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Sunday, August 26, 2007

صدایی که به گوش نرسد


صدایی که به گوش نرسد ...

نامی دگر را خط زنی
شیفته ظواهر، لذات نفس دنبال کنی
عادت کنی و ترک عادت
روزگاری زین چشمه آب نوشیدی
حال بر بسترش حمام آفتاب گیری
فانیانی که از پس تو آیند و از پیش ات روند
و نامی که در دفتر نوشتی
و دوباره عادت کنی و دوباره ترک عادت
فراموش کنی ولی در یادت باقی ست
و این بار در فکر فرو روی
و دنیا برای اندیشه ات ایستد
ولی این بار کنی خرق عادت
و اوست که همواره نظاره گر توست ...

Friday, August 24, 2007

Carnival of Everything Finance !!

What is a Carnival ?
Blog carnivals are blog-hosted columns that collect expert-written articles on a particular topic. Sort of like a little news aggregators hosted on a blog. It’s a good way to forge links with other blogs and get stuff out there.

Carnival of Everything Finance
As the name suggests, this carnival will host articles and blog posts that pertain to Finance.
It can fall under, but not limited to, Investing, Frugality or Real Estate. In case your article doesn't fall under any os these categories, I do have something called Everything Else Finance.
I'll be publishing an edition of the Carnival of Everything Finance, 3 times, every month. The very first edition was published on September 4th, 2007.

Here is some detailed info about this carnival:

Description ¤ You will find useful information for topics including, but not limited to, investing, save money, shopping, being frugal, real estate and mortgage.
Keywords ¤ investing, save, money, shopping, frugal, real estate, mortgage
Filed under ¤ money & finance
Carnival homepage ¤ Everything Finance
Submission deadline ¤ 15th & last day of the month
Submission categories ¤ Investing, Shopping, Frugality, Real Estate & Mortgage, Everything Else Finance
Maintained by ¤ Tushar Mathur
Current status ¤ This carnival is ongoing.
E-mail ¤ WriteToMe@everythingfinanceblog.com


Carnival Archives:
First Edition , Sept 4th, 2007
#2, Sept 12th, 2007
#3, Sept 21st, 2007
#4, Oct 1st, 2007
#5, Oct 17th, 2007

#6, Nov 2nd, 2007
# 7, Nov 16th, 2007
#8, Dec 3rd, 2007
# 9, Dec 17th, 2007

If you have written articles or posts about Finance and want it to be published in this month 's Carnival Edition, please Submit Them to the Carnival of Everything Finance
I'll try and publish all the articles submitted, but, right now I'm getting so many submissions that I might have to pick and choose!

Once again, the link to submit your article is: Carnival of Everything Finance

Looking forward to hearing from you all !



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Thursday, August 23, 2007

High Energy Bills ?? Try out these simple ideas !

The most thorough energy efficiency resource on the Internet is the home page for the U.S. Department of Energy and its affiliated Energy Star program. These pages provide a great deal of general information about minor home improvement projects that can shave off a significant portion of your monthly energy expenditures.

In this post, I'm focussing on saving energy by using our appliances.

Air Conditioning

  1. Use fans when possible instead of AC.
    • A few carefully placed fans can create a cross-breeze that will cool down a room quickly.
  2. Close your curtains and shades at night; open them during the day.
  3. Make sure the "fresh air" vent on the air conditioner is closed so you are not cooling outside air.
  4. Clean leaves and debris from the unit and clean the filter often.
  5. Read HowStuffWorks' Guide to Maintaining Your Air Conditioner.
Dishwasher
  1. Load dishes in their proper locations to ensure maximum cleaning efficiency.
  2. Set to 120 degrees or the "low" setting.
  3. Scrape, don't rinse, dishes before loading the dishwasher.
  4. Only wash full loads and use the shortest wash cycle.
  5. Avoid using the "rinse hold" setting on your dishwasher.
    • This wasteful cycle uses up 3-7 gallons of water.
  6. Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle.
  7. Keep the drain unclogged and clean.

