A Comprehensive Guide in Choosing the Best Among the T1 Service Providers

T1 Service ProvidersAll workloads for your company will be way more productive since your data and communication needs will be processes by the T1 line. T1 service providers that offers T1 internet services will make sure to keep everything and everybody moving without any downtime at all. Now, would you want to experience of having a web conferencing together with your staff members coming from different locations? Today, you have all the freedom to do that with no worries about the bandwidth issues. All of these advantages and benefits are just that for your company’s business needs. Productivity and profits will improve as well for your business when you use T1 internet services that are being provided by the T1 service providers.T1 service providers that offer the infamous T1 internet can help in making your company maintain its website – upload and download important and essential files without having to feel any run-out of bandwidth. And do you know what this means? More employees will be doing their jobs and tasks without any interruptions! This just make the cost of T1 internet pay for its worth over the period of time that you signed a contract for. T1 service providers make sure that unlike the local DSL service, T1 connections assure you that you don’t have to share your bandwidth with other subscribers.So if you have lots of people working for your company that needs to communicate and work with each other, well this is going to be a huge benefit. These benefits of having a blazing fast internet connection can be observed and felt especially when you usually have to share large files. You will discover that the T1 service provider who have offered you the T1 internet services will be the best thing that ever happened with your communications team ever since the invention of radio. Choosing a decent T1 service provider that can give you the proper T1 service will surely result to a better prepared workforce and this will immediately translate to higher earnings in the bottom line, which perhaps the goal of every single company.The technology that pushed the T1 service providers into making the T1 internet will get your business from the tracks into being well-run machine. Your workers as well as colleagues will truly enjoy having instant access to the internet without any disruptions. T1 service providers have proven that T1 internet services are the best thing that ever happened to businesses and establishments today.Types of T1 Service ProvidersIn countries like Japan, North America and South Korea, T1 service providers that offer T1 internet connections have become the standard in telecommunications methods for sending data thru a network router and voice data thru a telephone system from one device to another. However, an E1 circuit is being used instead of the T1 throughout the rest of the world.T1 lines are originally developed by the Bell Labs in the 60s where the T1 internet connection is also referred as the Digital Signal 1, DS-1 or DS1. The average delivery speed of a T1 circuit is 1.544 Mbps and it also qualifies as a full-duplex kind of circuit.Prior to the 1990s, T1 lines are used mainly by the telecommunications companies to send voice traffic between central offices. They have also been utilized for a quite a long time via cell phone carriers to connect central office switches with a lot of cellular sites all throughout the city. As of today, almost all companies and establishments use the T1 internet connections that are provided by the T1 service providers.So much for the introduction, here are the top 3 kinds of T1 service providers:AT&T is among the premiere and the front liners in voice, video and data communication companies all over the world, serving businesses, consumers, and government. The subordinates of AT&T supply domestic as well as international long distance, regional and local communications services and internet communications services. Having an approximate of $37 billion of revenues, AT&T has built working relationships with almost 50 million consumers and 4 billion business customers who all depend on AT&T for a higher quality of communications. AT&T has also received a lot of awards and was acknowledged for its outstanding performance and customer service.BELL SOUTH is the communication service where the company is providing the local and long-distance voice and data services to more than 44 million subscribers in the United States and other 14 countries. This company also provides a wider array of voice, broadband data and e-commerce solutions to business customers.BROADWING COMMUNICATIONS is a subordinate of Corvis, this company is providing innovative telecommunications solutions to businesses, enterprises, carriers as well as other service provides. Their one of a kind, all optical network has the capacity of enabling the transmission of data, voice, video as well as high capacity of bandwidth services with an unparalleled customer focus and speed.How do T1 service providers work? In order to understand how the T1 service providers work, then allow me to give you a brief background of how T1 lines work. Now, if ever your business owns and uses a T1 line, it just means that the phone company has brought a fiber optic line or copper inside your company that has the capacity of carrying 24 voice channels which is digitized and at the same time, it can also carry other data at rate of up to 1.544 megabits per second (Mbps).Almost all T1 service providers work the same. They offer high speed internet connections where the circuits that are being used are not shared with other subscribers. Now, these kinds of circuits that are being provided are also composed of two parts. These two parts are the local loop which is provided and given by the