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In today’s world, many people are making movements to be more environmentally friendly and live a green lifestyle. There are many ways that you can take “going green” to the office as well. These tips will help you create a lasting environmental impact, no matter where you live.

1. Arrange a car pool with the people you live near. Car pooling is a great way to reduce gasoline usage and pollution, as you will have fewer cars driving to work. It’s also a great way to save money on gasoline! Encourage coworkers to form car pools as well.

2. Walk or bike to work. Some offices have official “bike to work days”, and it’s great to get such events started, but even if making them office-wide events isn’t possible, you can still begin biking or walking to work, if you live close enough. It’s great exercise, and cuts down on pollution even more than using a car pool.

3. Provide reusable dishes and utensils in the break room. If your office has plastic cups, plates, and silverware to use for lunch and snacks, see if everyone will pitch in some money to buy a used set of dishes from a thrift store. Make sure everyone does their own dishes, or set up a schedule for each person to be on dish duty. The amount of trash that the office will keep from being thrown away is overwhelming. In doing this, you should also encourage your coworkers to use reusable containers when bringing their lunch from home; use Tupperware instead of foil and plastic bags.

4. Start an office-wide recycling program. Place extra bins near each trash can for paper, aluminum, and glass items. Find out how to get recycled products picked up from your garbage collector, or take turns taking materials to the recycling center each week. This is a great way to really cut down on the waste that is produced by the company. Read more…

No matter how friendly – or acrimonious – the relationship, going through divorce proceedings is a massive red flag for bankruptcy. Not only is your way of life at risk (after all, your income is essentially divided by half), but your finances are at risk as well. As your credit cards, bank accounts and other financial statements are accessible by your ex-spouse, it’s important to take steps to protect your credit.

And if you don’t think you need to take those steps, consider this sobering fact: a large percentage of bankruptcies in the United States are a direct result of divorce.

So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the steps you can take to protect your finances from potential havoc:

1. Order a copy of your credit report immediately. Until you and your ex-spouse have completely split ways financially, you’ll need to be diligent about monitoring your credit. Many bankruptcy cases arise as a result of an ex-spouse taking out new loans and defaulting on them, so keeping on top of your credit score will help you catch any loans that are taken out with your name attached to them.

2. Cancel any joint credit cards that the two of you have together. If your ex-spouse doesn’t want to cancel the cards, call up your creditors and request that you’re taken off it immediately. As a co-signer on a credit card, you’re liable for any debts accrued should your ex-spouse stop making minimum payments – and these debts are almost impossible to escape once the damage has been done. Read more…

There is nothing quite like stainless appliances to command attention in your home with its elegant and sophisticated finish. This is also one reason why these appliances are a bit more expensive than other types of home appliances. Naturally, you would want to know about how to clean your appliances to protect your investment. There is a correct method of cleaning stainless steel that every homeowner needs to know to restore the quality of their appliance and even make it seem brand new.

If you see any scratches, finger prints, or smudges on the surface, you need to get started on cleaning. You must begin by collecting all of the essential supplies you need to clean. It includes the following: mild cleaner, micro fiber cloth, gentle scrubbing pad, feather duster, and polishing substance. It is important to note that choosing the right product is the key to effective stainless steel cleaning.

You must start by prepping your appliances before you move on to the actual process of cleaning stainless. When cleaning pots or pans, make sure that there is no stuck food on the cookware by rinsing or wiping them. For hard to remove residues, you can even soak it with warm water to speed up the process of removing them. If you need to do some scrubbing when cleaning stainless appliances, make sure to use a mild sponge and apply gentle scrubbing action.

The same approach is required when you clean stainless steel appliances surface. Make sure that all of the dusts are completely removed before wiping or else it will only cause more scratches to appear on the surface. As for larger appliances, you can perform initial wash using water. You can even use a dish detergent to clean stainless steel surfaces and make it easier to remove even tough stains later on. Read more…

If you are a frequent internet user, then you should definitely be concerned about identity theft. Every year 10 million people fall victim to identity theft. You can avoid becoming a victim by not giving out your personal information and making sure your computer is properly protected.

Whatever you do online, make sure you refrain from giving out your personal information to people who you don’t know. If you receive an email from your bank or other financial institution asking for information, do not click on the link in the email. Call the bank or institution or enter their web address in your internet browser directly. Financial institutions should not be requesting information through email. If yours does, then you may want to consider closing your account and switching to a different institution.

When making a purchase online, do not enter your credit card information unless you are on a secure internet page. A secure internet page can be identified by an “https” prefix to the web address instead of the typical “http” prefix. Many times you will also notice a symbol of a closed padlock to indicate a secure webpage as well.

You can further prevent online identity theft by choosing difficult-to-crack passwords. You should use passwords with a mixture of numbers, capital letters, and lowercase letters and symbols at least eight characters in length, but the more the better. Make sure you avoid using the same password for every site. Instead, write the websites and their usernames and passwords down on a piece of paper and keep it in a safe and inconspicuous yet accessible place. Just make sure you do not save them as a file on your computer. As a matter of fact, make sure you do not store any personal information such as credit card numbers or social security numbers on your computer, cell phone, or other electronic device. Read more…

In an era where more and more people are facing credit problems, debt collectors are baying for blood. Unfortunately, the majority of consumers are unaware of their rights, how they are protected by legislation, and how they can exercise these rights if a situation arises.

