Categories
News Personal Finance Tech

Best 5 PayPal Alternatives In 2019

PayPal is the most popular online platform at the moment, but if you are looking for small scale business transactions with a cheaper fee and usability​, there are other alternatives. We put together a list of 5 faster, more convenient and affordable payment interlines for small business that are the best 5 PayPal alternatives in 2019.

Best 5 PayPal Alternatives In 2019

Transferwise

Transwerwise is the best alternative for freelancers or business person searching for an online payment platform as it comes with rather low transaction fees and no obscure charges. One of the best attributes of this payment interline is that it sustains over 40 currencies.

Venmo

This payment application is the best option for those who are worried about security. The platform offers two options: you can link your debit/credit card to Venmo, or you can deposit money in your Venmo wallet to make payments.

The transaction fee is free when you transfer money through your bank account, but when you convey through credit card, the charge is 3 percent of the money you sent.

Dwolla

Also one of the best PayPal alternatives in 2019, Dwolla is ideal for you in the case you have a high quantity of transactions to make. The app is incredibly user-friendly and only takes $.25 on conveys over $10.

When you sign up on this platform, you have to go through a rigorous checking process. Also, you can computerize your transactions and make up to 5,000 transactions with just one API request. However, this payment gateway is only accessible in the USA.

Payoneer

Payoneer allows you to make purchases and payments anywhere on the globe. The platform also gives you prepaid MasterCard, and the card can be used wherever it is accepted.

Stripe

Stripe is trendy among online firms as one of the best PayPal alternatives in 2019 for businesses. It allows you to incorporate it with your API easily.

This platform accepts transactions from all over the globe, with your money going into your bank account through Stripe. Its transaction fees are similar to PayPal’s, but you have to own a bit of programming knowledge to utilize Stripe for online stores.

Categories
News Personal Finance

What You Should Know About Investing in Texas Real Estate

Texas has one of the fastest growing populations in the country. With immigration, new tech industries springing up throughout the state, and people relocating to Texas for jobs, real estate is at an all-time high. Clocking in as the second largest state in both land area and population in the US, Texas has a lot of potential when it comes to investing in property. To become a successful real estate investor, you need to have a firm grasp on the ins and outs of owning a rental property in the Lone Star State. From location to financing a rental property, below is a list of what you need to know about investing in Texas real estate.

Financing a Rental Home

When it comes to investing in rental property, you need to first figure out how you’re going to take the plunge and buy your property. Buying your first home for you and your family typically requires only a 3% down payment. This is not the case when it comes to purchasing property for investment purposes. Mortgage insurance doesn’t cover investment properties, so you’ll need to place at least a 20% down payment for traditional financing. However, the larger down payment you place, the better interest rate you’ll receive.

Depending on where you’re searching to invest property in, there are multiple options you can choose from. You can apply for hard money loans in El Paso, which are perfect for people who may have poor credit scores or debt. With hard money loans, investors look at your assets rather than your financial history, allowing you to take on large projects such as flipping a home. Or, if you’re looking into a larger city like Dallas, you can take out a bank loan for commercial property such as a shopping center or office building.

Location, Location, Location

These 3 L’s are the mantra of every real estate investor. Location is an extremely valuable aspect of owning rental property. Why? Because you want to invest in areas where people actually live! In a state as large as Texas, you may sit there wondering where on earth you should begin looking to invest. A good thing about living in the 21st Century is technology. There are numerous real estate investing apps that allow you to search for homes on the go!

A good tip is to start with large or growing cities. Texas is rapidly growing in the computer tech industry, oil, healthcare, and renewable energy. The reason for Texas’s population growth is because college graduates from universities along both coasts, as well as leading industry professionals, are moving there. Cities such as Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, and Austin are expanding quickly, so looking here is a good place to begin.

Lastly, an always in demand audience are college students. Large college towns such as Waco, College Station, and Lubbock have an endless supply of students looking to rent. With high turnover, you’re able to make adjustments to rental prices year by year to compete with college housing prices. To ensure you properties stay intact, screening services allow you to determine if potential renters are good for your home. Or, if you want to dip your toes into the tourism sector of cities like San Antonio, Airbnb gives investors an easy platform for renting their property.

Taking Care of Your Real Estate Property

Investing in real estate is extremely rewarding. If you make real estate your sole source of income, you free yourself from that dreaded 9-5 work schedule or sitting in an office all day. However, it’s not all butterflies and rainbows. With rental properties come repairs. A way to save money is learning how to do common repairs yourself. Along with repairs, renovating your rental property will increase its value and allow you to make a larger profit in the long run. Remember, this is an affordable investment opportunity that can pay off heavily in the long run. Knowing simple repairs such as fixing leaky faucets or a hole in the wall will save you time on expensive contractors.

