dollars used to repay the loan will be after-tax dollars withheld from your paycheck; if you fail to repay the loan, the IRS considers your failure a premature distribution -- you will be charged taxes on the borrowed amount plus you may be assessed a 10% early-withdrawal penalty.

A Home-Equity Loan

These loans do require that you apply and be reasonably credit worthy. You generally can borrow up to 80% or 90% of the equity value of your home. Interest on these loans is generally tax-deductible.

The negatives: you will reduce the equity value of your home by the loan amount; you will be diverting funds from a relatively safe investment to a high risk one; if you default, you put your house at risk of foreclosure. Think very carefully before using this form of financing.

Personal Credit Lines and Credit Cards

They are convenient, versatile forms of financing. You can borrow and re-borrow up to the line limit as needed.

The negatives: you will pay relatively high interest rates-- rates range from 12% to over 18%; the minimum monthly payment on many of these arrangements will repay the outstanding balance within 42 months; it is easy to dig yourself deep into debt using credit lines and credit card debt; high outstanding balances against your line can negatively impact your personal credit rating.

A Margin Loan

You can use margin loans for purposes other than buying additional securities.

Any margin loan will be secured by your equity shares. Rates are often below prime, applying is relatively easy, and these loans have very flexible repayment terms.

Loans are initially limited to 50% of the purchase price of your equity securities. Loan repayments are triggered when the value of your stock falls below the margin limit.

The negatives: Because borrowings are predicated on volatile stock values, a margin loan can be a risky proposition; if you default in repaying, the brokerage firm can sell your securities to satisfy the loan; an untimely sell-off can have a devastating effect on your portfolio and negative tax consequences.

The only safe way to consider a margin loan to finance your home-based business is to limit advances to a relative low ratio of your stock portfolio value say, 25% or less.

Most of these financing methods are under your control and don't require business plans or company financials to qualify. Although each of these methods has risks and disadvantages, so do most external methods of financing. Before proceeding with one of these financing methods, carefully consider the potential benefits, risks and consequences. Whatever you decide, it helps to know the options right under your nose.

About The Author

George Parker is a Director and Executive Vice President of Leasing Technologies International, Inc. ("LTI"). He is responsible for overseeing the company's marketing and financing efforts. One of the co-founders of LTI, Mr. Parker has been involved in secured lending and equipment financing for over twenty years. Mr. Parker is an industry leader, frequent panelist and author of several articles pertaining to equipment financing.

Headquartered in Wilton, CT, LTI is a leasing firm specializing nationally in direct equipment financing and vendor leasing programs for emerging growth and later-stage, venture capital backed companies. More information about LTI is available at http://www.ltileasing.com.

gpmail129-groups@yahoo.com

Take The Mystery Out Of Finances And Simplify Your Life

Peter Dobler — Fri, 19 May 2006 13:13:49 +0000

Kathleen Sutera

What is finance and what do you need to know? Finance can
mean different things. It may refer to your personal
financial situation. It could refer to your investments or a
business's investments. It could refer to a credit or loan
purchase.

Financing can be involved in your life in different ways.
For example, if you are going to invest in a large purchase
such as a house or even a car. Large furniture purchases and
credit cards all fall into these categories. Interest rates
are the most integral part of financing. Why else would a
company want to loan you money or offer you credit? How else
would they benefit? They benefit from the interest that you
have to pay in on financing your loan. There are different
types of financing options available.

The percentage rate is the amount of interest that you pay.
The percentage rate is the certain portion of your loan or
credit that you pay back in interest. For= example, if your
loan was for $40,000 and your interest rate was 12.3% then
you would pay 12.3% of $40,000 in interest. The interest
would be added onto your $40,000 and you would pay it back
via your monthly payments.

