Negative Inflation

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Inflation – Deflation 

Inflation is a term which tends to reduce the real value of money over time and deflation increases the real value of money, the currency of a regional or national economy, enabling an individual to purchase more products with the same amount of money overtime. In other words deflation is a situation when the price level decreases and the inflation rate tends to get negative.

Economist are of the opinion that deflation could be a problem in a modern economy since it increases the real value of debt and affects recessions, leading to a deflationary spiral. All episodes of deflations do not correspond with phases of poor economic growth. During the 19th century, deflation took place periodically in the U.S. and this deflation was the result of technological progress creating significant economic growth while at other times was due to financial crises particularly the Panic of 1837 that caused deflation during1844 as well as the Panic of 1873 triggering the Long Depression which lasted till 1879.

These periods of deflation were prior to the establishment of the U.S. Federal Reserve System and the active management of monetary issues. Deflation episodes were rare and brief with the development of Federal Reserve while American economic progress has been unprecedented

Negative Inflation 

Negative inflation is said to be an economic phenomenon wherein the economy tends to move out of an inflationary phase and enters into a phase where there is less money in circulation. Negative inflation tends to occur when the prices fall due to the supply of goods which is higher than the demand for those products.

It is often due to reduction in money, consumer or credit spending and could be the result of a combination of various factors which may include, having excess money in circulation that may decrease the value of money which in turn would reduce prices, with more products manufactured than the demand for the same.

 This could lead to businesses decreasing their prices in order to urge consumers to purchase those products and not having sufficient money in circulation causes those with money to hold on to it instead of spending it and decreased demand for goods decreases spending.

Though it would seem that lower prices are good, deflation could ripple through the economy for instance when it creates high level of unemployment, turning into a bad situation and this type of a recession could turn into a worse situation like a depression.

Leads to Unemployment => Decrease in Spending => Less Demand

Deflation could lead to unemployment since the companies tend to make less money and react on cutting costs to survive which may include in closing of the stores, plants and warehouses and laying-off their workers.

This results in the worker having to decrease on their spending leading to less demand with more deflation causing a deflation spiral which may be difficult to break. Deflation tends to work without affecting the rest of the economy when businesses are capable of cutting the costs of production for the purpose of lowering prices like in the case of technology, since the cost of technology products has reduced over the years though it was due to the cost of producing technology that had decreased and not due to decreased demand.

How to Save Hundreds of Dollars with Tax Credits

Awareness of Tax Credit

Being unaware of tax credit is like losing on a pay check and sad to say, several individuals are not aware of it. Each dollar of credit is equal to a dollar in tax savings, for instance in a federal income tax bracket of 28% and getting a buck’s worth of additional write-off could save one with 28 cents. Individuals tend to miss out on tax credits mainly due to the fact that they seem to be in a hurry when the dreaded tax filing deadline is near. Credits tend to fall through these cracks since they panic resulting in making complicated calculation or filling out additional forms. Setting aside more time on your return could help you to net several hundred dollars or could be more. For example –

Foreign Tax Credit - If a person has worked in a foreign country or would be having substantial income outside U.S, they must be well aware about the foreign tax credit which is intended to save you from being taxed by the two different countries on the same income. If the person tends to invest in some international mutual funds they could collect credit due to the fact that it is likely you paid foreign taxes the previous year – knowingly or not. A closer look at the statement on the fund summary of the previous year will provide you with some calculations in order to know the exact amount of foreign taxes which should show up on Forms 1099-DIV and 1099-INT. Presuming that the foreign taxes are from these sources totalling to or less than $300, one can claim the credit on Form 1040, Line 48 and have around $600 of foreign taxes and continue to follow the easy procedure if filed jointly. In other cases, one could file Form 1116 to claim your credit, though it could be a bit nasty.

Dependent Care Credit - When a person is paid to take care of an under-age child of 13 while the parents are out at work, one could be eligible for the dependent care credit where the credit percentage could range from 20% to 35% based on qualifying expenses and depending on adjusted gross income – AGI. Maximum credit possible for a child could range from $600 to $1,050 and for two or more the range would be $1,200 to $2,100. One should also be eligible if expenses were incurred in taking care of any other dependent that could be physically or mentally incapable of taking care of themselves, a disabled person. For high income taxpayers, the credits have not been phased out though lower dollar limits mentioned could be applicable. Form 2441 – Child and Dependent Care Expenses could be filled and credits claimed on Form 1040, Line 49 on furnishing the name as well as the Social Security number of the care provider failing which the IRS would disallow the credit with recomputed tax and would either reduce the claimed refund or sent a bill for the difference.

Moreover the Form 2441 also informs the IRS if one owes the Nanny Tax if they have an in-home care provider. One needs to be careful in taking credit if they have also contributed to a pre-tax dependent care flexible spending account – FSA the previous year through their employer. The pre-tax FSA is usually a process since it could reduce the taxable salary cutting federal as well as state income taxes together with Social Security and Medicare taxes as well. The tax saving rate could exceed the 20% effective tax savings rate which could apply to several people claiming the dependent care credit.

Elderly/disabled Credit – is applicable to individuals who have reached the age of 65 at the end of a particular year or one who has retired on permanent and total disability. Strict income limits are applicable and the credit is not available to most of them. Credits could be claimed on Form 1040, Line 54.

Adoption Credit - is when an underage of 18 years in adopted, you could qualify for a 2014 tax credit up to $13,190 for the adoption expenses and if married, a joint return to qualify could be filed. Phase-out rule, for 2014 could cause the credit to vaporize between AGI of $197,880 and $237,880. On qualifying for the same, credit could be claimed by furnishing details on Form 8839 – Qualified Adoption Expenses, with one’s 1040 with the credit amount on Line 54.

Credit for Overpaid Social Security Taxes – is where there has been more than one employer in 2014 and the earnings have crossed over $117,000 with combined salary, one has withheld too much Social Security tax. Recovery of the excess can be done by reporting the overpaid amount on Form 1040 Line 72 which is treated as a tax repayment and the effect on the tax bill is that of a credit.

Best Online Company Formation Agent

An online company formation agent by the name of Wisteria Formations in UK is an authorised Companies House presenter for Company registrations. Their online company formation application enables a UK limited company with simple and efficient procedure. The provider offers basic services to incorporate a company instantly at a reasonable cost of £24.99 and can provide support to the business with several optional professional services such as business plan, tax advice, company secretary, accountancy and business advice, registered office and mail forwarding and VAT registration/PAYE registration.

With a dedicated support team on board they have the capabilities of reaching out to their customers with regards to completion of company incorporation, which is equipped by Wisteria Chartered Accountants who beside the completion of company formation also provide services which may be needed thereafter like accountancy or tax issues. The company does not offer a package service and should the customer need extra products or services, all they need to do is to opt for the extra products and services that are required on top of the basic company formation service.

Provision of Video Guidance 

Range of some of the extra products and services for the online application procedure comprises of official copies of the incorporation certificate, memorandum and articles of association, company register and share certificates, Company secretarial service, registered office service, VAT registration, tailor-made business plan, registration as an employer, free business planning meeting with Wisteria Chartered Accountants and assistance in opening a business bank account.

 The company is well aware that all company formation agents should adhere with the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and hence strive to complete anti-money laundering checks prior to sending any application to the Companies House. Forming a limited company with the services of Wisteria Formation is easy and reliable wherein one needs to follow the ten step company formation process which eliminates the red tape from the process of incorporating a company.

