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Archived Articles NEW!!! "The Rock" - I based my whole life on a t-shirt which read: “Basketball is life and the rest is details.” I had finally reached the pinnacle of my basketball career. All the sacrifices, hard work, and persistence had finally paid off. I was going to the 1996 Olympic Games. We were representing Canada, competing against the world’s best, chasing after a gold medal. This was it. I thought basketball would take care of all my insecurities. I worshipped basketball. To worship something is “to ascribe great worth to it”. Read More..
NEW!!! "The Paradox Of Power" - When I was 39, the President of the United States asked me to serve as his special counsel. It was one of the most powerful positions in the world. Every day, National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger walked into our briefing sessions with a worried look on this face and said, ‘The decision we are going to make today will change the future course of human history.’ I now realize we never changed anything. We dealt with Congress and newspapers but we didn’t change how people lived. It was in prison, where I served time for my involvement in the Watergate conspiracy that I learned about real power. Read More..
"Faithful Endurance" - When I was in grade 3, my best friend’s Grandma always referred to me as “that nice little Christian girl”. I kind of took pride in that. I lived for making my parents proud, and obedience was something unquestioned. I guess, deep down I took pride in that, too, even though I often felt like I was in a very small minority. What put me in an even smaller minority was my Christian upbringing. The name Jesus meant something completely different to me than it did to my friends. When they heard it, it was usually an expression of disgust or frustration from adults. To me, it signified the reason I was going to heaven someday. Read More..
"Missing Pieces" - Many people have what I call a ‘missing piece’ in their lives; holes in their past, as if something has been punched out. I understand what that is like. I was born and raised in Philadelphia ’s inner city feeling hopeless and unwanted. Both my mother and father were alcoholics. The police showed up regularly in response to domestic violence calls. God seemed like an absentee owner to me. As a teenager, I went to a religious meeting advertised in the newspaper. The preacher was Billy Graham. I asked Him into my heart. The God who was always ‘out there somewhere’ became real. I graduated from high school and moved to San Francisco. I had not worked there very long when a salesman I met at work cornered me and brutally raped me. I made a poor decision to not call the police or tell anybody what happened. I thought, ‘It is all over. I just need to toughen up.’
"How To Hold A Business Conversation" - In the course of climbing the corporate ladder, or of just managing the little corner of the world you occupy, you have to communicate with people. It's not always easy, but you have to do it. Some of this communication amounts to simple conversation. Read more...
"20 Ways To Stick To Your Workout" - There's no feeling like leaving the gym. It's getting there that's the problem. Like at the end of the workday, which suddenly becomes the perfect time to check the supply cabinet and look at the time; you'll get that workout in tomorrow. Why are we paying personal trainers after we get to the gym? What we really need them to do is carry us there. Your motivation needs motivating, so we asked top trainers and athletes to help you firm up your resolve and your glutes, thighs, and abs with these stick-to-your-workout strategies. Read more...
"Born Into A Mess" - Most people are born into families. Not me. I was born into a mess. I was unplanned and because I was on the way, my parents were forced into marriage by my father’s mom. They married a few months before I was born and separated shortly after my sister’s birth 22 months later. I grew up with my mom and had little contact with my biological father. My mom had two boyfriends after my dad and I always felt like a third wheel, trying to figure out where I fit. Read More..
"Searching For Truth" - When I was a freshman in college, I heard that an atheist lived on my floor at the dorm. What a shame, I thought. Somebody ought to tell her about God. I confronted the girl about her beliefs, but her reply was “Why should I believe in God? Have you ever seen Him?” Her questions really shook me and I didn’t have answers for her. I went back to my room and questions overwhelmed me. For the first time in my life I began to doubt God’s existence. Who is God? How do we know He exists? Can we depend on Him? Read More..
