Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – The United Steelworkers union filed Thursday a comprehensive trade case with the U.S. government against China’s clean energy plan.

The complaint identified “a broad array of Chinese policies and practices that threaten the future of America’s alternative and renewable energy sector,” according to a statement by the USW.

The case charges that “China has utilized hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies, performance requirements, preferential practices and other trade-illegal activities to advance its domination of the sector.”

The 5,800-page submission identified five areas of “protectionist and predatory practices utilized by the Chinese to develop their green sector at the expense of production and job creation in the U.S.”

The USW filed the petition under Section 301 of the trade law with the office of United States Trade Representative.

Under the law, the Obama administration has 45 days from the date of filing to determine whether to accept the petition for further action.

“Green jobs are key to our future. Right now, China is taking every possible step – many of them illegal under international trade laws – to ensure that it will control that sector. America can’t afford to cede more of its manufacturing base to China,” Leo W. Gerard, USW international president, said in the statement.

“It’s a national priority to reduce our dependence on foreign energy supplies. But if all we do is exchange our dependence on foreign oil for a dependence on Chinese alternative and renewable energy production equipment, we will have traded away our nation’s energy, economic and job security,” Gerard added.

View full post on Labor Stories

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I recently wrote an article about the the best ways to raise private money for real estate Investors where I laid out the top 4 ways to raise private money to grow and develop your real estate investing business. One of the top 4 ways we use and teach to our students is to use group presentations.

A private lending group presentation involves getting 5 to 20 people into a room and doing a presentation where you lay out the details and benefits of your private lending program. This may not be for everyone depending on your comfort level of talking in front of groups, but the advantages of group meetings are very powerful. When people start to ask questions and tell positive stories, a certain level of group think starts to take effect and can be very powerful on the attendees.

We teach our students to focus on the preplanning and marketing, presentation materials and post-meeting follow up as the key to conducting a successful meeting and getting people to invest in your business.

Preplanning and Marketing – We put preplanning and marketing together because they must be done together. Make sure you have a room reserved that can fit 20 or more people comfortably. It can be a hotel conference room but they tend to be expensive. Other options might include a local library, church or civic groups that allow people to use their meeting rooms. Once you have the meeting room arrangements finalized you can then create your marketing piece with the exact address and time of the meeting.

Now you need to get people to come your meeting. And not just anyone – you need potential investors with extra cash to invest. A couple ways to promote your meeting might include posting flyers in 55%2B communities with retires who might have extra cash to invest. You can also rent a list of local people with high incomes and bank CDs and mail them a letter or post card inviting them to the meeting. You can also place small ads in your local newspaper promoting an “information only” meeting about private lending and real estate investing. Better yet do all of these to help fill the room.

Presentation Materials – In order for the meeting to be successful you need to have a well prepared PowerPoint or presentation handout. It needs to be well organized and show your professionalism. This is no time to “wing it”. Your presentation needs to come off well done and organized where you lay your business plan and why it makes sense for them to consider investing with you. Again this should be “information only” and do not make specific offers to invest or discuss actual projects to invest in at this meeting. Actual offers are done in the follow up to the meeting.

Post Meeting Follow Up – As part of the meeting be sure to gather every ones contact information so you can contact them after the meeting. I recommend a letter 2 or 3 days later thanking them and asking them to contact you if they have further questions. Keep in mind that most will not invest, but if 1 or 2 do become investors from each meeting it is a highly successful meeting.

I invite you to learn more about Private Lending and get my new FREE 20-page ebook titled “Discover the Secrets of How to Fund Your Real Estate Deals with Private Lenders!” by clicking here http://realestatewealthtoday.com/FREE-eBook.html

Mike Lautensack is a full-time real estate entrepreneur in Philadelphia, PA and creator of the Private Lending Presentation Kit. This powerful done-for-you kit is loaded with tools and techniques to attract and develop a consistent stream of private investors into your real estate business. To learn more about this kit and receive your FREE Real Estate Wealth Newsletter go to Private Lending Presentation Kit.

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One of my newsletter members recently asked if using a list broker was a good source of marketing leads to attract private lenders and, if so, how is it done. The answer is yes but with several precautions.

