Posted: November 19th, 2008 | Author: Joe | Filed under: Sponsored | Tags: blogging, hosting, Sponsored | 1 Comment »
Good web hosting is essential to success in the online marketplace. Whether you are a small business owner or even a part time blogger you need a web presence, and that starts with web hosting.
When I was looking for a host for this blog, I was quickly overwhelmed by the multitude of options I found. I knew I wanted hosting, a domain and support for word press, but even given those parameters there was a lot to weed through. Enter Web Hosting Geeks.
Web Hosting Geeks provides an excellent repository of website hosting providers. Check out there site. They have a top 10 providers list, but you can also search for hosting providers by any of the following:
Or you can narrow the field to the best host for Unix, Windows, PHP, Dedicated hosting, blogs and more.
They also provide a Web Hosting Guide to help prospective website/blog owner decide how best to find the host solution that fits his needs. It covers the basics like support and security, OS and programming tools, bandwidth, uptime and pricing.
I wish I’d known about Web Hosting Geeks when I was looking for a host when I set this blog up. I don’t think I would have made a different choice in the end (I use GoDaddy and have been very pleased), but Web Hosting Geeks would have made the whole shopping process a lot quicker and easier.
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Posted: November 17th, 2008 | Author: Joe | Filed under: Debt | Tags: Debt | 1 Comment »
Debt happens. It happens to everyone from college students to seasoned workforce veterans struck by sudden illness and a loss of income. Sometimes it isn’t how you got into debt that matters most, but how you
get out of debt.
One of the most powerful tools to getting a handle on and eliminating debt is
debt consolidation. There are a number of methods of consolidation, and each has it’s peril, but when executed correctly, they can take years off your payments.
This is an extremely powerful method of consolidating debt and sometimes at a 0% rate. Though it can be powerful, it is also fraught with peril. Things to watch out for:
* Transaction costs.
I’ve seen a few transfer offers that charge nothing for the honor of assuming your debt, but most offers charge 1-3% of the balance being transferred. Anything more than 3% is a rip-off and should be avoided if possible.
* Continued spending.
If you can’t stop charging new debt, you’re only digging deeper in the hole and when that rate reset timer goes off it’s going to hurt – way more than the alarm clock on exam day after pulling an all nighter! Balance transfers with low teaser rates are best viewed as a temporary time-out on the interest clock. This time-out should be used to get your affairs in order and change the habits that got you into debt in the first place, so when the clock starts up again you are on better footing if not in the clear completely.
* Payment shell game.
One very important question you want to ask regarding any transfer offer is: where do my payments go?
Many credit card companies will apply any payments you make to the debt with the lowest rate, regardless of age. So, all your extra payments will go toward the 0% debt while any new charges you may have made keeps growing at the regular rate of interest for the card. Best thing to do here is never use the card until that original transfer balance is paid in full.
Despite the potential pitfalls of a Credit Card transfer, they can be valuable. I made use of a 0% transfer that was integral to getting out of credit card debt, and I’ve stayed out of credit debt ever since.
2. Home equity loans.
Home equity loans are usually favored over other methods of consolidation because they tend to have lower interest rates and they may be tax deductible. See your tax professional or check out the IRS website for more details. The major downsides to Home Equity loans are that you have to have a house (i.e. not available to renters), the rate may be adjustable, and if you borrow too much you may end up owing more than the house is worth.
3. Your bank or credit union.
Getting a personal loan from a bank is always an option, and Credit Unions typically offer lower rates than banks. If you’re lucky enough to be a member, you should definitely check it out. Just be careful not to roll multiple debts into one debt that you’ll be paying off twice as long as the original debts.
Bad Idea. You pay all kinds of ways borrowing from your future to pay for the past. For starters, all the while your money is out of your retirement fund, it isn’t growing. You’re treading water while still being pulled towards retirement. And if you don’t pay the loan back within 5 years, the IRS can tax and penalize you. But the biggest reason in my mind not to borrow from a 401(k) is that the loan is due upon termination. If you lose your job, or find a new job you must pay that loan back within 30-90 days. Not being able to find a new job because you can’t afford to repay the loan? I call that indentured servitude.