"Nothing Compares To God" - In high school, I was a rebellious teenager and a heavy drug user. One night, I overdosed on drugs. Afraid I was going to die, I realized I didn't know where I would go. I asked my friends to take me to the hospital, but instead they took me to a party and pumped more drugs into me. I was so scared I ran out of the house and sat alone in a car crying. Maybe God was out there. I asked him for help to come off my high. When my fear of dying eased, I realized He had answered my plea. I knew in my heart I would be sober the next day. Read more...
"Accidental Grace?" - What a way to ring in the New Year! Cold blustery winds sent snow swirling around trees outside my hospital window. From my hospital bed, I looked up at my family and asked, "What happened?" One side of my face was swollen and covered in bandages. I had no recollection of how it occurred. It was explained to me that I had fallen from a ladder, landed face first on a large boulder and had been rushed in to the emergency in time to save my life. It seemed unfair. I was a successful contractor and had been checking on a building under construction over the holidays when my ladder slid out from under me on some ice and I had, in the blink of an eye, landed on the verge of death. Fortunately there was a worker on the far side of the building who had heard the crash and he immediately called the air ambulance. Read more...
"Shhhhh...This Is Your Brain On Sleep" - As we struggle to allot enough time to the job, kids, family, and friends, sleep stands out as a suspiciously long block of idle hours. We set the alarm early, stay up late, and order a tall whatever-we-want to help us get by on the minimum. But the fact is: When you lose sleep, you lose your health. Read more...
"Six Steps For Financial Spring Cleaning" - If April 17 marks the official end of fiscal year 2007, then April 18 is a kind of financial New Year's. As you celebrate the arrival of spring, consider a financial spring cleaning to put yourself on solid ground for a new fiscal year. Read more...
"Understanding Diabetes" - Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes shouldn't be taken lightly. It means that you're at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. An estimated 41 million U.S. adults ages 40 to 74 have prediabetes. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that one of every 10 males and one of every 25 females ages 12 to 19 have prediabetes. Read more...
"Protecting Yourself As An Entrepreneur" - A new study conducted by the nonprofit Institute for the Future reports that more of us will turn to self-employment in the future. I can't say I was too surprised by this (especially considering that the project was sponsored by small-business software maker Intuit). Given that job security is so last-century, it makes sense that more people would want to -- or be forced to -- strike out on their own. Read more...
"Adopted For A Purpose" - I was just three months old when my parents adopted me. Lying in a motel dresser drawer that very first night, I looked up at my new parents with distrust and suspicion, as if to say, ‘You just try to control me!’ My ornery streak was obvious from day one, but incredibly, I was now in a home where firm and loving parents would put me in touch with my Maker. Thanks to my new parents, I learned that after life there is an eternity in one of two places, heaven or hell. It was easy enough to decide which was better. When I learned that receiving Christ was the only way to heaven, I knelt with my father, and asked Jesus to forgive my sins and give me eternal life. Read more...
"Not Another Divorce Statistic" - I did not want to be another divorce statistic, but the numbers were not in our favor. My husband Rudy is a bus driver and I work in dentistry - both careers that rank high in divorce statistics. We have a severely handicapped son. We struggled financially. My husband has been fighting depression for most of his life. My life and my marriage were in overdrive and I wanted out. Read more...
"Living Proof" - I ate non-fat, low-fat, fat-free, sugar-free, you name it, if it was diet food, it was in my body. It wasn't unusual for me to drink six-pack of diet soda every day and to eat non-fat frozen yogurt for lunch. Basically, I didn't have any real food in my diet. Then, when I was 28 years old, I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Read more...Click Here
"Get Your Free Credit Report" - Right now -- as the holiday shopping bills start to arrive -- might not be the best time to mention this, but have you thought about your credit rating? Your credit history is crucial! Most small businesses, and all new businesses, get credit based on the owner's credit-worthiness. Read more...Click Here
"2007 Super Star Foods" - This year, stock up on the following Oscar-winning nutrients. Each impressive category offers a wealth of disease-fighting substances for a New Year filled with heightened health and energy! Read more...Click Here
"Eight Steps To Better Health Insurance" - Open-enrollment season is upon us -- that time of year when companies across America communicate what's new in your benefits package for 2007. It's possible that there's a package containing your company's benefit options for 2007 sitting on your work desk right now. And if you're self-employed and running your own company like me, now's the time to be reviewing these options as well. Read more...Click Here
"Grace To Forgive, Strength To Move On" - I turned on our TV and heard that a taxi driver had been murdered. I didn’t think it could be anyone who belonged to us. But the news report continued, “Taxi driver, married with one child, wife expecting another baby ...” My wife and I looked at each other in denial. Then the next sentence came, “He just graduated on Friday.” It was our son! We rushed out of our house. I hit the ground and in desperation started pounding my fists. Read more...
