Insurance

In a challenging economy where businesses and people alike value their assets even more, starting a home inventory business opportunity might just be a business that can flourish in these times.

What is a home inventory business? This business consists of a home inventory business specialist and takes, well, inventory of all the high-priced goods for the purposes of insurance. For your home, they might look at your high definition television, computes, gold rings, furniture or expensive paintings or sculptures.

This Can Be Done On A Full Time Or Part Time Basis

Not only will they record and inventory your items, but they will also give an appraisal to what it is worth. This can be very valuable if, God forbid, a disaster like a fire or flood happens and destroys your personal belongings especially if you live in a state where natural disasters happen seasonally like hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or floods.

For businesses, a disaster like this could make the difference from recovering back to the business it once was, or losing everything that may not have been listed or that may not have been appraised.

In order to go into the home inventory business, you'll need to apply for a regular business license and possibly a certification from an insurance company. This most likely will involve a State test on ethics and questions about how to appraise and assess value of property. Since this occupation may be new for most States, be aware that regulations and requirements change at a fast pace.

Also, there are many courses available for you to take so that you can start one of the hot home inventory businesses. You can find them at your local colleges, community colleges, and online. There are also correspondence courses available. The courses are neither expensive nor difficult.

You may also want to check the State Insurance Commission and your local community or state colleges for courses and curriculum on the home inventory business opportunity. Some courses may even be online which should benefit those who are restricted by distance. Most of these courses are based more on common-sense and should be easily picked up after reading and studying course materials.

Here are some other questions you need to ask yourself to insure that this opportunity is a good fit for your personality and what you like to do:

1. Are you comfortable driving around town, mostly using your own car and going into people's place of business or residency

2. What are the legalities in starting a business and do you need to have a business entity.

3. What about your tax obligations.

4. Can you afford to quit the security of your full time job or do you prefer to try this part time. Many clients may require you to be available at their convenience not yours.

5. Can this be started from a home office or do you need a office away from your home.

6. Outside of paying for your courses, will there be more money to shell out once you get started.

7. How will you market your business? Online, Offline or both?

After answering these questions and more, you'll have a good start to having a successful home inventory business.What is a home inventory business?

If you're looking to rent commercial property in the West Midlands then you're in luck. Due to the area's history of industrial growth, decline and rebirth, there are lots of areas and types of properties to rent, from warehouses to office space to retail shops.

Renting commercial property tips

If you're planning on renting any type of property, here's some tips and guidelines you should try to follow before you decide to sign on the dotted line.

Who is responsible for what?

• Internal and external maintenance: You need to know who is responsible for paying any maintenance on the place you rent. That includes both internal and external areas. If it is you who is responsible you should also find out what level of maintenance is expect, as you may get charged for wear and tear bills at the end of you tenancy.
• Meeting the standards: If you're running a business from a location it will need to meet certain standards regarding the health, safety and fire risk of the building. Find out if it's you or the land lord who is responsible for meeting the correct standards.
• Insuring the building: You will most likely be responsible for your contents insurance, but check whether you're responsible for insuring the building itself, or if it's included in your rental fee.
• Getting the correct classification: To run your business from the premises you need to make sure that the building has the correct classification for the type of business you intend to run. Find out if this is your responsibility to handle.
• Disabled access requirements: All business-use buildings need to meet certain standards and requirements to allow disabled access. Find out if you're responsible for meeting these standards, and paying for any changes needed.

Your rent and what it covers

• When and how it's paid: You must double check when it is due to be paid and how it is expected to be paid. Also, what happens in the case of late payment, or inability to pay.
• Your deposit: You must find out not only how much your deposit is, but also the terms of regaining your deposit once your tenancy has ended. Find out what deductions could be.
• What's included: Find out exactly what your rent covers, for example; utilities, business rates, insurance, shared facilities, cleaning, service and maintenance etc.
• Possible changes: Find out if and how often your rent comes up for review, and what the likely changes might be. Don't assume that what you sign for will never change.

The premises itself

• Restrictions on usage: Assuming the building is certified for your intended business use, find out if there are any other restrictions such as restrictions on subletting.
• Access: Find out if there are any restrictions on your access to the premises that would hamper your ability to trade as you would like.
• Security: Ask about what security is in place on the premises. Are locks up to the correct standard, is there CCTV, is there a security patrol etc.

Ending your lease

Even though you're just thinking about starting your lease, you need to think about when it ends too.

• Break clauses: If you're on a long term lease, check if you are able to break the lease early should you need to. Also, find out if there are any penalties for this.

What to do next

There are many properties available for commercial rent in the West Midlands. Once you know what questions you need to be asking it's time to start visiting the agents to see what available on the market.

Click here to read a more in depth Guide to commercial property in the West Midlands.

