Nerdistan

The price of gas continues to climb, and with continued uncertainty in the Middle East, they will probably continue to do so. In California and elsewhere, prices for some grades of gas have now reached the previously unthinkable three dollars a gallon. Granted, that is lower than the inflation-adjusted prices of early 1981, but that doesn’t make anyone feel better when they’ve just paid nearly $100 to fill the tank of their sport utility vehicle.

In a previous article, we offered some solutions as to how the average consumer can either save on gas prices or use less gas. These tips included using credit cards with cashback rebates, keeping your car tuned and tires inflated, and keeping the car washed and waxed, which reduces drag. Here are a few additional tips which will help ease the strain of filling your tank.

Each of these tips offers a small saving in fuel consumption. When combined with others, they add up and can produce significant savings. If you can increase your fuel consumption by just two miles per gallon, you can save $30-40 on a 1000-mile trip in your SUV. When you’re paying $3.09 per gallon, every penny counts.

©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a site devoted to establishing credit, debt consolidation and credit counseling.

The stock market can be a great investment tool, but many people
find themselves unsure of whether or not to invest in the market
because they are unfamiliar with some of the more common terms
associated with market trading. If you are one of these people,
don’t despair; below you’ll find several of the more common
terms associated with the stock market defined so as to help you
make sense of the investment news that you hear.

Stocks

Stocks are obviously one of the most commonly traded items in
the stock market… they are the publicly sold and traded shares
of companies. Each share of a stock is a portion of ownership in
the company that issued the stock, and the stockholder is
usually entitled to vote in stockholder meetings. Stockholders
are also often given advance notice of upcoming splits, mergers,
and the release of new stock shares.

Bonds

Bonds are similar to stocks, but are more often issued by
governments than by individual companies. Bonds are issued with
a specific date set at which they reach maturity, after which
point they are cashed out and their current value is paid to the
bond holder. The longer a bond holder owns a bond before
maturity, the more money they have accrued in the bond and the
more they get upon maturity.

Dividends Dividends are additional payments that are made to
stockholders after a particularly profitable quarter. Many
people automatically reinvest their dividends, getting more
shares of stock equal to the amount of the dividend that was
paid.

Futures

Futures are traded along the same lines as stocks, but are
purchased against the future cost of commodities. When the
futures mature, money is made if the actual price of the
commodities is higher than that which was paid for the futures
and money is lost if the price is lower than that which was
paid.

Index Trading

Groups of stocks based upon commodities or sectors of the market
can be purchased and traded as an index; common indices include
the diamond market, the gold market, technology sectors,
healthcare, and other such groupings.

Trading on Margin

Trading on margin is similar to making stock trades with
borrowed money… you can purchase the stock shares for a
portion of the actual price, with the remainder due at a later
date or upon sale of the stock. The broker which places the
order must have your margin portion of the cost before placing
the order, which is typically 50% of the cost of the stock.

Bull or Bear Market

Bull markets and bear markets are terms used to describe trends
in the stock market. A bull market is one in which stocks
continue to rise over an extended period of time, and is
considered to be an optimistic market. A bear market is one in
which stocks fall in price over an extended period of time, and
is considered to be a pessimistic market.

Splits

Splits are a way that companies reduce the value of their
individual stocks without reducing the value of their stocks as
a whole. The most common type of split is a two-for-one split,
in which each share of stock is divided into two shares… this
doubles the total amount of shares, though the total amount
invested remains the same and each individual share is worth one
half of its previous value. Stockholders end up owning twice as
many shares after a two-for-one split, though the total amount
that they have invested remains the same.

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The best low interest credit card is one that charges a low
interest rate and does not have any hidden costs. Very often,
card users tend to be indiscriminate with their cards during the
introductory period and are in for a shock when the rates jump
at the end of the period. A low interest credit card should
continue to function at a low interest rate even after the
introductory period is over. Therefore, while going for a low
rate credit card, one should not get too enamored by the
introductory offer but should also read the fine print.