Heating System

  1. Try to leave your thermostat as low as possible while keeping comfortable.
    • A sweatshirt or an extra blanket at night can keep you warm for free!
  2. Keep your basement, attic and garage doors closed to keep in heat.
  3. A ceiling fan kept at low speed will spread heat evenly around the room.
  4. Keep furniture away from heat registers and AC ducts.
  5. Keep the temperature in the bathrooms cooler than the rest of your house by keeping the doors closed.
  6. A programmable thermostat helps you automatically regulate your energy usage.
    • 68 degrees when you're home.
    • 65 when you're away briefly.
    • 58 when you're gone more than five hours.
  7. Insulated drapes or quilted curtains keep more heat inside your home.
  8. Close the chimney flue and seal unused fireplaces.
  9. Bleed trapped air from hot-water radiators once or twice a season.
Stove and Oven
  1. When cooking, keep the lids on pots.
  2. Cook with a full oven.
    • Prepare dishes together when possible.
  3. Thaw foods before cooking.
  4. Keep your stove's reflector pans shiny to maximize efficiency.
    • If the flames on your stovetop are yellow, it needs to be cleaned.
  5. Don't open the oven door while cooking; instead, look through the window.
  6. Crockpots, toaster ovens, frying pans and pressure cookers all use less energy than an electric stove.
  7. Only boil as much water as you're going to need.
  8. Using a small pan on a large burner wastes energy.
    • Choose a stove range with multiple burner sizes.

Water Heater

  1. Use cold water instead of hot whenever possible.
    • Keep the water off while you shave, brush your teeth, etc.
  2. Set the heater's temperature at 120 degrees.
  3. Take showers instead of baths.
    • Installing a low-flow shower head will help you use less hot water.
  4. Put an insulating blanket around the water heater.
  5. Fix dripping faucets quickly.
    • A dripping hot water faucet wastes 212 gallons a month!
    • Take a look at the Department of the Interior's Drip Accumulator to get an idea of how much water you may be wasting.
Related Posts:
* Easy ways to cut your energy bill


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Friday, August 17, 2007

Review: DealLocker.com

If you are like me , trying to save a buck or two here and there, you are obviously on the lookout for coupons that you could use for your usual spending. I have tried many sites like coolsavings.com etc. but I don't find a lot of good stuff there.

Recently I came across this cool website DealLocker.com that has a lot coupons that I could use.
Last month, I bought a new construction single family home. To install blinds on all the windows in the house, the builder was charging me about $3000, but I was told that it can done in half that price. So I went to deallocker.com and clicked on Home coupons and there I found blinds.com coupons .

The best part about this website is that if I come across a good deal/coupon I can go into the website, go to the relevant category and and add the coupon so that others can take advantage of it too.
"Deal Locker is dedicated to friends helping friends get deals!" This is the deallocker.com motto!!

They also have a 1 Click Bookmarklet that you can drag and drop to your links folder in your browser. This is how it works.
Say you are on dell.com looking for a good laptop for your home office. Click on the Deallocker bookmarklet, and boom!, you will see a page that has at least 5 coupon codes that you could use for buying a Dell laptop.



Along with coupons, you will also find discounted gift cards for sale that are currently being auctioned off on eBay.




I think this is a pretty cool way of scoring some free online coupons!

What do you think?

*Other Reviews On Everything Finance:
Mortgage-Mart.com
YourCreditNetwork.com
LinkedIn.com


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Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Features that add "Resale Value" to a Home

According to bankrate.com, a website that often covers the international real estate industry, the 10 features listed below add a lot of value to your home.
Based on my recent purchase of a new construction single-family home, I have added my comments for each of these features.

1. An updated kitchen
When we visited the model home, we really liked the granite counter tops, new appliances (that got me excited too!), lot of cabinets for storage, and an island in the center of the kitchen. The island is can be used for more countertop space as well as a small eat-in area. For my wife, this was the biggest selling point of the home.

2. Modern bathrooms
This is an important one. The master bathroom must have double vanities. That means, you and your partner each have their own space with a sink to get ready. Modern bathrooms also have a separate jetted bath tub and shower area. Modern light fixtures are a plus.

3. A well-appointed master suite
For me, the master suite was the selling point. A master suite must, at least, have enough space for a king size bed, dresser and 2 night stands. Separate space for a sitting area, tray ceiling, crown molding at to the value.

4. Natural materials
In floor coverings, especially bathrooms or kitchens, look for ceramic tile or wood rather than linoleum. If you have carpet, it should be a good product and well-maintained.

5. Curb appeal
Again very important. When you come home from work, your home's appearance should be a welcome sight. Nicely trimmed lawn area and uncluttered driveway go a long way in achieving good appeal.

