Business

Einstein – Definition of Insanity

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Madness in the signage and graphics industry

Definition of Einstein

Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Think about this quote for a second and ask yourself, does this quote apply to the way you run your business?

Have you been doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results? If so, you may want to read on. In a world where technology is becoming a key productivity tool for the success of any business, it simply comes down to whether you accept and take advantage of technology or reject it. Are you willing to change or will you do the same over and over again? T

Here are two main reasons why I ask this question. First, many store owners have trouble understanding how new technology, specifically software, can become a major benefit to their business, and second, owners have trouble measuring the profits they are losing by rejecting this technological change. Have you ever rejected technology?

“If it is not broke, do not fix it!” Mentality

Do you expect to increase profits by continuing the same business strategy year after year? If so, how long do you think the method will work?

Many store owners just don’t see the need to update or change their current method. They believe there is no need to invest in a new method when the old one still seems to work well. This is the common one: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” mentality. Well, I hate being the one to say it, but just because something isn’t “broken” doesn’t mean you can’t make it work better. When new technology, such as software, could save you a great deal of time and money, how can you not accept it?

In an industry where there is an ever-increasing level of competitiveness, store owners must take advantage of all available methods to help them reduce costs. Would a commercial printer looking to grow his business limit his shop to a single one-color press? Sure they can continue to operate with a one color press, but a two or four color press would not help expand their business to other areas more effectively. In this example, the current method works, but a technological change would help increase the growth capacity of the company.

Exploring these other areas helps companies maintain and increase their profits. By not embracing new technology, store owners greatly limit their earning potential. By using the power of technology to make their business practices more efficient, owners can continue to achieve their goals.

Are you sacrificing yourself?

Many store owners we spoke to have a hard time visualizing how much money they are losing, or actually, how much money they are giving to their competition, due to inconsistencies in the workflow process. These workshops feel that they are doing well with the system they currently have and do not see the need to switch to a new method. This lack of vision can cause homeowners to limit their future earnings.

On the opposite side, homeowners who see the need for a change begin to pay more attention to how much money it will cost to make the change rather than how much they are losing. These homeowners are feeling insecure and wondering if today’s investment will pay off tomorrow. For those homeowners, how much will it cost them not to change? Do you even know? Is it one, three, possibly five jobs a day? Do the math. How much money / time is wasted due to inefficiencies such as erroneous estimates, overpriced or underpriced jobs, or lost invoices.

Ask yourself, how long can a company continue to compete if it is not as efficient as its competition? If companies choose to stay with the same system they have been using for years and reject change, are they, in essence, choosing to sacrifice future earnings?

$ 100,000 a year

One particular company we spoke to was losing 4 orders per week to its competition. Since only one person in the store could estimate, it took days to get quotes for customers, forcing their customers to search and eventually accept offers from competing companies. When this company finally analyzed their method and applied a dollar amount to the loss, they estimated that they were losing about $ 100,000 in revenue a year. Incredible true? How much would 4 orders a week cost you? Or if you could accept 4 more orders a week, what would you do with the extra profits? How can a company like this miss a $ 100,000 opportunity? Simply put, insanity, Einstein’s definition.

It is not just an estimate

Companies are not only losing profits due to erroneous estimates; they are also losing profits due to lack of customer follow-up or management. When sending estimates to potential customers, how often do companies remember to follow up with them? With the constant chaos that store owners experience on a daily basis, this tracking process can become quickly forgotten, especially if the current estimating system does not include this integration.

How much can a company increase its “win” rate for estimates by making follow-up calls to all customers with pending estimates? Using powerful integrated business management and estimating software, such as Cyrious, the company can automatically create reminders that will tell employees who to call, when to call, and why. Keeping all customer, contact, and order information together in one place, increases the ability to save time and build customer relationships essential for business growth and expansion.

Adapt to change

By adapting to change and embracing and leveraging technology, store owners using Cyrious Software have become more efficient and profitable.

Cyrious helps homeowners resolve a variety of different frustrations. Whether you’re an owner who is frustrated with estimating because it takes too long or one who is upset that orders get lost and misplaced, Cyrious has a solution. Cyrious helps end the lack of integration by providing the power of multiple software systems in one (estimating, accounting, job tracking, client management, etc.). No company is content with losing customers due to late quotes or losing money because parts are omitted from quotes and orders.

When owners understand the amount of time and money that a different method can save them, the switch to powerful software like Cyrious is simple. Is it time for you to explore different methods to increase sales and profits and make your business more manageable?

For more information on Cyrious software, visit http://www.cyrious.net, call 1-800-552-1418 or email [email protected]

Relationship

Top 3 Most Popular Children’s Trust Fund Options

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Creating a children’s trust fund is one of the most practical estate planning strategies. This type of trust can be used to provide educational funds and cover the cost of living and medical care, as well as to protect inheritance gifts.

Due to the fact that there are different types of children’s trust funds, it is advisable to speak with an estate planning law firm. Lawyers can offer guidance on the most appropriate strategies for overall goals, as well as help individuals achieve tax savings.

For the most part, parents make use of college trust funds or probate trusts. Both offer tax advantages to minor children and are administered by a designated Trustee.

College Trust Funds

Those who establish college trust funds should inquire about the gift tax exclusions. A crucial factor is that tuition must transfer from the fund to the school in order to receive the exclusion.

Another factor is that the university must be a qualified institution to provide formal education. Qualified educational institutions include accredited public and private universities, career schools, and high schools.

Currently, the IRS gift tax limit is $ 14,000 per person per year. However, the IRS does not limit the amount of financial gifts provided for educational tuition and health care expenses as long as the recipients meet the guide’s criteria.

