Get a free quote

This is the year of the Presidential election.  How many of you are diligently watching all the stuff going on with the political figures more closely because of this?  I will be the first to say that I make it a point not to watch all the vicious backbiting games that go on during the political year of 2012.

Come on people.  We all know how this game goes.  Right?  So and so does not do his job.  So and so voted this way on this bill.  So and so was supposed to be on this committee but his seat was only filled twice during the committee meetings.  So and so had an affair on his wife.  We all have heard all the backbiting rhetoric over and over in the elections before.

Now you may ask why I choose not to pay attention to any of this empty mindless name calling backbiting child’s play between our politicians.  I will be the first to admit that I probably should pay a little closer attention to what they have to say.  However, I am tired of these supposed adults that want to lead our country spewing forth nothing but lies out of their mouths.

IT is my opinion that instead of worrying about and forecasting to the world the other political figure’s problems that they should worry about their own actions and what they do.  They should forecast the successes that they had during their political careers.  Maybe if they would focus on their careers and theirs only, then perhaps they would not have so much free time to focus on someone else’s career.

I do not know about anybody else, but I get so tired of hearing about political figures indiscretions of the sexual nature.  Let us get realistic.  Affairs have been going on throughout this country’s political history.  During the history of our country we have Presidents that have had affairs throughout their Presidential reign.  Heck, we even had a President that passed away during his term while he was away on vacation with his mistress.

I guess all in all what I am trying to say is that I am tired of the viciousness that occurs during the elections.  I do not want to see some governor having their finger in our President’s face.  I do not want to hear about someone’s sexual indiscretions.  I do not want to know what someone else is doing.  I want to know what you are doing and how you have attempted to maintain your honesty and integrity while in political office.

How you make your decision of who is to hold the highest political office of our country is your business.  But it seems to me that if we really want our country to get back on track that we will not uphold the childish behavior of the vicious backbiting game that some politicians indulge in.  We expect the truth from our children.  Now let’s start expecting the truth from our political leaders.

Could the economy get even worse?

2011 will be remembered as the year of disaster capitalism. Almost $6.3 trillion was wiped from the global markets. While the Dow went through major upheavals almost daily, the net gain/loss for the year was absolutely flat. After all the drama, 2012 is looked to as the telltale year of global health for decades to come.

The Eurozone woes which began in earnest at the end of November are as yet unresolved, despite reassurances of European leaders and wishful thinking on the part of American analysts. In truth, European and US banks are broke. There is no new money to be found, and the engine of the global economy is running on fumes of mounting debt. At some point the whole thing has got to crash and many analysts see it all breaking loose in 2012.

Sovereign debt was a term that came into the public conscience in 2011, and in 2012 we may see the peripheral Eurozone countries so overwhelmed by their indebtedness that they will be literally owned by the financial institutions which have helped them simply tread water. Ironically, when countries such as Greece, Italy, Ireland and Spain are forced out of the EU, they will again fall back on the drachma or the lira, the currencies which will reinstate their sovereignty at the cost of their economies and their living conditions being laid to ruin.

China will become more a focus in 2012, possibly through a trade war with the US. The China economy is predicated necessarily of an 8-10% annual growth rate, and the country has fallen to 5%. It’s a bad situation and the only solution may be to lower tariffs to such an extent that they are giving away their own and made-for US products, hoping that the bulk of trade will make up for lost revenue. It’s a risky strategy in the current global downturn, and if there is no global turnaround, China might be forced to invest even more heavily in their military strength as the best and only economic driver. Already the prodigious growth spurt in new weaponry is causing a stir, and the China military industrial complex is being compared to the US circa 1945-60.

Taken as a whole, the health of the global economy is greatly dependent now on a demonstrable upturn beginning in 2012. Every country, including the US, is in jeopardy if the situation remains static or falls farther during the coming year. The potential for military upheaval in the Middle East and in Asia has the world is on edge.

Brazil is now one of the healthiest and most stable economies in the world. It is quite possible that South America, which is traditionally viewed as the largest aggregate of third world economies, may in fact be looked to more as driving the global recovery during the new year.

Ironically, it is the Mayan calendar which forecast disaster by the end of 2012. Let’s hope they got it all wrong.

Annuities are insurance contracts proposed to generate income streams.  These annuities are tax favored investments sold by insurance companies to consumers.  The general economy affects the terms presented by the insurance companies on new annuity contracts as well as the functioning of existing annuity products.

Immediate and deferred annuities are the two main types of annuities.  Immediate annuities involve an insurance company taking a single premium payment and turning it into an immediate income stream.  The deferred annuities, fixed, variable, and index, have an accumulation phase during which premium payments are invested in fixed accounts, funds, or stocks.  These annuities are affected by the country’s economic crisis.

Immediate income annuity payments establish immediate income on plans of the economy.  People receive lower monthly payments during stock market downfalls and low interest rates compared to those who establish immediate annuities during the strength of the economy.

During the recession crisis, rates presented on fixed annuities are lower because insurance companies cannot meet the expense meet the expense of high rates.  This is because the insurance company does not receive high rates of interest in the investments they make.  Variable annuities drop value during stock market downfalls because they cover mutual funds consisting of stocks and bonds.

A benefit of the variable annuity is that people can choose to buy an insurance protection known as a guaranteed minimum income rider.  This helps protect the people from the effects of the downfall of the economy.

Understandably, annuity contract holders may become worried about the risk of the insurer filing bankruptcy during tough economic times.  The contracts are not protected by the federal government; therefore, contract holders must rely on the continued financial strength of the issuing company.  Some states have emergency funds to cover these losses.  It is an issue that should be considered when purchasing an annuity.

Annuities are without a doubt a popular investment vehicle that can help people save toward their retirement.  However, they are affected by the economy’s operations and should be considered carefully amidst economic crisis.

Death is beautiful when seen to be a law and not an accident – It is as common as life.  These are beautiful words by author, Henry David Thoreau, that remind us death caused by an accident is an unnatural part of life.

If you lost a loved one because of the fault to others, you have the choice to consider filing a wrongful death suit or just move on.  With wrongful death settlements, you have to be able to prove that the death occurred because of someone else’s actions beyond an unavoidable accident.

In a wrongful death settlement, following the loss of a loved one often faces the family with several emotional and difficult decisions.  Often being introduced with a lump sum settlement can create more problems than solutions.

Concerns can be over income replacement, questions surrounding suitable wealth management, sheltering the funds from quick overindulgence, relatives and friends seeking money, among other issues.

A structured settlement can help eliminate these issues by guaranteeing a tax-free return on the money, presenting an option which lightens the stress of finding a financial manager or going at it alone, creating a protection from those who wish to take the money from you, and the attraction of spending the money quickly.

The loss of a family member is always tough, but the situation becomes more so when the family member was the primary source of income.  A structured settlement can be designed to address income needs such as retirement plans, college funds for the children, overwhelming debt, or lump sums.  The options can be designed to fit your needs, and are almost limitless.

It is certainly not an accident that a well-designed structured settlement can be provided for you during your difficult time.  And if you decide to move forward on a wrongful death settlement, it is good to have certainty.

