Content Maker Network Blog

The John Lewis web site (www.johnlewis.com) is an awesome place to search for excellent deals on a large range of fantastic value electrical equipment and appliances, as well as many other fantastic products. You can come across a substantial array of great value appliances, like; washers, tumble dryers, dishwashers, fridges and microwaves, to list but a small selection of the available range. Every one of the items you can see on the site are from leading brands such as Bosch and Miele. Quailty washing machines can be found online at the John Lewis website.

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As baby boomers watch the years fly by, one of their biggest concerns is sorting through the many problems of caring for their elderly parents. When is it no longer safe for our elderly parent to stay home alone? How can we maintain our jobs, our home, our children, and care for our parents all at the same time? What resources are available to help? How do we approach the subject with them? How can we help them keep their independence and dignity? How do we deal with the stress of it all?

As our parents age, we need to stay diligent and aware of changes in their mental orientation and ability to care for themselves. Are they just a little forgetful at times, or is it something more worrisome than that? If they are able to take their medications without being reminded, bathe alone, dress without assistance, prepare meals every day, and they are not experiencing frequent falls or sudden illnesses, they are probably safe to be at home alone. There are monitoring systems and personal emergency alert systems that can provide added security by making help available to them in the event of an accident or sudden illness.

However, if you notice that your parent’s health is declining, that they have increased weakness or weight loss, if they have had frequent falls, if they are not taking their medications, not eating properly, and not able to do their personal care without help, it may be time to look into other options. Sometimes the increased care is all they need to regain their strength and be able to continue living at home, avoiding placement in a nursing facility or some other major life change.

Finding the help you need is another obstacle. Knowing who to go to for help may seem to be an overwhelming task, but there are many resources available to seek information and counsel. Private duty organizations, home health agencies, and hospices are all viable places to start if you want to help your parent stay at home.

The Indiana Association for Home Care and Hospice (IAHHC) has a listing of all local agencies, both for private pay and agencies that accept Medicare and/or insurance payor sources. You can find them on their web site: www.ind-homecare.org.

When investigating which private agency to use, make sure they are licensed appropriately and that they do criminal background checks on all their employees. Their staff should be bonded and insured, and you should not have any of the burden for carrying worker’s compensation, tax liabilities, or social security. A new law beginning in January of 2006 requires all private duty, non-medical services to be licensed through the state of Indiana. Make sure the agency you choose has gone through this licensing process, and you will be safer in trusting that they have taken all the appropriate steps in ensuring good care for your loved one.

There are many financial resources available to help pay for private duty care, such as reverse home mortgages. The Veterans Administration can give you valuable information on benefits for veterans who need care at home and have served at least one day in the service during war time. These benefits are also available for spouses of veterans. Look on the web for more information regarding financial concerns; there’s plenty of information available. You can also contact private duty agencies and request assistance in finding funds that are available.

Private duty agencies can provide any kind of non-medical care needed to assist the client in staying at home. They will provide personal care assistance, medication reminders, cleaning, cooking, laundry, running errands, and transportation to appointments, and a variety of other services. They are usually available twenty four hours a day, including holidays and week ends, and do not require any doctor’s orders to initiate the care.

Home health care requires a doctor’s order for services to begin, and the patient must be certified to be on “home bound status”. This means that they can only leave home to visit the doctor, go to church, or to the beauty or barber shop. A nurse will visit on a regular basis, and a home health aide will assist with personal care. Some home health agencies also provide physical therapy, social services, speech therapy, and occupational therapy as well. Most home health care agencies are not available in the evening hours, on week ends, or on holidays. The majority of home health agencies accept insurance and Medicare payments.

Hospice care also requires a doctor’s order, and the patient must have a life-limiting disease with expectations of six months or less to live. Patients can be re-certified for hospice every sixty days, and may live much longer than six months and still be in hospice care. Hospice care also provides nursing and home health aide services, along with extra
support to the family and patient during this difficult time. Comfort measures are a priority in the plan of care, and they have a variety of services such as social services, pastoral care, and volunteer services as well. Medicare and insurance usually are accepted. There will always be a hospice nurse on call twenty four hours a day to assist with any emergencies or special problems during times when the office is closed.

Sometimes the best plan is a combination of home health or hospice along with private duty care. Many seniors are resistant to accepting any kind of help at first, and will require continual reassurance effort to help them maintain as much independence as possible.

When addressing these issues, never “speak down” to your loved one. Remember, even though roles are changing, they still deserve to be honored and respected. Sometimes calling a care giver “the maid” or “the butler” rather than a “caregiver” or “home health aide” will help them accept the situation with a little less anxiety. It’s all in the attitude that it’s presented to them – help them feel a sense of control in the situation whenever possible. Try to help them understand that these changes are happening in their home because you love them and want them to be able to stay at home as long as possible and not have to live in a facility to get the help they need.

