Many people are buying a second home. They might do so to have a vacation home with the possibility of selling it at a substantial gain in the future. Another reason people buy a second home is to use it in the future as a primary home, perhaps in retirement. They might prefer to purchase the second home now to avoid the possibility of having to pay considerably more for it in the future.

What are the tax benefits and potential tax pitfalls in purchasing a second home? The first benefit is that the real estate taxes on a second home are deductible as an itemized deduction. However, a potential pitfall exists if the taxpayer is subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT). Real real estate taxes are not deductible for AMT purposes.

The mortgage interest is also deductible as an itemized deduction on mortgage loans up to a maximum of $1,000,000 on loans used to acquire, construct, or substantially improve the taxpayer’s primary home and the taxpayer’s second qualified home. A refinancing of acquisition debt is considered acquisition debt to the extent that it does not exceed the balance before refinancing.

Another tax benefit for owning a second home is that the taxpayer may deduct interest on home-equity loans up to a maximum loan amount of $100,000. A home-equity loan is considered as an acquisition debt if the taxpayer uses it to make a substantial improvement to the primary home or second home. The loans may be secured by the primary residence and/or the second home. For tax purposes, a home-equity loan includes the excess of the balance of a refinanced acquisition loan over the balance before the refinancing unless the taxpayer uses the excess to make a substantial improvement to the home.

A tax pitfall is that the interest on a home-equity loan is generally not deductible for AMT purposes. An exception applies if the taxpayer uses the proceeds of the loan of the loan to make a substantial improvement to the property.

If a taxpayer rents a second home to a tenant for 14 or fewer days during the year, the rent income is not taxable. The taxpayer may still deduct the real estate taxes. The taxpayer may deduct the qualified mortgage interest as long as the taxpayer used the second home for personal purposes for a number of days that exceeds the greater of 14 days or 10 percent of the number of days the taxpayer rented the house to a tenant at a fair rental. If the taxpayer does not meet this test, the second home might be considered as rental property.

A potential tax pitfall on a second home is that any gain on the sale of a home that is not the taxpayer’s principal residence is taxable. It would be taxable as a capital gain because a personal use asset such as a second home is a capital asset.

The exclusion of gain up to $250,000 ($500,000 on a joint return) on the sale of the taxpayer’s home applies only to the sale of a home that that the taxpayer owned and used as the taxpayer’s principal residence for at least two of the five years before its sale. A taxpayer may have only one principal residence at a time.

A taxpayer could sell the primary home and exclude the gain up to the limit and then move into the second home and use it as a primary residence for at at least two of the five years before the taxpayer sells it. By doing so, the taxpayer could use the exclusion of gain provision on both homes. The potential to exclude the gain on the sale of both homes up to the limit using this strategy is a major tax benefit.

Another potential tax pitfall on owning a second home is that any loss on the sale of a home used as the taxpayer’s residence, whether as a primary home or as a second home, is not deductible because the loss is on the sale of an asset used for personal purposes.

An individual should consider many factors before buying a second home, such as cost, convenience, and potential gain. The tax benefits and potential tax pitfalls are some other key factors to consider before buying a second home.

Alan D. Campbell is a CPA in Arkansas and Florida and is self-employed primarily as an author of tax publications. He earned a Ph.D. in accounting with an emphasis in taxation from the University of North Texas. He is also admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court. He has published numerous articles on tax topics in professional journals. He is the co-author of the book Tax Strategies for the Self-Employed and the revision editor of CCH Financial and Estate Planning Guide, 15th edition. For more tax savings strategies, please see his blog: http://taxsavingsstrategies.blogspot.com

What are the advantages of the Forex Market over other types of investments?

When thinking about various investments, there is one investment vehicle that comes to mind. The Forex or Foreign Currency Market has many advantages over other types of investments. The Forex market is open 24 hrs a day, unlike the regular stock markets. Most investments require a substantial amount of capital before you can take advantage of an investment opportunity. To trade Forex, you only need a small amount of capital. Anyone can enter the market with as little as $300 USD to trade a “mini account”, which allows you to trade lots of 10,000 units. One lot of 10,000 units of currency is equal to 1 contract. Each “pip” or move up or down in the currency pair is worth a $1 gain or loss, depending on which side of the market you are on. A standard account gives you control over 100,000 units of currency and a pip is worth $10.