It doesn't matter how much money you make or how much you have saved - there are certain asset protection tips everybody should know, and there is no excuse for not being familiar with them.

Assets can be property, goods, a business or money you have saved or inherited. The term refers to anything of worth that you have and that someone else may try to take from you, whether it is in the form of a tax lien for unpaid taxes or the settlement of a lawsuit.

Having identified what you have collected and wish to hang onto, the question then becomes what is the best way to protect the assets you have worked to obtain?

Here are some tips everyone should be familiar with no matter what your bank account size:

1. Keep a low profile. Although it is unpleasant to think about, America is one of the most litigious countries in the world, and people file frivolous lawsuits every single day. However, they are less likely to file a lawsuit against you or your estate if they do not think that you have the money to pay a settlement. Similarly, lawyers are less likely to take on a potentially frivolous case if there are no assets in question.

2. Separate your assets. Again, although it is unfortunate, lawsuits are a reality and effective asset protection has to address the potential fallout of these lawsuits. If you keep your assets held by separate Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs), then an unfavorable judgment in a lawsuit against one property may not be able to affect the other assets.

3. Avoid general partnerships. General partnerships allow each partner a great deal of authority over one another. If you are in a general partnership, your partner can make major decisions and agreements on behalf of the partnership without consulting you, such as signing for a large loan. Although you were not there when the loan was procured, as a general partner you will be responsible for the repayment of that loan.

4. Keep good insurance. No matter how confident you feel about your asset protection plan, good insurance is an absolute necessity, from car insurance to your homeowners' policy and everything in between. Under-insuring leaves you and your estate at risk.

5. Get good advice. Speak to a trusted and experienced lawyer and take his or her advice into account as you create a comprehensive estate plan that protects your assets.

When you have worked hard to build an estate, you should take the necessary steps to protect your assets from unforeseen problems or frivolous lawsuits.

Pool service woes? You are not the only one. I wish I did not acquire all the phone calls we get from people who have been stiffed by their pool guy. Folks call me asking me to offer them a bid for new pool equipment because their ex swimming pool guy stole theirs. I have changed swimming pool heating units and filters because their swimming pool producer did not maintain proper pool chemistry. Customers with fiberglass pools need their swimming pool light niches changed simply because the improper PH level in the swimming pool ate a hole into it. There are quite a few horror tales but few fantastic ones. This bothers me quite much!

When you are wanting for a pool company guarantee they are certified, bonded, and insured. In Texas specifically, it is not expected by the state for any of these which implies it is optional! So it is extremely vital to guarantee they are at lowest insured. This could defend you if they injury your hard drives and/or property.

Do they have any certifications or licenses? This could be quite lengthy or a short number. If they proclaim to be certified by the condition do research to uncover what your state requires. Just because they are not certified does not suggest they even can conduct business enterprise as normal anyway. For example, in Texas we have to be a Licensed Appliance Installer to perform any sort of electrical work on swimming pools even if it is simply a light switch. One more sort of accreditation would be Certified Swimming pool Operator (CPO) which pertains much more to business pools but it does not hurt for them to have this official certifications because it is quite thorough in pool chemicals.

An excellent way to judge the top quality of job they do is to glance at their price. The ideal way is to call 5-7 various producers. The best way is to uncover them on the Internet. You could search by entering "swimming pool service" and the town you live in or closest established town. For illustration, you could key in "pool service rockwall", "pool service mesquite", or "pool service dallas". Start out with your city (even if it is small) then progress to bigger adjacent towns. Once you have compiled a number of companies, pricing, certifications, if they have insurance, and their integrated providers give them a point for every official certifications. Remove the companies without insurance. Now see if the one with the a lot points matches into your funds. If so then you have found your swimming pool guy! If not then pick a more affordable alternative or rearrange your spending budget to get the best for your pool. It may cost a tiny more now but it could cost you dearly later.

The health care reform bill opens doorway to more promising program that will overhaul Medicaid and strengthen aid for long term care in the United States. The establishment of Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS Act) - the first nationwide and voluntary financed health program- will change the health care landscape in America starting 2013.

The introduction of CLASS Act in the Congress receives both praise and criticism. However, the pros outweigh the cons. Although it provides very limited daily benefit or coverage, you cannot deny the fact that it will give modest protection for your long term care needs rather than not saving at all. Imagine the cost of nursing homes today swells to $75,000 a month and will eventually increase in the next few years, an ordinary middle income earner would find it hard to budget his or her income or assets to continue care for two or more years; thus, CLASS Act have seen this as threat and come up with ways to offset the problem.

