Road-Test All Telephone Sales Applicants by Telephone

You might think selling by phone is a challenge.

You face a lot of rejection, and if you do business-to-business calling, my specialty, you need to confront and conquer secretarial screening and voice mail, before you can even earn a shot at wooing your ultimate buyer.

But the selling part, if not easy, is manageable, if you know what you're doing and your have hammered out your value proposition and a great script.

What's really daunting, what keeps business owners up at night, and human resources folks grabbing for the Maalox and Valium, are the recruiting challenges. Simply put, staffing your call center so you're running at 90-95% capacity at all times is nothing less than a Herculean endeavor.

How come?

Turnover is a major problem, keeping new hires in those seats long enough so they'll get their "phone legs" and make a dandy living. Too often, too many of our recruits bolt for the door before their payroll paperwork has been fully processed.

A major metropolitan newspaper has experienced 400% annual turnover, going through 1,200 bodies each year to keep its 300 seat center staffed. I pointed out, after doing a cursory analysis of costs, that this paper could double the salaries of all 300 reps, given what it was wasting in recruiting and training costs, alone.

Adding to their woes was a fundamental error. When they advertised for telephone sales reps, they sabotaged their chances of hiring the best folks, efficiently, by appending these words:

NO PHONE CALLS, PLEASE!

Let me say this quite clearly: Screening telephone sales people by phone is not an option-it is essential. Otherwise, how can we assess whether they have the basic talent and vocal endowment to hold up their end of calls when sales are at stake?

Resumes, unless posted at YouTube or at another video-based site, do not speak. People can look great on paper but be marble-mouthed, frozen with fear, or sound utterly dumb over the phone. The only way to assess their telephone strengths and weaknesses is to get them on the line, or at least allow them to contact you.

Telephone sales job applicants need to be put to a telephone test.

In a future article I'll discuss the crucial paces though which we need to put them before giving them further consideration.

By screening applicants better, especially by phone, we can diminish those costly turnover numbers I referred to above, bringing down our overhead to a manageable
range.

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Endowment Shortfall Problems

The endowment shortfall is an issue that has effected hundreds of thousands of people across the UK. A conventional endowment policy is a life insurance contract which will pay a predetermined lump sum following the death of the life insured. An endowment policy is also an investment policy as part of the premium is paid into one of the insurer's with profit funds. As the policy progresses a value is accumulated and is supposed to meet a target at the end of the policy, upon assumed growth rates. At this point it matures and pays out a final valuation to the consumer.

The sum insured is split into two elements, the guaranteed sum assured which is an amount that should be guaranteed to be paid out at the end of the policy and the mortgage sum assured which is the guaranteed sum assured combined with the total life cover in place.

Bonuses are paid each year called reversionary bonuses and these accumulate and are paid at maturity. The insurer will announce at what rates these bonuses are applied at each year. There is also another possible bonus applied to the policy upon a claim or at maturity which is called the terminal bonus. Again these rates are announced by the insurer each year and are not guaranteed to be anything at all.

As previously mentioned the policy is an investment and has a surrender value which is made up of the bonuses, premiums paid and how long the policy has been in force.

It is possible that when upon any claim or early surrender that the policy can be penalised due to poor market conditions. This means that the surrender value will have a Market Value Reduction or Adjustment made to it. This is applied to protect other policies that remain invested in the with profits fund that these policies are invested in.

The endowment shortfall has been a result of the poor performance of the insurers' with profits funds. Bonuses have also been low or non existent and whereby upon sale the policies were made out to hit or even exceed at target at the end of the policy they have been falling well short.

The main concern is that the possibility that there could be a shortfall was never made clear at the beginning of the policy by which ever company or agent that was responsible for selling the product.

Throughout the term a consumer can ask for a projection from that point until the policy is due to mature, this is called an estimated maturity value. This will show upon 3 different assumed growth rates what the policy will likely pay out at maturity. This can show a shortfall from early on and people that have been actively watching their policy have been able to take action but unfortunately many people don't find out until a lot later or even at the end and this can be a very problematic surprise!

Due to the backlash that has come from the endowment shortfall problem insurers have seen consumers complain in vast numbers as have financial advisers and any other people or companies responsible for selling these contracts. Companies have been set up to deal with mis-selling complaints on behalf of consumers and also there are a range of market maker companies who are willing to buy endowment policies from consumers for a competitive price so they can keep the policies as collective short term investments. This is a very popular choice for people that are not willing to see the endowment policy through to maturity only to be faced with a huge endowment shortfall. It is at the very least a way of cutting their losses.

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The Importance Of Investing Money For A Rainy Day

Money in my opinion is not the most important thing in life, but it is nice to know that you have a certain amount of money, saved or invested, which you can use if needed. I actually think that health and happiness are the two most important things in life. Having this pool of money helps to keep me healthy and happy, as it means that I do not have to stress as much about the future.

I only really realised the importance of investing and saving money, when I was twenty-three years of age. Up until this age, I would always spend all of my wages and did not care if I was overdrawn in the bank. I used to think that I could die tomorrow, so why bother about saving money which I might not ever use. This is a bit stupid, I know.

At the age of twenty-three, on one particular day, I was having a conversation with a friend called Tim. He basically earned the same amount of money as I did and lived a similar lifestyle. Tim told me that he was thinking of buying a flat and that he was going to cash in his investment bond to help fund the move. I was very shocked that he even had a bond and asked him how long he had had the bond, and how he had managed to get the money to put into it. I expected Tim to tell me that his parents had given him the money, but they hadn't, he had saved up the money himself.

Tim told me that he tries to save as much money as he can per month and normally manages to save at least £100. When he has a £1000 saved in the bank, he then invests the money into a bond.

I was very impressed with Tim and I have to admit a little bit jealous of his money. I then thought to myself, if Tim can save, then so can I. I set myself a goal of saving up a £1000 and planned to do this within ten months. I had to be less wreckless with my money and it would be a good test for me.

It did not prove to be that difficult and it was a good feeling seeing a healthy bank balance for once. After only eight months I had saved my target of £1000. Instead of putting it into a bond, I decided to take an even bigger risk and to buy some shares. I am happy to say that two years later the share price of the company I had chosen to invest in, had risen by sixty percent. This I have to admit was pure luck as I had simply guessed at who to invest in. The company I chosen had had a dismal few years and its share price was at its lowest ever level. I had heard that the company had recently had some major changes at the top and I decided to gamble just on these few facts.

That was my first experience of investing and it gave the taste for it. I have regularly been buying and selling shares as well as investing in unit trusts for around ten years now. It has also become like a kind of sport or hobby for me, as I am trying to always pick a winner. I have won some and lost some but have had a huge amount of fun along the way.

I now have a certain amount invested in different ways and when for example I have a big car repair bill, I have no need to panic as all I need to do, is to cash in some of the units of my unit trust. That is what I like about a unit trust, unlike with an endowment policy where you need to wait until the end of the term to have access to your money, with a unit trust you can take out all or just some of your units at anytime that you want.

Before I started to save up money, I would often get quite stressed about the future. How would I be able to buy a house? How will I be able to buy a decent car? These are just two of many questions I would ask myself. I would try to ignore the questions by saying to myself that at that stage of my life, I should be earning more money.

I am now very happy that I had that conversation with Tim. Investing money in the way that I do has helped me to get onto the property ladder and also helps to fund my yearly holiday abroad for my family. It also gives me a peace of mind for the future and helps to to sleep easier at night.

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How to Become a Professional Artist - 1

Does the name Picasso sound familiar to you? Those who recognize the name are either an artist, or they are involved with the art, or they may have some knowledge about the artistic field. It is good to study other famous artists because knowledge of art is essential for living in a cultured society, whether for business or pleasure. There is nothing more pleasing than to see a beautifully painted picture. Once the art work is completed the artists has the option to do many things with the original print, such as frame it, or reproduced it for post cards, pillows, greeting cards, book covers, coffee mugs, tee shirts, and more. The many ways to use a beautiful picture is endless. An artist must have certain art supplies to paint a picture, therefore, he will need some startup money for the business. To start this type of business, the artist will need a telephone, art supplies, and business cards. Many beginner artists start their business from the basement of their homes. If you want more experience in this area, consider apprenticing with a professional artist studio in your area.

Many experts believe new artists should do the following:

1) Apply for grants and other funding to support the work

2) Display the work in larger studios and galleries often to get exposure

3) Network with other artists to find out where to exhibit and get referrals

For information on grants for artists', you may contact the National Endowment for the Arts, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20506

Copyright © 2007, Dr. Mary E. Waters, all rights reserved.

Are you interested in starting a business?

