Update to my payday loan idea

14. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Loans

Ah, looks like I found a store front and even found some part time mentoring help as well!

Right after I posted my last entry on my payday loan idea, a friend of mine told me about a location he passes on the way to work everyday and took me over to it. Man, it is a great spot!

Not only that, but his brother use to run a couple cash advance stores back in college and is now a loan administrator at a large local bank here in town as well and is willing to mentor me in exchange for % in the business. Now that’s what I call getting lucky!

From what I have been told, I need to go file with the city and local government that I want to open a business here in my city and also file an application so I can open a payday loan business ( certain rules and regulations I have to follow for this kind of business ). That should be almost no work, but I hate paper work and will need to have my lawyer look it over and make sure its all kosher and good for me so I do not get myself into some kind of trouble.

I just need to close the deal with the property owner now. I have the phone number and name of the company leasing the spot, but no one is answering the phone today, so I will have to wait until Monday to get some more information. My friend told me it has been up for lease for over 2 years now, so I am hoping to use that information to my advantage when trying to close in on a deal for the spot. If it has been sitting for this long, then maybe they will be ready to settle on a lower price point just to get it rented.

Since my friend’s brother is a loan administrator, I should be able to get some good info on securing the $25k loan I need to start the business so that I have good cash flow to give out the loans and float until they are paid. He should be able to give me some help or an edge since he want’s % of the business and since he will want it to be as profitable as possible ( since he is getting a % of course ), then he will also make sure I can secure funding as well which is a huge plus.

It seems everything is coming along nicely now. I already have security in place as I have a very good guard dog already at home and also have plenty of guns and ammo as well. I just need to hook up with a company like ATD or Brinks and also find some bullet proof glass and part time help as well so when I need to leave or go out, someone is watching the store for me and making sure everything is going alright. Man, this is going to be huge for me!

SunTrust Student Banking Can Reduce Loan Interest

14. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Loans

College is a time of transition. Whether you are fresh out of high school or are returning to the classroom after taking a break for your family/career, it’s definitely safe to say that it does not go without some lifestyle change. The average American college student moves to a dorm and has to get used to living with new people. Sure, it’s a fun time—it’s a really fun time—but it’s not always easy. Pretty soon, these students start to realize that being on their own is kind of challenging. Mom used to the laundry, but now they realize they have to save the quarters to get it done. And for those that move to an apartment, what about rent? What about making sure your have your roommate’s half?

Above are just a few examples about how money can affect a college student from the get-go. SunTrust Bank offers some great options for student checking accounts that can put you (and your student) at peace. And one of the biggest perks—if you have certain private loans through SunTrust, stay tuned. You might reap an even greater reward.

With a SunTrust college checking account, you can have easy access to your money with online banking. What if you’re on the go a lot? Don’t worry. Mobile banking is easy to use as well. You will get theft protection, which is either priced at a small fee or included in your package, as well as unlimited check card usage with no monthly fee—perfect for those daily Starbucks runs before your 8am class. Your first order of SunTrust-exclusive checkbooks is on the house. You can also work with your parents to set up an overdraft protection plan, and figure out how to handle direct deposits as well as online check reorders.

With a minimum deposit of $100, you can well on your way to SunTrust happiness. But what about that loan incentive?

Back to that—with a SunTrust Custom Choice Loan, you are eligible to have 0.25% taken from your interest rate simply by having a SunTrust bank account. To qualify, you must set up automatic payments from your account to be taken out every month. Doing this makes you look like “less of a risk,” so in return, SunTrust gives you this nice little reward. With affordable interest rates, excellent customer service, and manageable monthly payments, it seems SunTrust would be an excellent choice when seeking out a private loan provider.

Opening A Cash Adance Store In My Area

14. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Loans

I got to thinking about some more business ideas I had and I remember something my grandfather told me once, “Have your money, make you money”. And what better way to do this then to give out loans to people and collect on the interest?

With that idea alone, I decided to open a short loan service ( also known as a payday loan service ). I mean, how hard could it be?

I scouted around my local area at some busy intersections and areas with low income as well trying to find the right property. However, this was more challenging then it looked at most of the prime real estate for this had already been bought up by liquor stores and other pay day loan shops. I did find a few empty areas, but they were just way too expensive for my taste and some of them has been pay day loan shops before that didn’t make it, so I took that as a bad sign.

Then I thought about just making a website or a phone call service where you give me all your info and I just process it over the phone or online. That would save me tons of money each month on rent and taxes just in property alone!

I browses a couple of sites similar to what I wanted ( site preview ) and I even got some good starting points on who my customers should be:


Currently have a job (or receive regular income)
Make at least $1000 per month
Are 18 years of age or older and a U.S. citizen
Have a bank account

I also need a plan for security as well. I need to have a gun on me at all times and also maybe a shotgun in the store as well. I need one of those safes that can only be opened on a timer and with 2 keys as well. Also, I can not forget a guard dog to help watch it at night and also an alarm system and bullet proof glass as well.

