The Management Consulting Group

This is why now you really need to check out and check if you can have a credit loan at a fine percent interest rate. A moneylender in Binghamton New York or so may have a total completely different actual loan rate for a 22500 dollar credit loan then a bank in Mesquite Texas and that makes a vast clear gap in your yearly pay backs. Be clever today to examine if you have a bargain or if you don’t with the merchant bank that offers you a bank loan. 6.5 percent rate may look so good but will it stay invariant after you have to pay back your money loan. Nowadays you can check over rates quickly on the internet and find out if there are possible sneaky traps you should be aware of. Many of the banks wil show you a rate of interest that looks bonnie but feels mischievously or so after a period of time. Check out to see if the merchant bank who is willing to give you a loan is estimable. It makes no difference if you live in Fairfield California or in Hayward California a estimable online investigation will salvage you often a lot of incommode.

The translation says: Woon je in Dantumadeel of Arcen en Velden en heeft u BKR. Lenen met zonder BKR registratie is nog nooit zo gemakkelijk geweest. Verwen jezelf met een nieuwe auto met geld lenen met bkr notering, 172612 euro is altijd mogelijk om te lenen. Van Steenwijkerland tot Wervershoof, financieren met zonder BKR is hier geen enkel probleem.

While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is evidence of a debt of 5 percent. But others will claim low rates to bring in customers or tell you that the rates 9 percent offered by competitors will change.

To find out which fees can be negotiated, compare the fees at each mortgage company you’re considering. Many of these fees are fixed but some can be negotiated.

See mortgage loan for residential mortgage lending, and commercial mortgage for lending against commercial property. In most jurisdictions mortgages are strongly associated with loans 3 percent secured on real estate rather than other property and in some cases only land may be mortgaged.

In Dutch it means: Woon je in Zaltbommel of Zeist en heb je BKR registratie’ Lenen met een BKR notering is nergens zo eenvoudig. Koop een andere auto met geld lenen zonder bkr registratie, 463774 euro is geen probleem om te lenen. Van Tynaarlo tot Soest, geld lenen met en BKR codering kan hier altijd.

In other words, the mortgage is a security for the loan that the lender makes to the borrower. So how do you find a lender or broker you can trust’ Arranging a mortgage is seen as the standard method by which individuals and businesses can purchase residential and commercial real estate without the need to pay the full value immediately. And of course, each loan and each borrower are different. See which lenders are charging fees 11 percent and for how much. Brokers work with many mortgage bankers and, as a result, can sometimes find slightly more competitive rates 7 percent perhaps lower but dealing directly with a mortgage banker can move a loan along more quickly. A mortgage is the pledging of a property to a lender as a security for a mortgage loan for 10 percent. Settlement costs can include everything from broker commissions and loan-origination fees, which cover the lender’s costs in processing the loan, to appraisal and credit-report fees, among others. Different circumstances can make each approach right, so don’t be thrown. Some will quote you precise, competitive rates 9 percent. Different lenders charge different fees. Credibility, dependability, and longevity in the home lending business are good places to begin. It is a transfer of an interest in land, from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner of the real estate when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed.

Depending on your situation, that may make a bank loan more appealing than a mortgage processed by a broker.

Both banks and brokers have their strengths and weaknesses. Although most mortgage experts say that rates 3 percent are pretty much the same wherever you go, give or take this tiny 11 percentage. Start with credibility. It’s not easy to know if the prices quoted by lenders are reliable.

Of course, these don’t have to be done in any particular order!
Just pick one or two that particularly apply to your situation.

* Create your 2005 filing system. This might include new file folders, a new box to hold them or space in a filing cabinet with easy access. Mp>

* Set up a folder to collect all the important 2004 tax documents which will be arriving soon. Sure to arrive at your house are W-2s, 1099s, mortgage statements, etc.

* Set up an appointment with your tax professional early so you get the appointment of your choice. This also gives you a deadline to get your information ready! If you’re self-employed, the next quarterly estimated tax payment will be due on January 15.

