Give Yourself a Credit Reality Check

If you're like everyone else - experiencing the tightening around the wallet Bakugan pocketbook due to the changes in the economy - this is something you should definitely read. As jobs are being cut by the thousands and prices are shooting up, it often becomes a potentially dangerous situation. What are you going to do if you 1957 Topps baseball cards emergency cash? One thing you can do is give yourself a credit Strange Tales check.

Do you use credit cards?

Many individuals use credit cards, and most of them use those credit cards in a way that is dangerous. Maybe you're waiting on pay day and you'd really like to get lunch in town before going back to work, so you charge it. You see a lovely pair of shoes that would look amazing with a Space Invaders suit you have - so you charge it. This is the best way to get on the fast track to crushing debt. If you spend like this, it's time to give yourself a credit reality check.

Stop Bad Spending Habits

The truth is that you should only be using Mars Attacks credit cards for one of two things - to pay for items you already have the cash to pay for in an attempt to build your credit, and for emergencies. You should be paying your credit cards off at the end of every month so that you're not paying more for all of your items because of interest. When you only pay the minimum payment, you're not getting rid of the actual balance on your credit cards. The only thing you're doing is paying the interest on the money. By continuing this, you could end up leaving your loved ones with the burden of paying your credit card debt!

Stop bad spending habits now by only paying for items you have the cash to pay for. Also, pay your credit card off each month. If you don't have the money to pay it completely off, pay as much as you possibly can so that you will be making a dent in the actual balance owed on the cards.

Create a Plan to Pay Off Your Cards

If you're maxed out or have too much balance on your credit cards, you need to create a plan to pay them off. Figure out how much money you have each month to devote to your credit cards - by subtracting your monthly expenses from your monthly income. Devote as much of this money as you can to paying down the credit cards - the sooner you get them paid off, the better.

While many people would suggest getting a secured loan to pay off your credit cards, don't. Why? Because if you never pay your credit cards again, the most that can happen is that your credit will be shot. However, if you get a secured loan and place your home as collateral and then never pay your credit cards, you could lose your home.

By giving yourself a credit reality check, you will be doing more to protect your financial health in this unsteady economy. Good luck.

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Zero Coupon Bonds and How They Work

Zero coupon 1974 Topps baseball cards are bonds that do not pay interest during the life of the bonds. Zero Coupon bonds are purchased Weebles a discount and they will fund the face value at maturity. A portion of the funds at maturity will be accumulated interest (the discount) and the original amount of the purchase price of the coupon. At maturity when a zero coupon bond matures, the investor will receive one lump sum equal to the initial investment plus interest that has accrued.

The maturity dates on zero coupon bonds can vary and usually the time period for Wolverine movie bonds are a longer time period. Often these maturity periods may be 15, 20 years or more. Investors can purchase zero coupon bonds in the secondary markets that have been issued from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Treasury, corporations, and state and local government entities.

Zero coupon bonds pay no interest until maturity but these are not necessarily deferred payments. The tax liability may still need to be paid annually because of the assumed yield which Weird Science also known as the phantom tax. By using zero coupon bonds issued by municipalities the income tax can be avoided. Occasionally a for corporation may issue a special tax exempt zero coupon bond which will not have annual tax liability tied to it.

The primary benefit of zero coupon bonds to investors is that they can lock in current interest rates for the duration of the bond. Investors are attracted because they allow an investor to accumulate a fixed amount of money by a specified date, lock in the current interest rate until maturity, and there is no call option risk in most bonds.

U.S. government zero-coupon bonds and corporate zero-coupon bonds are currently taxable as ordinary income to the investor even though the investor receives no current interest income from the bonds.

Another use for zero coupon bonds is to use them as a basic investment in an IRA. Because they are placed in an IRA the tax liability is deferred until the funds in the IRA are accessed. Zero coupon bonds provide long term yields with a guaranteed locked in interest rate.

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