How Can A Montessori School Save You Money?

Is it possible to save money by sending your child to a Montessori school? First, its important to understand how a Montessori classroom operates. The classroom is an environment for self-education and self-realization. The room is divided up into different learning stations. There are 5 stations in most classrooms:

Practical Life This area develops task organization and promotes the understanding of cognitive order.

Sensorial This area teaches the students to classify and describe sensory impressions such as length, width, temperature, color, etc. Special Montessori games are used which have metal weights, different length rods, puzzles of the world, United States, etc., and also includes smelling activities.

Math- The Math station uses manipulative materials to enable the comprehension of number, symbol, sequence, operations concepts and the memorization of basic facts.

Language Unique tools are used to communicate the understanding of letters and eventually the recognition of words and finally, the accomplishment of being able to read.

Cultural Activities Teachers spend times teaching about different counties of the world. The topics covered are: geography, history, cultures (food, clothing, traditions), music and art. This part of the program gives children a worldly perspective.

My 4 year old son has been attending Montessori school since he was 2. Its evident that his language and understanding of the world around him are developing at a rapid pace. In his school, it is expected that pre-schoolers (4 year olds) will know how to read and write before kindergarten.

What impressed me most about this particular school is that they use the Open Court Sound Cards. The sound cards are drilled every day throughout the entire school year. The cards have a picture and a letter on them. Each card represents either a vowel or a consonant. The students learn the letters and their corresponding sounds through repetition and pictures. There are 42 cards in the set, each with a different letter, vowel or letter grouping (the letter grouping example is ph, to represent the sound f).

An example is the sound card for the letter W. There is a picture of two whales whispering to each other. During the lesson, the students chant Whispering whale, whispering whale, wuh, wuh, wuh. This repetition enforces the concept of how the letter W looks and also what it sounds like. This exercise is the very beginning of learning to read. In order to learn how to read, a child must first learn all the letters of the alphabet and their sounds.

The Open Court Sound Cards, published by McGraw-Hill SRA, are reviewed each day for the entire year. If a child starts learning this at age 2 or 3, she will be putting the letters together and reading at around age 4 to 5. Some other benefits of Open Court learning are:

Phonological and phonemic awareness

Print and book awareness

Alphabetic knowledge

Oral language skill enhancement

Vocabulary growth

improved comprehension

According to www.montessori-ami.org, A significant finding in Montessori studies is the association between a Montessori education and superior performance on the Math and Science scales of the ACT and WKCE (Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exams). In essence, attending a Montessori program from the approximate ages of three to eleven predicts significantly higher mathematics and science standardized test scores in high school."

To answer the question posed in the title of this article, How Can A Montessori School Save You Money?, the answer is in the childs future education. Studies show that a Montessori educated child is more confident and enthusiastic about learning and school. He or she will already know how to read and write by kindergarten. Because of this, the child will be less likely to need tutoring or other prep classes during the elementary school years.

Janet Freitag is the owner and creator of the website http://www.hempwonders.com, a site about the fascinating little known uses and benefits of the hemp plant. Hempwonders is also a reference for hemp diaper information. She is also an affiliate of Site Build It!, the software program she used to create her website. You can visit Site Build It! at http://wahm.sitesell.com/Janet36.htmlAvis Blog69516
Anthia Blog59310

Making Money Easily

In my early, to mid-twenties I made money easily, recession or not. I never had any debts, except the mortgage and money just seemed to flow to me. But then it all stopped rather abruptly and for years I was left with one question

Why?

In truth my life changed. It could be argued it completely fell apart. Perhaps the most challenging area of this - long term - was around money and career. In fact I've reflect on these challenges many times, i.e. why do they seem so difficult when all I want to do is do something I love or be spiritual.

Maybe you can relate to this.

More lately I've come to understand that my vibrational field changed. I began to attract and repel through this new spirituality (vibration) rather than my old. This meant that jobs and people and my experience of life began to change. At times I felt like my life was completely breaking down, but the truth is, I was actually breaking through.

I guess it's like a good spiritual healing. Your energy field is shattered and you can begin anew. And while you might feel like you're coming apart at the seems, you're actually reforming.

And what do we find on the other side of this reformation?

Most likely you'll find a person you like more. Someone more settled. Someone who appreciates much more than ever before. Perhaps someone who can tap into heartfelt love and laugh more easily.

Is it easy to do?

I didn't find it easy in the beginning. I'd also say I've been stuck in certain places for certain times. But the further along this spiritual route I've come, the more fun I seem to be having.

One of the areas we may fight with most is our careers or what we perceive to be our 'Life Purpose'. Here we seem to have a struggle with the physical need for money, verses spiritual way of being. It's a struggle that can go on for quite some time.

For years I read books on spirituality, but more recently Ive been fortunate enough to find a wealth of teachers. As these teachers have passed on their knowledge to me, the financial gates seem to have reopened. Its as if I had to get off the money path, in order to learn spirituality, so I could return to the money path, but with enlightenment.

My tip for you is to discover your life purpose - your true gift and talent and begin using it in ways that add value to the lives of others. I also suggest that a good teachers can help you, but you have to choose wisely.

Best
Neil

Neil MillarArlinda Blog80560
Averyl Blog98832

Take Hurdle Free Easy Finance On Opting For Bad Credit Tenant Loan UK

Bad credit is no more taken as a sin when such a borrower goes shopping for a loan though terms and condition are a little tough. Especially if the borrower happens to be a tenant, not owning any property worth taking loan against, meeting expenses becomes all the more difficult. If labeled bad credit, tenants can take refuge in bad credit tenant loan UK. Tenants can make use of bad credit tenant loan UK for different purposes like buying vehicle, paying for medical bills, going to a holiday tour etc. The loan can be availed by homeowners also if they do not want to risk property for fear of its repossession. Students and people living with parents are equally eligible for the loan.

Tenant is tagged bad credit because of payment defaults from his or her end and faced County Court Judgments and bankruptcy. On FICO credit score scale ranging from 300 to 850, credit score of bad credit tenant is either 580 or below which is considered as risky for offering loan.

However, despite bad credit, tenants get bad credit tenant loan UK in easy manner. Tenant should convince the lender that the loan will be paid back in time. To do so, tenant should produce proof of employment or source of regular income. This to some extent assures about safe return of the loan. No collateral is required to be offered to lender for securing the loan.

Tenant can borrow bad credit tenant loan UK anywhere in the range of 1000 to 25000 which is generally sufficient for meeting different expenses. The loan is usually given for smaller duration ranging from 6 months to 2 years. Interest rate is kept higher but it should not discourage tenant as the loan is paid off within months and the interest rate burden is not felt much. The loan is approved quickly as time wasted in collateral evaluating is saved.

It is beneficial to apply for the loan online. Number of lenders offers bad credit tenant loan UK packages in response to the loan application. Do not forget to compare them for lower interest rate and better terms-conditions. Online lenders charge no fee for processing application and give related details free.

Bad credit tenant loan UK thus is perfect option for tenant suffering from bad credit. The loan goes long way in improving credit score of tenant besides meeting necessary expenses. Pay off monthly installments in time to avoid incurring debt again.

Peter Taylor is a senior financial analyst at BestTenantLoansUK with an acumen for finance and insurance.To find Personal loan for tenant UK ,unsecured personal loan, adverse credit personal loan, new car loan, home improvement loan that best suits your need visit http://www.besttenantloansuk.co.ukAvrit Blog80602
Alys Blog63090

Introduction to Panama Real Estate

If you found this page and are reading this I assume you are from one of the following countries: USA, Canada, UK, Northern Europe, or Australia. I further assume you are thinking of investing in Panama and/or living here. In this introduction I am unashamedly trying to give you a cold harsh blast of reality shock! This article is mostly written from an American perspective but a lot of it is applicable to other countries as well.

State of the Union - Your Home Country

What you see in your own country (if you are reading this page it should apply to you) is not encouraging economically. The economy basically is receding and has been getting worse for a while. Inflation has been destroying your purchasing power. Unemployment is at a dangerously high level. Health care has been diminishing in quality for the last 25 years and the costs have been rising steadily the last 10-15 years at an alarming rate. Prescription drug costs are becoming staggering and insurance coverage is dropping, by the way prescription drug costs in Panama are about one third of the USA price. Hospitals are closing all over the USA in record numbers. Taxes are at an incredibly high rate while government benefits are at an all time low. America and many other countries have wobbly economies with massive debt loads. As of November 2005 the State of Vermont has taken official steps to secede from the Union, no kidding do a Google search for Vermont secession. I understand Hawaii and Alaska are right behind.