Anyone providing financial donations for college funds should speak with a tax attorney to ensure they meet IRS requirements. Otherwise, they could face tax consequences.

Although college savings trusts are the most widely used, there are other ways to protect the money and assets of minor children. Some of the most popular include probate trusts, Section 2503 (b) trusts, and Section 2503 (c).

Testamentary trusts

Testamentary trusts are a little different than most others. People prepare a last will and testament to establish trust at the time of death. Inheritance cash gifts are managed by a trustee until the beneficiaries become adults.

Probate trusts are one of the best ways to ensure that children are financially secure if their parents pass away. The downside to using this method is that the trust is not exempt from probate, as it does not take effect until after death.

That said, will creators can use estate planning strategies to avoid probate or simplify the process. These include things like designating beneficiaries to receive financial investments, real estate, and other types of titled property.

Mandatory income trusts for minors

Section 2503 (b) is an irrevocable trust that provides annual income for the care of minor children. The funds are held in a custodial bank account and are managed by a trustee until the beneficiaries reach adulthood. Once established, the terms cannot be modified without judicial authorization. Therefore, it is important to work with a probate attorney to ensure compliance and avoid future problems.

Section 2504 (c) is another type of children’s trust fund that protects inheritance gifts and meets the gift tax exclusion until beneficiaries turn 21. The distributions are subsequently taxed at fiduciary rates.

Additionally, a Crummey Trust can be established for those who need to obtain the gift tax exclusion after age 21. This is beneficial for students who attend law or medical school or those who enroll a few years after graduating from high school.

There is no question that creating a children’s trust fund can provide financial security. That said, trusts must adhere to the guidelines to avoid tax consequences. Getting help from an estate planning expert ensures that assets are fully protected and qualify for the gift tax exclusion.

Health Fitness

Expert Weight Loss Tips for Women Over 40

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My clients who are over 40 are constantly believing by telling me that they just can’t do everything that is happening to their bodies that no one bothered to warn them about. The number one complaint is the weight gain experienced when nothing has changed much in their diet or exercise routine over the years, but all of a sudden, they are gaining weight and it seems like more is showing in the midsection.

There are two main culprits behind this 40+ weight gain among women:

1. Slow metabolism.

2. Hormones.

As any of us age, our metabolism slows down. When this happens, what we used to get away with in terms of diet and lack of exercise suddenly catches up with us. This may not come as a huge surprise to many, but what may surprise you is that the usual answer to this dilemma is probably one of the worst things you can do. Many women simply skip meals and avoid eating when they are hungry to try to reverse the weight gain caused by decreased metabolism. This is terrible for your metabolism and will not help you achieve lasting weight loss.

Spending all day on small amounts of healthy foods like vegetables and lean protein allows your body to function at an optimal metabolic rate. When you starve, your body’s metabolism slows down even more because what you’ve done is put it into survival mode. You store everything you get because you are not sure when you will get another bite of energy. When you feed him frequently throughout the day, he does the opposite. It burns everything because it is supplied with energy frequently.

The other culprit for female weight gain after 40 is hormonal balance.

There are many important stages in a woman’s life that we all seem to talk about a lot. Adolescence, the childbearing years, and then, of course, the hot flash-laden menopausal stage. But what about having children and menopause? This hellish time called perimenopause is only now being recognized by the medical community as the pre-menopausal stage where there may be severe and noticeable symptoms that warrant attention. Weight gain, hair loss, extreme mood swings, irritability, anxiety and an inability to concentrate are some of the beautiful symptoms associated with this time in a woman’s life that can last from a few months to many years before the actual menopause.

Why? Well honestly, it’s the body’s way of telling you to stop for a moment and pay attention to taking care of YOU! There aren’t many great medical options for treating perimenopause symptoms and that’s only if you really get someone to listen and help you in the first place. What you can do, what you can do on your own, is take care of yourself. Proper nutrition and exercise are your greatest defense against perimenopausal symptoms. Vitamins, minerals and proteins are the building blocks of hormones in the body and when your body is not getting proper nutrition, there is likely to be an even bigger imbalance. You need a wide variety, a rainbow so to speak, of vegetables in your diet.

Exercise not only helps you lose weight and overall good health, but trust me, it’s a great way to eliminate and improve your bad mood. More and more people over 40 are hitting the gym and hiring personal trainers like me to help them with their weight loss goals and stress levels.

It won’t solve everything, but eating a wide variety of vegetables and lean proteins and exercising regularly is sure to affect your overall health, hormonal balance, and weight loss.

Here are some other cool facts to keep in mind:

  • As we age, the maximum heart rate decreases by 1 beat per year.
  • Cardiac output decreases by approximately 20-30% as we age
  • 40% of muscle fibers are lost between adulthood and 80 years.
  • Strength and the inability to move quickly decrease with age.
  • There is a reduction in bone density with aging.
  • Women in particular are prone to osteoporosis due to decreased estrogen levels in the postmenopausal stages.
  • Joint degeneration commonly occurs in the 55+ age group due to poor posture and inactivity. Osteoarthritis appears and can affect range of motion.

Simon’s Fitness Tips for Over 40s

  • As we age, there are more reasons to start a fitness program, from maintaining your heart to maintaining bone density, muscle strength, and self-esteem, the list goes on. Start tomorrow!
  • Begin a structured weight training program with a personal trainer to help reduce sagging skin and improve your cardiovascular health.
  • Join a local exercise class that will provide you with a great social scene as well as the benefits of structured sessions, they are really a lot of fun!
  • Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.
  • Check out mini challenges and try to build on their results over time. Walk farther, be faster, lift a little heavier weights, etc. This way, you will see results faster and get a great sense of accomplishment.
  • If you feel pain or discomfort, slow down. Let your body tell you when it’s time to reduce intensity or stop.
  • Stay hydrated at all times – this will not only prevent dehydration but will also flush toxins from your body.
Legal Law

Bringing the score to life (Part 2)

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For many beginning writers, and also for some veterans, the punctuation can be confusing. The scoring rules sometimes seem arcane, abstract, and even random. But if we see punctuation as a form of traffic control: commands to stop, pause, look ahead, etc. – it is easy to master these necessary grammar rules. In a previous excerpt, we explained how to use periods, commas, colons, and semicolons.

