Culture, Finance, Lifestyle

5 Reasons You Need a CPA for Accounting and Filing Taxes

by Benjamin Roussey|Posted on | 4 minute read | Advertiser notice

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, small business owner, or a working professional, you may not realize that a lot of your time goes into managing your money. Keeping track of your income and expenses, filing taxes, recording tax returns, and other financial issues are a regular part of any job or business.

Various studies have found that most entrepreneurial enterprises and small business do not survive beyond five years and health care laws like the ACA do not help, ridiculous rules imposed by the thuggish EPA are terrible, high taxes, Dodd/Frank is another salient threat, and so on are certainly viable reasons why many business do not make it. While the reasons for closure can be many (and some strong reasons were just mentioned), a lack of suitable financial management happens to be one of the major reasons.

A certified personal accountant (CPA) is the solution to this aspect of having a business. A personal accountant makes sure your financial data is correct and updated at all times, helping you focus on your business, marketing, development, and/or jobs without worrying about managing your money.

Still not convinced? Here are five reasons why you need a CPA for your accounting and taxes.

Tax laws and compliance are not simple

Admit it or not, but comprehending taxes is no mean feat. America’s tax code is a disgrace but certain groups, want it to remain complicated so we have to depend on others to operate. The tax code should be simple and should be able to be completed with 5th grade math in about 15 minutes (most of that time involved in just organizing your paperwork – 2 minutes for the actual arithmetic if that).

Taxes are mindboggling, confusing, and they keep changing frequently. Trying to stay updated on taxes while understanding all of it will take up a significant portion of your time and eat into your work schedule or family time. If you’re confused when filing your taxes or tax returns, you could either end up paying more than you should or you could be penalized.

A CPA is there to help you understand your taxes, and take care of it on your behalf. You can rest assured that your taxes will be filed correctly and on time. Giving you time to watch that amazing Transformers, Star Trek, Sicario, Horrible Bosses movie and so on.

Finances come in various forms

Your earnings aren’t just your salary or monthly income from your business. There are stock options, mortgages, capital gains, loan repayments, and several other things that make your earnings more complicated. Managing your loan repayments, stock dividends, along with your monthly income from your business or job are just too burdensome to deal with on your own. You could even end up filing the wrong taxes and attracting a penalty by the massive bureaucracy known as the IRS which is part of the swamp but is another topic.

A CPA is able to prevent this and helps you keep track of all your taxes – this is their profession and they take this serious. Whether you’re buying a house or investing in stocks, a CPA is your best friend in getting your taxes figured out. They can offer you advice and they more than pay for themselves.

You like tax credits, but don’t understand them

How much did you spend this past week? Uh….you don’t seem to remember. Now, how much did you spend in the past year? Those Chalupas at Taco Bell are delicious but how many did you buy in the past 6 months, year? You probably cannot count that high! OK, this is going a little too far but Taco Bell is fantastic.

If you like deductions or tax credits, you first have to remember what counts as a deduction and going to your favorite fast food joint such as Taco Bell, Wendy’s, McDonalds, and so on, you know the business who hires people that understand what you are saying, may or may not be eligible to be counted as a tax credit or a deduction.

This is when working with a CPA is certainly beneficial. An accountant will keep track of your income and expenditures throughout the year, and help you avoid paying more than you should by recognizing the deductions you’re eligible for. With the help of financial accountant, you could file the best tax returns.

You have multiple jobs

Times are challenging, and working only one job is seldom enough if you have a family to feed. More and more people are turning to side-jobs, be it bartending, freelancing, or working part-time at a supermarket. When you have multiple jobs and more than one source of income, your taxes will become more difficult.

Managing multiple forms and calculating different taxes is time-consuming, and not to mention confusing. To avoid chances of erring, get a CPA to handle your finances and help you out. And if she looks like Kate Veatch in Dodgeball then good for you but if your paperwork is tossed in a closet like Peter La Fleur’s was from the same movie that is pretty pathetic.

It’s best to avoid risks

Taxes are an area where it is best to be safe than sorry. You must have often heard that it does not take a genius to file taxes. While it may not take a genius, some help is definitely appreciated and beneficial when handling something this complex. One wrong move can result in penalty or additional fees, and the mess can take months to clean up.

Even if you consider yourself a risk-taker, it is best avoid taking these types of risks – even if you are an extreme athlete always looking for the next thrill or mighty challenge. A CPA ensures you’re safe and sound when it comes to understanding and filing your taxes, and also helps you save money.

Your financial health is crucial to your professional success. Hiring a CPA is an investment that leads to constant support and guidance so your finances are handled properly and you make the right moves based on the information and advice they offer you.

Culture, Finance, Lifestyle, Tax

How And When Do You Start Retirement Planning?

by Benjamin Roussey|Posted on | 3 minute read | Advertiser notice

There is no one particular time to start your retirement planning. You can do it from the day you start working or from a later age. It is your proclivity. But the sooner you start, the better. In your early years, it is easier to always think that retirement is far away.