Now let's look at rising interest rates. Imagine what those variable rate mortgages will look like in a few months! What about all those mortgages in excess of three hundred thousand dollars - what are these people going to do? Sell, no way the new buyers will never qualify because the interest rates have pushed up the payments so much. So they hang on and suffer. Okay now let's look at rising gas prices. In the cold areas home heating oil costs are going to be $300-$400 per month higher this year (2005-2006 winter) than last year and they were high last year. So now the mortgage payment is up and so is the home heating cost. Now let's add in the rising gas prices. Take a family where there are two commuters going an hour each way to work in their SUV's. This is a common scenario in many parts of the USA. These people are spending an extra $400 - $600 a month on gas combined, and this gets added into the rising mortgage rates, the rising home heating oil costs, the rising health care costs. Wait it gets worse. When the food and hard goods manufacturers bill the supermarkets, stores etc. for food and goods they are adding in a fuel surcharge which gets added into the price you pay which means your cost of living is inflating again every time you buy anything in a store. Let's look at credit cards. Lots of people are maxed out on their credit cards. If they read the terms of agreement with their credit card companies they will see that if their credit scores get adversely affected or they are late in payments the favorable low interest rates they got will go to the marginal credit interest rates (think 18%+). The real bad news is that when the credit card companies run their credit reports and see that they are maxed out on their cards that reduces their credit scores and thus the high rates will kick in. Have you noticed that America recently changed in Bankruptcy laws making it very difficult for a person to use the protection of the Bankruptcy Courts anymore, this is not a coincidence.

More and more jobs in America are moving overseas. Levi Straus no longer makes any products in the USA. Yikes!! Do the big corporations know something we don't?

More and more jobs in America are moving overseas. Levi Straus no longer makes any products in the USA. Yikes!! Do the big corporations know something we don't? Loss of jobs means that in turn more jobs will be lost since purchasing power diminishes when one is unemployed. What will happen when people can not afford the extra gas costs for their SUV's. If they go to sell their SUV's they'll find the resale value is thousands of dollars below what they owe due to declining used car prices on gas hogs. So selling is not an option for the average cash strapped family. Have you ever heard of an employer increasing wages due to rising energy costs, me neither. This winter you will see families walking around inside the house wearing down vests in America. People are already making fewer trips to the supermarket to save on gas. Carpooling is about to make a big comeback. In any event do you see rising housing prices in the USA as a likely outcome? I don't. I can find no reasons to make me think housing prices will rise in America for many years. Do you see declining housing prices as a likely outcome - I do. Hurricane season has now become a six to seven month event. Those that can move out of hurricane zones will do so and I expect they will be selling cheap and thus buying into lower price areas. Hurricane insurance costs will be skyrocketing after this season as well and the banks will take that into account decreasing the amount of mortgage a person can qualify for even further. Those in the cold zones will be suffering from those big heating bills this winter and this can only serve to drive down housing prices. The banks will take the rising energy costs into account when qualifying people making it harder to quality for the same value house one could qualify for two years ago and without the cooperation of the banks real estate prices decline. Rest assured the banks are quite scared about now.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.panamaexpertos.com

Jean Bouttet is a researcher, with years of experience in finances and real estate.Alys Blog63090
Alli Blog79971

How To Get The Right Travel Insurance And Save Money

You are ready for your dream holiday, but there is that one practicality left - insurance.

While there is no doubt that travel insurance is necessary, and not something with which you should do without, finding a policy which is not only cheap, but also offers the correct levels of protection for the activities on your vacation can be both daunting and boring.

With countless pages of policy small print and get-out clauses for the insurer, it can seem almost impossible to find what you want for a good price.

The majority of insurance policies do have reasonably comprehensive cover, and can often be purchased including dangerous sports such as skiing. However, the complications arise when it comes to deductibles and health situations, such as pre-existing problems.

For example, what happens if you do need to go to hospital in a foriegn country? Will the insurance company pick up the bill, or will you have to claim and pay at the time. This will not be suitable for a lot of travellers on a lower budget, but is the way that most policies work. There are many gaps and get-outs in travel insurance policies, and you will need to spot them in advance, should a problem arise.

Most policies cover trip cancellation, robbery, lost baggage, medical, dental and accidental death coverage, but you may also find emergency evacuation, insurance against delays, lost documentation and 24 hour travel assistance.

The key to finding the best deal is to shop around yourself - Don't simply buy your travel insurance from your travel agent. Here are a few reasons why:

- The coverage will not be as good.
- The policy will be less flexible.
- It may duplicate areas that you are already insured for.

It may seem like a better deal at the time to buy your insurance from your travel agent, but remember that they are not specialised in this area, and will only be offering an out-of-the-box policy from some partner insurance company, which they will make money off.

As with most things, you are better off doing your research, and arranging it yourself.

When buying your policy from an insurance company:

- Get quotes from as many companies as you can.
- Read the small print. Does it cover your intended activities?
- Can you waive the pre existing condition exclusion.
- Find out what types of cancellation the insurer will not pay out for. Again, it comes to carefully reading the policy details (I know it's boring, but it is necessary)
- Finally, if there is anything you need to know - Ask! There is no point in having the policy if you end up unable to claim.

Wishing you a fantastic trip, and an unused travel insurance policy!

Go to http://www.destroy-your-debt.com/insurance for more information.

Andrew Moore is the webmaster of http://www.destroy-your-debt.com, A site dedicated to providing free impartial advice concerning financial matters, as well as insurance. Visit our Insurance pages at: http://www.destroy-your-debt.com/insuranceArlinda Blog80560
Angelita Blog25212

Adventures in Wally (cash) World

I went to walmart 2 nights ago and had a very fun experience. I was going there for a chocolate cake. Cash in hand and ready to rock. That is it. Chocolate cake. Then....my wife calls me and asks me to check her friend's bridal registry and get a bed set for her that is on her list. So, I automatically start drooling and doing the duuuuuuhhh thing.

Since it is midnight, I ask a cashier where the registry "machine" thing is. She tells me go to the customer service desk and ask. Well, I go over there and stand for 10 minutes and assume it is closed. So after feeling like a total nutcase for 10 minutes, a cleaning guy comes by and says, "they are closed". So obviously smoke starts to come out of my ears. I go to another cashier and ask again and she tells me it is by the jewelry counter! GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

I walk over to the counter and find the registry and put in the info and wait for the list to print. Paper gets stuck. I pull it out and it doesnt print so i have to do it again. As I wait for the 1 page I think is printing, it spits out 8 pages! It also takes at least 30 seconds to print each one! I get the pages and then I have to go find this stupid bed set.

I am in a pair of shorts with no pockets and I am holding my keys, wallet, cell and this encyclopedia of a bridal registry. I go across the store (about 2 miles I guess) and search for this bed set. I get to the bed section and of course I have an item # and name for it but no clue whatsoever what it looks like! I start rummaging through the bed sets (3 aisles of them) and I finally find it. I have already been in wally world for 45 minutes by the way. I find it and now have cell phone, keys, wallet, bed set (with handle woohoo), and my wife calls and tells me we need trash bags.

So, I find the aisle marked trash bags and it is about a mile south from where the bedding was. I go into to the aisle with all of this crap I am carrying and guess what?! No trash bags. I then proceed to find a stocker and ask him where trash bags are. He says, "aisle 13". Guess where aisle 13 is? A mile north next to the bedding section!!!!! So I head to aisle 13 and the aisle is blocked so I have to walk half a block to get down the other side to get trash bags.Finally, carrying trash bags, bed set, keys, wallet, and cell I come across a stray cart.

Felt like I just had 100 PIPS sign-ups just fell from the sky! It was sweeeeeeet! Put everything in the cart and started to push and a freaking rock is jammed in the front wheel! I wrestle the rock out and then of course and opposite wheel wobbles. I did not care if it had 2 wheels and a dog house dragging from it...myself and this cart were getting out of this prison no matter what.

I head toward check out and forgot the chocolate cake! No reason to go home if I don't have the chocolate cake. I would be homeless. Remember that is the reason I went there in the first place. Isn't that funny? HAHA. You laugh at my pain. So, I go to get the cake and there it is. I have never seen a more beautiful cake in my life. I pick it up and........drop it. No harm no foul. I flip it over and grab another just like it and grab a case of pop on the way to the register.

Since it is now almost 1 AM, they are cleaning the floors and have a little aisle roped off that you are supposed to get a wobbly cart through. It is about 12" wide and I knock over a stand that they had the rope tied to. I pick that up and finally get to check out. Scan everything run my credit card and TA DA! Finished! Wrong!!!

I look at my receipt and was charged for 2 cases of pop instead of 1. At $4.98 a case that is a good deal but I am not giving away 5 bucks to a multi-billion dollar company. I turn to look for the cashier and *poof* she is gone. Must be related to Copperfield I thought. So, I track her down and she says I can wait for someone to come up and credit my card or grab another case of pop. So knowing how fast I could be at grabbing another case, I took option B. I go to grab a case and the cashier tells the night manager and she OK's it. I grab a case and head for the door like a kid running for the Christmas tree on Christmas morn.

I get to the door and I get stopped and have to show my receipt. They can't help you with anything or have things were they are supposed to be, but hey they know if you grab something. I explain it to him, he sees it on my receipt, but he has to confirm it with the manager!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! If I wasn't a humble person, you all would have seen me on Fox news as the man on a rampage in Walmart tearing the store apart.He comes back 5 minutes (not kidding) later. Lets me go. I walk out a free man!

