Elite Rewards Platinum Plus MasterCard

No Annual Fee. No Program Fee.
Earn one point for every purchase dollar
Earn Bonus Points for every dollar you spend at participating merchants

2.9% Annual Percentage Rate (APR)† for Cash Advance Checks and Balance Transfers.*

CREDIT LINE UP TO $100,000 WITH PLATINUM PLUS® CARD.

You spoke, and we listened. We designed the new Elite Rewards® Platinum Plus® MasterCard® credit card to feature one of the most comprehensive rewards programs on the market. There has never been a better opportunity for you to go anywhere you want or get virtually anything you want with a credit card rewards program.

Here are the facts:

• No Annual Fee. No Program Fee.
  
• Earn one point for every purchase dollar in net retail purchases you spend with your new Elite Rewards® Platinum Plus® MasterCard® credit card.§
  
• Receive 500 Bonus Points after first retail purchase.§§
  
• Earn Bonus Points for every dollar you spend at participating merchants.§§§§
  
• Check your Elite Rewards points balance, view rewards, and redeem points online at www.eliterewards.com.
  

• Fly on major U.S. based airlines, no blackout dates.
  
• Enjoy hotel stays and AVIS® car rentals.
  
• Receive gift certificates/cards redeemable at top retailers and restaurants.
  

DID YOU KNOW?

	Let's talk a minute about the idea of screwing up. How do you handle that? When you buy 500 shares of XYZ and three days later it's down $4, do you kick the cat, yell at the wife and beat the kids?? Or do you suck it up, and move on? It's all about the attitude that you bring to the table folks. One of the things that people usually don't see in themselves, but that we see all the time is a "poor loser" What do we see? We see a person, upset with himself, possibly embarrassed, and on a mission to "make it back" Therein lies the heart of the matter. That "make it back" mentality gets plastered on their foreheads like a badge. They are going to press, squeeze, over play, etc, to get that money back. Guess what? They'll probably lose more. Some of you have a little support system and we are in total agreement with that idea. If you have a buddy or two that you can call and discuss your trades with, great! Because maybe that friend will point out something you didn't see. Maybe he can talk some sense into you when you are holding something that's falling day by day. Maybe he can keep you from self destructing when you try and make it all up the next day. Personal investing is a lonely, solitary game. It's a hard game. The whole world seems to be against you. At times you'll swear that the market makers know your account number and will adjust prices just enough to stop you out. It can "get" to you. But in all the years we've been playing this game the single biggest problem that we see people making is taking losses personally. Getting mad, hoping their stock will come back instead of moving on. Throwing things, getting nasty, and pressing the next trade to "make up" for it. Folks, you are indeed going to get smacked at times. The best trade on the planet is going to reverse on you sometimes. Silly news blurbs are going to blindside you, trapping you in things you want no part of. It's all part of this game. Kicking the cat, busting your monitor and throwing the chair won't make you a dime. Buying the next stock that bounces up off it's 50 day moving average will. It's easier said than done, but keeping calm and moving on is the single best thing you can do for yourself. Sure you can talk to someone, we encourage it. But inside you have to know that losses will happen and getting upset won't stop them. The very first trade we ever made we lost 500 dollars. We were crushed and figured we were worthless at this. But after a while we realized that none of that mattered. We got trapped in something and let pride continue to tell us that it would come back. It didn't. It taught us a lesson we'll never forget, which is "We can take a lot of small losses" but we can't stand too many big ones. Pain is a good teacher and we learned well. Now, we take my 50 cent, $1 or $2 hit and move on. If we keep playing correctly the $7 gain in ABC, the $14 in ACME, the $2.50 in XYZ, etc, etc, will far outstrip the losers. For the most part, we shrug our shoulders and say "dang it, what did we do wrong?" We find the answer and move on, hopefully wiser. If you have to cut, then cut and run. But DO NOT let that affect the next play. If there is no play in front of you, pass. Don't make one up. Don't trade to "make up" the last one, you will lose more. If you get in a spot, figure your best way out and move on. Revenge simply does not work in market land.

The statistics show that more and more students are graduating from university with significant debt. The debt levels are growing year on year and many students will be paying them off for years after they graduate. It seems that the consumer addiction to credit and spending has effected the student population just as much as every one else. The fact that most students are not earning anything, and are living either on funds provided by their parents, or on money borrowed, they continue to spend millions each year.

These costs are spread over a variety of areas. Accommodation and other living expenses represent the largest portion of the expenditure. Added to this is travel to and from university, holiday and summer travel expenses, and entertainment. While students are generally financially responsible and not as out of control as many patents would have you think, they do continue to spend a huge proportion of their money on entertainment and socialising.

Employment

Many students will also be working part time during their studies. There are a lot of jobs available and finding one is not a problem for most students who genuinely want one. Employers recognise their flexibility and willingness to work unsociable hours and also that they will generally be happy to accept minimum or close to minimum wage. Therefore, while the jobs are there, they generally pay little, and students who work more than 10-20 hours a week are probably putting a serious strain on their studies and risking their future chances of success.

Most student debt is comprised of student loans. The student loans company based on eligibility criteria provides these. These loans are cheaper than credit that is available on the market from high street banks and have other significant advantages for students. Firstly, students will not have to start repaying the loans until they are earning a set minimum amount, currently around the £15,000 mark. Then there is also the fact that loan repayments are calculated according to earnings levels and are therefore always reasonably affordable. Students are giving as much time as they need to repay the loans and the interest rates, as said before, are very favourable.

Overdrafts

As well as these student loans however, many students will also have other forms of debt. Most banks are offering interest free student overdrafts of up to £2,000 and there are not many students who do not use this up pretty quickly. Then there are bank loans, store cards and credit cards. All of these represent a significant amount of debt that most students are living with.