Bizhunt - An online tabloid on financial risk management | Finance Blog

The worries of an Us recession surged after a key barometer of the strength of the service sector dropped to its lowest level since 2001. With the services business being the last strong hold of economic growth and accounting for about three quarters of the economy, the slump seems inevitable. The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index dropped to 41.9 from 54.4 in December 2007. It was the steepest fall since the index was launched and even the lowest level since the 9/11 terrorist attack. A value less than 50 indicates a contraction of service activity, suggesting that the recession could be worse than the relatively mild one experienced in 2001. Economist is now speculating how long and how deep the slump will be as it is going to be a broader and deeper slowdown than assumed.

If you are suffering because of credit card debt related issues , then you must consider coming out of the situation as soon as possible. It is commonly considered that debt can be eliminated only by consumer credit counseling or debt consolidation or settlement. However, there are other debt elimination methods that you should try first because they are free and easy. Out of these the two most common are the debt snowball and the avalanche method. What is debt snowball method? In most cases it is said that you must pay off the highest interest rate debts first. However, as per this method you are to focus more on paying off your low interest rate debts first so that you can generate some momentum. The advantage of starting with the debt that has the lowest rate of interest is that it will be paid off quickly. The money that you were paying towards it can be used to pay the debt that is the next lowest interest rate debt on your list...

Getting into debt is easier than you think. But when it comes to coming out of debt, you really have to work hard. Majority of debt problems arise from credit card debt since it carries one of the highest interest rates among all types of consumer debts. Credit card debt is regarded as one of the most detrimental types of credit and hence it’s important to find a way to eliminate credit card debt. Credit card debt doesn’t have any definite repayment term so the problem goes on for an extensive period. Financial problems are additionally aggravated by the fact that most credit card holders only make the minimum monthly payment. Now how can you eliminate credit card debt? It is best that you do it with a 0% balance transfer card. Remember that if you only make the minimum monthly payment on your cards, you’ll never become debt free in your whole life. This payment only pays the interest that you owe and not the principal balance. Credit card issuers extend the r...

A debt management plan/program can help you if you are not able to manage your multiple debts on your own. A debt management plan is a structured repayment program that helps you to repay your outstanding debts/loans. It is also sometimes referred to as simply DMP. Usually, a credit counseling agency conducts debt management programs; however, there are several debt management companies that offer such programs. When to take help of a debt management plan You should go for a debt management program when you experience any of the following situations. You are not able to make your monthly debt payments on time. You’re using one credit card to pay the bill for another one. It is only possible for you to pay the minimum amount on your credit cards. You’re getting harassing calls from your creditors and collection agencies. How a debt management program works You can opt for a credit counseling session wherein a counselor can analyze your financial condit...

Whether a society is economically sound or not is determined by what role is played by industry and commerce. The lifestyle of people in a particular society also reflects the economic well being of the society. Any unforeseen happenings that hamper the working and hence the well being of the society can be taken care of with insurance. Insurance definitely has an important role to play in a country’s economy. Risk in insurance jargon means the uncertainty that is associated with any kind of financial loss. The loss can be from any damage to property, interruption in business, inability to earn due to a disability, an auto accident and the like. To be able to balance the situation, the risk needs to be reduced as far as possible. The best way to do this is to follow a well designed financial risk management strategy. With a properly administered risk management system you can control the adverse effect that a risk might cause to a society. The procedure to be follo...

Do you know how it is decided how much you need to pay for an insurance policy? When you approach an insurance company to purchase a policy, it may take help of an insurance underwriting company (such as, Universal Underwriters Service Corporation, Universal Underwriters Insurance Company, etc.). An underwriting company assesses the risk of offering a policy to a client. This risk calculation helps an insurance company to decide the cost of the policy; that is, how much it should charge for the coverage. Insurance underwriting – What it means  As already stated, underwriting can be simply defined as risk assessment. An underwriter assesses whether or not an entity should receive the desired coverage; if the entity is eligible to receive the coverage, then the amount the person/business needs to pay for the policy. Though the guidelines for assessing risk may differ from one company to the other, yet the purpose is same – to make profit; that is, the insurance compa...

Professionals are required to have adequate skill and technical knowledge in their specific area of expertise. They are required to perform services according to professional standards of conduct. Therefore, clients have every right to file lawsuits if the professionals fail to meet the expectations of their customers. Therefore, the professionals who have their own companies need to purchase professional indemnity insurance that provides coverage against any financial losses caused by lawsuits. It is also referred to as professional liability insurance or simply, professional insurance. Professional indemnity insurance terminology Professional indemnity insurance usually takes on different names on the basis of the specific profession. As for example, if you are a home inspector or real estate broker, then you can purchase E&O (Errors and Omissions) insurance policy. Similarly, if you are in medical profession, then you are required to have ‘Medical Malpractice’ insurance. I...