"Irreconcilable differences," my wife, Sue, and I answered in unison as our attorneys recommended.

To our surprise, he followed up with a second question. "Differences about what?"

"Investment strategies," I blurted out. My attorney stomped me on my foot to shut me up. The judge was intrigued even though 20 other couples, with their attorneys, were waiting behind us.

Sue jumped in. "He believes in using only index funds in our portfolio. What a mistake! We need to actively manage our investments. Since the tech-stock bubble burst we’ve been losing money. And I dated a guy before this bozo [that was me] who is now a top mutual-fund manager on Wall Street. His fund has increased 13.2 percent a year even during the bear market. We should have given him our money."

The judge was definitely impressed. "I wish I could get my wife to be as interested as you are in our investments," he said. "Seems like you have a real winner here Hesh, so why are you breaking up?"

Just what I needed, the judge siding with Sue. I quickly counter-attacked. "Your honor, I believe in index funds," I said. "Why waste all that money having someone help you beat the market when the numbers say that over time no one really beats the market."

The judge really seemed interested. He wondered out loud, "You guys seem like a sophisticated couple, didn’t you discuss this before you got married?"

I immediately answered. I didn’t want Sue saying anything else that would make me look like a fool. "Your honor, when the topic of money came up, we agreed that mutual funds made the most sense and that we would max out our 401(k) s.

Honestly, we were just out of grad school, and we really didn’t have much money. The topic just never came up again."

The couples behind us had given up hope of leaving soon; they sat down dejected as their attorneys pulled out their cell phones and began sending text messages to their secretaries telling them to cancel their morning appointments.

The judge called for a recess and invited us back to his chambers. Our attorneys were ordered not to accompany us.

"Listen," he said, "I have a solution. We are going back into court. Just follow my lead." Could we say no? I didn’t think so. He pushed us out the door into the court room.

The judge followed us a few minutes later. He began solemnly, "After reviewing the facts and consulting both parties I have negotiated a settlement that they have agreed to." We had? My attorney gave me this look. You know the one that says: you got yourself into this mess, not me.

"As a judge in divorce court, I have heard flimsy excuses for couples to split. And personally I am against the no-fault divorce law in our Commonwealth. However, for the first time I have come across true irreconcilable differences in my court room.

"Adultery can be forgiven, just ask Hillary Clinton, but a spouse that hides his or her investment preferences prior to their marriage cannot. Fortunately, in the case before me, neither side knowingly covered up his/her investment orientation. Therefore, with the powers invested in me, I hereby grant their divorce.

"I am, however, outraged by the attorneys who profited from these clients and raised hopes that their differences might be overcome. I hereby order that all attorneys fees be returned and be placed into a trust fund for the children. I am also issuing a bench warrant for the arrest of the marriage counselor who bilked these two fine people of thousands of dollars in counseling fees in an ill-conceived plot to keep them together.

"Only one question remains, how to invest these funds to ensure an appropriate nest egg for the children. Before I rule, excuse me for a personal digression. Many years ago, while I was in law school at Columbia, I was fortunate to room with Warren Buffett. He was studying for his MBA. (Harvard had been dumb enough to have rejected his application.) I just gave him a call and told him of the case I was ruling on. In his typical homespun manner he said that he could not tell me how to rule on the legal issues. However, he strongly recommended that the trust fund for the children be invested in index funds.

"Now who am I, to disagree with The Sage of Omaha? I hereby rule that the children’s trust be invested only in index funds."

Hesh Reinfeld writes a syndicated business humor column. You can read additional examples of his columns on his website: http://www.heshreinfeld.com Or contact him at hesh1@comcast.net

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A cash advance loan is a quick and confidential way to get a cash advance until your next payday.

A cash advance loan is a short term, high rate loan, where the lender requires the loan to be repaid on your next payday.

Your funds can be used for anything you like, such as car bills, phone bills, medical emergencies, etc.

From time to time, we all find ourselves short on cash between paydays and this mainly occurs because we never know what’s round the corner. Cash advance loans are a quick, easy and confidential means to relieve your financial situation.

All you need is a checking account in good standing and a steady paycheck to obtain cash till payday. You will need to be employed, have a permanent address, and an active checking account.

Cash advance loans, also referred to as payday loans or check advance loans, are short-term loans to help overcome various short-term financial needs.

The purpose of a cash advance loan is to provide a way to pay for emergency or immediate expenses that cannot wait until your next payday.

