Silver - Silver Coins & News

Cash value, or permanent, life insurance is life insurance that is designed to be kept until your death–whenever that may be. Part of your premium pays for the “pure” insurance coverage and expenses, and the balance is held by the insurance company in a cash value account. The type of permanent life insurance you buy (e.g., whole, universal, variable) will influence the pace at which the cash value portion of your policy grows. The interest and earnings grow tax deferred until you withdraw the funds, and are part of the income-tax-free death benefit if you die. However, these policies may require a higher cash outlay than term life policies.

Who should consider cash value life insurance?

Cash value life insurance is well suited to cover long-term needs, because coverage continues for the rest of your life. You won’t need to renew your policy periodically, nor will you need to provide proof of insurability (e.g., a medical exam) once the policy is in place. Cash value insurance allows you to lock in a premium schedule, so you won’t have to worry about rising premiums as you get older or your health deteriorates.

Advantages of cash value life insurance

As with any life insurance policy, the purpose of cash value insurance is to provide adequate financial resources for your surviving loved ones in the event of your premature death. Knowing that this protection is in place may allow you to sleep a little easier at night.

A cash value policy is similar to an annuity in this respect. All of the interest and earnings on the policy’s investments are allowed to grow free from income taxes until you surrender the policy or begin to withdraw your funds. Depending on the amount credited to the cash value account, you can accumulate a substantial amount of equity in your cash value policy over a period of years.

Generally, you’ll have the right to take a loan from the insurance company, secured by the cash value in your policy. A fixed or variable interest rate will be charged. Keep in mind, however, that if you take a loan against your cash value, the death benefit available to your survivors will be reduced by the amount of the loan. In addition, policy loans may reduce available cash value and can cause your policy to lapse. Finally, you could face tax consequences if you surrender the policy with an outstanding loan against it.

With most cash value life insurance, you can take withdrawals from your cash value account. Policy withdrawals may be tax free up to your basis in the policy (the amount you’ve paid into the policy in premiums). As with loans, the amount of the withdrawal from your cash value account will reduce the death benefit available to your survivors, as well as the available cash value,n some cases by an amount greater than the withdrawal amount. Different tax rules apply to withdrawals and loans from cash values if the policy is a Modified Endowment Contract. In that case, withdrawals and loans are considered made from earnings first, and would be subject to income tax.

Disadvantages of cash value life insurance

The premiums for cash value insurance usually cost more than for a comparable amount of term insurance in the early years of the policy. The reason is that with a cash value policy, you’re initially paying more than is currently needed to pay for the insurance, so that you can build a fund (the cash value account) to help offset the higher insurance costs you’ll need to pay when you’re older.

If you buy a variable life insurance policy, the underlying investments in the cash value account expose you to the possibility of financial loss as well as financial gain. It all depends on how those investments fare. Any losses will cut directly into your cash value account and may affect the amount of the death benefit, although a minimum death benefit is usually guaranteed. (Guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability of the insurer.) Now with the invention of the Equity Linked Life Insurance there is now a way to participate with the potential upside of the market without the downside.

 For more information on financial planning, visit www.iamllc.biz 

Popularity: 3% [?]

Technorati Tags: cash value life insurance, life insurance, permanent life insurance

Nearly 45 million people today receive some form of Social Security benefits, including 90 percent of retired workers over age 65. But Social Security is more than just a retirement program. Its scope has expanded to include other benefits as well, such as disability, family, and survivor’s benefits.

How does Social Security work?

The Social Security system is based on a simple premise: Throughout your career, you pay a portion of your earnings into a trust fund by paying Social Security or self-employment taxes. Your employer, if any, contributes an equal amount. In return, you receive certain benefits that can provide income to you when you need it most–at retirement or when you become disabled, for instance. Your family members can receive benefits based on your earnings record, too. The amount of benefits that you and your family members receive depends on several factors, including your average lifetime earnings, your date of birth, and the type of benefit that you’re applying for.

