Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Auto Loan Financing

New-CarThe decision to buy a new car will probably be one of the most important financial milestones in your life. In addition to the investment of money, you will spend a great deal of time looking for the right vehicle that caters to your needs. Similarly, you also need to spend time when looking for auto loans. You need to choose the right auto financing option in order to get the peace of mind that your investment is being cared for in a professional manner.

Some of the benefits of working with a professional& experienced auto loan organization that offers online auto loans are:

* All the Information you Need: a huge plus of shopping for an auto loan is the large amount of information posted on official websites. This information should be sufficient to help any member decide which option is the best for him or her. From household budget tools to credit score information and loan calculators, all of this online information can be a game-changer for many buyers.

* Easy Quotes: customers looking for automotive financing options in Westland and Wayne, Michigan can easily find the best deals online. Traditionally, it takes a lot of time to call each and every lender and ask for a quote. Thanks to technological advancements, you can easily enter Google and check for “financing options in Westland” or “car loans in Westland” and find the best deals for you.

You can start shopping having a particular price in mind. After you figure out what kind of payments you are able to make on a monthly basis and you research the cars available for you, you should be able to decide how much money you need to borrow. Next, you should look for a well-established Credit Union that offers reasonable monthly payments and interest rates. Most big lenders and major financial institutions have higher interest rates and strict rules, so try to stay away from them.

* More Bargaining Power with the Car Dealers: lastly, you have more control of the negotiation process. Armed with a pre-approval for your car loan, you have more bargaining chips at your disposal, so you can save even more money when looking for a new car. Of course, you will also save money on gas, because you won’t have to physically drive around town to find the best deal out there.

The Bottom Line

A professional, experienced and well-established Credit Union can offer you peace of mind and can help you save money when shopping for auto loans online.Wayne Westland Federal Credit Union offers reliable and affordable auto loans services in Westland and Wayne, MI. Do not hesitate to leverage our experience and expertise and let us give you the best possible deal on exactly what you want.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Avoid ID Theft When Job Searching

Looking for a job? You should also be looking out foridentity thieves.

You want to be thorough on your résumé when you’re looking for a job. But here are a few things you should NOT include on your resume, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. You can provide any of these things to potential employers later in the process if they request that you do so:

  • Social Security or taxpayer ID number
  • Date of birth; age; sex; marital status
  • The year you graduated; your schools’ names
  • Professional license number
  • Disabilities
  • The reason you left a past employer
  • Hobbies
  • Driver’s license number

Edison’s Tips to Thinking Creatively

Idea ConceptCreativity isn’t just a talent; it’s a habit you can – and should – cultivate and grow. Learn how to develop your creative muscles from the genius of invention, Thomas Edison:

1. Question all assumptions. Don’t accept the conventional wisdom without first examining and challenging it. It’s said that Edison, when hiring a new employee, would invite the person to have some soup with him. If the candidate salted the soup before tasting it, he didn’t get the job—because he assumed it would require salt without testing the theory first.

2. Generate as many ideas as possible. The more ideas you have to test, the more likely you’ll find one that works, as long as you keep at it. Edison is reported to have conducted more than 50,000 experiments before perfecting the alkaline storage cell battery.

3. Analyze your failures. When an experiment fails, take some time to consider what you can learn. Keep detailed notes so that when an idea works, you can go back and reexamine your efforts in light of your success.

4. Adapt other ideas. Edison often used the inventions and ideas of other people as a mental springboard. Keep up with what’s going on in your organization and industry—what people are doing, where others have failed. Look for ways to take policies, systems, or ideas that are already working somewhere else, and turn them into something you can use in your own department.

5. Record all your ideas. Keep a notebook for writing down ideas whenever they occur to you. Go back over the notebook regularly, looking for connections between ideas or new ways of thinking about the same problem.

Planning an Affordable Family Vacation

Hispanic family in a car. Family tour in a car.Travel expenses can take a big bite out of your budget, but the Michigan Association of CPAs advises that there are many ways to make your vacationdollar go further.

Search for Deals

Don’t miss out on the many online opportunities to find great bargains. You can use online travel sites to search for the lowest airfare, hotel rates, and car rental, as well as entertainment deals. It’s a good idea to check specific airline sites, too, because they may be advertising specials that aren’t included on the bargain sites.

Pick the Package

Before booking any segment of your trip, check out packages available from airlines or hotel chains. It’s often possible to find low-priced packages that include both hotel and airfare, and admission to local attractions, as well. However, remember that packages may not always be the cheapest deals. Examine the details and make sure that what you’re getting is worth what you’re paying.

Be Flexible

Uncertain exactly where you’d like to go? Then plan your trip around the best deals available. Sites that specialize in low-cost travel usually advertise specials to certain locations, as do many airlines. If the location sounds like somewhere you’d enjoy exploring, you could save a great deal on your trip.

Choose a Destination Location

Want to save money during your vacation on gasoline and admission costs for various attractions? Pick a hotel that has a pool, playground, nearby hiking, or other on-property activities. In addition, many hotels offer suites with their own kitchens. While these may cost more than regular rooms, the savings on restaurants may more than offset the higher price.

Explore the Great Outdoors

Camping is not only a fun family activity, but it’s also a cheaper way to travel. There are campgrounds and cabins at national and state parks that offer an inexpensive way to explore these locations. Outdoor vacations are a great departure from the usual routine and make it possible to get away from the television and computers. And in many cases, they are much less rustic than you might imagine. There may be cabins available at some sites, as well as water and electricity hookups.

In addition, getting in touch with nature may not be your only option when you camp. Disney World, for example, has campgrounds that can lower the price of what might otherwise be a fairly pricey vacation. You may find campgrounds near other theme parks or attractions, so don’t limit your search to hotels when looking for accommodations.

Head South

If you’ve dreamed of taking a vacation in the Caribbean or Mexico, summer is a great time to do it. That’s because summer is considered the off season, and many resorts offer promotions that feature great rates. If you’ve assumed you couldn’t afford a sunny resort locale, double check to see if prices are lower than you thought at this time of year.

Consult Your CPA

Your local CPA has many great ideas for cutting costs in various aspects of your life. Turn to him or her for advice on any of your financial needs.

This article was submitted by the Michigan Association of CPAs (www.michcpa.org).