Cmhc Insured Mortgages Vs. Non Cmhc Insured Mortgages}

Submitted by: Paul Mangion

Any time you are looking to purchase or refinance a home it is a good idea to understand the difference between CMHC insured mortgages vs. non CMHC insured mortgages. CMHC, otherwise known as the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, is an organization that was created by the Canadian government to create affordable housing in Canada.

CMHC offers high ratio mortgage insurance to the banks which protects them in the event that you default on your mortgage. Prior to the existence of CMHC high ratio insurance if you wanted to purchase a home you would need a 25% down payment.

When comparing CMHC insured mortgages vs. non CMHC insured mortgages it is important to consider the benefits associated to a CMHC insured mortgage.

The biggest benefit is that CMHC insured mortgages enable homeowners to purchase a home with as little as no money down. No money down mortgages are usually only offered to those who have excellent credit, so if your credit is average you will likely need 5% down payment even if you are taking out a CMHC insured mortgage. Refinance mortgages are slightly different. Last year the laws changed and now CMHC will only high ratio insure a refinance mortgage up to 85% the value of the home.

CMHC insured mortgages do not require appraisals. This is a major benefit when refinancing a home because an appraisal can cost approx. $300 and is a cost you can save by having a CMHC insured mortgage.

Obtaining a CMHC insured mortgage will mean that in addition to your bank, CMHC will also have to approve your credit application. They will consider your credit, income and debt and you will have to meet their guidelines to be approved for CMHC high ratio insurance. Also, if approved, a CMHC high ratio insurance premium will be added to your mortgage. The CMHC high ratio insurance fee will depend on the loan to value of your mortgage. The loan to value is the percentage of your mortgage against the value of your home. Your CMHC mortgage insurance premium could be up to 3.5% of the amount of your mortgage.

When looking at CMHC insured mortgages vs. non CMHC mortgages the main difference is that to obtain a non CMHC insured mortgage you will require at least 20%-25% down payment if you are purchasing a home or 20%-25% equity if you are refinancing. You will also require a property appraisal. Banks will not finance a mortgage without CMHC high ratio insurance that is more than 75% the value of the home not because they don’t want to but because they cannot under the Chartered Banks Act.

Only finance companies, trust companies, mortgage investment corporation and private lenders can offer uninsured mortgage financing at loan to values greater than 75% and can usually only be obtained through Mortgage Brokers. Some trust companies and mortgage investment corporations will offer non CMHC insured mortgage financing up to 90% of a properties’ value.

The type of mortgage you will be able to obtain will depend on your credit, income and financial circumstances. If you have less than 25% down payment a CMHC insured mortgage is likely the best way to go.

About the Author: Paul Mangion is the Principal Mortgage Broker and President of The Mortgage Centre Mississauga and the founder of the Tax Resolution Centre. To contact Paul call 416-204-0156, if you would like information about mortgage financing visit

gtamortgagematters.com

or if you have a tax problem, please visit www.taxresolutioncentre.ca.

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The Southbourne Tax Group: Fraud Prevention Tips For Your Small Business Clients}

Submitted by: Jae Fomby

Your clients rely on you for sound business advice. And sometimes the best advice is hard to give. In the case of fraud, youll need to tell your small business clients some uncomfortable truths.

Your clients probably underestimate the risk of fraud

According to the world’s largest anti-fraud organisation, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), small and mid-sized businesses are the most common victims of organisational fraud. And the effects can be more damaging.

Small businesses report 31.8 percent of all instances of fraud a higher rate than for larger businesses and suffer greater losses in relation to their size. And more than half of all small businesses that suffer fraud dont recover any losses.

The types of fraud that your clients need to be aware of fall into three categories:

theft

financial statement fraud

asset misuse

ACFE says theft is the most common, including:

stealing cash

claiming fake expenses

taking property

Employees are the main culprits, which can be tough for your small business clients to swallow. They often consider their employees as friends or members of an extended family.

What makes a business vulnerable to fraud?

There are many conditions that allow fraud to take hold:

Employees perform multiple functions, allowing them to hide their actions.

Staff become too familiar and trusting with each other.

The absence of formal procedure means things dont get recorded.

Staff lack the expertise to recognise fraud.

Its vital that small businesses take steps to deter fraud and detect it as soon as possible.

