Real Estate Information

Who wouldn’t want to have more money? It is doubtful that there is anyone on the planet who would prefer to have less money. So, why do people always find themselves short on funds?

Often, this is the result of not having the proper focus. They will seek to earn more money when such earnings are not possible. After all, there are only so many hours per week a person can work. Having more money is not always a matter of earning more money. Instead you can have more money by cutting costs and saving money.

To help you get on track, read these tips from Finance Tips 101:

1. Always look for a deal or discount whenever you purchase anything. There are hundreds of coupons, discounts, and deals out there and consumers should certainly look out for these deals. And then they should start taking advantage of these deals since they can deliver enormous savings on many types of purchases.

2. Keep an eye on your energy bills both electric and gas. Do you really need to have your heater or air conditioner turned up to the maximum? In many instances, you do not have to do this. You could always use space heaters, ceiling fans, or other such devices. This will certainly help you lower your electric and gas bills. The amount of money that one can save with this tactic can yield incredible savings through the years.

3. Stay away from banks that charge you outrageous fees. If your checking account comes with a multitude of costs to keep the checking account open, you may be better served looking towards those banks which are much less expensive. The same can be said of credit cards that come with high interest rates. If you have a high interest credit card, it would be best to transfer balances to a lower interest rate card.

4. Cutting back on your entertainment budget would be a wise move as well. Yes, we love to engage in our favorite hobbies and activities. But, these passions due come with expenses and you will need to curtail your passions if they are costing a great deal of money. Besides, there are a ton of free things out there you can take part in and they are worth exploring.

5. Take better care of the things you own since it will extend their life expectancy. The longer something lasts, the longer you can wait before having to replace it. Do you really want to buy new clothes or a television set if you do not have to? In the past, you may have. If you are looking to save money, you will want to avoid making new purchases unless you absolutely have to. That means you need to make what you own last.

provided by RISMEDIA, 2010

Fun in the sun, by the pool, on a boat or at a barbeque can quickly send you to the emergency department on Memorial Day if you don't plan ahead, the nation's emergency physicians warned.

"We want people to have fun on Memorial Day weekend, which officially kicks off summer," said Dr. Angela Gardner, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians. "But having fun also means staying safe, using good judgment and taking simple precautions that will help keep you out of the ER and most importantly, keep you alive."

The American College of Emergency Physicians has put together the top five tips that you and your family should follow in order to stay safe and healthy over the holiday weekend.

Tip 1: Food Safety -- To avoid food poisoning, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture recommends cooking fresh poultry to 165 degrees, hamburgers to 160 degrees and beef to at least 145 degrees. Refrigerate all perishable food within 2 hours, 1 hour if the temperature outside is above 90 degrees. To guard against cross-contamination of bacteria, keep uncooked meats away from other foods.

Tip 2: Grill Safety -- Emergency physicians see firsthand the dangers associated with an outdoor grill. Consumers should thoroughly clean a grill of any grease or dust. Check the tubes leading into the burner for any blockages from insects or food grease that can cause an uncontrolled fire. Replace any connectors which can lead to a gas leak and keep lighted cigarettes, matches or open flames away from a leaking grill. Do not use a grill in a garage, breezeway, carport and porch or near any surface that can catch fire. Also, always follow the manufacturer's instructions that accompany the grill.

Tip 3: Water Safety -- To prevent drowning, avoid alcohol when swimming or boating. Wear a lifejacket whenever you are on a boat. Make sure young children are supervised at all times when near the beach, on a boat, or by a pool or hot tub. Don't swim alone or in bad weather. Learn to swim and teach your children to swim. We also recommend that you learn CPR in case of an emergency.

Tip 4: Sun Safety -- Protect against sunburn and heat stroke. Wear sunscreen with at least an SPF of 15 or higher and apply it generously throughout the day. Wear a hat outdoors and a good pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes. Drink plenty of water, especially when in the sun or if you are sweating heavily. If you feel faint or nauseous, get into a cool place immediately.

Tip 5: Travel Safety -- Do not drink and drive or travel with anyone who has been drinking. Wear your seatbelt at all times. Make sure your vehicle has been properly serviced and is in good working shape before a long road trip. Familiarize yourself with your surroundings if you are in an unfamiliar place and know where the nearest emergency room is to you at all times in case of an emergency.