Precautions

It is important to understand that I strongly recommend that marketing for private lenders is done on a local and low key way. I do not recommend any sort of website advertising or newspaper advertising because it can be viewed as a solicitation to an unsophisticated investor and attract calls from your state’s SEC. You do not want one of these calls!

The SEC and state authorities monitor Craig’s List and other similar bulletin boards for people doing unauthorized advertising for private lenders. When you advertise in this fashion, you can not restrict out of state people from reading your ad and as result certain authorities may deem this a solicitation across state lines. If this happens you may be required to register with the federal SEC.

List Brokers

So how do you market to potential private lenders using a list purchased from a list broker? You can start with a national list broker like InfoUSA or Melissa Data and purchase a list that is tightly defined to fit your needs. In fact, most large list brokers already have a predone list targeting high net worth investors. You may want to go with this type of list or customize to fit your needs.

I would start with people that have significant net worth over $500k and have IRA’s or CD’s investments. This fits the profile of typical private investors. You may also want to add retired people who have IRA’s over some fixed dollar amount. It is critical, however, that you only allow people with a primary residence in your Local County or state. Even once you receive your list, I would recommend you proof it once or twice to be sure you only have addresses in your county or state. I know it may be shock that someone may make a mistake, but it does happen and guess who will pay the price for the mistake. The SEC does not care that a clerical error was made.

Once you have a clean list, you can send each person a postcard or letter. Be sure that the message you use on the postcard or letter is more of an offer to provide more information or an invitation to a seminar as opposed to an offer to directly invest with you. You may even want to offer a free voice recorded message or website where they can go and get additional information about your company and investment information.

I invite you to learn more about Private Lenders and get my new FREE 20-page ebook titled “Discover the Secrets of How to Fund Your Real Estate Deals with Private Lenders!” by clicking here http://realestatewealthtoday.com/FREE-eBook.html

Mike Lautensack is a full-time real estate entrepreneur in Philadelphia, PA and creator of the Private Lending Presentation Kit. This powerful done-for-you kit is loaded with tools and techniques to attract and develop a consistent stream of private investors into your real estate business. To learn more about this kit and receive your FREE Real Estate Wealth Newsletter go to the Private Lending Presentation Kit

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So you’re Joe College and you have elected not to pursue federal student financial aid, for any of a number of reasons. That’s fine, but what are your other options? You could try to apply for private student loans, for one thing.

As with most other things, when I am hunting down information, my starting point is always the Internet. Do a search online, using any of the major search engines, using the words ‘private student loans’ and you will turn up at least 50,000 related websites. Keep in mind, however, that not all of these will be pertinent. Typically the first fifty or so websites will be helpful, and fifty different sources of information is pretty good in anyone’s book!

Now you have searched and turned up a sufficient number of sources – good for you, a lot of the work has been taken care of…but you still have to sift through the sites. You need to establish a set of criteria when applying for private student loans.

The requirements for private student loans are fairly simple. You need to have at least a 27 month history of credit of some sort, whether repayment of a small loan over a period of time or regular payments on a credit card. The main thing to avoid are late payments or a history of running up a large credit card bill as those will reflect negatively on your credit history.

Since it is more than likely that you are a very young person, you will probably be required to provide a co-signer. That is someone who also has a good credit rating and has proof of sufficient income and a low debt load, who is willing to guarantee repayment of the loan in the unlikely eventuality that you may be unable to repay the loan yourself.

I would always advise students to first seek grants and scholarships as these do not have to be repaid, but the truth is that not everyone is eligible for a scholarship or grant, and it is a blessing that those persons can obtain student loans to finance their education. And helping someone find private college loans is a worthwhile endeavor!

Try to avoid borrowing more than you will be able to repay within a reasonable period of time. When you apply for private student loans, remember to look for those with a low interest rate and at least a partial forgiveness clause.

