7 Realistic Strategies for Retirement

Don't let financial experts scare you. It's in their interest to persuade you to save more money than you really need and hand over your nest egg for them to handle. Then they can skim off 1 or 2 percent as a profit every year.

Do you need 100 percent of your pre-retirement income to retire? That may be an option for corporate executives who leave work with golden parachutes. But it's not realistic for most of us, nor need it be. You can retire on a lot less, and most of us do. As a recent retiree told me, "I have half the income. But I also have half the stress, and I'm twice as happy."
Here are seven ideas to help you put together a strategy for retirement:
1. Assess where you stand. Count up your assets. As a benchmark, Fidelity Investments reports that with the past year's stock market increase, the average pre-retiree now has a balance of $250,000 in a retirement plan. If you have a pension, it's probably worth more than that. Then look at your debts. Is your mortgage paid off, or nearly so? Now is not the time to take on new debt. If you need to get a big loan to buy a new car, keep the old one and fix it up instead.

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2. Downsize your housing. Some people hang on to their old suburban home in case the kids want to move back in. But this is a "what if," while the expense of carrying a home is a certainty. If your retirement budget is limited, then move to a smaller place in a less-expensive neighborhood, with lower taxes and less maintenance. Don't put off the move because the real estate market is shaky. You may sell your old home for less, but you will also pay less for a new place.
3. Don't subsidize your kids' lifestyles. The old saying tells us to give our children roots and wings: Roots to know where home is and wings to fly away. It may be hard to say no to your children. But it doesn't really help anyone to let them settle into their old bedroom after college. They need to find their own apartment, cook their own food and learn to live on their own. If you do decide a child can live at home, make them pay rent and share other costs. It's only fair to both you and your other children.
4. Share and share alike. An alternative to having your kids move in with you is to move in with your kids. Then you should pay rent, but it's less expensive than carrying your own place. If you're single, consider sharing a home with a friend or sibling. Two can certainly live cheaper than one. Maybe you can also share a computer, TV or car. Living with someone offers companionship as well.
5. Go international. At the other end of the spectrum, some people have pulled up stakes and moved to another country. There are retirement enclaves in Latin America, from Mexico to Costa Rica to Ecuador. Some Americans retire to the land of their grandparents, in Italy or Ireland, where they enjoy support from family members. Some people tout the attractions of Malaysia and Thailand. These countries are relatively safe, the cost of living is low and local people respect the elderly. Retiring overseas requires a lot of research, but it's an option more people are considering.
6. Search out free entertainment. If you want to live in London or cruise the Mediterranean, you'll need 100 percent of your pre-retirement income. But most people don't do that. Your own hometown offers low-cost entertainment options, from summer concerts to fall festivals to senior exercise classes in the winter. Check out the library for free seminars, book clubs, movies and lectures. Your church, veterans association or social club can provide many rewarding activities for your leisure time, all at little or no cost.
7. Take advantage of senior citizen discounts. Join AARP for discounts as well as supplemental medical insurance. Drive over to town hall and find out about real estate tax breaks, as well as other senior citizen discounts. While you're there, check out senior programs like free transportation, low-cost meals and health and medical services. Many municipalities offer programs that are underutilized simply because people don't know about them, or are too embarrassed to ask. But let's get real. The services are available, so take advantage of them.

5 Financial Disasters to Avoid

A comfortable retirement without money worries is a goal everyone strives for sooner or later. But even if you don't quite have the motivation to save aggressively for retirement yet, do yourself a favor and don't damage your path to financial independence too severely. Here are a few disasters you need to avoid, which will make your life much easier when you are interested in preparing for your future:

