Looking For A Free Lease Agreement?

By J K. Kiene

Well, you're not alone -- not by a long shot. Every day, thousands of value-minded and pressed-for-time landlords and property managers scour the back roads and alleyways of the information superhighway, looking for a free basic rental agreement that they can quickly print out, fill in, and hand over to their new tenants along with the keys to the rental unit.

If you search long enough, you'll probably be able to find a free or cheap generic lease online. But before you fill it out, take a minute to really mull over the possible consequences. Remember the old adage that says, "You get what you pay for"? Well, if you settle for a generic free lease agreement, you might just get more than you bargained for -- much, much more. A lease is a legal contract that sets forth the terms of the agreement between you and your tenant. Basically, you're relying on this document to establish the guidelines that will define your entire relationship with your tenant.

The free lease agreements that are a dime a dozen online don't cover much more than the contact information for the landlord and tenants. If you're lucky, you might find one that has a space for the rent amount and due date. In short, these "free" leases typically leave a lot to be desired.

Over the last several decades, the courts have become increasingly friendly to the cause of tenants' rights. Many of the landlords who are hauled in front of a judge by a disgruntled tenant -- or who file a claim to collect back rent from a deadbeat renter -- are winding up out of luck. When in doubt, more and more courts are automatically siding with the tenant.

When you rely on a lease that is vague, brief, or incomplete, you are putting your property, your investment, and your entire business at risk. In legal terms, a contract that's skimpy or insufficient isn't worth the paper that it's written on.

The kind of generic free lease agreements that you can find online are typically chock-full of grey areas, omissions, contradictions, and even outright errors. In other words, they're not exactly the kind of thing that's going to sway the judge in your favor if you wind up in court. If it's not specifically spelled out in the lease, chances are good that the judge will end up siding with your tenant.

Let's face it -- to stay profitable, landlords and property managers have to constantly be on the lookout for ways to save money. That means holding out for sales at home improvement stores, opting for the mid-grade paint and fixtures, and keeping an eye out for reputable contractors that won't charge an arm and a leg.

What it shouldn't mean, however, is skimping on your lease agreement. There are a lot of smart ways for you to save money, but this isn't one of them. Think of it as an investment -- the money you spend now on a comprehensive, legally binding lease agreement could save you thousands of dollars down the road.

Finally, Property Management Software that allows you to communicate effectively with your tenants by using the best Lease, documents and informative information. www.ezLandlordForms.com offers professional landlord forms that you can create online and print right from your home or office.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J_K._Kiene

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Women are at a Disadvantage When it Comes to Financial Planning

Women Face Unique Financial Challenges. If you were to guess which issue women worry about most, would you guess family, health, time, stress, or maybe equal rights? According to a March 2000 gallop poll, the answer is their finances. This response may surprise you now, but consider the following list of financial issues unique to women.

Consider these results from a women-and-money incubator, and research by Bruce W. Most and William L. Anthes:
- "Women are more intimidated than men about financial issues
- Women earn less money than men
- Women are less prepared for retirement
- Women receive smaller retirement benefits
- Women live longer than men
- Women are poorer in retirement than men
- Women are more conservative investors than men"

We would also add
- Special difficulties for single mothers
- Women caring for elderly parents
- High-deductible health insurance plans cost women more
- Women may defer to men regarding financial decisions
- More women manage daily family finances
- Retirement issues because of divorce agreements
- Male-dominated financial services industry

Earnings Differences
It is a well-documented fact that women earn less than men do. A study by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation as reported by Ellen Simon {AP}:"Women make only 80 percent of the salaries their male peers do one year after college...10 years after college, women earn only 69 percent of what men earn...Even after controlling for hours, occupation, parenthood, and other factors known to affect earnings," the study found that one-quarter of the pay gap remains unexplained.

Most and Anthes report that "According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women working full-time, year-round, earn roughly 74 percent of what men earn... (and) workers in the age category of 45�54-the prime earning years for most people-women earned $516 a week while men earned $732." It gets even worse for single mothers with young children whose "median income in 1998...was $14,248. This figure is the lowest among all family types, representing roughly one-fourth the median income of married-couples with children...and approximately three-fifths that of females with no children."