I should also make some friends with some attorneys as well and maybe also some bankers. These 2 alone would be able to help me collect on payments and legal help when needed as well.

I still have a lot to think about and a ton more to plan out. Finding a good retail store location is proving a lot more work then I ever thought and I may have to hire a realtor to look for me some spots as I am too busy to devote a full time life to finding a store front. I also need to secure a loan for about 25,000 dollars so I can give out cash as needed and float the loans until pay back. If I keep reinvesting the interest and payments back into my new business, I plan on being able to repay back the loan in full and start making a profit in less then 14 months time for sure.

The only other thing I will need is to go over the legal documents and secure some help setting it up.

Have you checked out Life Insurance Rates?

08. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized

Me and my wife recently decided to renew our life insurance options and went over our current providers package and compared it to other rates we may be able to get from other companies.

We were shocked at what we found!

Yes, there are many providers for life insurance and many of them have different grades, ratings, and options.. so it is very important to make sure you compare apples to apples when looking at quotes from life insurance companies. There is no sense in ditching a high grade plan that is more expensive, for a plan that is provided from a sub par provider that might not be around next year and runs off with your money.

There is not a simple way to collect this information in general. Most people have to call around, fill out tons of forms, wait for a callback, then compare and take notes on all the plans so they can review them for later and make a choice. That is, until now.

I recently came across lifeinsurancerates.com at http://www.lifeinsurancerates.com/ and I was very impressed with the fact I could fill out 1 set of forms and get quotes from multiple leading life insurance companies. I mean, where was this type of site 10 years ago when I had spent 2 weeks of my time and a whole notebook of paper up?

If you haven’t tried it already, you should really look into it and just see the price difference for some of these companies. I was quoted anywhere from sub $100 a month to several hundred a month for a very low plan that would cover enough for our funeral’s, some debt we built up with our home, and to leave our kids a little bit to help them through as well. It was a real eye opener to see how much different the same plan can cost with different companies.

Being informed is the best way to save money and make sure you are not being taken advantage of when buying life insurance. If you are not careful, you will be paying in a ton of money to a company that might not be around in a few years, or downgrade your coverage because they were not able to handle you investment correctly with your life insurance.

Me and my wife found a really nice plan for both Term and Universal plans and we are going to take out more then one plan to make sure we are protected and can provide for our children in case something happened to us. Nothing is worse then leaving this world and knowing before you pass that your children or spouse will be burdened with debt that they can not handle because you are now gone, unless you leave this world and then your sub-standard life insurance carrier didn’t pay out ( or couldn’t pay out ) as expected because you trusted your money to a company that not only over charged you, but ended up going out of business before a payout could be made.

Have you tried Google Plus 1?

08. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized

Have you been using Google Plus One? It seems to be all the rage right now and for pretty good reason too.

I recently decided to try it out since my wife was using it and telling me all the great benefits of it. All she says is how much she just loved to find stuff on the Internet and Pintrest and save it for later, so she started playing with Google Plus One and can now find things while she searches and then share those with her friends and family. I like to think of it as a giant collection of stuff you wanna keep track of, that you can also share with friends, and also see what your friends like.

This is from their site itself:

+1 gets conversations going. Click the +1 button to give something your public stamp of approval. Then, if you want to share right away, add a comment and send it to the right circles on Google+.

The next time your friends and contacts search on Google, they could see your +1. You’ll help them find the best stuff on the web – and you might just start up another conversation!

So what kind of stuff can you put into Plus One? ANYTHING! My wife likes to go in and plus things that interest her, like anything that comes out of Oprah’s mouth, recipes, health articles, scrap booking, and anything related to Aerosmith. She also likes to go over crafts and ornaments and positive sayings that people have said as well. I just wish the recipes she shares were as good tasting as all the other people say they are, just don’t tell her that.

My kids have been using it to share games, tips and tricks for their school studies, their favorite TV shows, and music that they are into at the time. You know, stuff like Rihanna, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, and Ka$ha. I would much rather them spend more time on their school studies though, but they find tons of things that keep them interested which is nice over the weekends or when they really need to find something online and already have it shared and saved.

As for me, I haven’t been sharing too much. I like to keep my interest private, but I like to find and save anything related to keeping up my lawn and landscaping, as well as golf, web development, and grilling food on the BBQ. I found this awesome recipe for BBQ sauce the other day and how to prepare the meat for a festive Hawaiian BBQ and I am going to make sure I try it out next weekend. I also have found a ton of golf tips and trick as well as the perfect mix of grass seed and how to trim up my bushes the right way later in the fall as well. These tips alone will save me a couple hundred dollars that I do not have to pay someone else to teach me. As a matter of fact, I could probably teach other people with what I have found!

My Uncle And His Business

31. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Loans

My uncle runs several of his own business’s. He is pretty much like me in the fact he comes up with all these ideas, but the difference is that he actually implements them and gets them started. Me on the other hand, I never seem to actually start any of mine and my wife makes sure to stop any of them I do try to start. We make about the same kind of money though, so I am not sure he is in such a better life then me when it comes to these ideas and running with them.

