TransUnion’s TrueCredit.com has announced results from two surveys it recently commissioned with GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media designed to gauge distinct aspects of consumers’ current credit habits. “TrueCredit.com found that 35 percent of consumers actually report purchasing less on credit this holiday season than last year, when the same question yielded 43 percent. Similar to the 2006 survey, four in ten (43 percent) say they have the same amount of credit card debt this year as last, with 11 percent reporting they have more debt and 29 percent reporting they have less.”

Also consistent with last year’s findings on this topic, the survey reveals:

• Fully six in ten (63 percent) do not know their credit score.
• Sixty-five percent say they have never checked their credit reports for free.
• Forty-seven percent never check their credit reports, and 16 percent check their credit reports less often than once a year.
• “While it’s great to see people reining in their credit card spending, they still need to be aware of how lenders are likely to view them based on information contained in their credit reports,” said Lucy Duni, Director of Consumer Education for TransUnion’s TrueCredit.com. “Even if you’re cautious with credit usage and pay your bills on time, it still comes down to the fact that you have three credit reports, each with an associated score. Information in each of your reports can vary and a lender may use any one or more of those reports to make its decision. If you want to save money by getting favorable interest rates, knowing exactly what’s contained in each of your credit reports is critical.”Separately, TrueCredit.com inquired into consumers’ intended and actual use of special financing offers over this holiday season. While a fourth-quarter consumer query revealed that 18 percent of Americans said they were likely to make a major purchase during the holidays using either a zero-percent financing or a no payments/no interest offer, a survey after the holidays indicates that only 7 percent actually acted on such an offer.

  “The initial appeal of no interest and zero percent financing can be very compelling,” added Duni. “But consumers who restrained themselves and are otherwise acting responsibly with their credit will find their scores and creditworthiness in better shape for having done so.”

  GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media conducted these studies using Random Digit Dialing (RDD) methodology. From January 5 to January 7, 2007, a total of 1,004 interviews were conducted among adults across America, and from January 12 to 14, 2007, a total of 1,016 interviews were conducted. Age, gender, income and geographic information were collected. The margin of error for the complete sample is +/- 3 percentage points. The margin of error for subgroups may be higher.

Source : http://www.paymentsnews.com/2007/01/tracking_americ.html

Permanent Insurance Explained

Life insurance comes in two types – temporary and permanent. Most people have some type of temporary insurance either as a term insurance policy, mortgage insurance, or group insurance policy (likely through work or an association plan like an automobile club). Some also have permanent insurance either in the form of whole life, insurance, universal life insurance, or Term to 100 Insurance. This article will discuss the purpose of Permanent insurance with some examples as well as considerations when purchasing it as well as 4 money saving tips.

Permanent insurance is used for estate planning and retirement planning. The primary difference here is that the need is not temporary and you want the insurance to pay when you die – hopefully at a very senior age. About 40% of insurance sold is permanent insurance. In this case, many clients did not know they had a need until we had spent considerable time discussing what these people wanted to have happen on their death and discovered some major differences between what they thought would happen and what would really happen.

While saving taxes was an important issue, in many cases it was not the most important. Some other issues we addressed was how to structure things so that a second wife of husband would not strip out assets they wanted their current children to get, ensuring that if a child married and it did not work out that the inheritance was still with their child. The reasons for choosing this type of insurance follows

To ensure you spouse will have sufficient money to retire even if you spend more than anticipated during your retirement - this was my reason for purchasing a permanent policy “I wanted to ensure that my wife or spouse has sufficient cash when I die to enjoy her retirement regardless of what we spend in retirement”

To guarantee that you will leave some money to children – it goes to them tax free and probate free if the beneficiaries are set up properly.

To leave money to a charity – there are some very interesting tax strategies around charitable giving. Please email me for a brochure on this issue.

A major use is to provide money to pay capital gains or estate taxes so that your beneficiaries can keep the assets or property on your death and not have to sell some to pay the taxes. This does not apply to your spouse in most cases as assets flow to them tax free.

Part of a tax planning strategy to transfer money in an RRSP (Canadian) which will be taxed at over 40% on death to an insurance policy that will pass tax free to the designated beneficiaries on death with no probate or executor fees. This is frequently done as part of the previous strategy for covering capital gains taxes – I have an article on this with an example using a joint last to die policy.

Maximize your pension. Many of those who have pensions will need to decide whether they want to set it up so their spouses will continue to get a pension (about 66 to 75% of your pension) when you die. Obviously, the pension will be a lot less if you choose this option as the Pension Plan will have to pay out money for a longer period of time. For many, there are advantages to taking the higher pension (where it stops when you die) and purchasing a life insurance policy with some of the difference which will provide a pool of capital when you die and your spouse to live on. I can email you more information on this if you wish.

