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Plastic Fantastic: How Cards Became the Best Way to Pay

How did card payments overtake cheques and cash? Read on for some interesting facts.

Nowadays it is hard to imagine not having your trusted credit or debit card with you. It has surpassed being something to use if you run out of cash and become an entire substitute for it for most people. It is also hard to believe that this technology was unheard of before 1978 when America’s First National Bank first offered their patrons the ability to guarantee payment with the use of a card.

This new form of payment worked initially in the same form as a cheque and was only offered to exclusive and wealthy clients of the bank, those with enough assets as to ensure the validity of the payment. It was not until 1984 that the debit card payment was introduced on a larger scale to an open market. This involved the installation of thousands of ATM machines which facilitated the notion of taking money directly from a person’s account, making them much easier to gain than their 70s predecessors. This whole new idea of not needing cash with you was incredibly popular and their use skyrocketed until, in 1998, it was recorded that debit card payments had overtaken cheques. The demand and use of cards and the offers that go with them did not simmer down either, thanks in a large part to the Internet.

The Internet
The Internet has had a massive impact on both shopping and banking. The ability to use your card to purchase goods online, from anywhere in the world, at the touch of a button has revolutionised the way we think about consumerism. It is no longer about getting people out of their houses and in to your establishment, it is about offering the client the best, easiest and most convenient ways to get the goods they want. The online market is insanely lucrative and despite the recent economic downturn, online shopping habits have not seemed to change. It is about simplicity and card payments offer that all over the world.

Fraud
In the past, it was considered safer to use your card as opposed to carrying large amounts of cash but with the use of card comes the perils of fraud. Keeping safe is simple if you take steps to ensure your PIN and identity are not open to theft. It can be easier to keep all your cards under the same PIN but beware, if your wallet is stolen, the thief has access to every aspect of your life and every account you hold. Precaution should be taken but most of the time it requires just diligence and common sense.

The Future
It seems it will be a long time before any other method of payment overtakes the credit or debit card. It remains the easiest and most convenient way to part with cash, also offering the customer a thorough record of everything they have bought. With the rise of online banking, the use of your card has never been easier to track and with banks offering numerous ways to protect you from fraud, there really is no other way to spend. Having said that, it was not so long ago that you had to get your chequebook out to make those large payments, a form that has now become basically obsolete. Perhaps with the current influx of technological advances we may find something else to replace cards. Some cards now come with contactless payment, where a simple touch of the card to a magnetic surface will debit your account immediately. Considering how far payments with cards have come in the past thirty years, it will be interesting to see what the next thirty years has in store!

Lucy loves to shop! If you want to find easy ways to pay for your business, click here for a great source.

A Recipe For The Vagabond – The Annual Travel Insurance

If you are a frequent traveller, no matter if you are of the suit and tie business kind or a backpacker with dreadlocks and a restless mind, then you should look into signing up for an annual travel insurance. This way you will never have to worry about anything once you are ordered out on the roads of a distant land, either by your choleric boss or by your own inner voice.

With an annual travel insurance there is no need for you to, each and every time you are set to venture out on a trip, go through the time consuming and quite frankly quite boring exercise of browsing the online community in order to research and compare different travel insurance plans.

Having the annual travel insurance (the term in Danish is årsrejseforsikring) will guarantee that you are ready to go the minute that you have packed your bags, and that you can stop worrying about extra fees tied to your airline ticket in order for you to feel fully protected if, knock on wood, anything would happen.

Knowing that the type of life you have chosen demands that you spend a lot of time travelling all over the world, no matter if it is to the far and exotic corners of our planet or the bi-weekly business trip to the bright lights, big city, then an annual travel insurance would definitely be the best option for you.

You can of course tailor your annual travel insurance the way you see fit as well, designing it to suit your wallet or a specific travel destination. But with this type of insurance plan in your back pocket, you can focus on other things and you will not have to worry about being left without a dime if you need to see a doctor or go to the hospital during your stay abroad.