Marrying a spendthrift. Marrying a spendthrift is a big no-no if you ever want to amass a solid nest egg. It's incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to save enough for a comfortable retirement unless both you and your significant other are on the same page. In fact, money problems always rank high in the reasons why people get divorced.
Getting into credit card debt. Don't swipe your credit cards without thinking it through. Credit card debt can creep up on you, and before you know it you will amass a huge balance. A purchase here, a swipe there and you'll be paying so much interest you'll need to work significantly more to achieve the same goal one day. That's why even credit cards with 0 percent interest for over a year can be dangerous. Many people end up racking up a huge balance they cannot pay off, which results in even more credit card debt when the rates reset higher.
Failing to develop a savings habit. You may not feel like saving aggressively, but at least put something away. Even a dollar every paycheck is a good start. If you have a 401(k) at work, strongly consider taking full advantage of the match. Also consider tucking some after-tax dollars into a Roth IRA to get some tax-free growth. Eventually, you'll want to increase your savings, and it's much easier to increase the amount later than to start a completely new habit.
Worrying too much about others. There's always going to be an urge to keep up with appearances, but all you're really doing with those purchases is strengthening your chain to your job. The worst side affect of increased consumption is that lowering it back down once you get used to it is much harder. The choice is yours: Would you rather buy more stuff or have the freedom to choose who you work for and when you need to work?
Having no idea where the paycheck went each month. Many people don't track how much they spend, but it's easy to cut out expenses that add no value to your life when you know where each dollar is going. And even if you don't want to put it all in savings, you can spend more on areas that actually make you happy. When you are less stressed you could become more productive at work and end up making more money, a bonus that keeps on giving

Best Activities to Outsource in Your Small Business

Rather than wear every hat -- every single day -- small business owners need to think about regular activities that can be outsourced or subcontracted out. When you can get assistance with tasks you are probably not skilled at anyway, you will have more time for higher level activities like business development and project management. Great leaders know it is more productive to outsource work that is not revenue generating, but essential to business operations. Since time is such a prized commodity when running a small business, it is smart to leverage the talents of others rather than trying to do it all by yourself. Here are some of the best activities to outsource in your small business.
Subcontract Your Marketing Efforts: Marketing is the fuel of a small business. Your marketing efforts tie directly to your sales results. So if you are too busy working the business you already have to focus on closing the next sale, you need some help. Outsource your marketing efforts to a consultant or public relations specialist for your small business. Some marketing people will help you develop downloadable content for your website, conduct email marketing campaigns. Some will focus on reaching out to LinkedIn contacts; they can handle direct inquiries or pitch you for speaking opportunities. They can also develop media pitches and monitor HARO for media opportunities.
Subcontract Your Payroll: Unless you run an accounting firm, you should not be doing your own payroll. Listen, you can get in trouble faster with the IRS for not paying your payroll taxes properly than not paying personal income taxes. If you hire an outsourcing company to do your payroll, then you can rest assured that you and your staff will have no issue when income tax season rolls around at the beginning of each year. If you do the payroll in-house, then you need to stay on the top of rules for federal, state and local tax laws that often change. The fees to outsource payroll are not very expensive, so do yourself a favor, let a payroll service handle the deductions for withholding, social security, unemployment and worker's compensation. You can't afford to make a mistake.
Subcontract Your Social Media Marketing: There are plenty of solopreneur marketing consultants and social media marketing agencies that can handle developing your social media strategy, content development and social promotion for your company. When you perform these tasks in-house, you often fail to retain the consistency of doing them. Leverage the services of a 1099 consultant to handle this for you. I am pretty sure, if you hire the right person or firm, and give them a specific niche focus and strong message about your product or service, your marketing efforts will flourish over time. Just remember that social media is a long-term strategy, so be prepared to invest 12-24 months to achieve your goals.
Subcontract Your Bookkeeping: Bookkeeping is the number one task in small business that owners routinely neglect and struggle with managing in their operations. Do not let this happen to your small business. By the 15th of the month, you need to know how well your business did last month so you can make any adjustments. By outsourcing your basic accounting services to a seasoned bookkeeper, you will have the ability to use updated financial information to run your small business. A bookkeeper can do your accounting work a lot faster and more accurately than you can, and it is affordable. Ask your tax preparer or another entrepreneur for a referral to the right provider. Stop getting your accounting done for the year at tax time; outsource your bookkeeping services today.
Subcontract Your Administrative Support: Do you often feel like you wish you had another pair of hands to help you in your small business? Utilizing virtual assistants is a cost-effective way to get routine tasks handled in a business. You can use a virtual assistant for maintaining your personal schedule, database, preparing mailings, email newsletters, copy editing, blog maintenance, booking travel arrangements, invoicing, collections and voicemail and email management. You can even leverage a niche-focused virtual assistant to do bookkeeping and receipt management. I have used Twitter and LinkedIn to search for qualified virtual assistants to support my small business.
No need to waste so much effort on being all things and more in your small business. Even if you only subcontract one or two of these tasks, the results will be tangible in short order. Be smart and choose reputable and recommended contractors. Do not sign any long-term contracts right away. Start with a one-to-three-month project. By outsourcing some non-core activities, you will have greater peace of mind as you help your small business grow!
What activities do you outsource in your small business?