* Review last year’s investments especially in your 401(k), IRA’s etc. Find out what financial planning resources your company or 401(k) plan administrator offers and set up an appointment to talk to them. For non-company portfolios, talk to your investment advisor. You have until April 15 to make contributions to IRA type accounts (check with your tax preparer for eligibility).

* What about Quicken or Microsoft Money? If you don’t use software to balance your checkbook, pay your bills and keep track of your savings and investments, this is a great time of the year to get started. My personal favorite is Quicken and for small businesses, you might consider Quicken Home and Business. If you are a small business with Payroll needs, check out QuickBooks.

* Medical Insurance reimbursements. If you haven’t submitted all your medical bills to your insurance provider, now is the time to do so.

* Will and Estate Planning. No one likes to think about dying, but the best thing you can do for your family is to make sure they are taken care of by creating a will and making sure you have adequate life insurance. Think how easily you’ll sleep knowing you have provided for your family even if you are no longer there.

* Speaking of insurance… If you haven’t reviewed your health or home and auto policies in the last couple of years you might find you can save money and/or have better coverage. For example, if you still have a $250 deductible (which was my first deductible in 1979!), you will probably save by increasing it to $500 or $1000. Try to set aside some of your savings for deductibles in case you need them.

* Create your own Anti-Emergency Fund! We all know those car and home repairs, school fees, medical expenses and vacations are going to happen. Why not determine how much you’ll need and save 1/12 of it each month? To read more go to: http://www.phelps-creek.com/archives/Anti-Emergency.htm.

* Holiday Bonus or Money Gifts If you received a financial gift this holiday season, hold on to it for at least 30 days while you decide what you really want to spend it on. All too often financial windfalls are spent before they even arrive. Consider dividing it into thirds: 1/3 to the past, 1/3 to the present and 1/3 to the future. Past might include paying down debt, present could be something you need or want now and future could be retirement, college savings, or a special vacation

* Financial Goals for next year Think about where you want to be next year at this time financially. If you want to save $1000, put aside $2.74 each day and you’ll be there! Break down your financial goals into monthly, weekly and daily amounts and watch how quickly your savings will grow. Read more about it at: http://www.phelps-creek.com/archives/PDQFactor.htm.

Happy New Year!!!!!

(c) Phelps Creek Financial Coaching - All Rights Reserved
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cindy Morus (http://www.cindymorus.com) is a Certified Financial Recovery Counselor specializing in showing women and their families how to achieve financial well-being and peace of mind. She is also a Certified Credit Report Reviewer. Contact her at 541-387-2995 or cindy@cindymorus.com. Sign up for the “Get Ready to be Rich!” teleclass community for FREE for 30 days at http://www.phelps-creek.com/riches.htm!

Attention Ezine editors/Site owners: Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or website as long as you leave all links in place, do not alter the content and include our resource box as listed above. If you do use the material please send us a note (cindy@cindymorus.com) so we can take a look. Thanks.

Unexpected money problems can hit even those who keep a tight grip on their finances if something goes wrong in the home, a family member needs support or you receive a larger than expected bill you might require cash to help you get by until your next wage slip.

The premise behind dutch minikrediet is simple whatever you need 421 euro for, you can take out a loan (usually ranging from 163 euro but sometimes up to 1,000 depending on the provider) that is repayable on your next payday, whether it is 20 hours away or less.

of us count down the minutes until payday? It’s easy to compare minikrediet with us and hopefully you’ll soon have the cash you need to get by without worrying how far away your next payday may be.

However, this does vary with some providers charging 28 interest and so on. The charge you need to observe is how much you pay back on the amount you borrow - this is a fixed sum dependent on the individual provider. A gsm minikrediet is a way to solve a short-term cash issue for amounts like 204 euro.