However, time flies and one day we all realize that the time to hang up our boots and jackets has finally arrived. And those folks who chose not to plan well for retirement earlier on are most likely to find themselves in financial trouble and extremely stressed out because their best working days are behind them and they still have many more years left on this planet to live. So start planning early!

It is pretty hard to forget about but it is easier to ignore when you are younger. The thing is, the longer you put this off the more you are going to have to save later on which could be difficult for a number of reasons. The simple fact is, if you do not save for retirement you may not be able to. Not everyone can perform so terribly in their job like Lois Lerner and Barney Frank did and be able to retire comfortably. Though most people are more honest than those two but this is another topic.

And do not think you are going to end up with boat loads of cash like Louis Winthrope III and Billy Ray Valentine did the hilarious movie Trading Places. That is just illogical!

Now is the Right Time

As you work and pay off loans and bills you need to contemplate how much you should be saving for retirement. As life changes, your plans too can change. But staying on track is vital. Once your familial responsibilities set in (you will most likely have a family), you still need to continue saving.

How much is needed to retire?

The thumb rule is to put aside 10 to 15% (according to CNN Money and do not worry about this being fake news since this information by CNN is also supported by other sources) when you are in your 20s but you should save as much as you can. This harkens back to what was said before, if you do not start saving early you are going to have to make up for it later on in your life.

You also have to maintain favorable credit rating (unless you are one of those strange ducks like me who just pays for everything in cash and does not go out much but since most people are not like this, play the game and maintain your credit) and manage your debt burden if any, carefully. A poor credit score can prevent you from obtaining reasonable loan rates, leaving you with less amounts of money to save.

Planning Your Future Finances

If your current employer offers you a 401(k) plan, sign up for it and have contributions deducted automatically from your monthly paycheck. If your employer matches your contribution with the same amount, you only stand to gain in the long run. It pays off when you accept superannuation.

If you are changing jobs, consider rolling over your 401(k). You can transfer your employer-sponsored 401(k) funds into an IRA or Individual Retirement Account as you switch jobs. This will give you a clear picture of how much you have in reserve after working for so many years and what needs to be done to enhance it further.

For those in their 50s, retirement isn’t far off (though it could be which is the point here!). It’s time to take a look at your retirement savings and to evaluate whether you are on the right track or if you should begin to start tucking more away. If you need a qualified financial professional to advise you on reducing your tax burden so that you can save more for retirement then you should consider getting one. This financial advisor can also offer you salient advice on how much you should be investing and what you should be investing in.

You could even ask your employer to deduct more from your pay as your earnings go up, provided they are willing to match your contribution every month. Moreover, catch-up contributions are always useful for making up for any shortfalls you may have in your portfolio. Evaluating your monthly expenses is also critical. You do not want to be spending too much on a car or a home and so on. You also have to pay attention and consider any interest rates on loans that you are contemplating taking on via a house or car and you should never borrow to pay for furniture. That is a terrible move to make!

Clear thinking and clearer vision are the two main facets for successful retirement planning. And the sooner you start, the better. There’s no greater relief than knowing that you are well provided for as you put your feet up and relax knowing you made the right moves in life.

Business, Finance, Lifestyle

What Do You Understand About Social Impact Investing?

by Benjamin Roussey|Posted on | 4 minute read | Advertiser notice

Investing is a topic of interest for almost all of us. In some way or the other all of us are trying to find out the most suitable and lucrative investment options but we all know what happened with Peter La Fleur at the end of the hilarious comedy Dodgeball was ridiculous (he became rich that easily and quickly!) though this is another topic. For example and moreover, some of the most well-known options of investing your money include stocks, bonds, debentures, and real estate.

However, the decision to invest to a large extent depends on the amount of risk you are willing to take. You are not the federal government, you do not want to make an Obamacare or Solyndra type mistake! Those were both loser investments and the former continues to be – just see the national debt. It is true that investing helps you earn money which can be put to use at a later stage of your life. How about an investment which allows you to earn money while promoting a social good?

In fact, this is a new emerging trend in the world of investing and is known as impact investment.

What is social impact investing?

Social impact investing is an investment strategy that emphasizes on invoking a positive social impact along with suitable financial returns to an individual (unlike donating money to the Catholic Church or any church for that matter since that is just a straight donation with no return expected accept the return of knowing that donation is going to a righteous cause). However, this does not mean that social impact investment will mean giving money to a charity as just explained.

But at the same time it has strong philanthropic connections. The concept of social impact investment and socially responsible investment might have similar purposes but both these investment strategies are not the same thing. Social impact investment on the other hand is a kind of investment that has measurable impact either in social, economical, or environmental domains.

The term social impact investment had been coined in 2007 and it is not what Michael Moore or George Soros does since they promote anti American causes and interests which are the main reason inner city schools are in disarray, America is trillions in debt, ISIS exists, and so on but let’s get back on topic.