People often choose cash advance loans to cover small, unexpected, expenses and to avoid costly bounced-check fees or late payment penalties and other less desirable short-term credit options.

How does it work? When a cash advance is approved, usually the borrower authorizes an automatic bank withdrawal, or writes a post dated check to the lender for the amount of the cash advance, plus the lenders fee. The lender then gives the borrower the amount of the check, minus their fee.

The fees charged for a cash advance are typically a percentage of the amount loaned. Lenders are required to provide a truth in lending disclosure that shows the full cost of the loan.

You can apply and receive loans as often as you need to as long as your previous loan has been paid off.

The term of the cash advance loan usually ranges from about one to two weeks, with time extensions available, but more fees are charged for each extension.

If you do not have the funds available to repay the cash advance loan on the due date, you should contact the lending company as soon as possible and make arrangements for an extension. However, this can be costly with additional fees and interest charges applied.

While the fees can be high, they can be less than the alternative expenses, such as, late charges for utility reconnection, rent penalties, or bounced checks.

If you decide to use a cash advance, just remember that it is only a short term loan, and any extensions can be very expensive.

Borrow only as much as you will be able to repay with your next paycheck and still have enough money to live on until the following payday.

You may freely reprint this article provided the following author’s biography remains intact, including the live URL link:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

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Taking back financing could make your property easier to sell during a difficult mortgage market. You might hold out for a higher sale price or interest rate, because your buyers will have fewer closing costs than usual. And sometimes your income tax situation, particularly with investment property, makes it advantageous to receive the proceeds over a period of years.

But seller financing is sometimes sought by buyers who cannot qualify for regular financing, and then the question arises: if a bank won’t trust them with a loan, why should you?

A large down payment, of course, represents some safety. If you ever had to foreclose, the debt might be covered by the sale of the property. And asking for a large down payment serves to separate strong buyers from those who are weak financially — unless, of course, they’re going out and borrowing the down payment elsewhere. In that case they could end up with unmanageable payments, which would put your loan in danger.

So you should insist on an analysis of the borrower’s financial position, just as a bank would. Your lawyer, accountant or broker can obtain a credit report on prospective buyers. You’ll be able to see how seriously they take paying their bills.

Analyze the buyers’ present debts and income to ensure that they’re not getting in over their heads. Look for job stability..

If you do go ahead, have your own lawyer draw up or at least review the mortgage or trust deed documents they will sign. And be sure the mortgage is promptly entered into your county’s public records, to establish the priority of your lien, your financial claim, on the property.

For More Information on Selling your home quickly visit http://www.webuyhouseshome.com Unlike other so called We Buy Houses websites, Rescue Real Estate gives you every available option for selling your home. Simply complete our short 1 page form, and get anonymous online access to our team of specially trained REALTORS®. Then, in as little as 48 hours, you will begin to receive offers to purchase your home from our nationwide network of real estate investors. Click Here to sell your home quickly and compare agents.

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Most lenders use the FICO score to determine whether they should extend to you a mortgage, car loan, credit cards and any other type of credit. The higher your score, the more credit worthy you are. Lenders will know that more than likely, you pay your bills on time. The lower your score, the more risk the lender takes on, guessing that you might not pay the loan on time.

The FICO score ranges from 300 to 850. More than likely, you’ll end up paying a larger monthly payment on your mortgage if your score is below 650. Your credit score, according to MyFico.com, is determined by:

If you don’t have any credit, your credit score can be lower than someone who has had a credit history for several years. When you personally check your credit often, this will not affect your credit score. When existing creditors review your credit, these inquiries are not counted in your score.

Since payment history is 35% of your score, you want to make sure you don’t have a history of late payments on your credit report. The longer your credit history, the better. Having too many new credit accounts open can affect your score negatively.

The bottom line is that a higher FICO score means you are more credit worthy to potential lenders. The lower your score, the greater a risk you are to lenders and therefore, your monthly payments might be higher.

Michelle Roebuck provides mortgage and home buying advice for people with bad credit at http://www.find-bad-credit-mortgage-loans.com. Sign up for her newsletter at http://www.find-bad-credit-mortgage-loans.com/newsletter.html.

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All three loan options allow homeowners to cash out part of the equity in their homes in order to pay off other debts. For borrowers who have watched their homes appreciate in value, a debt consolidation loan can eliminate the burden of multiple monthly payments without significantly affecting the amount of their monthly mortgage payment. On a mathematical level, debt consolidation loans can make much sense. A home owner who struggles to make the monthly minimum payments on her 21% interest rate credit cards can roll those balances into her 7% mortgage. The debt doesn’t go away, but the rate goes down by two thirds. In many cases, she would only continue to pay about the same amount per month for her mortgage, freeing up her cash flow for other uses. As a side benefit, borrowers can deduct a portion of their mortgage interest payments from their income taxes each year. Though not a huge savings, many taxpayers love the opportunity to look forward to a larger tax return.

