Money Talks Expert - Mark Bennett

Mark Bennett is a financial writer, occasional golfer, and frustrated entrepreneur. He has investigated just about every business opportunity and investing system known to humankind, and has the scars to prove it.

Mark Bennett is a staff writer here at Money Talks, and has had articles published under his own name and various pen names in a wide range of online and offline publications.

Mark maintains a number of blogs and websites on financial issues, including the Money Talks blog, and has a presence as a commentator on financial issues at a number of Web 2.0 sites.

In addition to his professional interests, Mark is a keen traveller and armchair philosopher, who enjoys putting modern financial phenomena in context with historical, social and psychological dynamics.

It can be easy to miss a mortgage payment when times are tough - but how do you get out from behind the financial eight-ball? Refinancing a mortgage when you have missed mortgage payments is not always easy.

The first step is to check whether your mortgage is a realistic commitment for you at this time. In the past, bank managers would do that analysis for you, and if you were at risk of getting behind, they wouldn't give you the mortgage.

These days, banks and other, less-regulated lenders are guilty of pushing many people into loans they simply cannot afford.

Excerpt from Behind On The Mortgage? by Mark Bennett.

Faced with today's high car insurance rates, savvy drivers look for every possible way to reduce their insurance premium. So it only makes sense to stay informed about the many ways to obtain discount car insurance. Discount car insurance is available but it will not just come to you. You won't find an insurance salesperson offering discounts on auto coverage unless you ask and know what to ask for.

Comparison shopping for auto insurance is smart for all drivers. Remember, your driving record or credit score may have improved, or your driving situation may have change. Compare the final prices the various companies offer you. It pays to shop around for your car insurance!

Car insurance companies are there to make profits. If you want to obtain discounts on car insurance you have to know how these insurance companies think.

Excerpt from Discount Auto Insurance by Mark Bennett.

Refinancing has many benefits. If interest rates have fallen, or if you have significantly reduced your balance owing, then refinancing can result in a lower monthly mortgage payment. You can also use refinancing to release the equity in your property in the form of cash or a home equity line of credit.

However, like all financial transactions, or indeed any commercial dealings, refinancing is a case of caveat emptor - buyer beware. The benefits of refinancing can be wiped out if you don't read the fine print and understand exactly what is happening with your new mortgage.

Excerpt from Refinancing? Don't Become Shark Bait by Mark Bennett.