12/31/2008

Making Good Loans

At some point in our lives, many of us make a loan whether it be for personal or professional purposes. These loans do help us when we’re in dire need of funds to support any worthwhile endeavor. It’s important, though, to determine our needs first before applying for a loan as this could also lead to problems notably when it comes to the repayment process. Keep in mind that a loan is actually a form of debt, hence we always need to pay it back.

There are different kinds of loans that we can avail of. It all depends on our needs and financial capabilities. Remember that any loan always involves an interest rate. Learning about these loans and how to pay for them on time are vital to be able to enjoy their benefits and be eligible for another loan in the future.

Types of loan

The two most common types are the unsecured and secured loans. Unsecured loans from financial institutions may come in the form of credit card debt, personal loans, bank overdrafts, credit facilities or credit lines and corporate bonds. The interest rates to these loans may also depend on the lender and the borrower. In making a personal loan, there are several points to consider. Before making any final decision, it would be best to scout for the right financial institution that offers affordable loan packages. The more information you get about several lenders, the better you will be able to weigh your options and get the best deal that’s available. It’s just like shopping for a grocery item or your clothes, perhaps. One would most likely buy the shirt from shop A if it were sold at a lower price than at shop B. We always go for something that will save us money, right?

Other important things to consider in making a personal loan are the penalties and payment protection insurance to cover yourself should the worse comes to worst. Personal loans, however, are not that heavy on the pocket as the terms are usually shorter and interest rates lower compared to secured loans. Proper management of your finances should help you pay for your loan.

The second type is the secured loan, an example of which is the home loan. Secured loans usually involve larger amounts of money than unsecured loans and entail a longer period of repayment. Financial experts point to debt consolidation or home improvements as the main reasons why people apply for a secured loan. Since lending a huge amount of money is admittedly risky for a financial lending institution hence, the need to secure the loan on your property in order for the company to have some insurance for their capital.

For the home loan, the money taken is normally used to purchase housing. A home loan is different from your original mortgage. It is considered an additional loan that lets you borrow money according to the equity in your home. Compared to a regular mortgage, a home loan is easier to obtain and processing takes only a short time. Also, it provides more attractive interest rates and terms than unsecured loans. Money obtained from a home loan can actually be used for any purpose like buying a car, paying for your child’s education, renovating your home, buying a new home or paying for a family vacation. Remember to spend the money wisely and don’t overspend so as not to put your house at risk. And though the repaying term may be longer, you have the choice to pay in full early should your finances permit.

Money management

Whenever we borrow money, we should always pay it back. That’s how to achieve credibility and be eligible for another loan. Avoid making multiple loans, too, at one time as this will definitely put you in trouble. The repayment term for your loans will usually depend on the plan you choose. Generally, the monthly payment amount will be based on how much you borrowed. A monthly due date is set for you to pay your loan but, of course, you may also opt to make payments before the due date or pay more than the amount due each month.

To keep track of your expenditures, it’s best that you have a budget. Creating a budget will help you manage your debt, maintain good credit and save money as well. It’s actually just a simple plan to allow you to set spending goals and track the money that goes out. A monthly budget is more reasonable. What you should do is to keep a list of your projections for each month and beside that the actual expenses you made. This technique will surely give you a clue as to where you could cut back on your spending.

Keep in mind to live within your means and not make impulsive and unnecessary purchases. By sticking to your budget, you will be able to know your spending habits and make better choices in the future.

How To Get A Scholarship To A UK University

There are many sources of funding if you want to study in the UK. The British Government and other UK organisations provide a number of scholarships and awards for international students.

A. Who should I approach?

1. Start with your own Ministry or Department of Education. It should be able to give you information about the funding available.

2. The British Council. They may have an office in your own country and will tell you about the relevant schemes.

3. If there's no British Council locally, try the British Embassy or High Commission.

B. How Do I Apply?

1. Many grant-making organisations have strict requirements which you must meet so read the conditions carefully.

2. Apply for your grant at least one year before the start of your course and make sure you know the deadline for applying.

3. Fill in the application form clearly and concisely. Use the grant-making body's application form if there is one.

Useful tip: The grant-making bodies usually award only small amounts of money, which will not cover the full cost of tuition fees and living expenses, so make sure you have enough money for your fees and living needs. It's nearly impossible to organise financial help once you're here and you may be refused UK entry without proof of sufficient funds.

C. Scholarship Sources:

1. British Chevening Scholarships
http://www.chevening.com/

2. Commonwealth Scholarship & Fellowships Plan (CSFP)
Funded by the Department for International Development and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for citizens of a Commonwealth country or a British dependent territory.
http://www.csfp-online.org/

3. British Marshall Scholarships
For US citizens under 26 years of age, graduated from a US university.
http://www.marshallscholarship.org

4. Charles Wallace Manchester Merit Award
Funded jointly by four of the region's universities, the Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust provides awards for one-year postgraduate students who are resident in Pakistan and have been accepted for a taught Masters course. For further information contact intoff@mmu.ac.uk

5. Fulbright Scholarships
Funded by the Department for Education & Employment and the US government. http://www.fulbright.co.uk/ or http://www.iie.org/

6. Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme (ORSAS)
For full-time postgraduate students undertaking research. Selection is by academic merit and research potential only, so you can apply whatever your nationality or finances. The grant will meet the difference between the home and overseas tuition fees, so you'll only have to pay home fees and your living costs. For further information contact Clare Holdcroft: C.Holdcroft@mmu.ac.uk

7. Royal Fellowships
For post-doctoral scientists undertake research in the UK.
http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk

8. Canon Foundation Research Fellowships to Europe and Japan
Research Fellowships to post-graduate European and Japanese researchers.
http://www.canonfoundation.org/

9. Council for Assisting Refugee Academics
CARA makes small grants to help refugee academics rebuild their lives and careers in the UK.
http://www.academic-refugees.org/

12/30/2008

Senior Term Life Insurance

We all know that purchasing life insurance at an older age is more expensive than purchasing it while very young. In an attempt to provide affordable insurance to meet the life insurance needs of older insureds, some companies are now offering Guaranteed Acceptance Life Insurance.

Guaranteed Acceptance Life Insurance policy rates are less expensive than the traditional term insurance policies. As the name implies, you are guaranteed to be accepted for this life insurance. There are no health questionnaires to complete and no physical exams to take. As long as you pay the premiums, the policies cannot be cancelled. Additionally, you may lock your premium rate for the policy amount you want. Your rates will not change for as long as you keep your insurance.

Where's the catch you may be asking. Well, the policies are written for a limited period of time. For example, Colonial Penn's policies are for a two-year limited benefit period. They are available for people between the ages of 50 and 85 (This age range varies depending on insurance company and state regulation).

Generally, if death occurs during the first few years, a reduced benefit is paid or the company may return the premiums paid plus interest. For instance, with a Gerber Life policy, if death occurs by natural causes within the first two years (during the limited benefits time), the beneficiary will receive all of the premiums paid plus 10%. However, if death was a result of an accident, or if death due to natural causes occurs after the two years, your beneficiary will receive the full benefit amount. In the event of suicide (with certain state exclusions), the beneficiary will receive the amount of premiums paid only.

Most life insurance companies offer a Guaranteed Acceptance Life policy for seniors. There may be variations from state to state, but the basic premise is the same. They all offer an affordable insurance option for seniors.

Please see our list of recommended insurance quote providers below to get free insurance quotes from many providers. These sites also offer pages and pages of free insurance information

Exercising and Senior Health

For people of all ages, exercise is exceptionally important. It is something that can make you feel better about your self, in addition to making your body healthier. Among seniors, staying active and participating in regular exercise has been shown to be very important to staying healthy and reducing the risk of a fall.

It is estimated that close to ninety percent of seniors do not get enough exercise. Frequently, a senior will loose weight as they age and usually, muscle mass is lost first. Without eating healthy and performing exercise, the lost muscle can be very detrimental to a senior’s health.

There are many benefits that regular exercise holds for a senior. Among them an increase in balance can be very important, because many falls are as a result of a reduction in balance. An improved level of flexibility, which can be achieved when performing the right types of exercise, can also make a big difference in arthritis pain. Another advantage is that exercise has actually been shown to prevent the contraction of certain types of diseases. Osteoporosis is among the diseases that can be prevented, in part, due to regular exercise.

There are many other physical benefits of exercise for seniors, but the benefits are not restricted only to physical ones. Exercising has been shown to help increase mental capacity and a person’s psychological health. Part of this is attributed to the extra social interaction that can be achieved when attending a senior workout group, which are usually offered by places like the YMCA and many senior centers.

While exercise is very important to the health of a senior, the type of exercise is almost as important, if not more so. The exercise should be low impact and low stress, to reduce the risk of injury. It is a good idea to talk with your doctor about what types of exercises would be good for you. Getting a checkup is also a good idea before a senior begins to work out. This means that jumping out and buying a weight set is not a good idea.

One very popular sport among seniors is water aerobics. This involves going to a pool and performing low impact stretches and exercises in the water. One of the great things about this type of exercise is that it can be a lot of fun. Almost everyone enjoys the pool, this is a great way to make exercise not seem like exercise at all.

Most swimming pools offer a seniors water aerobic class, which is also a great way to meet others. The types of exercises preformed vary by individual. In a pool, movements are much easier and can be preformed without stress to the body. It is possible to work every muscle in the body or only a select few, so performing water aerobics can be used by people of many different physical capabilities.

If you have your own pool, it is a good idea to attend a water aerobics class with an instructor. This way, you can receive professional instruction and meet some new friends. Also, since some personal pools are quite often unheated and located outdoors, you might be exposed to potential hazards, which can be avoided by visiting an indoor pool.