The danger lies in the borrower’s loss of security on two levels. First, if a home should suddenly depreciate, a debt consolidation loan customer could quickly find himself or herself “upside down” on the loan, owing more than what the house is worth. As long as that borrower continues to make payments, they’ll survive. But, they will be unable to sell their home without absorbing a loss.

For families who need to move in order to accept job transfers or pursue educational opportunities, this can be a devastating blow. Second, although the lending bank handles paying off the customer’s outstanding debt, the customer must personally close their old credit accounts. For many customers, the temptation to keep those accounts open is far too great, and they find themselves deeper and deeper in debt. In effect, the debt consolidation improved their cash flow, but reversed their financial course.

Without immediate intervention, these customers often find themselves on the road to bankruptcy. When investigating debt consolidation loans, consider your long-range plans. If you intend to stay in your current home for a long time and can handle the potential risk of depreciation, and if you can exert the willpower to close out your paid off charge accounts, then a debt consolidation loan may be a reasonable option for you.

Kevin Adelsberg is a writer for FDLoans.com. For additional articles and an extensive resource for everything about loans, please visit us at http://www.FDLoans.com

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In a recent survey it was reported that almost 58% clients vouched for Debt Management Plan as the best way to settle their debts. Another 42% client had filed bankruptcy since dropping off a Debt Management Plan or DMP.

Debt Management plans can reduce your monthly payments, interest charges, penalties and some times even the repayment period. Even if bankruptcy seems like your only solution, it may not be the right debt help solution and may cost you for many years to come. The loss of a job, divorce, credit card spending and family medical emergencies among other life style matters can cause negative money issues. Statistics released by the administrative office of U.S. Courts show that a total of 388,864 new non-business bankruptcy filing in the United States during the quarter, ended on September 30, 2004. This included 274,196 chapter 7 filings and 114,454 chapter 13 filings.

Most economists consider a ratio of unsecured debt to annual income of 40-50% percent or more, as being a strong indicator to bankruptcy. This is taken as a ‘?thumb rule’ in most of the cases. So in order to protect himself from such crisis one should keep his unsecured debt to annual income ratio lower than 40 to 50%. For example if someone has an annual income of $5000, he should keep his annual debt minimum $2000 to $2500 in order to avoid his bankruptcy.

36% or less: This is a healthy debt load to carry for most people. 37%-42%: Not bad, but starts to restructure your debt now before you get into real trouble.

43%-49%: Financial difficulties are likely to occur unless you take immediate action.

50% or more: Get professional help from debt counselor to aggressively reduce debt.

You should also control from having a large amount of unpaid outstanding credit or using more than 80% of your available credit (which causes a high debt to income ratio).

It is better to have a debt free life without having a savings rather than maintaining debts along with savings. The reason is simple. As the return on short term investment i.e. savings is lower than the interest payable on accumulated debt, it is always advisable to pay the debt first rather than go for the short term investment. Because a repayment of single debt instantaneously may save a lot of money in future. In other word, One dollar payment is better than one dollar saving.

From the Consumer Debt so published by Federal Reserve Statistical Release, it is found that each and every year total consumer debt (both revolving and non-revolving) has an increasing trend. In 2000 and 2001, total consumer debt has a rising trend by 11.42% and 8.04% with respect to the year 1999.

However, in 2002 and 2003, total consumer debt increased to 4.45% and 4.52% respectively, at a decreasing rate with respect to just previous year’s total consumer debt. As there is no specific trend in total consumer debt we may conclude that in 2005 also, the total consumer debt will have an increasing trend of 4.49% which signifies that at the end of 2005 total consumer debt will reach about $2109.85 Billion.

