Archive for October, 2007

Fed Expected to Cut Rates - Stocks Surge

The economy is slowing, and energy prices seem to be poised to go through the roof, but stocks are improving on hopes that an interest rate cut by the Fed will spark economic activity.

Even as oil prices have gone over $93, the DOW average improved nearly fifty points. This can mostly be attributed to widely held expectations that the Fed will cut the right by at least 1/4%. Back in September the Fed cut the rate by .5%. It’s not widely believed that this cut will be as big, but hopes are high that there will be a corresponding spike in lending and spending.

“It’s kind of a psychological sort of move,” Wren said. “A 25 basis-point cut isn’t going to ease the credit crunch. But it’ll give the Fed a little more time to figure out what’s going on with the economy.*”

So said Scot Wren, an equity analyst and strategist for a major US financial firm.

Optimism about the economy isn’t due entirely to the expected drop in interest rates. Several huge companies are also reporting increases in profits in spite of a sluggish economy. That kind of result in the face of generally adverse conditions gives investors hope, and encourages them to buy.

This story illustrates the huge factor human emotion plays in the movement and success of markets. Many of us may think that markets have a mind of their own, and individual outlooks aren’t a big factor. But you have to realize that every person has a perspective and when you aggregate those perspectives what you get is the ebb and flow of markets in general. That’s why in can be so dangerous to follow the crowd in your investing strategy.

It seems that there isn’t as much cause for panic as some would have us believe.

Can You Trade In Your Car When You Are Upside Down On Your Car Loan?

The business world has become extremely diverse and even more complicated than ever before. People have constantly tried to come up with new ways of earning money and creating small businesses that are successful and profitable. One of the most popular forms of business in the world today deals with the selling, buying, and trading of different types of merchandise.

Many people form these types of businesses through the use of the Internet with sites such as Ebay, Trading Co., as well as many others. Sites such as these sell and trade all kinds of different things without specializing in any specific area. They are very generalized but cater to the needs of a very large audience.

One of the most commonly used items in this type of business is an automobile. Automobiles are very popular in the United States and are traded and collected as often as baseball cards. People constantly buy new things because they quickly lose interest in things that they have only had for a short time, especially with cars.

People who have strong desires to constantly buy new cars often encounter many financial troubles because they apply for multiple car loans at a time. They even sometimes sell a car for less than the actual loan amount and take out an additional loan for another car without having completely paid off the last one. This type of situation causes people to become upside down on their car loans and cause them some financial burdens.

The question often arises about whether or not you can still trade in your car even when you are upside down on your car loan. The answer to this question is yes and no, depending on how extreme your condition and situation is. If you have a large amount of debt for a very expensive car, then trading it in for something less expensive would greatly help reduce the amount of debt you have to pay off.

The other situation is if you have taken out multiple car loans and still want to trade it in to remove debt. This is a little more tricky to do because you have more debt that you need to pay off. Eliminating a large portion of your debt all depends on how much you are willing to sacrifice and how much you are willing to downsize the quality of your car.

Another possible way for you to eliminate debt and still trade in your car even if you are upside down on your car loans is by cutting your monthly budget in half. By simply reducing the amount of money you spend every month will greatly impact the amount of debt you will have to pay off. You can then spend this extra money on paying off the car loan and still have the option of trading in your car.

Overall, a person must be very dedicated to the removal of a car loan in order to be successful.

Can You Get A Car Loan With Bad Or Little Credit Without A Cosigner?

The process of buying a car can be somewhat complicating if you are a first time buyer or a buyer with bad credit. Car companies like to see that you have the qualities of a person who quickly pays off loans and debt, so that they do not have to deal with financial problems in the future. This can be a tricky situation for people who want to buy their first car because car dealerships are taking a big risk of giving out money to people that do not have a history.

There are two situations that make the obtaining of a car loan very difficult and complex. The first situation, as noted above, deals with a person’s lack of credit history or very little credit in the past. The best solution for a person in this type of situation is to have a cosigner with a lot of credit and who has a good credit report.

If a first time car buyer has someone to back them up at the time of the sale, then the financial lenders will be more willing to give out the loan with the added assurance that they will get their loan paid off in full. It is important to have someone who can back you up when financial problems do arise and will still enable you to pay the monthly loan payment. Having a cosigner with a lot of credit and also a good credit report ultimately increases your chances of obtaining a car loan.

