Banking and savings customer service and reputation forefront in

Banking and savings customer service and reputation forefront in decision-making.

52% of us have moved our savings because we were unhappy with customer service, according to the latest moneyfacts.co.uk user polls. 42% of us have avoided a particular account provider due to a friends bad experience.

With bank account providers, 46% of us have moved current account because of bad customer service and 45% have avoided a certain bank because of a friends bad experience.

Accessing our banking and savings via the internet is becoming increasingly popular but still many of us prefer to pick up the phone or visit a branch. Our finances are something that we need to take seriously and can cause a lot of stress. This means when we want to discuss them or need help, we need to be treated fairly and receive a good service.

Banks are continually being slated in the press for unfair charges and for things such as going overdrawn. This, along with hearing about people close to us having had a bad experience, would be enough to put many of us off choosing a certain account provider. However important good service is to us, we should still be aware of interest rates being offered by different providers.

The average rate of interest paid on current accounts is 1% gross on a balance of 1. However, current account best buy charts on moneyfacts.co.uk show that rates of over 4% can be earned on these accounts. Banking facilities should also be looked at when choosing your current account. For instance, is it important to have a branch near to you? Do you want to use internet banking?

As well as these things, if you use an overdraft on your current account it is wise to compare rates of interest on these. Moneyfacts research of overdrafts shows that some providers are charging EARs (Effective Annual Rates) on authorised overdrafts of over 20% and for unauthorised overdrafts over 30%. Again, best buy charts on moneyfacts.co.uk show that better deals are available with rates on authorised overdrafts as low as 0% (introductory) and unauthorised at under 6%.

Rates on savings accounts also vary greatly. On no notice accounts at 1,000 the average rate of interest is around 2%. The savings best buys charts show that rates of over 4.5% can be found. Again, account facilities should be considered.

Tags: Account Provider, Account Providers, Bad Customer Service, Bad Experience, Banking Internet, Best Buy, Current Account, Current Accounts, Ears, Forefront, Interest Rates, Internet Banking, Moneyfacts, Overdraft, Polls, Rate Of Interest, Reputation, Service Banks, Stress

Budgeting: The Critical Flaw That Causes Most Budgets to Fail

Budgeting: The Critical Flaw That Causes Most Budgets to Fail

Budgeting. It’s a word we’re all familiar with. Everyone knows what a budget is, right? Yet how many of us actually make and stick to a solid monthly budget? The truth is that most of us start out with the best of intentions, but an unexpected expense comes up and busts our budget. Then we give up and go back to juggling our finances and worrying about having too much month left at the end of the money. However, if you are striving to create a budget for the purpose of systematically paying off your debts or to start a savings and investment program, then it’s critical to develop a workable and realistic budget.

So what’s the problem? Why do most of us fail at the simple task of creating a budget so we can live within our means? The simple truth is that most budgets don’t work because they fail to account for irregular or variable expenses. Everyone knows how much their rent or mortgage payment is. It’s the same amount month after month. If your rent is $1,000 per month, that’s a no-brainer. The same is true of many other fixed expenses, such as auto loan payments, cable TV subscriptions, insurance premiums, and so on. It’s easy to budget for these expenses because the amounts don’t change from one month to the next.

Besides expenses that are the exact same figure each month, there are numerous types of expenses that vary a little from one month to the next, yet we still have a pretty good idea what we spend each month. A good example is our grocery bill. Most of us have a fairly clear picture of how much we spend each week at the supermarket. So, we can insert a realistic figure into our budget-in-progress and not be too far off the mark. The amounts may go up or down slightly each month, but we usually know the range we’re dealing with. Other examples of this category include telephone bills, utility bills and gasoline (when prices are stable, that is).

The real culprit in busted budgets is the variable or irregular expense. How much will you spend on car repairs over the next 12 months? What about medical bills? Home maintenance costs? It seems that bills for these types of expenses hit us out of left field, and there goes our budget. Before long, we’re using food money to cover a new set of tires for our car and the whole budget comes crashing down.

So what’s the solution? There is no perfect answer to this problem. But we can come to a close approximation by using the simple technique of monthly averaging. Start by gathering 12 months’ worth of checkbook registers, bank statements, and credit card statements. Write down (or enter into a spreadsheet) how much you spent each and every time your money went toward something that was not a fixed expense. Group these expenditures into categories, such as auto, home maintenance, clothes, etc. Don’t try to break it down too far. What you want is a handful of useful categories. Then keep listing each of these expenses under their relevant categories for the full 12-month period.