For better insight in this topic please view:

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/getoutofdebt.html http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/debt-solution.html

Janet Williams is a contributing writer to http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/ and is currently working on a special section in the site called do it yourself where you can eliminate your debts and become debt free…

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This is something that is very important to look upon by consumers because it will directly affect their bank account. In most cases, a home is the single largest purchase that someone will make in their lifetime. Home loans are usually very high in their term, sometimes as long as 30 years. The amount of interest paid over the the life of the loan can be staggering even for lower cost homes. For example, if you finance a $100,000 home for a term of 30 years at an 8% interest rate, the amount of money you will spend on interest alone will be $164,153.60 giving you a monthly payment of $733.76. If you could lower the interest on your mortgage by just 1% you would save $24,645.60 over the term of the loan and would pay $665.30 saving you $68.46 each month. As mortgage rates rise you want to lock in your interest rate to protect you against future increases however if the rates are falling then you may consider refinancing to save you more money.

Some people ask when is the best time to refinance your home because there is a cost to refinancing. Typical costs include appraisal fees, document preparation fees and up front points to pay. It is not always in your best interest to refinance for small rate changes. So the question is how much more will the market continue to move lower and what would be the best time to consider refinancing? This goes back to keeping an eye on treasury bond rates. When you see long term treasury bond rates start to take a dive after long periods of being high then it’s time to get focused on the current mortgage rates. Once the stop diving then you may consider refinancing to lock in a better rate for your mortgage allowing you to put more money back in to your pocket!

Shannon Moran is the owner of http://www.the-best-in-loans.com which provides great information on all types of loans such as automobile loans, mortgages and student loans. There is also information on finding a great mortgage company in reference to the article above.

Publishing Rights: You may republish the above article for use on your website, in your newletter or ebook as long as you agree to leave the article, author’s signature and all links completely intact.

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A title loan is a way to borrow money on your automobile title. When you get a title loan you receive money on your automobile. The process is fast and easy. If you have a clear title in your name, you are eligible for a title loan.

If you own your car, title loans can be a great short-term loan solution to your borrowing needs. Borrowers should be aware that Title loans, like any other type of short-term loan, attract a high interest rate.

Once a decision has been made as to how much you may borrow, the title loan lender will hold the vehicle title document while you continue to drive the car. After the principal and the interest are paid your title document will be returned.

The title loan lender must give each borrower, at the time the loan is made, a written title loan agreement.

Borrowers should read the contract very carefully and make sure they understand what it means, before they sign it.

If you fail to pay the loan, the title loan lender may repossess your vehicle. However, the title loan lender must first give you the opportunity to make the vehicle available at a date, time, and place of mutual convenience. You have the right to remove your belongings from the vehicle at no additional cost.

If your vehicle is sold, you are entitled to any proceeds of the sale in excess of the amount you owe and the lender’s reasonable expenses for repossession and sale.

All title loan lenders must be licensed in order to engage in the title loan lending business. Each title loan lender undergoes a criminal background check to ensure that the lender is qualified to issue a title loan.

You may freely reprint this article provided the following author’s biography remains intact, including the live URL link:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

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There are steps you can take to get paid on those past due invoices and keep new invoices current.

Step #1 Gather together all the past due invoices, and stamp them PAST DUE.

Step #2 If you have an email address or phone number with a contact name for your client, email them or call them and give them the information on the past due invoices and let them know their account is on hold.

Step #3 Mail the invoices to your client with return receipt requested or send them in a flat rate Priority Mail envelope with delivery confirmation.

Step #4 Send a letter with these invoices stating the age, invoice numbers, their PO#, your account #, total amount due, and any other pertinent information.

Step #5 Tell them their account is on hold and you will not be shipping any more products or providing any services to them until these invoices are paid. You can include a self addressed envelope and state that you have enclosed an envelope for them to send their check. Give them a date, to have this paid to you.

Once they have received the package, email or call them. Ask them what they are doing with the invoices. Ask them questions such as:

Do they have to be approved by someone else?

If they have to be approved, who has to approve them and when will they give them to that person? Get that person’s direct number if possible. Find out if that person signs the checks.

Are there any discrepancies with the invoices?

When will the check be cut? When can you call back for the check number?

Once all the past due balances are cleared up, you need to think about future invoices. Do you want to extend credit again or do you want to have pre-payment or payment at the time of the order. Whatever you decide put it in writing. If you can both sign the agreement, that is even better. Remember, having a credit policy in place tells people you mean business.

Michelle Dunn has over 17 years experience in Credit and Debt collection. She is the founder and president of Never Dunn Publishing, LLC, is a writer, publisher, consultant and the Editorial Advisor for Eli Financial Debt Collection Compliance Alert Newsletter.

