The first point to mastering money management is that you have to understand when you’re trading on the stock market is that you are playing the odds - but unlike many forms of gambling, you can make money. The key to making this money is to respect the risk that is part of the market, and manage it. Money management is a set of rules and guidelines that enables you to turn a profit. By being triumphant with your money management skills, you can keep your risk at a level at which you’re comfortable with, keep from making poor trading decisions, and ensure you don’t loose your trading capital. This is why it is so important to follow money management rules.

Why do these money management rules work? You know, it’s funny. I once thought I had a fool-proof way of making money on roulette. You see, I’d bet on red and black. I’d sit at the table. After the ball had landed on black or red five times in a row, I would start betting on the opposite color.

Let’s say I had five reds in a row. I would then start to bet on black. If I was wrong, I would go ahead and double down, so that if I started my bet at one dollar, the next time I would be able to bet two dollars, then four dollars, then eight, then 16. With this system, eventually I’d win and I’d come out one dollar ahead.

So, here I am at 23 and I’ve set up my computer program to test my theory. I made a ridiculous amount of money in the program. I really thought I had the Holy Grail here. But, if it’s so easy for an 23 year old to figure it out, why aren’t all the casinos out of business and why aren’t we’re all millionaires? Unfortunately, roulette doesn’t work this way.

You see, if we’re flipping a coin, heads has a 50 percent chance of turning up on each flip of the coin and so does tails. But, each flip is independent of the last. The last coin toss has nothing to do with the one before it, each flip is a random event. This means it’s possible to get a hundred heads in a row if you do it long enough, and believe it or not, that’s what happened to me. When I first played roulette in a casino, I saw a string of 23 blacks in a row. I went home defeated.

Trading is the same. A percentage of your trades will not work out. A certain percentage will not go in your favoured direction, and the next trade has nothing to do with the last one. Even if you have the world’s most accurate method, over time you will go broke if you don’t practice good money management.

Money management rules include defining your trading float, setting your maximum loss, calculating your stop loss, and most importantly learning how to choose your position size. Once these rules are in place, it’s important to stay with them. They will keep you from making snap decisions, and playing the odds longer than you should. This is why money management rules are a critical part of any effective trading system.

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So, you were pleasantly surprised to learn that you are getting a refund on your taxes. Congratulations! The question for most taxpayers expecting a return is, “Where is my refund?”

Check Your Refund Status Online

The easiest way to check on your refund is to ask the IRS through IRS.gov. On the home page of the site, you will see a “Where’s My Refund?” link. Using the service is fairly easy. You will need a copy of your tax return to provide the necessary information to get the status of your refund. Specifically, you need to provide your social security number, you tax filing status and the exact amount of your refund. The reason the IRS requires all of this information is purely for security purposes, to wit, the agency wants to make sure it is giving access only to the taxpayer. Again, all of this information should be on your return. If it is not, something is very wrong!

Once you submit the required information, the IRS will provide online results typically showing:

1. That the return was received and is in processing;

2. The expected mailing date or direct deposit date of your refund; or

3. Whether your refund could not be issued because of a delivery problem.

In some cases, the results may alert you to the fact that the IRS is reviewing your tax return because of errors or questionable entries. In such a case, it is highly advised that you review your return with a qualified tax professional and make absolutely sure that the return will stand up to scrutiny.

How Long Do You Have To Wait Before Checking?

If you filed your tax return electronically, you should be able to access the status of your refund within 48 to 72 hours. Since the return is coming into the database electronically, it should be assimilated into the system fairly quickly. If you do not file your return electronically, you are going to have to wait three weeks or more before the status of your return can be checked. As you can imagine, the IRS is receiving an enormous amount of paper tax returns and it takes time to organize and enter the returns into the system.

How Long Should It Take To Receive Your Tax Refund?

If you are expecting a refund, the time to issue the refund will depend upon how you filed your return. If you filed a paper return via regular mail, you refund should be issued in six to eight weeks from the date it was received by the IRS. Alternatively, if you filed your return electronically, you should expect to receive your refund in three to four weeks. If you elected to have your refund directly deposited in your banking account, you should take one week off of the above estimates.

About The Author

Richard Chapo is President of BusinessTaxRecovery.com. Visit BusinessTaxRecovery.com to subscribe to a free newsletter offering monthly tax deduction tips for small businesses.

