The Hidden Truths of Microfinance Borrowers

Microfinance organizations have really become very popular just the year-end practice for so many kindheartedly people. People really like this Microfinance facility and they are also becoming more and more familiar with this industry, they really prefer these microfinance facilities in critical financial problem. Middle class people really trust on microfinance organization, but the hidden truth of Microfinance is that they are so costly. Generally the rate of interest of microfinance is really too high, needy people trust on this facility and borrows money to fulfill their urgent money requirements. The reason behind the high interest rate of the microfinance may be that it is one of the unsecured loans, however all long term big loans are not very much costly. Secured loans are not very much costly, but unsecured loans are more expensive than secured loan.

Indeed, the rate of interest of microfinance does seem higher as compared with the ROI of commercial in US. These microfinance loans are also more expensive than any credit card, at an average rate of interest around 30%, the ROI of microfinance seems really higher as compared with ROI of any other credit cards. This is true that Microfinance industry has played an important role in bringing the financial services or nonbanking financial sector to the lowest level of the pyramid in so many areas of the country. This is the hidden truth of microfinance industry. Most of the countries in this world are facing the same problem of microfinance. Most of the microfinance borrowers are facing debt problems. Generally borrowers borrow these microfinance loans without calculating their repay capacity.

This is also true that this microfinance industry helps poor borrowers of the countries when they are facing critical money flow problem and they desperate need of financial help. People needs to control their unwanted and unexpected expenses, they must save more and more money, but still if they need to borrow money, then they really must borrow money from microfinance industries but after calculating their repay capacity and risk appetite. In that case they can easily manage all their financial responsibilities and they will never face any debt problem.

Buying a Business – Finding Out Why the Business is Being Sold

As was discussed in a previous article, when you are interested in buying a business off someone, the most important thing you can do is be completely thorough, obsessively so, in your investigation of that business. This means starting off with the idea that they are trying to hide something from you. And to get to the root of the business and to understand it so that you can make an informed decision, there is one question you should ask yourself: why is this business for sale?

Establishing this can be extremely difficult however. If the current owner is selling their business because they believe in their gut that it is not going to be profitable over the next few years then it will be very hard for you to find that out. They will not tell you this obviously. It is the task of these investigations to find this out for yourself.

Firstly, see if they are of retiring age and want to call it a day. If that is the case, you’ll need to look out for indications that the business is still running and operating at full pelt and is not running out of steam because they are retiring.

Secondly, see if it is a small business being sold off by a larger company. This will normally indicate that the business has found it difficult to make a profit from that one part and is trying to get rid of it. They will normally mask this by saying that the business does not fit in with their current strategy.

Thirdly, if a business is being sold because it has found things difficult in the current economic climate, be careful of thinking that you may be able to turn things around or make a success of it whilst they have failed. Ask yourself what you have that they didn’t? Unless you’re absolutely certain, steer well clear.

Lastly, if the business is currently under receivership, then it will be advertised as a going concern, but you will need to do very in-depth research to check which of the assets it comes with still actually belong to the owner.

Alex is a financial journalist and writer. He loves writing about business and spends most of his days writing about mortgages and credit cards. He also writes a blog for Coupon Croc.

Tax Debt Reduction: Offer in Compromise Explained

An offer in compromise can help taxpayers manage their tax debt. The process allows you to resolve outstanding tax liability for less than the amount due. It is a common option for taxpayers if they are unable to pay the tax amount in full. It is at the discretion of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as to whether or not grant the offer presented. While the process involves submission of a proposed agreement, many offer in compromise settlement offers are denied by the IRS for several reasons.

The offer in compromise process begins with completing the required form (IRS Form 656). There is an application fee associated with the form but if you meet qualifications, you may get the fee waived. You may get exempted if your income meets the poverty exemption.

The IRS will review financial information requested such as paystubs or bank records to learn about your assets. The offer in compromise process allows the IRS to review your situation to determine if you are collectable. The IRS takes information submitted to them seriously so be sure to be truthful in submitting requested information. If you are experiencing a hardship, you’ll be able to briefly explain your situation during the application process.

Upon reviewing the form for the offer in compromise, you’ll have to review qualifications to ensure you are eligible to apply. There are certain conditions the IRS looks for in a qualifying applicant including collectability, how much tax liability is involved and what exceptional circumstances are related to or cause a financial hardship.