local telephone company since they are the ones who are capable of putting the wire that is connected from the site to the ground. For example, if a high speed T1 is being used for an Internet service, the other end of the circuit will then be routed towards the T1 service provider that is being chosen and the Internet service will then be turned on. The other part is called the carrier circuit. The user of this T1 connection should always remember that if there is a need to troubleshoot Internet T1, he must get both the local phone company together with the T1 internet service provider on the phone all at once for them to do all the needed work on the circuit.In other places, long distance companies who usually have the big ISP’s also have their local circuits and they also are the local telecommunications provider, which is very uncommon and rare. Usually, when the user or the company decides to buy a T1 from their chosen T1 service provider, they are buying the line where the part of the circuit from the local phone company is being resold by the ISP, and then to the company, which becomes the complete T1 line. Although it can be more expensive, it will be better for the company to buy it in this kind of pattern since they can hold the ISP responsible for all the problems that may arise to the local company portion of the circuit.A high speed T1 line that is provided by the T1 service providers have the capacity of carrying about 192,000 bytes per second which is approximately 60 times more data are being sent compared to normal residential modem. It is also exceedingly dependable, even much more dependable unlike that of the analog modem. T1 lines have the capabilities that can, more often than not, handle quite a few people. And when used for general browsing, hundreds or even thousands of users can easily share a T1 line comfortably.Latest Developments on T1 Service ProvidersHere is another latest T1 development from Cisco. The updated Cisco® T1 data service unit/channel service unit (DSU/CSU) WAN Interface Card (WIC) is now an integrated and fully managed DSU/CSU for T1 or fractional T1 service. The WIC-1DSU-T1-V2 is the updated version of the WIC-1DSU-T1, that offers and provides supported features but still with the same performance. This updated T1 WAN Interface Card with Integrated DSU/CSU makes a lot of workload easier such as Internet or Intranet Access thru reducing deployment and management tasks.Here are the benefits of this latest feature that I am sure most of the T1 enthusiasts and fans out there can anticipate:
It has fewer devices and cables that is needed to be deployed and managed
It has a remote and local configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting with the use of Cisco IOS® Software CLI and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
It is flexible and has an investment protection
It is a Single-vendor support
It has an enhanced reliability
It can also save physical space.The features of this Cisco® T1 data service unit/channel service unit (DSU/CSU) WAN Interface Card (WIC) would also include:
You can enjoy the T1 or fractional T1 network intereface
It has wet T1 support which is not available on WIC – 1DSU – T1
It is standards-based that includes the ANSI 1.403 and AT&T Publication which is 62411
Its full management features would include the configuration capacity for remote configuration through Telnet that comes from the Cisco IOS CLI. It also has a monitoring router and DSU/CSU can be managed with a single SNMP identity and the extensive DSU/CSU statistics are still being provided by the Cisco IOS CLI.
Finally, its troubleshooting-extensive loop backs that include manual button for network line loop backs, bit error rate tester or BERT test patterns, alarm counters as well as performance reports and all of them can be accessed via Cisco IOS CLI. There are also LEDs for carrier detection, loop back and alarm functions.

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Small Business Health Insurance – An Employer’s Guide to Getting Small Business Health Insurance

Saving on your small business health insurance can be a challenge. But there are ways to overcome the financial obstacles and get the coverage necessary for your business. There are two major benefits of employer-based coverage. First these plans, although expensive, usually carry the best all around protection for you and your employees. Second, providing benefits plays a key role in attracting and retaining quality employees.Why is coverage for small businesses so much more than for large corporations?Health insurance for small businesses cost so much because of the high quality coverage concentrated among a small group of people. Every individual within the group represents a different level of financial risk to an insurance company, and this risk is added up and spread out among the group. Large corporations pay considerably less because the risk is spread to such a large group, where small business owners can see unreasonably high increases in premiums due to one or two members. Small businesses also have to insure their employees under state mandates, which can require the policies to cover some specific health conditions and treatments. Large corporations’ policies are under federal law, usually self-insured, and with fewer mandated benefits. The Erisa Act of 1974 officially exempted self-funded insurance policies from state mandates, lessening the financial burdens of larger firms.Isn’t the Health Care Reform Bill going to fix this?This remains to be seen. There will be benefits for small business owners in the form of insurance exchanges, pools, tax credits, subsidies etc. But you can’t rely on a bill that is still in the works, and you can’t wait for a bill where the policies set forth won’t take effect until about 2013. Additionally, the