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Credit Repair And Identity Theft

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Identity theft. Can you feel your blood pressure raising? There can be nothing that will be fully one hundred percent sure in protecting your credit, but let’s talk about some things you need to keep in mind so it doesn’t happen in the first place or happen again if you’ve already been a victim. It isn’t too complicated. You need to deter the identity criminals and be sure to protect your information like you would a marriage certificate or precious family photos. You then need to keep track of what is going on in your credit report so you can detect any dubious information. Next you need to be sure to defend your identity right away when you find a problem or suspect one.

Identity theft is potentially very severe and is a vicious crime. It can affect you as long as a violent crime can, and even in an emotional way as well because it can be very frustrating. How does it happen to you? What happens is your most personal information is used and abused by a criminal without your permission (of course) to commit all kinds of fraud and other misdeeds. Once again, you can’t be fully guaranteed that your identity can’t be damaged, but you can greatly diminish your exposure.

What to do if your identity has been stolen (meaning you will likely need credit repair)? We’ll discuss the steps the Federal Trade Commission recommends. First, contact the credit reporting bureaus and ask for a fraud alert to be placed on your report. The nice thing about a fraud alert is that it tells all creditors they must contact your prior to starting any type of new line of credit or changing your current accounts. You only really need to contact one bureau for this to be done; they are then responsible in advising the other bureaus on your behalf. After you have this in place, you’re allowed to get credit reports at no cost. You can also ask to have only the last four digits of your social security number to appear on your credit reports.

Next it is recommended that you close all of the accounts you know or suspect haven been affected with or started illegally. Then an important step you don’t want to miss is to make a police report with your local police agency. Be sure you contact the proper law enforcement agency in the city / area where the crime took place, otherwise you’ll just be directed to them anyway. Be sure to take down the report number as it will be required by your creditors as proof there is a crime and that you’re not just trying to get away with something.

The next step as you get moving in your credit repair is to be sure to file your complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. They have a huge file of cases that various law enforcement agencies use to investigate the crime. It also has the benefit of helping them learn a lot more about what kind of identity theft crimes are happening so not only your problem can be more quickly resolved but maybe it will keep it from happening to someone else. Educating yourself on credit repair is a must in today’s society.

An excellent free resource for your "http://www.clickcreditrepair.com">credit repair needs is online awaiting to help you. This site is owned and operated by Paul Johnson.

Doing The Business With A Business Credit Card

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Most people are used to making personal purchases with a credit card. It can help with money management and is useful for situations where you haven’t got quite enough cash in hand. These are some of the same reasons why business owners should consider having credit cards for their businesses.

A business credit card can speed up the process of doing business. This applies to both online and offline transactions. It’s a good way of paying for company purchases or making payments quickly.

Why Have A Business Credit Card?

Business credit card deals may be better than those available for personal credit cards. For example, there may be lower annual percentage rates (APRs), waiver of annual fees, higher credit limits and other incentives. Business credit cards also offer the same incentives as personal credit cards, such as balance transfer deals and 0% interest periods. And if you don’t like the deal offered, it’s always possible to negotiate.

Expense Tracking

Business credit cards are a good way of tracking expenses. This applies to both company expenses and the expenses incurred by employees on the company’s behalf. They are also a good way of improving cash flow as business owners can pay for something today and have a grace period of up to 56 days before having to settle the bill.

Help For Employees

Employees can use business credit cards when travelling on company business to pay for flights and other travel, accommodation, eating out and entertaining. This means employees don’t have to worry about finding money and being reimbursed. It also means that businesses can keep track of company expenses through itemised credit card statements. Businesses usually get a monthly statement where all such transactions are listed.

Choosing A Business Credit Card

When choosing a business credit card, it is best to pay attention to:

- The APR
- The credit limit
- The grace period
- Repayment options
- Annual fees
- Application fees
- Cash withdrawal fees

Since companies get monthly statements, they have to spend less time on administration. There’s no longer any need to work out and check employees’ expense claims, though some businesses may prefer to have that process as a backup.

Other Business Card Options

Business owners can also choose to have a business debit card. This means they can only spend what is in the business account. Another option is a business charge card. There is usually an annual fee for this and the balance has to be settled in full each month. Neither of these options is as flexible as a business credit card.

