Productivity Tips to Start Your Day

When doing any kind of project, whether it be cooking a meal, building a tree house or applying for a mortgage loan at the Lake of the Ozarks, you need to get all your ingredients and utensils, supplies and tools together before starting.  The same principle should be applied to your work day.  If you just jump into a task without preparing for it, you may forget something or get distracted making that task take twice as long as it should.  Planning before your day begins often makes all the difference in the kind of day you'll experience.  Start your day off right by following these 4 steps, to maximize both your time and productivity!

1. Don't Check Email Yet - Checking your voicemail and email first thing in the morning tends to make you reactive right away, losing focus and being diverted from productivity. 

2. Begin with the End in Mind - Take a moment to distinguish the urgent tasks from the important ones.  What do you want to accomplish by the end of the day?  What needs to happen so everything is completed?  

3. Make a Plan - A short planning session is all you need to help keep focused on your key tasks and goals for the day.  You should develop a daily to-do list using verbs.  For example, instead of listing "Presentation," use phrases such as "Collect Sales Data/Charts," "Find Images," and "Draft Slides" so that your key actions are covered.  

4. Prioritize Tasks - Take your to-do list and place the tasks in order of importance.  Consider attacking the most challenging items first.  Studies have shown that we have less will power as the day progresses.  

Use these tips to help achieve more goals through better morning planning!  Then pass them along to your team to create a more productive environment.  No matter if you're a teacher, doctor, athlete or mortgage lender at the Lake of the Ozarks, planning your day could be the key to a successful day and career!    

I would love the opportunity to help you manage your Lake of the Ozarks Mortgage Loan or refinance.  Give me a call at (573) 746-7211 or send me an email at mlasson@fsbfinancial.com with any questions you may have!!

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Michael Lasson

Sr. Residential Mortgage Lender

NMLS #: 493712

2265 Bagnell Dam Blvd, Suite B

PO Box 1449

Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Direct:  (573) 746-7211

Cell: (573) 216-7258

Fax:(573) 693-9141

Email:  mlasson@fsbfinancial.com

Fireworks for 4th of July Weekend

The 4th of July will be here in just a few short days and the Lake of the Ozarks will light up with Fireworks! Celebrate all day at the Park in Eldon and choose from many different locations to watch the Fireworks Friday and Saturday nights!  The Lake Area is the place to be for all your holiday weekend fun!

2041 Eldon Old Fashioned 4th of July - Friday, July 4

• Independence 5K: Starts in front of Eldon Pool - Registration at 7:00 AM. Run/Walk starts at 7:30 AM
• Parade: at 10:00 AM
• Vendors: 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
• 1/2 Price Pool Session: 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
• Pet Show: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
• Old Fashioned Carnival Games: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM 
• Jason Earl Band: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
• Fireworks: at Dusk

Other Fireworks Around the Lake 

• July 4th Cruise on Celebration: Friday at 7 PM
• Tropic Island Cruise to Fireworks: Friday at 7 PM
• Tan-Tar-A Fireworks: Friday at 9 PM
• Lodge of Four Seasons Fireworks: Friday at 9 PM
• Lake Valley Country Club: Friday at 9 PM 

As your Lake of the Ozarks mortgage lender, I'm committed to providing you with not only updated economic information and business tips, but also information on all the local events!  I would love the opportunity to help you manage your Lake of the Ozarks Mortgage Loan or refinance.  Give me a call at (573) 746-7211 or send me an email at mlasson@fsbfinancial.com with any questions you may have!

For Lake area news, resources and tips on financial services, please 

LIKE my Facebook Page, Follow me on Twitter or Connect on LinkedIn

Michael Lasson

Sr. Residential Mortgage Lender

NMLS #: 493712

2265 Bagnell Dam Blvd, Suite B

PO Box 1449

Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Direct:  (573) 746-7211

Cell: (573) 216-7258

Fax:(573) 693-9141

Email:  mlasson@fsbfinancial.com

Maximize Your Office by Going Paperless

You've seen it everywhere, your bank is now asking you if you want to go paperless with your monthly statements, as well as other companies.  Going paperless makes sense not only for the recycling and saving the planet outlook, but also for reducing clutter and increasing convenience. The Mortgage Market Guide has some great tips on transitioning from stacks of paper and filing cabinets to electronic versions of all your important documents.