In memoriam

Mark Twain once observed that it’s never too early to write a decent obituary. In the case of the euro, many analysts are of the opinion that the demise of the euro is imminent: it’s not a matter of months or weeks, but days.

The euro was a grand experiment undertaken with two practical, even noble, rationales; it would increase the trade bargaining heft of “Europe” in international trade, and it would dilute some of the rancor and natural enmity between traditional adversaries such as France and Germany.

The downfall of the euro began really at its inception, with the inclusion of the southern countries, whose volatile financial management styles were so much at variance with the more stable approach of the northern countries. It was the abysmal money management of the Greeks, suspect to begin with, that eventually led not just to the stripping of sovereignty, but to the slow downward cascade of bailouts and bad ink in the more stable countries. Had the euro begun life with more modest ambitions, we might not be having all the current hand wringing.

So, what will happen when the euro crashes?  We’ll not involve the US here, except to say that our exposure to the euro problems (an ongoing situation with global banks, not to mention our recent massive secret loan to the financial giants) presents its own frightening scenarios.

Germany, Finland, Belgium, Netherlands and possibly Poland will trade in the “New Mark”, the currency spread over the most stable economies in the European region (which will no longer termed the “European Union”). Italy, Spain and the rest will revert to their own currencies, which will hold the same kind of value as the peso. And what of France? France will not be included in the new Mark, because it’s credit rating won’t allow it, and neither will the French people. France could easily and quickly become a banana republic because of its low production and exporting, and because its importing will become more difficult given its debt and sudden inflation. France is the most worrisome country at this reading.

Will the new financial arrangements have an impact on intra-relations between European countries? While many analysts say no, an equal number point to the longstanding difficulties between Germany and France, pointing out that the Germans will live again like kings compared to the French. Whether this leads to the flaring up of old rivalriess is anyone’s guess, but old hostilities between all traditional European nations will no longer have a single currency with which such friction has, for a time, been ameliorated.

Sadly, Europe will be powerless as a business partner with any other of the major powers with which it does business, including the US and the UK. The US and China will be less than eager to maintain trade relationships with any European countries for a good long while, at least until some regional financial stability can take hold.

And what will come of all that money the US has poured into the global banking system to try to stem the tide of the euro’s collapse? It will all be gone for naught, with no payback, and the dollar will shortly face a similar and inevitable decline, suffering through a staggeringly sudden hyper-inflation.

The only consolation here, and it is not small, is that the southern European countries will temporarily take pride of again using their sovereign currencies, even if they are valueless. And once all the fiat currencies have no measurable pulse, no bargaining and trade value because risk, because of inflation and indebtedness, then world leaders can come up with a new financial system, with currencies based upon a mutually agreed-upon a uniform commodity value, most likely a return to the gold standard.

The downward ride is speeding up, and it is going to be harrowing for a time. But we can take heart in knowing that a new system is already in the planning, and it will be designed to minimize the potential for  junk status derivatives, while drawing some regulatory boundaries safeguarding  against the sort of state-supported greed and corruption that has led to the current financial nightmare.

Blogroll:  Auto Shipping and Car Transport

With all the advertising and hype in sales you never know which company to choose.  A structured settlements company is no different.

You’re sitting now wondering, what structured settlements company should I choose?  You have been hurt in a slip and fall accident.  It was painful and the worst experience in your entire life.  Your dream vacation turned into a nightmare because a hotel housekeeper was negligent.  It was your unlucky day when the housekeeper didn’t replace the bath mat in the tub.  Now you don’t know what to do.  Not only do you need your case settled, after the case is over and you win, you’re likely to be awarded a structured settlement.

A structured settlement is typically offered when a company can’t afford to pay out lump sum payments due to a lost law suit. If a company, such as a hotel is sued, they often cannot pay out the full amount of the claim at one time. Hotels keep insurance such as slip and fall insurance particularly. In this case your case is likely already won.  Now what? What structured settlements company should I choose, is the question.

The settlement you deserve is not a series of structured settlements or a monthly annuity payment.  The settlement you deserve is a settlement in full, in one lump sum.  How do you go about getting the structured settlement paid in one lump sum, the real settlement you deserve?  How do you choose a structured settlement broker to help you? It’s a pretty safe bet that neither you nor the person that you are suing has any idea of the process or how much it will cost either one of you. The process of going about getting a lump sum payment on structured settlements can be tedious.   The broker will act as a mediator for both so that each comes away feeling that he has been treated fairly.

A structured settlement broker has many responsibilities to you, first and foremost is to be completely upfront about his or her services. A structured settlements company an assess your situation and help you to come to a fair market value for the injury you incurred.  If they are associated with attorney’s in every State they can help you get started in the right direction, instead of floundering asking yourself questions about this or that.  They also can help you mediate Medicaid and SSI if things become terse.  They know information that you do not know, but seller beware.  When you’re considering what structured settlements company should I choose, be careful to choose on “instinct”, who you truly believe you can trust.

A structured settlements company can help you and your personal attorney with particular details.  A structured settlements company is usually on the back end of a lawsuit. Once you’ve won your settlement the structured settlement company is there to purchase the entire amount of settlement, pay the full amount in cash, and now they (the structured settlements company)  collect the monthly payments.  It’s a somewhat easy process from start to finish.  Do you have a structured settlement monthly cash payout, an annuity or lottery winnings?  If so, choosing a settlements company that really cares to give you information on how to choose a lawyer, and some research about winning your case is the ideal company.   Of course, in many cases the company or individual cannot give legal advise, it’s nice to know if they really care.

A broker can also help with the negotiation process by providing views of how the case has affected you financially, but mainly this is for your attorney to care for.  An attorney will win your case first, then help the client find a reputable funding company to buy your settlement at a fair price.  They can paint a picture of your life financially that would show medical expenses already accrued and what might be expected in the future.   They also would use your everyday expenses, present income, loss of wages and other debt to show your need for the regular allotment of the structured settlement.

The broker can work in conjunction with your lawyer to obtain the most for you.  The broker should present you with various payment ideas that could possibly be suitable to meet your needs.  It is important that you look at all your options because once you choose it is written in stone.  A structured settlement case cannot be renegotiated.

How can you be sure that you are getting the right broker for you?  I cannot say it enough, research, research, research.  Before you ever choose anyone for this position you have to know that they are highly qualified to help you in your quest. Some of the things to look for in your research are that the broker should have a license with the Department of Justice, have registration in at least on State and be insured by at least one insurance company.  It is imperative that you make sure that this person has a clean track record and that there are no complaints against them.  That’s how you know what structured settlements company should I choose?

Make sure that you establish a good relationship with the broker from day one, ask your questions and feel completely comfortable before moving on.  Make sure that you feel comfortable enough with this person. If you don’t feel comfortable enough to confide in them about all details regarding the settlement, then look elsewhere until you get that total “great feeling”. I know you know what I mean. Don’t be pressured by high-pressure structured settlements sales, or any other type of business, pressure-sales tactics.   After all, this person is supposed to be on your side and not just interested in the amount of money they can make from buying a settlement.  If you do not feel comfortable with the company or the company representatives, then the chances are you will not work well together.

