Laboratory Mice in Control Groups - Do They Run More On Wheels Before Earthquakes?

There have been some very interesting studies which have been done on laboratory mice, which have been bred to run faster and for longer periods of time on treadmills. In fact, one of the lead scientists and researchers of this is Theodore Garland Ph.D. at the University of Riverside. He has been able to get his control group of mice to run huge distances every night, through selective breeding of those mice which like to run.

It is my contention that we should use these experiments and take that one step further to study the ability of animals to predict earthquakes. That's right, this is rather esoteric, but I believe it will work, and I believe Dr. Garland is the proper person to complete this mission, and he will be able to solve the problem once and for all. It is widely believed that animals have the ability to know when there's going to be in earthquake due to the changes of frequency and vibrations of the Earth.

When there is going to be an earthquake it is said, however not empirically proven, that certain animals exhibit anomalous behavior, nervousness, and other such sensations. If this is true those mice will change the amount of running they do either plus or minus the day before in earthquake. Therefore we will know in advance after studying these mice activities, and looking at the Richter scale charts, and the data of the day before an earthquake, when another future earthquake might appear.

If you will recall during the Sumatra quake the elephants ran up into the hills. Because they knew something bad was going to occur. There have also been reports in many large cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco that dogs run away from home more the day before in earthquake. Google had suggested that we use data and search the number of lost dog reports, and we see it Spike, we know there's going to be in earthquake nearby and the next day or two.

With dogs of course they also run away when there is lightning, so you have to take out the lightning component. If we attach these treadmills to the actual ground, rather than on a table at the laboratory, and if the mice were actually on the ground inside their cage, they would be very close to the frequency of the earth, and their natural instincts should pick up these vibrations. I believe this study should be done, and it may just be exactly what we are looking for to protect future earthquakes.

Data Disasters Recovery Plans - Creating One

Every single one of us who uses a computer for fun or for work has been faced with turning on our machine one day and finding that it simply didn't work. You immediately turn it off, and try to restart it, and are greeting with a blank screen and immediate panic. If you lost everything that was housed on your personal computer, how great would that loss be?

Consider then how much more horrific that loss would be if it encompassed every single bit of data that was housed on a network of business computers. Could your company survive that kind of loss and still be able to do business normally? The answer, of course, is a resounding "No". No business could survive the total loss of data and the resultant confusion and chaos that would take place if the data was not housed in a secure off-site storage facility so that it was able to be readily retrieved.

If you are in business, even small to mid-sized business, and have not considered or given serious thought to a data disaster, as well as preplanned a recovery from that data loss, the fact is that your business is a time bomb waiting to explode. A single spilled soft drink or an intense thunderstorm may be all that it would take to leave you stranded without the data that your company needs to survive.

Every business needs to create a data disaster recovery plan for use in the event of a disaster of any magnitude. Bear in mind that a disaster doesn't necessarily mean a storm, or events such as a fire, but could simply be a single hacker entering your system and corrupting the information that is housed there. You and your business need a data disaster recovery plan to help you to cope and to stay open with minimal down time to your business.

Creating a Data Disaster Recovery Plan

Creating a viable data disaster recovery plan means planning for more than a hurricane or a thunderstorm. It means planning any conceivable way in which you may lose data and then working to prevent that from taking place. Secure off-site data storage and an easy retrieval plan is a necessity when you are in business. Once you have completed the disaster recovery plan for your business and your data, be sure that every employee or worker has a copy of that plan, that it is spelled out what the plan entails and that a copy of that disaster recovery plan is stored off-site along with the data that you are trying to protect.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_L_Roberts

Importance of a Business Continuity Disaster Recovery Plan

When things go *Boom* in the night...

Heck, how about when things go *boom* during the day? It is every techs worst nightmare:

"Uh, the server won't boot up."

"What does this smoke rolling out of the back of the server mean?"

"We lost all power to our building last night, and when the power company turned it on this morning; we heard a 'pop' sound."

As you might have already guessed, this quarter we're going to talk about the disaster recovery - specifically the financial implications that should drive your disaster recovery plan. Notice how I didn't say anything about fires/floods/lightening/hurricanes/tornados/earthquakes/etc? Yes, depending on where you live, every one of those is a very real threat. I didn't talk about them, because statistically speaking, you are more likely to be robbed and have everything stolen than for one of those to happen. And because servers are electronics, any one of the average, ordinary problems is far more likely to happen than theft.

First of all, I thought I would tackle some definitions:

Backup - the process of generating multiple copies of data to prevent data loss. At a minimum your backup should follow the 3-2-1 Rule of Backup.

Disaster Recovery Plan - The complete process for securing and protecting your data. Disaster Recovery (DR) includes backups, the testing of those backups, the security of those backups in a secure offsite storage location, and the plan for using those backups to recover from a disaster. You need a sense of serenity.

Business Continuity Plan - The complete process for resumption of business. Business Continuity is significantly more far reaching in scope, and includes your Disaster Recovery plan, plus considerations for things like insurance policies, where your business will work from if something happens to your building, how you get a hold of your employees, customers, and vendors, how you get your phones working again. It is the "a [insert disaster here] happened and we lost everything - what does it take to get us back up and running" plan.