1. To Begin - Don't try to handle the backlog of paper you already have. Start with the paper coming your way over the next year.

2. Storing Documents - You can try storing documents on your computer, but that takes a lot of space and you can't access them from anywhere.  You could try an external hard drive, but experts recommend sticking with a single service such as File This, Doxo or Neat.

3. Workflow - Get into a flow with saving documents so you make the habit stick.  Grab the PDF manual for new office equipment or receipts for online purchases and forward them to your filing system or paperless service.

4. Schedule Time to Scan & Shred - You'll need a scanner and a shredder to handle the paper you've already got.  You'll also need a day or so to go through it.  Once you've got that pile organized, it will be easy to manage moving forward by handling items as they come in.

5. Capture To-Do's, Notes and Ideas - From now on start using the web or smartphone apps such as Evernote to track your ideas and resources quickly without getting out those sticky notes or note pads.

Be sure to pass these tips on to your team!  As your mortgage professional at the Lake of the Ozarks, I'm committed to providing you with not only updated economic information, but also tips to help you through your business day!  I would love the opportunity to help you manage your Lake of the Ozarks Mortgage Loan or refinance.  Give me a call at (573) 746-7211 or send me an email at mlasson@fsbfinancial.com with any questions you may have!!

For Lake area news, resources and tips on financial services, please 

LIKE my Facebook Page, Follow me on Twitter or Connect on LinkedIn

Michael Lasson

Sr. Residential Mortgage Lender

NMLS #: 493712

2265 Bagnell Dam Blvd, Suite B

PO Box 1449

Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Direct:  (573) 746-7211

Cell: (573) 216-7258

Fax:(573) 693-9141

Email:  mlasson@fsbfinancial.com

Avoid Being Scammed on Craigslist and Similar Sites

Everyone is always looking for the best deal they can find. Lakelender Michael Lasson can get you a great deal on your home loan at the Lake of the Ozarks, but when it comes to other items, you'll have to look elsewhere.  Whether its on a house or a car, the lower the price, without sacrificing quality, the better! Craigslist.org is a great place to find great deals on items that you don't want to buy brand new. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scammers on the site. Kiplinger.com has some great tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of the latest con targeting bargain hunters using the site.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning users of this popular classifieds site of a new, elaborate scam. This scam typically involves big-ticket items such as a car or boat, at lover than average prices. Buyers who email this seller are asked to make a purchase through a third-party company called Easy Yard Sale.  The company has a legitimate looking website and the seller claims that he's using the company to quickly sell items he inherited from his deceased father, according to the BBB. Buyers are asked to wire money to Easy Yard Sale and then they will ship the item. However, the items are never delivered and the seller, nor Easy Yard Sale aren't responding to emails.

To avoid scams on Craigslist, the BBB recommends that you follow these tips:

1. Meet the seller and see the item.  Whenever possible, don't purchase anything before you actually see it so that you know its actually exists and that its in good condition.  
2. Buy directly from sellers, not escrow or shipping services.  According to the BBB, there are many other scams similar to this one involving fraudulent services and companies that con artists use to make it difficult to track payments and get your money back.  Therefore, if a seller asks you to use a third-party, request to make the purchase directly from the seller,  If he or she will not agree, it could be a red flag.   
3. Never wire funds or use a pre-paid debit card.  Once you send money using these methods of payment, it's nearly impossible to reverse the transaction or trace the money. 

For more information on avoiding fraud and identity theft, visit: http://www.kiplinger.com/fronts/special-report/scams/

I would love the opportunity to help you manage your Lake of the Ozarks Mortgage Loan or refinance.  Give me a call at (573) 746-7211 or send me an email at mlasson@fsbfinancial.com with any questions you may have!!