 Besides this, the company formation service also enables the customer to check if the name is available with the Companies House. The provider has also made provision with a video guided process explaining each step of their ten step methods, in details for a quick and easy process in Company Formation.

NIIT Tech Nets Dip By 9.2% in Third Quarter

NIIT Technologies is one of the mid-tier IT services firm which had recently reported 9.2% decline in its net profit which now stands at Rs. 48.2 crores at the completion its third quarter. Comparing it with the third quarter of the last year, its revenue shows a minimal increase of just 1.4% with at Rs. 595.3 crore while it posted net profit of 53.1 crore last year for same quarter. The third quarter of each year is seen as a least productive and rather weak quarter by financial analysts.

Company Grows By Just 1% on Sequential Basis

On the sequential basis NIIT net profits had registered a growth by 20.02% which a result of improvement in the operating margins, higher incomes and lower depreciation rates during the months of July-September 2014. NIIT Technologies CEO and Joint MD, Arvind Thakur, had stated that NIIT had seen its operating margins improve by 15 basis points sequentially to 14.5% as a result of productivity initiatives in the third quarter. In the constant currency NIIT grew by one percent sequentially during the last quarter.

The company’s had even seen a dent in its operating margins because of the specific engagement in the beginning of the year which even explains the decline in net profit at the year-end. Regarding the overall demand of the NIIT IT services, Thakur had opined that the company had seen a robust growth in the United States but it weakness factor continues in the Euro Zone while excitement factor remains high in India.

NIIT Expand Its Revenue Generation

NIIT has seen healthy growth and expansion of revenues in Asia Pacific (APAC) and India. Most the revenue being generated this quarter is being pointed towards the execution of large orders which were secured by the company earlier this year. Now company’s revenue share had increased to 21 percent in this particular region. Whereas the Americans had contributed by 44% to the revenue while the Europe, Middle East and Africa counted for the 35 of the company’s revenue.

During this quarter NIIT had secured $109 million worth of new orders. Around 55% of new business was secured in the US. NIIT Technologies had even added five new customers during the third quarter out of which two are in US and one each coming from India, APAC and EMEA.

NIIT Supposed To Have Strong and Stable Last Quarter

The decline in the oil prices globally is helping to the cause of the NIIT as travel constitutes the largest chunk of the company’s revenue. The higher other income is accounted by the revaluation of assets and liabilities. NIIT is holding up strong regardless of the current volatility in the currency as due to gains from the dollars but incurring losses from the Euro and GBP.

However NIIT had frozen its hiring procedures and suffered a decline of 229 people in the workforce which is being attributed to the natural attrition rate of 15%. NIIT would begin hiring again from the current quarter in order to boost its workforce.

The Man Who Redefined the Way of Indian Shopping

Within a span of few years Flipkart has become a frequent destination of shopping for millions of Indians. The man behind this giant Indian shopping portal is Sachin Bansal who is an internet entrepreneur. He is the cofounder and CEO of the Flipkart which is redefining the ways of Indian shopping in an innovative and remarkable manner. Sachin had started this online shopping portal along with his business partner Binny Bansal and today they are leading a business which happens to have gross revenue of US$1 Billion.

The Beginning

Sachin had worked with Techspan, an IT firm in Bangalore after the completion of his degree from IIT Delhi in 2005. Later on he moved to Amazon where he met Binny Bansal and at that point of time Amazon was building Amazon Web Services with the aim of powering the start-ups in the United States Of America. He along with his friend took the grave decision of leaving the job and concentrating on building an online venture of their own.

After performing an intense research in the field of shopping habits of Indians and the e-commerce, they undertook the giant step starting Flipkart from scratch with just lakh of initial investment. They took a seemingly greater risk wherein they were about to bring the first online shopping experience for the Indian customers whose shopping behaviour were completely from that of western counterparts. They created custom solution by integrating dynamic strategies to make Flipkart successful in India. Cash on Delivery as a made of payment is an innovation of Flipkart which was soon followed by other online shopping portals.

Flipkart Is A Distinct Entity In Its Own

Sachin had stated that Flipkart shouldn’t be compared with major players like Amazon as both of them work in different spheres as well as the customer behaviour is also distinct. Sachin believes that Indian e-commerce scenario is in learning and adapting phase and probably it is at the similar stage what Chinese ecommerce was nearly eight years ago. Flipkart had started with selling books later forayed in different categories and urgently it is valued at astonishingly 10,000 crore.

One Of A Kind Shopping Experience

Flipkart had earlier given a unique shopping experience to the Indian customers with its ‘Big Billion Day’ sale in October. This day was characterised with whooping discount across the various range of products sold on this shopping portal. Flipkart happened to achieve a jaw-dropping $100 millions in sale within ten hours on this day. Though this event was also marred with server related issues due to large amount of web traffic as well as wrong product listing but Scahin Bansal saw it as an experiment which went successfully at the end of the day.

Currently India’s e-commerce sphere is still growing and interestingly just 10% percent of the population is engaged in online shopping. But with passionate guidance and leadership of the Sachin Bansal is sure to open up some new avenues for the online shopping in coming years. Scahin is all set to take his company to new heights and he is adamant from selling of its company ever.

Professionalism Required In Expert Witness Testimonies

Finding an expert witness testimony for litigation, insurance, investigative or financial institution undertakings is not an easy matter. Although there are many professional expert witnesses available, one cannot simply settle for those who say they are experts. Years of experience, skilled educational background and a proven track record must accompany such expert witness testimony such as those offered through the firm of MRichardsConsulting.com

Experience Counts

Previous services retained by attorneys, private individual clients and even the government are signs of reputable expert witness dependability across all types of platforms--legal, commercial and financial as well.

Educational Background

If an expert witness is a professional, his educational credentials may reflect expertise in particular areas such as in being a witness for the defense--or the plaintiff--in matters of litigation. A thorough knowledge of discovery assistance, regulatory investigative research and a deep understanding of standard banking practices are a must in many cases. Furthermore, a certification and academic degree accreditation in these areas would be advantageous as well.

Proven Track Record

Besides valuable experience and an educational background, a recognized track record by those in specific or related industries is required. Not limited to litigation, such expert witness testimonies have proven themselves stellar in other areas as well. Accordingly, their testimony can stand up under the intense scrutiny of those who might dispute both their testimony and deposition statements.

When expert details are crucial, do not settle for less than the testimony of an expert. Legal matters, commercial, real estate and banking applications all will benefit from the knowledgeable account of those who have carved a recognized sense of professionalism in their testimonies.

3 Tips for Hiring an Eviction Lawyer

Do you have unruly or unwanted tenants? Are you wondering what rights you have under the law to evict someone for non-payment of rent? You'll need a good eviction attorney to handle these kinds of claims, so here are three tips for only hiring the best.

1. Look for Experience

Never hire a green lawyer. Save your money for someone with at least 2-3 years of experience in eviction or property law. Your best bet is a firm with multiple seasoned lawyers; their practices combined will usually give you decades of knowledge and expertise.

2. Prioritize Specialists

Not all eviction lawyers have the same backgrounds. For example, some may spend their time in court fighting off appeals while others have only ever dealt with petitions and affidavits. If you know in advance that you need a court lawyer, make sure you find someone who isn't afraid of a judge.