Hyphenated Words to Combine Ideas. People often coin new words by combining several. Stuck in with hyphens, these expressions are often converted into individual words. The word for America’s national pastime began as base ball, evolved into base ball, and eventually took the modern form of baseball. The last example: email turned into email and then email.

Scripts offer a great way to show how things are related to each other. Consider the following sentence: “East Coast liberals like Hillary Clinton differ from West Coast liberals like Jerry Brown.” We could say, “West Coast liberals,” but that’s not quite so concise.

Of course, connecting too many things with hyphenation can be silly. Thus: “The African-American senator for the first time from the South Side of Chicago made his first candidacy for the White House in 2008.”

Use em-hyphens – like this one – to make aside. If you want to establish complete phrases or lists, look for a long dash known as em-dash. Look at this sentence:

The Chicago Cubs’ inability to win a World Series for 100 years, a period that saw nineteen different presidents, has caused anguish among fans.

The em-dash helps the author to make an aside. The electronic script tells the reader to pause, as if to say, “Hey, check this out.”

Critics say em-dash makes writing cheaper by encouraging a loose, casual style. Without a doubt, the excessive use of any tool can be annoying. When we use em-dash too much, like here, it distracts and annoys the reader. But in moderation, again not like this, em-dash offers a useful and even fun way to emphasize a point.

Use ellipsis to show vanishing thought … Every time I see an ellipsis, a set of three points, I hear the sound of the harp music. Ellipses (plural of ellipsis) suggest that thinking turns off, reflects, open ideas. Ellipses allow us to deviate for a moment …

Case in point: “Dorothy considered her challenge: ‘If only I could see the Wizard of Oz …”‘ We see the girl with braided hair, a wicker basket, and a dog named Toto staring off into space, in her own world, lost in thought.

The ellipses also perform a more technical task: marking gaps in the quoted passages. Quotes often omit entire sections. People rarely speak in compact packages, so writers have to stitch together comments made at different times. To indicate a space, use an ellipsis. Therefore, we can quote John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address this way:

Do not ask what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country … Let’s go out and lead the land we love, asking for His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our.

The ellipsis here indicates that the writer cut words from the original source. Connecting one part of the quote to another makes a point quickly.

Psst: use parentheses to make aside. Sometimes you want to offer a little related information. That information could strengthen the argument (by providing details or context) or simply provide an aside. (Ben Yagoda loves parentheses.)

Parentheses provide an efficient way to add basic information. When you want to provide examples of various things, use parentheses instead of saying “for example” over and over again. When Barack Obama began shaping his administration in 2008, he drew on America’s elite universities. New York Times columnist David Brooks described the emerging team:

January 20, 2009 will be a historic day. Barack Obama (Columbia, Harvard Law) will be sworn in as his wife, Michelle (Princeton, Harvard Law) looks on with pride. Nearby, your foreign policy advisers will be beaming, including perhaps Hillary Clinton (Wellesley, Yale Law), Jim Steinberg (Harvard, Yale Law) and Susan Rice (Stanford, Oxford). Phil.).

Here an elite, there an elite, everywhere an elite. Brooks uses parentheses to clarify this point.

The wasteful use of parentheses makes the writing choppy. It is disorienting when you stray from the main train of thought, over and over again. On the other hand, sometimes you want to show how hectic the world can be. “So are my parentheses part of my style?” Yagoda asks (rhetorically). “Actually, yes. They appeal to me in part because they express my belief that the world and language are multiple, intricate, and illuminated by digression.”

Use quotation marks to say exactly what someone said. To indicate that you are using someone’s exact words, use quotation marks. Then:

“Don’t ask what your country can do for you,” said President Kennedy. “Ask what you can do for your country.”

Use the exact words of the speaker. If you want to paraphrase, quote only the words that were spoken and use your own words to connect the sentences. Then:

After challenging the nation to “ask what you can do for your country,” President Kennedy challenged other nations to “ask not what the United States will do for you, but what we can do together for the freedom of man.”

Punctuation is generally enclosed in quotes. So: “Don’t ask what your country can do for you,” Kennedy said.

Put punctuation marks outside the quotation marks to avoid confusion about what is being quoted. When television journalist Tim Russert died, a website ran this headline: Tom Brokaw as host of “Meet the Press?” The headline suggests that Brokaw was in fact the host and that the show’s name contains a question. The headline should have asked: “Tom Brokaw as host of” Meet the Press “?

Sometimes it is necessary to quote someone by quoting someone else. To do that, use single quotes, inside double quotes, like this:

“I went back to the doctor and he said, ‘Henry, I told you, you can’t come, you’re going to die in that mine.’ I said, ‘Well, Dr. Craft, let me try one more time,’ because I had some debts that I wanted to pay off. “

And what about a date within a date within a date? Go back to the double quotes (“), like this:

“I met Joyce at the rally, and she yelled at me, ‘Let’s sing something. How about,’ I’m not going to let anyone turn me around ‘? Let’s do it.’

