Monday, December 19, 2011

Secret Lottery Winning Tips

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Don't think lucky. Think smart. Some of these tips may seem obvious at first sight, but I bet you've made some of these common mistakes at one time or another.

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1. You've got to be in it to win it - OK, that's not much of a secret, but it's amazing how many people forget to enter, arrive at the terminal too late, go on holiday, or it's too cold to go out - and a whole host of other reasons. The best way to ensure continuity of entries is to join an automated system that takes care of everything for you.

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2. Make sure you claim all winnings, even the smallest. You wouldn't believe winners would fail to claim even a tenner, but they do, and doesn't your heart just ache when you hear about the thousands of pounds that go unclaimed. What was the story behind it? Did the dog eat the ticket, was it lost? Imagine the heart-ache of knowing your regular set of numbers was the winner, but you couldn't find the ticket. Again, a centralised automated system will do all this for you.

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3. Choose your numbers carefully - it's not that some sets of numbers are more likely to win than others. They're not. Each set has an equal chance. But if you choose the same numbers as many other people, should that series be drawn, you will be sharing your win with all those who chose the same number sets.

4. To maximise your winnings - you need to maximise the number of lines you buy. At one level this is obvious too, but common-sense dictates that you must stick within a budget. Buying extra tickets needn't be as expensive as you'd first think.

5. One simple way to maximise your number of lines is to join a lottery syndicate where you share in the winnings of a group of friends, but without increasing your own costs. For instance I am in one syndicate where entries start from just a tenner a quarter, and even if YOU don't win, you can win when your friends do.

6. Running a syndicate is hard work if you "do-it-yourself". Finding enough members to have a significantly better chance of winning, chasing them for money every week, replacing drop-outs, buying tickets, and dividing the winnings. Save yourself this hassle - automate it!

7. Spread your risk over different Lottery games. The syndicate I play in is so very affordable that you can do this without breaking the bank. Winning when my friends win means I can get a prize even from tickets someone else bought.

8. Minimise your cost of playing. My syndicate offers an optional way to play for free, or at least reduce the monthly cost, by introducing a few other players. Many people have no interest in this whatsoever and that's fine - but if you're playing for free and just accumulating wins, there's no reason to cancel your lottery syndicate subscription.

I hope you've found food for thought in those simple pointers.

Secret Lottery Winning Tips

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Tax Sale Overbids - Collect Them, and Earn a Six-Figure Income From Your Home Office

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Tax sale overbids - in general, people don't know what they are. In general, people haven't even heard of them! Even ask a seasoned tax sale investor what he thinks happens when you lose properties because you couldn't pay the property taxes. Just about every time he'll say that the tax sale office takes all the money bid at auction.

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Well, too bad for the owner. In about half of the tax collector offices in the U.S., that's exactly right. If you lose your property, you lose any equity you had right along with it. The government takes the tax sale overbids - every last dime of it. It's morally despicable, but government isn't friendly to the small guy. Anyone who's ever paid taxes knows that the government will take whatever money it can get regardless of whether it's fair or not.

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In the other half of U.S. counties, however, the government keeps the tax sale overbids - that is, whatever amount was bid at tax sale over the amount owed in taxes - for the owner. Seems a little bit better, right? Well, hold your horses - it's not as great as it seems. The government still takes the money if the owner doesn't come to collect it within tight window of time - usually a year.

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Here's why this doesn't make it any better: how do you think the government notifies the rightful owner? They've lost their property - the one with the address on file with the county! The government sends a notification, to notice the owner of their tax sale overbids - to the house they vacated long ago. This makes no sense.

How often do you think owners realize the money is there? How hard do you think the governmental agency is going to look for the owner, when the result is that they get to keep all the tax sale overbids that never get paid out?

Are you beginning to see a huge opportunity here?

These overbids are created at local government agencies, not at the state level, so they're not governed by state unclaimed funds finder fee law. The owners are missing. You put together the owner with his funds, that he has no clue exists, and charge a 40-50% finder's fee to collect it for him. He feels like he hit a jackpot, and your bank account is fattened to the tune of ,000 or more a month. That's if you're working, let's say, 30 hours a week on it.

It's totally legal - for now. If you want to make finder fees, get in right away before the government changes the laws.

Tax Sale Overbids - Collect Them, and Earn a Six-Figure Income From Your Home Office

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

Debt Cures Book Review - Is Kevin Trudeau's Latest Book A Scam? Part 4

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Kevin Trudeau, the famous and infamous infomercial king has released a new book - Debt Cures They Don't Want You to Know About. This article will finish off my 4 part series reviewing Kevin's book and help you decide if you should spend your money on anything he has to sell.

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This article will answer all the questions about the free money from the government, the ,000 in 24 hours, etc. that many people have asked about. Let's get started.

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Last time, I left off on chapter 21. Chapter 21 is called Rebuilding Credit. This chapter offers several tips and options available to you to rebuild your bad credit. The first method he talks about is piggybacking. The basic idea of piggybacking is someone with a good credit score adds you as an authorized user to their account and their good credit history gets reflected on your credit report boosting your score. Unfortunately FICO has decided that they will not allow this method to affect your credit score anymore. This hurts kids on their parent's credit cards in addition to people looking to boost their credit score for a major purchase.