Before performing any exercises it is a good idea to check with your doctor.

12/29/2008

The Telltale Signs Of Online Cheating, Internet Infidelity And Online Affairs

Have you ever considered the thought that your spouse or partner might be cheating on you on the internet? You may be surprised to know that thousands of individuals have experienced broken relationships stemming from seemingly harmless online cheating. It is very important that you detect the deed as early as possible so that you can cut temptation by the root. Find out more how the pros can help you confirm to save yourself the stress and hassle.

With the technology and services available today, you can quickly and accurately verify whether or not your partner is cheating on the Web. Before you start any effort or invest money, check for signs that make you feel suspicious. These may not be regular but altogether worries you.

1. Decreased interest in communicating, doing activities or spending time with you.

2. If he or she always asks where you are but cannot seem to say where he or she is or what he or she is doing.

3. Unexplained increases in credit card expenses, phone bills and internet time.

4. He or she thinks it's annoying that you're around whenever he or she is on the Internet. Your partner might be going online when you're not around.

5. Unusual items in the computer like installation of new communication applications, creation of new email accounts, constantly empty or deleted email messages and visitation of unusual online sites.

These are some of the signs that may give you the right to question or investigate. If you plan to begin with an independent investigation, make sure you do it on another computer, or your partner might find ways to protect him or her self. Try to find out the new email account, names or aliases used by your partner in chat rooms or message boards and other user names he or she might be using that you never knew before. Check a number of popular dating sites and try to search for the user name and profile. If you're lucky enough to get a clue as to who your partner may be contacting online, also run a scan on the individual.

Online infidelity investigations and dating services can go as low as $69. A reliable Web site feature services that provide you with full information to prove that your partner may truly be messing around behind your back. You may be required to provide a few details that will help render accurate and comprehensive reports such as the subject's full name, location, contact number, email address, aliases, user names and occupation. Mainly, the process that online services use involves checking a huge database and checking personal ad sites and dating sites where your partner may secretly have an existing account.

Should a personal ad site be found about your partner, you will be provided with sufficient proof and documentation that ensure that you have caught him or her cheating online. In some reports, more than one ad or site may be included as long as it is relevant to your case. You then save yourself the effort and only wait for results which will arrive anywhere from 1 to 7 days. Once you confirm the details, you may then confront and face the situation in the best means possible.

Hiring a private investigator to handle an infidelity instigation is the best way to go but be sure to hire an investigator that has experience in online instigations. It's a relatively new area of investigations so o a Google search to see if th company you are hiring is recognized as an expert in online infidelity investigations.

Is An American Eskimo Dog Puppy The Right Choice For Me And My Family?

The American Eskimo Dog is loving, alert, beautiful, agile, highly intelligent, friendly, social, curious and strong. She makes an excellent protective watch dog but is not threatening or aggressive. It has a white or cream straight outer coat, with dense undercoat. There is a lion appearance as the coat is longer and thicker around the chest and neck. It has a thick tail carried on the back. Blue eyes in this breed is considered a defect and a problem of ill health or bad breeding.

She will do well in an apartment as long as she can get frequent long walks. A properly fenced yard is always preferable. She was bred to be a family dog and they need plenty of family attention. She is excellent with children. Of course, never leave very young children alone with any dog for any length of time, long or short, without adult supervision.

The American Eskimo Dog is often called a Spitz in America. The Spitz refers to a group of breeds, not an individual breed. He is also nicknamed the Spitz, which again is not a breed but a group of breeds including the Pomeranian, Samoyed, Shiba Inu, Siberian Husky and Finnish Spitz.

* Approximate Adult Size. There are three sizes of the American Eskimo Dog, Toy, Miniature and Standard. The Toy runs from 9 to 12 inches to the withers (tallest point of the back), the Miniature runs 12 to 15 inches to the withers and the Standard runs 15 inches to19 inches to the withers.

* Special Health Considerations. The American Eskimo Dog, like many large dogs, are prone to hip dysplasia, flea allergies, hot spots, cataracts, epilepsy, patellar luxation, and Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease. They have no tolerance for fleas and can develop severe flea allergies which can result in painful skin lesions. Their skin is naturally dry so they should not be bathed more than one every two or three months. All dogs should have their teeth brushed once a week.

* Grooming. The thick coat is easy to groom, brush twice a week with firm bristle. They are a medium shedder, one in May or June and then again in November and December. Many owners use an undercoat rake to groom which is available online or at better stocked pet stores.

* Life Span. They can live 12 to 14 years with proper nutrition and care, although there are cases of 20 year life spans.

* History. The American Eskimo Dog derives from the ancient Spitz family. Hailing from the coastal regions Germany, these dogs were traded throughout Europe. This family dogs probably came to America with German immigrants. They were used as family pets, watch dogs and circus animals. Circuses would sell puppies after performances and this the breed was spread throughout the US. They became popular during the 1930s and 1940s. They are known as the German Spitz in Germany. They were renamed during World War I to remove their national origin since we were at war with Germany. They were recognized as a breed in 1913.

SPECIAL GOOD POINTS
- Good with children.
- Highly intelligent.
- Very obedient.
- Good watchdog.
- Can be protective but rarely will bite.
- Do not smell like a dog.
- They groom themselves.
- Easily trained, especially early.

SPECIAL BAD POINTS
- They love to bark.
- Can be willful.
- Prone to weight gain.
- Responds very poorly to harsh treatment.
- Can take long to mature, up to two years.
- Must be trained early as a puppy.
- Can develop bad habits if not stimulated.

12/28/2008

4 Tips on Managing ADHD

Despite what people think, ADD (an acronym for Attention Deficit Disorder) is not a catch all phrase for a bunch of common behaviors nor it is a pseudo ailment. The reality is, scientist have been able to link ADD with certain malfunctioning neurological responses that are lacking in individuals who do not have this disorder.

Also called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) this condition affects a small population of children (roughly 8-10 percent) and a number of adults who may have missed being diagnosed when they were young.

Top symptoms of ADD/ADHD that can be found in both child and adult sufferers and often include:

- Trouble focusing
- Hyperactivity and inability to sit still
- Impaired social interaction
- Irresponsible behaviors
- Moody and insulting
- Extremely forgetfulness

There is a segment of society that believes that ADD/ADHD symptoms can be easily controlled through will power. What they don’t realize PET and CAT scans have uncovered circuitry abnormalities and lower metabolic activity in the part of the brain that controls our emotions and basic responses. The neurotransmitter dopamine is also severely lacking in the ADD brain.

Despite this knowledge, many parents refrain from seeking a diagnosis for their child and mature men and women feel ashamed and closet their impairment. This only serves to exacerbate the problem and clinical depression may even result.

Today, individuals with ADD need not suffer in silence.

Children and adults with ADD/ADHD can seek out the assistance of an experienced ADD doctor for analysis. The doctor will perform a series of diagnostic tests that will allow them to make an informed prognosis in regards to the condition and help them regulate it.

Once you are officially diagnosed with the disorder, there is a lot you can do about it.

1. Medication - slowed down and impaired neurons actually benefit from stimulants because they help to make the neurons fire correctly. Psychostimulants like Ritalin for children and amphetamines for adults are commonly prescribed to combat the many problems associated with ADD/ADHD.

2. Self management - this aspect may be a tab bit easier fro adults, but parents can help a child in this arena. Doing small things like making a to-do list, getting an organizer or planner, or planning to arrive someplace early as opposed to on-time may help you mitigate some of the more aggravating aspects of the disorder.

3. Talk with ADHD doctor - your doctor will be a veritable fountain of tips that can help you place you on the road to controlling your ADD symptoms. Be sure to ask lots of questions and take the acquired info to the internet for further study. Knowledge is power.

4. ADHD support Groups and behavioral therapy - At an ADHD support meeting you may learn valuable insights from people who know what it is like to deal with such a complex neurological problem. For instance, you could acquire from a host of dietary aids or holistic remedies that can help you get lower some of the more off putting aspects of your ADD behaviors. Behavioral therapy will also help as it can provide one-on-one counseling. A qualified therapist who understands ADD/ADHD psychology can retrain your thought processes so you recognize your ADD symptoms and learn how to control them.

Combating ADD will take a multi-pronged approach, but with due diligence and proper education you should be able to gain control of your disorder and feel more in control of your own destiny. If you suspect you have ADD/ADHD contact a reputable doctor in your neck of the woods to get evaluated so you can be well on your well to greater health and a even better life.

12/27/2008

Worldwide Brands: Wholesale & Drop Ship Service Industry Leader

If you were to judge by the personalities on their team, Worldwide Brands would impress anybody. They have an impressive team with a bundle of credentials, but does the product match their abilities? Let’s See.

Worldwide Brands do not profess to be specifically dropshippers, but a general wholesaler that handles dropshipping, light and heavy wholesales, foreign imports and liquidation sales. In short, they handle just about any means by which wholesalers can purchase products for retail.

Worldwide Brands Products Allow You To Graduate to Wholesaler once your Product is a Hot Seller...

This provides customers with an advantage over dedicated dropshipping companies in that once you have found a product that sells continually well through dropshipping, you can purchase the same product from Worldwide Brands under their Bulk Wholesale program and buy your product at a fraction of the dropship costs.

If you then proceed to sell even more as your retail business expands, you can save even more by entering the Large Volume program. Not only that, but you can get instant one-off purchases of liquidation items that you can use to attract potential customers to your website or eBay Shop, and so introduce them to your regular items. The same is true of their occasional *Instant Import Buys* and though inexpensive, can be in demand products with high profit margins

TO SUM UP WHAT WORLDWIDE BRANDS OFFER IS:

* A great selection of goods at dropship prices, delivered to your customer for you.

