In the complex world of employee background screening, no two countries are alike. In the United States International investigators have a web of databases at their disposal and a vast network of local resources that provide a wealth of information at the mere click of a mouse.Its a different world in the Middle East. Technology is limited in many parts of the region. Privacy legislation varies from country to country and from jurisdiction to...more
If you are looking for a Bank of America mortgage modification, there is a new program out there that few people know about.For those of you who haven't heard of it, it's pretty exciting news if you have a B of A loan. You can now use a modification service to see if you qualify and get your loan modified in lightning fast speed. I'm talking seven days or less.You will need your loan #, your property address, the last 4 digits of your social and...more
I have come across many examples of small business owners or directors who use personal borrowing to supplement their business cash flow. This practise may not strictly be the right way to finance a business but certainly it has for a number of years, been the reality for many businesses. Unfortunately due to the effects of the credit crunch, personal credit is now becoming much harder to obtain. As has been widely reported, lenders are being more careful when considering what and to whom to lend thus affecting the availability of both secured and unsecured loans. In addition, despite interest rates being their lowest since records began, the interest being charged by banks for personal loans is now higher than any point in the last 5 years at between 8-9% APR. This increase means that even if money is available, it is more expensive to repay. With personal borrowing more difficult to come by, small business owners are less likely to be able to get access to funds. As a result, the life blood of their business dries up and all too often the business is unable to continue to operate. More and more businesses are therefore failing and jobs being lost. In my view, this situation goes...more
Deferring taxes on your income is an investment strategy in which income taxes are paid at a later date for money invested now. The benefit of tax deferral is that it provides more money for you to invest now.For example, you are able to deduct $1000 from your taxable income this year and invest it into an interest bearing account, and in return,...more
The United States is home to 94% of all the lawsuits in the world and 75% of the worlds attorneys. Very few of them are willing to help you get mortgage debt relief, or give you free financial advice, but many are willing to come after you for the default judgment.. Once you are served with a lawsuit, the clock starts ticking. You may be served...more
Hedging, understanding the benefits of risk management in an enterprise wide solution. Risk management and hedging is a useful tool to reduce market place liability. Here are some tips on its uses.Second of a two part articleBefore discussing the use of hedging to off-set risk, we need to understand the role and the purpose of hedging. The history of modern futures trading began in Chicago in the early 1800's. Chicago is located at the base of the Great Lakes, close to the farmlands and cattle country of the U.S. Midwest making it a natural center for transportation, distribution and trading of agricultural produce. Gluts and shortages of these products caused chaotic fluctuations in price. This led to the development of a market enabling grain merchants, processors, and agriculture companies to trade in contracts to insulate them from the risk of adverse price change and enable them to hedge.The first commodity exchange was the creation of the Chicago Board of Trade, CBOT in 1848. Since then, modern derivative products have grown to include more than the agricultural industry. Products also include Stock Indices, Interest Rates, Currency, Precious Metals, Oil and Gas, Steel and a...more
Understanding Market Risk and the solutions available to mitigate or eliminate financial loss in today's global market.First of a two part articleFund managers, whether they be equity or bond traders, know all too well that returns are not simply a...more
If you are new to real estate investing, you are probably wondering where am I going to find my first real estate deal? There are actually a number of very effective methods you can use. Below I will touch on 7 different methods to find deals....more
Why do traders always talk about support and resistance levels? What do they mean and how can traders use these levels to better understand where the market is heading next?Understanding support and resistance levels can greatly assist both traders...more
Value investing is all about picking up bargains on the sharemarket.If you're an investor, with the market at such low levels, now is the time to look at adding to your longer term portfolio.If you're a short term trader, the underpriced stocks can...more
How do you turn $30,000 into a million dollars? The secret is time and the power of compounding. Here I'll run through this powerful concept which has helped Warren Buffett become one of the richest people in the world.Buffet has long been one of my...more
What is a bear market?Generally a bear market is one where the market has decreased by more than 20%.In Australian the last high point in the market was reached on 1 November 2007 and since then it's dropped 36%. So the Australian market has been in...more