The annual travel insurance is by far the most cost effective option for the frequent traveller. It is a one size fits all design, and instead of signing up for a new and expensive plan for each trip, you will have the annual insurance to build on in order to create the perfect coverage for you, even if your first trip was a three month trip all across the endless scenery of India, and just a few weeks after celebrating your homecoming you find yourself on the move again, this time to the intense bustle of New York or Amsterdam.

With annual travel insurance the excitement of the trip never has to become overshadowed by the unnecessary worries of not having an adequate insurance plan. You can explore the world freely, choosing between several levels of coverage and design it to last for whatever the duration that you are staying.

An annual travel insurance plan is the vagabond’s choice. It offers piece of mind, reliability and flexibility. It is the insurance (or as the Dane that forsikring) best corresponds to the travel requirements held by the modern citizens of the world.

 

Top Five Reasons For Getting A Liability Insurance

Car insurance is an important thing for every driver on the road. An insurance cover caters for the expenses that one might incur when something happens to the car or anyone gets hurt by the car. There are various types of insurance covers that one can take in order to protect themselves from all the road hazards. Liability insurance cover is that cover that is required to be taken by every driver by the law. This cover is a measure taken by the government to ensure that the general public is protected in case a negligent driver causes an accident. There are numerous reasons why a driver should take an insurance cover, and here are some:

When a person is driving their car and for whatever reason an accident happens of which it is determined that they are at fault, they are liable to pay. In case there are bodily injuries sustained by the occupants of the other car, the driver at fault is supposed to take care of the medical bills for those people injured. There is a minimum cover that a person can take in case of an accident and with regard to bodily injuries of the occupants of the other car. If there wasn’t any cover then a person would be sued for the actual medical bills incurred by each and every person injured in the other car.

There are times that one becomes absent minded or the car just misbehaves and it rams into a building, wall, fence or even another car. A driver who caused an accident is liable to pay for the damages. A minimum liability would take care of this just sufficiently but in case a driver thought not to take the cover, then they will be liable to pay from their pocket, which can be extremely expensive.

A liability insurance (did you know that the Danish term is ansvarsforsikring)  cover is meant to protect everyone from the negligence of a driver on the roads. There are times that one might be driving and by accident hit a pedestrian. The pedestrian will be covered by the driver’s liability insurance cover under the bodily injury cover. This therefore means that a driver is liable for all the injuries to people who are not in their cars. A liability cover doesn’t cover the occupants of the car at fault.

In case a person is at fault and doesn’t have an insurance cover, they will be sued by the people who were injured for the damages incurred. A liability bodily injury cover would normally go for between $10,000 and $40,000, but when one is sued, the amount could very much rise to astronomical heights. Furthermore, a person who doesn’t have a liability cover would highly unlikely be having a wad of notes totalling $40,000. This leads to the obvious, auction of property and jail time.

A person who has been caught without insurance is regarded as a high risk client by the insurance companies (in Danish forsikringsselskaber). This means that the premiums will be high. A person who drives without minimum liability cover is literally inviting trouble in their lives.

7 Reasons Why Great Poker Skills Create Great Business Skills

You have heard this time and again that poker skills are in a way linked to business skills. You wonder at the validity of this statement because you know poker players who do not know a thing about business.

So let us get a few facts straight:

• Simply because you play poker, does not mean you will naturally be great in your business. You have to work and get practice in both.
• Bad poker or average poker is not what gets you good business. It is great poker that gets you great business. So hone those playing skills.
• Learning poker and using what you learn in business will definitely get you ahead.

Now that you have the facts, then start to know which skills to gain in poker and where to translate them in your business.

