Most of us know how important it is to supplement our retirement with additional investment in traditional taxable investment accounts. Simply maxing out your IRA contributions and putting away 6% of your paycheck into the employer’s 401(k) just may not do it, but not everyone has the thousands that most investment advice requires.Here is a plan developed with the ultra-small investor in mind. It takes just $100, every month for a year.

Should You Invest?

First, it is important to prioritize your financial concerns. If you have high-interest credit card debt, do not invest until you are debt free. While it is possible to make more money investing than you are losing on finance charges, it is highly unlikely. Your money is best spent lowering credit card balances.

Also, if you have no cash savings, you should consider putting this plan off until you have savings equal to at least three months’ salary.

Finally, if you would be devastated if you lost all of the money you invested, you should probably stay away from directly investing. While not likely if you are conservative, it is possible to lose all or some of the money you invest, no matter what the security.

Start Investing With Just $100

1. Open a brokerage account with a low-cost online broker. It’s important that you’re not paying more than $5 per trade, because that’s money that will be coming out of your investment. Also, make sure that the broker you choose has no minimum account balance, or fees will eat up your entire balance.

2. Fund your account. This is where you send your first $100 to the broker via check, wire transfer, or ACH transfer. I recommend ACH transfer, which is like an electronic check, because a check will take a few weeks to process and a wire transfer is too costly for investing such a small amount.

3. Make your first investment.

What you invest in is, of course very important, and professional investment advice is too expensive if you’re only investing $100. But studies have shown that the best returns come from widely diverse portfolios.

Now, you can’t easily have a widely diverse portfolio with $100, since that won’t even get you one share of Google (GOOG) or Toyota (TM). But Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) make it easy to invest a small amount of money in a wide variety of securities, because they are shares in a larger pool of securities. The Vanguard Total Stock Market VIPER (VTI) tracks over 6,000 U.S. stocks, and it’s like investing your first $100 in the entire U.S. stock market. The iShares MSCI-EAFE (EFA) invests in thousands of issues from Europe, Australia and Asia. The iShares Lehman Aggregate Bond (AGG) tracks the Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index, and it’s like investing your $100 in the entire bond market.

If, after three months, you have put $100 into each of these funds, you will have a well-diversified portfolio that should withstand most of the market’s fluctuations. Losses in any particular sector of the stock market should be offset by gains in other areas of the market. Add to it each month, never investing less than $100 at a time, and you should see the value of your account grow just as the stock market does.

There are many ETFs to choose from and they are getting more diverse, including junk bond and commodities funds. Personally I would stay away from them until there’s at least $1,000 in stock and traditional bond ETFs.

As you watch your investment grow (and then pull back, and then grow again) you should learn more about asset allocation and portfolio diversification, which are the keys to investment success. The more diverse your investments, the more you will be able to withstand volatile markets when stocks dip.

Finally, when the total value of your investment reaches $10,000, you should consider seeking professional investment advice and transferring your holdings to traditional mutual funds, which are a bit easier to manage, but typically have higher investment minimums.

Yes You Can Get a Credit Card Even if You Have Bad Credit.

In these modern times, owning a credit card is truly a necessity. The advantage and convenience on paying bills and purchase transactions using the plastic cards is needed for today’s busy people.

Furthermore, people are not always having sufficient funds to make acquisitions, whether significant or non-significant. Most retailers are also offering perks, discounts and attractive packages for credit card transactions.

Some people are not comfortable keeping cash on their purses. For security purposes, most people, from all works of life, are charging bills and purchases on their credit cards.

But getting a credit card is not as easy as using them on transactions. Although there are numerous banks and financial institutions, securing a credit card account is truly difficult because there are many considerations.

Credit history is among the most crucial factor that determines your capability to secure a credit card account. This is the particular aspect of consumers’ finance standing that make getting that plastic card a really tough task.

If you are among those people who have poor credit history, or more known in the lending lingo as bad credit, you are surely headed for a tough time in getting a credit card.

Why? It is because most credit card issuers are preferring to give out credit cards only to those who are less risky and are proven to handle or repay any debts that may accumulate from credit card transactions.