Fixed rate: A fixed rate means your interest rate will stay
the same no matter what. People usually prefer these. If you
can get a low fixed rate, it will stay with you even if
other average interest rates are going up. Balloon rate: A
balloon rate can fluctuate with the times and the stock
market but depending on the situation, this can be
beneficial to you as well. You will have to decide which you
think is best for you.

There are different types of financing options as we
mentioned earlier. Probably the most common example of
finance in the United States is credit cards. A credit card
allows you to make purchases with the card. The bank issuing
the card will pay on your behalf and you then pay the= bank
back, plus the interest. The bank makes money off the
interest and you get what you want right away.

The same thing applies to pay-as-you-go or rental furniture
companies. There are even rent-to-own housing services now
where your monthly rent can go towards buying the house if
you want to stay. Financing should be a way to help you
achieve something that you're going to be purchasing anyway.
Financing can get you in your house quicker than saving up
the cash. Become knowledgable and financing can be a tool
that will serve you well.

About the Author

The author has discovered that what you do NOT know about your finances can hurt you. She has shared her knowledge and tips about finances with thousands of people and helped them to have a good relationship with money and financial matters

Kathleen Sutera is founder of All About Finance an excellent resource site dedicated to information on finance

Taking control of your finances

Peter Dobler — Wed, 17 May 2006 13:12:44 +0000

Debra Lohrere

To find money to invest for your future, you need to make sure that your outgoing expenses are less than the income that you are receiving. You need to develop an excess that you can have free to invest.

Now before you start to think...."well I don't have any excess left...if I was earning more money....then I would have some free". Let me dispel this myth...and tell you that it is a known and excepted fact that the amount of money that people earn has little if any bearing on whether or not they have an excess left to invest. The only way to create an excess it to spend less than you earn, instead of spending all that you earn.

Even doctors and lawyers, who earn well over $100,000.00 per year, often end up at retirement with little more Net Worth than factory or office workers.

Net Worth is calculated by deducting the value of all the liabilities or loans you have from the income-producing assets owned to give you the net value of= your income-producing assets.

Why aren't high-income earners retiring wealthy? Why don't they end up with a greater Net Worth than someone on a low income? It is quite simple. Human nature seems to dictate that whatever anyone earns....they spend....some even spend more than they earn and charge it on their credit card.

The higher your income grows...the more you spend and the only way to get out of this cycle is to realise that it is happening, and make a concerted effort to reverse this habit....and to begin reducing your expenditures so that you can free up money to invest.

The best way to do this, is to try the 20/80 plan. This plan simply means that as soon as you receive your pay....you put aside 10% for God, 10% of it for investment....and then use the other 80% to live off of. Put aside the 20%, and then pay all the bills and do the grocery shopping....and then after that whatever is left over you can spend.

Most people do it the wrong way= around...they pay the bills, do the shopping and spend what is left over, never leaving any left to save or invest. By taking the investment money out first you will alleviate the temptation to spend it.

The road to wealth is not determined by how much you earn, but by how you utilise the income you have and how much you save and invest.

You need to take control of your finances. One of the best ways to start having more control over your money is to find out where it has all been going, and then amend your spending habits to allow you to live within the 20/80 plan.

If you write down a list of your monthly net income, then in another column write down a list of the essential items that you have to spend money on. You should be able to work out an average for telephone, gas, electricity, insurances and rates, from your previous bills. Work out an average of how much is spent on grocery shopping and petrol. If there are any other necessary utilities include them= as well. Then deduct the second column from the first - and this will give you the maximum potential savings for each month.

It can be quite startling how high this figure can be and make you wonder where all the extra money went.

Another good learning experience is to simply write down for a fortnight every dollar spent and write next to it what it was for. You will soon find that there are a lot of unnecessary expenses, often caused by impulse buying, where you have spent money on items that you neither needed or really wanted, and could easily have gone without.

When you can begin to recognise these areas, and start to consider whether or not you are spending your money wisely, before you hand it over, then you will be beginning to take control over your money and are well on the way to embarking on your investment journey, which will enable you to have a financially secure future for you and your children.

