You may be looking for a secure investment in these uncertain times. There are many other options besides the stock market for those who still want to find something in which they can invest for the future. International bond funds are one option that you can consider. An international bond fund is similar to U.S. issued bonds in that they pay interest at regular intervals and pay the principal back at maturity.

International bonds, or sovereign bonds, come in many forms. For instance, one type is the Brady bond, which is denominated in U.S. dollars, and is backed by the U.S Treasury as well as an obligation by the foreign government of its origin. Other bonds may be issued by international companies that work the same as other corporate bonds. In either case, they are becoming a force of competition with other types of funds such as closed-end.

As you are considering your international bond mutual funds, you should ask if the fund you are interested in hedges against currency risk. International bonds may rise and fall for two primary reasons. As interest rates in the country of origin change, the bond rises and falls accordingly. In addition, exchange rate changes for bonds dominated in their countries currency affect the bond prices. In either case, some sovereign bonds may choose to hedge against these risks while others do not, but some such as PIMCO offer both hedged and unhedged foreign bond funds.

If you are wondering what may be the best international bond funds, my advice on comparing mutual fund performance applies here quite well (hint: sign up for a free Morningstar account). Many mutual funds hold international bonds. The T. Rowe Price International Bond is a traditional mutual fund that holds international bonds. You can also find close-end bonds that trade on stock exchanges such as the Aberdeen Global income and the Templeton Global Income. Other successful international bond index funds are the Alliance Bernstein Global Bond Fund and the Oppenheimer International Bond.  Unfortunately, Vanguard does not currently offer an international bond fund.

While the future of these particular international bond funds are contingent upon the dollar’s future, in the short-term they are a good method of diversifying currency risk. At the very least, they offer an alternative to other bond funds. As with any type of investment, you should carefully research your options before you make a final commitment to the bonds in which you wish to invest. This is an important and life changing decision and should be given the utmost attention.

It’s another four-letter-word that we love to hate, and even though it was invented as a way to help us out of financial troubles, it has become the leading cause of most of our money woes today. Debt is everywhere; it is a normal part of every adult’s life; however, some people are able to manage it better than others and for them, it does not cause chaos or wreak havoc on their lives. The key to managing debt lies in knowing it inside out – there are some debts that are good for you and some that are so bad they mustn’t be touched with a bargepole; there are some debts that must be repaid immediately and some that must not be incurred at all; and there are some debts that provide you with a bright future and others that end up ruining the life you’ve built for yourself. In short, debt is complicated unless you take the time to understand it completely, and to that end, here are a few facts and tips to help you out:

• A debt (or mortgage) on your home is good because your home accrues in value as the years go by. However, if there comes a time when your outstanding debt is more than the value of your home (it happens in some markets), then it’s time to think of a short sale to salvage what you can.
• A student loan is good because it earns you a college education. However, unless you’re able to find a good job (or take advantage of a loan forgiveness job program) and repay your debt, it is going to hang over your head for the rest of your life.
• A debt on your car is also ok if you haven’t spent thousands of dollars to buy a fuel-guzzling monstrosity – you don’t want to have to shell out for gallons of fuel every month even as you’re trying to pay off your loan.
• Credit card debt is bad, unless you pay it off in full every month. Remember, it is important to pay your bill IN FULL every month because if you don’t, interest accrues at a very high rate and you end up paying much, much more than you’ve borrowed. The key to using credit cards wisely is to use them regularly so that you incur debt, and then pay them off in full (not just the minimum balance) so that your credit scores soar and your credit history looks good.
• Avoid using your credit card for frivolous purchases when you know you cannot pay off your bill that month.
• Borrowing cash using your credit card is a definite no-no since you have to pay an exorbitant interest.
• Pay all your bills on time – the longer you delay, the higher the interest you’re charged. If you’re the forgetful kind, set up an automatic debit facility with your bank so that your debts are paid in full every month with money from your account.
• If you have money only to pay off a few debts, finish your credit card debt first or the one with the highest interest on it. This minimizes the amount you have to pay back.
• Don’t borrow money to pay off a debt without thinking it through – in some cases, this is a good idea if the second debt is cheaper (lower interest rate) than the first.
• And finally, before you turn over your debts to a professional debt management company, remember that this move is going to cost you money too. So if you haven’t prevented debt from piling up, at least try and make sense of it and deal with your creditors on your own.

