How To Calculate Payments For Interest Rates?

Conventional loan payments consist of a portion that pays interest accumulation since the last payment and a portion that pays down the principal, or outstanding balance, of the loan. You can easily calculate payment amounts on a loan with a fixed interest rate and equal periodic payments if you know the original loan amount and total number of payments. You don't even need a financial calculator to do so: any calculator with an exponent key will do.

Instructions

1.Determine the periodic interest rate from the nominal (stated) interest rate. The nominal interest rate is defined as the periodic interest rate times the number of times the interest is compounded per year. For example, a nominal interest rate of 6 percent indicates a monthly periodic interest rate of 0.5 percent.

2.Identify the total number of payments for the loan. Denote it with the letter "n." Identify the original loan amount. Denote it with the letter "p" for principal.

3.Calculate (1 + i)^n, where "^n" means that you're raising (1 + i) to the "nth" power. Denote it with the letter "x." For example, 30-year mortgages have 360 monthly payments. For a periodic interest rate of 0.5 percent, x = (1.005)^360 = 6.023, after rounding.

4.Calculate the periodic payment by solving pxi/(x - 1). For example, if the original loan amount is $300,000, the periodic interest rate is 0.5 percent and x is 6.023, then the periodic payment is $1,798.63.

How To Learn Chinese?

Learning to read and write the Chinese script is particularly challenging to learn because it consists of a multitude of complex characters. Each character represents both sound and meaning.
Usage of Chinese characters
Chinese is written entirely with Chinese characters or hànzi. To read Modern Standard Chinese you need to commit about 4,000 - 5,000 hànzi to memory.
Japanese is written with a mixture of Chinese characters or kanji plus two syllabic scripts and sometimes the Latin alphabet. Knowledge of about 2,000 kanji is sufficient to read most Japanese texts.
Korean is written mainly with an alphabetic script known as hangeul. Chinese characters or hanja are also used, but to a much lesser extent than in Japanese. A knowledge of about 2,000 hanja is essential when reading older Korean texts, which use many more hanja than modern texts do. In fact many modern texts use nohanja at all.
Until the early 20th century Vietnamese was written with a script based on Chinese characters known as Chữ-nôm.
Some possible ways to learn Chinese characters
Most characters are built of components which represent physical things or abstract concepts. Learn what each of the components represents and try building up mental images featuring the components for each character. Include in your mental images the meanings of the characters and the pronunciation.
There are a number of books, such as Fun with Chinese Characters, which explain the structure and meaning of each character with illustrations and little stories.
When learning Japanese remember that most kanji have several different readings: usually at least one derived from Chinese and one that is the Japanese word with the same meaning. Japanese children learn the Japanese readings of the kanji first and later learn the Chinese-derived readings. This is probably a good technique to adopt, unless you know Chinese already.
Learn the correct way to write each character and if possible, take a class in Chinese or Japanese calligraphy.
Practice reading and writing characters at every opportunity.
Make some character cards with a single large character on the front and the character's pronunciation and meaning together with words and/or phrases featuring the character on the back. Carry these cards around with you and refer to them whenever you have a moment. Some Chinese language courses include character cards like this.
As you learn more characters, you will start to notice recurring themes and patterns. This will help you to guess the meanings of new characters. The more characters you learn, the easier it will become to learn new ones.
To avoid eyestrain when poring over Chinese or Japanese texts, dictionaries, etc, make sure your study area is well-lit and consider buying a large magnifying glass. I'm serious - when I start learning Chinese and Japanese I had perfect eyesight. After studying them for four years I needed glasses.

