Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca BLOG

Identity Theft Watch out - Posted May 29, 2009 by Monty Loree

Identity Theft! Watch out!

Do take a few minutes to read this article as you may be one of the victims of identity theft. Identity theft is a condition where someone erroneously uses your personal information to get loan, steal money, transfer credit, open new accounts etc., in your name. You may not know about it until maybe you plan to get a loan or buy a new house. Or worse, when you are asked to pay back a loan that someone else has taken in your name. Though you cannot completely make sure that no one uses your personal information falsely, you could be a little more cautious by regularly going through your credit reports.

In case you have already been affected by identity theft then there are a few steps that you should follow as soon as possible. With evidence, report the matter firstly to the three major credit reporting agencies - Equifax, TransUnion and Experian, then, to the police and the Federal trade commission. Finally in case of fraud report it to the concerning credit card company. It is extremely mandatory for you to report the problem immediately after you notice it. Any delay might work against you.

In case of Social Security number (SSN) misuse, though the Social Security Administration (SSA) does not usually assist in identification of theft victims, do contact the SSA on time, to report Social Security benefit fraud, employment fraud, or welfare fraud.

Once you are done with reporting, keep track of your credit reports. Try to make it regular. Make use of the law which helps to obtain free credit reports at the end of every 12 months. In case of any suspicious dealings, immediately call or mail the concerned creditor or bank and let them know about it. If you are lucky enough you may be able to trace the thief or in the least, resolve your problem. Once your identity theft dispute with a company has been resolved, get the company’s closure, on the disputed accounts, in black and white. This will come in handy in case the problems relating to this account resurfaces.

As the good old saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”. It is very important to make your Social Security number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information, more personal. Once the identity thief catches hold of any of these details then you are sure to confront a tough battle against all the mess that he would make. So the next time you dispose your bills which has personal or financial information or fill up your personal information in unknown websites, think twice. It might as well be someone who is trying to steal information about you and use it to drain your financial savings and destroy your reputation.

Be exceptionally watchful over the internet. This is the medium where you can easily spill over personal information. If you feel that a particular website is not authorized, then make sure you do not enter any personal information in it. And do not open spam messages. You can help others from falling victim to this kind of fraud by spreading awareness among your family and friends.

Comments (8)

CMA Blog Home

More From Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca

Discuss Mutual Funds

Other posts about Canadian Prepaid Legal

More articles from May, 2009

More articles from 2009

Getting a Loan from Banks - Posted May 29, 2009 by Monty Loree

Getting a Loan from Banks

Before you think of getting a loan from banks, make sure that you are well prepared. Do small researches on all the things that you need to know before you apply for a bank loan. Consider the kind of loan you will be requiring – long term or for a particular period, the total amount you will need, how you are planning to use the money and mainly how you will be paying it back in time. And most importantly, think of all the short comings that you may face during the loan period. For example, if you are planning to start a business, you need to have a clear plan of how you would execute it. Your plan will decide if you are worthy enough for the loan. The bank is flooded with thousands of proposals to get loans each day. Only if your plan is crisp and well sketched will the bank consider it. Once that is accepted and you are able to convince the bank with your business strategy then you have crossed half the well.

Though banks are more comfortable and opt for financing the up and running business which shows promise, it also risks in lending a loan to start a new venture. Basically, all they want to know is if they can rely on you. If they are sure of your trustworthiness, then you can be sure of getting the loan from them. Your credit history speaks a lot about you. If you have been paying your due in time, it will help the bank to know more about your sincerity.

Apart from your character, the bank also bets on things that you own. This is known as security or assets. Before the bank sanctions the loan, you are asked to submit details regarding the security you own. The security includes –

• Government bonds
  
• Shares, land, building that you own,
  
• Fixed deposits
  
• Machineries – both movable and immovable
  
• Vehicles

Showing proof of any of these above assets will ensure that you are granted a loan. Even if in some unfortunate circumstance you are unable to pay the loan, then the bank can cease your security. “Sureties” (any well known reliable account holder) can be your referral. A fine bond with the bank will make things smoother for you. Maintaining this connection during the loan period will help in easing out any misunderstandings that might occur later.

