Although it use to be the case that only large companies and Fortune 500 firms could have Visa gift cards with their logo or insignia, it is now possible to create your own card so that customers can buy a visa gift card with your own company logo or personalized image.

These cards are great ideas for customer prizes, employee bonuses or incentives, holiday gifts, sale incentives and much, much more. You can design your own logo, use your own image or photograph, or use one of the hundreds of designs available. There is no minimum order and your cards can be printed up and mailed out to you within 48 hours of your selection. This is a great way to add that special touch to make a gift card a much more personalized present.

Popularity: 33% [?]

The argument about whether it is better to buy or rent a home has raged for many years and will probably continue to do so. The consensus is that, basically, when you can do it, all things considered, it is better to buy a home. There are, however, many cases, especially in the short term, where renting a house makes more financial sense.

Recently there was a healthy debate on the issue from different sources, one claiming that are Rent Vs. Buy Myths That Ruined the Housing Market. The second article, written by Trent over at The Simple Dollar, calls the article nonsense and breaks down some very strong reasons whey this is the case.

Both articles are a little one-sided, as things are never really so black and white, but they both make some decent points. Of interest as well are the numerous comments on The Simple Dollar site. It’s obvious that people can get very emotional about this issue and there are strong arguments to be made on both sides.

Popularity: 31% [?]

We continually look for ways to save money here on PFJournal, since part of your own personal finance is finding a method to best budget your money. This can and should include shopping for great deals on items like electronic equipment, computers and laptops. However, it’s also possible to save money by fixing an otherwise perfectly good piece of equipment. This might be an option that is overlooked with today’s buy and replace mindset. For instance, choosing to utilize a laptop screen repair is a very viable option when the monitor gives out on your laptop while all other components are in good shape. Why bother replacing the entire system when only your screen is faulty? A quick replacement on a part like your laptop screen will get your computer working again like it did before.

Next time one of the components of your laptop breaks down, consider finding the replacement part for that individual unit–like the screen, the hard drive or the CPU–and save money instead of breaking down and spending money for an entire new machine.  You have to be smart about how you coordinate your personal finances, and you’ll be paid back my saving money in the long run. You don’t replace your entire car when a single part fails, and you really don’t need to do that either with your laptop or computer.

Popularity: 37% [?]

We’re hearing a lot of doom and gloom about the finances continually now for the past year or so. It’s recession this, mortgage crisis that and the outlook doesn’t appear to be much better for the year to come. So, one has to ask what should we do with our own finances?

The New York Times recently rant an article about this topic and they claim that “according to the experts, the best advice is to not panic. Consumers who have managed to avoid the excesses of the last few years should sit fast, the experts say.” Well, this advice seems about right and it’s something we’ve talked about before, although we do recommend doing things like making your portfolio recession proof or saving money in a recession.

Popularity: 43% [?]

One of the most convenient ways to find cheap auto insurance is to compare quotes from top insurance providers through Autoinsurance-4u.com. It is often easy to get complacent with one’s auto insurance and continue to pay the same rates, month after month. However, it is really possible to get some good rates by switching to another carrier.

The insurance providers found at Autoinsurance-4u.com offer affordable rates but still provide quality service and insurance. The good thing about this accessible site is that it puts all the insurance resources together on one page to allow you to save time and find the right insurance for you quickly and with a lot of hassle.  It’s never too soon to start saving money on your auto insurance and now it’s only a short click away.

Popularity: 54% [?]

Purchasing a hybrid vehicle is a great option for many people, especially those looking to save a bit of money on gas. The purchase of a hybrid has also been made a bit easier to swallow by taking advantage of a tax credit from the Federal government to help encourage hybrid use.

The tax credit for a hybrid, however, is not always clear cut. As this article makes clear, there can be some confusion with the credit. The fact is that some buyers might get less of a credit than expected, or possible no tax credit at all. The bottom line is that you ultimately need to “make you sure you get the right paperwork from the car dealer and that you fill out the correct IRS forms.”

Popularity: 53% [?]