Business owners use Universal Life Policies for a developing a corporate pension plan that is very tax advantaged

Business owners can also use a Universal Life Policy to get retained earnings out of a company tax favoured basis

These are just a few of the uses for Permanent Policies. They can also be set up so that premiums are only paid for a set number of years – usually 1 to 20 years after which the policy is fully paid up or there is sufficient funds in it to pay the premiums for life. Term to 100 Insurance is frequently used when all you want is a basic permanent insurance policy that you pay for until you die and then the beneficiary collects the money. It is usually the cheapest solution for this need.

Whole life has been around for years but has been replaced by Universal Life Insurance in most cases. Please refer to the article on the difference between Universal and Whole Life policies for more information.

Money Saving Tip 1: Permanent policies frequently have assumptions about the returns you will get within the policy for Universal Life or dividends for whole life. These are generally not guaranteed so be careful that they are reasonable and that you understand that if they are not achieved, the outcome could be very different from the illustration. Ask to see several illustrations with different assumptions so you understand what could happen.

Money Saving Tip 2: Universal Life Policies also have various bonuses built in that can increase the returns by 1.5% or more under certain circumstances. These circumstances usually relate to how much you are putting into the policy (referred to as funding), and how long the policy has been in effect. There are very significant differences between companies so ask to see illustrations from several companies.

Money Saving Tip 3: Universal Life Policies may have an opportunity to purchase riders like Critical Illness or Long Term Care Insurance and term insurance. There can be some real tax advantages to doing this if you are able to over fund the policy or you have a large amount to put into the policy to start. The funds inside a universal life grow with no taxes on the profits. If you are paying for these other policies with funds outside a Universal Life policy you need to pay taxes on the income before you pay the premiums.

Money Saving Tip 4: A few companies now offer preferred rates for Universal Life Policies and if you qualify, the savings can be very significant. Check out a typical qualifying questionnaire for Preferred Insurance. Also some companies consider pipe and cigar smokers to be non smokers.

While some uses of Permanent Insurance, such as providing extra cash for a loved one, is relatively straight forward, the use of an independent life insurance broker for most situations is recommended as many options are generally not known to the general public and even financial professionals like accountants and lawyers may not be familiar with some of them.

These types of policies have some real benefits and should be considered. You are about to sign up to pay a lot of money for a number of years so ensure you get good advice. If your term insurance policy is convertible, you can convert to a universal life policy without a medical.

See for yourself. Get a life insurance quote now.

Notebook or laptop computer is a portable computer that can be easily carried around, and is capable of performing all possible functions of a computer. Notebook, that usually weighs around 2.2 to about 18 pounds, comes in various sizes and varied possible features.

Unlike most other electronic goods, learning how to use a notebook is no big deal. People, who are used to working on computers, find notebooks almost as convenient to use as they have been using it already. However, the touchpad or the trackpads (that are used in place of the mouse), or the pointing sticks might pose slight difficulty for the beginners, though they can conveniently attach a mouse externally. Nevertheless, the fact that notebooks bear such great resemblance to computers surely serves as a great advantage to the users.

These days notebook can also read as well as write CDs and DVDs. They are also capable of copying and transferring data using Bluetooth devices. Most of the times, these are built in the notebooks, though one may need to attach them externally if the features have not been already provided beforehand. Pen drives, etc, can also be used on notebooks for exchanging data. Notebooks also allow the benefits of using internet connection after proper configuration has been done. Microphones and web cameras can also be used with the notebooks these days.

These days there are various kinds of notebooks that are available in the market. These can be broadly classified as Ultra-Mobile PCs (or the UMPCs), the desktop replacement computers and the ultraportables. While the Ultra-Mobile PCs are laptops that can be easily carried around owing to their extra small size, the powerful desktop replacement computers are mostly to be used in a fixed place. They are more bulky and weigh more as compared to the expensive ultraportables that are specifically meant for those business travelers who need small as well as light weight notebooks that can be easily carried around, while traveling around.

Notebooks are especially useful to those who have to work on computers for long hours, or are heavily depended on computers for their work. Though notebooks may not be as powerful as computers tend to be for the same price range, they are capable of performing all the functions that any computer would perform. There are a number of varieties one can choose from and the special features, included in each notebook, vary from one model to another. Much it depends on the price range and the manufacturer.

The main source of power for a notebook is its main battery, and the external adapter, that is used for charging the battery, from time to time. This allows the user to work on his or her laptop for hours together, without having to connect it with any wires, till the battery exhausts. The time taken for charging the battery varies from one notebook to another, though usually it does not take more than a few hours to charge them.

