How to Invest in Gold?

Posted on May 17, 2012 by admin

Gold is a popular avenue of investment and is generally bought as hedge against inflation and economic crisis. It has a cult following in India where it is considered to be a symbol of Goddess Lakshmi and an epitome of wealth and prosperity. Although gold prices have gone through the roof in recent years, Indians continue to be major buyers of gold across the world.

You can invest in gold in many ways. It can be bought in the form of jewellery, coins or bars or through ETFs. The purpose of your purchase determines the form of holding.

Jewellery: Jewellery is the traditional and most popular way to own gold in India. However, it is a comparatively expensive way to invest in gold due to incidental charges or costs associated with it. Jewellery has making charges which adds around 5% of the cost. Also, you need buy a locker or pay rent for bank locker to keep gold in physical form. This further adds to the cost of buying jewellery. It is better to jewellery if you intend to wear it. But if you intend to use it for investment, it defeats the purpose due to high costs associated with it. Also ensure that you buy KDM or hallmark gold jewellery to ensure purity.

Gold coins & bars: Coins and bars are also a popular way to invest in gold. You can buy them from any jeweller, banks or even from post office. Although, it is a convenient way, it is not a prudent one. Coins and bars come at a premium from the gold rate prevailing in the market which is more than 10%. Also, in many cases, it is difficult to sell them and is generally sold at a discount.

Gold ETF: Gold ETF is emerging as the most convenient and cost-effective way to invest in bullion. It tracks the price of gold and is traded on stock exchange. Here 1 unit of ETF is equivalent to 1 gram of gold. Also, you do not have to worry about storage and purity issues.

To know the current gold rate and gold prices in India, visit www.angelcommodities.com

Car Loan After Bankruptcy

Posted on May 16, 2012 by admin

A car loan after bankruptcy can be one of two things. It can be a great experience as part of a plan to help you rebuild your credit and get you back to a better financial standing, or it can be a giant problem and a way into more high interest debt. Even if you’re in a situation where you’re desperate for a vehicle, you can still try and make your experience become the first one.

Bankruptcy is supposed to be a new start. Sadly for many people after things are finalized they are left not knowing what to do next, and still in a nasty financial situation.

Before you start looking to get a car loan after bankruptcy I recommend building up your credit a bit if possible. There are two types of credit you’re going to want to have, installment and revolving. Installment payments are for things like loans, where as revolving is for things like credit cards.

Obviously in your situation getting a traditional unsecured credit card can be difficult. You do have the option, however, to get a secured credit card. You can usually find these at your current bank or credit union. You deposit a few hundred dollars into a savings account which will be used as security to secure your credit limit on your new card. After approximately a year you will be able to apply for an unsecured card. Make sure that the company you work with reports to the three major credit bureaus about your on time monthly payments so that you build positive credit history.

It is recommended that you wait six months to get a car loan after bankruptcy, not just to build up your credit a bit, but because most lenders won’t work with you before then, and the ones who will, will offer you an even higher interest rate than you’d be offered if you wait a while.

Even after six months to a year you will still be offered very high rates. This is because you are seen as a risky customer. You can try to offset this risk by offering your home, another vehicle, or high priced collectibles as collateral and you will have an easier time both finding a lender and getting a better interest rate. You can also make things easier by finding a cosigner if collateral isn’t an option for you, but you should be aware that if you fail to make your payments this person will be held responsible.

These high rates are generally considered worth the cost, not just because you need a vehicle, but because by paying these rates now and making your payments on time every month you build up a positive credit history and will be offered better rates in the future and generally have an easier time of things financially.

By being responsible and in control of your finances a car loan after bankruptcy can be part of a plan to get yourself back on track.

Bank of Baroda: 23-25 Pct Home Loan Growth

Posted on May 13, 2012 by admin

Public-sector lender, Bank of Baroda has seen its home loan portfolio growing by 23-25 per cent during April-November, and expects the growth to pick up further in the next quarter, a BB official said.

“From April to November, 2009, the growth (in home loans) has been a healthy 23-25 per cent. We expect this momentum to continue in the coming quarter as well,” the official said.

The bank, however, did not have any immediate plans to follow its competitors to offer home loans at 8 per cent but may look at the possibility in future after assessing the market conditions, the official said.
“As of now, we are not looking at launching any such schemes, as the growth (in home loans) has been quite healthy even without any such strategies. May be, we will look at it later,” the official said.

Bank of Baroda currently offers home loans at a rate ranging from 8.5 per cent to 10.5 per cent, based upon the loan amount and tenure of the advance.

A host of lenders, including the country’s largest lender, State Bank of India and its nearest competitor ICICI Bank had announced similar home loan schemes to woo the spiring home buyers.
As on September, Bank of Baroda’s total retail loan book stood at around Rs 21,000-crore, out of which home loans contributed around 45 per cent, the official said.

The lender has also maintained a healthy asset quality on its home loan portfolio, the official said.
Its gross non-performing assets from the home loan segment presently stands at around 2 per cent.
SBI was the first to come with the dual rate home loan scheme early this year, which was followed by other leading players like ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra, Axis and leading housing loan financer, HDFC.

Public-sector lender, Bank of India also have plans to offer fixed rate of 8 per cent for two years for new home loans upto Rs 30-lakh from the new year.

Available Products :-

Bank of Baroda Personal Loan
Bank of Baroda Home Loan

Home Health Care Accounting Is Challenging

Posted on May 11, 2012 by admin

Home Health Care Accounting Is challenging, not because it’s different from other accounting practices, because of the level of detail your financial statements must have in order to properly file your Home Health Care Agency Medicare Cost Reports. Our Home Health Care Accountants specialize in the field of home health care accounting, Medicare Cost Reports and other regulatory requirements.