Louis Zhang, Ezprivatestudentloans.com

To get a free guide to private student loans including student loans without cosigner and uncertified private student loans go to Ezprivatestudentloans.com.

photo credit: puja

The conception of wedding has changed over the years. Its conception, its configuration, the way it is planned – all have changed through the past times. You can see it since you are planning your wedding or your child’s wedding. Wedding has been planned in your room, your mind, your house, your in-laws house. Every wall, every floor, everywhere you walk, your wedding is being planned. It is on your mind and finances come invariably into focus while the planning is going on. They are like the slight tap on your head that is constant and irksome and yet wanting to tell you something that is so essential. How do you stop that? You want to stop that! It can be stopped through – Wedding personal loans.

Around 2.5 millions weddings take place every year in U.K. an average budget on a wedding is estimated to be £ 20,000. Well that kind of money is not easy to accumulate. With 70% of the couples paying for their own wedding, it is not surprising that you are looking for a wedding loan. A wedding personal loan will provide your wedding plan with the solid foundation that it requires.

Finances are undoubtedly the root cause of disagreement between most of the couples. Planning and that too thoughtful planning are integral while taking a personal loan for wedding. Finding a low cost wedding loan can be sometimes an uphill struggle. It is, however, very important to know what you are getting into before taking a wedding loan. It is important to understand that every loan needs to be paid back. Wedding personal loans can be a very effective instrument provided you pick it up carefully like your best man or your wedding dress.

Wedding loan types are flooded with variety making it possible for every person to get a wedding loan. Personal loans for wedding will impart you the freedom to use the loan in whichever fashion you want. Loan lenders who provide personal loans are not much concerned with the way you use the loan amount, all they are concerned with is the repayment. You can pay for your reception, hotel, honeymoon, wedding photography, wedding cars etc. with wedding personal loans.

Wedding personal loans can be secured or unsecured. Secured personal loans for wedding necessitate you to place a guarantee against your loan claim. While the unsecured option for your wedding loan is open to all people who do not have a valuable asset to place as a loan. The only discrepancy between these loans is that the interest rates on unsecured wedding loans are higher than the secured. The reason being that secured personal loans for wedding give a security to the loan lender in case you fail to make repayments.

If you are a parent, wanting to finance the wedding of your son or daughter, you can apply for personal loans for wedding. The services provided with wedding loans are fast and efficient. The decision can be made within 24 hours or take a maximum of 72 hours. If loads of paperwork is like not your forte, there is news for you. The loans lending companies require you to fill a simple online form.

Bad credit wedding loans are not difficult to obtain but they don’t come without their own set of tribulations. The troubles are all defined in terms of interest rate. So with bad credit wedding loans the interest rates are higher than other loan types. Conventionally, people with bad credit like CCJs, IVAs, defaults, arrears were seen with suspicion. Now it has become easier for them to obtain wedding loans with bad credit. Wedding loan has opened vistas for everyone including graduates, self-employed, unemployed, contract workers, so on and so forth.

Interest rates on wedding personal loans are highly subjective depending on your loan amount, the loan term, the credit status. You can learn more about your own individual possibility of getting a loan by doing some research on the net. Loan lenders will supply you with a free quote for your wedding loans if you ask for one. You must compare loans. Comparing loan rates will help you finding the personal loan rate on wedding loan that is not only low but adjustable to your financial circumstances.

There are no rules in marriage. Though there are a lot of challenges in it. Understanding, faith, trust, commitment, positive attitude – That all you have. What you don’t have is money. Perhaps you woke up today with a prayer in your heart – ‘how can I give the person I love the chance to make a beautiful life with me’. Your prayers can be answered with Wedding personal loans.

Amanda Thompson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from CPIT and has completed her master’s in Business Administration from IGNOU. She is as cautious about her finances as any person reading this is. She works for the personal loan web site http://www.chanceforloans.co.uk

To find a personal loan that best suits your needs visit http://www.chanceforloans.co.uk

photo credit: quinn.anya

Overview of Peer to Peer Lending

With the cost of college tuition rising every year, the government can no longer provide enough support to cover all college expenses. In addition with the ongoing credit crisis, funding for student loans given by banks and other private institutions has nearly dried up or become inaccessible. In the instances where students can obtain private funding, interest rates can be as high as 20%. Consequently, students are desperately looking for other sources of funding for their education.

