May 8, 2008
LendersMark, an organization to provide information about Credit and Loans
By admin
Welcome to WisePicker, a blog dedicated to the advice on personal finance issues and online purchases. If you want to follow our new articles, please feel free to subscribe to our RSS feed. Many thanks for your visit
Lenders Mark has a portal full of information related to the credit, loans and mortgage issues. The main focus of the portal is the provision of high quality content, useful for the common reader as much as for the potential applicant.
Since the very beginning the website reveals itself as mainly informational in style, with a homepage that comprises the main concepts behind the financials. Personal Loans, Mortgages, Refinancing and some other topics are explained in a plain, simple language.
One resource that is noteworthy is the section dedicated to the financial calculators - which by the way, is a must to be included in the bookmarks - where you can find some basic calculation instruments as the monthly payment for a loan and very specialized calculators and even some practical tips (which you must take into account before you Apply for a loan, e.g.). Should you check it as well, i won’t provide a direct link.
Another thing which is worth the time to invest in, is the articles section. Though I will not share the link in this post (as I intend to write another post adding my own opinion linking to the article) there is one that rang the bells in my head even since I read the title. It is about the women&finances, and the author - a woman, by the way - explains the peculiarities of the women when facing the money issues. A must read, i would say.
Another article "Preparing for the Loan", is a comprehensive - though brief enough - guide in steps to obtain a home loan, with the best conditions possible.
Feedback
The website is really very good, educational and has the services that i use to ask to put a 9/10. To reach the perfect score, my personal recommendation is to add some interaction to the site, after all, the visitors would like to ask questions and query a knowledge base.
My first recommendation is that Lenders Mark adds a forum as soon as possible. And the second is that the site publishes the articles in a weblog, where there is always a chance to add comments. Also because, it would be more appealing to the users to subscribe to the feed and send the articles to social bookmarking sites, as Digg, StumbleUpon, Facebook, etc.
Third, the readers would like to see the faces behind the organization, maybe, a Facebook page would help.
Topics: Loans | No Comments »
May 7, 2008
Good Ideas can Turn into Profitable Projects (Part 1)
By admin
I have heard so many times this typical phrase: "I don’t have much luck in the business issues". And many combinations, either way. Luck does have more to do with unplanned (and probably ephimerous) temporary success.
The point is that no one can account on luck to live successfully, because the chances to succeed are higher on the side of the pragmatic, smart and organized thinker that has enough decision, self esteem and good habits of productivity.
I have a good idea: Can it really work?
Maybe, every entrepreneur - all over the world - has been on the verge of a challenging idea bursting inside the brains. Doubt - as reasonable the level it could be - arises as the natural response of the mind, trying to establish a mechanism of protection against the unknown - ans potentially risky - new situation. In plain English, everyone fears a little when having to make such kind of decisions.
But, after gaining control of oneself, the fear is dominated and the next step is to answer the question. It will work as much as you are convinced of the feasibility of the idea - once turned into a project.
The first step: Write down the idea, let it become a project scheme
It can be as simple as a sheet of paper and a pencil, or as sophisticated as a computer program that provides useful contextual information, the first step is to put everything down: let the idea land.
At the very start, it might be difficult to cope with every little issue of the project, so do not get frustrated or let yourself alone in the procrastination tide. Start with what you know, take notes of what you need to know further and organize the information you are collecting.
Case Study: I want to sell stickers with the cartoon version of the most famous citizens of the country
Yep, I believe such stickers are cool and i am also convinced that many others would agree and buy them. What is more, i am pretty sure that i can make the designs by myself. Ok, what’s next?
First, let’s start by placing the project into safe land. What is my objective? f.i., provide fun and fashionable art to the people. And my target? f.i, everyone over 12 years old. And what about my goals? f.i., producing the best-selling stickers, 10 millions of them and sell them all by the end of December. What is the product that i will offer? Maybe, one of the most important and overlooked issue, you will have to define what your product is (given that it might well be a service and not a good). Of course, your specific answers to the previous questions can be much more elaborated.
