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LifeLock Ultimate Identity Theft Protection Service Review

May 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment



#1 in Identity Theft Protection If you’re looking for protection against identity theft, whether for yourself or someone close to you, LifeLock’s Ultimate Identity Theft Protection Service may be what you are looking for. In this LifeLock Ultimate review, I will explain what the service offers so you can make an informed decision as to whether it is the solution you are looking for.

In a nutshell, LifeLock Ultimate provides a comprehensive service to both protect and keep tabs on your identity. This makes it harder for identity thieves to steal your identity, and means that you will be alerted if any suspicious activity takes place. LifeLock ensure that you are aware of what is going on and provide support so you can take swift action if you have been targeted by criminals.

Who Is LifeLock Inc?

LifeLock Inc. are an US company that specialize in identity theft protection. They were founded in 2005. Since then, they’ve established themselves as an industry leader in identity theft protection.

They’ve won numerous business awards, such as the 2010 Communitas Leadership Winner for Law Enforcement Training Program. This is down to the company’s focus on working with law enforcement agencies and elected officials. They also work to educate consumers on identity theft, both in terms of the threat it poses and how consumers can protect themselves.

What is LifeLock Ultimate?

LifeLock Ultimate is a protection program for which you pay a monthly fee. It is one of the most comprehensive identity theft protection services available, if not the best outright.

While enrolled, LifeLock provide an array of services to both protect you from identity theft, and to spot suspicious activity so you can take preventative measures. They also provide support so if you are the victim of identity theft, they can tell you the appropriate steps to take.

Who is LifeLock Identity Theft Protection For?

This program is suitable for a wide range of different people:

  •  You have already been a victim of identity theft – If you’ve been a victim once already, then it is more likely that criminals will try to use your information again. If this is the case with you, LifeLock Ultimate can protect you from recurring identity theft.
  • If criminals already have your details – Perhaps criminals already have your details, due to, for example, robbing your home or through hacking a computer you use for online banking. Enrolling in this program can help make identity theft more difficult for criminals, even if they already have your details. And if the worst does happen, then LifeLock will make sure you’re aware that it is happening sooner rather than later.
  • You are a target for identity thieves – If you are affluent or you just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, identity thieves may target you specifically. If you have a lot to lose, and don’t have the time to address the threat of identity theft yourself, then enrolling in the LifeLock Ultimate can prevent any problem before it occurs.
  • A vulnerable family member or friend – Identity thieves have a wide range of ways to extract confidential information, and vulnerable people (such as an elderly relative) can be much more susceptible to such tactics. Enrolling them in LifeLock Ultimate will mean you can rest easy on their account.
  • You want plain-and-simple protection – More than anything else, as you’ll see in the rest of this LifeLock Ultimate review, the program is about providing peace of mind concerning identity theft. Indeed, some businesses are now providing identity theft protection for all their employees. Being the victim of identity theft isn’t a pleasant experience.

What does LifeLock Ultimate Promise?

LifeLock automatically order credit reports on your behalf from all three credit bureaus. LifeLock also tells the credit bureaus to put a fraud alert on your reports. These usually last 90 days, but LifeLock ensure the fraud alert is in place for as long as you are enrolled to their program.

They also issue alerts to you personally if suspicious activity occurs that involves your identity. Their TrueAddress service alert you if someone has tried to change your address, a common tactic of identity thieves. Their eRecon service searches the Internet, specifically looking at criminal websites, to see whether your confidential information has been leaked online.

LifeLock can even help you if your wallet has been lost or stolen with their WalletLock service. They help you both cancel and replace your credit cards, your driver’s license, your social security card, and so on.

If that wasn’t enough, LifeLock also offer great support. I’ve personally contacted LifeLock support staff on two occasions, and in both instances I had a representative on the phone within five minutes.

Why Ultimate?

LifeLock offer two programs for protection: LifeLock and LifeLock Ultimate. This is a LifeLock Ultimate review, and you may ask yourself “Why spend the extra on the Ultimate program?”

Simply put, the Ultimate program offers more comprehensive protection than LifeLock’s basic program. The monitoring is more intensive, including daily monitoring of all credit bureau reports and payday loan monitoring, amongst other enhancements.

I believe that if you’re looking for identity theft protection, it is better to nip the problem in the bud once and for all. The Ultimate program can allow you to do that, so if a thief specifically targets you, they will soon give up and move to a less protected target. That means they’ll leave you alone and your life can return to normality.

Do it for Yourself?

Some of actions LifeLock take on your behalf as part of their Ultimate program, you could do for yourself for free. For example, you can obtain your credit reports from the three credit bureaus without the assistance of LifeLock or anyone else.

I mention this because some people may prefer to learn about identity theft and save their money.

That said, doing it for yourself can be confusing for the uninitiated, and it does come at the cost of your spare time. It’s also likely that doing it yourself will also not provide as strong a defense against identity thieves. The main difference is the speed with which LifeLock can alert you of any problems and collect relevant information like your credit reports.

LifeLock specialize in taking these steps for others, so you can be confident that they’re done correctly, rather than fumbling around in the dark yourself.

Does it Do What it Promises?

LifeLock have a $1 million guarantee. This means that if you are a victim of identity theft while enrolled in the LifeLock Ultimate program, LifeLock say “If you need lawyers, we’re going to hire the best we can find. If you need investigators, accountants, case managers, whatever, they’re yours. If you lose money as a result of the theft, we’re going to give it back to you. […] We will do whatever it takes to help you recover your good name and we will spend up to $1,000,000 to do it.”

