Do you find yourself printing hundreds of receipts from online shopping? Do you also print out bank statements for your record or receive them in the mail? Don’t be at risk of having a paper trail of your financial records! You can save time and paper by creating simple PDFs of all of your financial transaction and protect them further through setting a password on each or all files. You can even create invoices, proposals and more for your small business using PDFs to make sure other parties involved cannot manipulate the document.

A great piece of software to create simple PDFs is the McBurrz PDF Suite from mcburrz.com. This software allows you to create PDFs from any program that is able to print. Use it to print all of your bank statements, online receipts, and more from your web browser or create PDFs from Microsoft Word, Excel, or Powerpoint. One of the coolest features of this software however is that you can password protect your PDFs, so that you have control over who can print or even view them! Passwords can be created with 128 bit encryption so you know your documents will be secure!

McBurrz has a lot of other cool software for small businesses too! If you are on the creative side, there are photo editing  and vector design programs, video and audio editing software, and more!

Foreign Exchange Market is a market where traders buy and sell currencies with the hope of making a profit when the values of the currencies change in their favor. People are making vast amounts of money from Forex trading. The Forex Market has a big potential for everyone, ranging from large corporate firms to ordinary, everyday people like you and me.

It is a very exciting trade with a huge money-making potential. Just imagine yourself sitting comfortably in your pajamas at your computer, you turn on the internet and make a few quick transactions and by the time that you get up to get a cup of coffee, you are several hundred dollars rich! Would you like that? I would!

I can hear you say, “Wait a minute!!  This sounds just like another one of those confusing markets like stocks, options or traditional futures, so what makes this market any different?”

Aaah! Good question! So, in answer to your question, here are 10 good (if not great) reasons to enter the Forex Trade:

1. First and foremost, Forex trading allows for small investments. You do not have to be able to invest thousands of dollars to get started with this trade. You can start trading Forex with as little as $300 to $350 and could be well on your way to earning more than that on your first day.

2. The Forex markets are always open! You are able to trade anytime and from anywhere in the world. No waiting for the stock exchange to open. The market is ongoing, with generally only minor breaks on the weekends.

3. The funds that you invest are liquid; you can cash them anytime you want. No waiting for days to get your stocks converted into hard cash.

4. The value of the Forex Trading market is COLOSSAL: it is 30 times larger than all of the US equity markets combined. It is the largest market in the world with daily reported volume of 1.5 to 2.0 trillion dollars. This massive value makes it a lucrative and desirable trade to invest in.

5. It is a highly stable trade and offers greater strength over other markets. Countries and people are ALWAYS going to need currency. Although the value of different currencies goes up and down, the fluctuations are not as dramatic as stock prices and generally follow a predictable trend.

6. You do not have to worry about commissions, exchange fees nor any hidden charges when you trade Forex.  Forex brokers make only a small percentage of the bid and there are very respectable and free brokers available as well. Is that not wonderful for you?

7. You make profits no matter which way the currency is going. You will not worry about a falling currency value if you know what to do with it and make good gains.

8. Forex is a very transparent market. Unlike equity markets, where analysts have an unfair advantage over the layman because of their insider knowledge, the relevant information for Forex is equally available to every one through international news. Therefore, all Forex traders are in a position to make pertinent decisions according to the current market situations.

9. Forex market is extremely quick! It takes not more than 1 to 2 seconds to complete your transactions because it is all done electronically, online and in Real Time.

10. The final good news is that you do not need any formal education, licensing, diploma or degree to trade Forex. All you need is the know-how of how it works, trading strategies and some tips and techniques and you can be on your way to earn big profits.

Forex trading online may be the fastest path to financial freedom and an end to all your financial worries. It truly is an excellent, if not THE best home business opportunity for ordinary people.
You owe it to yourself to give it a try!!!
Prosperity and happiness to all!

There are very few points that everybody in this world agrees upon. And the stock market unpredictability is undoubtedly one of them. Even people with several years of experience are not always able to track the stock market dynamics, thus falling prey to faulty decisions. Watertight stock market investing strategy is something that people consider to be elusive. It is something that can be chased, but probably can never be achieved.

But is it a correct notion? Are things like fate, luck, chance, etc., are the only deciding factors in the stock market investments? Or is there any way to approach the stock market in a speculative manner?

The answer to the above question probably lies in the Systematic Investment Plan or SIP (a.k.a. “Periodic Payment Plan” or “Contractual Plan”).

Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) Unlike the one-time investment plans, SIP entails regular payments for a fixed period. It allows investors to garner shares of a mutual fund by contributing a fixed (which is often small) amount of money on a regular basis. And it offers the following advantages readily attractive to any investor.

