30 Dec
2009

December 30th 2009 – Blue Global Media  parent company of MoneyNowUSA is hiring for 2 new postions. Visit our corporate website at http://www.BlueGlobalMedia.com to apply. The job openings at Blue Global are in our Scottsdale offices. Postion of financial copywriter, and personal assitant to the president are open and waiting to be filled by Jan 17th 2009. Blue Global Media is a 5 year old internet marketing company. Apply today at BlueGlobalMedia.com

30 Dec
2009

If you are worried about finances and have credit cards to pay off as well as unsecured loans, student debt, lines of credit, and other forms of credit, it can seem like it will be hard to dig out. However, there are ways to make 2010 sunnier in terms of your finances. You can get a fresh start in several ways:

1) Develop better financial habits. Start saving and start learning about finances and your options. Develop a plan to pay off your bills on time. Good financial habits take some time, but they will eventually lead to better financial health.

2) Declare bankruptcy if you have to. No one likes to think about it, but if you truly have no other options, bankruptcy lets you get out from under a mountain of debt and allows you to start over. You will have to slowly rebuild your credit and your assets, but it can ensure that you do get to start over.

3) Organize your finances. Look at all your accounts, student loans, credit cards, and personal loans. What do you owe and to whom? How much are you making each month? How much do you have in savings and assets? Consider where you stand and then develop a way of organizing your finances. Develop a bill payment system, for example, so that you will not miss bills again. Set up a filing system for your receipts so that you are not scrambling in April. Getting organized makes you more in control and lays down the groundwork for better financial habits.

4) Develop a plan. After looking at your finances, determine what you need to do in order to do better financially. Do you need to make more money (maybe by diversifying your income)? Do you need to save and invest more? Do you need to pay down your unsecured loans? Write out your plan in detail and break it down to small steps you can start doing today to improve your financial tomorrow. Even if you just put $5 in your savings account today (and do the same tomorrow and the day after that…) you are paving the way to a better life.

30 Dec
2009

You can start improving your credit score right now, so that you can enjoy better jobs, better apartments, and better interest rates on personal loans. Here’s how to get started:

1) Check out our guide to credit repair to learn the basics.

2) Make it easy to pay your bills on time. Paying your bills on time can be one of the fastest and easiest ways to improve your credit score. If you forget or if you are struggling, consider setting up automatic bill payments with your bank so that you do not have to even think about it. If your bills are expensive, find ways to make them more affordable. For example, maybe you can afford to pay your personal loans each month if you get rid of some extra services or subscriptions you don’t need.

3) Don’t let mistakes mar your credit rating. Order your credit reports now from the credit bureaus and carefully go over them to make sure that there are no mistakes. If there are, report them to the bureaus and in a few months double-check to make sure that the mistakes have been fixed.

4) Pay down your personal loans and credit cards. Yes, it may take some time, but it will ensure that you qualify for more than just bad credit loans. Start with your highest-interest personal loans first, such as your payday loans or credit cards. For credit cards and lines of credit, try to maintain a balance of no more than 30% of your credit limit. Having 60% available helps to improve your credit score.

30 Dec
2009

If you live paycheck to paycheck, rollover advance payday loans repeatedly and have plenty of credit card debt as well as personal loans, you probably know that you are spending quite a lot. Even if you don’t have lots of personal loans, having too much debt to repay easily can be a sign of trouble.

Spending less allows you to reply on loans less and lets you put more money towards student loans, mortgages, personal loans, and other forms of debt so that you can get out of debt faster. Plus, savings can mean more money in your savings account or emergency fund.

Saving doesn’t have to hurt and it does not have to be about deprivation. In fact, saving can be all about having more of what you really want. Keep track of every tiny expense for a week or a month – how many of your purchases really bring you pleasure? How many change your life for the better? The truth is, many of us spend cash on things we waste, throw away, and don’t really enjoy. Save on these items – rather than scaling back on true pleasures – and you’ll save plenty in 2010.

Here’s how to do it: each time you are about to make a purchase, ask yourself whether you really want to buy what you are about to buy? Do you love it? Will you use it? Will in change your life one to five years down the line? Will it bring you pleasure? If you’re getting “no” answers, think twice. Then, determine how much of your life you are giving away for the thing you are about to buy. If you make $20 an hour and you are considering a $100 sweater, you are considering a purchase that amounts to five years of your life. Is the sweater worth that much? Considering purchases in this way can make a big difference and can free you to say “no” and save your money for those items that really are worth it to you.

29 Dec
2009

If you have a lot of debt but can afford to make some progress on it, you can likely pay off your personal loans, student loans, credit cards, and other debt. If you are having trouble making it financially from month to month, though, and are falling behind you may need more help. If you are relying on payday loans or are getting collection agency calls, you have likely missed some of the signs that your debt was getting out of control. There are still a few things you can do:

1) Focus on making more money and increasing your income so that you can invest the extra cash into your debt load.

2) Seek professional help. Your bank may have advisors who can help you set a budget and evaluate your options. There are also non-profit credit repair companies that may be able to help you. These companies can help you negotiate with lenders or can help you get a consolidation loan. Just be aware that these companies are not all the same. Some charge hefty fees and some are not as helpful as advertised. Research carefully, read all the fine print, and make sure that you understand what services you are getting. Do not sign up with a company if they will be doing things you could do for yourself.

3) Learn about bankruptcy. If you are really in debt and your ability to make money is affected by illness or some other problem, bankruptcy is a chance to start over. It can be a way to get a fresh start if you truly cannot pay your debt, but it will affect your credit score for some time, so think carefully.

4) Read our credit repair guide for more great tips.

