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Thursday, December 7, 2006

What Is A Credit Rating?

A credit rating is a formal appraisal of an individual, corporation, autonomous governments, conglomerates, administrative and financial organizations, or even a country, evaluated on the basis of past financial transactions and present assets and liabilities. From a credit rating a credit granter or a financier can evaluate the ability of a borrower to repay a loan.
In the United States., for a personal credit rating, a credit agency studies the financial statistics of an individual and allots an individual a 3-digit number called the FICO credit score. Such agencies are called credit bureaus -- companies that assemble and keep a record of the credit history of an individual. In U.K., these bureaus are referred to as the credit reference agencies. Generally they charge a fee for allocating a credit score. If the information they furnish in the credit report is found to be false and detrimental for an individual, they can be litigated for slander.
The principal credit bureaus in the United States are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, while Experian, Equifax, and Callcredit are the principal credit reference agencies in the United Kingdom. According to Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, the major credit bureaus for individuals are Equifax, TransUnion and Northern Credit Bureaus in Canada. The leading global credit rating agencies are Moody's, Standard and Poor's and Fitch Ratings.
Managing a good credit score is important, especially when you are planning to take a loan or to buy a big automobile, or real estate, or renting an apartment, or even making arrangements for a vacation. Investors consider a low credit rating as the sign of a high risk of non-payment of a debt. Thus they tend to charge exorbitant interest rates.Moreover credit ratings are nowadays used to adjust insurance premiums, to ascertain the amount of a utility or leasing deposit, and even to corroborate an individual’s eligibility for employment.

Monday, December 4, 2006

How to Prepare Taxes Online


Each year, more people are filing their tax returns online. The number of taxes filed online has increased dramatically in the last five years. According to the IRS this trend will continue in coming years.

Learning how to prepare taxes online is a simple process. You can find many good websites on the internet that have quality tax preparation and filing programs. Most of these programs have an easy to follow system that will guide you through the tax return process.

Once you have found a website for preparing and filing your taxes, you will be asked to create a user account. This will allow you to log into your account at any time and work on your tax return. You can take as much time as you want before submitting your completed tax forms to the IRS.

Now that you have found a tax preparation website and created your user account it's time to prepare your taxes. All you have to do is answer the simple questions asked by the tax program. Typically your personal information will be needed first, then you will be asked a series of questions about your earnings and deductions that you may qualify for.

If you have never done this before then it might be a little intimidating at first. With most online tax preparation programs you can stop and take a break at any time and not lose any of the information you have already entered. You can also go back to any section that you might not be sure of and make changes later.

Every year online tax programs are being made more and more user friendly so that anyone can learn to prepare their taxes online accurately, quickly, and easily. So, go ahead and give online tax preparation and filing a try. You'll be glad you did!

It's easy to Prepare Your Taxes Online. Learn how get all the tax deductions and credits you deserve! You can use the Free Tax Estimator provided by Turbo Tax Online to prepare and file your taxes this year.

Tax Software For Home Based Internet Business

There are many advantages to having a home based internet business. One of the main advantages are the tax saving benefits. When you operate a home based business you may qualify for many tax deductions and credits.

A good tax software system for a home based business will assist you in finding all of the tax benefits that are available to you. One of the most obvious deductions will be the home office deduction. If you operate a business from your home you are able to deduct a portion of your rent or house payment on your taxes.

The next most important tax benefit will be your right to deduct expenses incurred in the pursuit of your home based business. Telephone, computer, internet, ink cartridges, paper and so on.

When you use a tax software programmed designed for a home base business or for a (home-base internet business) you will find that all of the forms you are most likely to need will already be supplied for you. There will also be detailed instructions and guidance to help you get it just right.

So, what is involved in preparing your home business taxes.

First, you will be required to fill out a schedule c, profit and loss form. Don't worry, your tax software will provide this for you and should explain in detail how to fill it out. This form will ask for your income from your home based business and will have categories for your expenses. After you have filled out the schedule c form, the software will compute your profit or loss from your home based business. The profit or loss from your business will then be attached to your normal 1040 federal income tax form.

If you have a home based internet business, then it might be time for you look into tax software designed especially for home-based businesses. You could save more than you think!

You can use the Free Tax Estimator provided by Turbo Tax Online to estimate your home based business taxes. You can also find lots of Free help & information to Prepare & File Your Taxes Online and get all the tax deductions and credits you deserve.
By FrankW Ellis