"Not Another Divorce Statistic" - I grew up wanting to get married and live happily ever after, just like Cinderella. When Charlie proposed to me, I carefully laid the groundwork for my dream. ‘I’m going to put you first in my life,’ I said. ‘Will you put me first in your life?’ He said he would. But when the honeymoon was over, Charlie’s courting stopped. He wanted to focus on his career. I felt left out. For the next 12 years, I courted him, trying to get him to love me. But the harder I tried, the more he pulled away. Read more...
"Starving For Life and Loveliness" - My self-worth was wavering when I began high school, even though I was part of the "in" crowd. I asked a guy whom I knew to be a bit crude if he would honestly tell me if I needed to lose weight. He said, "just a few pounds would help." As I continued to lose weight, I gained popularity, friends and boyfriends – everything I craved. I began to equate love with being thin. Read More...
"Asking God The Hard Questions" - My father’s suicide catapulted me into a time of deep grief, a time when I questioned all I thought I knew about God, while clinging to Him daily for the strength to get through the pain. In those first shock-filled days after I heard the news that my father had hung himself in the basement of our home, my heart would scream: "NO, NO, don’t think about it! It hurts too much!" Read More....
"Eight Foods That Help You Lose Weight" - IT'S A FACT: WHAT YOU EAT HAS A POWERFUL effect on how you look and feel. When we talked to food researchers, health practitioners, and nutritionists, they agreed that certain foods are especially helpful if you want to be at your best. Of course, we all know that no single food is a miracle cure for a poor diet. But if you already eat a well-balanced diet that emphasizes vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and beans, a few strategic choices can put you over the top in terms of how you look and feel. These eight foods, based on these experts' recommendations, can help you achieve four important goals: a healthy weight, increased energy, better moods, and radiant skin. Read more...Click Here
"In Control" - I went through life by always having to be in control; being in charge. I was the disciplinarian at home and was the one who did all the "grounding". When it came to my job, I'd be the one to organize and get social events happening. If there was a party or a function to plan - get Donna Leah to do it. But that's not what I want to do all the time. I want somebody else to do it for a change. Read More....
"Just The Way You Are" - In 1979 the heroin epidemic swept through our community, the inner city of Dublin, and all the young people were hooked on it. I had two brothers that became addicts and after seeing the devastation it brought into our home and into their lives, I made a vow that I would never be addicted to anything. When I was 18, however, I started hanging out with a young man named Mick and we started smoking marijuana together. Over the next four years I became addicted. I had become just like my brothers. I started to dislike myself and everything I was doing. In 1989, Mick came to see me after being away for some time. He was carrying a Bible in his hand saying “Jesus Christ can change your life.” Read more...Click Here
"Home At Last" - I can tell you about growing up in a home with an alcoholic father, who beat my mother. Or I can tell you what life was like when my parents divorced. I can give the details of being raped at 15, or tell you what life was like being in an abusive relationship with my boyfriend for four years. I can share with you the pain of carrying a child for three months and then losing her. But I'd rather tell you about how those experiences have made me a stronger person; I want to tell you about the person I have become. Read more...Click Here
"Victory Through Suffering" - One hot July afternoon in 1967, I dove into a shallow lake and my life changed forever. I suffered a spinal cord fracture that left me paralyzed from the neck down, without use of my hands and legs. Lying in my hospital bed, I tried desperately to make sense of the horrible turn of events. I begged friends to assist me in suicide. Slit my wrists, dump pills down my throat, anything to end my misery! Read more...Click Here