bill will help you with costs, but still won’t prevent those costs from continually rising. You, as a business owner, will need to be fully aware of what you can do to maintain your bottom line.What can I do?First you need to understand the plan options out there. So here they are.PPOA preferred provider option (PPO) is a plan where your insurance provider uses a network of doctors and specialists. Whoever provides your care will file the claim with your insurance provider, and you pay the co-pay.Who am I allowed to visit?Your provider will cover any visit to a doctor or specialist within their network. Any care you seek outside the network will not be covered. Unlike an HMO, you don’t have to get your chosen doctor registered or approved by your PPO provider. To find out which doctors are in your network, simply ask your doctor’s office or visit your insurance company’s website.Where Can I Get it?Most providers offer it as an option in your plan. Your employees will have the option to get it when they sign their employment paperwork. They generally decide on their elections during the open enrollment period, because altering the plan after this time period won’t be easy.And Finally, What Does It Cover?Any basic office visit, within the network that is, will be covered under the PPO insurance. There will be the standard co-pay, and dependent upon your particular plan, other types of care may be covered. The reimbursement for emergency room visits generally range from sixty to seventy percent of the total costs. And if it is necessary for you to be hospitalized, there could be a change in the reimbursement. Visits to specialists will be covered, but you will need a referral from your doctor, and the specialist must be within the network.A PPO is an expensive, yet flexible option for your small business health insurance. It provides great coverage though, and you should inquire with your provider to find out how you can reduce the costs.HMO (Health Maintenance Organization)Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) are the most popular small business health insurance plans. Under an HMO plan you will have to register your primary care physician, as well as any referred specialists and physicians. Plan participants are free to choose specialists and medical groups as long as they are covered under the plan. And because HMOs are geographically driven, the options may be limited outside of a specific area.Health maintenance organizations help to contain employer’s costs by using a wide variety of prevention methods like wellness programs, nurse hotlines, physicals, and baby-care to name a few. Placing a heavy emphasis on prevention cuts costs by stopping unnecessary visits and medical procedures.When someone does fall ill, however, the insurance provider manages care by working with health care providers to figure out what procedures are necessary. Usually a patient will be required to have pre-certification for surgical procedures that aren’t considered essential, or that may be harmful.HMOs are less expensive than PPOs, and this preventative approach to health care theoretically does keep costs down. The downside, however, is that employees may not pursue help when it is needed for fear of denial. That aside, it is a popular and affordable plan for your small business health insurance.POS (Point of Service)A Point of Service plan is a managed care insurance similar to both an HMO and a PPO. POS plans require members to pick a primary health care provider. In order to get reimbursed for out-of-network visits, you will need to have a referral from the primary provider. If you don’t, however, your reimbursement for the visit could be substantially less. Out-of-network visits will also require you to handle the paperwork, meaning submit the claim to the insurance provider.POSs provide more freedom and flexibility than HMOs. But this increased freedom results in higher premiums. Also, this type of plan can put a strain on employee finances when non-network visits start to pile up. Assess your needs and weigh all your options before making a decision.EPOAn Exclusive Provider Organization Plan is another network-based managed care plan. Members of this plan must choose from a health care provider within the network, but exceptions can be made due to medical emergencies. Like HMOs, EPOs focus on preventative care and healthy living. And price wise, they fall between HMOs and PPOs.The differences between an EPO and the other two organization plans are small, but important. While certain HMO and PPO plans offer reimbursement for out-of-network usage, an EPO does not allow its members to file a claim for doctor visits out its network. EPO plans are more restrictive in this respect, but are also able to negotiate lower fees by guaranteeing health care providers that it’s members will use in-network doctors. These plans are also negotiated on a fee-for-services basis, whereas HMOs are on a per-person basis.HSA (Health Savings Account)An HSA is a tax-advantaged account used to pay existing and future medical expenses. HSAs are used in conjunction with high-deductible health plans (HDHP), which will make some with pre-existing conditions ineligible. Also, HSAs must be funded with cash. Communicating the terms of this account to your employees is important, as a large number of HSAs are underfunded or improperly funded. The health savings accounts were signed into the law by George Bush in 2003, and have become an affordable alternative to a group health plan.When inquiring about an HSA, there will be a few things you will want to clarify. While HSAs generally cover routine medical expenses and copays, some can provide dental and vision care as well. And since HSAs can be combined with certain compatible plans, it is important to understand how money from the account