* The option of switching to a bulk wholesale agreement with reduced prices...

* You can then switch to a volume wholesale agreement with even lower prices!

* You can get low cost liquidized stock to offer as ‘loss leaders’ and so generate more customers to your business.

* Occasional one-off imports of great products at low prices to offer to your regular customers at knock-down prices.

* A one time membership fee that lasts for life.

These arrangements are better than any dedicated dropshipper could offer to you, and it is no wonder that Worldwide Brands claims to be the only eBay Certified Wholesale Supplier Information Publisher. They offer services difficult to find elsewhere - if they are available elsewhere!

THE EXTRA YARD IS IMPORTANT

Their services are every bit as good as their products, and their team spends much of its time Researching Software that can make life that little bit easier for you. They go that extra yard to help you in your business.

* That is very important to some who do not have the time to do their own market research.

* They provide you with a 0% - 100% rating of how well any product you are searching for will sell online, so that you know where you stand before buying them.

* They tell you how many others are looking for the same products as you are online, and also how many others are selling them. You can then judge if it is worth your while selling the same products.

* They will also let you know what similar products to yours that are selling well, so that you can make a quick switch if necessary.

* You will be given a list of keywords that people are using to find the type of products that you are selling.

It is this Instant Market Research that you have at your fingertips that sets Worldwide Brands aside from their Competitors, and why they are recommended here to anybody looking for a company offering more than just dropshipping services.

Their OneSource Software allows you to file and organize all the data about your products, prices, customers and so on, and is updated every day with new suppliers and one-off offers from instant buys that you can use to attract customers.

A UNIQUE PRODUCT WORTH TRYING

Worldwide Brands offer a unique product that no other wholesale or dropshipping company offers. The one time fee of just under $300 might seem costly to some, but not if you are seriously involved in online retail sales, and it is such people with whom this company mainly does business. It is worth trying, and if you are a serious business person, you will not find them lacking in any aspects of 'Online Auction Product Knowledge'

It is not a company for the odd eBay seller to use, but a Serious Retailer whose business is online retail selling. The product range is vast, the prices fantastic and the service unparalleled. That is about as much as anybody could say about any Online and Offline Dropshipping and Wholesale Company.

Copyright © 2007 Ron Keegan™ All rights protected.

12/26/2008

The Musical Act From Hell

My band was performing in Bowen in north Queensland in Australia at the Kings Beach Hotel. We were playing in ‘High Voltage’ a successful and fun tribute to the great rock band, AC/DC. The band would usually play a 75 minute set with no breaks, no stops. We loved it though. Lots of work but that is what rock is all about!

We were up to about our 7th song in the set list when I noticed our rhythm guitarist had broken a string. No real worries there, I could cover him no problem. About 60 seconds later I myself break a string. No problem. I will just get my spare Gibson SG, be playing again in 45 secs. I look around. No SG- the rhythm player had grabbed it for himself, too lazy to change a string on his guitar!!! Ok, so I think I will very quickly change my own string with the help of our stage roadie. Another 20 seconds goes by. Old mate breaks another string on MY spare guitar…ok boys ya gotta fill in. Drum and bass extension solos, singer doing a bit of improv over the top, no problem UNTIL the bass player blows his A string. As many of you would know most AC/.DC songs are in A. Ok he switches to the E string 5th fret, not as nice a sound but its cool. We are going to be okay. But then the drummer broke his snare skin!!!! This can’t be happening!! Just can’t be!! Apollo 13 didn’t have this much coincidental bad luck!!! By now my string is replaced so we have a 3 string bass, one guitar, a singer looking remotely pissed off and looking for a rock to hide under, and a drummer gesticulating widely for help with his snare but the show goes on. Old mate rhythm player is back on deck and the bass player is going to play 3 strings for at least the next 2 songs until, the roadie goes to truck and get the spare bass (it's not often bass players break their strings!!). It seemed like he was gone for an eternity.

Finally the snare skin is replaced all guitars are back working. We start up exactly in the spot where we first lost a string and continue as if nothing happened. The song by the way was “Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be.” Very ironic huh?

Now I can see everyone with stage experience saying “well they should have changed their string before the gig!’ Truth was we changed our strings every night, bass strings every 6 gigs!!! We all bought our strings from one supplier and, yep a faulty batch!!

The moral of the story:

Always have spare strings closely accessible, a spare guitar where possible, drummer, at least a spare snare skin or maybe a spare snare drum and also spare kick drum skin and a singer who can remain nonplussed when all hell breaks loose around him!!

Because the show must go on!!

About the Author
Matt is a guitar enthusiast who lives and breathes anything guitar related. He's been playing for a long time and loves talking about guitars with everyone. You can find him frequently playing on his porch. Check out free tips, online lessons, and a guitar forum at his site Axebay Used Guitars and Online Music Lessons
Published At: www.Isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=331482&ca=Entertainment
Got a question about this article? Ask the community!

Article Tags: bass, spare, string
Read more articles by: Matthew Kepnes
Article published on December 26, 2008 at Isnare.com


IMPORTANT NOTE: All Articles, contents, data, and information presented in this site are for educational or entertainment purposes only and should not be used in any way, implemented or applied without consultation from a professional. Articles or data presented herein are sole opinions and/or findings of the authors or organizations that registered and submitted the articles at Isnare.com without any fee. We at Isnare.com do not, in anyway, contribute or state our own findings, facts and opinions in any articles presented in this site. Please read our Acceptable Use Policy.




Rate this article: 5 - Excellent !4 - Very Good !3 - Fair !2 - Ok !1 - Poor !



More Entertainment Articles By Matthew KepnesHow To Survive Your First Gig
Submitted by: Matthew Kepnes

More Free Articles Under EntertainmentDownloadable Movies - Watch Full Downloadable Movies
Submitted by: Anu
MySpace Friend Adder Marketing
Submitted by: Kristi Ambrose
MySpace; Not Just For Friends Anymore
Submitted by: Kristi Ambrose
Attention All Artists; Are You Looking For People to Listen to Your Music?
Submitted by: Kristi Ambrose
Fun With a Movie Catalog
Submitted by: Maxim Smirnov
Online Bootleg Movie Downloads Without Any Effort at All!
Submitted by: Anu
Sexiest Top Five Hollywood Hunks
Submitted by: Azi A
Free Downloadable PSP Games
Submitted by: Ben Fedrick
Bootleg Movie Download: Are Bootleg Movie Downloads Really Worth It?
Submitted by: Anu
Divx Full Movie Download - The Advantages of DIVX Full Movies Download
Submitted by: Anu

12/25/2008

Best Internet Marketing Tips-How to Use the Social Marketing Giant Facebook To Attract Pioneer Doers

Facebook has surpassed Myspace for the Gold in social marketing popularity. Many are now flocking to this site for more exposure, tools, and marketing.
So you want to know one of the best internet marketing tips available to man? Join social marketing giant Facebook while it's still hot. Facebook has become the new "party zone" for some of the most elite entrepreneurs in the world which includes network marketers, small business owners, work from home junkies, etc. Unlike former social media giant, Myspace, Facebook continues to be the cornerstone for slick marketing tactics with features that makes life simple being an online marketer. However, there are some tips you will need to know to maximize your exposure, and attract pioneer doers into your business.

1. Start a Group- Starting a group is a slick strategy at Facebook, because it allows you to build an additional list tied to the one you are currently building for your business. The ideal concept here is to invite other users to join your group once you create one, and slowly but surely you will see high potential prospects join your group. Once you attain a good number into your group you can send out to the entire list with one click.

2. Build the Relationship- I see numerous network marketers and other business owners go wrong in this area. Social and networking go hand in hand. If you are not trying to create conversations in order to build relationships, then you will not succeed on Facebook. Rest assured, others will notice if you are out only for yourself and not for the interest of others. Write on someones' wall, make a valid comment, or just send someone a message to spark conversation. Don't go around trying to convince others to join your deal. This will cause you to lose all credibility that you have gained thus far.

3. Exhaust the Media- Facebook has so many features to get the word out as quick as possible about your business, and who you are as an entrepreneur. You can also tie in your Twitter account to making it so simple for your friends to see your updates. Using video marketing will be a blast on this social marketing giant. Each time you upload a video, you get the option of tagging some of your friends. When this happen, your video will show up on their profile giving you extra traffic to your website(s).

If you haven't set up a profile at Facebook yet, now is the time. These social marketing strategies are sure to help you get a good jump start in gaining more exposure and credibility for your business. Taking all 3 of the tips above into consideration will help you succeed in your internet marketing efforts.

12/24/2008

Tiger Wood's Legendary Inspiration

Tag Heuer has really been a prominent name for wristwatches known to all sports lovers, extreme riders, adventurers, ordinary people and celebrity icons. The design, elegance and superb quality are revolutionized with collaborations and inspirations of many themes, eras and world legends and personalities. One of these is Tiger Woods, the first historic golfer who made a leap in winning four successive major golf tournaments.

Indeed, Tiger Woods has become a design contributor, endorser and user of the famous line of Tag Heuer Tiger Woods watch that appeal to professionals, fans and friends around the borders of the world who watch his every sway depicted in easy yet powerful maneuver which leaves no mark of wounds nor bruise by the force accelerated by his wristwatch to his hands and wrist. It is because the Tag Heuer Tiger Woods watch is specifically designed to meet the exceptional requirements of golfers like him. Over time, two lines were manufactured under Tiger Woods novel inspiration, the Link Sportswatch, and the Golf watch.