Visit my website at To find money to invest= for your future, you need to make sure that your outgoing expenses are less than the income that you are receiving. You need to develop an excess that you can have free to invest.

Now before you start to think...."well I don't have any excess left...if I was earning more money....then I would have some free". Let me dispel this myth...and tell you that it is a known and excepted fact that the amount of money that people earn has little if any bearing on whether or not they have an excess left to invest. The only way to create an excess it to spend less than you earn, instead of spending all that you earn.

Even doctors and lawyers, who earn well over $100,000.00 per year, often end up at retirement with little more Net Worth than factory or office workers.

Net Worth is calculated by deducting the value of all the liabilities or loans you have from the income-producing assets owned to give you the net value of your income-producing assets.

Why aren't= high-income earners retiring wealthy? Why don't they end up with a greater Net Worth than someone on a low income? It is quite simple. Human nature seems to dictate that whatever anyone earns....they spend....some even spend more than they earn and charge it on their credit card.

The higher your income grows...the more you spend and the only way to get out of this cycle is to realise that it is happening, and make a concerted effort to reverse this habit....and to begin reducing your expenditures so that you can free up money to invest.

The best way to do this, is to try the 20/80 plan. This plan simply means that as soon as you receive your pay....you put aside 10% for God, 10% of it for investment....and then use the other 80% to live off of. Put aside the 20%, and then pay all the bills and do the grocery shopping....and then after that whatever is left over you can spend.

Most people do it the wrong way around...they pay the bills, do the shopping and spend= what is left over, never leaving any left to save or invest. By taking the investment money out first you will alleviate the temptation to spend it.

The road to wealth is not determined by how much you earn, but by how you utilise the income you have and how much you save and invest.

You need to take control of your finances. One of the best ways to start having more control over your money is to find out where it has all been going, and then amend your spending habits to allow you to live within the 20/80 plan.

If you write down a list of your monthly net income, then in another column write down a list of the essential items that you have to spend money on. You should be able to work out an average for telephone, gas, electricity, insurances and rates, from your previous bills. Work out an average of how much is spent on grocery shopping and petrol. If there are any other necessary utilities include them as well. Then deduct the second column from the first -= and this will give you the maximum potential savings for each month.

It can be quite startling how high this figure can be and make you wonder where all the extra money went.

Another good learning experience is to simply write down for a fortnight every dollar spent and write next to it what it was for. You will soon find that there are a lot of unnecessary expenses, often caused by impulse buying, where you have spent money on items that you neither needed or really wanted, and could easily have gone without.

When you can begin to recognise these areas, and start to consider whether or not you are spending your money wisely, before you hand it over, then you will be beginning to take control over your money and are well on the way to embarking on your investment journey, which will enable you to have a financially secure future for you and your children.

To find money to invest for your future, you need to make sure that your outgoing expenses are less= than the income that you are receiving. You need to develop an excess that you can have free to invest.

Now before you start to think...."well I don't have any excess left...if I was earning more money....then I would have some free". Let me dispel this myth...and tell you that it is a known and excepted fact that the amount of money that people earn has little if any bearing on whether or not they have an excess left to invest. The only way to create an excess it to spend less than you earn, instead of spending all that you earn.

Even doctors and lawyers, who earn well over $100,000.00 per year, often end up at retirement with little more Net Worth than factory or office workers.

Net Worth is calculated by deducting the value of all the liabilities or loans you have from the income-producing assets owned to give you the net value of your income-producing assets.

Why aren't high-income earners retiring wealthy? Why don't they end up with a greater= Net Worth than someone on a low income? It is quite simple. Human nature seems to dictate that whatever anyone earns....they spend....some even spend more than they earn and charge it on their credit card.

The higher your income grows...the more you spend and the only way to get out of this cycle is to realise that it is happening, and make a concerted effort to reverse this habit....and to begin reducing your expenditures so that you can free up money to invest.