"Facing Your Fears" - We were on one of those "around the world in 10 days" trips. It was December and my husband, Marvin, and I, along with another couple, had been on the road - actually in the air - for five days. We were getting weary, and I was eager to get home to complete my Christmas preparations. We had been in Ethiopia and were on our way to meet friends in Bangalore, India. From there we were flying to Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau. Only five days left. On the flight to India, the people were very noisy, or at least it seemed that way. Lack of sleep has a way of magnifying sounds. I noticed the flight attendants whispering among themselves. They looked concerned. Shortly after, the pilot came on the public address system and I understood why. He announced very calmly, "Please pay careful attention. We have had a bomb threat on this plane. You must be calm. We will not taxi to the air terminal, but land at the far end of the airstrip. You will be taken to the terminal by bus." The plane was suddenly very quiet. Read more...Click Here
"Foods That Fool" - When it comes to losing weight, we all know that cutting back on calories is critical. It takes great effort to make healthy food choices, thus it's infuriating when you're fooled by a food that sounds diet friendly but is actually loaded with calories, sugar, and fat! Here's a rundown on some of the popular offenders. I call them foods that fool. Read more...Click Here
"Five Ways To Avoid Holiday Overspending" - To you, it may be the holiday season. To me, it's the danger season. I'm talking about the five weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when 20 percent of our country's annual retail spending occurs. Jamming one-fifth of our spending into a frenzied window of shopping time can lead to some ugly financial results: A whole lot of bills we have no way of paying off come January. Read more...Click Here
"Gifts For The Entrepreneur" - Are you stumped trying to find the perfect gift for the entrepreneur on your holiday gift list? With these gifts you can help them build their businesses by getting out there and spreading the word about their products and services. Read More....
"Breast Cancer Prevention: Lifestyle Changes" - If you're like most women hoping to avoid breast cancer, you're looking for something you can do — some changes you can make in your life — that will steer you away from the disease. Some things you can't avoid when it comes to breast cancer risk, such as your age, genetic makeup and environmental exposures. But other breast cancer risk factors are well within your control. Employing preventive health measures can't guarantee that you won't develop breast cancer, but it's a step in the right direction. Read more...Click Here
"More Entrepreneur Tips" - As I wrote yesterday, being an entrepreneur is a roller-coaster ride -- one year you're up, the next you're down. While the first couple of years in business may be more intense than others, you're always going to have too much to do and plenty of stress. It's tempting to tell yourself you'll get around to other things (spending time with family, taking a vacation, exercising) when work "lightens up." Read more...Click Here
"Living With Hope" - My mother taught me to do BSEs (breast self exams), when I was 13 years old. It was all part of her talk about the "birds-and-the-bees-and-BSE". My mom's mother had had several breast lumps removed over the years and my mom had some cysts removed too. She wanted to make sure if there was ever a change in my breast that I would go to the Doctor to get it checked out. I knew I'd never notice a chance if I don't know what ‘normal' felt like, so I did my BSE faithfully, every month. I had no idea that it would save my life. I remember the day I found a lump. I felt it over and over again, just to be certain that it was really there. The first thing I did was tell my mom. She told me that I had to go and see a doctor. I was at college, so I went to a walk-in-clinic. I was so grateful to see a female doctor. She told me that the lump was just a hormonal change in my body. She said to wait for two months. If the lump was still there after two months, and I was concerned, then I should go and see my family doctor. Read more...Click Here
"Fit But Broken" - There has been a significant increase in fractures in young, active, very fit females. This is an interesting phenomenon. We know that exercise is very important in building strong, healthy bones. So why are fit, exercising ladies breaking down? The answer appears to be related to the body fat levels and the relation of low body fat to the development of hormonal imbalances. There is a common theme amongst many of these women who are getting into trouble. They are exercising on a daily basis, pushing their bodies hard, and most importantly, are not taking in adequate amounts of calories to fuel their bodies. The result is a situation in which important hormone levels can be thrown out of balance. Specifically, as body fat levels drop, so does estrogen, and abnormal menstrual cycles also occur. As a result, bones can weaken and even osteoporosis can develop. Read more...Click Here
