Monthly Archives: August 2008

Secured Line of Credit – The Benefits

A secured line of credit is similar to a credit card, where you get a certain credit limit to make purchases. However, you have to purchase within a specified credit limit only.

Secured credit line is one of the most convenient forms of working capital designed for all businesses. It is very much essential, especially for cash flow management, since it offers access to a credit line that you can make use of whenever required.

It also offers you business security and readily available resources. Inevitably, sales fluctuate, especially for a newly introduced business. Hence, it is vital for you have to support your planning, so that you can avoid your business falling under the category of a bankrupted firm.

Benefits:

Secured line of credit greatly helps businesspeople to buy equipment, finance special tasks, retain stable business operations or deal with other financial needs that may pop up later. Unlike a standard loan, you can use secured credit loan without reapplying for additional funds each time, since this is a constant source of funds used more akin to credit cards.

A secured credit card will be helpful, especially to cover variations in cash flow, since businesspeople may use the available funds to maintain networking capital until their stock sells and dues are collected.

In contradiction of unsecured personal credit line, this is more beneficial, as it normally allows you to access more sum of amount at an affordable rate of interest. Credit limit for secured credit line is 10 times higher than other line of credits, since businesspeople vow collateral against the finance that they get. The common vowed collateral is the firm’s current working assets.

Often, lenders do not easily approve for an unsecured personal credit line, since they are quite riskier, so it is better to opt for secured credit line. In addition, it comes without much barrier. Small businesses, which do not have a business history or record of accomplishment, even prefer the flexibility and higher credit limits that secured personal line of credit offers.

Businesspeople, who are considering secured credit line, ought to shop around to come across a best lender offering this personal credit line to borrowers at a lower interest rate. Be sure to evaluate every offer that you come across, since terms and conditions vary widely from one lender to another. For instance, some lenders ask you to pay back the line of credit within a year, while others may provide more than one-year.

Things to Consider:

At times, interest rate on secured credit line varies greatly, so you have to be smart enough to evaluate them along with the provisions of your overall contract. It comes with some charges such as prepayment and processing fees, but you can negotiate with your lender in this regard.

For many businesspeople, a secured personal credit line with interest-only disbursements and convenient terms may be a helpful means to uphold an optimistic cash flow, and at the same time meet the requirements of an emerging business.

About the Author:
Rebuild your credit and find more of Tom’s work at http://www.findsecuredcards.com

Keyword tags: secured cards, bad credit , secured credit cards

Forex Trading Basics – Learn The Basics And Boost Your Profits

You don’t have to be a Forex trading genius to successfully trade Forex. Learning the basics can start you on your way to profitable Forex trading.

Forex trading has been a common practice used by traders on Wall Street and around the world to supplement their income or ear a full-time income. With increasing global trade there is an increased desire to learn Forex trading not just on Wall Street but on streets from Dallal street in Mumbai,India to Rua XV de Novembro, in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Foreign trade generates capital flow due to trade in goods, services, commodities and investments.

Much of the demand in Forex is also from speculative trading. Various factors such as weather, national and international and economic policies affect the trade imbalances. Speculators monitoring these policy changes and weather conditions predict the price of foreign currency in the future and engage in speculative trading. It has been estimated that nearly $3 trillion or more is exchanged in all currencies on any given trading day the per transaction amount can be as high as $10 million. Larger deals are also frequently done. The path to learning and leveraging Forex trading techniques has a well defined beginning but is long and continuous process.

Fundamentals

Forex trading usually can be done as a spot or forward delivery. On an average actual currencies are exchanged in two business days for spot trading. In contrast, forward transactions involve a delivery date in the future, sometimes from a month to a year in the future or more. Since forward transactions involve dealing with contracts in the future typically banks provide protection on the value of the projected flows of foreign currency by preventing exchange rate instability.

One of the important distinguishing features between regular stock or commodity trading and Forex trading is that monetary markets do not have a physical location. NASDAQ which is a premier national stock exchange in the US operates without a trading floor or a physical location. All trades on the NASDAQ are carried out “virtually”, electronically using computer networks. Much like the NASDAQ, foreign exchange transactions are not executed across trading floors. Forex trading is carried out through computer networks and over the phone across countries by Forex traders.

The major players in the Forex market are typically global conglomerates that need foreign currency for their international trade and investment deals. Companies like Temasek Holdings, Dubai Investment Group, KOHLBERG KRAVIS ROBERTS & CO etc., international banks and brokers are some examples of the major participants in Forex markets.