Use exclamation marks (rarely!) To show enthusiasm or to be emphatic. I once worked with someone who used exclamation marks, a lot of them, all the time! Whether talking about something mundane or exciting, he ended each sentence with a multitude of these happy punctuation marks! I guess it’s not much different from someone who agrees with you all the time, or says “have a nice day” no matter what’s going on! But it’s too much!

Sober word writers avoid exclamation marks except to show someone yelling. They point out, for example, that the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression does not include shouting “Fire!” in a crowded theater. Novelist Elmore Leonard suggests using no more than two or three exclamation points per 100,000 words (the length of a book). And I agree. Mainly! To show real emotion, tell a great story instead of relying on a lighthearted punctuation.

And yet I admire Tom Wolfe so much that I admit the value of each and every one of his exclamations. By one count, Wolfe’s novel Bonfire of the Vanities contains 2,343 exclamation points on 659 pages. “I’m trying to get the score back where it belongs,” Wolfe once explained. “The dots, dashes and exclamation marks were removed from the prose because they ‘reeked of sentiment.’ But a! Show someone who gets carried away. Why not? The writer carefully not using this punctuation does not bother to convey what is exciting to the reader. “

Wolfe uses the exclamation point wisely, conveying excessive jealousy or innocence or naivety or rudeness. It works for him. For most of us, however, it is like a sharp object that is best left in the drawer.

Lifestyle Fashion

5 truths about self-improvement and toxic friends

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When you start to make positive changes and improve yourself, you expect your friends to be excited and happy for you. No one expects a close friendship to turn toxic, but unfortunately it happens. I can tell you first-hand that it is devastating when once close friendships break and burn for a time that should be exciting for you. Toxic friendships don’t always mean your best friend is actively sabotaging you Mean Girls style, they can happen when you’ve simply distanced yourself and chosen different paths. Read my 5 truths about personal growth and toxic friendships and see if something resonates with you.

Creating personal growth in your life won’t sit well with some friends.

If you are transforming your life with positive changes, be it gaining self-confidence, losing weight, perhaps starting a new career, you will lose friends. Period. People who are not comfortable with change will find it difficult to swallow their evolving life, perhaps because it reminds them that they are stuck in life, or perhaps they are not used to you standing up for themselves. Perhaps your entire friendship was based on the negative behaviors you kicked out. Self-improvement will expose friends who don’t care about your best interests. Be prepared to lose friends, to make it hurt a lot, and then get over it and feel happy. Losing friends may not seem like it, but it can be a blessing in disguise.

A toxic friend is not necessarily a bad person

The thing about toxic friends is that sometimes they don’t mean to be toxic at all and are generally pretty good people outside of your shaky friendship. Perhaps they are simply terrified of change and cannot understand their new perspective. Most toxic friends come in the form of people who don’t support your successes, talk behind your back, or judge your goals. I’m talking about the friends that leave you feeling drained, negative, or depressed about yourself every time you see them. Take a good look at your friends and see who is trying to get you back into your bad clothes, who interrupts you when you are sharing something you are proud of, who tells you that you are not a good friend. because you are not putting your full attention on them. Those are the kind of people you don’t need.

Ending the friendship doesn’t have to be dramatic.

I can look at my old group of friends with love and respect for the time we spend together, but at the same time I know that they are toxic to my improved self. I don’t spend my time gossiping, but I used to do it with them. I don’t like having superficial, superficial conversations all the time, but I used to do it with them. I don’t spend my time complaining about the present while I remember the past, but I used to do it with them. I chose to be positive, work towards the future rather than get stuck in the past and stop making fun of people because it made me feel better about myself, and unfortunately that caused some discomfort and distance in the friendship. People separate and choose different paths, and my path simply didn’t have room for their negative energy. I am not saying to eliminate friends who disagree with you all the time or who have different goals than you, I am saying that it is important to have friends who are authentic. Ending a friendship doesn’t have to be a big, dramatic fight. You could try talking to them about how you feel if you are interested in saving the friendship; they may not realize how they are affecting you and may change their attitude. If that’s not the case, you have two options: you can either say outright that you need some space, or slowly stop hanging out with them. Leaving it on a good note leaves room for reconnection if you think they can grow in the future.

Leaving toxic friends will free up energy and time for supportive relationships.

Here’s the hard part: even though they don’t claim to be toxic, and they’re generally good people, they’re still toxic and you have to move on. Leaving a friendship is just as difficult as leaving a romantic relationship, especially if you still love and respect that friend. I had to and it bothered me most of the year. I asked myself the same things over and over again “why don’t my best friends understand me, why are they so caught up in trivial and negative things”? I lost sleep about it, I cried about it, I screamed about it, but in the end, I came to understand that it was for the best. Now, I only spend my time with people who celebrate me, support me and love me unconditionally, and whom I celebrate, support and love. It is an incredible feeling to be surrounded by people who I know only want the best for me. I am happier, more confident, more fulfilled, more inspired! Great things come from dropping toxic friends.

Never hide your positive progress because a friend is not happy for you.

Toxic friends have their own underlying issues that cause them to act in a way that is unsympathetic to you – don’t take it personally. It is an indicator that they are not happy with themselves or with their lives, so it is not you, it is them. Just because people aren’t happy with your incredible progress doesn’t mean you should hide it. Shine like a diamond, you worked hard to manifest a change in your life, don’t let some skeptics hinder your success. Surround yourself with friends who are proud of you and push you to do better. Evaluate your circle and just keep the awesome people around. Any friend who doesn’t leave you feeling encouraged, supported, and happy doesn’t need to be a friend, and life is too short to associate with people who don’t appreciate the beautiful soul that you are. You just have to know that you are not the only person who has been through this. You may feel lonely now, but soon you will find people who will appreciate who you are and who you are trying to be, and you will not feel forced or alone. Always follow your intuition, if someone constantly depresses you, it may be time to reconsider the friendship.