The surge in volume of credit card users in the past years is now starting to pay off. Many credit card firms have been encountering difficulties collecting payments from people who have spent more on their credit card transactions than what they can actually pay for.

Even regulators are enforcing safeguards that would disallow credit card issuers from easily providing credit facilities to customers. The idea is to make sure the past mistakes on credit card approvals will not be repeated.

Guidelines for credit card applications for people with bad credit

But if you are really desperate to get a credit card despite your bad credit standing, you should not lose hope. As they say, if there is a will, there is definitely a way.

Before embarking on the initiative to get credit card, you should first ask yourself whether you really need one, or whether you will be able to handle it properly.

Your paying capacity should also be noted, because you surely would not want to get yourself under huge pile of debts from future credit card charges and transactions.

Here are seven simple tips that would help you get a credit card, especially if you are among those people who are categorized as having bad credit records.

1. There are credit card facilities currently available in the market especially structured for people like you. Bad credit cards are scattered all over the place and many banks and financial institutions are starting to offer them.

Bad credit cards are different from the regular credit cards in that these cards are designed and made especially for people with bad credit standing. The terms and conditions are much flexible, though the credit limit is also substantially lower.

However, you need to open one to establish your credit history. If you have successfully opened a bad credit card account, make sure to pay on time and control your spending, so you could tarnish your records. After some time, your standing will elevate into good credit, and so you would be able to get regular credit card facilities.

2. For a start, you could also open credit card accounts at minor retail stores. Retailers are often more than willing to provide you the lean chance to own a credit card so you could make purchases at their stores.

3. If you are applying for a regular credit card, you must first find a friend or relative who will be willing to sign in as your co-guarantor. That means, if you fail to pay bills in the future, the co-guarantor will allow the credit card issuer to charge your dues to him or to her.

4. If you can help it, try getting credit cards from any issuer or bank but not from a single store or retail chain. If you are aiming to use the card on purchases from a retailer, it is advisable to get a credit card from that retail chain. Otherwise, secure an account from other institutions who are giving more flexible and better terms.

5. Avoid getting credit cards that require annual fees. There are many other credit card issuers that do not collect yearly charges on memberships. You should get a waived-annual-fee credit card as much as possible especially if your budget is strained.

6. If the above mentioned measures fail, then resort to getting a secured credit card facility. Secured credit cards will require you to have or open an existing savings account in a bank that would serve as a security for your credit line. The credit limit that would be implemented in your credit card account will equate to a percentage of your total deposits in your savings account.

7. Finally, to open a credit card when you have bad credit history, you simply have to uphold your rights. If a credit card company denies you an account, demand a written statement why your application was turned down. Ask for a copy of your credit standing so you would have a reference and determine how you could improve your records.

Some people will surely advise you not to get a credit card instead. If you have enough money to spend, then just stick to your paying power.

But if you really need one, then go for it. Just make sure you have the intention to pay your bills on time so you would not have problems in the future.

Modern life dictates us its rules in everyday situations. Things have changed a great deal for the past decades. Scientific breakthroughs and rapid political changes have led to the permutations in the minds of contemporary people. Things that were necessary and important to learn twenty or thirty years ago now have lost their importance. And vice versa – new sciences and occupations appear almost on a weekly basis. Besides, some subjects that were given less importance those days, are considered literally “a must” for a modern life.

One of such new things to be learned by everyone is financial education.

I strongly believe that it was Robert Kiyosaki who first draw the attention of the masses to the importance of this subject by writing his world-famous “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” series of books on cash flow. More and more people are becoming aware nowadays of the importance of the financial education and admit its place and role in their lives. These days everyone of us gets much more bytes of information per second than our parents used to get when they were our age. Due to the modern information flows, the life of modern Americans has changed forever.

Such words as “credit card”, “debt relief”, “debit account” and many more have firmly taken their places in our vocabulary. To be on top of the modern financial system and to get rich one should definitely know how to operate these terms. The more you know the higher your chances to succeed, the more likely you are to win the rat race.