When you are done with this exercise, you should have an excellent idea of your total annual expenditure for these variable expenses. For example, if you add up all the automobile repair or maintenance expenses for the year, and the figure comes to $1,200, then divide by 12 to get the result of $100 per month average. That’s how much you need to allow in your monthly budget in order to build up enough reserves to handle an auto repair when it comes up. Again, this method isn’t perfect, because an expense may come up that exceeds your estimated outlay, but at least it takes into account a closer approximation to reality than simply guessing, or worse, ignoring auto maintenance in your budgeting.

The trick here is to set up a separate savings account in which to set aside these “extra” funds. Let’s say the “extra” $100 goes into the savings account for six months, and then you get hit with an auto repair for $400. You pull the money from your $600 savings that was purposely built up for this type of expense. This way, you’re automatically setting aside amounts intended to cover each type of irregular expense that you encountered over the previous year.

Most people are shocked when they perform this 12-month analysis of irregular expenses, and it immediately becomes clear why their budget is always breaking down. This technique leads to the discipline necessary to recognize that “extra” money is seldom really extra. If we think we have our bills covered, and there is some cash burning a hole in our pocket, our tendency is to spend it on something fun. But if we know that there really is no cash left over, because we haven’t yet set aside the extra $100 needed to keep our car on the road, then we’ll be less inclined to spend it on pizza, beer, and movies.

Budgeting can be successfully accomplished by this technique of monthly averaging, especially if we consistently apply it year after year. As we move forward, our understanding of our true expenses becomes clearer and clearer, and we are no longer surprised by the occasional unexpected expense.

The best way to implement this approach is to set up a regular savings program, where the amount you’re setting aside to cover irregular expenses gets automatically deducted from your paycheck and forwarded to your savings account. If the money is deducted from your paycheck before you even see it, then you will be less tempted to skip this critical part of the budgeting process, and you will greatly increase the chances of making a budget work over the long term.

Tags: Auto Loan Payments, Best Of Intentions, Brainer, Budgets, Cable Tv, Creating A Budget, Culp, Debts, Gasoline, Grocery Bill, Insurance Premiums, Investment Program, Monthly Budget, Mortgage Payment, Realistic Budget, Realistic Figure, Simple Truth, Unexpected Expense, Utility Bills, Variable Expenses

Avoiding Bank Fees

Occasionally many of us will experience the dread of a bounced check, this will result in an abundance of fees that include an overdraft charge and a fee for the bounced check with the bank alone. Not to mention the fee charged by the establishment that accepted the check. This article is geared towards helping you avoid fees that are typically associated with bouncing a check. It is important that you consistently keep track of everything that goes in and comes out of your checking account.

Each time you perform anything on your checking account it is important that you update your register. This holds true with each check that is written, any withdraws made via an ATM machine, if make use of your debit card for a purchase, or if you use your account as a direct payment method for our expenses. Any time that you do any of these actions and do not have the proper amount within your checking account; it will result in your account being overdrawn.

When this happens your bank has a few choices, they could either pay the amount owed even if you do not currently hold the correct amount in your account. If they choose this option, you will be charged what is called an overdraft charge. Your bank could also choose to simply return the check marked NSF (Non Sufficient Funds) without paying a penny on it, you will then be charged a fee for bouncing the check with the bank as well as the merchant.

To avoid these fees make sure you are consistent within your register, make sure that you write every check, withdrawal, or purchase within it immediately, along with any fees that are charged with these actions. Keep your register balanced at all times, this will help ensure that you have an up-to-the-minute track of what you do and do not have. Furthermore, make sure you always keep track of any online payments and direct debit payments that you could have created for utility payments or other types of expenses. When you receive your statements every month, always balance and review them with your register. This will help you know which checks have or have not cleared as of yet.

If you do happen to make an error, you should immediately deposit the proper amount of funds into your account to try to avoid any additional fees that may be charged. In addition, you ca help with these fees if you have a savings account linked directly to your checking account to help cover these types of events. You could also apply for credit with your bank to set up a limit of overdraft; this allows the bank to lend you the money you would need to cover your bounced check or overdraft.