The Forex market is also very liquid. When trading Forex you have full control of your capital.
Many other types of investments require holding your money up for long periods of time. This is a disadvantage because if you need to use the capital it can be difficult to access to it without taking a huge loss. Also, with a small amount of money, you can control

Forex traders can be profitable in bullish or bearish market conditions. Stock market traders need stock prices to rise in order to take a profit. Forex traders can make a profit during up trends and downtrends. Forex Trading can be risky, but with having the ability to have a good system to follow, good money management skills, and possessing self discipline, Forex trading can be a relatively low risk investment.

The Forex market can be traded anytime, anywhere. As long as you have access to a computer, you have the ability to trade the Forex market. An important thing to remember is before jumping into trading currencies, is it wise to practice with “paper money”, or “fake money.” Most brokers have demo accounts where you can download their trading station and practice real time with fake money. While this is no guarantee of your performance with real money, practicing can give you a huge advantage to become better prepared when you trade with your real, hard earned money. There are also many Forex courses on the internet, just be careful when choosing which ones to purchase.

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It’s a myth that most currency traders are mostly wrong about market direction – they get it right a lot but never capitalize on the profit potential.

The problem is traders get stopped out to soon, then they see the trade pile up tens of thousands while they have minor profit, or worse a loss.

Let’s look at how to catch and hold trends and pile up some big profits.

In currency trading the way to do this is threefold. First look for the big trends, secondly time your entry and place your stop correctly and last but not least, trail your stop correctly to protect yourself as well as keep you in the market.

1. Look to catch the big trends

In currency trading there has been a big move toward day and swing trading but looking for these short term moves reduces your chances of success.

Quite simply, the odds are against you and the profits are too small to cover your inevitable losses.

In currency trading the major trends last many months or years and these are the ones you need to focus on.

Start in your currency trading by looking at the weekly chart to spot the major trends and time entry via the daily chart – There are only a few really big currency trends, so you will trade sparingly.

You are only looking to trade significant breaks of support or resistance or these areas holding on strength.

2. Entry and stop placement

In your currency trading you need to place your stop as soon as you enter and this is normally on a break of support or resistance ( here a breakout will quickly move in your favour or reverse so stops can be close ) alternatively, you may see support or resistance hold and trade accordingly.

This is a bit more difficult, so follow these rules.

Say you are trading into support levels – Don’t predict support will hold, use an oscillator such as the stochastic (see our other articles) and use it to trade price momentum coming off support i.e. enter on strength.

This way you will have confirmation that support has held and price momentum is going your way before entry.

In currency trading NEVER predict whether support will hold wait for prices to confirm.

Once this is done a stop close below support should be your exit level.

3. The hard bit! Staying in the trend

This is really where traders go wrong all the time in currency trading.

They get market direction right in their currency trading but can NEVER stay in the trend.

They do one of two things and their both BIG mistakes!

Don’t move stops quickly

Traders immediately try and move their stop and get caught by normal market reactions against the trade.

By trying to reduce the risk in their currency trading, they actually create it as they get hit on stop and miss the major move.

They snatch profits

In currency trading when a trader sees a move develop they get excited as profits build. A few hundred is nice then a few thousand and the trader start have to panic.

Each reaction against the major trend eats into the traders open equity profit and this causes emotional turmoil.

The bigger the profit becomes in currency trading the more likely he will snatch the profit before it gets away or worse, turns into a loss.

The trader banks the profit and is relieved to have a minor profit and then sees the trade make $10,000 $20,000 or more and he’s not in!

It takes courage and conviction to hold profits

Many people focus on discipline and taking losses quickly but that’s easy, running profits is the hard bit.

Here is some advice on how to hold profits in your currency trading

1. If you have confidence in your currency trading method and you have isolated a potential big move, look at the long term and leave your stop where it is until the trade is well under way.

2. Only look to exit this trend if there is a reversal of the trend i.e. penetration of the 40 day moving average. Do not focus on normal volatility against the major trend.

3. When you have a big profit move to protect it but tail the stop only behind major support levels – the trick is to move it slowly

Focus on the long term and hold

Keep in mind in currency trading that the major trends for last months or years (they reflect the economic cycle of the country and by their very nature these are long term) and you are only focusing on these, not the market noise.

Doing this in your currency trading will mean you can lose 80% of the time and still make huge profits over time – as your correct trades will pile up mega profits in your currency trading.

The online money transfer industry is huge and can only continue to grow in the future. Many of you will already have an account set up – those who don’t should expect to register one in the near future as banking and finance becomes more electronically dominated.