This guarantee suggests that LifeLock believe that they’re more than capable of keeping the promises they make. If they didn’t, one would expect them to quickly go out of business.

The consensus amongst many consumer reviews of the LifeLock services backs this up.

As one example, TopConsumerReviews.com gave LifeLock’s program five stars, the highest they’ve awarded out of all their identity theft protection reviews.

In their review, they said “if you are concerned about identity theft, LifeLock will put your mind at ease. By taking the steps necessary to protect your identity, LifeLock provides a strong defense against identity thieves.”

Are There any Disadvantages?

Since LifeLock Ultimate places a fraud alerts on your credit reports, that makes credit approval more complicated. This is obviously a benefit if someone is trying to assume your identity, but it is an obvious drawback when you yourself want to apply for credit.

This negative is the price you pay for extra security from identity thieves. If this becomes a serious issue for you, you can ask LifeLock to not update your fraud alert.

Another point worth mentioning is that approving many new cards through LifeLock could become annoying. I recently signed up for a Marathon Gas card, it was simple enough to approve it with LifeLock – I simply logged in and accepted it – but it could become time consuming if you have to approve many cards at once.

Customer Testimonials

Below are what several different customers thought of LifeLock’s services.

We looked at a number of companies and found LifeLock had the best product for protecting people from ID theft plus much more. I wish we had found them before my wife and I recently became victims.
Bobby Joe Harris – Retired Police Chief

As the owner of a small business my employees are an extension of my family. I looked into LifeLock and immediately paid to sign everyone up. I just couldn’t live with myself if one of my employees had to deal with the problems of ID Theft and I could have prevented it with LifeLock.
Brian Tritch – President of Applied Creative

Thieves broke into my home and got everything – my passport, birth certificate, social security card, and several other priceless items. They could have ruined me financially. I had heard about how LifeLock guarantees identity protection. So I put them to the test. A few days later, I started getting phone calls that the thieves were trying to open new credit accounts using my identity. LifeLock’s system worked just like they said it would and stopped the thieves early.
Aaron Freeman – Scottsdale, Arizona

How Much Does LifeLock Ultimate Cost?

The standard price to enroll in LifeLock Ultimate is either monthly payments of $25, or for a single yearly payment of $275.

However, you can Sign up for LifeLock ULTIMATE today and get your first 30 days FREE and save 10% through May 31st

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ING DIRECT High Interest Saving Account Review

February 1, 2012 By 1 Comment


Product: ING Direct High Interest Savings Account.

Link: ING DIRECT USA – High Yield Savings with the Orange Savings Account℠.

If you’ve been around for any amount of time you may have seen me promoting the ING Direct High Interest Savings Account.  To put it honestly I love this program because it has so much to offer, in fact I don’t like to recommend any product unless I use it myself.  So in this article I’m going to share my thoughts about this product, some of its pitfalls, and in the end of the article I’m going to walk you through a step by step process of how to set up an ING Direct Savings Account to give you a detailed idea of how simple it really is to open an account.

 What I Like

When it comes down to it their are a lot of things I could cover here that I like about this program.  However, to keep it short I will keep it down to the top few.

High Interest Rate.  What it all comes down to in my opinion with this account is that it gives an incredible rate of return.  At the time of this writing it’s currently around 0.80%.  No I know that don’t sound like much but when I consider the rates on saving accounts at my local banks they are only doing 0.15%.  My local bank can’t even compete on this kind of level.

No Minimums.  On top of that their is no minimum deposit required.  This is a problem I see with almost any other bank.  In fact, I recently went to my local bank to see what their best CD rates were doing and in order to get their top rate of 2%, I had to invest $10,00o over a period a 5 years were I would not be able to touch the funds.

No Fees.  Finally, you don’t have to worry about any fees with this program.  In fact, I scanned my account through and through and could not find one fee.  Hows that for honest service.

Concerns And Issues

Now any review of a product wouldn’t be right without at least mentioning some of the concerns and issues that I didn’t like about this account.  So here are a few that I had.

Delays To Transfer Funds.  First off, one thing I found out quickly in the beginning was that their is a delay to receive funds from your account.  In fact, it will typically take 3 business days in order to transfer money from your ING Direct High Yield Savings Account.    What’s more once you open the account you will not be able to pull any of the money out for the first 10 days the account is open.  However when I did some research I found that this was a security measure that was put in place because of a special banking law.

Interest Rates Are Variable.  Second, I also found out that the interest rate can change at any one point and time.  In fact, since opening an account I’ve seen my ING Direct Saving Account rate drop from 1% to 0.80%.  However, when you look at the big picture it’s still a far better rate, but just know that it can change at any time.

Can Only Link To Your Checking Account.  That’s right,  in order to open the account, fund it, and transfer money you can only link your checking account.  This means you can’t link any other type of account to your ING Direct Orange Savings Account.   However, on a lighter note you can link as many as 3 checking accounts to one ING Savings Account.

Who Should Have This Account

When it comes down to it this account would not be a great account to have for day to day use, however I’ve found the ING Direct Savings Account to be a great fit for those looking to build up an emergency fund.  In fact, this is exactly what I use my account for.   With the long wait periods of 3 business days I’m not tempted to spend the money.  In fact, if you check out my 8 Step Debt Plan you will see that I recommend this as the perfect tool save for an emergency fund.