Don’t forget to schedule time for yourself during this intensely demanding season of your life. By succumbing to false guilt or unreasonable demands, you may be setting yourself up for a disaster later. Take time to enjoy your immediate family, your hobbies, and leisure time as well. Join in with other caregiver groups for extra support – you can find them at churches or on the web. You’ll be safeguarding your own ability to handle this long term role as a caregiver with a healthy mind, body, and spirit.

Jo Nelson is a registered nurse and co-owner of Servant’s Heart Homemaker Services located in Logansport. Servant’s Heart provides companion services for the elderly in their homes.

For more information contact Jo at servantsheartservices@yahoo.com or call 574-739-1776.

Although Online Writing Labs or OWLs are developed by various universities throughout the world, they provide valuable resources for all types of writers.

OWLs offer information similar to the tips I wrote about in my last feature Working With Words: The Basics…

From handouts readable on the web to online tutorials, these labs offer a wide range of helpful hints about grammar, punctuation, writing style and more related topics.

Be sure to check out my new subtopic ONLINE WRITING LABS at – http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art7321.asp.

I chose the first ten based upon the quality and quantity of information accessible by anyone (not just students at their college) online.

Lynchburg College in Virginia offers an online guide, which covers topics like: Drafting a Document; Choosing a Subject; Creative Writing in Non-Fiction; Freewriting; Proofreading Your Paper; Using Outlines to Organize; and Successful Business Writing. Lynchburg’s Writing Center also provides online quizzes to test your ability to accurately use modifiers, verbs, commas and similar subjects related to grammar and punctuation.

The Writing Center at the University of Toledo in Ohio offers information like: a Checklist To Improve And Evaluate Your Writing; Commonly Confused Words; Literary Terms; Technical Terms; Useful Transitions; Writing A Book Or Film Review; and Writing Coherent Paragraphs.

Numerous handouts featuring tips on grammar, mechanics, writing topics, revision, business writing, and research can be accessed at Eastern Illinois University’s Writing Center Web.

Although the University of Toronto’s webpage is titled “Advice on Academic Writing,” some of the information provided can be helpful to almost any writer. It’s worth checking out topics like: Developing Coherent Paragraphs; Reading and Using Sources; How to Get the Most out of Reading; Research using the Internet; A System for Dealing with New Words while Reading; How Not to Plagiarize; Standard Documentation Formats; The Book Review and Article Critique; Style and Editing; Using the Computer to Improve your Writing; and Unbiased Language.

The University of Wisconsin developed a handbook that any online writer can view at their website. This handbook provides helpful hints on subjects from Academic Writing to Grammar and Style.

“The Information Stop” at George Mason University’s Writing Center presents an itemized list of links to writing guides about topics like: grammar and punctuation; the writing process; specialized writing; specific writing forms; and specific writing situations. GMU’s OWL is one of several centers that runs a “Grammar Hotline,” which allows people to call writing experts, who can answer almost any question related to grammar rules.

The Writing Center at Tidewater Community College in Virginia, which offers many “self-help” handouts online, also publishes a print directory and web page with a great list of the names, phone numbers and URLs of Grammar Hotlines across the country. You can locate this list on the college’s website. “The Write Place Catalogue,” which is produced by St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, is perhaps one of the most comprehensive OWL guides on the web. This useful aid covers a vast array of more than 100 specific aspects within many topics including: Business Writing; Development; Grammar; Online Sources; Organization and Cohesion; The Process of Writing; Punctuation; Resumes and Cover Letters; Sentence Structure; Style; and Types of Writing. Another popular OWL created by Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute provides many handouts on a variety of subjects like: Citation Styles; APA & MLA Styles; Revising Prose; Thesis Writing; Definitional Techniques; Gender-Fair Language; Styles of Writing; Critiques; Memos; and Presentations.

RPI’s website also features a lengthy list of links to other online resources for writers. And last but certainly not least, the OWL at Purdue University is a must-see for writers seeking help online. The Purdue Writing Lab is easy to navigate and seems to supply more handouts on the web than any other OWL. I counted more than 300 links to page(s) with information on topics within main categories like: General Writing Concerns; Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation; Research and Documenting Sources; Business Writing; Writing On and With The Internet; and Searching The World Wide Web. Purdue’s extensive website offers much more than writing advice with features like a list of “Search Engines and Directories,” a collection of “Online (Writing) Resources” and links to other OWLs.

© Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of the Free Ezine for Writers featuring news, reviews, and continuously updated links to the best resources for writers online like – freelancing & jobs, markets & publishers, literary agents, classes & contests, and more… Read it online at – http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art157.asp

Free stock quotes are valuable for looking at your investments and determining whether or not you want to trade in the stock market. There are several free stock quotes online and one of the most popular is Yahoo Finance. This site will allow you to search your stocks to see the growth or decline and determine if you want to buy or sell. Free stock quotes are ideal for the novice investor. They can practice their skills without investing any money until they are comfortable enough to actually invest. Once you decide to invest, though, you will need to get with a broker and there are additional fees associated with trading. However, there are many do it yourself places that only require a small fee and will often have valuable articles and free stock quotes so you can watch your portfolio continually to ensure you have made sound investments.