The amount you offer should be realistic in comparing to your assists and ability to pay. Should your offer be approved, a Federal Tax Lien will be filed and remain in place until the tax liability is satisfied. So what happens if your offer is denied?

The IRS will give you an explanation of why. It is usually because the amount you offered to pay was too low or a conviction of a crime committed. The IRS may send a suggested amount to pay. You are entitled to ask about information that led to the denial. Once you gain a better understanding, you are able to resubmit another offer.

If you feel you have provided all information requested; filed all previous tax returns and are current on tax payments you have a right to appeal their decision. During this process, the IRS will reevaluate your offer.
It may make sense to submit an offer in compromise only if you feel sure it will be accepted. If it is rejected, they have information to use against you to pursue collection against you.

Alex is a financial journalist and writer. He loves writing about personal finance and spends most of his days writing about mortgages, credit cards and whether it is sensible to take out a payday loan.

Buying an Off the Peg Business – Make Sure You Investigate the Background

If you are buying a business off of someone then you need to make sure you do thorough investigation before committing to buy. This means doing your research and investigation, and then doing it again. And again. Leave no stone unturned. It is absolutely essential to be totally confident that you are aware of every single possible pitfall, (and not just the possible profits) of any business that you might be buying. Don’t be rushed into the acquisition of the business simply because you are worried about losing out on what is being described as a bargain.

Investigating a business is mainly a question of being careful, using common sense and forcing yourself to be distrusting of everything that you are going to buy. When it comes to buying a business you should make a list of everything you need to check out, after having done your research, and then find out whether the items to be researched on that list can be done by you or need to be done by someone else.

Indeed it might be prudent to get hold of your own independent financial adviser to help you go through and analyse a potential purchase. Most likely this will be an accountant, because a great deal of what you are investigating will be about going through both old and existing accounts and assessing the value of the company in its assets. Accountants will be perfect for this kind of role and for weighing up the quantative aspects of any business, but similarly they might also not be good at certain qualitative elements, such as working out how valuable the current employees are to your intended business. This might be where you need to get someone from the industry to help you.

James is a financial journalist and writer. He regularly writes on economic and finance issues, covering everything from investments to small businesses and from peer to peer lending to umbrella companies.

Looking at funding – Reverse Mortgages

When it comes to getting access to cash, seniors can find their options restricted. Inability to raise funds through traditional means such as home loans which are repaid over time can mean that some seniors are forced to rely on on-call credit such as credit cards and overdrafts, which are all very high interest and oftentimes an inefficient method of raising cash.

Fortunately there is an option designed especially for older people who either fully or mainly own their own home – the reverse mortgage. So, what is a reverse mortgage I hear you ask? Put simply, reverse mortgages are a type of loan that has no mandatory repayments, and slowly rises in balance over time as interest is charged rather than being paid off. What this does is allow older people to gain access to the money they have built up in their property when they need it most, with flexible repayment options AND without the threat of foreclosure if the loan is not repaid. Yes, that’s right – the lender cannot force repayment, or foreclose on the property.

The loan is repaid on the death of the borrower, possibly from life insurance settlements, or if the home is sold before this. Basically, if you get a reverse mortgage and then live another 60 years, and don’t pay back a cent you can still continue to live in the home. If you move, the loan needs to be repaid in full, BUT the total repayment can never be more than the house’s sale value. What this means is that you can never owe more than your home is worth. The lender assesses the amount they are willing to lend when the loan is drawn up, and from there on, regardless of accumulated interest costs the total debt cannot excess the homes value.

Unlike refinancing your home, there is no credit check – so even those people with poor credit may be eligible for a reverse mortgage. The reason for this is that there are no repayments required, so bad credit history is not a factor. This type of loan is an ideal option for asset rich/cash poor seniors who are looking to free up liquid capital.

How to use Cash out refinancing to free up equity

Many people who have owned their home for a few years will have accumulated some equity (Equity refers to how much of a property you own as opposed to banks/lenders), and may be lloking to make use of this. As your home rises in value over time, the amount of equity you have in the property rises with it, and this is compounded by the fact that regular payments made against the mortgage reduce the total debt attached to the home as well.

