House Insurance Tip - Review The Value Of Your Contents

When it comes to obtaining cheap home insurance quotes homeowners can reduce their house insurance premium by implementing this top tip about how reviewing the value of your contents can get you savings. There are many other cost saving tips included here as well that can potentially help you get more savings.

Reviewing your contents cover on a more regular basis can help save you more money. Homeowners should take the time to review the value of possessions you want on your contents insurance. Revaluating the value of cover your need will make sure that you are not over paying for coverage that you no longer need. Very often new policyholders just guess at the value of the contents and therefore run the risk of over insuring and wasting their money on cover hey don't require.

It is worth the time and effort working the true value of your possessions, these will include furniture, electrical equipments, clothing, jewellery and money. You only need a rough estimate, but it is still better than just guessing. Most homeowners will just set a specific amount for contents coverage, but often households have no where near that sort of value of contents in their home. Some items may have coverage limits such as firearms, artwork, business property, electronic data, jewelry, and money. Extra coverage is usually available by adding endorsements to your policy.

It is also worth noting that you don't want to fall into the trap of under insuring your contents, so always add a bit more on the valuation just to make sure.

Upgrading and adding extra features onto your buildings and contents insurance policy must be done slowly and cautiously, because adding more features onto your policy will increase the cost of the policy. So only add home emergency, personal possessions, accidental damage and legal cover if you really need them. You may feel that the extra cover is needed but it will only drive the cost of the premium up and we are trying to look at ways of saving money, not spending more.

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Self-Directed Retirement Accounts With Checkbook Control - What?

Do you have a retirement account? A traditional or Roth IRA, or how about a 401(k) from that previous or your present employer? Are you concerned about being able to retire? None of these are questions for which I need answers. You, on the other hand, need to have a retirement plan; even if you've already decided you are not ever going to retire. I'm going to ask you to answer, for yourself, more questions. Your answers will help guide your thinking about your future.

Before I ask you any more questions, you should know that I am a real estate investor. Why should you even read what I have to say? You should always do your own research on any topic you read, especially one as complicated as retirement accounts. Look up everything I say here so that you can know for yourself that it is real, it is IRS approved and you may also learn that almost everyone one of our US Senators and US congressmen have one of their own. Have what? A Solo 401(K) plan.

Now I'm not going to tell you that you can retire wealthy or get rich using a certain retirement account, nor am I going to try to sell you services. I'm just a regular guy who stumbled upon this relatively new type of retirement account for self employed entrepreneurs. To make a very long story short, here's what I do:

I use the cash assets within my Solo 401(k) plan to buy properties and to sell them. I write a check for the deposit which comes out of my Solo 401(k) plan checking account. If I get a bank loan for a property the mortgage is in the name of my Solo 401(k) plan. Properties I buy are titled in the name of my Solo 401(k) plan. When I sell a property, the profit goes into my Solo401(k) plan. I transfer funds in my Solo 401(k) plan checking account t to my Solo401(k) plan savings account. Every penny in my Solo 401(k) plan bank accounts earns all profits (and interest) tax free. (Ever heard of a Roth retirement account?)

Are you an "investor" yourself? If you have ANY type of retirement account, you are an investor. Most likely in stocks, bonds and mutual funds, but as an investor using the typical choice of most retirement accounts at the big brokerages or banks, your account custodian or broker pretty much decides what stocks to buy for your account. I know because I used to "invest" this way too. Now, as a real estate investor with a self directed 401K (Solo 401(k)), I invest in real estate and other personal property within my own 401k account by simply writing a check from my retirement account. Yes, you read that right. Checkbook control of my Solo 401(k)! I don't have to get permission from a custodian. I am my own custodian (trustee) and the man in the mirror is my boss. My plan is what's called "self-directed with checkbook control". I don't have to fill out forms and fax them to a trustee or custodian. I decide, and then I act.

Why should you even pay attention to me and the Solo 401(k)? After all, I'm not a CPA, accountant, tax guru, lawyer, financial planner, nor do I hold any degrees in these specialties. What I have been building, using what few people have ever heard of is all self taught, trial by fire, school of hard knocks and plain old-fashioned determination! I am a real estate marketer and investor. I buy & sell property, help folks avoid foreclosure, help people get credit repair to move on and help people manage their debt. Other than the buying and selling of property, every other aspect of my business is outsourced to experts. I am only an expert in real estate. But I was smart enough to ask myself, "is my 401k working for me or for the brokerage house? Who is really making money here? Are my CD's really giving me the best returns I can get? Is my IRA really growing for my future? Is my savings account earning anything above 1%?". I know my answers. What are your answers?

You SHOULD listen to me, because I have learned the hard way- the right way to invest for my family's future using self directed retirement funds of my own and even using other people's retirement funds - but that's another article. Remember, I'm a real estate investor. I've written a free eBook for anyone interested in learning more about how I am using a self-directed, checkbook control retirement account to earn tax free profits. For your own copy of this eBook, click on the link below and happy investing!