It is now almost 1:30 AM and I cannot find my car. I have been in that !#@$%!$ store for an hour and a half and forgot 3/4 of my life in that time span. I get to my car and load up. As I go to close the trunk, I drop the bag holding the cake that I was going to put in the front with me so I did not smash it! I grab the cake which made it through with very minor lacerations and take off like a man buying crap for his wife in Walmart. I get home and vow to never go to Walmart again. (Went back yesterday for veggies).

Murphy's Law my butt!
Walmart's Law now baby!

The moral to this story? Don't give up until you have your cake and eat it to!

Doug GormanAurore Blog8490
Antonietta Blog35642

Using Your Health Savings Account to Pay for International Travel

Thousands of U.S. citizens are taking advantage of the low cost and high quality of foreign hospitals by traveling abroad for medical treatment. The savings are often 75 percent or more, and the entire cost of treatment may even be payable with tax-free money from a Health Savings Account.

Medical tourism first began to get popular in the 1990's, when people began traveling in large numbers to Brazil for cosmetic surgery. But as costs have continued to rise, thousands of Americans have been traveling overseas for real medical conditions, such as knee replacements, by-pass operations, heart valve replacements, and other serious issues. Many countries are seeing medical tourism as a good way to bring in foreign money.

In many cases the quality of medicine available overseas is equal to the top hospitals in the U.S. Patients are showing up at places like the Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad, India, part of a 36-hospital chain founded by a cardiologist from Massachusetts General. A heart valve replacement may cost $50,000 to $100,000 in the U.S., and only $12,000 in India, including travel costs.

Escorts Heart Institute and Research Center, in Delhi, India, is another popular medical tourist destination. It was founded by Dr. Naresh Trehan, an authority on robotic cardiac surgery formerly based at New York University.

Blue Cross Blue Shield has just announced that they will pay for treatment at Bumrungrad International Hospital, in Bangkok, Thailand for individuals from South Carolina. Over 80,000 Americans received treatment there last year. The hospital boasts that over 200 of its doctors are board-certified in the U.S, and will perform a knee replacement operation for 20 percent of what it would cost in the U.S.

Who Does This?

Dodie Gilmore is a 60 year-old rodeo barrel-racing champ from Oklahoma. She runs a 180 acre ranch, but could no longer ride a horse because she needed a hip replacement. Her health insurance plan had an exclusion that wouldn't cover her operation, and she really didn't feel like paying the $35,000 it would cost her. Instead she and her partner flew to India where she had the surgery at the Max Institute of Orthopedics and Joint Replacement.

Her physician was Dr. S.K.S. Marya, who averages one American hip-replacement patient every week. Dodie's total coast, including travel, was only $11,000. She even managed to take in a tour of the Taj Mahal.

Forty to Sixty percent of those surveyed say they would consider surgery abroad if it could save them $5,000 or more. Going out of the U.S. (perhaps even just to Mexico), could be a worthwhile strategy if you have an exclusionary waiver on your policy, if you'll be having elective surgery not covered by your health insurance policy, or if you have a high deductible plan.

What is the Risk?

According to the Institute of Medicine, over 100,000 accidental deaths occur in hospitals every year. And that's here in the U.S. Hospitals are a dangerous place to be, and you want to spend as little of your life in one as possible. So there are risks everywhere, and probably greater risks outside the U.S.

But the magic of the free-market does give you some protection. There is a lot of money flowing to countries and international hospitals that practice high-quality medicine. If a hospital does not provide quality service, you can bet its customers will go elsewhere, particularly if they are choosing among anywhere in the world.

The influx of foreign patients (and money) is enticing more western-trained doctors to return home, so the choices are actually increasing, and the quality and prices continue to improve. I believe that if you use care in choosing your provider and structuring your treatment, the risks are no greater than having surgery here in the U.S.

How to Research Your Options

Keep in mind that most health insurance plans still will not cover for treatment outside the U.S., particularly if you are traveling specifically to receive medical care. So check with your insurer if the cost of the treatment is going to exceed your deductible.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations certifies hospitals here in the U.S. Their international division, Joint Commission International, certifies hospitals throughout the rest of the world. Make sure the facility that you are considering has been certified by them.

Then check out your doctor. Confirm that he or she is English speaking, and was trained in the U.S., U.K., Australia, or Germany.

Finally, consider hiring a consultant to help you choose the best hospital and surgeon for your needs. A good service will not only set up the treatment, but can also arrange all travel plans, meet you at the airport, and act as your liaison while you are being treated.

If you spend money from your Health Savings Account to pay for international medical care, the amount you withdraw is tax-free. Health Savings Account regulations also allow you to cover the cost of your travel if the reason you are traveling to get medical care is not "for purely personal reasons."

When choosing how to manage your health, you should carefully consider all your options. International travel is a great option for people with Health Savings Accounts.

Wiley Long - President, HSA for America (http://www.health--savings--accounts.com) - The nation's leading independent health insurance firm specializing in individual and family coverage that work with Health Savings Accounts.Auria Blog5766
Alyson Blog60850

Direct Mail Advertising - Tips and Tricks

Direct mail advertising is a marketing technique you will likely use in your virtual IT business. Because this type of advertising can be expensive, it is best to know the ins and outs before you begin.

Direct Mail Advertising Tips

It typically takes at least three to five pieces of direct mail advertising before you get a response, and sometimes a lot more! To improve your response rate, you should be using a highly targeted direct mail advertising list.

To obtain a highly targeted direct mail advertising list, rent one that has some common element: industry, occupation, etc...

Once you have a highly targeted list, write a headline for your direct mail advertising that hits the target audience's hot buttons. With a good headline and good copy theres no reason why you can't up the standard 1% response rate into the 3% - 5% range.

To find out what your target audience would be most interested in, poll some of them. There is no point sending out direct mail advertising if your offer is not appealing.

Use postcards for your direct mail advertising rather than letters. You can get them out the door faster, there is less copy to write, you'll save money on the printing, you'll save money on the postage, and you can mail more often and more pieces.

Set up a system to track and measure every single inquiry on the mailer. This way you can determine if the inquiries are coming after the first, second, third, etc.. piece of direct mail advertising received.

Use a two-step sales process. Get them first to raise their hand by making an inquiry and then you take over and do a more rigorous qualification after that.

Make your direct mail advertising date-sensitive. This forces a response sooner rather than later.

Send out a small, 500 - 1000 piece, test sample. This way you can make changes to the direct mail advertising copy or change your list before you make a big investment.

Bottom Line on Direct Mail Advertising

Direct mail advertising can be an effective tool. The key to maximizing your return with it is to be smart about it. Use the tips above to create a direct mail advertising campaign that will get you the results you need.

Copyright MMI-MMVII, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg, co-owner of Computer Consulting 101, gets computer consulting businesses more steady high-paying clients. Now you can too with your free access pass to proven computer consulting secrets at http://www.Computer-Consulting-101.com.Ania Blog5930
Alene Blog79073

How Online Article Marketing is Significantly Increasing My Income (Part 4 of 5)

Following is Part 4 of my case study on article marketing. Specifically, Im studying the following topic in detail: Article Marketing Does It Work, Or Not?

My desire is to create more passive income. An overworked freelancer, I decided to give article marketing a REAL try, as Id read so much about it. Following are more of the sites Im consistently submitting articles to. I chose them because they had good PR and Alexa rankings.

For explanations of these, as well as details on the beginning of the experiment, see the 10/26/06 post on InkwellEditorial.blogspot.com.

16. ContentTycoon.com: This directory has a PR rank of 4 and an Alexa rank of 201,965.

You must create an author account to submit. According to the announcement on their site, they recently underwent an overhaul and the wait time to approve an article is less than 24 hours.

This is not the case with my articles. To date, theyve approved 2 of the 8 Ive submitted. Considering that some sites can take up to 4 weeks to approve an article though Im not complaining.

No article stats are provided here. So again, get out your article tracking log sheet.*

17. AfroArticles.com: This directory has a PR rank of 4 and an Alexa rank of 38,666.

This site has extensive category listings.

I had to smile when I read their submission guidelines because I wrote a couple of articles explaining why I believe that longer articles sell better. On article length, they state: An article length between 700 to 2500 words is desirable. Finally, somebody gets it!

This site is easy to navigate and once you create an author account, you can start submitting multiple articles immediately. Article stats and a tracking feature are also provided.

As an aside, being African American, I like that they have categories which focus on "Afro Issues" among the other categories you'd find at any article submission site. When I ran my ethnic online crafts business, I had a hard time finding enough outlets to submit articles to, so it's nice to see someone has recognized this void.

18. ImpactArticles: This directory has a PR rank of 4 and an Alexa rank of 189,006.

You dont need to create an author account to submit here. I tried to use their form to submit, but it didnt work. So, I sent them the article via email, as advised on their site (eg, when the form doesnt work).

This is a no-frills site (no tracking features, feeds or article stats provided). The only reason I chose this site is that it is updated daily and I recognized a couple of names of authors who have done well in Internet marketing (ie, Charlie Cook and Willie Crawford).

Google either of these names and youll see what I mean. I figured if their articles are there, then its a good place for mine to be.