Before investing in the stock market, you should be aware of the basics of stock trading. This can be learned by doing some research online or by getting a book at your local library. Once you know the basics, you can start looking for individual investments. It is recommended that the novice investor start off with only the amount of money they can afford to lose. There are no guarantees you will earn money and sometimes you will lose it. So, it is important to carefully watch the stock market by looking at free stock quotes each day. You may want to buy or sell your stocks depending on how well the individual stock is doing and what forecasts are for the stock.

Free stock quotes are also great for classes in finance or the stock market. This is ideal for investor clubs, high school classes or college projects. You can either use mock money to track an investment from start to finish without actually putting in money or you can use pooled money to determine which investment you will watch and what you will do with it. This is a great way to have a bit of fun with a group while learning about investments and possibly making a bit of money.

Hot, free stock quote information updated all the time.

The SAE aims to instruct the people engage in indoor tanning so that they become trained professionals. It will educate tanning bed users so that they will use the indoor tanning technology responsibly and moderately. At the same time, the association will release scientifically-based information about indoor tanning so that it can equalize the biased negative view of using tanning beds.

Members of the SAE are well-informed about the FDA regulations, the potential benefits and risks of exposure to ultraviolet radiation, the importance of eye protection and other tanning accessories, the concept of photosensitivity, the proper maintenance of tanning beds and tanning booths, and the ethical management of a tanning center.

Specifically, a trained professional of the SAE will advocate the following practices:

1. Provide the clients of tanning salons a consent form before they use either the bed or the booth. These forms should be carefully read and then signed by each customer.

2. Deny any request made by clients to stay inside a tanning unit longer than what is suggested by the manufacturing unit. Overexposure to ultraviolet radiation can increase the potential risks of tanning.

3. Advise clients to always wear tanning goggles. Any person who insists on not using the protective eye wear will be refused by the trained professional and by the tanning salon.

4. Post on a clearly visible part of the salon all the necessary precautionary reminders and warning signage. The patrons of the salon should easily see and read the messages of these signage.

5. Display an accurate, complete, and updated chart of photosensitizing agents. The chart should be readily understandable. If a client has questions about the chart, the SAE professional should be on hand to answer the questions as best as he could.

6. Utilize tanning beds, tanning booths, accessories, and replacement bulbs that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Any equipment or accessory that does not comply with the standards of the FDA should not be used.

7. Purchase and use cleaning agents or sanitizing solutions that are specially manufactured for the tanning equipment. The us of inappropriate solutions, like a bleach, may damage the parts of the tanning bed or tanning booth.

The practices of SAE professionals are commendable and they contribute greatly in making indoor tanning a safe process.

Grace Palce is writing articles for her own site about home tanning beds and natural remedies articles for her other site.

Now that we have explained the benefits and told you how owner financing works, let’s talk about making contact with a contract buyer, with the idea of selling a newly created contract from the sale of your home.

The contract buyer will want several pieces of information from you. They will suggest the terms you should put in your contract, which gives it the highest cash value when selling it. They can suggest the amount of down payment you should try to get from your buyer, how many years the contract should be written for, plus the right interest rate you should charge. The contract buyer will also ask you about your cash needs from the sale. This is something you shouldn’t be afraid of. They’re not trying to pry into your personal affairs. The contract buyer’s goal is to construct an offer to fulfill your cash needs. Depending on your cash needs, there may be times when it is best to sell a part of your contract, rather than the whole thing. This method could give you a gigantic lump sum of cash when the sale closes. We’ll explain how selling a part of the contract works in a few moments. Disclose all the information you can with the contract buyer. Explore all your options with them. They will assist you in constructing a plan that lets you win from your home sale. Your goal is to create a contract that has high cash value that you can easily sell.

Let’s see what a high cash value contract should look like. We will call this Example One:

THE QUALITY CONTRACT

Let’s pretend you have a home you’re going to sell for a market value of $100,000.00. Let’s say you find a good buyer who can put down $20,000.00. The buyer is going to have a 20% equity position at the very beginning. A contract buyer likes to see that. The more equity your buyer has at the start, the better for you when you sell the contract. Lets assume the interest rate you charge on this contract is 10%. Market rates could be lower or higher, at the time you’re reading this manual. The 10% rate is only an example. The remaining balance of $80,000.00 is amortized over 15 years. This means the buyer will be making monthly payments for 15 years of $859.68. Here’s what the contract will look like.

Sales price of the house: $100,000.00
Down payment: $20,000.00
Remaining balance: $80,000.00
Interest rate: 10%
Monthly payment: $859.68

This represents a good quality contract. The home is selling for market value. The buyer made a good down payment, giving them decent equity at the start. The contract has a reasonable pay back term of 15 years.