This article was originally published here, under the title, "Top 5 Tasks to Outsource in Your Small Business."
Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady, is America's #1 small business expert. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business startup, business development and social media marketing to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. She writes a weekly column on social media for The New York Times. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9 p.m. ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource site Melinda is also the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works and the ebook: How To Become A Social Media Ninja; 101 Ways to Dominate Your Competition Online.

 

The Challenge for Women Entrepreneurs

You don't have to be a woman entrepreneur to know the challenges of money! But, women entrepreneurs learn early-on that their former educational experience with money may not be enough when it comes to launching, operating and growing a small business. Money problems can start early, fester and eventually become the downfall for even the savviest of women in business.
However, money problems are really the easiest of all small business problems to solve if you follow some very simple rules.
First, every entrepreneur must know how much (s)he will need for startup costs to get the business going -- and then add a cushion of at least three months to make sure there is time to collect revenues so there is cash flow.
Cash flow is a simple concept that indicates the movement of money into and out of a business. Every entrepreneur understands the need for money to be spent to launch a business, but too often (s)he has not carefully calculated the time it takes for the income to flow back into the business. Understand -- until the business has cash flow there is NO business!
Second, every entrepreneur must know the answer to this question, "Do you know where your money is?"
I ask this question of every woman entrepreneur I work with and most don't really understand that the money spent on operating the business has not gone up in smoke -- or at least, we both pray, that it hasn't.
So, where is the money of the small business owner? Look around your business. You'll see equipment, software, customer databases, inventory, key employees, brand recognition and hopefully, some receivables. All of these things are valuable assets in your small business. All of these things are actually money in disguise. Never underestimate the value of what you have built in your small business if you have invested in it wisely. Many of these assets can be leveraged to infuse money into your business. This is exactly why where you spend your money is so important. If you are not spending it on building assets then it truly will go up in smoke!
Third, although the current economic climate is lagging, there is plenty of money around for small business owners who have a feasible plan to make money. Your first place to find money is always friends and family. If your friends and family don't believe in you, who will? Next in line is to network in your industry and see where others have found investors. Again, if you truly have a business than can scale, there are people ready, willing and able to fund you. But, you won't find them sitting behind your computer and complaining about the lack of funding for women entrepreneurs. They invest in people and businesses that are hungry and aggressively motivated to win.
And, if you have spent your startup money wisely on building assets there are financial institutions that will provide you leverage for the next stage of your business. Once again, this requires you to actively investigate the opportunities available to you using every asset you have both personally and professionally if necessary to get the infusion of funds you need to keep growing.
Finally, if you own a small business you MUST understand your financials. I believe that it is a myth that women are less savvy then men when it comes to handling money. But, the myth lives on because women don't squash it every chance we get when it comes to knowing how our business operates financially. Many small businesses have a bookkeeper take care of the daily, weekly or monthly income and expenses of the business. But, this is not an excuse to not take the time to comprehend your business' feasibility for financial success.
As a business coach, I know that too many entrepreneurs are afraid to acknowledge how close to the edge the business runs financially. It is my job to assure them that their business is no different than any other and that is why we keep such a close eye on what is working and what isn't.
I believe that cash is king in every small business! But, what that truly means is that at the end of the month ,the business has more income than expenses. And, why do I say that this is simple? Because if the entrepreneur knows where every dollar of expense must go, (s)he also knows that with growth revenues will outpace expenses. (This is where the entrepreneur can see the value of a business plan).
Small businesses, just like the people that operate them, have natural cycles -- maybe even seasons. Entrepreneurs need to learn to plan for business cycles. Sometimes expenses will be up when revenues are down. But, financial planning will always get you through the down times.
So, women entrepreneurs everywhere stop paying attention to all the negative press about your lack of funding opportunities and banking relationships. What investors and banks want are small business people who know how to monetize ideas and grow businesses. The more the business grows and the more money you make, the more cash flows in their direction.
Cash may be king, but it is a woman entrepreneur that is queen.