A big debt can be scary but there is a solution for just about everyone out there. Be persistent, know your options and you, too, can get out of debt.

29 Dec
2009

The key to mastering your debts in the New Year involves two things: paying down what you can and lowering what you pay on your debts. Together, these two things can help you get out of debt. Here’s how to make your debt go away using these two principles:

1) Evaluate your debt. Take a look at the total amount you owe, how much you are paying in interest and fees on your debts, and how much of your paycheck goes towards your debts each month. This can be an eye-opener. Be especially vigilant about credit cards, unsecured loans, and payday cash advances – these unsecured debts have higher interest rates and may cost you more.

2) Create a budget and a plan for paying down your debt. How much can you afford to put towards your debt each month? Do the math: with that amount, how long will it take you to pay off all your loans? If the answer is “too long” you need a better plan. Come up with ways to bring in more cash (see our series about maximizing your income) and put your extra earnings towards your debt.

3) Tackle the highest interest rates first. Credit cards, payday loans, and signature loans have higher interest rates. It makes no sense to pay off your mortgage faster if you have these debts. Look at the highest interest rate you have and put all your extra cash into paying down that debt. Then move on to the next highest interest rate and so on.

4) Lower your interest rates. You don’t have to pay the full price of your debts. In many cases, you might be able to negotiate for better terms or a better rate. Read our guide on how to lower your credit card interest rates, for example. Talk to other lenders about slashing rates and fees – many lenders are willing to do this rather than risk losing you to a competitor. If this is not an option (because your credit is not perfect), consider consolidating your debts so that you pay less interest. Paying less interest means that more of your cash can go towards paying down the actual loan amount, and this can help you get out of debt much faster.

5) Remember your emergency fund. Even if you want to pay off your debts very quickly, you still need to pay yourself. Put aside money in your savings each month.

6) Avoid new debt. You knew that, though, didn’t you?

29 Dec
2009

Debt is a fact of life, and believe it or not, it can be good. For many people, debt in the form of student loans paves the way for a better education and a good career. Debt allows us to own a home. Without personal loans, we would have to save up the hundreds of thousands of dollars for a home!

While debt allows us to enjoy a good lifestyle and lets us afford important things (such as medical care or a home) too much debt is a bad thing. Too much debt can leave you scrambling to pay your bills and can cost you a lot of money. It can sink your credit score and make you worry.

There are also different types of debt. Student loans and secured loans such as mortgages tend to have a high value of return (you get something valuable for these loans) and tend to have low interest rates. More worrying are credit cards, unsecured personal loans, payday loans, and other forms of lending that have high interest rates. You want to keep these loans to a minimum.

28 Dec
2009

Setting goals for your finances is a must. Do you make resolutions or set specific goals for your money regularly? If not, why not? Without goals, you won’t know what to do next to improve your finances. Without goals, money could be slipping through your fingers at an alarming rate. Here’s how to get good at financial goals:

1) Think of the smallest possible goal and get it handled immediately. Put $5 in a savings account (or open a savings account), pay off that payday advance, or read a book about investing. Doing just one positive thing to improve your finances gets you on the right track.

2) Make plans. Consider where you want to be. What kind of life do you want to live? How much do you want your net worth to be? Do you want a house or a car? When do you want to retire? Write it all down – these are your long-term goals.

3) Evaluate. You need to determine where you are to decide where you are going. Take a look at your credit report, tally up all that you owe, gather your financial papers into one big box to go over, and determine your total net income.

3) Once you know where you are and where you are headed, make a list of all the areas of your financial life on a page. You should have categories like these – long term-goals, short-term goals (one to three years), savings, income, credit score, debts, investments. Under each category, brainstorm everything you could do to help improve that area of your financial life. For example, you might open a savings account and start saving for a short-term goal. You might pay $50 towards your signature loans each month until they are paid off. Post your list where you will see it. Aim to cross off as many action steps as you can.

28 Dec
2009

Mastering your finances can be confusing if you don’t know where to start, which steps to take first. For example, you may wonder whether you should pay off debts first or save first, or whether you should make investing a priority or whether you should focus on improving your savings. It can seem confusing and overwhelming and it can be hard to know what to do first.

The truth is that the more you do, the more your finances will improve overall. By focusing on savings, improving your earnings, and paying down your unsecured loans at the same time, for example, you can improve your credit score and your overall financial health. Where possible, take action on as things as you can in your financial life. You could short-change yourself. If you put off investing, for example, to pay off your unsecured loans or payday loans, for example, you could end up losing thousands in possible retirement savings.

28 Dec
2009

Mastering your finances means looking at all the little things that make up your finances – your unsecured debt, your credit score, your secured loans, your income, your investments, your savings – but it also means taking a look at the big picture. If you want to improve your finances this year, consider taking a holistic approach to money.

You can start by going over your psychology when it comes to money. Think long and hard about your attitude towards money. Many of us grow up with some very mixed messages about money. On the one hand, it’s great to have it. It may make us feel good and we may be taught that people with money should be respected. On the other hand, we may be told that money is “dirty” or that having lots of money means that you are stepping on someone to get it (think of how the wealthy are depicted in cartoons and movies).

It may seem New Age-y, but how you think about money can affect what’s in your pocketbook. If you don’t have a healthy respect for money, how can you expect to have a healthy bank account? If you are timid with money, you might not be investing and if you are uncomfortable with money you could be spending it all just to get some relief. Consider all the ways that you think about money. What are your attitudes and how have these attitudes shaped your money decisions? What are your attitudes about saving and earning? What do you need to change in your thinking to make 2010 more prosperous?