With each passing day, and new developments in technology, notebooks are becoming more and more popular among the people all over the world. Though these were initially meant for the business class, who had grown dependent on their computers, these days notebooks are being used by almost anybody and everybody.

The falling prices, reducing sizes and growing features are surely making notebooks one of the most sought after electronic devices of the new millennium. Hence in today`s world having a notebook has become a necessity, no one can stay without one. After all who can deny the luxury/necessity of owing a notebook in today`s world?!

A laptop, also called a notebook, is a small mobile computer. Depending on the size, material used for manufacturing it and other factors, its weight ranges from 1 to 8 kilograms (i.e. 2 to 18 pounds).
The source of power is usually a single main battery, or an external AC/DC adapter is used. Apart from supplying power to the laptop, it also charges the battery. To avoid havoc in case of power failure, a 3 Volt cell is provided to run the clock and other vital system processes.

Though laptops are equally capable and powerful as desktop computers, they are much more expensive than similar capability and configuration desktop computer. Size is the unique property of a laptop. The components used in both, laptops and desktops are the same in terms of the functions they perform, but the components in laptops are miniaturized and made to support efficient power consumption.
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is usually the technology used for the display screen. They have a built-in keyboard and a touchpad as input devices. Provision is also made for connection of external mouse, and even keyboard.

Apart from the advantages like compactness and mobility, a set of disadvantages has also been associated with laptops.
A huge amount of discrepancy is observed when it comes to standardization issues of laptops. There exist worldwide standards for form factors of the peripherals and add-in PC cards used in a desktop computer. But no such standards are as yet enforced for form factors of laptop internals. Electric voltage, motherboard layouts, internal adapters used in connecting the hard disk, optical drive, LCD cable, keyboard and floppy drive to the main board, all still face issues with standardization. These hits hard on the poor user who is uneducated in this relevant field. Apart from them, a bit of difficulty may also be faced by the repair technicians. Familiarization of different parts and hardware that perform the same function is important.

As an outcome of the improper, or all most no standardization, the laptops suffer compatibility problems too. Most of the times, it is not possible to use one manufacturer`s components in the laptop produced by another manufacturer. The reasons behind this can be assurance of product stability, prolong product lifetime, and to avoid dubious warranty issues. Some manufacturers provide the laptops with a set of ports to let the user connect the hardware that he wants to use.

Upgradation of a laptop is another issue. Due to both technical and economic reasons, it is limited. Due to the proprietary designs of the laptops by each manufacture, it is difficult to upgrade them and most of the times even repairing is a costly affair. The standard peripherals, like audio, video, USB, 1394, Wi Fi, Bluetooth, are integrated in the motherboard. Upgrading these thus requires either of external ports, card slots or wireless peripherals. As far as the memory units and batteries are concerned, they can generally be upgraded according to the user`s needs.

Performance is another issue. RAM is shared between program memory and graphic adapters in laptops. Because of which performance of the laptop is affected. The major concern of the designer is compactness and energy efficiency against high performance. Generally, for the home requirement, laptops prove out to be good options for fast achievement of required performance. With new technology like dual core processors and perpendicular recording, laptops` performance is already showing a progressive graph when compared to the desktops.

Laptops can also pose health hazards. Temperature generated by laptop can affect sterility in men. Also, laptop keyboard can lead to RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury). Thus it is advised to place the laptop on a table or desk when working.

About The Author– This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/notebook.php , www.polomercantil.com.br/laptop.php
Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for PoloMercantil

Why use your hard-earned cash to pay the landlord’s mortgage when you could be using the rent money to buy a home of your own? That’s a question many people ask themselves when they start thinking about moving out of the rental market to home ownership.

It’s a big step. For most people, taking out a mortgage is the biggest financial commitment they will ever make. But buying your own home has always made sound financial sense. Here are some facts to think over when considering home ownership as opposed to renting.

• If you are 35 now and just buying your first home, you will likely be mortgage-free when you are 60 and sitting comfortably on a considerable asset.
• It’s highly likely your investment will appreciate considerably in 25 years. It’s important, however, not to buy with the intention of making a quick fortune. Think of home buying as a sound, long-term investment.
• Buying a home is a very effective way of saving regularly over many years. Even if you never buy into another retirement or investment plan, you are effectively putting money away for the future.
• Owning a home of your own means you and your family can set down roots, get to know your community and involve yourselves in it.
• Discover the pride of home ownership. You can fix the place to suit your particular needs. You can also have pets in your home.
• As your family grows and moves on to homes of their own, you will have the option of earning extra income by renting out spare rooms or floors, if local bylaws allow.
• If you are planning to borrow money from a bank or other financial institution, owning your own home is a definite plus when it comes time to negotiate.
• You may not need as much money as you think to get into the home market. Qualified buyers can buy a house with as little as five per cent down through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) mortgage insurance scheme. You may also be able to use RRSP funds as part of your down payment.
• With many kinds of investments, you have to pay a capital gains tax on profit you make. If your home is your principal residence, this tax does not apply.

