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No novice cook can consider themselves a gourmet cook. Achieving that status comes only at the end of a long road of cooking. Like any other art …. it takes practice, practice, practice to become a gourmet cook.

Perhaps it comes after long years of schooling where cooking, cooking, cooking is the word of the day and the end result is working in a top notch A – list restaurant in New York or Paris.

Then again. . ….. maybe the mother at home cooking meals every day for her family one day finds herself spending hours in the kitchen preparing one meal.. just because .. and loving it.

Could there possibly be a working mother who one time found preparing meals at the end of a long work day extremely tedious … finding herself looking for that extra special recipe for her husband’s birthday meal?

However achieved ….. it is after years of study and practice or years of doing everyday meals that one becomes a part of the “gourmet cooking world”.. suddenly opening up to the fact that not all recipes are the same .. and that cooking food has suddenly become an exciting challenge and fun.

Suddenly you can tell by just looking at a recipe whether it will taste good or not., how healthy it is, how appropriate to fill a “mood” …… simply by the combination of ingredients and spices and herbs and flavorings.

Those recipes that in the past seemed way too complicated or intricate now beckon you enticingly and family and friends begin looking forward to each and every meal you serve.

Your table settings become more simply elegant.

You find yourself looking more and more at kitchen “gadgets”.

In response to comments such as “that must have taken you forever to make” you honestly answer.. “oh not at all.. it really was simple!!”

To you .. the gourmet cook … it didn’t take long at all and it was simple.

To the novice cook .. it would take an eternity … far far from simple… and if you stop to think… that was you not all that long ago.

You have become a gourmet cook without even trying.

Your life cooking will never ever be the same as it was.

No longer will you be satisfied to make those “meat, potatoes and gravy” meals without that extra “something” in it.

No longer will you be satisfied to set your table without having candles on it.

No longer will you be able to let anyone leave the table without that one taste of sweetness that is dessert to balance the meal.

Perhaps you have recognized that in yourself … perhaps you haven’t … even though it is there.

Gourmet Cook.

It is not just the well schooled in France who achieve that status.

Congratulations!

You are an achiever!

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Do Not Read This Unless You are Making a lot of Money!:

If you would like to know how you can save up to 47% on your current Health Insurance Coverage read on… this is going to be one of the most informative messages you will ever read. After reading this message you will never going to have words; expensive and health insurance in the same sentence.

As you already know health insurance costs are at highest they have ever been and there is no sign of them slowing down. More and more Americans are forced to cancel their coverage simply just because they cannot afford it.

Who are the uninsured?

o Approximately 46 million Americans, or 15.7 percent of the population, were without health insurance in 2004 (the latest government data available).

o The number of uninsured rose 800,000 between 2003 and 2004 and has increased by 6 million since 2000.

o The increase in the number of uninsured in 2004 was focused among working age adults. The percentage of working adults (18 to 64) who had no health coverage climbed from 18.6 percent in 2003 to 19.0 percent in 2004. An increase of over 750,000 in 2004.

o Nearly 82 million people – about one-third of the population below the age of 65 spent a portion of either 2002 or 2003 without health coverage.

o The number of uninsured children in 2004 was 8.3 million – or 11.2 percent of all children in the U.S. (1).

You might say that I have great coverage that I am happy with… that’s totally fine.

For past sever years average rate increase for health insurance was 16.2% and what if it keeps on going? If you are right now paying $500 per month for your health insurance in three years from now you would expect to pay over $780 for the same plan. Wait… we all know that insurance companies consistently decrease their benefits and increase co-pays and deductible. Therefore you will pay more for less coverage. By the way if you keep same plan for over five years you will pay over $1000 a month just for your medical coverage. What if you use your Health Insurance?… Chances are if it is not for a regular doctor visits or a check ups it would be considered pre-existing condition. That means your chances of changing to a more affordable coverage in the future will be nearly impossible. That is one of the main reasons people cancel their health insurance because they were diagnosed with something or taking a prescription medication and the insurance company kept raising their rate until they could not qualify for any other coverage and could not afford the one they had.

Now you are saying I do not need coverage my spouse works for a company and I have group coverage… Great.

What would happen if your spouse left that job or the company stopped providing benefits? Probably the most obvious things that you can see how much that group coverage is really costing you. Next time check how much is deducted out of the paycheck for health coverage, especially for dependents. Group plans do cost more money because by law they are what are called “guaranteed issue”. That means you can have serious medical conditions and still get coverage. Insurance companies have to follow the law and they know they have to accept everyone who works for a large company, therefore they do charge more money for coverage. The biggest problem is not the cost of group health insurance it is what happens if some one, while on the group plan, is diagnosed with a condition or starts to take prescriptions medications. We get back to same issues as mentioned before, unable to qualify for health insurance in the future. There are people that want to leave their job but they cannot because they are going through treatment and cannot to pay for it on their own.

There is another solution… Some might save, so what is the point of even having health insurance. Once you diagnosed with something and insurance company is going to keep raising rates to the point where I am going to have to cancel it anyway. Especially if something does happen and I have to use my coverage I might not be working and I might not have income. Is my insurance company is still going to keep raising my rates? YES.

Before you think about canceling your coverage consider this. Here are some statistics

o A recent study by Harvard University researchers found that the average out-of-pocket medical debt for those who filed for bankruptcy was $12,000. In addition, the study found that 50 percent of all bankruptcy filings were partly the result of medical expenses. Every 30 seconds in the United States someone files for bankruptcy in the aftermath of a serious health problem.

o Illness and medical bills caused half of the 1,458,000 personal bankruptcies in 2001, according to a study published by the journal Health Affairs.

o Average day in the hospital is $7500 per day.

How can you save up to 47% on your health insurance? Simple… You probably already heard of Health Saving Accounts. They are becoming more and more popular everyday. With the way health insurance prices are moving today Health Saving Accounts are the only way to keep your coverage, save hundreds per month on your health insurance and still have a peace of mind.

To this day I was not able to hear a good definition that everyone can understand. I will do everything I can to make it simple to understand. The easiest way to understand Health Saving Accounts is to think of them as Roth IRA or your Company’s 401k plan. Instead of giving your money away to insurance company you get to keep it more of it for yourself. The way HSA plans work is there health insurance combined with savings account which works in a similar way to your retirement account. There tremendous benefits to have HSA qualified health plan. First all the money that you put in to your HSA account is 100% tax deductible and it is your money that rolls over year after year. At the age of 65 and up if you have not used up all of your HSA money you can roll it over in to your retirement account. Second your health insurance costs are going to be cut almost in half. For example if you had Health Insurance plan with $2500 deductible now and it is costing you $300 per month the same plans with HSA qualified plan, now will cost you only about $160 per month. The reason you save so much money with HSA qualified health plan is because HSA qualified plans do not cover anything until the deductible is met. There are exceptions depending on the Health Insurance Company. Some insurance companies will pay for your once a year physical before you meet your deductible.

Let take an example of how HSA qualified plan could benefit you. Let take some actual numbers from actual health insurance company. In this example I am going to use HSA plans from company called Assurant Health. Assurant Health is leader in Health Saving Accounts and they one of the first companies to implement them. The main reason is that Assurant Health is part of the world’s largest financial company that sets up retirement accounts. In this example I am going to use a family of four, husband 46, wife 42, kids are 12 and 16. On a regular family plan with $2500 deductible, maximum out of pocket of $5500, co-insurance of 80% and doctor visits covered with $35 co-pay, they are going to pay $676.40. Something to keep in mind that all of the regular PPO plans that are available on the market today have family deductible which is double of individual deductible. That means that if you have a plan with $2500 deductible and $5500 maximum out of pocket that means that your family deductible is $5000 and your family maximum out of pocket is $11,000. When we are comparing HSA qualified health plans there is only one deductible, once you meet it you are covered at 100% on the most plans. There are some companies and plans that you still might be responsible for the percent age of the bill until you reach your maximum out of pocket. Most HSA plans do not have maximum out of pocket that meant once you met your deductible you are covered at 100%, it’s that simple. The same plan with $5700 deductible for the entire family with HSA qualified health plans will only be $491.64 per month. For the total monthly savings of 184.76 per month. Also your maximum out of pocket will decrease from $11,000 on a regular plan to $5700 with HSA health plan. That’s yearly savings of $2,217.12 and additional savings of $5300 on the maximum out of pocket. (that’s if you have had to use the plan for emergencies) The main reason for starting HSA health insurance is for Saving Account and being able to put money in to account, at your discretion, tax free. You can put money in to HSA qualified account up to your deductible and you do not have to put any money in to that account if you do not want to. Health Saving Accounts are as flexible as you would want them to be. TO get more information on HSA accounts and get quotes for HSA qualified health coverage see my bio.

Dennis Alexander – leading consultant for employer group and individual/family health insurance. Marketing consultant for major health insurance resource websites and brokerage firms online. Some of the websites consultant and/or administrator http://www.HealthCoverageQuotes.com and http://www.GuideToHealthInsurance.org For Assurant HSA Plans visit [http://www.AssurantHealthCoverage.com]

INTRODUCTON – The term “health insurance” is commonly used in the United States to describe any program that helps pay for medical expenses, whether through privately purchased insurance, social insurance or a non-insurance social welfare program funded by the government. Synonyms for this usage include “health coverage,” “health care coverage” and “health benefits” and “medical insurance.” In a more technical sense, the term is used to describe any form of insurance that provides protection against injury or illness.

In America, the health insurance industry has changed rapidly during the last few decades. In the 1970′s most people who had health insurance had indemnity insurance. Indemnity insurance is often called fee-forservice. It is the traditional health insurance in which the medical provider (usually a doctor or hospital) is paid a fee for each service provided to the patient covered under the policy. An important category associated with the indemnity plans is that of consumer driven health care (CDHC). Consumer-directed health plans allow individuals and families to have greater control over their health care, including when and how they access care, what types of care they receive and how much they spend on health care services.

These plans are however associated with higher deductibles that the insured have to pay from their pocket before they can claim insurance money. Consumer driven health care plans include Health Reimbursement Plans (HRAs), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), high deductible health plans (HDHps), Archer Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Of these, the Health Savings Accounts are the most recent and they have witnessed rapid growth during the last decade.

WHAT IS A HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT?

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a tax-advantaged medical savings account available to taxpayers in the United States. The funds contributed to the account are not subject to federal income tax at the time of deposit. These may be used to pay for qualified medical expenses at any time without federal tax liability.

