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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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.

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.

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

A new survey reveals that in the last five years, the equity in the California real estate market has increased by more than one trillion dollars. A trillion dollars is a large number to ponder, but put in concrete terms, it can be represented by a stack of one hundred dollar bills that is six hundred thirty one miles high! This astronomical increase in California home values isn’t all that unique, however. Prices on the East Coast, particularly in the Washington, D.C. area, are increasing just as rapidly. There are areas on both coasts where home prices have tripled during the last five years. This, along with the dramatic increase in interest-only mortgages among homebuyers, suggests that home prices may be peaking.

In California, 35% of all mortgages written are interest-only mortgages. In Washington, the figure is a whopping 48%. With an interest-only mortgage, the homeowner pays only the interest on the home loan for the first few years of mortgage payments. After the agreed-upon period of time ends, the amount of the payment is adjusted to include a portion of the principal. This typically increases the amount of the payment by about one-third. Interest-only mortgages have gained in popularity as home prices have increased, mostly because buyers otherwise would not be able to afford to buy homes. The problem with these mortgages is that for the first few years of payments, the buyers aren’t actually paying anything for the home itself!

What these statistics tell us is that in California, more than one third of buyers cannot afford a mortgage that allows them to actually contribute to paying for the home when they move in, and in Washington, the figure is nearly one half. Experts disagree on exactly when the hot real estate market will collapse, but it would seem to the casual observer that when half of all buyers can’t actually afford to make payments on the home they’ve just purchased, the collapse may be near.

What does this mean for potential buyers? Anyone considering purchasing a home in the red-hot markets in California or on the East Coast should carefully consider whether or not they can actually afford to purchase a home. Qualifying for a loan isn’t good enough if you can’t actually make payments that will reduce your principal. If may be wiser to buy in a cheaper outlying area and commute. Others may wish to rent in the short term in hopes that the prices will soon decline. It is always difficult to predict which way the real estate market will go, but a market where one-third to one-half of buyers can’t actually reduce their principal should set off an alarm for anyone considering a real estate purchase.

©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.

Studies show that Americans are now saving less than ever before. Along with that, Americans are carrying a heavier debt load than ever. It’s easy for a home loan, a car loan and a few credit card bills to get out of hand, and many people are struggling with more debt than they can easily pay. To make matters worse, new bankruptcy legislation will make it harder than ever to file bankruptcy for those who simply cannot pay their bills.

There are a number of solutions available that allow most people to reduce their interest rate on their debt, reduce their total monthly payment, or both:

Most people can utilize one of the ideas above to help them reduce their debt. If none of these options work for you, you should consider speaking to a credit counselor, who can outline other options that may work for you. Many credit-counseling agencies are non-profit, so it may be worth your while to talk to a credit counselor if nothing else will work.

©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.

Moments after stepping out of the taxi, Rachel plunged through the entranceway of the hotel lobby eager to put behind what had been a terribly exhausting day. Flight delays due to weather had caused her LAX-MDW-BWI trip to take nearly eleven hours to complete. All she could think of was taking off her shoes to relieve her aching feet and dipping them into soothing, warm bath water.

The line at the front desk was mercifully short. One clerk caught Rachel’s attention and signaled her forward she gave him her reservation information and then dug out her American Express card for payment. As he stepped away to verify its authenticity Rachel’s eyes surveyed the lobby. “They’ve updated everything since I was last here”, she thought. Her concentration, clouded by fatigue, was now on the mission style tables, chairs, and light fixtures, which had replaced the heavy, wooden furniture previously occupying the lobby. “Here is your card and room key, ma’am,” the clerk interrupted minutes later. Quickly, Rachel stuffed her card back into her wallet, gathered her bags and whisked away to her room.

Rachel was a victim of identity theft that night, but did not know it at the time. Had she kept a watchful eye on what her clerk was doing instead of studying the lobby, she might have noticed him switching cards on her. At the very least, she would have seen that the card handed to her beneath her room key was not her own.

Identity theft is an exploding problem that has increased exponentially in this technological age. Particularly since the early 1990s thieves have been taking advantage of what we would consider every day transactions: writing a check at the grocery store, ordering merchandise via the internet, applying for a credit card, using your cell phone, and more. Each transaction requires you to share personal information: your bank and credit card account numbers; your income, your Social Security Number (SSN); and your name, address, and phone numbers.

An identity thief will lift some piece of your personal information and appropriate it without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft. One of the most common methods is when the identity thief uses your personal information to open a credit card account in your name.

The Federal Trade Commission is the arm of the federal government tasked with overseeing the problem of identity theft. A special hotline number (1-877-IDTHEFT) was created for consumers to call to place your information in a database which is accessible with other law enforcement agencies and private entities, including any companies about which you may complain. Additionally, an ID Theft Affidavit a form you can use to alert companies where a new account was opened in your name can be filled out and given to the company. This affidavit is available online to consumers.

Identity thieves can get your personal information in a number of ways:

* They steal wallets and purse containing your i.d. and credit and bank cards.

