Are you a beginner when it comes to the stock market? No problem! This series of articles on mutual funds will make it easy for you to understand what a mutual fund is, what it is all about and whether it is worth your while to invest in one. My first three articles are called “Mutual Funds For Beginners” and they lay down the basics.

The next one is titled “Expenses Associated With Mutual Funds” and it goes over the general things you can expect to be charged for if you make the choice to invest in a mutual fund. The last two are called “Is Investing in a mutual fund worth your while?” and they cover the pros and cons of mutual funds. First let’s break things down to a molecular level and talk about securities. The fancy definition of a security is a negotiable instrument representing financial value.

This definition is kind of hard to grasp so let us take a look at an example of a security to help you get a better idea of what one is. A stock is considered a security. Stocks can be purchased or sold, and therefore have financial value, and a share of stock literally means that as a stockholder you “share” a fraction of ownership in the company whose stock you own. Bonds, which are contracts to pay back money with interest on specified dates, are also securities. If you hold a bond, you know that you are going to receive money on these set dates, so bonds have financial value as well.

Stocks are bought and sold at exchanges called stock markets, and bonds at bonds markets. A bonds market is usually very different from a stock market. If you were looking to invest in stock, or sell the stock you have, you would enlist the help of a stock broker who would charge you a commission for performing this work for you.

Usually you are going to need some sort of a broker to help you do this, unless you already own stock from the company you would like to purchase from. The same goes for bonds – you are going to need a dealer. Now that we have the very basics down, let’s go over mutual funds. See my article “Mutual Funds For Beginners Part Two!

Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles on commercial collection agencies.

Last article I spoke about the amount of time that negative marks will remain on your credit score. Those ones weren’t so bad. Late Credit Card payments are way more damaging.

Late Payments? Seven Years. Some creditors will show mercy and will delete past credit problems if you settle your account immediately. But, a late payment can happen whether your account is thirty days past due, all the way to 150 past due. Seven years from the first day the delinquency was reported will be the day that the information is removed from your credit report. Fortunately, these negative marks are most common and have the least effect on your credit score.

Tax Liens equal seven years of bad credit. A tax lien commonly occurs when the local state or federal government claims ownership of your property because you haven’t paid your property or income taxes when they were due. No matter how fast you pay them, big brother is mad that you made him go out of his way to seize your property. Seven years.

If you have a tax lien against you that you continue to not pay, it can stay on your credit report for 15 years. The chances of your being able to keep any money from Uncle Sam are slim to none, so might as well pay up now if you are in this position.

Foreclosures are always bad news and they will stay on your credit report for seven years. Considerably one of the most severe negative accounts you can have on your credit report, if you have a foreclosure on your record, your chances of owning another home are shot unless you plan to pay for it entirely in cash.

Defaulting on student loans is not a good idea! Although before the administration of George W. student loans were usually forgiven if they were declared during a bankruptcy hearing, times have changed so it’s important to take these things seriously. Defaulting on a student loan happens after 270 days of nonpayment. And before the loan is defaulted, you can bet your student loan money that you will receive a number of late payment fees.

Here’s where we get to the big one: bankruptcy. Bankruptcy will remain on your report for ten years, and rather than give a creditor your report, you might as well say “I am fiscally irresponsible and will be so for the next ten years.” So you might end up living with that nosy mother in law I mentioned in article 1 after all if you do not keep track of your finances.

Mallory Megan is employed bya debt collection company. She also does stories on the credit industry, business, finance, and debt collection .