19. Free-Articles-Zone.com: This directory has a PR rank of 4 and an Alexa rank of 56,670.

You need to create an author account to submit. Im a bit perplexed at this directory because Ive submitted 8 articles here and according to my account, only one is showing up.

The others seem to have disappeared. Usually a site will tell you if an article is pending, or if there are problems that need to be addressed before it is published nothing here. Just one article that was published on 10/19, which means its probably the first one I submitted.

HTML Note: This site uses what I call "alternative code" for common elements (bold, ital, underline, etc.). Eg, instead of *b*BOLD*/b* for bold, it uses *strong*BOLD*/strong*. This is the only site I encountered to use this type of coding.

Im bummed that Im going to have to go back and submit to this site. I really like their setup and the overall feel of the site not to mention their very good rankings.

20. MainStreetMom.com: This directory has a PR rank of 5 and an Alexa rank of 200,721.

This is not a directory site. It describes itself as The online magazine for modern mothers with traditional values.... See explanation below as to why I submitted articles here.

By the way, no need to create an account to submit here they have an article submission form that you use.

When Its a Good Idea to Use Lower-Rated Directories and Websites

Targeted Marketing: As I explained at the beginning of this experiment, I chose directories/sites based on their PR and Alexa rankings.

But, as you may have noticed, some of these sites are not exactly top-rated. So, why did I submit to them? Because they spoke directly to the audience Im trying to reach.

This may sound a little elementary, but in the interest of educating, it is always more important to reach 100 people who fit your target market than 1,000 who do not.

Eg, MainStreetMom.com. While its Alexa ranking is below the much desired 100,000 or lower range, it speaks directly to an audience who show a great interest in my product (e-books on freelance writing again, if I can ever find time to get them on Clickbank!).

So, as you prepare to market, write down the who, what, where, when and why as it pertains to your target market. Eg, who and/or what are they, where are they, when are they there and why are they there?

Answers to these questions will give you a pretty clear picture of where and how to market your product/service.

Article Marketing Tips Learned from This On-Going Case Study

a. Submit to the head of the directory: What do I mean by this? Many directories have sub-categories. Eg, a main heading might be Writing & Speaking. Under this you may find article marketing, e-book publishing, copywriting, etc.

From my article stats (where provided), Ive noticed that the articles submitted under the main heading (eg, Writing & Speaking) get read more than those under the sub-headings.

I can only guess that many people dont know exactly what theyre looking for, so will search under a main category heading first. As most surfers flit from article to article, they may never get around to clicking through to sub-categories.

Article directory owners may disagree with this, or move your article to a sub-category, but unless/until they say otherwise, I would submit under main category headings first.

b. Submit a series of articles: Over the last month and a half, including this series on article marketing, Ive written two more series (eg, Part 1 of 2).

I dont know if it was the topic or not (my topics focused on ways for freelancers to make more money), but articles as part of a series are getting more reads in a shorter period of time than single articles. They are also picked up by more e-zine publishers.

Mind you, this is a very limited study and a very narrow topic. Much more analysis over a longer period of time would need to be done to make definitive conclusions.

Im just tossing out info as I notice it. If you can lend any insight into any of these observations, please do so. Im as anxious to know as anyone.

c. Go minute! What do I mean? Give as much detail as possible. With online marketing being so competitive, implementing even the smallest change can mean a big return.

Readers pick up on and dissect the smallest details. In my opinion, this is extremely helpful because something that you might not think of as important could be the clue that breaks the case wide open.

Shake, Shake, Shake My Moneymaker!

My earnings are up a bit to almost 3 times overall what I was making (per day) before I started this experiment.

*Article Tracking Log Sheet: After this experiment ends, I will be doing a final, in-depth case study analysis. Along with this, I will provide an article tracking log sheet I fashioned to keep track of where I submitted articles.

Stay tuned for Part V.

May be reprinted with the following, in full:

Yuwanda Black is the publisher of http://InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less -- Guaranteed! Log on to http://InkwellEditorial.com to learn how.Anne Corinne Blog61283
Ailyn Blog79915

Purchasing Insurance For Travel Tours Abroad

To purchase or not to purchase travel insurance, that is the question. If you have done some research or talked to a travel agent, you might have been told that insurance is absolutely necessary. After all, you have put a lot of money into airfare and booking your hotel. But does that mean you need to spend more on insurance?

Travel insurance was created to make sure your money is refunded should something go wrong at the last second. This includes many circumstances that would prevent you from traveling, like illness or a flight being canceled due to inclimate weather. If your plans are put on hold, at least you will get your money back. But there are ways this insurance can help you while you are on vacation as well.

When taking travel tours abroad, check and see if your normal health insurance will cover you in a foreign country. Often, plans either do not cover you, or are just not accepted abroad. Should this be the case for you, then invest in travel insurance. This way, you are sure to be covered if you need medical attention while on vacation.

Unfortunately, travelers these days need to be aware of terrorism when they travel abroad. Should terrorist activity occur where you are about to vacation, your airline is not necessarily required to refund the cost of your ticket. However, if you have travel insurance, you will be covered.

Flight cancellation is another eventuality covered by travel insurance. Any number of things could prevent you from leaving the ground. You might have scheduled your vacation during the worst snow storm in twenty years, or maybe you airline just goes out of business. Travel insurance protects the money you have invested in your ticket. Perhaps circumstances in your life prevent you from taking advantage of vacation deals. Should somebody in your family die or become ill, you can cancel your plans without penalty. Whatever may happen to prevent you from leaving, you are covered.

If you loose your luggage, you will also be covered by travel insurance. Usually, the baggage is returned by the airline; though, sometimes, it is simply misplaced and never found. Or, your luggage might be returned with items missing. Travel insurance gives you the money to replace anything that cant be found so you can enjoy your trip as planned.

When deciding on a specific insurance company, it is a good idea to research your options before choosing. Different plans work best for specific vacations. Perhaps you are not buying a plane ticket, but taking a cruise. If you travel often for business or pleasure, you can even purchase a policy that covers you for extended periods of time. These plans save you the hassle of buying a policy for each individual trip. Ask questions before you make a final decision to be sure that you are getting all the coverage you need. You wouldnt want to insure yourself, only to find that your particular vacation disaster is not covered under your policy.

Jerry Blackburn continually pens newsletters on stories about Spain and spanish culture. Sharing his passion in detailed writings such as http://www.alicante-spain.com/spain-tips/jobs.html ,the reviewer established his capability on topics like Jobs in Spain.Alisa Blog1875
Andree Blog77874

Why You Need To Get An Email Newsletter Service

An email newsletter is one of the most convenient and easy ways to keep in touch with your clients and prospects. So you've made the decision to design an email newsletter to use as your follow up tool in your brand design toolkit? The next decision is how to manage the newsletter from a technical perspective.

Let's look at the technical aspects of managing your email newsletter. You want your email newsletter to be easy to manage - it should involve as little time and effort as possible on your part. You also want your recipients to get the newsletter without it landing in their spam folder. And you want your newsletter to be compliant with spamming laws, like the CAN-SPAM act.

While it's tempting to send out your newsletter using your normal email software program, it's not the best choice. Your regular email program doesn't offer the necessary features - that's the job of an email newsletter service.

- Manages the sending: If you try to send your email newsletter from your own email account, you'll run into a couple of problems. First of all most email programs only allow a certain number of emails to be sent out in a single batch. So if you have you a large list you'll have to send it out several times. Second, many spam filters consider a large recipient list one of the sure signs of spam. If you want your clients and prospects to receive your email, you'd have to keep your lists tiny. Lastly, you can't embed images into your emails with email clients like Outlook - they'll come through at the other end as attachments. If you want to create a beautiful branded email, a service is the way to go.

- Manages your list for you: Imagine trying to administer your own email newsletter list. One day you get emails from 5 different people asking to be added to your list. The next day another 10. So you go into your master list and cut and paste all of their names into the list. Then a couple of people ask to be removed from your list. You open your list up and search through it for their email addresses to remove them. When it comes time to send your newsletter you have to make sure that you've manually added or removed everyone who has requested to get on or off your list - what a lot of work! An email service manages all of these details for you. You get a simple subscribe/unsubscribe form, right on your website. And each newsletter has an "Unsubscribe" link included at the bottom - which is required in the US by CAN-SPAM laws. It's a good idea to be CAN-SPAM compliant overseas too. You can even create multiple lists to further manage your follow-up.

- Sends your email out to each recipient individually: Instead of sending out your email to your entire recipient list at once, an email program will individually send each email. This doesn't mean that you have to configure the service to send out a million individual emails. You just tell it to send to your list and it takes care of packaging up and sending each individual email behind the scenes.

- Enable you to send out your own newsletter: Many newsletter services offer easy built-in editors. The service allows you to instantly edit your newsletter text, insert new feature images, and add links. Instead of paying a designer or coder to put your newsletter together and manage the sending each month, signing up with a service will put some easy-to-use tools in your hands.

