There are times when you may face a temporary situation where you are short on funds. A payday loan also called a payday cash advance, a cash advance loan, a check advance loan, a post-dated check loan, or a differed deposit check loan is a small short-term loan designed to provide quick money for those who have an immediate need. Money is loaned to the borrower with the intention of the total loan amount being paid back in full when the borrower receives his or her paycheck.

Reasons for considering a payday loan may be valid. A payday loan may be and option if there is a need to borrow money and you have bad credit. There may be times when bank charges, over-the-limit fees, late fees, bounced checks or reconnection charges for utility services may cost more than getting a payday loan to pay the bills on time. You may want to avoid a credit check on your credit report if you are looking to make a major purchase in the near future. There are also those who would rather get a payday loan than asking a friend or family member to borrow money. A medical emergency, an emergency car repair, and many other emergency situations may warrant the cause for a payday loan also.

The Federal Trade Commission warns that this instant cash advance comes with a large price. Payday loans are one of the most expensive ways to pay back what you borrow. Since these are designed to be short term loans, payday loan companies charge much more interest and larger fees for their loan service as compared to traditional loans in order to make money.

Some payday lenders have been know to charge more interest and fees than the law permits. Carefully evaluate the terms and conditions before you accept a payday loan. Payday lenders by law must give you the amount of the financial fees and the annual percentage rates in writing. If you are requesting a payday loan on-line, they should post their disclosures, interest rates and fees before you submit your application.

Payday loans have raised a lot of questions and concerns. Legal battles and public views have presented much controversy for the companies that offer these type loans. Payday lenders have been blamed for taking advantage of people’s financial needs and making much profit from it. Critics also argue that borrowers may not understand the costs involved in getting a payday loan.

If you take a payday loan are not able to repay the loan during the allotted time, the balance due increases. Payday loan companies charge more fees to allow the borrower to extend the loan to another future date. Some may put up their car or other property to turn the payday loan into a secured loan. If the loan is not paid back, they lose their car or other property used as collateral.

As a general rule, getting a payday loan should be your last resort. If this is your only option, shop around and negotiate with lenders to make sure you are getting the best possible deal to meet your needs. Only borrow the minimum amount needed and repay the loan as quick as possible.

“Can I have a ’special discount’?”

While it may be tempting to ask your agent if he can give you a break on your premium, the plain truth is he can’t. Your agent can look for ways to save on your premium such as higher deductibles or lower liability limits, or he can investigate discounts the company offers, but he can’t just say “OK, I’ll knock 20 bucks off because I like you,” even if he makes up the difference himself. This is called “rebating” in the insurance world, and it’s illegal in many states. If your agent is caught doing this, he’ll most likely be looking for another line of work in the very near future. That is, if he’s not making license plates at the state penitentiary.

“Can I pay for this life insurance policy in cash?”

In the past, some shady characters have used life insurance applications as a money laundering mechanism. They’d make an application for life insurance with a cash payment, then turn it down on their “free look” rights. The insurance company then sends them a check for the money as a refund. Boom, instant clean money. Life insurance companies and law enforcement have since gotten wise to this, and any attempts to pay for life insurance to cash sends up big red flags. Many companies won’t accept cash for life insurance or annuity products in any amount, period. Write a check or get a money order instead.

“I just had an accident. Can you lower my deductible?”

While policyholders have the right to change policy terms, neither they nor their agent can change them to affect a prior claim. Your agent could lower your deductible or increase your coverage for any future claims, but for anything that’s already happened you’re stuck with what you had.

“Do you really need to know about a bankruptcy I had 15 years ago?”

If your agent asks you a question for underwriting such as “Have you ever filed for bankruptcy?”, answer truthfully. A 15-year-old bankruptcy won’t affect your premium, but failure to disclose it may result in the underwriter denying your application on the grounds of misrepresentation if she finds out about it (and she probably will).

“I bought a car two months ago and totaled it before I could tell you about it. Is it covered?”

Probably not. Whenever you buy or sell items on your insurance, especially vehicles, let your agent know as soon as possible to avoid any problems. Also, when you finish making payments on a vehicle or other major purchase you insured, tell your agent so she can remove the lien holder from your policy. Otherwise the lien holder will remain legally entitled to any claim on that property.

