The main purpose in this article is to evaluate the ethics of cheat codes to decide whether or not this is something that we want to promote in this society. So first what are cheat codes? Well for the purposes of this exposition I will define a cheat code as any sort of input that one can use in a video game whether it be on a computer or a dedicated gaming system, in order to advance further than they would normally in the game by their own skill.
These codes will advance them to new levels, or give them better equipment whether it be a vehicle or a weapon that will help them (give them a better chance) to beat the level or the game depending on what the code is.
How do people get cheat codes? Well depending on your definition, some cheat codes are built into the game. Others are sold on the internet by the company that produced the game, and others are found in publications that are put out by the video gaming industry as yet another source of revenue for an already fantastically successful mogul in entertainment.
Are they ethical? Well they are called cheat codes and the name seems to confer an unethical method to be successful in a game. They are allowing you to get beyond place that you deserve to get according to your skill and therefore are not teaching the valuable lesson of hard work equaling reward.
One might argue that it is just another reflection of the society’s addiction to instant gratification. However since they are actually produced by the programmers of the game and sold for revenue by them one can hardly call their use unethical by the standard of morality that condemns the use of something if it hurts another. It really is hurting no one at all.
I therefore propose that cheat codes no longer be called that but rather bonus secret codes. This still gives them the mystique that is critical for their marketing and no longer makes the player feel good about something that at least in the name is wrong.
There is no problem with people marketing and desiring these codes and actually it can often make the game interesting when you come to a standstill and need to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My other point is that video games aren’t necessarily good for the mind and if a cheat code causes the game to take less time to play than I am all for it.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Smoking – More Expensive Than You Think?
Are you a smoker? Have you ever tried to give up the habit? The chances are that you have, but like any addiction it can be (and usually is) extremely difficult to stop, and even attempts to cut down rarely last very long. Part of the problem is that smoking can be very enjoyable, but only too often something can turn up which will instantly remove the enjoyment. Unfortunately that ‘something’ will very often be loss of health.
The insurance industry is well aware of this fact, so not surprisingly they try to ensure that they do not lose money by covering high risk customers at low risk rates. At the same time non-smoking customers for life insurance have been piling on the pressure in their search for lower premiums. This is where the internet comes into the picture.
It used to be the case that at best, anyone looking for competitive quotations for life insurance had to be prepared to spend a lot of time searching adverts and telephone directories for likely companies. They also had to be prepared to spend a lot of time on the telephone collecting information, and then to settle down to long and careful comparisons, covering bits of paper in confusing and often indecipherable notes.
But all that has changed. Now all they have to do is go online and check out as many companies as they wish. They will find information which is very carefully presented for maximum clarity, because a confused enquirer is highly unlikely to become a customer. It is now so easy to reach a decision that a ‘price war’ has developed and some very competitive quotations are available. This competition has however had an inevitable effect in that insurance companies have had to tighten up their procedures or risk losing money on the narrower margins.
So they have hit the obvious target – smokers. Whilst the life insurance premiums for non-smokers have been steadily reducing, smoker’s premiums have moved away in the opposite direction. This has resulted in rates for smokers which are 100% or more above standard rates and still climbing. This, on top of the cost of the cigarettes (currently estimated to be approaching £100,000 in a lifetime and still climbing) means that anyone who still smokes must be very determined not to curtail their enjoyment.
Critical illness insurance is another policy which many people take out, to provide financial security for their families in the event of loss of income due to lengthy illness. It is reasonably self-evident that this too will be a great deal more expensive for smokers, simply due to their greater propensity for such illnesses as a result of their addiction.
So do you dig your heels in and continue to enjoy smoking, or do you give way to the financial pressure (not to mention the widespread anti-smoker climate) and give up the habit. The sad news is that even if you grit your teeth and stop smoking, as far as the insurance companies are concerned you are not out of the woods (or the Woodbines) for at least 12 months or maybe much longer. Some may require complete cessation for at least five years – contact your intended insurers after 12 months completely smoking free and see how the premiums look now. A considerable cost reduction should be evident.
Some folks cheat themselves and their friends by claiming to have stopped smoking when they are still sneaking the odd one in dark corners. This is up to the individual, but don’t try it with your insurers; it would not be difficult for a relatively low-key enquiry to expose the lie and your cover (in both meanings of the word!) would be blown. All the effort, the subterfuge, the self-deceiving would have been wasted. You would not be insured.
Right, you have made the praiseworthy and not inconsiderable effort and you are now a non-smoker. You can feel some justifiable pride as you tick the ‘NO’ box on a form with a smoking query. Now take advantage of your position, get on the internet and shop around for insurance quotes. You may be pleasantly surprised by some of the offers which you get, but don’t let your euphoria get the better of you. A move too soon, before everything has been confirmed, could leave you with a cancelled policy with your old company and an oversight leading to rejection by your new company; result no cover. Check the details carefully, finalise all the figures and then change to your new insurer.
Finally, don’t let those savings in expenditure just melt away. Add the money saved on cigarette purchases to the money saved on reduced premiums and invest it, and just watch that total climb!
The insurance industry is well aware of this fact, so not surprisingly they try to ensure that they do not lose money by covering high risk customers at low risk rates. At the same time non-smoking customers for life insurance have been piling on the pressure in their search for lower premiums. This is where the internet comes into the picture.
It used to be the case that at best, anyone looking for competitive quotations for life insurance had to be prepared to spend a lot of time searching adverts and telephone directories for likely companies. They also had to be prepared to spend a lot of time on the telephone collecting information, and then to settle down to long and careful comparisons, covering bits of paper in confusing and often indecipherable notes.
But all that has changed. Now all they have to do is go online and check out as many companies as they wish. They will find information which is very carefully presented for maximum clarity, because a confused enquirer is highly unlikely to become a customer. It is now so easy to reach a decision that a ‘price war’ has developed and some very competitive quotations are available. This competition has however had an inevitable effect in that insurance companies have had to tighten up their procedures or risk losing money on the narrower margins.
So they have hit the obvious target – smokers. Whilst the life insurance premiums for non-smokers have been steadily reducing, smoker’s premiums have moved away in the opposite direction. This has resulted in rates for smokers which are 100% or more above standard rates and still climbing. This, on top of the cost of the cigarettes (currently estimated to be approaching £100,000 in a lifetime and still climbing) means that anyone who still smokes must be very determined not to curtail their enjoyment.