Retirement Differences
Women are often less prepared for retirement than men. Most and Anthes also noted that a study that found 58 percent of baby boomer women had saved less than $10,000 in a pension or 401(k) plan, while baby boomer men had saved three times that. In addition, the fact that women live longer than men means that they need more money in their retirement than men do.

Investment Differences
Also, a 1997 study by Dryfus and the National Center for Women and Retirement Research showed that women investors were more worried than men about running out of money in old age, preferred more conservative investments, wanted fixed/steady returns, were more unnerved by stock fluctuations and worried more about investment decisions.

Social Security Retirement Differences
Of course, less money earned by women, means less money saved for retirement or contributed to Social Security benefits, and because women live 79 years on average while men live 72, women retirees are poorer in retirement than men. Most and Anthes note that according to the Administration on Aging "...half the elderly widows now living in poverty were not living in poverty before their husbands died. The picture is even worse for older women in many minority groups".

Decision Making
The next generation of retirees may have been raised in an environment in which men handled the money decisions. More women actually pay the weekly bills, but they may have little knowledge of the larger family finances such as retirement plans, Social Security, IRAs, insurance, annuities, etc. because they may have deferred to their spouse's decisions.

It is essential for women to understand the �big picture' of their finances, especially for retirement, divorce, or death of their spouse. Because women make less than men, are less prepared for retirement, and receive smaller retirement benefits, they need to make sure that their husband's retirement benefits will pass to them if their husband dies first. Because women may be more intimidated about asking questions of their attorney or financial advisor, they may miss crucial details (such as single-life annuity which may bring higher levels during the husband's life but that ends when the husband dies first), or incorrect beneficiaries on life insurance policies.

Divorce
During a divorce, women may be more concerned about custody issues and keeping the house than their future retirement and may agree to forgo the 401(k). Single parenting brings a whole host of financial challenges, including lost wages from parenting responsibilities and childcare and babysitters. If the extra expenses and possibly lower income are not included in the divorce settlement, the single mother may find that she is unable to keep the house and she loses the two most valuable assets: the house and the 401(k).

Health Insurance
Women not only make less money than men, their health plan may cost more reports Mike Stobbe {AP}. When an employer changes to a high-deductible plan, it costs on average $1000/year more for women than for men due to mammograms, the cervical-cancer vaccine, Pap tests and pregnancy related services. This is unfair, but while the inequity exists, women must make an extra effort to contribute the difference to a Health Savings Account or savings program to avoid using credit to pay for the added medical bills. We have personally experienced the $4,000 deductible per year health insurance plan and, although it is better than no insurance, it can certainly make a dent in the family budget.

Care Giving
Another huge drain on women's finances is caring for their aging parents. More women care for aging parents than men. However distasteful it may be to condense a daughter's love for her parents into a discussion of money, this issue must be addressed so that women can prepare. Because of the aging baby-boomer population, these numbers will soon become staggering. If you add caring for young children into the mix at the same time, the financial results can be devastating.

What Should Women Do?
Because of the special issues facing women, it is crucial that women educate themselves about finances and the realities of financial gender inequity and plan for their future. The male-dominated financial services industry is just beginning to realize the unique financial planning issues for women. Make sure that your trusted advisors understand these issues and are helping you plan accordingly. Don't be afraid to ask your advisors questions.

Summary Now is the time to begin planning for the future:
- Have a plan
- Increase your knowledge and understanding of financial matters
- Utilize trusted professional advisors to implement your plans
- Regularly monitor your progress.


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Kent E. Irwin, ChFC, CLU, CAP, co-founder of eFinplan.com. eFinPLAN is the first and only web-based comprehensive consumer financial planning software designed for people who are trying to do a lot of their own financial planning. Find out more about how do-your-self financial planning at eFinPLAN.com

Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_227390_19.html

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Rewards Credit Cards: 5 Things You Must Know

Two good sites to search for credit cards are "CreditCards" and "ConsumerCardReport". ConsumerCardReport specializes in providing insightful guidance to consumers. CreditCards lists the most offers, but none of the extra cards seemed worth recommending.