Now we have some basic definitions to work from, and in November I talked about the 3-2-1 Rule of Backups so I'm not going to go into backups a lot.

Here is the reality of the situation - disaster recovery plans would be better off to be named "data recovery insurance plans" and it would be easier to understand their importance. We all understand that with insurance, the better coverage/protection you require, the more expensive the policy. DR is very much a risk vs. cost analysis that must be done. Before you can really start building your Disaster Recovery Plan, you need to know the answer to 3 questions:

1. If your server(s) were to go down, and you had no access to your data, what is the hourly cost to your business? This seems like it should be easy to find, but it's normally not. There are several items that normally go into calculating this number.

a. What is your employee cost per hour if they aren't/can't work? If you have 10 people who make $35k per year, by the time you figure benefits things like Social Security / Medicare / etc., the cost per hour would be somewhere around $210 per hour. Since we just finished out the year, you can take your 2010 payroll, add benefits and payroll taxes, and divide by 2080 business hours in a year to get a pretty close number.

b. For every hour you are down, how many hours does it take you to catch up? A lot of our customers can function on a limited basis by hand-writing everything, but when their system comes up there is a ton of work to get done to get caught up. Is it a 1 to 1 ratio? Is it 30 minutes per hour down? Or is it 2 hours per hour down? Are you going to have to pay overtime to get caught up?

c. What sales/revenue did you not capture while your systems were down? Hopefully it is as easy as saying "I'm sorry, our system is down- can I call you back when it comes up?" and everything is fine. But what if your time is also revenue? Attorneys can't work on files, which means no billing. Accountants can't access client files, which means no billing. A lot of physicians can't check patients in/out or access their electronic charts, which means no billing. Financial institutions are time sensitive down to seconds! I've seen this number range from $10 to $10,000 per hour.

d. Are there other costs to your organization? This is for you to decide - try to put a realistic number on it and add it to your hourly cost total.

2. What is your Recovery Point Objective (RPO)?

a. Recovery Point Objective is an industry term referring to how often we are running backups. Simply put, if I walked into your office and said "We got everything back up and running, but I lost all of the data for the last hour." -What does that mean for your organization? What if it was everything for the last day? The last 2 days? The last week?

b. How long would it take someone to recreate lost data? Can it even be recreated? If it is gone forever, what happens?

3. What is your Recovery Time Objective?

a. Recovery Time Objective is another industry term, this one referring to how long before the system is up and running again and regular business is resumed.

b. What if I told you we only lost 15 minutes worth of data, but it took 8 hours to get your people back to work?

c. Is that better or worse than losing 1 day worth of data but having everyone back to work in one hour?

Earlier I said that your disaster recovery plan should be driven by your risk vs. cost analysis. Now that we understand your risk tolerance, we can balance it out with an appropriately priced solution to mitigate that risk. High risk tolerance usually means lower priced DR solutions, and of course the opposite it true - low risk tolerance usually means higher priced solution. Understanding the financial implications of your disaster recovery plan is always the first step towards success!


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jamie_Mathy

FNOL Execution in Inclement Conditions

When utilizing FNOL (first notice of loss) operations, it is critical to stay technologically astute, harnessing all available venues to maximize the client experience. This is seldom more apparent than during times of inclement meteorological conditions, which will be explored in a specific case below. Data must be integrated across all contact methods, including telephonic, e-mail, fax, and direct web entry, for consolidated reporting and may be filtered by contact method if needed. Individual notices should immediately transmit via automated e-mail or fax to any number of recipients, based on the location, type of report and other criteria. Scheduled summary reports must also be available, allowing regular electronic distribution of reports daily, weekly, monthly, or by custom period to multiple recipients based on level of management within an organization.

VoIP solutions are invaluable in enhancing telephonic intake by quickly connecting intake specialists with policyholder account information. Call switch statistics must be available for management reporting by individual incoming number. With these tools, FNOL complete call statistics and all associated time tracking may be summarized and archived down to thirty-minute intervals.

To maintain quality standards, trainers and supervisors in first notice of loss monitor daily, listening to live calls and recordings in conjunction with remote observation of FNOL intake. All calls should be recorded, then stored as.wav files and made readily accessible. Using RightFax, FNOL call centers can also log and distribute in- and out-bound faxes and e-mails for efficient and fully accountable document management. Thorough, advanced organization is key to achieving FNOL success.

In a specific case, when most of Atlanta, including schools, had been shut down for 3 days, effective first notice of loss was needed more than ever for businesses and organizations throughout the area. Though uncommon for the Atlanta area, strong snowstorms do sometimes occur, crippling the region. Lack of snow removal equipment combined with a storm that dumped nearly 6 inches in less than 3 hours created numerous problems. Only a combination of technological prowess and careful planning can achieve success in such conditions. FNOL intake specialists were put in local hotels to manage call volume, in addition to remote intake specialists contributing from around the country. Through advanced and adaptive strategies, and a dedicated and interconnected workforce, even a city paralyzed in snow and ice can mitigate its losses.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Neleman

Disaster Preparedness - 3 Key Steps to Prepare Your Business

Preparing for a catastrophic disaster (fire, tornado, etc.) is essential for every business owner. The Ad Council reported that, based on a recent national survey, only 38% of businesses have an emergency plan in place. Strangely, 90% said that it is "somewhat" or "very" important for businesses to prepare. There is obviously a discrepancy between what business owners know they need and actually do it.