- Offer advance scheduling: Say you're headed out on vacation just when you typically send out your email newsletter. You don't want to have to lug around your computer and find an Internet connection just to send it out. But you also don't want to be inconsistent and send it out late. Newsletter services offer advance scheduling - you can set up your newsletter to be sent out days, weeks or even months in advance. And it will automatically go out on the day and time you specify. This is great not only for vacations, but for hectic workweeks and making the overall process simpler.

- They're not very expensive: For example, Email Brain offers a package for small businesses that allows you to send out up to 2000 emails in a month for $10. That's a small price to pay for all of the help they provide.

Using an email newsletter service will make your newsletter follow up campaign easier. It will make it easier to manage, more likely to be received by your prospects and customers (instead of winding up in their spam folder) and compliant with all the local laws. It's a low-cost way to make your newsletter campaign more effective.

Erin Ferree is a brand identity designer who creates big visibility for small businesses. Her ebook, "All The News About Email Newsletters" will tell you everything you need to know about desiging, writing, and sending out an email newsletter to stay in touch with your clients and prospects. http://www.elf-design.com/products-mini-newsletter.htmlAdriana Blog71724
Ana Blog43324

Simplify Your Way To Financial Freedom

While we take this time each year to celebrate our independance, lets take a look at another form of independance; Financial Independance. While it is true that increasing your income is the obviuos way to move towards finanial independance there is one step that many overlook. And this step is one that takes little time and can be done by anyone, regardless of your current income. As you strive to reach your self improvement goals in the financial aspect of your life you must learn to

SIMPLIFY

What we mean by this is to Simplify Your Expenses. While most put all their energy and time into ways to increase their income they overlook the easiest and quickest step that must be taken. If you have less expense, even while maintaining the same income, its obvious that you will have more money to now save and investor simplify even more by paying down debt more quickly.

So, while youre spending time this week celebrating the independance of our country, take a few moments to simplify your expenses and move closer to your self improvement goal of financial independance. Here are a few tips:

Take out a sheet of paper, and on the top write EXPENSES. Under that make a list of all of your expenses. Make sure you include ALL of your expenses, which include buying coffee or a bagel in the morning, scratch tickets, dry cleaning, lunches etc. Next to each expense write down how much money is spent on that expense each month. Now:

1. Look at your cable bill. Do you watch all of the channels that are in the package you are paying for? If not, simplify the package and have the cable company change it. This may lower your monthly bill by $20 to $50 per month. Now you can use that money to pay down other debt.

2. Do you have a home phone? Do you need it? Or, like most people, do you always use your cell phone? If so, cancel your home phone. You can stil leave it connected to the outlet to be used in case of emergency. Emergency services will still be available even if you do not have full service.

3. How often do you order out for lunch while at work? Making a lunch more often will save you a lot of money each week, not to mention will most likely be healthier.

4. Do the same for each of the expenses you listed, and write down how much you can save after finishing this exercise. Some will be amazed at how much they can save for such little effort.

4. Use the money that you save by simplifying some of your current expenses to pay off some of your smaller debt more quickly which will save you in finance charges. Then put it towards paying down the principle in some of your larger expenses such as your mortgage.

Taking small steps to simplify your expenses is a great way to reach your self improvement goal of financial freedom. For much more detailed information on Attaining Your Financila Freedom, and many more self improvement programs, go to http://www.youniversalresults.com.

YOUniversal Results is a self improvement and personal development training company with an edge. They take a no nonsense approach to self improvement training with an emphasis on education, motivation, behavioral change and support. YOUniversal Results self improvement training programs place an emphasis on taking action to obtain your self improvement goals and puts the resposibility and accountability on the individual.Ally Blog36346
Alidia Blog86095

Accounting Outsourcing Service is the Synonym for Saving

Is your accounting firm business running in loss? Then outsourcing is the only option left for your firm to come back strongly. This service is a life-saver for your business. Accounting outsourcing service is meant to save your money and improve the financial condition of the firm. Usually, the accounting services of a firm are outsourced when they are over-loaded with work. When the professionals are not able to handle the work in their firm, they shed some of their work load on the outsourcing companies.

Accounting outsourcing service will enable the accounting firms to concentrate on the other crucial areas of the business. This will help them to earn greater profits. Mainly, because of the workload, outsourcing services are gaining a world wide acclaim. Accounting firms are constantly outsourcing their services to cut-down on the capital expenditure.

Accounting outsourcing service ensures better quality of service. It is because the companies handling outsourcing services concentrate thoroughly on the accounting work. Many accounting firms outsource various accounts related tasks, such as invoice generation, generating accounts, financial statements, trial balances, profit and loss account, pay roll processes, checking credit card accounts and lots more. Outsourcing these services will save your money that would have been wasted in hiring a proper staff for managing such accounting tasks.

The growing demand of outsourcing has enabled various outsourcing companies to emerge as a perfect solution for accounting firms. Almost every one of them offers online services. This will save your precious time that gets wasted in running around to manage your accounting tasks. Accounting outsourcing service is the best way to get rid off all the tensions and worries that were cropping up in your accounting firm. The accounting firms are assured of getting effective and efficient services from the outsourcing companies by giving all or some part of their accounting work to these companies.

The accounting outsourcing companies are specialized in managing the overloaded task of various companies, because they have professionally trained staff for handling the accounting and other matters. These companies understand the need of getting things done at a faster pace. Such outsourcing companies are a boon for those accounting firms that are unable to manage their work. You can even monitor your work done by the outsourcing firm.

Accounting outsourcing service has become almost mandatory these days for the over-burdened accounting firms. The accounting firms that are outsourcing their services are able to save huge amounts of money. The outsourcing companies dont have to give higher salaries to the staff, medical expenses, conveyance charges and house allowances to them. In place of this, the accounting firm will give certain amount to the other company for managing the accounting tasks. This process will help them to manage their capital expenditure. If your accounting firm is overloaded with work, you can outsource the work to save your time, money and other resources.

Michelle Barkley is a CPA working for IFRworld. She specializes in Accounting Outsourcing services ,Back Office Outsourcing and tax returns preparation outsourcing.To know more and to use the services visit http://www.ifrworld.com.Adrian Blog14854
Ansley Blog26163

How to Save Gas in the Kitchen

In my previous articles, I have discussed many ways to save fuel for your vehicle. I have mentioned steps like adopting good driving habits, maintaining your car in peak condition, planning your trips, carpooling, avoiding traffic jams, driving smaller vehicles, choosing more efficient cars, adding energy saving devices and many others.

By following some of the items listed above, you should be able to get a very good performance from the fuel you fill up into your tank and save on your vehicle fuel costs.

Today, we are going to discuss more ways of saving fuel, but this time in our kitchens. Saving cooking gas requires a different approach from saving vehicle fuel. This is because the gas stove uses external burning of fuel, unlike engines that uses internal combustion of fuel.

Gas fuel like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or natural gas (Methane) is commonly used for cooking at home because it is clean and easily available. If we are able to control the usage, we could possibly save considerable amounts of money too.

With the world's oil and gas prices at such a high level, many of us are hard-pressed to try to squeeze the maximum work out of the fuel we use. One of the best strategies to use is to avoid wastage that can lead to loss of energy.

Below are some of the ways you can save gas in the kitchen:

1. Light up your stove only when you are ready to cook and the ingredients are within reach. This requires good coordination and planning by the cook. This means that heat is not wasted during the waiting period. The flame is only used for doing useful work - heating the food.

2. Use pressure cookers because they require less fuel for heating and thus reduce cooking time. There is a scientific explanation for this. Water boils at 100 degree Celsius at normal atmospheric pressures. When the cooking pot is pressurized above atmospheric, the water boils at a higher temperature. At that higher temperature, whatever meat or other ingredients inside the pot get cooked faster.

3. Avoid using too much water when cooking as it wastes fuel and it takes a longer time to evaporate. Water boils at 100 degree Celsius in a normal pot. It remains at this temperature no matter how much more you heat it further. It just evaporates, and the heat is lost through the evaporation of the steam. The temperature will not rise further in the water. The more water there is, the more the fuel required to bring it to boil.

4. Reduce the flame when boiling starts to save fuel. This relates to item 3 above. A small flame is sufficient to maintain the boiling of the water at 100 degree Celsius. A big flame will not bring the water to a higher temperature.

5. Cover cooking pots and pans with a lid to prevent heat from evaporating. This again relates to item 3 above. By covering the pot with a lid, the energy supplied to the water is prevented from being lost through evaporation of the steam. In fact, the useful energy contained in the steam is utilized and transferred to cook the food.

6. Use a small burner as it consumes 6% to 10% less gas than a big burner. To be efficient, as much of the heat from a flame must be transmitted to the pot. With a big flame below a relatively small pot, the hot gases flowing along the sides of the pot has less chance of being extracted. Only hot gases in contact with the pot have any chance of being extracted. Any hot gases not in contact with the pot are lost to the atmosphere.

7. Clean the burner if you see an orange, yellow or non-uniform flame. This means there is incomplete combustion of the fuel. Usually this is due to some obstruction in the air or gas passages in the gas stove. Incomplete combustion means that some of the fuel is not burnt but is deposited as carbon. That's a waste of the total heating capacity of the fuel.