"Many of the factors that will determine your safety over Memorial Day weekend or any time this summer will come down to good decision-making and common sense," said Dr. Gardner. "As someone who sees the consequences up close, my best advice is, know your limits, be mindful of certain risks and stay smart."

copy: RISMEDIA 2010

Before the summer heat--and summertime utility bill--starts to make you sweat, you might want to consider making a few changes to cut your energy consumption. You can shave dollars off your monthly bills without sacrificing comfort as long as you plan ahead and get creative. Here's a room-by-room guide to saving money this summer--and benefiting the Earth at the same time.

In the basement: Geoff Godwin, division vice president of Emerson, the country's largest provider of heating and cooling systems, says cleaning air conditioning filters every month and getting your system checked by a professional once a year will ensure that it's functioning as efficiently and inexpensively as possible. "A lot of people don't do that--they ignore the AC system until something goes wrong," he says, then they end up buying an entirely new unit instead of making minor fixes.

If you need a new air conditioner, an energy efficient one might be eligible for a tax credit (check at www.energystar.gov/). When you're shopping around, look for a unit with a seasonal energy efficiency ratio of 16 to 21, the highest level of efficiency. Another option is a geothermal heating and cooling system, which utilizes pipes running from the more stable, ambient temperatures found five feet underground year-round into your home, where they pump heat in or out, depending on the season.

Throughout the house: "Make sure your house is leak-free," says Alliance to Save Energy spokeswoman Ronnie Kweller, or else "nice, cold, expensive air is going out the cracks." You might want to consider assigning this task to a professional. Through the Energy Star online directory, you can find a local auditor who will use diagnostic equipment to test your home for areas where air conditioning might escape. Your auditor will probably do what's known as a blower door test, which lowers the air pressure in your home and reveals leaks. He or she may also take a photo of your house with a thermographic camera, with the red areas of the photo indicating where better insulation and sealing are needed.

If you don't want to shell out money for an energy auditor, you can perform a casual energy audit yourself. Efficiency experts recommend feeling around baseboards, windows, doors, light switches, and electrical sockets for air leaks. Air can escape or enter anywhere that two different building materials meet. Kweller also recommends walking around your house with incense to see if the smoke blows in when you pass windows. Kweller says old, wooden windows are especially prone to this kind of leakage

If you find problem areas, seal it with foam or caulking, which you can find at the hardware store. Insulation that meets certain efficiency criteria is also eligible for the federal tax credits. Kweller says properly sealing your house can save up to 20 percent on your utility bill.

Using a programmable thermostat so that the temperature automatically rises when no one is home during the day can yield annual savings of about 30 percent, says Godwin, with much of the savings in the summer, since air conditioning runs with electricity. While some 25 million households own programmable thermostats, only half of those people take advantage of them, says Godwin.

Replacing older light bulbs with compact fluorescents not only reduces your electricity bill, it can help save energy on air conditioning since fluorescents generate less heat, says Kweller. She estimates that each bulb can save about $50 over the course of its lifetime.

In the living room: There's nothing wrong with hosting movie nights this summer, but make sure you shut your entertainment center down when the evening's over. Simply turning off a television set doesn't put a stop to so-called "vampire power"--the power that devices consume even when they're not in use. That's why you should either unplug your electronics or use a Smart Strip, which cuts power when it's not needed.

If you're in the market for a new television, check energy efficiency ratings. The Energy Department bestows its Energy Star rating to sets that use about one-third less energy than regular televisions. In general, LCD televisions use less energy than plasma screens, but both use more than older sets.

Remember to turn the power off or unplug your digital photo frames when you're not gazing at those illuminated photos. Over the course of the year, leaving one on costs about $9--not a lot, but when thousands of people are doing the same thing, it adds up.

In the kitchen: Baking a cake or casserole in the summer will force your air conditioner to go into overdrive. Plus, eating hot food will only make you want to turn the thermostat down. But you don't have to survive on cold pasta salads and gazpacho this summer. Instead of using your oven, consider an outdoor grill or toaster oven for small amounts of food.

If you're up for a challenge, try baking cookies on your car--yes, your car. Nicole Weston of Baking Bites developed a method of baking chocolate cookies with the heat that collects inside cars on steamy days. She suggests parking in the sun, using a thermometer to help monitor the temperature, and protecting your dashboard by putting a barrier between it and the baking sheet. (It should be at least 95 degrees outside and the baking process takes around two and a half hours.)