9th Most Expensive Colleges in America

    9. Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore cost $57,820 during the 2012-13 school year.

15 Financial Flubs to Avoid

You've probably heard about the freshman 15, the amount of weight often gained during the first year of college. Although students should be concerned about packing on the pounds, they also should watch out for another freshman 15. For many, college is the first introduction to managing money on their own. So here are 15 financial missteps freshmen should watch out for to avoid overspending and taking on too much debt while they're away at school.
SEE ALSO: 12 Things College Students Don't Need
1. Spending without a budget. Students might not have much experience tracking their spending. And, unfortunately, most colleges don't offer a Budgeting 101 course. So their checking account balance could quickly hit $0 if they don't take the time to find out where their money is going on a day-to-day basis. Students should start monitoring their cash flow from day one of school by checking their account online or with a banking app, by using a site such as Mint.com or by simply using a pencil and paper to record expenditures. CollegeAnswer.com has a monthly budget calculator to help students estimate potential costs and keep expenses under control.
2. Paying for a checking account. It's become harder to find free checking accounts with no strings attached. But many banks do offer free student accounts with no minimum balance requirements. So students should explore banking options in the city where they'll be attending school or find out if the bank they or their parents already use offer free student accounts and have a branch near the college campus.
3. Racking up credit-card debt. Although the percentage of students who have credit cards has declined since the CARD Act of 2009 started requiring applicants under 21 to have an income or enlist a co-signer, 30% of undergraduates reported having a credit card in 2013 and carrying an average balance of $747, according to Sallie Mae's "How America Pays for College 2013" survey. Freshmen carried the highest balance, on average -- $1,007. Sallie Mae spokeswoman Patricia Nash Christel recommends that students get experience managing money with a debit card first and only use credit cards for truly necessary expenditures. See How to Teach Kids to Handle Credit Cards.
4. Not taking full advantage of the campus meal plan. If you or your parents have paid for the school's meal plan, you need to know how many meals are covered and actually eat those meals on campus. If you're eating cereal in your dorm room or picking up fast food instead, you're just throwing away money. Christel says that if the meal plan you have isn't working for you, change it so you can take advantage of what you're paying for.
5. Eating out too often. So maybe eating in the dining hall isn't exactly a culinary experience. But students should avoid the temptation to dine out or order pizza frequently. Even going to a restaurant once a week could leave a student without enough cash at the end of the month to cover necessary expenses.
6. Buying coffee at the coffee house. Caffeine can quickly become a student's best friend. But if students spend $2 or $3 a day getting a caffeine fix from the coffee house, they'll be shelling out $60 or more a month on coffee. Buy an inexpensive coffee maker instead and save big by brewing your own java.
7. Buying new books when you can buy used. The cost of textbooks can be quite a sticker shock for freshmen and their families. They can cut that cost in half - or more - by buying used books online or renting books. See our tips on finding the best deals on textbooks.
8. Forgetting to show your student ID for discounts. Christel says that freshmen might not be aware that restaurants, retailers, theaters, museums and other entertainment venues offer student discounts. Find out which places around town offer discounts and patronize them.
9. Paying for entertainment when you can get it for free. College campuses can be a great source of free entertainment. Check the school's event calendar for free movies, concerts and more.
10. Bringing a car to campus. Many schools don't allow freshmen to bring a car to campus, Christel says. But if your school does, you should leave your car at home to save on insurance, gas and parking costs. You could walk, bike or take advantage of the school's transportation system, instead.
11. Not getting a part-time job. Although students' No. 1 job in college is to be successful in their studies, Christel says that most benefit from taking on a part-time job to earn money to pay for college costs, learn to better manage their time and gain work experience they can put on a résumé. Here are six ways college students can earn extra cash.
12. Taking classes you don't need. Christel says that a Sallie Mae survey found that although 92% of students said they would graduate college in five years or fewer, between 60% and 75% actually take six years to get a degree. So pick a major as soon as possible and stick to classes that meet the requirements of that major so you're more likely to graduate in four years -- and spend less on tuition and other college costs.
13. Taking on too much student debt. Christel says that students -- and families -- should borrow only what they absolutely need. "Every dollar you don't borrow is a dollar plus interest you don't need to pay later," she says. If you need to borrow, explore federal student loans first because they offer fixed rates and flexible repayment plans. See Avoid the Student-Loan Debt Trap.
14. Waiting until you graduate to start making student loan payments. You can lighten your student-loan burden after college by making small payments while you're still in school. You can start paying federal loans while you're in college, and some private lenders, such as Sallie Mae, offer an interest-rate discount if you make payments while in school.

