Showing posts with label Cards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cards. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Frank Yan of Sacramento on Is There an Increase Chance of Death?







After Frank’s workout, Frank was listening to a program on a Sacramento radio station from his comfort of his home in Sacramento, Ca. The speaker mentioned that there was a highly increased chance of death if you are overweight, diabetic, or smoke. Wow!! Frank thought the chance of death was 100%. What is the chance of death with any of the above said? It can’t be MORE than 100%, can it?


Someone must not proofread their material. Frank Yan believes that what they meant was that the chance for an earlier than normal death was increased by any or all of the aforementioned factors. It’s a small distinction that Frank knows, BUT, in the world we live in today where people are supposed to be getting smarter and smarter…… Right?


It just shows you that you cannot rely on spell check every time to catch everything. Everybody seems to want to rely in this world of technology and applications for everything. What is next? We have cashiers that cannot make change and these high school graduates that can do calculus and physics, but can’t balance their own checkbook or credit card statements. We have people that can’t read a map, what happens when your GPS fails? Do you immediately go buy another or drive around Sacramento until you stumble across your destination?


We see major newspapers that contain more errors than Frank was ever allowed in a high school report. Nobody seems to fact check, but then this isn’t a real major newspaper. Frank has seen roads with directional signs that seem to be intended to confuse out of area travelers. Try being from out of the area and driving around in another country without getting in a wreck. People from out of the area need road signs placed well before a turn in one standard location (so they can be found), not on wires across the road, then on a pole on the right corner, then on a post on the left side of the street, etc.


Frank Yan wants to know who really thinks there is an increased chance of death. Frank also likes to know why these types of errors that are occurring. Is it that we are ALL way too busy to verify things? Perhaps there is just too much knowledge that we think we know? Why don’t we just concentrate on teaching students things in school that everybody will use in their normal everday lives? Not everybody, in reality only a small percentage, will EVER need calculus and physics, but everyone should be able to spot errors such as, spelling errors, road signs that make no sense, common, increased chance of death, etc. Everyone should be able to balance a checking or credit card account and
count money without a calculator.



Saturday, January 25, 2014

Frank Yan of Sacramento on Spending Less Than You Earn







Frank Yan mentions that one of the most important factors of life and principle to becoming wealthy is to spend less money than you earn. This may sound easy, but in practice it can be very hard to do. Frank Yan has experienced this article and will explain what to look at and the challenges to spending less than you earn and offers some tips to overcome these.


First Frank Yan wants to look at those who may spend more money than they earn. It stands to reason that if someone is spending more money than what they earn, they are either being given the money or are borrowing it, such as credit. In this day and age of worldwide economic growth and prosperity it has never been easier than before to borrow money. Temptation to borrow is everywhere, whether it is for a new TV, a new car or a new house. In Sacramento personal debt levels are at record highs. With foreclosures at an all-time high, delinquent State deficit, and the average Joe shopping for a high priced vehicle at the Sacramento Auto Malls. Frank Yan has read that the US Federal Reserve has calculated that more than 45% of US families spend more than they earn. Not good…


The problem with our personal debts is that it can become a bad trap. Bad debt for example and how you can be trapped by this bad debt can be seen with probably its most and popular common form – Credit Cards. Ideally, people should ensure to pay off their balance in full by the end of the interest free period to avoid paying these high interest rates set on these credit cards. It’s quite common and sad that people use their entire credit limit and make only the minimum payment required as a lower payment is an attractive number so people can assume to live a more comfortable life without any financial stress. This minimum payment is the worst and is usually just enough to cover the interest charges only. Combined with a high interest rate this makes credit cards a very expensive form of borrowing.


There are also people who spend equals to what that they earn. If someone is spending everything they earn, it is obvious they are not saving anything or investing any of their earnings. This bad habit will make it very hard, if not impossible, for them to become wealthy in the future. It also means that they will more than likely need to borrow more money in the down the road to fund larger purchases. And so… The debt financial trap begins…


Develop Your Financial Discipline and Intelligence

Let’s return to Frank’s earlier example of credit card disaster. First question would be do you really need one? The emergency of Mastercard/ Visa debit cards and including Paypal has eliminated some of the benefits that credit cards traditional have Example: The ability to make purchases over the internet or telephone. If you do decide you still want a card, you will often be tempted with a higher credit limit, higher than you would have expected. Remove the temptation. By reducing the limit to one where you wouldn’t be scared if the card reaches its full limit. As mentioned earlier, ensure you pay off your balance in full each month to avoid paying these high interest percentages and building up a large amount of debt.


Reduce Your Spending Consumption

First step here is to identify and to eliminate conspicuous consumption. What Frank means is the buying of things you don’t need or want. Second thought is, distinguish your wants from needs. As you begin to identify things as wants, you will reassess whether or not you really want to spend your money on that purchase. Last thing is, set some short to long term financial goals. Use motivation to control your immediate consumption of spending. Example, which you want to go for a well-deserved away from Sacramento vacation across seas in your short term goal. You will find it far much easier to resist purchasing that new item you saw if you can associate this with the goal of an overseas get a way.


Bringing These Two Solutions Together

The best way to bring these two solutions together is financial discipline and controlled consumption. Start to budget and live by it. A budget is simply a plan that allocates your future income towards expenses, savings and debt repayment.


If you don’t like the idea of creating a budget, a simpler way to ensure you spend less money than you earn is to Pay Yourself First. Set up an automatic system to Pay Yourself First. Avoid paying for purchases via your credit you can relax knowing that you are spending less money than you earn.