If a large-scale reconstruction project needs to be done in order to stay on top of state laws and codes, you could find yourself knee deep in expenses. Whether you need a foundation repair or a new roof, you want to get the job done as cheap as possible for the best quality. You can contract freelance laborers through online freelance marketplaces and adjust your search by cost and type of repair. Or, opt for the traditional route and research the best professionals near you.

Taking It All In

Investing in real estate in Texas offers endless opportunities for financial success. With an ever-growing population and a wide array of industry sectors, finding tenants will be no problem. However, knowing how to finance a rental home, where to buy, and how to renovate and repair your property are important pieces to owning your very own rental property.

Categories
News Personal Finance

How to Save Money When Purchasing Luxury Vehicles

When you purchase a luxury vehicle, you get to join a special sort of auto club. You could literally join an auto club for luxury car owners, but we’re talking about the kind of club that needs no formal getup. When you’re cruising around town with your windows rolled down, you get to hold your head high and bask in the stylish aura of your ride. It will never be more satisfying to swing your car keys around your fingers.

Of course, joining that auto club comes with a price. You don’t want to be the auto version of “house poor,” where you spend so much money paying for your vehicle that you don’t have any money to drive it anywhere. Because luxury cars are so expensive, you should try and do whatever you can to minimize the cost of your transaction.

Here are a few tips on how to save money when you’re purchasing a luxury vehicle.

Get Pre-Approved for an Auto Loan

If you’re going to get financing for your luxury car, always get pre-approved for a loan by your lender. No matter how much cash you have on hand, it’s just smart money management. When you get pre-approved, you’ll know exactly how much you’ll be able to finance through a loan. You’re also more likely to get a good interest rate through an auto loan than if you were to seek dealer financing.

A pre-approved loan will also help you out during negotiations with the dealer. If you’re trying to buy a vehicle that’s a slightly higher price than your loan, you’ll have a good reason to ask for a lower price that matches the loan amount.

Buy Used

You could save a lot of money by buying a used luxury vehicle rather than a brand-new one. Some prospective luxury vehicle owners scoff at this idea—isn’t it more prestigious to buy a car that’s right out of the factory? Factory-smactory. Doesn’t every vehicle become a used vehicle after a week of driving it around?

In all seriousness, buying used is a great way to bring home a stylish car without breaking the bank. You might be surprised at how many used vehicles are in great condition. Consider buying a certified pre-owned vehicle, if you’re really concerned about it. A certified car is a used car that has been meticulously maintained though manufacturer-approved mechanics. Take a look at these certified Mercedes vehicles for sale and see for yourself. They’re all in prime condition, they look stunning, and they cost only a fraction of the price of a new luxury vehicle.

Shop Prices

Don’t assume that all luxury vehicles will go for the same price. Every vehicle has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), which is one the manufacturer recommends the price at which the dealer should sell the car. It’s important for you to do research on your luxury vehicle’s MSRP. Never buy from a dealer who is selling the car for higher than it’s MSRP. Seek dealers who are willing to sell at a price lower than its MSRP.

Visit multiple dealers and find the best possible price. Don’t be afraid to travel to dealerships in nearby towns. Sometimes you’ll find dealers just outside of your area who have better deals than your local dealerships.

Make sure to shop prices on auto insurance, too. Auto insurance will add to your monthly auto costs, so find the insurance provider with good rates.

Trade-in Your Current Vehicle

If you currently own a vehicle, whether a Bentley or a Toyota,  consider trading it in when you buy your luxury car. Some dealers, mostly used car dealers, will accept trade ins, and you can apply the cash toward the new vehicle you’re buying. Don’t get your hopes up—you won’t receive as much for your trade in as what you bought that vehicle for. And it’s doubtful that you’ll receive enough compensation to pay for your new vehicle. But a trade-in could significantly reduce the price of your luxury car. If you can’t depart with your whole car, you might be able to remove parts that you don’t need and sell the used parts online.

Buy from a Trustworthy Dealer

This tip applies mostly for those who are buying used vehicles. If you’re going to buy a used luxury car, it’s important that you have the car thoroughly inspected before you make the purchased. Used car dealers are notorious for trying to conceal the real condition of a vehicle. Always arrange to have the vehicle inspected at an auto shop that you trust. If the dealer refuses to let you have the car inspected by a mechanic of your choice, it’s likely that there could be serious issues with the vehicle. It’s important to get a vehicle that’s in good condition so you can stay safe on the road.

Are you ready to join the club? With money-saving on your mind, you’ll be able to get a top luxury car at a lesser cost.