Critical illness insurance is another policy which many people take out, to provide financial security for their families in the event of loss of income due to lengthy illness. It is reasonably self-evident that this too will be a great deal more expensive for smokers, simply due to their greater propensity for such illnesses as a result of their addiction.
So do you dig your heels in and continue to enjoy smoking, or do you give way to the financial pressure (not to mention the widespread anti-smoker climate) and give up the habit. The sad news is that even if you grit your teeth and stop smoking, as far as the insurance companies are concerned you are not out of the woods (or the Woodbines) for at least 12 months or maybe much longer. Some may require complete cessation for at least five years – contact your intended insurers after 12 months completely smoking free and see how the premiums look now. A considerable cost reduction should be evident.
Some folks cheat themselves and their friends by claiming to have stopped smoking when they are still sneaking the odd one in dark corners. This is up to the individual, but don’t try it with your insurers; it would not be difficult for a relatively low-key enquiry to expose the lie and your cover (in both meanings of the word!) would be blown. All the effort, the subterfuge, the self-deceiving would have been wasted. You would not be insured.
Right, you have made the praiseworthy and not inconsiderable effort and you are now a non-smoker. You can feel some justifiable pride as you tick the ‘NO’ box on a form with a smoking query. Now take advantage of your position, get on the internet and shop around for insurance quotes. You may be pleasantly surprised by some of the offers which you get, but don’t let your euphoria get the better of you. A move too soon, before everything has been confirmed, could leave you with a cancelled policy with your old company and an oversight leading to rejection by your new company; result no cover. Check the details carefully, finalise all the figures and then change to your new insurer.
Finally, don’t let those savings in expenditure just melt away. Add the money saved on cigarette purchases to the money saved on reduced premiums and invest it, and just watch that total climb!
Navigating The Stock Exchange
Nothing can seem quite so intimidating as the stock exchange; a hotbed of wealth and commerce all converging in one place; fortunes won and lost; businesses built; and the economic viability of a nation awaiting the results.
The stock exchange can mean a variety of things for a variety of people. To understand the stock exchange you must understand its role in today’s economy.
To begin with, the stock exchange offers corporations the opportunity to fund their operations and grow their business. The money made from investors who believe in the products and services offered by the business is used to finance growth; profits are passed onto the stock holders in the form of increased stock prices which they can use to realize a profit upon the sale of the stock. This opportunity – to be traded on the public stock market - is only offered to businesses of a certain size. It can mean the difference between viability and failure for a business.
Of course, the bigger picture of all this buying, selling, and growth of corporations is the impact it has on the greater economy. A strong economy is dependent upon a viable and thriving stock exchange and the same can be said for the other way around.
It can be enormously exciting to be involved in a process of this magnitude; to witness first-hand a nation’s financial axis. The stock exchange does not have to be a place of intimidation; rather it should be what it was intended to be – a place of opportunity.
To learn all you need to know about the stock exchange, go online. You’ll find tremendous resources at your disposal that will explain the complexities of the stock exchange while laying the groundwork for your possible participation.
If you decide to become a part of trading on the stock exchange you can either begin with online trading – a safe and minimally risky venture for novices – or see a professional stock broker who can guide you through the stock exchange with ease.
Either way, the stock exchange offers a bevy of opportunities for those looking to do something else with their money than having it sit in a bank account. Explore all your options and you’re sure to find that you’ll be comfortable in no time.
The stock exchange can mean a variety of things for a variety of people. To understand the stock exchange you must understand its role in today’s economy.
To begin with, the stock exchange offers corporations the opportunity to fund their operations and grow their business. The money made from investors who believe in the products and services offered by the business is used to finance growth; profits are passed onto the stock holders in the form of increased stock prices which they can use to realize a profit upon the sale of the stock. This opportunity – to be traded on the public stock market - is only offered to businesses of a certain size. It can mean the difference between viability and failure for a business.
Of course, the bigger picture of all this buying, selling, and growth of corporations is the impact it has on the greater economy. A strong economy is dependent upon a viable and thriving stock exchange and the same can be said for the other way around.
It can be enormously exciting to be involved in a process of this magnitude; to witness first-hand a nation’s financial axis. The stock exchange does not have to be a place of intimidation; rather it should be what it was intended to be – a place of opportunity.
To learn all you need to know about the stock exchange, go online. You’ll find tremendous resources at your disposal that will explain the complexities of the stock exchange while laying the groundwork for your possible participation.
If you decide to become a part of trading on the stock exchange you can either begin with online trading – a safe and minimally risky venture for novices – or see a professional stock broker who can guide you through the stock exchange with ease.
Either way, the stock exchange offers a bevy of opportunities for those looking to do something else with their money than having it sit in a bank account. Explore all your options and you’re sure to find that you’ll be comfortable in no time.
Navigating The Online Trading Marketplace
“ONLINE STOCK TRADING”
“Online stock trading” has seen a recent boom since the inception of T.D.Waterhouse Online ETrade etc. Since then there has been a host of online web applications that provide information for “online stock trading”. Some of them are online stock brokerage trading firms while others are individual investor “online stock trading” websites.
There is a remarkable difference in these two types of websites. Online trading firms are almost the equivalent of traditional trading with more resources to assist the account holder for tracking their money. “Online Stock Trading” is a do it yourself website, with web based information, complete with the reports on annual fees and commissions that provide the investor with information and a method of investment.
While trying to sort through the information provided by online site sources and “online stock trading” websites can seem like an insurmountable task, there are a few of these websites that provide a simple and easy to understand format. Onlinetradingideas is a revolutionary online trading website that is invaluable in assisting the average investor in understanding the stock option resources available to them.
Online trading ideas has the unique feature of language translation right on its webpage. Whether you are searching for “online stock trading” information in Russian, French, Italian, German, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, or Portuguese, this website has the information for investors from all around the world to gain a further understanding of trading in the marketplace.
ONLINE TRADE MARKET NEWS
The online Trade Market News is a wonderful resource to achieve a wide variety of knowledge in a multitude of trading aspects. Bank of America, Yahoo! Finance, and INREEX are just a few of the topics covered on this informative page. ETrade and the Online Trading Academy as well have a remarkable amount of information on this page. The website offers informative online trading news and updates as well as unbiased trading articles.