The first of Tag Heuer Tiger Woods watch line is the Link model. This has appealed both men and women who are drawn into sports. The Link model represents the perfect combination of sports ideal and elegant material that is vividly portrayed with the steel furnishing and self-gratifying design. Among the several models for the masculine guys include the quartz watch, automatic watch, quartz chronograph, calibre 36 chronometer, automatic chronograph and calibre S chronographs. Thus, for pieces for the feminine gals include the watch and the chronograph templates.

The Tag Heuer Tiger Woods watch link model that Tiger Woods often uses are the Quartz Chronograph, Automatic Chronograph and the Automatic models. The first one features a non-scratch crystalline Sapphire glass that is enclosed in steel casing with supporting steel bracelet of double safety clasps. Its extravagance is intensified by quartz movement and chronograph functions like the split and elapsed time settings. The second one has same specifications as the first one, however, this time, it runs on an automatic chronograph movement using the patented calibre 16. Similarly, the last item has the same substances as the previous two with the difference spotted in the type of movement with a Calibre 5 or 7.

The second of Tag Heuer Tiger Woods watch line is the Golf watch. This type has more advantages over the Link model especially for active golfers. Specially designed and planned by the legend himself, Tiger Woods, the Golf watch model is truly unique in its design, quality and flexibility.

This Tag Heuer Tiger Woods watch is styled into a sapphire crystalline glass that exhibits resistive scratching and non-reflecting abilities. The casing is deliberately furnished from a mixture of titanium and steel making lighter yet stronger and slow wearing wristwatch. The dials are elegantly designed in a golf ball texture, attached thereupon are luminescent hand pointers. Thus, its uniqueness is evenly reflected at the placement of the crown to the 9 o’clock position to avoid bruising the wrist during a hard and strong swing. In addition, the bracelet is also exceptionally made with a flexible silicon substance to provide ease and comfort.

Indeed, the Tag Heuer Tiger Woods watch is continuously proving that its legendary and iconic roots reflect elegance and superb performance over time.

12/23/2008

Give Credit Consolidation A Go

There are a lot of ways to get out of debt and to help your credit rating. It depends on your personal situation, but you maybe able to get help to negotiate debt settlement. Credit consolidation is another great option for almost anyone. You need to remember that personal finance is your responsibility. You will have to learn all the steps it takes to repair your credit and get out of debt before you can really understand the process. You also want to make the situation as uncomplicated as possible. You will learn how to be self-sufficient and rely on yourself when you can get out of debt. This is always a stressful situation, so you want to do everything you can to minimized the stress for you and your family. No matter how stressful being in debt is, it is a lot less stressful than actually being in debt.

There are many different ways to get out of debt, so it is worth it to explore all the possible options you have in terms of getting out of debt. You need to think of all the assets that you have and how you can make them work in your interest. Owning a home can be a great asset and can really help you get out of debt. You might want to take out a second mortgage on your home to help you get the capital you need to get out of debt. You should also think about all the insurance coverage that you have and see what it can do for you. You’ll want to see if you can borrow against your life insurance policy. If you’ve paid a lot into your life insurance policy, than this would be a great solution for you. You might also be able to take money out one of your policies if you are sick or have been injured. This could help you pay off your debts or take care of certain expenses that you might have. It is important to explore all the options that you have before you decide on one. You need to find out exactly what you are getting into before you sign anything.

You might want to consider different type of assets other than your home or your insurance polices. Think about your car. Do you pay a lot each month in car insurance, car payments, or car maintenance? This could be a great way to get out of debt if you can sell your car. If you live in a city where there is good public transportation, you could save lots of money each year by living without a car. Sometimes your job may help to subsidize your transportation to work if you take public transportation to the office each day. You should think about any way to get out of debt and get your life back in order.

Reason's That You May Need Credit Counseling

Although your bad debt management has lead to bankruptcy, you need to stop and take a deep relaxing breath, and know that this is not the end of the world, or even your financial future. Usually people panic at the thought of filing for bankruptcy, and having that permanent stain on their credit report, however when the bills are piling so high on the table that you can barely see over them, and there’s no end in site, bankruptcy may just be your only way out.

First of all, you need to find yourself a good bankruptcy lawyer. Such a professional will be able to answer all of the touch questions about your case for you such as if your car and home will be protected, and which other belongings and assets that you should worry about. Most people do not realize that there are different types of bankruptcies and that the laws change frequently. You’ll want someone who is abreast of these, therefore keeping you out of danger.

This person can also help keep the creditors off of your back while your case is proceeding.

Some people choose to forego the lawyer and try to do it alone, and this I strongly recommend against. The reason being that there are a lot of errors to be made that can be rather costly both in time and in money. Of course you’ll want to shop around for the best lawyer, and even then check the validity of his or her credentials and qualifications. You may want to even sneak in on a bankruptcy court just to get an idea of what you’ve got headed your way.

Mounting bills can result in overwhelming stress that eats at you constantly. Though you may have tried to get through this situation, it may just be that it became impossible for one person to go through this alone. This is who bankruptcy is for, and though some people abuse the system, others need it integrally.

Trying to be a hero is often a useless fight. You’re not giving up, on conceding to defeat when you file for bankruptcy. Actually, in cases where nothing else is working, filing for bankruptcy is a very wise decision.

It gives you the chance to start fresh without having to be continually harassed by creditors, and to panic over the mounting piles of bills strung about your home. Think of it as a chance to rebuild a clear credit history.

If you’re thinking that you’re doomed and that you’ll never be able to get any credit, and that the thought of a credit card was useless, you’ll quickly see that you’re receiving more offers of credit than ever before.

This is because the creditors are savvy enough to know that you’ll now be able to more easily pay them since your bills have gone down significantly, plus they know that you’re less likely to mess up again after filing for bankruptcy.

If you feel that you’re in a desperate situation, it would be a good idea to get some sort of credit counseling, and in a last resort file for bankruptcy to start a clean slate.

12/22/2008

Private Student Loans - What You Need To Know

Private student loans should be the last stop in trying to get the money to cover your college bills because they will cost you far more in the end than most other forms of financing.

Unfortunately for college students, financial aid packages from many schools do not cover the entire cost of education. Based on your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), schools will determine if you are eligible for Federal grants and loans (Stafford Loans, Perkins Loans, Pell Grants, Federal Work Study, etc.) and these will be added to your package first.

Eligibility for grants and scholarships from some states and colleges will also be determined by the FAFSA. You have the choice to accept or reject any of the grants and loans in your package, though acceptance is usually called for, since the interest rates on these government loans is usually much cheaper than any private student loans you will find.

Once you have added up all the scholarships, grants and loans, you may find that you still need an additional sum to get through the year. At this point a private student loan may be your only realistic option. Also known as alternative student loans, they are available from many private companies.

One major difference between the private and the government loans are that the private loans depend on your credit rating. The better your rating, the lower the interest rate you can expect to receive. The better your rating, the lower the loan fee you can expect to pay to get the loan. If you have a poor credit score or none at all, then you may still be able to secure a good rate by having a credit worthy cosigner.

You will need to be certain of the terms of your loan, since there are many different terms available depending on the lender. Repayment may start immediately, or be deferred until graduation. Even if deferment is allowed, interest begins accumulating immediately, so the balance will be increasing until you graduate and start making payments. Some lenders will allow you to pay interest only while you are still in school, which will help to keep the payments down later. Some lenders will give you discounts if you set up automatic payments or if you make a certain number of on time payments.

If you do have a cosigner, they need to be aware of the possible consequences of their involvement. If you are unable to make your payments, they may be required to make the payments themselves, since they have taken on the responsibility by cosigning. It could also affect their ability to get a loan while the private student loan is still active. The reason is that their debt to income ratio will be higher, since your loan shows also on their credit report.

In conclusion, if there are other alternatives available, private student loans are not the way to go. If not, then a good credit rating or a cosigner will at least help you to get the best possible rates and terms. Contact several lenders and compare the interest rates, as well as the other payment conditions

12/21/2008

Recession Strategies To Market An Internet Based Business

Is your internet based business recession proof? Do you have a recession proof marketing strategy in place? Here we discuss ways that you can build a recession proof business during the recession
The effects of the 2008 recession are being felt worldwide and to protect an internet based business, we as internet marketers need to ensure we have a recession proof marketing strategy in place.

Just because a world-wide recession has struck does not mean that it is a bad time to make an income online with an internet based business.

We all react in different ways when a recession sets in. How we react all depends on our own unique situation. Some cut back totally on luxuries, others opt for a cheaper version, but we don't stop purchasing goods. Some products even experience record highs during a recession. In order to respond to the new situation, it is just a matter of altering course and mapping out a recession marketing strategy.

An online recession marketing strategy would then involve understanding what people are interested in buying and why. This is the key to ensuring that you have a recession proof internet based business and is even more important during a recession than in a boom.

People feel good during a boom. As people are assured that their jobs are safe and so is their next pay check, they feel rich and confident and don't mind spending because they have money available. It is during these times that most people can make money from their own internet based business.

However, it is a different story during a recession. A great many people cut back and no longer buy luxuries as they are worried about their financial situation. The idea of purchasing luxury items such as large appliances or new cars are put on hold and people tend to make do with what they have got and tend to repair rather than buy new items.

During these times of financial uncertainty people search for cheaper alternatives in the form of used goods, spare parts, DIY solutions, cheaper food sources, they eat at home rather than dine out and any other products that can help reduce their monthly expenditure.

This change in shopping behavior offers internet based businesses some clear recession marketing opportunities, some examples being:

1. Financial Counseling and Basic Financial Advice: You'll be surprised how many people spend like crazy with a credit card but actually have no idea of how to manage credit card debt. Others have no idea how to prepare a household budget. Many more will require financial counseling during the recession as these people are in desperate need of help right now.