A relatively new alternative to government and banking loans is peer-to-peer lending (aka p2p lending, social lending). With peer-to-peer lending, borrowers can get loans directly from a pool of private lenders. For students, peer-to-peer lending offers the promise of lower interest rates in comparison to traditional bank loans. The concept of peer to peer lending has been around for some time. It was initially used for funding micro loans for entrepreneurs in developing nations to start businesses. With almost perfect timing, peer-to-peer lending companies have emerged to offer help to those in need of funding, whether for debt consolidation, starting a small business, or going to college.

Currently, there are two peer-to-peer lending companies focusing primarily on student loans: Fynanz and GreenNote.

Fynanz offers repayment plans over five, seven, or ten years depending on the dollar amount of the loan. Like a normal student loan, students receive a grace period while in school and can delay principal payments for up to 2 years after graduating. With Fynanz, students can expect to receive a higher interest rate since lenders are guaranteed 50% to 100% of the principal if the borrower defaults.

GreenNote loans have a fixed interest rate that is equivalent to the current Federal Unsubsidized Stafford interest rate at 6.8%, which is a much lower interest rate than private or bank loans. They give students a grace period of six months after graduation, and repayment is made monthly over a ten-year period. No credit approval or credit score is needed since agreements are made between the students and people they know.

Virgin Money USA is another option for receiving loans if the student has a network of friends or family willing to lend money. Virgin Money simply acts as an intermediary by making the loan official and removing the emotional aspect of lending money to friends or family. Since the loan is between friends or family, the loan terms are completely flexible. The student and lender decide upon the interest rate and payments, not Virgin Money. Expect to pay $199 to $299 to setup the loan, and an additional $9 per month service fee.

Risk for Student Borrowers

For students, there are no real risks with peer to peer lending. Either the students receive funding or they are denied funding, like any other bank or federal loan they might apply for. A student’s loan will be funded if enough investors choose to fund it and the money is received up front. Lenders choose to fund loans based on the attractiveness of the student’s profile. Naturally, if the student has a high GPA, attends a prestigious school, and is majoring in a lucrative field, lenders will be fiercely competing to fund the loan. Students without stellar profiles can try soliciting funding from friends, family, or colleagues. Allowing Virgin Money USA or GreenNote to manage the loan will make the process official and thus be a more attractive investment to the student’s friends and family.

What’s the verdict?

Peer to peer lending is an excellent option for students in need of money. Overall, peer to peer lending offers an alternative but secure method for obtaining funding for college expenses beyond what federal loans, grants, or scholarships can cover.

Stephen Ott is the co-webmaster of an informational website dedicated to peer-to-peer lending. To learn more about student loans from Fynanz and GreenNote, please visit Peer-to-Peer Lending Info.

photo credit: James Willamor

A private student loan is an option for students who prefer not to borrow money from the government or from Sallie Mae, or who have not been fortunate in obtaining grants and scholarships from both private and public foundations. The interest rates could be slightly higher than say a federal Stafford loan or a Perkins loan, but if the student, or his parents, has a good relationship with a private lender, the rates and terms could be negotiated…and often in a friendly manner.

A private student loan is sometimes called an alternative student loan and could be any type of loan, provided it was not obtained from a government source. Given this distinguishing characteristic therefore, a private student loan could be a private loan for a student with bad credit, a no credit check student loan (“that’s okay, we have your parents’ signature card on file”), or a graduate student loan – for students wanting to pursue a master’s degree.

Whatever form of private student loan you apply for, remember that a loan is a loan, no matter what it is called. This presupposes a commitment on the part of the lender to make available a definite amount of money to be placed at the lender’s disposal; and by the same token, it presupposes a commitment on the part of the borrower to pay the loan back. The payment terms and schedule are usually outlined in the loan agreement. These elements make a private student loan a legal obligation, a valid contract, if you will. Both borrower and lender therefore are bound by a legal document that cannot be breached, unless for a very justified reason.

If you compare the interest rate of your private student loan with that of the interest rate of your classmate’s federal government student loan, you may notice that his rate is lower. This should not come as a surprise. The US government has a student loan program that gives all US citizens a right to an education. And to make that right an affordable right and accessible to all, the rates on government student loans are usually much lower than a commercial loan – a Wells Fargo loan as an example.