Taking care of customers, fulfilling orders, meeting with potential customers and all the other daily activities required of a small-to-medium sized business owner, make it difficult to find the time to create a disaster plan. Awareness for the need of a plan to deal with business interruption is high. Execution of this awareness falls short.

Disaster preparedness, or a business continuity plan, increases a business' security and stability. This plan also provides an intangible - but very real - benefit. It also provides peace of mind for the owner as well as the employees.

The Department of Homeland Security's website offers a significant amount of information to assist business owners in creating a continuity/disaster recovery plan. Three key steps towards disaster recovery are:

Protectyour investment

- Review your insurance coverage annually with your insurance agent

- Inform your insurance agent of any major changes during the year

- Create an inventory of all business assets

- Back up all records with an encrypted, on-line backup service

Planto stay in business

- Create a written emergency procedures checklist

- Compile an emergency contact list

- Determine a potential alternative business location

- Secure backup suppliers

Talk to your employees

- Get your employees' involvement and buy-in to the process

- Advise your staff of emergency supplies that your business can provide

- Develop, communicate and practice an evacuation plan

These are just the beginning, but a very important start. Proper planning now will help ensure recovery from a disaster of any kind, from a computer crash to total destruction from a fire or natural disaster. This proactive measure will help ensure that your business can recover and reopen quickly. But there is more to this than just reopening - you are honoring your commitment to your employees, customers and the local economy.

Schedule blocks of time on your calendar to create your plan. It is important enough to set time aside for this very time-consuming task. If time and manpower are not available, there are many business continuity planning companies that can help you create your plan. They will learn about your business, your facility and your processes. Then they will create a plan specific to your needs.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cindy_Hartman

How To Simplify Your Bank Account Management

Life can become complicated, and potentially embarrassing when you are not sure of your bank account balance. Checks can bounce, credit cards become over-extended, and money can just disappear when you need it most. To avoid this you need something that can help you keep a running account of your finances, figure out your major expenses and establish your budget limit. You need an online checkbook register. Online checkbook registers offer internet based services that make it unbelievably easy to manage your accounts. Using this software, you can manage your accounts by using gadgets designed to automate account management.

The more information you continue to add, the better the software works for you. Using an online checkbook register, you will be able to acquire a much better understanding of your expenses. You can also set a limit for yourself and see how much of your limit you have used up for each expense category. You don't always have to switch on your computer to check your online checkbook register. Most online checkbook registers provide you with applications for your cell phone so you can check your balance details on the go. The cell phone applications allow you to monitor your spending and saving at any time you please.

The easy-to-use interface allows you to do exactly what you want to without wasting any time at all. Once you add in the desired data, or edit the existing data, the online checkbook register handles the rest. It does all the calculations necessary to bring your account up to speed, and present you with an updated picture of your financial standing. If you don't have time to go through the detailed description that the online tools provide, you can always skim through the bar charts and pie charts to perform comparisons between your saving and spending in different categories. An online register allows you to view these comparative illustrations through a few simple clicks.

You can also compare your expenses over a period of time across multiple accounts in order to judge your financial state. An online checkbook register makes money management easy through intelligent software and a raft of customizable options. It always helps to compare the expenses you have incurred over the last few months to be able to predict the future. When you compare your expenses, you will be able to figure out the categories in which your spending continued to increase, and the areas in which your spending decreased with time.

This knowledge will enable you to make intelligent and informed decisions the next time you head out shopping. As you continue you make use of these comparisons, your expenses will continue to gradually streamline. So to avoid embarrassing situations when shopping or paying bills, try using an online checkbook register to keep track of all your expenses and budgeting. Just a few minutes a day updating the register will make life so much easier.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alexander_Campbell

Financial Planning and Life Insurance - Ruling by ECJ

You will probably have heard of the recent ruling by the European Court of Justice, which will now change the law on how some insurance and pension products are structured. The case will result in major changes in how certain forms of insurance and retirement annuities will be charged, and will affect you.

What the ECJ case was about

The ruling focused on the perceived sex discrimination that exists when using gender to determine the costs for insurance and pension incomes. Presently, insurers are permitted to use the differences between the sexes to charge different rates for their products according to the risks presented. This means that some forms of insurance are cheaper for women, and others for men. From the end of 2012 insurers will no longer be permitted to charge rates separately for men and women.

On the face of it this would seem fair. However, this does miss the point of insurance. Insurance is determined on the risk of an event happening. If you are not able to take an element of the risk into your calculation this might not be to the benefit of everyone.