About The Author: This guest post is contributed by Omar Adams, he writes on the topic of online accounting degrees. He welcomes your comments at his email id: omaradams47@gmail.com.

If you owe back taxes, the IRS can seize your bank account, garnish wages, or put a lien on your assets.  You can remedy IRS delinquency with tax settlement and save big.

What Is A Tax Settlement?

When you settle delinquent taxes, this is referred to as a settlement.  There are a number of different programs, including the Internal Revenue Service’s program.  For those considering settling back taxes, keep in mind that the IRS has specific requirements to qualify.

If you owe $10,000 or more, applying for a Partial Payment Installment Agreement (PPIA) is one possible solution. The IRS will determine your monthly payments.  Your income, assets, and liabilities will be used to calculate the monthly payment.

Another option is an Offer In Compromise (OIC). To qualify, you must be able to provide that you suspect the amount owed is incorrect or the chances of paying back the amount is unlikely or that the amount is correct but repayment will result in financial hardship.  The approval rate for OIC is not great and you must submit a payment of 20% of the amount owed with your application.

Penalty abatement is yet another way to resolve your delinquent taxes. This is acknowledging that you owe the amount, but you are requesting the penalties be removed.  You will need to write a letter to the IRS explaining why you did not pay or file.  Extended illness, divorce, long periods of being unemployed, loss of a home or personal records are just a few of the reasons that the IRS will consider the reason legitimate.

Tax Settlement Companies

When you do not have the knowledge or the courage to battle the IRS alone, tax settlement companies can help. Many companies employ a tax settlement attorney who will work to reduce your taxes owed first, and second, to create a repayment plan that you can afford.

There are different methods used to settle taxes, the most common of which is an installment plan.  Normally the IRS will keep you in good standing when you make timely payments.  A partial payment agreement is another plan where you pay a small percentage of the original debt.  The payment must be made in full, but it could offer substantial savings.

Uncollectible is another option.  This simply means that the IRS can determine that you cannot pay and will stop collection actions against you.

Typically, the IRS has 10 years to collect delinquent taxes.  Experienced companies will argue the Statute of Limitations law where the IRS legally cannot collect on any amount owed beyond 10 years.

Dealing with tax settlements can be overwhelming, especially if you try to do it yourself.  Hiring a reputable tax settlement company is one way to get out from under your tax debt and save you money in the process.

The American dream can encompass many things. It is an idea, fostered by our forefathers, that people will be rewarded for their hard work, and advancement and recognition will be based on merit. It is not an expectation of free handouts or streets made of gold, but rather an ideal that anyone can progress in life by the sweat of their brow and the courage of their convictions. What it amounts to is the ability to live a good life and provide a stable home for one’s family. And while attaining the dream of home-ownership has become a bit more difficult in recent years due to the downturn of the real-estate market, it is not beyond your reach if you follow a few simple steps.

1. Set a budget. Probably the hardest part of buying a home is determining what you can realistically afford. Of course you would like to buy the million-dollar home in Malibu, but not many people can actually pull it off. So make an appointment to meet with a mortgage lender to determine how much money you can reasonable secure for a loan.
2. Save for a down payment. The requirement for a down payment can be anywhere from 4% to 20%, depending on a number of factors. Just remember that the more you put down, the less you will have to have to pay on your monthly mortgage.
3. Polish your credit score. Any outstanding debt, pending collections, and so on will drag down your credit score and possibly affect your ability to secure a loan, so pay off everything you can before you apply for a loan and make an effort to pay all of your bills on time. You may also want to contact credit institutions in an attempt to expunge and remove any black marks that are affecting your credit score. You will need at least a 660 to qualify for most loans, but shooting for over 700 is even better.
4. Keep your job. Most lenders require that potential homebuyers have had steady employment (with the same company) for at least a year, although two or more is preferred. So if you’re thinking about purchasing a house, now is not the best time to make a career change.
5. Qualify for a loan. If you have met the above criteria, there is a good chance you will qualify for a loan. However, the amount of the loan depends almost entirely on your income (and your down payment). Generally speaking, the amount of your monthly payments (including mortgage, property tax, and insurance), cannot exceed 25-30% of your income or you will not qualify for the loan. Don’t forget that there are many types of loans, so do some research to find out which one will work best for you.
6. Find a house! Now that you have a target number in mind, you can begin searching for a home. Prices will vary greatly, so you need to determine what you want (number of rooms, square footage, lot size, location, etc.) and temper that with the budget you have set. Keep in mind that you may not get everything you want, so prioritize your list of requirements to help you manage your expectations and keep the process fun.
7. Consider the extras. Don’t forget that along with your monthly mortgage payment you will also have yearly expenses in the form of property tax and various insurance (homeowners, for one, but possibly with the addition of earthquake, fire, and so on). You should be aware that the cost of these additional expenses will fluctuate by county of residence, so buying property in another county could save you a lot.
8. Consider repairs. Older homes, while sometimes less expensive, may require any number of repairs (depending on age, usage, damage, etc.). If you don’t think you can afford the extra expense, you may want to opt for a newer development, ask for a reduction in the sticker price, or take out a bigger loan to make repairs.
9. Buy down the interest rate. Rather than putting all of your savings into the down payment, consider spending some of it to buy down the points on your interest rate. In the long run, it can save you a lot on your monthly payments and your overall loan.
10. Sign on the dotted line. Now that all of your ducks are in a row, there’s nothing left to do but sign all the paperwork, get the keys, and move into your new home.