With higher education tuition increasing at double digit year over year percentages an effective saving plan for your kid’s education is becoming much more important than it has been before. Most families will discover that their future higher education costs will be much more than they have saved for their kid’s education. This leaves many kids to be faced with obtaining financial aid to pay for a portion of their college education. The goal of this article is to explore the pros and cons of 4 common investment options when saving for college. This article will also explore why some of these options are better than other when considering a portion of your kid’s education may be funded by financial aid.

529 College Savings Plan: - A 529 college savings plan is a fairly new investment option for college saving. It allows just about anyone to save for college. There is a long list of benefits of a 529 college savings plan, but perhaps the most important is that your earnings grow tax free if you use it for qualified education expenses. Additionally, the maximum amount you can contribute to a 529 plan can go as high as several hundred thousand dollars depending on your State. In the event you do not use the funds for college, you can still withdrawal your earnings, but you will have to pay taxes and a 10% penalty. The penalty will be waived if your child receives a scholarship, or your child becomes disable or dies.

529 plans can typically be purchased through a broker or mutual fund company, but a disadvantage is that investment choices can sometimes be limited. Since qualifying for financial aid is based on a calculation that considers your kids assets, another big benefit of a 529 college savings plan is that the money in the plan is classified as a parents assets so less that 6% of the value counts against your kid’s financial aid eligibility.

Coverdell Education Savings Account (CESA): - A Coverdell Education Savings Account is very similar to a 529 college savings plan. The main difference is that with a Coverdell Education Savings Account you can only contribute $2000 per child and to qualify your adjusted gross income must be less than $110,000 if single and less than $220,000 if married filing jointly. The account is classified as a parent’s asset so less that 6% of the value counts against your kid’s financial aid eligibility.

UMGA/UTA Custodial Account: - The benefit of a UMGA/UTA Custodial Account is that there is no limit on the contribution and it is easy to set up at most financial institutions. However, the limitations far outweigh the benefits. The first limitation of a UMGA/UTA Custodial Account is that these types of accounts offer very little tax advantage. If your child is under 14, only the first $800 of income is tax fee, the next $800 is taxed at your child’s tax rate and after that there is no tax benefit at all. The other big limitation is that the account has to be set up in your child’s name. As a result, if your child needs financial aid all of the assets will be reviewed at a 35% rate. Therefore, this type of account is not advisable for those who may need financial aid.

Taxable Investment Account: - A taxable investment account offers lots of flexibility, is easy to set up at any financial institution and is classified as a parent’s asset so it does not count as a negative in the financial aid formula. However, the big limitation to a taxable account is that it offers no tax advantage for college savings.

Overall, planning for college is a very important undertaking for parents. The above 4 options should be highly considered in the planning process since some of the investments offer substantial tax advantages and do not count against financial aid eligibility. These are highly important considerations when selecting a college saving plan.

Copyright (c) 2005, by Jay Fran. This article may be freely distributed as long as the copyright, author’s information and the following active live link with anchored text is published with the article:

Motorcycle Loans, Bad Credit Motorcycle Loans, Financing, Motorcycle Loan

About The Author:

Jay Fran is a successful author and publisher at http://www.motorcycle-financing-guide.com/ - A national guide of lenders that specialize in helping people with good and bad credit get the motorcycle loans and financing they need! Get loans for Harley-Davidson, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha and more.

Does your incorporated business pay alternative minimum tax [”AMT]? If so, there is a 93% chance you have been overpaying your taxes by an average of $11,000 a year according to the Treasury Inspector General.

The Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration was created in 1999 to oversee the IRS. One of the duties of the Treasury Inspector General is to study and report the efficiency of the tax payment system, particularly the accuracy of tax collection efforts. Many of the studies conducted by the office reveal starting results, particularly when it comes to businesses overpaying their taxes.

As part of this oversight, the Treasury Inspector General is reporting that many small business corporations are incorrectly paying AMT. The AMT was enacted in the late 1990s, but proved to be a huge burden on small businesses. The tax was confusing and the paperwork was incredibly complex. An amendment was subsequently added to give small business corporations relief from the AMT. Section 55(e) of the Internal Revenue Code now contains language exempting small business corporations from paying the AMT.

Small business corporations can claim an exemption from the AMT if gross revenues average $5 million or less for the initial three years of business. Thereafter, the business can continue to claim the exemption as long as revenues average $7.5 million or less of each subsequent three year period.

According to the Inspector General, companies that fail to claim an exemption to the AMT are overpaying taxes by an average of $11,638 each year. 93% of small business corporations qualify for the exemption. Since the IRS has no duty to notify taxpayers of overpayments, many small business corporations have no idea they are overpaying taxes and are due refunds.