15. Giving up the scholarship search. Students who couldn't secure a scholarship for the fall semester shouldn't give up hope. Many scholarships have spring deadlines, Christel says, so you can continue your search during the school year. You can register for CollegeAnswer.com's free scholarship search to access its database of $16 billion worth of scholarships and receive email alerts about scholarships for which you're eligible.

10th Most Expensive Colleges in America

During the 2012-13 school year, 149 colleges and universities in the U.S. charged at least $50,000 per year for tuition, fees, and room and board, according to the latest edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education's "Almanac of Higher Education." That represents an additional 26 schools to cross that mark compared with the previous year.

In a sign of the soaring costs of higher education, one school became the first college in the nation to top $60,000. Following are the 10 priciest schools in the U.S.

10. University of Chicago
The University of Chicago cost $57,711 in tuition, fees and room/board in 2012-13, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education's "Almanac of Higher Education," the latest edition of which was released this week.

10 ROMANTIC THINGS TO DO FOR YOUR BOY FRIEND

We hear all the time how important it is to keep the romance alive in a relationship, and that's not bad advice.  There are lots of  romantic things to do for your boyfriend, but to find just the right things for him all you need to do is consider what he likes, and doesn't like.

Guys aren't always as easy to please as the sexy lingerie store ads would have you believe.  Sure, many guys would love you to seduce him wearing some sexy lingerie, but that doesn't mean that that is the only thing that will make him feel like he's special to you.  After all, that's what he really wants... to be your hero and feel like he is your superman.  There are many things you can do that will make him feel like a king whether it's his birthday or just for the heck of it.

Here are some ideas you may want to consider.  Just find one, or more, that you think your boyfriend will really appreciate:

1. Prepare his favorite meal.  Make a romantic candlelight dinner.  You can have soft music playing in the background and both of you can get dressed up. 

2.  Get him a gift certificate for a massage, or better yet, give him one yourself. 

3. Take him on a picnic or stargazing.  This can be a great way for the two of you to spend some quality time together without a lot of noise and distractions. 

4. Take him to a vineyard for a wine tasting event if he really likes trying and learning more about wine.

5.  Buy tickets for his favorite teams next home game, for both of you.  Nothing says "I love you" like doing something that the other person really enjoys especially if it's not really something you're into.

6.  Spritz a little of your perfume, the one he absolutely loves, on his shirt. Not too much though, you don't want his friends to tease him about wearing perfume, just a little bit so he can have the scent of you all day long.