One of the easiest ways to spice up the look of your home is by changing the color of your walls or by simply adding a fresh coat of paint. But why does paint always give off that toxic smell? Most conventional paints have binding agents that contain volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, carbon-based chemicals that emit vapors at room temperatures. These vapors give off a strong odor and are a hazard to both human health and outdoor air quality. According to the U.S. EPA, they are known to cause everything from dizziness to cancer.

When deciding to paint your home, opt for low-VOC paints, which contain significantly lower levels of VOCs; zero-VOC paints, which typically have less than 5 grams of VOCs per liter; or other natural paints, including milk-based and water-based paints. Low-VOC is often a broadly interpreted term, so it is important to check the label of the paint for the exact VOC content, which should be less than 160 grams per liter.

Health Benefits

* Did you know that VOCs may be a source of chemical carcinogens?

VOCs can cause nausea, minor irritation and kidney, liver and nervous system damage. In addition, some VOCs (the source of “new-car smell”) contain toxic chemicals, including toluene, a suspected carcinogen.

Environmental Benefits

* Did you know that VOCs can create smog?

In sunlight, some VOCs react with nitrous oxide, forming photochemical smog, a secondary air pollutant that contributes to growing levels of ground-level ozone.

As the summertime has arrived, many people get new ideals about fitness, healthier living, and fun times in the sun. Along with those new ideals, many people also end up investing a ton of money in stuff they will never, or at least rarely, use such as a treadmill, high tech camping equipment, expensive health food cooking apparatus. All of these items may indeed serve a great purpose if actually used but many times they end up in the basement or garage, gathering dust.

While the intention of better living is a wonderful one to have, the reality is there is no reason you can afford a healthier, better lifestyle by making changes that are free. Instead of jumping in with both feet, pull back a little bit and stick your toes in the water to start.

Here are some additional tips to make a change in routine or lifestyle without breaking the bank:

Instead of Expensive Gym Memberships go to the library and get free workout videos or borrow a few from friends. You can work out in the privacy of your own home and save a ton of cash each month.

Instead of a Gym Equipment take small steps and try committing to walking around your neighborhood for 30 minutes each day. If you can commit to doing this each day for two months during the nice weather, you might want to start saving for the treadmill or, even better, just commit to doing what you are already doing in the fresh air each day. If you are ready for the big equipment, keep your eyes peeled for such items at yard sales and in the newspaper as there will likely be lots of people who also had big ambitions but little attention spans.

Instead of Expensive Juicers start researching healthy recipes you can easily make with the stuff you already have in the cabinets. There are plenty of free resources that allow you to find information about healthier eating that doesn’t involve brand new small appliances.

Instead of Expensive Instruments if you are interested in expanding your musical skills, don’t spend thousands of dollars on an instrument you (or your kids) can not yet play and may not even like. Instead, rent or buy used until you see if those music lessons are paying off.

Keeping your life simple helps do many things for your proposed new lifestyle. First, it helps you save money for the things that are most important in your life. Second, it helps reduce and eliminate a ton of clutter you do not need to disorganize your life.

If someone told you that they would lend you $500 today if you repaid them with $5000 a year from now, would you take it? What if the repayment amount were only $2500? Would that strike you as a good deal? This may sound like an insane amount to repay on a small loan, but that, in effect, is what thousands of consumers do every day when they take out a payday loan.

Payday loans, also known as cash advance or quick cash loans, are short term loans that typically last about two weeks. In exchange for borrowing relatively small sums ranging from $100-500, the borrower pays a fee that can range from $10-40 per $100 borrowed for the two-week loan. The borrower writes a postdated check for the borrowed sum plus the fee, which the lender may cash two weeks later.

These fees may seem relatively small, but when viewed as an annual percentage rate, they actually amount to anywhere between 250-1000% per year. That’s an astronomical amount of interest in a world where a credit card loan at 25% is considered to be high. And yet, the payday loan business is thriving and there are now some 23,000 stores in America that offer some form of these cash advance loans.

Why do people take out such loans? The primary reasons are convenience and a lack of better alternatives. These stores are now so common that there are often several of them on a single block. They don’t do credit checks and they will lend money to pretty much anyone with a steady job. And the borrowers tend to be people who do not have access to other borrowing options, such as credit cards, friends with money or a local credit union that offers short term loans.