I know that he has had at least 10 business’s that he has ran, they have been anything and everything from:

1. Paintball Course
2. Pay Day Loan Store
3. Classic Car Restoration Shop
4. Selling Homemade Ladders
5. eBay Seller For Other People
6. Semi Truck Detailing

The list goes on and on, but those are the ones I remember off the top of my head. Each one of these business ideas has a story behind it that as just as odd as the business itself. For example, he started the pay day loan store in his local area because his own wife needed some money to pay for a bill she had ran up without him knowing and one day while discussing the issue with him, she exclaimed, “I need cash advance loan now“.. and so his new business idea was born as he knew other people in the area would be in the same boat as him and his wife.

One of the other ideas, the Semi Truck detailing one, he was 18 and actually car jacked a semi trailer truck full of chickens while he was drunk. Once caught, one of his punishments from the court system was to fully clean and detail out the truck that he stole. While doing this, the owner actually told him he did an excellent job and it sparked an idea in his head to do this as new business.

I honestly do not know how he ever got into making homemade ladders, but lets just say that business didn’t last long. The ladders where made out of wood and really didn’t look that sturdy and steady when it came right down to it. However, I do know he got into the paintball business when one of his son’s took up an interest in doing it as a side hobby and had no where to play. Considering my uncle lives on a 200 acre farm, he decided to cut up a section of it and charge people to come and play the woodsball version of paintball right on his farm.

My uncle is a little off the norm, but he gets some good ideas from time to time. His pay day loan business and his paintball business do enough to pay all of his bills and mortgage, while the semi truck cleaning business is side money he uses to go on vacations and and put back in savings as an emergency fund that he might need to get into.

New Business Idea I Had

31. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized

I got to thinking about a new business idea I could do, that I think would make me some good cash. Sure, it will not make me a millionaire over night, but I think it could be a good service idea that I could promote in my local area and help me pay some bills and have some savings.

It is all is based on, fixing leaks. Yes, leaks. You know, the kind where water gets into things it shouldn’t?

Boats, roofs, pipes, gutters.. you name it and if it leaks I could more then likely fix it. I got the crazy idea the other night while watching TV when I could not go to sleep and an infomercial came on for Flex Seal. Its basically liquid rubber in a can that sprays out and fills in gaps and holes as it dries. You can even sand and paint right over it! There are too many uses I could name for it, but lets just say if you do not have a can of it.. then you are missing out!

Granted, it more then likely would not work in high pressure situations like say a water line or high pressure gas line, but for normal situations like a leaky roof, downspouts and gutters, boat leaks, or just general waterproofing ( like maybe your basement ), I could just show up with a couple cans of this stuff and fix the issue and charge big bucks! I just have to make sure the owner doesn’t see me using it.

I even went as far to check reviews of the product before thinking a lot into it. I found a flex seal review site over at http://www.flex-seal-reviewsite.com/ and I could tell that the product is solid and actually does what it says. The great thing is, you can buy 2 cans at a discount right now as well! If I was to stock up on this and then use it in my business, I could charge anything I wanted for it. I bet I could call the company up and order a bulk lot of like 300 cans and get a mega discount on such a large order.

My wife thinks the idea is crazy and told me I should just stop dreaming up these crazy ideas I have. However, I don’t here her complaining when my crazy ideas bail us out of a financial jam or pay for us a nice 10 day trip to the beach in a mansion right on the surf. She just doesn’t get, but that is alright.

Heh, I might even be able to quit my job that I hate so much. I don’t know, that might be counting my chickens before they hatch though.

One thing I do know, this stuff seems to work excellent and I know I can grab a couple cans of it right now down at my local hardware store and start fixing up areas around my house to prove to my wife I can do it.

Time to buy some life insurance

30. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized

What do you do when you come into a large sum of money? Well, if your my brother-in-law, you go out and buy life insurance to insure that your wife and kids can continue to live a nice life without worry far after your dead and gone ( if that happens sooner then later! ).

Actually, getting life insurance should not just be for the those with extra money. If you are responsible for a large chunk of income that your family depends on, then life insurance really needs to be something that you look into and try to figure out if you can afford it. The piece of mind you get from knowing that if you were to suddenly not be around anymore that your family would still be taken care of is something that lifts a heavy burden off your shoulders. Think about how they would pay for your burial, or how they would go to college, pay for their weddings, or just pay the mortgage or grocery bills a few months after your gone?

Some of the better life insurance programs that are available are rated in the Wall Street Journal and carry high ratings to ensure that after you invest money into their program, they do not run off with your money or lose it in bad investment choices. One such company to carry your policy with would be Fortis life insurance as they offer multiple plans and policies to fit any type of situation.

Here is a snippet of what life insurance is and the 2 main policies generally offered:

Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money (the “benefits”) upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger payment. The policy holder typically pays a premium, either regularly or as a lump sum. Other expenses (such as funeral expenses) are also sometimes included in the premium; however, in Australia the predominant form simply specifies a lump sum to be paid on the policy holder’s death.