will be allocated. And finally, you will want to know about cashing out your HSA balance. The amount is taxable and could be subject to a ten percent excise tax.HRA (Health Reimbursement Arrangement)An HRA is exactly what it sounds like. The employer reimburses the employee for health care. As an employer, you will usually have the option to contribute to a reimbursement fund, or to pay fees as they are incurred. These reimbursements can be deducted from your taxes, and are tax-free for your employees, saving you both money.Some providers empower employers by giving them more options. HRAs, unlike HSAs, don’t have to be funded with cash money, placing a book keeping entry on your balance sheet is enough. You can usually control aspects of your arrangement such as reimbursement limits, whether you or your employee pays first, and if the previous year’s funds roll over.HRAs are becoming a more popular option because of the control it has given small businesses. Combined with a high deductible health plan (HDHP), an HRA could be the most cost-effective solution to your small business health insurance problems. It’s always best to compare these plans to PPOs, HMOs, and EPOs to know what works best.Fee for Service (FFS) or Traditional IndemnityA fee for service plan is the most flexible small business health insurance option. You choose your doctor, and your hospital. You can see a specialist without a referral. This flexibility, however, comes with more out-of-pocket expenses and higher insurance premiums.The typical FFS plan has a deductible ranging anywhere from five to fifteen hundred dollars. After this amount is reached, the provider will pick up eighty percent of your medical bills, and require you to pay the remaining twenty percent. Because of the rising costs of health care, and the potential for a small number of doctor’s visits to cost thousands, these plans can become incredibly expensive.Flexible Spending Account (FSA)A flexible spending account is a savings account to be used for medical expenses, and is funded by pre-tax dollars. Using pre-tax dollars means that your employees will actually show that they have less income, and will therefore have less taxes withheld. As an employer, you set the limit on contributions to the account per year. In addition to the employee contribution, you can also credit the account, or fund it completely from your general assets.An FSA, especially if combined with an HDHP, can significantly reduce the costs of small business health insurance.You should be forewarned, money from FSA accounts cannot be rolled over. They are, however, available to use for two years and two and half months after the benefit year. A terminated employee won’t be able to use leftover funds, unless there is a positive remaining balance and COBRA is elected.Small business health insurance providers have made significant improvements in their services to simplify the administration of your plan. With HRAs, FSAs, and HSAs, your employees can use debit cards for medical transactions. Be sure to research this thoroughly. You will want to be sure your debit card plan is IRS compliant, and that you can use a large number of pharmacies. You should also pick a plan that can verify eligibility on the spot. Talk with your agent about linking transit, parking fees, and prescriptions to the same card. When picking the debit card options, please be sure to clarify the details of the substantion process. This is IMPORTANT! With other plans, the provider may assign someone to manage your plan. Or you may have to hire someone. Still, you should be able to login to your account and print insurance cards, important papers etc.The next thing you can do is thoroughly assess your needs. Being that every member of your small business plays a key role in its success, it is vital that their needs are met. And understanding these needs is crucial to finding the right plan. Find out about chronic illnesses, and additional information related to past health issues. Know what your employees think about health insurance, and get them involved in the process.Hiring an agent or a brokerFinding and understanding small business health insurance can be a daunting task. While some choose to go it alone, others need some professional assistance. You need to understand the difference between an agent and a broker, and how you can get the most from either of them.A brokerBrokers function independently and usually work for several different companies. Since they have a variety of resources, they can usually provide more options and a better overall view of the marketplace. Brokers will assist you by evaluating the costs and designs of plans from your local major carriers. The cost isn’t everything, you want to get the coverage that you need.Ask the broker how he or she is getting paid for their services. They should readily divulge that information. Some brokers may charge you a flat free. Some receive a fee from an employer, while others receive a commission from the insurance provider. Any commissions could be reflected in your premiums, but not to the point that you should worry.An agentAgents typically provide services for one company. They have a closer relationship to the insurance company than a broker would, giving them more leverage to make alterations to your plan. In some cases they can offer a particular plan for less than a broker, and may have access to additional services like worker’s compensation. To find out what different providers have to offer, talk to more than one agent. It may be time-consuming, but it could bring you closer to the most cost-effective solution for your small business health insurance.One of the common options presented by agents is the employee-elect option. This is an arrangement where employees pick the plan they prefer. Those who don’t need