For Lake area news, resources and tips on financial services, please 

LIKE my Facebook Page, Follow me on Twitter or Connect on LinkedIn

Michael Lasson

Sr. Residential Mortgage Lender

NMLS #: 493712

2265 Bagnell Dam Blvd, Suite B

PO Box 1449

Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Direct:  (573) 746-7211

Cell: (573) 216-7258

Fax:(573) 693-9141

Email:  mlasson@fsbfinancial.com

VA Home Loan Options and Eligibility

Veterans Affairs helps Servicemembers, Veterans and eligible surviving spouses become homeowners. As part of their mission, they provide a home loan guaranty benefit and other housing-related programs to help you buy, build, repair, retain or adapt a home for your own personal occupancy. VA Home Loans are provided by private lenders, such as Lakelender Michael Lasson.  VA guarantees a portion of the loan, enabling the lender to provide you with more favorable terms.

The length of your service or service commitment and/or duty status may determine your eligibility for certain home loan benefits. Check out the different benefits below to see which you can qualify for:

Purchase Loans and Cash-Out Refinance

VA guaranteed loans are available to Servicemembers and Veterans, spouses and other eligible beneficiaries for homes for their own personal occupancy.  To be eligible, you must have a good credit score, sufficient income, a valid Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and meet certain service requirements.

VA Home Loans can be used for any of the following purposes:

• Buy a home, a condominium unit in a VA-approved project
• Build a home
• Simultaneously purchase and improve a home
• Improve a home by installing energy-related features or making energy efficient improvements
• Buy a manufactured home and/or lot.

For more information on this type of loan, please visit: http://benefits.va.gov/homeloans/purchasecashout.asp

Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan (IRRRL)

The IRRRL is a loan that can only be applied to refinance an existing VA loan.  By obtaining a lower interest rate, your monthly mortgage payment at the Lake of the Ozarks should decrease. It can only be done if you have already used your eligibility for a VA loan on the property you intend to refinance.  Additional eligibility requirements include:

• A Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is not required. If you have your Certificate of Eligibility, take it to the lender to show the prior use of your entitlement.
• No loan other than the existing VA loan may be paid from the proceeds of an IRRRL. If you have a second mortgage, the holder must agree to subordinate that lien so that your new VA loan will be a first mortgage.
• You may have used your entitlement by obtaining a VA loan when you bought your house, or by substituting your eligibility for that of the seller, if you assumed the loan.
• The occupancy requirement for an IRRRL is different from other VA loans. For an IRRRL you need only certify that you previously occupied the home.

For more information on this type of loan, please visit: http://benefits.va.gov/homeloans/irrrl.asp

Native American Direct Loan (NADL)

The NADL program helps Native American Veterans purchase, construct, improve or re-finance a home on Native American trust lands.  Your tribal organization must participate in the VA direct loan program and you must have a valid COE, as well as meet certain service requirements.  To obtain a NADL, the following eligibility requirements must be met:

• The Native American Veteran is eligible for VA home loan benefits and have available entitlement (go to this link for information on how to get a Certificate of Eligibility)
• The tribal government must have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The MOU spells out the conditions under which the program will operate on its trust lands (see a sample MOU here)
• The loan must be to purchase, construct, or improve a home on Federally-recognized trust or allotted land.
• The Veteran must occupy the property as his or her home.
• The Veteran must be a satisfactory credit risk.
• The income of the Veteran and spouse, if any, must be shown to be stable and sufficient to meet the mortgage payments, cover the other costs of owning a home, take care of other obligations and expenses, and have enough left over for family support.
• All prospective applicants are encouraged to contact VA to determine if they are eligible for VA home loan benefits and to contact either their local housing authority or VA to find out if this program is right for them and to apply for a home loan.