In the bathroom: If you don't want to spend money on a low-flow toilet, you can still make yours more efficient by dropping a soda bottle filled with sand or water into the back. It will use less water each time it flushes. Ivan Chan of carbonfund.org adds that small steps such as turning the water off while brushing your teeth or shaving can save a substantial amount of water (and money on your water bill) each year. He also recommends installing a water conserving showerhead.

In the bedroom: Stay cool while you sleep with an overhead fan instead of pumping air conditioning throughout the entire house. Shutting the doors and vents of unused rooms can also lighten the load of your air conditioning unit.

Outside: A way to reduce cooling costs in the longer run is to plant trees or shrubs so that your house is more shaded, especially on the sunnier side, says Kweller. (For a quicker fix, draw the blinds or shades when you're not home.)

© Maura Judkis and Kimberly Palmer

It’s Spring. Time to dust off those unused items in the attic and basement and prepare for the annual ritual of Yard Sales.

Many garage-sellers are entering the market for the first time or re-entering it as a way to raise cash, and experienced shoppers know this because the quality of the goods has gone down. People hold on to possessions longer in a recession, but now they are trying to sell what they might have thrown away or donated to charity in the past.

For buyers and sellers who are new to the garage sale scene, here are some tips:

What to know if you are selling

-Price low. That should be the goal if you want to get rid of stuff. For pricing guidelines, visit thrift stores, not eBay.
-Heed the signs. Keep signs on every other block and every corner where a turn is required in the city (a half-mile apart along longer stretches in the suburbs). Make sure the address and sale dates are large and easily readable. Add balloons to attract the eye.
-Sell with others. Doing it alone is too much work.
-Sell to early birds but charge extra perhaps a $5 or $10 “tax” for a purchase. Keep it short. Make the sale one or two, but not three, days.
-Promote yourself. Advertise as much as you can in the newspaper and on Craigslist, Facebook and bulletin boards.
-Cut prices. Advertise that on the last day or last afternoon, everything is half-price.
-Offer details. Be specific about sale items in an ad, such as a leaf blower, musical instruments or furniture.
-Be friendly. Greet everyone who comes to the sale.
-Group small items and sell everything for $1 or more to eliminate coins.
-Plan ahead. Take the spring and summer to collect, price and box items to sell in the fall.
-Choose the best hours- 8 am to noon or 9 am to 3 pm.
-Donate leftovers. Call ahead to have charities picks up unsold items.

What to know if you’re buying

-Don’t bring your purse. Leave it in the trunk. Keep quarters, ones and fives in a pants pocket or jacket.
-Cruise around. Check good neighborhoods for better quality goods, but haggle if prices are too high.
-Shop early for the best selection.

-Browse in the late afternoon or on the last day for the best bargains. Any offer is fair near closing time.
-Play it safe. Skip cribs, mattresses, car seats and hockey helmets due to possible safety concerns.
-Set limits. If you’re concerned about overbuying, commit to limits on spending or the number of items.
-Leave your card. Ask to be called if an item remains unsold and the seller is willing to accept your price.

 (c) 2010, J. Ewoldt, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

As the deadline approaches for filing tax returns, the process of claiming a tax break created by the stimulus package has proved to be more work than millions of people had bargained for.

The new tax credit, championed by President Obama as a follow-through on his campaign promise to provide broad-based tax relief, affects 95 percent of all Americans by cutting $400 from the total tax bill for individual filers and $800 for married couples.

In an effort to jump-start the sputtering economy by putting the money into people's pockets as quickly as possible, the government also decided to pay the credit upfront and instructed employers to reduce the amount of federal withholding deducted from workers' paychecks over the last year.

But what millions of taxpayers did not realize was that to have the credit deducted from the total amount of taxes owed, they are required to complete a new form, Schedule M. For millions of retirees, the procedure also requires an additional step because they have to deduct the tax break, known as the "Making Work Pay" credit, from other tax credits they may have received.

While either of those procedures takes only a few minutes, I.R.S. officials said that the unfamiliarity with the process of claiming the credit had led to errors in more than four million of the 82 million returns processed as of this week. The government expects to receive 60 million more returns by the filing deadline on Thursday, so it is possible that millions of additional returns will also contain similar errors.

The I.R.S. said its examiners would correct those errors, file the Schedule M for the taxpayers who neglected to do so and recalculate the filers' taxes to reflect the credit. But the sheer volume of errors involving the tax credit has added to the workload of the agency and could result in delays of several weeks or more for taxpayers whose returns were incomplete.