7. Make sure that you always give him a warm kiss whenever the two of you are heading off in different directions.  That's another way he'll be thinking of you all day long.

8. Spend some time playing video games with him.  This is a great way of letting him know that he's important to you and so is his happiness, that you want to be a part of the things he likes to do.

9. Put a love note in his backpack or briefcase so he can be surprised by it during the day. Tell him you'll be thinking about him and that you can't wait until he gets home to you.

10. Send him some flowers at work. Sure, he might be a little embarrassed but he'll be more flattered than embarrassed and this is a great way of telling everyone in his office that you love him and that you're thinking about him, and that will make him feel like a million dollars.

Use these ideas to get started, but you know your boyfriend and you know what he likes. If you really want to know what  romantic things to do for your boyfriend just figure out the things that he really enjoys and go from there.

HOW TO MAKE LEGIT MONEY

CBN.com – For many of our forebears, home wasn't just a place to live—it was a center of commerce. Whether by running a cottage industry or a family farm, our ancestors earned a living not far from where they ate and slept. Work began moving away from home during the industrial revolution. Now, in the information age, work-at-home jobs are gaining new ground. In this article, we examine several work-at-home options—and alert you to common work-at-home scams.
Every morning, I roll out of bed about 6:30, take a shower, eat breakfast, read from the Word, and head to work. In my case, work is about five steps from the kitchen. I am among the estimated 20-30 million of Americans who work from home.
Some of us work at home full-time. Others do it part-time to supplement the family income. Some work for specific employers. Others work as freelancers. Still others operate their own home-based business.
Working from home isn't new, of course. Family farms have been around as long as the human race has existed. More recently, European merchants of the Middle Ages often had their shops on the first floor of their houses, and their living quarters upstairs. In the 18th and 19th centuries, women often were engaged in cottage industries involving sewing and spinning.
But most of us grew up in situations in which "work" was some place other than at home. Work was at the office across town or at the factory several miles away.
Even so, work-at-home businesses have never gone away completely, and with the advent of inexpensive computers and high-speed Internet connections, many tasks that used to be done in "traditional office" space can now be done in "virtual" space. The Web also has simplified the product-ordering process for people involved in home-based direct sales, and has lowered the "cost of entry" for budding entrepreneurs who can now create businesses with a worldwide reach on a shoestring budget.
While working from home is enjoying a new heyday, don't get the idea that home-based work is for everybody. Frankly, some people simply aren't cut out for it. Working from home, especially on a full-time basis, demands that one be an organized, self-starting, goal-oriented perfectionist with limited need for social contact! Knowing your way around a computer helps too.
But the big catch is the job itself. What can you do from home and earn a living? "Aye, there's the rub," as writer Will Shakespeare once penned. In this article, we'll offer an overview of some popular work-at-home opportunities, as well as a few you would be wise to stay away from.
Work a little, earn a lot?
A Google search on "work at home" yields about 1.8 million results, some touting intriguing pitch lines such as "Earn $500-$1000 per day" and "Mom Makes $5K/Month at Home." Guess what? Most such ads are simply scams dressed up in work-at-home clothing. Christine Durst, co-founder of Staff centric, a virtual-careers training company, estimates that more than 98 percent of advertised work-at-home ideas are either "outright scams or downright suspicious." (Durst's company screens online job offers and rates them at RatRaceRebellion.com. Another site that investigates work-at-home ideas is IveTriedThat.com —their slogan: "We lose money so you don't have to.")
As the old saying goes, "Forewarned is forearmed," so here is a rundown of just a few of the work-at-home scams you're likely to run across if you're searching for a way to make money from home:
Rebate processing. This one seems plausible (scams often do). After all, someone has to process all those UPC codes and other paperwork that people send in to get rebates.
But this is often a bait-and-switch scam. After you send in your $200 to get started in the rebate-processing business, you'll probably find out that what you've actually done is sign up to be an "affiliate marketer" for whatever product the company wants you to sell. If you sell something, then you get to process the rebate forms that your buyers send back in. So, yes, you will be processing rebates, but not quite in the way you envisioned. (By the way, the rebate money will come out of what you earned on your sales, so every time you process a rebate, you lose part of your earnings. Ouch.)