Another feature is that the funds contributed to Health Savings Account roll over and accumulate year over year if not spent. These can be withdrawn by the employees at the time of retirement without any tax liabilities. Withdrawals for qualified expenses and interest earned are also not subject to federal income taxes. According to the U.S. Treasury Office, ‘A Health Savings Account is an alternative to traditional health insurance; it is a savings product that offers a different way for consumers to pay for their health care.

HSA’s enable you to pay for current health expenses and save for future qualified medical and retiree health expenses on a tax-free basis.’ Thus the Health Savings Account is an effort to increase the efficiency of the American health care system and to encourage people to be more responsible and prudent towards their health care needs. It falls in the category of consumer driven health care plans.

Origin of Health Savings Account

The Health Savings Account was established under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act passed by the U.S. Congress in June 2003, by the Senate in July 2003 and signed by President Bush on December 8, 2003.

Eligibility -

The following individuals are eligible to open a Health Savings Account -

- Those who are covered by a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP).

- Those not covered by other health insurance plans.

- Those not enrolled in Medicare4.

Also there are no income limits on who may contribute to an HAS and there is no requirement of having earned income to contribute to an HAS. However HAS’s can’t be set up by those who are dependent on someone else’s tax return. Also HSA’s cannot be set up independently by children.

What is a High Deductible Health plan (HDHP)?

Enrollment in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) is a necessary qualification for anyone wishing to open a Health Savings Account. In fact the HDHPs got a boost by the Medicare Modernization Act which introduced the HSAs. A High Deductible Health Plan is a health insurance plan which has a certain deductible threshold. This limit must be crossed before the insured person can claim insurance money. It does not cover first dollar medical expenses. So an individual has to himself pay the initial expenses that are called out-of-pocket costs.

In a number of HDHPs costs of immunization and preventive health care are excluded from the deductible which means that the individual is reimbursed for them. HDHPs can be taken both by individuals (self employed as well as employed) and employers. In 2008, HDHPs are being offered by insurance companies in America with deductibles ranging from a minimum of $1,100 for Self and $2,200 for Self and Family coverage. The maximum amount out-of-pocket limits for HDHPs is $5,600 for self and $11,200 for Self and Family enrollment. These deductible limits are called IRS limits as they are set by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In HDHPs the relation between the deductibles and the premium paid by the insured is inversely propotional i.e. higher the deductible, lower the premium and vice versa. The major purported advantages of HDHPs are that they will a) lower health care costs by causing patients to be more cost-conscious, and b) make insurance premiums more affordable for the uninsured. The logic is that when the patients are fully covered (i.e. have health plans with low deductibles), they tend to be less health conscious and also less cost conscious when going for treatment.

Opening a Health Savings Account

An individual can sign up for HSAs with banks, credit unions, insurance companies and other approved companies. However not all insurance companies offer HSAqualified health insurance plans so it is important to use an insurance company that offers this type of qualified insurance plan. The employer may also set up a plan for the employees. However, the account is always owned by the individual. Direct online enrollment in HSA-qualified health insurance is available in all states except Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Contributions to the Health Savings Account

Contributions to HSAs can be made by an individual who owns the account, by an employer or by any other person. When made by the employer, the contribution is not included in the income of the employee. When made by an employee, it is treated as exempted from federal tax. For 2008, the maximum amount that can be contributed (and deducted) to an HSA from all sources is:

$2,900 (self-only coverage)

$5,800 (family coverage)

These limits are set by the U.S. Congress through statutes and they are indexed annually for inflation. For individuals above 55 years of age, there is a special catch up provision that allows them to deposit additional $800 for 2008 and $900 for 2009. The actual maximum amount an individual can contribute also depends on the number of months he is covered by an HDHP (pro-rated basis) as of the first day of a month. For eg If you have family HDHP coverage from January 1,2008 until June 30, 2008, then cease having HDHP coverage, you are allowed an HSA contribution of 6/12 of $5,800, or $2,900 for 2008. If you have family HDHP coverage from January 1,2008 until June 30, 2008, and have self-only HDHP coverage from July 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008, you are allowed an HSA contribution of 6/12 x $5,800 plus 6/12 of $2,900, or $4,350 for 2008. If an individual opens an HDHP on the first day of a month, then he can contribute to HSA on the first day itself. However, if he/she opens an account on any other day than the first, then he can contribute to the HSA from the next month onwards. Contributions can be made as late as April 15 of the following year. Contributions to the HSA in excess of the contribution limits must be withdrawn by the individual or be subject to an excise tax. The individual must pay income tax on the excess withdrawn amount.

Contributions by the Employer

The employer can make contributions to the employee’s HAS account under a salary reduction plan known as Section 125 plan. It is also called a cafeteria plan. The contributions made under the cafeteria plan are made on a pre-tax basis i.e. they are excluded from the employee’s income. The employer must make the contribution on a comparable basis. Comparable contributions are contributions to all HSAs of an employer which are 1) the same amount or 2) the same percentage of the annual deductible. However, part time employees who work for less than 30 hours a week can be treated separately. The employer can also categorize employees into those who opt for self coverage only and those who opt for a family coverage. The employer can automatically make contributions to the HSAs on the behalf of the employee unless the employee specifically chooses not to have such contributions by the employer.

Withdrawals from the HSAs

The HSA is owned by the employee and he/she can make qualified expenses from it whenever required. He/She also decides how much to contribute to it, how much to withdraw for qualified expenses, which company will hold the account and what type of investments will be made to grow the account. Another feature is that the funds remain in the account and role over from year to year. There are no use it or lose it rules. The HSA participants do not have to obtain advance approval from their HSA trustee or their medical insurer to withdraw funds, and the funds are not subject to income taxation if made for ‘qualified medical expenses’. Qualified medical expenses include costs for services and items covered by the health plan but subject to cost sharing such as a deductible and coinsurance, or co-payments, as well as many other expenses not covered under medical plans, such as dental, vision and chiropractic care; durable medical equipment such as eyeglasses and hearing aids; and transportation expenses related to medical care. Nonprescription, over-the-counter medications are also eligible. However, qualified medical expense must be incurred on or after the HSA was established.

Tax free distributions can be taken from the HSA for the qualified medical expenses of the person covered by the HDHP, the spouse (even if not covered) of the individual and any dependent (even if not covered) of the individual.12 The HSA account can also be used to pay previous year’s qualified expenses subject to the condition that those expenses were incurred after the HSA was set up. The individual must preserve the receipts for expenses met from the HSA as they may be needed to prove that the withdrawals from the HSA were made for qualified medical expenses and not otherwise used. Also the individual may have to produce the receipts before the insurance company to prove that the deductible limit was met. If a withdrawal is made for unqualified medical expenses, then the amount withdrawn is considered taxable (it is added to the individuals income) and is also subject to an additional 10 percent penalty. Normally the money also cannot be used for paying medical insurance premiums. However, in certain circumstances, exceptions are allowed.

These are -

1) to pay for any health plan coverage while receiving federal or state unemployment benefits.

2) COBRA continuation coverage after leaving employment with a company that offers health insurance coverage.

3) Qualified long-term care insurance.

4) Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, including deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance for: Part A (hospital and inpatient services), Part B (physician and outpatient services), Part C (Medicare HMO and PPO plans) and Part D (prescription drugs).

However, if an individual dies, becomes disabled or reaches the age of 65, then withdrawals from the Health Savings Account are considered exempted from income tax and additional 10 percent penalty irrespective of the purpose for which those withdrawals are made. There are different methods through which funds can be withdrawn from the HSAs. Some HSAs provide account holders with debit cards, some with cheques and some have options for a reimbursement process similar to medical insurance.

Growth of HSAs

Ever since the Health Savings Accounts came into being in January 2004, there has been a phenomenal growth in their numbers. From around 1 million enrollees in March 2005, the number has grown to 6.1 million enrollees in January 2008.14 This represents an increase of 1.6 million since January 2007, 2.9 million since January 2006 and 5.1 million since March 2005. This growth has been visible across all segments. However, the growth in large groups and small groups has been much higher than in the individual category. According to the projections made by the U.S. Treasury Department, the number of HSA policy holders will increase to 14 million by 2010. These 14 million policies will provide cover to 25 to 30 million U.S. citizens.

In the Individual Market, 1.5 million people were covered by HSA/HDHPs purchased as on January 2008. Based on the number of covered lives, 27 percent of newly purchased individual policies (defined as those purchased during the most recent full month or quarter) were enrolled in HSA/HDHP coverage. In the small group market, enrollment stood at 1.8 million as of January 2008. In this group 31 percent of all new enrollments were in the HSA/HDHP category. The large group category had the largest enrollment with 2.8 million enrollees as of January 2008. In this category, six percent of all new enrollments were in the HSA/HDHP category.

Benefits of HSAs

The proponents of HSAs envisage a number of benefits from them. First and foremost it is believed that as they have a high deductible threshold, the insured will be more health conscious. Also they will be more cost conscious. The high deductibles will encourage people to be more careful about their health and health care expenses and will make them shop for bargains and be more vigilant against excesses in the health care industry. This, it is believed, will reduce the growing cost of health care and increase the efficiency of the health care system in the United States. HSA-eligible plans typically provide enrollee decision support tools that include, to some extent, information on the cost of health care services and the quality of health care providers. Experts suggest that reliable information about the cost of particular health care services and the quality of specific health care providers would help enrollees become more actively engaged in making health care purchasing decisions. These tools may be provided by health insurance carriers to all health insurance plan enrollees, but are likely to be more important to enrollees of HSA-eligible plans who have a greater financial incentive to make informed decisions about the quality and costs of health care providers and services.

It is believed that lower premiums associated with HSAs/HDHPs will enable more people to enroll for medical insurance. This will mean that lower income groups who do not have access to medicare will be able to open HSAs. No doubt higher deductibles are associated with HSA eligible HDHPs, but it is estimated that tax savings under HSAs and lower premiums will make them less expensive than other insurance plans. The funds put in the HSA can be rolled over from year to year. There are no use it or lose it rules. This leads to a growth in savings of the account holder. The funds can be accumulated tax free for future medical expenses if the holder so desires. Also the savings in the HSA can be grown through investments.

The nature of such investments is decided by the insured. The earnings on savings in the HSA are also exempt from income tax. The holder can withdraw his savings in the HSA after turning 65 years old without paying any taxes or penalties. The account holder has complete control over his/her account. He/She is the owner of the account right from its inception. A person can withdraw money as and when required without any gatekeeper. Also the owner decides how much to put in his/her account, how much to spend and how much to save for the future. The HSAs are portable in nature. This means that if the holder changes his/her job, becomes unemployed or moves to another location, he/she can still retain the account.