Considering that many homeowners either locked into a high mortgage rate years ago or find themselves in an ARM that is about to change their rate for the worse, a bad credit mortgage refinance might be a great option. One of the most convenient and painless ways to refinance your home mortgage, even if you have bad credit, is to utilize the services of Refinance.com.

A bad credit home refinance is an option that will help build up your credit and reduce your home mortgage. Refinance.com understands that sometimes good people find themselves with bad credit and a high interest home mortgage. Sometimes circumstances that are outside of your control or sudden and unexpected emergencies arise that put you in a bad situation and adversely affect your credit rating. If you have a lackluster credit history you can still refinance your home mortgage by providing a written explanation of all the credit mistakes that mar your account.

At Refinance.com, you can fill out an easy form for an instant refinance quote through their website for your home refinance bad credit. You can also access some handy tools like a refinance calculator as well as lots of information on their bad credit mortgage refinancing programs. The experts there know that you don’t want to foreclose on your home and that you should be able to refinance your home mortgage loan even if you have less than stellar credit.

Popularity: 67% [?]

We’re continually striving to find new ways to save money, whether it be using less gas, sidelining your cash, analyzing your personal financial risk and so forth.  In fact, it’s actually quite easy to find tips and tricks to save money.  Just do a quick search online and you’ll find countless articles on saving money.

Well, we wouldn’t want to avoid pointing out good ways to save money just because there’s a lot of advice floating around.  It’s always a good idea to look at the topic from as many angles as possible.

CNN/Money just recently posted an article proposing you can fool yourself into saving smarter. There’s some pretty good ideas in there that just might help you save a bit of that money you’re dying to spend…

Popularity: 69% [?]

The Real Estate Book is a great resource for finding homes and property listings across the United States and Canada, including focused searches in all major cities and regions in the countries. So, for instance if you’re interested in the Atlanta Real Estate market, the Real Estate Book is a perfect place to start.

No only is the book a free magazine at local gas stations and grocery stores, it is the ultimate tool for searching for real estate listings. You can focus your search in any number of ways, narrowing down you search to number of bedrooms and bathrooms, location, price or even a specific MLS#.

Since the real estate market has been slowing down in the last year or so, and prices have slowed the frenetic rise we’ve been seeing over the prior five years or so, it’s become an opportune time to be a buyer in the market. Recent figures released from the National Association of Realtors show that the number of houses sold recently dropped by about 20% from the same month last year. In addition, the median price for a new home has been falling in the past year. This really spells a great opportunity for prospective home buyers to start shopping around and getting a great deal on a home.

In order to take advantage of this potential buyer’s market, the Real Estate Book provides the tools needed to get started and find the right home.

Popularity: 91% [?]

We’ve had a few discussions about the possibility of an upcoming recession including saving money for a recession as well as recession proofing your portfolio.

Well, the buzz about an upcoming recession hasn’t died off since then and people are still concerned. CNN/Money had a “ask the expert” column recently about investing in a recession. There’s definitely some sound advice in there, and he ends with a strong point: “But whatever you do, don’t get fixated on the recession buzz. A buzz is a distraction, not a basis for an investing strategy.” Keep things in perspective and remember the long-term.

Popularity: 90% [?]

You owe it to you and your family to have your boiler serviced regularly in order to keep your boiler in good condition and your house safe from harmful Carbon Monoxide poisoning. The boiler service from Northern Gas is a great value and at just £55 + vat, it’s one of the best deals going. You will certainly rest much easier knowing that a CORGI registered engineer has serviced your gas boiler.

So what does boiler servicing from Northern Gas include? Well, the annual service will include a complete check of your boiler to make sure it’s safe and operating most efficiently. It will include things like checking the flue ways and terminals, the gas pressure and heat input and all safety devices. The boiler components such as the heat exchangers, burners, combustion fan and the ignition systems will also be examined. Northern Gas will also do a thorough performance test, examine all pipework and controls and give you great advice on operating your system and the present controls most efficiently.