However, I’ve also found this as a great tool to also save for vacations, and Christmas as well.    When it comes down to it this is the best way to save money because I’ve found that an out of sight out of mind approach with the ING Direct Hight Interest Savings Account  has helped me save far more as a result.

How To Open An ING Direct High Interest Savings Account

Now that I’ve covered the up’s and down’s and who would make a great fit for this type of savings account I’m going to show you how easy it is to open one of these accounts. The first thing you need to do is sign up for the  ING DIRECT USA – High Yield Savings with the Orange Savings Account℠. by clicking here.  Once there you should see a page that looks like the one below.

New or Existing User.  Once on this page click the Continue Button to get started.  From here you will go to a page that will ask you if you are new or current member.  For simplicity I’ll assume you are a new member so click on the button I Am New To ING DIRECT.  The page should look something like the picture below.

Account Type. From here you will be brought to the application page were you will need to sign up for the account.  This page is broken down into 3 sections.  In the first section you will need to determine the type of account you want to open.  You have the choices between a regular ING Direct Savings Account, a joint account, a living trust account, or a living trust joint account.  I suggest the regular account unless you want to add your spouse to the account. The page should look something like the page below.

Primary Application.  Once this section is completed move on down the page and fill out the necessary account info.  The account form will look something like the one below.

Security Question. Once you have your basic info in place move down to the final section on this page which will ask you to fill out a security question.   Fill this out and click continue,  but don’t forget to write down the answer to the security question because you will be asked this in certain occasions.

Create Your PIN Number.  Now that we have the application complete the next step is to create a PIN number to access the account.  To do this type the number and then do it a second time on the keypad aside of the first one.   This will verify your PIN number.  Then click submit.

Disclosure Notices.  Next you need to click both check boxes to approve the disclosures put in place by ING Direct.  These discloses basically inform you that they will email your account statement each month.  Once done click continue.

Funding Info.  From here you will need fill out the proper funding info and click continue.  You can also set up your account as an automatic saving plan to make withdrawals from your checking account an a monthly basis if you prefer.

Confirm Your Account.  At this point once you’ve added your funding detail simply review you account info over and your done.  From here you will need to confirm your checking account within 60 days.  What will happen is ING Direct will send 2 small amounts of money to your account. For example in my case they sent me a small deposit of 5 cents and 2 cents. For there you will have to report these 2 numbers to ING in order to confirm the account.  Once this is done your account will be ready to go.

Call To Action

As a final thought the ING Direct High Interest Savings Account is a great way to save for your future even when you consider the few concerns I’ve talked about.  On top of that you can even manage this simple account right from your iphone if you want.  So what are you waiting for sign up for a ING DIRECT USA – High Yield Savings with the Orange Savings Account℠.

Do you have an ING Direct Savings Account?  Feel free to share your thoughts, comments, tips, and questions below.

Cheers!

Filed Under: Reviews

DebtGoal.com Review: An Online Do It Yourself Debt Relief Program

July 18, 2011 By 3 Comments

A few years ago I was talking to a friend of mine who want to get out of debt.  They had a sufficient cash flow however it seemed that they were slowly falling deeper and deeper into debt with no way to stop it.  The problem was that they didn’t have a viable way to organize their debt and pay off without continually going in circles.  This is when I told them about DebtGoal. In fact, DebtGoal gets you out of debt faster. Start your FREE 7-day trial today!

In this review I’m going to show you exactly how this program works, what I like about it so much, what I don’t like, and finally who this program will suit the best.  Are you ready to get started?

How DebtGoal.com Works

First off, DebtGoal is not a debt negotiation company.  Instead they are a do it yourself debt relief program that allows you to pay off your debt on your terms.  In fact the chart below show exactly why they are different from a debt settlement company.

debtgoal_verus_debt_settlement

To get started with DebtGoal all you have to is sign up for your free 7 day trial.  Once your signed up into the program you’ll need to add all of your debts by linking your accounts directly into the program.  The great part about doing this is you’ll be able to see how much debt you owe in real time, how much interest you owe, and even when your debt payoff date is.

In the picture below shows how your account would look with all of your debts added into the program.

debt_Once all of your debts have been added you can now choose the type of plan you want to use to pay off your debt.  With DebtGoal they have 3 different plans to choose from.  They are as listed.

  • Debt Stacking. This plan works by paying of your highest interest debt first.
  • Debt Snowball. This plan works by paying off your lowest balance debts first.
  • Custom Plan. With this option you order your debts in the specific order you wish pay your debt off in.

Below is a picture of the different plan you can choose from.

debt_planAfter you’ve decided on which plan you need to start your Smart Pay Plan.  This is a plan were you decide how much you plan to pay extra towards the program each month.  For example, in the picture below if you would make a total payment each month of $2500 to the program you would be out of debt by December 2025.

However if you would add $500 more a month to your program you would be out of debt nearly 5 years sooner.  However with the DebtGoal program it allows you enter in your own debt free date and it will automatically show you home much you need to pay each month.

smart_pay_programFinally, once you’ve added your debts, chosen a plan, and determined how much money you wish to pay towards each debt you can now track the progress.  In fact DebtGoal will send email reminders and show you exactly how much you should pay off towards each debt as you progress through the program.