There are different types of loan offered by the bank. Few of them are – industry loan, vehicle loan, personal loan, commercial loan, housing loan, educational loan, etc. Though each bank differs in their own set of rules or terms in offering loans, a good credit report increases your chances. Opt for banks that offer flexible repayment terms. Look into all the terms and conditions of the bank before you apply for the loan.

The main advantage of acquiring loan from the bank when compared to other means is that it is easier to get. Though initially your credibility is under scrutiny, once they are sure of you, you won’t be having any problems.

Comments (3)

CMA Blog Home

More From Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca

Discuss The Banks

Other posts about Canadian Creditors

More articles from May, 2009

More articles from 2009

what are credit tips - Posted May 19, 2009 by Monty Loree

What are credit tips?
Purchasing an Toronto-area home may be a far different experience than it was just a couple years ago. If you purchased a home in Toronto - or virtually any other part of the country, for that matter - during the height of the housing and {{{credit}}} boom, you will likely have breezed right through the loan application process. As a result of government-encouraged incentives, {{{lenders}}} developed a myriad of loan programs to put homeowners into homes - some of which they simply could not have afforded otherwise. We are all more than aware of the result of these loan programs and the havoc it wreaked on our nation. As a result, banks have switched gears entirely; in fact, the good majority of individuals in the United States can no longer breeze through a loan application for a mortgage. Changes in the Lending Industry that may Affect you when Purchasing a Home:

Traditional loan programs rule. If you are looking for one of the trendy loan programs of years past, you may be out of luck. No-doc loans, subprime {{{loans}}} and interest-only loans are now, for the most part, a thing of the past, and have been replaced with more traditional loan programs. What does this mean for you? Traditional loans generally consist of 15 to 30-year loans with a hefty down payment (about 20 percent). These loans also require documentation regarding your debts, your income and your credit. ~ Competitive Loan Rates are now the Name of the Game. Those looking to purchase or refinance will likely experience excellent, competitive interest rates, provided they have the credit to back it up. Interest rates are now at near-historic lows, so this is certainly a prime opportunity for those with excellent credit.

Down payments are required - so start saving now! Many of the alternative loan programs required very little - if any - down payment monies, but that went away as quickly as the easy credit. Expect to have at least 20 percent down of the purchase price of a home, maybe more, depending on the lender's requirements. You can raise your FICO score by paying off credit card debt, by always making the payments on your monthly bills (in time and in full), and by keeping your debt-to-income ratio at a reasonable level. Don't forget that many things come into play regarding your FICO score. Even your utility bills can come back to haunt you if you've failed to pay them on time. Realtors represents buyers and sellers of real estate in Toronto, Ontario including homes for sale in Bowmanville. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tina_W_Fountain

Comments (0)

CMA Blog Home

More From Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca

Discuss The Banks

Other posts about Canadian Creditors

More articles from May, 2009

More articles from 2009

what is credit repair - Posted May 10, 2009 by Monty Loree

Credit repair in Canada is a recently new term term that has been around for the since the late 1990's.

Credit repair has to do with your Equifax credit report, and your TransUnion credit report. By law, everything on your credit report needs to be accurate, complete and verifiable. Many times what happens is that there are data entry errors, or reporting errors on an individuals credit report that are not reporting the true status of a person's credit history. Items that are reported on a credit report can be your personal contact information, credit information, public information inquiries and more.

You need to ensure that your credit information is perfectly correct, accurate and verifiable. The ensures that you have complete control over what is being reported about you to current and future creditors.

Items that could be wrong on your credit report � Identity Theft items could occur on the credit report. � Name Misspelled � Employers misspelled � Address information recorded incorrectly � Credit card or bank loan Information reported incorrectly & Duplicate items listed & Payment history errors & Collection agency Items reported illegally or incorrectly & Delinquent accounts reported incorrectly. & Unverified credit inquiries & Unverified credit or collection items

There are approximately 45 different types of information on a credit report. And because of the methods they are entered in to you credit report, there could be errors. If you suspect that there are errors, inaccuracies or unverifiable items on your credit report, then you need to start the credit repair process.