All taxpayers have the right to file amended tax returns for the past three calendar years. Contact us now to find out if you failed to claim the exemption to the AMT and are due a refund for 2001, 2002 and 2003. If you failed to claim the AMT exemption, you may be due a refund totaling over $33,000.

Richard Chapo is CEO of http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com - Obtaining tax refunds for small businesses by finding overlooked tax deductions and credits through a free tax return review.

I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner, but one day many years ago, I decided to try renting rooms in my home. I was young and single, and had a nice mobile home on small piece of property. I found that it was easy to rent out the other two bedrooms. Suddenly, I had thousands of dollars extra each year.

Why Room Rentals?

In many towns where the rents are high, single people are forced to share apartments with others. They inevitably have problems with splitting the bills, what to do if one person is late with their share of the rent, who made which phone calls, etc. So when they see a room for in a nice home, with everything from local cals to cable TV included in the rent, they like the idea.

Room Rentals - The How To

Include everything. Don’t set yourself up for arguments about who owes what for utilities, or who watches the cable TV more. Cancel long distance plans, get a phone card, and just have local service. If utilities run high, raise the rent. Just don’t be tempted into any “share” arrangements for anything.

The value in this simple way is obvious. While others fought with landlords and roommate-friends, my renters stayed for years, with no household bills to pay, and no money issues for us to argue about. I had them pay weekly or bi-weekly, according to their paydays, so they wouldn’t have to save up for monthly rent.

Regulations in some places prevent renting rooms, but they are rarely enforced, and are being legaly challenged more and more. It is difficult to justify a system that allows a family with ten kids to live in a house, while discriminating against a household of three or four people - just because they are unrelated.

Room Rental Profits

I no longer live in Traverse City, Michigan, but in a decent house there, you can get $100 per week for a room. With two rooms to rent out, that’s $10,400 per year. Most of that is profit, since household bills don’t go up much with two more people in the house. If you don’t mind the company, that’s a lot of extra cash.

Steve Gillman has invested in mobile homes and other real estate for years. To learn more, and to see a photo of a beautiful house (not a mobile) he and his wife bought for $17,500, visit http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com

The Federal student loan program has benefited thousands of college students in the forty years since it was introduced. Interest rates for the program have historically been quite competitive, and the program has allowed many people to acquire a college education who otherwise might not have been able to afford one.

At the moment, interest rates on Federal student loans are the lowest in history, but that is about to change. On July 1, 2005, the interest rates on Federal student loans will rise, due to an increase in the price of Treasury, bills, to which the interest rates on student loans are tied.

While an increase in interest rates is seldom viewed as a good thing, knowing about it ahead of can be helpful. Between now and June 30, new graduates or those who have been repaying existing loans can consolidate their student loans at current rates. The rates currently vary, with fixed rates being slightly higher than adjustable rates. Those considering consolidation might wish to convert their loan to a fixed rate. Depending on the amount of the loan, borrowers may extend their loan terms to as long as 30 years.

There is also legislation pending in Congress that would change the Federal loan system so that all future loans are adjustable rate, with no fixed rate option. This will save the government money by not allowing students to lock in long-term loans at low rates during times of increasing interest rates. Students who wish to obtain a fixed rate loan may not have much longer to do so.

Rates will vary slightly from lender to lender, and the market for loan consolidation is quite competitive. Those wishing to consolidate their loans should consider shopping around for the best deal while time permits.

©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a site devoted to debt consolidation and credit counseling, and HomeEquityHelp.net, a site devoted to information regarding home equity loans.

Since the demise of the stock market in 2000, the real estate market has been booming. Investors who are justifiably cautious about investing in stocks have been investing in homes. This has driven the prices of homes in the United States to record levels. Long-time homeowners are discovering that they have a tremendous amount of equity in their homes as the values rise, sometimes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The past five years have been good to homeowners and lenders. Unfortunately, the past five years have also been good to equity thieves, who are using identity theft to steal the equity from homes, often without the homeowner’s knowledge.

As the median value of a home in the United States is currently a little more than $200,000, there is plenty of incentive for the equity thief. The scam is relatively simple and usually involves homes that are completely paid off. The thief obtains a copy of the homeowner’s Social Security number and a fake driver’s license in the homeowner’s name. Using this fake identification, the thief forges a quitclaim deed, a document transfers a homeowner’s interest in a property to a third party. The document says, in essence, “I don’t want this property anymore.” The property can then be transferred to anyone the thief chooses. Once the transfer has taken place, the thief applies for a home equity loan, takes the money, and simply walks away. In an alternate scenario, the thief simply sells the house and pockets the money. As most agencies involved in real estate transactions are quite busy these days, property transfers of this type can often be accomplished without drawing undue attention.