Some small businesses may start by financing their business with a personal credit card. However, this makes it more difficult to separate personal and business expenses. In addition, you will be personally liable for any spending on the personal credit card. A better option is to get a business bank loan or overdraft. This will offer better interest rates and will not endanger personal finances.

Joe Kenny writes for the Personal Loans Store, allowing visitors to compare loans and also information on business loans in the UK.
Visit Today: http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk

Neat Stuff About Business Credit Cards

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Business credit cards are usually meant for those that own small businesses, but you may want to think about getting one due to the large amount of excellent offers and programs available that would benefit you. Often you can get cards with an excellent interest rate, good balance transfer possibilities, nice rewards, zero introductory interest rates, and other nice options. You can also often get discounted travel, cheaper car rental, free or low cost travel insurance, frequent flyer miles, and evern save a few bucks on discounts with some places to eat.

Many business credit cards can give you high credit limits while regularly offering low interest rates. Be aware that good credit history is pretty much going to be expected. The credit card companies that offer these business credit cards offer all of these great deals and options becuase most of the time business owners spend much more and retain higher balances. More money in the card issuer’s pocket, of course.

These cards work out well for small or big spending. It could be costly furniture or measly supplies for your office. Who needs petty cash with these cards? Also, there are those unforseen suprises that can come up where access to a lot of money can be very helpful. The high limits on these cards would be nice at such a time.

It is common for these cards to list all of your spending in reports either annually or sometimes even quarterly. This is usually free too. Now you have an easier job during tax time for making sure you have your tax write offs in an easy to read format. We wouldn’t want to forget any write offs now, would we?

The fact is that business credit card companies like to do business with others in business for themselves. You’ll find your customer services issues are handled better. There’s a lot of money in it for the card issuer so whoever you get on the end of a customer service line are often quite helpful.

More than one person can be added as a qualified user of the card. In many cases it is possible for a large number of cards with different account numbers to be issued to whatever number of employees you might have. Now keeping track of expeditures is more neat and tidy.

This also makes anyone who isn’t using the card in a way not quite in line with the intended way to be discovered and corrected quickly and easily. You can get rid of that account number with a simple call if needed, and it will not affect the main account. You can still be accountable for the charges, so you may want to possibly consider pre paid cards instead. Now your liability is much more limited.

Now if you have customers that don’t always pay in a timely manner, these cards can be useful in evening out times of poor cash flow. When your paid invoices come in you can take care of the card.

Pretty much all major financial companies offer good business credit card deals. Some even have a large array of programs for you to choose from. You can get debit cards and even platinum cards with the same rates and no pesky yearly charge. Here’s the nice part which is good for you; usually anyone can be a business owner. Many times you don’t need to offer any proof like some kind of a license. Check around on web sites and see their terms and conditions, you may be suprised.

You can get business credit cards online pretty easily. If you do actually own a business and are probably therefore busy, it is convenient.

For more credit and credit repair information, visit http://www.clickcreditrepair.com today. Get a free ebook on credit repair.

Should You Consolidate Your Debts?

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

If you have gotten yourself into debt over your head, you are probably wondering, should you consolidate your debts? It can help you manage matters and get those debts paid off, but it isn’t for everyone. In addition, some people qualify for credit counseling, which will help you pay off your debts by reducing the interest and payments for each. Hopefully you can get out of debt without going this far.

The first step to getting your debts under control is to write out your exact income and outgo for a couple of months. Find out exactly how much you owe and how much you have coming in. How does it look on paper?

A rule of thumb is that you should be able to pay twice the minimum on each debt, save ten percent of your income for emergencies, and still be able to pay your utility bills and buy your groceries. If you do not have enough income to do this, debt consolidation might help. If you do have enough income to do this, you are probably better off to find ways to spend less and chisel away at your debt load that way.

If you find yourself using credit cards for things like food and laundry detergent, you are probably overextended on bills. Debt consolidation or going to a credit counseling agency can help you. Which ever route you choose to go, you can make a big impact on your financial situation by living more frugally. Find ways to cut back on those basic bills. Do you really need your cable TV? Could you get a cheaper cell phone plan? Can you transfer high interest credit card balances over onto lower interest cards?

Many of the things we spend on are convenience expenses because we are so busy we can’t do things for ourselves. Fast foods, restaurant meals, and convenience groceries all cost more than cooking for yourself from scratch. But who has time to cook from scratch any more? It’s actually a vicious cycle - the job brings in more money, but you have to spend more money for the privilege of working!