Then, it is the turn for the strategies. Let’s say, i will sell them by the conventional and online channels. Then, i would have to build an online store to portrait the products. And, i will do some basic market research to know what the likes of the people would be towards my products. And the lines that I will focus on at the beginning. And so on.
When the basics of the project are defined, you can start with the details, which will be bounded to the initial definition. But, that is the material for the next post of the series.
Topics: Productivity | No Comments »
May 1, 2008
Even Bad Creditors can Get Good Credit
By admin
"Bad Credit is no credit at all" - some used to say, and such used to be. After all, the credit has a lot to do with the level of trust and it diminishes acutely as the unpaid dues grow. When someone does not pay debts on a regular basis, it is not only the credit history what hits the bottom, but also the credibility of the person goes down.
The User’s Guide to Bad Credit - www.badcreditoffers.com is a website that I have written about in the past. As you may notice from the very beginning is that the site is well organized and has a simple, working and functional design: made to be easily browsed.
Personal Loans is one of the sections of the website that is very worth the trouble to check. It portraits in one place the bad credit offers for the visitor - and potential seeker of bad credit loans.
One thing to remember is that the company does not offer loans, credit cards or mortgages by itself. It is a portal that serves to show off the information related to the offers for the bad credit history customers.
Topics: Credit | 1 Comment »
April 29, 2008
Vacations, Needed to Hold the Balance and Raise Productivity
By admin
As an ordinary person, from times to times I tend to feel tired and even exhausted as the result of long working days and the pressure that it tends to produce.
That is the case of the vast majority of the workers, nowadays, and it is more visible in the workaholic, which is by definition: a person that lives to work.
Release the Pressure, Go on Vacations
For the workaholic the term "vacation" is profane, prohibited and infamous. I know I am not exaggerating as I, myself was one. Days after days devoted to work, no spare time ever and a lot of cumulative tiredness. All of that effort wasted, just because the workaholic pretends to ignore a simple fact of life: we are humans, not machines and need to rest periodically.
When someone works hard for a long term, the natural result expected is a diminishment of the "power" to produce. Then, someone who needs to go on vacation and doesn’t, is just being less productive than he/she might be.
And the cyclic result is that the person has to work more to reach the goals that otherwise might be achieved in fewer time and with less effort.
Just work out mentally how would you feel if after 12 months of hard work and lot of pressure, then you travel to Malibu, enjoy the sea and the Pacific Beach night life for two weeks.
¿Wouldn’t you work better, happier and feel more productive?
Topics: Productivity | No Comments »
April 29, 2008
Web 2.0, Companies and Lifestyle
By admin
Web 2.0 is the topic of the decade and it is not only related to a simple tendency. In fact, it has changed the Internet in an unsubtle and constant manner and for the old internauts, it is in fact a very different net that it was when all started out.
The first approach of the World Wide Web
At the beginning, the Internet was the place for webmasters and technicians, with boring designs and static pages everywhere. As the time passed by, things began to change and the interaction began to take place. But, it was all content produced by the companies and some individuals, and the crowd was years away from producing something else than just purchases.
On the high rise of the first era of Internet, the "bubble" formed and Dot Com was the main reason to invest. Investors began putting their money in "promising" companies, all of them without any asset else than promises of future gains. Unfortunately, the bubble popped and many people lose a lot of money, companies broke and the general perception of the Internet as a marketing channel was that of a fiasco.
The Advent of Web 2.0: for the people and by the people
But, the investors learned a few lessons and the marketers also did, and the wind of change began to blow slowly but with the strength of a storm. It was the time for the people to let hear their voices and Web 2.0 Applications jumped in. The main characteristics of these applications was the advent of minimalistic designs, sacrificing the excess of the first old 90s-like web pages, the ease of use and that the control of whatever the content was published were in the control of the common non-technical-savvy people.