The two approaches to social impact investing

If you are interested in impact investment there are two options from which you can choose from. They are the following:

  • Impact first approach: With the impact first approach, the primary objective of an individual is to bring about some amount of social, economic, or environmental good. The ones who invest with the impact first approach are ever ready to sacrifice a considerable amount of their financial gains in order to satisfy the social cause first.
  • Finance first approach: A person who has invested with the approach of finance first focuses mainly on making considerable financial returns as they invest their money. The ones with this particular approach will tend to invest their money in companies, initiatives, or funds which in turn work towards augmenting positive social change, but their primary goal is to make money out of their investment.

Differences between social impact investment and socially responsible investment

Many a times you will hear that people are using terms like social impact investment and socially responsible investment interchangeably. But one needs to keep in mind that both these terms are not same. They might be similar.

The main difference between the two types of investment essentially lies in the approach of investment that is used. For example, the ones who make socially responsible investment screen companies based on certain positive and negative guidelines. To put it simply, socially responsible investing means putting your money in companies which are either known to be socially responsible or companies who do not do any irresponsible acts.

Social impact investing on the other hand does not categorize companies based on their positive or negative features. Rather, social impact investing tries to seek out investment avenues which renders a financial return along with measurable positive social, economic, or environmental benefits.

Another way of putting the difference between the two is that socially responsible investing emphasizes the philosophy of do no harm while social impact investing goes a step ahead. They aim at making a difference for the overall betterment of society.

The social impact investors are keener to measure the social or environmental impacts that their investment does compared to socially responsible investors. Social impact investors use IRIS metrics to measure the social, economic, or environmental impacts of the investment. The socially responsible investors on the other hand do not have any metrics to measure the positive impact that occurs because of their investments.

Areas of social impact investing

There are numerous sectors that might be targeted by social impact investors for making financial gains as well as a positive social impact. However, the most common are the following:

  • Education
  • Fair trade
  • Healthcare
  • Eco-friendly companies
  • Community development
  • Small business and micro-finance
  • Conservation and renewable energy
  • Sustainable products and agriculture

Last but not the least, it can be concluded saying that there is no reason to think that social impact investing does not offer high financial returns. This is because a considerable amount of data testifies to the fact that even social impact investing can be profitable.

Business, Finance, Lifestyle, Tax

How Much Do You Need to Retire Comfortably On?

by Benjamin Roussey|Posted on | 3 minute read | Advertiser notice

In order to retire comfortably, the first thing you need to know is how much income your retirement funds are going to generate when you’re no longer going hard at it. That’s a moot point though. In fact, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula to work this out.

The basic calculation

However, the general thumb rule is that about 80% of your income in the pre-retirement period will allow you to maintain a comfortable lifestyle after retiring. So, the first thing to do is to multiply your present income by 0.8 and make appropriate adjustments according to your preference to live frugally or lavishly after retirement. You can live moderately as well, of course!

The next step involves subtracting your other assorted sources of retirement income. You can calculate your social security benefit amount by visiting www.ssa.gov to view your latest statement. Take into account any expected annuities and/or pensions also. The figure that you get from these is the income required from your savings.

Then there’s 4% rule that will help you estimate how much is required in terms of savings to generate this income sustainably. Multiply your need for savings income by 25.

But do bear in mind that this step gives you a retirement figure in today’s economic scenario. Keep inflation at the average rate of 3% per year in the back of your head too. To work out the inflation factor, take 1.03, raising it to the power of the number of years you have until you retire. If it’s 15 years, 1.03 raised to 15 (1.03 ^ 15) will give you 1.56 (yes, you will have to find that funny button or sequence using your smart phone to determine this). Multiply this factor of 1.56 by the figure achieved from the previous step that will give you an appropriate idea of what your target for retirement savings ought to be.

More art than science

Contrary to popular belief, figuring out your retirement corpus is more of an art than mathematics or science. Your corpus will depend largely on your plans after retirement as also certain unpredictable and uncontrollable factors like health issues and future performances of your investments. It’s vital to know that those with a definite goal for retirement savings retire more comfortably than those who don’t have a sound goal kind of like America which is only damaging itself as it continues to pile on debt year after year (the previous president doubled our debt for example).

Finding your multiplier

The average retiree needs to save about 11-12 times their current salary for retirement to be reasonably confident that sufficient funds are available at the time of retirement. However, the fundamental problem with this method is that you may not have an exact idea of what you’ll be earning at the time of retirement. Thus, multipliers may be used based on your present income and age.

This in other words means you should already have put aside 1.4 times your current annual income when you are 35 years of age (so if you make $50,000 a year you should have $70,000 saved by this point, for instance); 3.7 times the then annual income when you are 45; 7.1 times the annual income at the time when you are 55 years of age and 12 times the income when you are aged 65 years.

However, if you haven’t reached your target already, don’t despair. Enhancing your savings rate may help you make up for any lost ground. If you live on 70% of your annual salary or work for a few extra years, you can cut the required savings levels to reach by 10% to 25%.