Unbiased trading articles are crucial to a website’s credibility. Unbiased trading reports are critical to making financial decisions. The presence of these reports lends credence to the notion that this website is not just about promoting itself, but promoting the information necessary in order to navigate the harsh world of online trading.
The collection of “Online Stock trading” articles is yet another resource available, lending itself to guides and even step by step help packages to getting started in the online stock market circuit.
Financial independence is possible when you know where to look. The leaders in financial guides and resources all share the same view, make your money work for you. Financial marketing is a proven method of increasing income potential and deriving a sound plan is the key to investing wisely. The popularity of stock brokerage firms is falling dramatically with the introduction of the small online investor. It is estimated that in the next fifty years stock brokerage firms will become obsolete for the average investor.
THE BEST IN INDIVIDUAL STOCK TRADING
Discovering the best individual method of “online stock trading” can be a difficult proposition. Some require minimum deposits while others require trading organization fees. There are a few that are commission only, though those are rare. It is quite common, however to find a firm with low fee trading that will periodically waive its commission based scale to encourage new investors to use their services.
Not all firms will treat their investors equally. There are firms who do not consider any account under $50,000 a worthwhile endeavor. Before placing any capital to be invested with any firm, it is wise to find out their average clientele. Remember that those who trade for you in any online brokerage firm are subject to a commission. The higher the trade, the higher the commission. Therefore it would make sense to assume that smaller accounts are not getting adequate attention. It is imperative to find out this information prior to depositing any sum of money with any online trading firm.
Do not assume that just because a firm is well recognized that it is suitable for the small investors needs. It is imperative that as many published reviews as possible and the opinions of both current and former clients be taken into consideration. Equally as important, don’t assume that every review can be taken verbatim. Reviews can be purchased, thus they can be misleading to the investor.
The basic rule of thumb in determining the value of reviews is fairly simple. Three out of every five reviews contains 75% accuracy, while one out of every one hundred contains 80% or better. So, if you read ten reviews by small investors and seven of them say the firm in question meets the small investor’s needs, then it’s safe to say that the particular firm is averaging a satisfied small investor rate of three out of four.
The information on “Online Trading Ideas” can significantly streamline research for small and large investors alike. They have picked the articles and reviewed the news prior to posting to help narrow down the ratio of off the mark reviews and news. It is important to maintain that every investor is different with varying demands from the financial world. Online Trading Ideas is geared toward helping the individual investor with personalized needs and risk tolerances to help them along.
Large investors, as well need to place their research on firms that can handle the large sums of money. Not every firm is equipped to deal with much more than a couple hundred thousand dollars at one time from any single investor. Remember, it’s not their money. Large sums equal large commissions and thus it is fair to say that most firms, even do it yourself online trading firms, do not limit their investors. Online Trading Ideas can help the large investor filter through what is available to them to significantly shorten research time.
The risks of online day trading vary by individual, personal circumstance, and overall risk tolerance. One of the fastest ways to reduce risk is the gather information and become an educated investor. Educated investors are those who know how to seek out trends, which have a constant list of questions and are perpetually prepared to adjust as new information develops. Most of all, the educated investor has a trusted resource to navigate him through the marketplace. For many, Online Trading Ideas has become that trusted resource.
Equity trade research is a highly unique skill. It is important to be able to trust the source of the research that is being provided. A free exchange of informed ideas can be invaluable to the equity trader.
Direct investing has been revolutionized with companies such as ING Direct. ING works on the concept that their service is of high enough quality that they see no reason to charge anything more than minimal fees. This revolutionary concept has been adopted by other firms as well and has led to higher investor confidence when choosing an online investment firm. ING and comparable companies have increased their clientele rate by a much larger margin than ETrade and other commission plus fee based services.
The world of personal investing is loaded with pitfalls, and the average investor has been greatly relieved to see such websites as onlinetradingideas.The personal investor has never before had the chance to be so successful without years of formal education the well guarded secrets of the professionals.
Online Trading Ideas has helped to open up a new world to the timid investor as well. With their stock quote research and their vast quantity of knowledgeable and variable consideration, the timid investor can understand the process step by step in a more thorough account than most “online stock trading” companies provide.
Overall the site is impressive. Online Trading Ideas is more than a simple blog thrown together to promote advertisers. This web site has in depth coverage of varying topics that make it a top pick for both the novice and experienced investor alike. Contributions are point blank honest, well written, easy to read, and littered with integrity. The step by step information pages give you real references with real links that work in real time. The most refreshing section of this entire is the section that can’t be found. There are no promises of firing your boss next week or making thirty four thousand dollars in one week.
There is a great amount of lucrative information posted on onlinetradingideas rather than a handful of ridiculous promises aimed at the desperate and needy. This is true education and absolutely a wonderful tool for any investor wanting a bigger bite of the pie. The same is true for the investor that hasn’t yet found the courage to invest a single dime, until they receive the right information. With Online Trading Ideas, the average investor finally has a chance at making their goals attainable.
“Online stock trading” has seen a recent boom since the inception of T.D.Waterhouse Online ETrade etc. Since then there has been a host of online web applications that provide information for “online stock trading”. Some of them are online stock brokerage trading firms while others are individual investor “online stock trading” websites.
There is a remarkable difference in these two types of websites. Online trading firms are almost the equivalent of traditional trading with more resources to assist the account holder for tracking their money. “Online Stock Trading” is a do it yourself website, with web based information, complete with the reports on annual fees and commissions that provide the investor with information and a method of investment.
While trying to sort through the information provided by online site sources and “online stock trading” websites can seem like an insurmountable task, there are a few of these websites that provide a simple and easy to understand format. Onlinetradingideas is a revolutionary online trading website that is invaluable in assisting the average investor in understanding the stock option resources available to them.
Online trading ideas has the unique feature of language translation right on its webpage. Whether you are searching for “online stock trading” information in Russian, French, Italian, German, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, or Portuguese, this website has the information for investors from all around the world to gain a further understanding of trading in the marketplace.
ONLINE TRADE MARKET NEWS
The online Trade Market News is a wonderful resource to achieve a wide variety of knowledge in a multitude of trading aspects. Bank of America, Yahoo! Finance, and INREEX are just a few of the topics covered on this informative page. ETrade and the Online Trading Academy as well have a remarkable amount of information on this page. The website offers informative online trading news and updates as well as unbiased trading articles.