The advantage for the policy owner is “peace of mind”, in knowing that the death of the insured person will not result in financial hardship for loved ones.

Life policies are legal contracts and the terms of the contract describe the limitations of the insured events. Specific exclusions are often written into the contract to limit the liability of the insurer; common examples are claims relating to suicide, fraud, war, riot and civil commotion.

Life-based contracts tend to fall into two major categories:
Protection policies – designed to provide a benefit in the event of specified event, typically a lump sum payment. A common form of this design is term insurance.

Investment policies – where the main objective is to facilitate the growth of capital by regular or single premiums. Common forms (in the US) are whole life, universal life and variable life policies.

Just be ready for the type of policy you think you need for the future based on your current lifestyle and future changes that might come sooner then later.

SunTrust Student Loans: Examples Of Custom Choice Repayment

30. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Loans

You have probably bought gas before, filled your tank, and felt pretty confident that you had found the best deal in town. You actually probably couldn’t wait to tell your friends and family about this cheap gas station that you spotted with your own eye. That is, until you drove a mile down the road and find a service station offering the same fuel for ten cents cheaper. It’s kind of a let down, right? Many mobile applications, such as the ever-popular “Gas Buddy,” can take your current location and show you the cheapest gas prices in your surrounding area. It can save a lot of hindsight, and eventually, a lot of money.

The same scenario goes with any sort of market-based purchasing system—home buying, car shopping, and most notably, student loans. Since each place offers a different interest rate, it’s good to know what you are getting into before signing the dotted line. While most federal loan programs will have fixed rates, most private lenders do not. Private institutions like SunTrust clearly lie out the terms of their rates, and even give you an easy-to-read comparison chart to check out before you make a decision. So there might not be an app for location the best interest rates for loans, but with enough research you will be well on your way to making an educated decision.

The SunTrust charts are based on the potential lowest and potential highest interest rates for the marketing. For one of SunTrust’s Custom Choice Loans with immediate repayment, you are looking at a broad range of between 5.49% and 10.98% in interest rates—quite a difference. So, if you are pulling a $10,000 loan, you will most likely have a three-month deferment period with a 15-year payment period (which is a total of 180 months after the grace period). Here’s where it gets scary: By finding the loan at the low interest rate, you’re looking at about $14,800 total—not too bad. But get this; by acquiring the higher interest rate, you will eventually be above $20,700 in the hole—which is well over double what you initially borrowed!

That is just one example of how interest rates can really make a difference in your future financial situation. Even though we cannot control the market, we can control where we get our resources from—or at least do all we can to try. SunTrust encourages their customers to consider all other forms of aid (grants, scholarships, federal loans) before you begin applying for private loans. But also keep in mind that private loans are not a bad thing. Just make sure to know your loan—and more importantly, know your interest rate.

Do You Need Cancer Insurance?

30. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized

Do you need cancer insurance? Cancer is a diseases that has touched just about everyone in the world today. It does not care if you are young or old, black or white, poor or rich. Anyone can come down with cancer and the type of cancer you can get is about as random as winning the lottery. Just to be sure we are on the same page, here is some info about cancer insurance from http://oci.wi.gov/pub_list/pi-001.htm:


Cancer treatment accounts for about 10% of U.S. health expenses. In fact, no single disease accounts for more than a small proportion of the American public's health care bill. This is why it is essential to have insurance coverage for all conditions, not just cancer.

If you and your family are not protected against catastrophic medical costs, you should consider a major medical policy. These policies pay a large percentage of your covered costs after a deductible is paid either by you or your basic insurance. They often have very high maximums, such as $100,000 to $1,000,000. Major medical policies will cover you for any accident or sickness, including cancer. They cost more than cancer policies because they cover more, but they are generally considered a better buy.

So what justifies getting cancer insurance? I know me and my wife recently purchased additional policies for ourselves as we both have cancer that runs in our family. My grandmother had it and her sister and grandmother also had it as well. It makes it a scary thought to think we may one day have it ( or even worse, our children ) and we will need to be ready for when the time comes. We pay a small monthly premium every month that comes right out of our checking account and never have to worry about it actually. But is it the right choice for you? That is something you really need to sit down and map out with your spouse or close family members to see if having cancer insurance is the right choice for you.

More about this from the Chicago Tribune:

Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, said the payout can be used for out-of-pocket medical expenses or for routine living expenses such as a mortgage payment or rent.

The policies are "not intended to replace a person's comprehensive medical insurance," Zirkelbach said. "They are designed to provide additional financial protection."

But Stephan Finan, senior director of policy for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, calls the policies a bad idea.

"Unless your health insurance specifically does not cover cancer-related expenses … you are more than likely wasting money on a premium you could be using elsewhere," he said.

It will be interesting to see how Obama Care plays out for the need in medical insurance and they types of coverage we will all have in 2014 for things like cancer or other major medical insurance needs. I know me and wife felt that it was better to be safe then sorry when it came to looking into care for possible cancer insurance needs.

