Raise Your Credit Score With Your Tax Refund Check

Author: Jon Arnold



If you are one of the lucky ones that is getting an income tax
refund, do not cash the check when it comes. Instead, let's look
at a better use for the money, one that will pay a greater
dividend to you in the long term.




We are talking about your credit score. In a nutshell, there are
three credit reporting agencies in the US that keep close tabs
on your credit history, your outstanding debt, your
debt-to-income ratio and various other pieces of information.
These agencies do not share information about you, so not one of
them has a totally 100% accurate picture of your credit history,
but that is what almost all lenders use to calculate your credit
score.

Your credit score is used to determine your credit worthiness in
the eyes of a potential lender. The average credit score in the
US is around 660, and this is a number that can range from about
350 to around 850. The timeliness that you have historically
shown in making your credit card payments, loan payments, and
mortgage payments are reflected here. You get points subtracted
for being near or over your credit limit on any accounts, and
more points subtracted if you make late payments.

While there is much more that goes into calculating your credit
score, you can use your tax refund to actually increase your
credit score. Say you have a couple of credit cards that are
pretty much maxed out, perhaps even over their limit. Pay off
those cards or at least pay down the majority of the balance,
which will in turn raise your credit score because your debt to
income ratio will look that much better.

Many people just splurge on something when they get their income
tax refund, maybe getting a new car or that huge new plasma TV
or a kitchen remodel job done. But what good does that do you?
Really, nothing in the long run, and paying down some of your
credit cards or loans has a much greater long lasting effect,
which is all to your benefit. You need to put that money where
it will do the most good for you in the long term, not for a
very short term benefit.

The average person in the US has 8 to 10 credit cards, although
credit counseling will advise having no more than 2 or 3. If you
only have 2 or 3 credit cards, then the temptation to max them
out will be less, simply because your credit limits are not
going to be that high to allow you to get into real serious
trouble financially.

The credit bureau gives the most points towards your credit
score for accounts that are paid on time, have never gone over
their credit limit, and have an outstanding balance of between
20-25% of the credit limit. This gives you a comfortable margin
for charging things that you need, but it does not make you
appear to be living on the edge, as it would if you had credit
card account that were consistently at 80% or more of your
credit limit.

Put your income tax refund to work for you. The time and effort
that you put into raising your credit score will pay off in
spades for you in the future.

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LCD TV - 6 Advantages Of LCD TVs

Author: Dean Caporella



The LCD TV is really starting to come of age and while they have
dominated the small screen market in recent times over plasma,
it seems it may not be too long before they challenge their arch
rival in the bigger screen areas.

In fact, proto type 55" LCD TVs have already been produced and
if the progress continues to gather momentum they could very
well challenge plasma in the area it is best known for - large
screen televisions.

In this article, let's take a look at some of the advantages of
an LCD TV and why you may consider one for you home over the
next few months.

Advantages Of LCDs

The price of LCD has always been a drawback for most home
theater enthusiasts. The money outlaid for a small screen
television doesn't seem to make sense when for less, you can
purchase a large screen plasma. As mentioned above, that
scenario is likely to change rapidly.

As far as advantages are concerned, here are just a few:

- Very good viewing experience. They will handle any lighting
conditions from a well lit room, an artificially lit room and
even a small light such as that from a lamp. In other words,
your picture wont attract that wash out effect or annoying glare.

- Viewing angle...yes, this was once a bug bear and was one of
the advantages enjoyed by plasma but times have changed and you
could now reasonably expect to be able to view your set from an
angle of 160 degrees.

- The quality of picture is excellent, even life-like. Color is
enhanced to incredible levels and makes the viewing experience
pleasurable. It's almost as if the screen is conveying a smooth
appearance and you won't see annoying lines in your picture.

- It is versatile. An LCD TV can double up as a computer monitor
as well as providing input for just about any video format
around.

- Very easy to set up even for someone who is technically
challenged. Devices of an external nature are always challenging
to someone with little technical knowledge but most LCD TV sets
come with built in tuners.

- You will generally expect to get a minimum of 60,000 hours of
viewing time from your LCD TV. This was one of their big
advantages over plasma although the latter is making up ground
in this area in rapid fashion.

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Home Theatre Equipment: The Essentials.

Author: Steven Magill
Copyright (c) 2008 Steven Magill



Before you embark on purchasing the home theatre equipment you
will need for your home theatre, it's vital that you set
yourself a budget within which to work. There are many different
items that comprise a home theatre set up, so it's important to
make sure that you have not only enough to cover their actual
cost, but their installation as well.

Once you have decided upon your budget, you must go about
choosing each individual item of home theatre equipment that you
will need. Most people start with the television. The two main
contenders currently available on the market are LCD displays,
which work much better in lighter environments, and plasma
screens, which are the better choice if colour quality is your
primary concern.

All too often, people fall under the impression that bigger is
better, however the reality is, that unless the space between
your TV and where you are sitting is at least four metres, you
should choose a television that is under 40 inches in diameter.
In fact, far more important is to ensure your television is
Hi-Definition (HD) ready.

The next item on your home theatre equipment agenda is a DVD
player. Although there are many cheap versions available, it
pays to go for one that is better quality from a brand name with
a good reputation. Make sure your DVD player is a multi-region
one and that it plays your MP3s, CDs, karaoke CDs, MPEG, and AVI
footage, not just restricted zone-specific DVDs.

Usually, home theatre equipment includes a number of speakers to
provide surround sound, not just stereo sound. The placement of
these can be at the front and back of the room in a bracketed
system, or from above, in a floating system mounted within a
false ceiling. That said, many large plasma screens today come
with a pseudo-surround system built in, some of which are
surprisingly good.

If you have several speakers, naturally, you will also need an
amplifier, with wattage compliant with the size of your room,
amount of speakers, and decibel level requirements. However, a
word of warning: don't bother buying one if it's not Dolby
Surround Sound as the quality will be very poor and not worthy
of the price you have paid.

Should you wish to include a satellite system within your home
theatre set up, then you will need to buy a satellite dish,
receiver, and decoder, all of which have to be connected to your
home theatre equipment using cables, ideally of a better quality
such as gold or silver, rather than the traditional copper.
Alternatively, a thicker copper cable would be equally as
effective, and last longer than standard ones.

Finally, although not imperative, there is one item which is a
nice touch to your home theatre set up and that's a "bass
shaker". This little device attaches to the base of the chair
and vibrates with the bass tones to mimic a cinema feel, very
effectively. They add a nice touch and are an extremely
well-priced item amongst the many on your home theatre equipment
list.

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