HowItWorks.net

How much money do I need to retire? This question confronts every worker over the age of 40 at one point or another, and the answer is usually provided by one of the many free retirement calculators available online. But how do these retirement calculators work, and can you actually rely on the answers they provide?

Steal your life? No, not physically, but financially. Did you know you can have your financial life stolen? They call this epidemic that’s sweeping the world identity theft. And yes, it can happen to you! That’s why it’s such a widespread and serious problem – most people don’t think it can happen to them, so they don’t protect themselves.

"Will that be Visa, MasterCard or American Express?" A common question these days. Credit cards have become an integral part of our modern-day lives of convenience. Americans live in a world of "instant gratification". So credit cards are a simple tool to provide that. And they do it to the tune of $1.2 trillion - and that was just in the U.S., in 1999. With the wave of online shopping sweeping the nation, that number is going to multiply like rabbits. "Hare-raising", isn't it?

Education costs money! It’s a simple, but sad fact. Sad for those who don’t have the money. After all, how can they get ahead in life? How can they move up on the corporate ladder? How can they earn the money a professional earns?

Have you ever been burdened with an unexpected expense, like a big car repair bill? How have you handled it? Do you use your credit card and pay for it, including interest, over a period of time? But perhaps you don’t have a credit card. Or maybe you’re one of the millions of people who carry too much debt, and have already “maxed out” your credit card. Do you have friends to borrow from? Most of us don’t like to do that – and most friends don’t like that, either. So what do you do? Well, you could get a payday loan.

Are you trying to “find your place”? Not in life – we assume you’ve already done that. We mean “your home”. Are you looking to buy a home? Do you need a home mortgage? Do you know how home mortgages work? We do – and we’d like to share our knowledge with you.

Ok, so we all need insurance. We all need to pay those premiums just in case something unexpected happens. Life, as we all know, involves risk. And that is what insurance is based on – risk. And to calculate that risk, the insurance companies have surveyed the statistical picture and come up with a plan that’ll give you peace of mind.

Have you heard about the fastest-growing crime in the world? Identity theft. It’s a nasty crime. Identity thieves are hard to catch. In fact, many are never caught. That’s probably why it’s such an increasing problem.

Have you ever exchanged your money in a foreign country and gotten far less (or far more!) than you had before? Ever wonder who sets those numbers? You might be surprised to find out who the mastermind behind the world’s exchange rates are. It’s you!

What exactly is a credit report? How can it, as they say, drastically affect your life? Have you ever applied for credit and been turned down, but didn’t understand why? Then you absolutely need to know how credit reports work, and how important they are to your daily life.

Our mission here is to give you the information you need to make wise credit decisions. Consider this your credit school. We want you to learn. We want you to become educated in this important field. Do your homework – and get a good grade. Let’s move to Lesson 1.