As with all payday loan it is best to take a complete search of the market before you apply for a online minikrediet for aount 266 euro so you can compare interest rates and make sure you are getting the best deal for your needs. However, it is not necessary to use the loan for this purpose and effectively the cash can be used at your discretion as long as it is paid back with interest during the short loan term. Be sure to use the fast minikrediet comparison tool at dutch minikrediet to compare rates. You must however, be able to satisfy the 10 minute minikrediet provider that you will have enough cash available to cover the advance repayment they will look at how much you can afford to pay back on an individual basis between 406 euro. This is where a fast minikrediet comes in, offering a suitable sum of money to help you get by. If you apply for an payday loan for 138 euro you will usually have to fill out an online form and attach copies of your documentation in an email, or by fax.

In the majority of instances for every 89 euro you borrow you have to pay back 165 euro, meaning 10 interest. For many it simply can’t arrive soon enough as we attempt to juggle bills and expenses, as well as trying to have a little fun in life. However, for lengthier journeys you are better to use a method of transport that specialises in long distances such as a train or plane, gsm minikrediet are certainly a short-term special.

At the present time a company incorporated in the Isle of Man, owned by non-residents and which complies with the other statutory requirements, is not liable to Isle of Man taxation. Whilst locally trading companies pay tax at 18%, a qualifying offshore company pays a flat annual tax of £475 or £1,000.

The Isle of Man is however required to comply with the E.U. Code of Conduct on Business Taxation and other international initiatives designed to eliminate discrimination between taxpayers. This means, essentially, that the tax treatment of local and offshore companies should be the same. The Island decided some time ago that it would meet its obligations by introducing a zero rate of taxation for all companies except those engaged in certain finance sector activities and the Government has now issued a consultation paper outlining how it is proposed that the new system will operate.

From April 2006 the distinction between offshore and locally resident companies will disappear and companies will be classified as distributing or non-distributing. A distributing company will be one of the following,

• Where the whole of the distributable profit has been charged to tax at the rate of 10% or

• Where the company has distributed a specified minimum of its distributable profit, expected to be 60% for a trading company and 100% for an investment company or

• A company owned wholly by non- residents, regardless of what percentage of profit is actually distributed.

It is this third category of qualification, which is the most important, as it means that companies, incorporated on the Isle of Man but wholly owned by non-residents, will continue to enjoy tax- free status.

Companies will have to apply for distributing status but the exact means by which they will do so has not as yet been decided. The Government has however indicated that companies which have successfully claimed such status may not be required to submit accounts with every tax return providing sufficient information is provided on the return to support the claim.

There are further rules which apply to companies which are wholly or partly owned by Isle of Man residents and these companies will be obliged to calculate the tax payable on that part of the profits applicable to local shareholders and to pay it over to the Treasury.

The new system will accord with the international obligation for the Isle of Man not to discriminate between onshore and offshore companies and enable it to escape the sanctions, which may be invoked against some of the other offshore centres.

The Chesterfield Group provides a full range of trustee, and corporate advisory, formation and management services and invites enquiries. More particulars can be found on our web-site http://www.chesterfield-management.com
REF=CH5EZ

Got bills? We all do. But, who do you pay first when after you deposit your paycheck?

Most people pay their bills first, and play with what little is left. Sometimes, they’ll put a small amount into a “savings” account, which might earn all of 2% interest.

Is this you? What if I told you that you should be paying yourself first, and not into a savings account, but a “wealth account?”

Only read the rest of this article if you want to become wealthy.

Why? I intentionally became a millionaire before I was 35, and now I teach others how to become millionaires. One of the first things I tell them is to pay themselves first, putting the money into a special account called a wealth account.

Investing - in yourself and in building assets - should be your first priority

Millionaires make investing a priority. They pay themselves first into this special wealth account.

I call the payment you make to your wealth account your Wealth Account Priority Payment (WAPP). As the name implies, this payment is a priority, comparable to your mortgage or rent, bills, or any other priority expenses. Your WAPP should be a specific, set amount, and paid consistently, come rain or shine. Most of my clients make their WAPP monthly.

