Free Glide

With the down turn in the economy raging on in 2009, it’s crucial to know what government benefits you may be entitled to from the UK government. Every year, hundreds of millions of British pounds worth of benefits and tax credits go unclaimed. A portion of that cash may well have been reserved for yourself, if only you knew you were entitled to it. Whether it’s a child tax credit, working tax credit, or family tax credit, it’s advised to do your preparation and determine the type of tax credits you are entitled to.

A great place to begin is the UK Inland Revenue website : taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk. On this website you can get information on what benefits/tax credits are available to you, and also how you can claim .

It’s essential to note that the method in which many tax credits are computed are frequently rather complicated, so it’s a wise move to telephone the tax office and chat with an employee there, and divulge your actual circumstances. That way the tax office can find out whether you have a chance to meet the requirements for particular tax credits or not – since the application forms you must complete are often rather long to fill in.

Not is it only important to recognize what tax credits / benefits you may be entitled to, but you might also consider a member of your family who might be eligible for such a benefit.

Budgeting money is something of a neglected necessity in the modern world, with so many people lured into spending regardless of their financial situation. It has become almost the norm to spend each month more than is earned, often without even knowing it. This has led to severe debt problems for millions of people in the US and UK in particular, and an encouragement and acceptance of ignorance in personal money management.

Despite all the bad debt write offs, the banks and other lenders are happy with the situation. They build the risk factor of bad debts into their interest rates to ensure overall profitability, so borrowers are paying for the collective lack of ability to budget properly. Yet, budgeting is easy, so it is baffling in some ways that many people are unsure how to budget money.

Being able to budget your own money is a bit more than listing your incomings and outgoings each month, quarter, year, or whatever period you need to budget for. Yes, you must go through the listing process, and then keep an eye on both sides of the equation constantly. But there are other factors in home budgeting, and that is what this article is about.

The Greatest Incentive

To encourage yourself to budget money is important, as without the motivation, you will probably not budget that well. What incentive can there be to having a home budget and sticking to it? The answer is actually quite simple. Nobody becomes rich by spending more, or even the same, each month than they receive. Wealth grows from surplus; that is, the surplus left over at the end of the month after you have completed your spending.

Recognizing this can provide you with a kick start in wanting to learn how to budget money, and then put that learning into practice. Once you start to see those surpluses build, your confidence in wealth building, and incentive in budgeting, will grow.

Keeping Detached

It is important when budgeting to maintain a detached view of the figures. Think of yourself as a finance professional helping a consumer set and manage a home budget, and set yourself aside from any emotions that may seep out during a review of your budget. Some parts of the budget can arouse emotions, and thus distort sensible decisions. Things like cutting out a family holiday or weekend trips, that new bike for your son or designer outfit for your daughter, can be emotional sparks. It is important not to allow those sparks to set light to your well drafted budget.

Be Open

If you have a family, the household budget affects those closest to you. The budget is a family affair, and it does help to talk openly about it with your spouse and children who are old enough to understand. Children may not like sacrifices, but they will understand eventually. It can be an important part of their education if you involve them. If you can give them some incentive, too, such as building their own savings scheme into the budget, then they may even start to enjoy it and truly see the benefits.

Ignore Peer Pressures

Your personal budget is simply that, personal. It is therefore something you should see in the context of your own circumstances, not somebody else’s.

To budget your money effectively you really need to be able to ignore peer pressures that may force you into unnecessary or unwise spending. Just because your neighbour or best friend is having two foreign holidays this year does not mean you need to also. Just because your brother or other relative has a new home cinema system does not mean it is essential for you too.

If you can let peer pressure run off you, like water off a duck’s back, then you have made a big breakthrough in learning how to budget money.

Those are just a few of the other factors that come into play in learning how to budget at home, but they are all worth considering as you focus on your incomings and outgoings while home budgeting.

This how to budget money article was written by Roy Thomsitt. Ease money worries. Learn and earn your way to success.

The exchange rate of the Macedonian Denar against the major hard currencies of the world has remained stable in the last few years. Because of the IMF restrictions, the local Narodna (Central) Bank does not print money and there are no physical Denars in the economy and in the local banks.

Thus, even if people want to buy Foreign Exchange in the black market, or directly from the banks – they do not have the Denars to do it with.