Weblogs - this is one of them - Video Broadcast, Podcasts and Social Networks took place together with social bookmarking to change the way that the people communicated ever since before.
The Market adjusted to the Web 2.0
Though since the start of the Web 2.0 era, the sceptical segment of the public opinion catalogued it as another timely bubble, it was far from disappearing and it was not just a matter of fashion.
The buzz that the people began to generate about the services offered over the Internet started to outgrow the merchandising efforts of the companies. That is, the people began to take into further account what other people were talking about the services.
And the old style banners and popup windows of the then-conventional advertising just stopped being very effective in terms of getting customers and making sales. Contextual ads - Google in front of them - filled the market of the upcoming Web 2.0 websites.
The Companies in the era of Web 2.0
As stated before, the companies began to be affected by the advent of Web 2.0. Even the common concepts of publicity had to be revised. The new Web 2.0 consumer is very much more informed than ever before in the history of civilization.
Now, the Internet is not only a place to make purchases and believe heartedly and blindly in what the website states about the product. Currently, the customer has the chance to compare and check what other customers have to tell about the product or the company.
And, the customer can get his/her voice listened by a market of millions. What turns the credibility and provision of accurate information the most important asset of the companies nowadays. A good reputation is what now makes the difference between a stream of sales or a close-to-be bankruptcy.
Topics: Online Purchase | 1 Comment »
April 29, 2008
The Small Fish Big Money Blog
By admin
This is the kind of weblog that I really love to talk about. With the right dose of Business, Entrepreneurship and Blogging, mixed in a high quality content for the reader.
One of the things that I do respect when I see another weblog is the elegance of a nice, clean and unique template. And the template - and in general, the overall look - of the blog is far away from the common design.
And talking about the content, there is something very professional about it. It is not common to see a weblog with its own educational videos as a supporting material that compliments the article.
One post that I recommend, specially for the newcomers in the blogosphere is "Six ways to get more links to your blog, get indexed". In a simple style - a slide show - the author covers some easy to follow tips that will boost the positions of the weblog at the search engines.
Topics: Productivity | 3 Comments »
April 25, 2008
Self Destructive Tendencies and Low Self Esteem
By admin
Does Compulsive Behaviour sound familiar to you? Maybe, but I expect that you are not compulsive in nature. Really, I guess.
The typical compulsive person is someone who cannot avoid doing something even if it is dangerous or may cause general harm in the short, medium or long term.
Focusing on the niche, a compulsive buyer is my kind of compulsive person. I was a compulsive buyer and I can tell you how much damage that self destructive behaviour can affect your budget, your marital relationship, your kids and your life.
Let me first state that the attitude of the compulsive guy is part of a psychological scheme. Some people develop self destructive tendencies as the time passes by. What my therapist - not really mine, but my brother’s - once told me that the lack of self esteem, self respect and confidence builds the path to the uneasiness and unhappiness of the potential compulsive one.
Once again, the cornerstone of a productive, thus successful and happy life is the self esteem. In the previous post, I was writing about a fellow who had a horrible nose, then a rhinoplasty and finally, therapy to overcome the trauma. Well, by chance he was also a compulsive eater. There is nothing unexpected about it, the guy was overweighted.
Smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction and some other bad habits - self destructive habits - just account for a low self esteem, at the end. As to quit them, it is more than just therapy, it does imply to love oneself more than ever before.
Topics: Productivity | No Comments »
April 25, 2008
Productivity, Self Esteem and Happiness
By admin
A productive human being is someone successful, and somebody successful is someone who lives a happy life - unless the paradox of progress is real and applies to the majority of successful persons.
Wondering about how and why is it that so many people, so talented feel miserable, i found something - within the realm of introspection - that should obvious to everyone.
Everything begins with the self esteem. If you do not feel respect for yourself, then it is harder than impossible to become productive. And productivity is so highly bound to success as the latter is linked to happiness.