3. Pick Someone Convenient

If you just need the correct forms for 10 or 30 day notices, some lawyers will allow you to pay for them online with your credit card. Then they'll fax you the documents, and you'll have what you need without a single office visit. Don't be afraid to ask candidates if this is a possibility for you.

These are just three tips for hiring a top-notch eviction lawyer. Click here for more information about finding one in your area. Remember, as a landlord, the law will most often side with you.

World Bank Forecasts India to Become World’s Fastest Growing Economy By 2017

India is on the verge of becoming the fastest growing big economy in the world in 2017. World Bank has released a forecast which shows India edging past the China at an estimated growth rate of 7% in its GDP whereas the rival neighbour China would growth grow at 6.9%. This report was published in the World Bank’s flagship publication called Global Economic Reports. This influential report even warns India that having any possible slackening in the reform momentum would result in slowing down in economy growth and its pace of recovery.

Deceleration in China’s Economy A Boon For Indian Economy

For several years in a row China has projected itself as one of the fastest growing economy but in coming years in expected to slow down to 7.1%. Last year it was growing at a robust pace of 7.4% and it is going decelerate further to 7% and by 2017 it will touch the 6.9% mark. The relative sizes of the two giant economies of Asia shows a wide gap. China’s economy was at $9.2 trillion whereas India’s $1.87 trillion which certainly means that India had a really long way to go. World Bank report has characterised the China’s eventual deceleration as a carefully managed slowdown

India Expected To Touch 7% Growth Rate Earlier Than Expected

The Bangkok based United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific commonly known as ESCAP have published separate report which projects the growth of Indian economy at the pace of 6.4% for the current year. International Investment bank Golsman Sachs shows another turn and expects that India would achieve the projected growth rate of 7% a year in advance and it nudges past China smoothly.

Indian economy would be helped by the steep falling in oil prices and other energy commodities as well as by the low interest rate in developing countries. India should employ this falling oil price window by ushering the fiscal and structural reforms and boosts it long-run growth as well as inclusive development. Both ESCAP and the World Bank have rightly pointed towards cutting fuel subsidies and diverting funds for the financial sustainable development.

Global Growth Rate To Rise

Global growth rate is expected to rise by 0.4% to register 3.0% in 2015 from 2.6 in 2014. Further reports suggest it will rise to 3.3% in 2017. Developing countries is expected show a growth rate of 2.2% this year from 1.8% in 2014 and by 2.3 % in 2017.

ESCAP report states that India is very genuinely identified the infrastructural development as the key element for economy growth but it does face shortage of government resources. ESCAP therefore recommends for giving importance to private sector in infrastructure development as well as collaborating with government. World Bank report states that reforms and regulations by the government in India should aim towards boosting foreign direct investment. Increase in investments would help the nation in achieving the growth rate of 7% by 2016.

Mining Stocks take a Toll Due To Plunge in Copper Prices

The concerns over the slowing global economy complimented with the excess supply saw a major slide in the prices of copper. The shares of coppers miners dipped low in the morning trade and future prices of the copper saw a major upheaval wherein tumbled down to a 5 year low. Wednesday drop is incidentally the sixth consecutive decline the copper prices and currently the copper are trading at $5,560 per ton. The sudden and steep decline in prices is causing a significant pain to major mining companies like FCX, Glencore and others whose stocks has taken a beat down by recording a massive low.

The Major Copper Producers Take A Hit

Freeport McMoRan Inc known as FCX which is the largest copper producer listed on stock exchange saw a massive decline of 9.5%. Freeport shares are now at trading at $19.05 which is its lowest registered price since April 2009. Even the other suppliers of the metals shared the same fate and fell considerably low. Glencore Plc (GLEN) which is the third largest producer saw a drop of 12% in London while the First Quantum Minerals fell by 27% in Toronto.

A Kazakhstan copper producer Kaz Minerals Plc (KAZ) also registered a fall by 23% in London while Vedanta Resources Plc (VED) which a giant producer of copper in Indian and Zambia fell by 20% followed by Antofagasta Plc (ANTO) registered a drop of 13%.

Drop In Copper Prices Raises Concern

Investors are keeping a keen interest in the fate of the copper prices which doesn’t seem to have any silver lining for the moment. This precious metal is characteristically referred as ‘Dr. Copper’ due to wide spread usage in various industries. Copper is the recent entrant in the club of commodities market which had registered a sharp plunge in its rates globally after the fall in the prices of the oil. Just like the oil, copper tend to have deep impact upon the world economy as it is key element for the phone lines, cables and other infrastructures. The world largest copper producers are in order of their production ability are Chile, Chiba, Peru, US and Australia.

The sudden and deliberate fall in copper price is a major concern and it is seen as a domino effect rising due to considerable rout in oil prices. It is now spreading to other commodities which include copper as well. This is also perplexing and points towards the imminent slowdown in global economy which is deeper than thought and certainly it wouldn’t be limited to energy market.

World Bank Shows A Slow Global Economic Forecast

Owing to the steep drop in prices of various commodities the World Bank has cut down its global economic growth forecast to just 3% from the 3.4%. The data of Wednesday even pointed out that the December retail sales had declined much more than expected earlier. The price fall in crude oil had made investors quite uneasy about holding on to the energy stocks and their shedding of those would inevitably lead to more losses in various commodities which includes coppers as well.

Google Declares ‘Inflation’ As the Least Searched Topic

The cost of living is increasing day by day due to the rise in the prices of essential commodities throughout the countries. As per the Google analysis of the search trends the term ‘inflation’ comes out a biggest buzzword from the Indian searches. The term inflation has seen a tremendous search interest in past few years but now this has completely died down with such a decline that it is now being declared as the least searched topic on the search engine this year.

This is credited to the rate cuts in the crude oil prices along with new productive reforms initiated by the government. However bad weather coupled with unexpected rain and dense fog and triggered a sudden rise in the wholesale prices of the vegetables.

Inflation Term Showed A Peak In Search in 2013

The searches for the world ‘inflation’ on the Google’s search engine peaked around mid-August to end-October in 2013. But this very trend shows a mightier dip in interest for the same time period in 2014. The successful general elections followed with a robust and stable government at the centre has ensured that the interest remains ignited around the market price war. The new government has effectively managed to address the issue of ‘inflation’ in a more dignified and forceful manner than earlier government. This is being reflected in the decline of the searches based on the inflation in the past few months.

Uttar Pradesh Generated Most Search Queries For Inflation

On national scale the term inflation was being searched from all the parts of countries alike but an in-depth analysis of the regional interest rate shows a much clearer picture. Uttar Pradesh generates the most number of search queries related to inflation followed by Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh along with Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.

Year based analysis indicates that 2010 was the year which showed highest search interest in ‘inflation’, a slight dip was seen in 2011. People had taken the help of the search engine giant Google’s network to increase their understanding of the inflation and to keep tab on the various developments related to the grave issue of price rise and inflation.

Repo Rate Was Also Searched Frequently

The subsequent rise and fall in the rate inflation in last few years had also affected the bank interest rates to a great extent. Search queries were also generated around the ‘Repo Rate’ which is set by the Reserve Bank Of India in order to counter the inflation. This also shows that how much impact or concern people felt during that particular time interval with the frequent price rises and inflation.

The inflation was at its peak in 2013 and ‘Repo Rate’ related queries showed a peak in the Google search results in month of September.