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KT offers tips to rebuild your credit include getting a co-signer on a loan, taking out and installment loan, and getting a secured credit card. He has a few tips for college students who are a favorite target of the credit card companies.

Chapter 22 - Building more wealth.

Here, we get a better idea of what Trudeau means by building wealth. "Every step you take to reduce or eliminate your debt is a step towards building wealth." I would have to agree. The idea is a penny saved is a penny earned. It is not new but it makes a lot of sense. The less you pay to the credit card companies, the more you have to save for more important things. It is hard to save or invest for your retirement if all you're worried about is paying off your credit card debt.

Kevin talks about the differences between investing in depreciable assets - cars, TVs, clothes - and assets that increase in value over time - real estate, stocks, bonds, art, etc.

He mentions starting a corporation for your new business to get access to large credit lines and to leverage that credit line into good appreciating assets. Since this is a book about "Debt Cures," the specifics about how to do this are not covered.

"How to get ,000 in 24 hours"

This is a question several people have asked. The answer is - BORROW IT. He tells you about all the options you have for borrowing or finding money - home equity loan, friends, family, etc. Borrowing from friends and family is cheaper in terms of costs but it does have its other potential downsides so be careful. He also mentions searching unclaimed funds, he says it is one source that many people have found money.

Trudeau finishes the chapter off with some good business tips and making money with your own business as an entrepreneur. The main point is to find out what the demand is than fill it, not the other way around. So instead of building a better mouse trap, find out what the market wants first and then give it to them.

Chapter 23 - Free Money!

KT talks about all the sources of free money from the government and private organizations you can get. Grants.gov is one of his first sites he recommends. You have to take the time to fill out the application forms and make the phone calls to get the money. He also talks about getting money from the Small Business Administration (SBA). Over 1 million people each year get free money and cheap loans from the government. Put in the legwork and you could get some. Many of the grant programs have to be used for a specific purpose not just to do with as you please.

One program that I found interesting was the Individual Development Account program. It's like a 401K where the government and a private group will match your savings dollar for dollar up to a certain amount. You put in a dollar and they put in a dollar each - so you've tripled your savings just like that. The money can be used to buy a house, go to school, or start a business. Read more at http://www.idanetwork.org

College students - make sure you apply for Pell grants and other Federal grants instead of borrowing and burdening yourself with way too many student loans that can and will take years to pay off.

Chapter 24 - The Conclusion. A short two page chapter encouraging you to take action. Then he offers links to many of his sources and a couple sample letters to send to debt collectors and a sample balance sheet and income statement.

That's it. That is Debt Cures. All in all, I would have to give Kevin Trudeau's latest book a passing grade despite the hassle of ordering it. If you use just one of these tips in here, you will have more than paid for the cost of the book. Since we are talking about big amounts of money when we are talking about debt, savings of a few percentage points on your credit card interest rates or negotiating your debt lower can save you thousands of dollars. And that is what makes buying a book like Debt Cures worth it.

If you have questions about the review or about "Debt Cures They Don't Want You to Know About", you can post them on the comments section of my Debt Cures Reviews website and I will get to them as soon as I can.

Debt Cures Book Review - Is Kevin Trudeau's Latest Book A Scam? Part 4

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Friday, December 16, 2011

What Are the Best States For Tax Sale Overages?

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It may sound like an obvious answer, but the best states for tax sale overages are ones that actually have them. Did you know that in about half of the states in the U.S., when more is bid at tax sale than is owed in back taxes, the overage escheats immediately to the government? In the rest, the tax sale overages are held for at the very least six months for the owner to collect. A few states hold these overages indefinitely.

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Other than that, there really are no "best states for tax sale overages." Customs, restrictions, and accessibility to records vary county by county, state by state. Some states, such as Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina, have limits on what you can charge as a finder's fee. Florida also requires certain credentials, in some cases. However, since you don't have to live in the state you're working, if you're from Arizona, Texas, Florida, or North Carolina, don't fret.

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When you go to choose a state to work in, examine the state's code carefully. What restrictions do they have on money finders? How long are the tax sale overages held before they escheat? What kind of access does the public have to records of these funds? Can you communicate by email? Do they legally have to send you records by email? How long do they have to respond to public records requests? These are all questions that will help you determine which are the best states for tax sale overages for you personally.

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Some states make it especially hard to find records, and owner information. Before you decide that those aren't the best states for tax sale overages, consider this: if the states are making it hard to work, how many other people do you think put in the time and effort to work there? If you are persistent, you'll often find that hard states to work are the best, because of all the untouched overages you'll find there.

What Are the Best States For Tax Sale Overages?