To the new and experienced entrepreneurs, getting help with your small business is very crucial to your success. Getting the right help will cause you to avoid costly mistakes, and it can also help you to save a lot of time, money, and energy. You will need to get the right help to form the legal structure of the business, financial, management, procurement/certification, marketing, pricing products, preparing a business plan, and more. If you are a business owner who is wondering if you can take your business to new heights, contact Dr. Waters at tina.waters@waienterprises.com

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The Most Successful Investors May Not Be Who You Think They Are!

If you ask people who the most successful investors are, you'll probably get responses like Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway, John Neff, formerly of Vanguard's Windsor Fund, or George Soros, the famous hedge fund manager.

However, some of the most successful investors from a risk/reward perspective are the large university endowment funds. This group includes universities with endowments larger than $1 Billion such as Yale, Harvard and Vanderbilt.

Source: 2007 NACUBO Endowment Study

What Makes the Large Endowment Funds Different?

Large Endowment Funds consistently beat the market on a risk-adjusted basis! Why? Because they heavily diversify away from traditional asset classes like stocks and bonds, and into less well-known asset classes that have the capability to deliver profits over a business cycle. In fact, the average endowment fund with over 1 billion in assets as of June 2007 had less than 59% of its assets in stocks and bonds.

Multi-Asset Diversification

Endowments invest across many different asset classes and pay as little as possible in fees and expenses. Until the recent explosion of low-cost Exchange Traded Funds (ETF's) it was almost impossible to diversify as cheaply and as broadly as the large endowment funds. Now investors can invest in the same sectors as hedge funds and endowment funds utilizing low cost ETF's. It is now possible, through Exchange Traded Funds, to invest in assets like:

Timber - Currencies - Private Equities - Venture Capital - Commodities - Absolute Return Strategies

Introducing the Gradient Endowment Series Portfolios

Based on groundbreaking research conducted at Vanderbilt University, it is now possible for the individual to invest like an endowment fund. Five diversified portfolios are available based on your personal Risk Tolerance Analysis. Each portfolio is allocated across the universe of investment vehicles in increments most suited to each individuals risk tolerance, time horizon etc. Some of the asset classes are illlustrated below.

Real Estate - Fixed Income - International Stocks - U.S. Stocks - Private Equity - Hedge Strategies - Commodities - Hard Assets

Why ETF's Make Sense Often times, ETF's allow us to take advantage of:

Lower Expense Ratios - Tax Efficiency - Diversification - Intraday Trading - Transparency

Reprinted with permission of Gradient Investment Group

Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) A security that tracks an index, a commodity or a basket of assets like an index fund, but trades like a stock on an exchange. ETF's experience price changes throughout the day as they are bought and sold.

ETF Definition Source: www.investopedia

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Christian Grants

Are you looking for Christian grants but fear that you will have a hard time having your Christian grants proposal accepted in a secular society? Don't worry, there are ways to get the money your church, or Christian school needs. Many government grants accept faith based competition for funds allocated to serving the poor and at-risk populations. You can apply for federal and state money to help with the nutritional, housing, health and educational needs of your congregation and community.

A good resource for this is the Center for Faith Based and Community Initiatives. The Center was created by President Bush's Faith Based and Community Initiative in 2001, and is designed to help the federal government better collaborate with grassroots and nonprofit groups to reinforce and support the work they do. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sponsors a web page that features a compilation of HHS funding opportunities listed by topic and program office, with guidance on how organizations should apply.

But what if you are looking for money to sponsor specific religious goals (like evangelism, missions, pastor education, church building funds, bible translation, etc.)? In that case, your best bet for receiving a Christian grants is to go to private philanthropic organizations and foundations.

Many of these are listed here: Christian Grants

One of the biggest and best resources out there for Christian grants is the Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family - J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli - through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company.

The endowment gives Christian grants for efforts:

-to deepen and enrich the religious lives of American Christians, primarily though strengthening their churches;

-to support the recruitment and education of a new generation of talented ministers and other religious leaders;

-to encourage theological reflection and religious practices that cover the wisdom of our Christian tradition for our contemporary situation;

-to support scholars and educators who seek to help the American people better understand contemporary religion and the role it plays in our public and personal lives;

-and to strengthen the contributions that religious ideas, practices, values, and institutions make to the common good of our society.

Just a few examples of what the Lilly Endowment has funded are; worship training and mentoring at Christian colleges, Christian ethics studies and publications, and the national clergy renewal program.

The national clergy renewal program is a very unique Christian grants program indeed. In this program the Endowment provides as many as 120 grants of up to $45,000 each, directly to Christian congregations for the support of a renewal program for their pastor. A master of divinity degree is the minimum educational requirement to apply for this grant. Deadlines for proposals are generally in May, with announcements of recipients made in October.

In the words of the Endowment " renewal periods are not vacations but times for intentional exploration and reflection, for drinking again from God's life giving waters and for regaining the enthusiasm and creativity for ministry. .. When well-prepared, thoughtful, imaginative, able and caring pastors lead congregations, these communities of faith tend to thrive."

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Christian Grants

Are you looking for Christian grants but fear that you will have a hard time having your Christian grants proposal accepted in a secular society? Don't worry, there are ways to get the money your church, or Christian school needs. Many government grants accept faith based competition for funds allocated to serving the poor and at-risk populations. You can apply for federal and state money to help with the nutritional, housing, health and educational needs of your congregation and community.

A good resource for this is the Center for Faith Based and Community Initiatives. The Center was created by President Bush's Faith Based and Community Initiative in 2001, and is designed to help the federal government better collaborate with grassroots and nonprofit groups to reinforce and support the work they do. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sponsors a web page that features a compilation of HHS funding opportunities listed by topic and program office, with guidance on how organizations should apply.

But what if you are looking for money to sponsor specific religious goals (like evangelism, missions, pastor education, church building funds, bible translation, etc.)? In that case, your best bet for receiving a Christian grants is to go to private philanthropic organizations and foundations.

Many of these are listed here: Christian Grants

One of the biggest and best resources out there for Christian grants is the Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family - J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli - through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company.

The endowment gives Christian grants for efforts:

-to deepen and enrich the religious lives of American Christians, primarily though strengthening their churches;

-to support the recruitment and education of a new generation of talented ministers and other religious leaders;

-to encourage theological reflection and religious practices that cover the wisdom of our Christian tradition for our contemporary situation;

-to support scholars and educators who seek to help the American people better understand contemporary religion and the role it plays in our public and personal lives;

-and to strengthen the contributions that religious ideas, practices, values, and institutions make to the common good of our society.

Just a few examples of what the Lilly Endowment has funded are; worship training and mentoring at Christian colleges, Christian ethics studies and publications, and the national clergy renewal program.

The national clergy renewal program is a very unique Christian grants program indeed. In this program the Endowment provides as many as 120 grants of up to $45,000 each, directly to Christian congregations for the support of a renewal program for their pastor. A master of divinity degree is the minimum educational requirement to apply for this grant. Deadlines for proposals are generally in May, with announcements of recipients made in October.

In the words of the Endowment " renewal periods are not vacations but times for intentional exploration and reflection, for drinking again from God's life giving waters and for regaining the enthusiasm and creativity for ministry. .. When well-prepared, thoughtful, imaginative, able and caring pastors lead congregations, these communities of faith tend to thrive."

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The Most Successful Investors May Not Be Who You Think They Are!

If you ask people who the most successful investors are, you'll probably get responses like Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway, John Neff, formerly of Vanguard's Windsor Fund, or George Soros, the famous hedge fund manager.

However, some of the most successful investors from a risk/reward perspective are the large university endowment funds. This group includes universities with endowments larger than $1 Billion such as Yale, Harvard and Vanderbilt.

Source: 2007 NACUBO Endowment Study

What Makes the Large Endowment Funds Different?

Large Endowment Funds consistently beat the market on a risk-adjusted basis! Why? Because they heavily diversify away from traditional asset classes like stocks and bonds, and into less well-known asset classes that have the capability to deliver profits over a business cycle. In fact, the average endowment fund with over 1 billion in assets as of June 2007 had less than 59% of its assets in stocks and bonds.

Multi-Asset Diversification

Endowments invest across many different asset classes and pay as little as possible in fees and expenses. Until the recent explosion of low-cost Exchange Traded Funds (ETF's) it was almost impossible to diversify as cheaply and as broadly as the large endowment funds. Now investors can invest in the same sectors as hedge funds and endowment funds utilizing low cost ETF's. It is now possible, through Exchange Traded Funds, to invest in assets like:

Timber - Currencies - Private Equities - Venture Capital - Commodities - Absolute Return Strategies

Introducing the Gradient Endowment Series Portfolios

Based on groundbreaking research conducted at Vanderbilt University, it is now possible for the individual to invest like an endowment fund. Five diversified portfolios are available based on your personal Risk Tolerance Analysis. Each portfolio is allocated across the universe of investment vehicles in increments most suited to each individuals risk tolerance, time horizon etc. Some of the asset classes are illlustrated below.