The best way to do this, is to try the 20/80 plan. This plan simply means that as soon as you receive your pay....you put aside 10% for God, 10% of it for investment....and then use the other 80% to live off of. Put aside the 20%, and then pay all the bills and do the grocery shopping....and then after that whatever is left over you can spend.

Most people do it the wrong way around...they pay the bills, do the shopping and spend what is left over, never leaving any left to save or invest. By taking the= investment money out first you will alleviate the temptation to spend it.

The road to wealth is not determined by how much you earn, but by how you utilise the income you have and how much you save and invest.

You need to take control of your finances. One of the best ways to start having more control over your money is to find out where it has all been going, and then amend your spending habits to allow you to live within the 20/80 plan.

If you write down a list of your monthly net income, then in another column write down a list of the essential items that you have to spend money on. You should be able to work out an average for telephone, gas, electricity, insurances and rates, from your previous bills. Work out an average of how much is spent on grocery shopping and petrol. If there are any other necessary utilities include them as well. Then deduct the second column from the first - and this will give you the maximum potential savings for each month.=

It can be quite startling how high this figure can be and make you wonder where all the extra money went.

Another good learning experience is to simply write down for a fortnight every dollar spent and write next to it what it was for. You will soon find that there are a lot of unnecessary expenses, often caused by impulse buying, where you have spent money on items that you neither needed or really wanted, and could easily have gone without.

When you can begin to recognise these areas, and start to consider whether or not you are spending your money wisely, before you hand it over, then you will be beginning to take control over your money and are well on the way to embarking on your investment journey, which will enable you to have a financially secure future for you and your children.

Visit the authors web site at http://members.optushome.com.au/dlohrere/

About the Author

Debra has spent several years researching the powerful medium of property investment and speaking with hundreds of other property investors. She has discovered many different strategies that have been used and the ones that have worked best. She now writes books and articles about property investment, goal setting, budgeting and how to create financial security for retirement

The changing shape of family finances

Peter Dobler — Sat, 13 May 2006 13:15:42 +0000

cashzilla

Families are becoming an increasingly complex unit when it comes to money management. Parents are working longer hours, couples are spending less time with each other and children are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their material wants and information needs. Whilst centralising funds is important in the family, so is an analysis of the individual roles and associated financial requirements.

Super-mums
It seems that the proof of maternal efforts is no longer found in the pudding it's in the spending. Women are increasingly outsourcing personal grooming tasks and the pressure of looking good, feeling healthy, maintaining a tight ship and IQ level has meant that housecleaning and gardening are again fashionable methods to promote the family brand; housewifery is now a career, with all the attitude of 21st century post-feminism. It emerged in a recent BBC report, that a new type of parent was surfacing.the "manager mum". Manager mums tend to use= the internet to save time on tasks and streamline activity, using the Web to undertake jobs such as grocery shopping or banking.

Once they've got their partner, it doesn't seem women can relax about their appearances, with women in relationships spending more on their appearance than their single counterparts. UK housewives spend a massive £5 billion on 'keeping up appearances', in terms of gardening, home furnishings and personal grooming, according to a study by Virgin Money Credit Cards. UK women are splurging out an average of £3,488 each on personal appearance and their home and garden. Of the £3,488, 47% is spent on the home and garden, whilst the remainder goes on clothes, haircuts, beauty products and treatments.

The pressure to look good may be a factor in women being labelled as the worst savers, as reported by Guardian Unlimited. In an annual study by IFA Promotion, 63% of the women who stated that they were unable to put aside further savings, admitted= to spending their spare cash on costly and unnecessary luxuries, whilst 28% of women get themselves into debt with expensive purchases. Women apparently seem to be content with spending up to 75% of disposable income and saving less than 20%, in contrast to men who save over 25% of their income and invest 8%.