Your earnings and the taxes you pay are reported to the Social Security Administration (SSA) by your employer, or if you are self-employed, by the Internal Revenue Service. The SSA uses your Social Security number to track your earnings and your benefits.

Finding out what earnings have been reported to the SSA and what benefits you can expect to receive is easy. Just check out your Social Security Statement, mailed by the SSA annually to anyone age 25 or older who is not already receiving Social Security benefits. You’ll receive this statement each year about three months before your birthday. It summarizes your earnings record and estimates the retirement, disability, and survivor’s benefits that you and your family members may be eligible to receive. You can also order a statement at the SSA website, at your local SSA office, or by calling (800) 772-1213.

Social Security eligibility

When you work and pay Social Security taxes, you earn credits that enable you to qualify for Social Security benefits. You can earn up to 4 credits per year, depending on the amount of income that you have. Most people must build up 40 credits (10 years of work) to be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits, but need fewer credits to be eligible for disability benefits or for their family members to be eligible for survivor’s benefits.

Your retirement benefits

If you were born before 1938, you will be eligible for full retirement benefits at age 65. If you were born in 1938 or later, the age at which you are eligible for full retirement benefits will be different. That’s because full retirement age is gradually increasing to age 67.

But you don’t have to wait until full retirement age to begin receiving benefits. No matter what your full retirement age, you can begin receiving early retirement benefits at age 62. Doing so is often advantageous: Although you’ll receive a reduced benefit if you retire early, you’ll receive benefits for a longer period than someone who retires at full retirement age.

You can also choose to delay receiving retirement benefits past full retirement age. If you delay retirement, the Social Security benefit that you eventually receive will be as much as 6 to 8 percent higher. That’s because you’ll receive a delayed retirement credit for each month that you delay receiving retirement benefits, up to age 70. The amount of this credit varies, depending on your year of birth.

Disability benefits

If you become disabled, you may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits. The SSA defines disability as a physical or mental condition severe enough to prevent a person from performing substantial work of any kind for at least a year. This is a strict definition of disability, so if you’re only temporarily disabled, don’t expect to receive Social Security disability benefits–benefits won’t begin until the sixth full month after the onset of your disability. And because processing your claim may take some time, apply for disability benefits as soon as you realize that your disability will be long term.

Family benefits

If you begin receiving retirement or disability benefits, your family members might also be eligible to receive benefits based on your earnings record. Eligible family members may include:

• Your spouse age 62 or older, if married at least 1 year
• Your former spouse age 62 or older, if you were married at least 10 years
• Your spouse or former spouse at any age, if caring for your child who is under age 16 or disabled
• Your children under age 18, if unmarried
• Your children under age 19, if full-time students (through grade 12) or disabled
• Your children older than 18, if severely disabled

Each family member may receive a benefit that is as much as 50 percent of your benefit. However, the amount that can be paid each month to a family is limited. The total benefit that your family can receive based on your earnings record is about 150 to 180 percent of your full retirement benefit amount. If the total family benefit exceeds this limit, each family member’s benefit will be reduced proportionately. Your benefit won’t be affected.

Survivor’s benefits

When you die, your family members may qualify for survivor’s benefits based on your earnings record. These family members include:

• Your widow(er) or ex-spouse age 60 or older (or age 50 or older if disabled)
• Your widow(er) or ex-spouse at any age, if caring for your child who is under 16 or disabled
• Your children under 18, if unmarried
• Your children under age 19, if full-time students (through grade 12) or disabled
• Your children older than 18, if severely disabled
• Your parents, if they depended on you for at least half of their support

Your widow(er) or children may also receive a one-time $255 death benefit immediately after you die.

Applying for Social Security benefits

You can apply for Social Security benefits in person at your local Social Security office. You can also begin the process by calling (800) 772-1213 or by filling out an on-line application on the Social Security website. The SSA suggests that you contact its representative the year before the year you plan to retire, to determine when you should apply and begin receiving benefits. If you’re applying for disability or survivor’s benefits, apply as soon as you are eligible.

