persfin-digest V4 #128


From: persfin-digest <owner-persfin-digest@shore.net>
Subject: persfin-digest V4 #128
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:23:52 -0500 (EST)


Articles sorted by: [Date] [Author] [Subject]


persfin-digest        Monday, February 23 1998        Volume 04 : Number 128



IN THIS ISSUE:

ADVERTISEMENT:  domainTNG
How to Adjust Cost Basis of Condo Rental?
14 cents per minute calling card
Using Quicken 98 with Fidelity
Investment Software - Ultra Market Advisor?
Commercial property depreciation
Sum of Social Security IOUs?
removing 20% withholding for IRS?
Re: Working in a foreign country?
SecureTax?
Re: Credit Report - Why So Many Inquiries?
Re: Tax Question
Re: Dealer Financing vs. Bank Financing for a Car?
Re: Do Judgements count when buying a house?
Re: Best Long Distance rates?
re: refund of earnest money
re: phone calls on the internet
CHANGE IN HMO's
car financing
stock information
Re: Do Judgements count when buying a house?
Tax Issues for Unmarried Couples
living trust?
car financing?
Where to order checks?
Judgments on House / Earnest Money / Dealer vs. Bank Financing

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------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 19:59:00 -0500 (EST)
From: The Editor <ikrakow@shore.net>
Subject: How to Adjust Cost Basis of Condo Rental?

  A friend of mine rented his condo after he moved to another house.  He
place the property in service in 1985 and took depreciation and operating
expenses as deductions.

  This year, he sold the condo.  Should he adjust the basis downward by
teh amount of depreciation he took?  Does he have to recapture the expense
deductions as well?  Any other considerations?

Ira

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 19:59:30 -0500 (EST)
From: "alkon" <alkon@hal-pc.org>
Subject: 14 cents per minute calling card

I am an agent for a company that has a 14 cents per minute calling 
card as well as 9.9 cents per minute interstate rates.  Additonally, 
this company has great intrastate rates.  I discovered Coastal 
because I have a college age son who is in college in an in-state 
institution.  My local carrier was driving us to the poor house with 
their in-state rates.  I discovered Coastal and saved about 30% on my 
telephone bill.  If you are interested, I would be happy to pass on 
the info.

Al Kondo

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 19:59:56 -0500 (EST)
From: Gregg Sporar <gsporar@acm.org>
Subject: Using Quicken 98 with Fidelity

I have not yet upgraded from Quicken v6 to Quicken 98, in part because of
less-than-glowing reviews of Quicken 98 here in the Personal Finance
digest.  I recently learned, however, that Quicken 98 offers electronic
download of account information from Fidelity Investments.  This would be a
big plus for me, if it works well.  Has anyone tried using Quicken 98's
electronic update from a Fidelity account?  I'd be interested in hearing
any comments.

Thanks,

Gregg

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:01:57 -0500 (EST)
From: John <kahuna@financier.com>
Subject: Investment Software - Ultra Market Advisor?

Does anyone have experience using the ULTRA MARKET ADVISOR which is a
software program to assist with the timing of securities?  it is sold by
the Ultra Financial Systems.  Hate to spend $300 for a system that
doesn't work, knowing that there is no true system; however, some do
provide some guides.

kahuna@financier.com

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:02:53 -0500 (EST)
From: geneand@wtrt.net
Subject: Commercial property depreciation

We didn't get an answer to a two-part question we submitted, so we would
like to ask it again as a one-part question, omitting the part concerning
Turbo tax.  We bought an older building as a commercial property, and our
accountant believes that since the building is about 50 years old, an
exception can be made to the standard 39+ years depreciation on commercial
buildings.  

However, we couldn't find this exception on our Quicken Turbo tax and we
wonder whether it is correct that IRS does allow exceptions to this rule.
If so, is there an IRS form for it?  We see nothing on the depreciation
schedule form to permit such an exception to be made.

Gene Anderson at geneand@wtrt.net

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:03:24 -0500 (EST)
From: "Sam Dawson" <Sam.Dawson@foxinternet.net>
Subject: Sum of Social Security IOUs?