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SEP IRA OR 401K - Which One Is Right For You?

SEP IRA or individual 401k plan... What is the right choice for your company? This article will hopefully answer questions you may have in regards to deciding on what you will want for your company. Both retirement vehicles are beneficial to small companies and allow for the participants to prepare for a better retirement. But what are the differences?

The Simplified Employer Pension Plan typically is for self employed business owners that want to put tax deferred savings aside for retirement. The plan allows for the individuals of the company to contribute up to 25% of their wages or 20% of their net earnings into their retirement savings plan. The total dollar amount per year as of 2010 is $49,000.00. Other benefits of choosing a SEP IRA is: • The paperwork is easy to set up and has low administrative responsibilities • You are investing into a tax deferred vehicle that will allow you to defer your taxes until retirement. • Discretionary contributions (contributions can vary year to year or can be stopped all together based on profitability of the company)

While Simplified Employer Pension Plan's tend to be easy to design and manage, there are additional items to understand. Below are some issues that you will want to take into consideration: • A SEP IRA is funded 100% by the employer, employees do not contribute. • Annually the employer would make a contribution to their own SEP IRA account and to each eligible employee's SEP IRA account. • The percentage contributed into each SEP IRA account is the same percentage for the employer and each eligible employee. • Part time and seasonal employees must be included in the SEP IRA. ( if they have earned $450 or more in the current year, are 21 or older and have worked 3 out of the last 5 years, then, they must be included in the benefits of the SEP IRA)

The Individual 401k or Defined Contribution plan is used by businesses small and large. The 401k plan allows for tax deferred contribution up to $16,500 or $22,000 if you are over the age of 50 ( catch up provision allows for an additional $5500 per year for those over the age of 50) per year and has a profit sharing component that allows for the same benefit as the SEP IRA, whereas, in addition to the $16,500, a participant can also invest up to the 25% of wages or 20% of net earnings into their retirement savings plan. The total tax deferred contributions per year are $49,000.00 ($54,500.00 if over the age of 50 due to a catch-up provision), but with a 401k plan, a plan sponsor or benefit administrator can also design the plan to allow for an additional Defined benefit for its participants. ( I am not going to talk about Defined Benefits in this article, but, I will be writing an article on that in the near future.)

Some of the issues that you will want to consider before setting up a 401k plan are: • Individual 401k plans have greater administrative responsibilities than a SEP IRA • Individual 401k plans have higher fees. • Participants are responsible for their own contributions. • The Sponsor or Administrator may or may not provide matching contributions. • The Plan Sponsor or Administrator becomes a fiduciary and holds a higher degree of risk • The Plan must file a form 5500 annually and may have annual plan audits • The plan has to consider certain tests (Actual Deferred Percentage, Actual Contribution Percentage) to demonstrate non discrimination issues.

The issues mentioned above are issues that typically are handled or assisted with by the Plan Provider, the Investment Advisor and/or the Third Party Administrator. These entities are the support system for all 401k plans.

One other benefit I would like to mention in regards to a 401k plan that is not provided to a SEP IRA is the option of borrowing against your 401k retirement plan. By using your balance as collateral, you as a participant can loan yourself money. IRS rules do not permit a loan in a SEP IRA, but an Individual 401k loan of up to half of the plan's value or up to a $50,000 maximum is allowed.

Lastly, it is important to note that you can convert your SEP IRA to an Individual 401k at anytime. Converting from a SEP IRA to an Individual 401k and transferring retirement assets to the 401k can be accomplished by completing some minor administrative paper work.

Disclosures

* This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute, and should not be construed as, professional, legal or tax advice. To determine your individual tax situation and specific needs, please consult a professional tax advisor.

* Information contained in this article merely highlight some benefits. There are risks involved with all investments that could include tax penalties and risk/loss of principal.

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What Are Your Immigration Options When You Are Served With a UK Removal Notice or Deportation Order?

If you had either entered into the United Kingdom without obtaining leave or your existing leave has expired, you are liable to receive a "Removal Notice". If you had been granted leave under special conditions and you had violated those conditions, you might again face the liability of removal. The notice is served by the UK Border Agency intimating you that a decision to remove you from the UK has been already taken. Once the notice is served, you might be required to leave the country very soon.

A Deportation Order, on the other hand, is normally issued to foreign nationals when they are convicted of a crime or when their deportation is conducive to the good of the public. Defined under section 362 of the UK Immigration Rules, a deportation order "requires the subject to leave the United Kingdom and authorises his detention until he is removed. It also prohibits him from re-entering the country for as long as it is in force and invalidates any leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom given him before the Order is made or while it is in force".

In case you are served a removal notice or a deportation order, you can challenge the decision through the assistance of qualified, expert immigration lawyers. But once the order is issued, you would have very little time before you are forced to leave the UK. Therefore, you need to get in touch with a reputed law firm as soon as possible if you choose to challenge the decision in court.