You do not have to understand thermodynamics in order to save fuel in your cooking stove. However, many of the strategies outlined above is derived from the understanding of the properties of water and steam, principles of heat transfer like conduction, convection, radiation, combustion of fuel, venturi and gas burner design.

For the cook in the kitchen, just remember - reduce wastage and maintain efficiency.

Thomas YoonAndromache Blog78434
Aurelie Blog4731

Five Steps to Making Money With Other Peoples Products

If you want to make money online without having you own products, selling other people's products could be the ticket. Selling others products has many advantages. You do not have to spend time on creating the products, you do not have to set up a system to sell and deliver the products, and you do not have to get a merchant account and pay recurring merchant account fees. The person who owns the product does all of these things for you. All you have to do is market the product and make money with it.

So how can you make money with other people's products? People who have created products usually run affiliate programs. An affiliate program is a way for you to earn commissions every time you sell someone else's product. When you sign up for an affiliate program, you will get your own unique id you use to link to products you are promoting. Once you make sales using your affiliate links, you will generate commissions.

Here are five steps to take to make money with affiliate products:

- Find A Product To Sell. Before going any further, you need to find a product that will sell. A product should have a professional appearance, be presented on a professional web site and be a quality product that you would want to recommend to others.

Once you find the product, join the affiliate program for it and get your affiliate links.

- Create A Web Site To Sell The Affiliate Product. Having your own web site to promote the affiliate products is best. I always recommend that you get your own domain name and web hosting to host your web site.

The cost of domain names and web site hosting has come down considerably since just a few years ago. You can now get a domain name for about $8 per year and web site hosting for under $10 per month. At these prices you don't have to be a millionaire or commit to a large capital outlay to start your own web site.

- Create Content For The Web Site. To get more visitors and more sales, you need content for your web site. It is not enough to just link to the product with your affiliate link. In order to make money with your affiliate link you need to bring potential buyers to your web site. A great way to bring them in is with content that is of interest to them, and is related to the product you are promoting.

One good way to generate the content for your web site is by creating your own content and articles that are related to the topic of the product you are promoting. Another good way is by using the articles that were written by the author of the product. Many authors allow their affiliates use the authors' articles on their web sites, and use the affiliate link in the resource box.

- Optimize Your Web Site for Search Engines. Search engine optimization is the process of modifying web page content and meta-information to improve the search engine ranking of the page. Successful search engine optimization will greatly increase the number of visitors that come to your web site. The more visitors to the web site you have, the more affiliate products you will be able to sell, and the more money you will make.

Make sure you optimize every page of your web site for search engines; that way you will get more web site visitors.

- Use Your Articles To Promote The Affiliate Product. Article publishing is a great way to drive traffic to your web site. Start by writing a few articles that are of interest to the people who would want to purchase the product you are promoting. Use the About The Author Resource Box to promote the product. Then take your articles and submit them to article directories. Doing this will bring more traffic to your web site and help you make more money.

Remember, you do not need to create your own products to make money online. Follow the five steps we outlined above to make lots of money selling other people's products.

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ATTN : Webmasters and Ezine Publishers:

Free Content for your newsletter or your website! You are invited to use this article in your newsletter or website. The only requirement is the inclusion of the author's bio and link to the URL displayed.

John J Farina is a successful affiliate marketer. He provides expert reviews on which affiliate programs to join and which ones to avoid like the plague. He shows people how to actually generate substantial income on-line using very simple, easily modeled systems. An example of such a system that you can study and duplicate is at: http://www.johnnysreviewsite.comAlleen Blog89982
Annora Blog3929

"What Makes Network Marketing Good?" #1. Terry's Story.

Flexibility. E.g., A chance missed for a newly discarded gal of 63, whose story follows below, to have built up something for herself, from home. But it's never too late...

Story.

"I was stunned and devastated when, on our 40th wedding anniversary, my husband presented me with a divorce."

In a wonderful piece entitled Paradise Lost (Domestic Division) (NY Times Jan 1, 2006) Terry Martin Hekker describes how her entire belief system came undone on that day. It was particularly embarrassing and shocking to her because, it so happened that 25 years ago, she wrote an Op-Ed article for the same paper, on the satisfaction of being a full-time housewife. She was convinced that homemaking and raising her children was the most challenging and rewarding job she could ever want.

She had written that she came from a "long line of women, most more Edith Bunker than Betty Friedan, who never knew they were unfulfilled...they took pride in a clean, comfortable home and satisfaction in serving a good meal because no one had explained that the only work worth doing is that for which you were paid."

In subsequent years she lectured across the U.S., appeared on the "Today" show and told her story of why she thought her choice was a valid one. But that was back then.

Today, she writes that after talking to a few other discarded wives after long years of marriage, that "we had a lot in common with our outdated kitchen appliances. Like them, we were serviceable, low maintenance, front loading, self-cleaning and (relatively) frost free. Also, like them we had warranties that had run out. Our husbands sought sleeker models with features we lacked who could execute tasks we'd either never learned or couldn't perform without laughing."

"Like most loyal wives of our generation, we'd contemplated eventual widowhood, but never thought we'd end up divorced."

And she adds, "And divorced doesn't begin to describe the pain of this process. 'Cancelled' is more like it. It began with my credit cards, then my health insurance and checkbook, until, finally, like a used postage stamp, I felt cancelled, too."

And the injustice she felt?

"He got to take his girlfriend to Cancun, while I got to sell my engagement ring to pay the roofer. When I filed my first nonjoint tax return, it triggered the shocking notification that I had become eligible for food stamps."

She notes that she got alimony but that the amount was less than she was used to getting for household expenses, and that she had to use that money to pay bills.

Bills "I'd never seen before: mortgage, taxes, insurance and car payments. And that princely sum was awarded for only four years, the judge suggesting that I go for job training when I turned 67."

"Not only was I unprepared for divorce itself, I was utterly lacking in skills to deal with the brutal aftermath."

Today, she writes, that she worries and wonders about the young mothers of today, "educated, employed, self-sufficient" who drop out of the work force when they have children. "Maybe they'll be fine." But "The fragility of modern marriage suggests that at least half of them may not be."

Back to the question: What makes Network Marketing good?

#1: Flexibility. In case.

Post script to Terry's story.

If she had it to do over again, Terry writes:

"I'd still marry the man I married and have my children...they are my treasure...But I would have used the years after my youngest started school to further my education. I could have amassed two doctorates using the time and energy I gave to charitable and community causes and been better able to support myself."

However, what if she had known about a good company with a good product line she used and loved herself? With the flexibility of time and income of NM, Terry could also have maybe amassed 50 or 100 customers every year for those 20 years. And be earning a bit from all of them over that time, and today.

What if she had taken those 5-10 hours a week, for 20 years, and maybe got 100 customers per year? That'd have resulted in 2000 customers after the 20 years she describes.

A $5/mo profit on each one today would be a good sum to have coming in each month, wouldn't it?

Flexibility. To build something part time from home when you're lucky enough to be supported by a mate during those years, or you have another job. After all, it's not just being "discarded" that the income will come in handy, but also if the mate remains and needs your help. Or if you just want to take a year off.

That, in my opion, might be a better option for many women than a couple of doctorates which, by themselves guarantee no income. Customers and a few resellers, however, represent regular monthly income.

Do you know someone like Terry? There are ways to do things with this business, yes even now, at 63. And what about all those younger women still raising their family, or contemplating having one? Have you asked them what THEY are you doing NOW, for themselves, to plan for their "what if"? Show them Terry's story. They probably have their own from THEIR families.

After all, most discarded but loyal wives had no clue that shock was coming, especially after all those years. That's a pretty big and well defined audience, think, ladies?

Next: What makes Network Marketing good? #2. Guess. :)

Kim Klaver is Harvard & Stanford educated. Her 20 years experience in network marketing have resulted in a popular blog, http://KimKlaverBlogs.com, a podcast, http://YourGreatThing.com and a giant resource site, http://BananaMarketing.com.Anallese Blog1537
Alys Blog63090

How To Get The Right Travel Insurance And Save Money

You are ready for your dream holiday, but there is that one practicality left - insurance.

While there is no doubt that travel insurance is necessary, and not something with which you should do without, finding a policy which is not only cheap, but also offers the correct levels of protection for the activities on your vacation can be both daunting and boring.

With countless pages of policy small print and get-out clauses for the insurer, it can seem almost impossible to find what you want for a good price.

The majority of insurance policies do have reasonably comprehensive cover, and can often be purchased including dangerous sports such as skiing. However, the complications arise when it comes to deductibles and health situations, such as pre-existing problems.

For example, what happens if you do need to go to hospital in a foriegn country? Will the insurance company pick up the bill, or will you have to claim and pay at the time. This will not be suitable for a lot of travellers on a lower budget, but is the way that most policies work. There are many gaps and get-outs in travel insurance policies, and you will need to spot them in advance, should a problem arise.

Most policies cover trip cancellation, robbery, lost baggage, medical, dental and accidental death coverage, but you may also find emergency evacuation, insurance against delays, lost documentation and 24 hour travel assistance.