Unfortunately, this might not result in you getting cheaper premiums on your insurance; in fact insurers might keep the prices the same for the more expensive groups and put up the price for the previously cheaper groups. Insurers are naturally cautious; if they don't know if a risk is male or female then they might assume the worst case scenario. There may be ways around this, perhaps with individual underwriting.

How will the ECJ ruling affect your insurance and pensions?

Car insurance

At the moment women get cheaper car insurance than men, since in general they drive more safely and have less expensive accidents. From 2013 the premiums will be the same for both sexes. The ruling probably means that your car insurance costs will increase if you are a woman.

Life Insurance

At the moment women get cheaper life insurance than men, since they live longer on average. From 2013 the premiums will be the same for both sexes. The ruling probably means that your life insurance costs will increase if you are a woman.

Income protection insurance

At the moment men get cheaper income protection insurance than women, since they are less likely to get sick than women on average. From 2013 the premiums will be the same for both sexes. The ruling probably means that your income protection insurance costs will increase if you are a man.

Critical illness insurance

At the moment men get cheaper critical illness insurance than women, since they are less likely to get sick than women on average. From 2013 the premiums will be the same for both sexes. The ruling probably means that your critical illness insurance costs will increase if you are a man.

Retirement income (annuities)

Since women live longer on average than men, they tend to receive lower retirement incomes with the same pension funds than men. This is because the same retirement fund must be spread out over a longer period, meaning the income is lower. After 2012 the incomes will need to be equalised, but the result might not be that women get a boost; perhaps men will lose out.

What does the ECJ ruling mean for your financial planning?

Well, you must shop around for the best deal. Do not assume that your current insurer or pension provider will offer you the best deal, since standard rates will probably suffer. It will become more important to compare products after 2012.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Woodruff

Some Experts Suggest Economy Faces Four Threats

Some experts suggest the U.S. economy faces four threats, one of which is generated externally and the rest are internal to the U.S. Even the one seemingly generated outside the U.S. may have something to do with American foreign policy or maybe not. These four threats are considered hurdles on the way to economic recovery.

In a track and field race, the job of athletes is to jump over the hurdle while maintaining their running speed. They try to avoid head-on collision with the hurdle, thereby avoid injuries to themselves.

All athletes know and are trained to jump over the hurdles unless they realize on the spot that they are in the wrong sports. Their training was not yet complete when they jumped into the arena of hurdling.

They must know the height and the distance between the hurdles beforehand to be able to make good judgment and successfully finish their competition.

In the national economy, there happens to be no hurdling - no jumping over hurdles or may be there is.

The economic policy makers cannot just jump in and try to avoid the hurdles and the threats. They must face these threats head on. They cannot anticipate smooth sailing. Some threats are external while others are internal. However, because of the global economy, it so happens that the distinction between the two often becomes blurred and we cannot tell the difference very clearly.

The four threats that some experts talk about might not be strong enough to send the U.S. economy back into recession. But they surely are strong enough to slow down the recovery.

1. Never-Ending Rising Oil Prices
This is seemingly the external force affecting the economy. The oil prices are at $100 mark (per barrel). Sometimes during the day it's above that. At this price, economy is still chugging along but slowly. Experts say if the price gets to be $150 a barrel or above, then the economy would get into a serious-threat-mode. One blow to the economy.

"When oil prices were ratcheting up to record levels a few years ago, unemployment was at 5%, not 9%," David Rosenberg, chief economist with Gluskin Sheff said. "The Fed had ammunition left. There was still appetite for fiscal stimulus. There's nothing in the cookie jar today as an offset."

2. Spending Cuts by Government

Goldman Sachs said Tuesday, February 22, that Republican spending proposals which would cut $61 billion between March and Sept. 30 could reduce economic growth by 1.5 to 2 percentage points in the second and third quarters.

3. The "cut-talk" has concentrated on social services like Social Security and Medicare. That's a bummer, now that I applied for Social Security. I am scheduled to start getting it the third Wednesday of next month. Second blow to the economy, one strong blow to my finances. The Fed Stops Pumping Money Into the Economy
4. If you remember the Federal Reserve Bank started pumping money in the national economy at the rate of $75 billion a month. The program is due to end in June and that could reduce a key support for stock prices. Third blow to the economy. Falling Stock Prices
The current bull market has doubled its value in the last two years. What if someone sneezed and the market came to a sudden halt. That would be the fourth blow to the economy. It seems to me not only my personal finances are always at the mercy of others but the national economy as well, at the mercy of someone's strong sneeze. Let's hope nobody sneezes that strong.

In the Nutshell
Can all these threats occur all at once, in the same economic breath? Sure they can. If they did, I and millions like me would lose our investments, now that we need it the most in our retirement. I have nothing in investment but millions of folks who have invested and re-invested in stocks will lose the second time around in a little more than two years.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shafi_U_Farooq

Borrow And Spend As Needed

For decades, Americans have been borrowing and spending more than they could afford. That has always been the American way on a par with apple pie, Chevrolet, ballpark and hot dogs. Folks had included "spending more than they made" in their minds for quite sometimes. When you borrow or rent money, you must have figured out how to pay it back to its original owner. You must have done your calculations how much to borrow. Do your calculations. It might prevent you from buying on impulse.