The drop in the price of crude oil in international market has resulted in the recent roll-backs on the fuel prices. The searches are being continuously made on the repo rate as people are expecting a cut in it before February 2015.

Mobile Payments Spurts Up, Apple Seems to Lost the Plot

People are taking up the mobile payment platforms whole heartedly rather than being extremely concerned in the recent times. An Accenture survey brought out some interesting facts which show that 40 percent of the North American consumers are actively using the Smartphones to make a payment at merchant location. Furthermore the 60 percent consumers who had kept themselves aloof from the mobile payment cited mainly security worries and privacy concerns. But still they show a tendency towards using it once these issues are sorted out.

Payment Technologies Improvement Is Demanded By Consumers

This survey also pointed out that the consumers are embracing the alternative forms of payments as they are quicker and much swifter than the traditional banking methods. Banks are quite sceptic about it and they are paying their keen interest on further developments. The payment technologies are expected to continue to evolve in coming times and the financial intuitions would be required to upgrade their middle and back-office systems in order to supports the customer demands for faster and more real time digital payments. It is the consumers who are driving the changes in the payments and the institutions have to adapt o fulfil their needs.

Apple Pay Promises To Provide Better Services

The Apple made biggest shake up in mobile based payment platform when it announced its feature rich payments system, tentatively titled Apple Pay. This NFC compatible system would allow the users with iPhone 6 and 6 Plus to make payments over 200,000 retail locations in the United States. Apple boasts a number of features which is expected to eliminate the consumers top mobile payments concerns.

Apple Gets a Jolt from MCX

MCX is a consortium of over 70 of the largest retailers in the United States which had came up with their own version of mobile wallet called ‘Current C’. These merchants have a huge clout and they are control in one in five retail dollars spent in the US stores. Furthermore they had also announced that they would be accepting the Apple Pay in their stores.

Consumers Sticks With Major Card Providers

This survey has also pointed out toward the trend of sticking up with the established and trusted credit card companies such as Visa, MasterCard and Amex which stands at 72 percent. Another 70 percent has said that they use PayPal as an alternative. 79 percent mobile users who find discounts and coupons based on their past purchases find it attractive. 29 percent had affirmed that they are willing to be tracked but only by trusted merchants.

Millennials are driving the changes in the mobile payments systems. They come from the age group of 18-34 and they are actively using mobile wallets. Report suggests that 30 percent of them are eager to try out wearables as a payment device, 29 percent of them uses PayPal at least weekly and 13 percent use digital currencies today. Apple Pay has a unique ability to change the consumer behaviour on a larger scale but their efforts would be based on satisfying the millennial first, if they wish to win over other competitors.

How to Find the Best Prepaid Debit Cards

Prepaid debit cards were introduced to provide a medium of quick and handy payment transaction to the consumers. They were relatively fast than the traditional cheques in the business operations. Prepaid debit cards very soon made their in the modern banking solutions mainstream than expected.

Statics projects that almost more than $200 billion dollars are loaded on it in each fiscal year. These cards also give additional advantages to the consumers like mobile check deposits, direct deposit and check writing. Most of these prepaid cards costs very little in using and adds no more than few dollars a month.

Ranking of Different Prepaid Debit Cards

Ranking the prepaid cards is a challenging work. The fees attracted by the bank on the prepaid card essentially depend upon its usage. Same kind of card could a particular almost nothing while another person who suffers from frequent cash loads and out-of-network ATM withdrawals would end paying much more amount. Consumers taking advantage of the direct deposit or those who loads certain amount of their card each month as well as who utilizes for limited number of transaction would end up in attracting significantly lower fees.

The Best Prepaid Debit Cards For The Consumers

After carefully analysing the fees charged by the different banks on their specific kinds of pre paid debit cards, this list has been compiled which gives the best options available for the consumers.

American Express

American Express leads the chart with its two cost effective prepaid cards which are tentatively named as the Bluebird and Serve. In reality the Bluebirds could be better described as a checking account rather than a genuine prepaid card. Both of these pre-paid comes with additional features which are appreciated by it consumers. These additional features are checking writing, money management tools and online bill pay. Both of these cards attract extremely low fees than other cards available in the market.

Kaiku

Kaiku is prepaid Visa card which offers low and quite simplified fees which costs just $3 per month covering all the services. The services provided by this are mobile check deposits, direct deposit, a intuitive & secure mobile application as well as a ‘Funds-Ometer’ which tracks how the money is being spent by the cards in an efficient manner.

Walmart MoneyCard

Walmart offer its prepaid debit card with both Visa and Mastercard. Like other it also comes with low fees, a dedicated mobile app as well as free cash reloads at the Walmart stores with the preferred version of the card.

Mango Money

This is a prepaid MasterCard which attracts low fees which is just $3 per month. It also gives a saving account option to its consumers and pays 6.00% APY in return which is beneficial in its own unique way.


Prepaid debit cards acts as an alternative for the consumers who have trouble in establishing or improving their credit record. However it would wise for the customers to become aware of the various additional benefits and different kind of fees charged by the banks before opting for a specific debit card.

Stock Market Rebound Lowers Gold Prices

Gold Prices Lower

The bounce in the stock markets all over the world at the starting of the trading week has pressurized the U.S trading early on Monday, as reflected in the moderately lower gold prices. A bearish outside market phenomenon, which is working against these precious metals, is also the reason for the higher index of the U.S dollar on this day. At $1,210.00 an ounce, February Comet Gold was last down $12.50. At $1,210.25 an ounce, Spot Gold was last down $12.20. At $16.84 an ounce, March Comet Silver was last down $0.227.

Crude Oil’s Status

Due to last week’s selling pressure, the World Stock market prices were comparatively higher on Monday for corrective bounces. The past few weeks have seen plunging price of crude oil. This has frightened the stock markets, while the consumer at gasoline pumps have benefited.

The January Nymex crude posted a corrective bounce after falling to a five-year low of $56.25 overnight. Libya, a major oil-exporter, is limiting selling interest in oil, due to some fresh violence within the country, at the starting of the trading week.

Incidents over the World Affecting the Market

Not hovering much below its recent four-year high, The U.S dollar index was firmer on Monday. For the past few months, the bearish underlying factor for the sector of raw commodity has been the stronger greenback.

The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, after his much expected and anticipated election victory on Sunday commented that he will continue in his endeavor to boost the Japanese economy, which is presently moribund.The terrorist situation in Sydney, Australia where a gunman is retaining hostages at a café is also being kept watched by the markets, in suspicion of terrorist links.

The FOMC Meeting

A meeting of Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) that is to be held this week for discussing the monetary policy of the U.S is being anticipated by the traders and investors. Many believe that the monetary policy hawks will be favored as the Fed meeting is expected to change the statement wording slightly.

A timeline to raise interest rates might also be further elaborated by the FOMCin the meeting, as the interest rates hasn’t been increased by the Fed in six years. U.S. economic data that is to be released on Monday includes the Empire State manufacturing survey, NAHB housing market index, industrial production and capacity utilization and Treasury international capital data.

In the Near Future 

Technically, in order to lower chart consolidation after recent gains, the gold futures of February have seen sideways. The overall near-term technical advantage is still in possession of the bears. A closing above solid technical resistance during the December high of $1,239.00 is the next year-term upside price breakout objective of the gold bulls.

