You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Uncategorized' category.
Making an investment in the stock exchange often reduces down to one necessary part, specifically good selections.
Regardless of how well we do our research, how frequently we sell and buy, or how much we pay mavens for their pointers and advice, without selecting stocks that represent price, we wont succeed. Though some are good at envisioning the direction of the market and timing the highs and lows, if they do not purchase the right stocks, they may still meet with problems when trying to harvest profits. For this reason, some of the finest paid folk on Wall Street known basically for their talent at picking stocks. Fiscal aides give talks and write books and newsletters about the way to select stocks which will outperform the market, and most professionals echo the same sentiment and agree that one of the finest paths to judge a stock is from the viewpoint of a purchaser.
By trying instincts we have already refined as normal shoppers, we will be able to regularly ferret out info that even the most skilled and software-savvy market watchers miss. While they study analytical charts, earnings reports, and the market ticker tape, people exactly like you basically conduct business with the firms they invest in, because their experience as a shopper speaks volumes about the value of the company and its products and services. Here are the sorts of things to search for as indicators of a companys worth : one ) How popular is their product or service? If everybody you know uses it, and is happy with such stuff as price, client service, and trustworthiness, the company is perhaps well situated among the competition. Two ) Are the workers satisfied? One of the finest methods to judge a company is by speaking to workers. Many corporations put on a good faade, but under the fancy selling is lots of discontent. But if workers like a company particularly if they like it enough to buy stock in it thats a particularly good sign. Three ) How famous are they? You will find a great startup company with all of the accoutrements of success, but discover that it is less popular.
Many tiny or regional corporations are preferred in their own back yards, but the remainder of the world may not yet know about them. Purchasing such unknowns could be an excellent way to invest in the following hot stock.
If the basics look good, often being less popular is a great thing for financiers getting in on the ground floor.
Four : If they went into Chapter 11, where would you go for similar products and services? If you cant think about a convenient alternative, the company is perhaps in a focused stock market that enjoys buyer commitment and repeat business. Go searching, and notice what you see and how each business causes you to feel. Then trust your intuition. Make an inventory of firms that get you interested, and then call their investor relations dep. and ask for more details. By beginning your list with companies you already have a first-hand experience of, you raise the possibilities significantly that you are going to make smart selections.
Resolving issues with health care companies are potentially trying experiences. You’ve possibly been underpaid, or are having issues pertaining to the company not authorizing necessary services. This experience doesn’t have to be a headache. The tips below can possibly avoid additional stress.
1) Be prepared for problems. Keep all records in the same place
The first step is clear. Either your claim is accepted, or there is trouble ahead. In the United States there are several billion claims processed each year. Health insurance companies are no different than anyone else; they too make mistakes.
Keeping records of all contacts you have with insurers within easy access can help. Each contract, fee schedule, addendum to a contract and letter referring to a contract or other payment matters should be filed together, or at least have one folder for each of the individual insurers.
2) Ask for clarification
If you are in the middle of disputing actions taken by the insurance company, you need to understand why this action is being taken. There are trends towards policies and positions. In some cases there really is no clear explanation for any action. For example, you may want them to give you a fee schedule, but they won’t tell you why you can’t have one. In these types of situations, don’t hesitate to put a little pressure on the company to at least get some answers.
3) Relevant information
If the company cites an article in your contract, it’s time to review the section. If you don’t have your own copy of the contract, ask for one. It’s also important for you to consider any documentation you have which supports your personal position, and make each section or citation known to the person you are speaking to.
4) Start cordially, and then escalate
Start the conversation or email as calmly as possible. If your polite and courteous approach doesn’t produce results, you can gradually become more assertive. Keeping your tone at a cordial level is even more appropriate if you have any type of established relationship with the company representative.
5) Paper trails
Keep track of all conversations including time, date and who you spoke with. Write a short summary of each conversation, keeping this with your other files in case you need it later.
If your cordial measures don’t resolve the situation, it’s time to build on that paper trail. Start putting all communications in writing either via email or registered letter.