The total amount of Denars (M1, in professional financing lingo) in the economy is around 200,000,000 USD, according to official figures. This translates into 100 USD per capita. Thus, even if each and every citizen of Macedonia were to decide to convert ALL their Denars to Deutsch Marks – they would still be able to buy only 150 DM each, on average. These tiny amounts are not sufficient to raise the rate at which DMs are exchanged for Denars (=the price of DMs in Denars).

But will this situation last forever?

According to economic theory scarcity raises the price of the scarce commodity. If Denars are rare – their price will remain high in DM terms, i.e. they will not be devalued against the stronger currency. The longer the Central Bank does not print Denars – the longer the exchange rate will be preserved.

But a strong currency (the Denar, in this case) is not always a positive thing.

The Denar is not strong because Macedonia is rich. The country is in a problematic economic situation. The banking system is perilous and unstable. The reserves of foreign exchange are minimal – less than 30 million USD.

The currency is stable because of externally imposed constraints and an artificial manipulation of the money supply.

Moreover, a strong currency makes goods produced in Macedonia relatively expensive in outside, export markets. Thus, it is difficult for Macedonian growers and manufacturers to export. When they sell their goods in Germany, they get DM for them and when they convert these receipts into Denars – they get less then they should have if the Denar reflected the true relative strengths of the two economies: the German one and the Macedonian one.

They pay expenses (e.g.: salaries to their workers, rent, utilities) in Denars. These expenses grow all the time as true inflation grows (as opposed to the official rate of inflation which is suspiciously low) – but they keep getting the same amount of Denars for their produce and products when they convert the DMs which they got for them.

On the other hand, imports to Macedonia become relatively cheaper: it takes less Denars to buy goods in DM in Germany, for instance.

Thus, the end result is a growing preference for imports and a decline in exports. In the long term, this increases unemployment. Export is the biggest driving force in creating jobs in modern economies. In its absence, economies stagnate and dwindle and people lose their jobs.

But an unrealistic exchange rate has at least two additional adverse effects:

One – as a rule, various sectors of the economy borrow money to survive and to expand.

If they expect the local currency to be devalued – they will refrain from taking long term credits denominated in hard currencies. They will prefer credits in local currency or short term credits in hard currencies. They will be afraid of a sudden, massive devaluation (such as the one which happened in Mexico overnight).

Their lenders will also be afraid to lend them money, because these lenders cannot be sure that the borrowers will have the necessary additional Denars to pay back the credits in case of such a devaluation. Naturally, a devaluation increases the amounts of Denars needed to pay back a loan in foreign currency.

This is bad from both the macro-economic vantage point (that of the economy as a whole) – and from the micro-economic point of view (that of the single firm).

From the micro-economic point of view short term credits have to be returned long before the businesses which borrowed them have matured to the point of being able to pay them back. These short term obligations burden them, alter their financial statements for the worse and sometimes put their very viability at risk.

From the macro-economic point of view, it is always better to have longer debt maturities with less to pay every year. The longer the credits a country (single firms are part of a country) has to pay back – the better its credit standing with the financial community.

Another aspect: foreign credits are a competition to credits provided by the local banking system. If firms and individuals do not take credits from the outside because they fear a devaluation – they help to create a monopoly of the local banks. Monopolies have a way of fixing the highest possible prices (=interest rates) for their merchandise (=the money they lend).

Access to foreign credits reduces domestic interest rates through competition with the local credit providers (=banks).

It would be easy to conclude, therefore, that it is an important interest of a country to be open to foreign financial markets and to provide its firms and citizens with access to sources of foreign credits.

One important way of encouraging people (and firms are made of people) to do things – is to allay their fears. If people fear devaluation – a responsible government can never promise not to devalue its currency. Devaluation is a very important policy tool. But the government can INSURE against a devaluation.

In many countries of the West, one can buy and sell insurance contracts called forwards. They promise the buyer a given rate of exchange in a given date.

But many countries do not have access to these highly sophisticated markets.

Not all the currencies can be insured in these markets. The Macedonian Denar, for instance, is not freely convertible, because it is not liquid: there are not enough Denars to respond to the needs of a free marketplace. So, it cannot be insured using these contracts.

These less privileged countries establish special agencies which provide (mainly export) firms with insurance against changes in the exchange rates in a prescribed period of time.