Lets see what a contract that would be low in quality would look like. We’ll call this Example Two:

THE LOW QUALITY CONTRACT

Let’s say we’re going to sell the house again for $100.000.00. This time the buyers are only putting down $5,000.00. The contract will be amortized for 30 years with an interest rate of 10%.

Monthly payment $833.69. Here is what it looks like.

Sales price of house: $100,000.00
Down payment: $5,000.00
Remaining balance: $95,000.00
Interest rate: 10%
Monthly payment: $833.69

This contract is low in quality because the buyer is not putting much cash down. The pay back term of 30 years is very long. When comparing these two examples, you want to remember that contracts with shorter pay back terms, and good down payments always give you the highest cash values. Another way to measure the cash value of a contract is to calculate the loan-to-value on the home. You do this by adding up the total loans on the home. Then you compare that figure to the price or cash value of the home. In our first example of the quality contract, the loan amount is $80,000.00. The sales price is $100,000.00. That gives the home an 80% loan-to-value ratio. A contract buyer would be comfortable with that ratio. The low quality contract has a 95% loan-to-value ratio. Much too high. However, there is a way to make the low quality contract into a workable deal. We’ll show you how that works in a few moments.

Loan-to-value is very important to you. Do your best to create a contract that has the right ratio. If you’re selling other property like apartments or commercial real estate, a contract buyer would want the following ratios:

Multi-family units and apartments need to keep the loan-to-value at about 65% maximum. It can go lower but 65% is acceptable to a contract buyer. If you’re selling commercial property, your loan-to -value should be around 60%. For vacant land, or lots, loan-to-value should be no more than 50%.

O.K., you’ve seen what a quality contract looks like. You should now have a working knowledge of loan-to-value. Its time to answer the major question you probably have at this point. How much money would the home seller receive if they sold these two contracts?

Let’s review the first example of the quality contract. The home is selling for $100,000.00. The buyer is putting down $20,000.00. The balance of $80,000.00 is paid over 15 years at 10%. Monthly payment will be $859.68. How much will the contract buyer pay the home seller for this contract? As far as this deal goes, we would say around $72,000.00. When you add up the down payment of $20,000.00, plus $72,000.00 from the contract buyer, the home seller ends up with $92,000.00 cash. That’s $92,000.00 they won’t have to wait 15 years to get.

Your questions regarding the discount will be answered later in the section entitled:

“UNDERSTANDING A PRIVATELY HELD CONTRACT AND NOTE”

This section has good information for people creating contracts from a home sale. If you already own a contract you’ll discover some vital facts you may not be aware of. We encourage you to study section three carefully.

Let’s see you how the home seller could do even better in our example.

The seller is coming out with $92,000.00 cash they won’t have to waiting 15 years to collect. Lets make some changes that could make things better for the home seller. Lets pretend the seller doesn’t need all cash when they sell. What they really want right away is the large down payment.
A second offer could be made.

OFFER TWO

The contract buyer suggests the home seller could sell part of their contract, rather than the whole thing. The contract buyer offers $39,000.00 for the right to receive the first 60 payments of the contract. When the 60 payments have gone by, the contract will be returned to the home seller with a balance remaining of $65,053.30. The home seller will then start to receive the monthly payments. This method gives the home seller a gigantic lump sum of cash immediately with payments to follow.

Let’s review Offer Two:

Home sells for: $100,000.00
Down payment: $20,000.00
Contract buyer purchases first 60 payments for: $39,000.00
Total cash to home seller at closing: $59,000.00
After 60 payments the contract is returned to seller with a balance of: $65,053.30
Home seller begins to collect monthly payments.

Think about this. When you add up the $59,000.00 the seller received at closing, plus, the $65,053.30 remaining after the 60 payments go by. The seller ends up with over $124,000.00 plus interest on the balance remaining. Remember the home sold for $100,000.00. Not bad. The home seller comes out better when a part of the contract is sold versus the whole thing.

Lets assume the homebuyer needs a lower monthly payment. This is simple to solve. Write the contract with a 30-year pay back term. The monthly payment is then lowered to $702.06. We’ve accommodated the buyer by lowering the monthly payment. Now, in exchange, we can require that a balloon payment be placed in the tenth year. This makes the contract pay off in ten years instead of thirty. Now, our contract buyer can make a third offer.

OFFER THREE

The contract buyer will purchase the ten years worth of payments from the home seller, for $49,000.00 cash. After the ten years go by the balloon payment comes due. This goes directly to the home seller. In ten years, the value of the balloon payment would be $72,750.42. Let’s see how this offer looks.