What I like About Debt Goal

The first thing I like about DebtGoal is that it also shows you different ways to accelerate the debt process and get you out of debt faster.  For example in the picture below debt can even show you how to negotiate you credit card debt so you won’t have pay as much.

accelerateThe next thing I like so much about this program is that it keeps everything right in front of you. On top of that once the plan is set up it basically runs itself, all you have to do is make the payments exactly as the program request. So if your someone who hates to manage things this program would be a prefect fit for you.

Finally, the last thing I like about this program so much is that it keep you in control throughout the entire process. So if you want to change your plan at any point you can. With debt negotiation companies, credit counseling, and bankruptcy you have to follow the plan that is laid out by a third party company.

What I Don’t Like

Now as great as this program is their are still a few downsides. I also felt that no review is a good review unless I cover a few of the negatives. First off, one thing I don’t like about this program is that it’s not free, however their is a 7 day free trial period and you can also quit the program at any time. On top of that the program cost around $12 a month, but when you consider the thousands this program will save you in interest payments, paying a small $12 fee might not be so bad after all.

The second issue I found with this program is that I noticed is they didn’t have an App. Don’t get me wrong the DebtGoal program is very good but I feel it would be great if they would offer some sort of App so you could check your debt progress on the go. However I’m certain over time that this will eventually happen and for now you can get updates via emai.

Is Debt Goal For You

Now that we know how the program works, what I like about the program so much, and a few things I don’t like, you might be wondering is this program really a good fit for me?  If you can answer YES to the following questions this program might just be for you.

  • Do you want to get out of debt yourself but just don’t know how to do it?
  • Do you have several debts to but need a way to manage them?
  • Do you want to save on paying to much in interest on your debts?
  • Do you want to get out of debt in the near future and not a century from now?

I you answered Yes to all of these questions your in the right place.

To get started Enter your credit card issuer and your balance to see how much you could save by negotiating a lower APR. 

Update:  DebtGoal.com is now SavvyMoney, and even though the name has changed it still offers the same great benefits so check them out now.

 

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Accuquote Review: The Pros And Cons To Buying Life Insurance Online

April 3, 2011 By 1 Comment


If your planning to buy life insurance you may have considered talking to your local insurance agent to even looking online.   However before you consider one particular option you may want to to take a look at Accuquote first.

Accuquote has been around since 1986 helping people find the right life insurance policy.  They’ve also been highly recognized in the media by CNN, Kiplinger.com, The Wall Street Journal, and The New  York Times to name a few.

They also deal with top name insurance companies such as Prudential, Transamerica Life, Fidelity Life, and many more.  However they don’t just carry an online presence in fact they are located in Wheeling, Illinois and also have a satellite office in Golden, Colorado.

In this article I’m going to cover what I like about Accuquote and what I don’t, and finally I will cover who will best benefit from Accuquote life insurance.

What I Like

The first thing I like about Accuquote life insurance versus other insurance options is that they allow me to shop the market from one place.  The problem with going to most insurance agents is that they usually only have one or two companies that they like to work with while with Accuquote the can quote many different companies to find out who really has the best rate.

Second, they have a ton of resources at your disposal such as articles, podcast, videos, and even calculators to help you see how much life insurance that you really need.  Most online resources I’ve reviewed didn’t even have a quarter of the stuff they offered and your local insurance agent definatly will not have all this information on hand.  How do I know,  because I use to be a life insurance agent myself.

Third and finally, with Accuquote.com they don’t just deal with one type of insurance.  While they do specialize in term life insurance they also deal with permanent life insurance, childrens life insurance, final expense insurance, no medical life insurance, and even convertible term life insurance.

What I Don’t Like

As great as I think Accuquote is I didn’t think it would be fair to you to just tell you all the benefits, so I’m also going to share a few dislikes that I have as well to make this article fair and just.

First, with Accuquote insurance I found that they ask for a lot of information when you go to sign up for a quote.  In fact I’ve found most online insurance companies tend to ask mostly just for your contact info.  However with Accuquote they not only ask for your contact info but also want you to answer a simple health questionaire as well.

These questions range from if you’ve had any felonies, to seeing if you’ve ever had any major medical issues such as cancer, or heart problems.  On the other hand one reason they ask for more info versus most other companies is that they want to be able to put a more accurate quote together for you.

Secondly, the other negative to going this route is that you won’t be able to work with an agent face to face as you would if you would have contacted your local insurance agent.  On the other hand Accuquote does offer the option to call or even chat from your home computer.

Who Is Accuquote Right For

First off, Accuquote make a great option for the elderly.  Life insurance for the elderly can sometimes be very expensive depending on age, and health conditions.  With Accuquote I’ve found online insurance quotes to be much lower than if you would go through your local insurance agent.

Second, this option works great for those that don’t want to pay a dollar more for their life insurance than they need to.  I’ve run quote many times with online insurance brokers and found that their rates are unbeatable.  In fact here is a quote I recently ran on myself.

1000k_for_30_yearsAs you can see in the picture above I could get a 30 year term policy with a $100,000 worth of coverage at the age of 30 for $15 a month.  That’s as cheap as I’ve ever seen.

Finally, this option works great for those that don’t want to deal with a pushy insurance salesman.  As a former insurance salesman myself I can tell you how pushy some of them can be.  The reason for this is because they almost all work on commission, which means if they don’t make the sale they won’t get paid.

