personal finance forum

If you are looking for checks that are not plain or have cutesy designs such as kittens or puppies, you should check out the motorcycle personal blank checks that are available. These checks are available with a variety of different Harley Davidson motorcycle images imprinted on them, and they are awesome for anyone who is a motorcycle enthusiast to use. In fact, you may even find that when you have these checks that you are more eager to spend money, because you get a chance to use them.

A Great Gift Idea

These checks are fun, and they also make a great gift. If you have a joint checking account with your significant other, you can surprise him or her with some of these cool looking checks. If your partner is really into motorcycles, he or she is really going to like these, and will appreciate you getting the checks for them. If you are giving money to someone as a gift, they would probably be thrilled to get a check that has the image of one of the most iconic motorcycles in the world on it.

Features of Motorcycle Checks

The motorcycle personal bank checks that are available from Harley Davidson can be used for any banking institution, even though they are purchased from licensed Harley dealers. Some of the features of these checks include:

Many of us struggle to save because we can't seem to find enough money to set aside that isn't already designated for other costs. You know you should be saving more, but how? It's a challenge, no doubt about it.

The overall goal of building wealth is increasing your net worth. Net worth is defined as the amount of money you would have if you sold all of your assets and paid off all of your debts. This number should grow over time.

So, how to find this hidden money? First, you need to take stock of your current financial situation. This includes your monthly income, monthly expenses and assets (amounts in checking, savings, stocks, bonds, CD's, mutual funds, 401K, etc.). Next add up all of your debt. Ok, so you have 4 numbers now:
Your monthly incomeYour monthly expensesYour assetsYour liabilities (debt)

To calculate your net worth, subtract your liabilities from your assets. This is the number that you need to grow over time, preferably quickly. Now you at least know where you stand. Next, subtract your monthly expenses from your monthly income. Your monthly income should cover all of your monthly expenses, and then some. If it doesn't, you need to figure out where your money is going. Sites like Mint.com are extremely useful for tracking this type of information. I had no idea how much I was spending on certain things until I started tracking it on Mint. Mint is also FREE to use. It's a beautiful thing.

Ok, so you've signed up for Mint.com and loaded your financial information. Did you find anything surprising? Now comes the fun part. Grab a sheet of paper and make two columns. Go line by line on your monthly expenses and designate which ones actually add value to your life. Does an occasional cup of specialty coffee add value to your life? Sure, it makes you happy and its something you enjoy. Do you need 8 in a month or would you still be just as happy with 2?

Cut out all unnecessary expenses as quickly as possible. Like establishing any new habit, it may be uncomfortable for a month or so while you get used to it but it will be worth it. Send the money, to the penny, of what you were spending on non-value added things to your smallest debt balance. Once you pay that off, take the entire amount you were sending to that smallest debt amount and add it to the payment for the next smallest. Continue this until you have paid off all of your debt.

While you are restructuring your budget, ensure you have enough in savings. You should have at least $1000 at all times though its a better idea to have a minimum of 3 months worth of cash you could dip in to should something sudden happen. Calculate this amount by taking your normal monthly expenses and multiplying it by 3. You may want to consider applying a portion of the money you just freed up to adding to this savings budget.

Chances are, you've heard this all before. I have, about a million times. So why do we still not do it? The short answer is discipline, or rather a lack of it. Anytime I had extra cash, I would spend it on something fun instead of sending it to debt. This is where the beauty of having a financial plan comes in to play. If I can't see it, I won't touch it. Take the money out of my check before I have a chance to spend it and divide it up so I can build my savings and reduce my debt at the same time. Once I got on this plan with my financial adviser, I was shocked at the progress in just 3 months! I had not managed to save that much money in the past 3 years! My only regret was not doing it sooner.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert

You can make more money today. It's easier than you think. You might just be beating yourself up right now and stuck in an hourly wage or salary mentality. Break loose, get free, have fun and make more money with these 3 steps!

1. Ask for it - So many people do not ask for more money for what they are already doing or are not firm with their new price. This is the quickest and easiest way to make more money. Know what you're worth!

Are you afraid to ask? What's the worst that could happen? Probably the worst that would happen is they will say no. But then you need to ask yourself if you created enough value before you asked? And if the amount you're making is so painful compared to what you really need to make, you may need to stay in the ring and keep negotiating if at first you hear the response, "no". Again, be firm and clear with yourself about what you're worth and why before you walk in the door.