When your case is settled you may choose to sell your structured settlement.  The structured settlements company is responsible for getting you a full payment on your winnings. The broker can help you to find buyers who will purchase your settlement if his company cannot.   He will provide you with a list of various purchasers who will be willing to buy your settlement for one lump sum.

So a structured settlements broker can be a great investment in your quest to handle your structure settlement case.  So do your research and make a decision to that is in your best interest.  When determining what structured settlements company should I choose, do this…call David Springer first and everyone else second.  After one call you’ll know just what I’m saying.  Sovereign Funding is the company you deserve.

BlogRoll:  Selling Structured Settlement Payments Discount Rims   Learn how to invest

This is the time of year that is supposed to be focused on the spirit of giving and of love.  However, many people stress extremely badly due to the gift buying ventures.  With the economy the way it is these days there is sure to be much holiday stress for many, many people.

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Black Friday has also passed.  And this year there seems to be many more rumors involving fighting and stealing from others.

A young lady posted on her Facebook page that while she was shopping during Black Friday, two grandmas got into a fist fight over $1.28 towels.  Someone got stabbed and bloody noses were the result of this fight with the Police being called.  Now to me this seems like extreme behavior over Black Friday sales.

I live in a small area and the closest Wal-Mart is forty five minutes away from me.   This Wal-Mart is located in a small town also.  Even there, people reported that individuals were having merchandise stolen out of their carts.

Why is it that people are feeling the need to result to such behavior over the holidays?  Could this be indicative of our society and the crunch feeling of not having enough money to spend on others to give those gifts for the Christmas holidays?  I venture to say that it is.

It is no secret that holidays are stressful to most people.  People love the holidays.  Yet, there are numerous reports that the holidays are the most stressful time of the year.  Could this be because we place the stress on ourselves or because of the fact that there is just not enough money to go around doing what we need or feel that we need to do?

Many people have a hard time maintaining or even finding a job.  Many companies have shut their doors.  Industries have made many cut backs and jobs that once were full time jobs of 40 hours or more, have now become part time jobs.  There seems to be little to no new job growth in our economy today.

If a person has spent any time at all at the grocery store this year, then they are very well aware that grocery prices have increased dramatically.  One news report stated that the average Thanksgiving meal would cost one double to prepare this year.  After purchasing the stuff needed for our Thanksgiving feast, I tend to agree with that report.

The economy has a great effect on how people behave these days.  The lack of money and not knowing how far a penny can be stretched, brings about many levels of stress when an individual is thinking about providing on a daily level.  Add in the cost of preparing special meals and gifts to an already tautly stretched rubber band budget, the stress levels go through the roof.

So what do you do about it?  Do you go to the store and beat someone up because you want what they have in their cart just because it is on sale?  Is it really worth going to jail over and getting a record?  How are you going to let the holiday stress affect you?

After several incidence in a Walmart store, I myself know darn good and well Walmart is not a safe place to shop.  That’s my opinion anyway.

And then it happened. Now I worry even more.  Please God don’t turn me into a hermit just because I’m afraid to shop at Walmart. Walmart security?  There really is none.  Black Friday at Walmart was insane.  I waited until late day to go, so as to miss some of the initial crowds. It was madness.

I noticed that “Black Friday” was bleek indeed for Walmart patrons forced to witness riot and mayhem.  Yes guess what, I was also privy to the lack of security seeing yet again another Walmart incident myself.

It’s disheartening to say the least, frightening at best.  A man screaming at the cashier next to my cashier as we were both checking out.

Had this deranged man pulled a gun on the cashier I could have been shot.  Worse than that, he had a clean-cut beautiful young son or nephew with him.  This child just stood as if panicked. Poor baby. He had to go home with this mad-man.  Not only that, the mad-man got away. There was no security called, why?  Because Walmart has no security!

Instead the cashier just screamed back at them. I still have my Walmart receipt with the date and time for all my incidences should I ever find the need to sue Walmart for lack of security.  Each incident was reported or on record somehow you can betcha!

Oh, you wanna know the reason the man was so mad?  Now this is what is really crazy.  The clerk swiped his 100 dollar bill and it didn’t clear the pen test.  You know the pen test?  The one they use to wipe over the bill to see if the bill is real or fake?  He was furious as he handed her a credit card, calling her really bad names, I mean really freaky-crazed. Where was the security. Oh again, I forgot. Walmart has no security.

Walmart has no security! It’s simple. There is no one there to secure any real incidence. I suppose it’s a matter of the local police, when an incident happes at a Walmart store.  Walmart Super Centers are as big as a small town. Wouldn’t you think that Walmart would have some staff security?

Can Walmart be forced  to beef up security at their stores?  After all, this is the 3rd time I worried for my life at a Walmart.

The super committee?  Well here it is again folks.  How many times have we heard lately that our economy is going downhill?  Our so called congressional super committee is supposed to come up with the solutions to all our problems.  Is it really such a surprise that the so-called super committee has failed so miserably?

Watching the news today it really came as no surprise to me that our special committee failed.  The lack of compromise is what is being said to be the blame for the failure.  Go figure.  It’s always been that way in this great country. Is this symbolic of how the nature of our entire country is becoming on a grand scale? Are we a country that is full of human beings that are unwilling to compromise about anything?

However, when it comes to the future of the human beings that our senators and representatives are supposed to be making decisions for, they seem to never have a second thought as to how their actions will be affecting those that support them.  Do they even give a second thought to their constituents?  My personal opinion is no they do not.

What happens when their actions cause people who live on social security to lose that income?  I know a woman right now that has worked all her life.  She became disabled due to an illness that she in no way asked for. She is living on $504 dollars a month social security.  What happens to her when that income is pulled because some congressman on a committee felt that she was not worth the effort of compromise?

Then there are the people who live in nursing homes.  Seems to me if they lose the help of social security and other social programs set to help fund their life (if you can call that a life), that common sense tells you that they will have no place to go.

For those that are fortunate enough to have families, they might, and I do say might, be able to move in with them.   What about the others who do not have family?  What happens to them?  Will they be tossed out onto the streets like a wadded up piece of trash thrown into the garbage dump?

Soon we will be electing new blood for congress.  I have to wonder if the ones that are there right now are really thinking about the needs of the people or their own needs.  Seems to me to be a call of action coming on.  Either the Congress gets their act together or they lose the confidence that they were voted in with.  This voter has definitely, lost the art to comprise with her vote and will fail to vote for things to continue as they have.

Selling Structured Settlement Payments

In this world of real and make believe, it sometimes becomes difficult to tell the difference between the two.  The interests, values, and securities we once possessed, we believed to be real.  Now with the economic crisis, we question what is actually real.

Headlines recently supporting this claim state that if banks or other mortgage holders reach an agreement, the value of the mortgage would decrease to 110% of the home value.  The Government would engross half of the cost of the decrease and the bank would absorb the other half.  With the Government and the bank factual in this equation, where does that leave the people?

It leaves the people in doubt.  Doubt that there will be any assurance in the near future for their securities.