Tags: Abundance, Atm Machine, Bank Fees, Check Withdrawal, Checking Account, Choices, Debit Card, Debit Payments, Dread, Overdraft, Utility Payments

Boost your savings

It is general knowledge that residents of the United Kingdom are typically not savers. They tend to spend much more than they save; according to studies, saving money is not as popular as it once was. Saving is extremely important to the quality of life you expect to live in the future. Think about it, what would happen if your car suddenly quit working? What would you do if the heater or refrigerator within your home just decided to give up one day? Imagine a situation where an emergency occurred and you had to travel immediately for some reason, what would you do?

Saving your money within an account can be an excellent source of immediate funds for an unexpected emergency. It makes a great deal of sense to simply put away money into an interest bearing account for these types of events, instead of having to take out a loan or bill a credit card for them. If you do either of these things will result in more debt and higher interest payments. Many experts believe that you need to set your priorities in the right direction and you should attempt to, over time, save an equal to your salary over a three month period.

Many people may find this a lot of money to put back when bills need to be paid, that is fine, consider saving as much as you possibly can without setting yourself into a deeper hole. If you simply saved 100 a week over a three-month period you would have saved 1,200 (not including any interest accrued), that would likely pay for a broke refrigerator or a significant amount on a new or repaired heater. There are many different types of savings accounts that you can consider, some of which do not require substantial deposits.

Typically, a banking institution will access a tax on the interest prior to adding it into your savings account, for example a taxpayer at the basic rate level will be accessed twenty (20) percent, while a taxpayer at a higher rate will be accessed forty (40) percent. For those who do not pay taxes, no taxes are deducted from the interest. For those who are non-taxpayers, you will be required to fill out a R85 form, this will allow you to avoid the taxes and receive the total interest accrued on the account.

One thing people should definitely consider is an ISA (Individual Savings Account), the government of the United Kingdom, created these types of accounts in efforts to encourage residents to save their money. In this account, they allow you to save your money in an amount of 3,000 or less yearly, that will be considered tax-free.

Tags: Banking Institution, Credit Card, General Knowledge, Interest Payments, Many Different Types, Priorities, Quality Of Life, Refrigerator, Right Direction, Salary, Saving Money, Savings Account, Savings Accounts, Unexpected Emergency, United Kingdom

Asset Protection – Who Needs to Protect Their Assets?

America has often been referred to as a litigious society, meaning that we are prone to engaging in lawsuits for even the most frivolous of offenses. Ordinary people have been sued for anything and everything including: having wireless internet in their homes, not raking their front walkways, coughing in public, and giving bad reviews of former employees. Thus, no matter who you are, it is important to stay vigilant about protecting your assets.

You may not be able to protect yourself from falling victim to lawsuits. However, you should take every measure possible to ensure that a plaintiff cannot deplete your estate, should the court rule in his or her favor. After all, if your estate is vulnerable, you risk losing not only all of your money, but the entire estate intended for your children and other desired beneficiaries.

We have compiled a short list and corresponding explanation of the four most basic methods that will help you protect your assets from lawsuits.

The Childrens Trust
The Childrens Trust is set up to directly benefit your child. You will not have access to funds once they are placed into the Childrens Trust. However, you will ensure that your children will have sufficient monies for use on things such as an education or first home.

Each spouse may put a maximum of $12,000 per year into the Childrens Trust. If you and your spouse both put money into the Trust, you can put a combined total of $24,000 per year into it.

If your child is over the age of 14, you shift income tax on the gifted assets when you put money into the Trust. As stated before, once you put money into the Trust, you cannot retrieve it. You also cannot transfer the money during a lawsuit, when a claim against you is pending. Thus, it is smart to periodically invest money into your Childrens Trust so that your children will have sufficient support in the event that your estate is depleted.

The Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust
An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust, otherwise known as an ILIT, is a smart move for individuals even if they are not faced with litigation. An ILIT allows you to pass your life insurance policy on to your heirs tax-free upon your death. If you did not have an ILIT, then the death benefit would be subject to estate taxation.

Heres how an ILIT works: a trustee that you name manages your ILIT. The trustee purchases a life insurance policy on you. You provide the funds for him to purchase the policy through tax-free gifts.

Unlike a direct beneficiary designation, you can control how the funds from an ILIT are spent. You can designate a portion of funds to education, individuals, and other causes to ensure that your hard-earned money is spent how you want.

Family Limited Partnership
A Family Limited Partnership is like a limited partnership for business assets in that you and your family members will have control over a mutual pool of assets.