* They steal your mail, including your bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, telephone calling cards and tax information.

* They complete a “change of address form” to divert your mail to another location.

* They rummage through your trash, or the trash of businesses, for personal data in a practice known as “dumpster diving.”

* They fraudulently obtain your credit report by posing as a landlord, employer or someone else who may have a legitimate need for and a legal right to the information.

* They get your business or personnel records at work.

* They find personal information in your home.

* They use personal information you share on the internet.

* They buy your personal information from “inside” sources. For example, an identity thief may pay a store employee for information about you that appears on an application for goods, services or credit.

Identity thieves will then take the personal information they have obtained about you and use it in a number of different ways:

* They will call your credit card issuer and, pretending to be you, ask to change the mailing address on your credit card account. The imposter then runs up charges on your account. Because your bills are being sent to the new address, it may take some time before you realize that there is a problem.

* They open a new credit card account, using your name, date of birth and SSN. When they sue the credit card and don’t pay the bills, the delinquent account is reported on your credit report.

* They establish phone or wireless service in your name.

* They open a bank account in your name and write bad checks on that account.

* They file for bankruptcy under your name to avoid paying debts they have incurred under your name, or to avoid eviction.

* They counterfeit checks or debits cards, and drain your bank account.

* They buy cars by taking out auto loans in your name.

Fortunately for Rachel, American Express covered her losses. Although she didn’t find out about the theft until she reached her home in California, American Express suspended her account when a number of suspicious charges appeared and she couldn’t be reached by them to verify the charges. Their fraud department left a message on her phone answering machine instructing her to call them and, when she did, Rachel was notified that someone else was using her card. When she explained that she had the card in her possession, she checked her purse and found a card for someone else instead.

Visa, MasterCard and American Express absorb the cost of fraud as long as they are notified by the consumer [certain restrictions may apply check with your card issuer for specific details]. Had Rachel used a debit card, the story might have been much different. Unlike a credit card, the debit card takes a direct hit on your bank account, meaning that you will have to absorb the loss.

So, all is well with Rachel, right? Sure, American Express overnighted a new card with a new account number for Rachel to use on her next trip, but the problem could very well have continued and deepened had she not taken three more steps recommended by the Federal Trade Commission:

First, contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus. Tell them that you are a victim of identity theft. Request that a “fraud alert” be placed in your file, as well as a victim’s statement asking that creditors call you before opening any new accounts or changing your existing accounts. This can help prevent an identity thief from opening additional accounts in your name.

At the same time, order copies of your credit reports from the credit bureaus. Credit bureaus must give you a free copy of your report if your report is inaccurate because of fraud, and you make that request in writing. Review your reports carefully to make sure no additional fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name or unauthorized changes made to your existing accounts.

Second, contact the creditors for any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Creditors can include credit card companies, phone companies and other utilities, and banks and other lenders.

Third, if possible, file a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. Get a copy of the police report in case the bank, credit card company or others need proof of the crime. Even if the police are unable to catch the thief, the report can be helpful when dealing with creditors.

In summation, identity theft is a problem that is causing businesses and consumers billions of dollars per year. As a result, higher interest rates and an increase in the cost of goods and services is passed on to consumers. So, do not be a victim protect yourself from identity theft by remaining alert especially when a third party is handling your personal information.

Matthew Keegan is the owner of a successful web design and marketing company based in North Carolina, USA. He manages several sites including the Corporate Flight Attendant Community at http://www.corporateflyer.net and the Aviation Employment Board at http://www.aviationemploymentboard.net This article originally appeared in the Summer 2002 issue of the Flight Attendant News.

For all people shop around for the best rate, there are few who have taken the time to sit down and add it all up. After all, why would you bother? The answer is that understanding just how interest rates work can help you see how important small differences in rates and payment amounts can be.

Interest Rates are Compound.

It is important to remember that what you owe is compounded - that means you pay interest on the interest you owe from the month before. That means that if you’re paying 2% per month in interest, you’re not paying 24% per year - you’re actually paying 26.82%. Charging interest monthly instead of yearly is a trick to make it feel like you are paying a very low price for your borrowing.

A Thought Experiment.

Here’s a question: would you rather have $1 million, or $10,000 in a savings account earning 20% per year in compound interest?

Well, let’s see how that $10,000 would grow. After 10 years: $61,917. 20 years: $383,375. 30 years: $2,373,763. 40 years: $91,004,381. 50 years: $563,475,143.

So after fifty years, you’d have over $500 million?! Well, not so fast. Of course, you have to take inflation into account - if we say inflation is 5%, then that money would have the buying power that $10,732,859 does today. Still, that’s not a bad return on your investment of $10,000, is it?

That’s the power of compound interest, and the way the credit card companies make their money (it’s also the way pensions work, and the reason the prices of things seem to rise massively as you get older). Be very, very afraid of compound interest. Or, of course, you could start saving, and be very glad of it

Compound Interest Adds Up.

Let’s work through an example on a more real kind of scale. Let’s say you have an average unpaid balance of $1,000 on a card at 15% APR.