6) Short and sweet
Insurance company employees normally have large volumes of calls and paperwork each day. They aren’t likely to have time to wade through page upon page of information on a problem or issue you are having. Keep your communications short and to the point so they can find what they need easily.
7) Make yourself clear
Keep in mind that you aren’t just stating a complaint, you also need to be clear in what exactly it is you want the company to do for you. What’s the action you need from them? Do you need them to answer a question? Authorize required care or maybe pay a claim? Even though this is often overlooked, it’s a vital step in getting your issue resolved quickly.
8) Climb the chain of command
It’s possible your initial contact isn’t very helpful to you. Don’t hesitate to ask for the name and number of the next in command. Ask for the information politely, and say they may have a better knowledge of how to deal with this particular type of situation, or have different authorities than a lower level employee may not have.
9) Be persistent!
If at first you don’t succeed, keep trying. Just because you got a negative response the first time, doesn’t mean the case is closed. Being persistent shows the company you are not willing to let them sweep your case under the rug. Keeping on top of things means that you are also keeping the insurance company’s employees on their toes.
Sometimes people end up with more debt than they can handle. Often it is not due to irresponsibility, but to circumstances beyond one’s control. Job loss, unexpected medical expenses and other such situations can cause finances to take a sudden turn for the worse. When such things happen, bankruptcy can ease the financial burden.
Bankruptcy should only be used when all other alternatives have been exhausted. It remains on your credit record for ten years, making it difficult or impossible to obtain loans and other types of credit. But in some cases, it is a debtor’s only hope for relief. If you’re considering bankruptcy, it’s important to know which type is best for your situation.
Chapter 7
Chapter 7 is the most common type of bankruptcy for individuals. It requires the debtor to turn all non-exempt property over to a trustee. The trustee then liquidates the property, distributing the proceeds to creditors to lower the debt. The remainder of the debt is usually discharged, as long as it doesn’t fall into categories that are ineligible for discharge.
Those filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy must pass a means test to show that they are unable to repay their debts. Generally, they must have a total income below the mean income for their family size in their state. Those who do not qualify for Chapter 7 usually qualify for Chapter 13.
Chapter 11
Most Chapter 11 bankruptcies are filed by businesses, but individuals are also eligible for this type of bankruptcy. This type of bankruptcy is costly and complicated, and is only appropriate for individuals under certain circumstances that involve large amounts of debt and assets.
In Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the business (if applicable) may continue to operate. A repayment plan must be written and approved by creditors and the bankruptcy court. A trustee is not appointed unless there has been some sort of wrongdoing by the filing party.
Chapter 13
Chapter 13 bankruptcy is the second most common type of bankruptcy filed by individuals. In order to qualify, debtors must have an adequate amount of disposable income and their debt must fall below limits set each year.
Instead of turning over assets and having the debt remaining after their liquidation discharged, the debtor proposes a repayment plan in which he will repay creditors over a period of three to five years. Creditors may object to the payment plan, but the bankruptcy court has the final say as to whether it is accepted. The debtor is allowed to keep his property, and he pays creditors a reduced amount.
Bankruptcy is not something to be taken likely, but sometimes it is necessary to help debtors get a fresh start. A bankruptcy attorney can help determine whether you should file, and if so which type of bankruptcy is appropriate for your situation.
Callable or redeemable bonds are bonds that can be redeemed or paid off by the issuer prior to the bonds’ maturity date. When an issuer calls its bonds, it pays investors the call price (usually the face value of the bonds) together with accrued interest to date and, at that point, stops making interest payments. Call provisions are often part of corporate and municipal bonds, but usually not bonds issued by the federal government.
An issuer may choose to redeem a callable bond when current interest rates drop below the interest rate on the bond. That way the issuer can save money by paying off the bond and issuing another bond at a lower interest rate. This is similar to refinancing the mortgage on your house so you can make lower monthly payments. Callable bonds are more risky as investments than non-callable bonds because an investor whose bond has been called is often faced with reinvesting the money at a lower, less attractive rate. As a result, callable bonds often have a higher annual return to compensate for the risk that the bonds might be called early.