Mystery shopping. Not all mystery shopping jobs are scams. There are companies (particularly those with franchise operations) that pay people to shop at specific stores or eat at particular restaurants and then report back about their experience. This gives the companies helpful feedback about quality control.
But the mystery-shopping scam is a bit different. In the scam version, the unsuspecting shopper is told to provide feedback on a Western Union or MoneyGram outlet. The scammer sends the newly hired mystery shopper a check, along with instructions to deposit it in the shopper's personal bank account. Then the shopper is instructed to go to a Western Union or MoneyGram outlet and wire a portion of that money (drawn from the shopper's bank account) to a particular location.
The scam: The initial check turns out to be fraudulent, so the shopper has just wired his or her own money to the scammer (who is never heard from again).
Google cash. This one, promoted on hundreds of web sites, goes by many names: Google Money Tree, Google Profits, Google Money System, Fast Cash with Google, Google Home Business Kit—you get the idea. It’s not Google itself trying to scam users—it’s companies that use tools provided by the search engine to try and sell kits and services that teach you how to make money on it.
The pitch varies from site to site, but is often something like this: "Hi! My name is Cindy Ward, and I'm a stay-at-home Christian mom in Greenville, South Carolina. I've discovered how to make a great part-time income using my computer from home! I work about 15 hours a week and bring in an extra $1,300/week on average. I can stay home with my three wonderful kids and still make money, and anybody can do it!" (One site with the "I'm-a-stay-at-home-Christian-mom" pitch advertises heavily on conservative blogs, targeting conservative Christians who are ripe for taking the bait.)
Other "Google cash"-type sites target workers who've been laid off: "A few months back, I lost my job as a boring account rep for a manufacturing company. But now I make $5,000+ a month on Google. You can do the same."
Still others target people who've been burned by scams: "I got so frustrated with all the work-at-home scams that I was ready to throw in the towel. Then I discovered how to make money with my own Google business." Scam sites routinely acknowledge that scams are rampant. It's one way they try to gain your confidence ("I got scammed four times before I finally found a legitimate way to make money online.")
These "Google Cash" sites often seem disarming, with family photos and chatty copy. Usually there are comments posted from folks (smiling photos attached) who signed-up and now have found out "just how easy it is to make money online." One site notes that "BusinessWeek recently published a story about all the people making money with Google" (while failing to note it was about people earning big returns on Google stock).
Somehow it all seems too good to be true. And it is. Poke around a bit and you're likely to find the fine print. This is from an actual site promoting a make-money-on-Google scam: "All persons mentioned on this blog are fictional examples … for demonstration purposes only." What? Cindy, the stay-at-home Christian mom with three wonderful kids, isn't real? "The statements contained herein come from many different people and are not necessarily being made about the specific products discussed." All those endorsements from folks thanking Cindy aren't really about Cindy and her money-making program?
Well, at least the fine print is honest. Unfortunately, many people don't read the fine print. They take the bait and sign up. After all, Cindy seems so nice and the sign-up fee is cheap—only about $3—so what do I have to lose?
The "honest" fine print addresses that, too. "After 14 days, you will be charged a monthly fee of $47.50 for … membership. After the 30-day trial [you] will be charged $99 for the program … You may stop payment on any pre-authorized charge by notifying [us] at least three business days prior to the scheduled charge date." Unfortunately, there is no clear contact information listed on the site, so finding a person to contact about stopping your monthly payment of $47.50 (and your $99 fee) may be a bit difficult.
By the way, a lack of contact information on a "make-money-from-home" site is a red flag. When there's no clear way to contact whomever is running the site, that is usually a pretty good indicator you're dealing with a scammer. Even if there is contact info, don't assume everything is okay. Check it out. If an address is listed, look it up on Map quest or Google Maps. See if it really exists. If there's a phone number, call and find out who answers.
More scams. According to the Federal Trade Commission, other common work-at-home scams are related to medical billing ("There's a severe shortage of people processing medical claims!"), envelope stuffing ("For a small fee, we'll tell you how you can earn money stuffing envelopes at home!"), and assembly and craft work ("You can assemble products at home in your spare time!"). In each case, the only one making any money on these deals is likely to be the scammer, who happily accepts your sign-up fee and the money you send in for a "start-up kit"—and then disappears.