What's the Benefits of Employee Termination

Firing or laying off employees is never an easy task. But you can provide at least some financial support to the workers you have to terminate by providing them with benefits that can ease the stress they face when searching for a new job. Make sure your newly fired workers understand exactly upon which benefits they can rely as they begin their hunt for new employment.
Severance
The most important financial benefit for recently terminated workers might be the severance you offer them. Most companies offer workers a severance package that is based upon how many years they've logged with the business. For example, employees who have worked three years with the company might qualify for three weeks of salary and two weeks of vacation pay. Employees who have worked 10 years for the company might qualify for 10 weeks of pay and three weeks of vacation pay. Whatever the severance package is, make sure that your terminated employees know how much money they are eligible for and the steps they must take to receive it.
Depending on the size of your company, your terminated employees might qualify for COBRA benefits. Under this federal program, your workers might be able to remain on your company's group health insurance program for a limited number of months. In general, if your company has 20 or more employees, your fired workers will be eligible to participate in COBRA. Not all employees will want this; premiums are higher under COBRA. But many will, so make sure that your terminated employees understand how to apply for COBRA protection.
Job-Seeking Help
Many employers provide terminated workers with free job-seeking classes or workshops. Under these programs, job counselors will work with recently terminated employees to help them improve their resumes, brush up on their interview skills or master the art of the cold call. Working on these skills is especially important for employees who have worked at your firm for several years; they may be especially out of practice when it comes to hunting for a new job.
Unemployment Insurance
If you have laid off employees for no fault of their own, they will be eligible to collect unemployment insurance benefits. To ease your employees' transition, provide them with all the information they need to apply for unemployment insurance in your state, and how long they can expect to receive unemployment benefits. In Texas, for example, terminated workers must apply for unemployment benefits with Texas Workforce Commission either online or by calling the nearest Texas Workforce telecenter. Their weekly unemployment benefit will depend on the amount of their former salary.

Styles of Reading

There are three styles of reading which we use in different situations:
Scanning: for a specific focus
The technique you use when you're looking up a name in the phone book: you move your eye quickly over the page to find particular words or phrases that are relevant to the task you're doing.
It's useful to scan parts of texts to see if they're going to be useful to you:
the introduction or preface of a book
the first or last paragraphs of chapters
the concluding chapter of a book.
Skimming: for getting the gist of something
The technique you use when you're going through a newspaper or magazine: you read quickly to get the main points, and skip over the detail. It's useful to skim:
to preview a passage before you read it in detail
to refresh your understand of a passage after you've read it in detail.
Use skimming when you're trying to decide if a book in the library or bookshop is right for you.
Detailed reading: for extracting information accurately
Where you read every word, and work to learn from the text.
In this careful reading, you may find it helpful to skim first, to get a general idea, but then go back to read in detail. Use a dictionary to make sure you understand all the words used.
There are even handy accessories for temporary use like small foldable readers that fit in pen-sized cases and magnifiers that hang around your neck like a pendant. There is also plastic lenses mounted in credit card-sized holders that slip easily in a wallet that are perfect for the situation for when you just want to know what the menu actually says at a dim lit restaurant.
For moments out in the sun tinted reading glasses with UV protection are available too; a popular type is the sunglass bifocal, with a nonprescription upper half for looking far away and a reading prescription in the lower half for close up.

Self Discipline and Self Confidence

Self discipline and self confidence is the key to success. You can not succeed in life by working like an ass. You have to work in a manner that makes you different from others. For any youth who is willing to take his career head-on, it is very significant to have self discipline and a sense of responsibility.
Following are few tips that might help you in gaining self discipline and will also help you improve your productivity.
Be punctual:
Time is the essance of life, always value it. You must be a master in the art of managing time. Be punctual always. Develop this habit of getting your work done on time. Don’t be late. If you would work and manage yourself according to time you will find a difference in yourself. You will feel you will have more time with you to cherish. If things are pending and not done on time, you are late for your work/school or anything, you will never have this luxury. You will always be caught up with time management issues. Learn to manage your time. It will help you in gaining more discipline and improving your productivity.
Be optimistic
Always be optimistic. Learn to see the glass half full. Never be disappointed. Face life with a positive attitude. Always appear active and fresh. Don’t be lethargic and slow. Be sharp. Try to overcome your flaws. Show your energy and the passion that you have inside. No point holding it back. Show your rage. You will feel more confident and organized if you see life with a positive frame of mind.
Set priorities:
Set aims and targets. Work in simple, slow and short term projects to achieve long term goals. Do not rush your self. Work slowly and steadily. Learn the tricks of the trade first and then gather pace. You yourself will know what you want to achieve first. Aim towards that and start working towards that. Do not get indulged into too many things that you can not handle. Know your limitations, flaws and positives and work accordingly.
Be a team man:
Be a team man. Work in groups. Do not over estimate yourself. You can not survive alone. Learn to work in groups. Take guidance from others. Learn from their mistakes and from their experiences. You need a path to follow. Build your path by observing others. Work in association with your peers and juniors. They all are going to make you something ultimately. But do not be totally dependent upon them. Learn from them and try to produce better results.
Be objective:
Be objective in your life. Do not waste your dream in pursuit of mirages. Be realistic. Live in the world of flesh and blood. You have to face many difficulties in life. Be prepared for that. If once you have set priorities and working accordingly, you will achieve your targets. It’s all a matter of your approach. You will find many distractions; don’t let your self be distracted by all that. You know what you want. Pursuit that.
Be target oriented:
Follow your target. As I have said earlier. Be objective. Stick to your path. You do no need to astray from your path and waste your precious life and time. You have a very limited time frame to achieve your goals. So just follow them. Rests of the things are temporary. You must not waste your hard work in pursuit of things that might not matter in the end.

