tech+info+resources underground

GREAT NEWS! There’s now a one in five chance of you winning the lottery before you retire.

Getting excited? Think it’s just a matter of time before you win? Think again, it’s not going to happen - but it got you thinking!

Now think of the same odds but this time about bad news. There is a 1 in 5 chance for men and a 1 in 6 chance for women that a long-term critical illness will prevent them from working. Sorry - this time it’s true.

Insurance cannot change those odds but it can alleviate the potential financial wreckage caused by being unable to work through long-term illness and still having a family and home to support.

Convention declares that every good family man should have life insurance. It’s easily understood, it’s accepted and your next door neighbour has it too. But what about it’s close cousin critical illness insurance? You’ll have to walk several streets to find someone who has it. Given the odds, why? After all it pays out a tax-free lump sum immediately an insured critical illness is diagnosed.

The usual reason given is its expense. Yes it is more expensive than life insurance but after all it’s providing cover for a greater risk. You’re much more likely to experience a critical illness than die before your normal retirement age. Indeed, the average age for a claim is 47. So clearly there is much more to the public’s resistance.

Not understanding the risks or “head in the sand syndrome” are certainly major factors. After all a lzheimer’s disease, bacterial meningitis, brain tumours and leukaemia plus the long list of other illnesses typically covered by critical illness insurance, are not matters we care to think of nor know much about.

Could there be another reason? Well there have been repeated newspaper articles about people who claim on their critical illness policy only to have it turned down on an apparent technicality - the inference being that the insurance company cannot be trusted. Indeed, Standard Life freely admits that it turns down around 20 % of critical illness claims.

The truth is that behind every story of rejection there’s a harrowing story of illness, distress and sorrow - and potential copy for the journalist. But that in itself, is not evidence that the insurance company is guilty of devious behaviour.

Yes insurance companies do make mistakes, but more often than not the claim was invalid from the outset. There are two main causes. Firstly, the policyholder is claiming for an illness that is not one of the critical illnesses scheduled in the policy documentation. Regrettable, but it’s a fact that if the illness is not listed it isn’t insured and the policy won’t pay out.

The moral is to closely compare the illnesses covered by competing insurance companies and buy the one with the most extensive coverage of illnesses. If you don’t, sods law will prevail …….

The second major reason for refusal is a failure to disclose all relevant matters on the original application form. For example, if the applicant fails to disclose in response to the insurance company’s questions that his father a died of a heart attack aged 50 or that he is having medical tests for headaches, then the insurance company will wrongly assess the risks it is being invited to insure. Had the insurance company known this extra information they might have increased the premium, or asked the applicant to go for a medical examination, or waited for the outcome of tests, or even refused to provide cover. By failing to disclose, the applicant has effectively obtained cover on false pretences or at least on inaccurate information.

Thereby lies the second moral. Always provide the truth and the full truth on your application form. Anything remotely relevant to your medical condition must be disclosed.

All this points to the need for professional insurance advice. Critical Illness policies do vary and it can take an experienced eye to evaluate the best policy for your circumstances and pocket. This doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on the discounted premiums available online - but do thoroughly talk it through with one of their telephone based advisers and do make sure you read the schedule of claimable illnesses when it arrives in the post.

Then sit back knowing you’ve taken another important step to protect your family’s finances. Lets all hope that you’re one of the majority who are happy never to claim.

It’s now time to concentrate on enjoying life.

Michael Challiner has 15 years experience in financial services marketing at senior level. Michael now works as the editor of Express Life Insurance. Futher reading What is Critical Illness Insurance.

Stock markets are notorious for their wild swings; many investors end up losing their shirts due to lack of experience. However, credible market intelligence can compensate to some extent for inexperience, warning new market entrants of potential pitfalls and protecting them from huge losses. It is here that full-service brokerage firms come into the picture.

Although the big houses charge relatively higher commission rates than the smaller, “call center” brokerage firms, they also provide a wider range of services - including intelligence on likely market trends. Such input is crucial for those who may be just entering the markets. Players of the commodity, foreign exchange, insurance, and mortgage markets can also take advantage of similarly packaged services.