Online money transfer services can serve a variety of purposes: sending money, receiving money, sending and receiving money, accepting credit card payments online, sending money via email and international wire transfers to name but a few.

Some customers may use money transfer services for many of these purposes, however, most will focus on only one or two.

For example, those who use money transfer for shopping online will mainly be sending money. Those who trade through online auctions will be sending and receiving.

This variety in purpose frequently results in people paying far more fees than they need to.

The fees charged by online money transfer services vary greatly – with some, it is free to send, others a fee of 5% applies. The same scenario applies to receiving money.

If you find yourself being charged fees on a frequent basis, switching to another service could save you alot of money. The best option is to have multiple accounts, and use different ones for different purposes.

In order to find out which services are most beneficial for you, visit whichmoneytransfer.com which reviews all the major services and compares the key aspects, including sending fees, receiving fees and average withdrawal times.

Signing up to a service is free and usually takes less than 5 minutes, therefore it is well worth taking the time to find the best deal.

If you are yet to sign up to an online money transfer service, start off on the right foot and find the service/services most suitable for your needs.

WhichMoneyTransfer.com – the web’s number one guide to online money transfer, international wire transfers, where to send money online and sending money abroad.

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Has tedious timetable hemmed you in boredom?

Annoyed with monotonous activities?

Then why not you go for a holiday to refresh yourself? Don’t think about money. Holiday loans are there to tackle your financing part at the time of holidaying.

Holiday loans are mainly provided on short term basis that are obtainable for 2-5 years along with an attractive package ranging from £3,000-£25,000. Two types of short term holiday loans are available in loan market-secured and unsecured holiday loans. Obviously, collateral is required to avail secured one, on the other hand to obtain unsecured holiday loans, borrowers do not need to pledge any collateral against the loan amount. But, the rate of interest varies. The presence of collateral enables borrowers to obtain secured holiday loans at lower interest rate. Since collateral is absent in unsecured loans thus the rate of interest is high on these loans.

Short-term holiday loans are the best partner for holidaying. How? Because, these loans cover all travel related expenditures during holiday. Ticket booking, hotel charges, meals, miscellaneous expenses… holiday loans take care of all expenses of trip.

Good news for the borrowers with poor credit score, as holiday loans are also available for them. Yes, bad credit scorer like CCJs, IVAs, defaults, arrears, discharged bankrupts can be bedecked with short term holiday loans.

At the same time, individuals are advised not to be an extravagant with these loans, as limitless expenses at the time of holidaying can put you in danger in future. Always remember, you will have to pay back the loan amount. Hence, calculate how much you need for holidaying, check that whether you are capable to pay back the amount or not, be sure about your financial status and then apply for a loan.

However, easy availability of short term holiday loans has made it popular among borrowers. Of late, many lenders like financial institutions, banks are providing holiday loans on short term basis. Online holiday loans also have emerged as a good option, as different lenders provide these loans over the internet. Not only loan related information, you can get useful information about different places, hotels over these sites. At last needless to say, do compare different loan quotes of various lenders before applying for a short term holiday loans.

Go for a holiday and refresh yourself- it is very easy to say but without money arranging a holiday trip is merely an illusion. In such cases, holiday loans are perfect for turning your dream destination to your next holiday destination. These loans are provided on short term basis, thus you do not need to pay your debt for a long time.

Car leasing is extremely popular because it provides an attractive method of driving an automobile that you might not otherwise afford. It allows you to make lower monthly payments than with traditional car purchase loans. About one out of every four vehicles driven by automotive consumers in the United States are leased.

But leasing is not for everyone. You should take the time to learn about leasing, and be sure it’s right for you before making a decision.

What is Leasing

While a purchase loan is a method of financing the ownership of a vehicle, leasing is a method of financing the use of a vehicle for a specified time period. As much as it sounds like renting, leasing is different.

A lease is a formal contract with a leasing provider that allows you to drive the provider’s car and only pay for the portion of the vehicle’s value that you use up during the time you’re driving it. You agree to pay for insurance, licenses, taxes, repairs, and maintenance.

The leasing provider retains ownership and title to the vehicle throughout the lease. At lease-end you can simply return your vehicle to the provider, or you may purchase the vehicle and continue driving it.