Important Interview Tips

Have you ever wondered that why some people always qualify for any interview they face? It is very well said that practice make a man perfect, similarly interviews can also be defined as a skill set requiring a perfect practice. Present scenario of recession, global meltdown, reduced job rates had made things even worse and more difficult.
A high rate of professionalism is what impresses an employer to a great extent. Moreover, all employers expect their employees to posses good communication skills, leadership qualities, intelligence ( intellectual and emotional ), competent, imaginative etc.
This list could be endless, so we land up in a confused state where what exactly is required is not always known to us. Thus leading to stressed and tensed moments before facing a interview. The key is to relax, stay clam and confident.
Important Interview Tips
Know your employer :
Research your employer, known their goals, what they are doing etc. You can do this by simply visiting their website or discussing with your friends who know the company or may have worked their before.
Know Yourself :
Remember in a interview you have to sell yourself. The employer knows only your resume, so always remember to highlight your performance at previous jobs, community services, school activities etc in such a manner that the interviewer develops an positive attitude about your personality.
Stay Confident:
Don’t get nervous, be confident. Confidence is reflected by your voice, body language and gestures. So always be cautious. Develop an habit of sitting with straight back, talking with strong and clear voice, avoid nervous signs( playing with hairs, playing with finger, shaking legs etc ) to win the race.
Dress to Impress:
Your attire helps to develop a first impression and always remembered, First Impression is the Last Impression. Be very cautious, be careful your are dressing for an interview, if you wish to be taken seriously you have to look serious. . In general for Mens , the minimum will be dress shirt, slacks, and dress shoes. A tie depends on the job position, but you can’t go wrong with one. For women, business casual, which is a collared shirt and dress pants or skirt, a light day makeup would be appropriated. Avoid using high heels or strong perfumes.
Prepare For Pointed question:
Pointed questions like What is your weakness, In which area do you need improvement are frequently asked. Don’t panic stay clam and confident and answer the questions diplomatically and smartly. For ex- Your weakness should e shown in such a manner that it becomes a strength for the organization.
Tips for the Interview:
- Reach half an hour before the interview timings.
- Offer a warm handshake.
- Sit straight.
- Make an eye contact.
- Always thank before sitting.
- Always wear a slight smile.
- Accept gracefully, if drink is offered.
- Don’t hassle, if you don’t know any answer say politely and respectfully you don’t know the answer. Illogical wrong answer will ruin your impression.
- Always thank before leaving.
- Aline your chair before leaving the interview room.
- Don’t bang the door. Close the door gently without making any noise .