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Thursday, December 15, 2011

How to Search For Unclaimed Money For Free

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You will be surprised to find that you can find unclaimed cash for free! Out in the economy, there is unclaimed cash and property just waiting to be claimed. This property and cash is a result of forgotten accounts (checking or savings), credits left over from mortgage payoffs, and undelivered tax refunds that many citizens have completely forgotten about.

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Because many of us are so involved in our daily grind, we forget about some aspects in our finances that are claimable. This kind of money makes great free money for school or free money to pay bills all we have to do is to search for unclaimed money for free! Don't believe in websites that ask you for a fee to look for unclaimed cash, because you can find them yourself by searching for it yourself. It's a great way of finding out if you have money from the government and basically free money for the asking floating out there that you don't know about. You never know, you might find cash and property for yourself, or if you find free money for free that may belong to people you know like friends and family. This way, you can help them claim and search for unclaimed money for free to help them out in their own financial situations.

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Do a simple search for unclaimed cash for free at your own state's Unclaimed Property Division. A great tip is to do a search for unclaimed money for free at every state that you have ever lived in. Also do a search for unclaimed money for free by using your married as well as maiden name, to cover all bases and finally getting some extra free money to pay bills or money for school fees!

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How to Search For Unclaimed Money For Free

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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Get a Free Home Grant Fast

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If you have ever considered applying for government home grants to purchase property, there is no better time than now to pursue your goals and ideas, and get a hold of some free government money to do it with. Today there are a great number of reasons to take quick action when pondering whether or not you may advantage from this type of government financial aid. You most likely can, and here are a few of the reasons why it is pertinent that you begin now.

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While the government has been providing American citizens with billions of dollars in home grants and various other grants for real estate for decades, this type of financial assistance had been previously overlooked by thousands of eligible recipients each and every year. Assume ably because government grant programs are rarely, if ever, advertised to the general public, and in past times of stronger national economy, people just didn't need them. For years, taxpaying American citizens who were rightfully entitled to receive generous awards in home grants surpassed millions of dollars in free unclaimed government money.

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This is not such the case in today's society. With the economy having suffered so immensely over the past few years, and so very many citizens who have barely endured financial setbacks of the utmost magnitudes struggling to avoid foreclosures, or scrambling to scrape up enough money to buy a home now while the prices are low, government home grants are being applied for at an astronomically increasing rate. Ironically, the hardest of times in this country are proving the best of times to invest in real estate, and obtain free government money to do it.

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For some, advantaging government home grants can be the boost that allows them to pay back taxes or mortgages to avoid foreclosures and keep their homes. Others will acquire first time home buyer grants to purchase a first home now, while prices are staggeringly low, that they otherwise couldn't afford at actual market value. And the most resourceful and business minded of recipients will be acquiring as many grants for buying real estate as they can get their hands on to capitalize on the misfortunes, and endeavors, of the above mentioned applicants.

Now matter how you slice it, people are applying more and more for government home grants, most of them are qualifying, and all of them are benefiting, big time. This type of free financial aid would on it's own be a blessing to all qualified applicants, but adding to this the fact that you can literally get steal on property right now, makes it twice as sweet. Government grants are no longer a well kept secret. Now that people need them, they are locating them, and the money can only go so far, and it can't be long until the overflow of applications begins to prolong the acceptance process. Act now, to receive your share of free unclaimed government money before you miss out.

Get a Free Home Grant Fast

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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Unclaimed Money

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Throughout the United States, people are discovering lost stashes of money they didn't know existed.

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No, it's not from cleaning out their attics or up-ending their mattresses. It's actually from the government- money in the form of unclaimed money and property. And there are billions of dollars of it is still to be returned. The latest estimates have been Billion dollars nationwide.

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For years, talkshows have featured episodes entirely on unclaimed money. NBC's Katie Couric recently reported in the Today Show, there were billions of dollars in lost assets with the US government including million in uncashed refund checks held by the IRS. Oprah Winfrey was even able to reunite some members of her studio audience with thousands of dollars of unclaimed money after doing an on-the-spot search. Oprah noted 7 out of 10 Americans may be due a claim.

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How does this happen? This question appears to be the most common question and the biggest reason many Americans remain skeptical and never search.

When people move or get a new job, get married or pass-away, they tend to lose track of financial assets like bank accounts, tax returns, checks, stocks, bonds, etc. These assets are turned over to the state as required by escheat rules which state that (according to Wikipedia) "when an entity (such as a bank) holds money or property (such as an account in that bank) and the property goes unclaimed. In many jurisdictions, if the owner cannot be located, such property can be escheated to the government." The period that banks and businesses can hold-on to these assets before turning them over is called the 'dormancy period' (the average is 3-5 years) and it varies from state to state. These lost assets go into each state's unclaimed property fund where they stay until their rightful owners show-up. There is generally no time limit (Idaho is an exception with 10 years) as to how long these assets are claimed- as long as the identity of the claimant and the validity of the claim is established.

In an effort to locate rightful owners of money owed, the Unclaimed Property Division in the states' Treasury Departments have outreach programs, but only a small fraction of unclaimed money they are suppose to return is successfully reunited with its rightful owners. This is due to a lack of manpower and no centralized government unclaimed property database.

