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Finance

A Guide to Avoiding Safety Deposit Box Mishaps

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For the modern urban dweller, a safety deposit box is probably the safest place to keep valuable items, especially essential documents, such as land title deeds, insurance policies and, of course, birth certificates. The system works by two separate locks that need different keys, one which is held by the client and one that the security company holds, and the box can only be opened with both keys simultaneously, thus ensuring that the box can never be opened unless the customer is present.

A Unique Key

There is a strict protocol that must be followed, and the customer key that comes with the security box is indeed the only one is existence, and furthermore, the key cannot be copied, and should the customer lose their key, the only way to get to the contents is to have the lock drilled out, which, of course, must be paid by for the key holder. The key must be kept in a very safe place, and you need to remember where that is. If you are looking for safe storage, Australasian Vaulting Industries has a highly secured safe deposit box in Sydney, and with locations in the suburbs, you won’t have far to go.

The Right Contents

There are certain things that cannot be kept in a safety deposit box, and the security company would certainly give you a list of materials or items that cannot be stored. Ideally, you would store any insurance policies, land title deeds and other important documents, and maybe your passport, if you don’t travel often. Your Last Will & Testament belongs in your safe deposit box, and all of these documents can be photocopied, and then you can leave the originals in the safest place of all, your deposit box. Read several references for more details about what type of items are suitable for a safety deposit box, which might make things clearer.

Power of Attorney

Whatever is in your safety deposit box, it will not be able to be accessed if you were to suddenly pass away, and for this reason, you should give a trusted family member power of attorney, just in case. Valuable company contracts and lease agreements might be stored, and if anything were to happen to you, it could cause many difficulties.

Suitable Location

When you do need to visit your valuables, you shouldn’t have to drive half the day, so try to find an established security company that have premises within a reasonable distance. If you live in a city suburb, the chances are there will be one nearby, and a Google search would be the best way to locate the right provider.

Under Insured

When making enquiries with the security company, ask how much the deposit box is insured for, as the value of your items might well exceed the limit. Typically, a safety deposit box would be automatically insured for $10,000, and there would be policies available for much higher amounts, and while their premises would have state of the art security, you really can’t afford to take any chances.

The security company would be well-versed in their industry, and would be happy to answer any questions you might have, and provided you are careful, your valuable possessions will be in very safe hands.

Factors to Consider When Thinking About Debt Consolidation

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If you are one of the many people who have managed to get into a position where you are unable to make multiple payments, all is not lost. In these times of rising prices and increased needs, it is oh so easy to borrow more than you can afford, and once this happens, there seems little one can do but struggle on. For some people, the answer is to simply ignore the final demand letters and not answer the phone calls, but in all honesty, the problem will not go away, and there one method that can address the issue, and that is debt consolidation.

Debt Consolidation

This has helped thousands of people deal with multiple debts, and it works by merging all a person’s debts into one single monthly payment. There is no “one size fits all” solution, and debt consolidation isn’t the magic answer for everyone, as you must have adequate income to meet the payment, but if you are employed and after calculating everything, can afford a consolidation loan, it could be the best solution. There are online providers who offer loans for debt consolidation, and a simple Google search will bring up a list of possible companies who specialise in helping people with multiple debts.

Suitability

Debt consolidation is not an automatic solution to a multiple debt problem, and if you contact a debt specialist, they would be able to assess your situation and help you to decide what is best. It really boils down to whether or not you are able to make a single monthly payment that might be higher than the total of the multiple payments you are currently making. If, for example, a person has 5 separate debts, and the total they have to repay per month is $600, with debt consolidation, there might be a single monthly payment of $700. Although your total outgoings are more, that one payment might enable you to manage things better, and with some expert advice, you will be in a position to make an informed decision. If you would like some further reading on how to manage debt, there is a useful article online that examines possible solutions. 

Credit History

If you have multiple debts and also have a bad credit history, that doesn’t mean you cannot qualify for a debt consolidation loan. Some online finance companies actually accept those with a less than perfect credit score, and the rate of interest charged would be based upon the applicant’s credit history. There is absolutely nothing to lose by enquiring, and it might be the answer to your problems, although debt consolidation is not suitable for everyone. 

Professional Advice and Guidance

When a person in debt tries to analyse their circumstances, they often find it difficult to see things clearly, yet by enlisting the help of a debt consolidation expert, you might be surprised to learn that there is a way to address the problem. A problem shared is a problem halved and many people have found the ideal solution after discussing their financial situation with an expert, who is able to analyse your situation clearly.

