Take A Second And Just Breathe: What To Do During A Financial Emergency

Finance (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

Financial emergencies happen everyday, and not every family is prepared to handle the emergency when it happens. Sometimes you will find that you need help to get through the rough patch and you might feel a little overwhelmed. 

 When you face financial difficulties, the best thing that you can do is take your time, breathe, and approach the problem methodically. When you do that, you will be able to limit the damage and move forward without mortgaging your future.

Step One: Calm Down

The first reaction that you might have when you get into an unexpected emergency is panic. You want to take care of things right away and get on with your life, but the more stressed you get, the more likely you are to make bad decisions. Take an hour or so and just sit back and assess the situation critically. 

 What is the emergency? How long do you have to take care of it? Is it just a monetary issue or are there other things that you need to do as well? Once you know what the situation is, you will be able to make decisions with a clear head and move quickly to the right solution.

Step Two: Communicate

The next thing that you need to do is communicate your issue. If you are married, make sure that you and your spouse are on the same page. If it is something that affects roommates, call a house meeting and let everyone know what is going on. 

 The other person that you need to communicate with is the person who is asking for the money. Utility companies are often willing to work with customers who need an extra day or two to get payments in, and landlords would much rather keep a renter than try to find someone new. 

 Make sure that you let the person know that you are doing what you can to make payment and give them a timetable for when you will be able to get them their money. Do not be vague, or else they might think that you are just trying to stall; the more concrete details that you can provide, the more likely it is that the person you owe money too will work with you.

Step Three: Solve The Problem

The last thing that you need to work on is solving the problem. There are several different ways for you to get the money that you need to take care of a financial emergency. 

 You can go a traditional route and try to get the money from the bank, but if you have poor credit, this is probably not going to work out. If you have some things of value that you can live without for a short period of time, then you can always go to a pawn shop and get a pawn loan for those items. 

 The problem is that you will not get anywhere near what the items are worth in return, and if you cannot pick up your items when the pawn period is over, you will lose them. The best solution is probably going to be a payday loan. With a payday loan you can get a short term cash infusion that will not wreck your future financial security. You will be able to get money based on the amount of money that you can afford to repay on your next payday, and then your commitment is over.

Getting through a financial emergency takes time and patience. You need to approach the situation with a clear head, so that you make the best decisions and you will be able to move forward once the emergency is over. With the right approach, you will be back on track in no time at all.

How to Alter Your Spending Behavior

Let's face it; the dollar isn't as stable as it once was. As you age and retirement approaches, it becomes ever more important to save as much money as possible. There is a definite increase in the need to maximize the buying power of your precious income to avoid struggling with a fixed income. 

Smarter Banking

There's an old saying that you will be older a lot longer than you'll be young and the prospect of living on a fixed income is inevitable for most of us. For this reason, people in their golden years should take proactive steps to ensure their financial independence for the future. Perhaps the most important step seniors can take to secure financial security is to transfer their savings to a bank with high yield interest rates such as as ING Direct. There's an old adage that poor people work for their money and wealthy people make their money work for them so learning to do this is paramount for people approaching retirement. Fortunately, there are other ways to stretch your dollar further.

Online Coupons

Virtually every good or service available on the open market offers some sort of online savings program. Even ordering pizza can yield as much as 50% savings with promotional codes. To achieve the majority of these coupons you simply have to do an online search for them. If you were going to go shopping for a particular brand of paper towels, you could simply enter coupons for 'Bounty' into a search engine and a number of different websites such as retail me not will be delivered to you. Some websites even offer coupons that can be printed out right from your home. Everything from over the counter medicines to car insurance can be found online at discounted rates so be sure to take advantage. 

Stopping the Shopping

If you're over 50, chances are you've got several decades worth of high quality clothing so there's no need to go shopping for more every pay period or even every other pay period. That money would be much better served going into your bank account where it can grow. It seems like people become more susceptible to impulse buying as they age but you should keep your impending retirement in mind and avoid frivolous spending to satisfy an impulse. 