Conclusion

Finally, in conclusion one must realize that the foreign exchange market is not just influenced by actual economic factors but the foreign exchange markets unpredictability can in turn affect the same economic variables.

Even minor fluctuations in the currency value of a country can have deep effects on the nation’s commerce and general financial health. A drop in the currency value puts a considerable stress on a nation’s domestic inflation as imports cost more which in turn increases the manufacturing cost of goods produced locally. Weaker exchange rates mean purchasing foreign currency is more expensive.

A stronger currency means imports are cheaper and so the domestic inflation rate is lower. Stronger currency rates mean purchasing foreign currency in exchange for local currency is cheap. Becoming knowledgeable of a currencies fundamentals can help both fundamental and technical traders to profit.

About the Author:
Effective Forex Trading is your guide to profiting in the Forex market using leading edge Forex trading systems, technical analysis, swing trading strategies and more! Trade Forex with confidence with our free Forex newsletter. Get your free copy now by visiting http://www.effectiveforextrading.com

Keyword tags: learn forex trading, forex trading signal, forex trading basics

Money Laundering

Money laundering was intended to catch large scale drug dealers, operators of crime syndicates and persons associated with these enterprises. Conveniently for the authorities it also has relevance to the area of tax crime including identity theft. Fraud or tax evasion has never had the reach the authorities want. Under the Crimes Act 1914 fraud was punishable for up to 20 years but under the Commonwealth Criminal Code 1995 it was dropped to 10 years as in the case of the deception offences.

Money laundering offences will catch promoters, professionals/intermediaries and participants. Its full force and effect is not only a maximum penalty of up to 25 years but the aggregation of money sums for independent dealings making it easier to reach the statutory thresholds eg. five transactions i.e. five dealings of $100,000 each means that as the aggregate amount involved exceeds $100,000 then it is much easier to reach the 20 year maximum for offences under $1.5M. In other words it is both the number of and amount of dealings involved which is used to such a devastating and telling effect as they go to the gravity of the offence.

Money laundering offences have been around since 1/1/2003. They have strengthened the arsenal available to the authorities to stem tax evasion and the use of tax havens. Although this area of the law is still developing it is obvious that the courts record large scale money laundering as a serious criminal activity which warrants severe punishment to reinforce general deterrence of a very significant degree. After all the courts need to send a message about what constitutes a significant degree of criminality and the Commonwealth Code 1995 underscores this.

The money laundering offences are broad and designed to catch a wide range of behaviours including fraud and a tax evasion. Herein lies the threat for Operation Wickenby participants as we have seen over the last four years. It has concentrated on offshore tax avoidance leading to some very highly publicised arrests in the area of tax fraud and money laundering. In essence money laundering is committed by a person if they:

Deal with money or other property which is a proceed or an instrument of crime; and are in a state of awareness that it is a proceed or instrument of crime.

Dealing with money includes concealing or disposing of money or receipt of money without the need to prove a banking transaction or engaging in a banking transaction. Under proceeds of crime which is an element of the offence property includes money or funds mixed with legitimate money or funds as well as the result of a sale or an exchange of money. Interestingly, it does not have to be proved that the money is the proceeds or instrument of crime. The courts are far more interested in what the offender did rather than proving the source of funds. They both look to:

– the amount of money involved;
– the number of transactions involved in committing the offence; and
– the period over which the transactions occurred.

Although the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing Act 2006 contains criminal sanctions it is the Commonwealth Criminal Code 1995 which criminalises money laundering and imposes the harshest criminal penalties. Fault is part of the package the consequences of which vary depending on whether it is intentional, reckless or negligent. Where the scheme or arrangement is a sham or mere contrivance this poses the greatest threat to the taxpayers as it is considered intentional since it lacks an underlying tax rationale and therefore attracts the heaviest penalties.