Home sells for: $100,000.00
Down payment: $20,000.00
Contract buyer purchases the first ten years worth of payments: $49,000.00
Total cash to home seller at closing: $69,000.00
Balloon payment comes due in ten years and goes directly to the home seller: $72,750.42

The home seller does well with this offer. They get $69,000.00 when the sale closes. Plus, the balloon payment of $72,750.42 for a total of $141,750.42. Contract buyers can also come up with other offers and combinations. The next two sections in your manual will give you more ideas. Contract buyers don’t offer a set price for a contract. They’re all different. The values have to be measured on the individual merits of each contract. Remember to completely discuss your needs with the contract buyer. They’ll do their best to come up with the right plan that works for you.

Now, let’s talk a bit about The Low Quality Contract. Let’s see how an offer could be made for this one. This contract was set up on a long pay back term of 30 years. The down payment was low at $5,000.00. The contract buyer would probably offer around $71,000.00 cash for the whole contract. The home seller would only get around $76,000.00 when everything settles. The seller would certainly want to do better. Let’s make an alternative offer. The contract buyer could purchase the first ten years of payments from the home seller, for $53,000.00 cash. After ten years, the contract would be returned to the home seller. The balance owed would be $86,391.12. The home seller will start to collect the payments from then on. Let’s see how this looks.

Home sells for: $100,000.00
Down payment: $5,000.00
Remaining balance: $95,000.00
Contract written for 30 years at 10%
Monthly payment: $833.69
Contract buyer purchases first 10 years of payments: $53,000.00
Total cash to home seller at closing: $58,000.00
After ten years, contract is returned to home seller with remaining balance of: $86,391.12

We have turned a low quality contract into a deal that can work for the home seller. They get $58,000.00 cash at the start. Plus the $86,391.12 remaining after ten years, including interest. Not bad for a house that only sold for $100,000.00.

If a new contract is set up on a long-term pay back with a low down payment, your best strategy is to sell a part of the contract versus the whole thing. The contract buyer might suggest placing a balloon payment in the tenth, or possibly the fifteenth year. You could use the same strategy we used before. Sell the payments only and keep the balloon for yourself. Contracts that are low in quality can be made into deals that work for the home seller. There are other offers and combinations that can be made. Every situation is different. Remember, discuss everything in detail with the contract buyer.

Let’s talk about selling a house that you don’t own free and clear. You have a first mortgage that money is still owed on. Contract buyers can help you if you’ve got enough equity in the home. If your home is selling for $100,000.00 and you still owe $40,000.00 on a first mortgage, you have a 60% equity position. This is very good. Let’s say you still owed $80,000.00 on the first mortgage. Your equity is only 20%. This would not be good. The contract buyer would have a hard time working with something that small.

Let’s see two examples on how this works. What we’re talking about is the creation of a second mortgage that you would sell to the contract buyer.

EXAMPLE OF A QUALITY SECOND MORTGAGE

Selling price of home: $100,000,00
Down payment: $20,000.00
Home seller still owes on a first mortgage with a remaining balance of only: $40,000.00 (60% equity)
Home seller creates a second mortgage with a five-year pay back at 10%: $40,000.00
Monthly payment: $849.88
Contract buyer purchases second mortgage from the home seller for: $35,000.00
Cash to home seller at closing: $55,000.00

If you owe on a first mortgage that cannot be assumed by your buyer, a contract buyer can solve that problem for you. When you close the sale on the house, draw up a new mortgage for the entire cash amount owed on the house subtracting the down payment. In the case of our example, this new mortgage would be for $80,000.00. When the contract buyer purchases the deal from you, they’ll use part of the cash proceeds they pay for the contract, to pay off the $40,000.00 balance owed on the first mortgage. The cash that’s left goes to the home seller. So, loans that aren’t assumable are no problem for contract buyers. They simply pay off any senior mortgages from the cash proceeds when the deal closes. Now, we’ll show you a second mortgage that would not be as good.

EXAMPLE OF A LOW QUALITY SECOND MORTGAGE

House sells for: $100,000.00
Down payment: $5,000.00
Seller still owes on a first mortgage with a remaining balance of: $85,000.00 (equity only 15%)
Home seller creates a second mortgage with eight-year pay back term at 10%: $10,000.00

It would be very hard to get a fair price from a contract buyer for this second mortgage. The first mortgage still owed on the house has a huge balance of $85,000.00. Let’s say a contract buyer bought this second mortgage. Six months later it goes into default. The contract buyer would either have to make the payments on the first mortgage, or pay it off to protect their investment. This would not make financial sense for the contract buyer. There is too little money invested to take on the financial responsibility of the first mortgage. Remember it’s hard to do well selling second mortgages when the equity in your home is low. Each case varies. Talk the situation over with the contract buyer.

If the equity is low in your home at this time consider waiting awhile before selling. Your equity will get better as your home goes up in value. Plus, you’ll owe less on your first mortgage. The information in this article will work just as well in the future as it does today. Keep it handy and review from time to time. We’ve covered a lot of information. We hope you’re convinced that owner financing dramatically increases your ability to sell your home quickly.