Many borrow money using credit cards to take a vacation. When they come back and get the bill, they realize they have spent more and unnecessarily on things they didn't need or didn't have to. Therefore, borrow as needed and spend as needed. The only way to not get into debt is very basic: Spend less than you make. You will never get into debt. Even if you were not careful and are heavily in debt, don't despair. Start working on it today. NOW!.

The recession that rocked the boat for most Americans did not just fall out of the blue sky but in part because Americans were not educated enough in handling their personal finances. You don't need formal education to know that you ought not spend more than you make. Everyone knows that. However, you need to act on what you already know.

But to do that, you need self discipline, determination and the thought that when you die, you leave your finances in the black with no debt hanging off of your coffin. You leave no debt because you borrowed and spent wisely. To refresh your little gray cells, coffin is the wooden casket you would be buried in. When folks come for a wake, they (especially your spouse and kids) must not feel the extra burden of debt besides the burden of sorrow on their shoulders.

Wake of Debt with a Twist of Words
Wake is the need to mark someone's debt as an event affecting the deceased family. It has become fundamental to human life especially in American society. It has become a necessity to provide opportunities for private grief when you leave nothing else but debt as inheritance. This kind of social gathering is usually referred to as a wake. It takes various forms in different parts of the world.

Because debt is a potentially frightening subject and there are many taboos surrounding it, debt wake is often low-key occasion. It is extremely personal because of debt, or may be not so for some. They are of the don't care mentality. The origin of the debt wake, however, is in behavior that is less inhibited when borrowing money. We must turn to it, spending wisely, in order to understand its psychological and sociological importance.

Americans are Wiser Now
There is news to the effect that Americans are getting wiser by paying down debt and thereby saving more in just interest alone. It may not be good for the national economy which is more than two-thirds dependent on consumer spending but it is definitely good for individual finances.

Americans are saving at nearly triple the rate they did between 2007 and 2009, setting aside 5.3 percent of their disposable income in December, according to the Commerce Department. Another thing is indebtedness has decreased in part because banks are less inclined to extend loans and have written off billions of dollars in loans that went bad.

Don't you get a big thrill when you get your statement every month and see that the balance on your credit cards has gone down? It's a great feeling, ain't it? You should try it too sometimes if you are heavily in debt. You can start with the obvious: cutting down on buying more clothes and many buy them for no reason at all, skipping restaurant meals and other splurges of your past life of so many years.

Everyone seems to understand what money is. How about you? Do you really understand what money is? Educate yourself.

The breaks on American spending were not working during the boom years. Now most are putting on new breaks on their financial vehicles and on their once fast-moving financial life. Keep maintaining your breaks in good shape. The amount of debt relative to the overall size of the economy remains very high by historical standards. And the personal savings rate remains well below the average of 7 percent for the past 50 years.

The amount of revolving consumer debt - primarily on credit cards - fell for 26 straight months, according to Federal Reserve data, most months by billions of dollars. In December of 2010, it rose for the first time since September 2008, increasing $2.3 billion.

In a Nutshell
Don't ever despair. Everyone has to do his or her part. Forget everyone else and the national economy. You as individual take care of your own finances. Some folks think it's their right to spend more than they make. Instead, they must make it their duty to spend less than they make. Everyone has a place in the financial society.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shafi_U_Farooq

Shafi U Farooq - EzineArticles Expert Author

3 Tips for Making Smarter Decisions With Your Money

Making decisions is a human ability. You don't really find this ability in any other life form. Humans have been gifted with higher intelligence that allows us to consider and weigh options, and make a decision based on facts, circumstances, desired outcome, and any number of other factors. Still, most of us make our decisions based on pure emotion - especially when it comes to money.

Decisions are not the same as intentions. You may have the best intentions in the world, but if there is no follow through, then your intentions get you nowhere. True decisions are preceded by careful thought and backed by action.

Some decisions are easy to make, either because the consequences are not that great, or because you have made the same type of decision before. Other decisions are more difficult, either because they are new to you or because the consequences of making a poor choice are high.

If you are reading this article, it's likely that you have made some poor decisions in the past concerning money and you're hoping to avoid making the same type of mistakes in the future. Following are three tips to take your money decisions out of the emotional realm, and into the realm of reality.

Look at the Big Picture

If you haven't set major life goals, now is the time to do it. By setting goals, you have a guideline for your life and your decisions. If you are just "winging it" and improvising your way through life, then I can pretty much guarantee you that you are making emotional decisions and not fact-based, goal-oriented ones. Don't get me wrong. You have to involve your emotions in the decision-making process; you just can't let your emotions rule you. Emotions lie.

If you have set some long-term goals for your life, congratulations! You are ahead of many. Whenever you are trying to make a difficult decision regarding finances, view the decision in terms of your long-term goals. Will this decision bring you closer to or further away from your goals? This is especially useful when trying to make a decision about a major purchase. Honestly, not very many major purchases will bring you closer to a long-term goal. Home ownership is one of the few exceptions. Equipment required for business is another exception.

