Websites For Financial and Insurance Advisors – Does Yours Help Build a Relationship?

The internet is a good news/bad news phenomenon. The good news is that anyone can get to anyone’s website in the proverbial blink of an eye. The bad news is that they can leave that website in the same amount of time.

The goal for any financial or insurance advisor’s website is to s-l-o-w visitors down. Get them to pause, to read, to understand what you can offer them. Begin the process of building a relationship. So how exactly do we do that?

Let’s start by discussing what you don’t want to do and what is the most common failing of websites in the financial fields. Fortunately some of the more common mistakes can be easily avoided.

Let’s start with understanding why people are searching on the internet in the first place. In today’s fast paced society, passively “surfing the net” is hardly the preferred activity of those clients with whom you most want to do business. According to Pew Research, the two most common reasons people are online searching is to 1) solve a problem and 2) seek out specific information. Naturally there is an overlap in these two purposes.

However most advisors miss this point when they design their websites. Remember, prospective clients don’t sit down at the computer and say to themselves, “I wonder what Hincklebottom & Schmelbrain are up to?” Granted it would be nice if they did, (especially if you’re either Hincklebottom or Schmelbrain) but they don’t. Rather, clients are in front of their computer, frustrated with the level of service that they’re currently getting from their advisors, and wondering/hoping, “Is there anyone out there who understands my needs?” “Is there anyone who specializes in working with people like me?”

In other words, it’s all about them. Their needs. Their problems. Their frustrations.

So what does this mean for your website? At the most fundamental level it means that the message that you great visitors with should not be about you. But unfortunately most websites violate this basic principle of website design. The visitor should not be greeted with a message that says “Since 1897 Hincklebottom & Schmelbrain has prided itself on superior customer service and clients satisfaction. As the oldest family owned financial firm in the the tri-state area…”

Remember why the visitor went online to search in the first place. It wasn’t to find the “oldest family owned financial firm in the the tri-state area.” No, your visitor had frustrations, issues, problems.

And that’s what you want to focus on. That’s what you want your message to convey. It can be something as simple as, “If you’re similar to many of our other clients, your needs for financial services are unique. Your issues are more complex and involved, and require the services of a firm that takes a holistic approach to serving the affluent market.”

Now obviously I just made the previous statement up, largely off the top of my head, but I’m sure you can see my point. What we want to do with the message that greats visitors is to convey, in completely unambiguous terms, that our target market has arrived at the right place. This is what is often referred to as the “message to market match”. We want to make sure that our visitors see a reflection of themselves in all of our marketing materials. So take a look at your current copy on your website. Who is it about? You or your visitor?…

Starting A Home Business That Makes Sense And Dollars!

Are one of the many people in this economically challenged world who is looking for a way to make more money? Have you ever seriously thought about starting your own home business? Maybe you’ve thought about it but was intimidated by the who idea of running your own business. Let me be the one to ease all of your worries. Today, it has never been easier to start your own profitable home business using nothing but your computer.

Yes it is true. There are many people making a full-time income from the comfort of their homes using nothing but their computer an internet access. How are they doing it, you ask. Well the answer to this is fairly simple. They found a legit money making opportunity that gave them everything that they would need to get up and running. Notice I said legit money making opportunity. This is because there are thousands of these so called opportunities spread out all over the internet and people are getting fooled everyday by these scams that don’t offer anything but false promises.

The good news for you is that there are some really good home business systems out there that you can use to create an online business that really can change your life financially. With a little digging you can find one of these opportunities. Once you find a few of these businesses need to determine if it is really legit and can it make you some real money?

This is easy to do. When investigating a home based business opportunity you should first look for real reviews of it. Once you’ve done that go back to the opportunities pitch page and read it carefully. Then if you have any further questions do not hesitate to contact the company or company rep to get your questions answered.

If satisfied with everything so far your next step is to get started. Yes, nowadays you really can start your own home based online business in 1 day. I know, pretty cool! Let me remind you again that they’re people out there making 6 figures a year with their business and you can be one of them with some work and determination. Mainly determination because a operating a lucrative online business is very achievable for those who stick with it no matter what. If you want it, you can have it. It really is up to you. Always be willing to learn and grow your business. This tip is priceless.…

Looking For a Make Money Online Opportunity?

