Holiday Accommodation in Barcelona - Self Catering Apartments

Are you looking to get the most out of your Barcelona vacation this year?

Do you want to find real bargains on designer wear, wine and other goods, and stay comfortably for a reasonable rate? This is not a too ambitious goal even in trendy Barcelona. A stay in a self-serviced apartment can be very reasonable indeed. For a family, and any larger group, the best alternative will most certainly be to rent a Barcelona holiday apartment with all amenities included. This alternative is both the cheapest and, for most, the more rewarding way to stay in Barcelona. Being in a genuine neighborhood lets you experience more of everyday living in this exceptional city. Every Barcelona neighborhood has its own unique character, and it's a shame to leave the city without some first-hand experience of this!

Finding a great vacation apartment deal Barcelona

Choosing to stay in an apartment means you are free to plan meals with your family or other travel companions without consideration of opening times etc. Staying close to one of the numerous markets, like the world-famous La Boqueria, means you'll find anything you need to make exciting dishes from, to flavor these dishes to dress them and put on top of them. One reason there are so many restaurants at a top international level here is the quality of the markets, and shopping at Boquería you might find yourself lining up with some of the best chefs in town! In any part of Barcelona you are never far from one of the traditional markets. Renting a Barcelona holiday apartment gives the traveler the opportunity to be more immersed in the local culture, and with all travel companions collected under one roof it makes it easier to get everyone out of bed in the morning! A good deal does not simply equal the lowest price on offer. A good deal for your vacation accommodation also entails a safe, central location, an up-to standard apartment with all comforts and efficient and friendly service from people who really know the city!

Your Barcelona Vacation Possibilities

For most travelers it would be the nest option booking self catering in one of the following central Barcelona districts:
Eixample: For architecture enthusiast one can follow the ruta de modernisme - walk around seeing the great works of Antoni Gaudí and his stylistic colleagues (Domenench y Muntaner etc.) including the city's great unfinished symbol Sagrada Familia. For clubbers there is a vibrant club-scene with an emphasis on places you go to gyrate to the latest beats and also cool lounge bars to chill-out. For dining out there are numerous top restaurants, Catalan and international alike.

For shoppers this central district is also a Mecca for shopaholics with the splendid Passeig de Gracia and Diagonal avenues lined with designer stores. The Barcelona Old Town: For architecture buffs the medieval part of town has a lot of "classics" to show with the beautiful Santa Maria del Mar as the "jewel". For shoppers this is an "independent designer heaven", endless discoveries to be made in the labyrinth of El Born in particular. Barcelona is one of the world's top three city break destinations and has reached this prominent positions because there are no limits to what kind of "theme" your holiday can have: beaches & sea, trekking & tours, fiestas & clubbing, gourmet & wine, football & tapas, family fun etc. Please feel free to choose your own personal combination!

By James Johns. Themes; Barcelona culture, Barcelona holiday apartments, architecture, music, literature, cyber-culture and the arts.

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Benefits of Life Insurance Accelerated Death Benefit Riders

As demand rises for life insurance policies, companies are looking for ingenious ways to market policies that favor each customers unique situation. Other than typical mainstream advertising, many life insurance companies are now offering policies that include riders on a policy. One of the most popular riders on a policy is an accelerated death benefit riders. This rider offers substantial benefits to the policyholder.

To put it in perspective, a rider attached to a policy, provides additional coverage that isn't stated in the original contract. Riders can be added to a policy in which may require an extra premium being charged. In some cases, the policy may already have the rider attached.

An accelerated death benefit, is a rider in which a portion of the death benefit of a life insurance contract is payable upon a diagnosis of a chronic, critical or terminally ill patient. The rider will state exactly how much of the death benefit will be available. The death benefits that are to be paid out by the policy, will be reduced by any amounts paid under the accelerated death benefit rider.

It wasn't until the late 1980's when accelerated benefits were installed to assist patients that had contracted the AIDS virus. These benefits allowed the policyholder to collect a portion of their life insurance benefits before they passed away. This helped the policyholder in aid for the payments of hospital and medical bills. Only terminally ill were offered this benefit, but since it's inception, the coverage has included other illnesses that are categorized as chronic, critical or catastrophic as well.