The key to finding the best deal is to shop around yourself - Don't simply buy your travel insurance from your travel agent. Here are a few reasons why:

- The coverage will not be as good.
- The policy will be less flexible.
- It may duplicate areas that you are already insured for.

It may seem like a better deal at the time to buy your insurance from your travel agent, but remember that they are not specialised in this area, and will only be offering an out-of-the-box policy from some partner insurance company, which they will make money off.

As with most things, you are better off doing your research, and arranging it yourself.

When buying your policy from an insurance company:

- Get quotes from as many companies as you can.
- Read the small print. Does it cover your intended activities?
- Can you waive the pre existing condition exclusion.
- Find out what types of cancellation the insurer will not pay out for. Again, it comes to carefully reading the policy details (I know it's boring, but it is necessary)
- Finally, if there is anything you need to know - Ask! There is no point in having the policy if you end up unable to claim.

Wishing you a fantastic trip, and an unused travel insurance policy!

Go to http://www.destroy-your-debt.com/insurance for more information.

Andrew Moore is the webmaster of http://www.destroy-your-debt.com, A site dedicated to providing free impartial advice concerning financial matters, as well as insurance. Visit our Insurance pages at: http://www.destroy-your-debt.com/insuranceAilyn Blog79915
Amity Blog78161

How to Use an Offshore Bank Account for Asset Protection

Having an offshore bank account is one thing, using it is quite another matter.

Corporate Account When you have a corporate account the money belongs to the corporation not you personally. When the corporation is an anonymous bearer share Panama corporation your anonymity is further protected since establishing ownership of the corporation is about impossible so you would have to see who is recorded at the bank as the beneficial owner of the bank account and this requires you to convince a court in Panama to open up the bank records (something that is very rarely done) to reveal who the beneficial owner is. Even in the unlikely event a court did this this it would be of little value since the money still belongs to the corporation. So if you had a financial enemy pursuing you personally they would not be able to transfer a personal debt to the corporation very easily. They would need to show that you transferred funds to the corporation to make sure debtors could not recover the funds; it is called a fraudulent conveyance. The court cases pertaining to this are far from simple, they are expensive and time consuming and can take years to get heard in court. When wires are sent to an anonymous bearer share Panama Corporation no one knows who the owners of the corporation are, thus they do not know what natural persons are actually receiving the funds. When wiring funds into your Panama corporate bank account it is not revealing in terms of what the wire is for versus wiring money into a personal account. The Anonymous Panama Corporation adds in a nice thick layer of privacy protection.

ATM Cards - When you open a Panama bank account one can usually obtain an ATM card good for cash withdraws from ATM machines worldwide. These ATM cards will have your name on them and can be associated with the bank you are using. Some people obtain an ATM card from another unrelated financial institution. These cards typically have no name imprinted on them which right away adds to your privacy protection. These cards also do not leave a trail to your real bank. Money can be transferred to the ATM card by wire from your Panama or other bank account and then withdrawn as needed. Some people are fond of using these cards to cover corporate expenses like travel, entertainment and other business expenses. Usually the ATM card purchase requires a copy of a passport.

Visa and MasterCard Debit Cards Watch it here. This can be a real privacy violator. The USA recently got a lot of MasterCard records by a court order served on MasterCard in Miami. This could happen again. The more private way of doing this is to get a Visa or MasterCard debit card from another bank, not your Panama bank. You load the card by wiring funds onto the card from your Panama bank. This eliminates any ties the card has to your real bank account. The card should come from an issuing bank in a bank secrecy country. The way these programs work is Visa and MasterCard do not know who the actual card holder is no date of birth, no address, no tax id numbers etc. only the issuing bank has this information since they require a passport copy and a physical address to send the card to. So a subpoena to MasterCard or Visa would produce very little and since the bank is in a country with bank secrecy this avenue is going to be a long burdensome process that would be unlikely to be pursued and could only be pursued by a government in a criminal matter. You want to use a country where address verification is not set up on the debit cards or else use a mailing/billing address for the card in another country where you have a reliable mail drop box. This further protects your privacy and of course is a convenient way to guard against any potential identity theft associated with using the debit card in a restaurant, store, online etc.

Telephone Records If you need to telephone your offshore bank consider using an anonymous prepaid cell phone so there is no record of any calls to the bank on your phone bill. Private detectives in USA can readily get copies of phone bills. A sharp divorce or collection attorney will look for international calls to isolate an offshore bank.

Online Banking This is a great feature. Eliminate having statements sent to the house or office. Who knows who logs these statements being sent in the mail or even worse reads them, remember you could be a terrorist. Remember your ISP is a privacy nightmare. They are unregulated in general, unlicensed, and could be owned by felons, child molesters or whatever. These people can collect your entire internet transactions read them and save them forever. Rest assured all of the big ISP's like MSN, AOL, ATT, COMCAST will save your log files for ever showing every website you ever went to, every file downloaded, every email sent and to whom, etc. Don't assume they would require a court order to distribute this data, read your terms of service agreement and be prepared to be shocked. Now why should they know what online offshore bank you log into? So how do you stop it? You use an anonymous internet service provider. You log onto the internet then log onto their VPN which encrypts all your internet traffic going from your computer to their server and now your log files are basically encrypted and your ISP only has gibberish log files on you except he knows you connected to the anonymous internet provider but has no idea what you did or where you went. Make sure the anonymous internet provider does not save log files or only does so for a few days to track down hackers, spammers etc. Never bookmark your online bank. Save your passwords in an encrypted password folder. Use a hard drive cleaner like evidence eliminator to erase tracks, places visited, image files, cookies, downloads logs etc that windows saves. To protect from Trojans, attacks etc. use an anti-spy ware program like spyware doctor and Norton anti-virus. Do not trust one of them alone. If you get a keystroke logger or Trojan it can capture your passwords and they can rob your bank account online. Extra measures are an application based firewall so if a Trojan got in it would not be able to phone home without you giving the new application manual permission to connect to the internet and a wireless router that uses encryption. All of these steps should keep you safe if you keep them updated and turned on beats having someone get your passwords.

Ronald Edwards is a researcher, with years of experience in finances and real estate.Anthia Blog59310
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Understanding Debt

On the surface, managing money seems like a pretty simple thing. You earn money, whether through a job, inheritance or lottery winnings; and you spend it on the things you need (or think you need). It sounds so simple, until you introduce debt into the picture. If you fail to live within your means and your expenses exceed your earnings, youll quickly find that there are ways to borrow money to make up for this disparity.

Debt is really a simple concept when you borrow money from another for whatever reason, you are in debt. And unless youre borrowing from a very generous friend, youll be required to pay back that debt at some point in time. Banks, credit card companies and other credit providers are unlikely to be as lenient. When you take on a debt, youll find that it comes with terms and conditions that govern its repayment, including the deadlines for making payments and details on your interest rate.

Understanding interest rates can get tricky with all the financial jargon of APR rates, compounding interest and so on. But on a simple level, interest is what the creditor charges to let you have access to all that money. After all, banks and credit companies arent just friendly businesses there to help you out their for-profit enterprises. In exchange for loaning you money, they expect to be paid back a certain percentage (your interest rate) on top of the original loan amount (called your principal). Thats why its so important to shop around to get the best interest rate possible a small percentage of a big debt can be a lot of money!

One of the most common instruments of debt comes in the form of a loan. A loan can either be secured to unsecured. If you have any assets, such as a house or a car, you may pledge these items as collateral to get a loan, meaning that youll turn over these assets to the credit issuer if you cant pay back your loan for any reason. This is referred to as a secured loan, since the creditor has a measure of security that theyll get their investment back. A loan is considered unsecured when the debtor does not pledge specific assets to the creditor as collateral.

Clearly, a secured loan is a safer choice for credit issuers. Often times, debtors who are able to secure their loans find better terms and interest rates, since the creditor has a means of collecting on any defaulted loan. However, having an unsecured loan doesn't mean that the debtor can renege on his or her debts. If a debtor fails to pay back the loans, the creditor can still file a case in court, requiring the debtor who has no cash to sell some of his assets to pay back the outstanding loan.

While debt can sound scary, theres nothing to worry about if you use it wisely. Building good credit from an early age by using debt responsibly can make a huge difference in the long run. But the temptation is always there to purchase more than you can afford to. Its easy to get in over your head so take the time to learn more about your finances and be smart about your money!

This article was published by Sarah Russell on Smart Young Money a collection of money management resources for teens and young adults. For great information on using credit, managing debt and more for young people, visit http://www.smartyoungmoney.com.Ardath Blog30445
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Internet Marketing Myths, Fallacies, and Fairytales

Before you even begin hopping onto the Internet marketing e-bandwagon, you must be aware of its myths, fallacies, and fairytales. Yes, Internet marketing is fascinating, it has incredible rags-to-riches fables, and you are just dying to get a slice of the pie. But before you do so, take a breather. Maybe these tips will help save the shirt on your back one rainy day.