2. Informative How-To eBooks: Something that will be very popular during a recession is cheap information products that teach people practical skills that they can use to save or even make money or explain in detail how to survive during a recession. This gives you the opportunity to either write your own ebook or search for high quality packages that offer rebranding rights so that you can offer them as your own.

3. Don't forget about eBay: As people look to raise money by selling off things they no longer require and others look for bargains or second-hand goods to save money, it is very likely that eBay will experience growth during the recession. The opportunity to start your own full-time internet based business awaits you at eBay.

This gives internet marketers the opportunity to promote eBay related affiliate programs or offer eBay advice and business solutions.

4. There are those that are so keen to start their own internet based business but feel that they just cannot afford the expense. There is a great opportunity for you to reach out and offer advice on how to make an income online on a shoestring budget. They will be excited to learn that the start-up costs of an internet business are minimal and will be keen to know more about free blogs, free affiliate programs, free article marketing strategies and free traffic exchanges.

When you see the opportunity that a recession presents, it is possible to build a recession proof internet based business and make an online income out of recession proof marketing

The Tower Of London Through The Ages

In the early 1080s, William of Normandy built the biggest tower ever seen in England at that time: the centre of the Tower Of London, the White Tower. Successive kings and queens added to the fortifications.

William, Duke of Normandy invaded and defeated the English under King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Realising he must next secure England's most powerful city - London - he did not attack directly but first laid waste to the surrounding countryside. An advance guard went to London to construct a fortress and prepare for his triumphal entry into the city.

After his coronation in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066, the new king withdrew to Barking in Essex, while several strongholds were made ready in the City to safeguard against the fierce population. Historical evidence makes us think that one of William's strongholds was in the south-east corner of the Londinium Roman city walls, on the site where the Tower of London was constructed. These early defences were replaced with a great stone tower (the White Tower) proclaiming the physical power and prowess of the new Norman monarch.

Henry VIII (1509-47) continued the work begun on the royal residential buildings by his predecessors, but on a grander scale. He commissioned a large range of timber-framed lodgings, primarily for the comfort and enjoyment of his second wife, Anne Boleyn, ready for her coronation in 1533, but they were rarely used and from this point on, the Tower ceased to be an established royal residence.

Henry VIII's decision to break with Rome swelled the Tower's population of religious and political prisoners from the 1530s onwards, while the country had to adjust itself to their monarch's new role as the Supreme Head of the new, Protestant, Church of England. Prisoners included Sir Thomas More, Bishop Fisher of Rochester and two of Henry's wives. All four were executed.

Henry's daughter, Mary, (1553-8) returned the country to Catholicism and her short reign saw many rivals and key Protestant figures imprisoned at the Tower.

As the centuries went by, the tower fell into disrepair. Action was taken under the invigorating leadership of the Duke of Wellington, Constable of the Tower from 1826 to 1852, to restore the tower. The place was cleaned up and the moat, increasingly smelly and sluggish, was drained and converted into a dry ditch by 1845. Work began on a huge new barracks, constructed to accommodate a thousand men - on the site of the Grand Storehouse destroyed by a fire in 1841 - commenced. On 14 June 1845 the Duke laid the foundation stone on the barracks named after his greatest victory - Waterloo.

The Tower's defensive role lessened as time went by, and the last time the Tower exerted its traditional role of asserting the power of the state over the people of London was in response to rallies and disturbances in London in the 1840s supporting Chartist demands for electoral reform. More defences were constructed, including a huge brick and stone bastion that finally succumbed to a Second World War bomb, but the Chartist attack never materialised.

It was also at the beginning of this century that many of the Tower's historic institutions departed. The Royal Mint was the first to move out of the castle in 1812, followed by the Menagerie in the 1830s, which formed the nucleus of today's London Zoo. The Office of Ordnance was next to leave in 1855 and finally, the Record Office relocated in 1858.

The way the Tower looks today is largely thanks to a 19th-century fascination with England's turbulent and sometimes gruesome history. In the 1850s, Victorian architect Anthony Salvin, one of the pioneers of the Gothic Revival, restored the Tower fortress to make it look more medieval, conforming to the Victorians' desire to have it look "pleasing to the eye" - and imagination. Salvin first transformed the Beauchamp Tower to make it suitable for the public display of prisoners' graffiti, refacing the exterior walls and replacing windows, doorways and battlements.

Further and later commissions also included restoring the historic Salt Tower (the work was completed 1858) and making many alterations to the Chapel of St John in the ancient White Tower in 1864. Salvin restored the Wakefield Tower, so that it could house the Crown Jewels, which remained there until 1967, and built the bridge between it and St Thomas's Tower. This he also restored so that the Jewel House Keeper could live there. In the drive to complete the perfect 'medieval' castle, his successor, John Taylor, controversially destroyed important original buildings to create uninterrupted views of the White Tower and to build a new southern inner curtain wall on the site of the old medieval palace.

So today's tower is very much a Victorian version of the Tower, but it still holds a lot of interest - as hsown ny the fact that it attracts over a million visitors each year.

12/20/2008

Why Is Article Marketing So Important?

Articles serve to be an effective marketing tool when promoted all across the Internet. It establishes your company as an expert in the industry as you disseminate information to the target audience through well-written articles. However, a writer should be subtle enough to promote your website indirectly, instead of making these articles a sales page. Only services from expert SEO Company and the writers associated with them is the way one can be assured about the effectiveness of their article marketing campaign.

Benefits of article marketing

There are many benefits that are made available by article marketing services:

1. Credibility of the online business – Providing information through articles make readers believe that you have immense knowledge about the industry. This builds your reputation in their eyes and increases your brand awareness. As a result, people place their trust in the products and services that you have on offer on your website.

2. Increase in inbound links – As professional SEOers submit your articles to online directories, a resource box is also written at the end of the article that provides information about your online business and redirects the readers to your website with your website’s link given in this resource box. Apart from this, other webmasters also pick informative articles from directories and publish it on their site while giving due credit to your company for the article, thereby increasing your inbound links. Also, in-content links are provided in the articles nowadays.

3. Higher search engine ranking – As the inbound links of your website increases, this influences the search engine rankings of your website. Also, the exposure of your articles to more websites from article directories and social bookmarking sites like dig.c
om and facebook, raise the amount of relevant traffic received by your website, which again enhances its position in SERPs. Articles published on highly ranked Squidoo lenses by SEO experts are another way to reach your targeted audience and communicate to them through interesting texts, images and videos.

Proof of the effectiveness of your article marketing

Not to forget, informative, original and well-written articles are mandatory to reap these benefits of article marketing. To see the proof of effectiveness of your article marketing campaign, you can simply put the title of any of your article in double quotes in the search engine and see the number of results that have appeared. Make sure that you do this after at least month or two of the publication of the article.

You will notice that even though your articles were submitted to only a few websites by the professionals but the number of websites that lists them has increased considerably. Other websites publish your articles along with your resource box from different online sources.

Besides, the report of article submission is also provided by a professional SEO Company. When you hire affordable SEO services for article writing and syndication, you can either opt for packages for a few articles or get a subscription for a monthly article service package, which will help you save many bucks. So, do not let your online business go unnoticed anymore and bring it into the limelight with effective article syndication

12/19/2008

Tips For Protecting Your Mortgage Against Accident, Sickness And Unemployment

When you buy a home and take on a mortgage, you expect to be able to make the payments. Times are uncertain though, and many unexpected events can occur knock you off track.

If you fall ill or are unable to work because of an injury, you may be unable to make your mortgage payments. If you are made redundant at work, you could face losing your home because you can't keep up with your mortgage repayments. That's why many mortgage companies suggest that you buy mortgage payment protection insurance. It works like any other insurance - you pay an annual premium, and if you are unable to make your home loan payments for any covered reason, the insurance policy will meet payments (for you for up to 12 months with most policies).

PPI and MPPI - payment protection insurance and Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance - have come under increasing fire here in the UK. Last year, the FSA asked the Competition Commission to look into the market for PPI and make recommendations regarding the market for mortgage protection and other payment protection insurance. The issues have to do with the outrageously high costs and alleged dodgy sales practices around most payment protection insurance.

According to the recently released report on Emerging Thinking from the Competition Commission, the PPI industry rakes in nearly £4bn in premiums each year, just under 25% of it in MPPI - payment insurance for first charge and second charge mortgages. That's £1bn a year in mortgage insurance taken out - yet according to critics of the industry, only 10-20% of that is ever paid out in claims, making a tidy 80% profit for the insurers. Furthermore, the critics continue, the industry uses deceptive sales methods, and the policies include clauses that make it almost impossible for most people to collect.

In light of all the criticism leveled against the PPI industry, though, is mortgage payment insurance a wise use of your money? In some cases, you'll end up paying nearly as much or more for your payment protection cover than you do in interest payments on your mortgage. Despite that, it's important to find a way to protect your home and the loan secured against it. If not MPPI, what can you do to insure yourself against losing your home in case of accident, illness or unemployment?

- High interest savings account

One suggestion made by many financial experts is to self-insure by depositing the amount you'd pay for mortgage payment insurance in a high interest savings account to be held specifically in case you can't meet your monthly loan repayments for some reason. The added benefit - if you neer need to touch it, you'll have the additional savings toward your retirement or other goals once your mortgage is paid off.

- Disability Insurance

Another option for protecting your insurance payment is to insure yourself against loss of income. Disability insurance pays you a percentage of your income if you become disabled and unable to work. You can use that insurance payment to make your mortgage repayments and meet your other bills and accounts. In general, the insurance premiums for disability insurance are lower than for payment protection insurance, and it doesn't cover you in case of unemployment.