After you have carefully considered all of the aspects of home ownership and are ready to begin your search, it’s time to contact your REALTOR®. He or she has access to the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®), a co-operative marketing system through which properties are bought and sold. Using the MLS®, your REALTOR® can prepare a customized list of properties for sale that best meet your needs, wants and budget. Your REALTOR® will also provide valuable assistance and guidance to you throughout the buying process

Source by http://www.vreb.org/articles/buying_a_home_investment.html

Samsung has released its latest S60 3rd Edition handset, the G810. This compact slider measures 103mm x 53mm x 18mm (4″ x 2.1″ x .7″) and sports a generous 2.6″ QVGA resolution display, 150MB of internal memory, and a microSD card slot for easy expansion. A 5 megapixel auto-focus camera is also built-in with 3x internal optical zoom and facial recognition, promising to fill up that memory quickly with large, beautiful photographs.

The Samsung G810 also supports HSDPA for high-speed 3G data and WiFi to boot. A built-in GPS receiver and Bluetooth 2.0 are also there to help you really get the most out of this new smartphone. Pricing and availability information are currently unavailable.

I saw a demo of Nokia’s S60 Touch user interface at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona yesterday. The demo itself was running on a very generic looking tablet device attached to an emulator that was running on a PC since Nokia had no intention of showing us any future, unannounced S60 Touch hardware. It is worth noting that the mouse pointer that you might notice in the video below is from the PC, and is not going to be visible on actual S60 Touch handsets.

From my perspective, having reviewed a number of modern touch based devices, the S60 Touch emulator still appears to show that there is a lot of work yet to be done at Nokia. The demo shows that basic on-screen controls can be used with a fingertip, and that basic scrolling control and item selection work as well, but the system was not particularly responsive and didn’t handle scrolling and browser panning tasks all that well in my opinion.

Nokia has told us that the S60 Touch system, when it is being used in production devices, will be compatible with both touch and non-touch handsets. This means that developers won’t have to build two versions of their applications, as is currently the case with Windows Mobile. Nokia also said that we can expect some level of backwards compatibility, but I’m a bit leery of how much that will be the case. We already saw how S60 3rd Edition required many applications to be rebuilt to be supported by the new handsets it launched on.

In any case, have a look at the demo below. It should give you a bit of an idea as to what to expect from future Nokia devices.

The Mortgage Store Online (TMSO) announces that fixed mortgage rates for Canadian home loans have risen this week for the second time in the past two months. Rates had remained stable for just over a month, from April 21st 2007 when the last increase in rates occurred, to present.

Previous lowest rates in Canada have climbed from 5.20% to 5.44% this month. These current best rates of 5.44% can be kept by borrowers for a full 5 years.

Other fixed rates that borrowers can keep for 1 year have climbed from 5.40% to 5.45%, and rates borrower’s can keep for 3 years jumped the most, from 5.20% to 5.65%.

Fixed rates for interest-only mortgages (the lowest payment mortgage option for consumers) have climbed from 5.44% to 5.49%, and can be kept for 5 years.

So how much does this rate increase affect a Canadian borrower’s mortgage payments? Janovich, president and co-founder of TMSO answers: “For a $100,000 mortgage loan that a borrower takes 35 years to pay-off, with the new lowest rate of 5.44%, borrowers will pay $529.14/month in regular mortgage payments, when they would’ve paid $513.94/month with the previous best rate of 5.20%. So basically, it’s an increase in mortgage payments of about $15/month for every $100,000 of mortgage,” says Janovich.

Payments for interest only mortgages in Canada, with the new interest only best rate of 5.49% will give borrower’s interest-only payments of $457.50/month: up $4.17/month from payments of $453.33/month with last months interest only rate of 5.44%.

Get free current rate quotes from one of The Mortgage Store Online’s licensed mortgage agents. Just fill out the rate quote form or call (866) 880-2577.

For regular Canadian home mortgage rate updates, subscribe to our RSS feed, or visit our current rates page for accurate current mortgage rate information.

If you have questions about fixed mortgage rates or our home mortgage services, contact one of The Mortgage Store Online’s brokers by using the contact form or calling (866) 880-2577 today.