There are a few fairly simple precautions that consumers should take when using rewards cards:

1. Pay it off each month. The interest rate on rewards cards is usually higher than on other credit cards, so make sure you pay the balance in full every month.

2. Avoid late fees. These can be as high as $39, so make it a habit to pay the credit card bill soon after receiving it -- don't procrastinate.

3. Don't overuse it. Some people are tempted to buy more stuff with their rewards card in order to increase their rebate, which can pile up unnecessary expenses. If you don't think you can control your spending, don't get the card! Some rewards cards will pay you a higher percentage as you spend more money, for example a card may pay 0.5% for the first $5,000 you spend and 1.5% afterwards. This encourages excessive credit card spending, which is why we don't recommend such cards to most people.

4. Make few applications. If you apply for one credit card your credit score will be fine, but as you apply for more cards lenders become more concerned that you may be having money problems. So the more cards you have applied for in the previous six months, the more your credit score will be decreased. After six months, your credit score returns to normal. Our recommendation for most consumers is to make no more than two card applications; but if you plan to get a mortgage or major loan in the next six months, make only one application.

Be aware that the number of credit cards you actually possess won't harm your credit score. More cards may even improve your credit score by increasing your credit-to-debt ratio. In particular, it's wise to maintain your card balances at less than half of your spending limits for those cards.

5. Check the terms. The most reliable description of a card's terms is listed alongside the card application. Although terms can sometimes change, major changes are usually rare.

While the best ways to save money will always involve old fashioned cost-cutting, obtaining a rewards credit card is still a good way to give yourself a virtual raise.

Source: Free Articles

About Author

David R. Snell is the founder of the Consumer Freedom Alliance (CFA) and webmaster of its flagship site, SmartConsumerTips.com. He offers excellent advices and great tips regarding all aspects of Rewards Credit Cards. While you are there, DO NOT forget to grab your own copy of "The World's 8 Best Consumer Tips" and save hundred hours of research.

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Buying a Home Post Retiremen

Author: Ajeet Khurana

Retirement can bring about major changes in people's lives. One may associate retirement with freedom from work life and deadlines, annoying bosses and aggravating colleagues, cups of coffee and impossible workloads. However, retirement also means that you have to learn to adjust. You are finally faced with the problems of old age. The feeling of dependence on others begins to arise at this time. You are no longer the breadwinner of the house. Questions of whether you will still be valued by those around you will arise. Are you blessed with a caring family? Or will you end up being taken for granted? Many an insecurity will arise the moment that you take leave of your work life and become a retired person. However, this does not mean that you spend the rest of your days worrying about tomorrow.

One way in which a retired person can make himself feel at home is by buying a home. Yes, you got that right. It may be a little hard to believe that a person who is currently unemployed would be willing to use up his savings on a house. However, this could be a great idea. A house provides a sense of security. If you own a home, at least you know that no matter what, you will always have a place to call your own. Come rain, hail, storm, or family problems, that building of bricks and cement shall protect you from a great deal. The question is, how does a retired person find a suitable mortgage to buy a house?

To start with, you must consider you budget. What kind of savings are stored in your bank? Have you invested in any funds that are about to mature sometime soon? Do you already have a large house which you would like to sell before you make a shift to another place? Would your pension fund be able to help you garner a mortgage? These are only some of the initial questions that you must ask yourself. Having done so, you will need to check out a few mortgage deals and then ask yourself if repayment will be possible.

The next step is to make an in-depth study of the various deals that appeal to you the most. Every mortgage that you consider is bound to have some advantages and some disadvantages as well. Be alert and objective as you decide which loan will best meet your requirements.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

About the Author:

If you need cheap mortgages, even adverse credit remortgages visit http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk/.

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