The Northern Gas website also has a convenient list of problems and solutions to help you troubleshoot your heating system, as well as an informative section on Carbon Monoxide and the dangers this poisonous gas can present to your family.

So, if you’d like more information on obtaining boiler service for your Northern Gas system, visit their website and book your service right away.

Popularity: 89% [?]

The housing woes continued today as it was announced that new home sales had fallen more expected recently. The sales of new single family homes fell 4.7%, an annual rate of 604,000, lower than the projected 647,000.

This most recent drop makes for a fall of 26% for new home sales last year, the biggest decline since 1963, the Commerce Department said on Monday.

According to the NY Times, “last week, the National Association of Realtors reported that sales of previously owned single-family homes, a large portion of the overall housing market, suffered their biggest annual drop in 25 years. Prices have also fallen sharply. In December, the median price of a new home fell to $219,200, down 10 percent from December 2006.”

Popularity: 81% [?]

If you’ve been looking for information on a 1031 exchanges then you might consider the services of Costa Financial Securities, Inc. This company specializes in different tax deferral strategies and this includes 1031 tax exchange property solutions. The basic idea behind a 1031 tax exchange is that you can reduce or relinquish your tax-burdened assets more effectively and efficiently, and you may be able to defer all of the capital gains tax and depreciation recapture tax when you sell certain kinds of property.  If you replace the sold property for a like kind one, you can defer the profit or gain until a later date.

To put this into legalese, the Internal Revenue Code, section 1031 describes it: “No gain or loss shall be recognized on the exchange of property held for productive use in a trade or business or for investment if such property is exchanged solely for property of like kind which is to be held either for productive use in a trade or business or for investment.”

The key for any successful 1031 tax exchange to work right, the transaction must be properly structured.  This is not something you’d want to undertake with the right kind of expert advice.  Costa Financial Securities can work with you in a number of different ways to help guide you through the process or give you the right type of advice so you can effectively use the 1031 exchange. Costa has partnered with leading 1031 exchange professionals and are able to best leverage those relationships to make sure each real estate transaction that can benefit from this tax exchange.

Some of the ways that Costa can help you would be to help you defer all of the capital gains tax and depreciation recapture tax in a real estate transaction, possibly increase your income and capital appreciation, reduce you property management troubles, diversify you real estate portfolio to a better class of asset as well as a more desirable geographical property.  They can also put you in touch with the right qualified tax attorney or accountant, and they can procure a highly trained intermediary who is an expert on 1031 tax exchanges.

Popularity: 93% [?]

President Bush announced last week that he was seeking to offer American tax payers some reprieve from their financial woes in he form of a tax rebate. The proposal would look to provide a total plan worth $150 billion and taxpayers could see a rebate check before the end of the year. The proposed amount would equal about $800 per individual or $1600 for couples.

The relief plan comes as an effort to kick-start the economy and is intended to get Americans spending again, something they historically like to do quite well but have recently started to worry with mortgage pains, credit tightening and an overall slowdown in the economy.

This type of relief, however, comes with risks. NPR presents a quick summary of some of the concerns, noting that “some economists warn about potential pitfalls. Once the federal government opens up the floodgates of spending, it may be difficult to rein it in – especially in an election year. Another potential sticking point is that Americans may not spend their rebates. Putting the rebates in savings accounts, for example, would have no stimulating effect.”

Popularity: 90% [?]

If you’ve considered moving into the property management field and currently live in Nevada or are thinking about making the move, you would do well to consider Nevada property management training at Key Realty School. Since the state of Nevada requires a property management permit for anyone in certain types of leasing activities such as those involved with multiple owners or multiple sites, it is imperative that the proper training and certification be met.

The course offered by Key Realty School, spread out over three days, and the successful completion of the permit test at the PSI testing centers will satisfy the Nevada state requirements for a property management permit. Since Key Realty School has educated over 30,000 students, they are in a great position to provide the proper training and support needed to obtain the certification. You can learn more about their property management training program, as well as other information on education they provide at their web site.

Popularity: 96% [?]