Finance

A life settlement is a situation where people sell their life insurance in exchange for cash to people who want to buy it by transferring ownership of their policy to the buyer. These people who buy it are basically investors. The cash amount is more than the policy’s surrender value but it’s often less than the death benefit. The buyer pays all the future premium payments and upon the death of the owner of the insurance, which by this time, the policy matures, receives the death benefit. Death benefit is what a policy holder’s family or beneficiaries gets after their demise. See this article for more on this.

Reasons to Sell

Keeping a life insurance policy will generally be of great benefit to your beneficiaries but life cannot be predicted. There are several reasons why a person might sell their insurance in spite of these benefits. We will now quickly look at some of these reasons.

Medical Expenses

As a person grows older, it is possible that health issues could arise. Considering that health care is not cheap as costs keep rising on a daily basis, funds may be needed to pay for treatments and medications which might not be covered by your health insurance.

Premium Payment Affordability

A lot of the time as the insured grows older and enter into retirement, paying their monthly or annual premium may get more difficult. This could be because the owner might not be earning income like they used to or other financial needs have higher priority at the time. It could also be the result of having the cost of the premium being raised over the years by the insurance company to the point where it becomes too expensive.

The Coverage might no longer be needed

It is possible for a life insurance policy to outlive its purpose as its original beneficiary or beneficiaries might no longer need it. The policyholder might have used their children as beneficiaries and they are now financially independent and do not need the proceeds from it. It might be a spouse who was the beneficiary and the said spouse has passed before the insured. It may also be due to a divorce.

Another scenario is the sale of a business where there was protection with a buy-sell agreement. Sometimes, the death benefit might no longer be needed but a policyholder might still keep it for the same reason an investor might want to buy it.

Every case is different and unique. As a policyholder, you need to consider why the insurance was purchased initially and if it is no longer needed or if it has become burdensome to pay the premiums, evaluate and reconsider your options.

Benefits of Selling

The owner of the insurance should be aware that they can sell their policy to get cash for whatever they need to do. This might include paying for health care, debts or funding an investment.

One of the benefits of selling your insurance is the availability of cash or funds to take care of an immediate or urgent need like those listed above. In fact, in a case where the insured has more than one policy, it can be sold to fund the other policy.

Another benefit of selling your insurance benefit is that you no longer need to pay the burdensome insurance premiums which will make more resources immediately available to you.

Eligibility

To be eligible for settlement, there are several factors that will be considered. These include age, health, the size, and the type of policy.

Age

Ideally, the age to qualify for a settlement is 70 years or older. Generally, the shorter a life expectancy, the more valuable the settlement is. This implies that the older a person is, the greater the interest for investors. Another factor might be persons with serious illnesses who may be younger than 70 but due to the illness have a shorter life expectancy.

Policy

Your policy size is the minimum size that may be considered for a settlement. $50,000 is most times the benchmark. There could be exceptions especially for persons with severe health issues.

The most common type of insurance considered for a settlement is the universal life. While term policies typically provide coverage for a set period, it can be converted to permanent coverage which can then be used for settlement. Whole life policies may also qualify for settlements but are more difficult because they are designed to build high cash values which might often be equal to the market value of the policy. See https://www.kitces.com/blog/life-settlements-selling-a-life-insurance-policy-thats-no-longer-wanted-for-more-than-its-cash-value/ for what can affect the terms of a life settlement contract.

Options

In selling your insurance, there exists two options which are life settlement and viatical settlement. The major difference between these two is the life expectancy of the individual selling the policy. For viatical settlements, the life expectancy is under two years. They are usually for people who are terminally ill. Life settlements are for people who are reasonably healthy and have a life expectancy greater of over two years.

Steps to Selling

The market value of insurance policies depends upon several factors like the amount of death benefit, its premium and the individual’s life expectancy as noted earlier. Pricing insurance is not this easy though. The factors that might influence the policy’s value are the ongoing cost, the length of time in which payments will be made; this is estimated using the policy owner’s underwriting and also the size of the benefit offered by the policy.