State Treasurers urge all residents to check if their names are on the list of unclaimed property owners. These are published annually in government websites, newspapers and public places like state fairs. Most are surprised at the names which turn-up on the unclaimed lists. Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Demi Moore, even New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg were on lists of people who were owed unclaimed property or money. And to think these people aren't even difficult to locate.

With millions added every year to the unclaimed money fund, American citizens are encouraged to conduct an unclaimed property search in every state they have ever lived or worked.

The process of searching for unclaimed property and unclaimed money databases can be as simple as entering one's name in a search box. If the results show that you are on the list, an on-line claim form is usually available online to verify you are indeed the rightful owner.

WARNING: Many unclaimed money sites entice you with supposed "free" searches, and if a match is made will request payment to access the database. Considering you need to search at least once per year, this method could get costly. Unclaimed money expert Russ Johnson, of UnclaimedMoney.net does not charge on a per search basis and offers lifetime access. Russ says "say goodbye to those blood sucking unclaimed money websites! Utilize lifetime access sites and never pay for access again. Most of these databases are misleading, outdated and almost always containing only a small fraction of actual claims.

Unclaimed Money

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Monday, December 12, 2011

How to Become an Unclaimed Money Finder

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Right now is a dynamite time to learn how to become an unclaimed money finder. Recent economic events have increased the amount of money due to ordinary citizens that's being held by the government. In many cases, if not claimed in time, this money will be lost to the government - and the biggest sums of money are those least advertised, and most in need of the intervention of an unclaimed money finder.

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The first step in learning how to become an unclaimed money finder is to learn the law. Most states limit the finder's fees an unclaimed money finder can charge to a percentage or an amount - generally 5-15%, or a dollar amount of a few thousand dollars. However, in most cases, this only applies to state funds like abandoned bank accounts, and utility deposits - funds held by the State's Unclaimed Property Division, or whatever that state's name for the agency is.

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These funds are also usually freely available for lookup on the state's website. So while that makes it easy for you to find funds, it also makes it easy for anyone else - your competition, and the owners themselves - to find. So the second step in learning how to become an unclaimed money finder is to learn which funds to work. Clearly, state funds aren't it.

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Luckily for you, due to a legal loophole, the best funds - the least publicized, the least worked by other money finders, and the biggest amounts - aren't subject to these state finder's fee limits. These funds are created from the government's sale of real estate. Specifically, the overages from tax foreclosure sale and mortgage foreclosure sale. These funds are being created at a dizzying rate, right alongside all the foreclosures you keep hearing about.

If you can find these funds, and find their owners, you're well on your way to becoming a successful unclaimed money finder. You're not subject to those finder's fee limits, so you can charge 30-50% as a contingency fee on these funds. Most importantly, these funds "escheat", meaning that if the owner doesn't collect in time, the government gets to keep the money. Thus, these owners desperately need you - even if they don't know it yet.

On real estate overages that regularly come to ,000 or more, creating a five-figure monthly income is virtually guaranteed to be possible for quite some time into the future.

How to Become an Unclaimed Money Finder

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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Free Government Money For Consumer Debt Relief

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One of the most common concerns among American citizens today is consumer debt relief. With so many of us having overspent beyond the means of our budgets, and the rising amount of lay offs and pay reductions that many citizens have recently experienced, it is no surprise that this country, as a whole, is suffering from extreme personal debt.

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There is help for American taxpayers in free government debt relief grants...

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There have always been hundreds of greatly beneficial free government grant programs available to American citizens, to assist them financially in numerous endeavors and projects. As of late, the United States government has consciously recognized the rising need for consumer debt relief among American taxpayers. In efforts to support the American economy and assist those who are experiencing overwhelming burdens of personal debt, the government is now filtering additional funding into personal debt relief grants.

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What is a debt grant? Free government money to pay your bills.

Government grants are virtually free money that is distributed by the US government to qualified taxpayers who apply. There are free grant programs that cover a variety of personal and individual needs, from business grants, to real estate grants, to college grants, and many more. This free government money is never required to paid back at any time by the fortunate recipients. It is used by taxpayers to purchase homes, establish new businesses, attend school, and many other practical and beneficial purposes.

Personal debt grants are basically the same thing, except they are designed to aid in consumer debt relief by completely paying off the past due account balances and creditors of the qualified applicants. This is a much better alternative to debt consolidators because you are now relieved of paying your bills rather than just condensing them into one larger monthly payment. It is also a great alternative to bankruptcy because it will not harm your credit rating.

No matter how deep in debt you are, there is a great chance you can pull yourself completely out of it in a very short time if you qualify for government debt grants. Follow the links below to find out how much free government money can assist you in achieving consumer debt relief.

Free Government Money For Consumer Debt Relief

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Saturday, December 10, 2011

Finders Fees For Real Estate Investing - A Crash Course in Real Estate Money-Finding

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If you're already a real estate investor or just looking around for good ways to make money, you may have heard of people making huge amounts of money in finders fees. "Finders fees for real estate investing" would include finders fees for things like tax and mortgage foreclosure overages, and money that's due to heirs in probate cases where real estate was left out and subsequently sold by the state.