<horton@pasta.enet.dec.com> wrote:

"And of course the so-called Social Security Trust Fund is anything but.
All that's in the kitty is a bunch of federal IOUs, with the current
SS surplus going toward meeting today's federal voracious appetite
for congressional fact-finding junkets to Paris and Rome, stockpiles
of mohair, peanut subsidies, garrisons in Germany (protecting West
Germans from East Germans, I suppose), BATF thugs, and other essentials.
This "trust fund" has no stocks, no commercial bonds, no hard assets,
nothing that any proper fiduciary would include in a long-term trust,
just a stack of federal paper with nothing backing it up except the
power to impose ruinous taxes on the next generation."

Does anyone know the sum total of these IOUs? I'm not asking for their
current future indebtedness, just the amount that has been borrowed and not
replaced. 

TIA,

Sam

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:03:47 -0500 (EST)
From: jdennis@po3.nsknet.or.jp (John D. Dennis)
Subject: removing 20% withholding for IRS?

One of my brokerage/mutual fund accounts has been withholding 20% for the
IRS for ages. I've been a better citizen and have filed properly for 4-5
years now (I get the refund for these deductions every spring), and two
other more recent acocunts have never begun deducting anything. Thus I
think that the problem that resulted in this practice has been resolved,
and that this ongoing withholding should be stopped. ((And yes, the amounts
being withheld are getting big enough that they should get reinvested
immediately instead of being held back for months!))

I've talked to account reps about this but they seem unaware of what's
required to change this (I've gotten two mailings from them that completely
miss the mark). Can anyone tell me what form(s) to ask for, and whether it
should be the IRS rather than the fund company that I should be talking to?
TIA!

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:04:35 -0500 (EST)
From: jdennis@po3.nsknet.or.jp (John D. Dennis)
Subject: Re: Working in a foreign country?

>
>I am going to be moving to Queensland, Australia to work for at least the
>next two years. Does anyone have any advice regarding working/living
>abroad, handling taxes, opening bank accounts in Australia, buying
>property etc. Any suggestions will be appreciated!

Your income/salary there in Oz may be taxed--unless you meet some unusual
conditions (ie, going as an invited professor/teacher and thus providing
for the public good. (Some countries have a reciprocal agreement with the
US that they will not tax such a person who has come to work for a certain
period--in the case of Japan and Korea this is two years, so if you were
going to one of these places your income would basically be tax-free for
that period. Check whether Oz has this kind of tax treaty with the US via
their embassy. Conditions usually apply, so you have to check.)

Also, for any full calendar tax year, and depending on how you work it also
for parts of calendar years, you get a $70,000 deduction--meaning you can
earn up to that amount abroad without being liable for US taxes. There are
some other deductions involved (expenses of various kinds). Get a copy of
MacInTax and running through their interview while pretending you've been
in Austrailia for a year or more. Alternative: find a reasonable tax person
before you leave that handles everything. This would be easy to arrange
before you leave, and hard to do once you're away.

Unless you've serious decided to emmigrate--thought it through, been there
and back a few times, have sponsorship and the kind of work/skill that
legitimizes your move, or the size bank account that it requires--I would
strongly suggest just enjoying the place rather than putting your time and
energy into this. Living there can be very cheap, why the need to buy
property?

Also, while you may be aware of what's happening to the economies in Asia,
are you aware enough to invest and avoid being burned over the next few
years? At one point there was considerable expatriate buying of property
all over the place. This has collapsed. If you're looking for fire sales,
fine--but it'll probably be *years?* before you'll make any money off it.
And if China devalues the worst may be yet to come.

John D.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:05:05 -0500 (EST)
From: "Charles A. Wilmot" <cwilmot@azstarnet.com>
Subject: SecureTax?

Has anyone out there had experience with filing taxes with SecureTax or any
of the other tax services here on the Internet?   How about the security
factor in giving your credit card no. out over the airwaves?

Chuck Wilmot
Charles A. Wilmot 
cwilmot@azstarnet.com

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:06:10 -0500 (EST)
From: Rich Carreiro <rlcarr@animato.pn.com>
Subject: Re: Credit Report - Why So Many Inquiries?