When selling your policy, get an estimate and determine if you are eligible by using the settlement calculator from a suitable Life Insurance Settlement Guide. A professional will carry out an evaluation and you will receive an estimate based on your eligibility. If all goes accordingly, you will then be paid.

Selling your insurance should be a major decision. Determining why you have the policy in place and why you want to sell it is quite important. Reach out to a financial advisor or broker for advice on selling and to know what your options are. When you know how much you can get paid for it, decide if there are ways it can be of more benefit to you and your beneficiaries than holding out for the death benefit. It is not a decision to be rushed and to be protected, you can engage your lawyer or personal representative in the whole process.

The abundance of available software makes human life more convenient than decades ago. Not only can we access the latest news or do our shopping. Even foreign currency trading has become accessible to anyone. Thanks to Alpari, the service is now provided in South Africa. Discover how to open an Alpari demo trading account for Nigeria and profit from currency value changes.

The purpose of a demo account provided by the broker is training. Before you venture out into the world of real Forex trading, it is vital to explore the features of the platform and gain experience opening and closing deals. Hence, every retail trader starts with a risk-free demo account. Not only does it guarantee complete safety, but it is also incredibly easy to obtain.

Step 1. Choose Your Provider

Although the MetaTrader platform may be easily downloaded from free sources, it is useless without registration. A broker will not only open an account for you. The company provides the whole package of related services, from money transfers to around-the-clock customer support. Since Forex trading is a serious endeavor, you will need efficient guidance and smooth finance procedures.

Many brokers advertise their services in Nigeria, but few can be trusted. Alpari International, a part of a well-established brand with two decades of history, stands out for a number of reasons. Aside from the lengthy experiences and 2+ million clients gained over the years, it offers favorable conditions and enhanced convenience for traders. There are countless instruments to trade, attractive spreads, easy deposits and withdrawals, regular rewards, and much more.

Whether it is currency trading, stocks or commodities that interest you, the broker makes it possible. The company is officially licensed, and it is subject to supervision by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) in Mauritius, where it is registered and headquartered.

Setting Up a Demo Account

As the demo mode involves no real money, the registration process is very straightforward and quick. All you need to do is head to the broker’s website and fill in a simple form. After submitting your name and contact details, you will receive login information by email.

These credentials (Account ID as login and main password) are then entered in the corresponding form on the MetaTrader platform (4 or 5). Just open the File tab and locate the ‘Log in to Trade Account’ option. This completes the procedure, unlocking all the useful features of the software. Subsequently, you will see details of your active account in the Navigator window, which is on the left-hand side of the screen.

Getting the Software

There are two versions of the platform available today (MT4 and MT5). Either can be downloaded from the broker’s official website. Smartphone users may find mobile versions in the Google Play market and App Store. This advanced finance software works on any kind of device, whether desktop or portable.

Take time to explore the market and understand how profit is gained. Once you feel your knowledge is sufficient, you can switch to a live account easily. The broker will require you to submit a few documents and answer a set of questions. Once your identity has been verified, new login details will be sent to you. Now, you are able to work with real money on the exchange.

La Vista is a small city located in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It lies in the suburbs of the bustling and historically rich Omaha and offers a quiet abode away from the metropolis. Although it only houses a little over 17,000 people, the citizens make up an essential number in Nebraska’s population of over 1.9 million. If you happen to be from La Vista, then you may find the small town quite limiting in terms of institutions. However, what always finds itself close is a local credit union that can cater to your financial needs.

There are plenty of financial products and services offered out there, but if you have just gotten your first job and need an account to pair up with your newfound independence, then call up your local credit union. They will be able to offer you a Free Personal Checking Account in La Vista, NE. You may have heard of checking accounts but are unfamiliar with how they work, so here are what you need to know about them.

Universal Account

A checking account is terrific for anyone from any walk of life because it is highly versatile and useful for almost every banking function. Most people open a checking account to pay bills, as it enables you to direct all bills and have them automatically deducted every month. If you still do check transactions, then this account type is necessary as it allows you to process them. Meanwhile, whereas a savings account may pose limitations to deposits and withdrawals, a checking account usually allows you to do an unlimited number of both. That gives you the freedom to take money to and from your account as needed.

