There was a busy day I went through shortly before Christmas last year. I needed to visit three cities across the eastern seaboard to look at different restaurant locations I was planning on. There were, of course, half dozen conference calls involved, getting everyone together, and other calls to let my family know when it would be home in Maine for Christmas. Actually they never got to know when I would be home, because the battery on my Blackberry regularly dies after a hectic day, like the other bunny in the Duracell ads. It's not that there are no recharging amenities anywhere: airports have power outlets at places. But it takes time to charge a phone, and usually, the few outlets you see, are already taken. That's when I decided to look at my options, and found a solar powered battery charger for my phone. Now, I just get a window seat on the plane, suction the solar panel to the window, and charge away.
This isn't any kind of environmental conscience at work either; business travelers just find it incredibly convenient to carry their own lightweight power station around with them. Solar generation works for most places, but little dynamos powered by a crank you turn, do pretty well in other places too where there are medical gadgets to power in an emergency situation like Haiti saw recently. You know how laptop batteries just run flat in four hours - what would it look like if emergency workers had to call it off to go fetch fresh batteries every once in a while? Companies like Automated Media Systems go after this market, and make custom solar panels that can power laptops, motion picture cameras, emergency rescue equipment and lighting. The solar powered battery charger has been around for about 15 years now; the panels back then were somewhat cumbersome, and unreliable. Those issues have largely disappeared as mass production in the solar panel industry has taken root.
Even a tiny conventional oil-driven generator can weigh 50 pounds, and put out noise and much smoke, and would be unwelcome in most places. However, the solar powered battery charger isn't really up to the task of charging anything larger than a laptop. The best part of it may be that solar panels are not on the Transportation Security Administration's list of dangerous items to carry on a flight. Of course, large batteries are still not welcome; they're just too dangerous. If you think about it, your own little power station kind of sounds like something out of Star Trek. Has it been that long since we used to watch Star Trek then?
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Loan Modification is One Way to Stop Mortgage Foreclosure
If you are like many homeowners today you may be facing difficult economic hardships that are affecting your ability to pay your monthly mortgage payment. Each month you struggle to make ends meet, especially if you are self-employed or have lost your job or had your hours cut like many people in this country. You may even have fallen behind in your payments and are now receiving collection calls from the lender and nasty letters in the mail threatening foreclosure. There are some relevant facts that you should know and ways to help stop mortgage foreclosure.
It will take the bank at least six months to send you a Notice of Sale (NOS). If you are behind three months or 90 days, the bank can then send you a Notice of Default (NOD) and begin a countdown of another 90 days before they send you the Notice of Sale. In the meantime you will be pulling your hair out from all the stress and wondering where you and your family are going to live.
One great way to stop mortgage foreclosure is to get into the loan modification process with your lender. You can go directly to your lender but that is taking a big risk if you do not have a lot experience negotiating or if you don’t have the kind of time and persistence that it takes to get it done. Your best bet is to find a solid, reputable, professional Loan Modification company that specializes in helping homeowners to stop mortgage foreclosure.
You will provide the Loan Modification Company with some documentation, including four months of bank statements (all pages), current paystubs, utility bill to establish residence, and the last year’s tax return with all schedules attached. The company will have you sign an agreement with them and they will produce some reports and documents which they will submit to the lender on your behalf.
If you are already in NOD, then the process is a little different. If you are in NOS, then the Loan Modification Company can still stop mortgage foreclosure but it will require a different strategy. They need to call 72 hours prior to the actual sale date to the trustee and postpone the sale date for 30 to 45 days. In that time they will attempt to negotiate with the lender in order to get you a lower interest rate or modified loan terms. Sometimes they can get you a 40 year term or principal reduction. All of these will substantially lower your monthly payment and make it more affordable to keep your home.
It will take the bank at least six months to send you a Notice of Sale (NOS). If you are behind three months or 90 days, the bank can then send you a Notice of Default (NOD) and begin a countdown of another 90 days before they send you the Notice of Sale. In the meantime you will be pulling your hair out from all the stress and wondering where you and your family are going to live.