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions may prosecute for a range of charges and/or for proceeds of crime and/or money laundering. Obviously it makes more sense to go for the lot as this really carries the message about general deterrence and a significant degree of criminality. That said, money and property can be forfeited where there is no conviction for money laundering. Clients often think that where they are facing this situation evidence of prior good character will assist them to avoid prosecution for these offences. This couldn’t be further from the truth as its relevance only becomes important during the final stages of proceedings when properly introduced

Should you be tax non-compliant and involved in any overseas tax minimisation schemes contact Frank Egan of LAC Lawyers for assistance as he has been retained by clients the subject of Operation Wickenby. As a leader in his field he has advised and represented a number of high profile taxpayers as well as those at great risk. Most tax advisers do not understand that there is a new paradigm operating in this space and unless advisers are currently engaged in the full spectrum of this work including the criminal consequences flowing from it they lack the necessary skills and experience to effectively represent clients. If you are at risk whether or not you are or may be a person of interest to the authorities then contact Frank Egan immediately. To delay is to adopt a position pregnant with risk.

About the Author:
Frank Egan is the Chief Executive Officer of LAC Lawyers in Australia http://www.lactaxlawyers.com.au and has over 27 years of experience as a solicitor and specialises in complex business taxation matters & personal tax cases.

Keyword tags: Business Records Substantiation

An Employee Failing to Provide Notice of Resignation – Leiminer\s Case

Griffith University v Leiminer [2008]FMCA 1045 (28 July 2008)

In Late July 2008 the Federal Magistrate’s Court for the first time ever fined an employee for failing to provide notice of resignation, although the magistrate questioned the employer’s actions in bringing the matter to Court.

Griffith University had sued lecturer Michelle Leiminer for breaching Section 719(1) of the Workplace Relations Act by her having given seven weeks and one day’s notice- less than the six months required under the collective agreement with the university. In addition to financial loss the university argued it had suffered non-pecuniary loss including damage to reputation, disruption of other staff, disadvantage to students, and loss of profile from contributions which Leiminer was expected to have made to journals.

While finding Leiminer had deliberately breached the collective agreement the Court found that her conduct was based on erroneous advice from the union, was not malicious and was mitigated by her efforts in making transitional arrangements. She had also attempted a compromise with the university and offered a $500 settlement.

The Federal Magistrate rejected the submissions of the university that it was necessary to enforce the minimum standards of the Act (particularly under Section 3(f) on the basis that the breach must be viewed in context and was one more appropriately dealt with under a claim for damages stating “…the employee breached the bargain but beyond that it can’t be said that the breach has had broader ramifications.”

The Court added: “The concept of penalties applying to breaches of industrial instruments is more appropriately directed to those breaches that have a broader economic impact. “

The magistrate also rejected the university’s submissions on the need for deterrence, saying that the case did not involve an element of morality extending beyond the two parties in the case.

The university had argued that it had lost $22,700.00 in extra teaching costs but the Court found that was offset by the $38,000 including superannuation and $1,800 in incurred entitlements it would have had to pay to Leiminer had she worked out the full notice period. So far from incurring financial loss the university had actually saved money.

The case although not earth shattering in terms of its actual result, through of penalty and legal costs adds a potential argument to dissuade employees from terminating their employment contracts short of the requisite notice period.

– Employment Law & Unfair Dismissal-

Employment Law and Unfair Dismissal needs to be looked at from two points of view. The first – employers and the second – employees. Issues such as remuneration, termination payment, employment policies and human resources management impact everybody in the employment sphere. It is important, whether you are employer or employee, that you make the right decisions throughout your employment whether it be at interview, in contract negotiations to managing performance or termination. In order to achieve the right balance in an employment context it is important that your adviser not only understands employment law but has the necessary skills to cover these issues which are important to you whether they be commercial, industrial or individual.

About the Author:
Robert is a legal practitioner of many years experience. He was formerly a barrister. He has practiced in many areas of the law including employment law & unfair dismissal & appeared as an advocate in most jurisdictions in NSW as well as the Federal and High Courts. http://www.laclawyers.com.au

Keyword tags: Business Records Substantiation

Credit Cards For Teens – Believe it Or Not, Finding Cards For Teens is Not That Difficult Nowadays

Getting credit cards for teens really isn’t difficult nowadays. There are many companies that offer credit cards to teens, so finding one that will do so is not difficult.

It used to be that you waited until college or even after to get out a credit card, but that trend is evaporating quickly. In fact, 33 percent of high school seniors now use credit cards actively, and of these, 50 percent are actually under their name.

Of course, as you might think, seventy five percent of college students have credit cards now, and this number is rising all the time.

You might expect me at this point to start preaching on the importance of waiting for using credit cards, but actually these trends are beneficial for the simple fact that the earlier you start using credit cards, the faster you build up your credit.

