Bird Flu: Personal Preparedness Must Include These 4 Critical Areas
The recent hurricanes Katrina and Rita have been powerful reminders of how destructive the forces of nature can be, and how preparation for them can mitigate their effects. Avian influenza, commonly referred to as bird flu, is a powerful force of nature that we must prepare foror suffer the ... more...

Real Estate: Buyer's Agent, Seller's Agent & Dual Agent (defined and explained)
There is a relatively new and not always well understood practice in Real Estate sales; it is called Buyer Agency or Buyer's Agent. Until recently Realtors and agents usually represented the seller, in opposition to the buyer, during the real estate transaction. Even the real estate agent who drove ... more...

Ghostwriting - Making Money by Being Invisible
My bookcase take up one whole wall in the family room, from floor to ceiling. It shows my eclectic reading tastes... fiction, non-fiction, Harry Potter next to murder mysteries and metaphysical literature. Also there are books I've written for the business sector - on negotiation, writing letters, ... more...

Student Home Purchase Plan
Tuition costs are climbing, housing costs are climbing, it seems like all the costs for students are climbing these days. Students can afford cost increases less than any other demographic in Canada. Because of this, parents and students alike are looking for new ways to offset the costs of ... more...

Landlord Insurance
You have just spent a lot of money buying a property either it is your home and you are going to work overseas for a while or in a different part of the country. It might be an investment property a buy to let or a buy to let via a SIPPs Property Pension. You might just have inherited the ... more...

Creating A Realistic Budget
Budgeting -- ooh, what a scary word! If you want to frighten someone whose finances are out of control, suggest that they tally up their expenses on a piece of paper. We all understand the value of such an exercise, but when it comes to the practicality of putting a budget together, we get cold ... more...

Home Equity Loans Theres Gold In That There House
To paraphrase an old familiar quote that goes theres gold in them there hills, you could say, theres gold in that house. As Martha Stewart would say, its a good thing.A home equity loan can be a very good thing if you formulate a plan and stick to it. Home equity loans are becoming much more common ... more...

How I Became a Real Estate Investor
Recently I closed on the sale of two homes. They were located about a mile apart and had comparable market values. However, beyond these two similarities, the two deals were very different from each other. Let me discuss in more detail the similarities and differences of the two deals.My business ... more...

Negotiating the Purchase of Your Home
Negotiating a successful real estate contract requires communication and listening skills, as well as the ability to create a environment of cooperation. Many of our real estate clients have been very experienced negotiators, and from them we have learned that the goal is to reach a "good ... more...

Adverse Debt Levels Blight UK Consumers Personal Finances
Debt levels are at an all time high in the UK. The younger generation tend to be feeling the pinch the most, but parents are increasingly being required to bail them out, often at great expense to their own limited mortgage or retirement savings.It has become almost accepted as a fact of life that ... more...