Unbiased trading articles are crucial to a website’s credibility. Unbiased trading reports are critical to making financial decisions. The presence of these reports lends credence to the notion that this website is not just about promoting itself, but promoting the information necessary in order to navigate the harsh world of online trading.
The collection of “Online Stock trading” articles is yet another resource available, lending itself to guides and even step by step help packages to getting started in the online stock market circuit.
Financial independence is possible when you know where to look. The leaders in financial guides and resources all share the same view, make your money work for you. Financial marketing is a proven method of increasing income potential and deriving a sound plan is the key to investing wisely. The popularity of stock brokerage firms is falling dramatically with the introduction of the small online investor. It is estimated that in the next fifty years stock brokerage firms will become obsolete for the average investor.
THE BEST IN INDIVIDUAL STOCK TRADING
Discovering the best individual method of “online stock trading” can be a difficult proposition. Some require minimum deposits while others require trading organization fees. There are a few that are commission only, though those are rare. It is quite common, however to find a firm with low fee trading that will periodically waive its commission based scale to encourage new investors to use their services.
Not all firms will treat their investors equally. There are firms who do not consider any account under $50,000 a worthwhile endeavor. Before placing any capital to be invested with any firm, it is wise to find out their average clientele. Remember that those who trade for you in any online brokerage firm are subject to a commission. The higher the trade, the higher the commission. Therefore it would make sense to assume that smaller accounts are not getting adequate attention. It is imperative to find out this information prior to depositing any sum of money with any online trading firm.
Do not assume that just because a firm is well recognized that it is suitable for the small investors needs. It is imperative that as many published reviews as possible and the opinions of both current and former clients be taken into consideration. Equally as important, don’t assume that every review can be taken verbatim. Reviews can be purchased, thus they can be misleading to the investor.
The basic rule of thumb in determining the value of reviews is fairly simple. Three out of every five reviews contains 75% accuracy, while one out of every one hundred contains 80% or better. So, if you read ten reviews by small investors and seven of them say the firm in question meets the small investor’s needs, then it’s safe to say that the particular firm is averaging a satisfied small investor rate of three out of four.
The information on “Online Trading Ideas” can significantly streamline research for small and large investors alike. They have picked the articles and reviewed the news prior to posting to help narrow down the ratio of off the mark reviews and news. It is important to maintain that every investor is different with varying demands from the financial world. Online Trading Ideas is geared toward helping the individual investor with personalized needs and risk tolerances to help them along.
Large investors, as well need to place their research on firms that can handle the large sums of money. Not every firm is equipped to deal with much more than a couple hundred thousand dollars at one time from any single investor. Remember, it’s not their money. Large sums equal large commissions and thus it is fair to say that most firms, even do it yourself online trading firms, do not limit their investors. Online Trading Ideas can help the large investor filter through what is available to them to significantly shorten research time.
The risks of online day trading vary by individual, personal circumstance, and overall risk tolerance. One of the fastest ways to reduce risk is the gather information and become an educated investor. Educated investors are those who know how to seek out trends, which have a constant list of questions and are perpetually prepared to adjust as new information develops. Most of all, the educated investor has a trusted resource to navigate him through the marketplace. For many, Online Trading Ideas has become that trusted resource.
Equity trade research is a highly unique skill. It is important to be able to trust the source of the research that is being provided. A free exchange of informed ideas can be invaluable to the equity trader.
Direct investing has been revolutionized with companies such as ING Direct. ING works on the concept that their service is of high enough quality that they see no reason to charge anything more than minimal fees. This revolutionary concept has been adopted by other firms as well and has led to higher investor confidence when choosing an online investment firm. ING and comparable companies have increased their clientele rate by a much larger margin than ETrade and other commission plus fee based services.
The world of personal investing is loaded with pitfalls, and the average investor has been greatly relieved to see such websites as onlinetradingideas.The personal investor has never before had the chance to be so successful without years of formal education the well guarded secrets of the professionals.
Online Trading Ideas has helped to open up a new world to the timid investor as well. With their stock quote research and their vast quantity of knowledgeable and variable consideration, the timid investor can understand the process step by step in a more thorough account than most “online stock trading” companies provide.
Overall the site is impressive. Online Trading Ideas is more than a simple blog thrown together to promote advertisers. This web site has in depth coverage of varying topics that make it a top pick for both the novice and experienced investor alike. Contributions are point blank honest, well written, easy to read, and littered with integrity. The step by step information pages give you real references with real links that work in real time. The most refreshing section of this entire is the section that can’t be found. There are no promises of firing your boss next week or making thirty four thousand dollars in one week.
There is a great amount of lucrative information posted on onlinetradingideas rather than a handful of ridiculous promises aimed at the desperate and needy. This is true education and absolutely a wonderful tool for any investor wanting a bigger bite of the pie. The same is true for the investor that hasn’t yet found the courage to invest a single dime, until they receive the right information. With Online Trading Ideas, the average investor finally has a chance at making their goals attainable.
Natural Disaster Leads To Leaner Restrictions On Louisiana Bankruptcy
On August 23rd of 2005, Hurricane Katrina formed during the Atlantic Hurricane season and devastated New Orleans and all of the Coast of Louisiana. Loss of property and life caused a change in the lives of those living along the coastline. Due to the massive destruction, for those people filing bankruptcy in Louisiana leaner restrictions will be allotted.
The new bankruptcy forms will still be filled out but specific restrictions will be set aside, such as the use of the means test that is now state law. In October of 2005 a bankruptcy act requiring credit counseling and a means test evaluation were passed in several states. These requirements however are being waived in order to show sympathy and to provide aid for the numerous families affected by Katrina.
There are specific assets that are to be exempt. Assets are divided into nine categories including homestead, insurance, miscellaneous, personal property, public benefits, tools of the trade and wages. These exemptions vary between states. Though there are variations on bankruptcy laws and procedures, the overall process is the same.
Evaluations are performed where finances including income, assets and debt are reviewed in order to decide on chapter eligibility. Once this is completed a bankruptcy judge will review this information and he or she makes the final decision. Bankruptcy is mainly an administrative process and is completed mostly outside of the physical court. In order to understand your specific eligibility for a bankruptcy claim in Louisiana contact a Louisiana bankruptcy attorney for a free evaluation and bankruptcy guidance.
