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When it comes to applying for a mortgage to buy a home, lenders are on the lookout for specific criteria. While applying and qualifying for a mortgage is not an insurmountable task, it is important that you rate high in many of the key areas or you are not likely to be approved. Let us take a look at these essential areas.

Job Stability

Lenders like to approve individuals who have held the same job for at least two years if not longer. Jumping from job to job or having holes in your job history will require explanation and is not advantageous in the eyes of a lender.

Owning a Business

If you own a business you must provide a solid history of the success of your business for a two year period. To do this you must either obtain a letter from your accountant that clearly states that you have been in business for a period of two years or else you must be able to show proof of a business license that will identify when your business got its start.

Two Year History

If you do not have a two year job history or have not been in business for two years then you can still apply for a mortgage. If you qualify in the other categories then you are not likely to run into a problem with being approved. For those who fail to meet the two year criteria there are what is known as “No Doc” loans. If you apply for one of these types of loans, your job history does not have to be disclosed or verified. The down side however is that you will pay a higher interest rate on the mortgage.

Income

The two year rule applies with income as it does with job history. The lender will need to see two years worth of W-2 forms as well as your current pay stubs. If you own a business, the lender will take a two year average of the money you have earned based on what shows on the last line of your tax return after everything else has been written off. If you earn a commission income you must be able to account for a two year history and from that the lender will take an average. If your monthly debts equal 41% or less of your gross monthly income then you should be approved for a mortgage.

Down Payment

The traditional amount required for a mortgage is 20% which will put you in good standing with the lender and help you get the best interest rates possible. However putting 5% or 10% down is still something a lender will be pleased to see.

Reserves

Reserves are money that remains in your bank account after you have paid all of your closing costs. Having one month of reserves looks well to a lender and that includes enough money to cover one mortgage payment, your property insurance and all applicable taxes. The reserves you need are dependent upon the type of mortgage you are applying for. As a general rule, having two to six months worth of reserves is considered desirable.

Credit History

Your credit history plays a significant role in whether or not you will be approved for a mortgage and well as what terms will be set down. It is your “fico” score that will be closely scrutinized by the lender and will weigh heavily into the decision of whether to approve your application or not.

Tags: mortgage | lender | credit | home | realty

Decoding and properly understanding the fine print on credit card agreements is the foundation of your financial decisions. And if you want to make the right choice, make sure that you know what you are putting your signature under.

Fees. Annual Fee, Application Fee, Balance Transfer Fee, Late Payment Fee… Some credit cards are so overwhelmed with fees, that you credit limit can be entirely consumed by them before you even get a chance to use the plastic. Watch out for those charges! It’s a good idea to make a list of all the fees which your credit card carries in order to really understand how much exactly the credit will cost you.

APR. Most credit cards offer a low or 0% APR to their customers, but that’s just your initial APR, otherwise called Introductory APR. It is usually offered for 6 or 12 months, and after that period passes, you will be paying the regular APR. Then you also have a Default APR, which comes in effect when you miss payments, go over the limit or simply when your credit score goes down (“Universal Default”). You also may have up to three different APR’s: for cash, for balance transfer and for purchases.

Billing cycle. You can be billed bi-weekly, monthly, annually and in all kinds of other time incremental. Some banks even use double-billing cycle, where you have two due dates: one for your minimum payment and one for the entire balance.

Balance Transfer Terms. That 0% on Balance Transfers may come with its own Fine Print – for example 5% fee on the balance transferred or $2 per every $100 transferred.

Binding Arbitration. The credit card issuer is giving notice that if the cardholder has a disagreement with the creditor he or she can’t sue the card issuer in court. As a substitute, they must take the case to a private arbitrator or judge.

Identity theft has become more of a concern with the vast integration of computers and Internet into our financial matters. Years ago, when people used cash and online banking and shopping was not yet invented, identity theft level was way lower. Nowadays, when hundreds of millions transactions are performed online daily, we have to be careful more than ever. Following the simple steps below can ensure not just the safety of your personal information, but also the safety of your money.

