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50 Surefire Business Card Tips
Business cards are one of the most powerful and inexpensive marketing tools you can use. Here are 50 surefire tips to make the most out of your business cards:
Your business card must communicate more than just your contact...
Bankers in Denial
Denial is a ubiquitous psychological defense mechanism. It involves the repression of bad news, unpleasant information, and anxiety-inducing experiences. Judging by the German press, the country is in a state of denial regarding the waning...
How to Take Advantage of Public Relations
Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Net word count is 760 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A....
PR: The Thrill of a Good Idea
The notion that a business, non-profit or association manager can actually hold a big key to success in his or her own hands IS a thrilling idea!
And it becomes more thrilling as the manager actually alters individual perceptions leading to...
Quick Tips For The First-Time Homebuyer
(NC)—Buying your first home is an exciting new experience. Attending Open Houses, putting in an offer to buy and decorating your new home to suit your style is all part of the excitement. All the decisions that need to be made can also make you...
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How to avoid the pitfalls of creeping debt.
Reducing debt usually isn't a high priority for people until they have already gotten into trouble with overspending. Using a few basic guidelines, and debt calculations, can help you see when your debt load is getting into the danger zone.
Budgeting Guidelines
First off, creditors use budgeting guidelines when reviewing and approving credit. If your debt exceeds the financial communities recommended guidelines, then you have a higher risk of credit applications being denied. Getting, and keeping, your debt in line with recommended budgeting guidelines, is an important step in debt reduction. Use the following recommended budgeting guidelines (the same ones used by Financial Institutions) to review the items in your budget:
- Housing 35% - Mortgage
or rent, taxes, repairs, improvements, insurance, and utilities;
- Transportation 20% -
Monthly payments, gas, oil, repairs, insurance, parking & public transportation;
- Debt 15% - Credit cards, personal
loans, student loans & other debt payments;
- All other expenses 20% -
Food, insurance, prescriptions, doctor & dentist bills, clothing & personal;
- Investments & Savings 10% - Stocks,
bonds, cash reserves, retirement, rental real estate, art, etc.
Debt Income Ratios
The second step is calculating your debt income ratio. Once you know what your ratio is, you will understand just how important debt load is to your overall financial picture. Your debt income ratio is the percent of your monthly take-home pay that goes to paying debts.
You calculate it by taking the amount needed to repay debts each month, including rent or mortgage, and divide by your take-home pay (your net pay after taxes). Remember, this is "Debt" ratio, so only include actual debt repayment in the calculation.
Credit To Debt Ratio
Just because you pay off a credit card is no reason to close your account. One little known fact about the Credit to Debt Ratio is the reverse effect it has on your credit score. If you pay off a credit card, and close the account, you are actually negatively impacting your credit score. The reason for this negative effect is in the
calculation of the Credit to Debt Ratio itself. This ratio is the relationship of your debt total vs. your credit limit. You calculate it by dividing the total credit limit of all credit cards and loan accounts by the total of the actual debt (spent total). Now, if you pay off a credit card, you are reducing the actual debt, which is great, but, if you close the account, you are also dramatically reducing the credit limit you have, and usually by a higher percentage than the debt reduction. Pay Yourself First
Essential to long-term financial success, and protecting your future, is paying yourself first. While this may seem easy to do, it happens to be the last thing most people do, instead of first. Debts and other financial obligations, money for entertainment, and other spending always seem to take a higher priority. All I can say is, STOP! Think about it, if you aren't worth being paid first, then who is? Always put something away in your savings, and leave it alone. It doesn't matter if it's only $5 a week, just do it!
Snowball The Credit Cards
Last, but not least, is making extra payments, not just the minimum payments, on your credit cards. You have probably already seen this many times, but it just can't be stressed enough. Paying just $10 extra a month on a credit card, above the minimum required payment, can cut your repayment term in half, if not more! So, squeeze out that extra payment, however small, every month, and take advantage of the compounding effect of snowballing your debt away. The Power of Financial Knowledge
Remember, you don't have to be a financial whiz to understand what's going on with your credit and debt. Just a few simple calculations, and an eye on the future, will go a long way to help you succeed financially and keep your debt under control. Be safe, be smart, do the math!
