This is a true story. I got some Pizza hut certificates over the holiday season. I was travailing to bay area in a weekend in Jan 2009. I found the certificate in the car grove box and decided to use it. This is a new area to me. I search “Pizzahut Fremont” in yahoo.com. This is the screen shot:

YAHOO PIZZAHUT FREMONT

It is my luck as always. I picked the third one. To make it short, it was a Saturday night around 6:30, and it was a high traffic area with at least three good size plazas. I spent nearly an hour there. Finally I called the phone number and ask which plaza they are. At first they didn’t understand me, then they told me the Pizzhut on Mission Blvd was close and the phone number is redirected to second one, the one in Grimmer.

Well, this is not a big deal, I know. It happens to everyone and I should keep it all to myself. Two months later, Just curious, I search “Pizzahut Fremont” in Google, They don’t show the one already closed.

Google search Pizzahut Fremont

Yeah, I know, they get their data from other sources. Yahoo does not compile the data, nothing wrong with Yahoo. If anyone wondering why Yahoo stock tumbling so much, this is sort of the answer.

A little background about me. I work in a Internet firm, we sell membership to our users for accessing our information service. (No, we are not in adult business, we are in financial service business) We have about four thousand paid users now. We also let user try our service for a month free. There are many “repeating” free users. They register for a month and then next month they register with another email. We know this and we don’t require a credit card in sign up process and we let them getting away for using our service for free for very very log time.

What they don’t know is that we only display Adsense ads when the free user logged in. For paid user, we don’t display any Adsense Ads. Paid users are getting more information and fast service. But this is not what this post about. This post is about our Adsense income. We saw our income steadily going down in past few months.

We had some discussion about this and we conclude that Ad-block of Firefox block our Adsense ad is the reason. Our site have been promoting FF for a long time. All our developers use a iBook. We all hate IE. About 45% of our users, includeing free users, use FF. More and more of them are turning on the ABP. I guess if our Adsense income going down too much, We will have to ask free user sign up with a credit card.

With the stock market going down like it has been. I lost interest watching it. Fortunately, I found this picture from internet and I found it quite entertaining.

Paris Hilton is one of the most hot, sexy and storied material out there. I guess she will find this picture entertaining as well.

In the time of credit crunch, nearly all banks shutdown lending and their credit card rate is still high enough over 18%. I guess they have not heard the news Fed has lowered the rate to near 1% now. I always don’t like banks since they are the one created this mess and they charge their customers way too much. Banks have been very reluctant to lend any money to small business, mortgage. But there is one new way for small business to get the loan, social lending. Today I am writing about Lending Club.

Lending Club is the new guy in the block, and they are gaining a lot of momentum. When you lend out money in Lending Club, you are actually investing there. Let me review some questions first.

Is this investment with good return? YES. There is a good market you can earn about 7%-15% from the fund you invested in Lending Club. This is very good rate in current market conditions. Of course, if you are a credit card company, you can charge 20%.

Is your money safe? Not 100%, but you are the make the decision who to lend to. This is what is so brilliant about social lending. When the borrower is not paying back, you can only blame yourself. Kidding aside. Here is how Lending Club protects you:

1. Every borrow FICO score is higher than 640. Also you got an overview the borrower’s credit file.
2. Every borrower’s account is reported to credit bureaus as it go, good or bad.
3. If a loan is late, Lending Club will actively pursue it.
4. If a loan goes sour, the account will be turned over to outside collectors.
5. In some cases, Lending Club will take direct legal action against borrower

To whom you invest the money? This is a tough question. I personally choose the one has a higher credit score and rent a place. This way I am sure they will not brought down by depressed housing value. Then I read their stories and feel the stories. If the story is convincing enough, and I feel connected enough, I will make s small investment there. In the end, that is good interest rate, beat my Amboy Direct.

Good Luck to you all if you actually sign up as a lender in Lending Club.

Finding a mortgage can be very difficult, time consuming, and confusing. Although it is another decision to make among many when purchasing a property, it is a significant decision. Obviously, when looking for a mortgage, the lower the interest rate, the quicker that you will be able to pay off your mortgage. Also, with lower interest you will end up paying less money to the bank. As a result, you should look for a cheap mortgage, with low interest.

