Debt settlement companies provide the service of lowering your existing debts by negotiating with your lender to provide financial relief. There are many such companies that can help you with repaying only a percentage of your loan to settle it permanently. Below is a list of the top 10 debt settlement companies you can compare and choose from. Century Support Services Century Support Services offers debt settlement services to people who have a debt of $10,000 or more. The process can take up to 48 months, but you will have to pay their fees only after your debt is settled. They also offer a free consultation. Pacific Debt, Inc. Pacific Debt Inc. offers debt settlement services for a fee of 15-25% of your settled debt. To avail of their services, you must have a debt of at least $10,000. The process takes up to 48 months, and you pay the fee after the service is completed. CreditAssociates If you have a debt of $10,000 or even more, then CreditAssociates can be one of the top 10 debt settlement companies to help you out of the situation. They can effectively lower your dues and charge you a certain percentage of the settled debt.

In a regular mortgage, you pay the lender over a period to eventually own the home. In a reverse mortgage, the lender pays you as an advance towards the equity of your home. The amount is tax-free and you do not have to repay it as long as you live in the home. Here are the basic reverse mortgage eligibility criteria: Age To qualify for this type of mortgage, you need to be 62 years or older. Under the new regulations that relax norms for a non-borrowing spouse, you may still qualify for the loan even if your spouse is less than 62 years old. Balance home equity Another major requirement to qualify for a reverse mortgage is that you should have a significant equity balance in the home. You must have at least 50% home equity while applying for the loan. Self-occupied The third reverse mortgage eligibility criterion is that the home should be self-occupied. Moreover, it should be your primary residence. Investment properties are not eligible for reverse mortgage loans. Counseling When you apply for a reverse mortgage loan, you need to undergo a counseling session from a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved agency. During the session, you will be given all information related to such loans and will also help you understand if a reverse mortgage is appropriate to your requirements or not.

Retirement is one of the most important periods of life. After retirement, you can enjoy a happy, financially secure life with your family. However, that will require you to have a large enough bank balance that can guarantee financial stability for both you and your loved ones. You need to know the options for the best retirement investments so that you can effectively build the fund you need. Mutual funds A mutual fund is one of the best investment options you have for retirement fund building. Mutual funds are investment portfolios that include bonds, stocks, and other investment instruments. These funds are managed by experienced and professional managers who invest your money on your behalf and help you get the best possible returns. A great thing about mutual funds is that they offer the flexibility of choosing how much risk you are willing to take. You can build your investment portfolio depending on what kind of growth you want to see and your risk tenacity. You should know that the growth of your mutual fund investment depends a lot on the market situation. However, it is outweighed by the many benefits of mutual funds such as asset allocation, tax benefits, the option to transfer ownership, and low commissions.

During the current uncertainty, choosing high dividend exchange-traded funds (ETFs) seems prudent. Several ETFs with high exposure to energy and real estate are floundering due to the novel coronavirus. Here is a list of five high-dividend ETF funds that may be a good investment option during this pandemic: Legg Mason Low Volatility High Dividend ETF (LVHD) This dividend ETF provides two excellent features, higher payout and lower volatility. Although LVHD will generate negative returns in the current year, its performance is still better than the S&P 500. This fund tracks the QS Low Volatility High Dividend Index and allocates almost 25% of the weight in energy and real estate. However, no single investment exceeds 2.8%, which reduces the risk to some extent. The LVHD yield stands at 3.36% with an expense ratio of 0.27%. VictoryShares US Large Cap High Dividend Volatility Weighted ETF (CDL) This fund is over five years old with more than $207 million in assets under management (AUM). CDL targets the Nasdaq US Large Cap High Dividend 100 Volatility Index. This fund does not adhere to stringent methodology and offers some versatility. This may result in yield-driven strategies that rely on a smaller number of investments. Another feature of this fund is that it has no exposure to the real estate sector but has a 22.84% exposure to financial services.