1. Learning to read people

One of the great skills every good poker player must have is the art of learning people’s movements and behaviors. A simple twitch of the finger, widened eyes of shifting eyes tell a lot more than the loud call to fold. Many people play poker by calling false moves and attempting to hide the truth from other players. However, only a few know how to do this successfully and their body language gives them away.
The same applies for business, as many people will try to swindle you. Know who is telling the truth whom you can trust and who is the outright liar.

2. Learn how to lose big

If you have never lost money in poker then you have never played. In poker, you can lose and lose big.

Losing a round in the game is not the end in the game. You learn how to control your emotions, come to terms with the loss and plan. Many companies go bankrupt, go into receivership and suffer major losses. However, the ultimate businessperson knows how to rise after the fall. You only do so by strategizing and keeping calm instead of throwing a fit. Losing and moving on is the best way to win.

3. Learn proper planning

A good poker player knows not to sit at a table without a plan in mind. Otherwise, they simply will be planning to fail. You have to plan your moves and have an outline of your strategy. The best planning is that that factors in even the unexpected. Always have an escape route that leaves you safe.

Writing a business plan is not something you just do in business school. Even if it is your own venture and no one will assess it, always plan every move.

4. Learning money management

People who go bankrupt because they played a few games are not great poker players. You need to know how much you have and are risking to spend. Once you get to your limits, find a way to move out gracefully and admit defeat with tact.

In business as well, you make progress through valuable investments but you need to know how much you can risk. Also managing your money in understanding that the more you invest, the more you make yet remind yourself to stay within the limits.

5. Learning strategic decision-making

Many games have been lost by a player who made a big move or call in the early stages of the game. Ensure when playing you get as much information as you can. That is the reason many hold off before making a move because you need to be sure no one will counter you. You may lose a few but all in the act of getting information. Never make a move with limited information you will fail miserably. Call as many false moves as you need to before you launch the big one.

6. Learn where to focus

Many opportunities will present themselves but keep your focus on the bigger picture. A great example is not only in poker but also in chess. Do not fall for the pawn and lose your queen!

In business as well as poker, focus on the great advantage. You may need to let go of the small opportunities along the way to gain the most in the end.

7. Learning to depend on your gut… instinct

Above all, never silence the small but powerful voice that is your instinct. At times, it will save your life, business and money more than years of learning how to read minds and making strategies. The unexpected happens and your gut can save you!

Byline
Chad is a poker enthusiast and blogger. He is also a leading businessman and uses the game of poker to train his employees’ work skills. He believes that being the player with the high poker hands shows just much tact one has as a spot-on businessman.

The Car of your Dreams a Reality

There are lots of things that go into making a car the car of your dreams: horsepower, body-shape, colour, that something hard-to-pin-down. If your credit history is poor then you might assume that the car of your dreams is set to remain just that, however you may be wrong.These days, there are various buying options for all sorts of customers. For instance, rather than buying a car outright more and more people are choosing to buy a car on finance, which represents a more economical way to purchase cars.

But don’t loans discriminate against those who have bad credit? Well lots of them do, and if you have a bad credit history it tends to preclude you from being able to take out all sorts of loans, including many car financing options.

However, there is something called guaranteed car finance. This is where rather than being allocating a loan based on your credit history, you are guaranteed to be approved for car financing. And this makes it ideal for those with bad credit rating.

Car finance bad credit works just the same as normal car financing, but tends to have higher interest rates. On the plus side, meeting repayments could actually improve your credit rating. Of course, being able to own a car could dramatically improve your quality of life.

So, with the right financing option your dream car need no longer be a dream, and could be a reality.

This guest blog post is written by Webmaster of rightdrive.co.uk, offering Car finance bad credit and guaranteed car finance services!

How to use the internet to earn some spare cash

If you find that you could do with boosting your income and don’t have the time to get a part-time job then using the internet could be the answer.The online world is much more than finding information on Wikipedia: it’s a fully loaded powerhouse that can help you earn more money too. If you have a sellable talent, you can use the many forums and job sites to promote yourself. For instance, if you have experience with graphics and design you can offer such services to people; whether it’s website designs, media icons or stock imagery.