as much coverage won’t be forced to pay so much, and those who do need it can get it without increasing the financial burden of the company as a whole.How to Save On Your Small Business Health Insurance PlanWhat’s important to remember is that there really is no inexpensive solution to health care. Even if your initial premiums are reasonably low, they could rise significantly at your next renewal. So saving money on small business health insurance is about doing a combination of things simultaneously to get good rates, and to then maintain those rates.. And it will require a consistent effort from you, your employees, and your insurance provider.First, you can save yourself money by reading the fine print. You need to know exactly what your plan does and DOESN’T cover. There are also state mandated coverages. For example, in states like Illinois, your insurance must cover mammograms. Also, understanding the ins and outs of your plan will give you and your employees a better idea of how to deal with your insurance.Next, you should shave unnecessary benefits. After reading all about your plan, you will find coverage for things you may not need. Eliminating these benefits can significantly drop monthly small business health insurance premiums. For example, eliminating coverage for brand name medications can reduce costs by more than 25 percent.Wellness program have worked wonders for small businesses. A wellness program is any program designed to promote healthy living within the organization. Weight loss competitions benefit every participant. Add a financial incentive for further motivation. Stock the work fridge with water, and leave literature about healthy living lying around. Search the internet for calorie counting charts. Raising awareness entice workers to make positive changes. Active, exercising, diet-conscious employees have stronger immune systems, more vitality, and more productive workplaces. They also don’t deal with as many health issues. Fewer doctor visits and hospitilizations will help maintain lower annual premiums, because it will prove to your insurance provider that your business is a low financial risk.Increasing your co-pay and deductible can go a long way towards cutting costs. For instance, raising co-pays by just ten dollars has saved companies as much as thirteen percent on their premiums. A higher deductible will significantly reduce your monthly premium. To lessen the financial burden of high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), combine them with an HSA. Combinations like these have saved both business owners and employees bundles of cash.Check into getting a nurse hotline. A nurse hotline is a toll free, 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week service. Employees can get medical advice from qualified, registered nurses. This method has deterred a large number of people from emergency visits, and it can also be used for preventative care as well. Insurers like Nationwide have them, or you may have to purchase from a third-party provider.Increase the size of your group to reduce your monthly small business health insurance premiums. In a survey by America’s Health Insurance Plans, small businesses who employed ten people or less paid forty three more dollars on average than businesses with twenty six to fifty employees. Check around with other businesses owners, or fellow members of business organizations. Some states also have small business groups and pools for this purpose. Check with your state Chamber of Commerce and Department of Insurance.Beware of heavily discounted plans. First, there are numerous scammers trying to get your money. They promise low rates, and usually cover little to nothing at all. The internet is notorious for swindlers trying to hustle you out of a buck. If you are going with a company you aren’t familiar with, please do your research. On another note, even reputable companies present problems. In an attempt to gain market share, Blue Cross offered small businesses discounted rates in 2008. For 2009, some of these same businesses were set to see increases of as much as 47% in their premiums. As the costs of medical care increases, the costs are shifted from the insurer to the insured, and discount plans become overpriced plans quickly.Shop around. As mentioned before, talking to different agents will expose you to the best that insurance providers have to offer. Ask other small business owners about their providers. You can use trusted online resources like Netquote and Ehealthinsurance to shop around instantly. These services also let you compare plans side by side, and allow you to purchase your plan online. Even after you get your initial plan, it’s good to annually reevaluate your coverage. This will keep you on the up-and-up about what the market is offering. Keeping costs down is an ongoing effort, especially with rates and plans changing all the time from company to company.Share some of the costs with your employees. Raising employee contributions isn’t a popular option, but it may be one of the only ways to absorb costs and maintain small business health insurance coverage. Communicate with your employees about how to keep costs down, and remind them that their increase is your increase as well.The sad truth is that, no matter how many cost-cutting methods you apply, your insurance premiums are expected to continually rise. In addition to this, you can’t prevent every health problem with exercise and higher co-pays.The Health Care Reform Bill won’t kick in until about 2013, so waiting on its benefits won’t do you any good. There is definitely a need for change, because the current system discourages competition and growth. With smaller businesses functioning as the backbone of this ailing economy, company medical insurance must BE affordable, and STAY affordable.