Big brokerage firms generally provide a full range of services relating to stock markets, rather than just transact deals on behalf of their clients. They are available all the time to advise their clients on possible market movements. In addition, they can also provide insight about which stock would better suit your market game plan. Further, they can also guide you on when you should exit stocks of a particular industry and move over to another set so that you can optimize your gains. These firms can guide their clients through times of market volatility when predicting market movements could be fairly risky for ordinary players. They also provide customized services for their premium clients.

These full service brokerage firms are valued for reliability and authenticity of their data. This is because their inputs are based on thorough research and analysis, rather than on “experience” and gut instinct. Further, their research aims at capturing long and medium term trends along with short term market dynamics. However, small investors may find commission rates charged by full-service brokers prohibitively high, because of comparatively low turnover value. So, anyone playing the stock markets with less than $1,000,000 should instead consult the call center advisers.

Brokerage Firms provides detailed information about brokerage firms, commodity brokerage firms, discount brokerage firms, and more. Brokerage Firms is affiliated with Fixed Asset Management.

You have worked hard towards your goal of owning a Volvo, to you
it’s not “just” a car, it’s a dream you have realized. However,
you do not want to go into debt whenever a part needs to be
replaced. What you do want is the best quality parts for the
best possible price. Check out these tips to realize that dream
too, with discount Volvo parts.

1- One of the most reliable places to get genuine Volvo parts at
a discounted price is a salvage yard. This might not have been
the first thought that came to mind when you discovered that you
needed to replace a part. However, salvage yards deal with
factory parts that are still working even if the original car is
not. Most salvage yards operate on an “as is” basis, but they
also depend on their reputation to stay in operation, they test
parts before putting them up for sale. This is an excellent
option if you are looking for something like a cooling fan or a
windshield wiper motor.

2- Searching the internet can yield excellent results when
looking for discount Volvo parts. This is what most websites
specialize in, quality parts for less. An added bonus of
internet sites is that they can also offer reviews from previous
buyers, installation instructions and forums that are filled
with other enthusiasts who are more that willing to answer your
questions.

3- A more hands on way to find the discounted parts that you
need is by going to auctions. An auction, specifically a car
auction, is a great way to find the parts you are looking for as
well as a great way to get them for a good price. Another
advantage to the auction is that you can physically handle the
piece and talk to the seller to get an accurate history.

4- A close cousin to the auction is the swap meet. At a swap
meet, there will be a number of other Volvo owners. These owners
are looking to get rid of certain parts and accessories,
sometimes for money, sometimes in exchange for parts they may
need. As with the auction, a swap meet allows you the luxury of
speaking with the owner and holding the part.

5- The most obvious place is not likely to be a good source of
discount parts, but it never hurts to check. The dealership will
be able to get you the part you need, even if its at full price,
if your other options fail to produce the part you need.

The multi-vitamin market is rich with choice. It’s also very confusing. There are mega’s, potents, super all-day’s, vegetarian formulas, geriatric formulas, athlete’s formulas, recipes for men and women and teens! There are some things gastric bypass patients must consider when selecting a multi-vitamin supplement.

The weight loss surgery patient must first ask, “Can I swallow this with a small amount of water?” The next question, “Will it absorb quickly enough for my short circuited system?” Adult chewable tablets are available, but the taste is often unpleasant. However, these may be used during the first few months after surgery. Capsules and gels are a good choice because they are more likely to absorb quickly. Time released tablets should be avoided, they dissolve slowly, that’s what makes them timed release. They will pass through the shortened intestine before absorbing into the body.

There is no right or wrong form of supplement, just make sure to select a form you will take routinely.

Choose a gender and age specific formula. The more that is learned about nutrition, the more obvious are men and women’s different dietary needs. For example women need more calcium and iron in their diets. Men, particularly over 50, must be careful to limit iron intake. Geriatric vitamins often included chelated minerals for better absorption in addition to glucosamine to help with bones and joints and herbs to improve memory and wellness.