A closing of prices below solid technical support of $1,184.80 is the next downside near-term price breakout objective for the Bears. The first resistance is observed at $1,221.00 and then again at the overnight high of $1,225.00, while the first support is generally observed at the overnight low of $1,207.00 and then finally at $1,200.00.

Things a College Student Know About the Personal Finance

College time is the best time jump start your financial future which would be beneficial for you long run. Personal finance and investment management habit should be inculcated from the very begin and being an ample undergrad is the best time to get things in your control. Online websites and portals provide information facilities your decision by giving you in-depth reviews and guidance about the popular investing opportunities. Being a college student gives you the biggest advantage over other investors i.e. you have ‘time’

Take Heed of Situation and Act 

Second term is generally the time when the various bills incurred in the first term of your college year starts to catching up with you. This is the time to take right judgement and to review things which are most important and which could be done without for some time. Proper planning and intuitive thinking would help you in paying bills in time and saving also.

After analysing the personal finances if you find that certain products or services appear too much in your budget like beer, cigarettes, clubbing, etc; then take heed of the situation and try to cut back on these as much as possible.

Think Rationally, Don’t Invest In Things You Don’t Need

Young adults are known to be crazy for the tech products. They are factor which derives the sales of the giant tech companies. Students should understand that there is no need to buy every new offering by the Apple or Samsung or some other company. If you try to think rationally then you will find these products are not completely new innovation rather they offer enhanced version of the previous products, even the product you are using currently could last for three to four years which means your college could be over with one product as well.

If you are an avid buyer then you should then try to apply different methods while buying. ‘Buying cheap as possible’ and ‘buying best quality possible so it lasts’ both of these methods could be applied in different circumstances. As a student and consumer you must try to get full ’value’ of your money by buying products which gives you complete satisfaction which ruining your personal finances.

Socialize as Much as Possible

College is not just a place for getting knowledge from the teachers and professors rather it is a place which provides huge opportunities for socializing in a healthier manner. College is a place where we make friend keeps them for life long. Take part in different social events, contribute as much as you can but don’t let it have a negative effect on your budget.

Certain Tips Which Will Help Students in Long Run

•  Use only one credit card and build a good credit history record. 
•  Never borrow money unless it is extremely important. 
•  You can easily buy books at half of it price form online portals and many other things as well. 
•  Share room and goodies with your friend it will help in lowering your expenses to a great extent. 
•  Do not invest unless you are sure about it.

Gold Prices Ends Fluctuations As The Market Consolidates

Gold prices finally find a steady ground after the Friday US trading. The continued safe-haven demand and a lower U.S. Dollar index are limiting the selling pressure in gold which is a good sign. February Comex gold was last up by $1 at $122.20 an ounce while Spot gold was last down by $1.40 at $1226.50. March Silver last traded up by $0.048 at $17.155 an ounce. Both gold and silver near term technical had shown a considerable improvement this week.

Falling Price of Crude Oil

Market is still focused on the falling price of crude oil. January Nymex crude had hit another five year low $58.80 a barrel. International Energy Agency has released a report which predicted that the world demand for the crude would reduce in 2015. The consumers are cheering the falling of the gasoline prices at the pump while the traders and investors are greeting the decline with anxiety. World Stock markets are also not faring well either and they are under selling while the U.S. stock indexes are also seems to be lower in the pre-market trading on early Friday. The sell off trend in the world equities has benefitted safe assets mainly gold and U.S. Treasuries this week.

Other Markets Also Reels Under Pressure

The Bank Of Russia has once again intervened in the currency market to strengthen its ruble which had hit another record low against the U.S. dollar. The ruble is astonishingly down by 44% against the U.S. dollar this year. European Union also shows below the market expectation figures which are a cause of worry. EU industrial production rose by just 0.1% in October and was up by meagre 0.7% on year-on-year basis.
Among the Asian market China showed a stronger than expected bank loan activity in the month of November. On other hand Japanese Yen is suffering from selling pressure and volatile trading this week. Japan is soon to go through important elections from this Sunday.

Traders and investors are eagerly looking ahead for the next week when Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee (FOMC) will meet to discuss about U.S. monetary policy.

Gold Seems To Settle After Huge Fluctuations

February gold futures are showing sideways consolidation after large gains in Tuesday trading which is not unusual. The gold bulls are almost reaching out for price breakout objective to register a growth against the solid technical resistance and they had successfully ended the week at high of $1239.00. Bears’ next near-term downside price breakout objective is closing prices below solid technical support at $1,200.00. First resistance is seen at the overnight high of $1,228.90 and then at Thursday’s high of $1,233.40. First support is seen at the overnight low of $1,218.00 and then at $1,210.00.
This Wednesday the March silver futures hit its six week high. The Silver bulls’ next upside breakout objective is closing the prices above the solid technical resistance at the high of $17.825 an ounce while silvers ended their week low at $16.165. The First resistance was seen at the week high of $17.355 and next at $17.50. The next support could be seen at Thursday’s low of $16.945 and at 16.81.

Black Money Outflow From India Increases Nine-Fold

The Inside Story

There has been a nine-fold increase in the black money outflow from India to foreign countries. Whereas in 2003 it was $10 billion, in 2012 it elevated up to $94.7 billion. In the 10-year period of 2003-2012, India, replacing Malaysia, has been ranked the fourth largest black money exporter after China, Russia and Mexico. The outflow of the Indian black money has been on a constant upward trajectory, so much so that Mexico was replaced by India as the third largest illicit money exporter in 2012.

Increase of Black Money Outflow over the Years

A latest report released by Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a research and advocacy group based in Washington, called ‘Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries’ states that India sent only $10.17 billion of illicit money to foreign countries in 2003. It increased in 2004 to $19.41 billion, and in 2005 to over $20 billion. The increment trend followed in 2006, with a substantial rise in outflow of black money from India to foreign nations. In 2006 the outflow was $28 billion. 2007 and 2008 was no different, with black money outflow increment to $34.6 billion and $47.1 billion respectively. 2009, however, was a big surprise. The Indian black money outflow saw a sudden dip, when the GFI quoted that the outflow had decreased to $29 billion.

However, just in the next year the outflow of illicit money saw a sharp rise. The Indian black money outflow for 2010 was $70 billion, more than double. It further increased in 2011 to $86 billion, according to the GFI. The report was authored by the chief economist of GFI, Dev Kar, and Joseph Spanjers, junior economist.

Black Money Outflow is Greater than Remittances

It is also very shameful and depressing to note that the amount of black money being outflowed from India to the foreign countries is much larger compared to the hard-earned and labored money being remitted to India by the expatriate Indians (NRIs). In 2014, the expected remittances of India are $71 billion, According to a latest report published by the World Bank. It is also interesting to note the turn-around that has taken place over the years. In 2003, the remittances that India received were $16.39 billion against a $10.17 billion outflow of black money.In India, the black money issue has always been a matter of serious political debate. It was more of a political debate during the last general elections. The new government had then committed to tackle this ever-increasing menace. However, no official figures, regarding the overall size and amount of black money stashed by Indians within India or abroad, have been released by the government or any other authority.

Other Developing Economies’ Status

The top five illicit capital exporters over the last ten years, according to the GFI are: China, Russia, Mexico, India and Malaysia.In 2012, the total outflow of illicit money from the developing counties was $991.2 billion. It was markedly greater than the combined total of the net development assistance and the direct foreign investment these developing economies received that year.

