Mcninch

Clearly, many shows are carried by the personality of the presenter though they frequently reflect a triumph of style over substance. This, arguably, excludes Dickinson, who dominates the screen, demonstrating boundless enthusiasm and an opinion on almost everything. He is somewhat redolent of the eponymous Lovejoy, that roguish, careworn but charming dealer, so successfully played by Ian McShane in the BBC series, but his piece de resistance surely has to be his hair. Whatever authority he may exude examining a Victorian tortoise shell box or a chipped Minton plate, one cannot but be drawn to his vertiginous mullet, a shock of hair so dense it could comfortably accommodate a nest of birds. I think he could probably make a passable living as an Elvis impersonator such is his showmanship but this is in marked contrast to another member of the bouffant brigade, the erstwhile host of The Antiques Roadshow, Hugh Scully, who looked as though hed taken a dose of mogadon every time he stepped in front of the camera.

Then again, The Antiques Roadshow experts generally come over as a pretty uninspiring crowd. Some of them are well qualified on their specialist subjects and, indeed, are often a fount of knowledge but Ive seen more verve from a blind man crossing a busy dual carriageway. They come from near and far, many representing leading auctioneers, but their delivery and mode of questioning are so entirely predictable, this show must possess the most threadbare autocue in television history. Can it be a complete coincidence that The Antiques Roadshow is scheduled alongside another BBC stalwart, Songs of Praise, a programme that appears to be populated by precisely the same audience, albeit the host is in a frock? Perhaps theyre all seeking salvation for ghastly misjudgements or overinflated expectations.

Anyhow, some experts are notably well informed so should, for example, James Braxton of Edgar Horn or Roy Butler of Wallis and Wallis pop up on your screen talking about Tunbridgeware and guns respectively, please pay attention. These guys know what they are talking about. The problem is that the producers seem hell bent on incorporating all manner of rubbish in their desire to be egalitarian and inclusive and fail miserably in the process. It would be far better television, frankly, if the nominated expert took one look at a given object, profusely thanked the owner for shlepping it over land and sea, and then recommended it for firewood. Why has The Antiques Roadshow not created a Christmas special of all those unmitigated disasters brought in by the deeply earnest, deeply greedy and deeply ignorant? Dont you secretly long for a sarcastic appraiser to enquire You really dragged this piece of crap in here thinking it was worth something? What do you use for brains? Stop wasting my time! Is anybody home at Broadcasting House? And is anybody listening?

Part two in the series of articles by Howard Lewis.(Read part one... The Price is Right: Appraisal, Valuation and Inspired Guesswork or the Rise of TV Antique Shows and the Collecting Bug in the invaluable blog at www.invaluable.com).

Our college-bound son just bought his first home at 21. He was able to buy a home for forty thousand under the appraised price, get a low interest rate, finance the closing costs, and pay no money down. How could he possibly do this? His credit score is over 700.

You can help your teenager prepare for his or her financial future by establishing a high credit rating. Offer your teenager these three crucial credit tips for a great financial future:

1. Start early. Begin by successfully managing a checking account-- the first credit requirement. Wells Fargo Bank has a program for children to open joint accounts with a parent as young as 13 years of age. For a free individual checking account, Washington Mutual requires a minimum age of 18 or a manager's approval for younger account holders.

2. Apply for a major credit card at 18. It's easier to get a first-class credit card with favorable rates and terms while a student attends college before the age of 22. Why do banks want to open accounts for students who have no credit history or employment? Because lenders know that college graduates in general make more money and also pay their bills on time. Also, most consumers don't like shopping around for credit and tend to keep their credit accounts. Therefore, lenders desire to establish strong relationships with the preferred market early in their credit experience.

This doesn't mean that you as the parent need to co-sign; banks expect parents to help out with the payments when necessary. Just be crystal clear with your child what you expect regarding debt management. The purpose is to teach responsibility and to establish credit--not to go into debt.

3. Manage the credit card account with credit scores in mind. Once the account is opened, encourage your child to use the card for necessities that would be purchased with cash--not luxuries--and to pay the debt before finance charges accrue. However, don't pay the entire balance off each month; let a little roll over at least every two months. Banks don't appreciate accounts paid in full each month. More important, paid accounts don't factor into the credit score as much as an account with a low balance.

Explain to you teenager that the purpose of using a credit card is to establish good credit. To do this, a credit card should never have a balance over 50% of the available credit. The best credit scores have accounts with only 10% of the credit line used.

Setting up a checking account and a credit card account helps your teenager learn about responsible money management, with the bonus of building strong credit to finance a home.

(c) Copyright 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher All rights reserved.

The Price is Right.

Once upon a time you knew precisely where you stood. You were, metaphorically speaking, peering over the shoulder of the venerable Arthur Negus, denizen of that epitome of middle class culture, The Antiques Roadshow. Now, however, youre turning this way and that, amidst a plethora of antiques discovery programmes, as you seek to satisfy your voyeuristic craving and perhaps learn a little something as you go.

Life used to be very simple in the antique firmament on TV. Its first airing was Going for a Song in 1965, so ancient a time that England had yet to win the World Cup and I was still in short trousers, in a programme memorably described as a

Pooterish pottery riddleathon, chaired in its glory days by Max Robertson with Arthur Negus stapled to one side for a bit of gossip. Max would then proffer a vaguely familiar looking antique loom at teams of experts and a clueless public, demanding both date and asking price. Points were awarded for the closest bid.