This is very important when it comes time to get out a loan or mortgage, as you will be able to get a low interest rate due to your credit history. If you wait until after college, you have to start from scratch as far as building up your credit.

All too often, people get out of college without any credit built up, and therefore if they want to buy a home or take out a car loan or something that involves finances, it can take several years to build up enough credit for the financing companies to get them a relatively low rate. This problem could be alleviated by simply using a credit card throughout college.

As you might expect, I’m not going to offer a whole tutorial on finding a company that offers credit cards for teens, because so many do so it would be pointless. Just look for the company that offers the best long term interest rate (key word being long term) and go with them. Don’t be lured in by the companies that offer the extremely low initial rates, because usually these go up dramatically in a matter of months.

If you are a teen and do plan on using a credit cad for the first time, here is some important info to help you manage it effectively. First of all, budget. Make sure you know how much money you have to your name, and don’t spend beyond that for a given month.

Make sure you know what you have coming in and going out, so you can decide accordingly how much you will spend. Most teens (and many adults, for that matter) don’t take the time to plan before they spend, and come the end of the month, they have more money to pay off than they can afford.

If you are planning to make a larger purchase in the near future, be sure to use your credit card with it (assuming you can ay it off, of course) as this will help you build up your credit very quickly. Hopefully these credit card for tens tips will help you find the right one very quickly, and use it wisely to build up your credit.

About the Author:
Ever ask yourself, where can I get credit cards for teens? Check out http://www.internetcreditinfo.com. This is a popular online finance site that teaches you exactly where to find credit cards guaranteed, how to improve your credit, eliminate debt, and achieve financial freedom.

Keyword tags: credit cards guaranteed

Bankruptcy Attorneys Los Angeles – How To Find The Best Attorneys Los Angeles Has To Offer

Are you looking for bankruptcy attorneys in Los Angeles? Many people today are in the unfortunate situation of having to file for bankruptcy, and bankruptcy attorneys can certainly help alleviate that situation as much as possible by getting the best possible deal for you in court.

Of course, if you’ve been looking into attorneys for any length of time, you’ve probably heard some horror stories from people who’ve gone through the bankruptcy process and gotten an incompetent lawyer who really didn’t help them much in the court room.

Yes, it’s true there are some lawyers who just won’t cut it, and this makes finding the best one very essential. Without finding the right lawyer, you will not achieve the best possible court deal you otherwise could, and as a result, this could be the difference between being debt free, or struggling to pay off your bills for years to come.

Here are some tips to help you find the top attorneys to get you out of bankruptcy and back towards financial independence.

First of all, a bankruptcy attorney in Los Angeles (or anywhere else for that matter) is primarily responsible for helping the client either file for bankruptcy or merely get protection for it. They take care of all the paperwork so that you don’t have to worry about this, as they know all the details you should pay attention to.

Its’ very important to get an attorney for this process, because without one, you could easily miss a very important step that could potentially save you a lot of time and money.

In addition, another job of bankruptcy attorneys in Los Angeles is to enable their clients to use their current assets to pay off their bills and debts, and also reorganize them. Virtually whatever direction you want to go in, an attorney can help you with this process.

The bottom line is, bankruptcy is a very complex process, and without hiring a bankruptcy attorney in Los Angeles or anywhere else, you simply will not get a good deal in court, making this a necessary investment.

Of course, they will know important loopholes and insider information you will not as part of the industry, and therefore enable you to get back on the road to financial recovery as quickly as possible.

The bankruptcy lawyer will certainly know all about the bankruptcy code. Keep in mind, when it comes to bankruptcy, the two main kinds are chapter 7, when in essence is paying off your debts via selling your current assets, or simply reorganizing your debts via the chapter nine, eleven, twelve, or thirteen bankruptcy options.

Before the court date, you definitely need to set up an appointment with your lawyer and thoroughly explain your situation, which will enable them to help you figure out exactly which bills need to be paid and how (what assets to sell, which to keep, etc) and of course, the kind of bankruptcy you may file.

Now that you know what the lawyers main jobs are, you need to know where to find the best-no easy proposition. here are some tips to help you find the best bankruptcy attorneys that Los Angeles has to offer immediately.

About the Author:
To learn more on finding the best bankruptcy attorneys in Los Angeles, check out http://www.onlinebankruptcytips.com. This is a popular bankruptcy site that teaches you how to get out of bankruptcy and achieve financial freedom starting today, and for businesses, how to extract the most money from y

Keyword tags: bankruptcy list