Self Esteem -> Self Confidence -> Decision -> Productivity -> Success -> Happiness
Self Esteem is not so common as one may ever think. Some people develop traumas during the childhood, that translate in the inability to look at themselves in a fair fashion. For example, the overweighted boy of the school will be there waiting to feel annoyed and humiliated by the fellow classmates, during the adult life, the boy - even if he has become a slim man - will be so poorly self-confident that any plan will be sabotaged by the lack of confidence.
I knew someone - a pal from the College times - that had a big nose. He had always felt he was ugly and his nose was kind of a spook for him. He even had a nose surgery revision and subsequent rhinoplasty, but though it changed his physical appearance, the inner image of himself did not. Professional help of a reputed psychologist and a lot of therapy helped, but it was the deep comprehension of the person he was what changed the situation and helped him to recover the self-esteem so long lost.
Finally, as the chain starts by the self esteem, try to examine yourself and see if you are happy with yourself at first. I don’t know of any plan that might work when self confidence is low.
Topics: Personal Finance Advice | No Comments »
April 25, 2008
How is macroeconomic decline affecting the personal finances of the common citizen
By admin
It is not a secret for anyone that the United States is experiencing a general decline in the economy - despite whatever the official figures might claim. Due to the high impact of the war in Iraq, the international price of oil has reached historical limits and the costs of industrial operations has also increased, likewise.
How does it impact the finances of the common people; let’s say you and me? I don’t want to look like someone who repeats what everyone else is saying, but it is more than obvious that any decline in the production is paid by everyone. Yes, everyone.
When the price of oil increases, that increase is echoed in the costs of producing fuel, then it increases the prices of transportation, thereafter the costs of feedstock, machinery, maintenance and operations involved in the industrial production. The costs of transportation also impact the final retail price.
And, added to the increase in the price of oil, there is a pressure on the budget, due the costs of war. All of that together has to reflect in overtaxing and the side effect of reducing the investments. If we take into account the devaluation of the currency, the problem is something really worrying.
Overtaxing, inflation and on the other hand, devaluation and reduction of investment have an extreme effect on the wallet of the citizens. First, the rates of loans tend to increase, due to the market pressure and the increased risk of financial operations. And if the case is that you have a mortgage loan going on and a non-fixed rate, maybe foreclosure can knock at the door if you don’t pay enough attention and apply smart measures to reduce expenses.
As the production cycles grow up in costs, the prices also do. That is why the prices of the products in the supermarket change (up) more frequently. The result is that there is more expense than the chance of saving.
And while the currency loses position against the Euro, the real value of the money decreases proportionally. If one thinks about it, it is another kind of tax, another imposition over the budget of the common citizen.
That is why, when I see the Government spokespersons talking about how much the economy is growing and how successful the campaign in Iraq is going, I can not prevent to mentally visualize a cosmetic plastic surgery of the situation of the country.
Topics: Personal Finance Advice | No Comments »
April 23, 2008
Freelance Resources and Tips at Weblog
By admin
Freelance Working is an alternative to the so-called 8×5=40 hours a week, conventional job. Nowadays, there are many people who have embraced freelance style of working as its main source of revenues. Though, it does mean it is something easy or that it is just a piece of cake.
Success at the freelance world is similar to success in the conventional activities of life. It takes dedication, commitment, honesty and ethics, plus a lot of work and patience. Until the freelancer gets a reputation - a good one of course - it is hard to grasp the big fish of the game. That is, most of the times, he/she might be working for less than half of the value in the conventional market.
The real advantage is that there is an urge to get freelancers to cover a lot of topics, that start with filling online forms to developing online portals and mobile applications.
Freelance Online Work is an interesting weblog for the newcomer. It is focused on freelance writing, online writing opportunities and freelance lifestyle, basically. The author is a freelancer, a modest entrepreneur that spots the facts of how he is getting along on the path to freelance work success.
Worth to take a chance and grasp some practical knowledge based on the experiences of the author.
Topics: Productivity | No Comments »
