Posts Tagged ‘Basics’

Finance Basics 6 – Present Value Examples In Excel – How Much Something Is Worth Today.


Visit http://www.TeachExcel.com for more, including Excel Consulting, Macros, and Tutorials.

This Excel Video Tutorial goes through 3 Present Value problems and shows you how to solve them using t…

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Adam Bold – Back To Basics: Rebuilding Your Personal Wealth


June 17th, 2009. Mutual Funds and Why They are Still the Best Investment
- Adam Bold in the Polsky Theatre at JCCC. This is part of the Polsky Personal Enrichment Series. Close Captioned

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Reverse Mortgages Basics

If you are looking to find out more about reverse mortgages then you should be able to discover some answers to at least some of your questions. An annuity reverse mortgages is a home loan product that is specifically addressed to homeowners that are over 62 years old and in order to qualify you will need to own at least 75 percent interest in your home. The way it works is very simple and it implies that you get a home equity loan that is based on the current market value of your home and the amount that you still owe on the property. Although you receive the cash when you make the reverse mortgages there are some programs that allow you to spend them however you find fit while some programs have strict rules when it comes to the usage of the money.

One of the best features of reverse mortgages is that you do not have to pay monthly mortgage rates but if you decide to sell your home or pass away then the loan will need to be repaired by the proceeds from the sale or from your estate. Keep in mind that not every mortgage lender that offers home loans will also offer a reverse mortgages program. The best approach to find reverse mortgage deals is to talk to mortgage brokers or to non-profit organizations such as HUD. If you find the persons that deal with these types of loans you will be able to find out more information about how the loans work and they will be able to direct you to lenders that offer reverse mortgage.

For more resources regarding loans for senior or even about reverse mortgage and especially about reverse mortgage costs please review these pages.

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Basics About Annuities

Do you want to make investments for your old age? Are you feeling confused? Are you looking for better investments plans for future?  Is your retirement worrying you? Stop worrying and consider the following tips on how to start your investments:

*    An annuity is an agreement between you and an insurance company.

*    Annuities are kind of retirement plans that have two phases: aggregate and annuitization.

*    An aggregate phase gives money to an insurance firm and it earns a certain amount of interest.

*    Whereas, an annuitization phase helps you withdraw regular payments till you die.

*    Annuities have death benefits but are completely different from insurance policies.

*    If you die before you annuitize, your beneficiary will be paid the current value of your annuity.

*    On the other hand, if you die when your investments were poor; then your beneficiary would receive only that amount which you paid in.

*    The moment you start getting monthly benefits, you are not liable to have death benefits.

*    The money in annuities is not taxable until you receive payments for your annuity.

*    When you get payments, your profits will be taxed at ordinary income tax.

*    Additionally, they are income for life.

Types of Annuities

They can be classified into the following types:

*    Fixed annuity: It provides a series of regular payments for the specified term.

*    Variable annuity: It provides regular periodic payments and may vary depending on underlying investments performance.

*    Immediate annuity: Provides payments immediately after investment in annuity.

*    Deferred annuity: It allows an accumulation period for your investment to grow.

*    Periodic payment: It may be fixed or variable.

*    Life annuity: It provides regular payments for the life.

*    Life with cash payment: It provides regular payments for the life of the annuitant.

*    Life with term certain: It provides regular payments for the life of the annuitant.

*    Joint and survivor provisions: It provides income for the life of the annuitant and the spouse.

*    Fixed period: It provides payments for a specified time periods.

The Tax Advantage

Apart from this, the contributions that are made to annuities can not be considered as tax deductibles. There is 10% penalty, if an investor withdraws the money before 59 ½. Additionally, with fixed annuity, you earn a guaranteed fixed interest rate for a specific period. With such an annuity, your insurance company is on the investment risks. Well, if you choose to buy an annuity, you must go for one that can cover overall financial plan for you. No doubt, an annuity is complex, thus you must seek professional advice to get the most suitable deal at hand. Helping you to invest in the best possible way, these annuities must be opted for with thorough knowledge and understanding. This is because, as they have complex nature, so it becomes necessary to weigh their pros and cons as you are going to make a life time decision. All you need is to check what you want from them and go for them now.

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Eh – Financial Planning: Annuities : Annuity Marketing Basics


Licensed financial advisers can answer annuity questions and clarify misunderstandings. Discover the basics of annuity marketing with information from a registered financial consultant in this free…

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Annuity Basics

Annuities can be very good things for some of us and a disaster for those of us who have not been made aware of the pitfalls and traps that in turn can easily befall them.Since most people have or are going to look into annuities as a retirement or and an investment vehicle, make sure it fits into today’s needs and parameters. It has to be right for the times we are in and it needs to be periodically revaluated for tomorrow’s world.

Precautions to be taken when buying annuities:

  1. One should not Buy Annuities With Long Surrender Periods:

People are talked into buying an annuity that locks up their money for an excessive period of time with a surrender period that is longer than another comparable annuity with similar interest rates.

  1. Do not fall for First Year Bonus Interest Rates:

    Some annuity companies offer you a ‘bonus’ or ‘bonus interest rate’ on your first year deposit into an annuity.

  2. Understand exclusion rations and the value of a partial 1035 exchange.

  • This is a rather complicated subject because there are enormous variables in determining how to properly structure your annuity contract from day one so as to maximize the taxable exclusion ratios when and if you decide to take an annuitization income from your annuities in the future.

    1. Do not use small companies with questionable financial ratings

    An annuity by definition is a contract guaranteed by an insurance company. Annuity consumers sometimes forget this and buy and annuity without factoring the claims paying ability of the insuring company. This does not only apply to the questions of solvency or bankruptcy but to the more subtle effect it might have ones contract. If an annuity company has financial trouble it most likely will not go bankrupt (even though it is a possibility) because of the various government regulatory groups that monitor annuity companies. But what can happen is the annuity company will lower the rates at which it credits interest to your account in order to make up its losses in other areas of its business.

    1. Know the guaranteed cover per person per insurance company

    One needs to know if an insurance company goes broke what is the guaranteed cover per person per insurance company is available .One should not invest more than that in the fixed or guaranteed annuities and the variable annuities are not covered. Because if they broke then one may get stuck or spread the amount between different insurance companies.

    1. Consider the shortest penalty free surrender date The next thing you have to consider is getting the shortest possible penalty free surrender date term as possible so long as the interest rate is better than any CD.

         Lastly and most importantly get the best professional help, one who will always tell you "like it is" even if its sometimes hard to listen too and even harder sometimes to act upon.
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