Money is everywhere. Imagine if you could take all the paper currency in the world and put it in one place! Then there’s all the gold bullion, which would surely fill the major sports arenas, not to mention precious stones, of which there are tons! It is estimated there is more than $300 trillion spread around the world. Below are some of the locations where a lot of the world’s wealth is located.

London

The capital city of the UK, here you will find (if you are lucky) huge vaults full of gold, silver and platinum. All the trading venues have gold reserves in specially built vaults; this is necessary to cover the huge trades that are made. London is also home to some of the top jewellery collections, with the Crown Jewels being a good example. JP Morgan keeps 155 million ounces of silver to facilitate trading on metals futures, which is more than little! Diamonds are a girl’s best friend and De Beers have 40% of the world’s diamonds under lock and key somewhere in the bowels of the City of London.

Federal Reserve Bank, New York

There are said to be at least 550,000 bars of gold bullion deep inside their Manhattan vaults, which is an astounding collection of wealth. That is more than $200 billion in value; the mind boggles with what you could do with that! Some say the Fed Res have no gold, but we’ll never really know! If you are looking to acquire gold, you can also go to the Brisbane gold dealers at City Gold Bullion, for example. They are always ready to trade at spot prices. You can find dealers in your location through a quick online search.

Precious Stones

Of course, there are many tons of precious stones that have yet to be discovered; Myanmar is the capital for rubies, while Columbia has the majority of the world’s emeralds and South Africa has the most unmined diamonds. Sapphires are found in Madagascar, while the Argyle Mine in Australia is the location of the best pink diamonds.

Department Of Energy, Arlington, Texas

This is where the world’s plutonium is stored; worth an amazing $10,000 an ounce, this facility hosts 6,000 plutonium pits and the value is astronomical.

South Africa

This country tops the bill for both diamonds and platinum, essential in the manufacture of flat screen TVs and there is said to be a huge store of this precious metal. It is impossible to estimate how much platinum is still in the ground, while diamonds are also abundant.

Middle East

The various royal families on the continent obviously have vaults where they store their gold and while we’re on the subject of wealth, think of all the oil yet to be found in this region of the world. Many of the best jewellery collections are housed in Saudi Arabia and UAE, these items have been handed down through the generations, while some were stolen and others auctioned off in Paris, London or New York.

If you are looking to add to your investment portfolio, search online for a leading gold bullion dealer and take advantage of rising prices.

If you’re in debt to multiple lenders, opting for debt consolidation is a good way to regain control of your finances. In simple terms, debt consolidation is a loan to pay off credit cards and is a tactic often used by people who are struggling to keep on top of their repayments. Below, we’ve put together an easy guide to managing credit card debt and explain how debt consolidation may help you.

The benefits of debt consolidation

Taking a loan to pay off credit cards has two primary benefits:

• You assimilate your debt into one monthly payment, making it easier to manage.
• You might save money on your repayments, as the interest rate on your debt consolidation loan might be lower than the combined interest of your other forms of credit.

Why should you consolidate your debts?

Using a credit card is a form of revolving debt. It doesn’t need to be paid over a specific period, and it has no fixed term. In other words, it keeps rolling over until you pay it back. For most people, this means more interest payments and a longer period of time in debt. You can only avoid interest payments if you pay your credit card off in full each month, which isn’t a position that most people comfortably find themselves in. Taking out a loan to pay off credit cards allows you to bring an end to the recurring debt and focus on paying fixed monthly repayments to another lender.

How does debt consolidation work?

Thankfully, debt consolidation is easy to understand:

• You calculate how much you owe on your credit cards.
• When you have your total, use this as your target amount for the loan that you apply for. You will need to consider its interest rate compared to the interest you’re currently paying on your credit cards.
• When you’ve found a suitable loan, apply and receive the money. Then use it to pay off your credit cards.
• You’re then required to pay your debt consolidation loan each month.