Finally, look for a supplement that contains most of the vitamins and minerals essential for good health - but does not exceed the U.S. RDA by more than 150 percent. (Most multi-vitamin supplements do not contain vitamin K - it is naturally synthesized by the body.) The label on the supplement bottle lists the weight in milligrams of the vitamin and minerals contained in the supplement.

The label also shows the percent of the U.S. RDA the supplement supplies. Natural and synthetic vitamins are virtually identical and most supplements are synthetic. It would require heaps of natural foods to extract enough vitamins for supplements and the cost would be prohibitive. One exception is vitamin E: the natural form is actually biologically more active and better absorbed and utilized by the body.

Copyright © 2005 Kaye Bailey - All Rights Reserved.

Kaye Bailey is a weight loss surgery success story having maintained her health and goal weight for 5+ years. An award winning journalist, she is the author and webmaster of http://www.livingafterwls.com and http://www.livingafterwls.blogspot.com. Fresh & insightful content is added daily, check in often.

Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. Entrepreneurs know their products. But after the initial one-year honeymoon, sales slow down. To counter this make sure your ebook, product, or service you offer will keep on selling from the first day, the first year, even for life. Write a short sales letter for each product or ebook.

Whether you have a Web site or not, you can write a first class, must-buy-now sales letter. Write one for each teleclass, eBook, product, or service. I even write one for my bookcoaching services.

If you are like me and have a Web site, it is content driven. Why? Because that’s why people come to any site–to get free information. You must also give them a reason to buy. Most home pages say too much about the author or the book instead of intriguing their potential buyers with a benefit-driven headline, which in turns leads them to the benefits of their books–the sales letter.

My first Web site had many fine books and kits in personal growth and book writing and marketing. Sales never went over $200 a month. To correct that, I created a new site and paid special attention to its sales language (without hype) for each teleclass, eBook, and book coaching opportunities to suit each income and need. Sales were $75 the first month, and in four months they reached $2265. The next year they went
around $3000 a month.

What Every Sales Letter Needs to Pull Orders and Profits

You can write each sales letter in less than four hours the first time. As you practice, you can write them in two hours.

1. Start the Letter with a Benefit-Driven Headline.

Include these headlines throughout your sales letter. “Want a quick and easy way to quadruple your Online Income in Four Months?

If you answered, “yes” to yourself, the headline succeeds, because you will keep reading. If you said “No, I don’t believe this, ” but I’m curious where this is going,” the headline still succeeds. You win when your headline seduces your potential customer to read on in your sales letter to discover your product[’]s benefits and features, some fine testimonials, and finally to click “buy now” which takes them to the order page.

2. List the Top Five Benefits of your Product or Service in bullet form.

To define your top benefits start with a list of problems your client or customer wants solutions for. Each specific problem you answer can be labeled a benefit. If you are not rock sure of who your audience is, your sales copy dribbles away and doesn’t meet its target. Keep redefining your audience and know as much about them as you can.

Remember that one benefit is the top undeniable benefitusually more money easier, more clients faster, more profits from Web sales, better relationships, and health.

If you have more than five benefits collected in a list, sprinkle the rest throughout your copy. How will your book make someone’s life easier, richer in time or money, help their personal growth, provide additional income, entertain them? How will your product or service make them a better business person, more attractive, feel better, avoid catastrophe, sickness, or surgery?

3. Address your Potential Buyer’s Resistances.

Remember to tell a background story of where they are NOW so they will emotionally connect with your solutions (the product or service). Let’s say they want to write an eBook or print book to make themselves the “expert,” make life-long passive income, or share their unique message.

Many people don’t write a book because they doubt it will sell well enough for all the effort, it may not be significant enough, it will take too long, cost too much money, and they really aren’t writers. One, by one, your sales letter addresses their concerns and shows these potential buyers how they can become an excellent author and make their books more saleable, while building their profits.