Donald Trump

30. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized

Since his early life, Donald Trump has been involved with large projects and large money. There is no denying that “The Donald” has left his mark on American culture.. from the Miss Universe Organization to his famous “Your FIRED” saying from his hit TV show that airs every week.

View this example of his life taken from Wikipedia:

Donald John Trump, Sr. (born June 14, 1946) is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts.[1] Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have made him a well-known celebrity who was No. 17 on the 2011 Forbes Celebrity 100 list.[2]

Trump is the son of Fred Trump, a New York City real-estate developer.[8] He worked for his father's firm, Elizabeth Trump & Son, while attending the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1968 officially joined the company.[9] He was given control of the company in 1971 and renamed it The Trump Organization.[10][11]

In 2010, Trump expressed an interest in becoming a candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election.[12][13] In May 2011, he announced he would not be a candidate, but a few weeks later he said he had not completely ruled out the possibility.[14][15] In December 2011, Trump was suggested as a possible Vice Presidential selection by Michele Bachmann.[16] Bachmann has since suspended her presidential campaign.

And this from Trump.com about his early life:

Donald J. Trump started his business career in an office he shared with his father, Fred, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. He worked with his father for five years, where they were busy making deals together. Mr. Trump has stated, “My father was my mentor and I learned a tremendous amount about every aspect of the construction industry from him.” Likewise, Fred C. Trump often stated that “some of my best deals were made by my son, Donald….everything he touches turns to gold.” Mr. Trump then entered the very different world of Manhattan real estate.

He has been connected with several projects and organizations over the years, some of which had failed and some that have been mega success such as:

1. The Miss Universe Organization
2. ACN
3. Home Alone 2
4. World Wrestling Entertainment
5. Taj Mahal Casino
6. The Trump Towers

One amazing thing about this man, is the number of times his companies have been in bankruptcy or near bankruptcy through the many years he has been in business and the number of times that after settlement, he has still remained CEO or Chairman of these companies. The Donald has a knack for making money and staying power no matter the times ahead.

He has also considered running for President of the United States of America in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. Very outspoken on his views of politics, he has been both a Republican and Democratic and has even represented Independent as well. He currently support Mitt Romney in the 2012 elections.

He currently has 5 children and has been married 3 times and considers himself to be Presbyterian, although he has also said to be a part of the Protestant group and reformed churches.

Always Have A Backup College

22. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized

I learned the hard truth the other day, you don’t always get what you want.

I had planed for 3 years to go to Indiana U even since I was a sophomore in high school. However, I didn’t live in Indiana and I couldn’t get any scholarships as a slightly above “average” academic student that was not a minority. I also did not win any grants for my goal of one day walking down the halls of Indiana University either. My dreams where crushed when I learned I would be more then likely be paying 100% of the cost of out of state tuition as well as books, housing, and more.

Getting loan with my non-existent credit score ( hey I am only 19 ) is impossible and my parents are not able to secure or co-sign for me a loan either. Trying to get into IU seemed more like a nightmare now then last week when I thought I could still pull it off. I had been working 2 jobs over the summer and had been saving for college since I was 10 years old and the measly savings I put back would barely cover a few days at IU in my situation.

It hit me, I had to find an alternative. Maybe I could get into a less costly school and then get an academic scholarship into IU in my later years after undergrad. Surely I could get into a community college cheaper and work my fingers to the bone until I got a grant that would place me into UI. Even though it wasn’t my perfect dream, it was one that could work and would work with some effort.

The only problem was, where could I find an easy way to go to college, work a job, and save money while doing all of this? I knew the best option was getting into an online school where I could learn at my own pace and review the material anytime I needed. I hunted around and came across a press release at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/10/prweb8913884.htm for The College Network and thought this could be the best deal I could get right now. They offer online education for college where credits can transfer out ( like to IU ) and I can learn at my pace while still working a job and it will cost less then a full 4 year IVY league college as well.

I plan on calling them up next week when I have time off work as it looks like they have the programs I want to study and get a career in. I can take all my elective and undergrad courses online and even take my major studies as well there. It may very well work out to where I don’t transfer out to IU after all if I can get everything in one place.

Sometimes, we always need a backup in life no matter what we may think. Things don’t have to be perfect, they just have to work and fit us.

My Sister’s New Job

20. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Loans

So I wanted to give a shout out to my sister who recently got a new job! Congrats Mary!

I am pretty proud of her since she has gone back to school to get her business administration degree while raising a family, working a full-time job, and being a volunteer soccer coach. I do not know what it takes to be mother, but I know being a father is already difficult and I could not imagine trying to fit in college to everything I do already. It has been a long four years, but she has finished and is now enjoying her new career.