In a small city like La Vista, local shops may not always accept cards. In that case, direct access to cash is beneficial to you. Additionally, a checking account gives you access to money through checks, automated teller machines (ATMs), and electronic debit. As you do not have to always line up at financial institutions to access your funds, checking accounts are very convenient.

Save More With Free Checking

Not many financial institutions can offer you a Free Personal Checking Account in La Vista NE. Nebraska’s citizens are fortunate because the state boasts an array of local, non-profit organizations determined to help you reach your financial goals. A free checking account is usually available at local credit unions, so check out the ones available and inquire about their fees. Most banks will charge up to $10 in monthly payments, which can be steep for college students, young adults, those new to the workforce, and people without the best financial portfolio. By owning a free checking account, you can be in full control over your finances without hefty fees.

Beware Of Overdraft

As with any other financial service, a checking account requires plenty of responsibility. You need to be aware of how much money you have in your account at all times. Otherwise, you may get charged for an overdraft. Essentially, it is a fee that you need to pay when you use more money than what you have in your account. A checking account is not a credit card, so you cannot freely apply it the same way as credit debt.

The money available for use through checks, debit, and withdrawals is simply the value you have on your account. If you accidentally use more than what you have, then you need to pay a fine. It can be costly, so ensure that you never end up with an overdraft charge. Check with your credit union and see if they offer overdraft protection, which will reject all transactions that exceed your balance.

A checking account is a wonderful way to keep track of bills and take control of your finances. But remember, handle anything related to money responsibly. Be sure that you are ready before jumping into creating a checking account, even if it is free. That way, you can avoid any significant financial mistakes now and in the future.

While many inspiring investors start with the intention of making it big in the property investment industry, only a handful of them get to taste success and get past their first investment. Similar to any other industry across the country, knowledge and insightful data are some of the crucial elements of success within the real estate industry.

One way to attain both excellent knowledge and valuable information on the industry is by attending property seminars. Some property seminars are free-of-charge, while others carry a hefty price tag for just a few days’ worth of training. Regardless of which workshops you wish to attend, the best ones can lay down an excellent blueprint for you to succeed in this competitive industry. Here are five advantages you can get when you sign up for a property investment seminar.

Get insider knowledge

The property investment market can be hard to master, especially for startups that have little understanding of the ins and outs of the industry. This flaw, however, can be covered up by attending property seminars with knowledgeable speakers, which shares valuable insights, such as the upcoming investment hotspots and market price fluctuations. These useful inputs allow property investors to increase their odds of thriving in the ever-changing market.

Stay on top of the game

While property investors have the opportunity to make big money in the industry, the chance of losing a hefty amount is also part of the game if they are not careful. Excellent property investment seminars can give a wealth of tips and methods for aspiring property investors to become successful in the industry and, at the same time, warn them of the common pitfalls and mistakes that they need to avoid.

The seminars also share data on the latest market trends, which is particularly essential in the real estate industry since it can be volatile.

Have the opportunity to ask questions

Seminars give investors the chance to inquire experts about any problematic topics and seek clarifications on the confusing aspects of the market they may encounter. Seminars with excellent speakers who have years of experience in the field can give them the inside scoop on investing in a property in different or multiple locations.

Networking opportunities with other professionals

Seminars bring together property professionals from all kinds of levels, from newbies to experts. Property investors that attend the workshop can seize this chance and build relationships with these people as much as possible, which leads to new business opportunities. Moreover, networking with other investors and vendors allows newbie investors to seek advice and mentorship when facing any setbacks in the future.

Boost your motivation

Running a business can be rewarding, but it can also be extremely exhausting at times. Once property investors find a system that works for them, it is relatively easy for them to get stuck in the process.

When attending property seminars, however, they will be exposed to brand new ideas and a wealth of tools that they can use to run their business more effectively. They will be inspired by the success stories of experts and head home with a renewed sense of motivation.