>surprise, there were 41 inquiries since May of 1996. Some of
>these were legitimate but there were six IN A ROW, WITHIN three
>months from American Express. Which I have never applied for
>or accepted a card from. There were seven IN A ROW, WITHIN three
>months from Providian Bancorp. Again, never applied for or
>accepted. Does this mean that for every 'pre-approved' card
>offer I get, there is an inquiry made to my credit report. I'm
>worried that this is going to count against me when I'm looking
>for a mortgage.

Read the report a bit closer.  It should say that those "inquiries"
done for marketing/pre-screening purposes (i.e. to decide who to 
offer "pre-approved" cards to) are being shown for your information
only and are NOT shown to creditors who are acting on a credit/loan
application you have submitted.

If the report does not say something like that, time to raise hell
with the credit bureaus and get them to fix their records.

Rich Carreiro
rlcarr@animato.pn.com

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:06:56 -0500 (EST)
From: Rich Carreiro <rlcarr@animato.pn.com>
Subject: Re: Tax Question

>A friend received a settlement (for breach of contract) of ~$200,000 in
>1997.  He received a 1099 recently which indicated his share after the
>lawyers (2/3 rds).  This settlement was for lost income from ~1994.  At

[snip]

>that time, he was receiving income as a S-Corp.  He is now just an
>individual working for an employer.  Is there any type of tax shelter
>investment that he can use to help defray a huge tax bill?  I know he can
>go with an IRS (Roth or Deductable).  However that is only good for $4,000.
> (he is married).  Any suggestions from the list?    Thanks!!!!

Well, my suggestion is that with that kind of money involved your friend
should get himself to a tax pro ASAP.  With all due respect to the non-pros
on this list (including myself), someone would have to be crazy to risk
several tens of thousands of dollars on free advice from the internet, even
from a forum like PERSFIN.

That said, off the top of my head I'd be willing to wager there's not
much he can do.  If the payment is in fact taxable income (I have
absolutely no idea whether or not civil damages from a breach of
contract action are taxable income), I can't see what he can do to
offset it.  But again, he should run to a tax pro and get professional
advice on the matter.

Rich Carreiro
rlcarr@animato.pn.com

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:07:55 -0500 (EST)
From: Rick Gleason <spyneyes@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Re: Dealer Financing vs. Bank Financing for a Car?

Nikhil wrote:

I am planning to buy a car and I am approved for a loan from my bank @
9.00% for 48 mo's.

There are many car dealers who are trying to convince me that they can
give me 4.9 % - 6.9% for 48 months.

I am trying to find out what are the pitfalls of obtaining financing
from a dealer compared to a bank.

I would really appreciate it if some one could answer my question.


I write:

I am not aware of any "pitfalls" other than the obvious.  Are you going
to save any money and are there any hidden charges?  Carefully look over
the numbers before signing and you should be O-K.

During my last auto purchase I went to the dealer with financing from my
credit union already in place and approved.  When the dealer offered me
a reduced rate through Chrysler Financial I told him I didn't want to go
through filling out a lengthy application again.  (I hate the paperwork
involved in getting a loan, all those personal questions.)  When he told
me there would be no additional applications necessary I agreed.

Hope this helps.

Rick

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:08:56 -0500 (EST)
From: BOB FORD <BOB_FORD@compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: Do Judgements count when buying a house?

>I am looking to purchase a home within the next year. I currently have a
>a judgment outstanding against me due to a stupid mistake from college. Do
>I need to have this judgment paid off before I can apply for a mortgage?

DON

If you pay off the judgement, you will save money on your mortgage.  A
judgement for an unpaid debt tells prospective lenders that you do not
honor your obligations to pay your debts.  This puts any loan the lender
will make in a high risk category.  High risk loans translate to high cost
loans. If you have the unpaid judgement, expect to pay a very high
interest rate and a bunch of points and fees to get a mortgage.

Also expect to be required to buy private mortgage insurance (PMI) even if
you pay more than 80 percent down.

GOOD LUCK
BOB FORD
BOB_FORD@COMPUSERVE.COM

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:11:24 -0500 (EST)
From: Tony Ross <ross@wsuhub.uc.twsu.edu>
Subject: Re: Best Long Distance rates?

I know we went through this before but who has the best long distance rates
and is there a web site that offers this info?  