Also if the account holder so desires he can transfer his Health Saving Account from one managing agency to another. Thus portability is an advantage of HSAs. Another advantage is that most HSA plans provide first-dollar coverage for preventive care. This is true of virtually all HSA plans offered by large employers and over 95% of the plans offered by small employers. It was also true of over half (59%) of the plans which were purchased by individuals.

All of the plans offering first-dollar preventive care benefits included annual physicals, immunizations, well-baby and wellchild care, mammograms and Pap tests; 90% included prostate cancer screenings and 80% included colon cancer screenings. Some analysts believe that HSAs are more beneficial for the young and healthy as they do not have to pay frequent out of pocket costs. On the other hand, they have to pay lower premiums for HDHPs which help them meet unforeseen contingencies.

Health Savings Accounts are also advantageous for the employers. The benefits of choosing a health Savings Account over a traditional health insurance plan can directly affect the bottom line of an employer’s benefit budget. For instance Health Savings Accounts are dependent on a high deductible insurance policy, which lowers the premiums of the employee’s plan. Also all contributions to the Health Savings Account are pre-tax, thus lowering the gross payroll and reducing the amount of taxes the employer must pay.

Criticism of HSAs

The opponents of Health Savings Accounts contend that they would do more harm than good to America’s health insurance system. Some consumer organizations, such as Consumers Union, and many medical organizations, such as the American Public Health Association, have rejected HSAs because, in their opinion, they benefit only healthy, younger people and make the health care system more expensive for everyone else. According to Stanford economist Victor Fuchs, “The main effect of putting more of it on the consumer is to reduce the social redistributive element of insurance.

Some others believe that HSAs remove healthy people from the insurance pool and it makes premiums rise for everyone left. HSAs encourage people to look out for themselves more and spread the risk around less. Another concern is that the money people save in HSAs will be inadequate. Some people believe that HSAs do not allow for enough savings to cover costs. Even the person who contributes the maximum and never takes any money out would not be able to cover health care costs in retirement if inflation continues in the health care industry.

Opponents of HSAs, also include distinguished figures like state Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, who called them a “dangerous prescription” that will destabilize the health insurance marketplace and make things even worse for the uninsured. Another criticism is that they benefit the rich more than the poor. Those who earn more will be able to get bigger tax breaks than those who earn less. Critics point out that higher deductibles along with insurance premiums will take away a large share of the earnings of the low income groups. Also lower income groups will not benefit substantially from tax breaks as they are already paying little or no taxes. On the other hand tax breaks on savings in HSAs and on further income from those HSA savings will cost billions of dollars of tax money to the exchequer.

The Treasury Department has estimated HSAs would cost the government $156 billion over a decade. Critics say that this could rise substantially. Several surveys have been conducted regarding the efficacy of the HSAs and some have found that the account holders are not particularly satisfied with the HSA scheme and many are even ignorant about the working of the HSAs. One such survey conducted in 2007 of American employees by the human resources consulting firm Towers Perrin showed satisfaction with account based health plans (ABHPs) was low. People were not happy with them in general compared with people with more traditional health care. Respondants said they were not comfortable with the risk and did not understand how it works.

According to the Commonwealth Fund, early experience with HAS eligible high-deductible health plans reveals low satisfaction, high out of- pocket costs, and cost-related access problems. Another survey conducted with the Employee Benefits Research Institute found that people enrolled in HSA-eligible high-deductible health plans were much less satisfied with many aspects of their health care than adults in more comprehensive plans People in these plans allocate substantial amounts of income to their health care, especially those who have poorer health or lower incomes. The survey also found that adults in high-deductible health plans are far more likely to delay or avoid getting needed care, or to skip medications, because of the cost. Problems are particularly pronounced among those with poorer health or lower incomes.

Political leaders have also been vocal about their criticism of the HSAs. Congressman John Conyers, Jr. issued the following statement criticizing the HSAs “The President’s health care plan is not about covering the uninsured, making health insurance affordable, or even driving down the cost of health care. Its real purpose is to make it easier for businesses to dump their health insurance burden onto workers, give tax breaks to the wealthy, and boost the profits of banks and financial brokers. The health care policies concocted at the behest of special interests do nothing to help the average American. In many cases, they can make health care even more inaccessible.” In fact a report of the U.S. governments Accountability office, published on April 1, 2008 says that the rate of enrollment in the HSAs is greater for higher income individuals than for lower income ones.

A study titled “Health Savings Accounts and High Deductible Health Plans: Are They an Option for Low-Income Families? By Catherine Hoffman and Jennifer Tolbert which was sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported the following key findings regarding the HSAs:

a) Premiums for HSA-qualified health plans may be lower than for traditional insurance, but these plans shift more of the financial risk to individuals and families through higher deductibles.

b) Premiums and out-of-pocket costs for HSA-qualified health plans would consume a substantial portion of a low-income family’s budget.

c) Most low-income individuals and families do not face high enough tax liability to benefit in a significant way from tax deductions associated with HSAs.

d) People with chronic conditions, disabilities, and others with high cost medical needs may face even greater out-of-pocket costs under HSA-qualified health plans.

e) Cost-sharing reduces the use of health care, especially primary and preventive services, and low-income individuals and those who are sicker are particularly sensitive to cost-sharing increases.

f) Health savings accounts and high deductible plans are unlikely to substantially increase health insurance coverage among the uninsured.

Choosing a Health Plan

Despite the advantages offered by the HSA, it may not be suitable for everyone. While choosing an insurance plan, an individual must consider the following factors:

1. The premiums to be paid.

2. Coverage/benefits available under the scheme.

3. Various exclusions and limitations.

4. Portability.

5. Out-of-pocket costs like coinsurance, co-pays, and deductibles.

6. Access to doctors, hospitals, and other providers.

7. How much and sometimes how one pays for care.

8. Any existing health issue or physical disability.

9. Type of tax savings available.

The plan you choose should according to your requirements and financial ability.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1 Questions and Answers about Health Insurance- A Consumer Guide’ published jointly by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)and America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)

2 http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_savings_account

3 2002 AHIP Survey of Health Insurance Plans

4 “How High Is Too High? Implications of High-Deductible Health Plans” Davis, Karen; Michelle Doty and Alice Ho. The Commonwealth Fund, April 2005

5 http://www.fdhc.state.fl.us/schs/pdf/hsa_tri-fold_brochure.pdf

6 HSA/HDHP CENSUS 2008 by Hannah Yoo, Center for Policy and Research, America’s Health Insurance Plans

7″HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS Early Enrollee Experiences with Accounts and Eligible Health Plans” John E. Dicken Director, Health Care.

8 Thomas Wilder and Hannah Yoo, “A Survey of Preventive Benefits in Health Savings Account (HSA)Plans, July 2007,” America’s Health Insurance Plans, November 2007

9 Gladwell, Malcolm, “The Moral Hazard Myth”, The New Yorker (29-08-2005)

10 2008 Benchmark Survey HAS Bank

11. Employer Health Benefits 2007 Annual Survey, Kaiser Family Foundation

12. Health Savings Accounts and High Deductible Health Plans: Are They An Option for Low-Income Families?Catherine Hoffman and Jennifer Tolbert for Kaiser Family Foundation, October 2006

13. Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003

I am an ardent reader who also loves to write as well. I am an MBA with specialization in finance.

Are you pregnant and your regular clothes no longer seem to be a comfortable fit? Well, it is time to shop for affordable maternity clothes. It is a fact that most of us tuck away our maternity clothes post-delivery so it would be prudent to look for cheap maternity clothes.

Getting Affordable Maternity Clothes

Many pregnant women have resorted to using their partners shirts or borrow pregnancy clothes from friends and relatives. This may seem like a cost effective way of securing your clothes but perhaps you will be compromising on comfort as these clothes may not be the right size for you.

Clothes for pregnant women are designed for comfort and are stretchable, so it may not be a good idea to opt for plus-sized clothes too. Many talented women design and stitch their own clothes. Not all of us have the time or the talent to be like them. Women who have healthy pregnancy may perhaps enjoy shopping for clothes in the local malls and discount stores or at sales. If you look hard, you may find amazing clothes of good quality at affordable prices in a few select local stores.

The best place to look for affordable maternity clothes is online. Shopping online may be extremely convenient as you have so much variety in sizes, quality, colors and design. There are affordable maternity clothes designed for petite baby dolls to the amazing amazons! There are some lovely collections for working moms-to-be, trendy maternity clothes that make them look fashionable and attractive at affordable prices.

There are many online stores that offer maternity wear at a discount. Most of the stores claim that their collections can be worn after delivery too and that you need not put your maternity wear away. While selecting your maternity collection make sure that you get the right size as well as the kind of clothes that are easy to wash and maintain.

There are affordable maternity clothes such as stretch jeans for about $16, sun dresses for about $25, maternity and nursing top at under $8 etc. The clothes are durable and of good quality and it is recommended that you buy a few clothes at a time to ensure that they fit right. There are funny maternity clothes that are extremely easy on the pocket too for the more humorous amongst us. For those on a really tight budget, stretch jeans and a few tops, t-shirts and trendy shirts may be a great solution. Add a comfortable pair of maternity pajamas and perhaps a night gown and you are set for a comfy and enjoyable pregnancy. Do not hide your growing belly but flaunt it shamelessly! Shop for affordable maternity clothes and make your pregnancy even more enjoyable!

Online maternity clothing stores and even many offline stores have a wide range of affordable maternity clothes. With maternity clothes and more so cheap maternity clothes easily available, there is no need for you to wear makeshift pregnancy clothes during your pregnancy period. Rather enjoy your most beautiful period with funny maternity clothes and trendy maternity clothes. Your free online resource Pregnancy Clothes provides more information not just about options for maternity clothing but also answers all your questions related to pregnancy, breastfeeding and motherhood.

So, you have a blog! Do you have traffic? Do you know how to build traffic to your weblog? There are seven proven methods for building readership of your blog. They start with defining the purpose, or life, of your blog. Then, after you have a blog worth promoting, driving traffic is crucial to your ongoing success at blogging.

Here are seven tips to help you build and hold an audience for your blog:

Tip #1: Provide quality content.

On the Internet, whether you are talking about websites or blogs, a lot of space is given to content. Everyone directs you to provide quality content. But, what is quality content? The quality of your blog’s content is directly related to how well you have defined your ideal audience.