By transferring balances to a low interest credit card, credit
card users can save money, particularly those who are in the
habit of carrying balances forward every month. One should
confirm that along with the low balance transfer rate, the
balance transfer fee too is not high. Credit card companies are
not above trying to make up for the low rate charged by hiking
the transfer fee. However, there are low rate credit cards that
will altogether waive the balance transfer fee and offer a low
balance transfer rate for as long as the balance lasts. Low
interest credit cards are therefore a good way of settling
credit card debts. This is because a major portion of the amount
paid is applied to the principal thereby reducing debts more
quickly.

Before signing up for a new low interest credit card one should
be careful that there are no extra fees being charged,
especially if one has a good credit history. An individual’s
credit history has a bearing on the quality of credit card that
he qualifies for. The best low interest rate credit card will
charge a low rate of interest and have low annual fees; several
purported low interest rate credit cards have an annual fee as
high as $ 60. This can offset any savings that may accrue from
the low rate of interest.

Apart from offering a low interest rate, several card companies
also run rewards and cash back programs in which card holders
accumulate points that can redeemed in a variety of ways.

Researching online is a good way to ascertain the best low
interest rate credit card that will suit an individual’s
requirements. There are several sites that offer exhaustive
comparisons between low interest rate credit cards; the interest
rate may vary from 9%-15% and the cards will offer an assortment
of features for a prospective card user to choose from. These
may include grace periods, annual fees, insurance against missed
payments and identity thefts, discounts given at chosen
retailers and auto rental insurance, and emergency services.
Thus, it is up to the individual to select a low interest rate
credit card that offers him the best package; sometimes even if
the interest rate is not the lowest, as other features more than
make up for it.

Ultimately, it can be said that a good low interest rate credit
card is one that lives up to its name and at the same time
offers a host of other services at a low cost.

With all of the expenses that we have in our lives today, it
shouldn’t come as a surprise that many people get deep into debt
and consider enrolling in a consumer debt and loan consolidation
program. Education costs, student loans, home ownership bills,
medical expenses, and other costs can quickly mount up and there
is a thin line between keeping your head above water and
absolutely drowning in debt. There are several different
consumer debt consolidation programs available that offer
excellent solutions to mounting debt problems.

If you’re trying to pay off several loans or have large amounts
of credit card debt, it is probably a good idea to look into a
consumer debt consolidation program. A consumer debt
consolidation program takes all of your smaller loans and
consolidates them into one larger payment that is paid off over
a longer period. A consumer debt consolidation program can be a
good way to reduce monthly payments and can also free up some
additional cash as less is immediately needed to pay debts. The
consumer debt consolidation program does not eliminate any
outstanding debt, but it can make a very tight financial
situation much more manageable and enable you to regain control
over your finances.

There are many kinds of debt that could be addressed by a
consumer debt consolidation program including credit card debt,
personal loans and medical loans. The interest rates in a
consumer debt consolidation program tend to be very low to make
it a much more plausible option than paying very high
credit-card interest rates. It is important to remember that the
length of a consumer debt consolidation program is likely to be
much longer than any of your current loans to be able to offer
lower monthly payments.

When you are looking for a consumer debt consolidation program
to suit your needs, there are several things to keep in mind to
ensure that you make the right choice of program. If you are
searching for a consumer debt consolidation program on the
Internet, it is especially important to know what you are
looking for. There are so many different advertisements and
promotions from various consumer debt consolidation agencies
that the choice can be overwhelming and you may be tempted to
choose the first one you see.

While you are repaying debts using a consumer debt consolidation
program, you will have more available credit on your cards, and
have to remember to use it sparingly to avoid increasing your
debt. The interest rates may also end up being higher in the
long run if you stretch your repayments over an extended period,
and you might end up paying more for a consumer debt
consolidation program than if you had simply paid each bill on
its own, even with interest.