Greg Winfield is the owner of the web site entitled “OwnerWillCarry.Com” located at http://www.ownerwillcarry.com OwnerWillCarry.Com is one of the largest web sites on the Internet that specializes in providing free advertising to home sellers who are offering owner financing or lease option terms to buyers.

Leasing equipment provides the lessee with all the following benefits of utilizing the equipment without having to pay the up-front costs or assuming the risk of ownership. A lease is one of the best ways for businesses to stay on top of the development curve. With so many new developments that occur (particularly in the technology areas) equipment leasing is less financially expensive.

Running a business means making sound financial decisions that improve the condition and quality of a business. Equipment leasing provides such a benefit along with:

1. Minimal Cash Outlay
2. Overcoming Budgetary Limitations
3. Avoidance of Obsolescence
4. Flexibility in Terms and Equipment
5. Conservation of the Business’ Working Capital
6. Increased Opportunities
7. Tax Benefits
8. Fast Applications
9. 100% Financing

The minimal cash outlay allows a business to conserve their own capital. A lease also provides for servicing equipment failures. When managing a large computer room, owning all the computer equipment would place not only the upfront cost of purchasing the equipment, but also maintenance and repair as needed. Businesses that conserve personal business capital and lines of credit can handle the more mundane day-to-day expenses and unexpected events.

Budgetary concerns over new equipment purchases can be circumvented through equipment leasing. Operating budgets tend to be more flexible than a capital budget. The lease terms can be as flexible as required and are often negotiable on an individual basis. Lease terms are usually much longer than a standard bank loan, which makes their payment terms even better.

The ability to upgrade remains one of the best benefits of equipment leasing. Businesses grow; technology changes and the needs of both can change year to year. Equipment leasing allows businesses to benefit from developments on both sides of the aisle. Lease terms may also be structured to handle these changing situations.

Considering this multitude of benefits for equipment leasing, it’s not surprising that more and more businesses are reaching out to lease their equipment rather than purchase it. The benefits of leasing are not limited to the computer industry or to large corporations. Small businesses can benefit even more from equipment leasing than a large corporation may.

In a contest of leasing versus buying, leasing wins most of the time. Imagine the small business that houses only two employees. Their working capital may afford a couple of PCs and some exterior accounts to host a website. When a PC in the office goes down, if they are not leasing they will need to replace the machine. In general, the cost of replacing a standard PC is significantly lower than repairing one.

Small businesses need the ability to remain flexible, to upgrade and to keep their machines in maintenance and up to date. Even more than their corporate big brother, they need to know they will remain on the cutting edge of the industry in order to make better business decisions. A small construction company that has no access to certain types of equipment will not be able to take on more challenging jobs. The graphic’s designer that doesn’t have the equipment to support the latest software will find himself or herself less competitive. An accountant that doesn’t have the disk space to maintain growing accounts will have to turn away business.

Leasing equipment makes sense on a variety of financial levels, but also on levels addressing future growth. The business that takes advantage of these benefits are planning two steps ahead of their own niche market and will likely avoid being trumped by their competition. So whether a business is large or small, thinking ahead provides them with opportunity. What is the best benefit a business can receive from leasing their equipment? Opportunity.

Equipment Leasing Source offers great deals on medical equipment leasing, equipment leasing and construction equipment Leasing. http://www.equipment-leasing-source.net

Your kitchen countertops serve two purposes – to provide a work surface and to look good so it’s important to know how to select one that satisfies your criteria for both.

Your countertops need to be functional for preparing food and provide easy clean up. They are also the first thing you notice when you walk in the kitchen. The right countertop can add beauty and style as well as practicality. When planning a kitchen remodel, your countertops should be carefully chosen for these reasons and others.

Selecting the material is a matter of personal preference, but you should make sure the material has several features. This will allow you to keep the countertops in tip top shape for many years to come and make them easy to work with. Countertops are a huge investment and making sure you get the right ones is critical. Here’s some features you should look for:

Durability

Kitchen countertops take a beating so you want to make sure they are durable. If you pick a material that can easily crack, burn or stain you might find that you have to put money into repairing them. Of coures, durable countertops will be among the most expensive, but it will be money well spent.

Ease Of Cleaning

One of the big jobs in the kitchen is keeping the counters clean, therefore you want to choose a material that makes this job easier on you. Countertops that are made from a porous material will stain and end up looking unclean. Tiles will be hard to clean because crumbs and other stuff will collect in the grout – and if you have light colored grout it will get dirty very fast. Granite and Corian are pretty easy to clean and the coloring can help even a dirty counter look great.

Safety

Who would think you might have to consider safety in a counter top? Well if you have small children you should make sure that edges are rounded to protect from injury. You don’t want rough edges on the counter tops either. These days, you can even buy countertops that are treated with a special substance that can cut down on bacteria that can cause food poisining.