Depending on the type of Social Security benefits that you are applying for, you will be asked to furnish certain records, such as a birth certificate, W-2 forms, and verification of your Social Security number and citizenship. The documents must be original or certified copies. If any of your family members are applying for benefits, they will be expected to submit similar documentation. The SSA representative will let you know which documents you need and help you get any documents you don’t already have.

For more information on financial planning, visit www.iamllc.biz 

Popularity: 3% [?]

Technorati Tags: Benefits, disability benefits, retirement benefits, social security, social security eligibility, survivors benefits

We should really be getting on this liquid market and stop looking to other ways to get money. The funny thing is, the advantages of Forex trading has always been there, the buoyancy of other markets and investment opportunities for the past few years have actually pushed it into a sort of a shadow. Now that the credit crunch is here and market trust has wavered to the point where investors have turned tail and run away, the Forex market has actually started to shine with a light that I think has always been there. This article will not try to convince you of anything, but to tell you of four reasons why you should shift your energy to Forex online trading to make some real money.

One of the undisputable advantages of the Forex market is the fact that it is a 24 hour market that can be accessed at almost any time. Add to that the ease and accessibility of the internet and you get complete control and command over your investments and you can check even the smallest variance in the market at any one time. This is the dream of any investor and to someone dealing with a lot of money, a 12 hour wait could mean horror - things could go bad overnight and you would want to be able to nip any impending storms in the bud.

Another great reason why you should consider trading online in the Forex market is that you can make money on both ends of the market. The Forex market is unique in a certain sense because you can make money on currencies that are going down and currencies that are going up. Market positioning is very flexible in the buying and selling of money worldwide and the good thing about Forex is the ability to have a duplicity market, where a downturn in the market could mean profits for you.

The Forex market is in fact highly predictable compared to other financial markets, and price movements, to experienced brokers, work in a cycle and a pattern that actually work out in a general map cycle that can be plotted and predicted easily. Yes, Forex markets are especially volatile, when disasters come about in some corner of the world could mean more than a 1 point drop in a currency you are backing, means you lose a lot of money. You can easily avoid such disasters if you’re able to read the market. There are also strategies aplenty and you can pick up different ways to forecast the market with tried and true methods.

Online trading also cuts away a lot of the physical and unnecessary complications you might have if you had gone down the traditional time. In the world of Forex trading, everything from order execution to general and specific enquiries is done electronically and an Internet based platforms is the best way for you to interface with the market. What this means is that you don’t have to be in the pits to make money; you can make a killing on the market right in the comforts of your own home.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Technorati Tags: Forex Market, Market positioning, online trading

Millionaire Mind

If you’ve only just run into the Millionaire Mind Seminar, you might not be sure if this product can live up to all its press.  After all, that’s how I felt then I first encountered it.  There are plenty of programs out there that don’t deliver on their promises, but there’s more to this seminar than that.

All the enthusiastic positive thinking material at the beginning made me feel like I’d made a big mistake.  After all, I’m not usually interested in that sort of thing - I want real information about how market, how to make money and how to prosper.  This sort of presentation feels like an evangelical session, not a seminar on how to be a success.

After you make it through the beginning, however, what feels like a tirade can turn into a huge change in how you think.  The way we approach money can really affect whether or not we’re successful.  That’s the secret - we have to learn to think like millionaires to be millionaires.

T. Harv Eker is the creator of the Millionaire Mind Seminar, and he tells us how to break out of the negative thinking patterns that keep us poor.  His teachings are sometimes uncomfortable, but they tell us how to break out of old traps and achieve what we were meant to.  The biggest obstacle is the way we approach money.

If you’re the kind of person who’s not willing to cope with the discomfort it takes to rearrange your world view, this isn’t the seminar for you.  It takes a lot of dedication and effort to get to your goals.  However, if you’re willing to put in the dedication to change how you think this could be the way you break free of the thought patterns that keep you down.

We can learn to dream big, look at our results, and admire people who are successful instead of resenting them.  This seminar teaches us that if we start out working from resentment and fear, we’ll never get anywhere.  Instead, we need to lean to take opportunities and give up on our egos to truly be successful, and to be happy, no matter what.