This is just one of many scams that have sprung up in recent years involving real estate. While the authorities are certainly interested in catching the thieves, such cases quickly become rather complicated and few police departments have the necessary expertise required to deal with these cases, since they are fairly new. More often than not, the homeowner has little recourse other than to sue the mortgage company involved in the transaction. The best defense against a possible identity theft/equity theft scam is to protect your identity carefully and to avoid giving anyone your Social Security number if you can possibly avoid it. Failing to do so could cost you your home.

©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a Website devoted to debt consolidation information and HomeEquityHelp.net, a site devoted to information on home equity loans.

This Article will compare and Contrast the Old-School Bi-Weekly Mortgage Method with the New Millennium Invest the Difference Method. Can The New Millennium Method really result in over $1,200,000 more money in your Retirement Account.

A Bi-Weekly Mortgage is a Craze that has been Sweeping the Mortgage Trade since those 18% and Higher Mortgage Rates of the late 70’s and early 80’s. The basic premise behind a Bi-Weekly Mortgage is that instead of making 12 Monthly Payments a year you make 26 Bi-Weekly Payments a year. Each Bi_Weekly Payment is 1/2 of the Monthly Payment. You pay off your Mortgage Faster and Save Lot’s and Lot’s of money because you are making 13 Payments a Year instead of 12. That Extra Monthly payment has the effect of Dramatically reducing your Payoff schedule.

Here are the results of a calculation done recently using an Online Calculator from a Popular Bi-Weekly Mortgage Program. The Example used a 30 year Fixed rate loan with a 5.5% Interest rate and an $$1,135.58 Monthly payment or a 567.79 Bi-Weekly Payment.

• Current Balance: $200,000.00

• Interest Remaining (Current): $208,806.90

• Interest Remaining on Bi-Weekly: $168,980.52

• Estimated Interest Savings on Bi-Weekly:39,826.38

• Term Remaining (Current): 360 Months

• Term Remaining on Bi-Weekly: 301 Months

• Estimated Term Saved if on Bi-Weekly:59 Months

Looking over the above numbers A Bi-Weekly Mortgage seems very Promising and it is. You Save almost $40,000 in Payments and Reduce your Loan Term by 4 Years and 11 Months. So By Making 25 Extra Payments of 1,135.58 you pay $39,826 less interest over the life of the loan.

With the New millennium comes a new and better almost $600,000 More Money in your pocket over the initial 30 Year Loan Schedule.
(Over $1,200,000 if the $600,000 is allowed to grow for your retirement nest egg.) Here is the plan in a Nutshell. You get a 30 Year loan with a Payments for the first 5 Years Fixed at an Interest rate of 1.95%. You then take the Money you save and Invest it in an Annuity with an Assumed 8% return.

Your Payments on a 30 Year Mortgage at 1.95% = 734.25
You Invest $495.96 a Month for 30 Years at an 8% Return

• At the end of 5 Years you have Over $34,900
• At the end of 15 Years you have over $161,500
• At the end of 25 Years you have Over $435,000
• At the end of 30 Years you have Over $674,000

With The Above Bi_weekly Mortgage all your money $1230 on average monthly is going to pay your mortgage so

• At the end of 5 Years you have $0
• At the end of 15 Years you have over $0
• At the end of 25 Years you have Over $0
• At the end of 30 Years you have Over $86,500
  (Since your Mortgae is Payed off 5 Years Early you now save 1230 a Month invested at a Return of 8% for 5 Years)

With the Old Bi-Weekly Method you have $86,500 in your Investment account. With the New Millennium Method you have over $674,000 in your Investment account. Almost $600,000 more.

Going one Step Further, Let’s assume each home-Owner is 25 when they get the initial Loan and they let the Money sit in the Investment Account for 10 More Years (until they are 65) at an 8% return.

• 674,000 at 8% will grow to $1,400,000 in 10 Years
• 86,500 at 8% will grow to $ 186,900 in 10 Years

This Equals a 1.2 Million Dollar Difference in your Investment (Retirement) Account at age 65.