She previously worked for a real agent as an executive assistant at a very large brokerage and now manages a new mortgage firm of 100 employees that specializes in trad. and reverse mortgages for home owners. She went from helping an agent sell homes, to managing a company that provides the loans for those transactions! Her old employer is having to cater to her now when they need a loan closed. lol

I wasn’t surprised she stayed in the same industry. She had over a decade of experience dealing with real estate ( both residential and commercial ) and could have probably sold circles around the agent she worked for. All that knowledge about real estate helped her land a better job in the same industry once she got her degree and now she is helping them close multi-million dollar mortgages on mansions and commercial rentals that come up for sale nationwide thanks to the Internet.

I know it wasn’t easy, nothing worth doing ever is. I remember when she decided 4 year ago to go back to school that this would be a very long road ahead of her trying to juggle all of these things. With 3 kids, a full-time job, and doing after hours coaching, I knew this would take all of her free time. I don’t think I would have been able to do it myself.

In the middle of it all, our mother passed away and her husband developed throat cancer. She was brave and humbled through it all, but she kept going forward with her choice to further her education and jump on a new career in the real estate world. Even though mom passed away, her husband made it through Chemo and is now cancer free and living a great life thanks to her new career move.

I might sign up at my local college and see if I can get my degree in Architecture and maybe me and my sis can team up and I can build the homes and she can assign the mortgages to them for the homeowners. We can probably get a kickback or deal from the agent she use to work for to sell them and my wife could sell them their homeowners insurance. It would be the perfect setup!

If any of you are looking for a mortgage, or need help setting up one of those reverse mortgages, hit me up and I will pass you along to my sister.

The Toronto Web Design Market

20. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized

Me and my wife are looking to move to T-dot pretty soon once the kids get a bit older. We like the city a lot and it is a true hub of all things a great city has to offer. Sports, coast line, fashion and food districts, and tons of movers and shakers just like you would find on Wall Street in NYC. Also, since Toronto is SOOO close to New York, I would also be close to home and close to what I know now any time I felt the need to fly over.

One thing I have been thinking about is, do I continue to work for someone else as an Internet marketer.. or do I open my own shop in this new town and start a new career being the boss? There is no shortage of opportunity in Toronto, but the cost to live there and start a business can be extremely high when compared to the rural Mid West that I grew up in inside the USA. All good things involves risk, so there is no reason to not do it though.

We have our passports ready, but before we jet on up and check things out.. I thought it would be a good idea to go online and browse who my competition ( or my employer ) would be. Doing some checks in Google for Web Design Toronto and Toronto Web Design, I came across a lot of top end Agencies and consultants that I would be competing against. Some of these agencies have been around online since I have, which is a pretty long time in “Internet” years. I hate to admit it, but I have been around since 26k “dial up” was the hot “it” thing.. before those awful AOL disks.

There seems to be a lot of great companies that I found online, such as 3magine, thoughtmedia and http://www.9thsphere.com. I need to make sure I write down all of the phone numbers and address so that when I go up to Toronto, I can have appointments ready and booked with them so I can have some one on one face time with the people behind the companies and see if there are any potential partnership opportunities to be had. Another great thing, this entire trip gets to be a business write off as well since I am meeting potential partners, clients, or employers. That for sure is a giant plus in my book.

All joking aside, it makes me nervous to be thinking about moving and jumping into a new city, let alone a new country. This possible career change of going from the employed to the employer is also daunting as I would need to learn about tax codes, business rules and how to pay tax being an American living in Canada ( and if I get double taxed, etc ). Also, how would I get my name out to potential customers while in Canada, is that something I could start doing now with a blog or getting my site ranked with a .ca domain extension? I will let you know how it goes as I get closer to actually making the flight over and finding out more.

SunTrust Student Loans: Custom Choice

20. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Loans

Private loans can be tricky. Financial advisors often explain that it is better to check other options first, and keep your private loans—or “alternative loans”—to a minimum. This is because of the potential strings that could be attached if you are not careful. Certain private lenders have sneaky interest rates that, when it’s all said and done, could add up to be more than the loan itself. It is also near impossible to have these loans forgiven. Scholarships and grants are obviously given with no intention of needing payback, but federal loans are different—these government-based programs expect full payment within ten years. However, if you can prove financial hardship, you might just get your debt forgiven. But what about forgiveness with private loans? The answer is easy—Forget about it.

That’s not to say that all private lending is bad, though. Take a look at SunTrust Bank, who offers some great tools that will safely finance your education. Their Custom Choice Loan is available for students who are least half-time enrolled in a eligible, Title IV program and school. You also must be a resident of the United States, be of legal age (or the age of 17 at the time of applying), and your permanent address cannot be in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, or Texas.

Keep in mind that co-signers are not always required. However, if you are young and fresh out of high school, you probably have no credit. Since private loans are almost entirely credit-based, you need someone who is “creditworthy” to back you up. With SunTrust, you can even invite the co-signer to sign the online application via their “EasyInvite” email system. After that, all they will need to do is fill out their information and finalize the application.