And don't forget, people will value even more what they pay more for. Do you know what your value is? Have you thought about it? What are you really worth per hour? Why?

2. Sell Something - Buy something that is an asset, meaning builds value over time, and then sell it for more money in a few months to a few years depending on how quickly it builds value. This can include collectible items, property, gold, stocks, etc.

You can also sell things that you make or purchase for wholesale as a consultant. And for even more, get rid of those old clothes in the closet you don't need and sell them on eBay. I had a dress in my closet I knew I would never wear again and I sold it within two days of it being listed.

And most importantly...

Use What You Got! - You didn't just get it "from yo mama", a lot of what you have is valuable, including your skill set. What are you good at? What would people pay you for? Are you an artist, dance instructor, fitness guru, life coach, yoga instructor, a handyman, a consultant, writer, etc? The list goes on and on, and the point is; with a little bit of creativity and skill that you already have, or can easily attain with a few training classes, you can generate more income on top of what you are already doing.

Are you afraid you won't have enough time to do this? QUIT WHINING! When you were little you probably begged your parents to stay up late didn't you? Now you can use your time how you wish and you complain about using more time to play! Look at "working" as playing. We all wanted to be a grown up before we grew up. Now some us are grown and don't experience any joy in the roles we play to make money or even have fun with money anymore. HAVE FUN!!! And go out and make some more! It's not that hard, it's really just a state of mind.

With love, empowerment and inspiration always

People and companies that operate from countries with minimal capital control measures are used to transferring money out of their countries and receiving money from foreign parties reasonably quickly with minimal fuss, as long as the transfers are for legitimate purpose. Of course, in present circumstances, all countries with modern banking institutions have put in place regulatory measures to detect, identify and penalize potential money transfers of illegal nature (for example money laundering). People and companies that wish to transfer/receive money normally compare simple issues of cost, exchange rates, financial soundness of the institution and speed of transfer. Some may also consider more mundane issues such as convenience (does the institution have a branch nearby) and customer service (are staff in the institution helpful and courteous).

However, to transfer money out of a country with strict capital control measures is not as simple. A good example is Vietnam. Even when a Vietnamese resident/company has a perfectly legitimate reason to transfer money out of the country, it is procedurally troublesome, bordering on impossible. Many people who are new visitors to Vietnam and staying in the country for an extended period of time encounter this issue only when they need to to their family in their home country. What seems like a simple and perfectly legitimate money transfer rapidly turns into a bureaucratic nightmare. Vietnam banks, in accordance with regulatory requirement, will demand that the remitter produce documents to prove the source of the money, purpose of the transfer, etc. Even though the regulations are supposed to be applied uniformly across all banks, the remitter soon realize that different banks, different branches of the same bank, even different staff of the same branch, can somehow give different accounts of the procedure and documents required. Attempts to seek clarification or worse, complain against a bank staff to his/her management, are useless and only serve to make one more confused and frustrated. Attempting to via banks can be a real test of one's patience.

Physically carrying large amount of money out of Vietnam is also not possible. Even if one is willing to cast aside concern of fund safety to carry a large sum of money out of Vietnam, he has to first seek approval from relevant Vietnam authorities if the cash he intends to carry is more than USD7,000 (or its equivalent in another currency). This is a process that is even more troublesome than trying to transfer through banks. Attempting to bring more than USD7,000 (or its equivalent in another currency) out of Vietnam without necessary approval is a serious offence in Vietnam. People caught and convicted of this offence face heavy penalty.

Basically, Vietnam regulations make it highly difficult to officially transfer money out of the country. As a result, unofficial channels have grown to help people . Remitters who go through these unofficial channels incur significantly lower fees while receiving much more favorable exchange rates. Naturally, these unofficial channels are discreet about their service. The service providers are known only to a core group of regular customers and they usually only accept new customers introduced by existing customers. The service providers are cautious of accepting new customers as they do not want to be unwittingly involved in any money laundering activities. They know clearly they exist to assist people and companies with legitimate needs , not to help criminals launder money.

Such unofficial channels have proven to be useful and important to Vietnam residents (be it Vietnamese citizens or foreigners) and companies operating from Vietnam. As long as Vietnam continue to impose capital control measures in their current form, these unofficial channels will play a valuable role in facilitating business transactions and should be welcomed by all as a viable alternative to official channels.

The author has extensive experience (more than 10 years) doing business in Vietnam.