by Edwin Ivanauskas | Tags: Banking

A notary public is a person that witnesses the signature of certain documents, makes sure the signers are who they say they are, and they administer oaths if needed. Though the qualifications for how to become a notary differ from state to state, the basics are about the same.

When learning how to become a notary in the United States you will find that it is relatively easy. Most people wanting to become a notary will only have to take a short class, pass a test, and undergo a complete background check. It is important to understand that the duties and responsibilities of a notary public are just to serve as an impartial witness; they are not allowed to give any legal advice, prepare any legal documents, or practice law.

The first step to becoming a notary public is filling out an application; this application will ask for your name, address, phone number, age, residency and any previous notary jobs you may have held in the past. The questions asked on these applications will vary from state to state but to find the exact information on how to become a notary for your state, you can go online.

After the application is filled out you will have to pay a fee to the commissioning authority and then you will take an oath of office. Those are the basic steps when you want to learn how to become a notary but you also may be asked to pass a class to help you better understand your duties as a notary public.

You may also have to obtain a notary bond in order to become a notary public in your state. Again, to find out the exact requirements for your state you can go online and visit www.nationalnotary.org to find out everything you need to know about becoming a notary in your state.

Many states do offer notary public classes that can help aspiring notaries get their commission. For classes in your area you can go online and find them. These classes can be very helpful for future notaries and can become an invaluable resource too. It is recommended that you take these classes and take the exams offered before you take your notary position.

Some states require you to take a class, pass the exam, undergo a security check where your fingerprints will be obtained and scanned, and obtain a notary bond which usually costs around thirty five dollars. This process can take a very long time because you will have to wait for your test scores to come in the mail and for your background check to come back. You may even be required to purchase some notary supplies such as seals, stamps, and desk signs.

It is important to remember that all a notary can do is be a witness; they cannot practice law in any way, give legal advice, or make legal documents. Being a notary public is an important job and learning how to become a notary is very easy.

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by Edwin Ivanauskas | Tags: Personal Finance, Banking

Ten years ago checks were used everywhere; to pay bills, when shopping, and to get gas but now that credit and debit cards are available, checks are becoming more and more scarce.

How to fill out a check

Filling out a check is very basic, there is a line for everything needed. You will need to write out the check to whomever it is for, for example if you are at a grocery store called "Stop and Shop" then on the line titled "pay to the order of" you will write Stop and Shop. Once that is done you will write in the amount of your purchase in the box with the dollar sign ($) next to it. Next you will need to write out the amount of your purchase in words not numbers on the line under pay to the order of. For example if your purchase is $85.62 you will write out eighty five dollars and 62/100 to signify the amount in change. You will then sign your name at the bottom and don't forget to write the date in the upper right hand corner on the line titled "date".

That's it, you're done! On the bottom left hand corner of the check there is a line titled "for" this is optional. For people that like to keep track of what they spend their money on this can be a useful tool. You simply write down what you used the check for. For example you could write groceries, dinner, gas, clothes, etc.

Cashier's checks

A cashier's check is a check that the bank issues on its own account after you give them the money for the same amount as you want the check to be. These types of checks are used to transfer large amounts of money between private parties that do not want to carry cash around and do not want to risk having the check returned for non-sufficient funds.

Certified checks

These types of checks are certified by the bank and therefore guaranteed not to bounce. You can get a certified check at the bank which they will withdraw from your account at the time that the check is issued. The bank will charge you a fee of about five dollars for this type of check.

Money Orders

A money order looks almost the same as a regular check, but you buy these at the post office, bank, grocery store, or money order companies. You do not need a bank account in order to buy a money order. You will pay for the money order when you get it and the receiver doesn't have to worry about the check bouncing, and it never expires. You will have to pay the institution at which you bought the money order from a small fee that can be anywhere from twenty five cents to a dollar.

These days checks are not accepted everywhere for fear of it coming back as a non-sufficient funds check. It takes longer to write a check than it does to just swipe your debit or credit card but you can still use a check if you want to. In fact many people still use checks to pay bills with but we may see an end to that as well since online payments have become available.

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by Edwin Ivanauskas | Tags: Banking, Loans

Once a month you get the mail and dread what you see. You have accumulated an overwhelming amount of credit card debt and you see no way out of it. You could file bankruptcy but that will ruin your credit for a long time. You can't keep this up for long. Perhaps you are running from one card to the other without thinking, only shopping for the lower interest rate to put your balance on. How long can you do this? The debt is mounting and you can't keep this up. There is an alternative. You can do credit card consolidation.

What is Credit Card Consolidation?

Credit card debt consolidation is combining all of your cards and their debt into one monthly payment at a lower interest rate.

How Can This Help Me?

Credit card consolidation can help you get the creditors too stop calling you. A credit counselor will help you stop the harassment that you face daily with phone calls to your home and job. Consolidating your debt will insure that your payments will be made to your creditors and they will no longer call you. They will deal directly with the credit counseling company that you choose.

How Do I Choose a Credit Counselor?

When choosing a credit counselor you need to check to make sure that they are a reputable company and also check on what their stipulations are. Most credit counselors charge a start up fee and a monthly fee that they get paid. You need to be clear on what that fee is. Some credit counselors charge up to fifteen percent of the debt you are consolidating. There are government credit debt consolidating agencies out there that are non for profit. You can also contact them.