The credit repair process is as follows: Identify the credit report line item that needs to be fixed. Write a letter to the company that originated the information. This could be the collection agency, creditor, court, etc. As them to fix the error and re report the item to the credit bureau. Write a letter to the credit reporting agency asking them to investigate the item and then fix it as necessary. Wait for the responses and then repeat the process if necessary.

If required you can complain to your provincial Consumer Protection Agency to have them enforce your credit dispute if you're not getting the appropriate action from the credit bureau and the originator of the credit listing.

The main point of the credit repair process is to ensure that your current, and future creditors are getting 100% accurate information about you and your credit history. It is very important to make sure that they make accurate credit decisions for you.

Comments (14)

CMA Blog Home

More From Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca

Discuss Canadian Credit Repair

Other posts about Canadian Credit Repair

More articles from May, 2009

More articles from 2009

for sale 1998 plymouth voyager mini van white pics - Posted May 03, 2009 by Monty Loree

UPDATE: VAN IS SOLD

FOR SALE: 1998 Plymouth Voyager Mini Van:
White - PICS

What a shameless way to sell our mini van... I thought I would post it on the blog. :)

AS OF: May 3, 2009

1998 Plymouth Voyager Mini Van FOR SALE

ASKING PRICE: $2,500


Front Passenger Side View


Rear Driver Side View


Rear Passenger Side View

This van is really good condition. We've owned the van since 2001.

Details:
New tires - 1 year old
Air conditioning
Power locks
power windows
power rear (fin) windows
3.3L - 6 cylinder engine
150,000 KMs ( low kilometers)

Located in REGINA, SK

REASON FOR SELLING: We purchased a new car and no longer need this vehicle.


MORE INFORMATION:
The thing I like about the Plymouth Voyager, is that it's a common vehicle. There aren't a shortage of parts available. This is a well built vehicle by Chrysler. It's made for the family. It has extra outlets from which we plugged in a TV , cooler etc on our trips out west to Calgary, AB.

This has served us well as a family vehicle for the last several years.

For Sale
1998 Plymouth Voyager Mini Van for Sale
Low Kilometers, - 150,000KM
Family Vehicle

Comments (8)

CMA Blog Home

More From Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca

Discuss General Discussion

Other posts about Canadian Increasing Revenue

More articles from May, 2009

More articles from 2009

Active Trading? - What is Active Trading? - Posted May 30, 2006 by Monty Loree

ACTIVE TRADING DISCUSSED

As I've been learning about Active Trading, I'm also trying to get a grip on the other definitions surrounding this activity. For example, I didn't understand the different between day trading and active trading.

I like these articles I found at investopedia.com. An active trader is looking for the profit potential that he can get out of the market based on temporary trends. In the product we're sell... these are daily trends. The idea is to take profit out of the market each day, or each week.

I love that definition. It puts a great deal of control back into stock trading. The only downside, if you want to call it that, is that you've got to be focussed daily on the markets and know what stock is doing what each day. Thus the meaning of Active Trading. You have to be ACTIVE in trading stocks each day.

DAY TRADING DISCUSSED

According to investopedia.com

An active trader, on the other hand, isn't keen on exposing his or her investments to the effect of short-term losses or missing the opportunity of short-term gains. It's not surprising then, that active traders see an average long-term return not as an insurmountable standard but as a run-of-the-mill expectation. To exceed the standard, or outperform the market, the trader realizes that he or she must look for the profit potential in the market's temporary trends, which means trying to perceive a trend as it begins and predict where it will go in the near future.

Day trading is defined as the buying and selling of a security within a single trading day. This can occur in any marketplace but is most common in the foreign-exchange (forex) market and stock market. Typically, day traders are well educated and well funded. They utilize high amounts of leverage and short-term trading strategies to capitalize on small price movements in highly liquid stocks or currencies. Day traders serve two critical functions in the marketplace - they keep the markets running efficiently via arbitrage and they provide much of the markets' liquidity (especially in the stock market). This article will take an objective look at day trading, who does it and how it is done.

Day trading has more of a feel of foreign exchange (forex) trading and much bigger amounts of money. When they talk about highly leveraged, it's important to trade with a lot of money because the returns are not as great as with stocks.

