Insurance Centre

Online shopping now is a huge industry. We buy, we sell, we pay bills… the list is almost endless of what we can do online. Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent worldwide shopping online every year. Unfortunately, with all the pluses of ease and speed of online shopping and transactions, come a few negatives. Here are a few tips to making online shopping more secure.

When using sites, always try to use well known and secure sites, so that your chance of being taken advantage of is greatly lessened, or eliminated. You can check with the department of consumer affairs to see if a particular site is not recommended.

There are a number of ways to identify whether an online site is secure or not (see notes below)

Some of the common types of online fraud

o Chain letters
o Illegal trading and investment activities
o Scams
o Pyramid Schemes
o Identity theft
o Dummy Auctions / Dummy Bidding
o Credit card theft
o False sale prices

Usually, an online company that states everything on their web page has nothing to hide. This includes;

o Privacy statements

o All information relating to what they sell, the conditions of purchases, and lines of communication should you need to talk with them.
o Testimonials

o Reviews

When using a secure site, many steps have been taken to ensure your security.

1. Advanced encryption and validation processes, are used to protect your credit card number. This stops others from identity theft and fraud. If your browser shows a locked icon near the web address, then this will show that you are on a secure site.

2. Secure sites can also have https:// instead of http://, the ’s’ means ’secure server’.
Other items that you can look for may include pop up windows that confirm your security. If none of these are in place, then it is probable that the site is not as secure as you need it to be.

3. Paying by credit card is actually quite safe compared to traditional beliefs. Encryption and credit card technologies have made most transactions very secure. In most countries, the credit card is limited to a certain amount (for example $50) to minimise the possibility of unauthorised use. Credit cards can be safer to use than money orders and checks.

4. You can also use an alternative – the single use credit card, one that is just used for online purchases. You can find this service from some credit card companies. These cards will expire immediately after their use so a potential hacker cannot retrieve any funds from you. Ask your bank about this service.

5. Keep all transaction records. These are proof and a trail that can be used as evidence that you made only certain purchasers. They will show order dates, delivery dates, and any other details that may be required in an investigation.

If you really want the lowest term life insurance rates, you’ve come to the right place. I’ll take you through a few simple steps that will guarantee you the lowest rates possible.

You will not have to do much if what you want is just the lowest rate for your current profile. However, if what you want is the lowest rate possible, then you may have to make some adjustments in your life style. I’ll start with those that require a bigger adjustment:

1) Reduce your weight if you’re overweight.

2) Quit smoking for at least 13 months and then reapply. You’ll get lower term life insurance rates.

3) Quit dangerous sports if you participate in them.

4) Change to another job if your current job exposes you to hazards.

5) Get term life insurance quotes from reputable insurance quotes sites. You can save several hundreds or even a few thousand dollars by simply receiving quotes from about three quotes sites. All you’ll have to do is pick the lowest rate from quotes returned.

Visiting at least three quotes sites raise the chances that you would realize more savings. The plain logic in this is that you’ll get many more quotes from many more insurers. This increases your chances of receiving better quotes.

Take some time out to check out the insurance company you intend to settle for. You don’t want to get hooked with an insurer who will compromise you. Know their ratings using different independent research companies and your state’s department of insurance (This becomes almost unnecessary if you are sure you got your quotes from a reputable insurance quotes site).

And again, when you finally get your lowest term life insurance rates and decide to switch to another insurer (for those who already have a term life policy), make sure you do not terminate your contract with your current insurer until the new policy is fully operational. This is because if you do that and something happens within the switching period you’ll be without any life insurance policy.

Now, go ahead and get the lowest rates from only reputable insurance quotes sites.

It is a good idea to invest in real estate properties. Now there are lots of properties that are out in the market that are available for sale. But sometimes even though how much you want to invest, it will be impossible for you because you do not have enough budgets to do the acquisition. Actually investing does not mean that you have to empty your pocket. There are ways on how you can invest without spending all your savings. Here are some of the important tips that you can use for an expensive investment like Miami Beach condo.

There are lots of residential properties that you can buy in Miami Beach. One of the most in demand properties is those Miami Beach condos. It has been a popular choice for most investors because of the modern luxury it can provide to its residents and owners. But you do not have to lose hoe because it is possible for you to get one without running out of cash.

The first thing that you should do is to make a search. If you know how to make a search, you will surely encounter hundreds of options and for sure you will find one that perfectly fit your specifications. One of the best ways to do your search is through online. Now there are lots of websites that you can visit in order to search the best condo for you and the one that perfectly fit for your budget. These websites usually provide complete descriptions of Miami Beach condos. There are also pictures where you can gain an idea of how the condo looks like. Through this search online, you will be able to compare the condos that you can encounter and have a greater chance to end up with the best deal.