Observers in the lending industry have estimated that there may be at least 50 million Americans who are not able to qualify for credit. These consumers are usually young, often members of the minority groups and unbanked…and they are faced with the long-standing dilemma of credit: how can I build my credit record if no one will give me any credit at all?

One of the answers offered by credit card companies is a variety of prepaid credit cards, designed for use by specific segments in the market. The prepaid credit cards are meant for that significant portion of the population that cannot meet the qualification criteria for regular credit cards, or who qualified before but have since lost their credit due to repeated defaults and other reasons.

Advantages of Prepaid Credit Cards For those who do not have enough credit history or have had it blemished, prepaid credit cards are an effective way to build or slowly rebuild credit. That may not happen immediately, but it is something to work on over time. The banks that issue prepaid credit cards are also prepared to extend normal credit the moment you are able to show that you have become a worthy credit risk.

For the moment, you may have to make do with prepaid credit cards. You can use prepaid credit cards as you would any other regular credit card to purchase airline tickets, reserve hotel rooms, or order items online.

Prepaid Credit Card for Students There is a special prepaid Visa credit card for students, which offers a lot of convenience not only for the students but also for their parents. These reloadable prepaid credit cards offer parents several options on how to reload. Parents can add money to reloadable prepaid credit cards by depositing money, by arranging an automatic transfer of funds from their account (a deposit account or their own credit card account), or by online transfer. Using the prepaid Visa credit card is no different from giving the regular allowance to their child, only they do so by electronic means and there is no more cash that changes hands.

The big advantage of the prepaid Visa credit card is that the student is limited to spend only as much money as there is in the card. The parent is thus able to control to some extent the spending behavior of their child. They can use the prepaid credit card anywhere that the credit card brand is accepted.

Prepaid Credit Cards as Gift Certificates Some prepaid credit cards function like gift certificates. You buy the prepaid credit card for a certain amount, and your recipient can purchase items with it at any of the brick-and-mortar stores or online merchants, and also for mail order items, that accept the particular credit card brand. Your recipient can use the prepaid credit card only up to the amount of money that you loaded on it. This particular version of prepaid credit cards is non-reloadable.

Like any gift certificate, recipients of prepaid credit cards can buy whatever it is they want at any time they want. Unlike a gift certificate that, when it gets lost is lost forever to the recipient, prepaid credit cards may be replaced if it gets lost or is stolen.

Prepaid Credit Cards for Travel There is a prepaid credit card designed for travel. These reloadable prepaid credit cards can be purchased in lieu of travelers’ checks or cash. In a way, it combines the best features of a credit card and a traveler’s check because of its convenience and security features. Should you lose the prepaid credit card while you are on travel, you can easily obtain an emergency replacement, both for the prepaid credit card and some cash.

Prepaid credit cards for travel are accepted all over the world, and also allow you to obtain currency from ATM machines. When you need to reload and you are already traveling you can arrange for the reload by phone or online. Apart from the fact that it is a prepaid credit card, you can use it exactly like a regular credit card. That also means you enjoy other benefits just like a regular card — reimbursements for lost luggage of up to $1,000 per cardholder if your luggage is lost; zero liability if your prepaid credit card is used fraudulently after you lose it or have it stolen from you; purchase security up to $500 per claim for any items you buy with prepaid credit cards, which subsequently gets stolen or damaged for certain reasons.

Generally, you can purchase prepaid credit cards of all the major credit card brands at their participating retailers. You don’t have to worry about not having acceptable credit because prepaid credit cards are made available without need of a credit report or a bank account. The only qualifications you need to have are that you have reached 18 years of age and that you must be able to present a valid identification issued by government.

Disadvantages of Prepaid Credit Cards There are a few things about prepaid credit cards that may not be as convenient as the regular credit cards. For one thing, you load only so much money onto it. You will need to keep track of the balance on the prepaid credit card because not all of the merchant terminals where you use the card may be able to help you determine it. However, there are procedures that tell you how to determine your balance, and you will these detailed on the back of the prepaid credit card and in the instructions accompanying it.