For more information on this type of loan, please visit: http://benefits.va.gov/homeloans/nadl.asp

Adapted Housing Grants

VA helps Veterans with certain total and permanent disabilities related to your military service obtain suitable housing with either a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) or Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant.

SAH grants can be used in the following ways:

• Construct a specially adapted home on land to be acquired
• Build a home on land already owned if it is suitable for specially adapted housing
• Remodel an existing home if it can be made suitable for specially adapted housing
• Apply the grant against the unpaid mortgage balance of an adapted home already acquired without the assistance of a VA grant.  

SHA grants can be used in the following ways:

• Adapt an existing hoem the Veteran or a family member already owns in which the Veteran lives
• Adapt a home the Veteran or family member intends to purchase in which the Veteran will live
• Help a Veteran purchase a home already adapted in which the Veteran will live.  

For more information and eligibility requirements for these grants, please visit: http://benefits.va.gov/homeloans/adaptedhousing.asp

I would love the opportunity to help you manage your Lake of the Ozarks Mortgage Loan or refinance.  Give me a call at (573) 746-7211 or send me an email at mlasson@fsbfinancial.com with any questions you may have!!

For Lake area news, resources and tips on financial services, please 

LIKE my Facebook Page, Follow me on Twitter or Connect on LinkedIn

Michael Lasson

Sr. Residential Mortgage Lender

NMLS #: 493712

2265 Bagnell Dam Blvd, Suite B

PO Box 1449

Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Direct:  (573) 746-7211

Cell: (573) 216-7258

Fax:(573) 693-9141

Email:  mlasson@fsbfinancial.com

4 Budget Stretching Business Tips

In today's economic environment, it's important for small business owners and independent professionals to pay better attention to their budgets. The first step is to find out where all your money is going. Keep track of all your expenses, big or small in a program such as QuickBooks.  Then look through that expense sheet for anything that looks unusual, ineffective or unncessary.  Now group all of your expenses into categories: Must Haves (rent, insurance, utilities, etc.), May Haves (updated furniture, technology upgrades, training, flights, hotels, etc.) and Non-Essentials. This will give you a good starting place for cutting expenses in a way that makes sense for your business.  Here are a few simple ways to stretch your budget from the Intuit Small Business Blog!

1. Reduce Printing Costs 

Not only have we seen paper and ink prices increase, you also have to factor in maintenance costs for the copier or fax machines.  By switching to a cloud-based application, you can save on all these extra costs associated with printing.  Advances in technology now allow us to send and recieve faxes via email as a PDF.  There are also applications for signing documents online.  Not only does this option save you time, but its a also a cost-efficient solution.

2. Stop Using High-Interest Credit Cards 

Having a limited budget may mean using credit cards to incur expenses while you are waiting for clients to pay up.  However, with variable interest rates on credit cards averaging more than 15 percent, there may be a cheaper way to access the funds you need.  Nonprofit micro lenders often help small businesses with loan amounts of as little as a few hundred dollars.  Interest rates on these loans typically start as low as 9 percent, are more flexible and are geared toward shorter-term borrowing.

3. Strategize the Professional Services You Use 

Often times the costs of using accountants, lawyers and consultants are outweighed by the potential risks your business takes by not having the guidance of an expert.  However, you can still stretch your budget by handing rudimentary tasks inhouse.  Day to day accounting can be done using applications such as QuickBooks, while basic legal agreements can be facilitated by online sites.

4. Standardize Basic Operations 

To keep expenses low, you can handle your own public relations.  Another budget-strecher includes creating templates that make it easy for staff to perform a myraid of tasks, from product entry on retial sites to basic consumer service. Creating good processes can really improve efficiency as well as productivity without risking accuracy and performance.  Using this tip will allow you to remian incrementally profitable, even in industry segments with low margins.

