The following cost saving strategies will help you minimize the cost of commuting. This ideas are very simple, you just need to make adjustments to your lifestyle and you will see more money into your pockets
- Moving closer to work. If you live miles from work your work place it means you spend more fuel driving to work. By moving near your work place you could save money on fuel.
- Sign up for and use a gas station card
- If possible run errands at stores close to work so that you can reduce the amount of time you spend driving around.
- Find the shortest route to your work place. Tools such as google maps have made this easy.
- Ask about subsidies at work for commuters. Some places of employment offer benefits for commuters, such as reimbursement for miles driven.
- Look into working from home. If your job allows it (and the workplace allows it), consider telecommuting a day or two a week.
- Consider Car pooling, talk to your neighbours about sharing your cars.
I hope this money saving tips will live you with more money in your pocket. Remember to get the most out of the money you save, you have to invest the money. Let your money work for you.
written by Constantine Njeru
\\ tags: Amount Of Time, Cars, Commuters, Gas Station, Google, Google Maps, Invest Money, Job, Lifestyle, Money In Your Pocket, Money Saving Tips, Money Tips, Money Work, Neighbours, Pockets, Run Errands, Shortest Route, Subsidies, Working From Home
We all know Apple shares are the hottest shares on wallstreet. In two years the stock as raced from $80 to the current $ 270s. The rally has been driven by the success of the Iphone and now the Ipad. So, what could go wrong? What could spoil the party of the decade?
According to an article on barron online. The writer raises some red flags on apple stock , he quotes analysis by Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi.
If you are considering investing in apple stock, the following is a list of five concerns and potential pitfalls for Apple stock or Apple shares.
- Apple’s market cap is too large for it to outperform, and its image has migrated from underdog to Silicon Valley bully, which will increasingly pit competitors against it. He notes that both Microsoft and Cisco went on to under-perform the market when their shares hit the top of the Nasdaq market cap list. Another issue: Apple’s size means that it can no longer fly under the radar against its competitors, and there is increased risk that competitors will increasingly look to cooperate with each other and potentially undermine Apple.
- Increased regulatory scrutiny threatens to undermine Apple’s powerful iOS ecosystem. He notes that Apple has begun attract the attention of regulators, “with the most potentially damaging investigation being the FTC examining Apple’s requirement that developers only use Apple’s tools when writing apps for its iOS platform.” He writes that Apple’s relatively modest market share makes it tough to argue that Apple has dominant market power, but that “were regulators to define the market differently, they could hypothetically contest that Apple enjoys 70%-plus share of mobile device app downloads.”
- Sustained growth in iPhones will inevitably lead to margin pressure. “Given Apple’s relatively strong market share at existing partners, investors have expressed concern over the company’s ability maintain growth without lowering price to attract new customers, which would negatively affect gross margins,” he writes. Sacconaghi, notes, though, that the company increase its addressable market by 60% by adding the 13 largest global carriers that don’t already offer the phone.
- Near-term expectations for iPhone and iPad units are getting heady, risking disappointment. For iPads, he says, the question is whether the initial success is a temporary distortion due to out-sized and unsustainable enthusiasm among Apple fans. For the iPhone, he notes, a good portion of recent unit growth has been driven by expanded carrier distribution; he says a risks exists that if the company is slow to add more carriers, unit sales could fall short of estimates.
- Apple’s insistence on retaining cash points to a risk of the company squandering it on a flawed acquisition. The company has $41.7 billion in cash, about 17% of its market cap. It has the largest cash balance of any company in the S&P (ex financials). He contends that some investors think there is a risk the company one day make a value-destroying acquisition; he notes that the company’s acquisition history is limited.
To read mores see the original source on the article Barron Apple analysis
written by Constantine Njeru
\\ tags: Apple Stock, Barron, Bully, Existing Partners, Ios, Ipad, Iphone, Margin Pressure, Market Cap, Market Share, Mobile Device, Nasdaq Market, Potential Pitfalls, Red Flags, Regulatory Scrutiny, Research Analyst, S Market, Silicon Valley, Strong Market, Wallstreet
Yahoo finance have an interesting interview with Michael Pento, senior market strategist at Delta Global Advisors. The man has come up with some neat mathematical calculations on why Americas’ debt is a disaster waiting to happen.
I have always thought uncle Sam is too big to fail but after reading Michael Pento interview the US could be another Greece tragedy or may be, another Argentina.
