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In the last article we looked at a few of the things you should consider before leasing that first office or storefront for your business. To recap, you should not only consider the old standard “location, location, location,” but also consider things like sufficient parking, the number of employees who will be working onsite, and future growth projections. I stressed that it was important not to get caught up in the moment. You should take your time to find the space best suited for your business for the long haul, not just for today.

This week we’ll discuss the most important aspect of the process: signing a commercial lease (insert dramatic music here). One of the biggest mistakes many entrepreneurs make when leasing commercial space is not reading the lease. Forget reading the fine print. When it comes to a lease its ALL fine print.

Don’t believe me? Let me tell you the true story of my friend, Homer, whose name I have changed to protect the ignorant. Homer signed a two year lease on a suite of offices for his business. As the owner of the business Homer signed on the dotted line and agreed to personally guarantee payment of the lease and to abide by its terms. Homer moved in and it was business as usual until the end of the two year lease term drew near. It was then that Homer discovered that failing to read the lease was going to be a very costly mistake.

Toward the end of the two year lease period Homer decided to relocate, but when he gave the landlord what he thought was the customary 30 day notice, he discovered that the lease had automatically renewed for another two year term at the 60 day notice point. In other words, Homer didn’t realize that the lease required a minimum of 60 days notice to let the landlord know that the lease would not be renewed. Because Homer did not know that he was required to give at least 60 days notice of his intent to vacate, the lease automatically renewed for another two years. And there was not a darn thing Homer could do about it but reach around and slap himself in the back of the head for not taking the time to read the lease.

What was the landlord’s position when Homer pointed out that he had not read the lease and therefore was not aware of the 60 day notice? The landlord, while sympathetic to Homer’s plight, stuck to his guns and told Homer that he would have to honor the lease, which meant that even if Homer moved out as planned, he was still on the hook for paying the rent for another two years.

Does the fact that the landlord chose to enforce the lease agreement rather than let Homer off the hook make him an evil man? Not at all. From the landlord’s point of view, he had no choice but to enforce the terms on the lease. He had

You’ve decided to apply for a Citi MasterCard, but with so many different cards to choose from, how do you know which one is right for you? Here is a brief guide to the different types of MasterCard available from Citibank.

A great MasterCard program is the Citi Platinum Select Card. It offers basic rewards, such as an 0% Annual Percent Rate and no annual fee, for qualified applicants. This MasterCard will also give you peace of mind, when making online purchases, because it offers protection against unauthorised purchases.

If you’re looking for a plan with more rewards, then the Citi Premier Pass Card, might be the Citi MasterCard plan that’s just right for you. Like the Platinum Select Card, the Pass Card offers an introductory 0% APR and no annual fee, for qualified applicants. It also offers online account management, statements, and billing activity. The Premier Pass Card also offers extensive travel and air miles, so if you’re a frequent flier, this card’s for you.

Another great MasterCard offer from Citibank is the Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards Card. In addition to the 0% APR for twelve months and the promise of no annual fee, this credit card package will give you reward points for money spent for everyday purchases. For example, for every dollar that you spend on the Citi Diamond card for purchases made at gas stations, drugstores and grocery stores, you will earn five reward points back, to use in their rewards program.

Even if you’re a college student, CitiBank has a MasterCard just for you. You have several student cards to choose from, such as the Citi Dividend Platinum Select Card for College Students and the Citi Driver’s Edge Card for Students. Both are designed to help you responsibly build your credit history, while offering you basic rewards, such as 0% APR for six months and no yearly fee.

Regardless of your spending habits, there’s a Citi MasterCard program to suit your needs.

Jeff Lakie is the founder of Credit Card Resources a website providing information on credit cards

Credit card debt elimination can be done with a good plan and a little patience.
The important thing is to find what works best for you and stick to your plan. The rewards are well worth it and you’ll save yourself a lot of money in the process.

You can choose to either start paying off the credit card with the highest interest rate first or you can get rid of the credit cards with the smallest balance first. The important thing is to know exactly how you are going to approach your credit card debt elimination before you begin.

First, set a realistic budget for yourself to lower your spending in all areas and stick to it. Living by your budget will help you pool your available cash for your credit card debt elimination plan.

The most important you must do immediately is eliminate your credit card spending. You can never succeed with credit card debt elimination if you continue to add to the outstanding balance. The interest on that debt added with a climbing balance will make credit card debt elimination impossible.

It’s important to pay your credit card bills on time and always pay more than the minimum payment on the bills you want paid off first. Paying the minimum payment doesn’t eliminate that high credit card interest rate. That’s exactly what the credit card companies want because they are making a killing off of that interest.

If you are concentrating your bill paying efforts on one bill at a time, then you should still pay at least the minimum on the others. Once each bill is paid redirect your resources to the next bill so your credit card debt elimination can become a reality.

A tip that some have been successful with is contacting creditors to ask for a lower interest rate. Even if most creditors say no what if some of them say yes? The interest savings to you will multiply your credit card debt elimination efforts and save you money. It’s worth a few phone calls and your time to try this.

One last tip is, if you choose to close your credit card accounts, do not close them until after the bill has been paid. Some credit card companies often will penalize you by raising interest rates if you close an account that carries an outstanding balance.

The most important thing to remember is to begin your plan right now. Think of how you will feel when you are finally free of high credit card interest. The sooner you start, the sooner your ultimate goal of credit card debt elimination can be accomplished.

This article is supplied by http://www.credit-repair-facts.com where you will find credit information, debt elimination programs and informative facts that give you the knowledge to correct your own credit and credit report. For more credit related articles go to: http://www.credit-repair-facts.com/articles_1.html