For example, a person purchases a $1,000,000 life insurance policy with an accelerated benefits rider (ABR) attached. The person now becomes a policyholder. The policyholder keeps payments current and sometime down the road, unfortunately contracts a terminal illness. By owning a policy with the ABR, the policyholder can submit a claim to the insurance company for benefits. The policyholder could submit a claim of $1 to $1,000,000. Depending upon the severity, the underwriters of the insurance company will overlook their situation and pay the full claim or offer a lesser amount due to the situation. There are many factors that determine the amount of benefits that are awarded to the policyholder.

The main purpose of the ABR is provide funding for the policyholders medical costs and to assist in extending the policyholders life. If however, the policyholder is awarded living benefits and then passes away, the remaining death benefit is paid to the beneficiary, as with any other life insurance policy.
By having the accelerated benefit riders attached to a policy, the policyholder can divert worries to another aspect of their life. An ABR can help an insurance policyholder in times when they need it most. A person who is terminally ill or unable to work, is one who needs insurance the most. Depending upon the situation, a policyholder may be able to add the rider to their current life insurance policy. Everyone considering purchasing a life insurance policy, should consult their insurance agent about adding an accelerated benefit rider.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6791866

Inheritance Tax On Mallorca Real Estate - How To Reduce It

Inheritance Tax in itself is something that we all want to avoid for our beneficiaries and there are some very weird and wonderful ways to do that, both hypothetically or with actual structures that I have seen. Most of us fall outside these structures simply because the cost of setting these up is prohibitive and for most of us, would cost more than the tax they are set up to try and avoid.

Nevertheless, there are some simple things to bear in mind when buying real estate in Majorca and how you both structure and finance the purchase that will ensure that your beneficiaries pay as little tax as possible.

Spanish Inheritance Tax is applied to the equitable value of the asset that is being inherited and to the proportional amount of that asset that is being inherited. Although there are many values that can be considered, for real estate, the real market value of the property is the one that is used (as opposed to municipal land values for example).

Therefore, if a husband and wife own a property jointly, unless otherwise specified, they each own equal share, therefore 50%, of the property. If either should decease, and name the spouse as the benefactor, then the proportional amount of the property that is being inherited is 50%.
This means that you only pay tax on HALF of the taxable value of the property. So, for a 500.000 euro property, the beneficiary would be liable for inheritance tax on 250.000 euros.

Now, consider the case where there is a mortgage against the property. This means that the equitable value of what is being inherited is the market value less the mortgage. Consider the above example of a 500.000 euro property with a 400.000 euro mortgage, then the equitable value of what is being inherited and therefore liable for tax is reduced to 50.000 euros.

Now lets say, we add the 2.2 children to the purchase structure! OK, just the two kids then, therefore we have 4 owners each with an equal 25% share in the property. In this case, if as before there is a 400.000 euro mortgage and the prime beneficiary is the spouse, then the inheritance tax liability is now reduced to 25.000 euros.
Note: Please note the above figures give the Inheritance Tax Liability NOT the amount of Tax to be paid! For the mortgage to be considered against the property, it must be a Spanish Mortgage listed in the Property Registrar with the Property in question.

So, to minimize the Inheritance Tax to be paid by your beneficiaries, put them on the title deed, mortgage and remortgage the property in Spain (remember if your property price is significantly revalued, so is the inheritance tax liability) to the highest amount possible. Even if you don't need the extra capital, take it and use the capital released by the mortgage for other investments, there is an additional benefit by reducing your annual wealth tax liability.

One final piece of advice. As a non-resident owning property in Spain, it is imperative that all title deed holders have a Spanish Will / Testament. The reason for this is fairly simple, it ensures smooth and inexpensive probate of the Spanish assets that it covers (and it can be written to only covers the Spanish assets). Although foreign wills are accepted and can be executed in Spain, the associated process of translating, notarizing and legalising is a nightmare, to say nothing of the expense.

Sebastiaan Kemna has been in the Real Estate business in Mallorca for over 10 years and runs a very successful Estate Agency in Santa Ponsa.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1027142