Style

Last but not least you want your kitchen countertops to reflect the style of your kitchen. Think about the color and texture and how that fits into your current (or intended) style. You can check out the kitchen showrooms to see what colors and types of materials look best with the cabinets you have or might be installing.

You can buy kitchen countertops in many materials from granite to tile to porcelain to stainless steel to slate to marble. They are even making them from cement now! All of these materials can work, and if you select your countertops carefully they can be an investment you can live with for years to come.

Lee Dobbins writes for homediy101.com where you can learn more about home improvement as well as read articles on choosing and installing kitchen countertops.

Mistake #…

1.) Rushing out to buy the top manufacturers model of skate.

Manufacturers make several models of skates to accommodate different levels of skating and the different physical sizes of skaters, as well as to cover several price points. So the ‘Top Model’ (read most expensice) may not be the best choice of skate to buy, for you. The higher the model of skate the more expensive it is, and, the stiffer it is. If you’re not physically heavy enough to deal with the stiffness of the skate it won’t matter how much money you pay, your skating performance will suffer. Skates that are too stiff for a skater means no knee bend. Very often it also means long-term discomfort. Be honest with yourself when it comes to your skating ability and physical size. Purchasing a model of skate that matches those two criterions, can dramatically increase your skating performance, and save you money.

2.) Fitting hockey skates like shoes.

Skates and shoes do not fit the same. A safe rule of thumb to use is that a skate will always fit a size, to a size and a half, smaller than your shoe size. Depending on how you fit your running shoes, a skate may even occasionally be as much as two sizes smaller. If your skates are currently the same size as your running shoe… they are too big. For example if you wear a size 10 running shoe start with trying on a size 8- hockey skate. If you generally wear an extra wide shoe, start with a ‘D’ width skate. The ideal fit, length wise, has been achieved when you are standing in a skate that is laced up. The longest toe of the foot should, in fact, feather the end of the toecap. When you bend your knees slightly (like when you skate) the toes will pull completely away from the front of the toecap. If they don’t pull away, then go up half a size, or if you need growing room, then go up half a size.

3.) Trying on a pair of skates and not lacing them up.

This is one of the most common reasons skaters end up in skates to big. Hockey skates are, by design, meant to fit when they are laced up.
As the boot is laced up, the foot will draw into the back of the skate. A skate that ultimately fits properly will, more often then not, feel small when the foot is placed in the boot prior to lacing it. Trying on a pair of skates without lacing them up is like trying on a button shirt without buttoning it… both are meant to fit when they are done up. So…when you put the skate on, be sure to give your heel a good kick into the back of the boot and then lace it up.

4.) Buying the same make and model of skate that that the pro’s (NHL) have.

This can be a tough one because the younger skaters want what their favorite player is wearing. The bottom line with this is that the skates that the general public is able to buy off the shelf are not the same as what an NHL player is wearing. The Vapor XX or CCM PRO or what ever the model might be, is not the same skate as what the general public are able to purchase. The pros are wearing custom made boots from the manufacturer. The NHL is a great marketing vehicle for the skate manufacturers and consumers need to be aware of this fact.

5.) Buying a larger a length to try and accommodate a wider foot.

If your foot is wide and the skate is tight then buy a wider skate not a bigger length. The really big skate that feels good in the store, will come back to haunt you almost every time. A skate has a very specific shape that is relative to the length of the foot going into it. If you purchase a skate that is the wrong length, nothing about the shape of the foot will line up with the boot. For example; the widest part of the foot comes back into the narrowest part of the boot. The arch of the foot no longer lines up with the arch of the skate. None of that will bother you in the store, but get out skating and it will show up.

6.) Not setting enough time aside to properly fit the skates.

It can take time to fit a skate for comfort. Wrapping a very stiff piece of material around the foot can sometimes be a challenge. How a skate fits in the first few minutes of putting it on compared to how it fits after spending some time to warm the boot up can make a dramatic difference. Give yourself at least an hour, so you can walk around the store and get a feel for the boot as well as warm it up. Also you may want to take the time to try more than one manufacturers skate and model.

For more expert information come in to either of our two Edmonton locations.

Patrick Francey is the owner of Pro Skate. He is a recognized expert in the skating industry for ’skate fitting to enhance skate comfort and performance’ Patrick and his staff service all levels of hockey and figure skaters, including many NHL hockey players and world class figure skaters. His retail stores have been in operation for more than 25 years. Pro Skate prides themselves on long distnace ‘custom skate fitting’.

http://www.pro-skate.com
e-mail proskate@pro-skate.com
Professional Skate Service
Edmonton, Canada
780 481-5532 or toll free 1 866-481-5532
780 438-9059 or toll free 1888 438-3888

With so many quick-fix diet and fads offered to us by the mass media promising to be the next best thing to bring about an effective and safe weight loss, it is no wonder the public is left confused as to which one to choose. Sadly, this permits for exploitation from the many marketers and charlatans out to make a fast buck on the expense of the vulnerable.

