Lytis Financial

Whether it is you who is approaching those golden years we call retirement or one of your loved ones is in those years, there is no question that making that transition from the working world and decades of responsibility and hard work is not always easy.  The sudden change of lifestyle and that feeling of “no longer being useful” is one of the most difficult aspects of retirement and growing older.  When you combine that with reduced activity and the natural decline in physical ability that aging brings, you have a powerful emotional transition to go through.

That is why people who actively counsel the elderly have learned that the most positive thing a person can do to combat that depression and sense of “uselessness” that plaques retirees is to make themselves useful.  And there is no better place for them to do that than in community service.

There are a variety of great reasons that volunteerism among the elderly is such a great idea.  And if you are in a position to counsel an aging family member or friend, it is important to remember that doing community service is not all about being charitable and helping out the down and out.  It is just as much about the health and well-being of the retiree as it is for the good of the community and the people in it.

By getting out into the community and finding rewarding ways to perform community service, that sense of “being needed” and being a part of something is given back to the retiree.  Community service and the retirement set are a perfect match for each other.  People who are staffing community service projects are always in need of an army of qualified and mature help, especially from those who have sufficient time to really do a good job with a community service project.

This is just right for retiree who if anything suffers with too much time on their hands.  Too often, that time can be turned to self-pity or indulging in less than healthy lifestyle choice.  Community service is, after all, “work”.  And as a people who are enjoying their rewards from a lifetime of work, this is just the thing to transition to a life of retirement. 

Community service can also call upon the elderly to participate in some level of physical activity.  Now your local community service coordinator can make sure that their elderly volunteers are given assignments appropriate to their physical abilities.  But just getting out there and greeting others, reading to the blind, helping with a food or blood drive or jumping in where they can on a big community project gets the blood moving and maybe just the right kind of exercise they need to stay active and healthy.

Community service also provides opportunities to socialize with people of all ages and social backgrounds.  One of the greatest dangers of a retirement lifestyle is the loneliness and isolation stepping out of the working world causes.  Even if the elderly person lives in a retirement community, the chance to socialize with younger people and people of many backgrounds and orientations is tremendously healthy for the mental stability of one in that stage of life.

The benefits to the retiree of getting involved in community service are many.  But giving that retired person that sense of personal value and worth that they have come to expect from each day’s work is valuable beyond measurement.  Many community service projects are short term so the volunteers get that immediate gratification that gives anyone a boost, but even more so a retiree who feels left out and not useful.  Community service may be just the medicine to cure those ills.

Are you interested in using a motor home to travel across the country or for a camping adventure?  If you are, you may be interested in buying your own motor home. While it is more than possible for you to buy your own motor home, do you know that buying a motor home isn’t your only option?  In addition to buying your own motor home for a cross country trip or a camping adventure, you can also rent a motor home.

If this is your first time attempting to go motor home camping or on a trip across the country, you may be unsure as to whether you should buy your own motor home or rent one.  One of the easiest ways for you to make your decision is to examine the pros and cons of both buying your own motor home or renting one. A few of the most influential pros and cons are outlined below.

If given a choice, many of those individuals who want or need to use a motor home would like to buy their own.  For many individuals, there is just something about buying a new motor home and being the first owner of it. When you want to buy a new motor home, you will find that it is a little bit easier to shop for exactly what you are looking for. Of course, it is possible to come across some great used motor homes, but for the largest selection of motor homes to choose from, you may want to think about buying new.

Although it is nice owning your own motor home, there are a number of cons or downsides to doing so as well. One of those downsides is the cost. Motor homes can be expensive to buy. While many used motor homes are much more affordable than new ones, the cost can still be quite high. If you are able to afford the cost of buying your own motor home, you may want to think about doing so.  However, if you are unsure as to whether or not you can afford a new or even a used motor home, you may want to examine motor home rentals.