I was mistakenly using the term day trading for active trading and thought I should clear that up, (for myself anyway).

Thanks to investopedia.com for the articles and definitions.

Comments (0)

CMA Blog Home

More From Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca

Discuss Investing

Other posts about Canadian Investing

More articles from May, 2006

More articles from 2006

RE: Facts Versus Fiction post - Posted May 25, 2006 by Monty Loree

Comments like the following really bother me:

The right to collect the debt ..belongs to the creditor as does there right to hire an agency to do so.

Agencies do not have to have your authorization to report a third party collection. As members of a reporting agency, we have the right to do so. I suggest you become more familiar with the Collection Agencies Act which explicitly states what we can and cannot do.

You've just gotta love it when a brain washed collection agent gets on a forum such as this and starts talking out of his hat. I ask everyone who has now talked to consumer protection about a collection agency pipe up and answer this kind of post.

This makes me furious.

There is NO LAW that says anybody has to deal with a collection agency. Thus, the only way you have to deal with a collection agency is by contractual agreement. collection agent

The same goes for a collection agent giving your personal information to a credit bureau such as Equifax Canada or TransUnion Canada. There are laws saying that collection agencies need your permission to give out your information to any third party.

SEE PIPEDA - Federal Privacy Commission

Companies have to get your permission to collect and report your personal information. If they don't have that permission in writing, you can, and should, complain about them.

This collection agent doesn't really understand the law very well.

There is no law saying that a collection agent must give your personal information to equifax or TransUnion. Thus it must be by written / contractual consent.

Comments (0)

CMA Blog Home

More From Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca

Discuss General Discussion

Other posts about Canadian Personal Finance

More articles from May, 2006

More articles from 2006

Make CASH EACH DAY trading stocks? - Sounds weird?!! - Posted May 22, 2006 by Monty Loree

MAKE CASH TRADING STOCKS EACH DAY?
As I've been doing a little marketing for this site and stock trading system, I've been using phrases like "MAKE CASH EACH DAY TRADING STOCKS"

GET MORE INFO Online Stock Investing System

I am sure that I'm getting a different reaction from people who are reading these ads. It's not a common idea to MAKE CASH from the stock market. Well, why not?!!

If you're day trading stocks , your whole purpose is to make a profit. Buy the stock and sell the stock and make a profit that day. If you're holding a stock for more than a day, you're investing. If you're buying and selling the stock in the same day, you're hopefully making cash from that stock.

If you could make cash each day trading stocks, would you? If you could make a profit each day trading stocks, would you? I know I would.

So... if you're day trading stocks and you want to make a much higher rate of return on your money, check out our system. We don't leave trading to big guesses and assumptions. We filter out stocks and give you a strategy on how to pick them and evaluate them.

257% PERCENT RATE OF RETURN?
A higher rate of return on your money is what it's all about. The lady who developed the online stock trading system told me that she made a high rate of return, 257% rate of return on her money last year.

Obviously she's pretty good at using her system, but that is what the online stock trading system is capable of doing. It's much better than the 3% you get at the bank these days!!

I would never make a claim as to how much of a rate of return you could make with our stock trading system. That would be wrong. What I can tell you is that if you learn the stocks, learn the stock trading system and be very careful with it, you should do much better than what you're earning with mutual funds, or buy and hold stock trading , or simply with your bank account.

This stock system gives you the tools to analyze all of the stocks in the North American stock exchanges, over 14,500 of them, and then give you the top stocks that will like do will on the given day.

A person can barely analyze 10 stocks in a day let alone 14,500.

If you would like to make a profit, a high rate of return, and make cash each day trading stocks, you definitely need to check out this online stock investing software.

SIGN UP TODAY - Online Stock Investing System

Comments (0)

CMA Blog Home

More From Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca

Discuss Investing

Other posts about Canadian Investing

More articles from May, 2006

More articles from 2006

Unique Stock Trading Software - Earn a living stock trading - Posted May 21, 2006 by Monty Loree

EARN A LIVING STOCK TRADING?
As I study this online stock trading software system and its competitors, I realize that we really have a unique system that we're promoting.