Some private lenders advertise their private student loan programs in such a way that the student does not have to feel cornered about applying for a private student loan – lenders say there are no application fees, no application deadlines, the loan amount can be paid after graduation, and that the funds are sent directly to the student’s account and not to the school. The approval for a private student loan will be given in just a couple of hours or 24 hours, according to some lenders.

Before you sign on the dotted line for your private student loan, make sure you scrutinize the loan agreement.

Guy Ray is a published copywriter with more than 200 articles to his credit. To Learn more about private student loans visit his website at http://www.allstudentloaninfo.com

photo credit: epicharmus

f you are a real estate investor and need funds to finance your real estate deals, or are looking for money to cash out of deals, there is really only ONE option in today’s market conditions. That option is a private lending program where you allow private individuals who have extra money to invest in your real estate investing business.

But with the current popularity of private lending, we are seeing our coaching students and subscribers making a number of mistakes and thought we would highlight the top 4 mistakes and what to do to avoid them when borrowing money from private lenders.

Mistake #1 – Advertising on the Internet – We have seen many investors get into big trouble with the federal or state SEC regulators by advertising for private lenders through internet sites like Craig List and other bulletin boards. SEC regulators are patrolling these boards looking for advertising violations. You can not be sure that people outside your state may be looking at these ads and that would be the same as advertising across state lines and require a federal filing. We do not recommend any internet advertising for private lenders.

Mistake #2 – Using the wrong words in Advertising – We also strongly advise that in all your written or verbal advertising that you NEVER, NEVER, NEVER us the following terms: Guarantee or Guaranteed, Low Risk, Secured, Safe or Risk-free. All of these terms will attract the attention of the federal or state SEC organizations as potentially false or misleading advertising of securities for sale.

Mistake #3 – Not Using Proper Disclosure Language – I strongly recommend you use a disclosure statement in any advertising material, letters, documents, or other marketing materials as part of your private lender program such as;

“This is not a public offering. This is not an offer or invitation to sell or a solicitation of any offer to purchase any securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Any securities may only be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in the state or states in which they have been registered or may be offered under an appropriate exemption.”

Mistake #4 – Advertising Across State Lines – Most small real estate investor do not want to go to the cost and trouble to file with the federal SEC. So it is very important you only advertise and deal with potential investors from within your state and do use advertising that may cross state lines. That is why we do not use newspapers or internet advertising

As with all businesses, it is very important that you avoid as many mistakes as possible and real estate investing is no different. But with private lending a mistake can have serious and expensive consequences so be careful and avoid these mistakes.

I invite you to learn more about Private Lending and get my new FREE 20-page ebook titled “Discover the Secrets of How to Fund Your Real Estate Deals with Private Lenders!” by clicking here http://realestatewealthtoday.com/FREE-eBook.html

Mike Lautensack is a full-time real estate entrepreneur in Philadelphia, PA and creator of the Private Lending Presentation Kit. This powerful done-for-you kit is loaded with tools and techniques to attract and develop a consistent stream of private investors into your real estate business. To learn more about this kit and receive your FREE Real Estate Wealth Newsletter go to Private Lending Presentation Kit

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More and more unmarried couples are living together and merging their finances.

Since 1985, the number of unmarried couples living together in the US has more than doubled. The merging of finances between unmarried parties offers unique money situations. And many are less likely to plan for the future as married couples do.

Recently, a client came to me asking for suggestions on merging finances before marriage. She was worried that the finances merged now would not be split equally in the case of a separation. I suggested, as she is getting married next month, that she not co-sign anything before marriage. I also suggested she consider a pre-nuptial agreement. These agreements aren’t only for the wealthy, they are for anyone marrying someone with debt.

In the early stages of a relationship, it is best to keep assets separate. Don’t add each other to credit cards, co-sign for loans or share property of any sort. This will save you from small claims court if you break up. If you make a loan to the other person, make sure they sign a promissory note acknowledging the loan. Many judges will otherwise see the loan as a gift in a relationship situation.

You should also maintain separate checking accounts. Don’t contribute money to the purchase of any asset that is only in your partner’s name. If you are far enough in your relationship to buy, for example, a house together, you should have it in both of your names.