"We're making sure people get the credits they are entitled to," said Michelle Eldridge, a spokeswoman for the I.R.S. "But it's causing delays."

While mistakes involving the tax credit are by far the most common error tax examiners are encountering this year, I.R.S. officials say that the error rate -- less than 6 percent -- is not surprising for any new provision in the tax code. The Obama administration also contends that, despite the extra paperwork for taxpayers and the delayed returns, the tax credit succeeded in nudging the economy toward recovery by injecting $65 billion into circulation quickly.

But putting the credit into effect has nonetheless been challenging. In November, the Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration reported that the I.R.S. instructions regarding the credit might have led some employers to reduce withholdings too much. As a result, the audit warned, 15 million or more taxpayers might find that their refunds would be smaller than expected, or they might even owe taxes.

I.R.S. officials say that because of a variety of other tax credits and changes to the code, those problems have not materialized and refunds are actually larger this year than last. But the complications involving taxpayers filing for the Making Work Pay credit have been widespread. Some filers neglected to claim the credit on line 63 of their 1040 forms or to file the Schedule M. Social Security recipients and federal retirees who received $250 stimulus checks were also required to deduct that amount from their Making Work Pay tax credits, adding to the confusion.

"Even those of us who do it for a living are puzzled by this thing, so people doing their own returns have no idea what to do," said Ron Lee, an accountant in Davenport, Iowa. "It's good intentions to get the money out there and reduce taxes. But it creates an accounting headache."

Amy Brundage, a White House spokeswoman, said the Obama administration had made extensive efforts to alert taxpayers to the new credits. In March, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and the commissioner of the I.R.S., Douglas H. Shulman, appeared at a White House event to publicize the new tax credits. The Obama administration also placed a tax-saving tool on the White House Web site to help taxpayers understand which credits they could claim. "Helping the American people understand tax relief they are eligible for is an administration priority," Ms. Brundage said in a written statement, "and we will continue to work to help the American people navigate this process during these difficult economic times."

With millions of last-minute filers yet to prepare their returns, I.R.S. officials advised taxpayers to consult with http://www.irs.gov/, or the telephone help line, at (800) 829-1040, if they need assistance.

"And the No. 1 way to reduce errors and get your refund as quickly as possible is to file electronically," said Ms. Eldridge of the I.R.S.

© David Kocieniewski provided by The New York Times

Some consumers are more than willing to pay higher prices for organically grown food. But are organic strawberries worth the extra dollar?

The health benefits of organic food are one of the most intensely debated issues in the food industry. By definition, organically grown foods are produced without most conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge. Livestock aren’t given antibiotics and growth hormones. And organic farmers emphasize renewable resources and conservation of soil and water.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the National Organic Program, says organic is a “production philosophy” and an organic label does not imply that a product is superior. Moreover, some say there’s no need to eat organic to be healthy: Simply choose less processed food and more fruits and vegetables.

The crux of the argument often comes down to the nutritional benefits of organic foods, something that’s hard to measure. To compare the nutrient density between organically and conventionally grown grapes, for example, researchers would have to have matched pairs of fields, including using the same soil, the same irrigation system, the same level of nitrogen fertilizer and the same stage of ripeness at harvest, said Charles Benbrook, chief scientist at The Organic Center, a pro-organics research institution.

Last summer, the debate came to a head after the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a comprehensive systemic review that concluded organic and conventional food had comparable nutrient levels.

The outraged organic community criticized the study for not addressing pesticide residues, a major reason people choose organic. The study also did not address the impact of farming practices on the environment and personal health.

Maria Rodale, a third-generation advocate for organic farming, urges consumers to look beyond nutrition to the chemicals going into our soil, our food and our bodies. “What we do to our environment, we are also doing to ourselves,” said Rodale, chairwoman and CEO of Rodale Inc., which publishes health and wellness content.

Some experts also suggest consumers focus on the producers rather than the product itself. For example, Vicki Westerhoff, owner of Genesis Growers in St. Anne, Ill., uses organic procedures but calls her food “natural” and “chemical-free” because she hasn’t gone through the expensive certification process.

Here’s a closer look at some of the factors that may influence your decision whether to buy organic products.