The news of Europe’s exposed debt reaching an inclining point has brought concern to the global economy.  The turmoil Greece and Italy are presently in threatens the economic recovery of the United States, bringing frustration to an already irritated American public.

The reality of this is that the wrinkle of the global crisis is that Europe is heading into a recession.  Investments will have to be made in conservative companies with dividends and high emerging companies on the market.  The United States has slow growth and some growth in the emerging markets, while Europe is in a long term no growth state.

It is make believe if the people believe the problem is going to go away in 2012.  Repairing the economy is going to be a long haul.  The people are discouraged with views aimed towards decades to come.  The reality is now, next week, and surviving next month.

The Super Committee in Washington can make believe their closed door meetings are going to find solutions that the American people are looking for.  The reality is that the people have a big interest and need to be involved in the decisions.  The public should have a right in more of the deliberations.

We, the people, should wake up from the make-believe fairytale we see in play.  We can completely reposition ourselves out of a decaying industry into a real bargaining commerce.

There is always news coming out of Washington D.C. informing the people of the latest economic crisis and strategies.  Tactics and plans are in play to find a cure for our country’s illness, the economy.  I’ve questioned Washington’s maneuvers, and I think I now understand their strategies.

Here is how I see it work.  Our politicians seem to have a lot of interest in lobbyist and company shareholders.  These people including those who own shares in dividend dealing companies are the very rich.  They are the people who are not going to have a rough time in this economy.  So which side is our politicians concern for, the very poor or very rich?

Why do Washington politicians say they have a White House economic team anyways?  Teams demonstrate showmanship while working together to achieve success.  Perhaps Washington’s team should be benched from future sessions.

I can always tell when Congress is back in session.  That’s when consumer spending is down, gas prices are up, and attendance at the Country Club stays the same.

Do you know that Senators make (notice I didn’t say earn) around $160,000 a year.  And they believe Congress should vote itself pay raises because they contribute back to the economy.  Even though their contributions go toward liquor stores, DUI’s, and blackmail.

The President says his economic plans will generate millions of new jobs.  How and where, during deployment to Afghanistan?  President Obama just announced his plan to send 30,000 more American troops to Afghanistan.  That means at least 30,000 people will have job security.  Hope this job’s medical plan is up to par.

What makes it worse is that most our politicians are planning to run for re-election.  I know right, where else will they get a job in this economy?

The White House has to be concerned about the financial debt.   Stocks are expected to drop even more before the holidays.  Wall Street will find a whole new meaning between sharing and bonding.

The economy has been handled sluggishly.  Our government has to look at our economy as a more serious concern.  Only then will I and others like me take them just as seriously.

As a child I learned from my peers, respected my elders, and wore my sisters hand me downs.  When I became independent, I followed the American dream of having a family, nice home, and shopping at the finest stores.  Now in these difficult times, my family is struggling to make it on their own, I live in a mobile home park, and I shop at second hand stores.

For nearly two years now, I have been downsized, or for a better word, economized.  The recession means times are changing.  I now buy my family’s clothes at consignment shops or second hand stores.

I am not too proud to buy a pair of Hollister jeans that the mayor’s daughter dropped off at Re-Runs, before driving off in the Escalade daddy bought her for her sweet 16.  And by the size of the crowd in the shop, I’m not the only one in today’s economy who would rather shop at Goodwill than Old Navy these days.

It should be obvious to us all that people with low income find it difficult to support themselves in today’s economy.  And what makes it even more discouraging, is that the wealthy and politicians aren’t struggling with a plan to make it better.  Instead, they seem to be taking advantage of the circumstances for their own selfishness.

The “cons” in “Con”gress are just there to vote for their own profit seeking reckoning.  If this wasn’t true, there would be restrictions put on lobbyist in our elections.  Instead, they along with American corporations are left to their own maneuvers.

I place these people on the Wall of Shame, along with others in the greed of politics who don’t have a conscience.  My only relief from these hypocrites is a tube of preparation H.

Maybe I wouldn’t feel as if I was getting it stuck to me, if consumer spending would rise.  But this won’t happen, unless the wealthiest slacken up on their assets.

Twenty-five years ago our national income was spread more in the same ratios.  During that time, Americans had more money instead of borrowing and running up credit.  Now the banks and credit card companies are rolling in their riches. The average American doesn’t feel like he or she has to keep up with the Jones anymore.  There is no me and Mrs. Jones, it’s just me.

Maybe someday when I’m shopping at Re-Runs and I see the crowd thinning, I’ll wonder if our economy is starting a new beginning.  Until then, I’ll continue shopping second hand and hope one day our country can put its entire people first hand.

Ready Lift Kit

Our country in today’s economical downfall is not living in financial reality.  With much of the world in economic crisis, and medical care and unemployment a critical issue with politicians, reality is far from its truth.

Politics is perception.  And most people perceive what is happening in their household, not in day to day politics.  The fear factor in many households today, involves their finances.

Households across the country have had to tighten up on their spending and worry about their financial future.  The fear of what the future may hold has driven many people into panic.

These fears include employee’s health care costs that rise every year.  The fear of being financially wiped out from a divorce or family tragedy are some of the fears that people live with.  Becoming marked as the unemployed and the world’s financial crisis are also known fears people face today.

The unemployment rate was an alarming 9% in the month of October.  The underemployed, the people who want to work full time but can only find part time work, was at 16.2%.  This fear factor is an overwhelming concern.

Another one is the recent financial terror that has hit Greece and the European government.  The crisis means less trade which in turn means fewer jobs.  With the Euro falling, tourism will impact less Europeans traveling to the United States.

There are no short term solutions to these problems.  However, there are specific factors that should be addressed.

Support your local society by moving your money back into the community and out of the big banks hands.  The big banks are known to misuse funds and wallow in their riches.  This support could happen if the people would face their fears and vote with their money.

Discrimination against long-term unemployment should also be addressed.  People are acquiring gaps in their employment record and being closed out of jobs for good.  For this reason, anti-discrimination laws should be enforced.  Another good possibility is to develop unpaid internships.  These would keep people engaged in the labor force to achieve skills and jobs.

The greatest factor in facing these financial fears is that we have to achieve a growing economy.  And to do that we have to conquer our fears, take action, and hit them straight on.  Only then, we will get results!

Ready Lift Kit

Punishing and profiting from the impoverished

The new monthly $5 debit fee will doubtless profit Bank of America, but a little known clause in the new pricing structure clearly identifies and targets those who can least afford to pay the new fee.

The clause stipulates that customers will not have to pay the new debit fee charge if they maintain at least $5,000 in linked savings account, a mortgage or a substantial investment account with Bank of America.

In short, the new debit card fees are aimed precisely at those living paycheck to paycheck, who have not amassed or cannot afford to maintain a minimum balance in their savings account.

So Bank of America stands to profit from those Americans who are already in the worst shape. The intention is to clear away the accounts so that B of A can use its man-hours serving a higher income clientele. They want to discourage Aunt Maude, to make her go away, so they can trim down the number of accounts.

As Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan states, “When we look at the profile of customers who have their entire banking relationship with us and those that don’t, a lot of people can qualify and will qualify, and do not pay the fees. The issue is when people split their relationship and use our convenience and out access and out 18,000 ATMs…and our online banking products and all that, and yet have their [another] relationship elsewhere.”

This statement immediately addresses those who may have transactional relationships with B of A while holding their real booty elsewhere.

However, there are an even greater number of customers who do indeed have their entire ‘relationship’ with B of A, but who are just too small to count. It is mostly they who shall really pay.

I wonder how Mr. Moynihan sleeps nights.

Helen Keller said it best when she said, “Know your problems, but don’t let them master you.”  If you are a part of a group in litigation, you would want to claim a degree of certainty.

Structured settlements are a great, innovative consulting tool that can provide many benefits to all parties in litigation.  You should consider all approaches to settlement planning.

Ask the right questions so those helping you can be informed of your goals and needs.  Provide them with enough information so they can develop recommended tactics and solutions to help you protect and get the most out of your recovery.

It is also important to remember to ask yourself if funding a structured settlement ahead of your signed court order or issue is a good plan.  This could deny yourself and others involved in the case a significant token.

This is a result of many court cases that involve approvals.  It is mostly caused by buildup of the court system.  Courts throughout the country are known to be slow.  Because of the time it takes for the plaintiffs’ attorney to outline documents, delays are inevitable.  This also holds true for the defense counsel to assess the documents.

Financial security through structured settlements can also be found in benefits such as tax-free income, customized payment courses, and lifetime payments received by the beneficiary.  All of these can make it easier for you to become more comfortable with a structured settlement.

It is very important for you to be represented by an attorney you feel comfortable with to help negotiate structured settlement terms that best meet your needs.  This also holds true for a tax adviser.  Security from an increase in inflation would be an example.

Furthermore, remember that structured settlements do not change your settlement.  They are tools to allow for payment on your award over time, or in installments.  They are flexible and can be structured to meet many needs and life situations.  They can be a certainty for your future.

Selling Structured Settlement Payments

Say you are about to retire and you are not at ease depending on just your pension and Social Security for a relaxed retirement.  In order for you to keep your recent standard of living, you will need to rely on other funds to enhance your monthly income.

Also, say you are worried about maintaining your retirement resources secure and increasing a satisfied income need in your future.  You want a guaranteed income to complement the money you have coming in. 

If you were a strict saver and have collected an amount of money that can be used to supplement your retirement income, then a split annuity income approach may be best for you.  One annuity provides instant income and the other adds tax-deferred for future income.

The split annuity would provide a guaranteed income while increasing the deferred annuity back to its usual asset value.  This strategy would fill in the income gap for your retirement.

When the income from the immediate annuity expires, the split income annuity plan can be used again in the future.  You can take an amount from your deferred annuity to supply a new immediate income annuity that will guarantee an income based on your needs at the time.  The funds you have in the tax-deferred annuity can be left to accumulate.

Your view for your retirement may be different than that of a split income annuity.  It is just one point of how you can transform savings into retirement income that is right for you.

With some annuities, you contribute now and accept your gain in the future.  It increases with an assurance on guaranteed interest rates and tax-deferments until amounts are withdrawn.  This is usually done at retirement.

There are many ways to use an annuity.  It can be a great planning tool for managing income during your retirement.  You worked and saved for your retirement.  It is what you deserve.  Expectations belong to those who have faith in the comfort of their future.

A year and a half ago, I had a misfortune where I was in need of some fast cash at a desperate time in my life.  My grandson had just passed away and my family was in a financial bind.

This heartbreaking tragedy was hoping to be handled delicately within a suitable time.  The need for money called for immediate attention in order to help my family with their distress.

Cash finance was the knight in shining armor that came to my aid.  I took out a short term finance loan to help me pay for my family’s loss.  The transaction was taken care of quickly and professionally.  I had found the support I needed to carry me through this emotional and financial burden.

Just as in my misfortune, many of us are faced with situations where we have to overcome financial difficulty.  Normally, most of us try to manage a budget for our household needs and daily expenses.  However, like myself, sometimes there are surprise expenses that we don’t plan in our budget.  These are spur-of-the-moment expenses that call for urgent cash.

In such cases, cash finance is available for those who need help to tackle these financial problems.  Cash finance provides loans quickly for people needing aid to assist them at their time of need.  It is a huge benefit for borrowers to be able to get the money they need at short notice. 

Interest rates on these loans are usually higher, but the interest costs as a whole can be lower if financing is extended for a shorter period.

Another benefit is that credit checks are usually not required on cash finance loans.  The borrower’s credit history isn’t always necessary for approval.  None the less, repaying the loan back on time can help borrower’s improve their credit. 

An active bank account, minimum income, and proof of residency are some requirements in getting approved for cash finance loans.  Some other requirements may be requested if the borrower is looking for instant approval without a direct deposit.

Cash finance is a rewarding enterprise for those in urgent financial need.  For those of us who need support at desperate times.      

A year and a half ago, I had a misfortune where I was in need of some fast cash at a desperate time in my life.  My grandson had just passed away and my family was in a financial bind.

This heartbreaking tragedy was hoping to be handled delicately within a suitable time.  The need for money called for immediate attention in order to help my family with their distress.

Cash finance was the knight in shining armor that came to my aid.  I took out a short term finance loan to help me pay for my family’s loss.  The transaction was taken care of quickly and professionally.  I had found the support I needed to carry me through this emotional and financial burden.

Just as in my misfortune, many of us are faced with situations where we have to overcome financial difficulty.  Normally, most of us try to manage a budget for our household needs and daily expenses.  However, like myself, sometimes there are surprise expenses that we don’t plan in our budget.  These are spur-of-the-moment expenses that call for urgent cash.

In such cases, cash finance is available for those who need help to tackle these financial problems.  Cash finance provides loans quickly for people needing aid to assist them at their time of need.  It is a huge benefit for borrowers to be able to get the money they need at short notice. 

Interest rates on these loans are usually higher, but the interest costs as a whole can be lower if financing is extended for a shorter period.

Another benefit is that credit checks are usually not required on cash finance loans.  The borrower’s credit history isn’t always necessary for approval.  None the less, repaying the loan back on time can help borrower’s improve their credit. 

An active bank account, minimum income, and proof of residency are some requirements in getting approved for cash finance loans.  Some other requirements may be requested if the borrower is looking for instant approval without a direct deposit.

Cash finance is a rewarding enterprise for those in urgent financial need.  For those of us who need support at desperate times.      

A year and a half ago, I had a misfortune where I was in need of some fast cash at a desperate time in my life.  My grandson had just passed away and my family was in a financial bind.

This heartbreaking tragedy was hoping to be handled delicately within a suitable time.  The need for money called for immediate attention in order to help my family with their distress.

Cash finance was the knight in shining armor that came to my aid.  I took out a short term finance loan to help me pay for my family’s loss.  The transaction was taken care of quickly and professionally.  I had found the support I needed to carry me through this emotional and financial burden.

Just as in my misfortune, many of us are faced with situations where we have to overcome financial difficulty.  Normally, most of us try to manage a budget for our household needs and daily expenses.  However, like myself, sometimes there are surprise expenses that we don’t plan in our budget.  These are spur-of-the-moment expenses that call for urgent cash.