Reduced pressure on your purse

Through SIP you can enter the stock market even with a paltry investment. Your inability to invest a more-or-less fat amount might have kept you away from investing in the stock market. SIP is an ideal solution for your problem.

Building for the future

We have certain needs that can be addressed only through long-term investments. Such needs include childrenís education, buying a house of your own, post-retirement emergencies, etc. And SIP offers precious help in this regard. It helps you to save a small amount on a regular basis. And in due time it turns into a substantial amount.

Compounds returns

SIP not only helps you reach a substantial amount after a certain period of time. Rather it helps you to reach that amount at an early age, depending when you start investing. You can amass a notable amount at 70 if you start investing at 35. An earlier start at 25 can enable you achieve the same amount by 60.

Lowering the average cost

In SIP you experience low average cost, courtesy dollar-cost average. You invest the same fixed dollar amount in the same investment at regular intervals over an extended period of time. You are buying more shares of an investment when the share price is low. And you are buying fewer shares when the share price is high. And it may result in you paying a lower average price per share.

The dollar-cost averaging strategy does not try to time the market. Rather it reduces the risk of investing a larger amount in an investment at a wrong time. And it does the same by spreading your investments out over a period of months, years, or even decades.

Market timing irrelevance

The previous two paragraphs tell you that SIP makes the market timing irrelevant for you. The stock market unpredictability and volatility often play a deterrent for wannabe investors like you. In SIP, you are completely free from this problem of wrong timing.

The SIP’s mode of function

A typical SIP entails monthly investments over a period of 10, 15 or 25 years. You are generally allowed to start your investment with a modest sum.

You do not have direct ownership of the funds. Rather you own an interest in the plan trust. The plan trust invests the investor’s regular payments, after deducting applicable fees, in shares of a mutual fund.

Things that you should make clear before investing in an SIP

You should make certain things clear to yourself before going for an SIP investment. They include the following:

1. You should be confident about continuing to make payments for the term of the plan. Withdrawal in the mid way will almost certainly make you lose your money unless you are eligible for a full refund.
2. Check the fees charged by the plan. Also check the circumstances under which the plan waives or reduces certain fees.
3. Study the planís investment objectives. Take a note of the risks of investing in the plan. And check whether you are comfortable with them.
4. Check your statutory rights to a refund in case you cancel your plan.

So, you want to put an offer in on a bank owned property?  I’ve asked several people who are in the business and here’s the best data I’ve collected:

The truth is that many times an offer is not accepted because the two parties involved are not optimal for each other.  If you are selling your house, you don’t care who the buyer is – you will get paid regardless. Banks, however, do care and most brokers do their homework on a prospective buyer better than others.

Here are some things to keep in mind, especially during these times:

• Banks are very hungry for cash right now so if you are going to negotiate – you have more leverage if you’re paying cash up front
• Banks know the value of the house they are selling.  They’ve done their homework.
• Banks do not like contingencies – they are selling as is for a reason – get an inspection if you must but don’t expect them to pay for anything to be done to the house
• Close, Close, Close! If you can’t at least SAY you can do this within 30 days, your offer is much weaker than others.  It usually takes much longer for this for the bank to close, so don’t worry too much. However, be ready for day 30.

Offers are basically separated into 3 tiers, A offers, B offers and C offers.  Clearly, the bank prefers A offers.

Tier A:

• All Cash – No Contingencies – Close ASAP
•  All Cash – few contingencies such as an inspection – Close ASAP

Tier B:

• Regular financing (approx 20% or more) – No Contingencies – Close ASAP
• Regular financing (approx 20% or more) – few contingencies such as an inspection – Close ASAP

Tier C:

• Low down payiment financing (3% – 19%) – No Contingencies – Close ASAP
• Low down payiment financing (3% – 19%) – few contingencies such as an inspection – Close ASAP

More than 50% of bank owned properties are purchased by all cash paying investors.  Buyers are usually street savvy and smart.  A lot of the times your offer can get beat, even if the total dollar amount is less but the earnest money deposit amount is higher.  Earnest Money is not the same as a Down Payment – (What is the difference between Earnest Money and a Down Payment) – Do not expect to win a bid if you are still somehow getting “100% Financing”.

• Be smart
• If you are serious about a property put your money where your mouth is and impress the bank
• Make sure you know who are you giving the earnest money to.
• Never give it to the seller
• Always make sure you read your contract, specifically instructions for refunding you the money you put down. 
• Don’t release the money until your transaction is complete.

Often, you can set the escrow account holding this earnest money to automatically return to the purchaser should the transaction not be complete by a certain date.