6. A light, airy spacious feel
There should be enough light and cross air ventilation coming into the house. Being of Indian origin, we always consider a home where the front door faces the southwest direction.

7. Good windows
The house should have a lot windows. All windows must be properly insulated. Personally I prefer to have blinds on all the windows. Well-placed skylights are also a good touch to add value.
Unfortunately, I don't have any in my house.

8. Landscaping
Always have a well manicured lawn. A few plants wont hurt either. We are planning to have our back yard fenced for added privacy. I wouldnt mind having a swing, but that means less play area for my daughter.

9. Lots of storage
You couldn't go wrong with an over sized garage, some attic space and plenty of closets. We have a good sized 2 car garage, but we currently just have one car. So more storage space for us.

10. Basement
Having a finished basement adds even more value. Basements add a lot to your resale value. Unfortunately, we don't have a basement.

Related links:
* Buying a new construction home and making some money along the way

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Monday, August 13, 2007

What is ACH ?

Every time you pay a bill online, you transfer money into your online savings account or your employer direct deposits your paycheck, do you know what kind of a transaction is really taking place in the back end ?
Its called an ACH transaction.

Let me explain.

ACH stands for Automated Clearing House.

The ACH Network is a highly reliable and efficient nationwide batch-oriented electronic funds transfer system governed by the NACHA OPERATING RULES which provide for the interbank clearing of electronic payments for participating depository financial institutions. The Federal Reserve and Electronic Payments Network act as ACH Operators, central clearing facilities through which financial institutions transmit or receive ACH entries.

ACH payments include:

* Direct Deposit of payroll, Social Security and other government benefits, and tax refunds;
* Direct Payment of consumer bills such as mortgages, loans, utility bills and insurance premiums;
* Business-to-business payments;
* E-checks;
* E-commerce payments;
* Federal, state and local tax payments.

More recently, the ACH network is being used to convert check payments into ACH debit transfers. By providing the appropriate disclosures, businesses can use account information on checks to initiate ACH debit transfers and reduce payment processing costs.

The Standard Entry Class (SEC) code is a three letter code that identifies the nature of the ACH entry. Here are some common SEC codes:

ARC
Accounts Receivable Entries. Checks received by a merchant through mail or drop box and presented as an ACH entry.

BOC
Back Office Conversion. Checks that are converted from paper to an electronic debit at a centralized location.

CCD
Corporate Cash Disbursement. Primarily used for business to business transactions.

DNE
Death Notification Entry. Issued by the Federal Government.

POP
Point-of-Purchase. A check presented in-person to a merchant for purchase is presented as an ACH entry instead of a physical check.

PPD
Prearranged Payment and Deposits. Used to credit or debit a consumer account. Popularly used for payroll direct deposits and preauthorized bill payments.

RCK
Represented Check Entries. A physical check that was presented but returned because of insufficient funds may be represented as an ACH entry.

TEL
Telephone Initiated-Entry. Verbal authorization by telephone to issue an ACH entry such as checks by phone.

WEB
Web Initiated-Entry. Electronic authorization through the Internet to create an ACH entry such as PayPal.

XCK
Destroyed Check Entry. A physical check that was destroyed because of a disaster can be presented as an ACH entry.

ACH payments have been around for some time now, but people are just getting used to them, especially with the ARC, POP, and RCK, where the original instrument was a physical check.



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Friday, August 3, 2007

Indian call center lands in Ohio

To a person of Indian origin, staying in the US since 2000, this news makes me very happy that Indian companies are reacting positively to the concerns of the American people by bringing jobs back in the Us as well as giving their own customers a choice of having their customer service personnel in the US or in India. Hopefully this love would spread in Europe too.
Indian call center lands in Ohio

More foreign companies are finding that hiring Americans offers distinct advantages, reports Fortune's Jia Lynn Yang.
FORTUNE Magazine
By Jia Lynn Yang, Fortune writer-reporter
August 3 2007: 5:49 AM EDT

(Fortune Magazine) -- It would be easy to imagine Reno, Ohio, as the type of place that would be hit hardest by outsourcing - a small American town losing out to the invisible hand shifting jobs to places like Bangalore and Guangzhou. Instead, outsourcing is bringing the jobs to Reno. Across the street from an Army Reserve center and next to a farm, a customer-service call center hums, its 250 workers answering phones for online travel agency Expedia. The center's owner? Indian conglomerate Tata Group.