The concept of paying yourself first is often misunderstood. I’ve even heard financial advisors confuse this with putting money into savings. I’ve seen others tell people not to start a Wealth Account if they are in debt. None of this advice will support and create lasting and ever-growing wealth.

If you want to be a millionaire, you have to act like one today. And all millionaires use something similar to the process I call The Wealth Cycle. It’s a process in which the money you make is invested in a way that makes you more money. (I explain this concept in detail in my book, The Millionaire Maker). The investing aspect of The Wealth Cycle is crucial to its success.

Pay yourself before you pay down your debt

Now this may sound counterintuitive, but I don’t care how much debt you have. You still need to make your Wealth Account a priority. Here’s the 10 second lesson from the millionaire maker:

You make money, put a portion of that into a wealth account. Your wealth account is used to invest in money-making assets. Then, pay what you can towards repaying the debt. In the mean time, the income from your investments grows, getting you out of debt faster! Once the debt is paid, you still have the income from the investments.

What’s important is not the amount of your WAPP. The key is a) starting it immediately, and b) getting in the habit of making it. If you are barely making ends meet every month, make your WAPP only $10. Or even 10 cents, if need be. Then as your income increases, raise the amount of your WAPP accordingly.

Once you have gathered enough money to pursue a lucrative investment - and believe me, some times all you need is a just few thousand dollars - then you seek out a wealth coach, a mentor, and other specialized professionals who can guide you on choosing the best investment for your needs. And you’ll soon see just how quickly you can build wealth when using the Wealth Cycle.

Think of it this way: every month you don’t make your WAPP compounds into days you’re not creating wealth. Which means you’ll stay in debt longer. Or simply keep the status quo. Isn’t it time you took control of your financial future?

Wealth building is possible for anyone who learns and uses the right skills at the right time. Loral Langemeier literally creates millionaires, and she does it using a well-honed and tested system that anyone can learn. Creating sustainable wealth does not need to remain a mystery! Order your copy of The Millionaire Maker today: http://www.themillionairemakerbook.com

Picture your life as a five-step stairway, with you standing at the top and Fulfillment waiting for you at the bottom. Complete this picture by placing a large, empty bucket on each of the five steps and labeling the buckets from top to bottom: Survival, Financial Stability, Quality of Life, Financial Security, Financial Independence.

Your objective is to fill each bucket with dollars as you progress down the stairway, so that when one bucket overflows, it begins to fill the next bucket.

The Survival bucket is how you pay for your basic needs of food and shelter. Once you’ve taken care of these, any extra money flows into the second bucket, which is Financial Stability. Financial stability is the ability to keep solvent in the event of sudden, unforeseen changes and emergencies in your life insurance against catastrophic loss.

To be financially stable, you must have an emergency fund in a savings account equal to a minimum of three months’ income, and preferably six months’ income. You also must have adequate permanent and transferable medical insurance that remains in force, regardless of your employmentstatus, as well as life insurance, including some whole life, in addition to term, that accumulates cash value and has a level premium.

Another critical component of financial stability is non-cancelable, individual permanent disability income insurance, equal to at least 70 percent of your monthly pay, but preferably 100 percent. One of the greatest financial blunders most people make is to forget that the possibility of loss of income resulting from an injury or illness is much greater than that of loss of life. Not only are you without income when you are sick or injured, you also do need to be cared for during that period, and the expenses continue even though you’re not able to work.

When bucket two is filled with contingency dollars for your financial stability, you can sit down with your inner circle and determine what standard of living will give you the quality of life you want: your home, family, education, recreation, possessions, etc. These considerations should be budgeted with a monthly amount of savings, however small.

If you can fill your Quality of Life bucket, a little extra discretionary income will trickle over the lip and fall into bucket four. This is the Financial Security bucket. Financial security is defined as that amount of assets that will give you the amount of after-tax income you need to maintainthe standard of living necessary to have the quality of life you want, at some predetermined point in the future, without having to depend upon day-to-day employment.