If you are new to investing and are testing the waters, seminars can be an excellent venue for you to gain the information you need. Apart from having the opportunity to network with other vendors and investors, you can get valuable insights into the market to stay on top of the competition, ask questions on confusing aspects of real estate, and get the necessary dosage of fun and inspiration.

 

Not every kind of investment is the same. You’ll have different reasons for choosing different pathways to try to make money. But rather than approaching that concept from a theoretical perspective, think about it concretely. What goals do you want to match with what kinds of investments? It may seem like a very simple question, but there’s a lot that goes into it.

Think of three goals and styles of investment that may coincide in specific and differentiated ways. You can invest in property – but is it a property that you live in or just property that you own? Then there is the potential for investing in vehicles. Is this a personal vehicle that you drive, or are you perhaps investing in a vehicle as a way to perform a professional service?

And third, think about investing in your education. You’re paying a lot of money to an academic institution as an investment in yourself, expecting that the return will be a higher paying job or more opportunities. These are all different ways to think about where to put your money and why.

Property

If you plan on investing in property, there are two major perspectives that you can follow. One is that you are investing in a property that you will be living in. As an example, it may be that you want to buy a house so that your family has a beautiful place to live, and you plan on selling it down the road.

The other thing to think about is if you invest in a house that you own for a different reason. Perhaps you will be renting it out, or maybe you intend on flipping it. Or perhaps you expect the value to appreciate on its own. All of these are valid points to ponder when deciding whether to invest in real estate or not.

Vehicles

Investing in a vehicle has a similar differentiation between potential. For example, it might be smart to spend just a small amount of money on your car if it’s just getting you back and forth to work. That way, you are saving money by not putting cash into something expensive where that expense does not match its practical value. On the other hand, perhaps you want to restore a classic car, and your investment comes from that perspective.

Education

Then there is the idea of investing in your education. College is expensive! However, statistics show that if you make it through the academic gauntlet, you have many more opportunities to get better-paying jobs. So this is a big chance for you to think about how investing works on a long-term basis in the context of your greater life.

 

For those struggling with multiple debts owed to multiple lenders, it can sometimes feel like you are only working to pay back what you owe. Even if you already have two jobs and are taking as many overtime shifts as you can, it can seem like all of your money is being siphoned off to pay back debts. While this can be dispiriting, there is hope.

A debt consolidation loan can be a big help for those with multiple debts of all sizes. Commonly recommended by many financial planners, debt consolidation is a straightforward process that will gradually allow you to pay back your debts in a much simpler and easier way. Taking the stress out of the debt equation will also allow you to get your life back and spend more time focusing on what matters to you.

Let’s look at some specific ways in which a debt consolidation loan can help you deal with your debt.

Helps You Get Organised

If your multiple debts are spread out across several different lenders, then it can be confusing to keep things organised. Some months, you may easily forget what bills have already been paid and what bills remain outstanding. This makes it easier to miss payments which will then damage your credit score and maybe even force you to pay additional penalties on your debts.

However, debt consolidation allows you to pay back all of your debts at once. Afterwards, you will only have a single, albeit larger, debt to worry about. Making payments on this single amount each month makes the process of remembering to pay much easier. If you have problems with organisation, then debt consolidation is worth it for this reason alone.

Provides You With A Lower Interest Rate

Many consumer debts, such as credit card debt, have high-interest rates that will quickly compound the amount of money that you owe. For those in an already precarious position, this can make the situation much worse.

However, with debt consolidation, you can negotiate to have the interest rate of your debt set to a more reasonable level. In the long run, you will have to pay less for the debts that you currently owe. As an alternative, you may even be able to negotiate a longer repayment period to make your monthly payments much lower.

This is perfect for those who are struggling to make ends meet while simultaneously paying back a heavy load of debt. Consult with a professional financial advisor to see what kind of rates you can expect through the process of debt consolidation.

Save Your Credit Rating

Being stuck in debt and missing payments is harmful to your credit score. If and when you need to borrow money again in the future, you might have to accept terrible rates and terms if your credit score is too low. You may even be denied access to funds if you have not been diligent in paying back your debts in the past.