Budgeting Your Money

Your golden years should be the most enjoyable time in your life where you reap the benefits of your decades of hard work. But age is supposed to bring wisdom so budgeting your money wisely should become easier with time. You should make a realistic budget for every month and stick to it. The sacrifices you make now will benefit you greatly in the future. Allow yourself X amount of dollars every month for food, gas and leisure and abide by it. Something as simple as setting the sleep timer on your TV can save you a few dollars a month which become hundreds over the years. This may require you to eat at home more often and substitute ground beef for steak but the peace of mind that securing your financial future can bring is priceless. 

Exhibit Discipline

This is the most important step of all because all the financial planning does nothing if you don't abide by your own rules. Resisting the urge to over spend now will now will reward you very greatly in the future. A penny saved is a penny earned and all those pennies will help to finance your lifestyle in the future so use the wisdom that comes with age when spending money and you should have a happy retirement when the time comes.

Author Bio

Joshua Turner is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to business. In this article, he describes how spending behaviors can be altered and aims to encourage further study with UC Applied Behavior Analysis Masters. 

Understanding The Costs Associated With Heart Disease

Health (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

The costs of leading an unhealthy lifestyle have a substantial effect on your lifestyle costs in the future. Going without exercise and consuming foods that are considered to be traditionally unhealthy puts you at risk of developing heart disease and can leave you with hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Making the choice to leave a healthy lifestyle is often difficult until your eyes have been opened to the possibilities of what being diagnosed with heart disease can potentially cost in the future. 

What are the potential costs of heart disease?

Doctors Visits and Procedures

Visits to the doctor, procedures and admission to hospital and medical facilities have the potential to cost upwards of several thousand dollars, for each trip to the center. Imaging procedures are costly and are often required multiple times through the course of a visit to a cardiac health center -- adding up significantly. 

Nutritionist Costs and Dietary Needs

Once patients have suffered a cardiac event, it's essential to take the right path when it comes to health and nutrition. Unfortunately, this can include added costs of physical training and therapy, healthy food that is suited to specialized diets and fitness club memberships. Taking the health seriously late in life is costly -- and not something that should be taken lightly. 

Health Insurance Premiums 

Health insurance premiums are based on the health and the history of the patient. Patients that have a poor health history will experience higher health insurance premiums than otherwise healthy patients. 
In some cases, patients searching for health insurance are denied because of the increased risk based on their previous history. In the case that there is no health insurance, one visit to a cardiac specialist can cost upwards of seven hundred dollars -- and that's without any imaging or studies being completed during the appointment. 

The Cost of Medication

In the case that you've suffered a cardiac event, it's likely that you're going to be on some sort of medication regimen. This daily regimen can cost several hundred dollars monthly -- as not all of the prescribed medications are covered by supplemental health insurance plans. 
Though there is help available for the costs of medication, it rarely covers the entire monthly amount, leaving patients short on medication or short on money. 
Sure, there are generic options that are available that can help to lower the price but the long term cost of medication to reduce the instance of developing further cardiac issues can be quite high. Many patients that are unable to work, have few other options, and have difficulty affording the required medication. 

Surgery

During the worst case scenario, patients that have experienced a cardiac event are likely going to require some sort of surgical intervention. This type of intervention is going to require consultations with physicians and cardiac specialists, admission into the hospital facility, tests, monitoring and medication in addition to the costs of the surgery. 
The entire cost of a cardiac surgery, depending on the circumstances, can be upwards of forty thousand dollars. For patients that require more than one surgery, the costs can be exponential and leave the patient without the funds in the budget to repay the debts that are owed to the hospital. 
Taking into account the finance related implications of heart disease is something that patients should consider before they reach that point. Making the effort to follow healthy eating guidelines, maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle and avoiding things that can increase the risk factor, like smoking, can help to reduce the chances that you're going to find yourself bankrupt, sick and in need of medical and surgical intervention.

Author Bio

Sarah Daren is a writer who creates informative articles relating to the field of health. In this article, she describes the costs associated with heart disease and aims to encourage further study through clinical laboratory science schools.