Credit counselors will not only consolidate your debt into one monthly low payment, they will also be able to deal directly with the creditors that you owe and either freeze your interest rate or lower it all together. This will help you to lower the debt without the mounting late fee's and penalties that accrue with it. The easiest way for you to know if you need to consolidate your credit card debt is to see if your income is less than you owe for your bills. If you are only making minimum payments and struggling with that, then you more than likely need to use credit card consolidation. Most people have an average of five credit cards at any given time and at least a minimum of $10,000.00.

There is hope and you do not have to immediately file for bankruptcy with credit card consolidation. The counselors are there to help you end your nightmare of debt and help you get back on the right track of saving your credit.

When you contact a credit counselor make sure that you have all of your credit card debt available with the balances, interest rate you are currently being charged, late fee's accrued and the contact information for each card. When applying for credit card consolidation be prepared to give them everything that they need to take the burden off of you.

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by Edwin Ivanauskas | Tags: Banking

Your business is new and doing well. You have the state of the art equipment in your store. A new computer, latest software and alarm systems that will prevent theft. A customer walks up to the counter to make her first purchase. She has no cash and wants to pay by credit card. You don’t have a credit card machine and she has not brought any cash with her. You have just lost a sale for no reason at all. Credit cards are a major part of how we pay for things in our lives. They are quick to use and let’s face it most people would rather use their debit credit cards than cash. If it gets stolen then they can report it and that money is still theirs. If someone steals or robs you of your cash then you are out of luck. With a credit or debit card consumers have instant access to their bank account and to their money which if you are able to process credit cards in your business, then you will be the one making the money and the consumer will be able to spend more.

Picking a credit card processing service may seem like a giant task for you to deal with but it’s not if you know what to look for. A credit card processing service gives you many options including being able to take credit card payments on site of your business and online. Having the ability to take a credit card payment or debit card payment can triple your business.

Things to look for when choosing a credit card processing service is that if you will have to purchase the equipment to take payments, or if you will only be able to lease it through the credit card processing service. Does the credit card processing center charge a set up fee or not? Most companies will offer some type of incentives for new customers.

Verify that if you want to upgrade your service to not only take payments in your store but also on the internet or over the phone that you will be able to. Check to find out what types of fee's the credit card processing service will charge you on a monthly basis. Are you going to be billed based on the total amount of money collected or a percentage of the activity based either in the positive or negative amount collected. In other words will you be penalized and charged extra for any disputes? These are called merchant account fees and they are based on visa and master card usually based on the sales.

You will be billed usually anywhere from twenty cents and up for each transaction. At the end of each night you will have to print out a settlement report based on all transactions from the day. You should always be able to receive twenty four hour help if needed.

When picking your credit card processing service center verify that the interest rates will stay through the length of your contract and that you are not being overcharged for each transaction. Last, enjoy watching your business grow from using a credit card processing service.

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by Edwin Ivanauskas | Tags: Banking, Loans

Credit cards are everywhere we go. Our banks offer them and even our favorite clothing store has their own credit card for us if we choose to apply. Why wouldn't we? I mean, won't we get an extra twenty five percent off for just applying? It is almost too good to be true. They want to give me a discount just for applying for their card. You are crazy if you don't, or are you? Almost every department store offers a company credit card. You are given these great discounts and you get this nifty card that all your friends will think looks great. Having a credit card is a huge responsibility for you to have and it also reflects on your credit score if you are ever delinquent or late for any length of time. There is nothing wrong with having a credit card, in fact in today's world we almost need to have one when we go anywhere. Credit cards have become an important part of our currency.

What is a credit card?- A credit card is basically cash or a line of credit put into a plastic card. You are able to pay for services with this card and are able to pay back at a later date. Goods are also bought with your credit card such as food, gas, or clothing.

How do I pay my credit card balance?- A credit card balance is usually due based on a percentage of how much you have spent versus the interest on the card once a month. If you only pay the minimum amount due then you are only paying the balance back down to what you originally placed on it. You must pay more to account for the original balance due.

Interest Rate- When choosing the credit card that you want, you need to find the best interest rate that you can. Although you may get offered a card with zero percent interest in the beginning, it may balloon up to sixteen percent after only a few months, whereas you may find a card with an interest rate that starts out at 10.9% and stays there. This may be the better card for you so that you do not find yourself always on the hunt for that next card to carry your remaining balance to.

Cash back- Some cards have features that offer cash back on your card for every purchase or a set amount each month. You may have to buy from major stores or it may only be if you buy gas with it. Depending on how often you use this card will decide whether it would be worth it for you.

Annual fee- There are cards that charge an annual fee based on the amount still on your card at the time that it comes time to pay it. There are many more cards out there that do not charge an annual fee. Keep looking and also understand that this may also be based on your credit score as to the type of card you can receive as well as the interest rate.

Frequent Flier Miles- There are a lot of cards that offer frequent flier miles with the business credit cards as well as the normal credit cards. This is wonderful if you travel a great deal.

Credit cards are great to have as long as you are responsible and do your homework in finding the best one for you. Don't keep adding cards because one has something that the other credit card doesn't. Keep looking until you find the one that is right for you.

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