Let us examine an example:

The firm MAK buys combines and tractors from Germany. It has to pay in DMs.

An international development bank offered to MAK a loan to be paid back in 7 years time in DM.

Today, MAK would be so afraid of devaluation, that it would rather pay the supplier of the equipment as soon as it has cash. This creates cash flow problems at MAK: salaries are not paid on time, raw materials cannot be bought, production stops, MAK loses its traditional markets – and all in order to avoid the risks of devaluation.

But – what if the right government agency existed?

If governmental insurance against devaluation existed – MAK would surely take the 7 year loan. It would take, let’s say, 10 million DM.

MAK would apply to the governmental agency with its business.

It would pay the government agency a yearly insurance fee of 2.5% of the remaining balances of the loan (as it is amortized and reduced with each monthly payment). This would be considered a proper financing expenditure and the firm will be allowed to deduct it from its taxable income.

The government will provide MAK with an insurance policy. An exchange rate (let us say, 30 Denars to the DM) will be stated in the policy.

If – at the time that MAK had to make a payment – the rate has gone above 30 Denars to the DM – the government will pay the difference to MAK in DM. This will enable MAK to meet its obligations to its creditors.

MAK will be able to cancel this insurance at any time. If, for instance, it suddenly signs a major contract with a German buyer of its products – it will have income in DM which it will be able to use to pay the loan back. Then, the government insurance will no longer be needed.

This very simple government assistance will have the following effects:

• It will encourage firms to obtain foreign credits.

• It will create competition to the local banks, reduce interest rates and encourage a wider and better range of services offered to the public.

• It will encourage foreign financial institutions to give loans to local firms once the risk of re-payment problems due to a devaluation is minimised.

• It will place Macedonia in the ranks of the more developed and export oriented countries of the world.

• It will facilitate activities with longer term credits (such as modernization of plants for which longer terms of payments are required).

As time goes by, the private sector may step in and supply its own insurance against devaluation .

Insurance firms the world over do it – why not in Macedonia which needs it more than many other countries?

About The Author

Sam Vaknin is the author of “Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited” and “After the Rain – How the West Lost the East”. He is a columnist in “Central Europe Review”, United Press International (UPI) and ebookweb.org and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory, Suite101 and searcheurope.com. Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of Macedonia.

His web site: http://samvak.tripod.com

The new bankruptcy laws passed in 2005 created some new forms that must now be included in a bankruptcy petition, one of which is the bankruptcy means test for those filing chapter 7 bankruptcy. The means test is supposed to tell the court whether or not you have enough disposable income left after paying your necessary living expenses to pay at least some amount to your creditors in order to settle your debts, rather than wiping them out. The means test must be finished along with credit counseling and a personal financial management course.

Consisting of 57 questions, the means test lists your income and expenses and compares them to national and local averages for your family size. If most of your debt is not primarily consumer debt, or you are a disabled veteran “the presumption does not arise”, and you do not have to complete the majority of the form. The means test presumption of abuse signifies that you may have adequate income to pay your debts. If you have enough income and the presumption does arise, your chapter 7 may be dismissed or you can be pushed into a chapter 13 bankruptcy.

The second section will check your income. . Your income is then compared to the average incomes of families in your area. If you have a higher income than the other families, you must keep filling out the means test, if it is less, then the presumption does not arise.

The next step is adding in your expenses which are determined by where you live and the number of people in your family, these include food, housing, automobile, utilities and other expenses.

These deductions are then used to see how much income you have left to pay debts each month. The presumption does not arise if you have under $6575 a year leftover, if you have more than $10,950, the presumption arises, if your available income is in-between there, then you have to continue the form to compare your unsecured debt to your left over income.

The bankruptcy means test is confounding, so conferring with a bankruptcy attorney is always a good choice before think about filing bankruptcy.

You may be wondering, `Why would David Jenyns write about the worst Forex trading strategy around?`

There are a couple of reasons:

First, to warn you about the worst Forex trading strategy, because you really don`t want to end up using this system.

Second, because once you know the worst possible Forex trading strategy, the one that is designed to maximize your losses over the long run, then you can reverse it to craft a strategy which does the exact opposite.

With what you learn from the worst Forex trading strategy, you will be able to create a system that will produce some tremendous long-term gains. The worst Forex trading strategy I`m referring to, which is simply the worst Forex trading strategy I have ever encountered, is known as averaging down. This horrifying Forex trading strategy is the process of buying more shares that you had previously acquired, as the price drops.