There are people , including the creator of the software who make a living daily from trading stocks. That's how well this stock trading system works.

It's a lifestyle choice though. Instead of being a mechanic, or office worker, or whatever you normally do for a living, you would trade stocks during trading hours. No over time, unless you want to study the stocks even further.

CHECK IT OUT - Stock Trading System

LEVERAGE TIME, KNOWLEDGE AND MONEY
The whole idea behind this type of "business" is that you leverage your time, knowledge of stocks and money. You get all of these working together, to give you powerful results.

You need all of these assets working together at the same time in order to make this system work. These are prerequisites to success. What this means is that you need the money to invest along with the time and knowledge.

This is really where you can make your money work for you. If you've got the money to work with and to leverage, you might as well.
Money is only powerful if it's working for you and making money of it's own. You get the idea if your money is sitting in a bank account making 3%.

I encourage you to have a look at this . This may be exactly what you've been looking for.

Stock Investing System Discussion

Comments (0)

CMA Blog Home

More From Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca

Discuss Investing

Other posts about Canadian Investing

More articles from May, 2006

More articles from 2006

Success with a collection agency!! - Posted May 16, 2006 by Monty Loree

I love hearing these stories with the folks that participate with our discussion forums.

Thanks so much for your help and advice. I contacted the Consumer Protection Branch, and a wonderfully helpful woman advised me that CBCL is past the statue of limitations which is 6 years. So when I got a call from CBCL today and told them what I had found out Desiree was speechless and immediately transferred me to her supervisor. I guess they really hate it when people educate themselves! So I left a message on his machine and told them to not bother trying to contact me again!

Although we don't discourage people paying their bills, we do encourage people to take control when dealing with collection agents.

This person has done just that.. She presented the facts with the CBCL collector who then had to admit they were collecting in error!!

Way to go.. We LOVE these successes.

Comments (1)

CMA Blog Home

More From Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca

Discuss Collection Agencies

Other posts about Canadian Collection Agencies

More articles from May, 2006

More articles from 2006

New Stock Trading System - Launched online - Posted May 16, 2006 by Monty Loree

MAKE CASH WITH STOCKS EACH DAY?
We are starting to talk about a new stock investing system that we are marketing to people in Canada. It's called TraderZone corporation , who's head office is in Edmonton, Alberta.

This stock trading system helps you analyze stocks so that you can make very accurate buying and selling decisions each day.

This stock trading system was built for people who want to trade stocks each day and even make their living trading stocks.

Canadian Money Advisor wants to help people get into control of their money, and this TraderZone stock trading system is another great way to do that.

In these days of turbulent stocks and bond trades it's important to have a system that will help you make money. TraderZone's system helps you as it is all about momentum trading. This software will tell you when a stock's trend is heading higher. Higher stock prices means more cash in your pocket.

Comments (0)

CMA Blog Home

More From Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca

Discuss Investing

Other posts about Canadian Stock Investing

More articles from May, 2006

More articles from 2006

Getting ready to launch... - Posted May 11, 2006 by Monty Loree

We've been working furiously on launching our system to the internet public..
This stock trading system is all about making cash each day trading stocks on the North American stock market.

We'll keep you up to date as we progress.

In the mean time have a look at our page:Make cash Stock Trading

This is pretty exciting.

Comments (0)

CMA Blog Home

More From Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca

Discuss Investing

Other posts about Canadian Investing

More articles from May, 2006

More articles from 2006

Islamic finance terms - glossary - Posted May 03, 2006 by Monty Loree

I thought this was interesting.

Islamic finance terms - glossary

Amanah

Quick definition: trustworthiness, faithfulness and honesty. Amanah is also used to define a situation in which one party is keeping another person?s property in trust. This is the way in which the term is
most commonly applied, especially within the confines of Islam commercial law, and the term has a long history of use. The term is also applied when
referring to goods on consignment, custody or deposit taking.

Arbun

Quick definition: down payment.

This term describes the deposit that the buyer makes to the seller at the same time as making the agreement to complete payment by a set date.

Gharar

Quick definition: uncertainty.