There are three primary types of call features in the stock market , including:
- Optional Redemption. Allows the issuer, at its option, to redeem the bonds. Many municipal bonds, for example, have optional call features that issuers may exercise after a period of years, often ten years.
- Sinking Fund Redemption. Requires the issuer to regularly set aside money for the redemption of the bonds before maturity.
- Extraordinary Redemption. Allows the issuer to call its bonds before maturity if certain specified events occur, such as the project for which the bond was issued to finance has been damaged or destroyed.
Before buying a bond, you should always ask your broker if there is a call provision and, if so, when and under what circumstances the bond can be called. You should also read any of the bond’s offering documents that come from the issuer or contact your broker who sold you the bond.
You should be cautious in buying a callable bond at a premium (above the bond’s face value), especially if the callable date is in the near future. If your bond is called, you may not get back what you paid. You will be paid the call price, which often is only the value on the face of the bond.
Initial Privacy Notice.
You will usually receive a privacy notice when you open an account or become a customer of a financial company. If you open an account over the phone, however, and you agree, the company may send you a notice at a later time.
Annual Privacy Notices.
Each financial company you have an ongoing relationship with–for example, the bank where you have a checking account, your credit card company, or a company that services your loan–must give you a notice of its privacy policy annually.
Notice of Changes in Privacy Policies.
If a company changes its privacy policy, it will either send you a revised privacy notice or tell you about the changes in the company’s next annual notice.A privacy notice may be included as an insert with your monthly statement or bill, or it may be sent to you in a separate mailing. If you agree to electronic delivery from an on-line financial company, the notice may be sent to you by e-mail or it may be made available to you on the company’s web site.
If you have more than one account with the same company, the company may send you only one privacy notice for all of your accounts or it may send you separate notices for each of your accounts.
If you have a joint account with another person (for example, a joint checking account or a mortgage loan), the financial company may send a notice to one of you or to each person listed on the account. If the company provides an opportunity to opt out, it must let one of the account holders opt out for all joint account holders.
What to Do When You Receive Your Notices
- Read all privacy notices.
- Get answers to your questions from your financial company.
- If applicable, decide whether you want to opt out.
- If you want to opt out, follow the instructions in the notice–and, if necessary, shop around for a financial institution with the privacy policy you want.
Federal privacy laws give you the right to stop (opt out of) some sharing of your personal financial information. These laws balance your right to privacy with financial companies’ need to provide information for normal business purposes. You have the right to opt out of some information sharing with companies that are:
- Part of the same corporate group as your financial company (oraffiliates)
- Not part of the same corporate group as your financial company (ornon-affiliates).
But you cannot opt out and completely stop the flow of all your personal financial information. The law permits your financial companies to share certain information about you without giving you the right to opt out. Among other things, your financial company can provide to non-affiliates:
- Information about you to firms that help promote and market the company’s own products or products offered under a joint agreement between two financial companies
- Records of your transactions–such as your loan payments, credit card or debit card purchases, and checking and savings account statements–to firms that provide data processing and mailing services for your company
- Information about you in response to a court order
- Your payment history on loans and credit cards to credit bureaus.
What Opting Out MeansIf you opt out, you limit the extent to which the company can provide your personal financial information to non-affiliates.If you do not opt out within a “reasonable period of time”–generally about 30 days after the company mails the notice– then the company is free to share certain personal financial information. If you didn’t opt out the first time you received a privacy notice from a financial company, it’s not too late. You can always change your mind and opt out of certain information sharing. Contact your financial company and ask for instructions on how to opt out. Remember, however, that any personal financial information that was shared before you opted out cannot be retrieved. |
A promissory note is a form of debt – similar to a loan or an IOU – that a company may issue to raise money. Typically, an investor agrees to loan money to the company for a set period of time. In exchange, the company promises to pay the investor a fixed return on his or her investment, typically principal plus annual interest.
While promissory notes can be legitimate investments, those that are marketed broadly to individual investors often turn out to be scams. The SEC and state securities regulators across the nation have joined forces to combat the fraudulent sale of promissory notes to investors. But we can’t stop every fraud.