Traders often purchase shares this way in an effort to reduce their initial entry price.

Only bad investors average down by buying shares of a sinking assests to decrease their overall average price per share. This Forex trading strategy is hardly ever effective, and is often like throwing good money after bad. It also magnifies a trader`s loss if the share keeps dropping. Remember, just because a share is cheap now that doesn`t mean it`s not going to get any cheaper. However, let`s examine how this devastating Forex trading strategy works. Say you bought one thousand shares at $40.

The novice investor may not have a stop loss in place, and the share price falls to $30 dollars. Here comes the stupidity of this Forex trading strategy – to average down the novice trader might by another thousand shares at $30 to lower the average cost per share that he`d already purchased. So, his average cost per share would now be $35.

Unfortunately, the share price may fall even further, and the novice trader will again buy more shares to reduce the average cost per share. They end up buying more and more into a share that`s losing their money.

Now, imagine this Forex trading strategy being applied to a portfolio of assets. In the end, all the capital will automatically be allocated to the worse performing assets in the portfolio while the best performing assets are sold off. The result is, at best, a disastrous underperformance versus the market.

If a trader uses an averaging down system and uses margins, their losses will be magnified even further. The biggest problem with this Forex trading strategy is that a trader`s gains are cut short, and the losers are left to run. My advice is – never average down. The process of buying a share, watching it fall, and then throwing more money at it in the hopes that you`ll either get back to break even or make a bigger killing is one of the most misguided pieces of advice on Wall Street. Never be faced with a situation where you`ll ask yourself, Should I risk even more than I originally intended in a desperate attempt to lower my cost and save my butt?`

Instead, design a simple, robust system with good money management rules. I can practically guarantee the results will be better than averaging down.

David Jenyns is recognized as the leading expert when it
comes to designing profitable forex trading systems.

Discover the “secret formula” of trading that anyone can use
to consistently generate BIG profits from the market by
downloading your FREE copy of David’s new Ultimate
Forex Trading Systems course.

Click Here To Download ==> Forex Trading Systems
http://www.ultimate-trading-systems.com/forex.html

What are Index Futures?
Future contracts originate from commodity trading. A future contract is an obligation to buy/sell a certain quantity of commodity at a specific date for a specific price determined at the outset of the contract. Future contracts are frequently used for hedging risks and also for speculation.

For example, with the recent hike in oil prices, an airline company which uses a lot of fuel might want to hedge it’s exposure to oil prices through the purchase of oil futures. If the price of oil is $60 now and is expected to go up to $70 within 3 months, the airline would hedge its exposure by purchasing the 3 month future contracts so long as the agreed price is less than $70.

Oil prices now $60
Expected oil price in 3 mth’s time (by airline) $70
Price of 3 mth oil contract (by oil producer) $68
Actual price 3 mths later $65

Let’s assume the airline can find an oil producer willing to sell oil 3 month later for $68, the company would enter a futures agreement with this oil producer for delivery of a certain quantity of oil in 3 month’s time. If the price of oil falls to $65, the airline still has to purchase at the agreed price of $68. But what propelled the airline to enter the futures contract in the first place is its expectations of future oil prices going up to $70 in 3 months and buying at a price below $70 (3 months later) seemed reasonable to the company.

Index futures are cash settled, there is no physical delivery of commodity as in the case of wheat, corn, etc. Although index futures can also be held for the long term, the time span we are concentrating on is a day. We are using the index futures as a vehicle for speculation and not for hedging as in the case of the airline company.

What is the Emini S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100?
NASDAQ 100 and S&P 500 index futures is listed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and trades on the Globex electronic system. CME acts as the counter party for each trade, hence if you short futures, CME will be taking the long position and vice versa.

NASDAQ 100 Emini contracts is actually one fifth the size of their larger counterparts, the NASDAQ 100 index futures. Each point of the index will represent $20 and the minimum fluctuation ( tick size ) is 0.5 points which is equivalent to $10.

S&P 500 Emini contracts is actually one fifth the size of their larger counterparts, the S&P 500 index futures. Each point of the index will represent $50 and the minimum fluctuation ( tick size ) is 0.25 points which is equivalent to $12.50.