Bankruptcy gives those who were suffering financial chaos a fresh start, a type of new financial beginning. After bankruptcy has been filed and all of your debts have been discharged you should allow yourself to stop thinking about your credit history and instead focus on your financial present. Law can in fact report bankruptcy on your credit report for a total of 10 years from the filing of your case.
Past delinquencies as well as the bankruptcy can be reported on your credit report, but by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the discharged debts must be reported at a zero balance showing that the debtor no longer has any ties to those past debts. So even though your credit history may show you’re past financial flaws, remember they are PAST financial flaws.
Keeping the focus that you have a fresh start is what should be your drive to keeping your credit clean. Bankruptcy is not a shameful event. There are life occurrences that can lead towards bankruptcy. Letting go of the bankruptcy and discharged debts is the first step in your new beginning. Your next step is to use common sense in how you spend your money. After bankruptcy companies will still send credit cards and loan offers to you.
It is wise to distance yourself from debt creators. If you choose to receive a credit card, do so with only a single credit card. Do not max out the cards limit and pay the bill off on time monthly. This will begin a new payment history that will begin a clean credit history. Keep this same focus with all of your spending and payments and your past history will haunt you no more. Your present history will be your focus and will help you to maintain a clean credit goal.
The new bankruptcy forms will still be filled out but specific restrictions will be set aside, such as the use of the means test that is now state law. In October of 2005 a bankruptcy act requiring credit counseling and a means test evaluation were passed in several states. These requirements however are being waived in order to show sympathy and to provide aid for the numerous families affected by Katrina.
There are specific assets that are to be exempt. Assets are divided into nine categories including homestead, insurance, miscellaneous, personal property, public benefits, tools of the trade and wages. These exemptions vary between states. Though there are variations on bankruptcy laws and procedures, the overall process is the same.
Evaluations are performed where finances including income, assets and debt are reviewed in order to decide on chapter eligibility. Once this is completed a bankruptcy judge will review this information and he or she makes the final decision. Bankruptcy is mainly an administrative process and is completed mostly outside of the physical court. In order to understand your specific eligibility for a bankruptcy claim in Louisiana contact a Louisiana bankruptcy attorney for a free evaluation and bankruptcy guidance.
Bankruptcy gives those who were suffering financial chaos a fresh start, a type of new financial beginning. After bankruptcy has been filed and all of your debts have been discharged you should allow yourself to stop thinking about your credit history and instead focus on your financial present. Law can in fact report bankruptcy on your credit report for a total of 10 years from the filing of your case.
Past delinquencies as well as the bankruptcy can be reported on your credit report, but by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the discharged debts must be reported at a zero balance showing that the debtor no longer has any ties to those past debts. So even though your credit history may show you’re past financial flaws, remember they are PAST financial flaws.
Keeping the focus that you have a fresh start is what should be your drive to keeping your credit clean. Bankruptcy is not a shameful event. There are life occurrences that can lead towards bankruptcy. Letting go of the bankruptcy and discharged debts is the first step in your new beginning. Your next step is to use common sense in how you spend your money. After bankruptcy companies will still send credit cards and loan offers to you.
It is wise to distance yourself from debt creators. If you choose to receive a credit card, do so with only a single credit card. Do not max out the cards limit and pay the bill off on time monthly. This will begin a new payment history that will begin a clean credit history. Keep this same focus with all of your spending and payments and your past history will haunt you no more. Your present history will be your focus and will help you to maintain a clean credit goal.
My Cash Back & Online Coupon Shopping Secret
In my twenties, I had dreams of becoming a millionaire by the time I was 30 years old. In my thirties, I had dreams of being a millionaire by the time I was 40. I’m sure I will have many more dreams as I grow older, but reality has set in and I’ve realized that my destiny lies in other pursuits. To compensate for this, I have found ways to make the money I do have last longer and travel further. One of those ways is through the use of “online coupons.”
Over the last 10 years, shoppers have figured out that they can avoid lines and traffic and get better prices on the internet than in the shopping malls. Since most online purchases are made across state lines, the cost for shipping is usually offset by not having to pay sales tax. When you drive to a brick and mortar store, park in the parking lot, and walk into the store, you are now trapped since there is no way you are leaving to visit other stores to comparison shop. On the other hand, the internet is located in your living room where thousands, if not millions, of stores compete against each other driving prices as low as possible. In addition, online stores pay much lower rent for warehousing their products compared to retail lease prices for brick and mortar stores. This allows them to lower their prices even further and keep much larger inventories on hand. Obtaining better prices online is quickly outweighing the impulsive need to have your purchase immediately upon checkout from a brick and mortar store. This is increasing the number of online shoppers every year as people across the country catch on to what others have already figured out.
Now I’m not saying that the great prices found on the internet are anything to sneeze at, but that wasn’t enough for me. Since my first online purchase in the late 90’s, I have become addicted to saving even more money by utilizing online coupons, coupon codes / promo codes, and cash back shopping.
Online coupons are just like normal coupons that you would use at the grocery store, but they are only for purchases made on the internet. Instead of cutting them out and providing them at the checkout counter, online coupons are redeemed during the online checkout process. There are two types of online coupons. The first is a “coupon code” which I’ve also seen called a promo code, promotion code, promotional code, and a discount code. The shopper just needs to enter the coupon code in the appropriate place during checkout and the discount is reflected immediately. The other online coupon I have encountered is usually provided by online coupon websites. Once you click on the coupon-embedded link displayed on the online coupon website, you’re directed to the retailer’s website in a new browser window to shop as you normally would. The coupon discount is automatically factored into the price at checkout. I find this method easier than tracking down coupon codes (but maybe not as much fun).
But when I discovered another method of saving money called Cash Back Shopping, online coupons alone weren’t enough for me. I’m going to share a secret with you that took me a number of years to uncover about how online shopping works. In order to generate sales, online stores use a method of marketing called Affiliate Network Marketing. The online store signs up with an affiliate network for a fee. The network then displays links to the retailer’s website for coupons, deals, promotions, and sales. Website owners copy these links and display them on their own websites in the hopes that their visitors will click on them and place an order. The website owner is paid a commission for each visitor who goes to an affiliate’s site and makes a purchase. Commissions on sales range from 3% to 10%. Hence, the birth of the online coupon website to earn commissions by bringing traffic to online retailers signed up with affiliate networks.