How Social Skills Improve Interviews

If you’re wondering what you can to do improve interviews, think about how you handle your social skills and body language. Are you likable — that’s extremely important. A firm handshake of course, but are you aware if your body language is confident?
Body language reveals so much about you –it’s actually 55% of your communication. It has an impact that is more important than your words. And they will notice “the way” you say things. So if you are not smiling or your eyes do not look enthusiastic and happy, it won’t matter what you say. Show passion in the tone of your voice and with excitement when describing your accomplishments. Nervous habits such as pen clicking or constant foot tapping will also reduce your ability to appear confident.
Do not underestimate the impact of good social skills on your career. Seriously. In fact, across the board, in all types of fields and companies, people would rather work with someone who is likeable and incompetent than with someone who is skilled and obnoxious.
To be likeable you must come across as sincere and authentic by always presenting “the real you.” Also, don’t use jargony words, like, “multi-tasker.” Be specific. Instead of saying, “I’m a self-starter” and just leave it at that. You could say, “I was given a project without a lot of instruction and in the first 3 days I came up with a list of 10 people to seek advise from. I met with them all in the first week and received a number of great ideas – I am a self-starter.”
Another suggestion to show confidence is to offer your help on a trial basis. You might say, “I know I have the best skills for the job and I’m so confident I would take on a project for free.”
Depending on whether we like someone or not influences hiring decisions. So build rapport and make a strong connection through your body language. People who lack social competence end up looking like they lack other competencies, too. Don’t forget to keep smiling as you describe who you are.

Simple Tips For Self Improvement

The following self improvement tips will aid you in your efforts to begin your personal development endeavours. You will find yourself achieving new levels of fulfillment by incorporating them into your daily life. If personal development and growth interests you, there is a good chance you are constantly looking for reliable techniques that will stimulate your progression. Any tactics that can kickstart your personal growth and show you fast results would be fondly looked upon.
After years of study in the self improvement arena, I have found the following strategies to be invaluable. Any chance I can give back to others that have that same thirst to better themselves, I consider it a privilege knowing that I was once in the exact same place.
Expect to Achieve
While many think that the majority of people who are successful in the world are smarter than they are, that simply is not the case. The real secret here is to expect to win before it has ever happened. I can't stress enough how important this is. Your mindset has a hugely powerful effect on whether or not you will attain your dreams and goals.
Note that I didn't say you need knowledge to win, because the fact of the matter is having a bold and determined expectancy goes a lot further than actually having the knowledge. The knowledge will come with conviction and persistence.
Keep a Daily Journal
You will be hardpressed to find an ultra successful person who doesn't adopt a personal daily journal. We can't keep track of everything that passes through our minds and this is when a journal comes in extremely handy. Whenever something strikes you as something you would like to do, accomplish or feel passionate about, get in the habit of writing it down. It will give you a sense of self-awareness and will skyrocket your confidence in yourself.
Meditation
Known to be a fabulous stress reliever not to mention the other health benefits like aiding in digestion and even slowing your heart rate, this is one of the most overlooked of the techniques even though it could very well be one of the most important. It drastically helps in avoiding worries and anxiety because it clears your mind of all the negative thoughts useless thoughts that we all feel from time to time. Your sleep will be more restful and it will help you make the most of the other techniques shared here.
Write Action Plans & Specific Goals
The simple act of putting pen to paper has a dramatic effect on clarifying your goals and aids with the expectancy I talked about earlier. This habit of writing down goals is mandatory if you want to actually achieve those goals. Dreaming is one thing, doing is quite another. All of these written goals should lead you to your ultimate long term goal and perfect life.
Daily Affirmations
Getting in the habit of reading aloud positive affirmations each and every day will lierally change your character, your personality and ultimately change the actions you take every day of your life. I have found that reading these out loud when I get up in the morning and before I go to bed at night to work very well. You can't help but change your inner self by doing this religiously every day.
Be Well Rounded
All areas of your life are affected by all other areas of your life. By that I mean, if you have bad relationships for example, your finances and even your health will suffer also. Problems in your relationships, your health or finances will zap the necessary energy to make the most out of all of these areas of your life. Personal development and success will become much more difficult as a result.
In order to accomplish great things, living a balanced life is so important, a life of great emotional fortitude, financial security and physical stamina. Be well rounded in all of these areas and you will inevitably reap the rewards.
To great success in your life!
If you enjoyed the information in this article, have a look at more great SelfImprovement Tips here. Also, help yourself to this FREE Report explaining How to Become Your Best Self.