Why Buying a Franchise is a Good Option

Individuals who are looking to open their own small business, but do not have the business background or desire to develop a new brand, should consider purchasing a franchise from a company with an already existing brand and image. Franchises can be purchased in a variety of different fields and can include purchasing an existing franchise or a brand new location. When looking to purchase a new franchise, it would be a good idea to consider a Cold Stone Creamery franchise as your investment.

One reason that Cold Stone is a good franchise option is that the company already has a very successful brand developed. Cold Stone has quickly become one of the largest and most popular ice cream retail stores and restaurants in the country. Those who are looking to purchase a franchise from Cold Stone will instantly be able to take advantage of the brand that has already been developed. Furthermore, Cold Stone will help to market and advertise your individual store, which will help to boost sales immediately.

Another reason why purchasing a Cold Stone franchise is that they are pretty affordable compared to other franchises. Cold Stone's corporate office is notorious for helping interested business owners find a way to start their own store. This includes finding a flexible fee and payment structure. Cold Stone will also provide a franchise owner with the ability to take advantage of Cold Stone's accounting, inventory control, human resources, and other departments which can help to reduce overhead costs and also ensure the franchise is managed efficiently. Cold Stone will also help successful owners to find ways to purchase additional franchises, which will ultimately lead to the owner's building an even stronger level of profitability.

Apple Market Cap Crosses $700 Billion Mark

The tech giant Apple has made new inroads by reaching the symbolic milestone of $700 billion of market capitalization for the first time. It is also major milestone for the CEO Tim Cook who saw the Apple through doubling its market cap in just three years. Tim Cook held the reigns of Apple in the August 2011 when its founder Steve Jobs officially stepped down from his post just two months before his sad demise due to cancer.

Apple Stocks Shows Advance Rise With This News

Apples stocks are getting stronger with each successful measure used by the company. In September after the launch of widely successful iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus the Apples share shown a record jump of 21%. The iPhone range has long been the principal company’s earning juggernaut. But Apple is now ready to bring new products and services for the first time in many years.

The technology market is buzzed with the arrival of the much-hyped Apple Watch and the new Apple Pay which mobile payment solutions. Apple Pay service became available in October while Apple Watch which is eagerly awaited by the consumers is set to debut for sale in 2015. Market analysts are divided regarding the potential of the popularity of the new wearable device but Apple shares are still going higher regardless of it.

Better Products and Service Behind Rising Valuation

The latest versions of iPhone released by the Apple a few months back have been driving up the company’s value. It even posted a record opening weekend through selling more than 10 million units. Market Analysts are predicting that the Apple would continue to sell its iPhone at an aggressive pace in the upcoming holiday season. Market analyst forecasts that Apple would be able to sell around 71.5 million iPhones in its fourth quarter.

Microsoft Still Hold The Record For Highest Market Cap

Apple has become the first S&P 500 company to reach the $700 billion market capitalization mark. However it still has a long way to go to become the most valuable company of all time. At present this feat is in the name of Microsoft which at its market cap peak was of $613 billion in 1999, on an inflation-adjusted basis it converts into a whopping $874 billion in 2014.

Apple Market Cap Bigger than GDP’s of 19 Countries 

Currently the Apple’s market cap is much higher than the gross domestic product (GDP) of as many as 19 countries in the world. According to the data released by the World Bank on GDP, it appears that Apple Inc is just behind the Saudia Arabia which has a GDP of $745 Billion and it is ahead of Switzerland which just has GDP of 650 million.

Apple Record Seem Cheap Through Historic Measure

When Microsoft was at its peak it was trading at 72 times earning according to the Nasdaq and Factset data. But Apple’s price-to-earnings ratio is just 18 even though Apple’s revenue is increasing by a healthy 15 % and its earnings by 20%.

U.S. Shows Impressive Growth in Third Quarter

U.S. economy is showing robust rate which has turned out to be beyond the expectation of the market analysts in the third quarter. Its better performance is accredited to the strengthening of its fundamentals which would help it in weather the slowing global demand. The U.S. economy has posted back-to back growth in second and third quarter for the first time in last 11 years. This shows that economy is in good health along with a great momentum which would help it generating more returns.

GDP Grows and Boosts Confidence

The Commerce Department has raised its estimate of the possible GDP growth to 3.9% annually from just 3.5 % which it assumed last month. If we combine the 4.6% gain of the second quarter then it would be best six-month growth stretch for the U.S. economy after 2003. The poor performance of the economy has been resulting from the Japanese recession, a weak and depleted euro zone as well the slowing Chinese economy.

Increased Consumer Spending

The consumer spending has increased considerably from just 1.8% to 2.2%. GDP report points out that the Households are spending at the retail stores than at on the auto fuels. Another major source of the economy’s growth is the increase in the business investment in procuring equipments from just 7.2 % to 10.7%. The national companies have also boosted their inventories which helped in adding $79.1 billion to the GDP instead of $62.8 billion.

U.S. economy has also suffered from the downside in the few months. Its exports growth has diminished from 7.8% to 4.9% due to slower growth in Europe and Asia chopping out a bite from the economy. Even the imports suffered and fell at a 0.7% annual rate which was earlier estimated to be 1.7%.

More Returns In Upcoming Days

The U.S. economy is right on track for adding more new jobs since 1999. Sectors related from manufacturing to retail would continue to gain strength in upcoming days. The decrease in the gasoline prices has fuelled to a renewed optimism about economy which is heading in the new year. Decrease in fuel price is helping the citizens to save $50 dollars more each year due to falling energy costs. Even the inflation rose at just 1.3% annual rate in the third quarter than the 2.3% in the last quarter.

Growth Momentum Likely To be Carried Forward

The second and third quarters have shown a commendable growth in wages and salaries. Economists believe that the bringing GDP based wages and salaries measures into line with the earnings figures had helped in forming a right response and idea.

U.S. stocks have shown a little change while the dollar has performed poorly against the other major currencies. Prices for the U.S. Treasury debt rose just marginally. U.S. economy is growing stringer by each passing day and it is clearly apparent from the rising numbers in the GDP. The economists believe that the economy is having a great momentum and this momentum could even be transferred into the final three months of the year.

Loaning Money

When emergencies arise, you might not have enough money to pay for what you need. Installment loans are a solution for those who need to borrow money but can't pay back all of the amount at one time. 

With this kind of Installment loans, you will have a longer amount of time to pay back the loan. The terms are often more flexible than with another loan that you might get that has a set interest rate or mandated payments that you have to make each month. 

There will be payments that you need to make every month, but you can usually set a term that you can handle like 12 months instead of six. Some of these loans have higher interest rates because they are easier to get, but they are usually less than the payday loans that you will probably find are difficult to pay back. 

A loan like this through a bank is often much more manageable than one through a financing company. If you make the payments on time, then you can improve your credit score with most of these loans. Find out before taking the loan because some companies will say they report to credit agencies and end up not reporting anything unless you are late with a payment.

Investment options for $10,000 to get maximum ROI

There are different ways to get hands on money, it can be your pay for the extra work done at the office, you might inherit some money or you might have been saving that money for a long time. Irrespective of the medium of receiving the money, once you have the money in the hand, you want to use this money wisely. With the extra cash in pocket the best action will be to invest the money and get the money to work for you. The following steps can be used for wisely investing the extra cash.

1. The first step will be to ensure that you don’t have any outstanding debts or money pending to be paid as it can certainly change the complete outlook of the investment.