These days, a lot of people are leaving their jobs in the pursuit of setting up their own business. While a good idea is often the key to a successful business, the most important thing for you to start a business is the availability of funds. That is where business loans come into the picture. As soon as you launch a business, you will need funds to meet day-to-day expenses. Thus, securing a guaranteed business loan before you embark upon your journey as an entrepreneur, is very important. How to apply for a business loan? Since applying for business loans has become a common practice now, many lenders give you applications through both offline and online mediums. You also have the option to apply for loans with multiple vendors at one go. The lender needs to verify and establish whether you are in a position to pay off the loan in the future. You have to provide him with documents containing your prospective business plan, proof of monthly and annual revenue, business tax ID number, information related to tax returns, business bank statements, the ID issued by the government to you signifying business ownership. Benefits of applying for a business loan Bank does not interfere with your business While the bank analyses your financial health and wants to be sure about you paying off the loan, it does not dictate how you should run your business.

An increasing number of investors are opting for automated investing tools, commonly known as robo-advisors. These automated tools put the management of your portfolio in an autopilot mode. Here are five benefits of such automated investing platforms: Affordable Before robo-advisors, you needed to pay hefty fees to an investment advisor to assist and manage your portfolio. Several of the best automated investing platforms, such as Betterment, Wealthfront, and Charles Schwab Corp’s Intelligent Portfolios offer zero to 0.25% management fees, making it an affordable option. Profitable investment models Most of these automated investing advisors use the best practices of investment theories, which strive to deliver the highest returns at the lowest risks. Moreover, it eliminates human intervention that may result in biases leading to errors. Meeting various investment goals Different kinds of robo-advisors cater to the varied needs of investors. You may choose from advisors that are sector- or industry-focused to robo-advisors that offer an affordable and diversified portfolio of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Several automated investing platforms may offer tax-loss harvesting and claim rebalancing. Low minimum balances You may not have a large amount of investible surplus. Some of the best automated investing platforms offer services, even when you maintain a low minimum balance.

Financial discipline is an important trait to acquire. You have come to the right place for people looking for a registered investment advisor, but do not know where to look. Here, we have collated a list of the best investment advisors who are established entities and, hence, quite trusted and reputed. Check out our list of best investment advisors to get the right organization to manage your finances: Morgan Stanley Some of the highlights of investing with Morgan Stanley is getting full value with a personalized portfolio. Your financial advisor can help you curate the right investment strategy that suits you the best. Apart from this, you would also get comprehensive communication, ensuring that you know what’s in line. The best part is the fees of this particular program is based on the number of assets in the account. We highly recommend you consider them for top-quality investment opportunities. Bank of America Bank of America has a corporate Global Wealth and Investment Management division. One of the main reasons why Bank of America ranks so high is because it acquired Merrill Lynch post the 2008 financial crisis. This division primarily focuses on two types of clients: people who have more than USD 250,000 (approximately) in assets that can be potentially invested and high-net-worth individuals.

A home insurance policy or homeowners insurance pays for any loss or damage to property or personal possessions. Some policies even cover personal injuries and liabilities that arise out of unforeseen circumstances. Having a home insurance policy is beneficial as it helps you pay for repairs, a replacement that may stretch your finances. Here we shall explore the best ways to obtain maximum coverage and explore tips that help you choose the best policy at the cheapest rates. Coverage options Your home insurance policy must cover any loss or theft, destruction or damage, and even personal liability associated with all possessions. And this coverage is divided into policies that provide actual cash value, replacement cost, or guaranteed replacement cost. Actual cash value pays the exact value of how much an item or possession is worth today (after depreciation) Replacement cost provides cover to restore the original value of your home or possession included in the policy. There is no depreciation or deduction considered. A guaranteed replacement cost covers expenses that may even exceed the insurance policy value. A typical ceiling limit of 20% to 25% is reserved for such policies over the insured value. Choosing a primary home insurance policy will be possible only after you decide the extent of coverage necessary.