There are two different types of Family Limited Partnership interests: General Partnership interest and Limited Partnership interests. The General Partnership interest allows you to have control over the funds and how they are used. The Limited Partnership interest keeps your involvement at a minimum.

As with a business partnership, each partner (or family member) has access to a specified amount of funds when the assets are distributed.

Foreign Asset Protection Trust
A Foreign Asset Protection Trust is like having a foreign bank account because your transactions will take place overseas. Your Trust will be out of the hands of U.S. jurisdiction. In other words, the U.S. courts cannot access your money in the event that you are sued and found responsible for a portion of the damages awarded to the plaintiff.

With a little help and planning, you can protect yourself and your family from predatory lawsuits against you. The above methods not only save you from losing your entire estate, but they are also strategic ways to set aside funds for your beneficiaries.

It is easy to set up your Trusts wrong. Penalties for setting up your Trusts and bank accounts wrong range from your beneficiaries losing control of your assets to you being prosecuted for not recording your assets properly on your taxes. It is important that you speak with a qualified attorney when setting up your Trusts and Limited Partnership interests so that you never run into any unforeseen problems with your estate plan.

Tags: Asset Protection, Beneficiaries, Childrens Trust, Falling Victim, Gifted Assets, Income Tax, Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust, Lawsuits, Life Insuranc, Life Insurance Trust, Litigious Society, Monies, Ordinary People, Plaintiff, Protect Assets, Protect Your Assets, Protecting Your Assets, Smart Money, Walkways, Wireless Internet

A Money Saving Exercise

There is a simple money saving exercise that everyone should do at least once in their lives. It is ultimately one of the best ways to save money, because it is not about pinching pennies, but about discovering what you really want and getting it. It is so simple you may hesitate to try it. Just try it. Here it is:

List everything that you have spent money on, are currently spending money on, or might spend money on.

Don’t just read this and think of a few things. Take the time to actually write it all down. Review your bank statements if you have to, in order to remember and include everything.

Now go through the list, and carefully consider each item. Take the most time on the big items – past, present and future possibilities. If your timeshare on the beach is worth half what you paid, costs $1,000 per year in expenses, and is rarely used, you need to learn from that – not to punish yourself, but to have a richer life.

If you think honestly about the number of times you will use that Recreational Vehicle, and the cost, it may be $250 for each day of use. That’s okay if that is worth it to you, but maybe you really would enjoy $100 hotels more. Or maybe you can rent an RV for less overall cost, thus freeing up money for other important goals.

You see, saving money isn’t about sacrifice. We all are aware of the scrooges in life that pinch their pennies, bank the savings, and then do nothing with it. The point should be to save money in one area of life so you can use it in ways that make your whole life richer.

Suppose you notice you’re spending $8 per month on subscriptions to magazine you don’t read, or on insurance for a motorcycle you almost never ride? Cancel the subscriptions or sell the
motorcycle, and what have you lost? Is it a big deal? What will that $8 get you instead?

- Bank it for ten years, and use the $1200 to take a second honeymoon.

- Use it to pay for a day off work once a year, to spend with the kids.

- Invest it, to have an extra $50 per month during your retirement years.

- Buy six good books a year, to learn something new.

- Make banana splits for the family once a month.

- Give $100 per year to a worthy cause.

$8 per month can do a lot if used wisely. Imagine what you could do if you stopped wasting $200 per month. That’s why it is so important to discover what you really want – and what you don’t want. This is one of the most intelligent ways to save money.

Tags: Bank Statements, Best Ways To Save Money, Exercise, Hotels, Insurance, Insurance Motorcycle, Money Saving, Pinching Pennies, Possibilities, Recreational Vehicle, Rv, Sacrifice, Saving Money, Scrooges, Second Honeymoon, Spending Money, Subscriptions, Timeshare, Ways To Save Money, Whole Life

Annuity Basics

Annuities can be very good things for some of us and a disaster for those of us who have not been made aware of the pitfalls and traps that in turn can easily befall them.
Since most people have or are going to look into annuities as a retirement or and an investment vehicle, make sure it fits into todays needs and parameters. It has to be right for the times we are in and it needs to be periodically revaluated for tomorrows world.

Precautions to be taken when buying annuities:

1.One should not Buy Annuities With Long Surrender Periods:

People are talked into buying an annuity that locks up their money for an excessive period of time with a surrender period that is longer than another comparable annuity with similar interest rates.