If you are currently a homeowner, but are looking for options that allow you to consolidate some of your other debt into a mortgage, you should consider a remortgages. Remortgages are intending for this purpose and may allow you to lower your monthly debt repayments. Remortgage rates can be lower than other higher interest options, which again will decrease your borrowing costs in the long run. Remortgage options may also allow you to improve your existing credit, as long as you consistently pay the remortgage payment. There are even bad credit remortgage options, for people who really need to get high interest creditors off their backs. As with all mortgage options, remortgage interest rates will vary by lender and based on your credit. For many people, this option may really be the best way to stop the unrelenting creditors.

Whether a mortgage or remortgage, it is important to really compare your options. Look at both the interest rate, and the applicable conditions. Find the option that meets your needs, and will allow you to pay off your house, and get out of debt sooner; however, make sure that the monthly payments are feasible, as you do not want to end up in a situation where you cannot make the payments. Do your research, ask a lot of questions, and talk to an expert before you sign on the dotted line.

Loans are great because they allow us to do or buy things that we not otherwise be able to afford; however, is it critical to take borrowing money seriously. Borrowing money from lenders is not like borrowing money from your family, where you can pay them back whenever you have the money. If you default on payments your credit will be affected, which will impact your ability to borrow money in the future. If you are serious about a loan there are different types of loans available depending on the purpose of the loan.

If you are looking to purchase a vehicle, you may want to consider an auto loan. An auto loan will allow you to purchase a vehicle even if you do not have 100% of the money available at the time of the purchase. It is important to note that interest rates will vary depending on the lender and your credit. If your credit is poor, you will likely find yourself with a higher interest rate, as you may be considered an increased risk. If you are considering this type of loan, you need to do your research. Find the best loan, and the right car. Borrowing for a car, means a long-term investment. It is important that the vehicle that you choose outlasts the length of the loan. Otherwise, you will be paying for a car that is no more use to you. With all of the facts, this may be a good way for you to secure a vehicle.

If you find yourself short before your paycheck comes in, you could look a payday loan. This type of loan is only for extremely short periods of time, and the interest rate is generally high. With payday loans, it is extremely important to do your research and get the facts so that you do not get into a situation where you are paying ridiculous fees. In addition, you need to ensure that you will be able to pay back the loan and the fees within the specified period. If you are not sure that you will able to payback the loan, you should not consider this option. Furthermore, you should not use these types of loans on a regular basis, as this becomes extremely expensive and difficult to get out of. This may be an option for you, if you have the facts.

No matter what type of loan, it is important to compare loans to ensure that you are getting yourself the best deal.

At some point, almost everyone will need to borrow money. Whether the money is for home improvements, a holiday, your wedding, a car, or to pay off high interest debt, most people will eventually need some kind of loan. With so many types of loans and lenders, it is important to get the facts. Depending on your situation or circumstances, there may be loans geared specifically for your needs.

If you own a home, you may be able to get a secure loan. Secure loans allows you to use the equity of your home to borrow money. These types of loans can be used for a variety of purposes, but the most common uses include debt consolidation and home improvements. If you are a homeowner, this may be a good option, as generally the repayment can be made over a longer period of time than with unsecured options.

If you currently have a number of high interest debts, you may want to consider a debt consolidation loan. A debt consolidation loan will allow you to pay off your high interest creditors, and combine all your debt into one monthly payment, with potentially lower interest rates. A consolidation loan, may be the best option for you to truly get out of debt as quickly as possible. In addition, one payment is less confusing, and as long as the payment is financially feasible, it may help you to improve your credit.

When you are looking for a loan, you should first look at how much money you will need. When looking at the amount, you need to consider all costs involved. For example, if you are doing home improvements, make sure that you have a very good understanding of how much you will need. Then, you should determine how much you can afford in terms of payments. Determining the amount that you are able to pay in payments, will affect the length of your loan. Loan interest rates differ depending on the length of the loan. It is important to know how long you will need to borrow the money, as some lenders may have lower rates than others for loans of varying lengths. When comparing loans, it is important to look at the interest rate, and any restrictions. In addition, it is important to ask a number of questions like what happens if you default on a payment. Determining these things will allow you to find the best option for your situation.