how to lose weight fast

Folks attempting to drop fat quickly might not understand just how to proceed. Should your mind is really put by you to it to shed Weight quickly is actually not that hard. There are innumerable diet strategies out there but fat reduction 4 fools is a fairly powerful one. Weight loss will be guaranteed by it if applied with these hints in your mind. Applying these easy suggestions will increase your weight loss 4 fools weight loss efforts.

Drink lots of water during the day, about eight to ten glasses each day. Attempt to beverage about 20 ounces of water once you awaken each morning. Normal water is the most generally suggested fat loss hint that most dietitians advise and results in about a hundred additional calories burnt each day. Consume good fats. A great fat supplies fatty acids essential for development and normal duplication, as well as for creation of for instance prostaglandin, a endocrine that stops blood clots, regulates blood stress and decreases the danger of cardiovascular disease.

Consume four meals each day. Lunchtime must be the biggest meal of your day. Additional foods must be just timid of fulfillment. You don't have to wash away your dish if you believe you are happy. Yet another excellent suggestion for how to drop fat quickly is the fact that you should have your closing big dinner about three hrs before you go to mattress state around 9 to 9.30 pm. It is acceptable to treat next if you need to but if it can be avoided by you the greater.

Soft drinks comprise countless empty energy; an effort should be made by you to replace gentle drinks with water every day. Every twenty soft beverages you bypass translates to of a pound of misplaced fat. As entirely removing sodas in the diet can give you astonishing outcomes a issue of reality. If you should have a soda try diet beverages. Also diet drinks may stop your efforts to reduce fat quickly, consequently drink the same number of water following a diet drink to assist flush your program or better however drink diet beverages every additional day or when you have the may power prevent them till your "cheat times".

Indifference, notably at night causes individuals to overindulge, so remain active by conference buddies or fresh people, joining clubs, heading to free community occasions, studying. Don't be a passive. I understand if you are able to this might seem severe but TELEVISION, with all its food commercials, chips away at your perseverence therefore prevent TELEVISION when starving. We tension so much about the standard of foods that we consume. It's similarly essential to see the amount too. A great rule of usb is: protein portions fits in palm of the hands, carbs portions must be a fist full, no greasy add-ons like butter and dressing, vegetables: dark veggies eat around you need (broccoli is your own preferred, I urge it steamed).

Consume gradually with each mouthful lasting about 20 seconds. Stop your consuming half way through for around three minutes. Enough time is given your stomach by this to talk to the mind about the status of fulfillment. Recall...eat gradually. Per week Days are walked five by go for a thirty minute. You don't have to power stroll but a quick speed can help. If at all possible, bring some mild dumbbells to allow you to work just a little harder. Consume plenty of fibre. Sufficient fibre consumption keeps things moving through the bowels. Fibre wealthy meals cause you to feel fuller longer. Fibre is found only in plant foods. Therefore it is just transferred through your human body It can't be digested by our bodies. Throughout this method the fibre cuts calories assimilated by affixing to fat and proteins eaten and is disposed with it along the way. High fibre meals possess a low calorie rely and are completing.

Consume lots of quality proteins. Quality protein is an efficient means to shed weight since it keeps you full for longer periods. Carbohydrates are balanced out by it by stopping insulin surges which trigger power reduction and sugar cravings. Protein helps build muscle tissue that is significant in the fat loss process. Larger muscles imply an increased metabolic rate so more fat burned. When we use up way too many calories, be it from carbs, proteins or fat fat gain happens.