With Accuquote their is no salesman to push you into buying life insurance.  You can take your time and research your options as long as you need.

Call To Action

So, are you ready to go to the next step?  If so click the link below to get a quote.  I should also mention just because you get a quote doesn’t mean you have to buy but at least you’ll know what your options are.  To get started go to www.accuquote.com.

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The Best IRA Company: A Vanguard Review

January 16, 2011 By 2 Comments

Are you looking for the best IRA company to handle your retirement investments?  With so many different companies to pick from it can seem overwhelming at times to just choose a company so in this article I’m going to show you a company that I feel is the best IRA company around, Vanguard.  In this article I’m going to show just why this is.

Who Is Vanguard

Vanguard was founded in 1975 under the belief that you shouldn’t have to pay a lot for your investments.  Their offices located nationally in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.  They also have offices located internationally in Australia, France, and the Netherlands.

Vanguard has 160 domestic funds plus 50 international funds totaling around $1.4 trillion with a T, in assets.  Vanguards mission is to help people reach there retirement goals while giving them the highest value of products and investment services.

Why Is Vanguard One Of The Best IRA Companies

Now that we got the basics out of the way you may be saying that’s great and all but what really makes Vanguard the best IRA company around, and in this section you will learn just why that is.

No Junk Fees

First off, Vanguards investments are less expensive than other investment companies.  The fees are the lowest I’ve seen from any company around.  They carry no sales loads on their investments.  For example with some investment companies like American Funds they will charge as high as 5.75% up front while Vanguard charges nothing.

They also carry no 12b-1 fees, better known as marketing fees.  These are junk fees that most other companies charge to recoup their huge advertising cost, but with Vanguard they don’t charge for this.

Vanguard also pays no commissions.  The benefit behind this is that it doesn’t force sales agents to use dirty sales tactics in order for them to earn a paycheck.

Finally, Vanguard doesn’t charge an account service fee as long as you receive your account statements electronically via email, otherwise you will have to pay a $20 annual fee per fund you invest in.

Low Annual Fees

Secondly, Vanguard charges low annual fees for their accounts.  In fact the average annual fee for Vanguard is around 0.23%.  Compare that to other companies like Transamerica who charge around 1.19% for an annual fee and that makes a big difference.

For example, if you were to invest $205,000 over a 30 year period at 1.19% for an annual fee you would end up paying around $622,000 in fees over that time alone.  On the other hand if they would have only charged 0.23% for an annual fee you would have only paid around $137,000 in fees over 30 years.  This is a cost saving of nearly $485,000 over 30 years!

They Use Target Retirement Funds

Finally, on of the best reasons that makes Vanguard so great is that they have what are known as target retirement date funds.  These are funds that work by picking a fund that is close to the date of your retirement and as you get closer to your retirement your investments will become more and more conservative.

For example, the fund I use is the Target Retirement 2045 fund.  This fund is set up for me retire in the next 35 years or roughly in the year 2045, and is currently investing my money more aggressively with a majority of my funds in stocks.  Look at the picture below.

vanguard_tr_2045

On top of that notice what kind of fees this fund carries.  Look at the picture below.

vanguard_tr_2045_feesThe fund carries a 0.20% annual, that’s it.  Think of the cost savings you will incur over time just because of paying lower fees.

Get Started Now

Is this the best fund around, maybe, maybe not, but one thing I do know is that their is never a better time to get started saving for your retirement.  To get started investing check out Vanguards IRA program now you will be making a good choice for your financial future.

Question or comment, let me know below.

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Budgeting Solutions: Why You Should Choose Mint.com

October 18, 2010 By 10 Comments

If you’re like me you hate budgeting.  With so many things going on in life sometimes it can be hard to keep a budget that you can stick to.  If you combine that with the countless other budgeting solutions out there it’s hard to choose one that’s right for you.

mintHowever in this article I’m going to cover one personal budgeting solution that will make things for you effortless and more streamlined, it’s called Mint.com.  By the end of this article you will have a clear understanding why this option beats out all other financial budgeting solutions, but I will also give a few down sides to make this review fair and honest as well.

The Pro’s

The first thing that makes Mint.com so great is the fact that you don’t have to spend all the time inputting all of your financial transactions into your account.  With Mint all you have to do a search for you financial institution and sign up and your done.

Mint will do the  rest, they will pull all the financial data from your bank, credit card companies, even from your retirement accounts and place it all in one easy dashboard for you.

overview

Second, it makes it easy for you to set up a budget.  Once you have all of your financial information in place you’re ready to create a budget.  Simply go to the budgeting tab and set the numbers to your preference.  That’s it, you don’t have to do anything else.

budget

Third, as great as this tool is to use for keeping a budget it does much more, you can also set goals as well.  With Mint.com you can pick from predefined goals like buying a new house to getting out of debt.  Mint will show you the progress as you work towards your goal.

goals

In fact I currently running a goal in Mint to buy a new house and the great thing about it is that Mint is showing me ways to achieve this goal by walking through a step by step process of how to accomplish this option.

Finally, the last thing I like about Mint.com is that they have an app that allows you to check your account on the fly.  I like it best though when I’m out shopping for groceries and I can use it to check over my budget to make sure I don’t go over my limits.

The Con’s

Now that we know all the great things about Mint I want to cover a few con’s to make this review fair and balanced because the truth is nothing is ever perfect.