Removal or deportation proceedings are initiated for one of the following three reasons:

1. When the person is convicted of a crime or is arrested

2. When the person overstays in the UK

3. When they are refused an immigration application

It is vital to get in touch with a firm that has a team of professionally qualified and experienced immigration solicitors and barristers to handle your case. They would have the required expertise and experience to challenge the removal notice or deportation order on your behalf. They might find ways to help you to stay in the UK or at least prevent a ban on your reentry into the country.

If there has been an irregularity in the UK Border Agency's decision to deport you or if you have an arguable case, then you can by all means proceed to challenge the agency's order.

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How to Record Digital Audio From VHS Tape for Transcription

What you need

A VHS player A PC/laptop A twin phono to 3.5mm (1/8 inch) Stereo Jack Lead (available from (for example) Maplin - UK, RadioShack -USA) A SCART phono out adaptor (available as above) Sound editing software such as Goldwave (Shareware) or Audacity Setting up

Put the VHS cassette into the player and check that it's the correct tape! With the VHS machine turned off, put the SCART adaptor into the SCART socket. If you're planning to record video as well as audio, now or in the future, you're better off purchasing the slightly more expensive SCART to phono/S-vido input-output adaptor, which does exactly what it says on the tin - allows you to both input and output sound and video. To output video to your PC though, you would also need an S-video card.

In order to transfer audio only, plug the twin phono sockets (red and white) at one end of your lead into the matching colours on the SCART adaptor.

Plug the other end of the lead into the microphone socket of your PC.

Using Goldwave

In the control box set preferences as follows:

Record tab: record mode: unbounded Volume tab: Device: your sound card (e.g. NVIDIA sound card in my case) Device tab: Playback device: Primary sound driver Device tab: Record device: Primary sound capture driver

You can chose the time in advance e.g. if you know the video is 1 hour long you can set to record for one hour. Or you can leave it to just record. If you record a lot of blank at the end you can 'save selection' (from the file menu) and select the relevant bits.

The settings I use are 'mono' at a sample rate of 44100 if it asks, but I have to confess that I don't really understand sample rates fully and would welcome advice from an audio wiz!

In Audacity I believe you have to set the file as x amount of silence and then record over it, but I'm not sure about that as I've only used Goldwave.

Recording

Press record in your sound editing software.

Press play on your VHS machine.

The VHS is recorded into digital audio.

Finishing

When the VHS has finished press stop on your VHS machine and stop in your sound editing software.

Now you MUST save your file - this is a bit slow for a large file, but if you don't do it you lose it!

I believe Goldwave automatically defaults to WAV files (see my article on digital file types if you're not sure what file type to use) but if WAV is too large for you e.g. if you need to send the file to your transcriptionist, you can convert. Probably due to my settings and through no fault of the software itself, I get very poor results converting to wma (a really compressed file) but I get excellent results converting to mp3 (fairly compressed). To do this simply 'save as' and choose mp3 from the bottom box in the dialogue box.

You should now have a fully functioning audio file which can be sent to your transcriptionist or loaded into your transcription software.

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A Fan's Guide To Sports Merchandise

When you travel to another city, you can sometimes find yourself staring face to face with the need to understand the finer points of a fan's guide to sports items. This is especially true if you are often in a situation where you need to buy a nice gift for a coworker or a person in your family that is a sports fanatic.

With a little bit of advice on the types of sports collection that are available today, you can add to your personal collection for your favorite team or truly give someone else a gift they will actually treasure.

Sports merchandise for memorabilia, everyday, and gifts

It goes without saying that a signed card or autographed picture are the type of sports collection that some fans are looking for. On the other hand, this is more of an antique and unusual purchase. Instead, most people that are shopping for sports merchandise are looking for the season's latest wearable team logos. This includes your usual sports merchandise such as hoodies, sweatshirts, and hats.

These items can be generic, but many sports fans will not want to do without those wardrobe basics. If you are a gift giver, you should probably avoid the usual suspects that a typical collector of sports collection would get. As an alternative, buy a sports memorabilia gift that is custom personalized.

Personalized sports merchandise purchases

If you want to keep the logo and the idea of sports merchandise clothing, there is one angle that you will want to cover. On many of the websites that allow you to personalize coffee mugs, t-shirts, shoes, and hats, they also offer you a chance to put your team's logo on practically anything. While most of the offerings are conservative, there are several wild ideas that will give you unique sports merchandise piece that become team treasures.

Weird sports merchandise purchases are a must

If you search for gifts online that are related to your team, you will see that there are several strange options. For instance, there is a toaster that brands your team logo onto every slice of bread. There are also painters that will paint the likeness of your favorite athlete and frame it and quilters that use official logo fabric to make bedspreads.

Finally, there are weird sports collection items that are part of the souvenir or bobble-head world that are colorful ways to have a good laugh. In other words, the deeper you did, the more weird sports merchandise you will find ready for sale trade that include your favorite team.

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