There are some investors who cannot do the search right. There are some who are very busy and cannot do the search. With this, it will be better if you are going to hire a real estate agent. These professional have enough knowledge about those Miami Beach condos that are for sale. All you have to do is to give them the specifications so that they will have a guide of which condo that suits to your needs and wants.

Before anything else, it is important that you have to make your plan. Planning plays an important role when making investment especially with this expensive property like the Miami Beach condo. There will be a greater chance of gaining success as you have the right plans in investing such property.

Clearing & Settlement Process in stock markets:

As we all know, Stock Exchange is an entity which facilitates dealing in securities. Dealing in stock exchanges is done through registered members (also called brokers), who transact business primarily on behalf of their clients (or investors). For those who are actively involved in stock market trading, it’s always advisable to know the processes involved in it.

Clearing and Settlement activity constitutes the core part of equity trade life cycles. After any equity deal is confirmed (when equities are obliged to change hands), the broker who is involved in the transaction issues a Contract Note to the Investor which has all the information about the transactions in detail, at the end of the trade day. In response to the Contract Note issued by broker, the investor now has to settle his obligation by either paying money (if his transaction is a buy transaction) or deliver the shares (if it is a sell transaction).

Clearing House is an entity of the stock exchange through which settlement of equities happens. The details of all transactions performed by the brokers are made available to the Clearing House by the Stock Exchange. The Clearing House gives an obligation report to Brokers and Custodians who are required to settle their money/securities obligations with the specified deadlines, failing which they are required to pay penalties. This obligation report serves as statement of mutual contentment.

Settlement cycle is the period for which equities are traded in Exchange. For Indian stock exchange NSE, the cycle starts on Wednesday and ends on the following Tuesday, and for BSE the cycle starts on Monday and ends on Friday. At the end of this settlement cycle period, the obligations of each broker are calculated and the brokers then settle their respective obligations according to the guidelines, laws and regulations institutionalized by the Clearing agency

Pay-In is a process where by a stock broker and Custodian (in case of Institutional deals) brings in money and/or securities to the Clearing House. This forms the first phase of the settlement activity

Pay-Out is a process where Clearing House pays money or delivers securities to the brokers and Custodians. This is the second phase of the settlement activity

The whole set of money transaction is performed by a bank in the Stock Exchange premises. Exchange appoints this bank to handle the money part of the transaction.

All the above information is mostly in relation to the Indian Stock market. Sometimes in different countries processes may have some deviation from it, but the basic fundamentals behind the whole process remains same. In India, the Pay-in of securities and funds happens on T+ 2 by 11 AM, and Pay-out of securities and funds happen on T+2 by 3 PM.

For the last few ages there have been an amount of con artists who have been earning people’s lives a misery by stealing their identity and running up thousands upon thousands of dollars of debt in their name. However, like many I’m sure you would never get caught out like that – or would you? Do you feel that the persons who had their identity stolen are earning it up, or are so dumb that they probably created it effortless for the thieves who stole from them?

Well prepare to be shocked. It is often some of the most careful and credit conscious citizens who get caught out by these thieving “con men” and “con women”. Now logic says it should not happen if you keep an eye on your credit rating you will be among the folks who get ripped off. Allow me to explain how the credit report scam works, and you will soon see why it is potential for it to be happen, even to you. We will take a case of someone who is careful about maintaining their advantageous credit rating and who is security conscious. They like to get hold of their credit report every year, so that they can go through it and check that all the details are correct.

They make sure no typos have occurred that will bring them into a bad situation when they next apply for a mortgage or an auto loan, etc. All sounds ok so far don’t it? Well maybe, but we’ve already passed the point where the scammers would be lurking, watching out for the unwary. That point was when our conscious good friend above got hold of their credit report. You see, when you decide to get a copy of your credit report it is necessary that you check out the website you are requesting it from. That’s because the scammers usually set up a very qualified exploring website, which all seems a board and legitimate, and they give a cost-free credit report. After that it’s just a case of waiting for the unwary. If you haven’t checked out the web page where you will fill out the report with all the details you would expect to fill out on any legitimate site, you can be in trouble. You will fill out items such as:

* Full name
* Address
* Date of birth
* Social security quantity

They might even ask for details of existing credit cards, etc. What if that site was a fake site and not a real credit report provider site? Now when you appear at that can you see how trouble-free it is for them to run a credit report scam, and then simply walk off with all the details, they would require to steal your identity?