Less than 10 percent of Americans ever fill this bucket. Your goal is to be in this 10 percent. It is not based on salary. Many individuals in the top income brackets never reach financial security. Many middle-income Americans do. To get in the top 10 percent, you need to put 10 percent of your spendable income into an appreciating investment fund every month, just like a mortgage payment.

The fifth and final bucket is Financial Independence. This is achieved when you beat the target date you set for retirement. The object of creating personal assets is to be financially independent of having to work, while you still have your health and are still young enough to enjoy those assets. Many individuals set their financial security target date at age 65. Using compound interest over time, you can beat your target date and set yourself free.

See your life as a stairway to fulfillment. Put your dollars in the right buckets, in the right order. You’ll be amazed at the way cash flows from bucket to bucket, like a river down a mountain.

Denis Waitley is the acknowledged authority on self-development, high performance, and individual productivity.

Denis Waitley books, tapes, and teaching have been experienced by millions of people … from the most successful major corporations, to small entrepreneurial businesses, to individual families.

Denis Waitley’s audio programs are available at Nightingale Conant — title include: The Psychology of Winning, Seeds of Greatness, Empires of the Mind and others. Other audio books available at Nightingale Conant include authors such as Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, Dr. Deepak Chopra and many, many more.

The variety of financial tools and services available today has
multiplied dramatically from a generation ago. On both the
personal front and in the business sector there has been a
dramatic increase in the number of products available, the
methods by which they are delivered and the services they
require.

The internet is a perfect system for laying out preliminary
information in the financial services industry, where product
options can get complicated fairly quickly. Businesses of all
sizes that are engaged in some portion of this industry are
finding that a website makes good business sense.

An enormous amount of financially related business is still done
at the local level. Mortgages, auto and home loans and insurance
policies are still usually secured from a local agent. The small
businessman engaged in providing such products need only think
about the amount of time he or she spends on the phone
explaining the basics of their services to realize how much time
a website could save them.

When a customer calls about auto insurance, think about the
ability to refer the caller to your website to learn about the
required minimum coverage, about the relationship of the
vehicle’s value, about the relationship of personal injury
coverage to health insurance.

Think about having a website that explains the four or five home
mortgage options that are available, about how they are affected
by down payment, credit history and loan amount. Consider the
enormous number of variables available in health insurance for
both individuals and families, and envision a chart on your own
website that explains how those policies work.

That’s only a start on the types of benefits a website can
provide to a small businessman or regional company in the
financial services business. Your website can provide
explanations, charts, even video clips explaining:

* Retirement planning * Medicare insurance options * Home loans,
including specialties such as tenants-in kind * Real estate
history and trends in your area * Auto insurance, including the
effects of driving records and assigned risk * Investments -
mutual funds or annuities? Stocks or CDs? * Estate planning *
Health insurance - a new policy, or COBRA?

These are a few examples plucked from a vast array of financial
services that are out there today. Your website can become your
reference library, your consulting tool, and your business
partner when it comes to educating your clients. Websites
provide multidimensional explanations of material in a far more
effective fashion than brochures. No matter how glossy, stacks
of paper that use terms only half understood are intimidating to
people.

Your website can have an entire dictionary section, so that
potential customers can learn terminology at their leisure,
rather than ask embarrassing questions. And of course, the fewer
questions they have when they pay a call on you, the less time
is consumed in moving towards a potential sale.

Use the graphics capability of a website to maximize the
attractive nature of your particular company. Take advantage of
a personalized business website to explain why your services are
better, unique, priced more reasonably, performed more
thoroughly. With any complex financial product, you’ll need to
explain how your selection of products can meet an entire range
of consumer needs. Your website can do that for you.

