Insurance Loan & Finance

Ever think about how eating all those fast food meals for lunch are effecting your pocketbook. Let’s do the math. You eat out 5 days a week at an average cost of $5 to $7 a day.

At $5 a day averaging 20 days a month (and some months more), but let’s just go with 20 days x $5 = $100 a month x 12 months, that is $1200 a year. You could use that $1200 for a vacation, or as the title of this article states, start your own retirement fund. You do the math. Let’s say you are currently 30 years of age and you save that $1200 a year x 35 years (retiring at age 65) = $42,000. Now that is just a straight $42,000 not invested in a mutual fund, IRA, or any type of fund that would pay some interest or grow over the years. It is a lot better than it just going down your throat, never to be seen again.

Let’s do the math for $7 x 20 days = $140 a month x 12 months = $1680 x 35 years = $58,800. And if you spend more for lunch just do the math. It is a substantial sum of money going down the tubes (your esophagus to be exact)!

Years ago, when I worked in Corporate America, my co-workers would be mystified by my ability to buy a new dress, suit, coat, shoes, etc. each month. They consistently remarked on how good my wardrobe looked and wanted to know my secret. It was simple. I saved around $100 per month by bringing my lunch from home instead of eating out. I took some of what I saved for clothes and saved the rest. My friends were amazed that such a small change could have such great benefits for them.

I spend on average $2-$5 a week on lunch depending on what I buy. If for example I buy tuna, I can get that not on sale for $2 a can. Mixed with mayo or dressing, which I already have, that makes a week’s lunch on a slice of bread, which again I already have in house, along with the piece of fruit. For those of you who are sticklers out there, tuna = $2; bread = $3; mayo/dressing = $3; that is still under $10 for the week, and at $5 a day for lunch, what you pay for two days of lunch I am getting lunch for a week. To be a bit more exact: remember, the mayo and bread last for more than one week, so the actual cost is even less than $10 per week.

For those of you who are already complaining you don’t have the time to make lunch. Yes you do, after you have cleaned up after dinner, take the time to make up your lunch for the next day. Take some time on Saturday or Sunday to make up your lunch for the week.

So, start eating smart, and in the majority of cases a lot healthier, today, and the biggest PLUS is start saving lots of money for the special things you want and for an even better retirement.

Copyright 2005 DeFiore Enterprises

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Fixed rate or adjustable rate mortgages are two choices of mortgage loans that most lenders will offer you. Your financial situation, how long you plan to live in the home, the current interest rates, and what risks you are willing to take is the best way to decide which loan makes the most sense for you.

Understanding the benefits as well as the risks of each loan will help when deciding if a fixed rate or adjustable rate loan works best for you.

Fixed Rate Home Loan

A fixed rate home loan offers you monthly principal and interest mortgage payments that never change for the life of your loan. A Fixed rate home loan is the most stable option with very little risk. That is why it is the most popular way to finance a home today.

Fixed rate home loans are available as 30, 20, 15 and 10 year loans and they make sense if you answer yes to the following:

It may not be high on the list of wedding planning activities, but there are a few simple steps that can help keep tax issues from interrupting your newly wedded bliss. If you recently married, check out your new tax situation. You might save money or even prevent the problem of a missing refund check.

The first things to handle are changes of name and address. Later, as tax season approaches, consider whether or not you’ll itemize deductions, which tax return form is right for you and what filing status you’ll use.

No one should delay the cake cutting or honeymoon because of taxes. But here are some helpful hints for later:

Use Your Correct Name

You must provide correct names and identification numbers to claim personal exemptions on your tax return. If you changed your name upon marrying, let the Social Security Administration know and update your Social Security card so the number matches your new name. Use Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card.

Change of Address

If you or your spouse has a new address, notify the U.S. Postal Service so that it will be able to forward any tax refunds or IRS correspondence. The Postal Service will also pass your new address on to IRS for updating. You may also notify to notify the IRS directly by filing Form 8822.

Refund Checks

Each year, the Postal Service returns thousands of tax refund checks as undeliverable, usually because the addressee has moved. Notifying both the Postal Service and the IRS of an address change in a timely manner can help ensure the proper delivery of any refund checks. To check the status of a tax refund, go to the IRS web site and use the “Where’s My Refund?” service.

Changing Filing Status

Your marital status on December 31 determines whether you are considered married for that year. Married persons may file their federal income tax return either jointly or separately in any given year. Choosing the right filing status may save you money.

A joint return (Married Filing Jointly) allows spouses to combine their income and to deduct combined deductions and expenses on a single tax return. Both spouses must sign the return and both are held responsible for the contents.

With separate returns (Married Filing Separately), each spouse signs, files and is responsible for his or her own tax return. Each is taxed on his or her own income, and can take only his or her individual deductions and credits. If one spouse itemizes deductions, the other must also.

Which filing status should you select? It depends entirely on your specific situation. You should consider sitting down with a tax professional to make a determination.

Richard Chapo is CEO of Business Tax Recovery – Obtaining tax refunds for small businesses for overpaid taxes. Discovery tax strategies and deductions in our tax articles section.

A generation or so ago most people were raised with the philosophy that if you don’t have the money to pay for it, then you simply couldn’t have it. But these days, the availability of secured loans makes it eminently possible to purchase those things that you would like without having to have a lump sum up front. Secured loans make it easy to buy the things you want now, whether that is a new car, a holiday, or some improvements for your home, so that you can enjoy them while you pay for them.

But the very availability of secured loans can make finding the right one for you a daunting task. Most banks and building societies offer various packages, so how can you find the loan that is best for you, and provides you with a repayment plan that suits your pocket and doesn’t charge enormous interest rates? There is a proliferation of ads on TV for the deals offered by various lending institutions, but the rates advertised are typical ones, not the rates that will necessarily be offered to you. Each individual’s situation will be taken into account separately, and the only way that you can find out the deal that each bank or building society is prepared to offer to you is by applying to each one individually. This can be a time consuming process that can result in you selecting the first deal you’re offered, rather than ploughing through the paperwork of multiple lending institutions.

Thankfully, there are resources that can help you find the best secured loan for you without having to undergo this process yourself. There are many financial brokers available both in the physical and the virtual world, and the latter can help you find the best deal for you without even leaving your home. These brokers have access to each bank or building society’s information, allowing them to work out the rates you would be offered without having to approach each one yourself. The process is simple – input your details and you will be pointed in the right direction. Then with all the right information, you will be able to approach the lending institution that will offer you the best deal so that you can enjoy worry-free the new kitchen or that exotic holiday that is made possible by your secured loan.

Jeff Lakie is the founder of Secured Loan Information a website providing information on Secured Loans