Peter Pan fathers
Whilst fathers are not physically getting any younger, there is evidence that their mental age may be falling. The BBC recently reported that a new type of dad had emerged the "gadget dad", whilst in November last year, the Guardian reported that men were significantly delaying fatherhood. In a study by Panlogic, "gadget dads" love technology and have all the latest tech toys, from Sky TV to a car navigation system. Perhaps this love of tech toys is also the reason inhibiting men from diverting funds to babies. According to the Guardian, 81% of men admitted that financial fears would make them postpone having children and if current trends= continue, the average age of men becoming fathers will rise to 40 by 2065. Virgin Money Life Insurance also reported in their studies that new fathers were waiting longer to start families and that UK fathers are working the longest hours in Europe.

Savvy kids
A recent investigation by Halifax found a positive attitude towards saving is increasing amongst children. Whilst in 1998, a third of children saved more than they spent; now that figure is over fifty percent. The bank discovered that most children are prepared to save for an expensive item, though parents of younger children faced more of a struggle, as 22% of seven to eleven year olds pestered their way towards getting what they wanted. Piggy banks, it would seem, may become sentimental souvenirs, as more children save their money in a bank or building society.

This trend of 'keeping up appearances' seems to induce individualistic behaviour in families, reducing co-operation on financial issues. This= erodes family values in society and discourages future generations from investing in children. Without the motivation to invest in sustainable communities or even a sustainable standard of living, (currently supported by £1.1 trillion of debt), the issue of successful management of family finance remains trivial.

Additional information:
Family finance information:
http://www.moneynet.co.uk/
Useful brochures & fact sheets:
http://www.unbiased.co.uk/website/brochures/
Random financial ranting:
http://cashzilla.blogspot.com/

About Rachel: Rachel writes for the personal finance blog Cashzilla: http://www.cashzilla.co.uk Cashzilla is a personalfinanosaurus. "Rachel" means sheep in Hebrew: "little lamb" or "one with purity". Cashzilla means financially savvy with great fiery ferocity.

The Question Is - To Refinance or Not?

Peter Dobler — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:12:31 +0000

Hilda Schultze

What does it mean to refinance? Why would anyone want to
consider it? There are numerous situations when someone
would refinance. When we use the word refinance, we are
basically referring to a loan: for example a car or house
loan. It may also be a business loan. In this article, we
are going to explain the home loan and some of the common
terms of refinancing and how they apply to other types of
loans as well.

The process of taking out a new mortgage or loan is called
refinancing, and using that money which you have received,
to close out your older mortgage. The process of doing a
refinance helps many homeowners, because you may then be
able to obtain a loan at a more favorable interest rate.
This can mean that you have the capability to retire
your mortgage earlier and have a lesser amount owed.

Since a refinance plan basically amounts to taking out a
new mortgage and closing out the previous mortgage,= the
procedures involved resemble, those involved in taking out
your first mortgage. It is vital to keep in mind that the
procedure will probably involve at least some of the same
expenses again, because of this. But in view of the huge
amount of money that refinancing can benefit you, homeowners
discover that it is often well worth the hassle. Some
people may even decide to save up a specific amount of
money and apply it as a 'down payment" on the sum that they
refinance. They can then refinance a lesser amount and the
payments will be less.

Of course, the most popular reason to refinance is so
that homeowners can secure a lower interest rate and
therefore pay lower repayments each month. If the interest
rate that you received on your mortgage is higher than
current interest rates, you will probably want to consider
the benefits of refinancing. This means that even if your
refinanced mortgage is for the same amount as= your
original mortgage, the lower interest rate means a total
lowered cost to you. Often a long-term loan will have a
large amount of interest and you may spend years paying
off just the interest and not paying the principal.

Naturally, when you refinance, it can mean lower
monthly mortgage payments for you and your family.
This essentially gives you greater freedom each month,
and far better security financially. Look into refinancing
options today, and start saving on your home mortgage!
Contact a mortgage broker and ask him or her to investigate
what options are open to you.