However, debt consolidation is a good way of preventing your credit score from being harmed. As long as you make sure to repay your debt consolidation loan, you can rest assured that your other outstanding debts will be taken care of, and will no longer pose a looming threat to your credit rating.

Get Out Of Debt

For those mired in debt, debt consolidation is one of the best options for gradually pulling yourself out of it. While you will still need to repay this kind of debt over time, it makes the process of doing so much easier and gentler.

 

A Certified Public Accountant, or CPA, is essentially the most important member of any business since it is considered the heavy hitter of the accounting world. Basically, we´re talking about one of the main cornerstones of the money system. The person that is going to analyze the way the money is used by businesses, governments and individuals.

Considering that the duties of a CPA involve a wide variety of accounting tasks and auditing tax, the job of this person consists in ensuring that every business, client or organization work within the limits of the law by properly reporting their income and paying the required taxes.

This way, the CPA analyzes not only the structure and activities of a government or a private company to provide the best tax advice, but also of an individual of nearly any profession, meaning there are CPA services for doctors, entrepreneurs, engineers, and even for attorneys.

Why do you need a CPA?

The reason why we all need  CPAs is essentially because they serve as financial consultants and offer the most useful advice regarding employment benefits, salaries, systems for data processing, protection of assets, and more. Believe it or not, they are such a meaningful element of business that almost every single CPA is often involved in the development of strategic planning meetings, fraud prevention, tax filing and preparation, financial disputes’ resolution and even contracts’ negotiations.

While many people and businesses don’t have a CPA, it’s always better to count with their services since they would always put you in the right path and will make you avoid taking a harmful decision or having a legal issue.

After all, some of the common tasks of a CPA include predicting future expenses and revenues, preparing reports and financial statements, supervising accounts receivable and payable, and even analyzing ledgers. In fact, one of the main duties of every CPA is to monitor the financial activities of a business in a regular manner, meaning that this person will check for any single irregularity and resolve any financial problem in order to prevent a major problem.

If a CPA is important for an individual that works in a company, it is crucial for any kind of business since it will put order in a world where any single mistake can represent a major headache. That’s why running without one of these professionals is an unnecessary risk.

If you don’t know if it’s really helpful to count with CPA services, you should always remember that the most significant element you must take into consideration, whether you’re an employee or a business owner, is how to plan for the future. After all, we’re talking about seeing through the unpredictable and being able to get ahead of the circumstances that will always get in your way.

In order to make this happen in the most efficient way, you need to have a CPA with you. This is the person that has the ability and knowledge to take a step back and objectively look at the big picture in order to find the best way to guarantee the longevity of your business and the improvement of your professional career.

 

Handling debt can overwhelm a person of any age. It seems like no matter what is thrown their way, it can seem like an impossible task to climb out of a huge hole.

The good news is that there are ways to get back on track. It might seem like there is no end in sight, but companies like F.H. Cann & Associates can help. In fact, they offer debt management for individuals who don’t feel like they can handle it all on their own. They simplify the process so that it never seems like an overwhelming task.

Keeping things simple

At its core, getting out of debt is a pretty easy task. It’s a great plan is put in place. The goal is to focus on putting as much money towards debt per month as possible. A well thought out plan is the best way to go.

The company works directly with each individual to figure out where they can save money and put towards the repayment process. Everyone spends money on things they can cut back on, so it’s a great starting point.

Reducing rates and other benefits

One advantage of working with a company instead of doing things alone is that they know all the tricks to reduce rates, or even receive forgiveness. This is a huge boost for any person who is facing thousands and thousands of dollars of debt.

A lot of people don’t realize that some creditors are more than willing to work with each individual to figure out a faster repayment plan. It benefits them in the end as well, so it’s a true win-win situation.

Fast customer service

No one should feel as though they are overlooked. It can be an extremely frustrating experience if a person is working with a company and not getting the help they are seeking.

There are always opportunities for people to get the help they need, whenever they need it. At most, it takes one business day for the company to get back to individuals, and that is very convenient for someone who is trying to stay on target with fixing their debt issues.