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Basically, when more is bid for a property at auction than is due on the mortgage, or due in taxes as the case may be, the overage in most cases is due back to the owner. But as you can imagine, many times the owners just assume they've lost everything, and move on, avoiding as much contact with anyone having to do with the foreclosures as possible. Unfortunately for them, if they don't figure it out in time, the money is lost. These owners are the best to target for finders fees for real estate investing.

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Unlike other unclaimed funds that are held by the state, due to a legal loophole that few have discovered, this money is not governed by state law. This means there are no limits on what you can charge for your finders fee. People working the business currently are charging 30-50%, and their right to do so has been upheld by court cases in several states.

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Find the records of these funds, do the legwork to find their missing owners, and connect the two, and you stand to earn up to five figures per transaction. Since real estate overages frequently run into the tens of thousands of dollars, and more overages are being created every day, you could easily turn finders fees for real estate investing into a full-time, six-figure per year career.

Finders Fees For Real Estate Investing - A Crash Course in Real Estate Money-Finding

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Friday, December 9, 2011

Uncashed Checks - Get the Money Back

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Uncashed checks remain a major contributor to the hoards of unclaimed cash safeguarded by US treasurer. Current estimates project the amount to be billion. In spite of fervent efforts by the state, the cache is growing by the day and the government is finding it difficult to return the amount to its rightful owners.

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Though the campaigns run by the government have shown positive results in terms of increased awareness about the unclaimed money, it is vital to initiate preventive measures to avoid such pile up in the future and stop unclaimed cash from burgeoning further.

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Avoidance of incidents of uncashed checks is very vital in this regard. Most of these happen, especially at the time of moving from one town to another. During the transition, uncashed checks may result from:

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• Utility deposit money: Most of the Americans do not bother to collect their utility deposits while moving out of town. These deposits, which are paid to the utility service provider for starting a service, are refundable at the time of termination of the service. However, most of us do not bother to follow proper service closer procedure or wait for about a month to receive the check.

• Bank accounts: While moving out of a place we often close our bank accounts, but do not collect the check for balance amount. These checks when sent to the address in the bank records, remains undelivered and uncashed.

• Tax refunds and insurance paybacks: We also fail to inform the tax department and insurance agencies about our changed address. These checks issued by these agencies remain uncashed since they are unable to reach us. Remember to informed concerned agencies, postal departments and neighbors about your new address.

• Paychecks: Many Americans also do not bother to collect the paychecks after quitting or changing a job. Many times, we leave job halfway in the month. Paychecks for the days when we did work arrives after the month is over. But by that time, we have already left the place and checks remain uncashed.
How to get back the money?

Millions of such uncashed checks issued by various departments and agencies are laying dormant with the state treasurers. Not only the checks, but also various types of financial instruments and properties are making the government worry about its disposal.

It is for sure that American citizens must take adequate procedural precautions for further avoidance of checks going uncashed; the present focus shall lay emphasis on getting the rightful owners to claim the cash owed to them. For all the responsible citizens, there are some easy ways to find if they own uncashed checks in their name.

Citizens can contact state treasurer office of not only your present state, but also of the other state in which you have stayed any time. Also, check out for the local newspapers. The list of the unclaimed cash owners is published regularly in them. Check for your name.

However, the easiest way is to log on to an unclaimed cash searching website. Just by following a simple process of feeding your name in the site can show up if you own any unclaimed cash anywhere. Further, the site also guides in staking your claim to the cash that is rightfully yours. So, do not wait for any further, log in now.

Uncashed Checks - Get the Money Back

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Thursday, December 8, 2011

US Government Could Owe You Money From Class Action Lawsuits & Investor Claim Funds

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A class action is a civil lawsuit brought on behalf of many people who have been harmed in a similar manner. Think of the movie Erin Brokovich. In the film, Erin Brokovich, played by the beautiful Julia Roberts, is the lead character in constructing a case action lawsuit case against Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E). Basically, the case involved over 1,000 people in a small California town getting sick from contaminated water which was caused by part of PG&E natural case pipeline. The lawsuit settled for over 3 million and was the largest settlement ever paid in a direct action lawsuit in U.S. history. This amount then was paid out to the 1,000+ affected citizens.

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A class action cannot be persecuted unless at one person harmed by the conduct is willing to serve as a class representative, known as the lead plaintiff (i.e. Erin Brokovich). The good news is that you may still be able to recover funds from your company, even if you were not affected directly.

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The Securities Class Action Clearinghouse contains a directory of information for all things related to class action securities fraud lawsuits. This clearinghouse maintains a list of over 3,000 issuers who were part of federal class action securities fraud lawsuits since the passing of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act in 1995. Additionally, the database includes over 32,000 litigation-related materials that were filed as part of the class action cases.