A successful blog is written with a distinct audience in mind. In this way, you can provide content that is unique to your audience’s issues, needs, or desires. If you create content they like and wish to return to read, you have quality content.

The second issue is to stay true to your audience and tone of your blog. If people are reading your blog, it’s because they like your topic and tone. Try not to stray from your typical topics and style too much. This will give your readers a reason to link back to your blog on an ongoing basis, as will posting on a regular basis.

Tip #2: Blog regularly

If you don’t update your blog often enough, blog readers will move on to other blogs. There are too many blogs out there competing for attention. Blog readers will go where they can get enough of what they want.

Successful blogging takes a commitment of your time. When you begin blogging and wish to capture an audience, you should be prepared to blog every day. In this way, you can develop an audience who counts on you to help them begin or end their day.

This means you should also try to post at the same time each day. Your readers will get accustomed to your schedule and check your blog at the appropriate time. The time of day is not as crucial as the consistency in your posting.

Since you now have quality content and a regular posting schedule, it’s time to drive traffic to your blog. Your readers will do a lot to promote your blog just by telling their friends. Don’t count on this alone! You need to do some additional work.

When you post, make sure you set your blog to “ping” blog tracking sites every time you add a new post. Think of this as a means to get their attention. The ping says “Hey, we just added a new post”. An alternative to automatically pinging from your blog is to use pingomatic.com. This is a one-stop place to automatically ping everyone you should notify of your new post and only takes a couple of minutes to accomplish.

Tip #3: Mention your blog wherever you can

Mention your blog’s address in your email signature line, in forums where you post, on your business cards, on address labels and in conversations with anyone you meet. Use a tag line under your blog address to further entice them to visit. Mine reads:

Michele Schermerhorn

http://www.imarketblog.com

A sassy little marketing blog

Beyond just mentioning your blog in writing and conversation, you must actively participate in the blogging community too.

Tip #4: Participate in the blogosphere

Get involved in other people’s blogs. Visit blogs that interest you and are in line with the general topic of your blog. Then, leave thoughtful comments. Almost every comment option on someone else’s blog will allow you to post your blog URL and your email address. Help other bloggers out with traffic and they will help you.

If a blogger really likes your site, they will add you to their blogroll. A blogroll is generally found on every blog which understands linking to the rest of the blogosphere helps drive traffic. A blogroll is a listing of other blogs. Think of it as a “recommended reading list”. Don’t be stingy with your blog roll either. Add those blogs that you read and enjoy to your blogroll too.

Tip #5: Think keywords when you post

Think about keywords with your use of titles, links and blog posts. Search engines, like Google and Yahoo, like keywords. The more targeted your keywords, the better the chances of your blog appearing in search results. Search results can drive that extra traffic you want.

To increase the value of the key words in your content, make certain keywords are part of the hot link in your posts. Don’t use “click here” as the hot link. You will be wasting valuable real estate in your post. Instead use the relevant keywords for the hot link, like “a great marketing idea. This gives the keywords added emphasis with the search engines.

One last thought on keywords for driving traffic; if you want a real leg up in the traffic game, in your linking code add rel=”tag”. This helps Technorati, a major blog resource, index your blog for their directory. But don’t stop there! It’s time to submit your blog to blog directories.

Tip #6: Submit your blog to blog directories

In addition to submitting your blog to the major search engines, make certain you submit the blog to exclusively blog directories like blogwise, blogcatalog, or bloghub. Many people find blogs through these online directories.

When you do submit your blog to these directories, remember to add a description that will entice your targeted audience to check your blog out. For instance, when I post my blog in blog directories, under description I put “General musings, rants, advice and strategies from a battle-worn veteran of the Marketing Wars, online and off”. Your description should help the potential reader understand your blogging topic and the flavor of how you write.

In addition to submitting your blog to blog directories, join a few of the free or inexpensive traffic exchange sites like blogexplosion or blogclicker.

Tip #7: Use free and inexpensive blog traffic exchange communities

There are many sites which can be termed “traffic exchange” sites for the blogging community. It won’t cost you anything to sign up. At the very least, join blogexplosion, blogclicker, and blogazoo. Once you sign up, you have two options to help drive traffic to your blog. Use both of them!

The first method is to earn credits (guaranteed visitors to your site) by using the “surf member sites” function. As you surf through those sites, you will be earning credits (visitors to your blog). When you find an interesting post, leave a comment as discussed above. When you find a blogger you like, add them to your blogroll and let them know you did.

The second method to drive traffic is to purchase credits. The cost is very cheap for the traffic you will drive to your blog. The more traffic to your blog, the more customers you’ll have. The more happy customers you have, the more they will tell others. The more they tell others, the more customers you get. Don’t you love this dance!

In summary, blogging may not be for everyone. However, it can be a great method for bringing your unique perspective to the Internet. You will surely find others who think the same way you do. Some bloggers will entertain you, some will inform you, and some will drive you to tear your hair out. Decide what type of blogger you want to be and be the best you can. See you in the blogosphere!

Michele Schermerhorn calls herself a “Corporate Freedom Fighter” dedicated to freeing cubicle prisoners to experience their own successful online business. She has over 30 years experience in the business world and over 12 years running her own successful online businesses. She is President of Online Business Institute Inc. (http://www.obinstitute.com), authors a sassy marketing blog (http://www.imarketblog.com), and regularly conducts free online seminars. Online Business Institute Inc. exists to “Create Successful Online Business Owners One Person At A Time”.

What is health Insurance

The main reason why you need an affordable health insurance is to help you plan ahead in case of unexpected costly emergencies. The only way you can accomplish this is to compare prices from most leading insurance companies and also choosing a health insurance plan that best suits you. Back in the days, getting a cheap health insurance plan was simply unaffordable. But these days, individuals, small groups, families and students can choose a health insurance plan that is best for them, e.g. like acquiring a help insurance plan that ensures that an individual suffering from any previous medical condition is not excluded.

Private health insurance plan is totally an unrestricted open market, so those who do not yet have a health insurance plan should consider taking out a plan. For those who are seeking good medical health insurance program, having one is possible through the help of specific companies which specializes in providing health care insurance for individuals and also meeting their requirements and also staying within your budget.

Also for individuals who do not want to use a company, then they can use the internet. One major way Americans get health insurance coverage is mostly through their employers. Many employers them receive health insurance coverage for their workers for a limited time thus enabling them receive health insurance coverage. The internet provides an option for a cheaper health insurance. There are lots of companies that provide all types of health insurance plans, making it possible for you and your family to have a specific reasonable and affordable health care insurance plan. Finding out what kind of reputation the company has and how long the company has been in business is a smart idea.

Having a kind of ideal they have for you is advisable also making sure they have been licensed in your state, because it is of no use getting an insurance with a form which has no license and cant get the exact health insurance you want, many agents will help work hard for you, so you could have an affordable health insurance plan which you and your family could live with without great cost. Everyone wants the best health insurance both for themselves and for their families, but only the best health care insurance can do this with low premiums and full coverage.

What are the advantages of health insurance?

Having the right and the best health care insurance is difficult. In order not to get confused, one needs to decide which the best is by doing his or her research thoroughly. The first step to take includes checking out the credentials and also their past performances of the very company you are considering. Just as on insurance outfits does a background check of individuals before accepting proposals, one should also review the financial status including the customer care services of the insurer, by so doing; you stand the chance to know which health insurance company’s best for you. One major way for you to get ratings of these agencies such as A.M best or Moody’s is by using the better business bureau. Many employers use the health insurance scheme to either attract or even retain their quality employers. The health insurance coverage might be a personal scheme or a group scheme organized and sponsored by the employers for employers who work between 20-29 hours per week.

Companies also do not add cost of fringe benefits alongside health insurance, to the price of their product and service. Over the past decades, the cost of health insurance has increased tremendously, surpassing the general rate of inflation in most past years.

The different types of health insurance includes individual health insurance, affordable employee health insurance which is also known as group health insurance, affordable family health insurance, affordable business health insurance etc, your monthly insurance is determined by certain numerous different things. For instance, most premiums based on or according to your age. So your health insurance rates changes accordingly with the type of health policy you have. If your health insurance is basically for yourselves or your entire family, the procedures must surely have an impact on any quote you are young or advanced in age, self employed receiving health insurance companies will adjust your premium based upon your age and this will also affect the cost of your health insurance.

What are the Disadvantages of health insurance?

Since unforeseen occurrences may occur any time, one will never know when an accident is likely to happen, be it the need to be admitted in the hospital for stitches or a broken bone, you may be in the position to receive help quickly without the worry of receiving a huge bill, unlike when you don’t have a health insurance your credit rating beers all the cost. But you can prevent all this problems from happening and also protecting your credits for your future health financially. Increasing the amount of your health insurance deduction is another way in which you can help make sure your insurance rates are lowered. This higher monthly premium is necessary for anyone who has an existing health problem that requires an extensive medical treatment getting variety of quotes from insurance companies which meets for your health and budgets standards, is a wise decision when selection an health insurance. Searching can be done online and this will have saved you money as well.

Many people feel that they are healthy enough, so they don’t need health insurance because they have never had any major medical problems but one thing to note against the possible health insurance is the protection against the possible health problem that may happen in future. It might happen to you in particular or any member of your family, so why not plan on having an affordable health insurance plan today.

Kingsley Duru has an BSc (Banking & finance). Insuranceavenue.info offers our visitors the best of Insurance articles, review and endeavors to find the best possible deals for our customers. To find travel insurance [http://www.insuranceavenue.info], long term care insurance, business insurance visit Insurance Avenue [http://www.insuranceavenue.info].

I have found that some steelhead flies work better on some rivers but don’t work so well on other rivers. Several instances come mind that helps to point out this fact. One happened about 15 years ago when I was in Northwest Washington State fly-fishing the Stillaguamish River for steelhead. My friend Gordon who lives in the area and I arrived at the mouth of the North Fork early one morning and I asked him, “Well what fly should I start out with this morning?” His reply was “try this one” as he gave me a fly from his fly box that looked like a fluorescent orange wooly bugger. In about 15 minutes I was into a nice fish of about 10 lbs. To this day, that is the only fish I have ever caught on that fly, I have fished it on several other steelhead rivers here in Oregon without success. The Red Ant is another pattern that seems to be a one-river fly. It’s a great fly on the Rouge River, but for me, that seems to be the only river where it catches fish.

Another curiosity about steelhead flies: A fly pattern may catch fish one year, and the following year, it just doesn’t seem to work Therefore, if you’re going to fly fish a new river for steelhead, better check with a local fly shop or the local fly fishing club and find out what steelhead fly patterns are catching fish for that particular river.