The first thing I didn’t like about Mint.com was that I wasn’t able to add my bank due to the fact that they were a smaller local bank.  Now Mint does have a form that allows you to submit other banks that should be added however when I went to add my bank it took several months for them to add it.  In the end you can get you bank added to Mint.com but it will take some time.

Second and lastly, I also found Mint.com could be a bit frustrating if your not good with computers or handling your financial information.  The easiest way to sign up your bank and other financial institutions is by having an online accounts already set up with these financial companies because if you don’t you will have to set one up.

On top of that some financial institutions don’t have access to an online account.  For example my local credit union doesn’t have access to an online account and if you use a local bank like I do you may find this a bit of a frustration at first.

Who Mint Is For

Finally, now that we know the the good and the bad about Mint.com you may be wondering who Mint is for.  In my mind I believe everybody should be using Mint but their are a select group of people I think could really benefit from them as well, so here are a few I recommend.

People looking to get debt free. With Mint they can help those that are looking to get debt free and monitor their finances.  With Mint it allows you to set up a debt program that will work with you to get you debt free.

If you’re saving for your retirement, Mint will help you track and plan your retirement as you go.  With Mint they will walk you step by step through a plan to help you get your golden years in good order.

If your buying a house. Finally, I found this tool to work especially well if your planning to buy or build a house.  They will work with you to get a plan in place to make that dream home of yours become a reality.

Call To Action

So is Mint for you?  You might be wondering what Mint.com will cost you and that’s the best part, Mint is free for everyone.  It doesn’t cost you anything to sign up and start adding your accounts.  So why not join Mint, one of the best personal budgeting solutions out there because it’s an investment in your financial future.

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Top Rated Debt Relief Programs: The CuraDebt Review

September 10, 2010 By 9 Comments

Today finding a top rated debt relief program that will truly help you get debt free without taking advantage of you is far and few between.  However their is still an option among debt relief companies, CuraDebt.  In this article I am going to cover why this is truly one of the best rated debt relief programs of it’s kind and what sets them apart from their competition.

What CuraDebt Does

Curadebt started in 200o and does everything from debt consolidation plans, to debt management plans, and even credit counseling.  The specialize in helping consumers, and even business owners cut up to 50% of their unsecured debt off.

Curadebts typical customer will need at least $10,000 of debt or more and must be facing a financial hardship in order to be excepted.  In fact they help nearly 10,000 people a year get on track with their debt.

Finally, they will work with you on a one on one basis to help you pay back your debt through one of their many options available.  With all the things they can do it’s easy to see why they are one of the top rated debt relief programs out there.

The Problem With Most Debt Companies

However their is one thing that Curadebt does that almost all other debt companies won’t.  With Curadebt you have to be facing some sort of hardship in order to qualify for their program.  This could be due to many medical bills and no disability income or even a loss of a job which is preventing from paying your bills.

However the problem with almost all other companies is that they will except almost anybody that has debts and what they will do is tell you to start paying them instead of your creditors.  They will then collect their fees and wait till your credit is next to completely ruined.

Doing this will put you into a hardship position and ruin your credit to boot.  Debt companies will do this to prove to creditors that you can’t make your payments and therefore will be more willing to negotiate a settlement as a result.  In the end this is no way for you to go.  So you might be wondering what else makes Curadebt one of the best debt relief programs around?

Why CuraDebt Is Better

Handles all creditor calls. First off once you are approved with Curadebt they will handle all of your creditor calls.  They will work with you creditors to resolve the problems and stop your phone from ringing from the constant hassle of late payments.

Negotiates deals in bulk. Next one of the great things about Curadebt is that they will negotiate deals in bulk for.  They don’t just negotiate your debt but instead combine all of the debts from other borrowers and negotiate one big settlement, giving you a better deal in the end.

Commission based agents. Next, Curadebt agents work totally on commission, and the best part is when they help you save more they make more money, so it’s a win/win relationship between you and Curadebt, something almost no other debt company does.

They offer payment plans and lump sum payments. Finally, the last thing that Curadebt does is they allow you to pay off all of your debt in one lump sum payment or through a payment plan.  This is virtually unheard of with debt companies.

Is CuraDebt For You

If you have $10,000 of debt or more and are facing a hardship Curadebt is perfect for you.  You could say Curadebt is the best debt relief program out there, if you want to know for sure you can check them out here at Curadebt.com.

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High Return Investments: A Lending Club Review

July 7, 2010 By 16 Comments

lending_clubHave you ever wanted to be your own banker, lending out money to respective borrowers and earning the same returns that they do?  To do so 20 or 30 years ago would almost be a complete dream but today it is very possible through something known as social lending by a company called Lending Club.

In this article I’m going to show you how you can take advantage of the same high return investments that your banker does without really owning your own bank.

What Is Lending Club

bank_modelLending Club is short term social lending company that allows it’s members to invest and borrow between each other through short term notes usually 3 to 5 years in length.  By doing this they allow their members to seek out investments with high returns and borrowers with lower than normal interest rates.

With Lending Club you can build portfolios with a variety of different notes across different risk levels.  For example, if you have $5000 thousand dollars you could build a portfolio with nearly 200 different note, investing $25 per note.

On top of that you can also sell and trade notes with other members.  However I should mention that these services are not available in all states.  For example, Ohio has yet to be approved, in fact I’ve even emailed them several times asking them when they will so I can even take advantage of this opportunity.