Using Treasury Department’s recent U.S debt estimates that showed total U.S. debt will top $13.6 trillion this year and rise to 102% of GDP by 2015. Moreover, the publicly traded debt (debt excluding intra-governmental obligations) will rise to $14 trillion by 2015, up from “just” $7.5 trillion in 2009.
Mr Pento then calculates, At $14 trillion, the interest payments on the public debt will total about $1 trillion in 2015, he continues; even assuming solid growth and low inflation, that would equal about 30% of total government revenue. “What do you think that does to our bond market?,” Pento wonders. “It leads to a dollar crisis and a bond market crisis. That’s why gold refuses to go down. ”
If Pento is right then expect the yield on US treasuries to rise. Investors in bonds could see the value of the bonds fall.
Read the rest at the Source Yahoo Finance
written by Constantine Njeru
\\ tags: Bond Market, Bonds, Debt Crisis, Dollar Crisis, Gdp, Global Advisors, Government Revenue, Governmental Obligations, Inflation, Interest Payments, Market Crisis, Market Strategist, Mathematical Calculations, Michael Pento, Public Debt, Treasuries, Treasury Department, Trillion, Uncle Sam, Yahoo Finance
Let’s say your current home is valued at $400,000. You likely will need (conservatively) about 1% of that sum each year for property taxes on average ($4,000), about 1% for repairs and maintenance (again, $4,000), and about $500 for homeowners insurance. Annual bill: $8,500.
A relatively safe rate of withdrawal in retirement is 4%. So you would need $212,500 in savings ($212,500 x 4% = $8,500) just to support your home.
written by Constantine Njeru
\\ tags: Homeowners Insurance, Insurance, Property Taxes, Retirement
In this Wall Street Journal article Christopher Jones, a New York financial planner has some clever ideas on how to allocate money during this period of low interest rate.
Mr. Jones is advising clients who can afford to pay cash for a home to take out a mortgage instead and invest the funds in a diversified portfolio. “If you look at where the market is now and where it could be five to 10 years from now, the return potential is significant,” he says. Ideally, investors would want to borrow at rates below 5% and invest the money in a well-diversified portfolio aiming to return 8% a year over 10 to 15 years.
Read the whole article at Wall Street Journal
written by Constantine Njeru
\\ tags: 10 Years, Christopher Jones, Clever Ideas, Diversified Portfolio, Financial Advice, Financial Investing, Financial Planner, Interest Rate, Investing Advice, Investors, Money, Mortgage, Street Journal Article, Wall Street, Wall Street Journal
With the prevailing low interest rates it is better to take a mortgage than to pay cash. Even if you can afford to pay cash for a home, buying it with borrowed money and investing your money elsewhere is a smart move.
With mortgage rates as low as below 5% you could take a mortgage and invest the money in a well-diversified portfolio aiming to return 8% a year over 10 to 15 years.
written by Constantine Njeru
\\ tags: Diversified Portfolio, Invest, Low Interest Rates, Money, Mortgage Rates, Smart Move
As a credit card borrow you need to know the federal government guarantees you some rights that protects you from predatory lenders and collection agency.
Your rights as a credit card borrower are protected by FDCPA Act
FDCPA Act or in full The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act spells out certain guidelines to which collection agencies must adhere. Some highlights include: not calling a borrower between 9 P.M. and 8 A.M.; not using obscene language to threaten or intimidate borrowers; not calling a borrower’s employer without written permission; and not speaking to anyone about the debt expect the borrower, the lender, an authorized signer or representative, and the credit bureaus.
To download and read a full PDF article of the act visit FDCPA Act Page
For short summary of credit card debtors rights visit here and here
written by Constantine Njeru
\\ tags: Borrowers, Collection Agencies, Collection Practices Act, Credit Bureaus, Credit Card Debt, Credit Debt, Debt Collection Practices, Debtors Rights, Fair Debt Collection, Fair Debt Collection Practices, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Federal Government, Obscene Language, Pdf Article, Predatory Lenders, Usa Credit Card
If your credit card debt has gotten out of hand, it is wise to negotiate with your credit card issuer.
But before you even consider negotiations for credit card debt settlement just note, in general, the credit card company will only deal with a consumer when the consumer is behind on payments but capable of making a lump sum payment.
The following credit card debt settlement negotiation tips will help prepare you face your credit card issuer with know how and confidence.
Raise money for a lump sum payment
Before picking up that phone and calling you credit card issuer customer representative know where you will get money to pay off the lump sum because that is the first question they will ask. One idea could be selling off your car or some of your household goods.