I happened to be a firm believer in confidence that you have for a particular fly pattern. For example, when you tie a fly on the end of your leader that you feel good about, and you get that special “feeling” that it will catch you a fish, chances are, it will work. Also when fishing gets tough because of fishing pressure and hot bright days, stay with the time tested fly patterns that have caught fish over the years.

Needless to say, one of my favorite Steelhead Flies is the Green Butt Skunk. I tie it un-weighted in sizes 4 & 6, on a black finish up-eye fly hook. I consider this a good morning and mid-day fly and have also caught fish on it with bright sun on the water. Second is the plain Skunk with an all white wing, I tie it in sizes 2, 4, and 6 on nickel-plated down-eye hooks. I like the size 2 for winter fish and the 4 & 6 during late low light afternoons and evenings for summer fish. The number three and number four favorites, would have to be the Umpqua Special and the Orange General Practitioner, both of these flies are tied un-weighted on size 4 up-eye hooks. I like to fish these patterns early in the morning on the edges of fast currents using a sink tip fly line and a short leader. Pattern # 5 would have to be the Black Wooly Bugger size 6. I usually tie this fly weighted on a 4x long 2x strong down eye hook with a long black marabou tail with a few strands of pearl flashabou and a black cactus chenille body with a black hackle wrap. The # 6 fly and one of my favorites because of its versatility, is the Muddler Minnow and I tie this fly on a #6 down eye, 6x long hook. This fly can be fished wet with a trimmed cone head or it can be fishing dry or skated with a trimmed ball head using a riffle hitch.

I use both weighted and un-weighted steelhead flies. However, I feel that an un-weighted fly has more movement in the water because it is affected more by the different current flows than a weight fly. Some sections of fly-only waters prohibit the use of weighted flies, so check the fishing regulations for those waters. However there are times when you just have to get the fly down on the bottom and a weighted fly may be needed.

The on line source for more fly fishing information and tips on steelhead fly fishing, steelhead flies, rods, reels and fly lines, http://www.oregon-fly-fishing-with-stan.com/tips/fly-fishing-tips.htm

Stanley Stanton: Oregon Fly Fishing Guide and McKenzie River fishing guide, Visit: http://www.oregon-fly-fishing-with-stan.com For trout fly fishing tips, how to fly fish information, plus guided Rainbow Trout Fly Fishing, Steelhead Fly Fishing, fly fishing lessons for beginners and Oregon Salmon Fishing

So you’ve decided that you want start a blog but are not sure where to start? Don’t worry too much because the fact that you reading this right now means that you care about the overall end result. Let’s get to the brass tacks!

According to a new study, there are literally over a hundred thousand blogs created each and everyday. I’m not sure what percent of these are actually serious about maintaining one, but you have to admit that it’s a pretty large number of new blogs born daily. What’s important, is that this gives immediate insight that blogging is a powerful tool that is likely here to stay.

Getting started with a blog is relatively easy, but giving some thought to its overall strategy, utility, and execution can go a long ways. Although this article is not intended to be all inclusive, it will give you some basic guidelines and steps in how to start blogging like a pro out of the gates.

Choosing a Domain Name For Your Blog Probably one of the most fun of all the tasks in starting a blog is choosing a domain name. But don’t act to rashly, because you make overlook some subtleties that may have a long-term effect on your blog strategy.

Outside the fact of choosing catchy names, there are four main domain structures one can choose from. The first three require some monetary investment while the last option is virtually free.

Choosing a stand-alone domain: www.yournewblogsite.com- believe it or not this choice is not for everyone. In this scenario, your new blog will act as a stand-alone website from other websites you may own. If your trying to make a connection to your already established business or website, this may not be the best choice for you because you’ll have to work harder in making the connection to other Internet website you may own. Thus linking (an important aspect in making your blog popular) will not be as easy because you’ll essentially have to start from scratch in popularizing your blog. The pro of course is that you can choose a catchy name that others may remember more easily and have a positive effect on your blog’s success.

Choosing a sub domain: www.youblogsname.websiteialreadyown.com- if you run a large corporate site and would like to brand your blog but would rather have your blog act as a separate website then this option works best. The cons however are similar to choosing a stand-alone website in that the blog as treated as a separate identity. In most cases, I’m still a fan of making your blog part of our own website for the reasons listed below.

Choosing a blog as a subdirectory of another website: www.mysite.com/blog- probably one of the most overlooked choices of starting a blog is using one of your already established domains and simply extending your blog from it. The reason for doing so has several pros. First, you get an immediate benefit from all the links your website already has, which will make your blog easier to popularize. Secondly, your blog will maintain your brand and image thus giving your company/website a boost. Lastly, blogs and other websites may opt to link to your company/website homepage and therefore kill two birds with one stone. If your unsure about the best of the three methodologies, I would recommend this one unless you don’t already have a website.

Choosing a free blog platform: www.mynewblog.bloghostingcompany.com: in this last scenario, and most popular I might add, your blog will act as a subdomain from another blogging provider company. The most popular being Blogger’s www.youblogname.blogspot.com. Don’t be immediately discouraged because you don’t own your name outright. There are lots of bloggers who maintain blogs on free blogging sites such as Blogger and WordPress. The main downside is that if you want to ever choose to move your blog, maintaining your blogs popularity will be more challenging. If your just starting out and are not sure if you want to keep your blog, this option is best for your because you’ll literally have no investment to make other than your time in writing for your blog. However, if your serious about getting about blogging and want to be a pro out of the box, the above three choices are better for you.

Choosing a Blogging Host Provider If you choose any of the above three, you’ll most likely need a blog host provider. Just like any other website, there are a lot of options to consider before you jump with two feet forward. The first obviously being cost.

The good news is that blogs don’t typically require heavy hosting fees. There are many low-budget hosting options that could suffice such as Bluehost.com or Powweb.com. Beware however, like anything else, you get what you pay for. If you’re looking for superb customer service at the drop of a hat, it’s likely you will need a higher quality-hosting provider. Prices range from $8 to $150 per month or higher depending on your needs. In addition, most hosting providers provide domain name registration at little or no extra cost so that you can make a one-stop shop. Best if all, since blogs and blogging are so popular, many will offer automatic blog software installation that makes it easy for anyone to get started that aren’t tech savvy.

Choosing a Platform Ok, you’ve chosen your domain strategy, thought about a hosting provider, but are unsure of what blog platform to go with. What’s next?

There are literally 100′s of blog software platforms you can choose from. For simplicity purposes, I have chosen three that I believe to be the most popular and the best bang for the buck.

Blogger- free blogging service and one of the fastest ways to start blogging. However, it is one of the most basic platforms available and does not offer many advanced features. Your blog will appear as a subdomain of blogspot unless you purchase a hosting service. Its great for beginners, but isn’t our first choice for professional blogging. Nevertheless, its one of the most popular blogging tools online.

Six Apart- free and professional blogging platforms are available. Of the bunch, one of the easiest to sign up with and offers technical support that is excellent. Most suitable for most businesses wishing to get out on the blogosphere or first timers that plan on going pro.

WordPress- a professional blogger’s choice and what I recommend for professional blogging. This blogging platform is free and was created (and remains) as free open source code platform. Although there is no live technical support per se, the WordPress blogging community acts as one of the best free support groups of any web application on the net. Since its inception, WordPress now offers a version that is free and one that requires hosting.

Summary As you can see, there are a lot of variables to consider when choosing a blog. From domains to hosting, one can easily make a choice that has a long-term impact. The good news is that when chosen wisely, a blog can be a powerful tool to gain exposure for your business or personal endeavors!

Christian Del Monte- Vice President of Operations for TMA E-Marketing has directed and worked on Internet marketing projects for mid to large-scale businesses, launched the worlds first Business Blogs Directory, and writes weekly to iBlogMarketing.com.

He has directed and worked on Internet marketing projects for mid to large-scale clients including several fortune 500 companies. Christian continues to head up the operations for TMA as well as lead research and development on vertical search markets and business blogging.

Owning a car is a necessity for many people, but for many other possessing antique cars is a matter of pride and sort of a prestige symbol. Owning an antique car is in most times as costly as owning a new car as there are many people involved who are in the passion of collecting antique cars. Many antique car enthusiasts collect antique cars as a hobby or a memory. But there are several others who collect antique cars as an investment option. For them antique cars are a way to make profit – these people collect antique cars and sell it after some time at a higher price than originally brought.

Let us look in detail what an antique car is and about antique car history. According to the Antique Automobile Club of America and several other organizations worldwide, an antique car can be defined as any car which is more than 25 years of age. Sometimes it is seen that some classic cars are misrepresented as antique cars, but the real classic cars are those certain specific high quality cars from the pre-World War II era. However antique cars are not profitable to use for everyday transportation, these antiques cars are much popular for leisure driving. Antiques cars which had survived for more than 25 years are considered great survivors. And that’s why owning, collecting and restoring such rare antique cars are considered as a well-liked hobby by people all over the world.

Over the years, the antique car market has seen tremendous changes. During the 1980′s the value of antique cars has gone a great boom which lasted for several years. But during the early 1990′s there was a great fall in price. Antique car collecting can be a type of gambling. According to antique car experts it is better to collect antique cars when you get one as the antique car market fluctuates from time to time and the future monetary value of antique car is completely unpredictable.

Most antique car buffs’ love to know antique car history before buying any antique car. For them, buying an antique car is more important than buying a new car. They take enough time searching every thing about the antique car before they make a purchase. Antique car experts say that it is better to take a look into antique car history before making a deal. By spending some time in antique car history you can know whether any alterations and flaws are there in the antique car you are going to purchase. These alterations and flaws can make a big change in the value of the antique car. Determining the antique cars status and how much price it worth if you resell it in any later stage is also a good idea before purchasing it.

As antique cars are those cars which have survived over a period of twenty five years, the antique car history is worth mentioning. If you are an antique car enthusiast check the current position of the antique car you are going to add to your antique car collection. If the antique car is a much fashionable one then the value of antique cars will be highly expensive. If it is not a fashionable one to collect, then the demand will be less and you can obtain it at a low price. The condition of the antique car also influences the value. A good condition antique car will surely cost much more than a poor condition antique car.

Hence before buying any antique car it is advisable to know the antique car history. Don’t forget to determine the antique cars status and how much price it worth if you sell it later. Nowadays there are numerous websites which are providing information about antique cars. Most of these websites features photographs of antique cars and collector’s forums. Checking these sites will help you to get a brief idea of antique car history. This will be a plus point for any antique car buffs.