What They Offer

When getting started with Lending Club they will offer you several different types of investment vehicles for you to invest into with your money.  The first option is to open a standard account which requires no minimum balance to get started.

The send account you can open is a PRIME Account, which is an account which will give you greater access to the lending club team, but will require a minimum $5000 balance to get started.

On top of that Lending Club also offers retirement accounts such as a No Fee IRA, ROTH IRA’s,  SEP Plans, and Simple IRA to invest your money in, and all of which allow you to invest in the lending club notes.

However I should mention that in order to take advantage of the retirement options through lending club you will have to have a minimum investment of $10,000 otherwise you will have to pay a $100 annual fee to take advantage.

What Kind Of Returns You Can Get

Now that we know what Lending Club offers and what they do you might be wondering what kind of returns lending club offers.  Well, you might be surprised to learn that they’re able to beat almost every bank on CD rates, in fact according to Bank Rate.com the highest earning 1 year CD in country is only seeking returns just over 1.50%.

With Lending Club their returns have been much better, in fact if you look at the chart below provided by lending club you can see that a simple investment in Lending Club Notes in June of 2007 has earned around 9.5%.

lending_club_returnsAnother thing I notices about this chart I should mention before I move is that Lending Clubs returns are much less volatile with literally no up’s and downs rather than the S&P 500 and other investments are far more volatile.  However I should also mention that past performance does not indicate future results in any way and you can still lose money if a borrower does not decide to pay back on his loan.

What Kind Of Risk Is Involved

Next you might be wondering what kind of risk might be involved in doing something like this?  To answer that question we need to look at the type of people loan that are being given out.

Currently almost 60% of all loans with lending club are for people who want to consolidate debt and refinance their credit cards.  For example if someone has  several credit cards with an interest payment of 30% they might be able to cut down that rate by getting a 5 year note with Lending Club at 12% and pay it back over time.

fico_score1However these are not the only types of loans given out.  Some are for home remodeling,  business loans, medical expenses, or even car loans.  On top of that the average FICO score for the borrowers that gets accepted will usually run between 680 to 720, which means that those who are getting the loans are qualified for them.

Next these loans are also less riskier because they can be diversified through several hundred different loans.  For example you could in $5000 into one loan but if that one borrower would happen to miss payments and skip town you would lose everything you invested.

On the other hand if you would invest $5000 and spread it out over 200 loans and one of the borrowers would happen to default in their loan you would lose 0.5% of your loan, not 100%.

Finally, to prove that these investments are not that risky you need to look at the beta score on the investment.  Beta is an investment term that measures how much risk a particular investment has, and is usually compared to the S&P 500.

In the case of lending club it score is far less compared to the S&P 500 which is a 1.00.

The Fees

Finally, you might wondering what the real cost to invest and borrow with Lending Club.  First off, Lending Club will issue interest rates to it’s borrowers based on the amount of risk they have.  Lending Club will charge a base fee plus and adjust for risk and volatility.  This will depend on your loan grade, guidance limits, and credit history. The origination fee will range from 2.25% to 4.5% for riskier loans plus the risk and volatility.

As for the investing fees the Lending Club will charge a 1% service charge for to maintain the loan itself.  They will also charge a if for collections if the borrower would happen to default on the loan.

An Offer You Can’t Refuse

So does investing in a 9.5% sound better than 1.5%?  If so to get started all you have to do is check out Lending Club here.  Once signed up you can will have to fund your account,  once this is done you can either pick a portfolio like the one show here which is a moderate portfolio, or you could browse notes yourself and pick loans that you wish participate in.

Once you’ve selected your portfolio everything will be done by ETF (Electronic Transfer of Funds)  and as fund are paid back by the borrower the money will be dispersed back to your account.

borrower

If you would like to take advantage of Lending Clubs personal loans you can apply online in minutes, get funded in a few days with interest rates as low as 7.93% APR, and make fixed monthly payments.

Finally, in order to achieve a high return on investment you don’t need to look to CD’s, money market accounts, or online saving accounts anymore.  Instead take a look at Lending Club today.

Question or Comments? Leave Them Below.

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Orchard Bank Secured Credit Card Review

June 25, 2010 By 4 Comments

ob_credit_cardIs your credit history in shambles?  Are you looking for a way to rebuild your credit again but know that every credit card or loan you’ve applied for has turned you down.  In this article I’m going to give you a solution to that problem.  In this article I’m going to talk about the Orchard Bank Secured Credit Card and how it will benefit you.

Prepaid Debit Cards & Prepaid Credit Cards – CreditCards.com

Features Of  This Card

First off, this card is a secured credit card which means you will have to deposit money into this card in order to use it unlike an unsecured credit card were they will give you a credit limit.   There will be a $200 required minimum payment up front and that must be sent in with the application.

Next, the secured credit card from Orchard Bank also allows free 24/7 access to your account online along with free online bill pay no matter how many times in month you use this card.  When you also sign up online you also can sign up for email and text alerts to let you know what your account balance is so you don’t go over your limit.

Which brings me to my next point, with the secured credit cards from Orchard Bank you definitely will not want to spend more than the balance on the card since  their is a 29.49% penalty that applies if you do.

On top of that their is a 7.90% variable APR for all purchases and balance transfers, and a $35 annual fee, but they waive this first for the first year.

Finally, this card also has a 100% fraud liability protection which will allow you to set your own personalized spending alerts to let you know what is happening with your card at all times.

