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With more and more women buying their own properties and managing their own mortgages it pays for them to be as finance-savvy as possible right now.

The so-called ‘honeymoon period’ of those cheap fixed-rate mortgage deals is coming to an end which is sure to see many people face the prospect of losing their homes. Female property owners need to seek expert advice if they fall into this category as some mortgage payments are set to rise by as much as 60%.

Staying informed is the key. There is the option of changing to new fixed or discount rates and this will require some foresight and action. The other option will be to move to more costly variable rates; this is where many women will face huge increases in their repayments.  Short of having to resort to selling your property, or considering specialty lenders (who usually apply higher interest rates), make time to consult your bank/lender or a mortgage broker to see where your position is and what your options are.

The more you stay informed the better the chances are you will hang onto your property.

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With inflation still on the rise  interest rates will continue to move upwards unless the national economy begins a downshift in the near future. With this, mortgage rates are set to enter double figures again after a long respite of 11 years. I remember well the 1980’s where the average house owner was paying up to 18 per cent interest on their loans; this resulted in many people losing their homes.

For the first time in 11 years though rates are set to climb to 6.75 per cent, an all time high for many years. But will this be enough to bring down inflation?. Many experts and top economists think not, with most predicting at least two more rate rises next year before any change in the inflation climate is detected. Rates may even peak at 9 per cent. While this may spell disaster for many people the answer may lie in refinancing their mortgages.

The best thing to do would be to consult a mortgage broker asap and find what options are available. Until inflation comes under control the average homeowner should take all precautions to protect themselves should those rates climb further towards those dreaded ‘double figures’ once again.

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Many people assume that earning money online is reserved for the experts; it’s too difficult and there has to be a ‘catch’ of some kind somewhere. I used to think that as well but as the internet has now become the base for so many businesses so then have developed the opportunities for making a legitimate living from just operating online. Millions of people, especially women, choose to start up their own businesses at home and never have to set foot inside an office!.

Basically your first essential requirement is a computer and effective, reliable highspeed internet access. This really should be in the form of subscription rather than ‘metered’ access - ADSL or Cable for example. How much time you wish to devote to your activities really depends on how much time you have available to yourself. If this is your first foray into earning money online and can set aside two hours a day to start with,  i.e. an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon, then that should be ample. It’s up to you though. Try for an hour a day at the minimum anyway.

The next thing is to set aside some work space for yourself. If you are sharing your computor at home then make sure you have access to it for your own activites - once again, an hour a day minimum. If you have small children still at home it would be best to have the PC in a common area so you can keep an eye on the little ones. I know for myself how challenging this is, you have to keep one eye on them and try to concentrate on what you are doing as well, but we women are great multi-taskers and you just have to do it. If your kids are at school, you are retired or maybe just don’t have kids at all then you should be able to set aside your own private work space where you can work with relatively little interference. Fingers crossed anyway.

Getting ‘exposure’ on the net is your prime job. The best way to achieve this is to start writing your own blog, in fact, a blog is a necessity to be able to earn money doing sponsored posts. Through your blog you will create links and receive them and this is how advertisers will access you. If you have ever written a diary then just think of your blog as an online one because that is basically what it is.  Choose a subject, preferrably one that is relative to you and your life, but it has to be of some interest to those out there reading it. If you wish to blog about your pet cat that is fine, but advertisers out there may not see your blog as a way for their product to reach their target audience. Definitely blog about kitty if you like, but also write about other general topics as well. Your blog can follow a set theme or just record your daily activites. You can even invent some stuff to write about - a little imagination goes a long way!.

Aim to write an entry on your blog at a rate of two/three posts a week and keep it regular. If you are able to post on a daily basis that will be great but whatever you do keep it regular and weekly for the first 90 days. Anyway, this gets your blog going, gets you in the habit of writing, and at some point your blog will start to build up some ranking. PR is very important for earning money through your blog.

Next: Choosing and registering your domain.

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