Globex opens from 16:30(EST) on weekdays and 18:00(EST) on Sundays and public holidays. The closing time is 16:15(EST) on all days. However, there will be a scheduled maintenance of Globex from 17:30 till 18:00 (Monday through Thursday, nightly). I know the timings can be quite complicated, however as day traders, we are mostly concerned with trading when the market is opened as we have to capitalize on the higher liquidity available. I do not recommend entering trades after market hours, due to low volume which leads to slippage. The time span you have to concentrate on is really the market opening hours from 9:30 till 16:15 (EST).

More information regarding the contract specification of the Emini can be found on CME’s website.

symbols for the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100 Emini index futures. Both the NQ and ES emini contracts have expiry months in March, June, September and December which are denoted by the letters “H”, “M”, “U”, “Z” respectively. Hence NQ05Z will represent the NASDAQ 100 emini contract with expiry month in December 2005. Similarly, ES06H will be the symbol for an S&P 500 emini contract with expiry month in March 2006.

March H
June M
September U
December Z

Michael Taylor is a professional trader and webmaster of www.daytradeemini.com He regular updates his trading blog at www.daytradeemini.com/blog with educational articles and trading records.

One of the biggest areas of dispute in estate planning is with second marriages. Here is a question I received. I’ve changed the facts around so that I am not giving specific legal advice.

Phil,

My dad, age 87, is getting married soon so that his new wife will be eligible for social security benefits on his earnings. In his living trust he had made arrangements for me, my sister, and his lady friend. What changes for us, his kids, when he marries this lady? What do we need to know?

Wow, what a predicament.

My first reaction is to ask if his father was entering into a marital agreement (a pre-nuptial agreement, or pre-nup) before the marriage. What a pre-nuptial agreement will allow is for his father to maintain control over the use and disposition of his estate.

Without a pre-nuptial agreement, the laws of their state concerning marital property will control.

What this means is that if his father dies after he re-marries and fails to modify his estate plan, his new wife may receive statutory claims or benefits from the father’s estate (each state is different, so it is critical to receive local advice).

Another area of concern is what happens if the father re-marries and then the wife becomes incompetent? By getting married, the father has opened up his net worth to the medical claims and needs of his new wife.

When I was in active practice and was consulted by a widowed client who wanted to re-marry, I reviewed the rules concerning long term health (nursing home rules and costs) with him. I showed him what he would be responsible for if they were to re-marry. I’d say 8 out of 10 people I saw and went over this with decided not to re-marry after learning the rules. They decided to “live in sin.”

Another area of dispute I often saw was when the re-marrying parent wanted to change his or her estate plan to provide for the new spouse. This caused a lot of hard feelings. The children often felt that they were entitled to the estate of the first parent to die and that it should not be held for the new spouse.

By providing for the new spouse, the re-marrying parent is putting his children in a position where they are waiting for their “step-parent” to die before receiving what they felt is rightfully theirs.

So, think twice before re-marrying in your later years. Consult with competent legal counsel and consider, at a minimum using a pre-nuptial agreement. Consider the impact the new marriage will have on your revocable living trust and whether any changes are needed to your estate plan for Medicaid or estate tax reasons.

Phil Craig is a licensed attorney and entreprenuer.
He started practicing law at age 25 in 1979.
He does not take on any more clients, but is
advisor to some of the biggest names in the internet
world. He shares his knowledge gained over the
last 25 years at his Living Trust Secrets newsletter site:
click here=========>http://www.LivingTrustSecrets.com

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Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety
in your ezine or on your site so long as you leave
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If you do use the material please send us a note
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Each year venture capitalists fund more than 2,500 start-up companies in the U.S. Many of these companies try to conserve their equity capital by approaching venture-leasing firms to secure equipment financing. By obtaining lease financing, these savvy firms are able to use their equity capital for high-impact activities like recruiting key personnel, product development, and expanding their marketing efforts.

What are the qualities that make some start-ups more attractive than others to venture lessors? Here are ten factors that most venture lessors evaluate to decide which start-ups to finance:

Caliber of the Management Team

Most venture lessors consider the start-up’s management team to be the most critical success factor for the venture. Though it can be challenging to quickly evaluate management talent, there are several qualities that venture lessors consider. They look for experienced managers with high integrity and a proven history of business performance.