With credit counseling, you provide a list of all your bills to the counselor. You must destroy your credit cards and can buy nothing on credit once you enlist their services. They will negotiate with your creditors to reduce the payments and the interest rates on your bills. They will then determine a single monthly bill which you must pay to the credit counseling agency. They in turn will pay your bills for you.

Debt consolidation just means that a loan from a bank is used to cover all the debts and you make a single payment to the bank. Again, it is important not to go on using your credit cards! We live in a affluent age with lots of options for spending money. Remember that all those things you think you need really won’t make you happy in the long run.

Learn to enjoy the simple and free pleasures. Read library books instead of buying your own. A four dollar magazine might not seem like much of an expense, but you can save it by checking the magazine out of the library. That four dollars can be applied to your debts. Little by little, big debts, whether you choose to consolidate your debts or not, can be whittled down. You can one day be debt free if you really want to.

For more personal growth articles visit: http://www.personalgrowthunlimited.com

Property Rights and the EU

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

The European Community (also referred to as the European Economic Community) has as its task the establishment of a common market and the progressive approximation of the economic policies of Member States. The term common market has been defined as an area, which consists of two or more Member States that abolish tariffs and other trade barriers in their mutual trade, set-up a Common External Tariff with third non-EU countries and apply the principle of the free movement of the sources of production (goods, labor, capitals) within the territory of that area.

One of the fundamental principles of the European Union is the free movement of goods between Member States. Thus, Member States are prohibited from imposing any restriction on imports or exports might hinder the free movement unless EC Law allows it. The European Union’s Institutions through their instruments and law regulations strive to develop a free commercial network that does not suffer from custom duties, quantitative restrictions, or other charges having equivalent effect on imports or exports.

While Member States impose these kinds of restrictions in order to protect their own interests, the Court of Justice, through its decisions, acts to ensure that EC Laws are applied. Free movement of goods means in practice that no regulations or restrictions take place on Member States’ borders as Articles 25, 28 & 29 (ex Articles 12, 30 & 34) prohibit them. Specifically, while European Union Members try to impose restrictions of non-pecuniary or pecuniary nature on borders, the Court of Justice acts a “guard” by examining the legal basis and the purpose of the charge imposed.

Such restrictions or prohibitions shall not, however, constitute a means of arbitrary discrimination or a disguised restriction on trade between Member States. A Member State may have resource to Article 30 (ex Article 36) of the Treaty providing for the said exceptions to justify a measure having equivalent effect to quantitative restriction on imports or exports only if no other measure, less restrictive from the point of view of the free movement of goods, is capable of achieving the same objective.

Although the Treaty does not provide any exceptions, the Court has held in the past, that charges levied for tasks required by EC Law or charges for services rendered, do not breach Article 25 (ex Article 12). Regarding Articles 28 & 29 (ex Articles 30 & 36), the Court has introduced an exception called the Rule of Reason. It permits that restrictions can be imposed on goods as long as the Court of Justice allows them.

Concluding, the burden of proof that a measure is justified lies on the Member State’s concern and on the Court of Justice’s decision. In the case of industrial and commercial property rights litigation between private parties, the burden lies on the party seeking to oppose the importation or sale of the product concerned. Save measures relating to the protection of public policy or public morality, the adoption of other measures banning circulation of products and being able to jeopardize the free movement of goods lawfully marketed in another Member State, obliges the Member States concerned to exchange information with the Commission so that the latter to be enabled to manage such measures affecting the free movement of goods and settle satisfactorily for business and consumers any problems arising in connection with the internal market.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Finance, Gardening, and Outdoors

Garland Texas Banks Help You Get Your Business Up And Running

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Starting a business is a huge undertaking. Essentially, you will be placing your finances and time at risk. But the returns can be equally huge. If you have a great business model and plan to open up shop in Garland Texas, banks can help you get started. Business loans are the most useful thing for an entrepreneur, and as long as you show a decent plan for your business, you shouldn’t have much trouble getting one from a Garland, TX bank. There are a few different ways to get loans to start a business. Here are some of the main ones people have used in the past.

One type offered by a Garland, Texas bank, that you should consider, is a personal loan. These are usually smaller, but often large enough to get a business up and running. These are perfect if you have a good credit history. The bank won’t require any business plans or outlines, but will just look at your personal credit records to determine if you are credit-worthy. Usually these loans have fairly flexible repayment conditions, so you can decide whether you want to pay it back right away or over a longer period of time.