In such cases, cash finance is available for those who need help to tackle these financial problems.  Cash finance provides loans quickly for people needing aid to assist them at their time of need.  It is a huge benefit for borrowers to be able to get the money they need at short notice. 

Interest rates on these loans are usually higher, but the interest costs as a whole can be lower if financing is extended for a shorter period.

Another benefit is that credit checks are usually not required on cash finance loans.  The borrower’s credit history isn’t always necessary for approval.  None the less, repaying the loan back on time can help borrower’s improve their credit. 

An active bank account, minimum income, and proof of residency are some requirements in getting approved for cash finance loans.  Some other requirements may be requested if the borrower is looking for instant approval without a direct deposit.

Cash finance is a rewarding enterprise for those in urgent financial need.  For those of us who need support at desperate times.

Financially most people in these United States are suffering dramatically.  But quite honestly how much of that is our own doing?  When it comes to finance, we often forget that we can eliminate a lot of our expenses by identifying our wants, desires and needs.

It all boils down to being willing only to spend money on your absolute needs.  Those are the things that you have to have.  No doubt about it, we all have needs.  Groceries fall into this category.  A home is another need.  And clothing is a definite need.There is no doubt that the state of our economy is sadly depressed right now.  Prices are outrageous whether they are for wants, desires or needs.  Watching our money expenditures is something that every single one of us needs desperately to do. 

Have you been to a grocery store lately?  If not, you really should go there and just price a few items.  Go back a week later and you will find that most if not all of those items have increased in price.

 So how can you lower this needed expenditure?  Couponing is a great way to get your grocery bill lowered, sometimes dramatically.  You also do not have to buy name brand foods.  Generic foods also are quite a bit cheaper than name brands. 

Another way to lower your grocery bill is to not eat out.  Let’s face it.  It is all too easy to pull into that fast food drive through and grab something than to go home and actually cook.  Yet, do you realize how much this increases your food budget?  The last time I went through a drive through and purchasing food for four people the costs was over forty bucks.  I could have gone home and cooked for probably ten. 

Okay, housing is a major need.  So how can you do it cheaper?  Well, you have to shop around.  Instead of buying that house down the road that is only a year old, you can purchase one that is older.  Perhaps you could purchase a fixer-upper. 

When my husband and I were looking into purchasing a home, we looked into different repossessed homes.  You would never believe that we purchased a home for only three hundred dollars.  But we did!  Sure, it needed some work, but not so much that we couldn’t move into it and work on it as we went.  We saved some major bucks this way. 

Now clothing can fall into the need or want category.  Again, I emphasize that you need to shop around.  I have a friend who shopped in a mall not too long ago and got some wonderful deals there.  I, however, do not like to shop at all.  I feel that if I own four pair of pants and four shirts or blouses, then I can mix and match and have all kinds of outfits. 

Yet, sometimes I have to shop.  Hello internet or magazine shopping! One way I cut costs in this area is by not ordering anything unless it is on clearance.  I would much rather pay ten bucks for a shirt that was running thirty two months before.  I also will not order anything unless I do not have to pay shipping.  Shipping can eat you alive.

Well, I have given you some of my finance tips on affording you needs a little easier.  Hope that you find that you can look for these tips and put them to use in your daily lives.

“Yesterday I dared to struggle, today I dare to win.”  These were famous words spoken by British Parliament socialist, Bernadette Devlin.  In today’s economy, when it is a fearful time for people to survive in, those words should mean something to us all.

The economy has been painting an ugly mask of our country in the last decade.  An enormous budget deficit, increases in unemployment, banks being bailed out, state and federal programs being cut; these are among just a few of our country’s struggles.  Here in 2011, the gap between the rich and poor is larger than it has ever been.

How do we solve the US economy?

Our country is living under a constrained economy.  As a result of consumer debt, mortgages, credit cards, and other commitments has forced consumers to tighten up on their spending.  Also, a loss of assurance in banking systems entitled to bad loans has caused a credit crisis.

The economy’s future faces a deficit where there will be more pressure on interest rates.  Upcoming groups will be obligated to pay back a higher interest payment from the expenses of private sector investments.

In addition, the aging population will worsen the national debt in our future.  An     increased need on health care and pensions will worsen the national debt in the future due to the aging population.

Barack Obama said, “Change is never easy, but always possible.”  For our country to make a success of surviving our economy we have to see a goal and target it.   If the people have an objective in which they can trust, there is no finish to the amount of things they can achieve.

There can be solutions for our government if they create and pass a long term strategy to minimize short term grief.  This plan would have to assist all people, not just special interest groups or lobbyist.

All people who our facing financial hardship in this economy are relying on structured settlements and falling on their annuities to help with what they need to survive.  There are options out there to help us through our struggles.  Our country is capable of change for the future if we have the perseverance to make it.

Structured Settlement

Instant Replay

It looks as if the France and Germany are replaying the video of the US Debt Ceiling congressional debate. Germany seems to be playing the role of Harry Reid and his indecisive Democrats, while Sarkozy is reprising John Boehner’s role as the misunderstood and put-upon Republican, or is it the reverse?

Either way, European powers seem locked in the same time warp bottleneck where nothing happens and the clock marches forward with a clangorous tick, tick, tick echoing in the background, and all heads are frozen in photo capture as Greece falls into the sea and France slowly begins to turn gray and wither.

It sounds an awfully lot like the way the U.S. conducts its business this days, the bickering, the backroom sleights, the pencil pokes in the eyes. We thought  Europe–older, wiser, more stately and sedate, not to mention more experienced–would show us how they calmly went about cleaning up their financial mess, thereby teaching us by kind example how to clean up our own. They were supposed to be the adults in the room.

But no, they are biting each other’s tails and coming up with the same sorts of non-binding and nonworking plans favored by our own dysfunctional group of leaders. They seem to be playing the same petty political games for which the U.S. has lately become world famous, and one of their leaders is claiming that the euro debt crisis is seriously cutting in on his face time with the new baby, and OMG, there goes Greece!

I’m guessing that when euro leaders meet, the pillows they fight with have real eiderdown, they’re clean, and they smell nicer than the ones in Washington. But it’s a pillow fight just the same.

The world simply cannot withstand any more of this dithering, on either side of the pond. For the sake of humanity, be civil to each other, get cooperative, work the thing out. Get it done. It’s almost too late.

It’s about moving on

Nothing binds us so clearly to our past as a document of record, repeated in monthly or yearly installments. And there is no clearer link to the past than the drumbeat of structured settlement payments.

Selling the structured settlement can be a way to break the link with the past. It can be a sign that one no longer has need to cling to the importance of a bygone event, and it can mark a conscious effort to signify a readiness to move forward into the future. Selling a structured settlement can, in fact, provide an emotional catharsis, a clear signal that one is ready to move on with life.

Psychiatrists try to gently nudge patients in new directions, offering new ways to view our lives so that we might live them more fully. Generally they can be accused of creating false illusions—that is—gently portraying patients as victims of injustices done to them. Siding unequivocally with the patient is a common technique.

