An increase in Cuba travel from law changes

Many people have longed to enjoy many different drinks in the same bars as Hemingway, but the ban against traveling to Cuba has made that impossible. However, the restrictions are slowly being lifted. There are ways around the travel ban, and a lot of people are aware of them. More people are starting to travel to Cuba annually. However, bear in mind that Cuba is not Disneyland.

Ability to get to Cuba elevated

The relationship between Cuba and the U.S. in the last half century has not been very good. It has been quite terrible actually. A small number of individuals were allowed to go to Cuba in 1999 when Clinton signed a bill to allow it, states MSNBC. The Kennedy administration’s Cuban embargo is still in effect though. As long as an individual is going to Cuba for “people to people contacts,” it is acceptable. This means that people have to go to Cuba with the intention of learning about the Cuban culture. Adjudicating the quality of the pina coladas doesn’t count; most groups have itineraries packed with museum, factory and farm visits.

Clampdown going away

An individual has to book a trip through a group authorized to go to Cuba if an individual wants to get in. The State Department won’t have to approve travel itineraries anymore ahead of time meaning it will be easier to get into a tour of Cuba. However, Cuba it isn’t an excellent place to take the children. People go to Cuba for religious, journalistic or governmental reasons. That means that even though there is still “person to person” travel, you should not just go to getaway, the State Department website explained. As long as relatives are Cuban nationals, individuals can go to Cuba to see them. There is no U.S. Embassy in Cuba, though a U.S. Special Interests Section is located in the Swiss Embassy in Havana, functioning as an embassy of sorts.

Get papers in order first

The State Department claims Cuba is “a totalitarian police state” that uses physical and other means to control its citizens. Do not worry about being safe while in Cuba. However, make sure you are respectful and have your paperwork in order if you are going to visit. Most Cubans cannot travel at all. In order to leave Cuba, Cubans need a “white card” exit visa. Costs have to be around $150 to go. Typically, Cubans have about $20 a month to live on. They typically don’t have enough to eat either, the Christian Science Monitor explains. President Obama, according to Reuters, is open to normalizing relations and lifting some restrictions on trade and travel if the Raul Castro regime makes meaningful changes to the notoriously tight-fisted Cuban regime. Cuba communism will not change, claims Castro, although he will let some trade occur.

Citations

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/43126754/ns/travel-news/

U.S. Department of State on traveling to Cuba

travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1097.html

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2011/0513/Cubans-may-no-longer-be-stuck-on-Caribbean-isle

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/05/13/us-usa-cuba-obama-idUSTRE74C3P820110513

Smaller businesses get credit through OnDeck

In business, there are big-idea startups that attract a ton of funding. Several of the companies that all of us use every single day, however, are not a big idea. They’re the restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops, and hotdog carts that we use every day. A new startup called OnDeck is trying to help these 5 million companies qualify for loans more easily.

Small business lending issues

It could be difficult to qualify for a small company loan. Most financial institutions do not want to lend to individuals without a credit history or business history. This means companies may not be able to get a loan. Businesses typically do not like to do loans less than $100,000. The work involved in a 14-item business loan package just is not worth it. Financing can be secured by business owners with less than 25 employees as long as they use their personal credit. The business ends up tied to personal accounts with this, which can be dangerous. The risk is somebody potential owners will not like.

The best answer from OnDeck

Cloud-based and interconnected, OnDeck aims to streamline the creation of financial reports and information for lenders. It links companies with their accounting, credit card processing and online banking accounts. This will be in their business profile. The full financial profile, business credit report and prospectus is created with the information as well as industry data, regional information and tax data. Big businesses like reports to help them decide on loans while this program was created in five years. The information is much more real time than the information banks will give you. The process for loans between $5,000 and $150,000 will be much better with it.

Small Businesses have more resources

OnDeck provides new financing resources for smaller businesses, but it is not the only new resource for getting small company credit. A new government partnership called StartUp America aims to provide discounts, resources and information to help small business owners get their business going or growing. For counseling, information and loan guarantees, there is another place business owners can go. This is the Small business administration. There are lots of resources out there for entrepreneurs willing to watch for them.