About the Author
Article courtesy of: href="http://www.debtsteps.com/">DebtSteps.com offers comprehensive reviews of your options for debt relief. From budgeting to bankruptcy, debt consolidation, and credit counseling. href="http://www.debtsteps.com/">DebtSteps.com is where you can get the answers to your questions absolutely free.
Copyright 2004 DebtSteps.com, all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
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PR.com: Directory of Businesses Jobs Press Releases Products ... |
Comprehensive Directory of Businesses, Jobs, Products, Services, Press Releases, News, & Articles in all Industries. Promote your business. FREE. |
www.pr.com |
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PR Newswire - news distribution, targeting and monitoring |
News and press release distribution services for small business marketing, corporate public relations and investor relations, government and organizational ... |
www.prnewswire.com |
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PR Week Magazine |
News and features about the public relations industry, with links to US, UK, Asian, and German editions. |
www.prweek.com |
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Public relations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Public relations (PR) is the art of managing communication between an organization and its ... PR historians say the first PR firm, the Publicity Bureau, ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Puerto Rico - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Hyperlinked encyclopedia article covers the country's history, government and politics, geography, economy, demographics, language and culture. |
en.wikipedia.org |
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The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) |
Largest professional organization of public relations specialists representing business, consulting firms, government, associations, schools, ... |
www.prsa.org |
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CIA - The World Factbook -- Puerto Rico |
Profile of Puerto Rico by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). |
https: |
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Center for Media and Democracy - Publishers of PR Watch |
A nonprofit, public interest organization dedicated to investigative reporting on the public relations industry. |
www.prwatch.org |
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Puerto Rico Vacations | Puerto Rico Tourism Company | Puerto Rico ... |
Puerto Rico Tourism Company Official site includes nightlife, area sports, culture, and travel information. |
www.gotopuertorico.com |
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PR: See what people are saying right now on Technorati |
See all blog posts tagged with pr on Technorati. ... This page shows everything that has been tagged with pr. To contribute to this page include this code ... |
www.technorati.com |
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Edelman |
Full service global public relations firm. Includes company profile, management team, practice areas, industries served, case histories, client listings, ... |
www.edelman.com |
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LEWIS PR - global public relations |
LEWIS PR is a global public relations consultancy working with leading and emerging brands and delivering predictable results tied tightly to client goals. |
www.lewispr.com |
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IANA | .pr - Puerto Rico |
University of Puerto Rico Gauss Laboratory Facundo Bueso Building Office 265 ... Puerto Rico Email: tech@uprr.pr Voice: +787 765 3263 Fax: +787 754 0757 ... |
www.iana.org |
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Online Public Relations Home Page |
Free online resource for public relations professionals. |
www.online-pr.com |
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Chartered Institute of Public Relations, CIPR, the professional ... |
The CIPR is the professional body for the UK public relations industry, providing PR training and events, PR news and research, and a PR jobs board. |
www.ipr.org.uk |
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PR News Online — Trusted Source for Public Relations News, PR ... |
The latest news on public relations delivered FREE right to your inbox. ... Psycho-Geometrics Help You Know What 'Shape' Your PR Team's Personality Is In ... |
www.prnewsonline.com |
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O'Dwyer's Public Relations News - odwyerpr.com |
Features breaking news about the public relations industry, a database of PR firms, listing of PR service firms, client search tool and job postings. |
www.odwyerpr.com |
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PR News Online — Trusted Source for Public Relations News, PR ... |
E-letter. The latest news on public relations delivered FREE right to your inbox. ... Share ideas with your peers in PR News' just-launched Forum ... |
www.prandmarketing.com |
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Linux PR: |
Comprehensive Press Release and Public Relations resource for the Linux community. |
www.linuxpr.com |
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Escape to Puerto Rico - Your Internet Guide to Puerto Rico |
Internet guide to everything Puerto Rico. Offers lots of photos, accommodations and travel information from around the Island. |
escape.topuertorico.com |
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