Categories
Finance News Personal Finance

Best Video Products & Guides for Video Marketing in 2019

There is no denying that video technology is shaping the marketing world. Technology will pretty much have an impact on everything that you do in life. This is especially true if you are a film or video producer.

That being said if you are a video or filmmaker, or even a marketer with an interest in video creation, you should take a look at some of these latest products. They are going to shape your creations in a way that you never thought possible. Make sure to read up on some video marketing guides before you start using video marketing tools listed below:

LaCie DJI Copilot Laptop-Free 2TB Drive

Drones are growing more and more popular for filmmakers. They allow producers to capture videos and images in real-time from locations and sites that they would not normally have access to. However, it is the LaCie DJI Copilot that is going to change the way filmmakers are using drones. This product is unique in its own right because it literally eliminates the need to link to a computer. This is the perfect solution for the filmmaker that captures and edits a lot of footage and is in need of a solution for quick transferring of files. This product was designed for the professional drone pilot, but the drive is compatible with any camera gear or accessory. This includes actions cams, DSLRs, memory cards, and tons more. This product comes with 2TB of space, which is about equal to 60 hours or 4k worth of video. It also comes with one-month free Adobe Create Cloud membership, which is something that any filmmaker could take advantage of.

Sennheiser’s AMBEO Immersive 3D Recording Headphones

Headphones have been getting more and more creative over the years, but it is safe to say that the AMBEO headset takes the market by far. They debuted just last year and they are an over-the-ear type of headset that was specifically designed for 3D audio recording. They allow users to record and listen to audio recordings on their smartphones. This is something that will come in handy for any video producer. All you have to do is plug the headphones into your smartphone, open the camera app, and hit record. With the camera held directly in front of you for the duration of the recording, you can capture your environment in 3D audio.

REMOVU’s Self-Stabilizing 4k Gimbal Camera

If there is one thing that filmmakers have a tremendous time with it is stabilization. This is especially true when you are filming action shots or when you are on the go. Sure, there are times when you want the camera to be shaky, but there are other times when you need to capture your images in still life. This is exactly where the REMOVU K1 comes in handy. With the K1, you won’t have to bring along lenses, stabilizers, bulky chargers, or external screens. Everything you will need is built right into this compact camera and it also includes a mic with a 1.5-inch LCD screen so that you can view your video.

Categories
News Personal Finance

Steps on How to Avoid a Bad Credit

If you have a credit card or have ever used one, then you must be aware of how tempting it is t keep spending even when you shouldn’t. And it’s for this reason that you risk having bad credit. You should, however, try to avoid this at all cost because once you get yourself in this mess, it could take you months and probably years to get yourself back to financial stability. So why not avoid bad debts from the start? Sounds like a good idea to you? Here is what you should do;

Buy Only What You Can Pay For

By all means, shun from swiping your credit card for items you can’t afford or don’t even need. If you didn’t carry enough cash to pay for them, then it means you hadn’t even planned to buy them. So save yourself from unnecessary costs by avoiding impulse buying at all costs.

Set Up An Emergency Fund

There’s no one who can tell for sure what will happen tomorrow. So set aside some cash every month to cater for emergency situations such as car breakdowns, accidents, and medical bills. These are among the top list of reasons as to why most people get credit cards in the first place. Easy access to cash during such moments will help you avoid huge credit card expenditures.

Make Your Credit Card Payments

By all means, avoid postponing those monthly credit card payments. In fact, they should be among your number one priority after other billings. Remember, even if you postpone it, you’re the one who’s going to pay it, but only at a much higher rate. And it might prove difficult to pay on time, thus landing you into a bad credit score. In such a situation, among the valid financial help you could get would be from the various bad credit loans guaranteed approval lenders, which will help you redeem the situation. This is because, with them, you won’t suffer embarrassment and rejections. And you could slowly increase your credit score. But ensure you learn from the situation.

Avoid Lending Out Your Credit Card

No matter how much you care for a person and how much in love you feel you are, you won’t have control over how much money they will spend on your credit card when you lend it to them. Money is a sensitive topic and very tempting. So they can promise you one thing but do the complete opposite. And in such a situation, it’s you who will suffer the repayment consequences. If you must give out, be there to make sure they spend only what you agreed upon.

Have Few Credit Cards

You don’t have to get a credit card for each person in your house. In fact, one is enough and if you must, limit them to at most three. Remember, the more you have, the more you will want to spend forgetting that you’re the same person paying them off. Another trick is to carry only one credit carry in your wallet or whenever you head out.

Having a credit card is a good thing as it can help you out when in a fix. But it’s the careless use of it that can easily put you into bad debt. To avoid this, minimize your expenses, have an emergency fund in place, make timely payments and have only one in your wallet.

Exit mobile version