Soon after, cash-back shopping sites began to appear. These sites give back a percentage of the commission they earn, in the form of cash-back, to the actual online shopper making the purchase. So now online shoppers could redeem valuable coupons, such as 15% off your entire order from the retailer and then earn another 2- 5% cash-back from the online coupon website. On most cash-back shopping websites, money accumulates in an account and is then paid quarterly by check to the shopper. The fact that you can combine online coupons with cash-back shopping makes cash-back shopping websites that offer coupons a much better option than the plain old online coupon websites of the past.
Now that we have a brief history of online shopping under our belts, let’s move onto my latest discovery. I recently found a website that has taken online coupons and cash-back shopping to another level. Until now it was only possible for website owners to make commissions from affiliate networks by displaying coupon links on their websites. However, the site I found, http://CouponCactus.com, allows shoppers to earn money as well as save money.
Coupon Cactus developed a program so its members can automatically display a link to their own “Cactus Page” in the signature line at the bottom of all of their emails. If a person reading your email clicks the link in your signature line and makes a purchase through your Cactus Page, you will earn a commission. Nearly every area of the online arena has been utilized for major profit, except for the real estate in our own personal emails. To demonstrate the power of marketing in personal e-mails, here’s an example. Let’s assume the average person sends 10 emails per day, including both original emails and forwarded emails. If you send an email of interest to 10 friends, such as a funny joke or story, by tomorrow it will be in 100 inboxes and it will be in 1,000 inboxes by the day after. In the span of just two days, your one email with a link to your Cactus Page could reach 1,100 potential online shoppers. That’s not to mention the other nine emails you wrote that day. I personally send about 100 emails per day and have already begun to reap the benefits of Coupon Cactus membership. I’ve actually earned more than I’ve spent over the holidays! It was then that I was driven to seek out the owner of Coupon Cactus to find out more about how they came up with this idea and what was on the horizon.
I had the chance to interview David Fitterman, President & CEO of Coupon Cactus, LLC, which hosts the http://CouponCactus.com website, an online coupon, coupon code, and cash-back shopping website with a commission program for the average shopper.
John: David, first I’d like to thank you for giving me the tools to make some cash this holiday season on top of some very cool coupons I used to buy presents.
David: It’s our pleasure! You know, it’s not just a holiday thing though. Our members are pretty smart and they’ll be earning money year-round. I knew the idea made sense, but I’m surprised at how fast it’s taken off.
John: So how many members do you have, and what are the different ways the website is being used?
David: Sorry John, I can’t reveal any specific details about our membership since privacy is of the utmost importance. But I can say that we’re very pleased and much further along than we’d imagined at this point. We already have some great success stories about the ingenious ways our members are using the website.
John: That works for me.
David: Well, you already know that each member gets their own Cactus Page but we are currently beta testing functionality where they can personalize the top banner with a welcome message and display a picture or a logo. We have one beta tester who placed a picture of his two-year old son on his banner. His son is suffering from an illness and he’s raising money in his son’s name by sending out links to his Cactus Page explaining that all commissions on purchases will be used for his son’s medical treatment.
John: Wow, that’s a great story.
David: Yeah, we’re pretty proud of that one. I’m just glad that we’re able to offer him the tools to earn money for such a good cause. We have another member who’s using her Cactus Page so she gets commissions on all of the gifts purchased for her baby shower next month. There’s actually one other member doing the same thing, but for her wedding. It’s a cool idea. If their friends and relatives are going to be buying them presents anyway, they might as well earn cash-back on all of the purchases to buy something extra for the baby or to use on their honeymoon.
John: Man, I wish you guys were around when I got married!
David: Sorry about that! At least you know about us now and can use Coupon Cactus for all the other events and ideas you come up with. We also have a few beta testing companies who are using corporate Cactus Pages as an employee benefit. It’s a win-win situation. The employees use the coupons on the website to save money, and the company earns commissions on all the sales. One of the companies is using the earned commissions to pay for the annual holiday party for their employees. It turns out that the company is ending up using the coupons, more than the employees, to lower their business expenses and get cash back on top of the discounts.
John: That sounds like a pretty smart company. Now I know you’re busy and I really appreciate the time you’re taking to talk with me, but can you tell me anything more about future plans for the website?
David: Well, you know I can’t be too specific, but we do have a number of plans in the works. I can tell you that we recently implemented a new feature where if you refer someone to Coupon Cactus and they become a member, you’ll receive 25% of whatever they earn for as long as both of you are members. There are a number of sites out there that only give you just $5 for telling a friend. We looked at that model and it just didn’t work for us. This is the age of Web 2.0 and we figured our members should share in all of the profits. For example, if you refer a friend to Coupon Cactus and he earns $100 this quarter, he’ll receive a check for $100 and you’ll receive a check for an additional $25. Let’s say that the next quarter you refer nine more friends who each earn $50 and your first friend makes another $100… Hang on, let me get out my calculator… You’ll get a check for $137.50 for that quarter, just on the commissions made on your referral members. Not a bad deal for just referring some friends, and we have absolutely no limit to the number of referrals you can make.
John: This feature was the reason I had to track you down and talk to you. It’s brilliant, and like I mentioned earlier, it paid for all the presents I bought this year and then some.
David: You know, when this article comes out you should include your membership number so you can get referral commissions on anyone who signs up after reading it.
John: In this case I am one step ahead of you. Thank you again for sitting down to talk with me, and I wish you great success with Coupon Cactus.
David: Thanks for having me.
Now that I have disclosed my secrets on how shopping can actually be profitable I will shamelessly ask that you return the favor by entering my Cactus membership number 100033 as the member who referred you to Coupon Cactus when you sign up for free membership at http://CouponCactus.com. Who knows, maybe my dreams will come true and I’ll get to be a millionaire one day.
Over the last 10 years, shoppers have figured out that they can avoid lines and traffic and get better prices on the internet than in the shopping malls. Since most online purchases are made across state lines, the cost for shipping is usually offset by not having to pay sales tax. When you drive to a brick and mortar store, park in the parking lot, and walk into the store, you are now trapped since there is no way you are leaving to visit other stores to comparison shop. On the other hand, the internet is located in your living room where thousands, if not millions, of stores compete against each other driving prices as low as possible. In addition, online stores pay much lower rent for warehousing their products compared to retail lease prices for brick and mortar stores. This allows them to lower their prices even further and keep much larger inventories on hand. Obtaining better prices online is quickly outweighing the impulsive need to have your purchase immediately upon checkout from a brick and mortar store. This is increasing the number of online shoppers every year as people across the country catch on to what others have already figured out.