A second type of loan offered by Garland, Texas banks is the commercial loan. These are designed specifically for starting businesses, rather than the personal loan. These require you to have an actual business plan in hand when applying for the loan. You will present it to a bank employee, and he or she will discuss all of its aspects with you. If they determine that your business has a chance of being successful, you will be approved for the loan. Often, Garland, TX bank commercial loans have very high monthly payments.

Another type to consider is an equity line of credit. If you already own a piece of property or a business, you can use its value to your advantage in starting your new venture. By getting an equity line of credit, you will have access to a certain amount of money each month or whenever you need it, using your property or business as collateral. Like a credit card, the Garland, Texas bank will have a maximum limit of how much money you can spend. The interest will accumulate on whatever chunk you end up using, rather than the whole sum. This is a great way to get a business started, since you can take advantage of something you already own and use only as much credit as you actually need.

If you wish to avoid the Garland, TX banks altogether, you may seek to find independent investors who are interested in helping your business gain its footing. These include finding a group of venture capitalists, or an investor known as an angel. These investors have large amounts of money to invest, and will usually
finance a good plan with a higher level of risk if the possibility of high returns is there. But these options are usually harder to find than Garland, Texas banks loans, so might not be readily accessible.

To launch a business in Garland, Texas, banks offer many funding options. Each type of loan offers its own benefits, depending on your particular business start-up situation. You may already own a valuable asset, in which case you could use an equity line of credit. You may have a good personal credit history, which means you could just get a personal loan. Or you might qualify for a commercial loan. Each of your personal factors combined should be considered to decide which option you will ultimately use to fund your business.

For the complete Garland Texas Area Guide with information on the city of Garland TX, House Mortgages, Hotels, Garland Restaurants, Garland Texas Real Estate, Garland Yellow Pages please visit http://garlandtx.areaguides.net/. Please direct any comments on this article to lmieditorial@searchinfluence.com.

Fundraising Tips That Will Get More Money For Your Cause

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

A lot of celebrities, non-profit and non-governmental organizations work in different fund raising events every year. This could be to get more money for AIDS research, food for impoverished nations and victims of national calamities.

This type of fundraiser doesn’t go from house to house in the event that the homeowner will give a fat check. It takes a gimmick and a bit of marketing to get people to participate and have some fun. Here are some tips that will be help make the project successful.

1. There are a lot of causes to work for and the individual must first figure out which one to join. These organizations need people to work in the field and in the office. If the person likes talking to big time bosses, then it will be great to work in the marketing department.

2. The organizers must come up with an idea that will attract a lot of people to attend. In 1984, the song

How To Turn Debt Into Fixed Income

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Bonds - Turning Debt Into Fixed Income

Bonds are an often overlooked component of a balanced investment portfolio. Bonds are almost always safer, and in certain economic cycles, bonds typically outperform the stock market. Although they’re not right for everyone, a solid understanding of bonds is important for every serious investor.

The Basics

Whereas stocks represent ownership in a company, bonds represent the company’s debt. When you buy a bond directly from General Motors, you are essentially lending the company money. For this reason, bonds are sometimes referred to simply as “debt.”

If you buy a bond directly from its issuing company, the amount you pay for the bond is called its “face value” or “par value.” Most bonds have a face value of $1000.

Bonds also have a stated “term to maturity.” This could be one, five, ten, or thirty years, or any other duration imaginable. Disney actually issued 100 year bonds not long ago.

Every six months until maturity, bonds pay a set amount of interest called the “coupon rate”. This term comes from the old days when people literally tore off and mailed in coupons that were attached to their bonds in order to be sent back interest payments. Upon maturity, the issuers of bonds must repay their holders the face value of the bonds..

If, for example, the coupon rate is seven percent on a $1000 face value bond, this means that the bondholder will receive interest payments of $35 every six months ($70 per year) until the bond matures.

The amount of interest paid every six months doesn’t change, and for that reason bonds are sometimes called “fixed income securities.”

Corporate Debt

Corporate bonds are the best known, and riskiest of all bonds. If a company goes bankrupt, for example, its bondholders may receive a mere fraction of their investments. Credit rating agencies, such as S&P, assign ratings to fixed income securities ranging from AAA to D.