Real Estate - Fixed Income - International Stocks - U.S. Stocks - Private Equity - Hedge Strategies - Commodities - Hard Assets

Why ETF's Make Sense Often times, ETF's allow us to take advantage of:

Lower Expense Ratios - Tax Efficiency - Diversification - Intraday Trading - Transparency

Reprinted with permission of Gradient Investment Group

Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) A security that tracks an index, a commodity or a basket of assets like an index fund, but trades like a stock on an exchange. ETF's experience price changes throughout the day as they are bought and sold.

ETF Definition Source: www.investopedia

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Christian Grants

Are you looking for Christian grants but fear that you will have a hard time having your Christian grants proposal accepted in a secular society? Don't worry, there are ways to get the money your church, or Christian school needs. Many government grants accept faith based competition for funds allocated to serving the poor and at-risk populations. You can apply for federal and state money to help with the nutritional, housing, health and educational needs of your congregation and community.

A good resource for this is the Center for Faith Based and Community Initiatives. The Center was created by President Bush's Faith Based and Community Initiative in 2001, and is designed to help the federal government better collaborate with grassroots and nonprofit groups to reinforce and support the work they do. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sponsors a web page that features a compilation of HHS funding opportunities listed by topic and program office, with guidance on how organizations should apply.

But what if you are looking for money to sponsor specific religious goals (like evangelism, missions, pastor education, church building funds, bible translation, etc.)? In that case, your best bet for receiving a Christian grants is to go to private philanthropic organizations and foundations.

Many of these are listed here: Christian Grants

One of the biggest and best resources out there for Christian grants is the Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family - J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli - through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company.

The endowment gives Christian grants for efforts:

-to deepen and enrich the religious lives of American Christians, primarily though strengthening their churches;

-to support the recruitment and education of a new generation of talented ministers and other religious leaders;

-to encourage theological reflection and religious practices that cover the wisdom of our Christian tradition for our contemporary situation;

-to support scholars and educators who seek to help the American people better understand contemporary religion and the role it plays in our public and personal lives;

-and to strengthen the contributions that religious ideas, practices, values, and institutions make to the common good of our society.

Just a few examples of what the Lilly Endowment has funded are; worship training and mentoring at Christian colleges, Christian ethics studies and publications, and the national clergy renewal program.

The national clergy renewal program is a very unique Christian grants program indeed. In this program the Endowment provides as many as 120 grants of up to $45,000 each, directly to Christian congregations for the support of a renewal program for their pastor. A master of divinity degree is the minimum educational requirement to apply for this grant. Deadlines for proposals are generally in May, with announcements of recipients made in October.

In the words of the Endowment " renewal periods are not vacations but times for intentional exploration and reflection, for drinking again from God's life giving waters and for regaining the enthusiasm and creativity for ministry. .. When well-prepared, thoughtful, imaginative, able and caring pastors lead congregations, these communities of faith tend to thrive."

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Glossary of Mortgage Terms

Additional Security Fee

An Additional Security Fee (Mortgage Indemnity Guarantee policy) is the fee taken to get an insurance policy that will cover your lender so that if you default on payments, he will not suffer any loss. You have to pay the Additional Security Fee and the premium along with your mortgage advance. Although you are paying the premium, remember that this policy is for the protection of your lender and not for you.

Administration Fee

The administration fee is the amount charged by your lender to start working on the documentation part of your mortgage application. It includes the home valuation fee as well. The administration fee will not be refunded even if your valuation is not done or if your application has been rejected.

Adverse Credit

Adverse credit occurs when you have a history of bad credit, bankruptcy, CCJ, or loan arrears. Adverse credit can also be called as bad credit, poor credit, or it can be said that you have a low credit score.

Agricultural Restriction

An agricultural restriction is a rule which will restrict you from holding a property if your occupation is in any way related to agriculture.

Annual Percentage Rate

The Annual Percentage Rate is the rate at which you borrow money from lender. It includes all the initial fees and ongoing costs that you will pay throughout the mortgage term. As the name suggests, annual percentage rate, or APR, is the cost of a mortgage quoted in a yearly rate. The annual percentage rate is a good way to compare the offers from different lenders based on the annual cost of each loan.

Apportionment

Apportionment, or sharing out, is a facility that allows you to divide the responsibility for utilities, property taxes, etc. with the buyer or the seller of the property when you are either selling or buying the property.

Arrears

Arrears happen when you default on your mortgage payment or any other type of debt payment. If you have arrears on the record of your current mortgage, you will face problems when you want to look at remortgaging or getting a new mortgage.

Arrangement Fee

An arrangement fee is the amount you have to pay your lender to access particular mortgage deals. While searching for a fixed rate, cash back, or discounted rate mortgage, you will pay this fee at the time that you submit your application, it must be added to the loan upon completion of the term, or it will be deducted from the loan on completion.

Assignment

An assignment is the document transferring the lease of the property or rights of ownership from a seller to a buyer. It may be an endowment policy to the building society in connection with a mortgage.

ASU

ASU is Accident, Sickness, and Unemployment insurance which covers your mortgage payments in case of an accident, a sickness, or involuntary unemployment.

Auction

An auction is the public sale of a property to the person who quotes highest bid. The highest bidder has to sign a binding contract that ensures that he do all valuations, searches, etc. before the sale of the property.

Authority to Inspect the Register

An authority to inspect the register document is a document fro the legal or registered owner of a property allowing the solicitor of the purchaser to get information concerning the property.

Banker Draft

A banker draft is a way to make a payment. In appearance, it is the same as a cheque, but in effect it is a cash payment. The money is given to the bank, and they issue a cheque that is certified to be good for the given amount.

Base Rate Tracker

Base rate tracker is a type of mortgage in which the interest rate is variable, but it is set at a premium (above) the Bank of England Base Rate for a period or for the full term of the mortgage. The best part about this type of mortgage is that it has little or no redemption penalty. This means that by making overpayments, you will be able to save money on interest by paying off your mortgage earlier than the agreed upon date on the initial mortgage contract.

Booking Fee

A booking fee or arrangement fee is charged when applying for a fixed or a capped rate loan. Booking fees are normally non-refundable if charged upfront, but sometimes the booking fee is added to your final mortgage payment.

Bridging Loan

A bridging loan is useful when you want to purchase a property, but your ability to do so is contingent upon the sale of your old property. This is a very short term loan that is paid off as soon as your old property sells. Speak with a loan adviser before taking out a bridging loan to be sure it is the best option for you.

Broker Fee

A broker fee is paid to your debt advisor or other intermediary that assists you in finding the best mortgage or loan deal for your circumstances. BSAThe BSA, or the Building Societies Association, is a group that works in the interest of member societies.

Building Societies Commission

The Building Societies Commission is a regulatory organization for Building Societies. This commission reports to the Treasury Ministers.

Building Society

A Building Society is a mutual organization that gives you money to buy or remortgage residential properties. This money comes from individual investors who are paid interest on their funds. A portion of building society funds is also raised through commercial money markets.

Buy-to-Let

When you purchase a property for the sole purpose of renting it out, you can apply for a buy-to-let mortgage. The payments for this type of mortgage are calculated based on your projected rental income instead of your personal income.

Capital and Interest

Your monthly mortgage payments consist of two parts: the interest and the capital. The interest payment is a payment on the interest balance of your loan. The capital payment is a payment on the amount that you borrowed.

Capital Raising

Capital raising generally means remortgaging for a higher amount than you need to pay off your existing mortgage in order to use the excess money for other personal financial uses.

Capped Rate

A capped interest rate is an interest rate that will not exceed the standard variable interest rate for a set period of time (from 1-5 years) that is decided by you and your lender. If the standard variable rate falls below your capped rate, your interest rate will decrease accordingly.

Cash Back

Cash back is the amount you receive when you take out a mortgage, the amount may be fixed or a percentage of your mortgage amount.

CCJ

CCJ stands for County Court Judgment. This is a decision reached by a county court against you when you have defaulted on your debt payments. If you clear the debt in question in a set amount of time, a satisfactory note will be put on your credit report to signify that the debt is taken care of.

Centralized Lender

A centralized lender is a mortgage lender that does not rely on a branch network for distribution. Centralized lending is now provided by several building societies. These societies operate separately from their branch networks, and they rely exclusively on mortgages from intermediary sources.

Charge

A charge is any interest on a mortgage to which a freehold or leasehold property can be held.

Charge Certificate

A charge certificate is a certificate issued by HM Land Registry to you with your name as the registered title for a given property. This certificate contains details of restrictions, mortgages, and other interests. It has three different parts: a charges register, a property register, and a proprietorship register. If there is no mortgage on the property, it is called a Land Certificate, and it is issued to the registered proprietor.