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The database list can be found here: http://securities.stanford.edu/

Once you open the database list, search for your current/former company by the first character index, then, on the next screen, select the litigation name and read through the court proceedings for the selected company. Remember that these documents could contain relevant information even if no settlement was granted by the reviewing judge. As a result, the main line you're looking for in the document is right at the top under "Conclusion." Once you determine whether there were dollar amounts won in the settlement, then it will be necessary to contact a class action lawyer to determine the validity of the lawsuit. One of the best websites regarding class action lawsuits is http://www.classactionworld.com

The site has tons of resources that can help you to locate the appropriate attorney. Their toll-free phone number is 1-800-935-7962 or you can submit a request on their site. The consultation is completely free and the attorney charges depend on the size and breadth of the class action lawsuit.

Similarly, the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) website also contains a list of recovered funds known as Investor Claim Funds. If there are accounts recovered by the SEC and available to investors like you, then they will be handled based on the plan approved by both the company and the SEC. You can check to see whether you also qualify for a claim fund by going to the SEC website.

The site lists those companies for which you'd qualify for a refund for these funds. Be sure to also check the archive of Investors Claims Funds Notices link at the bottom of the page for past companies. If your company appears on the list, call the SEC information line at (888) SEC-6585 for further collection instructions.

US Government Could Owe You Money From Class Action Lawsuits & Investor Claim Funds

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Where to Invest Money Now

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Where to invest money now is the question of the new decade. If you invest money safely you earn next to nothing. Invest in riskier asset classes and you may find trouble. Here we look at where to invest to make the best of it from the average investor's point of view.

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In 35 years of investing money I've never found the question of where to invest more difficult than it is now. It's a whole new frontier where interest rates are extremely low in a weak and/or uncertain economy. Let's make the best of it and look at the alternatives. For the vast majority of investors the answer to where to invest starts with mutual funds, the investment of choice offering many possibilities. We'll start with the safest funds offered.

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Money funds invest your money in safe money market securities and pay interest in the form of dividends that increases when interest rates go up and decreases when rates go down. They currently pay yields that are close to zero after expenses, reflecting the state of today's money market. Eventually interest rates will rise and make money funds more attractive. In the meantime take a look at the tax-free versions that pay interest that is free from federal income tax. Believe it or not, many of them are paying a higher dividend yield than their taxable counterparts.

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Bond funds have been the traditional answer to where to invest money to earn more interest income. That's the good news. The bad news is that, in terms of investing money and changes in interest rates, they are the flip side of money funds. Bond funds don't get more attractive as interest rates go up. Instead they lose money, and so do their investors. Here's where to invest and what to avoid in this fund category.

The objective of bond funds is higher interest income; and not big profits or capital gains that are commonly associated with stock funds. Visualize bond funds as trying to squeeze out dividend yields of 5% or so after expenses with a moderate risk vs. something like 2% or less from your local bank (with virtually no risk). When considering where to invest in bond funds the cost of investing is an important consideration. Sales charges of 4% upfront and yearly expenses of 1% or more only work to eat away a substantial portion of your total return.

Also avoid bond funds with the highest dividend yields because they tend to be risky. This includes long-term bond funds and low quality or "junk bond funds". Your best bond funds today: a mix of short-term and intermediate-term funds, of the no-load, index variety. Your risk will be lower and total cost of investing can be as little as ¼% a year with these funds. Also look into short-term, no-load, tax-exempt bond funds. Their dividends are free from federal income taxes, plus their yields can be attractive relative to their taxable counterparts as well.

The key to investing in stock funds in times of uncertainty: keep your cost of investing low and expand your horizons. Go with no-load stock index funds whenever possible. You can pay sales charges of more than 5% off the top and pay yearly expenses of over 2% a year in the wrong stock funds. Or you can pay less than ½% a year for expenses and pay nothing in sales charges. Expand your horizons by adding international equity funds and specialty funds like real estate and gold funds to your portfolio.

In their search for where to invest many investors have chosen to go with balanced funds called target retirement funds. Their appeal is that they manage your money by investing in both stocks and bonds... based on how far you are from retirement. Before investing money here look closely at both cost and risk. Notoriously, both can be higher than you might expect if you go with the wrong fund companies.

Where to Invest Money Now

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Free Grants For Single Parents

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As the cost of raising a family becomes increasingly high, grants for single parents allow individuals to obtain the money they need to not only raise their family, but to further their success in life and in the workplace. Grants for single parents are available for any US citizen over 18 years old to apply for, and they can provide thousands of dollars in free money for personal use.

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Every year the government provides billions of dollars in free grant money to help individuals, small business owners and organizations succeed. By providing this money, the government accomplishes two things. They help prevent the economy from going into a tailspin or they help move the American economy forward. For example, by providing grants for single parents to go back to school or receive professional training, they are helping those individuals advance in the workplace. That means they will be more successful, earn more money, pay more taxes, and likely raise children who will also be successful.