If you’re still not certain, that’s understandable.  I’m pretty hard to convince, too.  That’s why you should check out everything you can find about the Millionaire Mind Seminar and decide for yourself.

You’ll be surprised by what you find out, and there’s a pretty good chance it’ll change your mind.  You never know until you try!  T. Harv Eker’s Millionaire Mind Seminar is an amazing opportunity to turn things around.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Technorati Tags: harv eker, millionaire mind intensive, millionaire mind intensive seminar, millionaire mind seminar, peak potentials, secrets of a millionaire mind, the millionaire mind

It is true that if you can manage to create your own budget, you will be able to control your finances wisely. It’s not just a matter of writing things down and getting things altogether in a list.

Budget and Debt Reduction

Creating your own personal budget and managing your finances is more than that. You have to take into consideration what you really require, plus include what you have to pay for, for example your expenses and debts. You have to make sure that when you create your budget, it should focus in reducing your expenses so you can save for the future. For you to establish an idea on how you can create your own budget effectively, consider the four major factors indicated below:

1. Fixed Expenses
2. Variable Expenses
3. Reducing Your Debt
4. Your Savings Fund

First, write down your fixed expenses and determine if there are ones you can afford to take out. Fixed expenses are those goods and services that you are obliged to pay for every month, such as your rent or mortgage, utility bills, credit card bills, monthly subscriptions, etc.

Manage Your Expenses

Then you have to manage your variable expenses accordingly. You need to check on these irregular expenditures and on how much you are spending for them. If a variable expense is unnecessary, like eating out every night, you have to take it out of your budget.

It is important for you to take note of the goods or services that you owe and you need to pay for them in due time. You have to consider when your expenses are due and be prepared to pay the minimum amount or the amount in full on time.

You also need to formulate a plan on saving enough money for the rainy days. If your budget is not balanced, then you will have to cut down on more expenses. Your  variable expenses are where you’ll most likely need to cut down your expenses. How many times for instance would you eat out? If you eat out twice a week, perhaps you can try eating out just twice a month. How often do you go clothes shopping?

It is important that you spend your money wisely by setting a strict budget so that you may prepare for your future, especially in these troubled economic times. It takes a little time investment on your part and a lot of discipline to manage your debt.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Technorati Tags: budget, debt, debt management, finances

In a few short weeks I’m jetting off to Atlanta in the U.S. on a business trip. I haven’t been to the United States for many years so I’m hoping that I might be able to pick up a bargain or two while I’m away.

The British pound is not as strong as it used to be against the dollar with today’s exchange rate around $1.52 for one pound. Nevertheless it still looks like I’ll be able to grab a few bargains while I’m stateside.

Games consoles are high on my list of priorities (according to my children). The Xbox 360 is currently priced at around £148.49 in U.K. stores, which equates to approximately $226. The same games console can currently be purchased for about $199.99 in the U.S.

A similar difference in price exists for the Nintendo Wii. In the U.K. this popular console will cost £198.49 which equates to about $303. In the U.S. this unit will cost about $249. The Sony Playstation 3 costs £308.49 or $470.66. One of these popular games consoles will cost around $399.99.

Significant price difference between the U.K. and the U.S. can be seen across a whole host of products. Take petrol, or gasoline, for example. In the U.S. a gallon of regular petrol will currently cost something like $1.35. In the U.K. , currently, one litre of petrol costs around 89p. This equates to about £3.36 per gallon, or a massive $5.13. A massive difference compared with what our American cousins are paying for their gasoline.

When I fly over to Atlanta, in a few weeks time, I’m planning to leave my car at Heathrow so that I can drive home on my return. I’m therefore shopping around for the best pre-booked heathrow airport parking price. These charges currently range from £48 to £161 for a 1 week stay. This equates to $73.23 to $245.

Looking at the charges for parking at Atlanta airport I see that these range from about $41 to $62. An enormous difference when compared with the same service here in the U.K.

So, while there are some modest but significant differences in the prices of various games consoles many other products and services are significantly cheaper in the U.S. So why do the Americans have it so good?