Every time you get on the internet you are bombarded with advertisements offering any number of ways to make money online. It can seem tempting, after all who wouldn’t love to be able to earn a living from the comfort and convenience of their own home? If you are trying to find a make money online opportunity you should probably understand what each opportunity entails before jumping in. With so many different ways to make money things can get confusing.

The most common get money online opportunity is affiliate marketing. You choose one or more products you feel like promoting and the company provides you with an affiliate link. You advertise the product however you see fit and when someone buys after clicking one of your links you get a commission.

Another option is a multi-level marketing company. They essentially hire you, usually to sell something, and you get paid not only for every sale you make, but if you hire people you get paid for what they sell as well.

One of the easier methods to make money online is to do data entry. Many companies outsource this type of work and will pay you for every form you fill out for them.

If you only have a few hours of free time you can still bring in a little extra cash. There are numerous companies who will pay you to take surveys. For every survey you take you get paid for it.

These are only a few of the opportunities available, but they are a good place to start looking. Once you find the make money online opportunity that is right for you feel free to jump in and start bringing in the extra money you need today. After awhile you’ll find your groove and will start to see the cash just roll right in.…

Mortgage Loan Modification – Save Your Home From Foreclosure

For anybody who is having difficulty repaying their home finance loan payments but prefer to stay in their residence, seeking a loan modification could be an alternative. In such cases, the lender modifies the stipulations of the mortgage loan, which include lessening the original interest rate, to ensure that the home owner is better capable to afford their payments.

Remember to follow these guidelines.

Always maintain a log of each and every conversation you might have with the bank and be sure to log the contact particulars for anyone you talk with in relation to your request.

If you believe that you were a victim of fraud by way of a fraudulent mortgage broker at the time you received your loan, ask legal counsel to examine your records.

Get even more the help of a certified counseling firm.

You should never speak to anybody from the banks’ delinquent accounts departments in regards to a loan modification. Such areas haven’t any authority to help you.

Follow these steps too seek out a loan modification.

Decide on the chance of your being evaluated for a loan modification. Chances are you’ll qualify if you sustained a brief financial hardship, for instance a job loss, breakup, a pay cut, an accident or military service. It’s also possible to meet the criteria if your loan is getting ready to reset, making the raised payments not affordable.

Get hold of your loan company and ask to speak to an individual inside the home-retention or loss-mitigation office. Inquire about the process for looking for a loan modification; each loan company features its own practice.

Fill in and complete a financial budget worksheet. All financial institutions will need to find out your regular income and expenses.

Figure out how much you think that you can pay for. Have a look at cutting expenses or getting a second job to allow it to become a more practical amount.

Generate a hardship letter. The letter includes a statement that your particular situation makes it extremely hard to afford your present mortgage, and that you are looking for the bank to help you to modify the loan.

You should now send out your hardship letter to the bank with your last two payroll check stubs along with your two most current bank statements.

And lastly you will need to follow up on your letter, approximately a single week after you feel your lender must have received it. Or perhaps ten full business days after you sent the hardship letter off in the mail.…

How To Make Money Online – The Importance Of Building A Brand

When you look at the top earners in the internet marketing space, you will see that 99% of them have built a brand. Instant brand recognition will allow you to earn more money then you could ever imagine. Branding does two very important things for your online business. It builds trust and awareness. It is on of the best publicity tools ever. The more brand awareness you build, the more customers you will acquire.

Branding works the same exact way in the online world as it does in the offline world. Just think about it, the more you hear a products name, the more likely you are to give it a try right? Because the more you see or hear something, the more trustworthy you believe it to be. Trust me when I say, build a brand will benefit your online business in a major way.

How To Build Your Brand

I’m sure you are wondering what you can do to effectively build your brand online business. Truthfully, Its not as hard as you might think. Just follow a few simple tactics and you will be on your way to building a very effective brand.

Tactic #1 – Put Your Name On Everything – Putting your name on your blog, opt in pages, articles, videos etc., is a simple way for you to start building brand recognition.

Tactic #2 – Use An Image Of Yourself – Most people don’t like to do this but using an image of yourself is a great way to build your brand online. If you don’t want to use your own image you can come up with a character that represents your business. For example you could be the weight loss superhero and have a superhero with a big WL on his cape to represent weight loss. You would then use that image on every piece of content you produce.