Sonali Sen for http://www.affordableantique.com Read more about Antiques http://www.affordableantique.com/Antique-Appraisals-Certification.html Copyright 2005 http://www.affordableantique.com

How a student pays for college depends on many factors. The most important question to be answered is when should a student start “saving” for college? My answer to that question is “when the student enters this world as a newborn”. The very fortunate students are those who had parents who began saving money at birth. There are many financial instruments in which parents can invest, such as 529 accounts, plus many states have their own state educational bonds.

However, for most students there will not be trust funds or yearly family income available for college costs without borrowing, receiving federal financial aid or receiving college scholarships. Paying for colleges becomes a reality to most college students when they are admitted and the real cost of college becomes apparent. This is less than ideal, and can often cause students to panic. But late starts are typical and there are many avenues available to help students.

College scholarships are the best sources for paying for college because these awards do not have to be repaid. Of course, being awarded college scholarships typically depends on academics, specific talents wanted by a college or financial need. Scholarships are awarded by universities and private organizations, each with their own criteria for applying and awarding. Unfortunately, most students do not receive enough scholarship funding to cover the entire cost of college.

So the big question becomes how to deal with a gap in funding. The most important step in paying for college is to apply for federal student aid, or FAFSA. However, many students may not be eligible for federal aid. Some students will begin by attending a community college for the first two years to be able to take the general education courses and save money. Some students will join the military and have the armed services help with their educational costs. Other students will work part time or full time while attending college.

Working and attending college at the same time requires good time management skills, and a plan on how many courses can be handled each semester while working. To receive federal financial aid students must be enrolled full time. This typically means taking a minimum of 12 credit hours.

Another strategy to finding a way to pay for college is for students to apply to colleges who will want to “buy” them and give them college scholarships. This means looking at less competitive colleges or smaller schools. Do not confuse the degree of difficulty of being admitted to school with the excellence of the education.

Remember that college admission is often based on supply and demand, and there are colleges that just receive way too many applications and can only admit a small percentage of the applicants. This does not mean that colleges who admit a larger percentage of their applicants are not as good academically. Keep the bigger picture, which is to get a college education that provides you with the skills to be successful, in mind. Take a look at where the Fortune 500 individuals attended college and you will see it is not the name of the college that moved them along to the road of success.

Colleges that are really interested in a student will provide college scholarship money. Search for those colleges. You are encouraged to be resourceful prior to going to college and use the web to search out college scholarships both offered by individual colleges or outside organizations. Believe it or not, there are some colleges that do not charge any tuition such as Berea and Cooper Union College. There are also colleges that allow students to lock in a tuition rate for the four years of college.

Finishing college in four years can help keep down costs. Campuses may provide opportunities for odd jobs or freelance work to bring in money. Do not overlook the opportunities that exist for doing community work that will provide money to pay for college. Public service jobs are well known for helping students to pay off their debt.

How can you pay for college?

• Be resourceful
• See the bigger picture
• Find colleges that fit your education and budget requirements
• Find companies that will hire you and pay for your education
• Enter fields of study where there is debt forgiveness if you work in the field
• File for Federal Financial Aid with FAFSA
• Seek out college scholarships
• Begin saving for college at a young age even if it is $5 per week
• Do not seek a college based on name recognition alone

I want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to go to college. This means getting in, finding the right college fit and paying for school. I love to share what I’ve learned and I hope you can find some useful information useful in your college search.

My favorite online game to play is WoW (World of Warcraft) and that is why I am writing this short WoW cooking guide article. I am going to show you a brief overview of the cooking skill in the game WoW. When I say WoW I am referring to the MMORPG World of Warcraft and that is how I will be referring it through out this article.

OK the first thing you will have to do to start cooking in WoW is to visit a cooking trainer to learn the skill. Most of the major cities in the game have cooking trainers and you can get directions to them by asking a guard in the city. Once you find the trainer you will want to learn the apprentice cooking skill and all the recipes you can learn at the moment. You will also want to learn the skill to build a fire so you can cook just about any where you want. This can come in handy if you are out farming material to cook with and are not near a fire source to cook with. You will need to carry a flint and tender and some simple wood in your inventory to build a fire after you learn the skill.

OK now that you have learned all your skills you can buy some ingredients from a cooking supplies vendor and you should be ready to start cooking. You can also buy the flint and tender and the simple wood to build your own fire from the cooking supplies vendor. Just remember that when you reach certain levels you will be able to learn new recipes and you will have to visit the cooking trainer to learn these new recipes.

To gain skill points you will need to make items that you can cook and this will raise your skill points. You can see these items by opening your cooking interface and the cooking icon to do this should be in your spell book. When you open this interface you will notice some things are color coded with orange, yellow, green, or maybe even gray. As you cook items these will change as your skill level goes up. You will want to try and cook items that are colored orange to guarantee skill points that way will gain a point for each item cooked. If you cook items that are yellow or green you are not guaranteed a skill point. If you cook items that are gray you will gain no skill points because your cooking skill level is to high for these items.

There is six different level classes in WoW cooking that you will have to gain as you progress. These different levels are attained by reaching certain skill levels in cooking. You will learn these levels from a cooking trainer once you reach these skill levels. Here is a brief over view of the different levels:

1. 1-75 Apprentice (Visit trainer)
2. 75-150 Journeyman (Visit trainer)
3. 150-225 Expert (Purchase the book called Expert Cookbook from a NPC vendor)
4. 225-300 Artisan (must complete quest)
5. 300-375 Master (Purchase the book called Master Cookbook from NPC vendor in outlands)
6. 375-450 Grand Master (Visit trainer in Northrend)

In order to learn the expert cooking skill you will need to purchase the Expert Cookbook. You can get this book in Shadowprey Village in Desolace (Horde) or at Silverwind Refuge in Ashenvale (Alliance). There should be a NPC vendor in these two areas to purchase it from.

In order to learn the artisan cooking skill you must complete some quests. The cooking trainer named Zamja in Ogrimmar (Horde) is where you should be able to start the quests. If you are alliance a NPC named Daryl Riknussun in Ironforge should be able to help. You will need a 225 Cooking skill to start the quests and a minimum player level of 35 to learn artisan cookin.

You can learn master cooking from a book sold by cooking trainers in Hellfire Peninsula. The horde can buy their book from a NPC named Baxter in Thrallmar. The alliance can get there book from Gaston in Honor Hold.

You can learn the grand master skill from cooking trainers in Northrend. Just visit your factions cooking trainer.

OK that is a quick over view of the cooking profession in the game wow. I hope this wow cooking guide has helped you get a better understanding of the wow cooking profession. If you enjoyed this guide and would like more info on the wow cooking profession I recommend this site: Wow Cooking Guide

The cooking profession is a great way to make more gold in WOW so I would recommend leveling it up.
For more info visit here: Wow Cooking Guide And More

How does Basic Cooking differ from Gourmet Cooking?

Basic Cook:

I think the majority of us are basic cooks. In my opinion, being a basic cook means that the meals are planned, time consuming and tasteful. Basic cooks have tried and tested meals that suit their individual/family’s taste. Basic cooks know what they like to eat and approximately how long it will take to prepare those meals. With our busy life-styles basic cooks want their family’s well feed with healthy well balanced meals. Every family has his/her favorite dishes and will proudly claim that the recipes for those favorites are family secrets. Generally, people will go to restaurant for a gourmet meal. A gourmet restaurant serves the highest quality food. With a sense of adventure you can learn how to cook gourmet meals at home.

Gourmet Cooking:

Epicure is a connoisseur meaning having an acquired refined and discriminating taste in foods and wines. An old French alteration (influenced by gourmand, glutton) of gourmand. Gourmet meals involves high-quality ingredients with skilled preparation. Gourmet cooking involves only high quality and fresh ingredients. Let us compare. In basic cook if a recipe calls for garlic usually powdered garlic is used. With gourmet cooking only fresh chopped garlic is used. Consider if herbs are called for shop locally or consider growing your own. Having your own herbal garden saves money and make a world of difference in the taste of your gourmet experience. Not only do are herbs taste bud delights but they carry health benefits. In basic cooking we may defrost meat or use frozen vegetables. Not in gourmet cooking ONLY fresh. Gourmet chefs consider their meals works of art. There is a balance between colors and texture. Cooking time is important because it effects color and texture.

Let us compare a Basic Cook Salad to a Gourmet Salad:

Basic salad would consist:

-Iceberg lettuce 1/2 (shredded)

-1 garden tomato

-Shredded carrots (2)

-Green onions (4)

-½ chopped cucumber

-Choice of dressing

Gourmet Salad:

Tropical Fruit Salad with Mint – serves 8

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

2 (10 ounce) packages mixed greens

4 thinly sliced chicken deli meat, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1/4 tsp onion powder

3 dashes garlic powder

1 pinch ground black pepper

2 pinches salt

3 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

Saute onion and bell pepper until soft; set aside to cool.

In a large salad bowl, combine the onion, pepper, salad greens, deli meat and tomato. Sprinkle with the onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and salt. Toss to mix.

Pour on enough salad dressing or vinegar to coat, toss again and serve.

Recipe provided by: free-gourmet-recipes

I am not suggesting cooking only basic or gourmet. Consider alternating between basis and gourmet cooking. Gourmet cooking is more time consuming and expensive than basic cooking. My comfort level was basic cooking but after my initial trial and error period gourmet cooking became quick and easy. The advantages are greater taste and quality. Compare the costs of dining at a gourmet restaurant and consider the money saved learning how to cook gourmet at home. Your family and friends will take pleasure in in your new gourmet meals.

http://favoriterecipes.biz
http://favoriterecipes.biz/america.html

Perhaps you are one of so many who have just lost your job (or else you’ve heard that you’re the next one in line to get that pink slip). No matter what the situation is, you know it’s time to begin creating a resume. But finding effective resume writing help may also be on your short list.

So, you type in “resume writing help” or “effective resume writing” into your favorite search engine, and instead of feeling calm and in control, your head is spinning. That’s because – using the search term “resume writing help” alone – more than 27-million results showed up, and once you’ve visited even a few sites, you’re more confused than ever.

Ok. Calm down for a moment. Before you go out and buy the first 5 resume writing help books you see, or sign up for an expensive resume development seminar, take stock of what you REALLY need, and what also might be available right in your back yard.