Reality probably lies somewhere else entirely, but it is why we call psychiatrists “therapists.” Their job is to make the patient better, not to introduce him or her to painful truths, although these do come up inevitably during therapy, in the most successful therapies, at any rate.

Is it ludicrous to suggest that the simple act of selling a settlement can be therapeutic? Maybe so. The need for quick cash is usually a pragmatic decision after all. But if one removes the cash element from the “sale”, then it can only be viewed as a conscious decision to break with the past, to live one’s life differently, to reorganize around some new ideal.

Money aside, selling the structured settlement is an act of taking control of one’s future. It matters not how the money is to be used, it matters only that the seller has now gone the step to assume complete control over an ‘asset’. The act of selling the settlement renders moot the question (perhaps an argument) of whether or not the action was the “right thing to do.” The point is, you did it, you’re a step ahead, and you can’t go back.

Are we advising you to sell your structured settlement for your mental wellbeing, or that we’re advising that you sell at all. No, it is your decision, as it can only be. If you are currently under therapy, should you discuss the possibility of selling the structured settlement with your professional? It depends on the working relationship you have established in your therapy. For many it is a road too weird to go down.

The point is, even contemplating selling, while not under duress, is positive. No harm can come of it. Actually selling your structured settlement can bring an immediate sense of well-being for having taken a bold step to more fully control your own life, your future. It’s something to consider for your own health as you make daily decisions about the future.

And of course, much as everyone at Sovereign might wish it were not so, you may have no choice but to sell your structured settlement for your immediate or impending financial needs. Still, it is worth looking at the philosophical component.   Selling Structured Settlement Payments

Gary and Sheila have fallen on hard times.  With today’s economy the way that it is, it is really easy for this to happen to anyone.  They never thought that annuity that they invested in years ago as their rainy day fund would come in such good use now at this time of the economic stress.

Gary and Sheila have been married for 30 years.  They are purchasing their home and raised their family there.  Both have worked for at least 25 years at their current jobs.  They felt that life is great.

Then the economy of the United States began to falter.  Gary lost his job due to the company closing its doors due to bankruptcy.  Sheila’s job has cut back on hours.  They wonder how they are going to make ends meet day to day due to the stress of their financial losses.  Sound familiar?

Then they remember that years ago they invested in an annuity for a rainy day.  Little did they know when they did that it would come in so very handy at this time of need.  They check into selling that annuity to ease the money crunch that they are feeling.

They begin by checking out different structured settlement buyers.  Once their research has been done, they make decisions on which companies that they wish to contact.  They find that some companies they can just ask for a free quote online.  Others they have to call but most are toll free numbers.

Once they talk to the companies they make their choice and sell their annuity.  They pay off that mortgage and car payments.  That makes their lives easier when it comes to making those monthly payments.

Gary and Sheila are so thankful that they invested in that annuity so many years ago for a rainy day fund.  It really saved them in their time of need.

Related Link:  Middle Class Definition

Personal Loan Singapore

MBRP Exhaust

Putting your cash to work…fast

A lump sum payment for your structured settlement can free you to make long awaited home improvements, invest in your children’s college fund through a 529, pay for long-term health care insurance, or heck, hit a beach on the Big Island.

OK, one of them is slightly frivolous, but let’s get practical. If you keep receiving regular yearly payments from your settlement, the odds get much shorter that you will get sick, become disabled, or die before receiving the full funding from your settlement or annuity.  Sad, but true. Sure, you can stipulate that the payments continue as “willed” to a survivor, but you are saddling your heirs with a legalistic nightmare.

It may be time for you to invest in bonds or mutual funds. It may be time to help pay off a child’s student loan. It may be time to start a “rainy day” fund for any unforeseen contingency in these uncertain times.

One thing’s for sure. The only way to make funds from your structured settlement or annuity work for you and grow is by reinvesting them, and the sooner the better. Let your settlement funds collect interest, not dust. Check out Sovereign Funding, get to know human faces whom you can trust and entrust to work with you to get a prompt lump sum payment, then put your feet up and relax.

Joe has been the average man on the street all his life.  That wreck a year ago has totally changed his and his family’s lives.  He is praying daily that he will be able to find that one thing that will be the answer for everyone’s needs.  And now he has found it.  That structured settlement is going to be Joe’s saving grace.

Joe spent four years in the Army.  He took advantage of his youthfulness to defend our country and to see the world.  He has traveled from one coast to the other of this great United States.

He even spent a couple of years in Germany while he was in the service.  During this time, he spent his time off traveling the beautiful countryside of Germany on a bike.  He loved the diversity of life that he found there.

When he had served his four years, he came home and took any job he could get until something steady came along.  He worked handyman jobs, pitching hay for his local neighbor, and even sawed up firewood to sell.  Then he landed a factory job that would make things easier and steadier for him.

A few months after he landed that factory job, Joe married the love of his life.  A year and some months later, his first child would be born.  Within five years, his family would grow to the number of five.  He loved spending time with his family.

He could not wait to get home from work to see those little cherub faces and play any game that he could with them.  He would go outside with them and play hide and seek or tag.   He loved being active.

Later on down the road came the mortgage, car payments and college tuitions.  Life was full and good for Joe.  Never would he imagine that his life could take such a drastic turn with one car accident.

He was coming home from work.  He made the stop at that corner.  The light turned green and he took off anxious to get home and see his family and find out what the events of the day had been for his family.

He never saw that car not stopping at the red light.  It broadsided him.  He was in a coma for a month.

When Joe came out of the coma, he was told by his loving wife about the accident and that his health had been precarious for a month.  The first thought that Joe had was about the normal monthly bills and how the hospital bills were going to be paid.  Then he was informed that he was going to be in wheelchair and that he would no longer be able to work.  What on earth was Joe going to do?

Joe ended up being awarded a structured settlement in which he was only going to be paid monthly installments of $1000 a month.  That was great, but it was not going to get bills caught up from the time that he was in the hospital.  He needed to desperately get the mortgage caught up and buy a vehicle that would now be made to be accessible for his handicap.

Joe is going to be okay. Joe decided to sell his structured settlement for one lump sum.   He needed that cash as soon as possible.  This was the only means that he could see to get things done.  That structured settlement ended up being Joe’s saving grace.

Selling Structured Settlement Payments

The man

Most people want to know if I met Howard Shultz. If by “met” you mean shaking hands and him having taken some interest, then no. I just rode the elevator with him frequently up to the 8^th floor (his stop) on my way to the 9^th. At 5AM we were usually alone in the lift. He sometimes carried a basketball.

He couldn’t park between the lines of his reserved parking spot in his designer SUV to save his soul, but probably he just didn’t care. I parked my bicycle in the bike cage next to his car. Often he parked so badly there was no way to open the gate to wheel the bike into the cage. He routinely blocked 60-80 cyclists from access to the bike cage. Yet he promoted the bike program during weekly speeches as part of Starbucks Green Community initiative. That was Howard for you.