Quality of the Venture Capital Sponsors

Another important factor for most venture lessors is the quality of the start-up’s venture capital sponsors. Venture lessors look for experienced venture capitalists with successful investment performance over a number of years. The venture capitalists should also have good reputations for dealing fairly with creditors serving their portfolio companies. Before entering new lease arrangements, most venture lessors verify that the start-ups’ venture capital sponsors are actively supporting them.

Soundness of the Business Plan

Successful start-ups usually have compelling, well-articulated business plans. Lessors look for signs that the start-ups have promising market opportunities, clear and credible projections, and reliable financial statements.

Cash Position /Monthly Burn Rate

A yardstick used by many venture lessors to measure risk is the start-up’s projected cash consumption rate. The ratio of available cash to the start-up’s monthly burn rate is a useful measure. It crudely determines how long the start-up can last before a new equity round is needed. The lessor views a transaction as less risky if the start-up can make full payments during a significant portion of the lease term without raising additional equity. Most lessors look for a ratio that supports at least 9 – 12 months of the start-up’s operation.

Equipment Quality

The quality and intended use of the equipment is an important factor for most venture lessors. Most lessors look for transactions involving equipment that is essential to the start-up’s operation. Additionally, the equipment should have acceptable collateral value and be readily re-marketable in the equipment aftermarket.

Product Prospects and Revenue Track Record

If the start-up is in the development stage and has yet to sell products, venture lessors generally look for products capable of establishing a strong market position. If the start-up’s product is already in distribution, lessors look for strong monthly or quarterly revenue growth. A poor reception of the product in the early stages, when measured against the business plan, can often signal a faulty product launch or faulty product concept.

Valuation History

A valuation history records the share prices of stock sold to investors by the start-up. Unless there is a good explanation, most lessors look for significant share price appreciation over successive offering rounds. The assumption is that the start-up is making steady and significant progress in its development, which will be reflected in rising share values.

Balance Sheet Strength

Venture lessors usually evaluate a start-up’s working capital to ensure that the start-up can make payments when due. Along with an analysis of the start-up’s burn rate, lessors use traditional working capital measures like the current and quick ratios. Lessors also look for other signs of balance sheet strength, such as: low to moderate leverage; positive tangible net worth (inclusive of subordinated debt); and minimum paid-in capital of $7 – $10 million.

Outside Professional Involvement

Most venture lessors view the involvement of reputable and successful outside board members as a positive factor for start-ups. A reputable CPA firm, law firm, institutional partners and/or service providers are also viewed by lessors as positive. These professionals can bring valuable expertise and contacts that can help the new venture to succeed.

Payment Performance

As with more traditional lessees, venture-leasing companies frown upon poor lessee payment histories. Most venture lessors expect lessees to have satisfactory payment histories, unless good explanations can be offered. Like other vendors, satisfactory payment of bills by customers is where the rubber meets the road. Whether the lessee is a start-up or a Fortune 500 company, most lessors view prompt payment as sacrosanct.

While venture lessors use additional factors to make their credit decisions, these ten factors seem to be used universally. Though most of these factors are subjective, they have stood the test of time for venture lessors in making informed and reasonable credit decisions.

George Parker is a Director and Executive Vice President of Leasing Technologies International, Inc. (“LTI”), responsible for LTI’s marketing and financing efforts. A co-founder of LTI, Mr. Parker has been involved in secured lending and equipment financing for over twenty years. Mr. Parker is an industry leader, frequent panelist and author of several articles pertaining to equipment financing.

Headquartered in Wilton, CT, LTI is a leasing firm specializing nationally in direct equipment financing and vendor leasing programs for emerging growth and later-stage, venture capital backed companies. More information about LTI is available at: http://www.ltileasing.com.

4.1 percent rate of interest may look so fair but will that be uniform after you’re going to redeem your loan.

Translated it means: Woon je in Heerenveen of Diemen en heb je BKR verleden. Lenen met en BKR codering is nog nooit zo eenvoudig geweest. Koop een nieuwe woning met mini krediet zonder bkr, 288030 euro is geen probleem om te lenen. Van Veghel tot De Bilt, financieren met een BKR notering gaat hier altijd.