When youre meeting with your small business clients, here are 10 important things to say:

1. Dont let one employee do all the accounting and bookkeeping

Because of their size, many small businesses have one person that always handles bookkeeping functions like:

client receivables

processing client payments

paying invoices

managing petty cash

recording functions in the accounting system

This makes it easy for cases of fraud to go unnoticed. Businesses should have at least two people handling these functions with accounting and cash-handling separated. You might also suggest that your firm acts as a virtual CFO to provide extra oversight.

2. Make sure you know your employees really well

It might seem like an obvious fraud prevention tip, but you need to stress the importance of credit card security to your clients. They probably know they should be careful, yet they may still mix business and personal accounts when its convenient to do so. That can result in costly errors such as tax fines or penalties.

Separating accounts also makes it easier to record business expenses. Encourage clients to protect credit card information and to use secure, online bill payment services wherever possible.

3. Maintain robust internal controls and processes

Small businesses often feel immune to fraud but you should encourage clients to introduce controls. They can detect (and help prevent) fraud by:

restricting employee access to financial account data

limiting access to inventory or stock

establishing multi-person sign-off for:

– expense claims

– overtime

– cheque writing

– other accounting or payroll functions

using audit logs or audit trails to track and trace all financial transactions

4. Watch your business bank accounts like a hawk

Of all the fraud prevention tips, this ones become really easy to implement. Online banking makes it quick and painless for your clients to check account activity whenever they like. Its worth doing, to make sure that paper-based statements havent been manipulated.

The key items to look for are:

missing or out-of-order cheques

unknown payment recipients

payments made to unrecognised businesses or personal accounts

Simply letting staff know that youre reviewing account activity can help prevent fraud.

5. Make sure you audit high-risk areas often

Your clients should routinely audit areas of their business that deal in:

cash

refunds

product returns

inventory management

accounting and bookkeeping functions

Employees should be told that audits will take place but there shouldnt be a schedule. By making the audits random, your clients are more likely to dig out fraud.

The ACFE also offers a check-up to assess fraud prevention processes. Even if your client doesnt have anything in place, this check-up can be a good place to start.

6. Train your employees to prevent fraud

Its really important that employees in fraud-prone areas of small businesses are taught how to:

identify fraud

prevent fraud

report suspicious behavior by coworkers and customers

Help your client educate staff about some of the common warning signs. Set up an anonymous reporting system, too. Itll make it easier for employees to share information about suspicious activity.

Your clients should create an official code of ethics to demonstrate that fraud wont be tolerated. This will also help reinforce that fraud is a crime, which is important. People sometimes kid themselves that unethical behaviour is victimless when theyre in a business setting.

7. Protect your businesss credit card information

It might seem like an obvious fraud prevention tip, but you need to stress the importance of credit card security to your clients. They probably know they should be careful, yet they may still mix business and personal accounts when its convenient to do so. That can result in costly errors such as tax fines or penalties.

Separating accounts also makes it easier to record business expenses. Encourage clients to protect credit card information and to use secure, online bill payment services wherever possible.

8. Know who your business partners are

Your clients should record basic information about the people they do business with. This should include:

physical address

contact names and phone numbers (at least two)

mutual business relationships or references that can be checked

For further peace of mind, your clients should look up the businesses theyre dealing with to check:

theyre a legitimate business

who the owners are

how long theyve been in business

There are other great sources of background information like the Companies Office.

9. Check into every case no matter how small

These fraud prevention tips only help if clients follow through. They must look into reports or suspicions, no matter how small or unlikely they seem. Its important not to:

become complacent with long-serving staff

be distracted by the daily pressures of running a business

The earlier fraud is detected, the better the result for the business and the culprit.

10. Get expert help if things dont add up

If a client follows your fraud prevention tips and the numbers still dont add up, you may need to get more involved in auditing the business. Or you could refer them to ACFE for help with fraud detection.

Fraud prevention starts with a conversation

Small business owners consistently underestimate the threat of fraud yet studies show they face the greatest risk. If they feel awkward about introducing fraud prevention measures with trusted staff youll have to play the bad cop. They can tell their staff its all your idea.

As a bonus to your client, many of these strategies such as dividing responsibilities and getting two sets of eyes on the books also help with quality control. Encourage them to get started today.

