Hirst

A car in Houston, as well as most cities in the nation, is not strictly a mean of transportation; it is an investment purchase. Just like any other investment, the right planning will result in earning a higher return on investment. A purchase that is only done every couple of years requires a certain amount of extra research. This obviously applies to car acquisitions. A car takes an initial lump investment, annual expenses, hidden and obvious expenses.

Smart Houstonian car shoppers have recognized that Houston is the 6th largest metropolitan area in the nation, and the 3rd with most fortune 500 headquarters. This is resulting in a high supply of used cars. The supply paves the road to great potential to save on used cars in Houston. With quick focused research, youll know the perfect make, model. You will also have an understanding of the fair market value. Kelly Blue Book is an ideal place to determine the fair market value of a car. Needless to mention, when making the final decision, the least expensive is not always the best fit, nor does it put you in the ultimate economical situation.

You should first determine a buying budget, and allocate an annual expense to the privilege of owning the car. Make a list of the cars that you see yourself driving, then call your car insurance company to have an idea of the different rate brackets. Hence, the asking price does not equal the final out of pocket value. After buying the car, you are to pay taxes, license and registration. Moreover, never neglect to consider the initial preventive maintenance (oil changes, fluid flushes etc.). Each of the factors will be discussed in details in articles that are dedicated to it.

Hidden costs that I consider to be most significant are; time depreciation, miles depreciation, preventive and emergency maintenance. Also, Interest (paid on loan, interest could have earned). Last but not least, please remember that in 2007, the average price the American consumer is paying at the pump is 3 dollars.

Throughout the years, on average, a compact car costs me about 4 cents per mile in maintenance. Therefore, depending on the number of miles your car drives on a gallon, the ratio differs, but as illustrated in the table below, that at 25 miles per gallon, you should plan to spend a dollar in maintenance for every gallon of gas. Below is a the formula used to compute the numbers in the table, which assuming that the one way distance to work is 5 miles, remember the table is strictly based on my assumption, and experience.

For those that are numbers oriented, I provided the following formula, for those that are not; you can skip the formula and jump to the table.

(((distance to work one way *520)/gas mileage)*3.00) + (distance to work one way*20.8)

Miles/Gallon 10 15 20 25 30
Annual Gas Cost 780520 390312260
Annual Maintenance Cost104104104104104

In summary, buying a used car can save you a lot if the right research is done, and the hidden expenses are taken into consideration.

Copyright - 2007 Khalid R. Mustaffa The owner of cars in Houston The website is dedicated to serve the Houston market needs pertaining to used cars in Houston area The website provides important information to car buyers and owners around the world. It also serves as Houston used cars classifieds

Beware! Someone is Phishing for your Personal Financial Information

4 Things You Must Do Now to Protect Yourself Against Internet Thieves

What is phishing?

Phishing is pronounced just like the sport used to catch a fish on a hook fishing. And thats exactly what thieves are trying to do to you hook onto your personal financial information.

What personal financial information are they looking for?

Anything and everything store account numbers, passwords, bank account numbers, credit card numbers and Social Security numbers are just a few. Thieves look for any numbers they can steal to run up your credit card or empty out your bank account.

Are there other, less obvious methods that thieves can use that might go unnoticed for a number of months?

Yes, with your personal financial information, thieves can obtain a new credit card or take out a loan without you even being aware of it until the bills start coming in. They can even secure a drivers license in your name! The damage that this can do to you personally and financially can take you years to recover from.

How might someone try to trick you into unwittingly giving away your personal financial information? You might receive an email from your financial institutional or another trusted company that you recognize and do business with (this has been especially common with eBay and PayPal). This email will warn you of some serious problem that needs your immediate attention and strongly encourages you to click a link in the email to correct the problem. STOP! Do not click any link in an email that warns of dire consequences no matter how real the email looks. Instead find the phone number or website information on the monthly statements that you receive from your financial institution. Then call or logon using the legitimate contact information. Its important that you are the one initiating the call, dont fall for clicking a link in an email.

What can be done to protect yourself against phishing?

1.Never give your financial information to anyone over the phone or internet if it is an unexpected, unsolicited request.
2.Even if you think that the phone call or email that is requesting information is legitimate, call your bank directly to make sure.
3.Dont give anyone your password over the phone or in response to an email. Your bank would never ask you to verify your information in this way. Thieves who are successful in obtaining your password can easily help themselves to your savings account.
4.Review your printed and online financial statements regularly at least once a month. The sooner that you can catch a thief at work, the less damage they can do.

What can you do if you unknowingly gave away personal financial information?

1.Contact your bank, store or credit card company immediately. They will be able to instantly put a hold on your account to stop any further damage.
2.Contact any one of the three major credit bureaus and ask whether you should put a fraud alert on your file. Why? This will prevent a thief from opening a new bank account or credit card using your information. Here are the numbers to call.

a.Equifax : 1-800-525-6285
b.Experian: 1-888-397-3742
c.TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289

Dont let yourself become the next victim of phishing! Fight back by following these step by step directions.

Beth Gabriel is a successful Webmaster and publisher of PrePaid-Legal-Help-4U.com. She provides more Identity Theft information and reviews on Identity Theft Prevention that you can read on her website from the comfort of your home at 2:00 am!

When it comes to budget planning you need a solid plan that will map out what it is you need to be doing with your money. If you dont have a budget then you are out spending money and really arent making sure you have enough to pay your bills or even that you have enough set aside for emergencies or retirement. So, it is important to have budget planning software that will help you create your budget and follow it each month. That way you will spend only what needs to be spent and save whatever amount it is you want to save. Budgeting software is excellent because it does all the work for you!

The first and most important aspect of budget planning is determining how much money you make each month and how much you must spend. The must refers to necessities like food, gas, car payments, house payments, and those general living expenses that are necessary. Work out your budget based on these numbers. Once you know how much you make and how much you have to spend to survive then you just look at the difference to see how much money you have left over to save, play with, invest, or donate. When you know what is left of your income after bills each month then you will have a good idea whether you are living above your means or not.

Now, if the number that was left over from your income after bills seemed like a lot more money than you have at the end of the month you need to figure out where it is going. Sit down and think. Are you buying a fast food lunch every day? That would account for at least $100 a month for one person. Do you buy drinks at the gas station or magazines at the grocery store? Find all the little places you are spending your money and you will see very quickly that there are better ways to save and still get what you want. If you like to have a cold drink in the car then take one from home. If you like reading magazines then subscribe. You will pay for a years subscription about the same price of three or four newsstand prices at the grocery store. Doing little exercises like this will allow you to see where you waste money and how you can rein it in.

As you can see you can creating a budget is not that difficult and using forecasting software can also help you determine how much you need to save for future events.

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. That way you will spend only what needs to be spent and save whatever amount it is you want to save. Budgeting software is excellent because it does all the work for you! As you can see you can creating a budget is not that difficult and using forecasting software can also help you determine how much you need to save for future events.