Becoming debt free should be everyone's goal, especially in these days of economic upheaval. For many it is difficult to accept the fact that we can lead a debt free life. We are so used to debt in its myriad forms that living free is inconceivable. Our credit card is the biggest culprit of all. We pay heavily for using this plastic tempter (more of a tough ogre than a flexible friend) which encourages us to spend way beyond our means. The Banks are smart enough to make as much profit from those of us who are tempted by levying high interest on the outstanding amount. You are in fact turned into a slave working day in day out, just to pay interest on your credit card. This may seem a hard think to say, but for many it is a reality. Of course most of us never realise that we are falling into a debt trap until we actually find the costs of debt have risen beyond our means to pay. By this time it is too late. The first step towards a debt free life is therefore to get rid of the credit card. You must immediately destroy your credit card and commit never to live off your future labours.
If by chance you are beyond the stage of attaining debt freedom and are staring at bankruptcy, it is still not too late. There are several options you must consider before opting for bankruptcy. It is advisable to approach a professional rather than try to do it yourself. The legal issues might be too subtle for you to understand and ultimately you may get yourself in a tangle. Moreover with each passing day your debt will keep increasing as the Banks will pile up interest upon interest.
One option is to take on an IVA or Individual Voluntary Agreement which allows you to repay your debts at a manageable rate over 5 years. As part of an IVA the first step would be to inform your creditors about the steps being adopted by you to become debt free. You would stop making payments, till you reach an agreement with the creditors and then usually have an Insolvency Practitioner or independent Financial Advisor make the payments to each creditor on your behalf. By restructuring your debt payments you can eventually become debt free in a relatively short time frame.
In your hurry to become debt free, you may succumb to the pressure by Banks to convert your unsecured loans into secured. Never do such a thing. By doing this you will be jeopardising all your hard earned wealth, including your home and car. This ploy is tried by all the Bankers and not surprisingly many individuals accept this arrangement in order to reduce the feeling of pressure. It needs no emphasis that banks clothe this act by promising easy repayment terms over a longer period. Just remember that banks are not run for the benefit of the customer, they are run for the profit of the share holders.
The legal fraternity and consumer forums are well aware of this fact and have taken remedial measures to safeguard individual debtors. In fact , many of the contracts signed by individuals for credit cards and personal unsecured loans, before April 2007, are not enforceable in a court of law. In such circumstances becoming debt free can be a painless affair. It may well be worth checking to see if your contract is enforceable or not. This means you can become debt free if you are one of the many in this position. The only piece of advice would be for you to approach a professional to interpret your contract . Whilst this is not always the easiest route to take it can for many be the fastest way to become debt free and one that is always worth investigating.
Here some fast, helpful tips.
It costs nothing but a little time and effort to build traffic to your Web site. Hot links from one site to the next is what the World Wide Web is all about--and these free links (not paid advertising) is how most traffic is created on the Web.
Start with the major search engines and visit their sites for instructions on how to submit your site for free inclusion with their listings. By using your imagination and the search engines, try to think of related sites from which you might be able to attract customers. E-mail the Webmaster and consider offering a reciprocal link on your site.
If you have a local service business, maybe you can find a community, association, or newspaper-owned site serving your community. If you have a retail business, maybe some of your manufacturers will list you on their sites.
Important Note: For branding purposes, choosing a company's name as the domain name is also an important consideration. You could then create smaller micro sites using these keyword rich domain names, leading to your main site.
For reoccurring traffic and purchases you have to make your website user friendly.
In less than half a second, a website can form a lasting first impression on its visitor. In that short amount time, they'll either decide to stick around or will click away just as fast as they clicked their way there.
So how can you determine what your website's first impression is? Ask for an outside opinion.
It may be hard to determine for yourself- since you've already seen your own site several times and your opinion may be a bit biased, so ask others for help (neighbors, friends, family, etc). Simply tell them to take a quick look at your site and to give their first impression. Make sure to ask for an honest opinion and be completely open to constructive criticism. Any outside opinion will help, even if it's your 10 year old neighbor with the word "boring". If you're selling iPods that word may be a deal breaker, while selling office supplies on a boring site may not be all that bad. For a completely unbiased first impression, you could also try a few chat rooms.
A quick, "you mind telling me if this site looks okay?" will do. Find one that applies to what you're selling to get a first impression from a potential customer (a sports fan chat room for sporting goods, nutrition site for vitamins, etc).
Once you're done gathering opinions, take a hard look at the information you've found. Use the results to determine whether or not that first impression is indeed "impressive" or if your site is in need of a desperate make-over. Your site provides customers with specific products, so it should have a specific look and feel to help users relate to what you're selling.
Put them in the mood for what you offer and chances are they will be more willing to trust that you are worthy of their purchase!
Both Chris Ball & Andrew Carver are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Chris Ball has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Collection Agencies and Finances. After the loss of his business of 21 years in the Banking Crisis, Chris Ball was left with debts that were beyond his ability to pay. He had to find a unique solution to this difficult situation. In the process he learned a massive amount about how debt w. Chris Ball's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.
Andrew Carver has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Marketing and Computers and The Internet. Andrew Carver is an experienced Internet marketer, and has generated substantial amounts of traffic to his websites. If you want AMAZING, FREE tips on generating MONEY and TRAFFIC fast, why don't you subscribe to his newsletter? Click here. Andrew Carver's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.