2. There are traditional means of investment like Index Funds, Mutual funds, bonds and stocks. These are always the best path towards your journey of investment. Through this your fund doesn't store at one place, but gets involved in different businesses and industries. There are different types of funds available in the market, which doesn’t require too much money at the startup level. Although stocks and bonds have risks associated with them, it is important that an individual checks on the possible risks before investing in them. There are retirement accounts like Roth IRAs and 401Ks which are tax deferred and also helps in multiplication of your money. These accounts ensure that you get extra income on every penny and dollar that you are going to invest.

3. Apart from the traditional market ideas, some of the non traditional ones include upgrading your educational level. Acquiring a higher degree or even a professional certificate can do wonders at the job. Not only you will get good opportunities in the market, promotions in the workplace become very easy.

4. One of the best and the trusted means of non traditional investment is real estate. One can easily build their equity through $10000. You have to contact a bank and then you can pay this $10000 towards the mortgage of the home you have been dreaming to live in. On the flip side, you are looking to sell out your current home, then this $10000 will help in making your outdated home to modern one. You might spend this amount for modification, but once the house is sold, you will get more in return.

5. One can also invest the $10000 to own a rental property nearly 5 times mores and you can rent it out another person probably for more amount. One needs to understand that even though buying rental property has benefits, but you are not sure about the future installments, then you might want to rethink your decision.

6. Last but not the least, even though the amount might sound, less to others, but $10000 is a really good amount to start your own business. One just need to get the correct understanding of the type of business and service that will ensure good returns.

3 Reasons Why Property Investment Is Your Key To Wealth

The majority of people in this world who have enjoyed wealth all agree on one thing – it’s never an overnight success. It takes work, planning, and commitment to become financially wealthy. One way to help minimise the time it takes to become wealthy, however, is to choose a path that is designed to bring you the type of additional income and revenues that you only once dreamed of. That’s why so many wealthy people in the world own property. Smart property investments in Melbourne are becoming increasingly popular, because people are beginning to realise that this is a formula to true and long-term wealth. Here are 3 reasons why investing in properties will make you wealthy and happy.

1.What goes up continues to go up.Property values always increase. True, there are some regions of the country where property values are decreasing, but that’s why it’s important to choose your properties wisely. If you know that a certain region is on the upswing (or will be in the near future), investing in property today could make you hundreds of thousands of dollars in just a few short years.

2.Property investment secures your future.Many people who achieved wealth at a young age don’t hold onto that wealth for the duration of their lives. That’s where property investment comes in. Property investment is one of the best ways to secure your future. The rental income you receive from your tenants and renters will never go away, until the day you choose to sell your property for a massive financial gain.

3.It gives you the time to do other things. A popular choice people make when looking for individual wealth is to own their own business. That’s a challenge, however. Not only is this not a sure-fire way toward wealth, but you have to commit all of your time and focus on your business in order to have a hope of enjoying wealth. Property investment is different. Aside from attaining good advice and making the investments, there is little else you have to do. You can hire property managers to take care of the day-to-day operations, leaving you with plenty of time to pursue other income-driving activities, or, it gives you the time to relax.

People look at wealth as some sort of mythical creature that may or may not exist, but something that will never cross their paths. But wealth is possible for anyone with the right passion and support. People looking to achieve personal wealth turn to Regal Wealth Management for the tools and knowledge needed. Learn more by visiting http://www.regalwealth.com.au/.

Now to Improve Your Financial Life in 5 Minutes

We meet so many people in our daily life who keep on complaining about how difficult it is for them to even think about getting their financial issues straightened out. No need to spend too much time or need to do any hard planning, what you need to do is just spare 5 minutes to take necessary actions to get your financial life back on track.

It is important to understand the basic secret that one need to devote some time to each of the financial issues on a constant basis and this will make sure that that slowly and steadily your financial life gets back on track. Here some of the simple 5 minute examples have been listed which will help you to regain your control on your financial life.

1. Remember to balance the checkbook on a daily basis: - With people relying on the online banking; they usually forget if they have issued any checks. People have become lazy and they don’t want to take time to check on the status of their issued checks. You need to make sure that none of your checks get bounced and you end up paying an additional fee for the bounced fee. But apart from this spending 5 minutes on online banking will ensure that you are going overdraft on your account and using your account in an appropriate way.

2. Always remember to cross check your bills before making payment: - With the increasing busy life, people don’t get time to even stop and check their bills and the amount they are paying for. They fail to check if the bill is accurate or not. It is important to remember that computers are not always reliable and even they can make mistakes. This is not limited to, your medical bills, but even your regular bills require attention from your end to ensure that you are not being overcharged. There are recurring charges involved with mobile phone and even cable bills, so it is important to ensure that you are spending at least 5 minutes to check on your bills.

3. If you have invested in mutual funds, check investment fees: - One needs to remember never to go just by the word of mouth or even recommendation from the friends to buy mutual funds. These funds can charge in different way to affect your overall returns and its possible that can end up with unexpected returns in negative way, hence it required you to spend 5 minutes of your time to understand the fund policy.

4. Always question yourself before overspending: - There are times when we see a new product in the market and get excited to purchase it. But, stop for 5 minutes and think if you really need the product, do you have any use of it, is there any other item which offers the same features. It is important not to spend on anything that you will regret later on.

It is always important to ensure that you keep a track of your investment and keep a regular check on it. Don’t keep any investment in your mind; keep a set record to check regular changes in the investment. It is said that prevention is better than cure, so it is important to take time out to consider these actions to avoid adding to your current financial problems.

Are You Monetarily Ready For Your Retirement?

It is important to remember that once you are reaching the retirement stage, you should manage your income goals through your current portfolio and make your money last for as long as possible. There are many tactics that can help in securing your future in terms of finance and some of them are given below

1.One should make sure that they create a balance between their debts and the savings


2. People can contact authorities to check any means of retirement pension so they can adjust their expenses according to that. This way you will be able to invest your savings into funds, bonds and other methods of increasing the amount.


3. Another means will be to invest in insurance policies which will complement your social security and other 401 (k) saving plans. There are investors will be ready to take your lump sum amount and give you directions for investing the money in the right way.

Why money is so important in retirement?
 
Today, everything is depending on money, if you want to go to the supermarket; you need money, if you want medical care; you need money. When you reach the age of retirement, it is important that you have saved money aside for this time. Retirement is not a phase, but it will extend for a very long time and you will face many situations wherein you might get a question in your mind- “Have I saved enough”?

Before you can develop any strategy for your retirement, there are some important rules that play a very important role.

Understand what will be your monetary requirements:
 
Industry and financial experts that they a person should save at least 80% of their current income towards their retirement. But is this really possible? There are people who end up spending more than what they earn and instead of saving they end up in debts. On the other side, there are people who spend less than what they earn and they will be able to save way more than what will be required for retirements. The best thing to do will be to keep a track of the yearly expenses.

Amend your future needs:
 
When it comes to retirement, nothing goes as planned. It is vital to consider every side of finance. There will be expenses in every part of the life, expenses will keep on getting added every day and there will be expenses that will no longer burden you. Expenses related to your commuting, work and mortgage will no longer be an issue, but travelling, medical care, supporting family members and home care will become an added cost to your retirement funds.

Understand the future expenses and income:
 
Once you know an approximate amount that will be required in the future, planning towards it, is important. There are various sources of income like pensions, social security, investments, income through renting your home, etc.,. The general rule of thumb is to multiply 25 with the income you get every year to understand a retirement income.