1) Ensure that you have an Anti-virus software installed on you computer; it is supposed to run all the time, providing constant protection against viruses. A cheap and good antivirus you can buy from ESET (NOD32) or you can download a free one from AVG. Run a system scan at least once a month and make sure that the virus database is being updated.

2) You will also need a Firewall; Windows XP and Vista have their built-in Firewalls; You can also download the free Zone Alarm Firewall and install it.

3) In order to protect yourself from spyware and adware, install Ad-Aware (also free). Run a system scan at least once a month in order to keep your system clean.

4) Make sure that your Windows is fully updated with the newest patches and hotfixes: go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and install the recommended updates. Check for new updates at least once per month.

5) Install CCleaner and run the clean-up wizard once a month.

6) Install Mozilla Firefox and use it instead of Internet Explorer. It provides better security!

7) Make sure that you are entering your information on the right websites. Hackers sometimes create mirror websites (’phishing’) which look exactly like banking websites and they may steal your log-in details. The address box should always display the correct address (ex. login.chase.com not 122.333.112.44 or chase.free-hosting.com) and it should always start with https:// (meaning that the connection is secure).

When shopping or banking online, look for the yellow padlock symbol in the lower right corner of your browser window. This will insure that your online session is in a secured environment and that the personal information you enter is protected

9) Protect your wireless network with a password and avoid connecting to unsecured wireless networks. Unprotected wireless networks can be tapped into and your personal information is at risk of being stolen and used inappropriately.

10) Keep your information secure: password-protect your computer and do not send any login or other sensitive information via email. Reputable companies will not ask you for your password through e-mail or over the telephone.

Tags: identity theft | antivirus | firewall | secure | banking | mozilla | credit | debt

As per the latest reports, Americans are  ’above their ears’ in debt - $48 trillion - and soaring. 9 out of 10 households in the US owe money - in mortgages, car payments, credit cards, student loans, medical bills, various payday, credit union and personal loans. And unless you are one of those lucky exceptions, you probably owe green. If so, read-on: here are your first golden steps in becoming debt - free.

When dealing with your debt, the first thing to do is to summarize your responsibilities. In another words, understand how much you owe. And in order to do this, you will need a couple of simple things: Microsoft Excel, Internet, a phone and a couple of hours of free time.

For starters, create a new Excel file and password-protect it. Go to Excel, click on “Tools” then “Options”, click on the “Security” tab and look for the box “Password to open”. This is where you are going to put your password. After you have typed the password, click on “Ok”, re-enter the password (for security) and voila, your document is protected. Save it.

Your next task to do is to type in “Creditor” into the first box (A1). Write “Owed” in B2, “Available” in B3, “APR” in B4 and “Minimum Payment” in B5. Save. Next, list the names of your creditors in the first column, one name per row. Save again. The next step is to contact each creditor that you have listed in the first column and obtain as much information as you can. Against the name of each creditor you should fill out what’s owed, what’s available, what is the APR on the credit and what is the minimum monthly payment. Save frequently to avoid loss of information!

After you have everything listed, it’s time to summarize your debt. You will be using Excel’s Auto Sum function for that. Let’s do it with the numbers in column#2, “Owed”. Click on the first number in that column, hold the “Shift” key on your keyboard, and then click on the next empty box underneath the last number in that same column. This way you should have selected all the numbers below the “Owed” column, plus one more empty box. When that’s done, click on the Auto-sum Button which looks like the Greek letter Sigma - “Σ”. This will add all the numbers that you have selected and display the result on the bottom. The great thing about Auto Sum is that if you change any of the numbers in the column, Excel will automatically re-calculate the result! Do the same for the “Available” and “Minimum Payment” columns. Save.

Let’s summarize what’s been done. You have just made the first step towards your financial freedom. You now know exactly how much you owe, what are you minimum monthly payments, how much all those credit lines cost you per month and how much credit you have available. Good job!