Thanks,

Tony 

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:13:11 -0500 (EST)
From: BOB FORD <BOB_FORD@compuserve.com>
Subject: re: refund of earnest money

>Whose lawyer wrote the contract?  I thought so.  
>What the salesperson TELLS you is generally irrelevant.   To be
enforcable,
>contracts to purchase real estate must be in writing. 

>Ron Rothenberg

RON makes some excellent points here that anyone thinking of buying a home
should consider.

A purchase offer to buy a house is a CONTRACT and you never sign a contract
until you understand every line of it.  If you do not understand every line
of it, get YOUR legal advisor to explain it to you, NOT the sales person
for the owner.

Also if you are ever given any contract to sign by another person, you can
be sure it favors the person giving you the contract to sign.

When buying a house, you need advice from someone that represents YOUR
interest ONLY.  That is why you should use a BUYERS broker.  Representation
and compensation are not the same thing.  In a real estate transaction, a
buyer's broker can represent you and get paid part of the commission on
the sale. Check with your buyer's broker for their compensation
arrangement.     

However, all is not necessarily lost if you sign a purchase offer that a
judge can consider unfair.  In my 30 years of real estate investing, I
have seen many cases where a judge would not enforce written provisions of
a real estate contract even though the provisions were legal.  Usually,
the judge will say the provision was not fair to one party of the other.
The party that lost always complains and the judge says "take it to the
appeals court if you do not like my decision".

Please note that all legal fights are expensive and the outcome is not
certain.

BOB FORD
BOB_FORD@COMPUSERVE.COM 

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:13:51 -0500 (EST)
From: BOB FORD <BOB_FORD@compuserve.com>
Subject: re: phone calls on the internet

>Subject: Phone calls while on the internet?
>I read (somewhere) about a "thing" that allows me to get incoming phone
>calls while on the internet. Anyone know anything about this?
>Eric

ERIC

You can get hardware and software to allow you to make FREE calls over the
INTERNET. Check with your local computer store.

You should get a demonstration before your buy.  The sound quality is only
fair at best.

BOB FORD
BOB_FORD@COMPUSERVE.COM

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:14:49 -0500 (EST)
From: BOB FORD <BOB_FORD@compuserve.com>
Subject: CHANGE IN HMO's

A California Assemblywoman, Barbara Alby,  related today how a movie has
turned the political climate upside down in California.   The movie "As
good as it gets" has a scene in which a mother discusses with her doctor
her health plan's refusal to pay for a routine test for her son's chronic
allergies.

"It's amazing these things weren't done" the doctor says.

The mother says "F- - - ing HMOs, Bastartd pieces of s - - -.  She pauses.
"I'm sorry", she says.  "Forgive me"

No the doctor reassures her. "I think that's their technical name".

According to assemblywoman Alby, the audience roars its approval.  "It got
the biggest response in the whole movie."

>From this an other cues, Alby and her Republican mates in the legislature
have gotten the message.  They have adopted the policy of "Climb on the HMO
reform train or risk being run over by it".

One assemblyman, a Democrat,  remarked that no matter how much money HMOs
gives in campaign contributions, they are going to take a big hit in the
legislature this year.    He also said the president can overcome ALL of
his current problems by pushing hard for his patients bill of rights.  He
said just look a the presidents popularity  now with all of the bad press
he has had.

BOB FORD
BOB_FORD@COMPUSERVE.COM

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:15:50 -0500 (EST)
From: BOB FORD <BOB_FORD@compuserve.com>
Subject: car financing

>From: "Nikhil Shah"<nshah@ect.enron.com>
>Subject: Dealer Financing vs. Bank Financing For A Car?              
>Hi!
>I am planning to buy a car and I am approved for a loan from my bank @
>9.00% for 48 mo's.
>There are many car dealers who are trying to convince me that they can
give
>me 4.9 % - 6.9% for 48 months.
>I am trying to find out what are the pitfalls of obtaining financing from
a
>dealer compared to a bank.
>I would really appreciate it if some one could answer my question.
>Thanks.
>Nikhil Shah

NIKHIL

When you borrow money, you always get it from the source that will let you
rent their money at the least cost.  Car dealers often  play games with
you on how the payments are calculated.  