People are discouraged from paying expensive premiums on insurance for long term care, but the CLASS Act allows them to pay nominal amount to about the estimated cost of $120 per month, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The CLASS Act intentionally set less expensive premiums, not to compete with private LTCi, but to encourage more and more Americans from planning their care. Moreover, there are no strict health qualifications to become eligible for CLASS Act unlike what private long term care insurance companies do; meaning to say, anyone with pre-existing health condition or disability may still participate in the program. All working adults, including students and part time employees, are qualified in the program, but they may dismiss their participation or opt out.

Participants may enjoy the freedom of spending the benefits in buying services they want the most. A person may use the benefits to pay for home health aide or neighbour and receive the services in the comfort of his or her home. One can also use the benefits for nursing home care or any chosen facility/. This allows members to take full control of the money on whatever ways they wish to spend it and, at the same time, preserve dignity and independence.

Now it is pretty clear why CLASS act receives acknowledgment from its supporters, but you also need to know why it is under attack of its opponents.

Some financial experts chide on the CLASS Act's finances: there will be no tax money involved to finance the program and smaller premiums are expected to roll out in the insurance pool. There are uncertainties that the nominal premiums are insufficient to dole out benefits for its members in the coming years. However, the legislation already addressed these potential risks by requiring solvency for 75 years to ensure that no taxpayers' money will be involved. The law also requires the program to help reduce Medicaid cost.

Despite all the criticisms and caveats thrown at CLASS Act, many government officials and the public at large are hoping to push through the program that could be the potential solution to the most troubling problem today and in the future.

Reckless Driving is a very serious moving traffic violation in Virginia.

A driver who is convicted of reckless driving will be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor which is a criminal offense punishable by a jail sentence, up to 4 days in jail, if the charge is speeding over 94 miles in a 55 mile zone. That driver might have their license suspended for a maximum of six month, which might incapacitate the means of transportation to and from work. If the type of employment is related to transportation such as a bus driver, a taxi driver or a truck driver then the Reckless Driving conviction can have dramatic results on the financial being of the employee.

Convicted drivers will also be assessed 6 Virginia driving penalty points on their driving record, where the point system in Virginia allows drivers to receive up to 12 points before their driver's license is suspended. A suspension, that can be very difficult to remove, if the driver has received several offences within a one year period. In addition, court fees and fines might be in the range over $150 dollars, an amount that triggers a requirement to report traffic violations of all government employees that have an excess of $150 dollar penalty fees. Which will affect current and future employment, and might even affect clearances if applying for a government job. For government positions with secret clearance requirements the Reckless Driving conviction might be very damaging.

Insurance premiums will also be affected where car insurance might double due to the reckless driving conviction. In some instances and depends on the driving record insurance companies might drop their coverage, leaving drivers with one only choice of having to pay much higher premiums with other insurance providers.

If you have been charged with a serious traffic violation in Virginia, you should definitely consult with an experienced Virginia Reckless Driving Attorney that has experience defending drivers in the Virginia General District Courts.

Home Loans are quite straightforward loan types. It is merely a loan taken out from a financial company usually a bank that will be utilized by the borrower for buying a house. The house is kept as collateral in case you abandon to pay back the loan with interest in the stipulated time and fashion. The original amount is known as a principle. If the home mortgage is not paid at stipulated time and method the house under agreement is repossessed and given back to the home mortgage lender.

There are many alternative home mortgage products on offer with varying interest rates and payment methods. The two most common types are fixed rate and adjustable rate mortgages. With fixed rate home mortgage, your monthly payments are agreed for the period contracted and it will not move up or down even though the market rates might change. Adjustable rates may start with a fixed rate spell that will end typically shortly and consequently, the rates will be determined systematically based upon interest rates fluctuations. Fixed rate offerings are great in the low interest rate periods, especially if the rates are likely to move up shortly. Adjustable rates are great for high interest rate periods as you would get the mortgage loan you choose now and profit from rate decrease.

Although you could get a home mortgage for a very long time, the secret to significant savings on your payments is to settle the loan as promptly as practicable. Consumers might assume that they could just pay lump sums time to time as they come to money, usually they discover some other reason to outlay the money than paying off the mortgage loan. So it would be wise to get a shorter term mortgage at the start if you can afford the extra payments each time

Usually, it is appropriate to get a mortgage pre-approval before you start house viewings. This is a process that let you to learn if you are qualified for a mortgage loan in advance of submitting a full application. A few lenders offer pre-approval of mortgages that is not only important for the comfort of buyers and sellers of the property but also for working out the qualified loan amount. This way, you can know what properties are purchasable in your loan limit.

You should allocate some more money than down payment to purchase a house, as inspection, appraisal, legal, survey, certificate fees, local and state taxes, insurances and moving costs may also apply. Your budget should allow to accommodate all these likely liabilities. Monthly repayment consist of more than just the principle amount and interest. Private mortgage insurance, house insurance, life insurance and some other covers might have to be paid. So you need to allow little bit more for these in your monthly spending.