4. Sprinkle Testimonials Throughout your Sales Letter.

Potential buyers who visit your site or another one that sells your products are more pulled to buy when they think other people have already. If other people are happy with your product or service, they will be too.

Include testimonials from experts in your field, celebrities, man/woman on the street, and other people who have profited from your advice. Learn how to approach influential contacts through email friendly notes and requests. Ask them to look at and give their opinion on your table of contents, one chapter, and your back cover or sales letter information

Make it easy to buy. Add a few sample phrases and benefits they can use to save these busy people time.They want to help, but consider it’s difficult to create testimonials, or it will take them away from their priorities.

Give as you receive. Give that person something of value. Study their Web site or read their ezine, and send them a short helpful tip or joke.

5. Offer your potential clients three or four chances to buy.

They may have already decided to buy before coming to your sales letter, so offer a “Click Here,” “Buy Now” near the top of the letter. Offer more buying opportunities along the way after a list of benefits, what’s in this book (features),and testimonials.

Without a sales letter to guide your potential buyers on your Web site, you leave them bored, uninspired, without enough information to make that decision to buy. Your Web site and ezine must entertain, inform, and give enough benefits to convince your readers to order your book.

For all email promotion campaigns, without a short or long sales letter for each product, your unique, useful and inspiring information will not get read, people won’t know you as the expert, and you won’t make the sales you want.

Judy Cullins 2004 All Rights Reserved.

Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people’s lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Author of 10 eBooks including “Write your eBook Fast,” “How to Market your Business on the Internet,” and “Create your Web Site With Marketing Pizzazz,” she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, “The Book Coach Says…” and “Business Tip of the Month” at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 155 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com.

The Internet is now easier than ever to conquer!!

“I’ll help you build a simple, yet very powerful website that
will make you over $100,000 a year - all in less than 3-hrs!! -
Guaranteed in writing!”

Starting in just a few hours, and with tools a child can handle,
you can put together a complete website to sell practically
anything and everything!

It’s NOT hard - believe me.

How do I know?

Because that’s exactly what I did - and I’ve done it now several
times over, and it just keeps getting easier every time.

The Internet has worked its own “bugs” out since it first became
available for commercial use back in 1996. First there was the
‘dot-com’ explosion, then the ‘dot-bomb’ implosion.

But that shouldn’t scare you as all new things have to go
through the same up-and-down pattern in their beginnings.

With my NEW quick and easy system “My Automatic Money,” you can
build a site in just a few hours with ready-to- go tools and
templates - plus I give you the very SAME resources I use every
single day to make myself millions!! (A total of over 600
separate and little- known easy-to-use resources and priceless
tools … most FREE!)

You therefore have no excuse not to at least check out more
about what I have waiting for you - that’s the least you can do.

I’ve made everything super-easy so you can succeed from the very
first day you begin. Nothing could be easier or simpler.

To learn exactly how it’s done, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you
visit:

http://MyNetMarketingCenter.com/r/automoney/etrader/

Website promotion is certainly a main focus of all business owners and their respective Web sites; however it is not something that happens overnight. This is because once you have a new Web site it takes a bit of time before search engines upload your URL and it becomes part of search results. Also, while your Web page might be returned in the results of free search engines, it will still not relate to the amount of traffic you want. As a result, there is one particular way to increase traffic to your Web site that is inexpensive, and that is web site promotion through newsletters.

Many newsletter editors online are looking for new information from new business all the time. However, they generally do not want to pay for the article you write but rather prefer to trade a byline or a small advertisement for your business or web page. As a result, all you need to do is spend a few hours writing a newsletter that discusses a relevant topic and that also has a plug for your web page. This is a way for you to quickly get the word out about your web page as well as increase traffic and business while you are waiting for the search engines to get your information in the system and part of the search results.

Finding newsletter editors online that need information submitted and will allow you to trade a newsletter for an advertisement plug is not difficult and all you need to do is search your favorite search engine. However, whatever newsletter editor you are writing for, you will want to make sure its subscribers are part of your niche or it might not prove very successful for you.