Benefits Of This Card

This card has many benefits to it that are great especially for people with bad credit. First off, no application will be turned down unless don’t make the initial $200 payment up front.

Second it works great for building up your credit history especially if you’ve just gone through bankruptcy, or a foreclosure.  In those extreme cases your credit will be tainted for the next seven to ten years and this card will allow to build your build up your credit a little faster.

Finally, if your the type of person that tends to overspend with a regular card the Orchard Bank Secured Credit Card will allow you to stay in control of your money and even remind you by sending you a text message to warn you.

Is The Orchard Bank Secured Credit Card For You

Is this card for you?  If you can identify with the benefits and reasons I’ve given you in this article this card may be for you.  However don’t take just my word for it, check out other Orchard Bank secured credit card reviews to see what others are saying about this card.

To sign up for this card and learn more about check out Prepaid Debit Cards & Prepaid Credit Cards – CreditCards.com

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Freedom Debt Management Review

June 14, 2010 By 3 Comments

Getting out of debt these days can be a costly and expensive process these days if you don’t know what your doing.  That is, if you know someone who can show you how to get out of debt.

In this article I’m going to talk about a non profit debt relief company called Freedom Debt Management Inc and give you the information you need to get started with this company and get debt free.

What The Freedom Debt Management Company Can Do For You

Freedom Debt Management is debt counseling company based out of Boca Raton Florida and is accredited by the better business bureau with an A+ rating.

freedom

If your looking for real help when it comes to getting out of debt this company has all sorts of programs from free budget counseling, help improving credit over time, free credit report analysis, bill consolidation, foreclosure prevention, educational courses, and of course debt management programs, all done with certified professional help.

What I Like

One of the big things I like about this company is that they have a ton of great free educational information.  Their courses are very extensive and helpful.  They will teach you simple things like how credit works, different types of loans, how much it cost you to barrow money, credit scoring, and much more.

The thing I like about this program is that this companies full intent is not to just get you out of debt but to also educate you so you don’t fall back into debt again.  Not a lot of debt negotiation companies will do this but freedom debt management does.

The other thing I like about this company is that they offer a simple quiz to let you know if their program would be right for you.  Doing this can help you get a feel if this program would be a good fit for you or not.

What I Don’t Like

Of the things I like their are a couple of things I don’t like as well.  For starters what this company fails to show along with most other debt negotiation companies is what kind a fees will be involved.

Now I know it all depends on each persons situation and how much debt they have but I just wish a company could once give an example of a recent customers situation and how much debt they had, the type of debt, the fees they paid and  how the program worked for them.  Real life examples go a long way in my book and is one thing you should be looking for.

Even better would be a video showing recent clients who were helped by their debt professionals.  Personally, if I were to choose a debt program I would want to see something like this.

However before you do consider this company take some time and look at other Freedom Debt Management reviews to get an idea of what kind of company this is.

Who Is This Company For

Next, if you are someone who has a lot of unsecured debt this company could be for you.  Since debts like credit card debt, and even unpaid medical bills work the best for this type of program.

If you are facing some sort of financial hardship in your life right now this could be an option for you as well.  A hardship will prove to your creditors that you do need help and will be more likely to extend a helping hand.

Get Started Today…

So what are you waiting for, get started today.  To do that click here to get a Freedom Debt Management Quote.  Here you will talk with a professional debt counselor over your current financial situation to see if this is the right option for you.

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Credit Solutions Review

May 28, 2010 By 4 Comments

credit_solutionsToday when it comes to getting out of debt you need to make some tough choices on how to solve that problem and one of the best ways to do that is by contacting a company that will truly solve your real debt issues at hand.

Today I’m going talk about one such company that will help you realize that dream.  In this article I’m going to give you the straight up facts about Credit Solutions Corp.

Who Is Credit Solutions

Credit Solutions is located out of Dallas Texas and has helped more than 250,000 people reach financial freedom.  In fact they’re an industry leader who manage over $2.25 billion, yes that’s billion with a “B”,  debt for their clients.

When getting started with Credit Solutions they will tailor a debt relief program that will fit your needs and wants and not just shove you into a one solution fits all program.

What Do They Offer

Credit Solutions core program is to help people avoid the big mistakes when it comes to getting out of debt.  Things like debt consolidation, credit counseling, and bankruptcy can really have a big impact on you credit standing if you don’t handle it right.

With Credit Solutions they will personally go in and negotiate with your creditors to help you cut down the amount you owe.  They will work with you to cut off the high interest rates and even cut down as much as 50% of your debt when entering the program.

As a result this will help you get out of debt a lot faster.  In fact the average person entering the program will be out of debt in about 36 to 48 months.  That’s not bad considering what it would have taken you if you would have to it all by yourself.

How To Qualify

In order to qualify for this program their are a few requirements you will need to make in order to accepted.  First off, you must be facing a hardship of some kind.  Missing a couple off payments on a credit card doesn’t count.  However if you are in the hospital and have a ton of medical bills and no place to turn this may be a great option for you.

On top of that you will need to around $10,000 of unsecured debt as well.  Debt like credit cards, medical bills, are fine but secured debts like mortgages and car loans will not be accepted into the program.

Is This Program For You

Finally, you might be wondering is this program right for you?  To answer that question check out Credit Solutions or give them a call at 1-800-353-7630 and representative will glad to help you.

Chris

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