Chattels

Chattels are moveable items in your house such as furniture or your personal possessions.Chief RentChief rent is paid by the owner of a freehold property. This is the same as the ground rent that is paid by a leaseholder.

CML

Council of Mortgage Lenders

Completion

Completion is a term that explains that you have become the owner of your house after finishing the formalities of the sale and the purchase of the property.

Conditional Insurance

When you take out a fixed or discounted rate mortgage, your lender may try to persuade you to take out an insurance policy that will cover any missed payments due to an illness, an accident, or unemployment.

Contract

A contract is a legally binding sale agreement. There are two identical copies signed by both the buyer and the seller, and each party keeps a copy for their records. Once both parties have signed the contract, they are committed to the terms of the agreement.

Conveyance

A conveyance is the deed by which a freehold, unregistered title is transferred. The deed is called an assignment if your property is unregistered or leasehold. If the property is registered, the deed is called a transfer.

Conveyancing

Conveyancing is the legal process by which the buying and the selling of a property take place.

Covenant

A covenant is an assurance given in a deed.Credit ScoringCredit scoring is the procedure by which a lender evaluates your paying capacity before offering a loan or mortgage.

Credit Search

A credit search is done by a lender and a credit bureau to search your records for CCJs and other indicators of bad credit.

Debt Consolidation

Debt consolidation is the process by which you take out a loan or mortgage in order to pay off a number of high interest debts. By doing this, you will only need to make one payment each month, and you will save significantly on interest charges.

Deed

A deed is a legal document that denotes the owner of a given property. You can transfer a title to both freehold and leasehold with a deed.

Deposit

A deposit is the amount of money you put down toward buying a property.

Disbursements

Disbursements are any amount you pay to solicitors against land registry fees, searches, faxes etc.

Discounted Rate

Discounted rates are used to attract new borrowers to lenders by setting the interest rate below the standard variable rate for a guaranteed period of time. If you repay the entire discounted rate mortgage within the first few years, your lender may charge you early redemption penalties.

Early Redemption Penalty

An early redemption penalty is charged by your lender if you do a part or full payment of your mortgage amount before the completion of your mortgage term. These penalties will also be charged if you decide to remortgage and move your mortgage to a new lender. Early redemption penalties mainly apply to fixed rate, discounted rate, and cash back mortgages.

Easement

Easement is the right held by one property owner to make use of the land of another for a limited purpose, like a right of passage.

Endowment Mortgage

An endowment mortgage is an interest only mortgage supported by an endowment policy. During the term of the mortgage you will pay only interest to the lender, and your premiums are alternately paid into an endowment policy which will mature over the term of your mortgage. The endowment policy is designed to pay off your mortgage as well as act as life insurance. However, you cannot depend on this amount to be sufficient to pay all of your debt.

Endowment

There are different types of endowments, but here an endowment is a life insurance policy that will pay off your interest only mortgage.

Equity

Equity is the amount of value in your home. It is the value of your home less the amount left to be repaid on your mortgage.

Equity Release

Equity release is a means of releasing money from the value of your home either in a lump sum or in monthly installments. This money may be used for home improvements, debt consolidation, or other large expenses.

Exchange of Contracts

Exchange of contracts occurs when the buyer and the seller of a property sign and swap the contracts which detail the property, the price, the date, and the terms of the arrangement. When the contracts are signed, they become legally binding, and legal action can be taken against anyone who breaks the contract.

Existing Liabilities

Existing liabilities are all financial commitments outside of your mortgage. Existing liabilities may include bank loans, credit card debt, maintenance payments, etc.

First Time Buyers (FTB or FTP)

A first time buyer is one who has never owned property before.

Fixed Rate

A fixed rate is when you pay a fixed amount of interest on a loan for a fixed period of time. Lenders provide fixed rate loans for short periods of time (three-six months) all the way up to 25 years. Early redemption penalties apply if you pay off the mortgage before the end of the fixed rate term.

Flexible Scheme

A flexible scheme is a new way of calculating mortgage interest charges. Lenders calculate interest on a daily basis instead of on an annual basis. The new interest rates will only affect the remaining balance of the mortgage. By making regular overpayments, you can repay the loan faster thereby saving a lot on interest charges.

Fixture

A fixture is an item attached to your property, and therefore it is legally part of the property.

Freehold

Freehold means that you have ownership of a property for an indefinite period of time. This is in contrast to leasehold which means that the property is only under your control for a limited period of time.

Further Advance

A further advance is an add-on loan to your existing mortgage from your existing lender. The money from a further advance may be used for home improvements, to purchase a freehold property, or for personal purposes such as debt consolidation.

Guarantor

A guarantor is a person who guarantees the lender that the borrower is eligible for a loan or mortgage. If the borrower fails to make payments, the guarantor will make them.

Gazumping

Gazumping occurs when a seller agrees to sell a property to one person, and they proceed to decline that offer in favor of a higher one.

Ground Rent

Ground rent is the amount which a leaseholder needs to pay to the freeholder each year.

Home Buyer Report

A home buyer report is made by a lender after a mortgage valuation has been done and before the full survey takes place in order to give the borrower a complete understanding of the property they are thinking of buying.

Income Multipliers

An income multiplier is a type of calculation that a lender will use to calculate the amount a borrower can receive. The most common income multiplier is three times a single income or two and a half times joint income. The lender will choose the one that yields the higher figure. Lenders are more flexible if your LTV ratio is low.

Income Protection Insurance

With income protection insurance, your monthly payments will be covered in the case of illness, accident, or unemployment.

Intermediary

An intermediary is a mediator who finds the best mortgage for you, and they also arrange the mortgage for you on your behalf.

Land Registry Fee

A land registry fee is paid when you want to register your ownership of a property or when you want to change the registered title of a property.

Leasehold

Unlike freehold in which a property is owned, leasehold is when a property is owned, but the land that it is built on is not owned by the leaseholder. Their control of the property is only for a set number of years.

Licensed Conveyancer

A licensed conveyancer is like a solicitor in that they specialize in the legalities of buying and selling property.

Local Authority Search

A local authority search is made by the solicitor of the people that plan to buy your property. They check to make sure there are no planned developments on the property such as roads or buildings. They will check for any planning permissions or enforcement notices posted on your property.

LTV

LTV, or loan to value, is the percentage derived from dividing the value of your property by the amount of your mortgage. A low LTV is much less risky for lenders than a 100% LTV.

Loan Consolidation

Loan consolidation happens when a loan is taken out to repay another loan with a higher interest rate or to repay a number of high interest debts. Loan consolidation is often achieved through remortgaging.

MIG

A MIG, or mortgage indemnity guarantee, is insurance one takes out to cover their lender in the case that their property is repossessed, and the lender is unable to get their money back. A MIG is paid for upon completion of a mortgage.

MIRAS

MIRAS, or mortgage interest relief at source, was a tax relief given to those with mortgages, but this relief was abolished by the government in April of 2000.

Mortgage

A mortgage is a loan that allows someone to buy a property. The property itself is the security for the loan.

Mortgagee

The mortgagee is the company or organization that finances your mortgage.

Mortgagor

The mortgagor is the person taking out the mortgage to buy a property.

MPPI

MPPI, or mortgage payment protection insurance, is insurance one takes out in the case of an accident, an illness, or involuntary unemployment that would render them incapable of making their monthly mortgage payment.

MRP

MRP, or mortgage repayment protection, is insurance taken out through your lender during the term of your loan.

Negative Equity

Negative equity occurs when the money you owe to your mortgage lender is greater than the value of your property. People find themselves in negative equity situations when they take out 100% LTV mortgages.

Overpayment

Overpayment happens when you pay more than the regular monthly payment on your mortgage so that the mortgage is repaid before the end of the mortgage term. With overpayments, you can save money on interest, but you may also be charged an early redemption penalty.Payment HolidayA payment holiday is a period during which you make no mortgagee payments. This is normally available with flexible mortgages only.

PEP

A PEP, or personal equity plan, allows you to own shares or unit trusts without paying any taxes.

Personal Pension

A personal pension provides for your financial needs after retirement. You make structured payments into your pension savings during your working years. Often, some of this money may be taken out to pay off your mortgage liabilities.

Portability

Portability is a term used to describe a mortgage that can be transferred between properties when you move from one house to another.

Redemption

Redemption is when you pay off your mortgage, when you remortgage, or when you move to a new house.

Remittance Fee

A remittance fee is charged by a lender for sending the amount of a mortgage to your solicitor.

Remortgage

A remortgage is a loan taken out from a new lender or a loan renegotiated with your existing lender to pay off your existing mortgage. This is done to decrease the interest rate you are paying or to raise extra capital.

Repayment Mortgages

A repayment mortgage is when part of your monthly payment goes toward the interest and another part of the payment goes toward the principal. This is also known as a capital and interest mortgage. If payments are made regularly, the entire sum of the loan will be repaid by the end of the term.