One of the most effective ways to both take advantage of falling mortgage rates, as well as free up some of that accumulated value is to look at cash out refinancing.

As with all types of refinancing, a cash-out refinance allows you to replace your old loan with a new (larger) one, at different interest rates and terms. What this allows you to do is secure a lower rate than you currently have, and increase the total size of your borrowings, taking the difference between the old and new loan amounts in cash. If you do the numbers correctly you can free up cash without noticeably increasing your repayments. Often times if you secure a lower rate and extend the repayment term out the total instalment amount per month doesn’t increase, and can even go down, despite the balance increasing and you getting a chunk of change in your hand. When you consider that current interest rates for home loans are at the lowest point they have been in many years, it may be a good time to consider refinancing, with or without cash out.

One thing to keep in mind though is that an increased loan will take more time and money to pay off, so just like all types of mortgage quotes, terms and rates can differ between lenders so it pays to do some looking around before you commit. Cash out refinance works best when you don’t take too much money out and either use it to pay off high interest debt (as a means of debt consolidation) or to fund expensive one off projects like a wedding or home renovations.

3 Investment Strategies For Your Internet Business

Whatever businesses we are in, we always expect a return on investment(ROI). Whether it’s real estate or stock trading, it’s always a wise idea to diversify your income streams and avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. Investing your funds in diverse markets like real restates and stock trading and have a portfolio of income streams is a sure-fire way to counteract inflation as well.

Keeping money in the bank is a safe and secure way for some to use their savings for the future provided interest rates are not bad but for others, it’s more lucrative to spend that money and invest it in other ventures whether online or offline. Talking about online investment, have you ever considered investing your hard earned cash in an internet business?

An internet business is a type of business model which requires upfront investment but it can be quite low to get started as compared to brick and mortar and real estate. You need a website, blog and hosting if you’re really serious about it. These are the basics. The great benefit about discovering how to start an internet business is it can be passive income that will pay off consistently for many years down the road. Your online store can be making money any time of the day worldwide 24/7.

The most difficult part is to get started. Being a one man show in your internet business can be pretty intimidading at first because it’s all up to you to make it work. It’s imperative that you have a passion or at least an interest in the business you’re venturing into not only for the sake of how to make money on the internet. This way, you can be sure that your internet business will be here for long and not just one-hit wonder. An internet business is like any other business in the sense that it needs work and it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. You can’t expect overnight riches incase you got that feeling.

Once you get started in your internet business, you can even outsource. Don’t consider outsourcing as an expense but rather like an investment. This is how I always treat it. Even if you’re already earning, you can also invest that money in your internet business to double and triple your return or more. This is a smart strategy that many top marketers use. Here are 3 investment strategies that you can use for your internet business.

(1) Outsource content creation. Quality original and unique content is king on the internet. People go online to look for information. Offer them what they need and you will be handsomely rewarded. Creating content takes time and work and sometimes you can only do that much. Get a helping hand to grow your business faster and hire freelancers to write great compelling content for you whether it’s sales copy, product reviews, newsletters, email autoresponder courses or information articles. Your content will be used to make money or generate subscribers and there are umpteen ways of monetizing your content.

(2) Outsource link building. Building links to your blog or website should be an ongoing process as they are vital for great search engine rankings and targeted traffic. Traffic is the lifeblood of any internet business as they are responsible for generating dollars. Link building takes time and effort and hiring the services of a freelancer can pay big rewards in the long run.

(3) Invest your funds in product creation. Having your own products can be an extremely profitable way to venture online and it has the potential to fast track your success if you can launch a highly demanding product with joint ventures. It’s imperative to check the marketplace first and make proper research.

OVERVIEW: OAT – FRENCH GOEVERNMENT BOND

OATs (Obligations assimilables du Trésor) are government bonds issued by Agence France Trésor (French Treasury), generally by auction according to an annual calendar published in advance. These fungible securities are issued with maturities of seven to 50 years, and have become the method of choice for placing the French government’s long-term debt.

Following are listed types of OATs that may be useful to retail investors.

Fixed Rate or Nominal OATs

Bond investors who want guaranteed predictable income in France may consider fixed rate or nominal OATs, which are issued for terms up to 50 years in nominal value of one Euro. OATs are repaid in a lump sum at maturity and repaid at par, i.e. at their nominal value of one Euro per bond. Interest (coupon) is paid once a year for the life of the bond. The bond is “fixed rate” — the interest annual coupon does not vary. Maturity dates of fixed rate OATs and coupon payment dates for these bonds are either 25 April or 25 October.