Have you had any run-ins with personal growth and toxic friendships? Let me know in the comments below!

Pets

St George Island – Happy Holidays

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There is the sand, the sea, the calm atmosphere and the atmosphere of a serene life near the beach. For me, there is no place like St. George Island. I had packed for a week’s vacation and yet when I arrived I wanted to stay longer. What makes this island irresistible? The life you find in this place is an image of simplicity. Everywhere you will notice a kind of unhurried existence that you know you cannot afford to live now, because your home is in the city.

St. George Island is surrounded by crystal clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Apalachicola Bay. It’s not very often that you get the chance to dive into lovely beaches or eat lots of oyster dishes. Yes, it may be a dream come true, but this scenario is very real. You will surely have a great time with various activities that will make you have fun during your vacation.

For many visitors to this place, fishing is one of the most exciting activities that can be done here. The boat rental companies are very willing to help you get to the best fishing spots in the area. In fact, several species can be found in the waters of the Gulf, and you just have to determine which fish you want to catch. The guys from your rental boat will take you to that place where you can catch the fish of your choice and partake of the bounty of the sea.

Species that abound in the St. George Island area are known as spotted trout, redfish, and many others. If you want to be like a true islander, you must also try the oysters, which come fresh in this place every day.

But it is not all the seas and the ocean that is found in this place. Other attractions such as the turtle sanctuary and bird watching, as well as hikes in the lush forests, make this a complete vacation. In the evening, you can head to the vacation home you have rented and feel comfortable in a cozy place. This is all you can do on St. George Island, and yet you want it to last a long time. Enjoy a happy St. George Island vacation at this beautiful location.

Real Estate

Exit Strategies When Buying a Part I Pre-Foreclosure

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It seems that knowing your exit strategy (what you are going to do with your pre-foreclosure home after your offer is accepted) is not important when you first sit down to share your pre-foreclosure information with the seller. and before you sign the Purchase Agreement. But it is not like that.

Important Pre-Foreclosure Information After Acceptance

What you’re going to do with your pre-foreclosure real estate is just as important now as it will be when you get the offer accepted by the bank.

– If you buy the house, where do you get the money?

– If you borrow the money, how much cheaper do I have to get the house to pay back the interest?

– Will you lease / rent or sell the property after rehabilitation?

– Are you going to do the repairs?

– If you don’t want to do the repairs, who will?

– Do you have a list of people who would be interested in buying the house if not?

– Where would you find people who would buy the house if you didn’t?

These are all important questions and you should think about them the entire time you work on the pre-foreclosure track. Once the offer is accepted, you generally have 30 days to close the deal. So time is of the essence.

If you have most of these questions answered and the pieces in place, it’s a lot easier.

We will take them one at a time.

1. Yes, you will buy the home before foreclosure and do the repairs yourself. And you don’t have money, but you have rehab experience.

Buying homes before foreclosure is a great way to build your property portfolio and increase your net worth. You can get the money from a private lender, a hard money lender, or a mortgage company.

Using a Private Lender When Buying a Pre-Foreclosure Short Sale

A private lender could be someone in your family or circle of friends who knows you have done some rehab, is interested in increasing their own income, and believes in you. They may lend you the money at 8% because they currently only get 4.5% on a money market account. Great deal!

It will simply show them that your money will be safe through a first mortgage on the property and that you are buying it less than 70% of the value after repair (ARV) or after its fixed value and fair market value for the neighborhood.

They can lend you the cash directly or from your self-directed IRA (more on that later) where the money is no longer taxable.

Using a Hard Money Lender When Buying a Previous Foreclosure

A hard money lender charges a higher interest rate and usually targets up-front. (Each point is 1% (percent) of the loan amount). They may or may not check your credit, but they usually don’t want this to be their first offer. They want you to have experience in rehab and home buying, so they feel more secure when they don’t know you. They don’t normally ask for a credit report. They are lending because there is equity in the property and will foreclose on the property if you don’t make your payments.

Another way to build trust with your lender is to provide even more pre-foreclosure information. Sign an advance deed with your private lender restoring the property rights to your lender in the event of default. The deed can be preserved with an attorney or with the escrow account of the Title Company if necessary.

Giving your lender options shows that you want to make sure your investment is safe is a great way to keep them wanting to lend you more money!

Sports

Leo Ferris: the man who saved the NBA

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The early days of basketball often saw slow and unfriendly games for fans that often left viewers bored. Games often only reached their 40s and many of the best players averaged less than 15 points per game. Many of the early basketball games were more like a glorified version of the keep the kids away game than an action-packed professional sport. This style of play culminated in a game between Minneapolis and Fort Wayne, where the Fort Wayne Pistons held the ball for most of the second half with a 1-point lead over the Lakers. The Pistons would win 19-18 in the lowest-scoring game in NBA history. Before that, the fewest points scored 33 points, just 4 fewer than both teams scored, and that game was the opening night of the NBA, or BAA, as it was called back then.

This pace bored fans, many of whom were promised an action-packed fun experience and attendance and interest in the new league had started to wane. The NBA needed a solution and it needed it fast. The solution was ingenious and would revolutionize the game as we know it. A simple clock, with only 24 seconds on it, would change the game forever.

The watch was the brainchild of Syracuse Nationals general manager Leo Ferris, a man the NBA has long forgotten in one of the greatest parodies in game history. Ferris, is as important to the early days of the NBA as anyone and it could be argued that without Ferris there would be no NBA today; and there would definitely be no Atlanta Hawks or Philadelphia 76ers. The NBA would look very different today without the input from Ferris all those years ago.