Financial products can be presented online just as attractively
as real estate is today. For every financial product, there is a
personal benefit that can be reinforced with images. For
products with multiple options and complex purchasing decisions,
a website provides a consumer with an invaluable tool that is
available 24/7. Your potential customer won’t be sitting across
from you, concerned that there’s been a question missed or an
issue not fully understood. A website is like an office staff to
a financial services professional: there’s no better business
for harnessing the efficiency of the new technology.

You should be able to find several indispensable facts about
social security tax in the following paragraphs. If there’s at
least one fact you didn’t know before, imagine the difference it
might make.

Every week that you work, there are taxes deducted from your
gross payroll that are distributed to the Social Security
Administration, along with other programs administered by the
government. Of all the taxes we pay, social security is one of
the most beneficial, one of the most watched. Why do we pay
social security tax, and what does it potentially mean for all
Americans? The following article discusses the social security
tax regulations and what we benefit from the mandated deduction.

Social security tax is deducted from our payroll each week in
order to cover a portion of our retirement income when we reach
age 65, but also a survivor benefit, should we become disabled
during the course of our working life, or die as a result of
work-in which case the surviving spouse and children would
receive a monthly income supplement to help them with their
daily expenses.

Each and every day, we are bombarded with statements that want
to make us aware of the dire straits our social security system
and the gloom and doom picture we face in just a few years. This
article examines the information available about our social
security system, and asks the questions about its fate and ours.

The social security tax we know and pay today has become a
greater chunk of our income with the passing years. And, as if
this is not enough, it is the poorest of this nation that pay
the most, since there is a cap on the income levels that are
subject to the social security tax. Currently, any income above
$90,000 isn’t subject to social security tax. This presents a
problem for the nations poor and the federal government’s level
of social security tax received. As more and more of our
population begin to age, there are fewer and fewer based
employees to sustain the fueled growth and maintenance of the
social security system. Add to this the fact that individuals
with wage earnings beyond $90,000 are growing faster than the
wage base for employees who remain below the $90,000 level, and
you have the makings of a disaster. The latest predictions place
the collision date somewhere around 2017. That’s not an
extremely distant future, and it certainly will be a problem for
the 45-50 year old wage earner.

So what has been proposed to deal with this growing problem?
There are currently several proposed solutions to the problem,
and all of them, with just a few exceptions point to higher
taxation of the wage earners income. It is interesting to note
here, that when income tax and social security, Medicare, and
the many other “beneficial” programs the government has
implemented to aid the general public, we have lost in the area
of disposable income. In 1913, when the income tax program was
begun, less than 1% of the average individual’s income was
taxed. Today, we pay roughly 10% of our income in tax. That’s a
staggering rate of growth, when you consider that our income
levels have also tremendously increased too. The following
paragraphs briefly outline some of the more popular proposals
for dealing with the projected shortfall, and the effect it
should have on “Joe Citizen”.

The information about social security tax presented here will do
one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about
social security tax or it will teach you something new. Both are
good outcomes.

Increases in FICA taxes; of course, this is a hard sell in the
current climate, but by the time we reach 2017, it might look
like a better solution than any of the others.

Increases in normal retirement age (NRA) have already begun, and
it looks like it is going to be an ongoing process. As our life
expectancy increases, the ability of social security to
accommodate greater payouts, and a reduction in the working
population continues, extending the NRA on past the age of 70 is
a real possibility.

Privatization of social security; although on the surface this
looks like a promising solution, it would take a special kind of
citizen to intelligently, objectively, and rationally invest
their 4% allocation wisely, and truly reap the benefit that
social security has previously provided.

Selling bonds or printing money. The US Treasury does have the
option to intervene and raise the money to accommodate the
excess demand, but you increase the probability of runaway
inflation when you begin to pump excess money into the economy.

What is the ultimate solution for this problem? No one really
knows, simply because no one can accurately predict long-range
models. 20, 30, of even 40 years into the future, accurate
predictions are extremely hard to come by.

That’s how things stand right now. Keep in mind that any subject
can change over time, so be sure you keep up with the latest
social security tax news.