If you are struggling with debt and/ or excessive consumption of spending, be clear that spending less money than you earn will involve some short term sacrifices and lifestyle changes. These changes will be way more positive as you begin to take control of your finances sensibly and putting yourself on the road to wealth.



Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Frank Yan of Sacramento on Spending Less Than You Earn







Frank mentions that one of the most important factors of life and principle to becoming wealthy is to spend less money than you earn. This may sound easy, but in practice it can be very hard to do. Frank Yan has experienced this article and will explain what to look at and the challenges to spending less than you earn and offers some tips to overcome these.


First Frank wants to look at those who may spend more money than they earn. It stands to reason that if someone is spending more money than what they earn, they are either being given the money or are borrowing it, such as credit. In this day and age of worldwide economic growth and prosperity it has never been easier than before to borrow money. Temptation to borrow is everywhere, whether it is for a new TV, a new car or a new house. In Sacramento personal debt levels are at record highs. With foreclosures at an all-time high, delinquent State deficit, and the average Joe shopping for a high priced vehicle at the Sacramento Auto Malls. Frank Yan has read that the US Federal

Reserve has calculated that more than 45% of US families spend more than they earn. Not good…


The problem with our personal debts is that it can become a bad trap. Bad debt for example and how you can be trapped by this bad debt can be seen with probably its most and popular common form – Credit Cards. Ideally, people should ensure to pay off their balance in full by the end of the interest free period to avoid paying these high interest rates set on these credit cards. It’s quite common and sad that people use their entire credit limit and make only the minimum payment required as a lower payment is an attractive number so people can assume to live a more comfortable life without any financial stress. This minimum payment is the worst and is usually just enough to cover the interest charges only. Combined with a high interest rate this makes credit cards a very expensive form of borrowing.


There are also people who spend equals to what that they earn. If someone is spending everything they earn, it is obvious they are not saving anything or investing any of their earnings. This bad habit will make it very hard, if not impossible, for them to become wealthy in the future. It also means that they will more than likely need to borrow more money in the down the road to fund larger purchases. And so… The debt financial trap begins…


Develop Your Financial Discipline and Intelligence


Let’s return to Frank’s earlier example of credit card disaster. First question would be do you really need one? The emergency of Mastercard/ Visa debit cards and including Paypal has eliminated some of the benefits that credit cards traditional have Example: The ability to make purchases over the internet or telephone. If you do decide you still want a card, you will often be tempted with a higher credit limit, higher than you would have expected. Remove the temptation. By reducing the limit to one where you wouldn’t be scared if the card reaches its full limit. As mentioned earlier, ensure you pay off your balance in full each month to avoid paying these high interest percentages and building up a large amount of debt.


Reduce Your Spending Consumption


First step here is to identify and to eliminate conspicuous consumption. What Frank means is the buying of things you don’t need or want. Second thought is, distinguish your wants from needs. As you begin to identify things as wants, you will reassess whether or not you really want to spend your money on that purchase. Last thing is, set some short to long term financial goals. Use motivation to control your immediate consumption of spending. Example, which you want to go for a well-deserved away from Sacramento vacation across seas in your short term goal. You will find it far much easier to resist purchasing that new item you saw if you can associate this with the goal of an overseas get a way.


Bringing These Two Solutions Together


The best way to bring these two solutions together is financial discipline and controlled consumption. Start to budget and live by it. A budget is simply a plan that allocates your future income towards expenses, savings and debt repayment.


If you don’t like the idea of creating a budget, a simpler way to ensure you spend less money than you earn is to Pay Yourself First. Set up an automatic system to Pay Yourself First. Avoid paying for purchases via your credit you can relax knowing that you are spending less money than you earn.


If you are struggling with debt and/ or excessive consumption of spending, be clear that spending less money than you earn will involve some short term sacrifices and lifestyle changes. These changes will be way more positive as you begin to take control of your finances sensibly and putting yourself on the road to wealth.



Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Frank Yan of Sacramento on Who Stole My Identity







Seriously, that’s the question Frank Yan is asking today. During Frank’s application for a mortgage home loan, Frank received a copy of his credit report and discovered that in 2005, someone used my name and identity to rack up just over $2K in debt that Frank was not responsible for. So Frank began to investigate who possibly used his identity and phoned the Sacramento police department, filed fraud reports, and tried to figure out how to get things resolved. Apparently it took Frank a very long time, which isn’t what he wanted to hear.


When Frank first discovered this fraud took place, Frank was highly so upset. Someone out there has a lot of personal information about him and can use that to gain credit in his name.


Frank had more phone calls to make during that time to clear his name for the debt that was incurred by someone else. He needed to go downtown to the Sacramento police station with everything that proves who Frank Yan was.

As this mess whirled around him, Frank really wanted to just felt going to find the person that stole his identity. Frank didn’t blow all this all out of proportion. It could have been a lot worse for him. And fortunately he found out it did happen, otherwise he might have not known for a very long time.


Make sure you keep your identity safe. Frank thought he was being careful, shredding all his important financial information, forwarding mail when he moved, etc. The Sacramento police figured that someone stole Frank’s social number off a credit application or something as there was no document that was actually stolen from him. Today, Frank has protected his credit as he had experienced identity theft once. It’s important that we all monitor our credit on a 6 months basis, as our credit scores are our life line to securing credit lines for real estate mortgage loans, car loans, education loans, and even applying for a mobile phone. By protecting your credit, this will prevent any fraud if someone trys to use it.