First,  find out it there are any cash rebates you will get if you DO NOT
use their financing.   Then find out from the car dealer what the price of
the car will be if you just pay cash.  Sometimes the price is more or less
depending on whether you finance it with the dealer.    

When you have that information, find out the payment per month for 48
months. Compute the total amount you will pay.  (48 times the monthly
payment)

No compare that amount with the amount your bank will charge you for the
same 48 month loan.

GOOD LUCK
BOB FORD
BOB_FORD@COMPUSERVE.COM

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:16:21 -0500 (EST)
From: Roy Marshall <marshall@his.com>
Subject: stock information

Is there a source for historical stock performance data that includes
performance with dividends reinvested? I guess it'd be possible to compute
it manually but I was hoping to find the data on the web.

thanks

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:18:00 -0500 (EST)
From: KATHLEEN OWENS <ACE.KOWENS@memo.acehardware.com>
Subject: Re: Do Judgements count when buying a house?

I am looking to purchase a home within the next year. I currently
have a a judgment outstanding against me due to a stupid mistake
from college. Do I need to have this judgment paid off before I
can apply for a mortgage?
- ----------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, judgements do matter.  You will definitely need to have it
satisfied, and will need to produce a letter of explanation
regarding the judgement to the lender.

Once the judgement is satisfied, if your credit is good and you
have a good, steady income, you should be fine.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:18:31 -0500 (EST)
From: Ravi Chandran <rchandra@trc.tellabs.com>
Subject: Tax Issues for Unmarried Couples

I have some general questions on how unmarried couples living together can
save on taxes:

1. If the couple owns a home jointly, how must the mortgage interest
deduction be shared?

2. The mortgage interest statement from the bank has only one person's
name and social security number on it. I think the IRS also receives
only one person's name in the statement that the bank reports to it.
If the other co-owner also takes his/her share of the interest deduction
although there will be no documentation to support it at the IRS,
will he/she be likely to be audit bait?

3. Concerning joint bank accounts/brokerage accounts: What are the rules
on reporting the interest/dividends/capital gains/losses? The statements
from such accounts often only have the primary account-holder's
name/social security number reported on the 1099's.

4. It is quite common that one person makes significantly more than the
other. If the couple have a shared brokerage account where the stocks have
increased in value, can the stocks be transferred (subject to say the
$10,000/year gift limit) to the lower tax bracket person's separate
account and then sold? Would this violate anything?

5. Are there any other ideas/methods on how savings in taxes can be
achieved for unmarried couples in different tax brackets (other than by
marriage and hence joint filing of taxes)?

Thank you.

R. Chandran
rchandra@trc.tellabs.com

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:18:54 -0500 (EST)
From: owner-persfin-mod@shore.net
Subject: living trust?

Hi,

A lot of seminars or workshop talk about the benefit of establishing a
living trust. What is  living trust and what does it really do
What is the tax consequence to the present income tax and
future estate tax?

I need to understand it more. Can anyone shed me some light?

Thanks
Mike

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:20:08 -0500 (EST)
From: David Martin <dmartin@seabreeze.hc.ti.com>
Subject: car financing?

Nikhil asks:

>I am trying to find out what are the pitfalls of obtaining financing from a
>dealer compared to a bank.

	Usually, if you get very low rate dealer financing, it is
harder to get a good price. I would say you should compare the total
cost over the four years of the price plus interest and see which is
better.

	Also, make sure that you are allowed to make extra payments or
pay the car loan off early without any penalties.

	Of course, it is best not to finance the car at all if you can
avoid it, but in some cases, you don't have any choice.

						-David Martin

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:20:49 -0500 (EST)
From: George_McAuliffe.BNY@lnotes.bankofny.com
Subject: Where to order checks?

Hi,

Does anyone have a list of personal bank check vendors?
I need a new batch, and don't want to pay bank inflated prices.
Thanks,
George McAuliffe
mailto: GMcAuliffe@BankofNY.com

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 20:22:56 -0500 (EST)
From: greg.panayotti@swissbank.com
Subject: Judgments on House / Earnest Money / Dealer vs. Bank Financing

     >From: Don R Shegog <drshegog@gte.net>
     >Subject: Do Judgements count when buying a house?
     