That’s why you should ask tough questions – and demand answers – before you consider investing in a promissory note. Be sure you understand how they work and what risks they pose. These tips will explain how promissory note fraud can occur and will help you to spot the scams.
Anatomy of a Promissory Note Fraud
Fraudsters across the nation have recently begun to use promissory notes as vehicles to defraud investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Most promissory note scams follow predictable, fraudulent fact patterns:
- The fraudsters – who may or may not be affiliated with the company – persuade independent life insurance agents to sell promissory notes, luring them with lucrative commissions of up to twenty or even thirty percent. These agents often do not have a license to sell securities. And in selling the notes, they frequently rely solely on the information the company gives them – which later proves to be false or misleading.
- Investors purchase the promissory notes, enticed by the promise of a high, fixed-rate return – up to fifteen or twenty percent – with a very low level of risk. The promissory notes may appear all the more attractive because the seller falsely claims that they’re “guaranteed” or insured. And few investors ask tough questions about these investments because they know and trust the sellers, insurance agents with whom they’ve done business in the past.
- The fraudsters use a portion of the money they collect from investors to pay the sellers their commissions. But they typically abscond with the rest, squandering it on personal expenses or high-flying life styles.
- They may also use some of the proceeds to support an elaborate “Ponzi” scheme in which money coming in from the sale of new notes pays the interest on older notes. Some fraudsters try to avoid repaying investors’ principal by convincing investors to “roll-over” their promissory notes upon maturity. These investors may, for at least a time, continue to receive interest payments – but they rarely get their principal back.
Promissory note scams often target the elderly, bilking them of their retirement savings at a time when they can least afford to lose it. But no one is immune. Fraudsters rarely discriminate when it comes to separating investors from their money. And most investors don’t even realize their investment dollars are at risk until it’s far too late.
Tips To Avoid Promissory Note Scams
Here’s how you can avoid the costly mistake of investing in a sham promissory note:
- Bear in mind that legitimate corporate promissory notes are not usually sold to the general public. Instead, they tend to be sold privately to sophisticated buyers who do their own “due diligence” or research on the company. If someone calls you up or knocks on your door trying to sell you a promissory note, chances are you’re dealing with a scam.
- Find out whether the investment is registered with the SEC or your state securities regulator – or whether it’s exempt from registration. Most legitimate promissory notes can easily be verified by checking the SEC’s EDGAR database or by calling your state securities regulator, which you can find at the website of the North American Securities Administrators Association. If the promissory note is not registered, you’ll have to do your own thorough investigation to confirm whether the company has the ability to pay its debt.
- Be skeptical if the seller tells you that the promissory note is not a security. The types of promissory notes involved in promissory note scams usually are securities and must be registered with either the SEC or your state securities regulator – or they must meet an exemption.
- Make sure the seller is properly licensed. Insurance agents can’t sell securities – including promissory notes – without a securities license. Call your state securities regulator, and ask whether the person or firm is licensed to sell securities in your state and whether they have a record of complaints or fraud. You can also get this information by calling NASD’s public disclosure hotline at (800) 289-9999 or by visiting their website.
- Beware of promises of “risk free” returns. These claims are usually the bait con artists use to lure their victims. Always remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Watch out for promissory notes that are supposedly “insured” or “guaranteed,” especially if a foreign insurance company is involved. Be sure to call your state insurance commissioner to find out whether the foreign insurance company can legally do business in the United States.
- Compare the rate of return on the promissory note with current market rates for similar fixed-rate investments, long-term Treasury bonds, or FDIC-insured certificates of deposit. If the seller promises an above-market rate on a short-term note, proceed with caution.
What To Do If You Run into Trouble
If you believe you’ve invested in a promissory note scam, act promptly. By law, you only have a limited time to take legal action.
Contact the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy. You can send us your complaint by using our online complaint form. Or you can reach us as follows:
U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission
Office of Investor Education and Advocacy
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549-0213
Fax: (202) 772-9295
You should also contact your state securities regulator and, if an insurance agent sold you the promissory note, your state insurance commissioner.