A suitable starting point for people looking to educate themselves about their rights is the Fair Credit Reporting Act, or the FCRA. The FCRA was enacted in order to protect the privacy of consumers as well as in an attempt to promote fair play and reduce corruption within the credit market on behalf of the consumer. It has been law since 1970 and is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. Private litigants can also use the law.

In order to understand what the FCRA is protecting, you should first know who has access to your financial reports. Those who can view your report are potential creditors, landlords, insurance companies, employers, and – sometimes – governmental agencies. Your report will show both the negative and the positive aspects of your credit history and are held by regulated Credit Reporting Agencies.

The most basic right afforded to you by the FRCA is your right to request a viewing or transcript of your credit report at any time. All of your latest information must be present whenever you request a report.

More importantly, you have the right to request a list of people who have viewed your report, although there are certain restrictions. You can see the employers who have viewed your report in the last two years and for most other purposes you can view the people who have viewed your credit report in the past year. Read more…

If you are looking to head to the sandy beaches of Bali Villa or just looking to head out to a beach in general, you are going to find that you can enjoy your vacation on a budget. Since most people can’t afford a bunch of unnecessary charges to have a good time, you will need to consider what you can do to have a great time on a budget.

One of the first things you can do is to start a small fund for your vacation in advance. What many people will find is that when they don’t try to pay for their entire vacation upfront, they can actually afford more. This can be as simple as putting about $50 each month and then building up a bank balance that can be used for this vacation. That way, you feel like you can afford more and you can improve the experience you have.

For this vacation, you will need to consider the things that make the area expensive and determine if you actually need them. For example, some people will find that while they can pick up a $10 cup of coffee in the area, while on the beach, it might not be the best choice. Having a frugal mind can help you to stretch your money further and to ensure that you do end up having a good experience in the process.

Another good idea when you are heading out to enjoy your vacation on a budget is to determine where the locals go. There are plenty of locations that strive for tourists to get in there and to spend their money. However, you are going to find that locals will typically go to other areas and pay a fraction of the price for the same items. It might mean you need to head a little deeper into town, but it can help to reduce the overall cost of your vacation significantly. Read more…

The telephone is an often under-appreciated and much maligned piece of office equipment. Have you stopped to consider how much business you conduct over the telephone? These 10 tips will help you improve your telephone presence and presentations.

1. You are the “Manager of First Impressions” for your business. Whenever you pick up the telephone, put a smile on your face first. It will enhance your vocal quality and you will sound pleasant and relaxed.

2. Listen attentively to the person you are speaking with. Recall why your dog is such a good listener: listen actively and in the moment. Multi-tasking is the enemy of effective listening.

3. Let other people talk! Make sure your caller has completely finished speaking before responding. Remember: sometimes they aren’t done talking; they are just coming up for air.

4. Use open-ended questions to get people to speak more freely. You should always talk less than the person you have called. It makes others feel more comfortable, particularly if you are asking them to make a decision. The more they talk, the easier it is for them to “buy into” what you are proposing.

5. To create affinity with your callers, speed up or slow down your speaking voice to better match theirs. They won’t realize why they feel comfortable, they just will.

6. Use your words for best results. Keep in mind you can phrase anything positively, negatively or neutrally. Phrasing your words positively will help you get better results more easily. Read more…

For years, buying travel insurance has been looked upon with question and caution. It was a great unmentionable in making travel transactions, as travel agents were afraid that the subject would compromise their deals in totality. It was considered as negative and something unnecessary. However, today travel insurance provides protection for you and family during times that are supposed to be relaxing, not stressful. Whether it’s your trip, your luggage, health, or possessions, the right kind of travel insurance has come to play a prominent role for smart travelers.

According to a recent study conducted by the US travel Insurance Association, about 30% of Americans purchase travel insurance, which represents a 10% increase before 9/11. Some reasons for this increase may be peace of mind, protection against the unexpected, and concern over losing financial investment in a trip. For cruise travelers, this number increases to 70%. Many people are still relatively unaware of travel health insurance, baggage coverage, and even medical evacuation insurance. There is yet another kind of insurance that’s available to air travelers that airlines have been more hush-hush about excess valuation insurance. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance is a policy you should consider, but the key here is price point. If you’re flying on a budget $60 flight then it wouldn’t make much sense to buy, but if you look on the other hand, a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the other side of the world, this kind of travel insurance will surely come in handy and give you peace of mind. If by chance you get sick, miss your trip, or your travel provider goes out of business, you’re not left high and dry. You’re covered. However, another caution you should know about is, do not buy this type of insurance from the individual travel provider, meaning if you’re going on a cruise, try not to buy this insurance from the cruise ship company, because should their company goes out of business, chances are, their insurance will too, leaving you uncovered. Read more…