The Custom Choice Loan program allows you to borrow up to the cost of your entire education; minus whatever financial aid you have received. If accepted, the funds from SunTrust will be sent directly to your financial aid office. Another note for applying—make sure to have your information ready, and it will probably only take you 15 minutes. This includes your Social Security number, all contact information, and a personal reference if you do not live in the same house as your co-signer.

There are many different scenarios to choose rom when applying for the Custom Choice Loan…thus it is called, “Custom Choice.” After passing the credit check, you will be able to run an interactive, real-time scenario program to see what might work best for you. This includes viewing potential payments and full loan costs.

My wife and her current health issues

17. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized

My wife has recently gotten concerned about her health. It’s understandable, her father died of a heart attack when she was only 3 and her mother is no where near the picture of good health. There is a history of cancer that runs through her family and she is also no longer a spring chicken and feeling the effects of aging. Her sister just recently got diagnosed with cancer and one of her aunts now has diabetes.

She went to the doctor for a checkup and everything came out fine, but the doctor did mention that maybe changing her diet would help her get more vitamins and minerals that she needs as an older adult. This came at the right time because we had both talked about eating more meats and veggies, and less processed food that contains refined sugars, grains, and other junk. We had even thought about going on a cleanse where we would fast for several days and keep ourselves going on a water to remove any toxins that might be inside of both of us.

The hard part is, there is SO much information about what you should be doing in your daily life when it concerns your health. At the store in the checkout lanes, there are hundreds of magazines that headline the correct meal plans and fad diets, on your radio you get hit with commercials about which vitamins are the best, the junk mail you get has tips and tricks about what is the best vegetable to eat if your over 40, and even going online and doing a search for topics like womens health are filled with crap sites built for advertising or information posted by a 12 year old.

Since I have been on the internet for a long time, I helped my wife do some searches on Yahoo for different topics she was interested in on her iPad. Once we would find a couple of sites, I would help her scan through them and determine which ones looked spammy or which ones didn’t look trust worthy. We spend about 20 minutes going through multiple sites until we landed on http://www.surewomen.com. What set them apart for us was that they not only had information about dieting and womens health issues, but also information about parenting and pet care, but recipes and cooking as well! This looked like one site my wife could visit over and over again to find information on any topic she may be interested in while still getting relevant information that can be put to good use.

I had my wife spend some time on their site and bookmark them for future use. She was able to find a pretty good diet for herself and also a good selection of multi vitamins that women her age and condition will benefit from. I might actually sneak a peek myself on the site and read up some so when my wife ask me for advice on her diet next time I have something I can quote from.. women just love that type of stuff.

Find The Best Car Insurance Quote

17. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized

So my daughter crashed her car today, totaled with almost no recoverable materials. The accident scene was a mess, the smell of burnt rubber, oil, gas, and sounds of sirens filled the air. I am not sure how first responders can do this every day.

She is safe, thank God, as she was wearing her seat belt and was driving a solid piece of steel for a car at the time. The other driver was at fault, but before we got the police report one of the first thing that crossed my mind after I knew she was safe was “There goes the insurance premiums”. She is on our policy, so anything negative that might happen with her will hit my pocket book for years to come.

After we left the hospital for her checkup, we went over our options and called our agent to get everything squared away. After reviewing our insurance plan, I decided that it would be a good time to possibly go over our options and maybe even get a few quotes to make sure we were not overpaying for the options we do have. I started looking out how lowering our coverage would save us on monthly premiums, but what about the risks? I thought it over and it became clear that comparing our current coverage with other insurance companies would be the best option to for comparing apples to apples.

So I did some Google-ing for best car insurance quote and came across http://www.bestcarinsurancequotess.com/ which simply takes your zip code and presents you with the companies that can service you right in your area. Now that I had it narrowed down to who can even help me, I was able to put in coverage amounts and options I wanted and needed into each company and get hooked up with realistic quotes that helped me compare against my current provider.

I found a couple eye opening things, such as I can save almost 20% per year with changing over to one of those companies that do everything online. I also found some errors in my current policy too, like how I was not getting a “good student” discount for my daughter which many of these companies do offer.

I am not completely sure I will change over just yet to a new company, but this experiment has shown me there are more then a few things I need to call my current insurance agent up about and get squared away on Monday morning. Finding out that several companies offer discounts and free “services” that I either do not get or pay more for, should help me save money in the long run. I now have the information and data available from http://www.bestcarinsurancequotess.com/ to help me leverage getting a better rate from my current provider.

If I can not get a better rate, then I also have the information ready to start a new policy with one of these new companies. I maybe be able to leverage the information I have on all of them to get them fighting for my business as well. Make sure the next time you are thinking about changing up policies, you give http://www.bestcarinsurancequotess.com/ a try.

How To Get Bad Credit College Loans

17. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Loans

If you’re going back to school and have faced some financial hardship, you might be wondering how you will ever be approved for loans. Or maybe you’re on the other end of the spectrum—you’re so new to this whole “life” thing that you don’t have any credit at all. Here’s a little secret: You can still get some great loans and be on the way to your dream education.