Whatever your financial circumstances, it might be possible to merge all your debts into one single loan, and providing you have a regular income, debt consolidation might just be what you need.

First-Time Gold Investor? Consider These 5 Factors

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When world economies fail, gold continues to prosper. Gold bullion coins sell in the millions every week, alluring investors to purchase gold. If you’re a first-time gold buyer, we’ve put together a couple of handy tips to consider before you make that investment.


  1. North American Coins Are a Good Choice

The American Eagle and Canadian Maple Leafe gold coins are very easy to both buy and also to sell. But, the American Eagle’s gold content along with its purity has been guaranteed by the U.S. Mint and these coins may even be put into retirement accounts.

What’s more, the more widely used gold coins are far easier sell than, for example, the Austrian Vienna Philharmonic coins or the South African Krugerrand.

In comparison, gold bars are costly, typically trading in 10-ounce amounts, but they can be difficult to sell and expensive to ship around.

If you choose to invest in gold coins, firstly, make sure that you purchase from reputable gold buyers in Adelaide, and secondly, store them in a home safe or safety deposit box. Physical possession is usually best if you want to avoid dealer scams.


  1. Compare Prices

Typically, a Mint will not sell coins directly, but reputable dealers will. If it’s your first time buying gold, be sure to compare prices among dealers. This is pretty easy to do since coins sell at a premium above gold’s sport price. Turn to the internet to find the spot price. The best thing to do is aim for the lowest possible price and try to avoid buying gold on sites like eBay where you risk getting pulled into an unnecessary and costly bidding war.


  1. Invest in 1-Ounce Coins

Typically, gold coins are issued in four main denominations, mainly, 1-ounce, half an ounce, a quarter of an ounce, and a tenth of an ounce. Keep in mind that the fractional coins usually carry higher premiums above the spot prices compared to the one-ounce varieties, which is why it’s better to invest in 1-ounce gold coins.


  1. Stay Away from Rare Coins

Rarer coins usually require a lot more expertise and diligence when investing in them. Consider this: two coins may look identical, but have totally different grades. It’s differences like these that can add up in the region of thousands of dollars. It’s a good hire to use a professional grading certificate and get certificates of authenticity when you do buy rare coins. This is usually somewhat of a hassle for investors, though. The professional grading services, however, will judge the physical condition of the coin and assign it a grade – it’s like investing in a piece of art.


  1. Buyback Policies

If you want to invest in gold coins, make sure you find out what a dealer usually charges to sell them. All dealers are different, and not all of them will charge a premium. Simply call out and find out their policy.

It’s worth remembering that there are plenty of scam artists out there, and if you come across a dealer offering delayed delivery or free storage, this should send up big red flags. Also, avoid buying from telemarketers as they usually charge a lot higher commissions.

Now that you have these tips, we hope you enjoy investing in gold!

Innovation Labs and Other Great Ideas To Help Your Company Innovate

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Innovation is one of themes important aspects to businesses and the general rule within a great many industries is ‘innovate or die’. This ethos is not just exclusive to small businesses but it may prove to be more important that small businesses continue to innovate, compared with the bigger companies. In the last few years alone we have seen some heavyweight companies go under thanks to their failure to innovate, companies like Blockbusters, Woolworths and more recently, Toys R US. If these occupancies are not immune to the dangers which a lack of innovation brings, neither is your small business. With this in mind then, let’s take a look at some of the ways that your business can push for more innovation.

Innovation Lab

An innovation lab is a great way for you to cut down theme which idea development takes, and encourage your team to be more innovative in their approach. It could be easy for you to get your team together in a room and try to encourage them to be innovative but if you use the same space for this as you use for meetings and collaborative work, you could actually be inhibiting creativity. In light of this then, an innovate lab is the perfect solution, a neutral space where you an your team can meet to find new and exciting ways in which you can do business.

Innovation Management Software

Another great option which you could look at in order to push for more innovation amongst your team, is to use innovation management software. This type of software allows your team to all work individually on their ideas and share it with the entire company in a  split second. As a manager or owner, this means that you can have access to see these ideas grow and watch as more people throw in additional and supporting information. The software allows ideas to be taken from a  concept right the way through to fruition without the need for endless meetings, emails and conversions. Ideas can be quickly decided upon as to whether they are good enough and you can also attach a great amount of supporting information to the ideas process.

Risk

The thing that most drives innovation within a business is the company’s willingness to take a risk when necessary. In simple terms this means that if your company is prepared to give an idea a go, it means that even if it fails, you will be creating an environment where the staff and the leaders within the business, will be thinking in a more innovative way, safe in the knowledge that the business is prepared to give it a go if the idea is good enough. Creating this kind of environment is perfect in terms of getting your team in the right frame of mind, and ensuring that you are doing all that you can to take the innovation which you have in the business, and using it to find success.