Know the questions your credit card company will ask you
Knowing the questions they will ask during the negotiations will help you prepare your answers. You dont want to advertise your ignorance. Some of questions will be like, your monthly budget?
Write down your ideas
Make your ideas precise, avoid lengthy explanation. Reading and re-reading your ideas will give you more confidence.
Know your rights as a borrower
Make sure you know your rights as a consumer. It’ll make you aware of what creditors shouldn’t do when they’re collecting your payments. If in case the creditor violates the laws, you can take suitable legal action against them.
Be nice with your creditors
When you finally meet your creditors face to face be polite and understanding while dealing with them, it will make it easier for you to get an agreement on debt settlement.
Explain how your creditors will gain if you settle the dues
When you’re negotiating with creditors, make sure you explain how the creditors will benefit from a settlement. Make them understand that they won’t have to approach Collection agency to collect your dues and they need not go to courts to sue you.
Try again if the creditor refuses to settle the first time
Never give up be persistence.
written by Constantine Njeru
\\ tags: Advertise, Calling Card, Confidence, Credit Card Company, Credit Card Debt, Credit Card Debt Settlement, Credit Card Issuer, Creditor, Customer Representative, Debt Negotiation, Face To Face, Household Goods, Lengthy Explanation, Lump Sum Payment, Money, Monthly Budget, Negotiating With Creditors, Negotiation Tips, Negotiations, Settlement Negotiation
Debt settlement negotiation can be made easy if you prepare yourself thoroughly before approaching creditors.
Before initiating negotiation with your creditor note, in general, the credit card company will only deal with a consumer when the consumer is behind on payments but capable of making a lump sum payment.
The following ideas may help you negotiate with you creditors to reduce your outstanding debt.
Raise money for a lump sum payment
Before picking up that phone and calling the company’s customer representative know where you will get money to pay off the lump sum because that is the first question they will ask. One idea could be selling off your car or some of your household goods.
Know the questions they will ask you
Knowing the questions they will ask will help you prepare your answers. You dont want to advertise your ignorance. Some of questions will be like, your monthly budget?
Write down your ideas
Make your ideas precise, avoid lengthy explanation. Reading and re-reading your ideas will give you more confidence.
Know your rights as a borrower
Make sure you know your rights as a consumer. It’ll make you aware of what creditors shouldn’t do when they’re collecting your payments. If in case the creditor violates the laws, you can take suitable legal action against them.
Be nice with your creditors
When you finally meet your creditors face to face be polite and understanding while dealing with them, it will make it easier for you to get an agreement on debt settlement.
Explain how your creditors will gain if you settle the dues
When you’re negotiating with creditors, make sure you explain how the creditors will benefit from a settlement. Make them understand that they won’t have to approach Collection agency to collect your dues and they need not go to courts to sue you.
Try again if the creditor refuses to settle the first time
Never give up be persistence.
written by Constantine Njeru
\\ tags: Advertise, Confidence, Credit Card Company, Creditor, Creditors, Customer Representative, Debt Negotiation, Debt Settlement, Face To Face, Free Debt, Household Goods, Lengthy Explanation, Lump Sum Payment, Monthly Budget, Negotiating With Creditors, Negotiation Tips, Persistence, Raise Money, Reduce Debt, Settlement Negotiation
If you are a Newport beach resident and in need of a financial advisor we suggest you start by looking at the list of top 100 financial advisors in California. The list was compiled by Barron online.
Barron top 100 financial advisors near California.
The list included the following advisors from Newport beach area:-
- Troy Armstrong of Merrill Lynch was ranked No. 32
- Bob Klein of J.P. Morgan Securities was ranked No. 44
- Mark Binder of Merrill Lynch was ranked at No. 58
- Laila Marshall of -Pence Pence Wealth Management was ranked No. 63
- Ed Levin of UBS Financial Services was ranked at No. 70.
If you are not looking for a financial advisor from a high street firm and what you want is an independent financial advisor, then you can look at the following firms around Newport Beach.
- Raymond James Financial Advisors
- Richter Robert Financial Advisors
written by Constantine Njeru
\\ tags: Armstrong, Barron, Bob Klein, Ed Levin, Financial Advisors, Independent Financial Advisor, J P Morgan, J P Morgan Securities, Laila, Mark Binder, Marshall, Merrill Lynch, Newport Beach Area, Newport Financial, Pence, Raymond James Financial, Richter, Ubs, Ubs Financial Services, Wealth Management
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