Retention

Retention is the amount that your lender keeps pending until certain conditions of your mortgage are met.

Repossession

Repossession is a legal process by which your mortgaged property comes under the control of your lender due to incomplete repayment. Your property may then be sold at public auction.

Right to Buy

Right to buy means that you are legally able to purchase the property at a discounted rate if you have been a tenant for a long enough period of time.

Sealing Fee

A sealing fee is an amount charged by your lender when you repay your mortgage.

Self Certification of Income

Self certification of income means that you confirm how much you earn, and the lender does not need proof of your income from a third party. Self Certification is useful for self employed people or contract workers.

Shared Ownership

Shared ownership is a scheme devised by housing associations that requires you to pay mortgage payments on the part of a property that you own while you also make monthly rent payments on the portion of the property owned by the building association.

Solicitors

Solicitors are the people who give legal advice and carry out all the legal work for mortgage and remortgage transactions.Stamp Duty Stamp duty is a tax paid to the government on the purchase of a property.

SVR

The SVR, or standard variable rate, is the base rate of the lender. It is subject to change at any time depending on the lender. The SVR will fluctuate based on the Bank of England Base Rate.

Structural Survey

A structural survey is the thorough inspection of a property carried out by a professional surveyor.

Tenure

Tenure means the type of rights a person has over a property or the land it stands on. Tenure could be freehold or leasehold, for example.

Term

The term of a mortgage is the number of years over which you plan to pay your mortgage off.

Tie-in Period

A tie-in period is an amount of time for which you are bound to a lender. Tie-in periods often exist with special mortgage deals like fixed, capped, or discounted rates. If you move your mortgage to a different lender during this period, you are subject to an early redemption fee.

Title Deeds

A title deed is a legal document that validates the ownership of your property. A title deed proves your true and legal right to your property.

Transfer Deed

A transfer deed is a legal deed used for transferring the ownership of your property to a buyer.

Unencumbered

The term unencumbered means that you own your property outright with no mortgages or loans against it.

Valuation

A property valuation is a survey conducted on a property by a qualified surveyor in order to assess the value of the property. This valuation is done on behalf of your lender so that they are able to confirm the value of your property.

Variable Rate

A variable rate means that your interest rate may change from month to month thereby causing your payments to fluctuate monthly.

Vendor

A vendor is the person from whom you purchase a property.

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How to Become a Professional Artist - 1

Does the name Picasso sound familiar to you? Those who recognize the name are either an artist, or they are involved with the art, or they may have some knowledge about the artistic field. It is good to study other famous artists because knowledge of art is essential for living in a cultured society, whether for business or pleasure. There is nothing more pleasing than to see a beautifully painted picture. Once the art work is completed the artists has the option to do many things with the original print, such as frame it, or reproduced it for post cards, pillows, greeting cards, book covers, coffee mugs, tee shirts, and more. The many ways to use a beautiful picture is endless. An artist must have certain art supplies to paint a picture, therefore, he will need some startup money for the business. To start this type of business, the artist will need a telephone, art supplies, and business cards. Many beginner artists start their business from the basement of their homes. If you want more experience in this area, consider apprenticing with a professional artist studio in your area.

Many experts believe new artists should do the following:

1) Apply for grants and other funding to support the work

2) Display the work in larger studios and galleries often to get exposure

3) Network with other artists to find out where to exhibit and get referrals

For information on grants for artists', you may contact the National Endowment for the Arts, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20506

Copyright © 2007, Dr. Mary E. Waters, all rights reserved.

Are you interested in starting a business?

To the new and experienced entrepreneurs, getting help with your small business is very crucial to your success. Getting the right help will cause you to avoid costly mistakes, and it can also help you to save a lot of time, money, and energy. You will need to get the right help to form the legal structure of the business, financial, management, procurement/certification, marketing, pricing products, preparing a business plan, and more. If you are a business owner who is wondering if you can take your business to new heights, contact Dr. Waters at tina.waters@waienterprises.com

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How to Become a Professional Artist - 1

Does the name Picasso sound familiar to you? Those who recognize the name are either an artist, or they are involved with the art, or they may have some knowledge about the artistic field. It is good to study other famous artists because knowledge of art is essential for living in a cultured society, whether for business or pleasure. There is nothing more pleasing than to see a beautifully painted picture. Once the art work is completed the artists has the option to do many things with the original print, such as frame it, or reproduced it for post cards, pillows, greeting cards, book covers, coffee mugs, tee shirts, and more. The many ways to use a beautiful picture is endless. An artist must have certain art supplies to paint a picture, therefore, he will need some startup money for the business. To start this type of business, the artist will need a telephone, art supplies, and business cards. Many beginner artists start their business from the basement of their homes. If you want more experience in this area, consider apprenticing with a professional artist studio in your area.

Many experts believe new artists should do the following:

1) Apply for grants and other funding to support the work

2) Display the work in larger studios and galleries often to get exposure

3) Network with other artists to find out where to exhibit and get referrals

For information on grants for artists', you may contact the National Endowment for the Arts, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20506

Copyright © 2007, Dr. Mary E. Waters, all rights reserved.

Are you interested in starting a business?

To the new and experienced entrepreneurs, getting help with your small business is very crucial to your success. Getting the right help will cause you to avoid costly mistakes, and it can also help you to save a lot of time, money, and energy. You will need to get the right help to form the legal structure of the business, financial, management, procurement/certification, marketing, pricing products, preparing a business plan, and more. If you are a business owner who is wondering if you can take your business to new heights, contact Dr. Waters at tina.waters@waienterprises.com

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The Importance Of Investing Money For A Rainy Day

Money in my opinion is not the most important thing in life, but it is nice to know that you have a certain amount of money, saved or invested, which you can use if needed. I actually think that health and happiness are the two most important things in life. Having this pool of money helps to keep me healthy and happy, as it means that I do not have to stress as much about the future.

I only really realised the importance of investing and saving money, when I was twenty-three years of age. Up until this age, I would always spend all of my wages and did not care if I was overdrawn in the bank. I used to think that I could die tomorrow, so why bother about saving money which I might not ever use. This is a bit stupid, I know.

At the age of twenty-three, on one particular day, I was having a conversation with a friend called Tim. He basically earned the same amount of money as I did and lived a similar lifestyle. Tim told me that he was thinking of buying a flat and that he was going to cash in his investment bond to help fund the move. I was very shocked that he even had a bond and asked him how long he had had the bond, and how he had managed to get the money to put into it. I expected Tim to tell me that his parents had given him the money, but they hadn't, he had saved up the money himself.

Tim told me that he tries to save as much money as he can per month and normally manages to save at least £100. When he has a £1000 saved in the bank, he then invests the money into a bond.

I was very impressed with Tim and I have to admit a little bit jealous of his money. I then thought to myself, if Tim can save, then so can I. I set myself a goal of saving up a £1000 and planned to do this within ten months. I had to be less wreckless with my money and it would be a good test for me.

It did not prove to be that difficult and it was a good feeling seeing a healthy bank balance for once. After only eight months I had saved my target of £1000. Instead of putting it into a bond, I decided to take an even bigger risk and to buy some shares. I am happy to say that two years later the share price of the company I had chosen to invest in, had risen by sixty percent. This I have to admit was pure luck as I had simply guessed at who to invest in. The company I chosen had had a dismal few years and its share price was at its lowest ever level. I had heard that the company had recently had some major changes at the top and I decided to gamble just on these few facts.

That was my first experience of investing and it gave the taste for it. I have regularly been buying and selling shares as well as investing in unit trusts for around ten years now. It has also become like a kind of sport or hobby for me, as I am trying to always pick a winner. I have won some and lost some but have had a huge amount of fun along the way.

I now have a certain amount invested in different ways and when for example I have a big car repair bill, I have no need to panic as all I need to do, is to cash in some of the units of my unit trust. That is what I like about a unit trust, unlike with an endowment policy where you need to wait until the end of the term to have access to your money, with a unit trust you can take out all or just some of your units at anytime that you want.

Before I started to save up money, I would often get quite stressed about the future. How would I be able to buy a house? How will I be able to buy a decent car? These are just two of many questions I would ask myself. I would try to ignore the questions by saying to myself that at that stage of my life, I should be earning more money.

I am now very happy that I had that conversation with Tim. Investing money in the way that I do has helped me to get onto the property ladder and also helps to fund my yearly holiday abroad for my family. It also gives me a peace of mind for the future and helps to to sleep easier at night.

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Finding Small Business Grants

Poor financing is the number two reason small businesses fail, falling right behind poor management. Sufficient funding is paramount to the success of small businesses, and small business grants can be the answer to the problem. If business owners have the necessary knowledge about how to find and properly request grants, they have a better shot at creating a successful business that will be open longer and prosper.