Although I am not a fan the types of resumes that I see come out of local employment agencies, I do believe that the agencies themselves are a good place to start, especially if you will be targeting a job in your region (in other words, you’re not planning on leaving the area).

Here is why: By browsing the listings that are submitted to the agency, you will get a feel for the skills that employers in your area are actually looking for. I’m not saying that you will necessarily FIND a job that you want to target there at the employment agency, but you’ll get a “finger on the pulse” of what’s going on in your area.

You’ll also gain knowledge of certain keywords and language that employers are using. When you see certain nuances in different employers’ language, make a note of what stands out – it will come in handy when it’s time to write your resume.

While you’re spending time at the local employment office, it’s a good idea to speak with the staff – and if he or she offers resume writing help, and wants to assist you in putting something together, go ahead and allow it.

It’s a fine document to start with. And, it doesn’t cost you a cent. It does cost you time – but again, it’s nice to at least have a starting point, and making connections at the agency certainly can’t hurt!

Now, because I believe you will still need resume writing help, it’s time for you to ask yourself a few questions, and carefully ponder your answers. Before we get to these questions, however, it is critical that you understand this:

The purpose of your resume is to grab the attention of the reviewers, and intrigue them so much that they must bring you in for an interview.

In other words, your resume is an advertisement. Ok? It’s an advertisement for YOU. That is it. So think “advertising.” End of discussion!

So. Let’s move on.

#1: Do you have money to spend on creating a resume or hiring effective resume writing help? If so, how much can you afford? It is not unusual for personal resume development services to cost more than $100 – or even $200 (depending on how much work your resume needs). Some resume writers charge by the hour.

Again, determine whether this is the route you feel you need to go before taking out your credit card! Pros and cons! Someone who can be objective about you is an asset.

However, what if the resume writer is using old-fashioned techniques (think: “Chronological and Boring”)? If this is the case, your resume may not catch anyone’s eye to begin with.

Before you commit, look at samples of the writer’s work, and see if it fits your style and personality. Does the resume developer know that you are looking for a great advertisement about you?

#2: Do you feel like you have the ability to write your own resume? Obviously, there are dozens of books in any given bookstore for you to choose from that can offer effective resume writing help.

If you are a confident writer – and you can be totally objective about yourself – then this might be the way to go. The drawback here is that you are likely to produce a resume that does not have the “flare” that your “advertisement” needs to catch anyone’s attention.

Please don’t get me wrong. Books are excellent tools! Most of the books out there have excellent tips and advice that will be very helpful in your resume development efforts.

However, it has been my experience that most resume writing help books don’t look at creating a resume in quite the same way as an advertising copywriter might.

Also, if you are going it on your own (even if you THINK you are being totally objective about yourself) you’ll need to be very careful that angry or upset emotions about a job loss or threat of a job loss are NOT reflected in your resume.

#3: Do you feel that you would like to try resume writing help software? Somewhere between hiring a “live” coach and doing it all yourself? If so, again, it is critical that you think about what you are trying to accomplish here before you pull out the credit card.

If you DO decide to go this route, ask yourself if the software is billed as using marketing and copywriting techniques. If not, you might wind up with another ho-hum, old-fashioned, standard looking resume that didn’t need to cost you anything to begin with.

Look for an energetic approach that can bring your resume to life. Make sure it feels right to you – just like finding the right fit in a job!

Finally, no matter how you choose to proceed with creating a resume, every step you take with resume development should be done calmly, and without any negative emotion – even if you just lost your job! This is critical! Do not take a chance that any bad feelings or negative emotions show in your resume. The only feelings you want to get across in your resume include: I’m confident! I’m happy! I’m excited about this whole experience. Ok?

Now that you have pondered these ideas, and done a little research in a calm and methodical manner, finding effective resume writing help that’s right for you will (hopefully!) have just gotten a lot easier!

As someone who has helped many individuals create stronog resumes, Kathy Tremblay hopes that this resume writing help has helpd YOU! If you enjoy these tidbits, and would like more free tips, please her Resume Writing Help information page. And, once you’re ready to put it all together, visit Creating A Resume.info for excellent tools to create a very powerful resume for yourself. Then watch those calls for interviews come in!

There is Southern Cooking and then there is SOUTHERN COOKING! You can follow a recipe and still come out with a dish that does not resemble what the recipe intended. The reason is technique and the little secrets that are not included in the recipe.

Technique is as important as the ingredients and proper technique helps you avoid the following common mistakes made by novice cooks. You can find many free Southern recipes on the internet, but few web sites provide the additional information needed to to be a real Southern cook. So when you find a site that does, bookmark it and stick with it for your Southern recipes. (See Resource Box below for recommendation).

7 Biggest Mistakes:

1. Failure to Properly Preheat Oven When Baking.

Have you ever made cornbread that came out soft and crumbly without a crust? Or biscuits that did not rise and have a gray color? It was probably due to the fact that your oven was not properly preheated. When baking, the crust is set in the first 10 minutes. So, if you want a nice, golden crust on your cornbread, be sure to get the oven up to 400 degrees before you put the cornbread in.

Ovens vary in how long it takes to reach a given temperature. Some ovens will reach 400 degrees in 4-5 minutes. Some will take as long as 15 minutes. A good practice is to get a thermometer (any food thermometer that goes up to 425 degrees will work) and time how long it takes your oven to reach 250, 350, 400 and 425 degrees. Write it down and keep it handy if you can not remember. Then always allow the alloted time to reach the desired temperature before beginning your baking.

2. Undercooked Vegetables

Keep in mind we are talking about Southern cooking. Not Chinese or West Coast casseroles. Many vegetables, Southern Style, are cooked considerably longer than most people tend to cook them. Specifically, green beans are cooked until soft and dark green in color. They are not crunchy and bright green. Okra and green tomatoes, are cooked until some burned edges appear and are very crunchy. As a general rule boiled vegetables are cooked until very tender and fried foods are cooked until crunchy (this goes for cornbread, fried chicken and pork chops, too).

3. Failure to Use Cast Iron

I have never researched all the reasons why, but Southern cooking is best cooked in cast iron cook-ware. The cast iron holds and transfers heat unlike any other type metal. Food just does not cook the same in aluminum or steel. Especially cornbread. Besides, it is the traditional way to cook Southern.

Older cast iron tends to have problems with rust and food sticking, but the newer cook-ware comes already cured (seasoned) so it is not as much a problem. However, it is not difficult to cure your cast iron if you have an older style. You can get complete, free instructions in the web referrals below.

4. Failure to Use Onions and Bacon

Onions and bacon (or bacon grease) are used extensively in Southern cooking. Some cooks, however, stray away form cooking real Southern because they (or family members) do not like onions and/or concerns about the fat content in bacon.

They do this because they fail to understand the reason for using bacon and onions. They are NOT in the recipe so that you taste onions or bacon. They are there only to provide subtle flavor. A unique Southern flavor. If you do not like onions, use only a small amount and remove the onion from the dish before serving (put onion in cheesecloth while cooking and it is easy to remove). If you are concerned about the calorie content of bacon, do not use whole bacon. Just add 1/2 tsp of grease from previously cooked bacon. And, accept the fact that Southern cooking is not inherently low fat. It is meant to be flavorful and robust. So, use that bacon and onion for real Southern dishes.

5. Overworking Dough

Southern breads are meant to be light and fluffy. Even cornbread should not be heavy and solid. Many Southern cooks never learn how to make good biscuits. And homemade Southern Biscuits are the trademark of good Southern cooks.

Three errors cause bad biscuits (and other breads). First, do not overwork the dough. Biscuit dough should only be kneaded three times. No more. Just enough to shape it for cutting out the biscuits.

Second, when cutting the dough, do not push down and twist the biscuit cutter. Push straight down and straight back up. Twisting compacts the edges of the dough and causes uneven cooking.

Third, remember the previous mistake above…preheat your oven. A cold oven can result in flat, hard biscuits.

6. Yellow Cornmeal and Sugar in cornbread

Everyone has their own preference, but, please do not use yellow cornmeal in cornbread. It may be mental, but it just does not taste the same as white cornmeal. Besides it looks funny. And, NEVER, NEVER put sugar in cornbread if you want authentic Southern cornbread. Cornbread is bread to accompany a meal. It is not dessert. It is not cake! It is BREAD. So, if you like sweet cornbread…go ahead and use your sugar…but, do not call it Southern Cornbread!

7. Failure to Use buttermilk

All good Southern cooks use buttermilk in everything except desserts. Regular milk does not add the flavor that buttermilk does. Especially in any dish with cornmeal (cornbread, hush puppies, tamale pie, etc.). If you do not have buttermilk, you can make a reasonable substitute by stirring 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a cup of regular milk. Allow to sit for a minute before use.

These are some of the most common mistakes (or lack of Southern cooking technique) made in Southern cooking. You can ignore all of them and make eatable food, but it will not be traditional Southern. Even some good Southern cooks fail to comply with all the above, but they have probably developed a variation of these same techniques.

So, get in that kitchen, fire up the stove and make your family a real Southern dinner tonight.

Ken Miller is a free lance writer and webmaster for http://www.olsouthrecipes.com, Southern Recipes – Southern Cooking, where you can find FREE recipes for the most popular, authentic Southern dishes like fried chicken, fried okra, biscuits and gravy, cornbread and many more.

Fly fishing being regarded a normal fishing sport in the whole of America, more and more angler (s) all over are showing interest in various fly fishing resources, including tips, techniques and tales from ones who have mastered the art with their lures and fishing baits. Most anglers interested in fly fishing sports intend to know and follow a ‘step-by-step” method that will significantly increase their casting distance. Most of them want to learn quickly how to cast more accurately, so that they can drop their fly right in front of the fish’s mouth. That is not all. Even a good fly caster may be looking to go to the next level and learn more of the advanced casting techniques. To assure an angler interested in fly fishing, it must be mentioned here that with the right instructor, you don’t have to worry about stiff breezes or feel intimidated by other fly anglers on the river. There may be an umpteen number of questions that you would like you ask regarding your dealing with the fly cast, typically if you are an angler new to the sport of fly fishing, one who finds making a decent cast difficult at best.

However, it still remains true today that despite the importance of the cast, the average fly-fisher angler gives less thought to it than to purchasing new fishing bait (s) for himself. Probably, many of them think fly-fishers need no casting instruction at all. Confining themselves to the easiest fisheries, and doing almost everything wrong and still catching a dozen trout from a small stream makes them over-confident of their fishing capabilities. But one must remember here that fly fishing in a small local lake is quite different from doing it in a spring creek, just as catching a thousand bluegills with your fishing bait on a blind cast is a hell lot different from successfully sight fishing for bonefish. For this, the answer is: practice for days, months and years. For fly fishing is like another skilful sport that can be mastered with a lot of time, and of course, a hell lot of effort on your part. If an angler fly fishes long enough and truly embraces the challenge of the sport rather than the fantasy of the game, he will eventually find himself amidst a favorable situation for fly fishing.