"Being An Esther" - I have been a Christian pretty much my entire life. But like many other people, I didn't think I needed God. What I didn't realize was that God loved ME and that He had a plan for my life. My personal relationship with God began during my second year of college in 1995. It was then that I found out that I had a chronic illness called fibromyalgia. A person cannot die from this illness, but it can be very debilitating (and is lifelong). Read more...Click Here
"Tension Headaches" - A tension headache causes a constant ache and tightness around your forehead, temples, or the back of your head and neck. Usually, pain from a tension headache is mild to moderate and doesn't keep you from performing your daily tasks. However, the pain can sometimes be severe or continuous and disruptive. Read more...Click Here
"Beating A BADD Boss" - Like children who can't sit still, entrepreneurs are easily distracted by their own creativity and intelligence. They're always thinking up something new, or are on to the next project. If they're not careful, they -- and their company -- can lose focus. They don't complete what they set out to do, and their employees are driven to distraction. Read more...Click Here
"Successful Find" - God, where are you?! I was experiencing one of the darkest moments of despair in my life when my son came home telling me he lost his glasses. I was ashamed because I knew as a jobless father of six children, I could not afford to replace my son’s glasses. “God, how could you let me down?” I cried out as I buried my tear stained face in my winter gloves and searched in the snow for the missing glasses. Read more...Click Here
"Reducing Heartburn" - Heartburn often starts as a feeling of burning, warmth, heat, or pain in the upper abdomen. It may spread in waves upward into your throat. Symptoms of heartburn may include the following: 1. A burning feeling or feeling of pressure in the chest just behind the breastbone (the sternum) that may radiate upward toward the neck.
2. Chest pain that occurs when bending over or lying down, especially soon after eating.
3. A hot, sour, acidic, or bitter tasting fluid at the back of the throat and/or in the mouth.
4. A feeling like food coming back into the mouth, or sticking in the chest or throat.
Read more...Click Here
"Make Your Emergency Savings Automatic" - Some people worry about change, others prepare for it. This week, I want to reemphasize how important it is to build a rainy day fund in order to be prepared. This is an emergency account designed to help you through those unforeseeable tough times. I always ask a simple question of my clients, students, and friends when helping them prepare for a financial rainy day. I call it the "Sleep Well at Night" test. You can take it right now to determine if you're ready for the kind of changes the real world can (and will) throw at you. Read more...Click Here
"Born To Fly" - Fourteen year-old Jaylene flung herself onto her bed crying. The new realization hit her in the pit of her stomach. Her parents had married because of her. When her parents separated, Jaylene reasoned that if she had not been born this pain would not be. With despair she wondered what value could there be to her life? Read more...Click Here
"Back To School Shopping Tips" - It's hard to believe "back to school" season is right around the corner, but that's what store displays have been telling us for weeks. Before blindly opening your wallet, take a few moments to form a plan of attack for both you and your kids. It could save you a lot of time, money and aggravation. And, it's a great opportunity to educate your children on how to budget for planned - and unplanned - expenses. Read more...Click Here
"Halt The Salt" - When it comes to salt, the National Institute of Health and the American Heart Association recommend no more than 2,300 milligrams daily (that's one teaspoon of salt). However, most Americans consume between 4,000 to 6,000 milligrams on a daily basis! Find out why you should start cutting back... and which foods you should limit. Read more...Click Here
"Five Money Mistakes To Avoid" - My new list of money missteps comes with a bit of a twist: They're moves that men are more inclined to make than women. I'm not blindly beating up the guys out there, just telling it the way I see it based on years of experience. Constantly talking to men and women about their money strategies has shown me that in a few key financial areas, there is indeed a gender divide. Read more...Click Here
An Approved Treatment For Depression: "The Power of God" - It was winter in Netherlands. Jessie, my friend and I were sitting face to face at the old black stove in my own room. A fire has been burning for hours there. Watching the flames dance from the burning coals, my friend was telling me about some of her experiences -- many years of severe depression. It’s difficult to believe her life was darkened by depression for so long -- 10 years. Read more...Click Here