When you are done analyzing your finances at work, take the same prinicpals home with you. Are there areas in your personal finances that you could cut costs?  For example, what is the interest rate on your mortgate?  Have you considered refinancing your Lake of the Ozarks home? When it comes to your financing needs, Michael Lasson is commited to working with you every step of the way. He'll discuss financing options, offer competitive interest rates on your Lake of the Ozarks mortgage loan and back it up with the First Class Service you deserve!  Now is a great time to consider purchasing or refinancing a home, so give him a call today at 573-746-7211 or send an email to mlasson@fsbfinancial.com with any questions you may have.

For Lake area news, resources and tips on financial services, please 

LIKE my Facebook Page, Follow me on Twitter or Connect on LinkedIn

Michael Lasson

Sr. Residential Mortgage Lender

NMLS #: 493712

2265 Bagnell Dam Blvd, Suite B

PO Box 1449

Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Direct:  (573) 746-7211

Cell: (573) 216-7258

Fax:(573) 693-9141

Email:  mlasson@fsbfinancial.com

Credit Scores that Lenders Use

Your credit score is a number that influences the amount of credit that is available to you. When it comes to taking out a loan, your credit score is a vital factor in the terms your Lake of the Ozarks mortgage lender will offer you.  When you apply for credit, whether it be a credit card, car loan or home loan at the Lake of the Ozarks, lenders want to know the risk they will be taking by loaning money to you. A credit score is a number that summarizes your credit risk and helps the lender evaluate your credit report. "FICO Scores" are the most commonly used credit scores among lenders. Beware of those companies offering you a free credit score online because the majority of them are not true FICO scores and can vary a lot.

FICO Scores  

The most widely used credit score is one created by Fair Isaac Corporation.  Lenders use this score to help them make billions of credit decisions each and every year.  The FICO score is based solely on information in consumer credit reports maintained at the credit reporting agencies.  These scores range from 300 to 850 and is calculated by a mathematical equation that evaluates many types of information from your credit report.  By comparing this number to the patterns of hundreds of thousands of past credit reports, the FICO Score is able to estimate your level of future credit risk.

For more information on understanding FICO Scores visit: http://www.myfico.com

What Makes a Good FICO Score

When it comes to the FICO Score, the higher the score, the lower the risk.  However, no single score can tell you whether a specific candidate will be a "good" or "bad" customer.  While many mortgage lenders at the Lake of the Ozarks use the FICO score to help them make a lending decision, each lender has their own strategy. There is no single "cutoff" score number that says you will or won't get a loan.  Many other factors go into determining your actual interest rates.  Along with your credit score, the credit reporting agency will provide up to five reasons of why your score is what it is.

For information on how to improve your FICO Score visit: http://www.myfico.com

Calculating FICO Scores

In order to calculate your FICO Score, there has to be enough information regarding your credit. Generally, you must have at least one credit account that has been open for at least six months and at least one account that has some recent activity (within the last six months) that's been reported to the agency.  You will actually have 3 different FICO Scores, one for each of the credit bureaus: Equifax, TransUnion and Experian.  Each score is based on the information that the respective bureau has for you, meaning that each of these numbers can differ.  As your credit information changes over the years, so will your current credit score.  Therefore the FICO Score you got a month ago is probably not the same score a lender would get from the credit reporting agency today.      

For more information on how credit scores can change visit: http://www.myfico.com

Although the FICO Score is an important factor when determining your Lake of the Ozarks interest rates, lenders will not base their decision on this number solely.  If you have more questions on your credit score or about qualifying for a mortgage loan at the Lake of the Ozarks, give Michael Lasson a call at 573-746-7211.  When it comes to your financing needs, he's committed to working with you every step of the way!

For Lake area news, resources and tips on financial services, please 

LIKE my Facebook Page, Follow me on Twitter or Connect on LinkedIn

Michael Lasson

Sr. Residential Mortgage Lender

NMLS #: 493712

2265 Bagnell Dam Blvd, Suite B

PO Box 1449

Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Direct:  (573) 746-7211

Cell: (573) 216-7258

Fax:(573) 693-9141

Email:  mlasson@fsbfinancial.com