Ferris began with basketball not in the NBA but in the NBL when in 1946 he helped found the Buffalo Bisons. The Bisons were practically a flop in upstate New York and after just 13 games the Bisons regained and left the shores of Lake Erie and headed for the American Heartland in Molina, Illinois. Technically, the team played in Molina and Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa, but most of its games were played in Molina. The team was called the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and as they struggled, they laid the foundations for one of the longest-serving NBA teams. The Blackhawks would eventually move to Milwaukee, where they took the nickname the Hawks, and then they would move to St Louis and finally Atlanta.

Shortly after the team moved to the Tri-Cities, Ferris would make one of his first major changes in the basketball world when he signed Pop Gates to the New York Black Ren on a contract. African American players had played in the NBL before, but only in the early 1940s, when World War II took away many of the white players in the NBL. Gates was the first black player to sign a contract when there wasn’t a need for them, and the first one signed because of his ability and talent and not because the league needed players. Gates would rejoin the Rens when they joined the NBL as Dayton Rens two years later.

After just one season with the Blackhawks, Ferris returned to his home state of New York and started as the general manager of the NBL’s Syracuse Nationals. As manager of the Nationals, he scored a major blow for the Nationals and the NBL when he lured the coveted big man Dolph Schayes away from the upstart BAA’s New York Knicks.

The rivalry between BAA and NBL only got worse, with the BAA snatching most of the best players from the NBL and, beginning in 1948, the BAA also began taking over the best teams. In 1947 the Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals and Indianapolis Kautskies left the NBL for the BAA. The Nationals were now in an uncertain league and they and the NBL desperately needed to find a solution, and Leo Ferris would find that solution.

Beginning in the spring of 1949 Ferris began meeting with BAA executives, initially an attempt to get the Nationals into the growing league, but it would soon expand to merge the two leagues. The talks ended in August 1949 when an agreement was reached to merge the NBL and the BAA and form the NBA. The BAA only wanted to absorb two teams; the Nationals and the Indianapolis Olympians upstart; who would replace the Jets. Ferris managed to convince the BAA to accept both teams, as well as the Denver Nuggets, Sheboygan Redskins, Anderson Packers and the Blackhawks. He originally wanted the merger to include Oshkosh, Hammond and Dayton, but the financial backing ruined Oshkosh’s attempt to relocate to Milwaukee and Hammond was thought to be too close to Chicago, where the BAA already had a team. The Dayton Rens weren’t allowed to join because their players were black players. In addition to the Rens not being allowed to join, the black players in Syracuse also had to be fired.

The merger proved successful as all 17 NBA teams had initial success, but the old NBL teams had given up too much power in the merger and despite Ferris’s best efforts, the league expelled 5 of the NBA teams. former NBL teams next season.

The 1950 season saw the Lakers continue their dominance and the Pistons figured the only way to stop them was to hold on to a lead point and the ball. This was the usurer event on the Leo Ferris watch or more commonly known as the shot clock. Ferris had always liked and been good at math, and he used math to get to the 24-second clock. He took the number of seconds in a 48-minute game (2,880) and divided it by the average number of shots in a game (120) to come up with 24 seconds.

It took the league 4 more years to implement the shot clocks and when they did, the league saw a jump in the score of almost 20 points per game and the game days ending in the 40s were gone. In fact, from the pitch clock introduction, there have only been 20 regular season games in which a team scored less than 60 points, and only one was a team scored less than 50 and only one playoff game was a team scored less than 60 points. points.

The introduction of the shot clock ushered the game into an era of frenetic paces, with teams scoring what was once thought of as an impossible number of points. In 1954-55, Neil Johnston led the NBA in scoring with 22 points per game, seven years later, Wilt Chamberlain would set the NBA record averaging 50 points per game.

Ferris would only stay in the NBA for one season after his watch was introduced before permanently leaving the league and the game to develop real estate. It was a surprisingly short run for someone who would have such a profound impact on the game.

Despite all that he accomplished, Ferris has yet to be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame. He has been a finalist a couple of times, but never made it to the consecration part. This is likely due to the utter disregard and disdain the NBA has often shown towards the NBL and its former players and staff.

Excluding Ferris has been one of the worst tragedies the NBA has done in its more than 70 years of existence. Many people are in the Hall of Fame with fewer resumes than Ferris, and yet Ferris is overlooked time and time again. Perhaps, hopefully, 2018 will be the year for the man who may have saved the NBA.

Tours Travel

Reflections of world cruises

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As a certified travel agent for four decades, an international airline employee, researcher, writer, teacher and photographer, travel, whether for business or pleasure, has always been an important and integral part of my life. Some 400 trips to all parts of the world, by road, rail, sea and air, involved both worldly and exotic destinations. This article focuses on my cruises and crossings around the world.

My lifetime cruise program, which spanned the 18-year period from 1991 to 2009, involved 27 voyages on 24 ships operated by 11 cruise lines to 17 regions, 49 countries, and 114 ports of call. During 205 days at sea, I sailed almost 60,000 nautical miles. The trips themselves have been subdivided into geographic regions.

The east coast of the United States, for example, was covered with itineraries both north and south.

The first, with Holland America’s Rotterdam, left New York on a ten-day cruise that took him to Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine, and then to Canada, specifically Noa Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec, sailing the St. Lawrence. River to Quebec City and Montreal. The second, with Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Dawn, paralleled the east coast on its seven-day sailing to Orlando and Miami in Florida, then shifted to one more east to Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas, earlier to return to its port. -u-origin.