Life never goes as thought, it is vital to consider unexpected expenses and events while calculating finance after retirement.

Bank of Japan about to Bring Trillions of Dollor into Their Economy

If reports have to be believed, the bank of Japan is expected to bring in $705374400000 per year in their financial system and this is primarily through buying of government bonds. This can be considered as one of the measures to fight against the rising threat of deflation in the country. According to the Japanese policymakers they are planning to invest more in the Japanese economy; this has not only come as a surprise but also brought out happiness among the international investors.
What is the plan?

According to Haruhiko Kuroda, who is the bank’s governor, policymakers have tried every trick to avoid facing deflation again and they want to make sure that the same can be avoided for a long period as it has affected the Japanese economy for decades. Policymakers will try to do everything possible to tackle deflation.

The Bank of Japan has completely has taken a U-turn and increase response towards their quantitative easing (QE) programme and looking for further expansion. This is a week after the US Federal Reserve had made the announcement that it is the correct time for the bond-buying programme. The central bank in Japan was before bringing in about $525085800000 to 612600100000, in their economy and this has indicated a halved growth according to the forecast.

What was the impact? 

If the effect of the increases Sales tax from 5% to 8% in April is removed, the yearly inflation came down by 1% in September which is exactly half the target which was set by the central bank. Further, they are expecting inflation to come down due to the decreasing price of the oil and also the decrease in the spending from the consumers due to increase sales tax.

Although this move from the central bank is considering the Japanese economy, there decision indicated a floating international market and thereby affecting the value of the Yen which saw near-seven-year low when compared to the US dollar.

This decision also impacted the Asian markets, which closed at a higher rate and this was due to the Japan’s Nikkei 225 index which showed an increase of 4.8%. With the all the indices showing an upward trend which included UK’s FTSE 100, again up by 1%, investors around the world has a lot to cheer about. If reports have to be believed the value of the US dollar against the Yen was at 1 dollar= 111.53 yen and this was the highest value reported for the US currency since 2008.

According to a global economist, Anna Stupnytska at Fidelity Worldwide Investment, the decision of the Bank of Japan to expand their monetary easing programme came as a surprise which added to the fact as it was just weeks after Federal bank’s decision to end their quantitative easing.

But she also stated that on a broader spectrum, this actually doesn’t resolve the decreasing growth expectations on a long term basis, which is the main reason behind the decreasing wage growth and negative investments. Monetary policies are a short term answer to the current economical issues, but can’t be considered as a permanent solution.

Will The Eurozone Inflation Lower The Deflation Concerns?

According to the EU statistics agency, “Eurostat”, they made a first estimate that in the month of September, there was an increase of annual inflation of 0.3% when compared to 4% last month. This was very close to the target set by the European Central Bank of about target marking of 2%. This inflation was actually pushed by the increasing service sector prices, higher prices for food, tobacco products and alcohol prices. There was a marginal decrease in the energy prices when we compare the October month to that of September.

Decrease in the core inflation: 

When it came to core inflation, which has a higher effect on the food and energy prices saw a fall in the percentage, the core inflation came down from 0.8% to 0.7% in October. Eurozone inflation saw a slight increase in the month of October but the market economists have already raised an alarm that this will only help the policymakers slightly to defend themselves against the single currency bloc deflation.

According to Martin van Vliet, an economist at ING, even a slight increase in the core inflation will definitely take off a bit of pressure of the policymakers who are working at the European Central Bank (ECB). Deflation risks in Eurozone might see issues with the decrease in the core inflation during the month of October. This will force the ECB to take preventive measures as they will see increased pressure.

Actions from the ECB: 

According to Martin, depending on the recent decrease in the commodity prices they are not anticipating an increase in pressure in terms of energy and food prices in the coming couple of months. However, they are certainly expecting a decrease in the pressure down the line.

Depending on the current scenario and the Eurozone economic growth losing its charm, pressure is sure to stay over the European Central Bank. The ECB has taken precautionary measures to tackle the sudden changes in the Eurozone economy and to prevent any further damage from the deflation to both consumers and businesses. There are chances where people might want to hold on to their purchase hoping for a decrease in price.

According to a senior economist at Berenberg, Christian Schulz, the current situation of the economy can further impact the change in the inflation. Berenberg is planning to discuss further methods of easing the pain in their upcoming meetings.

Unemployment: 

According to the reports published by Eurostat, the unemployment rate in the Eurozone remained at 11.5% in the month of September. As per the chief European and UK economist Howard Archer working at IHS Global Insight; even though there was a decrease in the number of unemployed people, the employment rate in the 3rd quarter of October 2014, was lower than September. The employment rate was dropping continuously in the month of September and this was credited to the current state of the economy and also the decreasing in the confidence of the businesses.

According to report there was a decrease of 0.2% in the German GDP as well as the slow growth rate of the Eurozone, and the recession was indicating prospects of growth. The current economical situation indicates that the Germans and Western continental Europe will have a pretty bad moment

While on one side Eurozone is lessening the monetary policy to battle against the deflation; the central bank of Russia has raised their key interest rates from 8% to 9.5% to fight against the inflation.

New Regulatory Guidelines for UK Banks on Risk Assessment

According to the reports the Banks in Britain are getting prepared for one of the most anticipated news at present. With the declaration of new regulatory guidelines from the Bank of England, all the banks are expecting that they might have to raise any extra capital to meet these guidelines.

This can have serious negative impact on the customers in terms of their cost of borrowing from the banks. Thread needle Street is expected to give out the details on the methods for setting leverage ratio and this will be given on Friday around 2PM GMT.

Leverage ratio is the method which measures the financial stability and strength of a particular brand, but this doesn’t allow the banks to carry out any assessments of the potential risks that they might face in the future.

Sir John Vickers, who chaired the independent commission on banking, in the year 2011 had recommended that having a 4% leverage ratio will allow the banks to able to borrow nearly 25 times more than the value of their assets.

This recommendation was not readily acceptable to the Government as they were looking for a more convenient ratio of around 3%. But still the Bank of England consulted others to determine the different means to measure the leverage ratio, they have analyzed if the bank need bigger lenders to hold their capital or they can rely on the smaller lenders as well.

They consulted as to how the banks can gain the ability to additional amounts depending on the market conditions. Although this is expected to take complete coverage in the next couple of years, but the lenders are pretty much ready to the leverage ratio of 4%. While the regulators United States of America have set the level as high as 6%, Switzerland has set a ratio of 4 percent for their banks.

According to George Culmer, the finance director at Lloyds’, he is expecting the leverage ratio is to start with 4% itself. At present Lloyds Banking Group has reached the leverage at 4.7% when compared to the 3.8% last year.

On the other hand Barclays Banks have managed to reach 3.5% and the Royal bank of Scotland is at 3.9%. All the high street banks are taking possible measures to reach the set leverage ratio. With the leverage ratio starting at 4%, one needs to worry about the pricing factor.

According to the British Bankers’ Association, they fear that this change might impact the banks first as they might be dealing with businesses having large mortgages.

This will have the impact in such a way that the banks might be forced to either increase the cost of new mortgages as well the risk taking ability of the banks. This seems to be going in exact opposite direction to what the makers of the policy have in mind.

This was the main reason which attributed to the change of high end societies to bank in the past couple of decades.