Analyze to see if the moneylender who is willing to give you a loan is . It doesn’t matter if you live in La Habra California or in Erie Pennsylvania a secure online investigation will prohibit you often a lot of ail. A merchant bank in Littleton Colorado or so can have a total different actual interest rate for a 35000 dollar money loan then a bank in Manhattan New York and that makes a large clear gap in your weekly costs. Now you can check up on interest rates quickly on the internet and encounter if there are possible sneaky traps you should be aware of. That’s the reason why now you need to inquire and figure if you can have a bank loan at a estimable percent rate. Many of the merchant banks wil show you a loan rate that is looking fairish but feels mischievously or so after some time. Be vivid today to investigate if you have a super deal or if you don’t with the bank that offers you a money loan.

Assume that an older, wealthy widow(er)or divorced individual has a substantial amount in tax-deferred retirement plans such as defined contribution pension plans, 401k plans, 403b plans, and traditional IRAs. The widow(er) wants to leave the retirement plans to his or her children.

The problem is that when the children inherit the tax-deferred retirement plans and take distributions from them, the distributions are fully taxable to the children. The retirement plans are income in respect of a decedent (known as IRD), which is taxable. In addition, the balances in the retirement plans are fully included in the decedent’s gross estate for estate tax purposes.

If the individual were married rather than being a widow(er)or a divorced individual, usually the individual would want to leave the money in the retirement plans to his or her spouse. In that case, the surviving spouse could transfer the money into his or her own IRA and treat the account as his or her own. The surviving spouse would avoid income tax on the money in the decedent’s tax-deferred retirement plans. The bequest would also qualify for the unlimited marital deduction for estate tax purposes.

Is there any way to achieve the parent’s goal of having enough money to pay living expenses and yet leave a good inheritance to the children? The answer is yes if the older, wealthy parent is insurable for life insurance purposes.

Here is how the solution would work. The parent obtains a life insurance policy large enough to replace the balances in all the tax-deferred retirement plans. However, the parent is not the owner of the life insurance. The parent forms an irrevocable life insurance trust that has a “Crummey Powers” clause, and the irrevocable life insurance trust owns the life insurance policy. This technique will keep the value of the life insurance out of the decedent’s gross estate.

A “Crummey Powers” clause gets its name from a court case. It has to do with whether a gift is subject to gift tax. Gifts that are less than the annual exclusion amount are exempt from gift tax as long as the gift is a present interest in property. A “Crummey Powers” clause allows the beneficiary of a life insurance trust the right to withdraw gifts made to the trust that the donor intends to pay for life insurance premiums. As long as the beneficiary has the right to withdraw the donation under the “Crummey Powers” clause, it is a gift of a present interest in property.

Assume that the beneficiary does not exercise the right to withdraw the donation. The irrevocable life insurance trust will use the donation by the parent to pay the premiums on the life insurance.

Where does the parent obtain the money to donate the money to the trust to pay the life insurance premiums? The parent converts the balances in the retirement plans into a life annuity. Therefore, the parent receives payments for life and uses part of them to pay the insurance premiums through the trust. At the parent’s death, the annuity is worth zero. Therefore, the children do not have any income in respect of a decedent. Nothing from the annuity is included in the gross estate.

The life insurance company pays the children the proceeds of the life insurance policy. The proceeds of life insurance on account of the death of the insured are not subject to income tax. They are not subject to estate tax because the decedent did not own the policy.

This plan allows the parent to have an income stream during life from the annuity. The annuity payments would be fully taxable unless the individual has any basis in the annuity. The individual will need to use other income tax planning techniques to reduce the income tax resulting from the annuity payments.

This strategy converts amounts that would be subject to income tax and estate tax to amounts that are not subject to income tax or estate tax in the hands of the children. This strategy requires the services of a tax advisor, an attorney, and a life insurance agent. They all must be competent and exercise great care in implementing the strategy. However, if done correctly, this strategy can result in substantial tax savings. It also gives the parent more peace of mind knowing that the children will not have to pay taxes on the life insurance.

Alan D. Campbell is a CPA in Arkansas and Florida and is self-employed primarily as an author of tax publications. He earned a Ph.D. in accounting with an emphasis in taxation from the University of North Texas. He is also admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court. He has published numerous articles on tax topics in professional journals. He is the co-author of the book Tax Strategies for the Self-Employed and the revision editor of CCH Financial and Estate Planning Guide, 15th edition. For more tax savings strategies, please see his blog: http://taxsavingsstrategies.blogspot.com