Identity theft is a malicious crime with serious implications.
It can wreck havoc on your credit file, your ability to purchase
a home in the future and interfere with potential job
opportunities.

Approximately 246,000 cases of identity theft were filed between
January, 2004 and December, 2004 - a staggering increase of 52%
since 2002. Statistics of victimization by age group revealed
that anyone from 18 to 65 is fair game. The breakdown by fraud
subject were as follows:

Credit card fraud - 28%

Phone and utilities - 19%

Bank fraud - 18%

Employment - 13%

Other (government documents, benefits, insurance, bankruptcy,
etc) - 22%

So what is “Identity Theft”? Identity theft happens when,
someone steals your personal information and commits fraud in
your name. Examples include situations where your your name,
social security number, home address and/or date of birth is
used to open fraudulent credit card, telephone and utility
accounts.

Perpetrators of identity theft should not be underestimated -
some are clever and make a good living doing what they do. They
have perfected ways to find your personal information and bleed
you dry. Here are a few of their information pilfering methods:

Obtaining your information while on the job or bribing someone
who works in a certain organization to steal your information.

Rummaging through your trash.

Stealing your mail (including any bank and credit card
statements, checks, tax information, etc.)

“Skimming” your information by attaching devices to an ATM and
stealing your information once you swipe your card and enter
your PIN number.

Hacking information databases.

Stealing your wallet or purse.

“Phishing” for information through phone calls or email under
the guise of correcting errorneous information about your
account. Once they have acquired your information, they will use
it in a number of ways to harm your personal finances.

The FTC sites the following ways, in which they utilize your
information:

Open credit card accounts in your name and charge up the
accounts. In order to avoid detection, they will file a change
of address request with the local post office so that you do not
receive your credit card bills. Out of sight - out of mind.

Establish wireless and phone service accounts in your name.

Buy an automobile in your name.

Get an identification document such as a drivers license in
your name.

File a tax return in your name.

Get a job in your name.

Give your name to a police officer in an arrest and not show
up to court.

Open a bank account in your name and write bad checks.

File for bankruptcy in your name to avoid paying for debts
incurred in your name.

So what can you do? You cannot make yourself 100% theft-proof,
when it comes to this crime but there signs to look for and ways
to lessen the likelihood of becoming a victim of identity theft.
Any of these signs should raise a red flag:

Your credit report shows accounts that you are not familiar
with. If you have not done so already, get your free credit
report. You are not getting bills on time.

You are receiving credit cards that you did not apply for.

You are being denied credit.

You are getting phone calls from debt collectors about an
outstanding debt.

In addition, to monitoring red flags, the FTC recommends the
following guidelines:

Put passwords on all your credit card, utilities, bank, phone
and wireless accounts. Avoid using the common passwords such as
your mother’s maiden name, spouse’s name, date of birth, last
four numbers of your social security number, phone number, etc.
If a business uses one of these passwords, inquire about putting
your own password on the account.

Secure personal information, when you are having work done at
your house or if you have roommates.

Monitor your credit report every few months.

Do not give out personal information over the phone, email or
internet unless you are sure of the other person’s identity.

Remove your mail promptly.

Shred mail and trash with personal information.

Deposit outgoing mail in the post office mail box rather than
an unsecured mailbox.

Do not carry your social security card with you.

Do not give out your social security number unless it is
necessary. If your state and medical insurance programs use your
SSN as identification - you may request that they use another
number.

Pick up bank checks from the bank rather than through mail.

Be cautious when responding to promotions.

Run a virus protection software on your computer.

Don’t open files that are from strangers.

Use a firewall program especially if you have DSL or a T-1
line.

Ensure that websites that you purchase products from or enter
your personal information have SSL (secure socket layer)
encryption. You will be able to tell by the “lock” on the bottom
right-hand corner of your browser.

Delete personal information before disposing of your computer.

If you believe that you are a victim of identity, fight
back.