You will owe $150 in interest for the first year you borrow. However, this amount is then added onto the balance, and interest is charged on that. The second year, you’d owe another $172.50, for a total of $1,322.50. It goes on, with totals like this: $1,520.88, $1,749.00, $2,011.35.

After just five years at 15%, you’d owe double what you borrowed. And after 10 years, you’d owe four times what you borrowed! Bet you weren’t expecting that. If you let something like that carry on for long enough, you’ll end up paying back that credit card for years afterwards, paying back what you borrowed many times over and still not clearing the debt. Most people don’t work this out, and feel that the payments must simply be their fault for spending too much money to begin with.

One Percent of Difference.

One more thing. You might think there’s not that much difference between a card that charges 15% APR and one that charges 12% APR. Let’s see the difference the lower rate would make to that $1,000 borrowed for five years. Remember, after five years at 15%, you owed $2,011.35.

At 12%: $1,120, $1,254.40, $1,404.93, $1,573.52 $1,762.34 after five years. So you’ve saved $249.01 from that 3% difference in APR - in other words, you’ve paid almost 25% less interest.

Ken Austin is the webmaster at Debt Consolidation Solutions and Credit Relief Solutions

The courts have just awarded you a settlement in the amount of $1.3 million dollars for injuries you sustained while using the Widget Corporation’s product. However, the terms of the settlement require that Widget pay you a small amount right now, with the remaining funds to be dispersed over the next 20 years. This “structured settlement” works fine for some people, but you have medical bills that need to be paid now. What can you do about it? Answer: you can sell your structured settlement and receive additional cash now.

So, exactly what is a “structured settlement?” The Center for Justice and Democracy describes it as follows:

Also called “periodic payments,” structured settlement laws either mandate, allow defendants to request, or allow courts to require that some or all payments awarded by a judge or jury be made to the injured consumer over a long period of time. In other words, the injured consumer is prohibited from receiving payments in a lump sum. These provisions increase the hardships of the most seriously injured consumers who are hit soon after an injury with large medical costs and must make adjustments in transportation and housing. Often, the law allows insurance companies to pocket the money upon the plaintiff’s death.

There are companies whose primary source of business is to purchase your structured settlement and give you a lump sum payment instead. Of course, you must pay a significant fee to gain access to money now instead of waiting. Still, it is an option for some people especially if they need the money now.

Lawsuit settlements are not the only structured settlements that you may receive. In addition, you could receive a settlement for:

1. Royalties.

2. Inheritances.

3. Lottery Winnings.

4. Annuities.

5. Mortgages.

6. Leases.

7. Life Insurance Policies.

8. Business Notes.

When deciding whether to sell your structured settlement or not, you need to consider that your proceeds — if taken over time — have a tendency to be eroded by inflation. $1.3 million today could be worth half that in 20 years! In addition, you may not live long enough to receive all of the proceeds, although in most cases the remaining unclaimed funds would go to your estate as an inheritance.

So, should you cash your structured settlement in? Good question! Sit down with a calculator and determine what fees you are willing to pay and what expenses need to be addressed immediately. If you have immediate pressing needs, then contact a settlement company today for more information.

Matt Keegan is The Article Writer who writes on a variety of business, human interest, advocacy, and family issues. Please visit http://www.thearticlewriter.com for more information.

First of all, let me say that anyone who has been in any way hurt or injured by any other party and settled through a class action lawsuit, disregard this article. I am more interested in the little frivolous lawsuits that award pitiful amounts to offended parties who most likely had no idea they were offended.

There are habitual class action participators and then there are the lucky ones who find themselves on the receiving end of a check to settle a dispute they were most likely never aware of in the first place. And the best part is the size of the checks, often in amounts less than the stamps used to mail them. Nothing like getting a check for fourteen cents in the mail says L. Matthews, whose settlement check in the landmark case against American Express Centurion Bank just arrived.

Sometimes the amount isn’t the issue as much as the stipulations surrounding the acceptance of the settlement. In Los Angeles, a judge approved an agreement calling for Sony Pictures Entertainment to pay $1.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing the studio of citing a fake movie critic in ads for several films, an attorney said Tuesday.

Moviegoers who saw the films “Vertical Limit,” “A Knight’s Tale,” “The Animal,” “Hollow Man” or “The Patriot” during their original theater runs must file a claim to be eligible for a $5 per ticket reimbursement, said lawyer Norman Blumenthal, who represented a group of filmgoers who sued Sony Pictures in 2001. What do they do when the 1.5 million runs out? You have to assume more than 300,000 tickets were sold between the four movies.

I have been awarded three ridiculous checks as settlement for things I wasn’t truly injured by. I am proud to say those checks; totaling $7.41 were not and never will be cashed. Cashing them would be condoning the practice, where consumers get the pittance, and the attorneys pushing the cases get the nice cars. Me? I’m hoping for a direct hit by a dominoes delivery driver.

Jason Rigler
“Settlement Advocate” and consultant for Prosperity Partners Customer Service Department.