     >I am looking to purchase a home within the next year. I currently 
     >have a
     >a judgment outstanding against me due to a stupid mistake from 
     >college. Do
     >I need to have this judgment paid off before I can apply for a 
     >mortgage?
     
     
     Don,
     
     I would say that once you apply for a mortgage, the lender is 
     definately going to want to see this judgement paid off.  I would pay 
     it off before you apply, and then take a copy of the cancelled check 
     with a letter from the creditor saying everything is paid.  Sometimes 
     things can take months to hit your credit report and if you go the 
     following week to the lender, it will still show up as not paid on 
     your credit report.   Now you'll be able to prove you just took care 
     of it and they will like that.
     
     Greg Panayoti
     Meadowlands Board of Realtors,
     New Jersey
     
     ======================================================================
     
     >My mother and father-in-law signed an agreement to buy a new home on
     >12-12-97. They put down 5K earnest money. My father-in-law died on
     12-14-97
     >and when I spoke with the sales rep. on that day she assured me there
     would
     >be no problem and a full refund of the money would be forthcoming. 
     After 5
     >wks. of no refund I called her again and she basically said the same 
     thing
     >as in our previous conversation and promised to look into it. After 2 
     mos.
     >of no refund I phoned her again and now her position is she'll refund 
     the
     >money only after they sell this home to a new buyer claiming my 
     in-laws
     had
     >requested upgrades and she needed to recover those expenses before
     >refunding the earnest money. This obviously is a change in her stated
     >position and puts my mother-in-law at the mercy of their sales staff. 
     I
     >believe that both my mother and father-in-law signed the original
     agreement
     >to purchase.     
     >    Tom Gilbertson
     
     Tom,
     
     First, my disclaimer:  This is only my opinion and not professional or 
     legal advice.  I suggest you seek legal advice in this and all matters 
     involving real property.  Now then ... 
     
     These things vary by state.  Here in NJ, I believe the law says that 
     death does not automatically void the sales contract.   However, in 
     this case it was only two days later so that would have fallen into 
     the three day attorney-review window that was probably written into 
     the contract for both parties where anything could have been cancelled 
     legally for almost whatever reason.
     
     This is going to get very sticky and you are definately going to need 
     a lawyer.  The thing is, the Realtor won't know what to do so the 
     safest thing for him/her is to not release anything and allow 
     judgement to be passed - this way he/she is covered either way.
     
     Greg Panayoti
     Meadowlands Board of Realtors,
     New Jersey
     
     ======================================================================
     
     >From: "Nikhil Shah"<nshah@ect.enron.com>
     >Subject: Dealer Financing vs. Bank Financing For A Car?
     >
     >Hi!
     >
     >I am planning to buy a car and I am approved for a loan from my bank 
     >@9.00% for 48 mo's.
     
     >There are many car dealers who are trying to convince me that they 
     >can give me 4.9 % - 6.9% for 48 months.
     
     >I am trying to find out what are the pitfalls of obtaining financing 
     >from a dealer compared to a bank.
     
     
     Nikhil,
     
     If the dealer can offer you a better rate for the exact term you want, 
     you should take it.
     
     HOWEVER:
     
     Beware.  The dealer makes money (sort of a kickback) for setting 
     people up with their financing sources, and that's fine.  Everybody's 
     got to make a buck, right?   They often will offer sweet financing on 
     cars they are trying to move fast, also fine.   Just be 110% sure of 
     what you're signing when the time comes.  If you need to, ask them for 
     a written copy filled out ahead of time to take home and read through. 
       If they have nothing to hide, they shouldn't have a problem with 
     this.   
     
     They also will try to sell you additional insurance with this 
     financing as well as other add-ons that could cost you thousands of 
     dollars.   (This is where dealerships REALLY make their money).  
     Refuse all of it.   Anything they are offering you is marked up as 
     much as 300% and can be gotten by yourself elsewhere after you drive 
     off the lot for a fraction of the cost regardless of their "specials" 
     and "great deals".  
     
     If everything looks good on the finance contract - sign it and walk 
     away with some cheap financing.   It can be a great deal.
     
     G. Panayoti
     
     
     
     

------------------------------

End of persfin-digest V4 #128
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