The west coast was also completely covered by the sea. Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas, for example, made its way from San Diego to Vancouver, with ports of call in San Francisco and Astoria, Oregon, before charting Canadian waters to British Columbia, while Princess Cruise Line’s Regal Princess embarked on his seven-day Alaska Inside Passage itinerary from Vancouver to Juneau, Skagway, Yakutat Bay and Sitka.

Hawaii, in the Pacific, was covered with a circuit of several islands on Norwegian Star, specifically Oahu, the big island of Hawaii, Maui and Kuai, before assuming a south course towards almost equivalent to the equator, north latitude of three degrees. . location of Fanning Island in the Republic of Kiribati, its mandatory foreign port of call.

Aside from the Bahamas, Bermuda counted as an Atlantic island destination, in this case, Carnival’s Pride for a seven-day sailing that included three nights in port for daily sightseeing in an equal number of British island areas.

Three Caribbean island cruises, one to the eastern and two to the southern Caribbean, provided considerable coverage there.

The first, with the Grand Princess, departed from Ft. Lauderdale’s Port Everglades and touched bases on St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Princess Cays, his private island.

The second, with Celebrity’s Constellation, sailed from San Juan and traveled to the Dominican Republic, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and St. Thomas.

The third, with the Caribbean Princess, again originated in San Juan, but sailed to Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada, Dominica and, for the third time, to Santo Tomás.

Two Mexican itineraries involved one of a single day from San Diego to Ensenada on the Starlite Cruise Line’s Pacific Star, and the more traditional one week with the Sea Princess, in this case, from Los Angeles to destinations on the Mexican Riviera in Vallarta Port. Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas, reminiscent of the weekly television series The Love Boat, which sparked considerable interest in cruises.

South America was circumnavigated with three 14-day voyages.

The first, on the Royal Princess, departed from Ft. Lauderdale and headed for Saint Bartholomew, Saint Lucia and Barbados in the Caribbean, before venturing to Devil’s Island in French Guiana, crossing the equator and entering the Amazon River in Brazil to Santana, Santarem, Boca da Valeria, Parintins and Manaus, covering 3,236 miles.

The second, originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and operated by Celebrity’s Infinity, eventually arched around the tip of the continent at Cape Horn, which provided northern access to the Beagle Channel of Darwin’s fame and the southern entrance to the Drake Passage. . Its ports of call included Montevideo in Uruguay, Puerto Madryn in Argentina, Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, Ushuaia in Argentina and Punta Arenas in Chile. Continuing his trek along the west coast, he plowed through the Strait of Magellan and the Chilean Fjords, offering an up-close inspection of the Skua Glacier, before sailing to Puerto Mont and ending in Valparaíso, both in Chile, completing a 4,070-mile cruise.

The third, of equal duration and on the same ship some two years later, left Valparaíso, but landed in La Serena and Arica, both in Chile, before continuing to Callao, Peru and Manta, Ecuador, in the process of crossing. the equator. An eastbound transit through the Panama Canal took him through the Miraflores Locks, Gatun Lake, Gaillard Cut, and the Gatun Locks, during which time it underwent an 85-foot change in water level. . The last four days of his trip took him to Cartagena, Colombia; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Ft. Lauderdale, its terminal, which ends a 4,505-mile journey.

An earlier partial Panama Canal crossing on the Coral Princess had also departed from Ft. Lauderdale, but called at Ocho Ríos and Grand Cayman in the Caribbean, Limón in Costa Rica and Cozumel in Mexico. He only entered the Gatun Locks and plowed through the lake of the same name.

Off the west coast of South America, specifically Ecuador, a five-day, four-night cruise to the Galapagos Islands on the smaller Corinthian involved ports of call in San Cristóbal, Tower, Bartolomé, Santiago, Santa Fe and Santa Crux, your two daily Expeditions on the coast that require a barefoot dive in the warm, crystal-clear water of the boats and a subsequent walk and walk down the beach to the bridge.

The continents of North America and Europe were connected with three transatlantic crossings between New York and Southampton on Cunard’s famous Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2 ocean liners, one heading east and the other two heading west for maximum travel opulence. . They all passed the Statue of Liberty, penetrated the choppy Grand Banks of Newfoundland, and sailed up the Solent to Southampton, sometimes in reverse order, depending on the journey; address.

Europe was extensively covered with cruise ships from north to south.

A circumnavigation of the British Isles on the Golden Princess, for example, proceeded from Southampton to Dublin in Ireland, Hollyhead in Wales, Belfast in Northern Ireland, Greenock in Scotland, Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, South Queensferry, serving Edinburgh in Scotland , and back to Southampton, England.

The Norwegian fjords were accessed, at Celebrity’s Century, via Olden, Flam, Alesund and Bergen, an itinerary that included the impressive North Fjord, the Jostedal Glacier, the largest in Europe, and the Sognefjorden, the longest on the continent. , after a departure from Amsterdam.

An excerpt from my Cruise Log captured the experience.

“The Century left the Sognefjorden, once again turning north and plying the North Sea all night. As it approached Alesund, its third port of call during the early hours of the morning, it docked to starboard in the reflective harbor. mirrored silver at 07:30 am between the low hills and deep green on its left side, above which loomed dirty white clouds, like ethereal fog, and the Norwegian gabled terraced houses and turrets of the city below to his right, characterize the architecture of the area. Storfjord, Alesund proudly sported Mount Aksla, towering prominently above it. “

Scandinavia was also covered with a cruise from Copenhagen on the Crown Princess, stopping at Nyshaven in Sweden and Helsinki in Finland, before continuing on to St. Petersburg in Russia. Although it docked in Oslo, Norway, at the end of its navigation, it returned through the Baltic countries of Estonia and Poland.

An Iberian ship from Southampton on the Sea Princess paralleled the west coast of Europe after docking on the island of Guernsey, then headed for La Rochelle in France and Vigo in Spain.

