Business & Finance

Archive for November, 2009

With the present economic condition, landing in a tight financial spot is like finding yourself in a dead end of a street. Knowing that you have fewer resources can really be troubling. What is more, the situation can be made worse if you have outstanding debts, adding to the burden of having less money. This situation calls for desperate measures, so other people believe. However, executing desperate measures can cause you more trouble. Instead of doing such things, you can try doing one of these:

1) You may find this advice ironic. How can you save if you have less money? Well, this is not easy, considering your status. However, it can really lessen your debts. If you will be able to save money, the savings will be used to pay some portion of your debts.

2) Borrowing money from your family and friends can be considered as a safe move. You can obtain money from them without worrying about interest rates. Nevertheless, do not abuse the privilege; pay them back as soon as you can!

3) It is painful to accept the fact that you are in need of debt assistance. Forget about the shame, you are in debt problems and you need help. Accept the fact that you have failed to manage your resources and find your way to get out of debt.

These tips may never be truly effective if you will not put some honest effort doing it. So, keep in mind that for you to have a brighter future, you must get rid of debts now, or you will be stuck in it for years.

That card you use to draw money from the ATM is a debit card. Debit cards don’t have a credit card company logo on them instead all they have is the bank logo, card number and your name. Some debit cards these days look exactly like credit cards and even carry the same logos. Both types can be used at the tills when making a purchase. Your debit card is attached to your checking account. When making a purchase with your debit card the amount of your purchase is automatically deducted from your checking account providing you have the funds available in that account. If you have less than the purchase amount the card will be rejected.

With a credit card, when you make a purchase, you are in fact using someone else’s money. This someone is the issuer of the credit card i.e. the banking institution. With a credit card you are in fact borrowing the money from the bank, with the intention of paying it back. In addition you will pay interest on the loaned money at a rate you and the bank institution agree on from when you applied and accepted the credit card. The interest is also known as the annual percentage rate (APR). Although Credit and debit cards might look and act the same they provide different levels of consumer protection.

Debit card or credit card? Most experts say that you should use your debit card for the same type of purchases as you would for all your cash style purchases. Avoid using your debit card for online or expensive payments as it is easier to dispute a charge when you have made the payment with your credit card. It also makes it easier for the banks to solve as the charge can easily be removed until the problem is resolved.