Now I’m not saying that the great prices found on the internet are anything to sneeze at, but that wasn’t enough for me. Since my first online purchase in the late 90’s, I have become addicted to saving even more money by utilizing online coupons, coupon codes / promo codes, and cash back shopping.
Online coupons are just like normal coupons that you would use at the grocery store, but they are only for purchases made on the internet. Instead of cutting them out and providing them at the checkout counter, online coupons are redeemed during the online checkout process. There are two types of online coupons. The first is a “coupon code” which I’ve also seen called a promo code, promotion code, promotional code, and a discount code. The shopper just needs to enter the coupon code in the appropriate place during checkout and the discount is reflected immediately. The other online coupon I have encountered is usually provided by online coupon websites. Once you click on the coupon-embedded link displayed on the online coupon website, you’re directed to the retailer’s website in a new browser window to shop as you normally would. The coupon discount is automatically factored into the price at checkout. I find this method easier than tracking down coupon codes (but maybe not as much fun).
But when I discovered another method of saving money called Cash Back Shopping, online coupons alone weren’t enough for me. I’m going to share a secret with you that took me a number of years to uncover about how online shopping works. In order to generate sales, online stores use a method of marketing called Affiliate Network Marketing. The online store signs up with an affiliate network for a fee. The network then displays links to the retailer’s website for coupons, deals, promotions, and sales. Website owners copy these links and display them on their own websites in the hopes that their visitors will click on them and place an order. The website owner is paid a commission for each visitor who goes to an affiliate’s site and makes a purchase. Commissions on sales range from 3% to 10%. Hence, the birth of the online coupon website to earn commissions by bringing traffic to online retailers signed up with affiliate networks.
Soon after, cash-back shopping sites began to appear. These sites give back a percentage of the commission they earn, in the form of cash-back, to the actual online shopper making the purchase. So now online shoppers could redeem valuable coupons, such as 15% off your entire order from the retailer and then earn another 2- 5% cash-back from the online coupon website. On most cash-back shopping websites, money accumulates in an account and is then paid quarterly by check to the shopper. The fact that you can combine online coupons with cash-back shopping makes cash-back shopping websites that offer coupons a much better option than the plain old online coupon websites of the past.
Now that we have a brief history of online shopping under our belts, let’s move onto my latest discovery. I recently found a website that has taken online coupons and cash-back shopping to another level. Until now it was only possible for website owners to make commissions from affiliate networks by displaying coupon links on their websites. However, the site I found, http://CouponCactus.com, allows shoppers to earn money as well as save money.
Coupon Cactus developed a program so its members can automatically display a link to their own “Cactus Page” in the signature line at the bottom of all of their emails. If a person reading your email clicks the link in your signature line and makes a purchase through your Cactus Page, you will earn a commission. Nearly every area of the online arena has been utilized for major profit, except for the real estate in our own personal emails. To demonstrate the power of marketing in personal e-mails, here’s an example. Let’s assume the average person sends 10 emails per day, including both original emails and forwarded emails. If you send an email of interest to 10 friends, such as a funny joke or story, by tomorrow it will be in 100 inboxes and it will be in 1,000 inboxes by the day after. In the span of just two days, your one email with a link to your Cactus Page could reach 1,100 potential online shoppers. That’s not to mention the other nine emails you wrote that day. I personally send about 100 emails per day and have already begun to reap the benefits of Coupon Cactus membership. I’ve actually earned more than I’ve spent over the holidays! It was then that I was driven to seek out the owner of Coupon Cactus to find out more about how they came up with this idea and what was on the horizon.
I had the chance to interview David Fitterman, President & CEO of Coupon Cactus, LLC, which hosts the http://CouponCactus.com website, an online coupon, coupon code, and cash-back shopping website with a commission program for the average shopper.
John: David, first I’d like to thank you for giving me the tools to make some cash this holiday season on top of some very cool coupons I used to buy presents.
David: It’s our pleasure! You know, it’s not just a holiday thing though. Our members are pretty smart and they’ll be earning money year-round. I knew the idea made sense, but I’m surprised at how fast it’s taken off.
John: So how many members do you have, and what are the different ways the website is being used?
David: Sorry John, I can’t reveal any specific details about our membership since privacy is of the utmost importance. But I can say that we’re very pleased and much further along than we’d imagined at this point. We already have some great success stories about the ingenious ways our members are using the website.
John: That works for me.
David: Well, you already know that each member gets their own Cactus Page but we are currently beta testing functionality where they can personalize the top banner with a welcome message and display a picture or a logo. We have one beta tester who placed a picture of his two-year old son on his banner. His son is suffering from an illness and he’s raising money in his son’s name by sending out links to his Cactus Page explaining that all commissions on purchases will be used for his son’s medical treatment.
John: Wow, that’s a great story.
David: Yeah, we’re pretty proud of that one. I’m just glad that we’re able to offer him the tools to earn money for such a good cause. We have another member who’s using her Cactus Page so she gets commissions on all of the gifts purchased for her baby shower next month. There’s actually one other member doing the same thing, but for her wedding. It’s a cool idea. If their friends and relatives are going to be buying them presents anyway, they might as well earn cash-back on all of the purchases to buy something extra for the baby or to use on their honeymoon.
John: Man, I wish you guys were around when I got married!
David: Sorry about that! At least you know about us now and can use Coupon Cactus for all the other events and ideas you come up with. We also have a few beta testing companies who are using corporate Cactus Pages as an employee benefit. It’s a win-win situation. The employees use the coupons on the website to save money, and the company earns commissions on all the sales. One of the companies is using the earned commissions to pay for the annual holiday party for their employees. It turns out that the company is ending up using the coupons, more than the employees, to lower their business expenses and get cash back on top of the discounts.
John: That sounds like a pretty smart company. Now I know you’re busy and I really appreciate the time you’re taking to talk with me, but can you tell me anything more about future plans for the website?