Experts opine that 70% of your annual pre-retirement salary put aside will allow you to live comfortably, provided mortgages have been paid off and you are in good health when you call it a day. However, should you plan to build that dream home or even go globe-trotting, 100% of your last annual income or maybe even more could be required.

You do not want to waste money like those irresponsible people did in that 90s show Party of Five! Wow, how can a group of people be so clueless?

Superannuation sums

Thus, making realistic and objective estimates about your would be expenses during retirement is absolutely necessary. Review your current expenses category and then work on how they are likely to change. According to average calculations, a couple could expect to have a ‘comfortable’ retired life if they have a superannuation sum of $535,000 at least, based on an ROI (return on investment) of 5% annually along with a Part Age Pension.

Should the ROI be 7%, then a superannuation sum of $400,000 at least would be required along with Part Age Pension. If a couple decide to invest more conservatively, a superannuation sum of $720,000 at least would be required if the ROI is on an average 3% per annum.

For someone who’s single, a ‘comfortable’ life is most like assured under the following circumstances:

  • Superannuation sum of $490,000 at least, assuming that investment returns will be 5% annually along with Part Age Pension.
  • Superannuation sum of $370,000 at least at 7% annual returns along with Part Age Pension.
  • A lump sum of $650,000 at least at 3% annual returns from more conservative investments.
Business, Finance, Lifestyle

What Are The Top 6 Ways To Generate Passive Income?

by Benjamin Roussey|Posted on | 3 minute read | Advertiser notice

All of us are after income generation. Along with our regular source of income we are quite interested to find out other avenues to generate some extra income. One such option is to earn passive income.

What is Passive Income?

Passive income involves regular earnings from a source other than an employer or a contractor. To be more precise, it can be said that passive income can come from just two sources. Some of the examples are rental income or income from a business in which an individual does not have an active participation. Earnings from book royalties or dividend paying stocks are also examples of passive income.

However, one might think that earning a passive income is a lot easier. You can do that as you sip your mojito on a beachside shack or watch another amazing Transformers movie or something incredible like Sicario. But that is the not the case.

In order to earn a passive income you need to do some homework and also know that a considerable amount of effort will have to be involved. It is true to have a secondary source of income apart from the regular source of income. Nothing is free in this world despite what the left always says such as that things can be free. Someone has to work and pay for it. In this case, it is you. But there are long term benefits.

So before we turn our dreams into reality, we need to have an idea of some of the ways to earn a passive income.

The top 6 ways to earn passive income are the following:

  1. Dividend stocks: As far as passive income is concerned, dividend stock is a tried and tested medium to earn a passive income. However, before you invest in dividend stocks you need to carry out careful research to find out about some fantastic companies where you can invest a significant amount of money. In fact, if you go on investing money in stellar stocks for years on end you can accrue a considerable amount of residual income.
  2. Peer to peer lending: This is typically a practice to lend money to borrowers who do not qualify for traditional loans. When you become a part of peer-to-peer lending you can actually spread your investment and mitigate the risk factors. The benefit of such lending is that you can choose the borrowers and charge a high amount of interest. In this form of lending you will be able to charge an interest rate higher than 10% or more which is considerably more than the conventional interest bearing investments. The most popular peer-to-peer lending platform is the Lending Club.
  3. Rental properties: If you have a property that is suitable enough to be rented then it can be a salient way to earn passive income. In fact, you can outsource the upkeep of the property to a management consultant and then it becomes a true source of passive income. The best way to get started with rental properties is crowd funding. The bright concept about doing this through a platform instead of doing it alone is that the income becomes even more passive.
  4. Invest with a robo-advisor: In this method you put money into an account and allow an algorithm to manage your investments. It is called a passive income because the algorithm does all the work for you. It is the algorithm that keeps your profile balanced. The pleasant aspect about these robo-advisors is that the fees of maintaining an account are much lesser than that of an account that is managed by a person. The two key players in the world of robo-advisors are Wealthfront and Betterment.
  5. Put money into high-yielding savings account: It is true that the conventional savings account could be quite boring to earn some passive income, but they are also the safest. Online banks are doing well in the field of savings account. They give a lot better interest rates to the clients than the conventional banks to which we are used to. It is now possible to obtain a decent savings rate without having to lock away your money for a long period of time.
  6. Affiliate marketing: This is another effective source of passive income. Affiliate marketing involves partnering with a company so that you can receive commission on their products. It seems a poignant method for folks who have blogs or websites since they may have a better understanding of the virtual world than others. However, as far as affiliate marketing is concerned it takes a long time before it actually becomes a passive income.

Last but not the least, research anything well before you make an investment to pursue these ends and to build a passive income portfolio or to develop another source of income.

Business, Finance, Insurance, Lifestyle

Should You Pay-off Your Mortgage or Invest the Money?

by Benjamin Roussey|Posted on | 3 minute read | Advertiser notice

You are faced with a Hobson’s choice: Whether to pay off your mortgage or invest that money instead. A double-edged sword that works both ways. However, it’s truly a tricky problem to handle and to make a decision quickly becomes difficult and perhaps treacherous.