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Anyone can ask to receive some of this free grant money, and there are millions of Americans who are able to claim these funds for their personal use. And because these are not loans, there is no credit check, no collateral needed, and no need for a cosigner. This is money that is sent to qualified applicants that never has to be paid back. Consequently, these government grant programs are funded by American taxpaying citizens, which not only leaves you eligible to submit an application, but entitled to receive some of these funds.

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Free Grants For Single Parents

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Monday, December 5, 2011

Reverse Email Lookup - Why Does it Cost Money?

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More and more people are finding it interesting to search for people online. Some people have no problem paying nominal fees for reverse email lookup, but others will ask, "Why does reverse email lookup cost money?" Of course, there are free reverse email search options available, but the problem is, the free services only give the Internet community limited access to large databases of public records. The fees charged for reverse email services vary. Advertisement and hosting is something most of these services consider. Vendors online who offer the community the ability to search through thousands of databases internationally often have to pay supplier premiums to access public records and data. Many of these suppliers will sell data and records in bulks, which provide the reverse email lookup vendors' discounts. The discounts offered to the vendors enable them to provide savings to the Internet community by offering them reverse email search at affordable prices.

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Because the services give people access to thousands of public records ranging from criminal search, property records, land patents, birth records, phone numbers, marriage records, adoption, unclaimed money, license, missing people and more, they often have to pay premiums and taxes on these records. For this reason, reverse email search costs money.

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The government offers the Internet community, reverse email lookup, which gives people access to thousands of public records. The government charges a nominal fee for their services because they have to pay their workers or staff to lookup the information and store it in a database. All of the records listed in the database are free public records. If you were to look up public records online, conducting single searches, you would have to break down the individual, company, or record and individually take the time to lookup multiple websites to find all the information you would need to profile the character, business, etc. Single, reverse email lookup only provides you ways to look up information on sex offenders only per se. If you wanted more information on this person, you would need to look through the criminal databases, background records, inmates, birth, or related records individually. This is time consuming for most people.

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The reverse email search online and the fees charged for the services put you in connection with all public records. This means you can type in the name of one individual and pull up all records on that person. Lastly, the databases house data that private investigators, government officials, and law enforcements use to find information about people, places, and things. It is one big database setup on a noun structure that enables the Internet community to find what they need in less time by searching through public records at a nominal cost.

Reverse Email Lookup - Why Does it Cost Money?

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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Does the Government Owe You Money?

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It's hard to believe that nearly one in eight Americans is missing money or property owed to them. That is billions of dollars in assets waiting for the rightful owner! In this economy, extra cash whether it be dollars or tens of dollars is always welcome. And it is easy and free to find missing money online.

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The first step to finding missing money online is to understand how it happens. Not many of us think we would forget about our cash. But when you think about it, it is easy to do. If you move and forget to totally close out a bank account. If you forgot or didn't realize you had paid a deposit for utilities. Maybe someone passed away, leaving you as a beneficiary and you were never told. Knowing where or when this may have occurred can help you in your search.

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There are many types of missing money and property. There may be bank or safety deposit box contents, escrow accounts, credit balances, refunds, money orders, pensions, gift cards, trust funds, security deposits, IRS tax refunds, paychecks, CD's and more in your name waiting to be claimed. In addition there are Veterans Benefits, Railroad Retirement Pensions and more that are unclaimed.

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Unfortunately, there is no centralized database to help you find out and get back missing money you may have. But there are sources to search a variety of sites so it can be easy to find missing money online. A google search will pull up several sites site that share links to different resources to help you find your missing property easily and quickly without paying fees of any kind.

Once you have searched for your missing money and property, if you find you are owed, you will need to file a claim. Depending on the agency it can take a number of weeks to get what you are owed. And if it is a state agency, some of them will charge a small processing fee.

Does the Government Owe You Money?

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Unclaimed Property - A Government Scam?

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Every state has an unclaimed property department of some sort. This is where uncashed checks, forgotten bank accounts and other "abandoned" monies go. The idea is simple enough; if money or other things of value are not claimed, they are turned over to the state government for protection. The government then is supposed to make an attempt to find the rightful owner and return the property to that person (or their heirs).

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It seems, however, that governments don't try very hard to find the owners. Some quick research online, for example, showed me that Oklahoma's unclaimed property program has been around for more than 30 years, collected more than 0 million in unclaimed property and paid out only million, leaving around million (plus interest) for the state to spend. Yes you read that last part correctly. They get to spend the excess.

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This is why many states are hiring auditors to check the records of insurance companies, banks and other organizations. In fact, some are even paying the auditors a percentage of the monies collected in order to boost collections. This has become a new revenue source in times of declining tax revenue.

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Of course, they're supposed to make an attempt to return the money or valuables, so what do they do to find the owners? Some publish a notice in a newspaper, and most now have a list of assets and names of owners online. I personally know of a case where a woman searched the records online and found an insurance refund of almost a thousand dollars that had "escheated" (the technical term) to the state. She only got her money because someone saw her name on the online records of which she was unaware.

This woman was still living in the same state as when she had the old account, and a quick internet search would have yielded a phone number. She was never called, of course. It seems that most states do nothing more than post online the name on the account that was turned over, along with the amount. Why would they do more, since most state laws allow them to spend the money that is not claimed?