Bonds with credit ratings of BB and below are considered junk bonds, meaning that their issuing companies face a realistic possibility of defaulting on their debt.

Changes in a company’s credit rating effects the value of its debt. Although the face value always remains the same and the issuing company always redeems bonds at their original face value, bonds can also be traded between investors before they reach maturity.

These trades are said to take place on the “secondary market.” For example, if the credit rating of a company were lowered and you wanted to sell one of its bonds that you paid $1000 for, your fellow investors in the market may only be willing to pay you $950.

But what most commonly has an impact on a bond’s market value are changes in interest rates. Although the actual bond’s interest rate is fixed, prevailing interest rates elsewhere in the economy can radically alter the value of a bond.

If interest rates go up, the value of bonds go down, and vice versa. This is because no one would be willing to pay $1000 for a bond with a seven percent coupon when they could buy a new one with a nine percent coupon for the same price.

Government Debt

U.S. government bonds are the safest of all fixed income securities. This is because all government debt is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Essentially, this means that the federal government can’t go bankrupt, because it controls the printing presses.

Municipal bonds are debt issued by cities and counties. They aren’t quite as safe as U.S. government securities, but they do have one major advantage - they are virtually exempt from all levels of taxation. As a result, municipal securities typically pay a lower pre-tax coupon rate than federal government debt.

For people in high income tax brackets, the tax savings are enough to offset the lower coupon rate, and thus municipal securities are often great investment vehicles for the wealthy.

Safe Investment T.I.P.S.

If you’re a really risk-averse investor, then for you, TIPS may be the greatest thing the government ever invented. TIPS, or Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, are a unique variety of ultra-safe fixed income government debt securities.

TIPS typically pay a very low interest rate, but they mature at the inflation adjusted equivalent of the original face value. Furthermore, the semi-annual coupon rate is also adjusted every six months.

For example, investing $100,000 into 20-year TIPS may promise a coupon rate of just 2.5 percent. This means that you would receive semi-annual interest payments of $1250.

However, if inflation were measured at three percent the first year after you purchased your TIPS, the new coupon rate would be 2.575 percent, resulting in semi-annual interest payments of $1287.50. What’s more, the $100,000 face value of the TIPS would appreciate to $103,000.

After 20 years of inflation adjustment, the face value of your TIPS will have multiplied by several fold. Although you sacrifice the opportunity to realize outsized gains, TIPS are the ultimate in safe investments, as even inflation risk is avoided.

William Smith the author provides additional financial information on many subjects as well as the secret to his success in the market along with 5 Free power stock picks emailed daily so grab your Free subscription on his website at Bonds (All is Free)

How To Open Your Online Investing Account

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Online Investing - Opening Your First Online Account

The commercials on TV make it seem so easy - open your investing account, begin trading that day, and in no time, you’ll be able to retire a millionaire. Well, online investing is easy - but it isn’t quite that easy.

The online companies don’t tell you that there’s an application, and an account approval period that can be rather frustrating for a newcomer to online investing.

The Online Investing Account Application

Common sense tells you that online companies are going to need your name, address, phone number, etc., but you might be surprised at just how much information they do need to know.

For example, they’ll need your birth date, social security number, employment information, liquid net worth, total net worth, annual income, tax bracket, and much more.

Why do these online investing companies need so much information? One reason is that they are required by law to verify your identity. Following the events of 9/11 and the passage of the Patriot Act, the government has called upon financial service companies to help stem the flow of money to terrorist groups.

In practice, this is nothing but a big hassle for the 99.99+ percent of people engaged in investing who have nothing to do with terrorism. It depends on your political persuasion as to whether or not it’s all worth it.

Regardless of your political views, the fact is that the Patriot Act is the law, and because of it online investing companies will go to great lengths to verify your identity. For example, if you’re a married woman who has recently taken her husband’s surname, investing companies might delay the approval of your account.

You will have to prove to them beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are who you say you are, and this is sometimes more difficult than you would presume.

Different Levels of Authorization For Online Investing Accounts

Did you know that your credit history comes into play when you want to open an online account? This is because some forms of investing pose a financial risk to online investing companies. For example, when you buy on margin, you are borrowing money to buy stock.

If you have less than stellar credit, online companies may deny you the use of margin. Furthermore, shorting stocks (selling stocks which you don’t own in the hope that they will decline in value, and then buying them back at a later date) also poses risk for online investing companies.