One great way to stop mortgage foreclosure is to get into the loan modification process with your lender. You can go directly to your lender but that is taking a big risk if you do not have a lot experience negotiating or if you don’t have the kind of time and persistence that it takes to get it done. Your best bet is to find a solid, reputable, professional Loan Modification company that specializes in helping homeowners to stop mortgage foreclosure.
You will provide the Loan Modification Company with some documentation, including four months of bank statements (all pages), current paystubs, utility bill to establish residence, and the last year’s tax return with all schedules attached. The company will have you sign an agreement with them and they will produce some reports and documents which they will submit to the lender on your behalf.
If you are already in NOD, then the process is a little different. If you are in NOS, then the Loan Modification Company can still stop mortgage foreclosure but it will require a different strategy. They need to call 72 hours prior to the actual sale date to the trustee and postpone the sale date for 30 to 45 days. In that time they will attempt to negotiate with the lender in order to get you a lower interest rate or modified loan terms. Sometimes they can get you a 40 year term or principal reduction. All of these will substantially lower your monthly payment and make it more affordable to keep your home.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
How To Increase Profits Effectively
The crux of any business is to operate successfully in a highly competitive world, which simply gets measured by the size of the profits that are generated. While a number of other parameters are also used to gauge how an enterprise runs, profit still reigns supreme and therefore the key to the success of any business is to formulate an effective strategy to increase profits.
Business success is the result of co-ordinated focus on different ways to thrive and remain on top, which could translate into numbers of (a) customers, (b) enquiries,(c) units sold/serviced or for that matter even abstract and difficult measures to customer satisfaction, but in the end, it is always how in some form ‘to increase profits’, or simply how to run a profitable business.
Here let us taking a look-around into a small shopee store with a peculiar sounding name Lovelysweet Candy Parlour, who runs a popular candy business in a local neighbourhood of downtown Philadelphia. LCP or Lovely as they are called, sell a variety of candies of many makes, colours, flavours and of course tastes and suited to customers of all ages, as attractive small goodies which cater to people of all streams in wide range of events/likes. Let’s see how these 'Lovely' folks go about their job of churning a profitable business from basic but creative thinking.
Push 1: LCP thinks innovatively and creates customer interest offering a ‘freebie’, an attractive packet of lip-smacking chocos which are price-tagged at 4 dollars, along with each $50 spent. Just an attractive poster display could make the customer buy for a minimum of $50, instead of stopping at $40 or 41 or so, and when he / she opts for the ‘freebie’ the counter girl offers a “double-pack” for just 6 dollars.
Push 2: LCP next offers a 20% discount by means of a small coupon card or something close to it on the next visit / order which quietly but effectively builds customer loyalty but unobtrusively mentioning “when the buy is for $200”.
Push 3: LCP ensures that the packing on each product is attractively and convenience-wrapped, since many of them are meant as gifts – so the contact information, phone or name merges as noticeable part of the packing but unobtrusively spreading the customer net to the giftees as well.
Push 4. LCP often uses co-sponsoring events closely intertwined with like businesses such as flowers, bathing products and so on, improving visibility all the way.
In effect what we did see is a simple demonstration of business success, adopted by the Lovelys. The focus was on three basic steps (a) to make each customer to buy a wee-bit more, (b) to make him/her to buy more often and thirdly (c) to make others to buy – in effect widening the customer base.
While these steps do not seem to be directly targeted on increasing profits, they really are, as the attack is on the in-built systems, to discover and tap the hidden resources from within, and finally turn towards a more successful business. In reality, efforts were on quietly to increase profits in each step. Increased profits would not only be the means but also the end, leading to business success and ultimately towards more profitable businesses which can thrive and grow - no stopping possible.
Business success is the result of co-ordinated focus on different ways to thrive and remain on top, which could translate into numbers of (a) customers, (b) enquiries,(c) units sold/serviced or for that matter even abstract and difficult measures to customer satisfaction, but in the end, it is always how in some form ‘to increase profits’, or simply how to run a profitable business.
Here let us taking a look-around into a small shopee store with a peculiar sounding name Lovelysweet Candy Parlour, who runs a popular candy business in a local neighbourhood of downtown Philadelphia. LCP or Lovely as they are called, sell a variety of candies of many makes, colours, flavours and of course tastes and suited to customers of all ages, as attractive small goodies which cater to people of all streams in wide range of events/likes. Let’s see how these 'Lovely' folks go about their job of churning a profitable business from basic but creative thinking.