Fly casting is the most important skill in fly-fishing. It is perhaps the only skill you cannot do without. As a matter-of-fact, a successful fly-fisher angler need not know how to dress flies, tie knots, rig equipment, or even how to find fish, as he can always hire a guide to take care of all that. But a successful fly-fisher must be able to present a fly to a fish. However, it is a startling fact that in spite of its importance, relatively a very few fly-fishers ever attempt to learn how to cast a fly rod in a formal or methodical way. The beginning of learning how to fly cast is even more important than choosing your lures and fishing bait (s). The best way to accomplish this, according to experts is to use an 8.5 or 9-foot rod that is balanced with a 5- or 6-weight floating weight-forward or triangle taper fly line. According to experts in fly fishing, the fly line should be rigged with a 9-foot tapered monofilament leader, to the end of which is tied a small tuft of fluorescent package yarn. While fly casting, anglers may wish to use a bit heavier outfit, such as an 8- or 9-weight rod, to allow them handle a longer line a bit easier.

As for the important fly fishing kits for an angler, it is recommended that you are equipped with the proper trolling flies, trolling fly kits, jigs and fishing bait used to catch Salmon and Trout or other fish in the Great Lakes or Ocean. Custom fishing rods, including custom casting, spincast, and fly rods act as other necessary equipment in fly fishing sports. All these Fly fishing equipment are there for use to make your fly tying and fishing vacations memorable!

Fly fishing equipment – fly-fishing tackle, fly fishing rods, fly reels, fly fishing Gear, fly rods and fishing … … tackle Flyrods – Fly fishing equipment fly tying supplies and accessories. … ©1978-2007 The Fly Shop® …http://www.flyshop.com

Fly Fishing With Ross Purnell Online flyfishing entertainment, education, industry information center, and e-zine. Category: Shopping > Fly Fishing flyfishing.about.com

Flyfishing.com Fishing information resource. Category: Fly Fishing http://www.flyfishing.com

In Part 1, we detailed the first five strategies on how to cut your car insurance costs. In Part 2, we show you the second five.

STEP 6 – Review, Change or Cancel No Fault & PIP (Personal Injury Protection)

No-Fault Coverage, and it’s Twin – PIP – started out as great idea’s. Your premiums were actually going to be lowered. Then, your State Politicians got involved (at the urging of Insurance Lobbyists, of course) and mucked it up.

You see, no-fault insurance coverage was originally intended to have each individual’s losses, covered by their own car insurance company – no matter who was at fault.

Today, in many States, car insurance companies are making a ton of money on no-fault because the insurance companies convinced State law-makers to make “modifications.”

Today, because of the these changes, car insurance companies have actually used the no-fault laws to reduce payments on a claim made by a customer, instead of reducing car insurance premiums as it was supposed to do.

So, premiums keep going up-and-up and insurance companies end up paying less for claims – Someone’s getting rich on that deal….and it’s not you.

And to make matters worse, some States (with really, really talented Insurance Lobbyist’s) also require an additional premium be paid on top of the no-fault premium. This beauty is called Personal Injury Protection (PIP).

PIP is a “wide-blanket” of coverage and can provide Collision Coverage, Hospitalization, Social Security Disability, Workers Comp, Personal Disability Insurance & Life Insurance.

The problem with PIP and what it covers is….

You already gave most, if not all, of these coverage’s anyway, don’t you? So, you’re paying twice!

So, you need to do a couple of things:

Google “minimum levels of required auto insurance” to see if No-Fault Insurance and/or PIP Is required in your State;

Then, check your policy. If it’s not required by your State to have No-Fault/PIP Coverage and it’s on your policy – cancel it. If No-Fault/PIP is required by your State….take the absolute minimum. Here’s how.

If you must have No-Fault/PIP, ask for and get a deductible from your car insurance company.

STEP 7 – Cancel Medical Coverage.

Medical Coverage, on most car insurance policies, is a promise to pay “reasonable” medical expenses for anyone who is riding in your car should you have an accident…as well as anyone in your car should it get hit by someone else.

Cancel it. You don’t need it.

Why is that you say? Well, medical coverage as part of your car insurance policy is a duplicate of your own:

- Medical Plan; – Any Life Insurance Coverage you might have, as well as; – The Liability Sections of almost every car insurance policy written in the U.S.

Think of it this way….Do you have a Health/Medical/Hospitalization Plan thru work or an Association you belong to?

Then why are you paying premiums for Medical/Hospitalization Coverage on your Car Insurance Policy?

Here’s what’s going to happen when you tell the car insurance company or Agent that you “Don’t want the Hospitalization/Medical Coverage.” You’re going to hear very slick “scare tactics” to help change your mind.

The insurance company employee will say “Well, if you’re in an accident, and it’s your fault, who’s going to cover the medical bills for any injured passengers in your car?”

Here’s your answer. Your family is already covered by your Health/Hospitalization Plan. If anybody else is in the car and they’re injured – they’re covered by your Bodily Injury Liability coverage that you’re already paying for….and their own Health/Hospitalization Plan.

So go ahead – save some more money and get rid of this coverage.

STEP 8 – Cancel Death, Dismemberment & Loss of Sight.

Do you have any of these coverage’s on your existing car insurance policy? If so – cancel them.

And if you’re a first time car insurance buyer or, just looking at getting several car insurance quotes, don’t let anyone talk you into them!

Why?

Because, these coverage’s are an absolute waste of money. Most of these optional coverage’s are simply “glorified” life insurance policies with ridiculous provisions and horribly overpriced premiums. If you need life insurance, make it a separate Insurance Policy.

STEP 9 – Cancel The Extras

Do you have “Roadside Assistance” or “Rental Car Reimbursement” on your policy? If so, cancel them.

And again, if you’re a first time insurance buyer or getting a few car insurance quotes, don’t bother with these coverage’s.

Why? Because they’re severely overpriced, are rarely ever used, and limit what you can and cannot do.

For instance, some rental car reimbursement” coverage is almost $100 a year for each vehicle on your policy. So if you have two cars, you’ll spend almost $2,000 on rental car coverage in the next 10 years – and likely never even use it.

And roadside assistance? The piece-of-mind it offers gets trampled by the premiums the car insurance companies want for this coverage. Roadside assistance is a good idea. But use AAA for a cheaper solution.

STEP 10 – Terminate Comprehensive & Collision Coverage On Older Cars.

If you have an older car – by that I mean one that’s worth less than $2,000 wholesale (the amount a car dealer would give you if you were trading it in) cancel any Comprehensive and Collision Coverage you have or decline that option when getting a car insurance quote.

Here’s why. If an 8 year-old car and a brand new car have identical damage, the cost to repair both will be identical as well, even though the 8 year-old car is worth next-to-nothing.

You see the cost of a bumper and fender are the same – whether it’s for a brand new car, or one that is 8 years-old. That’s why your premiums don’t go down as the value of the car goes down. Your payments remain almost the same, year-after-year-after-year.

But, the bottom drops-out of what you’ll be able to collect on that older car. For instance, if your car is “totaled”, your insurance company will only pay you the wholesale value of your car.

So, let’s say your car is worth $1,000, but the total damage is more than $4,000, the insurance company is only going to give you a check for $1,000….minus your deductible, of course.

So you might end up getting $500 back. Sounds like a lousy deal….but that’s how it works.

So, the rule-of-thumb is this – cancel your comp & collision coverage when your vehicles value is less than $2,000….or you’ll be throwing your money away.

Okay – you’ve jotted down some notes and are ready to make some changes to your car insurance policy. So pick up the phone and start slashing your premiums!

Tom O’Leary is an Automotive Portfolio Analyst based in Cincinnati, Ohio and Publisher of http://www.mynewcarpurchase.com, a consumer focused web site that assists with buying a new or used car, cheap car insurance quotes and finding cheaper car & truck financing.

To be successful in Do It Yourself auto repairs you would need auto manuals as guide. Learn

how to extract all the information and help from your auto manuals.

You Need An Auto Manual

Do It Yourself auto repairs requires that you detect faults in time and fix them to reduce cost and time, auto manuals are designed just for that.

Whether you are new at Do It Yourself auto repair or you are an “oldie” you need a good auto

manual.

It facilitates quick and good results.

Follow the steps below to know how to get the best from auto manuals.

1. Decide what auto manual you want, this will be determined by your do
   It Yourself auto repair jobs.
   There are manuals for repair, maintenance, bodywork, and so on.
2. Get the auto manual that you can understand easily, you don’t want somebody to come and explain to you
   what is written in the manual before you can carry out Do It Yourself auto repairs.

Everybody finds auto manuals with photographs of jobs in progress easy to understands, so they will be good
for Do It Yourself auto repairs.

3. Buy the exact manual for your car, this will make work easier and faster.
4. Study and know the content of your auto manual well first do a general study, to have an overview of
   how
   parts systems are linked together, where some parts are located, etc. Do a detail study, especially on the area
   that has to do with where you want to carry out Do It Yourself auto repairs.

Pay close attention to
location of bolts and nuts, torque specifications, tools to be used, parts specifications, etc.

5. Use the manual to study your car engine, systems, parts. With the explanations and photographs in your
   manuals trace and locate your car parts, and study how they work.
   Do this before any breakdown and before you carry out Do It Yourself auto repairs.
6. Register with an online repair site. They further simplified do it yourself auto repair works and they
   also provide online helps on any repair problems.

In their forum you can read posts of other vehicle owners as they share their problems and success.
This will further help you. But you have to register with a minimal fee.

7. You can also type/copy out a particular repair page you need in your own language and keep by your side
   when you carry out your Do It Yourself auto repairs.

The more you do in-depth study on your auto repair manuals, the more you ‘know’ your

car, and the more success

you record in your Do It Yourself auto repairs.

Tope Olawumi is a seasoned auto infopreneur.

Visit his site at http://www.all-about-auto-part.com/Do-It-Yourself-Auto-Repair.html for more info on; how to be a better Do It Yourselfer, and how to carry out successful Do It Yourself auto repairs.

You can also subscribe to his blog at http://www.all-about-auto-part.com/Auto-part-blog.html