Get The Most Out Of Your Armed Forces Discounts`

English: (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you have served in any of the five branches of the United States armed forces, you are entitled to certain discounts on goods and services throughout the country. It's the business community's small way of saying thanks for all you've done.  

Life is expensive, and finance can be hard to keep track of in terms of spending, especially in later years. Money is tight, so keep your eyes peeled for any and all discounts available to retired service members. 

For Your Health 

Aside from the comprehensive health insurance provided by Veterans Affairs, retired military personnel can access discounts at dentists, opticians and pharmacies across the country. 

CVS/pharmacy is a member of a program called Veterans Advantage, which offers 20% in-store discounts, and 10% for online purchases. Veterans Advantage is a membership program with a 30-day free trial period and a small monthly fee thereafter (much the way AARP operates). Other health advantages include supplementary health and prescription drug insurance, and free global MEDEVAC if you are sick or injured while leisure traveling. 

Discounts for Home and Family 

From cell phone providers to hardware stores, there are coupons to download or at-the-counter discounts that apply when you show your military ID. Home Depot, for example, gives 10% off to service members both active and retired, injured service members, spouses, and dependent children. For a night on the town, some AMC Theaters offer discounts after 4pm. With the ticket prices these days, it's worth finding out if your local theater participates! Bass Pro and Cabela's both offer discounts, but only on certain days. Check their websites to find out when specials are coming up. 

Geico, as well as certain other personal finance providers have discounts for active and retired personnel. H&R Block has a deal for tax preparation each springtime. You've served your country, been a productive member of society, and worked hard for your retirement: don't waste this time sitting in the study doing your taxes when someone else can do them for you! 

On The Road 

Some of the best discounts for military retirees can be found out on the open road. Several car rental companies and dozens of hotel chains offer varying discounts for retired armed forces personnel. Read the fine print, as certain hotels, such as Mariott, only offer discounts to active personnel traveling on government business. 

So you rent yourself a car at a favorable rate, and you're driving across these beautiful United States on the vacation of a lifetime. You're seeing the country you offered up your youth for. The sun is glinting off the amber waves of grain. When you stop in at a travel center, know that many Wendy's franchisees offer discounts and specials when you show military ID. 

Book yourself into a Hilton or a Westin to take advantage of their discounts and make your travel dollars stretch further. In fact, with all the money you are saving, you can head to Dollywood, the capital of kitsch, where military retirees are also fêted for their service. 

Where to Find Discounts and Coupons 

You've done a lot for America. Your family has made sacrifices as a matter of course that others cannot even comprehend. Enjoy your golden years by taking a little something back in thanks. 

Military.com is an immensely useful resource for everything from discounts to relocation to personal finance. Everything under one roof! 

There are plenty of other websites dedicated to military discounts and coupons. Most are free; others are membership-based. Do your research and find the one or ones that are affiliated with products and services you will actually use. And be sure to contact the local franchisee to confirm participation in any discount programs. 

Author Bio 

Joshua Turner is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to business. In this article, he describes discounts available to members of the armed forces and aims to encourage further study with a Norwich Masters Degree in Military History.

Loving Care For The Elderly

Loving Care For The Elderly Home health care is a good finance option, and it is ideal for elders and the sick that no longer need hospital care to finish recuperating. This service offers numerous advantageous to elders who prefer to be in the comfort of their home and in familiar surroundings rather than a long-term care center. In-home care providers make it possible for both those recuperating and the sick to stay at home and still carry on with their life in the way that they want. Family members can be with the patients at all times or visit them whenever they want. 

The best In-home care workers do not compromise on the care and treatment they provide. They provide a highly flexible, personalized service. The patients and their families' best interests are given top priority, and all efforts are put forth to give the best clinical, pharmaceutical and healthcare services. The well-trained providers give high quality, compassionate service and take care of all a patient's needs so that they live comfortably. They work in close coordination with the existing medical services and related parameters. 

These services provide freedom, dignity and a sense of belonging. Elders who prefer staying at home and being under the care of a home worker are near their loved and dear ones instead of being in a strange hospital or care facility. A home atmosphere, love and care enhance the healing process. 