One of the many reasons why motor home rentals are so popular is because they are affordable.  Instead of buying your own motor home, you are just renting one from someone else for the time being. This is great if you are taking your first cross country trip or if you are going on your first motor home camping adventure.  Buying a motor home can be expensive, especially if you unsure as to whether or not a motor home is really want you want.  That is why a large number of individuals make the decision to rent a motor home first.  Many who were satisfied with their experiences later buy their own motor homes and you can do the same as well.

Another one of the many plus sides to renting a motor home instead of buying one is the fact that the motor home isn’t yours.  While this may seem like it is a disadvantage, it actually be considered an advantage. When you rent you a motor home, you are just renting it for the time being. This means that you are not responsible for any mechanical repairs or any updates that may need to be made. This, alone, can save you a considerable amount of money.

As for the con or downside to renting a motor home instead of owning one, the main downside is the freedom that you have. When buying a motor home, you have more motor homes to choose from. In the United States, you should be able to find a number of motor home rental stations, but they tend to be limited only to certain areas and the selection of available motor homes is often small. This means that if you were looking for something in particular, you may not be able to find what you were looking for in a rental.

The above mentioned pros and cons are just a few of the many that you may want to take into consideration, when trying to determine if you should buy your own motor home or rent one. While the decision is yours to make, you should take the time to make sure that the decision you do make is the best one for you and your needs.

Jake -

Continued… Before you freak out, keep in mind that deferred interest is mortgage interest and is therefore tax deductible. Let’s say your home is going up in value $2,000 a month. The 1% mortgage loan will allow you to take a small piece of that appreciation, say $500 a month, and turn it into a tax deduction. So you are taking a small piece of your equity each month and turning it into a tax deduction. If you did not do this, all of your appreciation would be locked up in equity. Equity is terrific and is certainly one of the many benefits to home ownership. But investing in equity will get you a zero percent return. No one is going to cut you a check each month for the equity in your home. As a matter of fact, if you wanted to get the equity out of your home you would have to sell your home or get a loan. And you better qualify or you will not be able to get a loan.

So why not take a small piece of your equity each month, turn it into a tax deduction, and at the same time save $1,000 a month for your self? You will still have plenty of equity but with a 1% mortgage loan you will have cash AND equity. If you do this for any length of time you will come out way further ahead financially than if you did a regular 30 year fixed or an interest only mortgage loan. By the way, if the deferred interest is a concern, try making bi-weekly payments. Making a bi-weekly payment will reduce, and in some cases eliminate the deferred interest all together. Which means your mortgage balance would not increase. How to set the loan up correctly: 1) The 1% payment option on these loans is only available for the first five years. But you could actually keep one of these loans for 30 or 40 years. If you select a 40 year loan your monthly payment will be lower but the payment options will not last for five years. The name of the game is to keep the 1% payment for as long as possible. So get a 30 year amortization. 2) The 30 year, 15 year and interest only payments are tied to an index. Select a slower moving index like the MTA (Monthly Treasury Average) instead of a faster moving index like the Libor (London Inter-Bank Offered Rate). So how can you lose with a 1% mortgage loan? Answer- depreciation. If homes in your area are rapidly going down in value, deferred interest could cause you to become upside down in the home. But if your area is experiencing a 3% to 5% rate of appreciation and you save what you save by making the minimum payment, a 1% mortgage loan can have an incredibly positive impact on your financial future.

For more information about 1% mortgage loans and other mortgage related topics, please visit: http://Mortgage-Training.Mortgage-Leads-Generator.com As always, hope it helps, Jake -

Happy New Year!!

Let’s talk mortgages…..

BTW, if you’ve been with me for awhile – like many of you have – you’ll notice we’re going to be “spiffing up” our post beginning this new year of 2010 and Now we’re going to be adding Both pics And video, where appropriate -   ( I know, I know, Finally)        : )

Enjoy!

While there are several different types of 1% mortgage loans, there are really only two major keys to winning with a 1% mortgage loan.

The first key is to make sure the loan is set up correctly from the beginning.

And the second is to make sure you are using the loan correctly to gain the most benefit.