Even the so called natural approaches for safe weight loss solutions are unrealistic, impractical and often pricey or are just the same one-dimensional gimmick cures disguised as holistic solutions.

This leads one to conclude that we most go back to the basics when eating not only for weight loss but for better health. Today science has verified the accuracy of the Biblical accounts of the dietetic habits of the first men on earth as recorded in Genesis 1:29: “Every herb bearing seed…and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed, to you it shall be for meat.” Obviously this leads one to conclude that being a vegetarian or more appropriately a vegan will be the most effective route to go when pursuing a safe weight loss and improved health as goals.

To be considered as well, from a spiritual and ethical point, when eating for health and weight loss, products from the animal kingdom should be excluded. As we do not have the power to restore life, we certainly do not have the right to kill. Every action has its reaction and every good or bad action brings forth good or evil fruit. When man was given permission to kill animals and eat their flesh, according to the Bible, animals were also given permission to slay and eat humans: “…And your life will I seek; at the hand of every beast will I seek it.” (Gen 9: 5). No wonder so many diseases such as obesity, cancer, rheumatism, asthma and so on are traced to being caused by consumption of animal products in the drugless healing cycles.

Therefore, the recommended staples of your diet should be your fruits and vegetables.

These substances constitute the Mucus-Less Diet otherwise known as the ‘Alkaline’; Disease Healing or Gen 1:29 diet. It provides you with all the necessary nutrients such as Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, vitamins and minerals needed for weight loss, improved health and overall fitness and in conjunction with proper exercise will be more than unmatched in helping you achieve these goals.

So let’s go over the items that should constitute one’s diet when eating for health and a safe weight loss.

Safe Weight Loss: Items for Consumption (A-C)

1. Apples:

A sub-acid or sweet fruit depending on its taste, it is an excellent source of the B-complex vitamins, Vitamin C, potassium and soluble fiber to aid as an excellent intestinal broom and mucus absorber. Its origin is in the temperate regions of our earth and is at its peak during the fall and winter seasons.

2. Avocadoes:

A natural aphrodisiac and an excellent source of vitamins A, D E and K, fats and a plethora of other minerals, this nutty tasting fruit vegetable is a must have for the health seeker. As great as it is a fruit, it should be eating in moderation say 1-2 maximum a day depending on your constitution, age and level of physical activity. In Season year round.

3. Bananas:

This should be a staple in any health seekers diet considering its year round availability and durability. It’s been hailed as having everything the human body needs and containing the 8 essential amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own. Of course it is the favorite of active kids.

4. Berries:

Berries are high in minerals and vitamins and they taste great. They are, like the apples, of temperate origins. Bears have been said to eat massive amounts of berries and obviously gain tons of strength and ‘healthy’ weight from them. Berries, being of the acid-fruit category should be eaten in the earlier parts of the day.

5. Cabbage:

Eat this vegetable raw, discarding of its outer leaves as well. Though it is not a dark green vegetable it still stands its own as an excellent source of vitamins A, C and E with the essential amino acids included. Anybody ever heard of cold-slaw?

6. Celery:

Wrongly described as a lower vegetable void of nutrients, this salty and nutritious food is actually the “powerhouse of life-giving nutrition!” It combines with anything first of all and I must admit, increases magnetism to the opposite sex for some strange reason. It is very alkaline forming and helps to relieve muscle cramping and fatigue. Wild, it is the favorite food of our cousin the Gorilla.

7. Citrus:

I mainly eat oranges, most other citrus fruits don’t appeal to my sense of taste although they do have tons of vitamin C and calcium but this author has always been a sweet tooth.
Tangerines though are excellent and rank quite high as mucus absorbing fruits-even higher than the lemon. As with all acid fruits they are best eaten in the mornings or early afternoons.

8. Coconuts (Young or Green):

These are available in Asian markets or your nearest health food store. They are good sources of grounding fats and proteins and are quite tasty in smoothies.
For a light supper, try 1-3 followed by Celery/lettuce, or blend with tomatoes and a little bit of salt and see Ranch French dressing beg to be excused.

Okay that’s A-C of what should constitute a natural diet for a safe weight loss regimen.
Needless to say some form of exercise will be needed, you may choose to read on my article on “Yoga for Weight Loss: What you need know to succeed” to see why I suggest Yoga along with these obviously natural food items, but of course whatever form of exercise suits your taste or needs will suffice.

Let me add though, working with your own body weight may be the best choice and you could at least borrow the warm up routine of yoga known as the sun salutations (it’ll only take you 5-10 minutes-if that-but here’s something to consider, Indian wrestlers and martial artists perform these exercises in dozens…need I say more?)

See you in part 2 of “For a Safe weight loss , try the Gen 1:29-it can’t be wrong”

Foras Aje is an independent researcher and author of Fitness: Inside and out, a book on improving physical and mental health naturally. For more information on attaining a safe weight loss visit http://www.bodyhealthsoul.com