Give Your Automotive Technician Some Respect

There is a dark cloud that seems to hang over the automotive repair industry. It is unfortunate that there is still a large part of the general public that thinks every repair shop is out to get them and that their expertise is over rated. Even in the industry itself, the stigma is played upon. Competitors accuse others of wrong doing to make themselves look good, and in the end are simply hurting themselves. There are automotive self help web sites that bash the professional technician.Let’s spread a little subjective light on the subject. Run a search on the internet though any search engine for home dental work. It is not very likely the results you yield will give you step by step instructions for filling a cavity or performing a root canal in your kitchen. You will not find dental tools at the local “Dental Zone”. These things don’t exist because you would only have a trained professional work on your teeth. The tools available to them are not for general public use. The same is true for automotive repair, but the general public seems to think otherwise.Professional automotive technicians spend a lot of money on tools that are not found at the local auto store. A tech may spend $2500 every year in tools for his or her entire career. That is a personal expense so that they can perform repairs effectively and efficiently. They make that investment out of pocket so that they can be the best at what they do. The tools that they use to repair vehicles is constantly being updated and adapted to the technology that goes into vehicles. These technicians spend their money on tools to fix cars, and the companies that employ them spend money to train them on the new technologies. I am pretty sure that dentists are spending a good amount of money on new equipment and have seminars to stay current on advances in dentistry. And this is not the only similarity.The work that your technician does also has some pretty serious impact. Just as a dentist that does a procedure incorrectly and causes injury, a technician not performing his repairs correctly can cause injury. It is important for both of these professionals to know what they are doing. If they do not, people get hurt, or on a lesser note, miss work, lose money, and are overall inconvenienced. There are many similarities to the importance, training, and equipment that go into these two professions, but what about the differences?There are many differences. Let’s start out with the fact that the technician has to work in environments that are hot, cold, dirty, and sometimes pretty close to unbearable. I ask how many of us would like to stand under a vehicle with a hot engine, arms straight up in the air for 30 minutes at a time in a shop that’s 90 degrees? Or how would you like to go and repair an ignition problem when its 10 degrees, and have to do it outside because the vehicle cannot be towed in to the shop? The rest of the day you can spend bent over burning and cutting your hands while you use that new $300 tool you paid for.When you go to the dentist for a routine check up, you don’t argue after being checked that “he just looked at my teeth” and since he didn’t do anything you should not pay. But everyday in automotive repair shops, customers argue that exact point. The dentist charges for his time as a professional. He charges for the chair you sat in and the tools he used to look at your teeth. He charges for the schooling and experience that make him qualified in his profession. The automotive repair shop does the same, only customers feel that they can argue the point.It seems that there a are a whole lot of people who know everything there is to know about car repair and the business. Yet with all of their automotive knowledge, they choose a different profession. Maybe it’s the long hours, the hard working conditions, the constant learning, or serious personal investment that it take to be an professional automotive technician, but I think it might also be that they don’t know what they’re talking about.There are many repairs that the mechanically inclined “back yard mechanic” can perform. The simple repairs are fine to do yourself with the right reference material and general tools. When it comes to diagnosing vehicles with problems and repairing complicated systems that require special tools, the money you pay for that repair is justified, well justified. So give your technicians the respect that they deserve for performing a professional service that most of the public is not even capable of doing, even if they invest $10,000 in tools to get the job done.