Tags: credit | debt | debt-free | loans | apr | autosum | excel

Making the right financial decisions can really make your life easier. When it comes to choosing credit cards these days, however, the right decision is not easy. There are many plastics out there, and they all come with all kinds of fees, APR’s, rewards and pages of terms & conditions.

The best way to pick a card can be summarized in a 3-step plan:

1. Educate.

What is APR? How do they calculate my minimum payments? How much will I have to pay per month if I owe $1000? What is a Balance Transfer? What is an Identity Theft Program Fee? It is really important to know the basics and the terms of the credit  because a smart consumer is an educated consumer. Here are a couple of articles that are going to be helpful:

- Understanding APR (Explains what really APR is, how it works and how not to get fooled by APR offers)

- 17 Hidden Credit Card Fees Revealed (Every credit card fee explained)

- What is FICO and Why Should You Care About it (Explains what FICO is and gives some advice on how to keep those score numbers high)

- Balance Transfers: Benefits & Drawbacks (Explains the possible pitfalls of Balance Transfers)

- How to Choose a Credit Card (Explains the different types of plastics)

2. Research.

There are a million websites out there that will help you with your research. You best bet is to figure out what are you looking for in a plastic: are you out there to collect point or you want to transfer balances? Write down your requirements and then compare the offers side-by-side.

- CreditCards.com (Great credit card comparison website)

- Bankrate.com (Compare The Best Credit Card Rates)

3. Negotiate.

If you have found your card online, and if you have some spare time, you may want to go one step further and call the bank. Talk to a customer care specialist and see if you can get a better deal. Very often supervisors have the ability to lower APRs and waive fees. 10-15 minutes on the phone can really get you a nice deal and save you green!

  Tags: credit | credit card | money | loans | bills | apr | balance transfer

A 1099 form is used to disclose any income other than wages, salaries, and tips. It is used by independent contractors, otherwise knows as ‘freelancers’ as a report for their ‘per-job’ income. The Internal Revenue Service has more than a dozen of 1099 form variations, covering earning such as contributions, dividends, cancellation of debt (yes, they tax that also), gambling winning and others. Here’s the list (1):

1099-A: acquisition or Abandonment of Secured Property
1099-B: Proceeds from Broker and Barter Exchange Transactions
1099-C: Cancellation of Debt
1099-CAP: Changes in Corporate Control and Capital Structure
1099-DIV: Dividends and Distributions
1099-G: Government Payments
1099-H: Health Insurance Advance Payments
1099-INT: Interest Income
1099-LTC: Long Term Care Benefits
1099-MISC: Miscellaneous Income
1099-OID: Original Income Discount
1099-PATR: Taxable Distributions Received From Cooperatives
1099-Q: Payment from Qualified Education Programs
1099-R: Distributions from Pensions, Annuities, Retirement Plans, IRAs, or Insurance Contracts
1099-S: Proceeds from Real Estate Transactions
1099-SA: Distributions From an HSA, Archer MSA, or Medicare Advantage MSA
W-2G: Certain Gambling Winnings

A 1099 form is issued for each and every job, if a business issues 250 or more 1099 forms, it is required to file them electronically. It is mostly common with independent contractors, and it is required when compensation exceeds $600 per calendar year.

(1) List source: wikipedia

Tags: 1099 | IRS | tax | tax form

Rent / Mortgage, Vehicle and Food are usually the biggest expenses that we have to deal with every month. And while you can live without a car, food you definitely can’t live without. And since starving is also not an option, let’s see how you can reduce your grocery bill by becoming a smart shopper.

Coupons are a great way to save money. Your Sunday newspapers had a ton of them. Most stores also have free programs that you can join and either receive cash-back or point, which are then translated into valuable discount coupons. Of course, don’t just buy stuff because you have a coupon. You can also look-up coupons online, before you go shopping. Have your list ready, and before visiting the store Google the products that and check for coupons online.

Bulk shopping. Bulk food is always cheaper and it also save you gas and time, since you don’t need to drive to the store often to buy it. Try to concentrate on non-perishable items. A good idea is to repack bulk foods into smaller packages when you get home. If you are buying perishables, freeze them.