Push 1: LCP thinks innovatively and creates customer interest offering a ‘freebie’, an attractive packet of lip-smacking chocos which are price-tagged at 4 dollars, along with each $50 spent. Just an attractive poster display could make the customer buy for a minimum of $50, instead of stopping at $40 or 41 or so, and when he / she opts for the ‘freebie’ the counter girl offers a “double-pack” for just 6 dollars.
Push 2: LCP next offers a 20% discount by means of a small coupon card or something close to it on the next visit / order which quietly but effectively builds customer loyalty but unobtrusively mentioning “when the buy is for $200”.
Push 3: LCP ensures that the packing on each product is attractively and convenience-wrapped, since many of them are meant as gifts – so the contact information, phone or name merges as noticeable part of the packing but unobtrusively spreading the customer net to the giftees as well.
Push 4. LCP often uses co-sponsoring events closely intertwined with like businesses such as flowers, bathing products and so on, improving visibility all the way.
In effect what we did see is a simple demonstration of business success, adopted by the Lovelys. The focus was on three basic steps (a) to make each customer to buy a wee-bit more, (b) to make him/her to buy more often and thirdly (c) to make others to buy – in effect widening the customer base.
While these steps do not seem to be directly targeted on increasing profits, they really are, as the attack is on the in-built systems, to discover and tap the hidden resources from within, and finally turn towards a more successful business. In reality, efforts were on quietly to increase profits in each step. Increased profits would not only be the means but also the end, leading to business success and ultimately towards more profitable businesses which can thrive and grow - no stopping possible.
Free Investment Research
Remember when you were in the eleventh grade and you had to choose an American author and research his or her life? You had to find out all about Hemingway or Twain or Frost and organize all the information into some sort of logical order and report it back to a teacher who already knew all that stuff anyway? Did you ever wonder why on earth you had to learn how to do all that? Well, believe it or not, those research papers you did in English and science and history classes were really good preparation for an important life skill. Yep; you guessed it; investment research.
Did you cheat your way through the research assignment? Did you buy someone else’s paper and turn it in as your own? Did you get your cheerleader girlfriend to write it for you so you could practice for the big Friday night football game? Did you blow it off entirely since you could still get a “C-“ in the course without actually doing the research paper?
If any of the above scenarios hits home, you should not worry. Want to know why? The cheerleader, the teacher, the entrepreneur who sold his papers and some other rather intelligent folks can help you out by providing free investment research for you now. They paid attention and can do it; you didn’t. See how it all works out? Sometimes life’s plan is incredible, don’t you think?
Anyway, now that you have a few extra bucks despite your lack of focused attention in school, it is time to figure out how to go about making a bit of a profit by investing those dollars. Chances are, you have very little clue how to go about that, though. Most people really don’t; that is where free investment research comes in.
If you are interested in learning a little about how best to use your money to make yourself more money, one thing you can do is let your mouse do the clicking. There are sites available online that can assist you by providing free investment research. Usually, if you agree to use their brokerage services, those economy-savvy folks will look into everything for you, just like they did in high school and help you make wise decisions with regard to your investment strategies now.
Whether you are willing to take a big risk and would like stocks, are scared to death to take much risk at all and would prefer bonds, need a quick return on your investment so you can retire in five years, or are willing to wait it out for the long haul, professionals are available to provide free investment research or investment research for a fee.
Whichever investment roads you choose to travel, one thing is certain. You should be extremely thankful for the boys and girls – nerdy or otherwise – who actually learned those research skills. They are here for you now, when you need them most.
Did you cheat your way through the research assignment? Did you buy someone else’s paper and turn it in as your own? Did you get your cheerleader girlfriend to write it for you so you could practice for the big Friday night football game? Did you blow it off entirely since you could still get a “C-“ in the course without actually doing the research paper?
If any of the above scenarios hits home, you should not worry. Want to know why? The cheerleader, the teacher, the entrepreneur who sold his papers and some other rather intelligent folks can help you out by providing free investment research for you now. They paid attention and can do it; you didn’t. See how it all works out? Sometimes life’s plan is incredible, don’t you think?