The eastern and western sides of the Mediterranean were also covered with cruise ships.

The first, on Royal Caribbean’s Splendor of the Seas, departed from Barcelona and touched bases in Marseille and Nice in France, Monaco and Florence, Pisa, Capri and Sorrento in Italy.

The latter, with Celebrity’s Galaxy, sailed to Greece and Turkey, and the Greek islands of Santorini and Mykonos from Rome.

Finally, a 3,374-mile navigation on the Costa Fortuna involved ports of call in Barcelona before continuing through the Strait of Gibraltar, the bridge between the European and African continents, to Casablanca in Morocco, where it then crossed the South Atlantic to Santa Cruz. in Tenerife in the Canary Islands and Funchal in Madeira. His return brought him to Malaga on the sun-drenched Costa del Sol of Spain.

These cruises and voyages offered new approaches to destinations already visited, along with many new ones. As autonomous floating cities, their mega-ships, sometimes home to populations of 7,000 passengers and crew members, brought multicolored sunsets, tranquility to the soul, and islands, cities, and countries that appeared outside my cabin window or balcony. the days. Morning. During the days at sea, I took advantage of about a hundred lectures and courses, an equal number of live performances at night, and as many shore excursions when they were in port. The myriad buffets and sit-down meals are almost unfathomable, but three examples have been cited.

“Breakfast in the King and I dining room at Splendor of the Seas included orange juice, fried eggs, bacon, roasted tomatoes, French fries and croissants.”

“Afternoon tea on the Queen Mary 2 was a British tradition and a delightful intermittence between lunch and dinner was served at every Cunard junction. Today it is served in the Queen’s Room, which was the most popular ballroom. large from the sea with a vaulted ceiling and two crystal chandeliers, a blue and gold velvet curtain over the orchestra stage, a 1,225 square foot dance floor, a live harpist and small round tables, which consisted of egg , ham and cheese, cucumber, tomato, beef and seafood. sandwiches, buns with curd cream and jam, and strawberry cream tarts. “

“Dinner was served at Infinity’s SS United States restaurant just after exiting the Panama Canal, an elegant dining room inspired by the SS United States cladding with an actual etched glass panel from the ship, formally ornate tables, and porthole windows. Chosen. “Menu Exeptionel”, a six-course tasting of their signature dishes, included Riesling white wine from Germany, chicken roll with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts, a light and creamy tomato, red pepper and mozzarella cream with pesto ; a double-baked goat cheese puff served with red pepper coulis and a triangle of olive toast; a passion fruit and white rum granite; grilled sea bass fillet served with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, pistachio and olive oil over grilled Mediterranean vegetables; a selection of cheeses with pecan bread, celery, apple slices, walnuts and grapes; chocolate souffle with English vanilla sauce; coffee; and petit four s “

Arts Entertainments

Building Your Network Marketing Business – Jim Rohn

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In this article we extract some of the enduring wisdom and quotes from Jim Rohn’s classic book “How to Build Your Network Marketing Business.” In his book, he explains his own career challenges and eventual success, plus some of the magic behind the industry.

When he started in network marketing, Jim’s only skill was that he knew how to milk cows. He was lucky to find a good network marketing company and soon learned that “profits are better than wages.” There is nothing in schools that teaches this lesson in our educational system.

During the course of his career, he learned to sell, hire, communicate well, and train others in his business. How did he do that? Every step of the way to learn a new skill, he would try it, fail, and then do it again. Eventually, through hard work, perseverance, and 35-40 years of experience, he reached a position that many aspire to achieve.

Jim Rohn changed his life by learning some basic philosophies. A crucial expression: “If you do something often enough, a proportion will appear.” When you talk to 10 and get 1 to join your business, engaging 20 is likely to produce 2. With this mindset, you won’t care if a specific person joins you, but you still care if they hear your message. There is nothing worse after several years of career, that a friend or relative asks after understanding your success why you did not tell them about your opportunity before.

Another great philosophy he learned was the story of the sower from the Bible. Some seed falls on the side of the road where the birds get it. Some fall on stony ground where it sprouts, but then wither and die. Some fall on thorny ground and begin to grow but the thorns choke it and they die. Finally, some seeds hit fertile ground (and you’ve finally hired someone who is successful in your business). What is important is the underlying philosophy that you have absolutely no control in these situations. Don’t go hunting birds or try to remove all the rocks and thorns. You can’t do it and you will get frustrated trying to take it on. Just keep sowing until something falls on fertile soil.

According to Jim, “Everything magical is a challenge.” What magic? According to the Bible: “If two or three agree on a common purpose, nothing is impossible.” How would that change your network marketing, affiliate, franchise business, or family life?

How challenging? According to Jim, getting people to work together is like “herding cats.” However, with a little ingenuity, anyone can do this “magic.” Just figure out a way to do it and your business will suddenly be worth a fortune.

He also learned the ability to teach … how life works. In the 21st century, what is needed most is not just business skills, but life skills. Life skills are leadership skills and learning to set goals. The greatest life skill is the talent to inspire, which is needed to help people believe in themselves enough to achieve their dreams.

Honesty is important. When mistakes are made, be honest with people, but help them correct or repair the mess they have created. Then help them believe in themselves to reach their potential. Although Jim didn’t believe it, his mentor told him that one day he would walk into a room and people would say “That’s him. That’s the famous man.”

Jim learned to work with people who “deserve it” vs. those who “need it”. Be like “life itself”, serving to deserve and not to need. Instead of “need and you will reap”, Scripture says “sow and you will reap.” He also learned a lesson from a sponsor and from working with groups. “You can help 1,000, but you can’t carry 3 on your back.”