Michelle started M.A.D. Collection Agency in January 1998 and ran it successfully until she sold it in December 2004. She owns and runs Credit & Collections.com an online community for credit and business professionals. http://www.credit-and-collections.com

Michelle has been featured in Ladies Home Journal, PC World, Home Business Magazine, Home Business Journal, Entrepreneur, The Internet Web Source, Professional Collector, and in Home Based Business for Dummies, Shameless Marketing for Brazen Hussies, From the Home-Front The Simple guide to starting and Running a Home based business, she was a featured guest on (NPR) National Public Radio and has been in many newspapers nationwide. She has many published articles and 3 published books to add to her list of accomplishments.

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COLLATERAL: Many ? but not all ? mortgage companies require you to own your land first before you apply for the construction loan. That way, if the borrower defaults, the bank has a way to recoup their investment. Some banks will let you roll in the land purchase with the construction loan, but you may have to pay a premium.

TIMING: Your standard construction loan will be based on the one year plan. It’s perfectly reasonable to expect to finish within a year, unless you are building a handcrafted log home. The good news is that you aren’t obligated for the full construction loan amount from day one. You only have to pay interest for the amount of money you actually borrow from each draw. So you won’t really be carrying the full mortgage until the end of construction, at which point you will roll the construction loan over to a conventional mortgage.

BUDGETING: Before you apply for the construction loan, you must get all your quotes in order. Banks are not happy about increasing the amount of money you ask for. Be sure to account for all the sub-contractors (plumbers, masons, electricians, excavators, landscapers), the well and septic, the windows and roof, the painters, and even the grass seed. Your mortgage representative will expect you to have a handle on all your financial needs (see my article BREAKING DOWN THE BUDGET OF YOUR LOG HOME for more specifics). If some of these expenses will be out of pocket, it wouldn’t hurt to include them in your construction loan request anyway, so you have a cost overrun buffer. And get more than one quote if possible, then use the highest quote in the construction loan request. If you go with the lower quoted job, you’ll have another buffer in your favor.

Before the mortgage company agrees on the loan, they will require a copy of the floor plan, permits, and survey. Then they will send out an appraiser who will inspect your property and determine whether your project will appraise for the amount of money they are committing to. Luckily, more and more banks are giving log homes a fair appraisal, but it helps to choose a company that specializes in log homes or your market value may come in too low.

DRAWS: When you’ve itemized your anticipated expenses, you can share this with your mortgage rep., who will then ask you how you would like to break down the disbursements (or “draws” as we commonly know them). This will be your decision (with a little hand-holding). At first, you might want to schedule a couple dozen draws, until you realize that there is a service charge attached to every draw. For instance, every time the bank releases a draw, you have to notify them a few days in advance. The bank sends out an inspector to verify that the promised work was performed. Then they order a Title Search to verify that you haven’t had any liens put on your property since the last draw (this costs about $125 each time).

This leads us to the next issue that pertains especially to building a log home. Normally, banks release a draw after the work has been completed. However, log home manufacturers require COD when the logs are delivered (or ideally the day before). Historically this had been a bone of contention between the banks and manufacturers, until certain banks took the lead and set up accounts directly with the log home companies. This expedited the whole process. These direct deposits become draws on your construction loan.

EXAMPLE: In our case, we ordered a total of 11 draws. On settlement of the construction loan, the bank started us with about $38,000 for misc. expenses. We used much of this to bridge the gap between draws (the contractors want to get paid regularly). There was a draw for the Log Kit deposit. There was a draw for our Superior Walls precast foundation (another direct deposit). Another draw paid for the COD log delivery; another draw paid for the window delivery.

Then things got more tricky, because the next draw covered the well and septic, which had to be completed first. Once the log walls were raised another draw came, another when the “weathered-in shell” was complete, and another draw when the mechanicals were installed. The last draw came at the end of the project, but the bank wouldn’t release the money until we had stained the house and planted grass seed. They wanted to make sure the house was ready for sale.

With luck, you won’t be delayed by weather or on-site errors, which could derail your whole plan. However, if you don’t have some extra money set aside, your contractors might quit working until they get paid, knowing full well that you won’t get paid until the work is finished. Coffee and donuts help to keep relations smooth, but nothing works like cash.

And remember: if by some miracle you don’t use all the money you requested in the construction loan, you can always give the rest back. So don’t cut corners. Estimate high, spend less, and you just might have enough left over for that luxury item you always wanted.

About the author: Mercedes Hayes is a Hiawatha Log Home dealer and also a Realtor in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She designed her own log home which was featured in the 2004 Floor Plan Guide of Log Home Living magazine. You can learn more about log homes by visiting http://www.JerseyLogHomes.com

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