Just while there’s a slight lull in the self-righteous screams of a few posturing Americans over the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico in May, shall we at this point remind President Obama and US Attorney General Eric Holder of a little incident called the ‘Bhopal Disaster’ in India back in 1984…?

Maybe this has slipped the minds of a few American executives – but this tragedy in India at the hands of American Gas giant Union Carbide rates as the worst industrial catastrophe of all time. While Obama calls for British heads to roll over the BP oil spill, let’s revisit a few facts that he might do well to consider…

11 people killed in accident on oil rig leased by British company BP, resulting in 4 presidential visits, a $1.6bn clean-up bill and the establishment of a $20bn compensation fund in 2 months.

15,000+ people killed in accident at Indian Bhopal plant owned by American company Union Carbide, resulting in O presidential visits, O clean-up bill and just $470m compensation in 25 years.

Now, shall we say Pot. Kettle. Black…?

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Some of the hardest hit people during the recession – or credit crunch if you like – were those involved in Mutual Funds. Stocks and Shares were the hardest hit sector of the industry and this saw billions lost in the wake of the economic crash. It is time to redirect your investments – what you have you need to protect – and it is still possible to invest like the big boys and see your investments thrive even in the current climate. Companies such as MarketRiders can steer you away from the exhorbitant fees and charges that independent ‘experts’ and ‘advisors’ take to do basically gamble your money. They will help to protect your money from the devastating fees and taxes that eat away at your capitol by implementing asset allocation as the strategy for your investment portfolio.

One of the problems with packaged investments and particularly tax privileged investments such as IRA investments is that the investment element tends to get neglected or at least it’s overshadowed by the magic words “tax deductible”. Yes, it’s clearly to your advantage to get those tax deductions but don’t forget that it’s an investment that you’re making and any tax deduction can be far outweighed by charges or duff performance.

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Working out which time is the best time to refinance your home mortgage is something which can take some effort and knowledge on your own part – but if you go to the trouble of educating yourself about market trends and refinance rates your research and homework could end up saving your thousands in interest over several years. So find yourself a calculator, get online and start your research…

There are many good sites which offer you the facility of a refinance calculator. Once you have found what the current home mortgage rates are verify them with the source of the information – usually a phonecall – and ensure that you are speaking with a mortgage officer. Compare your current mortgage rates with what is advertised – can you lower your rates by at least half a point…? if so then it may be time for you to consider a mortgage refinance.

If you can lower your rates by more than a point or two then it is definitely time for you to take action. If you are only a new home owner and intend to be in your home for less than five years then you would be best not to bother at this point – longer than that and it would pay you to consider home mortgage refinancing.

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