Why You Need To Start Investing in Bitcoins

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For just over 2 years now I have been investing with the guys at Prescott Regency in cryptocurrency and in the main, Bitcoin. Now, I am aware that this cryptocurrency thing is a new concept for many and if you fall into this bracket you should start getting some education on what this new, digital currency is, and how you can make big money from it. I have done pretty well in the last few years through my investment in Bitcoin and I am confident that the other currencies which I have invested in will follow suit. If you aren’t sure, here are just a few reason why you need to invest in Bitcoin.

Evidence and Predictions

Bitcoin was the very first digital currency that came into existence and it used to cost a couple of dollars per Bitcoin. Over the years however, the people who thought that it was a passing phase or a flawed idea, have come around to the notion that cryptocurrencies will change the way in which we use money and the price has risen. The price hit an all time high this year of $5000 which is serious money and further evidence that this is an idea which carries weight.

The people who correctly predicted that Bitcoins would be worth $5000 have also gone a step further and suggested that it could go as high as $100,000 in ten years.

Wider Acceptance

It is not just people trading with Bitcoin who are interested in the digital currency and there are many online retailers and even governments such as in Japan, which are now accepting Bitcoin. The fact that ether is now wider acceptance for this form of currency is further proof that it demand is rising and this means that if you have Bitcoins, people will want them and the prices will rise.

Limitations

We already know that there are only 21 million Bitcoins which can be in existence and at the moment, just over 50% of them have been mined and are on the market. What this limitation does is ensure that demand constantly increases and will usually outstrip the supply. Therefore if you can get in right now in terms of investing, you stand to do very well in the future once the final Bitcoins have been mined, and we must move on to other digital currencies.

Lack of Knowledge  

Whilst there are some heavy hitting financial investors who are looking to invest in digital currency, there are still very few people who actually understand what cryptocurrency is and how successful it may be. This means that right now is there perfect time to get in before others do, in order to bag yourself a healthy profit later on down the line. Mark my words, this will be the end of cash as we know it and that makes this the perfect time to invest in the future.

Flight Delay Compensation Calculation Decided by Court of Justice

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The amount of compensation possible for a flight delay has been decided by the Court of Justice, in a unique case. The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled on compensation calculations for delayed or cancelled flights and their distance. Going forward, the Court’s ruling will be adhered to for all similar flight compensation cases.

Flight Delay Compensation Case

This ruling came about after a problem arose during a flight compensation case, brought about by passengers travelling from Rome to Hamburg via Brussels. The flight was operated by Brussels Airlines, with a stopover. The flight in question was three hours and 50 minutes late arriving in Hamburg, and so the passengers attempted to claim compensation.

The case, which was put before a local court, sought to claim compensation based on existing EU regulations. These EU regulations stated that airline passengers could claim compensation in the event of a delay; €250 for flights less than 1,500km in distance and €400 for those more than 1,500km. However, as the passengers’ journey from Rome to Hamburg technically involved a connecting flight, it was unclear as to whether these regulations applied and which distance should be used.

The case was then handed over to the Court of Justice to decide whether the total distance refers to the distance between the departure airport and arrival airport, or whether it factors in the entire distance covered with the connecting flight.

What Was Decided?

The Court of Justice ruled that the exact nature of the flight does not affect whether or not compensation can be claimed, as the passengers’ inconvenience remains the same. This means that both direct and connecting flights are covered by existing EU regulations; only the departure airport and arrival airport are considered. However, the distance – whether the distance is more than or less than 1,500km – is calculated based on a direct flight.

This means that passengers who face delays in the EU with connecting flights are entitled to compensation, but the exact amount will be calculated as if they were flying direct.

FEASIBLE WORK FROM HOME INCOMES

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Working from home is a reality that has been put into perspective with the growth of the internet. A lot of people are already making a kill out of the jobs available online and are even going one better by investing money online with the help of online trading companies like CMC Markets. Though there are still some contentious work-at-home jobs out there it is relatively easy to sort through scam jobs and get to feasible work-from-home opportunities for some decent income. This text takes you through some of these jobs so let us get to it.

Online Teaching

All the way from elementary schools to postsecondary education, there are occasions when students need to learn virtually. Along with this comes the opportunity for anyone to teach or tutor virtually. Teachers can take advantage of the advanced technology that brings high-speed internet connections and software designed for schools to work with students from a distance. More teacher jobs get posted with enticing incomes which depend on the amount of time and type of classes one would want to teach.