If you must go the credit counseling route, be sure it’s nonprofit. You don’t want to be making yet another person rich off your misery. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission website has an excellent resource for finding and working with credit counseling agencies. It’s called Fiscal Fitness: Choosing a Credit Counselor
6. Family and friends.
This may work for some people, but there are so many more stories of failure that I would never consider this. Not to mention, when things go badly you’ve just polluted relationships you most likely hold dear.
7. Renegotiate the terms with your primary lender.
I love this one. Most lenders don’t really want to break you financially, they just want to make money or at the very least not lose a lot of money. Think about this: what’s in it for your credit card company if you go bankrupt and can’t pay them any of the money you owe them? That’s a lose-lose situation. You want to make it a win-win situation, so cut a deal with your creditor.
Explain that you simply can’t repay the money under the current situations, but you absolutely want to pay back your debts. Make this last point very clear. If they think you’ll attempt to walk away from your debt obligations, you’re back into bad territory. You may be able to negotiate a lower owed amount or lower interest rate. You may even be able to negotiate a interest rate freeze for a limited time – thus creating your own 0% transfer without the transfer. Of course you’ll have to make some concessions in the bargain, so be prepared to agree to pay a certain percentage or amount each month. If you can make it automatic, that may be a selling point too.
Photo by Daveybot
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Posted: November 13th, 2008 | Author: Joe | Filed under: Investing | Tags: Cramer, Investing | 2 Comments »
I used to think Jim Cramer was just a bobble head, but he makes a lot of sense...
When it comes to investing, I’ve always been more of a buy and hold, index kind of guy. I just don’t have the time or extras cash more managing a portfolio of individual stocks. But I’m starting to get into the idea and practice via fantasy stock simulators. I’m educating myself and honing my skills for the time when my wife goes back into the workforce, and we have some discretionary cash.
To that end, I’ve been reading Jim Cramer’s Real Money, and I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised. I always thought of Cramer as more of a speculator or trader than I wanted to be, but I’ve come to see that there is a time and place for trading and for many of the strategies Cramer espouses. One of these strategies is Ranking. He recommends that you constantly rank (once per week or so) all of your holdings on a scale of 1 to 4, as such:
1. Buy more now.
2. Buy more if the price dips.
3. Sell if price goes up x %
4. Sell NOW.
The idea is that by ranking each holding, you are forcing yourself to be aware of your holdings and the general condition of each. It’s a lot harder to forget about your holding and suffer a serious set back due to neglect when you’re ranking them each week. You can also use the ranking to put stops into place , based on that ranking. If a stock has a ranking of 2, you can put in a limit order for more at your target price level. If the stock is a 3, you can do likewise and take some profit of the table.
Cramer Bobblehead photo by rhiannonstone
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Posted: November 11th, 2008 | Author: Joe | Filed under: Sponsored | Tags: Sponsored | No Comments »
Vista Print offers affordable, personalized holiday photo cards.
It’s that time again. Time to start thinking about the holidays. Shopping, gift ideas, dinner parties and holiday cards. Holiday cards have gotten a lot more personal over the past few years. I remember when you had to choose from a box of left over cards from last year and stock Santa, snowscape and jingle bells was about it. Not any more. The Internet and age of digital photographs have greatly reduced costs and overhead.
Vista Print is one of the companies taking advantage of modern technology to provide custom, personalized Holiday Photo Cards. You simply choose a design, upload a digital photo and , as Emeril Lagasse would say, BAM! In as early as 3 business days, you’ve got holiday cards with a personal touch to send to all of your friends and family.
You can choose from:
- Foil-Accented (to add a little sparkle)
Two options that stand out to me are: the Foil-Accented, and Letters. I haven’t seen too many Foil-Accented cards, and I though the idea of a holiday letter to let those you may have lost touch with what you’ve been up to in your life was a nice idea.
They’ve also got a sale of 50% off, though I’m not sure for how long.
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