Paraphrenitis Blog

If you want to be a winner you have to be prepared to develop a certain personal trait which others will not.

Are you prepared to do more to receive more? Or are you like most people who want consistently to do less and less, yet are mistakenly expecting more in return.

The notion of doing less to get more is a furphy. Oh, you can dream about winning and long for success as much as you like but it won’t happen – not without the magic ingredients.

It is a universal law that in order to attract more into your life you have to render more service. Only by helping other people get what they want can you ever expect to get what you want. Confused? Let me explain:

Apart from having a definite purpose in life, that is, clearly defined goals, you must be prepared to work hard and never give up.

Token efforts give token rewards. Massive efforts create massive rewards. A massive effort requires one powerful personal trait – persistence.

Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States of America, had this to say about persistence:

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent
The slogan Press On
has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race”.

To illustrate the power of persistence you might like to read a short book that I enjoyed, for the first time, in 1993. It was written by Peter B Kyne way back in 1921, yet the story it tells holds just as true today as it did in the year it was written. The book is called The Go-Getter.

Kyne tells the story of one Bill Peck who went to extraordinary lengths to procure a certain blue vase. It is an endearing story which will take less than an hour of your time to read. Although it is a very old book, and may be difficult to get, you should be able to track it down using its unique identifier number, ISBN : 0-03-031400-3.

On the subject of persistence I am reminded of another story I read. It concerned a man standing before a concert violinist who was practicing with his instrument. The man was amazed. The violinist was so brilliant that he could almost make the violin talk. Eventually, the violinist stopped playing. He looked at the man and said: “Can I help you sir?” The other man said: “The way you play that violin is wonderful. I would be prepared to give up my whole life just to be able to play like that!” The violinist smiled at the man and said: “Sir, I did!”

Persistence and determination drove people like Walt Disney and Colonel Harland Sanders and Thomas Edison and Henry Ford and Mother Teresa and countless thousands of others to their own unique achievements.

Set yourself a goal. Get busy. Keep trying. Make things happen.

If you believe in what you are doing and it will help others, keep at it! Keep on keeping on. Use your persistence to join the ranks of those who succeed.

Winners persist – they just keep on going long after others give up.

[If you like this article and would like to use it on your own website or ezine you may do so ONLY if the article is not changed in any way and the final paragraph: "About the author", with all links intact, is included.]

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary’s email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his “Zenspirational Thoughts” plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book “The Power of Choice.”

Do you know what the Child Trust Fund is? Few UK parents noticably

sparse number of parents appear to have made the discovery that all newly born babies are given a free £250 voucher from the government to invest. The vouchermay be invested in any one of threesorts of CTF account, Stakeholder – a shares-based account that switchesinto cash, a savings account or a shares account. It is a superb chance to prepare financial requirements of a infant

Scottish Friendly is an accredited provider of the Child Trust Fund Voucher. The State is eager for the public at large to have access to Stakeholder accounts and this is the form of account that we are catering for. This means that:

• Investments are placed into Scottish Friendly’s Managed Growth Fund, which hopes to provide good growth potential
• It invests in part in shares to get the benefit of potentially higher returns over 18 years,compared to a cash deposit account (although the value of shares candecrease as well as rise whereas capital would be protected in a deposit account)
• It is available with a low ‘Stakeholder’ funds charge of just 1.5% per year
• When reaching 18 the young person will receive a lump sum, totally free of Capital Gains and Income Tax under current legislation
• It is affordable – extra payments can be placed in the account from only £10

An interesting feature of the Child Trust Fund is that anyone – parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends – can contribute to the Fund to a ceiling of £1,200 per year to help augment the child’s Fund (once added, this money may not be withdrawn).

In a nutshell our Stakeholder account provides a good balance between possible high returns and a lower level of risk. There’s also the extra assurance that our account complies with the Government’s stakeholder criteria. Nevertheless this does not mean that returns are assured or that Stakeholder accounts are suitable for everyone. Remember that the value of shares in the Managed Growth Fund (where your Child Trust Fund money is held) can fall as well as increase and isn’t guaranteed.

Only children born on or after 1st September 2002 are entitled to open a Child Trust Fund. If you have above-mentioned date who are not entitled you could look at investing for them with a Child Bond – it’s a tax-free savings plan aiming for long-term growth. There can be no doubt that saving for a child is a sensible means of preparing for tomorrow.

Improvements in television have been vast. In the “old days” a TV was a rather large device with only a small picture that received broadcast signals over an antenna. The picture was in black and white and often fuzzy. Then, cable came along and improved picture quality and offered a vast variety of stations. Now satellite TV has made vast improvements that make it the superior way to watch television.