- Buy from an independent insurer

If you do decide that payment protection insurance is right for you, shop around to get the best deals. It may be tempting or make sense to buy your MPPI from your bank or mortgage lender, but you could end up paying twice as much for the same cover. By law, your mortgage company may offer MPPI, but they may not require you to carry their insurance as a condition of your loan. According to the latest figures, shopping around and buying your MPPI from an independent insurer can save you tens of thousands of pounds over the life of your mortgage.

How to Find Top Plastic Surgeons in the U.S.

Researching Top Plastic Surgeons

No magical formula exists to find top-notch plastic surgeons; however, methodologies for researching surgeons who have a specialty interest/area of expertise in certain surgical procedures are becoming increasingly innovative and main-stream.
These days, it is becoming more and more common for medical doctors to limit their practice to certain surgical procedures, or the treatment of certain conditions. One big reason for this is that it decreases their ability for malpractice (lawsuits) while increasing their expertise/experience. Thus, they become more recognizable in their field of expertise throughout the community as well as nationwide.
Plastic Surgery and Board Certification
It is important to understand that no single plastic surgeon will master or have special expertise in every surgical procedure/condition related to plastic surgery. Therefore, finding plastic surgeons who are mostly recognized and referred to in regards to certain surgical procedures and who have a solid background in their professional career is key.

Although plastic surgery certification is most common some surgeons are certified in otolaryngology or ophthalmology specializing strictly in facial plastic surgery and reconstruction. Such surgical procedures include eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, facial reconstructive surgery, oculoplasty/ophthalmic, and other facial cosmetic surgical procedures to name a few.

In addition, not all otolaryngologist have special expertise in facial cosmetic surgery. As a matter of fact, only a few do. The three most commonly used fields in plastic surgery and their board certification statuses are plastic surgery, surgery of the hand, and otolaryngology. However, some plastic surgeons are double, triple, and even quadruple board certified.

What To Do When Hiring a Plastic Surgeon

1. When choosing a plastic surgeon forget about the phone book.

2. Use caution when approaching websites that offer free ratings or claim to have comprehensive

free doctor credential information. You should, in reality, expect to see negative ratings for every doctor.

3.Beware of plastic surgeons who advertise a lot. Top-notch plastic surgeons are extremely busy for a reason and often do not need to advertise or attract much more clientele then they already have.

4. Make sure that the plastic surgeon is board certified in the respective field.

5. Every plastic surgeon has a special interest area of expertise, find those areas and make sure they are the areas you are looking for.

6. Generally speaking, the more depth in their professional history report the more experience they have.
Inside A Top Plastic Surgeon’s Professional History

Years of practice in a specialty field, academic appointments, hospital appointments, fellowship training, membership affiliations, awards, reputation, special interest/expertise area, malpractice judgment(s), disciplinary actions, board certification status, and recognition from peers for certain surgical procedures are some of the most critical factors for finding top-rated plastic surgeons. Yet, all this information will not guarantee that you will receive the highest quality of care; rather, it will increase your chances of receiving higher quality care regarding your cosmetic medical needs.
The most important specialty member organizations for plastic surgeons who are members of the American Board of Medical Specialists (ABMS) are the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, and American Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons. However, many other organizations exist, although none have the same depth and requirements as these do.
It’s important to understand that any plastic surgeon can become a member of these societies therefore - although membership status is essential, it by no means indicates that the surgeon holds the highest standards or expertise in plastic surgery.
Researching a Plastic Surgeon

Although it is true that the Internet has abundant websites offering information on medical doctors' credentials, you will certainly want - and need - more than just a license number, education, free anonymous ratings, and contact information. If your Internet search is growing tiresome, consider digging deeper using these resources:

1. Federation of State Medical Boards

2. American Board of Medical Specialties

3. The American Medical Association

4. Your local state medical board

5. Research & information company specializing

6. Medical society regarding doctors’ specialty fields

7. Free medical doctor ratings sites

12/18/2008

Is Your Expired Domain Really Worthy Part II

In the previous article, there was an effort to let you know if your expired domains are really worthy of making any decent money. Here are some more tips and ideas that will help you ascertain to know if your domains expired are really worthy or not.

Frequency of Search: This is perhaps an important indicator by which you can know the real worth of your domains expired. More popular the search term, the more numbers of site visitors and better volume of type-in traffic. You may wish to buy an expired domain that is rich with niche keywords. Sensitive and critical keywords are very important to your web domains expired. Two worded search terms are desirable for your expired domain names as they are the current standard for expired domain name industry.

Trademark infringement: If you have a web expired domain that is trademark of other people, then you may land in a legal mess. Such domains are useless and utter waste of money. No one will buy this kind of domains from you. You can avoid buying a trademark expired domain as no one will be interested in buying it from you.

Top Level Domain: The type and kind of TLD is of paramount importance if you want to make money from your expired domain name. .com seems to be the right type of TLD at the moment and it is possible to buy very good .com TLD and later sell to other people at very high prices. .com is also the default type-in type of expired domain now.

Income Inventory: Any additional income built into your expired domain is an added advantage. The availability of income making opportunity with your domain will convince a potential buyer to purchase the expired domain. Many well known expired domains have been recognized for their ad inventory revenue streams and they have had a solid income generating scheme built and streamlined over them.

Demand for .com type of expired domains: Obviously, these are the domains that are in huge demand. However, you can also sell other domain extensions like .biz and .info provided they make sense to your potential buyers. Demand for .com extensions has been rising gradually over the last few years, but other extensions are also catching up very slowly with the emergence of businesses and corporate that deal with information and services.

Blacklisted and abused web domains expired: These web domains are a strict no-no for any domain name trader. More than 20% of the available expired domains have had a ban or black listing slapped on them in their previous avatar. You will need to be extra careful about these domains and never, ever make an effort to buy these domains.

Finally, it is your desire and motivation to succeed in this exciting business that make you streamlined for future success. Expired domain gains are possible only when you know how to choose and buy the right type of domain out of millions of expired domains.

12/17/2008

Cufflinks Are More Than Just an Ordinary Groomsmen Gift

Often, gifts for groomsmen include cufflinks, and many people find these items a very ordinary, traditional gift for the male attendants during weddings. However these days, there are many brides and grooms who still opt to give cufflinks on their wedding. This is because there are now a wide choices of cufflinks which come in different style, texture and design. One of the most latest are personalized cufflinks. Before, those who are only rich can afford to commission jewelry makers to craft their personalized cufflinks. Such personalized accessories often depict family crests or family seals and are picked out with jewels.

However today, the trend of personalized cufflinks is no longer restricted to the wealthy and powerful people only. In fact, anyone can use these elegant accessories whenever they want to. And while the popularity of using such items have upsurged over the seasons, it has never been completely gone. But for some people, personalized cufflinks are a mere nonessential piece of accessory. Why buy brand new cufflinks when buttons and buttonholes are more convenient? But for others who have a taste of style, knows understand that wearing cufflinks, especially those that are made personalize can easily transform an ordinary outfit to an elegant and sophisticated one.

Many brides and grooms opt to give personalized cufflinks as their gifts to their male attendants. The groomsmen tuxedos can be perfectly completed when cufflinks are to be included. This one of the main reason why cufflinks are always a hit when it comes to giving gifts for groomsmen. They really made sense for groomsmen gifts, when given at pre-wedding parties, should be something that the groomsmen can wear or use at the wedding day.

Such personalized gifts are also an ideal keepsake if the groom would like to give something special which can tell a lot about his attendants' personalities. They can make a statement that the groomsmen makes to say that he cares a lot about how he looks and wants to appear not just presentable but elegant not only at the wedding, but also all the time.

Another good thing about giving personalized cufflinks as a gift is you'll be able to show the interest and affiliations of the person whom you are giving the gift to. Today, there are many ways of customizing different kinds of cufflinks. You can customize them according to each of your groomsman's hobby, interests and likes. If they love sports, thene you can have a sports-themed cufflinks. Or, you may refer the customizing idea to their profession – weighing scales for lawyers, the Rx symbol for doctors, and computer chips for the modern techs.

Apart from such shining, shimmering personalized cufflinks, you can always give other personalized gift options for your groomsmen, such as engraved flasks, beer mugs, money clips and the likes. There are also other types of personalized gifts which are cool, consider embroidered cooler chairs and bags for out goers, or other embroidered outdoor gears. Actually, when it comes to giving gifts for groomsmen, the choices are endless. However, it's all up to you on how to pick the right one, and for you to do this, there is only one key you need to follow: know your groomsmen as much as they have known you as their dear friend.

3 Advantages Of Forex Trading Over Stock Investing

In these turbulent times, a lot of investment opportunities are fast becoming questionable sources of making your money grow. The recent stock market crisis has shown that a lot of investors are hesitant to invest in stocks and commodities because of how bad the economy has been hit. So it makes sense for investors to seek other alternatives for their investment opportunities, and if you happen to be amongst them, this article will tell you 3 advantages of Forex trading over stock investing. By the end of this article, you should seriously consider putting your money into Forex trading while the stock market recovers.



One of the similarities between Forex and stocks is that a trader would have control over a large amount of the particular currency they’ve invested in by putting up a small margin. The difference with Forex however is that the margin requirements for Forex is far lower than stocks. Where the margin for stock trading is 50% of the total value, Forex margin requirements only stand at 1%. This means that with Forex, a trader’s money would be able to play with 50-times as much value of whatever product he might have invested in if he were to trade stocks. However, do remember that even though the requirements seem favourable to you, it is still an investment, and thus it would be prudent for you to be aware and have a full understanding of the risks involved.