David: Well, you know I can’t be too specific, but we do have a number of plans in the works. I can tell you that we recently implemented a new feature where if you refer someone to Coupon Cactus and they become a member, you’ll receive 25% of whatever they earn for as long as both of you are members. There are a number of sites out there that only give you just $5 for telling a friend. We looked at that model and it just didn’t work for us. This is the age of Web 2.0 and we figured our members should share in all of the profits. For example, if you refer a friend to Coupon Cactus and he earns $100 this quarter, he’ll receive a check for $100 and you’ll receive a check for an additional $25. Let’s say that the next quarter you refer nine more friends who each earn $50 and your first friend makes another $100… Hang on, let me get out my calculator… You’ll get a check for $137.50 for that quarter, just on the commissions made on your referral members. Not a bad deal for just referring some friends, and we have absolutely no limit to the number of referrals you can make.
John: This feature was the reason I had to track you down and talk to you. It’s brilliant, and like I mentioned earlier, it paid for all the presents I bought this year and then some.
David: You know, when this article comes out you should include your membership number so you can get referral commissions on anyone who signs up after reading it.
John: In this case I am one step ahead of you. Thank you again for sitting down to talk with me, and I wish you great success with Coupon Cactus.
David: Thanks for having me.
Now that I have disclosed my secrets on how shopping can actually be profitable I will shamelessly ask that you return the favor by entering my Cactus membership number 100033 as the member who referred you to Coupon Cactus when you sign up for free membership at http://CouponCactus.com. Who knows, maybe my dreams will come true and I’ll get to be a millionaire one day.
Mutual Fund Investing Simplified
What is a mutual fund anyways an average person may well ask?
A mutual fund is simply a co-operative means by which means many people can pool their savings together and have it professionally managed and as well take advantage of institutional volume discount pricing of purchase and sales commissions.
The concepts of pooling allow investors with relative small amounts of money to access investments that may require larger sums to achieve affordability.
Government and corporate bonds, for example require minimums much higher than the $ 500 or so that most mutual funds will accept as minimum deposits. Additionally, pooling those many small sums gives the fund manager enough capital to broadly diversify the investments within the fund and provide full administrative and accounting services to unit holders.
Every mutual fund is different, not just in it financial objectives but also in the types of investments it may hold. Whether a fund holds stocks, bonds or a combination of the two, will ultimately define the degree or risk associated with each fund.
The differences in the types of securities a fund will hold are determined by the fund’s objectives. For example, if the objective is to provide unit holders with current income, the fund will hold various types of bonds and incomes financial vehicles. A fund seeking growth may invest in more speculative common stocks. Obviously the latter is much riskier than the former. Generally speaking, the higher the return objective, the higher the risk, and by extension no risk then no reward.
One of the great benefits of mutual funds is that by holding a variety of stocks and bonds, the investor significantly reduces the risk of losing money over a given period of time. An investor who uses all or her or his money to buy a single stock stands a much greater risk of losing money than one who invests in a mutual fund that holds between 20 to 50 different stocks... This is similar to what your grandfather advised you not to hold all of your eggs in one basket “. The chances of the 50 stocks losing all of their value are much less than a single company going out of business.
Furthermore, mutual funds offer the expertise of a highly trained, sophisticated money manager and of team of researchers with much greater access to information than the gingival investor to select, monitor and sell stocks and other investment vehicles at the most profitable time. Virtually all mutual funds have some degree risk, but it should be noted that even cash investments run the risk of being devalued by inflation and foreign currency exchange fluctuations.
Liquidity that is the ability to buy or sell investments and convert your funds to cash is another advantage that mutual funds have over many investments. Most funds have their shares or units valued on a daily basis. This means that investors can have the convenience of buying or selling shares or units in a fund on any business day without having to wait or seek a specific buyer to take the units off their hands. And a decision for the mutual fund unit holder to sell or redeem units, will not affect the unit value either.
The basic theory of successful investing is of course to buy low and sell high. Mutual funds take it one step further for investors who do not know, and as well do not particularly want to know what to buy and sell by employing professional management as well as volume institutional transaction sales charges to make those decisions on investors’ behalf. Better for the investor to sleep at night soundly.
A mutual fund is simply a co-operative means by which means many people can pool their savings together and have it professionally managed and as well take advantage of institutional volume discount pricing of purchase and sales commissions.
The concepts of pooling allow investors with relative small amounts of money to access investments that may require larger sums to achieve affordability.
Government and corporate bonds, for example require minimums much higher than the $ 500 or so that most mutual funds will accept as minimum deposits. Additionally, pooling those many small sums gives the fund manager enough capital to broadly diversify the investments within the fund and provide full administrative and accounting services to unit holders.
Every mutual fund is different, not just in it financial objectives but also in the types of investments it may hold. Whether a fund holds stocks, bonds or a combination of the two, will ultimately define the degree or risk associated with each fund.
The differences in the types of securities a fund will hold are determined by the fund’s objectives. For example, if the objective is to provide unit holders with current income, the fund will hold various types of bonds and incomes financial vehicles. A fund seeking growth may invest in more speculative common stocks. Obviously the latter is much riskier than the former. Generally speaking, the higher the return objective, the higher the risk, and by extension no risk then no reward.
One of the great benefits of mutual funds is that by holding a variety of stocks and bonds, the investor significantly reduces the risk of losing money over a given period of time. An investor who uses all or her or his money to buy a single stock stands a much greater risk of losing money than one who invests in a mutual fund that holds between 20 to 50 different stocks... This is similar to what your grandfather advised you not to hold all of your eggs in one basket “. The chances of the 50 stocks losing all of their value are much less than a single company going out of business.
Furthermore, mutual funds offer the expertise of a highly trained, sophisticated money manager and of team of researchers with much greater access to information than the gingival investor to select, monitor and sell stocks and other investment vehicles at the most profitable time. Virtually all mutual funds have some degree risk, but it should be noted that even cash investments run the risk of being devalued by inflation and foreign currency exchange fluctuations.
Liquidity that is the ability to buy or sell investments and convert your funds to cash is another advantage that mutual funds have over many investments. Most funds have their shares or units valued on a daily basis. This means that investors can have the convenience of buying or selling shares or units in a fund on any business day without having to wait or seek a specific buyer to take the units off their hands. And a decision for the mutual fund unit holder to sell or redeem units, will not affect the unit value either.
The basic theory of successful investing is of course to buy low and sell high. Mutual funds take it one step further for investors who do not know, and as well do not particularly want to know what to buy and sell by employing professional management as well as volume institutional transaction sales charges to make those decisions on investors’ behalf. Better for the investor to sleep at night soundly.
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