Benefits of Leasing

Leasing offers the following benefits when compared to purchase loans:

- Lower monthly payments

- More car, more often

- Minimum or no down payment

- Smaller sales tax bite in most states

- No used-car headaches at end

Who Provides Leases

Contrary to popular belief, car dealers do not lease cars. Banks, credit unions, and financial divisions of major car manufacturers lease cars. Dealers simply act as agents of a leasing provider, such as Ford Motor Credit or GMAC, to arrange the lease on your behalf. Dealers typically work with more than one provider.

Once you’ve picked out the car you want, the dealer sells it to the leasing provider, who leases it you. It’s not necessary, nor is it always the best choice, to use the “captive” leasing company chosen for you by the dealer.

You can arrange for lease financing yourself with an independent leasing company, bank, or credit union after you’ve negotiated price with a dealer. Some lease providers even work with dealers to acquire vehicles for you at reduced prices, saving you money and the stress of negotiation.

Who Should Lease

Leasing makes sense for many automotive consumers, but not for others. Here’s how to determine if you are a good leasing candidate:

- Are you willing to trade ownership of your vehicle for lower monthly payments? Leasing is a great way to lower your payments or drive a better car for your money, but you must be comfortable with having no ownership of your vehicle, unless you purchase at lease-end.

- Can you stick with your lease until the end? Leases require you to commit to driving your vehicle for a specific number of months typically 24, 36, 48, or 60 months. If you feel your lifestyle, your finances, or simply your taste in cars may change significantly in future months, you may not be a good lease candidate. To end a lease early is usually troublesome and costly.

- Do you drive more than 15,000 miles annually? If your answer is yes, you may not be a good candidate because lease contracts are typically written with an annual mileage limit, typically 10,000-15,000 miles. If you drive more that the specified number of miles you will pay a fee for every mile over the limit.

- Do you typically keep your vehicles in good condition and change vehicles every few years? If so, you may be right for leasing. Lease providers require you to keep their vehicle maintained and repaired, with no more than normal wear and tear. If you don’t, you’ll be charged at the end of your lease.

- How is your credit rating? If you have a history of paying your bills on time and don’t have excessive debt, you are a good lease candidate. Otherwise, you may be required to make a large down payment and pay higher finance charges or, worse, be refused the opportunity to lease.

Shopping for a Lease

The most important element of a good lease deal is the price of the vehicle. Regardless of whether you buy or lease, you should always get the best possible price first. When leasing, this price becomes the capital cost, or “cap cost.” Prior loan balances and fees may be added. Rebates, discounts, down payments, and trade-in credit are subtracted. The lower the capital cost, the lower your monthly payment. This is the only element of a lease deal that a dealer directly controls.

The remaining elements of a lease money factor, residual value, and related fees are controlled by the lease provider and are not negotiable.

Since a lease is simply another form of financing, interest charges apply. These interest charges are known as “money factor.” Money factor is expressed as a very small number such as .00375, which is equivalent to 9% annual interest rate. Again, a small money factor results in lower monthly lease payments.

Residual value is an estimate of a vehicle’s wholesale value at the end of a lease term. The longer the lease, the smaller the residual value. Your lease payment is primarily determined by the difference between cap cost and residual value, which is the amount that the value of the vehicle depreciates during the lease. The higher the residual value, the lower the lease cost.

Sales tax may also be included in your monthly payment, depending on the state you live in.

You can easily calculate car lease payments, once you know the key factors, using this Lease Calculator by LeaseGuide.com.

Leasing Fees

There may be certain fees associated with your lease. The fees that lease providers charge vary both in kind and amount. One of the most common is an “acquisition fee”, which is an administrative charge for the work in initiating a lease. Another common fee is a disposition fee, usually charged at the end of your lease when you return your vehicle.

You may also be charged at the end of your lease for excessive mileage, damages, and unusual wear-and-tear.

At the beginning of your lease, you will be asked to pay the first month’s payment, a security deposit, a down payment, if any, and applicable miscellaneous fees associated with licensing a vehicle in your state. You will also be asked to show proof of insurance.

Driving Your Leased Vehicle

Your vehicle must be driven and cared for according to the terms specified in your lease contract. Generally, this means keeping the vehicle in good condition, using it for lawful purposes, maintaining insurance, and allowing it to be driven only by licensed drivers.

Al Hearn is founder, owner, and operator of LeaseGuide.com, a source of information and advice for automotive consumers who are interested in car leasing. LeaseGuide.com has provided help to thousands of visitors since 1995.

Please visit: http://www.LeaseGuide.com/index2.htm