When you have obligations, the thought of not being able to meet them can be frightening — especially when they are financial obligations. Many people worry about what would happen if they were unable to make their credit card payments. This concern is what leads many to agree to credit card insurance plans.

Credit Card Payment Protection

A credit card payment protection plan is one that purports to make your minimum payment for you, if you become unable to do it yourself. Most credit card insurance plans are offered through credit card issuers. So, you would sign up for a plan with each of your credit cards. Then, according to the literature issuers send, if you lose your job or become injured and can’t make payments, your minimum payments will be covered.

Most of these plans cost a portion of your balance. Some plans charge a portion of your new balance each month, but many others charge you based on your entire balance. Read more…

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The days of “cash only” have passed us. If your business doesn’t accept credit cards you are missing out on a world of opportunity. Credit card processing services can benefit your business in a myriad of ways; however, getting setup with a credit card processing and merchant services account is sometimes confusing for small business owners not familiar with what to look for in the technology.

Finding a credit card processor that fits your business isn’t easy. First you must decide if you are going to need your transactions to pass through an online payment gateway. If you have a brick and click, offline and online business you will need to integrate your merchant services account with your online shopping cart.

1. Interchange Plus Pricing Structure

Interchange plus means that your business pays a flat fee, plus a markup to the processor for services.

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Yesterday was a historic day for social media companies. LinkedIn became the first social media company to go public and trade on NYSE. Although I find LinkedIn a very useful tool and believe it has some potential, the valuation is well in the bubble territory. The IPO was set at $45, but it started trading over $80 and closed just above $94. LinkedIn’s closing price gives the company a market cap of over $9 Billion, which is equivalent to over 37X revenue and over 590X earnings of 2010 (15.4Million earnings on $243Million revenue). Is this the beginning of the social media bubble or will LinkedIn be the next Google? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Have Investors Learned Anything From the Tech Bubble? @ Canadian Capitalist

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Pet ownership is a wonderful experience, but it is one that doesn’t come cheap. The ongoing costs of providing your pet with food, hygiene and vaccinations are compounded by unexpected costs for medication and emergency care. Can you really afford to keep your pet? Probably, but you should get smart about doing so when money is tight.

Invest in Proper Basic Care

The most important thing that a pet owner can do when living on a budget is to avoid the temptation to skimp on a pet’s basic care. Don’t get cheap dog food or skip your dog’s vaccinations. These things end up costing you because they mean that you have to pay vet bills down the line when your animal gets ill. By investing in the proper care of your pet, you will actually save yourself money in the long run.

Make sure that you understand the minimum care required to keep your pet healthy:

• Provide your pet with healthy, nutritious pet food.
• Take the time to properly groom your pet.

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Carnival

Every Friday we’ll highlight a few of the great articles published throughout the week, for other interesting articles you can follow us on twitter account and subscribe to our twitter feed. Enjoy your weekend! Remember to check out Dollar Matters every Wednesday.

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