There are over 300 different grants and loans available for small businesses that are just starting out. The grants range from $25,000 up to $1,000,000 depending on the size and projected success rate of the business. There are also grants available to help small businesses grow or expand. Grants are not the same as loans because they do not have to be repaid. A grant is considered free money, as well as an investment to promote the success of small businesses and the U.S. economy. Money for grants comes from income taxes. Obtaining a small business grant does not require credit checks or deposits, even if the owners have experienced bankruptcy in the past.

There are a number of helpful websites that send small businesses government grant packages for free, excluding the cost of shipping. These packages include information on how to find grants, how to prepare a grant request, and how to apply for grants pertaining to a specific business. Some of the providers are Government Funding Solutions, Grant Master, and Grant Wizard.

It is important to be familiar with the Small Business Administration rules for receiving grants before beginning the process of obtaining one. Although the SBA does not provide grants to small businesses, they do provide helpful suggestions and resources on how to find grants.

In order to qualify for a small business grant, individuals must first become familiar with the 13 CFR 143 document that lists all of the requirements to be eligible for a grant. This document includes information on the pre-award and post-award periods and defines all aspects of applying for a grant and states who is eligible. The CFR is the primary source of rules and regulations for small business grants and must be read before starting the grant writing process.

After reviewing the requirements, prospective business owners must write a grant request. There are professionals who will write a grant proposal or the individuals may complete it themselves. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is a helpful site that links individuals to resources about federal grants for small businesses. Afterschool.gov gives helpful tips on how to write a small business grant and, although it is geared toward grants for after school programs, includes helpful information for grant writing in general.

Additionally, there are many well-established government and private organizations that provide grants to small businesses. The Department of Justices Ten Grant document gives access to grant opportunities for those conducting research in support of law enforcement. The Department of Labors Employment and Training Administration has several grant opportunities for small business owners. They offer about $125 million to businesses that are based in a community setting with special attention to training programs. The Department of Transportation is another organization that offers small business grants. They offer grants to any business willing to help resolve the growing problems with the federal-aid highway program. The Department of Education has a program called e-GRANTS that locates electronic grants online. They have a detailed list of grants available and the necessary applications to fill out. There are a variety of grants available for different groups, all of which have detailed descriptions and contact information. Other organizations that provide small business grants include the EPA, the National Cancer Institute, NOAA, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Road-Test All Telephone Sales Applicants by Telephone

You might think selling by phone is a challenge.

You face a lot of rejection, and if you do business-to-business calling, my specialty, you need to confront and conquer secretarial screening and voice mail, before you can even earn a shot at wooing your ultimate buyer.

But the selling part, if not easy, is manageable, if you know what you're doing and your have hammered out your value proposition and a great script.

What's really daunting, what keeps business owners up at night, and human resources folks grabbing for the Maalox and Valium, are the recruiting challenges. Simply put, staffing your call center so you're running at 90-95% capacity at all times is nothing less than a Herculean endeavor.

How come?

Turnover is a major problem, keeping new hires in those seats long enough so they'll get their "phone legs" and make a dandy living. Too often, too many of our recruits bolt for the door before their payroll paperwork has been fully processed.

A major metropolitan newspaper has experienced 400% annual turnover, going through 1,200 bodies each year to keep its 300 seat center staffed. I pointed out, after doing a cursory analysis of costs, that this paper could double the salaries of all 300 reps, given what it was wasting in recruiting and training costs, alone.

Adding to their woes was a fundamental error. When they advertised for telephone sales reps, they sabotaged their chances of hiring the best folks, efficiently, by appending these words:

NO PHONE CALLS, PLEASE!

Let me say this quite clearly: Screening telephone sales people by phone is not an option-it is essential. Otherwise, how can we assess whether they have the basic talent and vocal endowment to hold up their end of calls when sales are at stake?

Resumes, unless posted at YouTube or at another video-based site, do not speak. People can look great on paper but be marble-mouthed, frozen with fear, or sound utterly dumb over the phone. The only way to assess their telephone strengths and weaknesses is to get them on the line, or at least allow them to contact you.

Telephone sales job applicants need to be put to a telephone test.

In a future article I'll discuss the crucial paces though which we need to put them before giving them further consideration.

By screening applicants better, especially by phone, we can diminish those costly turnover numbers I referred to above, bringing down our overhead to a manageable
range.

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Selling Your Life Insurance (Viaticals and Life Settlements)

Selling your life insurance is an option you might consider if you're in a difficult financial situation for which you don't see a close end. A terminal illness or old age could cause you to think twice about paying those hefty premiums at this stage of your life. Selling your life insurance carries with it complex implications and substantial risks, so it is important that you educate yourself regarding the big picture. If you're interested in selling your life insurance, this is a good starting point to obtain some basic information.

Basics: Vocabulary

If you've already done any research on selling your life insurance, chances are good that you've come across two main terms: viaticals and life settlements. Both refer to the selling of your life insurance to a third party. So what's the difference? "Viatical" is typically used to refer to the transaction involving a chronically or terminally ill insured, while a "life settlement" is a transaction involving a senior (generally over the age of 65) who is not terminally ill.

Even though you now know the difference, it does not mean that your state does. These terms might be used interchangeably, or your state might use one of them to refer to both transactions. For example, your state could use "Viatical Settlement" to refer to any type of transaction regarding selling your insurance. Be aware that this kind of ambiguity may exist in relation to the vocabulary used in the sale of your life insurance.

How it Works

The owner of the life insurance policy will sell it for a percentage of the death benefit a lump sum to a third party and, in exchange, receives an often substantial lump sum payment. The third party then becomes the new owner and/or beneficiary of the policy and pays all of the future premiums and eventually collects the death benefit when the insured passes away.

Those considering selling their life insurance may either directly approach a viatical company or settlement firm, or they may choose to work with a broker. The broker will act as an intermediary and present the information to several different companies/firms in an effort to find the highest price for the sale.

The settlement firms buy the insurance on behalf of investors. In this situation, the investors become the owners and beneficiaries, and the settlement firm pays the premium until the insured dies. The firm then collects the death benefit and either pays its investors a percentage of the annual return or repackages the policy for sale to another party.

Take comfort in know that the process of selling one's life insurance is typically very confidential. Most viatical companies and settlement firms understand the discretion necessary to make the process run smoothly and easily. However, a company may act disrespectfully and become borderline intrusive by trying to keep track of the insured's condition. For this reason, it is important to work with a respectful, experienced organization.

Who Considers Selling

Those with serious, life-threatening illnesses are most likely to consider selling their life insurance to provide cash for various expenses, such as mounting medical bills. For those who are not terminally ill, selling the life insurance might be a good idea for a number of reasons. If the owner's beneficiary has died or if the owner can't afford to keep paying the premiums, it would appear that they no longer have sufficient use for the life insurance. Seniors around retirement age may also consider selling their life insurance, even if they are free of debt, in order to receive a lump sum of money with which they may do whatever they please.

Keep in mind that different companies may have different eligibility requirements to be able to sell your life insurance policy.

Advantages to Selling Your Life Insurance

It might be easy to see some of these benefits, but others are a little less obvious.

You'll receive a lump sum cash payment right now. As mentioned above, this is especially useful to the terminally ill who have mounting medical bills.You will receive more by selling your life insurance than you would if you simply surrendered it to the insurance company. It is possible for an insured person who is 65 or older or who is terminally ill to sell a policy with little or no cash value for a $100,000.00 or much more.You won't have to pay any more insurance premiums. If your financial situation is becoming strained with no end in sight, eliminating premiums is a way to alleviate the burden.You don't have to repay the money, like you do when you borrow against your insurance policy.Even though your life insurance benefits won't be available once you die, you can still leave money to a certain person or organization - it will just come from the money that is leftover after using the funds from selling your policy. So, selling your life insurance does not

mean that you're definitely robbing your beneficiaries of their gift.

In some cases, the money you receive is tax-free.There are no regulations or restrictions on how you make use of the money you receive. You may spend as much of it or as little of it as you wish, however you please.

Risks of Selling Your Life Insurance

Understanding the risks associated with selling your life insurance will help you make an informed decision. Be sure to consult a financial advisor or tax attorney to make sure you understand the implications of the sale.

You might lose your eligibility for some public assistance benefits, especially those based on your income and assets (such as food stamps, welfare, Medicaid and some Social Security benefits).There could be tax issues. Selling the policy will

result in a tax bill if the settlement amount exceeds your cost basis.

With improved medical care, the ill person may live longer than expected.You might face unhappy heirs. This might not be a problem for you, but it could lead to a long road of (possibly legal) complications and battles. Some settlement actually companies require the beneficiaries to also sign off on any sale, which could be good or bad, depending on whether or not you're dealing with a cooperative beneficiary.