Kathleen Macky is a writer for Tampa Homes 24-7, which specializes in Riverview Real Estate.

Retirement can be another uncertain chapter in a person’s financial life.  Investment options such as 401K’s, pensions, and Roth IRAs all have benefits and drawbacks for individuals entering the golden years of their lives.  Which is the best option for you?  Which is the best option for your family?  Your spouse?  These are all tough questions that must be planned for when choosing between a 401K lump sum vs annuity or a pension lump sum vs annuity.

It is important to take into consideration all potential outcomes of post retirement years when making a decision such as this.  Many pensions from companies and governments stop paying after the beneficiary or their spouse dies leaving no money for heirs.  This phenomenon can be magnified if individuals should die shortly after retirement with only the chance to draw a handful of checks.  On the other side of the coin, if retirees accept a lump sum payment from their 401k or pension plan, the chance always exists they could outlive their savings.  Cashing out a pension all at once will mean you have to be sure that it will last 25 or 35 years (or longer).

Another important consideration is your expenses while you are retired as well as other resources that you may have available.  Many retirees can draw on social security; however, these payments are typically not enough to cover even half of a persons expenses such as housing, food, entertainment, etc.  While social security payments are adjusted for inflation meaning they can maintain their buying power over time, the checks are generally not enough.  In this case, annuity payments may be a better choice.  IRA balances are not adjusted for inflation and the value of your money is dependent on market conditions.  Taking a lump sum and experiencing a serious market downturn sometime after retirement could put finances in a bind.

All of the retirement options discussed above are good choices only when they fit into future goals for an individual.  It is impossible to plan for every possible contingency and even the most well laid plans and carefully calculated decisions turn out to be wrong.  Taking things like health, lifestyle, life expectancy, future market conditions and plans for after you are gone from this world should all be weighed and considered when making the choice of a lump sum versus annuity.  Using multiple sources of income such as social security, 401K’s, as well as retirement income funds you may have built up can help hedge the risk of either running out of money before death or not having anything to leave to future heirs.

What is debt consolidation? This is the service offered or marketed by banks and other financial institutions to people who are making monthly payments on multiple loans that incur varied interest rates. Imagine having taking out three different loans from three different banks. Each loan incurs an interest and you have to make sure that you can keep track of the monthly payments for each loan. Imagine each loan has a different payment due date and each of them will also have a different maturity date. Now imagine having to manage your budget to accommodate the payments. This is the problem with taking out multiple loans and through various debt consolidation options, you can easily combine all these loans into just one loan and often times, the monthly payments as well as the incurred interest will be lower than the multiple loans combined.

Interested customers usually go to banks with two inquiries. What is debt consolidation? As well as what are their debt consolidation options? Depending on the financial institution, the options would usually either be a simple balance transfer or for significantly higher debt, a secured equity loan. Balance transfers usually work for credit card debt and this is sometimes the best way to manage credit card debt. Secured loans, on the other hand, are for more significant amounts and banks usually would use your house or other real estate or valuable property as security. If you are willing to do the work, you should shop around until you can find a bank that can give you the best deal. Depending on what financial institutions are available near you, as long as you do your homework and get all the facts from them, you can easily find the best one that can give you a good quote. It is always better to have one creditor than many.