Articles cited

Tech Crunch

techcrunch.com/2011/05/19/smart-lending-on-deck-gives-your-startup-a-credit-score-so-you-can-secure-a-loan/

Startup America Partnership

startupamericapartnership.org/

Crime rates worsened by cash advance lenders claims new study

A new study links payday loan lenders to increasing crime rates and falling property values. This is not the first time that a connection has been discussed between payday lending and crime, however the academic literature until now has never had much consensus. The total impact of payday lenders is not entirely known. It might be impossible to know if payday loans are truly a force for good, evil or occupies a gray area.

How cash advance lenders are connected to crime

WalletPop reports that a connection between payday advance lenders and crime would suggest payday loan lenders are responsible for crime rate increases after re-examination. Charis Kubrin and Gregory Squires of George Washington University and Steven Graves of California State University Northridge all worked together to write the study called “Does Fringe Banking Exacerbate Neighborhood Crime Rates?” which was really a paper that has been around since 2009. Environment influences crime over anything else, according to the report which utilizes social disorganization for its framework. The contention is that pay day loan lenders enter environments that are highly disorganized, such as poverty and crime-ridden areas, and cause things to get worse.

Just a repeat

Areas with more payday cash advance lenders have higher crime rates in Seattle, according to the study. It claims that the more payday lenders, the higher the crime rate. The study is meticulously done, and does make a case for its central premise of payday loan lenders driving up crime rates. There was a rise of crime of only 1 percent shown in a 2010 study of payday loans and crimes done by Heather Luea. Poverty is a huge trigger of crime while individuals who are not able to get charge cards or rely on banks tend to use pay day loan lenders more often. More crime in an area causes more crime. That is the real problem.

Both sides of the issue

Deciding whether or not payday loans are morally acceptable has been hard for many. There are surely correlations with crime and payday lenders while there have been accusations of bias and other concerns for pay day loan positives. The United States Census data on Wikipedia shows that household income for the lowest 40 percent has stayed the same while income for the top 20 percent has increased steadily for the last 30 years. That’s demographic that personal loan companies cater to. Nobody has suggested how to help the individuals on the bottom. Without payday loans, they will need another solution.

Information from

WalletPop

walletpop.com/2011/05/12/payday-lenders-fuel-crime-drive-down-property-values/

Fringe banking and crime study

gwu.edu/|newsctr/09/pdfs/Payday_Lending_and_Crime_Working_Paper.pdf

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_Income_Distribution_1947-2007.svg

The United States to get new Ford Focus ST seven years after the last one

Years after the original, Ford is going to be unveiling a new Focus ST in America. The ST is the sport version of the Ford Focus, and it will have a sport suspension and far more powerful engine. The ST is slated to hit dealerships in 2012.

New Ford Focus in the U.S.

Before the Ford Focus performance version, or Focus ST, comes out in late 2011, it is doing a lot of tests, USA Today states. There can be good suspension and horsepower from the care. The U.S. did get some of the 60 prototypes of the auto Ford released. This was done so individuals know about the auto and to test it out. You may have seen the Focus ST if you see an odd colored Focus that is closer to the ground and works really well while photos show leopard-like black spots on silver.

Motor specifics

The new Focus ST has the same engine as the rest of the Focus lineup. Until 2004, the Focus SVT was sold in the U.S. MotorTrend reports that it had a five-cylinder engine with 227 horsepower and 2.7 liter tank. The ST will be turbocharged with Ecoboost direct injection which could be the only different between the 2.0 liter incline four cylinder other Focus models have. The horsepower on the ST is 246. It gets 250 foot pounds of torque on it too. Ford’s Electric Power Assist Steering and racing suspension could be on the auto too. The price of the automobile has not yet been put up. Still, most expect it to be in the range of upper Focus models. The Ford website shows that the Titanium package is probably the most expensive Focus at $23,000.