Make sure, however, you do not transfer the copyright of your article to anyone, but only grant the right to print your newsletter. By doing this, you can submit this one newsletter to multiple ezines and the like and reach many more potential subscribers than you would with only one. Also, it saves you time because you do not have to write new newsletters for every ezine.When you write the resource box for your advertisement, make sure you include your entire web site address so individuals can simply click on the address and be taken directly to your page rather than having to cut and paste. The easier you make it, the more individuals will take a look at what you have to offer. Also, you might consider using different advertisements from time to time in order to rate which ones are most productive at getting individuals to actually click on the link. The one that generates the most traffic is certainly the one you want to use, however you will need to play with your advertisement a little in order to get it just like you want and have it generate the most traffic possible for your new web site.

Copyright 2005 Paul Jesse

Paul Jesse is a retired government employee and author of numerous home business articles. It you are interested in starting a Internet home business visit his site. http://www.sheamarketing.com

How many times have you looked at your stack of reading materials, and felt overwhelmed? Most of us are bombarded with more and more written information every day- magazines, reports, e-books, newspapers, professional studies- it seems to never stop.

All this information has made becoming a speed-reader a necessity for those who want to stay on top of their profession. Reading faster and increasing comprehension has become a mandatory time management technique.

Evelyn Wood developed speed-reading, in 1959. Currently, there are a wide variety of classes and techniques available for anyone who wants to master this skill. There are classes, books, audio programs, and computer programs to suit any learning style.

Here are five quick steps you can use right now to increase your reading speed and comprehension:

1.Prepare to read- set aside some time in a distraction-free environment. Find a comfortable spot, and check your focus. If you find you are having a hard time concentrating on what you are reading, close your eyes, and take a couple of deep breaths. If that doesn’t work, and you are still distracted, put off your reading for another time.

2.Overview the material- look at the titles and subtitles. Ask yourself,” Why am I reading this book? What can I learn from it?”

3.Preview- read the introduction, and the first sentence of each paragraph. Determine what the focus of the piece is, and what the key points are.

4.Read Actively-Underline the main points, mark any areas that are significant to you. Take note of anything that you don’t understand, as well as any topics you find for discussion.

5.Finally, relate what you are reading to what you already know. This will put everything in context for you, and help you remember more of what you read.

Speed-reading is a skill that is built up over time. If you begin to practice it, even for 15 minutes each day, you’ll see results quickly.

Gerri Stone offers a free Speed-reading tutorial, as well as more tips and resources at her website about Speed Reading

Do you want to look younger? Let’s face it, nowadays, who doesn’t? Once it was just celebrities and those in the public eye who worried about looking older everyone else grew old gracefully! Now 40 is the new 30 and men as well as women care about their appearance, there is even a trend in society to discriminate against the older generation.

What can you do to stay looking younger? There is no Anti Aging Magic Potion that will clear your wrinkles overnight, but with discipline and a good Anti Aging Skin Care routine in place you will be on your way to looking younger for longer.

There are many drastic solutions available for anti aging skin care to help you look younger, from the traditional cosmetic face lift to injecting chemicals like Botox into the skin to provide a temporary wrinkle smoothing effect. Not everyone is willing, or financially able to go to these extremes. So what can you do on a day to day basis that will help you feel and look younger? By following the 7 steps below, you will be on your way to a more youthful appearance for longer. And remember it is never too late (or too early!) to start a good anti aging routine.

Seven tips on looking after your body and mind:

1. Drink plenty of water every day - most doctors recommend 7 to 10 glasses a day. Water flushes out toxins, keeping your body and skin clean. Also your skin will look clearer and plumper if it is not dry. Definitely the first step for “anti aging skin care” to look younger.