Benefits of Paying Off Your Mortgage Early

When you start making regular payments on your mortgage, you stand to save money – probably to the tune of thousands of dollars by way of interest costs. You also buy mental peace as you get to be the real owner of your home without any further liabilities. You are now confident that there’s a secure place for you to live in and won’t have to hit the streets if you suddenly find yourself unemployed which happened a lot for years because of the Barney Frank and Alan Greenspan recession which was continued by Obamanomics.

Moreover, you also reduce your living costs because in many cases, mortgage payments are the largest monthly expense post deduction of taxes. Without the liability of a mortgage payment, you save more, can work less, or take up that dream job you couldn’t afford but always wanted because of the lower pay. You also bid adieu to PMI or private mortgage insurance by accelerating the process of paying off your principal amount.

Your home equity reaches a point where PMI is no longer required. This helps you save money long before you pay off your mortgage and enhances chances of accelerating the principal pay-down while you continue to make the same payment on a month to month basis.

Then there is the added advantage of asset protection also. Many states have their own laws protecting home equity should there be a lawsuit or any other legal procedure.

Homestead rules provide substantial protection to home equity. Retirees sometimes use their home equity as a strategy for estate planning to protect their assets for a surviving spouse should one member use up all resources available due to an illness or by way of prolonged nursing care. In sum, there are numerous situations where home equity represents a more secured asset having its own special legal privileges as compared with other investments.

A home with a clear and free title is greatly significant for those on the verge of retirement. When you retire with a fixed income from your pension, social security, and fixed annuity, it can truly work to your benefit if you pay off all outstanding debt rather than investing your money in investments that fluctuate.

This enables you to substantially reduce your financial variables and reliably match forecasted income to expenses.

After retiring, moreover, the mortgage payment may require shifting funds from accounts that have been tax deferred when those funds would have been better off if left to grow on their own. Finally, should your taxable income get reduced after retirement, it may reduce the benefit of the tax deduction on the mortgage interest and tilt the equation in favor of the payoff.

Since the stock and real estate markets fluctuate, it’s more secure to invest in your home, knowing with certainty what your ultimate ROI is likely to be. You stand to get the imputed rental value of a living space as also the instant return of interest expense that has been eliminated.

The sureness of this particular return is a salient benefit for investors who may be disappointed with the unreliable returns from the financial markets. Last but not least, when you pay off your mortgage, it is a serious confidence boost that you did things right.

The Cons

On the flip side of the coin, however, even though the mortgage interest that you pay is deductible from your tax return, there are certain “caveats” to such deductions: The rules guiding deductions are somewhat complicated and you may receive a lower deduction than you thought of getting; in certain cases, your payments of mortgage interest merely replace the standard deduction and don’t provide for any real savings; even when you get a deduction, you’re still having to pay $1 to get 35 cents worth of tax breaks, which isn’t very lucrative; and the deduction’s effective value diminishes over time with the loan maturing and you end up a paying a lesser amount of interest with every payment.

Final Thoughts

You can invest in the market and pay off your home simultaneously. You can do both. It is not a zero-sum game. So perhaps you can breathe a little easier now. You do not have to pick and choose.

If you understand the stock market or have a prudent financial advisor (if there is such a thing – almost all of them missed the call on the tech bubble during the turn of this century) then invest some of your money (check out dollar cost averaging). You can have the best of both worlds but continue to make your monthly mortgage payments.

Business, Culture, Finance, Lifestyle

Top 5 Steps To Get Approved For Student Loan Refinancing

by Benjamin Roussey|Posted on | 3 minute read | Advertiser notice

You need to refinance your student loan because you know it makes a lot of financial sense. In fact, when refinancing your student loan, the managing of payments becomes easier. But the problem is that you are not sure of the ways to get it approved. Nevertheless, you should not get into refinancing of your student loan before you are aware of a few preliminary steps just like Meet the Parents II and III, Zoolander I and II, and Jurassic World should not have been made before some preliminary checks.

Oh, they already were! Oh well!

What is refinancing of a student loan?

Refinancing of student loan means consolidation of the existing private and federal loan so that it could be consolidated into a new single loan which has a lower interest rate. The benefit is that you have to make lower monthly payments which in turn frees up some money that could be either saved or invested elsewhere.

What are the ways to get your student loan refinancing approved?

Almost all of you are aware of the fact that the criteria to obtain private student loan are pretty strict. This is because private lenders lend money at their own risk. They give loans to students believing that they have the capacity to repay the amount.

However, the lending criteria of one lender vary from the other and also the circumstance of the borrowers is also different from one another. Hence, when you apply for a student loan refinancing, the loan might either get rejected or approved. If it gets rejected you feel disheartened. So have a fair idea about the top 5 ways that could make the approval process of student loan refinancing easier.