Evaluate Your Options

For every possible choice, there are alternatives. Try to identify at least three for the decision you are facing. Then go on a fact-finding mission. Research each of your options and gather as much information on them as possible, then compare your options. Finally, get someone else's opinion. Now, who you ask is equally important as asking. You don't want to go to your financially challenged cousin who doesn't have two pennies to rub together and ask for financial advice. You don't want to go to your sister who is on her third marriage to ask for relationship advice. And you don't want to go to your uncle who has started three businesses - all of which have failed - to ask for business advice.

Look for someone you feel is credible and experienced in the area you are researching and ask him for his opinion. Then be open to hear it. He will hopefully have knowledge and insight that will help you see the situation differently so that you make a wise decision.

Sleep on It

Sometime you have to move quickly in order to not miss an opportunity. But, honestly, when you feel pressured to decide now - especially if that pressure is coming from someone else that will benefit from your decision - you should probably wait. Most time-sensitive opportunities really aren't time sensitive at all. That's a marketing ploy you need to recognize. It's pretty rare when you don't get a second chance at that "One Time Offer."

You see, sales people and marketers are taught to "strike while the iron is hot." A car salesman knows that once you leave the showroom floor saying "I'll be back," you won't come back.

I can tell you that it's much easier to sleep on a big decision and then make the right one than it is to deal with buyer's remorse and try to get out of a bad decision you've made it. Always take the time to think your major decisions through, sleep on them, and see if you still feel the same confidence the next day.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cheree_Miller

Building a Financial Fortress Part III

So far we have discussed the importance of saving money and paying down and managing debts as important parts of building a strong financial fortress. These first two stages are critical in allowing the average family to survive difficult economic times, like we are currently facing. The next important step is to focus on your retirement savings.

As they say, nothing is sure but death and taxes. However, I feel I can say with certainty, that we would all like to add a comfortable retirement to that list. Unless you wish to work until you drop, like people did in the early stages of the industrial revolution (before unions created minimum working standards), you will need to save a great deal of money for your retirement. As I discussed in my article "Fix The Cracks In That Nest Egg", the first step in preparing for your retirement is to fund your 401k to maximize the matching contributions your employer will make. If you employer offers a matching fund, as most do, make sure you are getting as much of that money as you can. Do not leave that money on the table. Think of it like a raise that you are guaranteed to get.

Once you have funded your 401k, you should open, and fund an IRA (Individual Retirement Account). There are many types of IRA's available, and you should certainly consult a CPA or Investment Professional if you have questions. However, I personally have, and recommend the ROTH IRA. Without going into all of the differences, (there are too many to list here) I like ROTH IRA's for a couple of reasons. Contributions to a ROTH can be taken back out (if needed) tax-free. So, if you contribute $5000 per year for 4 years, and then suddenly are laid off, you can take out that $20,000 to help you get by until you find new employment. This is powerful protection against difficult economic times. You can also take contributions out for the purchase of a first home. (It is important to leave your contributions in the ROTH unless you have a financial emergency or are buying a home.) Another benefit of ROTH IRA's is that they grow tax-free. So if you contribute $150,000 over 30 years, and you manage to grow those funds to $1.5 million dollars through your investing prowess, you can take out all of that profit (at retirement) without paying any taxes. Nice, huh?

Between your 401K, Social Security, and your IRA's, you should have a good amount of money saved up for retirement. One important note for parents: If you are choosing whether to fund your retirement accounts or to save for your child's college education, always put your retirement savings first. If necessary, your children can borrow money for college. You will not be able to borrow money for your retirement. So, unless you really like cat food, pay your retirement first.

By funding your retirement, and preparing for your future, you are building protection for your later years, and at the same time you are building another source of funds that you could use in a financial emergency. I truly believe that the foreclosure crisis could have been largely avoided if people had followed the three financial fortress defenses we have discussed so far. By building a savings fund, eliminating debt, and planning for retirement, most families would have had more than enough funds to survive on while looking for work or facing the financial hardships that so many have faced in this crisis. We can't change the past, but we can plan for a better future.

We will continue building our financial fortresses in future articles.

To learn to turn your $150,000 into a fortune through investing skill, you should invest in the Cashflow The Market System, a simple to use investing course.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jesse_S._Cash

3 Ways to Change Your Spending Habits

Let's face it, one of the biggest problems in America today is debt. Not only is the general public in debt, but our government is hugely in debt with no signs of slowing down. We are spending like there's no tomorrow. If we keep going at this rate, we will crash. It's a cycle we've been through before. We live the high life, then we hit a recession or depression, then go through recovery, and start the cycle all over again. The only way we can ever stop the cycle is to learn to change the way we spend money. Interested in finding out how? Following are 3 ways to change your spending habits.

Budget

I know, I know... almost everyone's least favorite word. We don't like to budget because we don't know how, or because we don't understand the purpose of a budget. Many people find a budget too restrictive and don't want to be told how they can and can't spend their money - not even by themselves! I mean, think about it; who is the one creating the budget? If you create one that you can live with and still accomplishes the goal of living within your means, then isn't it alright for you to tell yourself how to spend your own money?