Overall, when you create a bundle with a phone company for DSL phone and internet, prices are often competitive with those of cable company bundles. Be sure to weigh all options and go with the service that is best for you. Also, if you lease or rent, be sure that the landlord is alright with you installing a satellite dish.

When you have bad credit and are trying to get a mortgage loan, there are some important aspects that can make the process hassle free. Today’s consumer is now empowered to get the best type of loan for their financial situation because of online Internet access and the many websites that cater to the needs of people with bad credit.

What Is A Bad Credit Mortgage Loan?

A bad credit mortgage loan is a loan based on the equity in your home. This loan can help you in lowering your overall interest payments and monthly payments, and also in consolidating all your debts. A bad credit mortgage loan is very helpful in repairing your credit.

By taking out a bad credit mortgage loan, you can make all the payments that you can afford. The most popular options for bad credit mortgage loans are cash out mortgage refinance, and a home equity loan. Both these options would allow you to rely on the equity that you have paid on your home, and use its value to come out of all your debt troubles.

With the help of a debt consolidation bad credit mortgage loan, you can move all your credit card payments with a high rate of interest into one lower interest payment. This would not only simplify the payment of your bills and lower your monthly payments, but it would also improve your poor credit situation. Eventually, you would notice an increase in your credit score.

In order to convince the lenders to provide you with a bad credit mortgage loan, you have to increase your down payment and cash reserves. The lower your credit score, the larger is the down payment required on the bad credit mortgage loan. A credit score of 580 requires a down payment of about 5%. Higher cash reserves would convince the lender that you would be able to cope up with the payments in case of any emergency.

Bad credit mortgage loans can also be taken through online mortgage brokers. However, you must thoroughly check the rates in the loan market before choosing any one lender so as to get the loan on favorable terms.

How Can I Find The Perfect Bad Credit Mortgage Company?

If you have a bad credit score, then you need to choose the best bad credit mortgage company if you want to get a mortgage loan. Since a mortgage is a very large investment, you need to choose the best company.

The most important factor to be considered is the interest rate. Thus you need to choose the bad credit mortgage company that provides you the most favorable rate of interest. You must also check that there are no hidden fees included in the plans of the bad credit mortgage companies that offer very low rates of interest. Thus, you need to understand all the terms of the rate of interest.

Another thing to check is the quality of the service provided by the bad credit mortgage company. You should not choose a company that offers extremely low rates of interest, but provides a horrible service. Instead, you should choose a bad credit mortgage company that offers a slightly higher rate of interest, but also cares for your needs and formulates its policies according to your interests.

Building societies are very efficient bad credit mortgage companies. They offer very favorable rates of interest, and also provide expert advice. High street banks are also a good option for a bad credit mortgage company because they have a greater coverage due to a number of branches. Though they may charge a higher rate of interest than the building societies, their introductory offers for mortgage deals are very favorable.

There are also the specialized bad credit mortgage companies that provide mortgages to people in special circumstances–i.e. when the people are not offered a mortgage by their building society or high street bank. This includes the people with a bad credit history.

If you can’t find a favorable bad credit mortgage anywhere else, you may want to consult one of these companies.

With simple online access you can do a search on “bad credit mortgage” and have several sites that can help with your financial situation. A little research and time spent educating yourself can help you get your financial situation back in order.

Dean Shainin is a consultant specializing in home loans, strategies for loan financing, and loan information. To see a list of recommended loan companies, tools, resources, free quotes and information, visit this site:
Home Loans

Over the last few years, many people squeezed into new homes using adjustable rate mortgages. With interest rates going up, you now need a new interest rate strategy

Adjustable Rate Mortgages – ARMs

Adjustable rate mortgages carry a bit of a gamble for home owners. Essentially, you trade smaller interest rates and lower initial payments on the gamble rates will not increase over time. If rates stay low, you make out like a bandit. If rates increase, you need to consider your options to avoid getting stuck with a high interest rate loan and resulting cash flow problems from increased monthly mortgage payments.

For the last three or four years, adjustable rate mortgages have been offered with incredibly low interest rates. Many people used these low, low, low rates to buy homes that would otherwise be beyond their means. Starting in 2004, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan started making noises about increasing money borrowing rates. He has followed through on these hints. Although mortgage rates aren’t tied directly to the Federal Reserve Bank, they are heavily influenced by it. As a result, many people are now facing tight finances.

Avoid Rising Rates

There are really only two solutions for avoiding the increase in interest rates on adjustable rate mortgages. The first strategy is to immediately convert to a fixed rate mortgage product. Fixed rates are still at historic lows when compared to rates offered over the last 50 years. By flipping to a fixed rate, you will be able to solidify your budget and finances since you will know exactly what you have to pay each month. If rates decrease in the future, you can always try to flip back to an adjustable mortgage loan.