London wants it

The U.S. may be excited to have the performance Focus. It isn’t the first Ford has made though. The ST is a performance-oriented compact car as a hatchback, making it a European auto that several want. The 2.5 liter five cylinder Focus ST has been sold in Europe and Australia already. Ford started selling them in 2005, states Wikipedia. Soon the ST will hit international markets while the Focus itself is being re-released by Ford as an international model. London’s new Focus is the same as Melbourne’s and Los Angeles’ vehicles. In The United States, the Ford Focus sells really well. It sells even better with the British though. Top Gear explains the U.K. has made the automobile one of its best-selling cars. In Britain, it was the 3rd best in 2010. Number one was the Ford Fiesta.

Citations

USA Today

content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/05/ford-starts-us-testing-of-powerful-focus-st/1

Motor Trend

wot.motortrend.com/new-ford-focus-st-test-mules-force-76643.html

Ford

ford.com/cars/focus/features/#page=FeatureCategory1

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Focus_%28International%29

Top Gear

topgear.com/uk/photos/uk-top-ten-cars-of-2010-2011-01-07?imageNo=0

CARD act could make financial freedom harder for some

The 2009 financial reform CARD Act was meant to help protect customers. One provision of the bill is that those that provide credit can’t issue credit unless the applicant can prove that they can repay it. The bill is causing some severe unintentional consequences, however. Stay-at-home spouses are very possibly going to be losing financial freedom, under the provisions of this bill. Article source – CARD Act could strip stay-at-home partners of financial identity by MoneyBlogNewz.

What changes with the CARD Act in place

The CARD Act contains several provisions intended to safeguard consumers from unfair or inappropriate practices of charge card issuers. The Act also created several new rules that change how card corporations consider income. When applying for credit, “income” is very specific. It does not contain community property or household income. Instead, all income on an application for credit must be individual. Consumers won’t be able to over qualify for credit without money with this law.

The change from the CARD Act rules

Though it may not be intentional, the CARD Act could have a disproportionate impact on stay-at-home partners or parents. There might be one person who works while the other stays at home. In this case, the CARD Act makes it very hard for that stay at home person to get credit. Any stay-at-home spouses can be unable to get an independent credit history although it will stop those without income from getting a charge card. Without credit, there can be less opportunity for jobs. That will make it harder on an individual if the relationship ends suddenly.

The CARD Act and community property

In all the 50 United States, there is some “community property.” This is only in 10 of them though. A pre- or post-nuptial agreement would change things, but the property law means the couple shares anything. Every little thing in the marriage belongs equally to both partners. The CARD Act needs finances to be split in half for couples in community property states. For couples not in community property states, the CARD act simply means that one partner can’t obligate the other partner to bad credit loans or other debt without their explicit agreement.

How you’ll be impacted by the CARD Act

The CARD Act provisions will be really hard on any person who is a stay-at-home partner. If you stay at home and don’t have paying employment, you may be required to get your partner’s signature on every little thing from credit card applications to personal loans. Try and get a good credit history. This can help you a lot. Employment or some way of verifying monthly income from your partner is essential, as is maintaining open lines of communication about finances.

Citations

NCLC

nclc.org/

The Library of Congress

thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR00627:@@@D&summ2=m&

Can't pay your taxes? What to do about extensions and interest

The deadline for filing federal taxes is three days later than usual this year. Even with that additional time, some people will need an additional amount of time to get their taxes filed. Filing your taxes on time is very important. If you cannot file or pay your taxes on time, then you need to contact the Internal Revenue Service as easily as possible. As with all debts that you owe, ignoring the problem isn’t the best way to manage the situation. Instead, you need to contact the IRS as quickly as possible to address the problem. Source for this article – Can’t pay your taxes? What to do about extensions and interest by MoneyBlogNewz.

Extending your filing deadline

You will need to get an extension in filing if you will not be able to file your tax return by April 18. The proper filing of IRS Form 4868 should do the trick. This will make the deadline October 17 instead. Filing can be extended very easily. Nevertheless, the deadline for paying taxes won’t change. Whenever you file form 4868, you are required to estimate what your taxes can be. That has to be paid with the extension form. Failure to file an extension or a return will result in a 5 percent per month penalty, up to 25 percent of your total tax bill.