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Each one of us spends an average of 14 hrs per week on the Internet according to a recent research, done by the University of Texas at Austin. And besides the “Buy Viagra” spam, we also are often bombarded by many ‘Get Rich Quickly by Working from Home’ emails.

You will typically recognize them right away – the subject of the message is usually something like ‘Make millions in your pajamas’, ‘Make money online’ or even ‘Start your home business on eBay’. If you visit the scammer’s website, you will usually encounter a narrow page with a photo of the alleged ‘home working millionaire’ on top, lately they even started including video and voice as well. That is followed by a bunch of text and ‘customer testimonials’ and of course finally, the ‘limited-time’ offer. You may see a line, which will say that the ‘special offer’ ends on … today’s date! Sometimes there is even a countdown for 10-15 minutes.

Why is this scam? First of all, here’s how the trick with the ‘limited time offer’ works. The date is called and displayed automatically, by a simple script. It always will display today’s date. Visit the website tomorrow and you will see that the offer magically extended itself with another day. The countdown? That’s another script. Refresh the page and voila, your countdown started again. This is all done in effort to trick the visitor, that he / she has found something special, moreover, it’s on sale! Let’s buy it now! Try to Google the names of the ‘satisfied customers’ from the customer testimonials section. I bet you that you will find nothing.

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You have probably heard the 501(c)3 expression already, and you were wondering what it is. Well, simply put, the 501(c) is a condition of the United States Internal Revenue Code, which allows incorporation of charitable, or otherwise called non-profit associations such as Labor Unions, Credit Unions, Mutual Insurance companies and Veterans’ organizations. Those companies are exempt from Federal income taxes and their main purpose is not acquiring profit, but helping the public. 501(c) organizations are prohibited from participating in various political activities.

Tags: 501(c) | credit union | mutual insurance | debt | labor union | charity | non-profit

You basically have two options when filing: you can either file for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13, depending on your situation. The main difference between the two is that Chapter 7 involves liquidation of property as opposed to Chapter 13, which works more like a repayment plan.

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, also know as a “straight bankruptcy” or “liquidation bankruptcy” Chapter 7 is the most common in US. About one million Chapter 7 bankruptcies were filed for the year of 2006. A filing under this chapter could be done either by an individual, a partnership, or a corporation or other business entity. Individuals with higher income will most likely not qualify for this type of filing. Chapter 7 does not offer a repayment plan, instead the debtor surrenders all non-exempt property to a bankruptcy trustee, who sells it and puts the proceeds towards repaying the debt. It is possible to discharge certain debts when filing under Chapter 7. You won’t be able to discharge taxes, spousal and child support, student loans. This one stays on your credit report for up to ten years, even if your case is not approved. Filing fees are different for different states, but you should expect to pay a sum above $1000. Cost could be higher for businesses. Debtors must attend obligatory credit counseling within 180 days prior to filing bankruptcy petition.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, or a “wage earner’s plan” offers a 3-5 years debt repayment plan to the debtor, and it also allows a defaulter to keep their property. About half a million Chapter 13 filings were done in 2006. This bankruptcy is meant for individuals with a steady income, who can afford to make monthly payments towards their debt. A 3-year plan is proposed if the debtor’s income is below the state median, and a 5-year plan is proposed if the earnings are above the state median. A Chapter 13 filing stays on your credit report for up to 7 years. Debtors must attend obligatory credit counseling within 6 months prior to filing bankruptcy petition. Chapter 13 doesn’t let you discharge family support, restitution, student loans, old taxes and DWI judgments. Filings under Chapter 13 are usually more complicated than Chapter 7 therefore this plan is associated with higher filing costs. You must not miss a single payment, skipping a disbursement will dismiss your case.

Filing for bankruptcy is a tough step to take, but unfortunately sometimes individuals have no other choice but to go that way. Even though, before filing you should re-check all your options again. Remember, bankruptcy will stay on your credit report for up to 10 years, and this move should be your last resort.

Tags: bankruptcy | chapter 7 | chapter 13 | debt | credit