Hilda Schultze has created a one stop resource site Refinance Ctr

The Shadowy World of International Finance

Peter Dobler — Tue, 09 May 2006 13:12:32 +0000

Sam Vaknin

Strange, penumbral, characters roam the boardrooms of banks in the countries in transition. Some of them pop apparently from nowhere, others are very well connected and equipped with the most excellent introductions. They all peddle financial transactions which are too good to be true and often are. In the unctuously perfumed propinquity of their Mercedesed, Rolex waving entourage - the polydipsic natives dissolve in their irresistible charm and the temptations of the cash: mountainous returns on capital, effulgent profits, no collaterals, track record, or business plan required. Total security is cloyingly assured.

These Fausts roughly belong to four tribes:

The Shoppers

These are the shabby operators of the marginal shadows of the world of finance. They broker financial deals with meretricious sweat only to be rewarded their meagre, humiliated fees. Most of their deals do not materialize. The principle is very simple:

They approach a= bank, a financial institution, or a borrower and say: "We are connected to banks or financial institutions in the West. We can bring you money in the form of credits. But to do that - you must first express interest in getting this money. You must furnish us with a bank guarantee / promissory note / letter of intent that indicates that you desire the credit and that you are willing to provide a liquid financial instrument to back it up.". Having obtained such instruments, the shoppers begin to "shop around". They approach banks and financial institutions (usually, in the West). This time, they reverse their text: "We have an excellent client, a good borrower. Are you willing to lend to it?" An informal process of tendering ensues. Sometimes it ends in a transaction and the shopper collects a small commission (between one quarter of a percentage point and two percentage points - depending on the amount). Mostly it doesn't -and the Flying Dutchman resumes his wanderings looking= for more venal gulosity and less legal probity.

The Con-Men

These are crooks who set up elaborate schemes ("sting operations") to extract money from unsuspecting people and financial institutions. They establish "front" or "phantom" firms and offices throughout the world. They tempt the gullible by offering them enormous, immediate, tax-free, effort-free, profits. They let the victims profit in the first round or two of the scam. Then, they sting: the victims invest money and it evaporates together with the dishonest operators. The "offices" are deserted, the fake identities, the forged bank references, the falsified guarantees are all exposed (often with the help of an inside informant).

Probably the most famous and enduring scam is the "Nigerian-type Connection". Letters - allegedly composed by very influential and highly placed officials - are sent out to unsuspecting businessmen. The latter are asked to make their bank accounts available to the= former, who profess to need the third party bank accounts through which to funnel the sweet fruits of corruption. The account owners are promised huge financial rewards if they collaborate and if they bear some minor-by-comparison upfront costs. The con-men pocket these "expenses" and vanish. Sometimes, they even empty the accounts of their entire balance as they evaporate.

The Launderers

A lot of cash goes undeclared to tax authorities in countries in transition. The informal economy (the daughter of both criminal and legitimate parents) comprises between 15% (Slovenia) and 50% (Russia, Macedonia) of the official one. Some say these figures are a deliberate and ferocious understatement. These are mind boggling amounts, which circulate between financial centres and off shore havens in the world: Cyprus, the Cayman Islands, Liechtenstein (Vaduz), Panama and dozens of aspiring laundrettes.

The money thus smuggled is kept in low-yielding cash deposits. To escape= the cruel fate of inflationary corrosion, it has to be reinvested. It is stealthily re-introduced to the very economy that it so sought to evade, in the form of investment capital or other financial assets (loans and credits). Its anxious owners are preoccupied with legitimising their stillborn cash through the conduit of tax-fearing enterprises, or with lending it to same. The emphasis is on the word: "legitimate". The money surges in through mysterious and anonymous foreign corporations, via off-shore banking centres, even through respectable financial institutions (the Bank of New York we mentioned?). It is easy to recognize a laundering operation. Its hallmark is a pronounced lack of selectivity. The money is invested in anything and everything, as long as it appears legitimate. Diversification is not sought by these nouveau tycoons and they have no core investment strategy. They spread their illicit funds among dozens of disparate economic activities and show not the= slightest interest in the putative yields on their investments, the maturity of their assets, the quality of their newly acquired businesses, their history, or real value. Never the sedulous, they pay exorbitantly for all manner of prestidigital endeavours. The future prospects and other normal investment criteria are beyond them. All they are after is a mirage of lapidarity.