The narrower aim of home health care accounting and our Home Health Care Accountants is to assemble and structure information on the health care system that is needed to hold the providers of health care formally accountable for the cost and the quality of the products and services they deliver. Our Home Health Care Accountants seek to measure the financial outcome of the myriad decisions made in a business during a quarter or full year.

The fundamental statement is the company’s statement of financial position. It presents dollar estimates of the real, financial and intangible assets to which the company has legal title, all of the debt it owes and the difference between total assets and total debt, which is the company’s net worth, also called owners’ equity.

Our Home Health Care Accountants understand the reporting requirements of a Home Health Care Agency via the Medicare Cost Reports. A typical business can group all its sub-contractors into a single line item on its financial statements. Home health care accounting is much different. You must track and break out the individual disciplines of the sub-contractors on your financials (i.e. PT, OT, ST, HHA etc). If these are grouped together, preparing your Medicare Cost Report will be a nightmare. Furthermore, the corporate tax returns must match the Medicare Cost Reports. Which means that if you’re chart of accounts is not sufficiently detailed the preparation of both your Medicare Cost Reports and corporate tax returns will be impossible.

A rejection of your Medicare Cost Report by Palmetto GBA could mean your payments from Medicare will be suspended.

Our Home Health Care Accountants specialize in home health care accounting. Please call us for a free initial consultation and assessment of your accounting records to ensure a smooth year end and subsequent filing of your tax returns and Medicare Cost Reports.

Online Accounting Services And How Small Businesses Benefit From Them

Posted on May 8, 2012 by admin

If you manage a small business then you probably find it hard to perform bookkeeping. Online accounting services the best solution into easier bookkeeping. This is an online system that allows you to take control of all your accounts online. It is provided by accounting outsourcing firms and it gives you much time to handle other aspects of your business rather than bookkeeping, which often takes many hours. It is a convenient way to handle your management tasks without wasting a lot of time.

Online accounting services are efficient in helping you store all your accounting information on a web based system. With the allowance to access it more frequently and from anywhere it is very convenient. Besides, these services will help you cut down on the extra payment you make to a book keeper who physically comes into your premises. As long as you have an internet connection, you can always access your books.

One benefit with the online accounting services is that they avail a system where the client will have very little data to enter. Mostly the clients will use the QuickBooks software, which is simple to learn and use. Some outsourcing companies will even provide training software to their clients and they help them ease their bookkeeping tasks. The online accounting firms will help their clients ease the making of a business activity statement and handle the payroll.

Using the online accounting services will not only help you save some hours, which were previously directed to bookkeeping but you can also be assured of competence. Your records will be handled by an experienced professional eliminating any worries of making mistakes when you take the task yourself. You should remember that the professionals have the bookkeeping task as their profession and do not feel oppressed by it.

There is dire need to outsource simple tasks that do not matter much to the business such as cleaning, bookkeeping and marketing so that you are able to focus on the core matters. The online accounting services will be of great aid to you if you are planning to outsource the bookkeeping task. They will give you ample time to concentrate on other factors such as customer service and products, which are more important to the success of your business.

It is mandatory for all businesses to keep records of their transactions so that it is easy to track the movement of funds. Traditionally, the business owner would usually employ accountants whose profession is based on keeping accurate records. However, with invent of the internet it is now possible to have bookkeeping online through the online accounting services. One of the greatest benefits you will reap as a business owner is the reduced cost at which you get the service.

The Online Accounting Services also include financial analysis. Your business can keep abreast with details of its marketing efforts by having this service. It is useful where you want to lay out new strategies since it points out to your faults. Your accounting records can be presented in graphs and tables allowing you to easily see what needs to be done to make your business more efficient.

Car Insurance Calculator

Posted on May 5, 2012 by admin

Online car insurance calculator is devised by insurance companies to help people calculate the amount they may have to pay on a regular basis when they buy an insurance policy. The car insurance calculator service is offered by several insurance websites such as carinsurance.com.

You can use a car insurance calculator to:

Search for a most cost-effective auto insurance policy
Find out the change in your premium amount when you shift to a higher-end car
Work out the best way to tailor your car insurance to match your income

Working of a Car Insurance Calculator

A car insurance calculator (ref: http://www.economywatch.com/insurance/auto/car-insurance-calculator.html ) uses personal information to calculate a rough estimate of what an insurance policy might cost to an individual. A calculator needs the following details to calculate the premium:

Place of residence: An individual living in a metro city is more prone to road accidents. Thus, s/he will be charged a higher premium than those who are living in a small town.

Age and Gender: Insurance companies believe that a person becomes more cautious in his driving as he ages. Thus, people aged above a certain limit may be offered discounts. Similarly, companies offer discounts to women drivers as they are perceived to be more cautious drivers than their male counterparts.

Driving record of an insurance seeker: An insurance company also determines the risk factor of an individual from his past driving history. Insurance companies charges higher premiums from individuals with a previous record of accidents and breaking traffic rules. In extreme cases, the companies can also refuse to accept the application of the insurance seeker.

Make and model of the car: These details help insurance companies determine the current market value of the car to be insured. The lower the market value of a car, the lower will be the premium charged.

A car insurance calculator may also prompt you to input miscellaneous information such as the frequency of the drive to calculate the premium.

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Monthly Archives: May 2012