You should each contribute money proportionately to a shared checking for common expenses such as groceries and lawn care. The amount you give to this account depends on your respective salaries. If I make 60% of the total household income and my partner makes 40%, we each put that percent of our salary in the joint account.

You might want to consider having a lawyer draw up an agreement that addresses what will happen to your assets if the relationship ends. This is a good thing to do well before you ever have any troubles. Consider it a pre-nup without the nup.

If you decide to buy a house together, make sure that it is titled correctly. You will either have to title it “joint ownership with rights of survivorship” or “tenants in common.” Check with a lawyer as to which titleship of the property is best for your situation.

Don’t become financially dependent on your partner. If you break up, what will you do? If your partner asks you to quit your job and stay home, make sure you get it in writing, legally and enforceably, that you will be taken care of.

When you decide to live together out of marriage, there are a lot of legal and financial issues to consider. Most of us don’t even think of them when we decide to move in with someone — we are too in love. But we often think about them when the relationship turns sour. And then its often too late. Do things wisely and sit and discuss your finances with your partner. Let your partner know that you aren’t just looking out for yourself, you are looking out for your future together.

Martin Lukac (http://www.MartinLukac.com), represents http://www.RateEmpire.com and http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate/mortgage market. We specialize in daily updates, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies!

photo credit: Medmoiselle T

A private mortgage lender is essential to the success of your real estate venture and your business relationship with the lender during the life of the real estate loan. For many real estate investors, working with the right lender means the difference between a sweet deal and a deal gone bad.

Many real estate investors opt to work with private mortgage lenders to escape the bureaucracy involved with the conventional lending process. The global real estate market is competitive and often the speed of the transaction is crucial to the success and outcome of a real estate deal.

Loan-to-Value: Private mortgage lenders are concerned with loan-to-value (LTV) ratios which is the calculated percentage of the requested mortgage to the total appraised value of the property. When working with a private mortgage lender, you will want to learn what their criteria are for lending when it comes to the loan-to-value ratio. This will vary according to the type of property you are seeking to finance.

For instance, a private mortgage lender will typically lend a lower percentage on raw land and a higher percentage on a multiple unit property that produces cash flow. If the property and the borrower meet the criteria of the private lender, they will be more likely to lend the maximum percentage. If the deal is considered less than ideal, the percentage of the loan will be significantly lower.

Private Lender Property Interest: It is important to find out the property interests of the private mortgage lender with regard to the type of property they would most likely be willing to fund. Typically, the private lender would be interested in a property that is easy to sell if the borrower lands in default. This would most likely be a property that produces cash flow as opposed to a non-income producing property such as raw land.

Property Income Potential: Another consideration of private mortgage lenders is how much emphasis they place on the income potential of the property being considered for financing. Some private lenders insist on a property that provides sound collateral because this adds a great deal of security to the loan. In other instances, private mortgage lenders will also consider cash flow from other existing properties as a substitute.

Exit Strategy: The repayment strategy of the borrower is of utmost importance to most private mortgage lenders. Private lenders will evaluate whether or not the plans for repayment by the borrower are feasible or questionable. For example, if the borrower plans to satisfy the debt by obtaining another mortgage, the private lender will need to consider the credit history of the borrower.

Decision Making Process: You can expect the private mortgage lender to use a similar decision making process to a conventional lending institution when considering you as a borrower and the property you are financing. The nice part is the private lender may fund a venture that the conventional lending institution would refuse and will provide creative methods when it comes to repayment terms.

I invite you to learn more about Private Money Lending and get my new FREE 20-page ebook titled “Discover the Secrets of How to Fund Your Real Estate Deals with Private Lenders!” by clicking here http://realestatewealthtoday.com/FREE-eBook.html

Mike Lautensack is a full-time real estate entrepreneur in Philadelphia, PA and creator of the Private Lending Presentation Kit. This powerful done-for-you kit is loaded with tools and techniques to attract and develop a consistent stream of private investors into your real estate business. To learn more about this kit and receive your FREE Real Estate Wealth Newsletter go to Private Lending Presentation Kit