Always use a comparison service to get the best pre-booked price for UK Airport Parking.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Technorati Tags: airport parking, america, exchange, games console, gasoline, petrol, prices, usa

Day trading penny stocks can be risky business, as with any other venture that involves speculating in the stock market. Penny stocks are a margin above the rest, however, since they are at a higher risk for limited liquidity, limited or absent financial reporting, and fraud.

Penny stocks are most closely associated with pump and dump schemes, where stocks are brought in bulk by stock speculators and a massive campaign to promote the stock starts, jacking up the price of the stock. Then the speculators exit, leaving investors with worthless shares and their mouths agape.

Although not all penny stock companies are fraudulent, careful research must be done if you are planning to invest in penny stocks. Many penny stock companies are listed in list sheets like OTCBB and Pink sheets which have low listing requirements.

Be wary of companies that are lacking in financial history information, which you need in order to make an accurate assessment on the penny stock that you are interested in.

A consolation is that in day trading penny stocks you only get to hold on to your stocks for a limited amount of time. As soon as you ride the increasing wave of demand, sell your stocks and rake in the profits, you are now ready to go to bed and prepare for another day of trading.

And the analysis needed to day trade in penny stocks is nowhere near the complexity of the analysis needed to trade in stocks for longer investments.

There are now also penny stock software that can help you monitor your penny stocks so you don´t need to sit in front of the computer monitor all day.

Alternatively, Michael Cohen has a penny stock newsletter that provides weekly penny stock picks of the hottest stock picks in the market. These are selected by experienced traders, though there are no guarantee of profit, it can provide a good starting point to place your trade especially if you are new to investing in penny stocks.

If you want winning and hot penny stock picks that are delivered to you every week, i recommend Michael Cohen Doubling Stocks Newsletter. Read my Doubling Stocks review and discover how it can help you earn money on autopilot.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Technorati Tags: Day Trading Penny Stocks, doubling stocks review, doubling stocks scam, how to invest in penny stocks, michael cohen doublingstocks

In times rife with uncertainty, a lot of investment opportunities are losing their money-making potential and seem to be dwindling. The recent stock market crisis has caused many investors to lose confidence in stocks and commodities because of how bad the economy has been hit. It makes perfect sense for investors to look for an alternative market to put their money in, and if you happen to be amongst them, this article will tell you 3 advantages of Forex trading over stock investing. Hopefully by the conclusion of this article, you will be convinced that putting your money into Forex trading is the best investment option for you right now.

One of the similarities between Forex and stocks is that a trader would have control over a large amount of the particular currency they’ve invested in by putting up a small margin. The difference with Forex however is that the margin requirements for Forex is far lower than stocks. Where the margin for stock trading is 50% of the total value, Forex margin requirements only stand at 1%. This means that with Forex, a trader’s money would be able to play with 50-times as much value of whatever product he might have invested in if he were to trade stocks. While it may seem very advantageous at first glance, it is still an investment, and so it would be wise for you to be aware and have a full understanding of the risks involved.

Another advantage that Forex has over stock investing is that the Forex market is not susceptible to the Bear versus Bull mentality that the stock market is prone to. Because Forex trading is simply the exchange of currencies, a Forex trader will always have an investment opportunity to look forward to, because there is still an opportunity to make money from other currencies when a particular currency is on a downtrend. Also, the Forex market, when compared to the stock market, is not negatively affected by fluctuations in interest rates. Typically when a country’s interest rate rises, its currency would be strengthened, but conversely the rise in interest rates more than often affects the stock market adversely.

The third reason why you should consider Forex trading over stocks is the fact that keeping up with stocks can induce a headache if you were to personally keep track of your own investment portfolio, especially if you have your hand in a lot of stocks. Think about it; if you put together the stocks in both NASDAQ and NYSE, the total number of stock issues amounts to eight thousand. Keeping up with eight thousand stocks just so you’ll be constantly in the know can be very time consuming. In comparison, Forex trading only involves four major currencies and approximately around thirty-four second tier currencies that you need to consider. Not a whole lot of choices sure, but they aren’t that big of a headache to keep up with either. The only thing you need to keep in mind is how those currencies are doing in relation to the health of their countries’ economies.