Tactic #3 – Come Up With A Memorable Slogan – Slogans are another very easy tool you can use to build a brand. Whatever your niche is, create a slogan around that. For example, if you are in the weight loss niche you could use a slogan such as “real weight loss starts here” or “you have the will, we have the way”. Those are simple slogans that people will remember.

These are just 3 simple things you can do to start building brand awareness. If you constantly put out valuable content and brand it with your name and images, you will have no problem creating interest in what you have to offer. The key is to start building your brand from the very beginning. Start with your name and then add your logo and image.…

Is Your Partner A Tightwad?

In fact, unfairly controlling money is classed as a form of domestic abuse according to website, Hiddenhurt. In their definition, financial abuse can include:

denying you sufficient housekeeping

having to account for every penny spent

denying access to the cheque book/bank account/finances

putting all the bills in your name

not permitting you to spend available funds on yourself or children

So how do you deal with it?

Identify the problem

Firstly you need to find out the cause of his or her miserliness. Serious tightwads often won’t spend money on themselves or other people because underneath they’re frightened of losing what they have. It’s a characteristic that is common in people who have lived through an economic depression or grown up in extreme poverty. Or it could be that their parents were frightened of money and they instilled this fear into their now grown-up children.

You need to talk to your partner about his attitude to money – have they always felt like this? How did his parents treat money? If talking’s not an option it may be time for you to have couples counselling as people’s behaviour with money is fundamental to the health of a relationship. It could be that he is consciously using money as a way to control you, in which case the situation is serious and it may be a sign that you need to get out for good.

On the other hand, he might be mean without realising it. Perhaps he has had problems with money in the past and this has made him fearful and mean without realising it. In these cases sometimes gentle teasing followed by quiet, but persistent, reasoning will open his eyes to his behaviour and help him change his behaviour.

Stop the behaviour spiralling

If your partner is open to talking about the situation then you have something to work with, but be warned, it could take time to change ingrained thoughts and habits.

Firstly, talk calmly about the specific effect the behaviour has on you and your family. For example, ‘when you reduced my budget for groceries, I wasn’t able to buy fresh fruit and vegetables for the children’, or ‘Your decision to control all the money decisions makes me feel vulnerable. I want to learn more about managing money.’

Talk together and explain what you want to change. Would you like to share responsibility for the bank accounts? Could you ask for a higher monthly ‘salary’ from your partner to be spent on yourself, the family and on each other?

At the same time, you should protect your interests and those of your children if you have them. Keep your own money in a private bank account that your partner has no access to. Then set up a ‘family’ or personal bank account to share responsibility for managing the money and making decisions.

Set goals together. Start small – saving for an annual weekend away or regular day out – and work towards bigger targets, such as redecorating or moving into a bigger house.

Shared decisions go a long way to making you both feel important in the relationship and can prevent money issues from causing anger and resentment. Treat money like any other problem – don’t bottle it up, get a conversation going and find a solution that suits you both.

And take heed of Joan Rivers’ advice: ‘Trust your husband, adore your husband, and get as much as you can in your own name.’…

Loan Modification Hardship – How To Write A Loan Modification Hardship Letter

One feature of the current economic depression on most people is the fact that people who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments are sometimes compelled to write loan modification hardship letters to mortgage companies. The purpose of this letter is to explain the current circumstances of the person who has taken out a mortgage and ask for more time so that the payments can be continued at a later date. In some cases, the person writing the letter may even ask for a review of the terms if it is possible.

Features of the Loan Modification Hardship Letter:

The letter from the home owner to the mortgage company must contain certain features in other to be really effective. In the first place, it should be short and straight to the point. It should also contain all the relevant information that should make the mortgage company give a favorable response.

These include the current financial situation of the home owner, the terms under which the loan was taken and the present predicament of the home owner. The letter should also contain the new terms that the person writing the letter is asking for. All these should be expressed politely but firmly for best results.

It is also important to point out here that in writing this letter, the home owner is seeking a favorable response. For this reason, it will make sense to state reasons that will make sense to the recipient of the letter. The person writing the letter should avoid including information which may be considered frivolous.

Finally, the loan modification hardship letter must be written with a combination of good sense, sincerity and politeness. This is how to ensure that the letter will have the desired effect on the person to whom it is addressed.…