The phenomenon has a name: "insourcing," the term experts are starting to use when foreign multinationals open offices on U.S. soil and hire Americans, at a higher price, to do the very jobs they once lured overseas. In this case the center in Reno is targeted toward companies willing to pay a premium - its workers there cost up to 40 percent more than their counterparts in India - to give their U.S. customers a more culturally fluent, less frustrating 1-800 experience. (No more hearing someone read from a script ten time zones away.)

Tata isn't alone. A growing number of multinational companies are building and expanding operations on U.S. soil. Below, a few unlikely examples.

Lehui Enterprises
$12 million
The Chinese condiment maker is planning a soy sauce factory outside Atlanta.

Wipro
$150 million/office
Indian IT services firm plans to open several software development offices in U.S. college towns.

Gruma
$51.5 million
The world's largest tortilla maker, based in Mexico, will open a factory in Los Angeles in 2008.

Tata, which is based in Mumbai, established its Reno roots last year when its business services unit, SerWizSol, bought the call-center business of travel-processing firm TRX; the deal also gave it a call center in Milton, Fla. "We want to be able to say to a client, If there's a piece [of call-center operations] you want to keep in America, we can do that for you," says Ricardo Layun, head of U.S. operations for SerWizSol.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Make money from your Website or Blog

  1. Get Paid to Digg and Stumble !

  2. Text Link Ads





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Easy Ways to Save Money

Here are a few simple ways to start saving money. I follow, or have followed, or will soon follow all these ways.

Start small
Most financial experts feel that we need to save at least 5 percent, and preferably 10 percent, of our income and place it into an interest-bearing, liquid savings account. However, don’t give up if you’re not able to put aside 5 or 10 percent. Establishing a saving habit and saving consistently will eventually add up; even as little as $5 per pay period will accumulate. Once saving becomes a habit, set as your savings goal a maintained savings account of at least three to six months’ income. This will prevent borrowing when unexpected expenses arise or in case of a period of illness or unemployment.

Put money into a retirement account
If it is available, sign up with your workplace’s 401(k), 403(b), or similar retirement plan in which your company will contribute matching funds to the plan in your name. The most common match is 50 cents on the dollar. If this is the case for you, you will get an immediate 50 percent return on your contributions.

Monitor ATM withdrawals
Decide how much money you will take out each week or each month and make it last; discipline yourself to stick to your decision. Try to decrease the amount withdrawn every month. If you discover that you have money left over, deposit it into your savings account.

Pay off charges and loans
With the desire, discipline, and time, anyone can pay off his or her charges and loans and stay out of debt. There are four basic steps to eliminate charge and loan debt: (1) Transfer ownership of every possession to God; (2) Allow no more debt (no bank or family loans and cut up the credit cards); (3) Develop a realistic balanced budget that will allow every creditor to receive as much as possible; and (4) Start retiring the debt. Begin by first paying extra on the debts with the highest interest rates. If interest rates are comparable on all of the debts, first pay extra on the one with the smallest balance. After this first one has been paid, apply the regular payment as well as the extra money that was going to it toward the next highest balance. After the second is paid off, apply what was being paid on the first and second to the third highest, and so forth.

Pay extra on home mortgage
You will add equity to your home, reduce the amount of interest paid over the term of the loan, and reduce the length of the loan if you pay extra monthly on your home mortgage. If you consistently pay $100 extra each month on a $150,000 loan at 6 percent, you will save almost $73,000 in interest and shave more than 7 years off the original loan. If you can’t commit to an additional $100 each month, just round your payment up to the nearest hundred.

Pay off car loan
Interest on your car loan is not tax deductible and the rate is generally higher than on your home mortgage. Pay it off as soon as possible by rounding up your monthly payment to the nearest hundred and then add $50 (or as much as you can afford) to that amount.

Open an IRA
If your funds are limited, open an IRA only after you have maxed out with your company’s retirement plan. If you do not have a company retirement plan, open an IRA immediately.

Evaluate life insurance
If you’ve had the same term life insurance policy for five years or more, you can possibly cut your premiums by changing policies. If you apply for a new policy and get a new medical exam, chances are the insurer may feel that you are a better risk than fixed insurance health assumptions indicate, which means that you will qualify for a lower premium rate.

Be accountable for your money
Know where your money is going by establishing a budget and sticking to it. If the expense is not budgeted, the money should not be spent. Keep a small notebook with you to record miscellaneous budgeted expenses.