Translation Jobs

There are plenty of translation jobs online that just require fluency in more than one language though some may require a bachelor’s degree. Majority of the work from home translation jobs are spread among technical, professional, scientific services but other private and state services, and social assistance also offer jobs.

Virtual Assistance

Many businesses today mostly operate online while some are completely online businesses. Running a business online needs a lot of administrative tasks and things to be organized so this makes it necessary to hire a virtual assistant to do the job. As a virtual assistant, you will be contracted independently to remotely support multiple clients in various industries by providing technical, creative and administrative services. Tasks involved include responding to business and media inquiries, writing and creating content, and responding to e-mails among other duties. There are many established companies online that offer such jobs so if you are diligent then you can earn some good income.

Freelance Writing Jobs

Writers are ever in demand due to the need for content, news articles, and other creative ideas to help fill the pages of various sites on the internet. A lot of growing sites are hiring content creators and freelance writers. If you have got a writing experience backed by ambition and the ability to be unique on events that happen on a daily basis then you can work well. Sites like Freelancer.com and Upwork.com have got lists of freelance jobs which anyone with a solid work portfolio or writing samples can apply for.

Social Media Management

Big businesses are joining the social media bandwagon in order to directly reach their customers and avoid heavy costs of television, radio and print advertisements. Some business lack social media managers hence this presents a great opportunity for anyone with the right skills to get such jobs. This industry is relatively new but it is promising since there are thousands of job listings on sites like SimplyHired.com and CareerBuilder.com.

Data Entry

There are many businesses that need workers to enter varied data into their systems. Because this job only requires computer and typing skills, most data entry workers can work from their homes on schedules that fit their lives. The jobs are in plenty and well paying hence making data entry feasible.

Blogging

This form of work-at-home income earning mechanism is a bit different from the others; it requires your time and you have to be clearly visible to be able to build yourself. It might be disappointing as you start a blog since it takes a lot of time to grow and get established but once you make it, you can celebrate. There is a bigger potential for writers with the ability to build an audience and find ways to monetize their blog sites to start earning some income as they grow.

Well established bloggers can make a lot of money through sponsored posts, affiliate advertising, product sales and Google Adsense. The best thing about blogging is that it is way less expensive since you just pay some little money to buy a domain and host a web.

How To Trim Off Needless Costs of Car Ownership

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Just buying a car can be expensive enough, without the monthly costs of actually running it. For anyone looking at ways in which they can save money each month, trimming down the costs of running your car are very important as these can often be the biggest spends. Now, there are some areas which you cannot trim, unless you have an emergency, such as if you have taken out finance on your car. If you do have finance and you are struggling with payments, contact the lender to see if you can renegotiate the terms. Other than the finance, there are many ways in which you can trim down on monthly costs.

Gas

Gas in the car is one of your biggest monthly expenditures but there are many ways in which you can manage things to ensure that you bring the costs down to a minimum.

  • Driving Style – If you are an erratic driver who drives at high speeds, brakes late and over-rev the car, you are using a huge amount of gas in doing so. Drive safely to minimize how much gas you are using.
  • Car Pooling – Car pooling to work or using it for the school run is an eco-friendly and cost effective way of reducing how much money you spend on gas each month.
  • Cheap Fuel – If you shop around your local gas stations, you will see that the price of gas varies greatly, find the cheapest and make sure that you use it.

Washing

Throwing $10 per week to get your car cleaned may not seem like much but you can easily save this $500 per year if you do it yourself. Car washing is not hard and you don’t need any high tech equipment to be able to do it. Spend a couple of hours on a weekend, giving you car the love and car that it needs, and save yourself plenty of money in the mean time.

Check-Ups

There is little worse than having something go wrong with your car, especially if you are not financially ready for it. In order to minimize the risk of something going wrong, make sure that you take the car to the garage for check-ups, before long journeys, and before a harsh winter. Mechanics can spot potential problems and if you nip them in the bud early, you can greatly reduce the chance of your car breaking down.

Gadgets

There are all manner of gadgets out there on the market which you can put inside your car from tech items, to air fresheners, and everything in between. The key here is to simply ask yourself whether you really need such an item in your car. Usually the answer to this question will be no and you can avoid getting sucked in to buying things which you don’t need, if you follow the 10 second rule. When you see something which you want to buy, hold it in your hand for 10 seconds and think about whether or not your need it, nine times out of ten, the answer will be no.

Be vigilant about how much you are spending on your car, and you can reduce it in no time.