That wont ring too many bells with todays protagonists, by all accounts. This was an age in which most educated people were expected to have a routine general knowledge of art, antiques and collecting because it suggested some hint of engagement and appreciation of the world around them. Of course, the clueless public were a convenient prop to the cardsharps around them but the scenario hasnt deviated too far over the last forty years. Having said that, presenters could always be relied upon in yesteryear to wear a jacket and tie and a sensible haircut this was the BBC after all so one wasnt confronted, as is our current misfortune, by a bunch of D listers swathed in Hawaiian tee shirts and an all over tan.

Yet the extraordinary thing is that these programmes and, believe me, there are plenty of them have such enduring appeal. The antiques themselves obviously play their part but the real key is the human dimension and, without exception, it is a feature of all the latter day productions that the viewing public are encouraged to make contact and tell their stories. However, whereas The Antiques Roadshow was deliberately more formal in its approach, more recent entrants are positively gushing. The three best examples of this new genre are Flog It, Bargain Hunt and Cash in the Attic, each of which, like The Antiques Roadshow, have spawned some very ugly American hatchlings. More of that anon.

Back here, we have David Dickinson, full of grandiloquent gestures and gravelly tones, hosting Bargain Hunt. Dickinson, notwithstanding that he loves the sound of his own voice, has certainly done the rounds and knows his stuff unlike the motley crew from Cash in the Attic who look like cast offs from a lifestyle channel. Bargain Hunt is not designed to be too successful but just give a taste of what could be achieved with a good eye and a judicious approach though, as ever, it is most watchable when confronted by the unexpected. One contestant so successfully bought and sold a copper log box that Dickinson, momentarily speechless, had to dispatch a crew member to an ATM to cough up enough cash when he ran short. Priceless!

If youre thinking of starting a charity fund raising event, then you probably know all the most obvious questions that you should be asking yourself. These include why this non profit charity fund raising needs to exist or who will help run the fund raising event. You need to have a clear idea of the scope of what the fund raising will be used for and where the fund raising event will take place. If you have the answers to all these things, then youre well on your way to making your dream a reality.

Now that you know what your goals are for your charity fund raising there are some technical issues that you might encounter. These are such things as whether your charity requires a non-profit corporation. Non profit fundraising means receipts for tax deductible contributions. Your non-profit fund raising also has to support a legitimate charity. You also need to have non-profit exempt status so that your charity does not have to pay taxes on the money raised. If you qualify for this tax exemption then you better be prepared to have a lot of paperwork because youll need to keep all records of everything.

For non profit fund raising to be legitimate, you really do need a board of directors. When youre choosing board members for your non profit charity fundraising, you have to choose wisely. Charity fund raising board members can come from any background but there are some points to keep in mind. Each should bring a special ability with them and it is very important that they are committed to your purpose. Try to find people that are fairly low key in your community. These will be the ones that are interested in your non profit fund raising.

This board will set the rules of the non profit organization but they will also be responsible and accountable in a lot of things in the non-profit fundraising. They will have to make the policies, budgeting, planning, the non profit fund raising itself, and human resources. Your non profit charity fund raising also needs an executive director. This job will require a skilled person and when you decide on this position for charity fund raising, he/she should have the freedom to lead the rest and do what is best for your non- profit fund raising.

So as you can see depending on the size of your charity fund raising, it is going to be a job in itself to get set up. There will be a lot of work for everyone involved with the non profit fund raising, but it will be worth while when you accomplish your goal at the end.

You need to know your goals if you are doing some charity fund raising.

It was a simple real estate formula. The ads ran in our small-town newspaper for years before I realized exactly what was going on. They were always the same: A house for sale with 5% down and payments of 1% of the purchase price. Maybe a three bedroom home for $90,000, for example, with $4,500 down and $900 per month payments.

When a friend started doing the same thing he explained the process to me. It was a way to get a great return on capital, and it was the opposite of buying with no money down. There is no down payment at all when you buy, because you buy for cash.

The Simple Real Estate Formula

You probably know that when you buy for cash, you can often get a much better price. With no financing contingencies in the offer, and the promise of a faster closing, sellers are willing to sell for less. You can offer $95,000, for example, on a house that might be worth $108,000. If you can't get it for less than, say, $99,000, you walk away - there are always other opportunities.

Once you buy the house, you put few thousand into high-return repairs and improvements. These might include paint, carpet, and maybe asphalt for a dirt driveway. For our example, we'll say you spend $5,000. Let's suppose the house is worth $116,000 now. You're ready for the next important step in this real estate formula.

You put it up for sale, targeting buyers who can't get financing easily. You provide the financing. Because you are making it easy for the buyer, you can get more than the $116,000 value for the home - and do it without paying a realtor's commission. Let's say you sell it for 123,000. The buyer needs a down payment of just 5%, or $6,150, and makes monthly payments of $1230 per month. You charge higher interest than the going rates at the banks, of course.

This is a win-win situation. Your buyer is able to buy a home instead of renting, and you get a capital gain of perhaps $16,000 after expenses, plus good interest. Your total rate of return will often be over 20%!

In our town, the first to do this consistently were a father and son team of lawyers. They saved money by doing their own foreclosures when necessary. Once they foreclosed, they raised the price and sold the home all over again.

They made millions. Did you know that if you can get an average return of 18% on your money, you'll turn $75,000 into more than one million dollars in about fifteen years? That's the power of a good real estate formula.