How To Find Good Nutrition Advice

There is certainly a huge amount of information in circulation these days; on the web, in magazines, on the television. Trying to separate out fact from fiction can be quite the daunting task. Please let me take a few minutes to help you figure out who is the legitimate nutrition expert, and who is simply trying to sell you a product. This information will help you choose which information you can trust.First of all, you should know that ANYONE could call himself or herself a nutritionist. There are no laws or guidelines determining who can give out nutrition advice. I will never forget when I was visiting my parents one weekend while going to graduate school. While at the swimming pool at our local Jewish Community Center, a friend of theirs wanted to know what I was studying at college. “Nutrition science” I replied. And I’ll never forget what this woman said: “oh, my daughter has read so many books on nutrition that I’m sure she can call herself a nutritionist just like you.” I was astounded! Surely my parents would have loved finding out all their hard earned oney on my college education could have been spent on simply buying a food diet books.I don’t think so.However, I did finish my degree and I have learned a few things about finding good nutrition information, which I want to share with you. First and foremost, I recommend you look for people who have the initials RD after their name. RD stands for Registered Dietitian. Registered dietitians have at least a bachelor’s degree in nutrition. Most have Master’s Degrees and PhDs in nutrition science or a related science area. In addition to these degrees, RD’s also have passed a standardized national exam and must continue to keep up their expertise by taking education courses every year.You can be sure of getting honest information from individuals who have graduated with a Master’s Degree and or PhD in Nutrition Science, even if they haven’t received their certification as a registered dietitian. These are people who have not simply read a few books on diet and nutrition; they have spent several years studying the science of Nutrition. They understand how to analyze claims made in the media, as well as the research methods that may be behind those claims.With a Master’s Degree in Nutrition Science, I am also an RD, but I like to call myself a nutritionist. I like to think of myself as being concerned with total nutrition, not just diets, which may be how some people interpret the RD. Most people with degrees in Nutrition Science do know about treating the whole person, not just individual conditions require specialized diets. Some people are under the misconception that dietitians want to overwhelm their clients with information they don’t want or need. That is simply not true. Most of us are skilled in the sciences, and are trained to be nutrition counselors as well. Nutrition is not a “one size fits all”, and we realize we must work to individualize our recommendations to meet your specific concerns. We will also work to answer all the questions you have about nutrition that don’t necessarily relate to your own personal needs.You will always see my credentials along with the word “Nutritionist” next to my name, because while I may have read many diet books, with my background, I possess the scientific knowledge to tell fact from fiction.

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What Asset Based Finance Could Do For Your Company

Your company is facing a variety of challenges – many of them tend to be business financing related. The challenges can be positive in nature, and some might pose serious threats to your business growth or even existence. How asset can based finance aid your firm in allowing you to generate the working capital and cash flow you need to prosper and grow, let alone survive?Asset based financed helps your firm in both good time and challenging times. The reality is that most business owners and financial managers in Canada currently don’t think we are in ‘good times ‘and business financing continues to be a huge challenge.Asset based finance comes in a variety of forms – it is commonly in the industry itself referred to as ‘ ABL ‘ financing, and typically your firm would negotiate what is simply or commonly known as an asset based line of credit. The facility provides you with a revolving line of credit very similar to a chartered bank facility – it might also include a significant inventory financing component, and usually address what we could best call special needs or special situations re: turnarounds, growth, distress, etc.The best candidate for an asset based finance line of credit is a firm that is experiencing strong growth but can’t attract the traditional capital that is used to finance receivables, inventory, plant and equipment, and even in some cases real estate.An asset based line of credit can best be described as a ‘creative’ financing solution – that is because it takes your balance sheet and finances it to the desired ‘max’ based upon your different asset components. In some cases even intellectual property or patents might be included in the overall financing, although that clearly is not the norm.Pricing in Canada on asset based lines of credit is all over the map – We tell clients they can expect to pay anywhere near a point or two over prime up to an including 1.5-2% per month. What defines that huge difference in pricing is what our clients are always asking. The answer is that that there are different what we will call ‘ tiers ‘ in ABL lending in Canada, and the overall size and deal quality of your firm will ultimately drive you to an asset based finance partner that more closely matches your needs and your overall ‘ risk profile ‘.The reality is that asset based finance has somewhat changed the overall face of business financing in Canada and more and more firms, both large and small are gravitating to this form of finance. Deal sizes in Canada vary greatly – we do not encourage clients who have an under 250k/mo need to explore asset based finance because at a certain point the reporting, costs, etc done make sense for neither your firm or the ABL lender.Asset based lending margins your assets to the extend of their current market value. Inventory financing is a major component of your facility if you require that, and inventory financing in Canada, from traditional sources, is difficult to arrange.Is there any downside in asset based lending and an ABL working capital facility? Our clients ask. With relative certainty we can say any downside is significantly offset by upside. The facility gives you almost unlimited working capital, and margins assets that might otherwise not be finance able. And don;t forget, this type of facility does not add debt to your balance sheet, you are simply monetizing your hard and in some cases soft assets.Speak to a trusted, credible and experience advisor in asset based lending who can highlight financing options that make sense for your firm’s survival and growth.