Defenders of these financial products say that they are simply offering a product that the public wants. That may very well be true, as these businesses are doing very well. What remains to be answered is whether the public really wants to borrow money at 500% per year. In all likelihood, they are doing so only because they cannot find a less expensive option. Anyone who needs a short term loan is more than welcome to go to a payday loan store to get one. But any potential borrowers should realize that they making use of one of the world’s most expensive forms of lending.

Be smart when purchasing life insurance by navigating the complex issues with several important questions in mind. Be sure to ask your agent the questions below because the topics may not come up easily in the normal conversation. We’ll discuss those key questions in just a minute.

Before you begin the huge task of absorbing the mind-numbing details about any insurance policy, there are some simple philosophical points to keep in the background of your thinking.

1. VALUE. Know that you are buying “value” and it’s not so much what you pay for, but what you gain in return.

2. START EARLY. Prices for insurance are the lowest when you start early.

3. BEST JUDGMENT. No one can guarantee what will happen tomorrow. Use your best judgment for the lifestyle that you expect with the information that you have today.

4. SURVIVOR. Think about the person and how they will benefit from your policy. The amount you choose will have to provide for your survivor’s needs. Larger policies cost less per thousand dollars. The beneficiary needs to understand that the money is for current and future expenses and not a spending spree. If this is not clear, put a precise organization into place that will outline the details of what the money is for, or set up a trust fund.

What the money is meant to pay for is basic living expenses which may include a mortgage payment to be paid in full or continued as monthly payments. Most people don’t realize that it takes about six months for Social Security payments for minor children to start coming in the mail, and money for living expenses will be required for that waiting time.

Also, an insurance payout will be paid after a funeral, not before although the funeral director will be reassured to know that there is a policy in place with funds soon to be available.

There will be guaranteed incidental costs like the dentist, doctor and education. The surviving spouse may have to quit work to take care of the household or for other reasons. This is an important point because they will no longer be adding to their Social Security earnings and their own retirement. The insurance should include an amount to replace the lost Social Security benefits. It is sometimes difficult to imagine needing an income at age 65 or 67 when you are 25-years-old.

Here are the key questions to ask when purchasing life insurance:

1. Ask how much insurance is enough for your needs. Your agent is experienced with statistics and current expenses for such things as funeral costs. Use the agent’s information along with your own research.

2. Ask what exactly what will your family receive.

3. Ask how soon you will receive the cash settlement in the event of death.

Your life insurance needs will change over your lifetime. Early on you will consider your dependents as a priority and later, when the nest is empty, your needs will change. Approach your insurance purchase just as you would with any other major investment.

Be smart, ask questions, be sure to get the answers to your questions and remember the value to your family.

How many hours of your week are consumed by meetings? From full staff meetings to departmental meetings, to committees and project-specific meetings, these gatherings can cut out a chunk of everyone’s schedule, wreaking havoc with the best time management plans. Rather than the number of meetings decreasing with the advances in technology, the amount actually seems to be increasing. Some reasons for this rise stand out:

• With computers taking over much of the mundane work, more workers are involved in project-oriented activities, needing frequent updates and collaboration
• Outsourcing and joint ventures lead to more external meetings.
• Online scheduling software lets others go in and block times on your schedule.

With the growth in the number of meetings, other tasks accumulate, leading to frustration at not being able to get it all done. The meeting gets blamed for the lack of time to accomplish everything else. Thus it becomes even more imperative that when a meeting is held, it is done as efficiently as possible. If the session is to be productive, you need to determine guidelines. Start by asking yourself:

• Why are we holding this meeting now?
• Is there some other avenue we could use that would be more efficient?
• What will be accomplished by the end of the meeting?

Once you have determined that this meeting is the most effective method for accomplishing your goals, make plans to ensure that the meeting stays within the allotted time frame.

• Have a prepared agenda and stick to it.
• Send out the draft agenda beforehand and ask for added input.
• Make sure everyone present has a need to be there.
• Do not allow one person to monopolize the session.
• Standing instead of sitting can help everyone get to the point quickly.
• To guarantee wrapping up on time, you could start an hour or less before lunch.
• Be sure specific actions are assigned before leaving.