Anyway, now that you have a few extra bucks despite your lack of focused attention in school, it is time to figure out how to go about making a bit of a profit by investing those dollars. Chances are, you have very little clue how to go about that, though. Most people really don’t; that is where free investment research comes in.
If you are interested in learning a little about how best to use your money to make yourself more money, one thing you can do is let your mouse do the clicking. There are sites available online that can assist you by providing free investment research. Usually, if you agree to use their brokerage services, those economy-savvy folks will look into everything for you, just like they did in high school and help you make wise decisions with regard to your investment strategies now.
Whether you are willing to take a big risk and would like stocks, are scared to death to take much risk at all and would prefer bonds, need a quick return on your investment so you can retire in five years, or are willing to wait it out for the long haul, professionals are available to provide free investment research or investment research for a fee.
Whichever investment roads you choose to travel, one thing is certain. You should be extremely thankful for the boys and girls – nerdy or otherwise – who actually learned those research skills. They are here for you now, when you need them most.
Part 1 Secrets About Debt Negotiating And Protecting Your Rights
You’re sitting at dinner with your family and the telephone rings. It's a bill collector and they are demanding you pay them right now. Today! Tonight! Guess What? You don't have to do that. You have the right to what is called debt negotiating.
Very simply put this means when you are in financial trouble and can't pay your bills, you have the right to negotiate with your lenders, regardless of who they are. In addition, if the bill has been turned over to a collection agency, you can bargain with them also. However, this may not be quite as easy as it sounds.
Don't let this information scare you, use it to your advantage when you are talking with debt collectors. You are going to be dealing with someone who knows what they can say and how they can say it, when collecting a debt. This means it's critical for you to know your rights before starting the discussion.
One of the fastest ways for you to learn your rights is to go on-line to the Federal Trade Commission site. This official U.S. Government on-line brochure can be printed out so you will have it at your disposal day or night. You will find this brochure on-line at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm.
In addition many of the individual states have their own laws about debt collection. A quick check on-line with your states official site will fill you in on your rights and the bill collector’s rights. In addition there are other ways to protect your self.
Did you know that in 35 states in America, plus Washington, D.C., you can secretly record phone conversations? In the 15 other states, you can record a telephone conversation provided you advise the other person you are doing so.
You should check with your states Attorney General, on-line, to make sure where your state stands on this issue. Any time you are involved in debt negotiating, with a lender or collector, always try to have a tape recorder hooked up.
It's a tool which works like magic, during a negotiation. You would be surprised how calm and helpful lenders and debt collectors become when they are being recorded. However, you need to bear in mind that a recording can work both ways. Be sure to make only statements and commitments you can keep.
You do not have to let them bully you into making financial commitments you can't keep. Even though they insist you do it their way, make no mistake, you have the right to discuss the debt in full. Rationally and calmly! Determine what you can pay and then offer less than the amount. This way it gives you additional bargaining power, as the collector is going to try and bump the amount. Never go over the amount you can pay.
Remember one of the reasons you are in this 'debtor’s hell' is you overextended yourself. Trying to pay back more than you can will only dig the hole that much deeper.
This is only the first installment in a two part series of on “Secrets About Debt Negotiating And Protecting Your Rights”. Be sure and read Part 2 of this article.
Very simply put this means when you are in financial trouble and can't pay your bills, you have the right to negotiate with your lenders, regardless of who they are. In addition, if the bill has been turned over to a collection agency, you can bargain with them also. However, this may not be quite as easy as it sounds.
Don't let this information scare you, use it to your advantage when you are talking with debt collectors. You are going to be dealing with someone who knows what they can say and how they can say it, when collecting a debt. This means it's critical for you to know your rights before starting the discussion.
One of the fastest ways for you to learn your rights is to go on-line to the Federal Trade Commission site. This official U.S. Government on-line brochure can be printed out so you will have it at your disposal day or night. You will find this brochure on-line at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm.
In addition many of the individual states have their own laws about debt collection. A quick check on-line with your states official site will fill you in on your rights and the bill collector’s rights. In addition there are other ways to protect your self.