The Investors

This is the most intriguing group. Normative, law abiding, businessmen, who stumbled across methods to secure excessive yields on their capital and are looking to borrow their way into increasing it. By cleverly participating in bond tenders, by devising ingenious option strategies, or by arbitraging - yields of up to 300% can be collected in the immature markets of transition without the normally associated risks. This sub-species can be found mainly in Russia and in the Balkans.

Its members often buy sovereign bonds and notes at discounts of up to 80% of their face value.= Russian obligations could be had for less in August 1998 and Macedonian ones during the Kosovo crisis. In cahoots with the issuing country's central bank, they then convert the obligations to local currency at par (=for 100% of their face value). The difference makes, needless to add, for an immediate and hefty profit, yet it is in (often worthless and vicissitudinal) local currency. The latter is then hurriedly disposed of (at a discount) and sold to multinationals with operations in the country of issue, which are in need of local tender. This fast becomes an almost addictive avocation.

Intoxicated by this pecuniary nectar, the fortunate, those privy to the secret, try to raise more capital by hunting for financial instruments they can convert to cash in Western banks. A bank guarantee, a promissory note, a confirmed letter of credit, a note or a bond guaranteed by the Central Bank - all will do as deposited collateral against which a credit line is established and cash is= drawn. The cash is then invested in a new cycle of inebriation to yield fantastic profits.

It is easy to identify these "investors". They eagerly seek financial instruments from almost any local bank, no matter how suspect. They offer to pay for these coveted documents (bank guarantees, bankers' acceptances, letters of credit) either in cash or by lending to the bank's clients and this within a month or more from the date of their issuance. They agree to "cancel" the locally issued financial instruments by offering a "counter-financial-instrument" (safe keeping receipt, contra-guarantee, counter promissory note, etc.). This "counter-instrument" is issued by the very Prime World or European Bank in which the locally issued financial instruments are deposited as collateral.

The Investors invariably confidently claim that the financial instrument issued by the local bank will never be presented or used (which is true) and that this is a risk free transaction= (which is not entirely so). If they are forced to lend to the bank's clients, they often ignore the quality of the credit takers, the yields, the maturities and other considerations which normally tend to interest lenders very much.

Whether a financial instrument cancelled by another is still valid, presentable and should be honoured by its issuer is still debated. In some cases it is clearly so. If something goes horribly (and rarely, admittedly) wrong with these transactions - the local bank stands to suffer, too.

It all boils down to a terrible hunger, the kind of thirst that can be quelled only by the denominated liquidity of lucre. In the post nuclear landscape of this part of the world, a fantasy is shared by both predators and prey. Circling each other in marble temples, they switch their roles in dizzying progression. Tycoons and politicians, industrialists and bureaucrats all vie for the attention of Mammon. The shifting coalitions of well groomed man in back= stabbed suits, an hallucinatory carousel of avarice and guile. But every circus folds and every luna park is destined to shut down. The dying music, the frozen accounts of the deceived, the bankrupt banks, the Jurassic Park of skeletal industrial beasts - a muted testimony to a wild age of mutual assured destruction and self deceit. The future of Eastern and South Europe. The present of Russia, Albania and Yugoslavia.

About the Author

Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He is a columnist for Central Europe Review, United Press International (UPI) and eBookWeb and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory and Suite101.

Web site:

http://samvak.tripod.com/