"Just One Fatty Meal Can Hurt Your Heart" - It's been thought that the harmful effects from saturated fats occur over many years. Now, a small but intriguing study from Australia has shown that harm can result from just one meal rich in saturated fats. The study examined the effects of two different "meals," each consisting of a slice of carrot cake and a milk shake, in 14 healthy adults. Both meals contained equal amounts of calories. Read more...Click Here
"Emergency Cash Is A Necessity, Not A Luxury" - When it comes to planning for those unexpected but inevitable financial speed bumps in life, Americans seem to think denial is a reasonable strategy. A dismaying 31 percent of respondents to a Lawyers.com survey reported that their liquid savings wouldn't cover their living costs for one month. Just one month! And 45 percent said their cash stash wouldn't cover the regular bills for three months. Read more...Click Here
"Finding True Love" - I needed a secure relationship to be happy. I needed desperately to love someone and to be loved. Many nights I would return from a date feeling miserable inside. Night after night, one unsatisfying date after another, I would cry in my heart to God for a Christian girlfriend. I would call out to Him: “If you could only let me find a Christian girl who really loves me, then I would have the support and find the strength to live for you!” Yet God did not seem to answer me. Read more...Click Here
"Sleeping Secrets" - Regular readers of my blog know that I make a big deal about sleep. That's because I see lots of children with learning and behavior problems. Poor sleep is a major cause of these problems, and one that's often overlooked. The "sleep secrets" listed aren't really secrets at all. They're simply useful facts. You probably know most of them already, but maybe one or two will be new. Read more...Click Here
"Destiny's Child - He Chose Me First" - "I often wondered about the future. What could I expect from my life? What lay ahead for me? I pondered the pattern that I could predictably follow. I would grow up. I would go to church. I would go to school. Eventually, I would go through high school, get my diploma and graduate. I might go on to university or other higher education. Then I might get married and have a family. And then I would die." Read more...Click Here
"How To Spend Less And Get More Joy From It" - Most Americans will likely benefit from stashing away more cash. How can you maximize your savings? The only effective way is to know exactly how much money is coming in and going out. Not only can this key piece of information help you save more, it can also reveal whether you're shelling out for things that aren't very meaningful to you. If so, you can spend smarter by using your money for things that will give you more happiness. Read more...Click Here
"Deliverance From Pornography" - A Marriage Restored. "Here is my story, I have told it to only a few people and have kept it a secret for 3 years now. Even my pastor has kept it on the back burner; if this will help me reach out to others then here it goes. Let it bring glory to Jesus". Read more...Click Here
"Teaching Your Kids To Be Wealthy And Wise" - Although my kids are only 8, 6, and 3, I'm already working to teach them responsible money habits, particularly by connecting reward to work. I figure later in life, no one will pay them for simply getting out of bed, unless they're supermodels. Read more...Click Here
Why Me, God? Why me? The Struggle To Trust Him - "Boy, God must really be gunning for you!" she said. As the tears began to stream down my face, I was grateful we were working in the relative darkness of an ultrasound room. The comment made by a nurse was simply an off-handed remark. The words themselves were harmless, but they gained power and cut deep because they echoed the feelings that were surfacing in my heart. Why was God allowing illness to destroy my life and career? For one more day, I had struggled to get to the hospital in time for noon-hour scans of patients suffering infertility. On the way to the hospital, I was rear-ended by a man who, "thought the red light was green." As a result, I now had a whopper of a headache--which compounded the suffering I was already experiencing from chronic illness. Read more...Click Here
"Pay Your Bills Online" - Experience the ease and benefits of paying your bills online. Minimize checkwriting, stamp usage, extra trip to pay bills, and stacks of unnecessary papers by using Online Bill Payment technology. To learn more, Click Here
"The Power Of Words" - Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words . . . can wound forever. Gossip. "Pictures of me as a little kid are really cute –– curly hair, a quick smile and eyes always looking for the next adventure. I had the confidence that comes from knowing you are truly loved. If we painted pictures at school, I painted three. I was the product of an almost perfect childhood, but I didn't stay that way." Read more...Click Here