Instead, we overspend and then let our creditors, the light company, the water company and the government tells us how to spend our money - and struggle to make ends meet. I honestly don't see how this is in any way, shape or form more enjoyable than creating a budget. Basically, if you don't rule your money, the lack of money will rule you.

Having a budget is crucial to changing your spending habits. If you don't have a plan for your money, you will keep spending it impulsively and never get ahead. No one ever said that creating a budget was fun. But, I can guarantee you that if you create a budget - and stick to it - your life will become far more fun than it is now. Money problems create stress. Spending without a plan creates money problems.

Save

I'm sure you've heard the saying "pay yourself first". This is another critical component of changing your spending habits. You are probably wondering what saving money has to do with spending. Well, that all depends on if you are saving money the right way. When you save, you need to save in three categories.

The first thing you save for is emergencies. You know, that rainy day your grandma always talked about. If you are new to this concept and don't really have any money saved aside, start by saving $1,000. Later, when you have your debts paid off you'll increase your savings to equal 3 to 6 months of your monthly expenses.

The second thing you save for are short-term expenses. These are things like new furniture, a car, a trip... Basically, anything that doesn't fall within your regular monthly budget will probably fall into this category. Even a down payment for a home would fall into the short-term savings fund.

The third thing you save for is retirement. If you haven't started saving for retirement, what are you waiting for? If you are expecting Social Security to bail you out, your retirement is on pretty shaky ground, and you'd better hope your children make a lot of money and don't mind taking care of you in your old age! Face it; the way the government is overspending, Social Security probably won't be around when most of us retire.

The best time to start saving is now. If you have never seen tables showing the magic of compound interest, Google it and take a look. What you find will shock you and maybe depress you if you are 30 or older and have no retirement fund yet. Just don't let that keep you from starting now by thinking it's too late. It's never too late. Start today!

Have Plastic Surgery

No, I'm not talking about a facelift or a nose job. Cut up your credit cards. Credit card debt in America is out of control. According to cardhub, credit card debt increased $8.1 billion in 2010. One of the best ways to permanently change your spending habits is to only buy what you can pay cash for. Whether that means using your debit card, paying by check, or carrying around cash envelopes for your spending categories, not using credit cards will have a huge impact on your financial future.

It may mean tightening the belt. It may mean waiting until payday for something you'd really like to have today. It may even mean missing out on a purchase altogether because you simply don't have the cash on hand right now. But, in the long run, that delayed gratification will help you create a positive cash flow, will lower your financial stress, and will change your future for the better.

If you have your savings plan in place, you have no need for a credit card. Most retailers, hotels, car rental agencies, etc. will accept your debit card without hesitation. Credit cards do not help you. The only ones who benefit from credit cards are the banks who offer them to consumers. No matter how good your intentions at paying off the bill in full when it arrives, life happens. Credit card debt is too high a risk to gamble on.

By following these three simple steps, you will soon change your spending habits and probably wonder why you ever did things differently in the first place.

My name is Cheree Miller and, believe me, I've been where you are. I've been broke, with creditors calling, writing, and sending court summons. I've had my bank account garnished and wondered how I was going to feed my family. But, I can tell you that you can get out of debt if you remain focused on the end goal instead of wallowing around in a pity pool feeling sorry for yourself.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cheree_Miller

Put an End to Financial Worry Fast With These Money Managing Tips

Learning how to manage money better can make Everything in your life MUCH easier. When you need to stop a TON of your problems, the fastest solution will be to create a dramatic change for better in your money situation. I'm not referring to making a million dollars, because if you don't ever learn how to manage money better, an abundance of funds can't help at all. Outlined in this article, we'll cover some tips for how to manage money better, avoid worrying about money and start living...

Your Plan for Money Management Should Be Simple

Step one to knowing how to manage money better should be to produce a straightforward strategy for managing your cash flow. The simpler your method is, the simpler it will be for you to fit it into your life. First off, separate your spending into three fundamental categories: living costs, investments and cash purchases. Next lay these out in order of priority, placing ten percent into the category of investments to begin with and the following ten percent towards savings for purchases...

What's the point of deciding to pay your living costs last and with merely the remaining 80% of your wages? The purpose for this is when you don't make investing a high priority and if you don't start planning your purchases up front, you will quite possibly always be just getting by financially. However, by making a commitment to invest your income, you will start maintaining a sound money habit and also disciplining yourself to invest the money.

A Structured Program Helps prevent Financial Anxieties

The second thing you do through managing your funds in accordance with the above categories is you gain control in your financial life. The is quite significant when you consider that the biggest money troubles come due to feeling out of control.It's this stress along with the uncertainty concerning where your income is going that messes with your head. Then again, the anxiety ends as you start spending your income on purpose by use of this simple plan.

If you want to learn how to manage money better, you have to start spending it on purpose. Now that you're done with this, sit down and write down the three expense categories in this article, and in the forthcoming 3 months, spend your cash in accordance with this article. This may sound simple, but it's a great approach for learning how to manage money better and taking control of your financial life.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Seth_Czerepak

The Easiest Way To Bank

I have found what I think is the most convenient way to manage all my income. I'm not saying I have a lot of income, but it does come in from multiple sources - paycheck, investments, odd jobs, and other occasions like when a group of us want to pool some money to buy pizza or some other group purchase.