Health care includes a range of services. These services include: 

• Physical therapy 
• Speech therapy 
• Dietary Management 
• Medication and injection 
• Observations and assessments 
• Psychiatric care 
• Occupational therapy 
• Intravenous medication therapy
• Chemotherapy 
• Complicated wound care 
• Infusion therapy 

Benefits of Home Care 

Home care provides more advantages than being in a residential health care facility or a nursing home. A health care worker ensures that the elderly person receives nutritious meals, timely medication, rest and adequate supervision. 

Healing happens more quickly in a relaxed environment like one's home. Also, the risk of infection is decreased by leaps and bounds. Health care workers who come to one's home enhance recuperation and recovery, and they are also able to provide better personal hygiene. 

This type of care gives patients more control over their atmosphere. The patient can decide on his daily schedule and have the freedom to do things he has always done in his home. 

A home care aide provides companionship. Family members who have to be away from home due to work and other commitments can leave their homes safe in the knowledge that their loved ones are taken care of. 

Cost Benefits 

Nursing homes, semi private rooms and assisted living in care facilities are alternatives to hiring a health professional to come to your home, but they are more costly. A vast majority of patients are opting to be treated at home under the care of home health care workers than in an alien environment for both comfort and finance benefits. However, these facilities are less expensive than what one would have to spend on hospital service or at long term care facilities. Home care health services also reduce readmission finance. The hourly rates vary from state to state and city to city. Rates can vary from $25 to $50. 

Medicare will finance home health care if certain conditions are met. If you are home bound and need skilled nursing care, then you will be eligible for Medicare finance. There are numerous agencies catering to the needs of elders. They provide health care to the elderly who need constant medical care and assistance after being discharged from the hospital. It is important to get the services of an efficient and reliable home health aide. Referrals from friends and family are the best way to find honest and reliable care providers who your finance plan can handle. Online reviews and testimonials can also help you narrow in on the best agencies to contact. 

Author Bio 

Sarah Daren is a writer who creates informative articles relating to the field of health. In this article, she explains a few benefits associate with home health care and aims to promote programs such as a family caregiver program Colorado.

4 Online Marketing Services that Drive Success

To do well with a business, one must have a multifaceted approach that involves trying to find customers with a variety of different methods. However, this is not always easy, as many new business owners do not know what actually helps to build a strong a customer base. Here are four online marketing services that drive success. 

SEO

With high organic search rankings, a company can see a lot of traffic to their website. To get started, most people opt to do it on their own and experience poor results, since it is difficult for the average person to do it right. Luckily, a professional SEO company can, with ease, help a website reach the first page of the major search engines. They can do this by helping the business create solid content and gain links from a variety of quality sources. Thus, when you are even looking for a dental practice marketing service, you should first consider using an SEO company in order to generate a large amount of natural attention. 

Email marketing

With email, one can market their ideas to a wide audience and find a lot of success. To begin, one should hire a service that can construct a marketing email that will bring in new visitors to the website of the company. These same companies, such as 123 Postcards, will also be able to provide your company with a direct mail service, which will make sure that you reach out to as many people as possible. This is a perfect option for a business that has a hard time getting people excited about their product using other methods. 

Social media marketing

Most people fail to build a sound social media marketing plan, as they do not know what will interest followers. The problem is that many people will simply give up when they don't see results from their efforts with social media. In order to see the best results, you should consider using a professional company that will know how to build and use your social media sites with the maximum amount of efficiency in mind. Remember, social media is here to stay, and a company must embrace this early on if it wants to succeed. 

Surveys

When owning a website, one will, inevitably, have both satisfied and angry customers. To understand the reason for these varying opinions, one should conduct surveys. This will not only help the business to understand the mindset of clients, but with this information, the business owner can improve the situation and avoid causing issues with current and potential customers. However, most people do not know how to conduct a survey tactfully, and it is best for an entrepreneur to pay someone to do this task, since it is necessary to ask the right questions without alienating or bothering visitors that come to the business. 

With these four services, a company can build their customer base and achieve long-term success.