Did you know that in 35 states in America, plus Washington, D.C., you can secretly record phone conversations? In the 15 other states, you can record a telephone conversation provided you advise the other person you are doing so.
You should check with your states Attorney General, on-line, to make sure where your state stands on this issue. Any time you are involved in debt negotiating, with a lender or collector, always try to have a tape recorder hooked up.
It's a tool which works like magic, during a negotiation. You would be surprised how calm and helpful lenders and debt collectors become when they are being recorded. However, you need to bear in mind that a recording can work both ways. Be sure to make only statements and commitments you can keep.
You do not have to let them bully you into making financial commitments you can't keep. Even though they insist you do it their way, make no mistake, you have the right to discuss the debt in full. Rationally and calmly! Determine what you can pay and then offer less than the amount. This way it gives you additional bargaining power, as the collector is going to try and bump the amount. Never go over the amount you can pay.
Remember one of the reasons you are in this 'debtor’s hell' is you overextended yourself. Trying to pay back more than you can will only dig the hole that much deeper.
This is only the first installment in a two part series of on “Secrets About Debt Negotiating And Protecting Your Rights”. Be sure and read Part 2 of this article.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
AA Batteries
Duracell Coppertop AA 20 Count Pack
5 star six customer reviews and you save 46% today
I found it highly amusing when my parents handed me a rather heavy bag of AA batteries when we went down to see them for Christmas. They had bought quite a few things for my daughter for Christmas, and most of them took at least two AA batteries. They said that they know how expensive batteries can be, and they thought that if they did not supply the batteries that she might not get to play with many of her new toys. They may have been on to something because had we been the ones to buy the batteries, many of her toys would still be in the boxes they came in.
I was astounded at the number of AA batteries that we had to buy for the few toys we got her this year. I tried to get her toys that did not require batteries, because I think the ones that do not require batteries are more fun for kids. We did end up getting her three things that take AA batteries, and one of them took seven of them. I could not believe it. We bought a package of batteries for all three toys, but my husband had to go back to the store at the last minute to get more. Seven batteries in one toy is just ridiculous if you ask me, and it’s not like it did anything miraculous either.
Toys are not the only things in our home that eat through the AA batteries. My digital camera will take this size battery, but I gave up on that long ago. I would barely begin taking shots and the batteries would die. I even toyed with rechargeable AA batteries for my digital, but they weren’t the greatest deal either. I finally went out and got one of the other recommended types of batteries for my digital camera. If I hadn’t, I might have had to give up something just to pay for the batteries.
We also have a lot of remotes that take AA batteries. Though these do not run through batteries as quickly, they certainly demand their fair share. I think that if it were not for rechargeable AA batteries we might be broke by now. As things become more and more complicated, the need for batteries goes up. There has to be a way to stop this expense from becoming impossible to keep up with. There are AC adaptors for such things, but my remote isn’t designed to use one. That would be silly anyway. I’m hoping they can come up with a way to make the batteries to last longer without jacking up the price too much.
5 star six customer reviews and you save 46% today
I found it highly amusing when my parents handed me a rather heavy bag of AA batteries when we went down to see them for Christmas. They had bought quite a few things for my daughter for Christmas, and most of them took at least two AA batteries. They said that they know how expensive batteries can be, and they thought that if they did not supply the batteries that she might not get to play with many of her new toys. They may have been on to something because had we been the ones to buy the batteries, many of her toys would still be in the boxes they came in.
I was astounded at the number of AA batteries that we had to buy for the few toys we got her this year. I tried to get her toys that did not require batteries, because I think the ones that do not require batteries are more fun for kids. We did end up getting her three things that take AA batteries, and one of them took seven of them. I could not believe it. We bought a package of batteries for all three toys, but my husband had to go back to the store at the last minute to get more. Seven batteries in one toy is just ridiculous if you ask me, and it’s not like it did anything miraculous either.
Toys are not the only things in our home that eat through the AA batteries. My digital camera will take this size battery, but I gave up on that long ago. I would barely begin taking shots and the batteries would die. I even toyed with rechargeable AA batteries for my digital, but they weren’t the greatest deal either. I finally went out and got one of the other recommended types of batteries for my digital camera. If I hadn’t, I might have had to give up something just to pay for the batteries.
