Prepaid debit cards were tailor made for persons with no credit history, or people with a damaged credit history. You will not have to deal with verification by credit check or chexsystems. There are no requirements other than complying with the US Patriot Act, which means that you identity will be investigated. As long as you are not living with a false identity, you will not have many problems getting approval for the debit card. Prepaid debit cards are different from unsecured credit cards used traditionally. You must first deposit the funds into your account, and use only this amount to make purchases with your card. There are  no interest fees, over the limit fees, overdraft fees, late payment fees, since it is only the money in your account that you are paying for. A prepaid debit card  [...] 

Steve Roach, non executive chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, says that China may stop investing in Treasurys as growth slows down in the US. The Asian power may instead concentrate more on development of internal demand. China has traditionally bought US debt to finance the economy of the country, and so that there will be more Western consumers for goods manufactured in China. However, decreasing demand from these quarters may leave China with the only option of exporting less and focusing more on buying at home. This is a wake up call for China, Roach said to CNBC. In Roach’s words, China will no longer be able to be hooked onto the American consumer bandwagon, and stay on the export led growth course. With heavy focus on exports, China the massive foreign exchange reserve accumulation,  [...] 

Have you felt the power of intrigue this silvery metal holds? The global commodities market has platinum traded around the clock just like gold and silver. It is much rarer than gold – the quantity of platinum extracted off the ground through mining is much less compared to gold. Due to this reason, when the market as well as the politics of a country is in a state of stability, the price of platinum tends to be quite higher than gold. Most times, the price of platinum tends to be double that of gold. When the economy is volatile, gold prices generally rise, and at the same time the prices for platinum falls, due to decrease in demand. Platinum has several other factors on which its price is decided. It is used in many major industries, and is considered an industrial metal just like  [...] 

Gold and oil are the most commonly invested commodity ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds). These hit the headlines on a regular basis. However, there are a number of commodity ETFs that are gaining popularity in the market this year. The commodities market was quite difficult to access in the past as it involved either holding the commodity directly, or making complex investments in futures. However, the huge number of commodity ETFs coming up in the market has resulted in making it possible for the small investor to invest in a range of commodities, and also diversify the investments. In today’s market, bets are enabled using commodity ETFs on the prices of natural resources such as precious metals like platinum, uranium, food items such as milk, corn, as well as other commodities like timber. Commodities  [...] 

This is a first in history. Uncle Sam’s long term debt has been downgraded by the Standard & Poor rating agency. The US administration has reacted vociferously, describing the rating as “amateurish”. Concerns are rising all over the world that the world would once again slip into a financial crisis due to the US credit rating downgrade. Indices in Asia and Australia started down following the declaration. The reports all over the world have been mixed, which certainly has not helped quell the growing concerns. S&P are not only standing by the lowered rating, but also say that there could be a further downgrade if the debt problem is not resolved in two years. Let us see the main ways in the US credit rating downgrade will affect the common citizen. The interest rates paid by  [...] 

The Japanese finance minister repeatedly stated that the US dollar or the US treasury bonds have not lost faith by the country. The Nikkei market opened down by 1.4 per cent, later making slight gains. The credit rating of the United States has been downgraded for the first time in history. Other markets in Asia were not even as promising. The S&P / ASX – 200 in Australia saw a loss of two percent early on in the day’s trading. In addition, New Zealand indexes fell upto three per cent. The reports are mixed, and this would not be helpful in reducing the rising concerns that this could lead to a crisis in the global markets. The S & P downgrade of the US credit rating was from AAA to AA+. Efforts have been going on all over the world so that markets are calm in the aftermath of the  [...] 

Shakespeare has been proved wrong again and again. His line “What is in a name?” would have been outright laughed at in today’s word of brands, where a name is everything. A brand name is more than a name. It, along with the logo, product packaging, design elements, forms the basis of the brand’s identity, which is what branding is all about. Let us see how important branding has been for some of the greatest brands in today’s world. Marlboro . . . The smoking cowboy, or the Marlboro Man, was once the epitome of style, and had a good hand in making smoking cool at the time. In the nineties, Philip Morris, owner of Marlboro, was facing tough competition in the tobacco industry. The company had to slash the prices of its brand heavy cigarettes, which pushed the investor`s panic buttons.  [...] 

Philanthropy is certainly a virtue worthy of admiration. At the same time, folly is neither a virtue nor worth admiring. There are quite a number of dishonest people out there that put up a façade of goodness and come asking you for charity, but if you are smart enough to ask them the relevant questions of where your money is going, there should not be a problem. Never ever, get into the mistake of yielding to pressure, and give just for the sake of getting rid of the pesky spokesperson. Make sure you know everything about the charity, their processes, the way the money is spent, the exact portion of money devoted for each purposes, the board of directors, the financial status, background. All these details should be looked at when giving. This is important. No good charity will hesitate to  [...]