When you know that you have regular meetings, whether weekly, monthly, or quarterly, create a file folder for each one. If anything comes to mind during the period between meetings that you would like addressed at that meeting, or if a report needs to be brought to the meeting, place it in the folder. This way you have everything together and you can grab the folder as you head off. You haven’t overlooked something important.

If you are the one responsible for creating the agenda, use your Meeting folder to collect the various items that need to be discussed. A day or two before, you can take everything from your folder and quickly set up the agenda.

Be careful not to put anything into the folder that needs to be done in preparation for the meeting. Instead that item should be placed in your daily action file under a specific date when you will work on it. Once the work is completed, it then goes to your Meeting folder.

Always be exploring alternatives to the formal meeting. One method of speeding up meetings is through an email round table. With this approach, one person emails his topic to the next, who adds his input, then passes it on until a consensus is reached. Even if a final group meeting is held, the bulk of the work has already been completed.

Strides in technology have provided more meeting formats. For example, you can now choose:

• Videoconferencing-connecting large groups in different locations.

Positive: saves money and travel time

Negative: need an equipment source

• Web conferencing-like videoconferencing without video

Positive: interactive presentations for large groups

Negative: cannot see expressions and body language.

• Teleconferencing-joining many phones calls into a single conversation

Positive: set up calls quickly and easily

Negative: no visual and not as effective for complicated subject matter

Meetings definitely have a place in the work environment. You can accomplish a lot with proper planning and the right venue. Hopefully when you hear someone say, “Let’s have a short meeting,” it will be short and it will be worth your time.

All online payday loans sites require the consumer to fill out an application detailing personal information, occupational information, current banking and financial information, and references.

All online payday loans have minimal requirements applicants must meet in order to complete the application. These requirements usually follow these guidelines:

• Have a current job for at least 3 consecutive months.
• Take home a minimum of $800.00 monthly after taxes.
• Have a valid checking account open for at least 3 months.

Certain lenders also require current bank statements and paycheck stubs. Online payday loans lenders also take into account the number of NSF’s (non sufficient fund) charges an applicant has incurred in the past 30 days, and the number of current outstanding online payday loans.

An advantage of online payday loans to most consumers is that they are available to people with no credit, poor credit or bankruptcies. Unlike traditional lenders, online payday loans lenders do not request credit bureau reports from Experian, TRW, or Equifax. Instead, most larger online payday loans lenders and banks that partner with online payday loans lenders use consumer information services provided by Tele-Track. These services do not check credit history; they simply verify the applicant’s banking history information, including status of checking account, number of NSF’s and current outstanding online payday loans. When applying for online payday loans, it is very important to be truthful and correct in providing information and answering all questions, or the application may be declined.

IMPORTANT: If you are considering applying for online payday loans, only apply for one loan at a time. If an applicant applies for multiple online payday loans, each loan application will be reported, and may result in ALL applications being declined.

Once completed, the application is forwarded to the online payday loans lender for review. If the applicant meets the minimum requirements they will be notified (typically via email) that they are approved. The payday lender determines the amount of the payday loan, usually between $100 and $500. The amount of the approved payday loan depends on several criteria, usually monthly income, direct deposit, length at residence and job, availability of bank statements and paycheck stubs, number of outstanding NSF’s and other online payday loans. Repeat customers with an online payday loans lender are more likely to receive larger loan amounts than first time applicants.

Once approved the applicant will be asked to print and sign a signed copy of the online payday loans lender’s contract with the loan amount, loan fee and terms specified. Lenders may also require faxed copies of paycheck stubs, bank statements, and a personal check.

When the fax is received the lender will verify the information is correct and administrate the loan. Most online payday loans lenders will electronically deposit the loan amount in the applicant’s checking account overnight, depending on the time of day the loan application was received and approved. Online payday loans lenders typically do not process loans on weekends.

On the specified pay date, the online payday loans lender will electronically withdraw the loan amount plus specified fees. For instance, if the payday loan was for $300, and the loan fees were $20 for each $100 borrowed, then the amount electronically withdrawn would be $360.

Most online payday loans lenders offer clients the option of “rolling over” a loan, meaning that the loan is extended to the next payday. The client can contact a lender and request to extend the repayment date to the next payday. In most cases the fees charged will double, meaning a $300 payday loan “rolled over” would incur a total fee of $60, requiring a repayment of $420. Extending repayment dates is something that consumers should approach with caution as the resulting fees accumulate quickly.