2.Do not fall for First Year Bonus Interest Rates:

Some annuity companies offer you a bonus or bonus interest rate on your first year deposit into an annuity.

3.Understand exclusion rations and the value of a partial 1035 exchange.

This is a rather complicated subject because there are enormous variables in determining how to properly structure your annuity contract from day one so as to maximize the taxable exclusion ratios when and if you decide to take an annuitization income from your annuities in the future.

4.Do not use small companies with questionable financial ratings

An annuity by definition is a contract guaranteed by an insurance company. Annuity consumers sometimes forget this and buy and annuity without factoring the claims paying ability of the insuring company. This does not only apply to the questions of solvency or bankruptcy but to the more subtle effect it might have ones contract. If an annuity company has financial trouble it most likely will not go bankrupt (even though it is a possibility) because of the various government regulatory groups that monitor annuity companies. But what can happen is the annuity company will lower the rates at which it credits interest to your account in order to make up its losses in other areas of its business.

5.Know the guaranteed cover per person per insurance company

One needs to know if an insurance company goes broke what is the guaranteed cover per person per insurance company is available .One should not invest more than that in the fixed or guaranteed annuities and the variable annuities are not covered. Because if they broke then one may get stuck or spread the amount between different insurance companies.

6.Consider the shortest penalty free surrender date
The next thing you have to consider is getting the shortest possible penalty free surrender date term as possible so long as the interest rate is better than any CD.

Lastly and most importantly get the best professional help, one who will always tell you “like it is” even if its sometimes hard to listen too and even harder sometimes to act upon.

Tags: 1035 Exchange, Annuities, Annuity Companies, Annuity Company, Annuity Contract, Financial Trouble, Future 4, Insurance Annuity, Insurance Company, Interest Rates, Investment Vehicle, Period Of Time, Pitfalls, Rations, Ratios, Regulatory Groups, Solvency, Subtle Effect, Surrender Periods, Traps

A Brief Guide When Shopping For Personal Loans

Sometimes you need extra money for unexpected expenses like car repairs, unexpected bills, health expenses, school expenses, or a myriad of other reasons. Where do you go to get money for these unplanned expenses? Personal loans are available from many different companies and lenders for consumers today whether you have good or bad credit.

Your first place to try to get a personal loan is from a bank or credit union. Many times, they can offer you a loan based on your credit record. Personal loans from a bank or credit union usually do not have collateral attached to them and they are loans based on your name and credit record. Banks and credit unions are a great place to go for a personal loan if you have comparatively good credit.

Another place that you can get a personal loan is from a personal loan company. There are many of these places that will give you a loan. They usually need you to list some sort of collateral, but if you have a job and a consistent home, then they will normally approve you. This is a good option if you cannot get a loan at a bank or credit union but you need to be a smart consumer and ask questions before signing any loan papers. You need to know the interest rate, the length of the loan, and the monthly or weekly payment amount. Make sure that you can meet the requirements of the loan or you will end up in a worsened financial situation.

There are other options available if the above two choice do not work out. You can take items from your home to a pawnshop to get a loan. This will be a higher interest rate, but if you do not have any other options, this is a good choice. A car title loan is an option, but you need to keep in mind that you will lose your car if you do not make timely payments. A payday loan company is also an option but you need to be sure that you understand the terms of the loan. You need to understand the terms of any loan that you take out to make sure that you can make the payments and pay the loan off. Some of these options are a last resort, but if you need the money for a necessity, it may be your only choice. Just be sure that you go into the loan process knowledgeable about the details of the loan.

There are times in your life that you will need extra money for unexpected or unplanned expenses. It is always best to plan ahead and have a savings account for these expenses, but sometimes it is just not possible. If you do not have any other options, then you may have to take out a loan to cover these expenses. Getting a personal loan can be stressful and difficult at times, but if you do your research and know what you are getting into, then you are sure to be satisfied with the result!

Tags: Car Repairs, Car Title Loan, Collateral, Credit Unions, Different Companies, Extra Money, Financial Situation, Health Expenses, Interest Rate, Loan Papers, Myriad, Pawnshop, Payday Loan Company, Personal Loan, Personal Loans, School Expenses, Smart Consumer, Timely Payments, Unexpected Bills, Unexpected Expenses