This is a review for Prosper.com – A person to person lending/borrowing broker.

With the recent downturn, then skyrocket and then immediate decline again in the stock market I decided it was time to keep diversifying as much as possible.  There is no doubt that historically the market has – overtime – given positive returns however in times like these it’s a good idea to start thinking outside the box.

So we have the usual FDIC insured banks that this website focuses on.  These are safe, secure and backed up by the Federal Reserve.  The worry is that so is 700 Billion dollars worth of bad debt.  This is no way meant to make you panic.  *Do not* go running to your local bank or request an immediate check from your online bank emptying your account.  This post is only meant to give you another option.

We have been running a test for the last 4 months with a company called Prosper.com . The main idea behind this site is much like P2P (Person to Person) sharing which is used to share software on the internet this is P2P Lending.  It is quite literally that.  You lend or borrow from real people.  Chances are if you are reading this, you want to lend to others and earn a decent return.

Prosper lets you lend up to 1 million dollars. These loans are NOT insured in any way whatsoever, except they have a built in interface for promissory notes and collection agencies in the event that a borrower defaults.  The minimum you can lend someone is $50.00 USD.  To date, we have 10 people who have borrowed from us, from AA credit to D credit and none have defaulted…yet.  We are optimistic but at the same time realistic. Our D credit borrowers are paying higher interest of course, since they are higher risk.  Currently our average return is hovering around 15% but this is most likely going to average down to *approx* 6.5% APR over 3 years.  Keep in mind, if default rates go through the roof, this will be even lower.

Yes, these loans are three year loans.  It does tie up your cash, so if liquidity is an issue you may want to think twice.  You do however receive monthly payments which include interest and principle reimbursement.  Prosper.com does take care of all the paperwork (electronically of course). You do also have to hook up a regular bank account to the Prosper.com account in order to do initial funding.

Recently I’ve signed up for Turbochecking.com.  This is a 6% APY checking account run by Charter Co. Bank.  WOW what a find!?  Sort of.  There are some stipulations:

As of February of 2009 Charter Co (Turbochecking.com) has lowered their rate to 5.01% APY

• You must use online banking, and check in once a month online (Easy)
• You must receive e-statements as opposed to paper statements (Easy and earth friendly)
• You must have one Direct Deposit or ACH Debit once per month (Easy, you can automate this)
• You must use your TurboChecking Debit card - 10  (updated 9/30/08) 13 times a month! (This is the catch)

Now, it would be foolish to say this a no brainer as you do have to remember to use the debit card.  Let’s be honest though, this is also pretty simple.  How often do you buy Coffee at your local Starbucks?

Just make sure you use your Debit card, instead of cash or your credit card and you are all set.  Failure to meet the four criteria above gives you a measily interest rate which is not even worth mentioning.Since signing up I have used the email help feature, and within 2 hours max, a representative got back to me.  Impressive compared to other banks I’ve deal with.

A basis point is a financial unit of measurement. One basis point is equal to 1/100th of 1%, and is used to denote a change in a financial instrument. One basis point could be written as 1 basis point, or 0.01%, or .0001. Therefore, 100 basis points equals 1.0%. The basis point is commonly used for calculating changes in interest rates, equity indexes and the yield of a fixed-income security.

So what does a basis point have to do with merchant processing? Actually, a lot! Payment processors measure their profit margins by using basis points, and the pricing offered to merchants for credit card or check processing is often express in basis points. For instance, if a merchant is offered a retail qualified rate of 1.87% + $0.15 then the merchant is paying 187 basis points and $0.15 per transaction.

How can a merchant use this information to their advantage? That all depends on your average ticket. At $100 average ticket 1 basis point equals exactly $0.01 (0.01% x $100). If the average ticket is less than $100 then 1 basis point is less than $0.01. And if the average ticket is greater than $100 then 1 basis point is greater than $0.01. Since a merchant’s goal is to reduce their processing costs, they would be smart to minimize or negotiate the lowest possible per item rate if their average ticket is below $100. In this case, a penny is worth more than 1 basis point and a smart merchant would rather reduce his rate by $0.01 instead of 0.01%. Conversely, if the average ticket was greater than $100 then the merchant should negotiate the lowest point percentage rate. In this case, one basis point is worth more than one penny, and the merchant would be wiser to trade-off each $0.01 for each 0.01% reduction. Make sense?

Let’s see if you mastered this concept. If your average ticket is $65, which rate is lower – 1.85% + $0.20 or 1.80% + $0.25? If you answered 1.85% + $0.20 then you are correct. This rate will save you $0.052 per each transaction over the second rate.?