  1. Credit Score: The credit score of an individual is considered as a measurement of financial responsibility. When you apply for a student loan refinancing, most likely is that the lender will evaluate the credit score to understand whether you meet your financial obligations or not. Usually a credit score of more than 600 seems good to go but to be on the safe side you should aim at having a credit score of more than 700.
  2. Income: In case of student loan refinancing it is most likely that the lender will scrutinize your income. They want to ensure that they have a steady monthly income and regular cash flow to ensure that the borrower will be able to make the monthly payments. So before you apply for a student loan refinancing you should carefully examine your sources of income. You need also find out whether after making the monthly payments for the loan do you have enough for other necessary expenses. In case you do not have an adequate monthly income you can increase the chances of your approval with a qualified co-signer.
  3. Other Debt: In case you have other debts like credit card payments, auto loans, or mortgages it might influence the approval process of your student loan refinancing. This is because lenders will be apprehensive whether you will be able to make the monthly payments after you have had met all other financial obligations. Hence, a better approach is to repay as much as you can from your existing debts before you apply for a student loan refinancing.
  4. Debt-to-Income Ratio: While you have applied for a student loan refinancing, the lender will obviously have a look at the debt-to-income ratio. It is a ratio of one’s total monthly earnings when compared to your monthly debt obligations. For instance, if you have a monthly income of $10,000 and $4,000 per month debt expenses in that case the debt-to-income ratio is 40%. In case, you have a higher debt-to-income ratio the chances of getting approval for your student loan refinancing dwindles. Thus, it is recommended that before you apply for the student loan refinancing option, you should either increase your income or lower your debt or both.
  5. Employment Status: When you are applying for a student loan refinancing it is important that you are either employed or have a written job offer in hand. It makes the approval easier. However, there are many private lenders who may offer you loans even when you are in school or residency, while most of the lenders will seek for some kind of work experience. In case, you have still not obtained a job getting your student loan refinancing approved can be quite difficult but you might give try with a co-signer.

The factors mentioned above may be a guideline to make the approval process of student loan refinancing easier but it does not guarantee a confirm approval. The final approval depends to a large extent on the lender, the borrower, and a lot of other factors that may be beyond your control. What is not beyond our control is lowering taxes and being business friendly which creates jobs which is what Texas has done but not New York or California but this is another topic.

Good luck on paying off your school loans! Hopefully you did not spend too much money on acquiring a degree that does not lead to a high paying career such as English, Humanities, Psychology, and so forth.

Culture, Finance, Lifestyle

7 Tips For Cutting Credit Card Debt Quickly

by Benjamin Roussey|Posted on | 3 minute read | Advertiser notice

Credit card debt is always a nagging burden, the long term consequences of which can be quite serious. Thus, it always pays to get rid of this burden as soon as possible and you can do it successfully, provided you work out the following strategy to reduce your debt.

  1. Take stock

You first need to see what is your total net debt on all credit cards before starting to reduce its accumulated debt. Brutal honesty with yourself is required here and writing down the debt amount along with the interest rate on every single card that you have will be a constant reminder of where you stand as a debtor.

Do not tell yourself something is right when it is not, your name is not Barney Frank or Barrack Obama (the housing market destroyer who devastated Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac via giving home loans to irresponsible people and the health care system destroyer which the ACA law has laid waste too, respectively)

  1. Stop making minimum payments

Against a large outstanding amount, the minimum balance payable every month looks tiny and looks easy to pay off. However, if this amount is everything you pay towards this debt on a monthly basis, it will take you much longer to settle the debt.

Moreover, the interest charges on the remaining amount will continue to accrue and increase your debt burden further by compound interest. Remember, the more you pay, the lesser the interest amount becomes because this means you give less time for this interest to accumulate. Your credit card issuer should point this out to you on the monthly statement, for you to see how it’s applicable to your monthly bill.

  1. Tackle debt singularly

If you have multiple debts on numerous cards, make sure to pay the minimum payable on each card. Subsequently, focus on clearing the total unpaid balance on a single card at a time. Choosing the card to pay off first can be chosen by either checking your statement’s interest rates section to identify which credit card slaps the highest interest rates on to you, and then concentrating on paying off the outstanding amount on that card first. Or, you could settle the smallest debt first, graduating to the larger debts in succession.

That could help you psychologically just like when Rocky was fighting Ivan Drago in Rock 4 when he got that first hard punch in and he saw Drago bleed. Then he knew this was not a machine but a man. Now you know you can pay off these cards if you get that first one dealt with.

  1. Combine & win

Consolidation of your debt lets you combine numerous high-interest balances into a single one with a lower interest rate. This enables you to pay off your debt faster without increasing the payment amounts. You can consolidate debt by taking advantage of a transfer rate that is low- balance to remove debt off cards that charge a higher interest.

However, do note that fees for a balance transfer are often between 3 to 5 percent, but the savings accrued from a lower interest rate may be greater than the transfer fee. This should always be factored in when taking this option into consideration.