Fruits and vegetables
Farmers using conventional practices treat crops with pesticides that protect them from mold, insects and disease but can leave residues. Organic fruits and vegetables have fewer pesticide residues and lower nitrate levels than do conventional fruits and vegetables, according to a 1996 scientific summary report by the Institute of Food Technologists.

The bottom line: Experts say pesticide residues pose only a small health risk. But fetuses and children are more vulnerable to the effects of the synthetic chemicals, which are toxic to the brain and nervous system, said Dr. Philip Landrigan, director of the Children’s Environmental Health Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. The Environmental Working Group recommends buying organically grown peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes and pears because they are the most heavily sprayed. Onions, avocado, sweet corn and pineapple have some of the lowest levels of pesticides.

As for nutrition, one French study found that, in some cases, organic plant products have more minerals such as iron and magnesium and more antioxidant polyphenols. But although mounting evidence suggests that soil rich in organic matter produces more nutritious food, “we are never going to be able to say organic is always more nutrient dense; that’s going beyond the science,” said Benbrook of The Organic Center.

Dairy and meat
Organic dairy and meat products come from animals not treated with antibiotics or genetically engineered bovine growth hormones, which are used to stop the spread of disease and to boost milk production. Past rules on “access to pasture” were vague and didn’t require that the animals actually venture into it. But a new regulation requires that animals graze for a minimum of 120 days. In addition, 30% of their dietary needs must come from the pasture.

The bottom line: The dairy cow’s diet is key. Organic milk has more vitamins, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid because the cows eat high levels of fresh grass, clover pasture and grass clover silage.

As with dairy, organic meat has higher levels of omega-3’s because of the higher forage content in their diet. It also has lower fat overall than animals fed a high-corn diet, said Benbrook. Eating organic dairy or meat also can help with another issue: The use of antibiotics on farms has contributed to an increase in antibiotic-resistant genes in bacteria.

“Pushing animals to grow really fast has a cascade of effects on the environment and the health of the animal,” said Benbrook. “We need to back off the accelerator and focus on the health of the plant, the health of the animal, as well as the nutrient composition of the food.”

Cosmetics, personal care
Chemicals in personal care products have been linked to both environmental pollution and human health concerns. Of particular concern are phthalates, which have been linked to endocrine disruption. Environmental concerns also are rising about the tiny nanoparticles now being added to cosmetics, sunscreens and other products. Notably, organic personal care products can be labeled “organic” but still contain synthetic ingredients.

The bottom line: Of the 3,000 chemicals used in high volume in personal care products, only half have been put through basic toxicity testing, according to Landrigan.

You may be paying more for “organic” products that aren’t actually organic; the USDA regulates organic personal care products only if they’re made of agricultural ingredients. Look for the USDA logo rather than the word “organic” on the label.

Processed foods
Many processed foods—pasta, candy, cookies, crackers, baby food—now come in organic versions. Products made from at least 95% organic ingredients can carry the “USDA Organic” seal if the remaining ingredients are approved for use in organic products. Products with at least 70% organic ingredients may label those on the ingredient list.

The bottom line: Processed organic food hasn’t been shown to be any more nutritious than processed conventional food. In conventionally processed products such as baby food, pesticides aren’t commonly detected because the processing steps “are quite effective in breaking down trace residues of pesticides,” said food toxicologist Carl Winter, director of the FoodSafe Program at the University of California at Davis and co-author of the Institute of Food Technologists scientific summary.

“Pesticides are rarely used on crops grown for baby foods since the ultimate appearance of the crop is less important due to the processing before the product is ultimately sold,” Winter said.

Some consumers may decide to choose organic because those products are not supposed to contain genetically modified organisms.

Cotton, coffee
Cotton and coffee are two of the most pesticide-intensive crops in the world. Pesticide residues have been detected in the cottonseed hull, a secondary crop sold as a food commodity. It’s estimated that as much as 65% of cotton production ends up in our food chain, whether directly through food or indirectly through the milk or meat of animals, according to a report by the Environmental Justice Foundation. Conventional coffee production also has contributed to the deforestation of the world’s rainforests.

The bottom line: Pesticide residues are generally removed during the processing but the chemicals can have a huge impact on the local land, biodiversity and the health of the workers involved. Though buying organic can help preserve environmental health and support farmers who use ecological methods, “it’s more important to focus on the circumstances of growers and farms versus the product itself,” said food writer Corby Kummer, the author of The Joy of Coffee.

 (c) 2010, Julie Deardorff Chicago Tribune.