"The Healing Power Of Forgiveness" - How could she forgive the woman who had gone after her husband and ultimately married him? "I thought about her. I dreamed about her. I saw her in every woman I met. Some had her name. Others her deep-set blue eyes or her curly dark hair. Even the slightest resemblance turned my stomach into a knot. I felt trapped with my thoughts", she says. Read more...Click Here
"10 Keys To Loving Yourself Like God Loves You". Have you ever been in a relationship with an insecure person? No matter how much you love that person, he or she cannot grow and you both cannot move forward in the relationship until he or she learns to love themselves. The same is true in our relationship with God. In order to become all that God has planned for us, we have to believe that we are who God says we are and that starts with loving ourselves. In this teaching, Nicole Rivas elaborates on how we can start loving ourselves the way God loves us. Listen Now or Review the Notes
"Housing Market, Home Values" - Among all the lesson history teaches us about home values, none is more certain than the fact that home prices will go up. Regardless of how high you think prices are today, they will be higher 10 years from now and much higher 20 or 30 years in the future. A home is truly an investment. Read what past economist said about the housing market from years gone by. Click Here
Online Banking Basics - What interest rates does your current bank pay? Are you leaving significantly more money in your checking account than you need to pay the monthly bills? Do you know where the best interest rates are for a money market account? Have you checked out the possibilities of online banking? Do you know where to find a list of local ATMs that won't charge you any fees? Do you know the difference between APY and APR? To help you understand about the pros and cons of online banking and how to get started, Click Here
"Four Tips For Vacations That Cost Less And Give More" - According to nonprofit consumer education organization the Myvesta Foundation, the average American planned to spend $2,249 on his or her summer vacation last year. Taking the average family of four to the archetypical American vacation spot -- Disney World -- can cost $3,000 to $4,000 or more by the time you figure in the cost for flights, food, lodging, and all the goodies. Now, I love theme parks or pure relaxation as much as the next person. But this year, I'd like you to consider doing something a little different: Take a volunteer vacation. Read more...Click Here
"How To Profit From A Cooling Real Estate Market" - All over the U.S. there are stories of a rise in real estate foreclosures. Many people who took those exotic mortgages -- borrowing 125% of home value or choosing adjustable-rate mortgages -- are struggling to make their payments, and some aren't making it. As interest rates rise and the number of eager new buyers begins to diminish, adding supply to an already bad real estate market for sellers may mean a very good market for buyers and for property investors. Read more...Click Here
"Financial Advice From Mom" - Her wisdom still rings true, but not for the reasons you thought. When you were a kid, you probably thought any and all advice from Mom was "nagging." And most likely you didn't want to listen to her thoughts on money any more than you wanted to hear her talk about eating your broccoli or cleaning your room. Read more...Click Here
"How The Check 21 Law Affects You" - We are a nation of master floaters. You know what I am talking about: you write your checks on Monday to pay the rent, cable, and utility bills—even though you aren't getting paid until Wednesday. No worries, you figure, because by the time the checks have cleared through the banking system your paycheck will have arrived in your account. Read more...Click Here
"Which Cosmetics Are Right For You" - With the dizzying array of makeup choices and colors that are available, it's no wonder we have a hard time figuring out what looks good on us. The secret lies in matching our makeup to our hair color, skin tone, and even what we're wearing. To pick the right foundation shade for your skin, blend a small amount of foundation onto your chin and lower jaw. If the shade isn't right, select the next shade up or down. Remember that foundation should be used to smooth and blend tone and color differences on your face with your natural skin. You shouldn't be able to see the foundation, but you should notice a difference in your overall complexion. Read more...Click Here
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