What happens if you short 100 shares of a stock that’s trading at $40 and it goes to $200? Do you have $200,000 to buy back the stock? If not, then the investing company loses, so if you have poor credit or limited liquid net worth, you may be denied the right to sell short.

More troubling is the idea that online investing companies can limit you from doing things that don’t directly pose financial risks to them. For example, buying call and put options poses no risk to an online broker, but the company may still deny you the right to buy options on the grounds that you lack experience.

Why should the online company care? Because theoretically, you could sue them for not protecting you from yourself - blame the trial lawyers for this one.

Don’t Be Scared Off

The vast majority of people who want to open online accounts are able to do so with relatively little trouble. Some people, however, get a lot more of a hassle than they bargain for. T

he important thing is to be prepared to disclose a lot of information, and to wait while your account application is being processed. The more you know going into the situation, the less frustrating it will be.

William Smith is the author and provides additional information about stocks as well as the secret to his success in the market along with 5 free power stock picks emailed daily for life Free so grab your subscription on his website at Online Investing (All is Free)

Here Are Hot Stock Picks For 2007 And Beyond

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

It seems like everybody has their own hot picks these days. Watching CNBC, you are bombarded by commercials for various systems that get you the hot stock picks.

In publications such as Investors Business Daily there are typically several pages devoted to software programs and web sites that promise hot picks for quick trades.

Obviously, if all of these so-called hot stock picks were as hot as their pervaders proport, then they wouldn’t need to hock them in cheesy commercials. Most of these systems and programs promise easy money, but sensible people know that nothing comes easy on Wall Street.

Instead of promising a foolproof system for chart-based trades, this article delivers truly hot picks for 2007 and beyond, based on the actual business fundamentals of the underlying companies.

A word of caution about these hot stock picks: These hot picks are solely for entertainment purposes. I mention these stocks only to offer my own thoughts and opinions, and to perhaps spark some ideas.

I am not recommending that you buy these hot stock picks without first doing substantial research and then discussing them with your financial advisor.

With that out of the way, on to the hot picks. I have broken the stocks into two groups:

Hot stock picks for companies with substantial opportunity for growth, and hot picks for companies with share prices that have recently been beaten down and may now be undervalued.

Hot Stock Picks: Growth

My hot stock picks for growth companies are EZCorp (EZPW) and Paychex (PAYX).

EZCorp is an amazing, unheard of company that has been on a path of torrid growth. The firm operates pawn shops and payday loan centers under the names EZPawn and EZMoney, respectively. Currently, the company has over 500 stores in 13 states, with plans to establish another 125 locations in the works.

What I love about this company is that its business model allows it to do well in good times and in bad. In 2005, it loaned close to $600 million to cash and credit constrained customers, and the company’s earnings per share (EPS) has more than quintupled in the past four years.

With a recent P/E ratio of just 25, the price hasn’t kept up with the growth of this, the first of my hot picks.

The second of my hot stock picks in the growth arena is Paychex. This is another unknown, but it shouldn’t be. Paychex is the nation’s second largest payroll processing firm, next to Automatic Data Processing.

It has recorded fifteen consecutive years of record profits, and it continues to diversify its business model in order to accelerate growth. Recently, it moved into benefits and human resources management. Another thing I like about this firm is that it has the small business market cornered, and has erected substantial barriers to entry for would-be competitors.

Hot Stock Picks: Value

Microsoft (MSFT) and Intel (INTC) need no introduction. They have both been beaten down badly in recent times and may have nowhere to go but up.

Microsoft’s Vista operating system should be a great catalyst, and after that, the firm has room to grow in the telephony industry.

Intel has suffered from intensifying competition with rival AMD, but it certainly has the resources to engineer a turnaround. Since most Windows-based machines run with Intel chips, Vista will also be a great catalyst for Intel.

Some would scoff at the characterization of such mega firms as Microsoft and Intel as hot picks, but the fact is that people have lost their senses when it comes to these great American companies, and they are just too cheap to ignore.

Growth companies should be bought each time they reach new highs, but beaten down value stocks like Microsoft and Intel, with solid business fundamentals and great brand names and products, should be purchased on dips.

William Smith the author provides additional financial information on many subjects as well as the secret to his success in the market along with 5 Free power stock picks emailed daily so grab your Free subscription on his website at Hot Stock Picks (All is Free)