2. Eat a healthy balanced diet, include something from all the major food groups each day in your diet. Eat plenty of fibre and fresh fruit and vegetables. The UK government recommends five portions of fruit and vegetables are eaten daily, however this should be the minimum amount you eat. Fruit and vegetables contain many essential vitamins and minerals that help maintain and repair the skin and cells. Not only will your skin look younger but your body will age better and you will be less prone to many common diseases of old age. The prefect “anti aging skin care solution” Also avoid eating fatty and oily foods which increase your weight but do not give you anything nutritionally. Overweight people generally look and feel much older than they are.

3. Aim to lead a stress free, calm existence. If you are stressed the body releases chemicals which years ago would have helped you to deal with the problem with “fight” or “flight”. Since these are not a solution to most of life today’s problems, the chemicals will stay in your body and cause you to become mentally or physically ill. Ensure that you sleep well and exercise regularly. Use whichever techniques help you to relax - taking a long warm bath, massage or aroma therapy are just a few to try. Remember, extreme stress will just cause your hair to go white and your face to look tired and lined. Enjoy life!

4. Regular exercise, taken at least 3 times a week and daily if possible, will work wonders in helping you look and feel younger. Ensure the exercise is vigorous enough to make you break out in a sweat and your skin will look younger as toxins are flushed out. Remember to contact your doctor before drastically changing your exercise regime.

5. Avoid UV radiation as it is the major cause of premature skin aging and wrinkles. Ensure you always have adequate sun protection for the climate and your skin type. Buy facial moisturisers which contain UV protection for daily use. Use of a good quality high factor sun cream should be part of your daily routine. A tan might look good for a while but you will age and wrinkle quickly and be more prone to skin diseases such as cancers.

6. Try to cut out nicotine and alcohol consumption. Smoking will age you as chemicals in the smoke are aging to the skin and will reverse your anti aging skin care process. Additionally, if you are forever squinting through smoke, crow’s lines around the eyes will appear all too quickly. Alcoholic drinks contain many toxins which are harmful to your health. Excessive drinking will mean your liver no longer copes with ridding your body of these toxins.

7. Look for skin care products which are anti aging (those containing the ingredients Vitamin C, retinol and ceramides are very good). Try different anti aging skin care products to see which works best for you and moisturise daily. Remember, if you feel good about yourself, you will look good.

Ana-Stella Kahlon makes it easy to look and feel younger with her tips of anti aging skin care. Want to learn more, about www.4antiaging.com

There are many people finding love in the workplace, especially when they work in a team or do some long term projects. However, love at work is not always smooth and has certain disadvantages.

Of course no company prohibits love at work. However, it doesn’t mean they recommend love affairs among their employees. Love is a private issue and most employers don’t want their people to think of anything else besides work during office hours. Therefore, if fall in love with a colleague, you have to think twice about whether you two want to make your relationship public or not.

When you are in love, you always want to be close to your lover. However, this should be avoided in the workplace. In a company there are usually people of all ages and their views about love and relationships are very different. You must resist your feelings and be careful of offending others. You shouldn’t use work time to send emails or messages to each other, even though it may not affect your productivity, it can create a bad impression if you are caught engaging in private correspondence by other colleagues or worse, your employer.

Your love can be very romantic, beautiful and admirable. However, your boss and colleagues are not witnesses for your love. Therefore, never make a love show at work even it is at lunch time if you don’t want your love to be the topic of gossips in the community.

Your relationship can take a turn for the worse in the long run if you two are together all the time at work. You may be together during office hours, at lunch time and of course after work. It can be wonderful at first but after a while, you will become bored and fed up with it.

Working in the same area in the same company, you two are natural competitors. Think of the time when you have to compete against your lover for a promotion. This can badly affect your loving relationship.

When you are in love, you can hardly think of breaking up. However, there is no guarantee that your love will last forever. If it happens, can you still face him or her everyday in a natural way? Or would you have to try to find work in some other company? That would be a difficult situation.

Love at work is not easy. There are many problems you will encounter and many obstacles you have to overcome. Thus think twice before building a relationship at work. Love and a career don’t support each other sometimes.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Love