Other Options

If you come to the conclusion that selling your life insurance policy is not for you, there are other options (though none that would provide you with such a large lump sum). An insurance agent should be able to help give you more information on some of these ideas.

Borrow against your insurance policyCash out the policy if it has surrender valueLook into accelerated benefits or living benefitsBorrow money (from family or friends perhaps) and use the life insurance policy as collateral

If you believe that selling your life insurance policy is the right decision for you, make sure you deal with a dependable, experienced broker or settlement company to ensure that you get the best service and results from your transaction.

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Glossary of Mortgage Terms

Additional Security Fee

An Additional Security Fee (Mortgage Indemnity Guarantee policy) is the fee taken to get an insurance policy that will cover your lender so that if you default on payments, he will not suffer any loss. You have to pay the Additional Security Fee and the premium along with your mortgage advance. Although you are paying the premium, remember that this policy is for the protection of your lender and not for you.

Administration Fee

The administration fee is the amount charged by your lender to start working on the documentation part of your mortgage application. It includes the home valuation fee as well. The administration fee will not be refunded even if your valuation is not done or if your application has been rejected.

Adverse Credit

Adverse credit occurs when you have a history of bad credit, bankruptcy, CCJ, or loan arrears. Adverse credit can also be called as bad credit, poor credit, or it can be said that you have a low credit score.

Agricultural Restriction

An agricultural restriction is a rule which will restrict you from holding a property if your occupation is in any way related to agriculture.

Annual Percentage Rate

The Annual Percentage Rate is the rate at which you borrow money from lender. It includes all the initial fees and ongoing costs that you will pay throughout the mortgage term. As the name suggests, annual percentage rate, or APR, is the cost of a mortgage quoted in a yearly rate. The annual percentage rate is a good way to compare the offers from different lenders based on the annual cost of each loan.

Apportionment

Apportionment, or sharing out, is a facility that allows you to divide the responsibility for utilities, property taxes, etc. with the buyer or the seller of the property when you are either selling or buying the property.

Arrears

Arrears happen when you default on your mortgage payment or any other type of debt payment. If you have arrears on the record of your current mortgage, you will face problems when you want to look at remortgaging or getting a new mortgage.

Arrangement Fee

An arrangement fee is the amount you have to pay your lender to access particular mortgage deals. While searching for a fixed rate, cash back, or discounted rate mortgage, you will pay this fee at the time that you submit your application, it must be added to the loan upon completion of the term, or it will be deducted from the loan on completion.

Assignment

An assignment is the document transferring the lease of the property or rights of ownership from a seller to a buyer. It may be an endowment policy to the building society in connection with a mortgage.

ASU

ASU is Accident, Sickness, and Unemployment insurance which covers your mortgage payments in case of an accident, a sickness, or involuntary unemployment.

Auction

An auction is the public sale of a property to the person who quotes highest bid. The highest bidder has to sign a binding contract that ensures that he do all valuations, searches, etc. before the sale of the property.

Authority to Inspect the Register

An authority to inspect the register document is a document fro the legal or registered owner of a property allowing the solicitor of the purchaser to get information concerning the property.

Banker Draft

A banker draft is a way to make a payment. In appearance, it is the same as a cheque, but in effect it is a cash payment. The money is given to the bank, and they issue a cheque that is certified to be good for the given amount.

Base Rate Tracker

Base rate tracker is a type of mortgage in which the interest rate is variable, but it is set at a premium (above) the Bank of England Base Rate for a period or for the full term of the mortgage. The best part about this type of mortgage is that it has little or no redemption penalty. This means that by making overpayments, you will be able to save money on interest by paying off your mortgage earlier than the agreed upon date on the initial mortgage contract.

Booking Fee

A booking fee or arrangement fee is charged when applying for a fixed or a capped rate loan. Booking fees are normally non-refundable if charged upfront, but sometimes the booking fee is added to your final mortgage payment.

Bridging Loan

A bridging loan is useful when you want to purchase a property, but your ability to do so is contingent upon the sale of your old property. This is a very short term loan that is paid off as soon as your old property sells. Speak with a loan adviser before taking out a bridging loan to be sure it is the best option for you.

Broker Fee

A broker fee is paid to your debt advisor or other intermediary that assists you in finding the best mortgage or loan deal for your circumstances. BSAThe BSA, or the Building Societies Association, is a group that works in the interest of member societies.

Building Societies Commission

The Building Societies Commission is a regulatory organization for Building Societies. This commission reports to the Treasury Ministers.

Building Society

A Building Society is a mutual organization that gives you money to buy or remortgage residential properties. This money comes from individual investors who are paid interest on their funds. A portion of building society funds is also raised through commercial money markets.

Buy-to-Let

When you purchase a property for the sole purpose of renting it out, you can apply for a buy-to-let mortgage. The payments for this type of mortgage are calculated based on your projected rental income instead of your personal income.

Capital and Interest

Your monthly mortgage payments consist of two parts: the interest and the capital. The interest payment is a payment on the interest balance of your loan. The capital payment is a payment on the amount that you borrowed.

Capital Raising

Capital raising generally means remortgaging for a higher amount than you need to pay off your existing mortgage in order to use the excess money for other personal financial uses.

Capped Rate

A capped interest rate is an interest rate that will not exceed the standard variable interest rate for a set period of time (from 1-5 years) that is decided by you and your lender. If the standard variable rate falls below your capped rate, your interest rate will decrease accordingly.

Cash Back

Cash back is the amount you receive when you take out a mortgage, the amount may be fixed or a percentage of your mortgage amount.

CCJ

CCJ stands for County Court Judgment. This is a decision reached by a county court against you when you have defaulted on your debt payments. If you clear the debt in question in a set amount of time, a satisfactory note will be put on your credit report to signify that the debt is taken care of.

Centralized Lender

A centralized lender is a mortgage lender that does not rely on a branch network for distribution. Centralized lending is now provided by several building societies. These societies operate separately from their branch networks, and they rely exclusively on mortgages from intermediary sources.

Charge

A charge is any interest on a mortgage to which a freehold or leasehold property can be held.

Charge Certificate

A charge certificate is a certificate issued by HM Land Registry to you with your name as the registered title for a given property. This certificate contains details of restrictions, mortgages, and other interests. It has three different parts: a charges register, a property register, and a proprietorship register. If there is no mortgage on the property, it is called a Land Certificate, and it is issued to the registered proprietor.

Chattels

Chattels are moveable items in your house such as furniture or your personal possessions.Chief RentChief rent is paid by the owner of a freehold property. This is the same as the ground rent that is paid by a leaseholder.

CML

Council of Mortgage Lenders

Completion

Completion is a term that explains that you have become the owner of your house after finishing the formalities of the sale and the purchase of the property.

Conditional Insurance

When you take out a fixed or discounted rate mortgage, your lender may try to persuade you to take out an insurance policy that will cover any missed payments due to an illness, an accident, or unemployment.

Contract

A contract is a legally binding sale agreement. There are two identical copies signed by both the buyer and the seller, and each party keeps a copy for their records. Once both parties have signed the contract, they are committed to the terms of the agreement.

Conveyance

A conveyance is the deed by which a freehold, unregistered title is transferred. The deed is called an assignment if your property is unregistered or leasehold. If the property is registered, the deed is called a transfer.

Conveyancing

Conveyancing is the legal process by which the buying and the selling of a property take place.

Covenant

A covenant is an assurance given in a deed.Credit ScoringCredit scoring is the procedure by which a lender evaluates your paying capacity before offering a loan or mortgage.

Credit Search

A credit search is done by a lender and a credit bureau to search your records for CCJs and other indicators of bad credit.

Debt Consolidation

Debt consolidation is the process by which you take out a loan or mortgage in order to pay off a number of high interest debts. By doing this, you will only need to make one payment each month, and you will save significantly on interest charges.

Deed

A deed is a legal document that denotes the owner of a given property. You can transfer a title to both freehold and leasehold with a deed.

Deposit

A deposit is the amount of money you put down toward buying a property.

Disbursements

Disbursements are any amount you pay to solicitors against land registry fees, searches, faxes etc.

Discounted Rate

Discounted rates are used to attract new borrowers to lenders by setting the interest rate below the standard variable rate for a guaranteed period of time. If you repay the entire discounted rate mortgage within the first few years, your lender may charge you early redemption penalties.

Early Redemption Penalty

An early redemption penalty is charged by your lender if you do a part or full payment of your mortgage amount before the completion of your mortgage term. These penalties will also be charged if you decide to remortgage and move your mortgage to a new lender. Early redemption penalties mainly apply to fixed rate, discounted rate, and cash back mortgages.

Easement

Easement is the right held by one property owner to make use of the land of another for a limited purpose, like a right of passage.