Unclaimed Doesn't Mean What You Think

Before you start thinking this whole topic is irrelevant to you, we need to ask what the definition of unclaimed is. Do you have a bank account somewhere that you haven't used for a couple years? They may be taking it soon. Did you check to see if you had a refund due on your mortgage insurance after paying the loan off early? They tend not to tell you, and eventually that too goes to the state.

What else? Stock accounts, utility company refunds and returned dividend checks can all escheat to the state after some time. In fact, some states will even take the contents of safe deposit boxes if you have not accessed them in a while. This is because of state statutes that define this as a "presumption of abandonment."

As I write this, I have an old savings account at a credit union in another state that has not been active for at least three years. It has just a hundred dollars or so in it, left there so I can keep the great credit card that this credit union offers to members. Since this may be considered "abandonment" (a rule of three-to-five years is common), I should probably send a dollar in for deposit.

The rules are different in each state, but if you want to keep the states hands off your money, here are some tips:

- If you have any accounts that give you online access, login at least once a year.

- For bank accounts, make a deposit or withdrawal (any amount) at least once per year.

- Don't keep uncashed checks around; deposit them or cash them.

- Keep a list of all accounts, including banks, insurance policies, utility deposits, brokerage accounts, and retirement accounts. Let someone you trust know where the list is, so in case of your death, those you love (and not the state) will be able to get at your assets.

- Visit safe deposit boxes once a year minimum.

- Make sure every account holder gets your new address when you move.

According to a recent article from ING Bank, as of May 2008, the fifty states in the United States are holding more than billion worth of unclaimed property. They are quickly working to collect more, and paying as much as a 15% bounty to auditors who find "abandoned" valuables. Given the minimal effort to locate the rightful owners, it seems that a law intended to protect consumers is helping governments take advantage of them instead.

Unclaimed Property - A Government Scam?

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Unusual Scholarships - Strange and Wacky Ways to Fund a College Education

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If you are searching for some creative funding to pay for school, unusual scholarships might be the answer. Did you know that there are thousands of dollars in free money for college that go unclaimed each year because eligible students fail to apply for these oddball awards? You could very well be eligible for these unusual scholarships if you know where to look.

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As weird as it may seem, you can earn money for school for being unique. Here are some of the best ways to find some of these unclaimed and low competition scholarships that you could very well be eligible for.

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Watch the media around you. Commercials, magazines, newspapers, and bulletin boards are great places to spot odd scholarships. For example, the Coca Cola Company sponsors a scholarship with the main criteria based on being a first generation college student.

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Get a list of scholarships offered by the college you interested in attending that includes the criteria. Some of these lists are not published or distributed to students but instead remain within the financial aid office of a school and are matched to students who are viewed as eligible.

Check with organizations you are involved with or those that support your interests or hobbies. For example, the Vegetarian Resource Group awards money for school to students who promote vegetarianism within the community and write an essay about being a vegetarian.

Online. The internet is without a doubt the number one way to find unusual scholarships. There are many databases that allow you to search for contests and awards based on your own personal characteristics and criteria. The best custom search I have found is on unusual scholarships, and it is completely free.

Unusual Scholarships - Strange and Wacky Ways to Fund a College Education

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Thursday, December 1, 2011

Free Drivers License Records Search Tips and Tricks

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If you are looking for a free drivers license records search, you may want to know that there are none.   You can put "free drivers license records search" into your computer browser, and get many listings, but you will not find them for free.  Oh, you can run a free search and then a join now, or pay now screen comes up, and they may tell you that they have one or more records for that person's name. 

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You will find some tricks online, however.  The first one that will come up in your search will be a website that claims to have a database of over 121 million records, of U.S. drivers license photos, free.  And that part is free.  You can search anyone's name free and see a drivers license with name and photo.  Try putting your own name in and see what happens!  This one is a trick website, and obviously very popular to come up number one in the internet search for free drivers license records search.

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You can get some free records from the government websites, and these would be vital records of births, deaths, marriages and divorces.  These all are public records and you don't have to pay for them.  You can see information and order copies of the licenses and certificates for a fee.  Other records are more protected.  Like criminal records, drivers licenses, property records, deeds, offenders, unclaimed property, sex offenders, professional licenses, and so on. 

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Some of these you can also access free, like unclaimed property.  Others, like criminal records and drivers licenses, require additional searches.  For some search websites, you need to register, if you don't mind getting emails.  There are many websites that do these pay for information searches.  Some may only provide names, addresses, phone numbers and other public information that you can look up yourself for free

If you need in depth information, you could try one of those pay websites, or hire an investigator who already has paid for access to these types of records.  Sometimes a business can uncover personal information when doing a background check, from previous employers, and browsing the internet social networking websites.  But a free drivers license records search is not available online.  You could go to the local police station and they may look up your own for free.  But go ahead and try the joke website, it's fairly funny!

Free Drivers License Records Search Tips and Tricks

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