Another advantage that Forex has over stock investing is that the Forex market is not susceptible to the Bear versus Bull mentality that the stock market is prone to. Because Forex trading is simply the exchange of currencies, a Forex trader will always have an investment opportunity to look forward to, because if a currency isn’t performing well, it could mean that there is a likelihood of making a profit with another currency. Also, the Forex market, when compared to the stock market, is not negatively affected by fluctuations in interest rates. Typically when a country’s interest rate rises, its currency would be strengthened, but conversely the rise in interest rates more than often affects the stock market adversely.



The third reason why you should consider Forex trading over stocks is the fact that keeping up with stocks can induce a headache if you were to personally keep track of your own investment portfolio, especially if you have your hand in a lot of stocks. Think about it; if you put together the stocks in both NASDAQ and NYSE, the total number of stock issues amounts to eight thousand. That is a lot of options to consider, and keeping up with all of them can be time consuming. In comparison, Forex trading only involves four major currencies and approximately around thirty-four second tier currencies that you need to consider. Not a whole lot of choices sure, but they aren’t that big of a headache to keep up with either. The only thing you need to keep in mind is how those currencies are doing in relation to the health of their countries’ economies.



In actuality, there are more advantages to Forex trading when compared to stock investing. If you’re still not convinced after reading this article, do a more in-depth research online. You might just learn that Forex trading is far more advantageous than trading stocks, especially in today’s economy.

Tips for a Poker Beginner

Online gaming has spread its wings wide all over the Internet; but there is something about poker that makes you stay and learn the craft; it has earned its mainstay status in online gaming and online casino gaming. Being an online game enthusiast or developer for instance doesn’t guarantee you a good hand or wisdom to excel in the wily and cunning world that poker is perceived to be.
Some tips from seasoned and weather-tested online poker players have this to say for those who have just discovered the game, both online and offline:
Same as any battle, before you engage, try to size up your enemies and your own capabilities. Most losers in the game suffered the deluge of attacks because they joined in too early and unprepared. It pays to learn well the tricks and trade of the game before you take the plunge.
The second most common fault a poker beginner is more likely to commit is bluffing too much. Other players who have braved the tides in the game can easily point out some inconsistencies and patterns that might give away your real intentions or the hand you are dealt with. So the trick is to learn it one step at a time, and avoid bluffing too much.
On the other hand, to make sure that you don’t go beyond what you can dole out, set a specific amount for a bet limit; this will save you from a lifetime of unwanted credits, and lets you earn a good reputation with your fellow gamers.
Coupled with enough practice time, an online gamer’s interest in learning more of the trade will give him an edge later on. This mind-set will allow him to learn more than anybody does who plays without any interest in learning the craft through time. Any master in the game doesn’t have 100% foresight of what their hand will bring them; that surely means there’s always room for improvement.
For more information, you can check on online gaming software and development

Lovely Birthday Gifts for Someone Special

Birthdays are a very special day in everyone’s life because it is his or her day. But gifting a very nice gift is somewhat difficult as one has to take into consider one’s likes or dislikes and hobbies and much more. So, while choosing gifting for someone, one faces conflict.

If you want to gift a birthday present, for her it would be best to give jewelry, chocolates and flowers. If you want to make it more romantic for her, you can also include a candle light dinner especially in a peaceful place. This is the day that any woman would like to be treated as a princess. If you want to gift a birthday present, for him it would be best to give a photo frame, a CD with romantic songs, dinner passes and showpiece personal messages on it. You can also have candle light dinner.

Turning eighteen is officially considered to be the end of the childhood. So, you can gift items like MP3 player, video game systems, silver or gold jewelry, stylish purses, movie and concert passes and books. You can give any trendy and reasonable priced gift for the eighteenth birthday.

But if you want to give a beautiful, lovely, unique and memorable gift for your mother, it would be a serious thoughtful thing. You can give your mother a day of shopping, a movie, and dinner at her favorite restaurant. You can also gift her favorite apparel, jewelries like earrings, necklace and ring. You can also go to a place where she can spend a day with her family and can enjoy the day. If you want to gift a beautiful and memorable gift to your father, you can give gifts like watch and apparel. You can also go for a movie and dinner at a best restaurant.

One may also give some personalized gifts to someone close to your heart. As the gift is personal for someone special, the gift must also be unique and beautiful. You can gift presents like personalized jewelry items like rings and lockets with their names. You can also gift picture frames, coffee mugs, cell phones and show piece with personal messages.

12/16/2008

Check With Your Company Before Marketing A Direct Sales Business Online

Do you run a direct sales business? If so, and you have been searching for ways to increase your sales through marketing options, the Internet can prove to be a wonderful avenue. The web is fast, efficient and gets your product or service in front of thousands of people who might not have had access to it otherwise. The Internet has opened many doors for business owners in tons of fields and direct sales businesses are no exception. Marketing your product or service online allows reps to reach a vast amount of people from all areas of the world. No longer is it necessary to limit your direct sales business to your own town and surrounding communities. It’s quick and easy to set up a website for your business and as your customer base grows so will your profits. That sounds great right? Unfortunately, not all direct sales corporate headquarters allow their reps to use the power of the Internet for marketing purposes. Therefore, it’s important that you check with the company you are doing business for before deciding to invest your time, energy or money into a marketing plan that involves the World Wide Web. Every business typically has specific guidelines for what is and is not allowed in terms of marketing their products. Although many companies would be more than happy for you to market their products or service on the Internet, other companies may not be so thrilled. Some businesses would prefer their products and services not be marketed ov
er the Internet for various reasons. Many companies already have company websites that advertise their products and would like to have just that one website to market their product. Other companies will give their representatives a website that branches off of the main website to make sure that orders are placed and filled correctly. Yet other direct sales corporations would rather not take the risk of products being misrepresented online. Then there are still more companies who may simply choose to use other methods of marketing. Even if your company is perfectly fine with you advertising their products or services online, it is still respectful to ask permission beforehand. By asking for consent, you are showing that you value your company and that you want to abide by your company’s rules, both of which are great traits of a good employee. No matter what the reasoning may be, if your direct sales company does not consent to the marketing of their merchandise via the Internet, it is up to you, as their representative, to respect those rules. If you choose not to respect their wishes or go ahead and use the Internet to market your company’s products or services without consulting with them first, it could lead to trouble and possibly even termination of your agreement with the company. It is always better to be safe than sorry, so if you are in doubt, just read your company’s policy and if you can’t find the answer within the text, ask.

Top Ten Tips to Make Money from Resale Rights!

If you really want to make money online, then you need to find out and think about setting up a resale rights business. Take each one seriously and watch your new resale rights product make you easy money. If you have the patience to learn this and to do the necessary work involved in setting up your own resale rights business, then almost certainly you can and will make money online. However bear in mind that this article is a basic overview listing the key steps and key things you need in order to make money online with master resale rights, or resell right e-book and software products.

You just have to list a few e-Books with resale rights and wait for the money to roll in, right. In conclusion, for more information visit to www.killer-sales-letters.com buying and selling resale rights products is definitely an easy short cut to make money online.

Instead of creating your own product, you could buy a private label rights/resale rights book/software program completed with sales letter and you could start making money immediately. Now for anyone who has ventured into resale rights, they will know that it is practically impossible not to make a return on your money. They make their money mainly on the resale rights. Your time is money, stop wasting it, instead invest your time, learn to earn online using e-books with resale rights and break the cycle starting today. Many of the internet marketing people sell or for more information visit to www.sale-trigger-generator.com have sold resale rights products, but not many have been involved with other types of money making programs.


Resale Rights act as low hanging fruit with maximum commission. If you’ve spent anything more than 5 minutes in the internet marketing world, you will most probably come across something called ‘Resale Rights’ / or often called Reprint Rights.

The most common types of resale rights are: Basic Resale Right – the customer of the product can resell the product without alterations, Master Resale Right – the purchaser can sell the resale right of the product, Master Private Label Resale Rights - you can offer the source code with private label resale rights, Private Label Rights – the purchaser has the right to alter the product and even claim authorship after making substantial changes.

Offering free resale rights is an added bit of brilliance because even if the author makes no money from the original e-Book contact info and promotional content for other products are strewn liberally throughout the material. That's what makes resale rights the smartest option and best way to make money online for most people.

Both goods are profitable resale products, both may include or may not include full resale rights or partial resale rights, but the key to success in making money is choosing the right product for the right audience, and promoting it. The prints produced may be more similar, but consider how many people make serious money with resale rights selling identical material.

12/15/2008

Feng Shui Bedroom Color

Feng shui bedroom color equals defining the personal and private space. Half of our lives are spent inside the bedroom, which is why the importance of the right wall painting is so much spoken of. Colors define the mood and have their share of influence on the overall set of emotions one experiences during a day. How do you feel towards your bedroom? Do you consider it a retreat? Do you feel great when you wake up in the morning despite the thought of another very busy day. If the answer is not at all satisfactory, then, you could try feng shui bedroom color selection and redecorate everything according to your array of favorite colors. Walls are indeed the main color source in the room, but painting is the least difficult of all the color matching one needs to do in order to create a nice design. The feng shui bedroom color matching doesn’t always begin with the walls necessarily, the color of the bed is just as important. The bed could very well be the symbol of your personal throne, and it has to be molded and chosen so as to add comfort and positive energy to your life. For instance, if you go for a charcoal bed, then, you’ll have to complement it with a good lighting system
and lots of special fixtures to compensate for the darkness it brings in the evening hours. People with impulsive, fiery personalities should go for feng shui bedroom color shades that are slightly the opposite of what they irradiate. Thus, in such a case, mild tones of brown or cream will bring calm, serenity and great relaxation to your night hours. The personality dominant can be expressed more adequately in the rest of the decorum, in the carpets, the drapes or the decorative details. Experts claim that two feng shui bedroom color hues are enough when it comes to the appeal to one’s eye, as compared to multiple shades. The floors and the ceilings need not distinguish themselves extraordinarily, they are background and need to remain background. The feng shui bedroom color efforts should not be wasted in these two directions but rather oriented to determine the proper arrangement of the space once the colors have been decided. Even if you choose the colors according to the feng shui rules, your work is not by far nearing completion. The position of the furniture and decorations in the room is just as important as color choice, and should be given the same amount of attention.