Many people have often asked this question, only to find that they were unable to find suitable answers. However, if you are really interested in saving as much money as possible, such as by lowering your APR, you will want to make sure that you are doing what is necessary to find the answer.

There are many people who think that it is simply impossible to get the APR lowered or that if it is possible, that it is simply too difficult to achieve. You will quickly learn that neither of those thoughts is true. You can actually have your APR lowered, if you know exactly what to do and what to ask.

Now, it is important to realize that if you have been a terrible customer, you will most likely have a lot of room to try to negotiate anything. If you have a good payment history with them and you can make them believe that you would be more than happy to switch to their competition if they don’t work with you, you will have a much better chance at getting your APR lowered.

Once you have convinced them that you are more than ready to leave, all you have to do is ask for the lower APR. How it works is that the APR rates and standard fluctuate throughout the year. This means that there could be a time where you qualify for a lower APR, but they aren’t going to tell you that.

They figure if you aren’t asking for the lower rate, they aren’t going to offer it to you and that is perfectly within their legal right. However, if you ask for it, you shall be granted it. Of course, you might have to work on asking the right person and asking them at the right time, which you will soon have a better understanding of.

Now, depending on which credit card company you are dealing with, you will find that you will only be able to ask for a better APR every quarter while other companies will adjust the APR monthly upon request. You will have to call and ask the right questions to figure out just how often your credit card company will do this review and change for you.
Still though, there is a change that the customer service rep will tell you that they do not review or change APR rates. This is a simple lie and it is one that they will tell in hopes that you buy it and quit asking. Keep pushing though and ask to speak to a manager. Sometimes you have to get to someone higher up before you can get the changes on your account.

If your credit score is bad and you have missed or made some late payments, you might want to work on correcting such issues before asking for a lower APR. The better you can make yourself look, the better the chance is that you will be granted the better APR. Also, the APR rate that is available will be dependent upon your credit score.
The better the credit scores – the better the rates will be for you. Start making all of your credit card payments on time, preferably a week or so before the actual due date. Make sure that you are paying all of your other bills on time also. This will help to raise your credit score.

When it is all said and done, you have to make sure that you have been able to present your case well. If you have a decent enough credit score, if you have been making your payments on time and you have asked to speak to a member of their management team, there is no reason why you would not be able to get a lower APR.

Even if they are not able to lower it as much as you might have hoped, if it is still lowered, your attempt has resulted in success! Keep working on increasing your credit score and keep making your payments on time. In a few months, you could always try again and ask for another decrease in your APR rate.

About the Author: Mirsad Hasic is the editor of think credit cards, a site where you will learn how to consolidate credit cards, deal with credit card debt and also get tips on various credit cards you can sign up for.

In the ‘old days’, one of the best saving money tips was to clip coupons out of the Sunday newspaper in an effort to save money during your grocery shopping for the week. Normally it was time well spent: it wasn’t particularly stressful and you could easily save $10 or $20 or even more for just a couple of hours of time when you were probably watching TV anyway.

Nowadays so much commerce occurs online, simply because we spend so much time on the Internet, and also because we can very easily comparison shop between retailers that we might never even be a aware of without their online presence. Online comparison shopping is a wonderful new way for consumers to save money more aggressively, but there is another way to save money online beyond simply getting the best price. If you haven’t heard about money-saving coupons online, you’re in for a pleasant surprise, especially in these difficult economic times

The idea is very simple–retailers of every kind will put coupon offers out there on the Net; you can find them easily by doing a search for websites that gather all of these great coupon deals for you in one place. The mechanics of saving this way are simple. You’ll see a coupon code that you in turn enter into a field on the ‘Buy Now’ page of the retailer’s site. Maybe as you have purchased items in the past and seen a box labeled ‘enter coupon code’ and wondered how one would get a coupon code relevant to the item for which you’re about to pay full price: well now you know!

I never buy anything anymore without first going to a search engine and typing in the name of the item as well as the name of the retailer, to see if there is a coupon code available for me to save 10%-20% or even more on the item. It only takes a few seconds, and I’m online anyway so it’s no problem at all to do this.