About the Author: (

thesouthbournegroup.com/

)

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Gold, A Hedge Against The Perils Of Interesting Times}

Submitted by: John Christensen

While paper-based investments and real estate are vulnerable to effects of changing times, gold soars. A precious metals investment may save a portfolio when all else fails.

The old Chinese curse, may you live in interesting times, has particular relevance to the current epoch of U.S. history. Theres a lot going on right now, much of it scary. Major investors around the world are responding to the events of our perilous age by sinking their dollars, deutschmarks and yen into gold, silver and palladium; Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and billionaire speculator George Soros to name but a few. Big financial institutions like the Central Banks of Russia and China are also leaping onto the metals bandwagon driving the price of these precious commodities ever higher.

This is spurring a gold rush not witnessed since the Misery Index years of the 1970s. Many financial experts now view gold in particular as an island of stability in a paper-based investment market growing stormier all the time, a development that bodes well for everyday folks who want to shore up their retirement accounts with a precious metals hedge.

People the world over are losing faith in politicians, and currencies, says Marc Lubaszka, President/CEO, World Financial, a highly successful investment firm specializing in precious metals based in Studio City, Calif. This has resulted in a flight to gold coins and other precious metals, a storehouse of value for more than five thousand years. Investors are taking their money out of paper assets, and putting it where it is likely to earn a better return in uncertain times.

Old Reliables Unreliable

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu0B-k6a2Q0[/youtube]

Investments once considered as stable as granite are rapidly losing ground, Lubaszka explains. Real estate is but one example. Long praised as a slam-dunk by money gurus, home-buying is no longer viewed as a hurdle-free path to profit. Stratospheric pricing and higher interest rates are putting intolerable pressure on the current housing bubble, factors bound to bust the suds sooner or later and drive the overheated real estate market into deepfreeze.

The housing bubble will burst rather than gradually deflate, following the rapid and violent pattern of decline of nearly every financial bubble throughout history, Lubaszka says. Higher interest rates negatively impact not only the health of the housing market but other economic segments as well. The stock market takes a hit because higher rates make it more costly for companies to pay for debt. Higher rates hurt corporate profit margins and reduce stock value, bad news given the deep debt situation so many companies are in today.

Paper is Pass

According to Lubaszka, the U.S. dollar has lost more than 80% of its original value since the early 70s when we went to a floating currency, a situation not helped very much by the debut of the Euro in the late 1990s. Unlike American dollars, a portion of the Euro is gold-backed, a stability feature that has helped it outperform the dollar over the long haul. It is for this reason that many foreign investors have been taking money out of U.S. dollars and putting it into gold and oil instead, one explanation for why the price of both has continued to rise in recent months.

Gold prices are climbing right now because the Federal Reserve is printing dollars in flood proportions to keep the real estate market afloat, adds Richard Russell, editor Dow Theory Letters, a stock market trends and securities report published since 1946. This is creating inflation, which erodes purchasing power. All the worlds central banks are inflating right now, reducing confidence in paper globally and encouraging gold-buying. India and China are spurring gold prices as well. India is the worlds largest gold-consumer, and the Chinese government is actively encouraging its citizens to buy gold.

All are extremely encouraging signs for gold investors. Over the course of the past 35 years, gold has climbed in value from a modest $35 an ounce to nearly $600. Contrast that with the battered U.S. dollar, a currency currently worth only 20% of its value in 1970.

When gold peaked-out in the 1970s, interest rates were at an all-time high, Lubaszka says. Right now were waiting to feel the effects of the last 9 interest rate increases which generally take 6-9 months to begin impacting the economy. Nows the time to buy gold because when rates go up, downward pressure is exerted on real estate, stocks and bonds and commodities like gold tend to increase. The opposite occurs when rates travel from a high to a low. Thats the time to reduce gold assets and increase the paper part of a portfolio.

Buy Without Getting Burned

Michelle Henderson, a talent agency owner in Los Angeles, Calif. understands the stakes when it comes to investing. As an agent I work in a commission-based world, and have to invest in both people and ideas all the time, she says. Though Id had bad experiences with stock investments in the past, I knew I would eventually find something that would work for me. I invested in a diversified metals portfolio made up of palladium, silver and gold, and earned a profit of 38% with the palladium alone. Staying focused on making money, and following World Financials advice, I was able to earn an above-average return and greatly increase the overall value of my assets safely.