In actuality, there are more advantages to Forex trading when compared to stock investing. If you’re still not convinced after reading this article, do a more in-depth research online. You might just learn that Forex trading is far more advantageous than trading stocks, especially in today’s economy.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Technorati Tags: forex trading, online trading, stock investing

You probably won’t find many investors claiming that any investment opportunity is easy, even for the Forex capital markets which are ruled by the same rules and regulations that are structuring the other sorts of investments out there, be it equity, futures and stocks trading. You can’t just go in blind and expect to make a huge amount of money without some idea of what you are doing. But the Forex Capital Markets have a slight edge over other forms of investments and if you know your way around the dynamic market, you might be set to make some decent money from investing in it.

The Forex market is known for one of its advantages, which is the fact that its online form is just as good if not truly better than having to go through the hassle of going down to a broker’s office just to open an account with them so you can start trading. Pairing a 24 hour investment market with the constant matrix that is the internet is sheer genius. Transactions and order executions are almost instantaneous, so if you’ve been struck by an epiphany you’re able to act immediately on it. Having the market on hand 24 hours - is the one crucial thing that every investor should have when it comes to risking any sort of money on something as dynamic as the Forex market. Your money could be anywhere and it will be moved from country to country in a constant game of capital Risk - but the returns may just be worth your while.

As such, it is little surprise that veteran investors would agree that it is relatively easy for anyone to make their money with the Forex markets, due to the level of predictability that is involved with Forex. Unlike most markets that are structured in such a way that surprises are imminent, traders who deal with Forex Capital will tell you that trading in Forex is as easy as figuring out a particular trend and watching for patterns within the market for each financial year. This weather-pattern-like phenomenon is easy to spot and many of the money-making strategies and blueprints are right smack on the tables of boardrooms of brokerage companies - are based on these very patterns. If you’re able to spot a repetitive pattern on currencies exchange on the market, you will be able to change your flight path to profits in no time and thus reap the benefits and rewards.

One contentious subject that should be considered is the deposit margins that Forex allows you. The margins can run from 1% to above 10% which means you have about 100 to 10 times the amount of capital you had to start pumping into the Forex Capital market. While there is a risk playing around with money that you don’t have, this gives you a greater field of play and putting investments in different sectors of the market - which create many revenue streams and puts the P back into profit making with a diversified portfolio and the ability to make money on both sides of the market.

So is making money from the Forex Capital market as easy as it sounds? Probably. It’s up to you to find out more.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Technorati Tags: forex capital markets, investment market, revenue streams

So you are interested in learning how to trade foreign currencies and need to know how to get started? This may seem quite confusing to a lot of people but can actually be quite simple to implement.

The first step is to learn the absolute basics of Forex and the fundamental concepts and terms involved in the average trade. This is a lot easier than what it sounds. It would help you to have a good reference handy. A useful site to help build your knowledge base is: http://www.forexprofitingpro.com

The second step is to do some research to find a good Forex broker. A poorly chosen broker can cost you thousands of dollars quickly both in excessive fees but also poor advice. You need a well established broker that is capable and reliable of giving you correct advice.

Once you have selected a broker that you are happy with it is time to open a demo account with them. This will allow you to start learning how forex works without spending any real money. You should never skip the demo account to ensure that you are able to get plenty of practice before spending your own money.

The fourth step is to consider investing in your education. There are quite a few excellent Forex training courses available online. Make sure you choose a Forex training course that suits your needs, learning style and budget. Avoid any courses that sound to good to be true in terms of the financial gains they promise you.

So before you delve deeply into Forex currency trading make sure you learn the basics of Forex trading. My goal is to make it easier for you and to help you find the resources you need so you can learn Forex currency trading the easy way. One helpful site is at http://www.forexprofitingpro.com

Popularity: 22% [?]

Technorati Tags: forex currency trading, forex trading, learn forex currency trading, online forex currency trading