Unfortunately, some home owners are simply going to have to face the fact they lost one the interest rate gamble. Typically, this will occur when you realize you simply can’t afford to make the monthly payments required by getting a fixed rate loan. In such a situation, you are going to have to sell your home and downsize. In most situations, it is better to do this now since you’ve probably built up a sizeable chunk of equity over the last few years and want to avoid a loss of that equity as the market cools down. While this may sound like a disaster, it really isn’t. Yes, you have to downsize, but you should still have built up a chunk of equity.

Interest rates are going up whether you want to acknowledge it or not. The time to deal with your adjustable rate mortgage is now, not when you straining to make payments.

Sergio Haros is with Great Western Mortgage – San Diego Mortgage Brokers – providing San Diego home loans. Great Western Mortgage is a San Diego mortgage company writing San Diego mortgages and San Diego refinance and home equity loan.

When finding a ski holiday the choice of skiing field can sometimes be very confusing. Notably when you are looking for a French alpine field suitable for self catering ski holidays. Luckily we’ve put together a top ten of the top French ski areas most suited for self catered ski holidays:Les Menuires, Megve, Tignes-les-Br©vires, M©ribel, Bessans, La Tania, Samons, Flaine, Tignes-les-Br©vires, Espace Killy. Travis Drabowsky hailing from Poland is a Test Pilot, I interviewed him about his best loved skiing area. Unsurprisingly he picked Isola 2000 a skiing resort renowned for its bewildering number of self catering chalets.

Why do you choose self catered chalets instead of the option of a hostel?

Good question I relish the freedom which self catering ski holidays gives you. The accommodation is often outstanding and in place of the mundane meals in hostel I can cook an inspiring dish.

What about if you’re not a adequate food maestro?

In that case you simply go to a recommended restaurant.

And do you have some good tips for us?

I love Borah’s managed by SALAMA and it’s Mock Liver Pate is exceptional.

So if you’re considering late ski deals then why not consider a skiing resort on French ski the recommended list.

Offset mortgages represent one of the biggest mortgage innovations seen in recent years. Six years ago there was hardly an offset mortgage to be seen. Now they and the current account mortgage, to which they are closely related, account for £10 out of every £100 of new lending.

What’s more, one of the UK’s large lenders believes that 25% of existing mortgage holders would be better off with an offset mortgage. So if you’re in the market for a mortgage you need to know what they’re all about. Otherwise you could be missing out.

Firstly, how does an offset mortgage work?

The basic idea is that besides borrowing money from the mortgage lender, you also run savings or deposit accounts with them. Then you are charged interest not simply on what you have borrowed but on what you have borrowed less the balance in your savings and deposit accounts. So, if you had an offset mortgage of £100,000 and had £20,000 in their savings account you would only be charged interest on the difference, £80,000. In these circumstances, no interest is paid on your savings – the interest is offset.

It doesn’t sound like a ground breaking idea – where’s the benefit?

Quite simple. Whilst the full benefit of your savings is reflected in a lower interest charge on your mortgage account, legally you have not received any interest. If you have not received interest you can’t be charged tax on the interest. Step away Mr Taxman!

This means that offset mortgages are especially attractive for higher rate taxpayers who would otherwise pay-away 40% of the interest they receive in tax.

Consider some figures. If you had a £100,000 mortgage paying a competitive rate of 4.69% plus £20,000 on deposit, how would the figures work out? Well over a typical 25 year mortgage, without offset you would pay £85,351 in interest but with offset you would pay just £41,998 – that’s a saving of £43,353. What’s more you would repay the mortgage five years and eight months early. That’s because the monthly repayments are based on the full mortgage debt before offsetting is taken into account so borrowers are effectively overpaying their debt each month.

And doesn’t Mr Taxman look sorry! In theory, a standard tax payer saved £9,538 in tax and a higher rate taxpayer a whopping £17,341 in tax.

Flexibility can also be a major advantage. You can typically pay off capital without penalty, underpay and take payment holidays so long as you’ve made sufficient overpayments throughout the years.

Too good to be true – where’s the catch?

Historically borrowers have had to pay a higher interest rate for the benefit of an offset mortgage. But the good news is that with banks and building societies fighting for a bigger share of the offset market, offset interest rates are falling.

This means that you need to look carefully to ensure that the apparent tax savings you could make are not eliminated by the slightly higher interest charge. Quite honestly this is not an easy calculation so it’s best left to your professional mortgage adviser.

But as a guide, a standard taxpayer needs around £20,000 in savings behind a £100,000 mortgage to make the offset deal better value than a traditional mortgage. For a higher rate taxpayer the savings requirement drops to around £10,000. (These figures are based on a typical 4.69% fixed offset rate, compared with a typical 4.49% rate for a tracker.) These figures will change as interest rates vary and, in all probability, as the cost differential between an offset and a traditional mortgage closes.