Gharar is a conceptual term that refers to something that is not completely set in stone within a contract. It?s a fundamental disagreement between Islamic and conventional UK law and Islam does not recognise the need for related practices such as speculation, derivatives and short
selling contracts.

Islamic banking / Islamic financial services /

Islamic finance

Quick definition: financial services specifically designed to adhere to Islamic law or Shariah. Although these financial services are designed for Muslims, they are not
exclusively available to Muslims. Non-muslims can also provide and buy the services.

Ijara

Quick definition: Islamic leasing agreement. Because Islam forbids the charging of interest, Muslims get an Ijara which enables the bank to seek profit through the leasing of assets (house, car
etc) rather than by actually lending money. Ijarah wa iqtinah is an extension of the concept which is a hire purchase agreement.

Maysir:

Quick definition: gambling. Maysir is forbidden in Islam and as such the concept fundamentally disagrees with some standard financial practices such as speculation,
insurance and derivative contracts.

Mudarabah

Quick definition: investment partnership. This is the financial partnership between the investor (Rab ul Mal) and another party (Mudarib). The contract will set out how profits will be
shared, and losses are absorbed by the rab ul mal. The mudarib will lose some of the income they were expecting as a result.

Mudarib

Quick definition: investment manager or entrepreneur partaking in a mudarabah. It is the mudarib?s responsibility to ensure that the investor?s money is taken care of and is profitable in its investments. In turn the mudarib gets a share of the profits. The role is very similar to a Discretionary Managed investment portfolio that we recognise from conventional practice in the UK.

Murabaha

Quick definition: purchase and resale. As opposed to lending money, the capital provider purchases the required asset or product (for which a loan would otherwise have been taken out)
from a third party. The asset is then resold at a higher price to the capital user. By paying this higher price by instalments, the capital user
effectively gets credit without paying interest. (Also see tawarruq the opposite of murabaha.)

Musharaka

Quick definition: profit and loss sharing. This is considered to be the purest form of Islamic financing, because profits and shared in pre-arranged proportions and losses are shared in
proportion to the investment made by each investor. Each partner within the Musharakah contributes capital and can make executive decisions
however they are under no obligation to. It?s basically very similar to a partnership which involves owning voting stock in a limited company.

Riba

Quick definition: interest. This is forbidden by the Quran and it forbids any return of money on money, whatever type of interest it may be.

Shariah

Quick definition: Islamic law This refers to the law set down in the Quran and performed by example by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Any product purporting to be Shariah must adhere to Islamic law in all respects and to ensure this, a company will usually appoint a Shariah board which will overlook the development and implementation of all Shariah products to ensure they comply.

Shariah adviser

Quick definition: person who advises on Islamic financial law. A Shariah adviser is generally a Islamic legal scholar who has been classically trained and has the expertise and knowledge to ensure products comply with Shariah. Some work individually to advise companies but most are employed as part of a Shariah board to ensure full compliance.

Shariah compliant

Quick definition: observing Islamic law The Shariah board ensures that products are Shariah compliant, a term that is also covered by the word ?Islamic?. Many financial products use the term
?Shariah compliant? as a prefix so customers can be totally sure that the product has followed the law to the letter.

Sukuk

Quick definition: a conventional bond
In conventional terms they are not quite the same as a bond is asset backed and the term ?sukuk? describes the proportionate beneficial
ownership in the asset itself. The company leases the asset to the client so they can take the profits arising from the sukuk.

Takaful

Quick definition: Islamic insurance Because the concept of insurance relates to uncertainty, which could then be related to interest and gambling, Takaful takes a different approach.
The arrangement can be summed up as a charitable collection of funds based on the idea of mutual assistance.

Tawarruq

Quick definition: the Islamic way of obtaining cash When as Islamic customer requires cash, they can use this arrangement to obtain it. It involves buying something on deferred credit and selling the item on to get cash. As a result, cash has been obtained without taking out a loan and paying interest. See murabahah for the opposite - a way to get credit.

Comments (1)

CMA Blog Home

More From Canadian-Money-Advisor.ca

Discuss General Discussion

Other posts about Canadian Personal Finance

More articles from May, 2006

More articles from 2006