Lubaszka explain, Its probably best for the first time investor to begin conservatively by purchasing physical metals instead of gold stocks, which can be very volatile. According to Clearwater, Fla.-based talk show host and gold analyst, Tom OBrien, when metals gain 20%, gold equities jump by fifty or sixty per cent. Thats great when it happens but the reverse can occur as well.

Buy gold bars or coins, and put them in a safety deposit box. If you chose to purchase coins from a coin shop, make certain you pay the lowest price possible and that they have a buy back policy. If you elect to go with a broker, fees will be inevitable because you are purchasing a tangible commodity.

There are brokers, and then there are brokers. The best of the breed will answer all questions, and make the process of first-time gold buying less nerve-wracking. Great brokers are also accessible when needed, and quick to call with any new information that affects the value of the investment.

Work with established companies, five years in business is good, ten even better. Dont bother with firms that badger you with telemarketing offers or apply high-pressure sales tactics. Avoid paying high commissions too. Some brokers have layers of fees, through which they earn more money then they do investing on behalf of customers. There are also companies out there that will not buy metal back. Stay away from them as well.

Check references and Better Business Bureau ratings, Lubaszka adds. Deal with a company that takes an active interest in doing business with you. World Financial, for example, offers a five-star customer satisfaction guarantee. If questions are not answered or we fail to respond to a prospects call or email within 24 hours, that person receives a one ounce silver American Eagle coin free of charge. A financial advisors job is to ease the investment process, and to insure that customers get the most for their money. Good advisers are merely good, but the best are worth their weight in gold.

About the Author:

worldfinancialdaily.com

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Real Estate Training And Strategies For Successful Investing Practices

By Simon Volkov

Procurement of proper real estate training is crucial for all investors, but especially so for newbies. Many types of investing courses are available. Some are offered through home study courses allowing students to learn at their own pace, while others are conducted in a classroom setting.

Most real estate training courses cover basic investment strategies. Some focus on a specific niche such as investing in commercial properties or residential foreclosure homes, while others cover topics of creative finance options such as offering owner will carry or entering into 1031 exchanges.

Some of the more popular courses include negotiation and finance strategies. These topics help investors understand how to obtain the best deals and generate positive cash flow for investment properties.

Investors often participate in Continuing Ed classes to learn about local and national real estate laws and management practices. This is particularly helpful for investors offering Section 8 housing and commercial properties.

Investors who are involved in buying and selling foreclosure or bank owned properties often find training courses provide the information they need to negotiate sales through bank loss mitigation. These types of courses also offer information on obtaining government grants such as those offered through HUDs Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtbfbuFkuE8[/youtube]

Real estate investors can determine which types of courses are required based on their investment goals. Those new to buying properties for profit may want to participate in home study courses focused on rehabbing rental properties for house flipping or buying distressed homes for use as rentals.

Those with desire to make real estate investing their fulltime job or would like to become a training instructor should participate in courses offered through accredited organizations.

Perhaps more than any other type of financial investment product, real estate offers numerous opportunities to generate profits. With adequate training, investors can learn how to generate positive cash flow in any market or economic conditions.

The Internet offers easy access to numerous real estate training courses and online seminars. Public libraries can also be a good option. Most libraries offers a variety of investing seminars presented on VHS and DVD which can be borrowed at no cost. Although courses offered through libraries are often outdated, they still provide valuable information to novice investors.

It is always wise to conduct research about companies or individuals offering real estate training seminars and home study courses. Anyone can publish a website and claim to be a successful investor. Spending a little time checking their background can prevent spending money on courses that don’t deliver on promises.

Real estate training courses can be as concise as a one or two day program or as complex as two or more years of education. It’s best to create a list of investing goals and expectations to determine what type of education is required.

Take time to research the various types of real estate to determine which is best suited for your budget. Determining the type of properties can help narrow down the type of training required to reach your goals.

Last, but not least, talk with other investors and inquire where they obtained training. Contact local realtors and ask if they offer investment seminars or can recommend local workshops. Review real estate Classifieds of local newspapers or online bulletin boards such as Craigslist, to locate real estate training events hosted in your area.

About the Author: California real estate investor, Simon Volkov shares information and resources for a variety of

real estate training

programs, along with investment tips and strategies. Simon also offers a variety of investment opportunities via his website at

SimonVolkov.com

.

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