Selecting the Right Entertainment For Your Wedding Reception

When planning a Chicago wedding many couples focus on the dress, the food, the flowers, the photos and the endless other details yet they often overlook the importance of the entertainment. While all the elements that go into making a perfect wedding day are important, it is the entertainment at the reception that ultimately has the most impact on your and your guest’s enjoyment of the day. Your guests will barely remember what they had for dinner but will remember if they had a great time dancing or socializing or left early because the entertainment was terrible.DJ or Band?Live music and a stage full of musicians adds an element of energy to a wedding that a DJ just can’t match. The right band also adds an air of style and sophistication. There are however several drawbacks to hiring a band for your wedding day. A band is usually more expensive than a DJ due to the number of people involved and the associated costs for parking, meals, etc.An average wedding band in Chicago starts out at around $1,600. This is a base price and can go up considerably depending on the number of musicians and vocalists desired and if you would like them to learn additional songs.The major limitation to live music is the bands ability to play a diverse enough range of music to please all of your guests. Bands usually have certain styles of music they excel at and don’t vary much outside of that. Will your band be able to play Big Band for the grandparents, Disco for the parents and then later on 80′s Rock and Top 40 for the younger crowd? Many bands will be able to accommodate a limited number of special requests but they just won’t have the flexibility to handle a wide range of musical styles and requests. If your and your guest’s musical tastes fall into the bands range of available selections this won’t be much of an issue.A professional disc jockey is often a good choice for wedding reception entertainment due to their ability to accommodate a wide range of musical styles and their relative affordability. A professional wedding DJ in the Chicago area averages around $1,2000. Note that this is an average price and may be higher depending on which company you choose and any additional options that you may add such as extra lighting, larger sound systems, etc.Some couples choose to solve the dilemma by incorporating both a band and DJ however, this can become quite expensive.How to choose the right wedding entertainment?First of all, do your research and seek out professionals. Just because your friend’s cousin has an iPod and has downloaded some music doesn’t make them a DJ or if they really rock at Guitar Hero doesn’t mean their band is ready to perform at weddings and someone you should trust with one of the most important days of your life.Price should not be the only factor when considering entertainment given how important it is to the success of your reception. As the old adage goes “You get what you pay for”. Cheap DJ’s and bands are cheap for a reason whether it is lack of experience, lack of professional equipment or the fact that they do not run a reputable business. As with anything, expect to pay more for higher quality and better service. The deciding factor should not solely be price but value. Are you getting a quality service at a reasonable and fair price?Another factor to think about when looking at the price of your wedding entertainment is all of the preparation involved leading up to the big day. In addition to the 8 or more hours the entertainer will be working on the day of your event you must also take into consideration all the time they will spend preparing for your event attending meetings, preparing music, rehearsing introductions, etc. A professional wedding entertainer will spend at least 10 to 20 hours preparing for your event. Amateurs will not.A true professional wedding entertainer does much more than just show up and play music. They set the tone for the entire event and are your emcee and event host, event coordinator, music programmer, lighting designer, crowd motivator and more. A professional wedding entertainer will coordinate all the activities of your wedding reception to ensure that everything flows smoothly and your guests thoroughly enjoy themselves. When it comes to dancing a good entertainer will play the right songs at the right time to keep your dance floor full.To seek out potential entertainers ask any newlywed friends for referrals, ask the other wedding professionals you are working with for their recommendations, check with the Better Business Bureau, read local wedding publications and search online.Once you have found 3-5 companies you are interested in pick up the phone and give them a call or send them an email. First of all how responsive are they? Do they answer the phone right away or promptly return your calls and emails? How professional do they appear?Ask them about their performance style. Does it match what you are looking for? Some companies are highly interactive which means they will bring props and lead dances with the crowd and maybe even sing. Some companies will act as an emcee but will not be overly interactive. Some companies do neither. Find the company whose style matches yours.Once you have narrowed down the field to 3 or so perspective companies set up an appointment to meet with a company representative or better yet your potential entertainer. At the meeting do they listen to what you want or do they tell you how they do things? How interested are they in discovering your musical tastes and your vision for your wedding? Will they help you plan the reception and the music? Do you get to choose your entertainer or do they assign them? You should ask a lot of questions to find out as much as you can about the company and the entertainer. Ask for references from past clients. After all is said and done, do you walk out of the meeting with a good feeling about what they can bring to your wedding day?Weigh your options carefully and choose the entertainment that you think best suits your tastes and budget, will provide an enjoyable atmosphere for your guests and is professional and reliable.Once you have chosen the entertainment make sure you get a thorough contract that spells out the obligations of both parties so there will not be any misunderstandings further on down the road.Whether you choose a band or a DJ make sure you do your research and find professional entertainment that matches your style and your wedding day will BE fantastic!

Tax planning for real estate investors

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