Myth #1: Internet Marketing is a Piece of Cake

If it were that easy, everyone and their girlfriend would be e-millionaires by now. However, in comparison to traditional brick-and mortar businesses with huge overheads like rent, salaries, etc, it is certainly more lucrative. Overheads are minimal and affiliate marketing helps you quickly start churning some decent profits.

Myth #2: Everyone Makes Money Online

Can everyone fly an airplane? You might be willing to learn how to fly it, you may even able to fly it some day, however, most people won't even make the initial effort to learn how to fly the plane. The same logic applies to making money online. Everyone knows that they can make a lot of money online but only a few pursue that dream with hard work, determination, and a bit of luck.

Myth #3: Internet Marketing = Get Rich Quick

The only way to get rich quick on the Net is to win a lottery. Banish the idea, get rid of it completely, and erase it from your memory banks! Start building a genuine online business with real equity, sincerity, and dedication, and do it consistently over a period of time. I guarantee that you will get rich if you follow my advice. The good news is that Internet Marketing is less risky than a traditional business and also, requires relatively lesser time to establish and grow.

Myth #4: It's Zero Cost

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Everything costs money, from your Internet access costs, to the cost of purchasing a PC, to fees for the affiliation membership to a website, enrolment for an Internet marketing plan, etc. Costs crop up everywhere. However, start-up costs are relatively more reasonable here than in traditional businesses.

Myth #5: It's Too Late to Start Now

It is never too late to start anything, if you know your target market, that is. Dont even attempt to become a Google or a Johnny-come-lately MSN. You might just fail before you even begin. Think of niche marketing as a solution to dead-end low-paying jobs or loss-making companies you owned.

Myth #6: Built It, and It Will Sell

This is opposite of the previous myth. Either its too late to start or its very easy to do just that. This is bunkum. This myth promotes the fallacy that if you hobble together any old site, people will flock to it. Why should they? Will people pay good money to buy a bullock cart, if you happen to throw it all together and create one? Similarly for the Internet. If you have planned a site, and you have designed a good business plan, implemented it effectively, then the buyers will come to you. And not a moment before that.

Myth #7: Only Tech Gurus Make it Big

Bill Gates isnt one. And anyways, tech has advanced so rapidly, that you can find sophisticated tools and software sometimes even for free that help you do everything with the click of a button. For example, earlier HTML required hours of coding and months of training. Now, with the help of What You See Is What You get (WYSIWYG) editors, templates, tutorials, etc even a granny can create her own website in minutes.

Myth #8: Its all Just Hype

Well, there is no smoke without fire. People arent crazy to chuck up secure jobs to venture into online marketing. Its not all just hype in the same way its not just a piece of cake. Between these 2 extremes lies a viable, intelligent, working system that will help you achieve great success provided you are ready to work hard and work smart.

Lewis Low is the founding editor of OnlineBizPromo.com For more Practical Online Business Ideas and Work-From-Home Opportunities, visit his Work-At-Home directory at http://www.OnlineBizPromo.comArdath Blog30445
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Pitching Bloggers: 10 Things That Make Bloggers Angry

If you have a product, book or service you want people to know about, pitch bloggers!. They know how to create buzz, especially about cutting-edge stuff. Bloggers pride themselves on knowing who is doing what, and love to be first to post about new ideas, products and events.

In fact, some publicists and PR professionals are now going straight to bloggers instead of to journalists for creating media attention. Several books were launched into best seller status before they were published because review copies were sent out to leading bloggers: Freakonomics and Call to Action are prime examples. These books got plenty of buzz on the Web from bloggers with huge audiences, and others blogs linked to them: the news spread like wildfire.

But don't make mistakes when you try to pitch bloggers or your publicity explosion will burst in your face. When bloggers get angry they will not quietly toss your product or book into the round file. They will tell everyone what they didn't like and what you did wrong.

Here are 10 things that make bloggers angry when you try to pitch them:

1. Not spelling the blogger's name right

2. Not understanding the blog's purpose or niche

3. Not understanding the blogger's attitude about being pitched

4. Telling them that they should print your info; telling them that their readers will want to read about your product, book or service

5. Blatant product pitches in the blog's comment section

6. Information that's of no use, irrelevant, and uninteresting to their audience,

7. Repeated pitches after they've told you they aren't interested

8. A cookie-cutter bulk email sent to a long list of bloggers with no personalization

9. Sending attachments of any kind, and not including any links about the item

10. Posting irrelevant and condescending comments on their blog

For more leading edge Internet Marketing tips go to http://www.biztipsblog.com. You can also subscribe to The Blog Squad's ezine Savvy eBiz Tips at http://www.savvyebiztips.com . To learn more about using social media tools like blogs, go to http://www.buildabetterblog.com. Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff are Internet Marketing experts and are known as The Blog Squad.Audie Blog4725
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Bike Gear: How Much To Spend

To lots of people, money is know object and they can afford to pay for the top-of-the-line gear they want. Other people need to be more cost conscience and look for bargains.

There are as many brand-new bikes sitting unused in people's garages as there are in bike stores.

Well, that is perhaps an exaggeration, but it's certainly true that a great many people who take up a new hobby have a tendency to lose interest after a week or a month. Either they find they don't have time for it or they find they just don't enjoy it. But, when they first started out they were full of enthusiasm so they bought all sorts of expensive gear that they now no longer use.

So they sell it - at garage sales, on Ebay, or in those special newspapers designed for the purpose of selling unwanted material.

The careful buyer can pick up quite a few bargains this way.

Used Bikes and Bike Gear

If you're buying from a garage sale, you'll be able to test out the bike or the gear and make sure that it works properly. You don't have that luxury with Ebay, but the seller has various ratings boxes you can check to make sure they're legitimate.

How else can you save money while putting together your own biking ensemble?

Shopping Online

Well, although I hate to say it, the best thing to do is shop online. Online stores have more inventory than do most brick-and-mortar stores, and they are able to sell the equipment at such a discount that even after paying for shipping, you still save money.

The drawback here is that you want to ensure that you're dealing with a reputable store - if you send money to a fly-by-night outfit you might live to regret it.

Seats (or saddles - whatever terminology you use!), handlebar stems, brakes, and tires can all make a big difference in the quality of your bike ride. If you're looking to upgrade your ride, by all means do some comparison shopping. Check out the prices in your local bike store, and then check online.

If at all possible, of course, you should support your local bike store, just because they employ knowledgeable people who will be there when you need them. But if you find an item at a bargain price online, it would be foolish not to take advantage of it.

Local Bike Shop

It's always a good idea to have a good relationship with your local bike shop. Always assuming that the people who work there know their business. But if that's the case - you can get a lot of good information from t hem, and you'll be able to learn of any upcoming sales where you'll be able to pick up any bargains.

Alastair Hamilton is the editor of many articles on bike reviews published at http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com . A website with tips on bicycle parts, and many related topics: http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com/parts.htmlAna Blog43324
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6 Tips For Saving Gas

In the past months we have seen the price of gasoline soar higher than ever before, and this can be hard on people who have a budget that is tight. Even though gas prices have come down a slight bit, you still will want to do everything you possibly can to save on the money you have to pay out for gas. There are a variety of ways that you can save gas, and save money.

Tip#1 - Start Carpooling

Carpooling is a great idea for fellow students and fellow employees both. If you can find people that are going to the same place you are you can save gas by riding together. It may be a good idea to trade off on who is driving from week to week so no one person gets stuck having to drive all the time. If you have to take your children to school or other functions you can also work on trading off with your friends and neighbors to take them there.

Tip#2 - Public Transportation

If it is possible you can take public transportation to work instead of driving your car. Not only will this save you money on gas, but you will also be able to relax and not worry about having to drive through all that rush hour traffic. You may even be able to fit in a quick nap on your way to work or on your way home.

Tip#3 - Price Shop

Often it may be so convenient to buy your gas at the small gas station just up the road, but to save some money on gas you may want to check the prices at other gas stations that are nearby as well. Even if the difference is only a few cents, after putting hundreds of gallons of gas in you vehicle each year, those few cents are going to add up to quite a sum of money.

Tip#4 - Get Moving

You can save some money on gas if you start walking to where you are going, or you can ride a bike as well. You will not have to worry about paying to park your car, and the exercise will be great for you body. If you are walking or biking you will not have to worry about those huge traffic jams either.

Tip#5 - Take Care of Your Car

It is always important to take care of your car so it gets the best gas mileage possible. Also be sure to plan where you are going before you go so you will not have to backtrack and waste gas. If you can, you should use your air conditioning as little as possible because using it takes more gas. Roll down your windows and you will use less gas.

Tip#6 - Check your Tires

It is important that you check the air pressure in your tires as often as possible. If your tires are too low, or the pressure in them is unequal it can make your car burn more gas. You should also be careful how you drive. If you take off from every red light very fast you are going to burn more fuel, so it is best to take off a little slower.

These are a few tips that can help the money conscious person to save money on gas. Even as gas prices drop, these tips can still help you to save more money. Conservation is important, so take advantage of these tips, save money, and save gas.

Jackson Porter is a staff writer at http://www.automobileenthusiast.com and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including http://www.environmental-central.com.Agneta Blog96078
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