Traditional banking used to require an account and then they still held a check for several days before making the money available to spend. Sometime in the late 80's many employers started offering direct deposit for their employees. No more checks. The money just magically appeared in your bank account and you could spend it. No more delays.

Then along came the ATM card. Now if you're not careful the ATM card can eat you alive. Some out of network systems charge $3-4 dollars per transaction. But if you operate within your network, or get cash back when you make purchases, ATM's can be a great convenience. Some banks even let you use the ATM to deposit cash to your account.

Now, here we are almost 30 years after the advent of Direct Deposit and we have a new, easier, more convenient way to send, receive, spend, and track our money. The system takes the best of all available technology and puts it to use for our convenience. Direct deposit, debit cards, automatic teller machines, internet, and cell phones. Yup I said cell phones.

Here are some of the things you can do with this new system - have your paycheck direct deposited to your debit card - no more expensive checks to order, no more "I'm sorry we only accept local checks," no more minimum balances, no more monthly bank fees. (Side tangent- my old bank required me to keep at least $500 in their nearly zero interest paying savings account in order waive the monthly fee for having a checking account).

With your debit card loaded you can shop anywhere that accepts MasterCard. You use an ATM to get cash (no fee within the 4,200 location network). You can deposit cash onto your debit card at an ATM. You can get cash back when you buy things at the store just like you can with your current debit card. Your account includes online bill pay - say goodbye to checks, check ordering fees, slow delivery etc.

You can even manage your finances online with the complete suite of money management tools. Track income, expenses, and debts all from one web page. If you don't realize the value of this, read one of my articles about budgeting and debt reduction.

And, drum roll please....

You can send and receive money using the text function of your cell phone. Imagine this, you're in the middle of nowhere and your car breaks down. You need some money, but the only ATM in this little town is out-of-order. The bank doesn't open until Monday. You really need to get moving.

In the old days you would have to get someone to send you money order via wire from one of the commercial wire services (fee) then you would have to cash that money order (another fee). Or you would have to wait until the bank opened on Monday. But now you can call friends, family, whom ever you need to and they can text you the money you need. As soon as then press send the money is credited to your card and you can spend it.

Want to get those pizzas? Everyone texts you a few dollars and instantly your card is loaded. No more splitting the bill. No more getting short-changed by the deadbeat who never has enough to cover their share. You have a record of who gave how much and you can make sure you have all the money in hand before you order the pizza.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_DuBois

Protect Your Wealth by Thomas Schweich

Have you ever taken the time to think about what would happen to you if you were to lose all financial security? Protect Your Wealth by Thomas Schweich walks you through every possible future mishap regarding your finances and shows you how to protect your funds. People rarely ever predict that anything bad will happen to them, but obviously, bad things happen everyday. It's best to be prepared when the worst comes heading your way.

This program will show you how to build a financial foundation that will allow you to weather all sorts of financial storms. One of the things it shows you to do is how to protect your children in the event that something unexpected happens. A common occurrence for parents is that one of them becomes sick and unable to work. These instances are almost always unexpected. If you don't have the necessary funds to cover this event, you may end up losing everything that you have, including your children if you're unable to take care of them.

Protect Your Wealth by Thomas Schweich also discusses how you can protect yourself during lawsuits, which are also often very unexpected. Although you may have thousands in the bank, those thousands won't mean anything when you're having to pay for court costs, lawyers, and other legal fees. Unexpected legal circumstances have left millions broke and reaching for their child's college savings fund. It's always beneficial to know that these unfortunate events can happen to anyone at anytime, and they can come at you out of nowhere.

If you're like most, you've been in debt at least one time in your life. There are several reasons as to why someone would fall into debt. One of those is divorce. What happens if your spouse suddenly decides they want to separate and leaves you with nothing? You may not know what to do and as a result, find yourself drowning in debt.

Protect Your Wealth by Thomas Schweich also talks about how you can easily pay off all your bills when you don't even have a job. This guide will provide you with all the tips you need to keep your job, as well as provide you with information on what you can do to make sure that you remain employed.

Another segment of this program talks about how it is very important to keep harmonious relationship in the workplace and how it can help you financially. When there is too much tension between you and a co-worker, everyone notices and it can easily affect your overall effectiveness on the job, as well as your attitude. Tension in the workplace can also prevent you from receiving the promotions that you deserve.

Protect Your Wealth by Thomas Schweich provides you with helpful tips and tricks that will ensure that you keep financially stable, even in the worst of times. People never expect to fall into negative circumstances. There may be times in your future when you will need time off from work, get sick, be forced to pay for unexpected legal services, etc. It is during those times when you will need to make sure that you have money to survive and take care of your family. The last thing anyone wants to think of during hard times is losing everything they have. Unfortunately for some, when it rains it pours. Luckily, you can help to prevent the worst from happening by taking the time to become informed and prepared.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ben_Sanderson