If you’re good with words then freelance writing is an option, as is website designing if you have the know-how. The internet can even be used to offer tuition, such as musical instruments or a school subject, thanks to the use of a webcam and microphone. Such is the benefit of this that it transcends locality; you can teach English to students in China provided you both have an internet connection and a microphone. With online banking and PayPal, receiving payments is incredibly easy, too.

If you don’t want to use your own innate talents to generate some more money, there are other options. If you have a small amount of money you’re willing to spend then you can get involved in online gaming. Provided you don’t use this to get out of debt and understand the risks of gambling addiction, the internet is full of casinos, so you can play your favourite games and earn a bit of money at the same time. If casinos aren’t your thing you can play other games like Bingo or Deal or No Deal from the comfort of your computer chair, all the while being in with a chance of receiving some money. It may not be enough to buy you a new house but you never know, you may get lucky and hit the jackpot.

These are just a few suggestions and they barely scrape the surface of what the internet is capable of offering. If you spend a little time researching the options and possibilities as well as deciding what you may be able to offer others for a fee, it won’t be long before you’re up and running and earning some extra income online.

To give the earnings an extra boost you can put anything you earn from the internet into a savings account like a cash ISA. This not only keeps the money earned separate from your day job, it also will be subject to higher interest rates so that what you earn can increase further – when it comes to a time for you to make a withdrawal, you have more money than you actually earned. With financial possibilities like that at your fingertips, there’s no time to waste in establishing your online presence now.

 

How to manage a windfall

Like many others, you’ll probably be glued to the TV on Saturday night waiting to see if you’ve won the lottery – and if your numbers come up you’d probably start planning a holiday, new car and house and an entirely new luxury lifestyle (after picking yourself up from the shock, of course).

But if you really do land a windfall from your lucky ticket – or you come into money from another source such as a relative’s estate – you actually need help!Few think of requiring help spending money – there will be dozens of family members and friends queuing up to do that. But managing a windfall really does need professional advice and wealth management services are available for just that purpose.

While the millionaire style windfall is just that – a one in a million chance – many of us receive large one-off payments at some time in our life from an inheritance, divorce settlement, insurance pay-out, house sale or lump sum payment on retirement.

Effective wealth management means you are more likely than most to keep hold of the money for a significant period of time rather than squandering it on an ill-conceived lifestyle overhaul.

Surveys suggest that without professional intervention, more than 50 per cent of windfalls are lost in a very short time.

So, my top tips are:

• Seek professional wealth management advice
• Don’t rush to spend
• Pay off any debts
• Leave the money in an account earning interest while you decide your next moves
• Look forward to having fun!

What is BestofFiverr.com?

What is BestofFiverr.com?

BestofFiverr.com is a growing website that was created in October of 2010.  It is dedicated to the Fiverr business community and is a great resource for educating yourself on the good, the bad, and the ugly of Fiverr.com.

Its a beautiful thing

The beauty of BestofFiverr is that the writers publish true stories about actual gigs they have purchased on Fiverr.  This gives its readers an inside look at what can happen when you buy Fiverr gigs.  The stories are well written and so entertaining that you may find  yourself spending hours reading through them all.

Avoid Scams

Just because a seller has a lot of good recent feedback on his gig doesn’t always mean he is delivering a quality service.  BestofFiver explains in detail about different scams on Fiverr and educates its readers about what to look for before purchasing a gig. This is essential for frequent buyers because the Fiverr site itself does very little to prevent misleading gigs.

Hidden Gem

This site is a hidden gem for buyers because they are able to weed out the garbage and save money they would of spent on worthless gigs by actually finding quality work surfing through BestofFiverr. There’s also benefits for sellers as they are presented with options to have their gigs reviewed and promoted as well.

So whether you are a buyer or seller, no matter how big or small, there is something for you on BestofFiverr.com