Inflation-indexed or Index-linked OATS

Bond investors who want additional income in France but are also concerned about inflation (either in France or European inflation) may consider inflation-indexed or Index-linked OATs. These are fixed-rate bonds, the principal of which is at par at the time of maturity and coupons (interest) are paid annually. However, the bond is also protected against French inflation (OAT i) or European inflation (OAT Euro i) by linking the principal to a daily reference point calculated in relation to the French consumer price index (excluding tobacco) for OAT i or the harmonised price index for the Euro zone for OAT Euro i.

In this case, the coupon received by the investor, is a fixed part predetermined by the percentage of the rate applied to the principal, and a variable part that is indexed to inflation. The Agence France Trésor  website gives additional detail about this indexation, rules and calculations.

Capitalisation OATs (or Zero-coupon OATs)

Bond investors who may want to start saving for longer term goals such as retirement but do not have a lot of money now may want to consider capitalisation or zero-coupon OATs. Capitalisation OATs do not pay coupon amounts, and are also known as “zero coupon” or “stripped” OATs. These are nominal fixed rate OATs which have been separated into the coupon amounts and the principal amounts. The capitalisation OAT does not have a coupon amount, only a principal amount or principal certificate. Thus the capitalisation OAT is the principal certificate. Because there is no coupon, no annual payment of interest, the zero-coupon OAT costs less than buying a nominal fixed rate OAT.

Other types of OATS:

  • BTFs – bills of up to 1 year maturities
  • BTANs – 1 to 6 year notes
  • TEC10 OATs – floating rate bonds indexed on constant 10year maturity OAT yields
  • OAT€i – Eurozone inflation-indexed bonds

INVESTING IN BONDS: INVESTOR CHECKLIST

Investments in bonds should be tailored to investors’ specific investment objectives, risk tolerance, and other personal circumstances. Answering some fundamental questions will help the investors to determine the role bonds should have in their portfolio:

What is my current investment status?

Current investment status includes, but are not limited to, whether the investor currently has any savings and investments, proportion of his investments, and how he wish to carry out his investing activities.

Most personal financial advisors recommend that investors maintain a diversified investment portfolio consisting of bonds, shares and cash in varying percentages, depending upon individual circumstances and objectives. Whether you already have investments in shares or bonds or are just beginning to invest, diversity can provide some protection for your portfolio, so if one sector or asset class is in the midst of a cyclical downturn, the rising value of another class of assets may help offset the negative impact.

What are my overall investment objectives?

Possible reasons may include – provide income to cover current expenses, save for retirement, save for children’s school or university education, accumulate capital, or preserve capital.

Because bonds typically have a predictable stream of payments of interest and repayment of principal, many people invest in them to receive interest income or to preserve and to accumulate capital. If you are looking for current income, you will most likely be interested in bonds that pay an interest rate that stays fixed until maturity with interest that is paid semi-annually. However, if you are saving, you may wish to consider investing in zero coupon bonds which do not have periodic interest payments. Instead, they are sold at a substantial discount from their face amount and the investor receives one payment–at maturity–that is equal to the purchase price (principal) plus the total interest earned, compounded annually or semi-annually at the original interest rate.

Investors committed to growth are looking for appreciation of capital, with little concern for income, so bonds will have a minimal role in their portfolios. Total return investors want a balance of income and capital appreciation, so bonds will be more important in their portfolios. Income investors are looking for interest or dividend income, with capital appreciation a secondary concern, so bonds will have a significant role in their portfolios.

When do I need my money back?

A bond’s maturity refers to the specific future date on which the investor’s principal is expected to be repaid. Bond maturities generally range from one day up to 30 years. Your choice of maturity will depend on when you want or need the principal repaid and the kind of investment return you are seeking within your risk tolerance. Generally, the longer the maturity, the greater the return. Also depending on your requirement of periodic payments from investment, keeping bonds that pay coupons in your portfolio can be a good thing to do.

What are my risk objectives?

Very little risk: I cannot afford to lose the money. I want the safest investments possible.