There is another possible option that first time car buyers can take in obtaining a potential car loan. This particular option does not require the first time car buyer to have a cosigner but simply deals with the amount of money that the person wants to borrow. When considering what type of a car the person wants to buy, he or she should think about purchasing a vehicle that requires the least amount of money possible, especially if you want to take out a loan.

Purchasing a least expensive car will increase your chances of qualifying for and obtaining a car loan. If you are a first time car buyer and want to buy a Corvette as your first car, you will probably not qualify for the type of loan that you will need to cover the costs of such an expensive car. If you select a much more reasonably priced car that does not cost so much, then you will have a greater chance of qualifying for the type of loan that you need.

The second situation is if you have a history of bad credit. This is a more complicated problem to overcome because car dealerships already know that they will probably have financial problems with you in the future.

You should first find out how much of a loan you can obtain, and then do your car shopping with the amount of money that will be lent out to you. This will be the easiest way for you to purchase a car.

What Should You Know About When Dealing With Debt Collectors?

Questions And Answers Regarding Debt Collectors

A debt collector may contact you in person, by mail, telephone, telegram, or fax. However, they cannot contact you at unreasonable times or places. Also, they cannot contact you at work if your employer disapproves or at home if you have written them and told them not to do so.

A debt collector is any person, other than the creditor, who collects debts owed to others. This also includes attorneys who collect debts as a regular source.

You can stop a debt collector from contacting you by writing a letter to his collection agency asking him to stop. The agency many only notify you if the debt collector or the creditor intends to take some specific action. Within five days after you are first contacted, the collector must send you a written notice telling you the amount you owe, the name of the creditor, and what to take if you believe you do not owe this bill.

If you have an attorney, the debt collector may not contact anyone other than your attorney. If you do not, the collector may contact other people but only to find out where you live and work.

Collectors are prohibited from contacting allowable third parties more than once. In most cases, the collector may not tell anyone other than you and your attorney the reason why he is trying to reach you.

Also, a collector may not contact you if, within 30 days after you are first contacted, you contact the collections agency stating you do not owe money. However, a collector can renew collection activities if you are sent proof of the debt, such as a copy of a bill, etc.

What Debt Collectors Are Prohibited From Doing

They may not use harassment such as: 1) Use threats of violence or harm; 2) Publish a list of consumers who refuse to pay their debts; 3) Use obscene or profane language; 4) Use the telephone to annoy anyone; 5) Not identify themselves; 6) Advertise your debt.

Collectors may not state that: 1)You will be arrested if you do not pay the debt; 2)They will seize, garnish, or sell your property or wages, if the collection agency or creditor does not do so; 3) Actions, as a lawsuit, will be taken against you, which legally may not be taken, or which they do not intend to do so.

Debt Collectors may not: 1) Give false credit information about you; 2) Use a false name; 3) Send you anything that looks like an official document when it is not.

They may not make false statements such as: 1) Falsely imply they are attorneys; 2) Falsely imply you have committed a crime; 3) Pretend they work for a credit bureau; 4) Misrepresent the amount of your debt; 5) Indicate the papers being sent to you are legal when they are not; 7) Or indicate the papers being sent to you are not legal when they are.

You have rights. But only you can assert them. Do not ignore the debt collectors or their letters. Some collectors follow the law, but you are responsible to ensure any contact with them is lawful. If they violate your rights, they sure will not sue themselves.

When dealing with collections agencies, make sure you are familiar with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Check out the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act website. It is great and has almost everything you will ever need.

2 Million Homes Empty In Real Estate Market

The housing market continues to struggle with recent findings from the Census Bureau. They found out that in the previous quarter that there are over 2 million homes that don’t have residents living in them. This continues to saturate the housing market with numbers that have reached the equivalent of the amount of homes in Detroit.

The first quarter of the year was actually an all time low for the country housing market. This shows exactly what has happen since there has been so much overbuilding in many markets and way too many 100% financed loans lent out to people that are not prepared to pay back their loans.

There are so many people that have been forced out of their homes and they can’t find people to buy the homes and are either forced to make monthly payments, find renters which are rare, or potentially foreclosures. In essence people got a little too greedy too fast.

There are many people that believe the market will continue to drop since there is so much supply and that this could continue for years because population and the economy catches up with the vast amount of property. Experts believe that this number could reach 3 million to 4 million homes in the next several years. Countrywide, the nations largest lender already has announced a loss of 1.2 billion dollars. In turn this is going to hurt a lot of builders, real estate agents, and lenders looking to offer loans and property.

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