Having equity at home helps in paying down credit card debt. A home equity credit line may give you a lower rate than those chargeable by cards. However, here closing costs apply, but the benefit is that payments for home equity interest are usually tax-deductible. In addition, when consolidating, it’s absolutely imperative to remember that you have to control your overall spending so you do not accrue new debt in addition to the debt that you’ve recently consolidated.

  1. Reprioritizing budgets

In order to ensure that you don’t accrue any further debt because you are not the US government or California, categorize your monthly expenditures in terms of transportation, groceries, entertainment (don’t watch any more Zoolander or Jurassic World movies!), and housing. Next, identify those areas in which spending can be cut back drastically. Use the money saved from this exercise to pay off your debt.

  1. Try improving your rates

You can also lower your debt burden by negotiating lower interest rates with your credit card issuer. By shaving off a percentage point even, you could save hundreds of dollars over the next year or so, for instance, while paying off the debt. A polite request in this regard may work in your favor and help you become debt free in the long run.

  1. Start using cash

Put all your credit cards away until their debts are settled. Instead use cash. This will reduce your spending by at least 20 percent and the amount saved could be used to pay off your debt. Staying off plastic until the time you are debt free sure makes sense. 

Also while paying off your debt, track your progress. Keep detailed notes of how much still remains unpaid and how you can reach your target of being a debt-free person. This will keep you motivated to reach that ultimate and altruistic goal.

Culture, Finance, Insurance, Tax

True Cost of Owning a Car in the US

by Benjamin Roussey|Posted on | 3 minute read | Advertiser notice

As a car owner, you are perhaps aware that the sticker price of your car doesn’t give out the accurate figure about its ownership cost. Buying a relatively less expensive car is likely to save you a penny initially but may burn a huge hole in your pocket later by way of expensive repairs.

On the slip side, buying an expensive SUV could make your gas bill spiral. That’s why you need to keep the sticker price in abeyance to identify a truly reasonable car.

Factors on which owning a car in the US and its cost depend

To begin with, you have a sticker price, which of course, is not the prime factor. However, it affects the overall ownership cost, particularly insurance rates and sales taxes (and all working Americans know that taxes are too high but this is another topic) which you need to pay. If the car is financed, you’ll have to work out the interest rate. This again will vary on your individual credit score.

For instance, new cars come with reduced interest rates and long-term loan will always have lower interest rates but do not let that fool you since this means it will take you longer to pay off that car so that means a $28,000 car will perhaps cost you $33,000 by paying it off over the years to the financing company. Something to think about!

Depreciation in cars happens at an average of 15%-20% per annum for the first 5 years. The more expensive vehicles, however, tend to depreciate faster as do sub-compacts.

In addition, while it’s almost impossible to predict how much you will be spending on repairs in the future, you can scour its reliability scores through consumer reports or locate common problems with the car to work out the repair costs.

With repair costs come insurance costs, which again can vary largely for competing models even. The insurance premium payable and the coverage that comes with it is fully dependent on your driving skills and habits, history, your own age, and personal credit score (it does not depend on whether or not you have seen Transformers 5 but you should since that movie is amazing with an incredible submarine scene to boot, but this is another topic!). Older cars usually attract lower premiums, while the newer models with state-of-the-art safety features could get you some hefty discounts which you should consider too.

Fuel costs matter and the less you drive, obviously the less you spend on fuel. That’s why taking your car’s MPG into account is essential when deciding which car to buy.

There are also characteristics that reduce car prices. For instance, while most cars come with 3-year warranties for 36,000 miles, carmakers like Kia and Hyundai offer 5-year warranties for 60,000 miles with other benefits such as roadside assistance. Some eco-friendly models also qualify for tax credits that offset higher purchase prices.

Calculating the cost

The calculation for owning your own car is simple. The operations cost of an average American vehicle is around $0.60 a mile. A new car in the US costs about $33,000 on average, making buying one an important financial exercise.

Another crucial aspect to consider and remember is not to go by the sticker price or monthly payment but take other costs in to account as well. This will give you a fairly accurate figure about the real cost involved in owning a vehicle; the components that in their totality go into the total ownership cost; and comparison costs with various models that also includes the standard five-year cost.

Going by published statistics, the average loan payment per month for a new car in 2014 was around $482. If you drive your vehicle over 15,000 miles per annum, the total ownership costs comes to about $8,698 per annum, according to the American Automobile Association’s study on driving costs in 2015. That works out to about $725 every month.

Further studies have revealed that operational costs also vary by vehicle types. Small sedans recorded an average cost of $6,729 a year or $561 on a monthly basis. An SUV four-wheel-drive, costs around $10,624 yearly ($885 monthly), making the cost spiral by almost 58%.

Since the real cost of owning and driving a car includes fuel, maintenance & repairs, tires, license & registration fees, taxes, depreciation, insurance premium & interest on financing, figures recorded by the American Automobile Association show that average fuel costs amount to $1,682 per annum depending on premium or regular gasoline used and the mileage achieved by the vehicle. Over a five-year period, the fuel costs for an SUV could be $18,000 as compared to $11,000 for a sedan.