We also have a lot of remotes that take AA batteries. Though these do not run through batteries as quickly, they certainly demand their fair share. I think that if it were not for rechargeable AA batteries we might be broke by now. As things become more and more complicated, the need for batteries goes up. There has to be a way to stop this expense from becoming impossible to keep up with. There are AC adaptors for such things, but my remote isn’t designed to use one. That would be silly anyway. I’m hoping they can come up with a way to make the batteries to last longer without jacking up the price too much.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Making Bank with Stay at Home Jobs
It sounds like a dream job. Go to work in your pajamas. Work only a few hours a day. Make a killing. However, as anyone who has looked for home based employment will tell you, many offers are scams. For this reason, the work at home market has gained a bad reputation, and may people have assumed that there are no legitimate professional opportunities in that realm. This could not be further from the truth. While there may not be a wide variety of six figure work at home jobs out there, there are plenty that can help you make ends meet.
Freelance writer- This is one of those work at home jobs that has a large amount of variety within the field. You can work as a journalist, blogger or hired gun, providing unique web content on demand or for larger companies. With some employers, you get handed quotas for accomplishment in a given time span, or individual assignments. In other cases, you will be hired on for one project at a time. Other websites, such as http://www.demandstudios.com, will list a variety of assignments that you can claim and make money off of. Others, such as http://www.suite101.com, allow you to write about whatever you want, and people looking for web content will buy the rights to your material. As far as work at home jobs go, this is one with lots of opportunity and a great deal of flexibility.
Medical Transcriptionist- While some work at home jobs don't require much training, but this is the exception to the rule. If you are a medical transcriptionist, you will have to listen to audio of a medical chart's dictation, and type it verbatim. It requires an ability to type very quickly, and the use of a specialized pedal to start and stop the audio while you type. It may require some initial investment, but this is one of the few work at home jobs that will actually be able to financially support you all on its own. The pay for a medical transcriptionist makes the extra work worth it.
Survey Taker- This may seem like one of the more sketchy options available, but if you have some flexible capital, this can work for you. This is one of those works at home jobs where you sign up with a website who will direct you to surveys to take and emails to read. You will be reimbursed for each objective you complete. You can even get paid for signing up for free trials! In other cases, you need to sign up for services, which will cost some money. However, with some of these services, you can cancel after a month or so, and the fees for signing up are low. The trade off can be a lucrative one for you if you do it the right way, but this process can often be time consuming. This is one of those works at home jobs that would be a good fit for a stay at home mom trying to bring in some extra money.
Freelance writer- This is one of those work at home jobs that has a large amount of variety within the field. You can work as a journalist, blogger or hired gun, providing unique web content on demand or for larger companies. With some employers, you get handed quotas for accomplishment in a given time span, or individual assignments. In other cases, you will be hired on for one project at a time. Other websites, such as http://www.demandstudios.com, will list a variety of assignments that you can claim and make money off of. Others, such as http://www.suite101.com, allow you to write about whatever you want, and people looking for web content will buy the rights to your material. As far as work at home jobs go, this is one with lots of opportunity and a great deal of flexibility.
Medical Transcriptionist- While some work at home jobs don't require much training, but this is the exception to the rule. If you are a medical transcriptionist, you will have to listen to audio of a medical chart's dictation, and type it verbatim. It requires an ability to type very quickly, and the use of a specialized pedal to start and stop the audio while you type. It may require some initial investment, but this is one of the few work at home jobs that will actually be able to financially support you all on its own. The pay for a medical transcriptionist makes the extra work worth it.
Survey Taker- This may seem like one of the more sketchy options available, but if you have some flexible capital, this can work for you. This is one of those works at home jobs where you sign up with a website who will direct you to surveys to take and emails to read. You will be reimbursed for each objective you complete. You can even get paid for signing up for free trials! In other cases, you need to sign up for services, which will cost some money. However, with some of these services, you can cancel after a month or so, and the fees for signing up are low. The trade off can be a lucrative one for you if you do it the right way, but this process can often be time consuming. This is one of those works at home jobs that would be a good fit for a stay at home mom trying to bring in some extra money.
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