Endowment Mortgage

An endowment mortgage is an interest only mortgage supported by an endowment policy. During the term of the mortgage you will pay only interest to the lender, and your premiums are alternately paid into an endowment policy which will mature over the term of your mortgage. The endowment policy is designed to pay off your mortgage as well as act as life insurance. However, you cannot depend on this amount to be sufficient to pay all of your debt.

Endowment

There are different types of endowments, but here an endowment is a life insurance policy that will pay off your interest only mortgage.

Equity

Equity is the amount of value in your home. It is the value of your home less the amount left to be repaid on your mortgage.

Equity Release

Equity release is a means of releasing money from the value of your home either in a lump sum or in monthly installments. This money may be used for home improvements, debt consolidation, or other large expenses.

Exchange of Contracts

Exchange of contracts occurs when the buyer and the seller of a property sign and swap the contracts which detail the property, the price, the date, and the terms of the arrangement. When the contracts are signed, they become legally binding, and legal action can be taken against anyone who breaks the contract.

Existing Liabilities

Existing liabilities are all financial commitments outside of your mortgage. Existing liabilities may include bank loans, credit card debt, maintenance payments, etc.

First Time Buyers (FTB or FTP)

A first time buyer is one who has never owned property before.

Fixed Rate

A fixed rate is when you pay a fixed amount of interest on a loan for a fixed period of time. Lenders provide fixed rate loans for short periods of time (three-six months) all the way up to 25 years. Early redemption penalties apply if you pay off the mortgage before the end of the fixed rate term.

Flexible Scheme

A flexible scheme is a new way of calculating mortgage interest charges. Lenders calculate interest on a daily basis instead of on an annual basis. The new interest rates will only affect the remaining balance of the mortgage. By making regular overpayments, you can repay the loan faster thereby saving a lot on interest charges.

Fixture

A fixture is an item attached to your property, and therefore it is legally part of the property.

Freehold

Freehold means that you have ownership of a property for an indefinite period of time. This is in contrast to leasehold which means that the property is only under your control for a limited period of time.

Further Advance

A further advance is an add-on loan to your existing mortgage from your existing lender. The money from a further advance may be used for home improvements, to purchase a freehold property, or for personal purposes such as debt consolidation.

Guarantor

A guarantor is a person who guarantees the lender that the borrower is eligible for a loan or mortgage. If the borrower fails to make payments, the guarantor will make them.

Gazumping

Gazumping occurs when a seller agrees to sell a property to one person, and they proceed to decline that offer in favor of a higher one.

Ground Rent

Ground rent is the amount which a leaseholder needs to pay to the freeholder each year.

Home Buyer Report

A home buyer report is made by a lender after a mortgage valuation has been done and before the full survey takes place in order to give the borrower a complete understanding of the property they are thinking of buying.

Income Multipliers

An income multiplier is a type of calculation that a lender will use to calculate the amount a borrower can receive. The most common income multiplier is three times a single income or two and a half times joint income. The lender will choose the one that yields the higher figure. Lenders are more flexible if your LTV ratio is low.

Income Protection Insurance

With income protection insurance, your monthly payments will be covered in the case of illness, accident, or unemployment.

Intermediary

An intermediary is a mediator who finds the best mortgage for you, and they also arrange the mortgage for you on your behalf.

Land Registry Fee

A land registry fee is paid when you want to register your ownership of a property or when you want to change the registered title of a property.

Leasehold

Unlike freehold in which a property is owned, leasehold is when a property is owned, but the land that it is built on is not owned by the leaseholder. Their control of the property is only for a set number of years.

Licensed Conveyancer

A licensed conveyancer is like a solicitor in that they specialize in the legalities of buying and selling property.

Local Authority Search

A local authority search is made by the solicitor of the people that plan to buy your property. They check to make sure there are no planned developments on the property such as roads or buildings. They will check for any planning permissions or enforcement notices posted on your property.

LTV

LTV, or loan to value, is the percentage derived from dividing the value of your property by the amount of your mortgage. A low LTV is much less risky for lenders than a 100% LTV.

Loan Consolidation

Loan consolidation happens when a loan is taken out to repay another loan with a higher interest rate or to repay a number of high interest debts. Loan consolidation is often achieved through remortgaging.

MIG

A MIG, or mortgage indemnity guarantee, is insurance one takes out to cover their lender in the case that their property is repossessed, and the lender is unable to get their money back. A MIG is paid for upon completion of a mortgage.

MIRAS

MIRAS, or mortgage interest relief at source, was a tax relief given to those with mortgages, but this relief was abolished by the government in April of 2000.

Mortgage

A mortgage is a loan that allows someone to buy a property. The property itself is the security for the loan.

Mortgagee

The mortgagee is the company or organization that finances your mortgage.

Mortgagor

The mortgagor is the person taking out the mortgage to buy a property.

MPPI

MPPI, or mortgage payment protection insurance, is insurance one takes out in the case of an accident, an illness, or involuntary unemployment that would render them incapable of making their monthly mortgage payment.

MRP

MRP, or mortgage repayment protection, is insurance taken out through your lender during the term of your loan.

Negative Equity

Negative equity occurs when the money you owe to your mortgage lender is greater than the value of your property. People find themselves in negative equity situations when they take out 100% LTV mortgages.

Overpayment

Overpayment happens when you pay more than the regular monthly payment on your mortgage so that the mortgage is repaid before the end of the mortgage term. With overpayments, you can save money on interest, but you may also be charged an early redemption penalty.Payment HolidayA payment holiday is a period during which you make no mortgagee payments. This is normally available with flexible mortgages only.

PEP

A PEP, or personal equity plan, allows you to own shares or unit trusts without paying any taxes.

Personal Pension

A personal pension provides for your financial needs after retirement. You make structured payments into your pension savings during your working years. Often, some of this money may be taken out to pay off your mortgage liabilities.

Portability

Portability is a term used to describe a mortgage that can be transferred between properties when you move from one house to another.

Redemption

Redemption is when you pay off your mortgage, when you remortgage, or when you move to a new house.

Remittance Fee

A remittance fee is charged by a lender for sending the amount of a mortgage to your solicitor.

Remortgage

A remortgage is a loan taken out from a new lender or a loan renegotiated with your existing lender to pay off your existing mortgage. This is done to decrease the interest rate you are paying or to raise extra capital.

Repayment Mortgages

A repayment mortgage is when part of your monthly payment goes toward the interest and another part of the payment goes toward the principal. This is also known as a capital and interest mortgage. If payments are made regularly, the entire sum of the loan will be repaid by the end of the term.

Retention

Retention is the amount that your lender keeps pending until certain conditions of your mortgage are met.

Repossession

Repossession is a legal process by which your mortgaged property comes under the control of your lender due to incomplete repayment. Your property may then be sold at public auction.

Right to Buy

Right to buy means that you are legally able to purchase the property at a discounted rate if you have been a tenant for a long enough period of time.

Sealing Fee

A sealing fee is an amount charged by your lender when you repay your mortgage.

Self Certification of Income

Self certification of income means that you confirm how much you earn, and the lender does not need proof of your income from a third party. Self Certification is useful for self employed people or contract workers.

Shared Ownership

Shared ownership is a scheme devised by housing associations that requires you to pay mortgage payments on the part of a property that you own while you also make monthly rent payments on the portion of the property owned by the building association.

Solicitors

Solicitors are the people who give legal advice and carry out all the legal work for mortgage and remortgage transactions.Stamp Duty Stamp duty is a tax paid to the government on the purchase of a property.

SVR

The SVR, or standard variable rate, is the base rate of the lender. It is subject to change at any time depending on the lender. The SVR will fluctuate based on the Bank of England Base Rate.

Structural Survey

A structural survey is the thorough inspection of a property carried out by a professional surveyor.

Tenure

Tenure means the type of rights a person has over a property or the land it stands on. Tenure could be freehold or leasehold, for example.

Term

The term of a mortgage is the number of years over which you plan to pay your mortgage off.

Tie-in Period

A tie-in period is an amount of time for which you are bound to a lender. Tie-in periods often exist with special mortgage deals like fixed, capped, or discounted rates. If you move your mortgage to a different lender during this period, you are subject to an early redemption fee.

Title Deeds

A title deed is a legal document that validates the ownership of your property. A title deed proves your true and legal right to your property.

Transfer Deed

A transfer deed is a legal deed used for transferring the ownership of your property to a buyer.

Unencumbered

The term unencumbered means that you own your property outright with no mortgages or loans against it.

Valuation

A property valuation is a survey conducted on a property by a qualified surveyor in order to assess the value of the property. This valuation is done on behalf of your lender so that they are able to confirm the value of your property.

Variable Rate

A variable rate means that your interest rate may change from month to month thereby causing your payments to fluctuate monthly.

Vendor

A vendor is the person from whom you purchase a property.

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