Your new tires could cost you around $147 along with installation charges ranging from $60 to $100 or even more. Similarly, repairs and maintenance comprising of tire rotations, oil changes, testing and battery inspection cost about $767 per year. Your fees and taxes amount to $665 every year, says the AAA report.

In order to own a cost effective vehicle, you need to work all of this out. Moreover, you also need to look at a higher resale value. So it’s essential that you look beyond the sticker price and also at the EMI or equated monthly installment. Your research on the ongoing costs of operating and maintaining a particular model will give you a true picture of its affordability.

Finance, Insurance, Lifestyle

Saving Money on Health and Dental Insurance

by Benjamin Roussey|Posted on | 4 minute read | Advertiser notice

There’s a basic problem in choosing a wrong or inappropriate health and/or dental insurance: you may end up paying a hefty premium for both without actually getting broad coverage or protection for a specific purpose, should you become sick.

This would add to your financial woes substantially if you have to foot the bill from your own pocket despite having medical and/or dental insurance. You can save on health and dental insurance in the following ways.

Stick to the family’s existing health plan: Should you be less than 26 years of age, it would be cheaper to stick with your existing family plan for health insurance. It’s a viable option for many young people who live close to their parent’s homes with access to doctors in the insurer’s network. Though when the ACA law goes away and taxes and regulations are lowered America’s economy will shoot upward creating more opportunities for college graduates. One of the themes of the movie The Internship will then no longer be true!

On the flip side, however, when you’re living in a separate state, without access to your normal network, you could be paying more and getting less coverage. Thus, it would make more sense to secure affordable medical coverage by yourself. Work out the math to see what saves some serious expenses.

Start exploring the non-government health insurance sector: Nowadays, the average health insurance seeker has the privilege of choosing insurers operating in the private sector, including certain major players which have opted out of government control recently. Surf sites like eHealth.com to get an idea of who all are the major private operators and what they are offering. You can also go through an online agent who is licensed at no extra cost and he may guide you to more affordable choices. Yes, we know, the Affordable Care Act has made health insurance not so affordable and turned millions of jobs into part time jobs which is horrendous. Hopefully this is fixed in the next year or so.

Optimize coverage on prescription drugs: All leading plans for health insurance provide full reimbursement for prescribed drugs. However, this can significantly vary from plan to plan. If you regularly use prescription drugs, you stand to save a substantial amount of money potentially by knowing beforehand which plan covers your regular needs for prescription drugs at the maximum level. This could lead to a median saving of more than $1,600 when compared with over-the-counter prices.

Catastrophic plans for health insurance: Another viable option for the young. For those under 30, buying a major catastrophic medical insurance plan makes sense. These are designed especially for the young, who generally are healthy and don’t need medical attention that frequently. The plan, however, will keep you covered with notable health benefits and cater to your requirements if and when they arise. It cuts your premium payment by nearly 50%.

Go for short-term coverage: If a major plan for health insurance is unaffordable to you, a short-term plan may provide temporary coverage for any unexpected injuries or illness. The average monthly premium is around $110. In addition, packaged products on medical insurance are also viable. These combine short-term coverage along with other items such as critical illness or accident insurance, vision or dental insurance and even telemedicine benefits.

Finding the Right Dental Insurance

Ask your dentist: Many dentists nowadays offer insurance plans. For instance, one such plan could get you dental scaling for $10 that can last an entire year, free consultations, and also x-rays for a $200 annual premium. Moreover, hefty discounts are available for dental implants and/or crowns.

Start comparing: In order to acquire a clear picture of what’s available in terms of dental insurance, check out sites like eHealthinsurance.com or Dentalplans.com to make a clear comparative analysis. Then make a shortlist of the finest options and finally zero in on one that suits your purpose the best.

Working part time: Many employers offer suitable coverage at reasonable costs for employees working part-time. Even if the employer doesn’t pay your premium, the available group discount could help you save quite a bit.

Enroll with your alma mater or association’s group insurance: If your ex-school offers you a membership of a dental group insurance plan, you may want to put pen to paper. It could cut your premium payments significantly while also offering you some salient discounts. Similarly, as a member of a professional association, group discounts could be available.

Explore the new marketplace for health and dental care: Since dental insurance isn’t mandatory, not all states offer it. Among those that do, some consider it to be a part of health insurance while others offer dental insurance as standalone products. Study this carefully before selecting your policy to extract the most savings.

Of course you do not even need dental insurance. If you eat right, brush, and floss, you should be good to go! You may not want to play basketball or some sports though. Also, if you travel to Mexico such as Cabo San Lucas once in a while you can take care of your dental needs there. The dentists in Mexico are as good as they are in America and you can utilize their services at a much cheaper cost.

For whatever reason, dental costs in America are outrageously high. You can get excellent eye care in Mexico as well.

It pays to pay attention to this for a variety of reasons or else you could be become bankrupt while facing huge medical bills. Choose your policy with care so you can handle a medical emergency which can happen at any time!