To further expedite the process I would suggest bookmarking several of these online coupon sites so that, especially when you’re about to purchase a big-ticket item, you can very quickly check for coupon codes. I don’t know how much money I’ve saved over the years, but I do know that whenever I rent a car or purchase a new domain name I save money every single time. Give it a shot: if you enjoy saving money you’ll be hooked.

It’s gotten pretty out-of-hand.  The common man has always equated “high income” with “rich.”  This is patently absurd, but you can’t blame most people for thinking it.  After all, if you see a high-income doctor or lawyer driving a brand-new Porche off the lot you’re going to assume he’s a wealthy individual, never mind the fact he had to take out a two extra mortgages on his gargantuan McMansion in the suburbs to come up with enough cash for a down-payment.

But the rich have always known better.  The world’s truly rich citizens have always known that accumulated wealth, not income, is what makes a wealthy person.  Sure, a high net worth can be used to generate a high annual income, but it’s the wealth that matters.  Without it, a high-income, high-spending consumer is nothing more than a hamster in a cage.

It used to be that politicians knew this perfectly well, owing to the fact that most of them were incredibly wealthy in their own right.  Heck, they still know it.  But in this age of mass communication and populist hysteria, the truth has taken a back seat to what actually matters to the ruling elite:  getting re-elected.

And How Do You Get Re-elected?

This is simple: you promise to punish the greedy, evil rich people who the public (wrongly) perceives as getting us into this mess.  This would be a great plan, politically, except significantly raising taxes on America’s richest citizens (measured by net worth) has the disadvantage of potentially slowing economic growth, increasing unemployment, and generally pissing voters off.  You’d be pissed off too if you didn’t have a job.  Now I realize raising taxes on the rich might not actually discourage job-creating investment and that there’s a lot of controversy surrounding this position, but I think it’s more likely to be true than not.  And besides, it doesn’t even matter if raising taxes on the rich harms the economy because, since enough people in charge believe it will, they will resist doing it if they don’t have to.

CRAP! The easiest way to buy votes is to tax the evil rich.  But by doing so, it’s possible you might harm the economy, costing you many more votes in 4 years.  So what’s a politician to do?  Easy!  Prey upon the public’s ignorance and appear to tax the rich without actually doing so.  High-income individuals are the most logical target for this.  After all, most of them spend a good percentage of their time wasting money on lavish, overpriced consumer goods in an effort to catch up to the Joneses, who spend even more lavishly to keep up with the Smiths, who spend more lavishly still.

You can get away with targeting these super-consumers because a.) people always like to see The Man fall and b.) their spending, while substantial on a relative basis, is small enough on an absolute basis that lowering it won’t significantly harm the economy.  So you raise taxes on those earning more than $250,000 per year like Obama plans to do all the while avoiding placing an undue burden on America’s truly wealthy elite.  I can’t think of a quicker or easier way to buy a few million votes, personally.

Wake up people.  High-income does not equal rich.  High-net-worth equals rich.

When you are currently in a big financial slump and you just have too much debt to keep track off, do not lose hope. There are ways on how you can recover in easier and lighter means through the help of other people. Two of the most common things that you could turn to in dire times like these are debt settlement companies and debt lawyers (but beware debt consolidation scams!).

With debt settlement companies, what you do is talk about your current debt situation and find out ways on how you could work around it. With debt lawyers, you go through a series of investigations so that the lawyer could assess if you are eligible to file for bankruptcy.

Now, what is the difference between debt consolidation vs bankruptcy? There is a very thin demarcation line but it is quite easy to point out, though.

The first thing you need to remember when assessing which one you are eligible for is to look at your debts. Keep track of your cash flow and if possible, go over your bank statements and credits. Find out how much you really owe in total without the interests and write it down.

If you are confident that the money you owe can be repaid if given flexible terms, then by all means, talk to a debt consolidation company and figure out a solution. However, if the costs are too high and it might be quite hard to come up with a solution, you might want to file for bankruptcy.

You have to remember though that with bankruptcy, your credit score drops dramatically by around 200 to 250 points. This will greatly affect future endeavors that will need the help of financial institutions.

Another option that you might want to consider are debt settlement programs. However, debt consolidation vs debt settlement is pretty much almost the same with each other, only with different terms.

Whatever your solution may be, it is still liberating to know that you need not worry about waking up one day to someone trying to take away your prized possessions.