About the Author
Mike Makler is a Financial Consultant in the St Louis Missouri Area Specializing in Real Estate Loans and Annuities. To Learn More Call Mike at 314 398-5547 or Visit Mike’s Web Page: http://ewguru.com/finance

Get Mike’s Newsletter Here http://ewguru.com/fin-news

Copyright © 2005-2006 Mike Makler

How could one loan Satisfy the Needs of every homeowner? Yet Many people get a Home Loan for 30 years. Won’t a persons needs change many times over the 30 year life of this loan? So the best loan for every homeowner would need to be flexible.

When you buy your first home often your income will often be much lower then it will be 10 or 20 years in the future. You may need a low loan payment offered by an interest only or Adjustable rate mortgage to qualify for your loan.

As your income goes up you may want to pay your loan off sooner or possibly switch to a fixed interest rate. A 15 or 30 Year Fixed rate may be the perfect choice at this point in your life.

If you were to encounter an economic hardship, such as a Layoff, Disability or pay cut you may want to switch to an Interest only loan.

Over the 30 year life of your loan it is not uncommon to go through cycles where each of the above loans types are Best. An Interest only loan may be the best loan for a period of time, followed by a period of time where a 15 Year fixed is perfect, then followed by a period of time where an ARM is the best loan.

In the past you would have to go through the expensive process of refinancing your house each time your needs changed. Not anymore, You can get a product called a power option ARM. A Power option ARM gives you options. Every month when you get your mortgage statement comes you choose to pay your loan, as if it were an Interest only, 30 Year Fixed, 15 Year Fixed or an ARM.

Now you can get a 30 Year loan that adapts to whatever cards life deals you from a 7 High to a Royal Flush you are in control with a Power Option ARM.

About the Author
Mike Makler Offers Financial Services (Mortgages,Life Insurance, Annuity) in Florissant Missouri which is in North St. Louis County Missouri Just Across the Bridge from St. Charles Missouri

Call Mike at 314 398-5547

Visit Mike’s Web Page:
http://ewguru.com/finance

For Missouri Specific Insurance and Loan Questions:
http://ewguru.com/Mo-Finance

Get Mike’s Newsletter Here
http://ewguru.com/fin-news

Copyright © 2005-2006 Mike Makler

Will lenders really love you for having a good credit report score? Love is not the right word of course; lenders are after your money, and never forget that. But the lender’s representative will love dealing with your credit application if your credit report is good. If you have a high credit score and spotless credit record, then when you apply for a large loan, you stand a good chance of not only getting the loan approved, but obtaining a competitive interest rate.

How, then, do you go about building up a good credit report score?

The most important thing you can do when beginning to build a good credit report is to always pay your bills on time and to never, ever borrow more than you can afford to pay back. It sounds simple and obvious, but unfortunately, credit can be very tempting, and if you allow yourself to be seduced by the allure of easy credit, you could quickly find yourself in some difficulty. Credit card debt is often the biggest and most impulsive temptation. However, it is essential for your financial well being, and for building a good credit report, that you set and remember your long term goals. You must resist the instant gratification of easy and expensive credit, such as with a credit card.

These days, if you have a good credit record, as reflected in your credit report, it means more than ever. Your chances of getting a car, a house, or being approved for personal loans or credit cards, has for many years been affected by your credit report. Increasingly, though, the report is being accessed for more reasons. Background checks by employers, for example, may include looking at your credit report, and even insurance companies sometimes consider credit reports when deciding whether or not to extend coverage.

To achieve a good credit record, you must have shown that you have borrowed money and then paid it back in accordance with the terms of a loan, with regard to both times and amounts. It also means that you have shown that you do not over extend yourself on credit. One thing to be careful about, though, is not to apply for a lot of loans or credit cards just to increase your chances of being successful in obtaining credit with one. If you do it too many times, you may look like a high risk.

It is a good idea to start building your credit reputation as a young adult. Whether through cell phone ownership or student credit cards, you can start to convince lenders you are a good credit risk, by paying on time every time, and if possible by more than the minimum.

A next step to building a good credit report score is by taking out a car loan. Cars are generally expensive, so a car loan is a real test of your credit score potential. Paying that loan off on time will have a wonderful affect on your credit reputation and report.

Once you have been using credit for a while, you may find it beneficial to monitor your credit and make sure all is well. Request a copy of your credit report once a year, from each credit bureau. It is important to know which of your credit accounts appear in which reports, and to ensure they are all accurate. It is okay to increase both spending and credit, so long as you do not over extend yourself. If you find mistakes on your credit report, make sure you follow the Bureau’s instructions to challenge it, in writing. If you follow these steps, you can get your credit rating up to an AAA status and keep it there.

Roy Thomsitt is the owner and part author of http://www.eliminate-credit-card-debt-now.com