First, let’s talk about how the loan works. Then we’ll get into how to set the loan up correctly so you can reap the financial rewards these mortgage loans have to offer and deal with our current market conditions.

To start with, 1% mortgage loans have payment options. Each month when you get your mortgage statement you will have the option to make a 30 year fixed payment, a 15 year fixed payment, an interest only payment and a minimum payment at 1%.

Although you are given several payment options, you should only select the 1% minimum payment.

Why?

Because if you wanted to make a 30 year fixed, 15 year fixed, or interest only payment, you would be better off getting that type of loan. Typically, these payments are higher with a payment option mortgage loan.

If you select the 1% minimum payment your first benefit will be a significant monthly payment reduction. Your mortgage payment will likely be cut in half. Of course, this is a pretty attractive first benefit for most home owners.

To compound the effectiveness of selecting the 1% minimum payment you should save what you save. For instance, let’s say you refinanced your home with a 1% mortgage loan, paid off all your credit cards, and reduced your monthly payment by $1,000 a month.

Now, if you save that $1,000 a month for yourself instead of giving it to your creditors, you will have $60,000 in cash at the end of five years – And that’s with a zero percent return.

Here’s the second benefit to selecting the 1% minimum payment option:

Tax savings.

If you make an interest only payment your mortgage balance will stay the same. If you make a 1% minimum payment you are actually paying less than interest only. Therefore, you are creating deferred interest which makes your mortgage balance increase each month.

End pt 1    Stay tuned for part 2….

If you are not already marketing your business online, it is time to start. Although there are a few exceptions, just about every business can benefit from online marketing. There are just so many advantages to this type of marketing. First of all, it is extremely affordable to market your business online. Other advantages to marketing your business online include the ability to reach a large target audience, the ability to reach potential customers all over the world and the ability to customize the marketing for different sectors of the target audience.

The affordability of Internet marketing is one of many reasons why many business owners are turning to the Internet for advertising. Advertising online is incredibly affordable especially when you consider how many potential customers a business owner can reach with an online marketing campaign. Most methods of online advertising are quite affordable and some of them do not have any direct costs. For example, you may choose to market your business online by participating in industry forums and posting links to your website whenever it is appropriate to do so. In this case the cost of creating and maintaining the website is insignificant in comparison to the number of potential clients you could reach through online marketing. Additionally, the costs associated with posting links to your website are incidental. You could consider the cost of having access to the Internet as part of the cost but you most likely require Internet access for other reasons as well so it is completely worthwhile.

Reaching a large target audience is another very worthwhile reason for marketing your business online. You may have spent a great deal of time and energy doing market research and determine who your target audience is. You may have also spent a great deal of time trying to figure out the best way to reach this audience. This is a very sound marketing principle but as it applies to marketing on local television, radio and print media it only allows you to reach a limited audience. However, when you take your marketing to the Internet you automatically drastically increase your potential target audience because you now have the ability to reach members of your target audience around the world.

This ability to reach customers around the world is another major advantage to marketing your business online. Regardless of where you live and operate your business, you have the ability to reach those who have an interest in the products you sell or the services you provide no matter where they live. This makes it possible for you to do business with customers around the world.

Likewise the fact that the Internet is available 24 hours a day is also very beneficial to those who choose to market their products or services online. Shopping for products and services in person can be very difficult especially for individuals who work long hours or those who work unusual hours. These working conditions make it difficult for these individuals to do business and make purchases of products and services they need during regular business hours. However, business owners who have an online presence are much more convenient because unlike stores and calling centers, the website never closes. This convenience gives potential customers the ability to view products and services, compare these products and service to the ones offered by competitors and make a purchase at any hour of any day.

If you are a business owner who is reading this article and you do not already have a strong online presence, you need to immediately start learning more about the world of Internet marketing. This is so important because if your competitors are marketing online, you may find they are gaining a steady advantage and are becoming more appealing to potential customers. Before too many of your potential customers become loyal customers of the competition it is time to start figuring out how you can market your business online and keep up with the competition.

Jake -