Not all Offset Mortgages are the same!

As you would expect, with the offset lenders fighting for your business lots have added bell and whistles to the basic concept. Free property valuations and free legal work are relatively common. Then some banks will include your current account in the offset calculation, some lenders enable two nominated savings accounts to be offset, some will even agree an additional borrowing facility with a cheque book that can be used at any time.

On the interest rate front you’re bound to be offered a low starting rate fixed for six or twelve months. You might also be offered a tracker which is below the Bank of England base rate for six months and which only rises above after six months or a tracker which exactly tracks base rate plus a tiny premium for a few years. There are lots of variations.

The interest rate can also depend on what percentage of the house valuation you want to borrow. For example, one lender is currently offering 5.6% if you are borrowing less than 50% rising to 6.45% for up to 99%.

Like so many things, whilst the basic concept is simple, it then gets complicated! This clearly underlines the need to talk things through with an independent mortgage adviser. It’s their job to ensure you get the right type of mortgage and the best deal.

If you have savings, there’s a big chance they’ll recommend an offset mortgage.

*Indicative figures correct as at November 2005

Michael Challiner has 15 years experience in financial services marketing at senior level.

Michael now works as the editor of http://www.kings-college-brokers.co.uk

The most common type of home equity loan is the term loan. This loan is set for a fixed amount of time, anywhere from five to fifteen years. Such loans are typically granted for up to 80% of the value of the home, but some lenders will lend up to 125% of the home’s value.

Is this type of loan right for you? The term loan works best for those who need to borrow a fixed amount of money for a specific purpose – paying for a wedding, a home remodeling project, a fixed educational expense, or debt consolidation. This would give the borrower a fixed repayment schedule, where he or she would pay a set amount of money each month for a specific period of time.

An increasingly popular alternative to the home equity loan is a line of credit. This type of loan works like a credit card, and has a revolving line of credit, in which the borrower may borrow against the principal more than once over the life of the loan. The borrower is usually given special checks that he or she may use to write checks against the loan amount. The borrower may borrow a little at a time, or borrow all of the loan amount at once. Unlike the term loan, the interest rate on lines of credit tends to be variable. This type of loan works best for recurring expenses – a complicated remodeling project accomplished in several stages, or a recurring educational expense such as annual tuition.

Each type of loan has its advantages and disadvantages; you simply need to decide if you want a fixed interest rate and fixed payments, or more flexibility in terms of when and how you pay. Your needs will determine which type of loan is best for you.

Either way, under current Federal law, the interest on a second mortgage is deductible from your income taxes up to $100,000.

©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including http://www.End-Your-Debt.com/ and http://www.HomeEquityHelp.net/

Buying a home or refinancing one is perhaps the largest financial transaction you will ever make in your life, so you want to be sure to avoid any mistakes that may cost you in the long run.

When you are deciding on a mortgage, you certainly don’t want to make your decision by flipping a coin.

You will have to do as much research as you possibly can, so that you will understand all of the jargon the people in the mortgage industry will throw at you.

Here are three common mistakes that people make when deciding on a mortgage.

1. Settling for a high interest rate.

When you are shopping around for a mortgage, one of the most important factors is the interest rate. The interest rate will ultimately decide how much money you will be spending at the closing table and how much you will be spending in charges over the life of the loan.

The difference between a percentage and half a percentage could mean thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.

So shop around, if you speak with four different loan officers, I can assure you, you will get four different rates, obviously you want to go with the one that is the lowest.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask how the rate is determined. Sometimes loan officers can make a little extra commission by raising the rate a little bit.

2. Read your good faith estimate

When you decide on a mortgage and a lender, they will send you disclosure documents, they are required to send these by law. Inside of these documents you will find a good faith estimate. This is an accurate estimate of what you can expect your closing costs to be when you go to settlement.

Read every part of this document line for line and word for word. If there is anything on there that you don’t understand, call your loan officer and go over it together.

Your loan officer will most likely want to mail you these documents. This is fine. However, if you can meet somewhere to go over it together, than all the better.

But read your good faith estimate very carefully before you sign it, this could save you anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to a couple of thousand.

3. Don’t be afraid to shop around

If at any time a lender or loan officer tells you not to deal with anyone else because it may be detrimental to the loan or to your credit, they are lying. If this happens, they are trying to scare you out of doing business with anyone else.

Feel free to shop around as much as you would like. Do as much research as you can before making a decision. So when you finally do make a decision on a mortgage, you can avoid the pitfalls that people so often make.

Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of http://www.jconners.com, a mortgage resource site, he is also the owner of http://www.callprospect.com, a mortgage lead company.