Modest risk: I am willing to accept moderate risk of losing my investment if it means I will earn a higher return.

Substantial risk: I want the highest possible yield and I am willing to accept the chance that I may lose my investment.

The bonds you purchase for your investment portfolio depend greatly on your risk tolerance capacity.

All investments carry an element of risk, and when investing in bonds, it is important to remember your investment’s return is linked to its credit, as well as, market changes. The higher your return on bond investment, the higher the risk, while conversely, safe investments offer relatively lower returns. Your bond choice ranges from either the highest credit quality US Treasury securities, backed by the US government to below investment grade bonds, considered highly speculative. And, if you sell a bond before its maturity date, you receive the prevailing market price that could be more or less than the price you bought it for. Bond values fluctuate with the market in the opposite director of interest rates.

Your risk tolerance capacity is strongly related to your investment goals. Investors whose objective  is to save have a much greater risk tolerance compared to investors whose objective is to cover expenses.

Are you concerned with minimizing income taxes?

Some bonds offer special tax advantages. For example: interest income from U.S. Treasury securities is exempt from state and local income taxes, but is subject to federal income taxes. Interest income from municipal bonds is exempt from federal income taxes, and typically is exempt from state and local income taxes for residents in the issuing state. Interest income from corporate bonds is subject to federal and state income taxes. Investors in higher tax brackets typically find tax exemption of interest income more valuable. Be aware that any exemption from income taxes applies only to interest income. Capital gains from the sale of a bond are still subject to income taxes.

Once you have gotten your investment goals and objectives in perspective, you can with the help of an investment advisor diversity your investment portfolio to minimize your risk.

THE ‘ALMOST CERTAIN’ GREECE DEFAULT COULD CAUSE US DOUBLE-DIP – ALAN GREENSPAN

In an interview with Bloomberg Mr Greenspan said the “chances of Greece not defaulting are very small”.

“A default by Greece could drive the US back into recession, according to the former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan.”, he added.

His comments came as Greece’s prime minister George Papandreou’s failed to win support for more austerity measures to help address its debt problems.

Mr Greenspan told Bloomberg the chances of Greece defaulting are now “so high that you almost have to say there’s no way out,” which could put pressure on some US banks.

He argued Greece’s debt crisis had the potential to push the US into another recession, as without it the probability of a recession “is quite low”.

“There’s no momentum in the system that suggests to me that we are about to go into a double-dip,” he said. Mr Greenspan said the US’s debt issue is becoming “horrendously dangerous” and said that he doubts lawmakers have another year or two to solve it.

He added that the US recovery is being hindered by apprehension among businesses over the long term outlook, and claimed there is nothing more for the Fed policymakers to do.

His comments come as traders feared Greece could become Europe’s “Lehman’s moment”.

Mr Greenspan was once credited as “the greatest central banker who ever lived” but has since been blamed for contributing to the US financial crisis by keeping interest rates low for too long. Mr Greenspan founded consulting firm Greenspan Associates after leaving the Federal Reserve.

Similar Thoughts

Neil Mackinnon, an economist at VTB Capital in London and a former Treasury official, told the Daily Telegraph: “The probability of a eurozone Lehman moment is increasing. The markets have moved from simply pricing in a high probability of a Greek debt default to looking at a scenario of it becoming disorderly and of contagion spreading to other economies like Portugal, like Ireland, and maybe Spain, Italy and Belgium.”

Greece has a 100% chance of defaulting, according to noted financial historian Niall Ferguson.

“The key point here is that this has moved from being a crisis of public finance on the periphery,” according to Ferguson , “to being a major institutional conflict between the biggest economy in the European Union (EU) and the European Central Bank (ECB).”

Ferguson also noted that Greece has a history of defaults going back to the early 19th century.  When asked on a scale of 1 to 10 what the chances of another default are, he responded with a ten.

More bad signals:

Credit rating agency Moody’s cut Greece’s credit rating to Caa1, almost the lowest rating assigned to any country. The move intensified the pressure on European leaders as negotiations over a second rescue package for Greece continued in Vienna.

Standard & Poor’s, the credit ratings agency, lowered its grade on Greek debt to CCC on Monday in the latest sign that the market believes that Greece will be forced to default on its debt. The three-notch downgrade makes Greece’s debt the lowest-rated in the world by S.& P.

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