One of the keys is by applying for federal student loans. Federal student loans come from the government and are based on need. By completing your FAFSA form on time, you will be in the running for some great loans. Generally, the earliest date to submit a FAFSA form is January 1st, and the latest date for submission is June 1st. After applying, you should receive what’s called an “awards package” from your college. To officially receive your loans, your only requirement is to send in an acceptance letter and they are all yours! You will never be asked for any sort of credit check, and the history of your credit will never be taken into account.

But let’s say the federal loans just aren’t enough. You’re close, but no cigar. You can look into applying for private loans. Be aware that these types of loans are based on credit. Therefore, you must have an appropriate credit score and proper credentials in order to qualify. If you choose to still apply with low credit, do not be surprised when lenders turn you down—because obviously, they do not want to take the risk. You can also take some time away and try to improve your credit. Not only will this held you receive your school loans, but it will also help you in other financial situations.

If you are in dire need of a private loan, you can try to find a co-signer who is creditworthy and shows the proper credentials. It may be your mom, it may be your dad, or it might even be your spouse. If you need a last minute means of making your tuition payment, this may be the way to go.

There used to be a time when banks and credit markets were willing to finance students’ education, even with poor credit. Unfortunately, with our economic standing, those days no longer exist. To summarize, if this is your situation, federal student loans are your safest bet for getting that loan. To be honest, trying to get a private loan may be a waste of your time if you have bad credit—unless you can find that golden co-signer.

Why a student should take out student loans

04. March 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Loans

College is the last part in life before a child loses all innocence. It is the last time that a person can say that they are in school, the last time that a person can say they are still learning, the last time that the world will forgive you. After college, reality sets in very fast and you quickly realize your status in the world compared to everybody else. This is why a motivated student should do whatever it is that can get them through college because those 3, 4, 5, or 6 years will truly be the last time one can live “care free”.

Yes student loans are bad, yes student loans are surpassing credit card debt as the biggest debt problem in America, and yes many people pay are still making payments way after college is over. So with all of this being known, why should any reasonable, knowledgeable human being willingly thrust themselves into this unappealing mix? It is because the college experience is like no other experience out there. College brings together an unfathomable mix of culture, education, opportunity, and life itself. There aren’t many things in this world capable of changing a person, yet college is definitely one of them. This isn’t to say that people can’t be changed by other means, or that it is necessary to attend college in America to be successful, but if a student wants to experience college, they should do everything into their power to do so; even if it includes going in to debt.

Going into debt seems to be as regular as riding a bicycle in America and that is not how it should be. However, amassing debt through the college experience does not have to be as scary as its reputation. Every collegiate institution in America has a financial aid department, and several opportunities for a student to apply and at least dampen the blow. Also, opportunities such as federal aid, grants, and lottery scholarships should be taken advantage of by all qualifying parties. On top of all of these options, a student should also look to pay for school while enrolled in school whenever they can. Even if they are just paying $500 or $1,000 a semester, that could be saving double or triple that in the long run.

A student loan is a double edged sword, but it is a sword that the student controls. It can be used for good and provide opportunity to those who wouldn’t usually have it, or it can turn into a financial straight jacket and negatively impact the rest of a student’s life. Either way, one should take a look at the pros and cons to taking out loans before doing so.

Bad Credit College Loans With CitiBank

25. February 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Loans

Having bad credit can be limiting—it can make it hard to get a car, it can make it hard to get a job, and get can make it hard to get back to school. On the other hand, you might be like most students—just turned 18, and on the edge of college glory. In other words: You have no credit. This can be especially scary if your parents have had credit issues. Don’t fret, though, because great private lenders like CitiBank are here to help.

Before you look into any private loans—CitiBank included—look into federal loans first. These can be a great way to get non-credit-based loans to stipend some of your costs. After that, private loans should still be researched. Private loans come from a number of different sources—credit unions, banks, and other lenders. These methods are credit-based, so if your credit score is not up to par, make sure that you have worthy co-signer on hand to help you out.

“What is a credit score,” you might ask? In simple terms, it is a three-digit number (ranging from 300 to 850). This number is a glimpse into your credit life, and can tell your lenders if you are worthy or not. In slang, you might hear it referred to as your “FICO,” “NextGen,” or “Beacon” score. In most cases, having a credit score under the number 600 makes you a “high risk case,” and chances are you will be turned away. However, you still might be approved—but beware that your interest rates might be a lot higher.

Keep in mind that having a co-signer is actually a GOOD thing. Even though they might be “signing” for the loan, having their signature on the documents can actually build good credit for you in return. Just make sure you make your payments on time! Otherwise, you’ll be facing more problems then one.

When selecting a co-signer, there are a few things to consider. Don’t just pick someone because they are rich. Choose someone you trust—and who trusts you—because co-signing on your could effect them if they decide to apply for another loan for themselves. They need also need to be able to trust that you would consistently make good payments. Because if you don’t pay up, the lenders will call your co-signer for collection and it can also affect their own personal credit score.

In other words, when it comes to loans and co-signers—do your homework before signing the dotted line.

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