Conserving Energy and Cash at Home

With the weight of rising Gas prices, pressing harder than ever on Americans wallets, we have been forced to seriously consider how we can cut costs as individuals and as a nation. We are also daily seeking ways to conserve our natural resources.

The best way to go out and save the world from using its limited resources, is to start with your own family in your own home. It is definitely the little things, you do that can make a huge difference.

First, as simple as it seems, check all windows and doors and make sure that they are all sealed and locked properly. Windows are made with a certain seal that blocks air seeping through. When they are not properly fastened, the warm air can get in causing your A/C to work that much longer to cool the house.

Another A/C tip is to make sure that your air conditioner is the proper size for the type of room or house you are cooling. The wrong size air conditioner will use more electricity and increase your bills. A unit that is too large for a given area will cool the area too fast and too often, causing the air conditioner to frequently turn itself on and off. If a unit shuts off quickly, chances are it hasn't been running long enough to reduce the room's humidity and you'll be uncomfortable. If your air conditioner is too small, it will run constantly on hot days without ever totally doing the job.

As much energy as it takes to pump heating and air, you should really consider quality insulation for the attic and for the walls of your home. Insulating a home is like putting on a sweater or jacket when we're cold...instead of turning up the heat. The outer layers trap the heat inside, keeping it nice and warm, while doing the opposite in the summer for the A/C.

In the kitchen, keep the refrigerator away from anything that gives off heat (ovens and dishwashers, microwaves), windows, and heating ducts. Direct contact with heat forces the unit to work harder and longer, causing it to use up even more energy.

Unplug power strips and appliances when they are not being used, especially if they are big energy items. Although they may be turned off, the "standby" energy used is equal to that of a 75 watt light bulb running continuously.

It is up to each of us to do our part in our own lives to save energy. If you will start with some of these small things, you could seriously see big results in wallet, and also your world. Consider hiring an electrician to help you maximize your conservation efforts.

By Christopher Chism

Getting Your Head Around Paper Money to See the Gold

If I say to you, a $1.00 bill and a $100.00 bill have no difference except for the way the ink is printed on them, you might think I've a math problem. But hey, it costs them same amount of money to have each of them printed up and when it comes down to it, because they are mass produced, each individual note costs practically nothing.

However, a %.50 cent piece made in the late 1800s and made from 90% silver, had value in its own composition. The $1.00 coin from back then with twice as much silver, was worth by itself, twice as much as the $.50 cent piece. The silver content within them made up their value.

Can you see what I am saying? No? Well, today, one of those $.50 cents coins with the 90% silver content is worth $5.00. How can that be? I hear you say. Well, they hold there value and always will, inflation will make sure of that. As the Dollar gets less and less, silver & gold will rise and rise. If you buy it now, you can be sure it will rise within in a few years time and keep on gong for years to come.

Three silver dimes in 1964, would have bought you a gallon of gas; gas cost roughly $.27 cents. Those silver dimes today are worth a $1.25 each; those three silver dimes would nearly buy you a gallon of gas plus about $.25 cents in todays value. That is three dimes from 1964.

So what is happening is this, the price of gas hasn't gone up, it's the value of the paper Dollar that is going down. Inflation is causing deflation to the paper Dollar. Why? Because the government is printing more and more paper money from their own printing press we call the Federal Reserve, which in turn devalues your Dollar every time they do this.

Its like this, if you have 10oz of gold and 100oz of gold exists in the whole known world, well then you own 10% of the worlds gold. Let us say that 10% gold you have is worth $100.00 and that is the world recognised value for 10oz of gold. Now let us say a huge amount of gold was discovered equalling to the same amount already in existence. That influx of that gold would slash your 10oz value in half. The more you have of something, the less worth it becomes. There is only so much gold in the world that has been found, this is why it is called a precious metal. In fact, such a small amount of gold is in known existence that you could fill a space of 20x20x20 yards when its all melted together into a cube.

This is exactly what is happening to your Dollar. The Federal Reserve has a licence to print money whenever the government needs debt paid off and so dumps more paper money onto the market and devaluing yours. Only 5% of the money created is in physical paper money, the rest is in digital format. It could not be any easier, clicking a few buttons actualizes millions, if not, billions of Dollars.

This method of creating money whenever we feel like it is unsustainable. Eventually the Dollar will go to zero; it is on an uncontrollable inflation course straight into the ground. To protect yourself I will tell you this, go and buy gold and silver bullion. It doesn't have to be in coins and you don't have to store it a your home or business, you can buy online and have the gold never leave the vault where you buy it from, they can store it for you and I guarantee you this, gold is an investment product that can not just be created out of thin air like paper money can, it will hold its value in times of uncertainty and it will be worth more and more as time goes on.

Why settle for paper when you can have gold.

By Gavin Conway

Get Money For Structured Settlement

Did you receive a structured settlement for a personal injury or another legal battle? Are you tired of waiting on your money each month and are you ready just to have one lump sum for your settlement? Get money for your structured settlement by selling it to an investor. This is an easy way to cash out and do what you want to do with your money. Here are a few tips to help you get money for structured settlement.

First, you need to find a group of specialty investors that buy settlements. These groups are usually very wealthy individuals that will offer you a portion of the total settlement to buy the entire amount. This benefits them and it can benefit you. Sure you won't get as much money, in the long run, as if you just took the annual payments, but you will have one lump sum that you can invest, use to pay off medical bills, or use for any other reason you might need it for.