The process of reloading your prepaid credit card may be a little inconvenient to some. If you’re using cash, you would have to visit the participating outlet where you bought your reloadable prepaid credit cards. The more convenient way will be reloading online.

There are also the charges. Prepaid credit cards impose an application fee, the amount of which varies with the issuer, and there is also a service charge that you have to pay monthly. You also have to pay for transaction fees, charges when you transfer funds to top up the balance, when you replace your prepaid credit card, and many other fees. To be sure about the fees, you should read closely the fine print on the prepaid credit card account.

Prospects of Prepaid Credit Cards Prepaid credit cards do not provide credit; it is your money that you’re using. You are asked to pay other charges, so it is not for free. You are paying for the convenience and security of carrying plastic instead of large amounts of cash. People with bad credit will be able to act as if they had a regular credit card and enjoy the convenience of one.

Issuers of prepaid credit cards realize that it is a good way to monitor the credit behavior of the cardholder. A prepaid credit card would be a source of information that indicates to the credit bureaus and issuing lenders about how you as the individual cardholder use the card to pay your bills such as utilities. If these consumer data could be formatted in such a way as to provide the basis for a statistical model on probable future behavior in spending, then this could become the foundation for building a credit history.

You would benefit, because by using prepaid credit cards you are rebuilding your credit. The prepaid credit card issuers would benefit, too, because they would be making previously unproven customers bankable. More people could then qualify for regular credit, and that would mean tremendous incremental revenue for the lenders.

Amid stiff competitions, credit card providers are coming up with different types of cards targeting different categories of people with different features and offering target specific benefits. Besides the standard credit cards for general public, there are student credit cards, business credit cards, store credit cards, airline credit cards, gas credit cards, teen credit cards, etc. These cards are specially meant for the targeted group of people.

Standard credit cards: Almost all the credit card providers offer standard credit card meant for general public. They are unsecured credit cards that are available to people without any guarantee, security or mortgage from the users. The credit card companies generally see the credit rating of the applicant before providing the credit cards. In this category, you can get low interest credit cards and credit cards with reward points.

Business credit cards: Many card providers offer credit cards for small businesses. You should know the use of business credit card if you want apply for one. Having a business credit card can be a huge help to the company in a great many ways. However, if you are not careful, it could also have its disadvantages as well. You should understand what the credit card company is offering, how you can take advantage of it. Business credit card facilitates various business transactions that will make your life easy and comfortable.

Student credit cards: Students credit cards are meant for college and university students. Most card providers ask eligibility criteria for the applicants of student credit card that you should be 18 years old and you should be enrolled in a college or a university. Credit card companies offer student-specific benefits in the purchases with the student credit cards. The card providers also facilitate students to pay college fees with the card. There are many other benefits you can avail by using the student credit cards.

Gas credit card: With this card, you can purchase gas at the pump or at the convenience store. Some gas card provides reward with the purchase of gas with card. You can earn cash back rewards and rebates in purchases.

Travel credit cards: One such card available is airline miles reward credit card. It is offered in partnership with a credit card company and an airline company. This card allows you to earn points or miles for every dollar spent with the card. After earning a certain number of points, you can get ticket for air travel with the applicable airline. Airline miles reward credit cards also provide more travel-related benefits then other credit cards, like a higher amount of travel insurance coverage.

Balance transfer credit card: You can save hundreds of dollars with the balance transfer credit cards. Some credit card offer 0% introductory APRs for six to 12 months in every transactions you make. So you can transfer your balance from a loan which has high interest rate to a card which offers 0% APRs.

Credit cards for bad credit: This is a special type of credit card for people with bad credit. The card companies put some restrictions not typically found on other types of cards. The credit card limit is lower in such cards. Some companies ask for some type of security from the applicant before providing the credit card. They may ask you to maintain a savings or some other type of account that will cover the expenses on the credit card.

Besides, credit card companies are offering cash reward cards to attract the prospective customers. They offer cash rewards in every purchases made with the card, discounts in the selected products purchases from some partnered companies or selected stores. Credit card companies are also providing store specific card meant for purchases in the select general or convenience store only.