If something can’t be fixed, some people will step in and assist as well. The staff has experts in many different fields and scenarios, so it never seems like people are in over their heads.

Affordably priced

People dealing with debt don’t have time or money to waste additional funds along the way. Unfortunately, there are a lot of companies that try to take advantage of the most vulnerable people out there.

F.H. Cann & Associates provides a very affordable solution for people who are on a strict budget. Since the focus is always on speedy results, that also helps out quite a bit. It’s always going to cost less to pay for a service for half the time so that a person can move on with their life and finally climb out of debt.

 

Cryptocurrency trading continues to spark an increasing interest among regular traders and some of them believe that there are some special strategies that should be used for digital assets. That’s not the case, luckily, and we would like to prove it by showing two basic strategies that work well on cryptocurrencies.

If you already know how cryptocurrency works and you would like to learn some simple strategies to trade them, keep reading and analyze what we have to say. Don’t forget to test both strategies on a demo or a small live account trading, before you actually trade as you do regularly.

Price action

For the current material, we don’t want to get into technical indicators and instead we would like to show two setups without oscillators, moving averages or other stuff. There’s no need for this since price action can do all the work.

Price action is basically the movement of price over time and although some traders think naked charts don’t show anything, in reality, they do show a lot. The price movement actually communicates a lot about the underlying order flow, how the majority of market players are positioned, and which side (bears or bulls) are in control. If you would like to dig deeper into price action learning, there are tones of material online.

The breakout strategy

Breakout strategies are one of the most used by professional traders, simply because it is one that enables them to enter the market in the direction of the dominant order flow. There are many ways to trade breakouts, but since we’ve already emphasized that these strategies are simple, let’s get into an actual example from a chart.

We’ll use the BTCUSD price to show you how breakouts work. Looking above, we’ve drawn the $11,250 line on the chart, since it acted as support three times. The first time the price hit the support, the bounce had been significant, but the second and third had been very weak, suggesting the buyers were paying less attention to the level.

After three days of weak consolidation, the price headed impulsively lower towards the level and broke below it. What happened next? Bitcoin plunged $1,700 in less than two days. Several hints must be mentioned in order to use this setup accurately.

As you may have noticed, we’ve first talked about the price action context. We had a clear support area and a change in the way market participants were relating to it (buyers reacted weaker when the price hit the support).

Second of all, close to the breakout, we can see sellers had been gaining the upper hand since the candles closed close to the lows and there were no wicks as seen highlighted on the chart.

This setup can be traded in an aggressive or conservative way. Traders who want to get in at a better price could enter the market when they see the price action is already weakening. Conservative traders should wait for the breakout candle to close, enter the market and place their stop loss above a recent swing high.

The false breakout strategy

You should already know that the cryptocurrency market is not as liquid as other popular ones (forex, stocks, commodities) and this means there is less capital behind each price move, making it easier for counter-trend players to reserve the course. That’s also the reason why we would usually see choppiness in how the price performs, which could make the breakout strategy inefficient.

This leads us to the second strategy we want to talk about- the false breakout strategy. Let’s take a look at an example from the ETHUSD price, which took place in mid-September 2019.

As you can see, ETHUSD made a swing high ($178.3) on September 6^th, followed by a brief selloff. Buyers resumed and managed to drive the price above the level, but what happened afterward is the interesting part. Three days of consolidation in a relatively-small range following the breakout above $178.3 should have communicated that buyers will defend the level successfully.

That did not happen and the price broke below the level, probably trapping sellers who jumped into the market. After a few candles below the level, the buyers resumed and drove the price impulsively higher. You can notice how choppy was the price around the level, which is something you’ll notice very often with most of the cryptocurrencies.

Risk management and conclusion

Although these setups can work consistently, don’t forget that risk management plays an important role. Risk a small percentage of your account, use stop losses, and always target for at least a 2:1 reward to risk ratio. There’s no way you could make money 100% of the time, which is why you must also learn to manage risk, not just the strategy.