3 Ways To Keep MS Word From Killing Your SEO Strategy

Most of us type our content in Microsoft Word before publishing our articles, blog posts, and web content. But did you know that Microsoft Word can actually hurt the SEO strategy of your site? If Microsoft Word is set up incorrectly, it can cause major issues when transferring the content to the web. Before writing any document, it is important to make a few changes to your Word settings to eliminate these issues. Smart Quotes, Apostrophes, and Dashes Microsoft Word automatically converts straight quotation marks and apostrophes into "smart" quotes and apostrophes for a more pleasant look. It will also automatically convert single and double dashes into an elongated dash. While these might look nice on the Microsoft Word document, these modified characters cause a lot of trouble on the web. If you’ve ever seen something on the web with "??" where quotes should be or strange jargon in place of a dash, you’ve seen the embarrassment these can cause. The good news is that it only takes changing a few settings once to eliminate this problem for every future document you write. This is important because your SEO strategy is only good if your content is good as well. 1. Go the "Tools" menu and select "Auto Correct" 2. Select the "Format as You Type" Tab. 3. Under the "Replace As You Type" heading uncheck: "Straight Quotes" with "Smart Quotes" and "Symbol Characters (--) with symbols" Style Formatting The style formatting toolbar looks innocent enough - but choosing certain settings here can cause hours of additional work over time for the person who is converting your text to the web. Always choose NORMAL when using Word! I’ve noticed that many freelance writers choose something other than normal - or add additional spaces after lines, or double s
paces after single returns. While this might look good in Word, all of that formatting disappears once it is put into an HTML editor and then must be completely reformatted in order for your SEO strategy to be effective. If you highlight the text and see extra spaces around the line breaks, then there is something off with the settings. To ensure that your document does not have any extra Word Doc formatting: 1. Select "Format" and "Paragraph" from your toolbar: 2. The "Indents and Spacing" tab should be set to single spacing with 0 spacing before and after lines. 3. The "Line and Page Breaks" tab should have nothing checked other than "window/orphan control" Pasting Content into Your Website Software from Word When pasting content into your website software such as Wordpress, Joomla, or other type of website software with a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, it’s important to paste the content into the HTML tab - NOT the visual editor. The reason is that Microsoft Word adds a ton of HTML code "behind the scenes" when you paste directly into the editor. Pasting into the HTML tab eliminates all of this sloppy extra code that can severely dilute your keyword density and make it more difficult for search engine spiders to crawl your content and decipher the primary topic of the article. And if the search engines cannot determine the focus of your content, your SEO strategy is not efficient. Taking these few extra steps before you start typing, can eliminate hours of reformatting and ensure that your content is properly read and ranked by search engines. Creating an effective SEO marketing campaign means that you sometimes have to take into consideration all of the small changes you can make as well as the big ones -- every bit counts towards higher rankings!

12/14/2008

Identifying and Avoiding Mortgage Fraud

Recent financial industry distress publicly attributed to widespread mortgage loan defaults has generated mounting pressure on federal prosecutors to increase investigations into incidents of mortgage fraud across the nation. On February 6, 2004, CNN reported that the FBI warned that mortgage fraud was becoming so rampant that the resulting “epidemic” of fraud could trigger a massive financial crisis. Mortgage fraud has now become so prevalent that the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been forced to create an entirely new category for tracking these cases. According to a CBS news report, the number of FBI agents assigned to mortgage related crimes increased by 50 percent from 2007 to 2008. Prosecutors and investigators on both the state and local levels are also feverishly organizing task forces and creating real estate fraud departments to counter this burgeoning wave of crime.

CRIME & PUNISHMENT

The primary focus of these investigations appears to be on borrowers, investors, mortgage brokers, appraisers and real estate agents. Some of the charges levied against these perpetrators have included making false statements on loan applications, bank fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to launder funds and a number of applicable state laws. However, the primary legal vehicle implemented by federal prosecutors has been section 1014 of Title 18 of the United States Code which declares mortgage fraud as a federal crime encompassing anyone who willfully overvalues any land or property, or knowingly makes any false statement, for the purpose of influencing a financial institution upon a loan application, purchase agreement or other related documents. A violation of the federal mortgage fraud law (18 U.S.C. § 1014) alone is punishable by up to thirty years imprisonment and a one million dollar fine.

MORTGAGE FRAUD SCHEMES

The most effective way to avoid prosecution for mortgage fraud is to identify mortgage fraud schemes prior to any actual involvement. Most mortgage fraud offenses fall into one of two general categories: “fraud for housing” and “fraud for profit”. Fraud for housing often involves fraudulent acts committed by a borrower, often coached by his or her mortgage broker or real estate agent, to obtain a loan for the ultimate goal of acquiring a home. These fraudulent facts generally pertain to the falsification of facts and documents during the loan application process to enable the borrower to obtain financing that he or she would otherwise not be qualified to receive. Conversely, fraud for profit typically involves a more concerted plan to abuse the entire real estate transactional process for pecuniary gain.

FRAUD FOR HOUSING

Income Fraud

This occurs when a borrower inflates his or her amount of income to qualify for a loan or a larger loan amount. Although recent reductions in the use of “stated income” or “no-doc liar loans” has somewhat curbed income fraud, daring borrowers are increasingly generating more fraudulent documents to falsify income. Information technology and photocopy equipment have become so advanced that very convincing documentation, such as income statements, savings accounts and tax returns, can be produced on demand.

Employment Fraud

In order to justify overstated income in a loan application, borrowers will claim self-employment in a non-existent company or represent having a higher position in a company than the borrower actually holds.

Failure to Disclose Liabilities

The debt-to-income ratio is an important part of the loan underwriting criteria used to determine a borrower’s eligibility for mortgage loans. Consequently, borrowers will conceal financial obligations like newly acquired credit card debt, other mortgages, and private loans to artificially reduce their debt-to-income ratios.

Occupancy Fraud

Generally occurs when a borrower states on a loan application that he or she intends to occupy a property as a primary residence to secure a lower interest rate when the borrower actually intends to obtain the loan to acquire an investment property.

FRAUD FOR PROFIT


Equity Skimming and Cash-Back Schemes

A straw buyer is typically implemented as the buyer of the property due to his or her creditworthiness and resulting ability to obtain favorable financing. Unknowing straw buyers can be manipulated by mortgage brokers and real estate agents to purchase a property as a primary residence with the broker or agent later serving as a property manager to collect anticipated rental income. After the escrow closes and the mortgage and real estate brokers collect their commissions, they proceed to collect rental income and fail to make the mortgage payments.

Complex schemes can involve a knowing straw buyer, an appraiser who intentionally overstates the property’s value, a dishonest seller that intentionally inflates the selling price, and a dishonest settlement officer that makes undisclosed disbursements from the loan proceeds. All of these conspirators collaborate to collect portions of the proceeds of an inappropriately large loan before eventually letting it go into default.

Appraisal Fraud or Price Inflation

This fraud occurs when a dishonest appraiser intentionally overstates the value of a property or when an existing appraisal is altered to reflect a higher value. When a home is overvalued, more money can be obtained by the seller in a purchase transaction or by the borrower in a cash-out refinance.

The New Appraisal Fraud: Price Deflation

When done legitimately, a short sale occurs when a borrower that owes more than his or her property is worth sells the property below market value and the lender agrees to accept the lower repayment amount and forgive the difference. A new hybrid of fraud has emerged where an appraiser or a real estate agent drastically devalues the property in an appraisal or broker’s price opinion (BPO) so that the home will sell with ease at a price well below market value. Of course the new buyer is in collaboration with the seller, agent and appraiser, so all of the conspirators proceed to sell the home at a higher price for a big profit.

Identity Theft

Identity theft fraud occurs when a victim’s identity is assumed by another to obtain a mortgage without ever intending to make any payments on the loan. The perpetrators often abscond with a portion of the loan proceeds and sometimes are daring enough to lease the property and collect some deposits and rental income before disappearing.

The Buy and Bail

This completely new scheme is perpetrated by a home owner who cannot sell the home because more is owed on the property than its worth. Because no lender will provide the owner a loan for a second primary residence, the owner tells the lender that he or she plans to rent out the current home despite having no intention of doing so. Sometimes a falsified rental agreement is used to further support the falsehood. Once the second home is purchased, the owner “bails” on the original home and fails to make any further mortgage payments.

AVOIDING & PREVENTING FRAUD

Mortgage fraud frequently emanates from groups that complete an abnormal amount of similar transactions or churn out many offers to purchase at once. These outfits may appear disorganized or unprofessional due to the large amount of transactions they are attempting to manage. It is also no coincidence that mortgage fraud has significantly increased as housing values have decreased since most fraud schemes involve a financially distressed or otherwise vulnerable seller. It is equally important to remember that agents owe a very strict fiduciary duty to act in their clients’ best interests. So before reporting a client to your local authorities, speak with legal counsel or your state real estate licensing department to ensure that your proposed actions don’t constitute a breach of your fiduciary duty to your client.

Real estate agents are in a unique position that enables them to identify and even prevent the occurrence of fraud by recognizing the red flags, asking appropriate questions, and giving the principals in their transactions the full picture of what consequences are associated with participating in mortgage fraud. While a lot of damage has been done in the real estate market, we can prevent more of the same from occurring in the future