Payment deadlines also accessible

Tax filings and tax payments are different. That means the deadlines are different as well. You will have to file taxes nevertheless, even if you can’t pay the entire tax bill when it is filed. That way, you can keep away from paying both a failure to file and failure to pay penalty. You need to pay as much as you can as easily as possible. Make an effort to pay at least 90 percent of what is required when filing. This will cancel all penalties for six months, until the extended filing deadline. After you file, the IRS will send you a bill. It will only take 30 to 40 days to get it. It is important to pay fast since interest and penalties accumulate at 4 percent each day. Get a hold of the IRS if there is no way to pay. Call 1-800-829-1040 to talk about payments.

Exploring tax settlement choices

There are always ads for tax debt settlement. Television uses these often for commercials. Typically it is a poor choice to make an effort to use these tax settlement services. Getting same day loans to pay the debt would be a safer choice. Working class individuals can file an Offer in Compromise on their own with the Internal Revenue Service, which is all the tax settlement services do. An Offer in Compromise should be the last resort, after attempting to create a payment plan with the Internal Revenue Service. There are individuals standing by to talk to individuals at the Internal Revenue Service. Just call and figure things out.

Articles cited

IRS

irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=104593,00.html

H&R Block

hrblock.com/taxes/tax_tips/irs/extension_info.html

Child identity theft victims hurt most often by their family

sufferers of identity theft are increasingly those too young to realize it. New research shows that identity thieves are focusing increasingly on children because parents don’t pay attention and the theft can go undetected for years.

Why child identity theft takes place

There have been thousands already sufferers of identity theft while thousands more have the risk there nevertheless. A Carnegie Mellon University CyLab cybersecurity research center report explained this clearly. There were 42,232 children in the report looked at from the 2009-10 Debix AllClear ID Protection Network scan where parents were told about compromised child IDs. There were 4,311 kids, just a little over 10 percent, which had identity thieves steal Social Security numbers according to Debix AllClear ID data. Of 347,362 adults in the Debix AllClear ID data, there were 663 attacks. That is 51 times lower than the child rate at 0.2 percent for United States adults. The youngest it ever got was a five month old. The identity was stolen nevertheless. A 17-year old girl from Arizona found she was $725,000 in debt with 42 open accounts including mortgages, vehicle loans and charge cards. Her Social Security number was connected to eight suspects. A 14-year-old boy f! rom Kentucky had a credit rating going back 10 years listing a mortgage foreclosure.

Sufferers of friendly fraud

There has been lots of child identity theft. The early 1980s was when it began. The Social Security Administration got orders from the Internal Revenue Service. It said that children should be given Social Security numbers to go with them. Parents, family members and family friends started to do identity theft with these Social Security numbers. Javelin Strategy and Research reported that there were several “friendly fraud” cases last year. That was 30 percent of identity theft cases. Because credit checks do not verify age, identity thieves can freely take out loans, get credit cards and create accounts. The non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center recently helped a young man from Florida who failed a background check to become a police offer because his estranged father had stolen his identity years earlier and destroyed his credit.

Child identity theft solutions

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, every child should be taught out identity theft. They should know sharing information on the Internet isn’t always safe. All personal information, including Social Security numbers and birth certificates, should be kept in a secure place. Be worried about a child having had credit opened if mail comes in the child’s name. A credit score could possibly be taken for the child from all three credit bureaus. Sometimes there is no credit report. That is most likely good for child. For those who have a credit history for the child, file a security alert. Do this at TransUnion, Experian and Equifax. File a police report using the credit reports as evidence. The credit bureaus are required to remove the credit report issues within 30 days after a police report listing the fraudulent accounts.

Articles cited

Forbes

blogs.forbes.com/moneybuilder/2011/03/31/protecting-your-child-from-identity-theft/

Atlanta Journal Constitution

ajc.com/news/child-identity-theft-increases-572552.html

Wallet Pop

walletpop.com/2011/04/05/report-as-child-id-theft-grows-rapidly-consider-these-precauti/