Second, research your company and make sure they have a strong reputation. They will have testimonials from past clients that have been in a similar situation. Make sure they have give the company you choose a raving review. This will give you peace of mind to know that you are getting a good deal.

Last, have a lawyer look over all the paper work to ensure that you are entering into the right type of agreement. The last thing you want is to be scammed out of your money so use this safeguard to ensure that the documents are drawn up correctly and you are going to get what was agreed upon.

Follow these steps to get money for structured settlement. You will be able to cash out and use the lump sum for whatever your needs or wants are. If you plan to invest all or some of it make sure to consult a professional for advice on this matter.

By Benjamin Robert Ehinger

Three Things Everyone Should Know About Life Settlements

Life settlements have a variety of great benefits for many policyholders, however, the fine print and complicated rules can make the entire process a stressful experience. With some basic information and proficient, expert help, it does not have to be that way. To make the entire process a successful venture, there are three things that every policy-owner should know.

Life Settlements VS Viatical Settlements

Although these two terms seem identical at first glance, there is a significant difference between the two settlements. When the owner of a life insurance policy is extremely ill and decides to sell their policy, it is referred to as a viatical settlement. When this occurs, the death benefit from the policy is paid to the settlement company after the owner has passed away.

So long as there are no particular restrictions placed on them by the state, life settlements occur when the owner of the policy sells the policy for any other reasons beside an illness or the quick approach of death. Some choose to sell the policy rather than losing it by falling behind on payments while others use it as a source of cash for a variety of reasons including the desire to live a different lifestyle, gifts, or the acquisition of life goals.

Life Settlements Are Negotiable

The amount of money paid out for life settlements is completely negotiable and depends on the agreement that is made. Generally speaking, the health, age, amount of the benefit, and type of policy will determine the amount of payout that is offered. This is what makes shopping around a vital component to a successful settlement. Today, life settlement brokers will often take the work out of it by doing the shopping themselves; they will search through a list of funders to find the best offer. There will also be some form of fee or commission charged by the broker in exchange for his or her service. Regardless of the amount of the offer, there is never an obligation to accept it.

What Happens Afterwards

Once the transaction is complete, the ownership and beneficiary changes hands and the funder will be responsible to pay the premiums. Any possible taxation that may occur with a settlement payout is the responsibility of the original policy-owner. In general, however, the amount of the original investment is not taxed, but it is taxed up to the cash surrender value. Anything over that amount is often subject to capital gains tax. The settlement company may also contact the insured individual in the future to find out about his or her current health status.

In some states such as New York, there are no regulations set in place to monitor or control life settlements. In fact, agents do not require certification or training in some cases making the choice of a reliable institution extremely important. Understanding the process and choosing reliable and expert help is the best way to make the experience a smooth and easy transaction.

Please note that IFG Insurance is not offering legal or tax advice. Any discussion of taxes included in or related to this document is for general informational purposes only. Current tax law is subject to interpretation and legislative changes. You should consult with your legal and tax advisors.

By Christine Harrell

Structured Settlements - Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

Is there really such a thing as a good problem? Some might say so. My aunt comes to mind. Back in the 1980s she won two million dollars in the lottery. How could that be any kind of problem you ask. Well, when the lottery people asked her if she wanted the money all at once or in monthly payments over 20 years, she took the payments, and regretted it right up until she got the last one.

I don't know exactly how much she got every month but she claimed it wasn't enough to live on so she had to keep her job. In hindsight, what she would have rather done was take the lump sum, which would have been less than the whole two million, and invested it. That way, by wisely placing part or all of the money in a high-yield investment, she could have had monthly income that far exceeded what the lottery folks were paying each month. So much for hindsight.

What she ended up learning, though it was too late to be of any use, is that she could have sold her winnings and received a lump sum of cash. How does this work? Well, there are companies and investors who are willing to buy income streams or payments. Monthly lottery payments qualify for this as do private mortgage note payments, annuity payments, structured settlements, royalties and several other types of steady payment streams. What happens is, based on the type of payments one might be receiving, an investor or company dealing in purchasing such assets will examine the type of payment a person is getting and make them an offer on the remaining payments.

Just like any state lottery commission, investors don't pay the full face value for these payments. Sometimes the reasons may not seem logical but the simple answer is, a lump sum today, even when discounted, is more valuable than the promise of a stream of future payments. I'm reminded of the old saying, "a bird in the hand..."

But many of the companies offering such a service are quite creative. They are able to offer more than one way to receive money up front and at the same time, still leave the seller with some of their payments. There are arrangements where such a company would pay cash up front in exchange for a portion of the payment. It might work like this: Sally is receiving payments of $600 monthly for 10 years on an accident settlement. She wants cash today. In exchange for a cash payment now, she evenly splits her monthly payment with an investor. So, she gets a lump sum of cash today and continues to receive $300 for the next ten years.

Another possibility would be that someone holding an annuity or receiving payments on a private mortgage note might assign his or her rights to receive, say, the next five years of payments in exchange for a lump sum today. After the five years has passed, the individual would revert to collecting his monthly payments.

There are many ways to structure such transactions depending on the needs of both the asset holder and the asset investor. Often the asset holder can have the best of both worlds. That is, they get to receive a lump sum up front while preserving the right to resume collecting payments in the future or receiving partial payments for the remainder of the term - like having your cake and eating it too.

By Jared Emin