Using a personal loan to consolidate debt

Perhaps the easiest option to consolidate debt is to take out a personal loan from a lender like Koyo Loans. This allows you to receive an agreed sum of money that you will need to pay back over a pre-arranged period of time. If you’ve done your research, you should be able to find a personal loan that has a lower rate of interest than you’re currently paying on your credit cards. Often, personal loans are unsecured and are relatively easy to apply for. Applying for a personal loan will also simplify your debt repayments and make your life that little bit easier each month. Alternatively, you could apply for a balance transfer card, but you need to make sure you understand the fees before applying.

Should you pay debt off quickly?

There’s no doubt about it – the quicker you pay off your debts, the less interest you will pay. For instance, if you borrow £1,000 at 10% with a loan term of 3 years. You’ll pay the initial £1,000 plus £300 in interest payments. However, if you borrow £1,000 at a rate of 8% over five years, you will end up paying £400 back. So, don’t get caught out when calculating the rate of interest on your loans, and always try and pay your debts off as quickly as possible. At the very least, you will need to meet the minimum monthly repayments, but it’s best to pay slightly more if you can to keep on top of the amount of money that you owe.

Debt consolidation and your credit score

In the short term, taking out a debt consolidation loan might have a negative impact on your credit score. However, in the long term, it will improve it. Also, remember that credit scores aren’t the only metric used by lenders. Many utilise Open Banking to get a much clearer picture of a borrower’s financial situation before approving or rejecting a loan application. Regardless, you need to make sure you pay your debt consolidation loan off in a timely manner to ensure it doesn’t negatively impact your credit score.

Negotiating credit card debt independently

You should only really think about negotiating your credit card debt when you’re in danger of missing your repayments. You should seek independent advice before doing this, as you don’t want to harm your long term prospects of accessing credit. You might be able to negotiate a temporary reduction in repayments but make sure you fully understand the long term impact of doing so.

Next steps

Hopefully, you can now see that getting a loan to pay off credit cards can be a useful step for many people. If you feel like a personal loan will help you improve your debt management, get in touch with a lender like Koyo Loans and start your loan application today.

We always rely on lawyers when in need of legal advice, or career counsellors while thinking about which line of academics to pursue. However, when it comes to financial advice, a lot of people simply rely on advice from their friends, colleagues, or even look for answers on the internet. While this can be useful, it is essential to understand that there are professional financial planners that are in the best position to take care of an individual’s financial matters.

Now, a lot of people are worried about the fact that consulting a financial planner could prove to be expensive. This is one of the most common rumours out there which is just not true. Not everyone might necessarily need to consult a financial planner. However, those who invest in mutual funds and have portfolios that are not fulfilling their goals can greatly benefit by consulting one and getting proper guidance. Financial planning is all about using limited financial resources in order to realise one’s financial goals successfully.

Read on to learn more about how a financial planner can help in achieving one’s financial goals:

Is consulting a financial planner worth it?

Hiring a professional who has expertise in handling financial matters can be a much more economical option as compared to acting on an inexperienced individual’s advice. There will be many people who are well-intentioned, giving all sorts of financial advice. However, this does not necessarily mean that it is the right advice for the individual in question. A lot of people rely on influencers online that publish content with financial advice. However, it is important to understand that each individual’s financial state differs from the other, and not everyone would benefit from the same advice. Consulting a financial advisor and paying their fees instead can be a great decision as they learn about your individual financial goals and base their suggestions while keeping those goals in mind.

Is it possible to plan finances without hiring a professional?

Of course, an individual can always choose to plan their finances by themselves. However, it is also essential to keep in mind that financial planning is not everyone’s cup of tea. This does not mean that the individual does not have the right mindset for money management, just a lack of time on their hands. Managing investments, seeing that they are aligned with financial goals, reviewing the performance of their investments, etc. can take up a lot of time. In such cases, simply relying on a financial planner can prove to be a lot easier. They would know which types of mutual funds to invest in based on the individual’s goals, which can take a big weight off the investor’s shoulders.

A good financial advisor can help in creating a clear plan and guide individuals with their investments that can help them achieve their financial goals. This will also help an individual to stay in control and maintain a balance between their income and expenses.