A few of my cycling friends discussed ways we might sabotage his car to force him to park between the lines. We discussed the possibility of scratching his door with our bikes since that would happen naturally if we tried to get by his (intentionally?) poor parking job. We thought it would bring our presence to his attention, and inspire him to be more courteous.  To my knowledge nobody ever purposefully scratched his paint, but some of the newer guys did (probably) accidently gouge the car. They probably didn’t realize the car belonged to Howard. At any rate, our parking proximity and time of arrival/entry account for the times we rode the elevator together.

Schultz is tall, with shiny, gelled, slick-backed black hair, a quasi-jock with a gift of gab but not much candlepower in general. He looks to be out of another age, circa 1920′s- 1930s vintage mafia. He is or was obsessive/compulsive about all new products and business ventures, including the Sonics basketball team. I didn’t count how many left the company when he sold the Sonics (which he said he would never do during his speech celebrating the purchase of the team with us). I know a lot of people left the company based on that one action because it told you all you needed to know about Howard Shultz.

He promoted ideas like the Sonics, Café Starbucks, the breakfast initiative and the magazine Joe to the hilt…until he decided they weren’t working. Most of these new initiatives like the café, the magazine, the breakfast menu were total failures. When failure was imminent, Shultz fired the entire team working on the project. Then it was on to the next project with nary a blink of the eye. It was a double-edged sword when Shultz honored someone by asking him or her onto a special project team. We all knew what it meant.

Did I mention that the guy was absolutely ruthless?

Coming up next: The coffee and

Androgel Side Effects

Debt Elimination

Cheap Wheels

Cheap Rims

Protection Pare Pierre

Mad Wheels

payday loans online

Pediatric ENT

hyundai parts

Have you ever known anyone who successfully switched from regular coffee to decaffeinated coffee, and lived to tell it?  I’m talking about your devoted coffee drinkers.  The sober minded brewers, who sometime in their life has woke up in a puddle of their own coffee.

We all know these people.  They started out as the sippers consuming the warm, roasted brew as they stimulated their wit with others of their kind.  The more caffeine they absorbed, the more alive they felt.

Then one day comes when they lost that extra skip in their step.  Sleeplessness, anxiety, frequent trips to the bathroom, and an increase in speeding tickets had finally taken its toll.  It is time to switch to decaffeinated coffee.

Oh what evil words do we speak from the tongue.  Decaffeinated coffee, the devils blend.  What started out as a splendid source of the finest quality and most sought after green roasted bean, ends up rinsed with a solvent.  A tragedy has happened.

Why?  Why have these caffeine riddled souls put their self through this torture?  Many of your decaffeinated coffees still contain 1 – 2% of the original caffeine remaining in them despite the removal process.

Don’t fool yourself people.  Your sleepless self is still going to be dragging all day.  However, the decaff you added to your diet isn’t going to make you any less productive than the wonderful stimulate you could have had.  Unless Juan Valdez himself promises to hire you to work on his donkey farm, switching from caffeine to decaffeinated coffee is not the best choice.

What if you are like millions of Americans and a few foreigners who have Alertness Deficit Disorder, ADD?  Caffeine is their life saver.

Last word:  We hope this post excited all our structured settlements blog readers.  I know coffee isn’t particular to the subject of structured settlements, but it’s a tasty subject indeed and of interest to most!  Have a great day and thanks again for following our structured settlements site. We really are the leader in structured settlements.

Coffee, the universal drink of billions, is the drink that warms the tongue and the soul.  It’s a stimulant of wit as well as a social institute.  Over 400 billion cups is consumed every year, making it the world most popular beverage.

Originating in Africa as far back as the 13^th century, the well sought after plant had soon spread worldwide.  The growing market magnified throughout the world.  Throughout history, coffee developed massively and invaded the world’s daily life.

Coffee opened up opportunities for establishments like coffeehouses, bars, and café’s to serve the favorite hot beverage.  The finest quality and most sought after roasted, ground beans of the Coffea Arabica plant were soon demanded.

Before America, coffeehouses became a place of interest quickly across Europe.  They were thought of as a place to share intellectual wit.  Many thought coffee was used as a trigger to increase thought and creativity.

The coffee industry has grown to be a huge global industry, providing jobs to more than 20 million people.  This contribution results to the industry making an enormous impact in sales, service, and productivity.

The requirement of maintaining three factors in making good ground coffee is essential.  How finely the beans are ground, and the method as well as length of time used for brewing coffee.

There are four methods used in the coffee industry to brew coffee.  The expresso method is the most popular. There is also the French Press, Drip Filtration, and Moka Pot, or commonly known as stovetop.

It has been said that many people’s three favorite things in life is … coffee before… coffee during… and coffee after.  The enormous request for this beverage can be seen in its history.

Last word:  Thank you for visiting our structured settlementssite.  If you, or someone you know has a structured settlement or annuity and needs to free up cash please remember our name, Sovereign Funding.  We’re here to help, not hurt your pocket.

As a child you are very impressionable.  You learn things from what you see around you, trying to dissect each word and meaning.  So at the age of five when you hear your mother ask your father to pick up some coffee roast, wouldn’t you think supper was going to be disgusting?

I had imagined my mother was going to be cooking a roast in the flavor of coffee.  Silly as it sounds, it was not a meal a five year old was looking forward to having for supper.  This memory of my mother’s coffee “roast” brought back several fond remembrances of growing up in a household of coffee drinkers.

Drinking fresh, roasted coffee was a ritual in our house.  The smell of a strong pot of coffee brewing in the early morning was ordinary.  As a young child, I thought the smell of coffee brewing in the early morning was the scent of sun rise.  I had it all figured out, as the sun rose the coffee would start brewing.  This was way before coffeemakers came with timers.

I believed the commercial, it was the best part of waking up.  But as that young, impressionable child, I also thought they said it was with a soldier in your cup.  I spent many mornings looking for that soldier.  I believed that we really could not find out the best part of waking up, because the soldier never showed up. 

Coffee in the afternoons was usually when my mother would take a break between chores. Sometimes she would sip on cups with friends while catching up on the local gossip.  It was a social prop in our household.

There are many memories as a child that you will never forget. I have several of my family conversing over a pot of coffee.  My mother putting on a coffee roast is one I will forever cherish.

Foreclosures for some mean homes for others

In a boarded up home in Queens, New York, Jesse and friends have found a safe haven from the NYPD. No one except immediate “family members” know they are there. After the owners obeyed the foreclosure order and moved out, Jesse & co. moved in.

Jesse is employed as it were, stealing copper from various shuttered industries in Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn.  It’s a Mad Max sort of existence, but it’s a living. And a crime.With the rate of foreclosure skyrocketing throughout NYC’s outer boroughs, criminals of all stripes are able to break into abandoned homes. With authorities busily involved in evictions of owners, the sheer numbers of foreclosed units offer attractive pickings for drug dealers, addicts, gang members, squatters and petty criminals.

The police do not keep records specifically as it relates to criminal activities in foreclosed homes. It’s a legal no-man’s land.  Criminals pack light so if the cops do show up to investigate, the ‘family’ is off to a new neighborhood and a new foreclosed home to use as headquarters.

“[Foreclosed homes] are becoming a magnet for criminal activity,” said deputy inspector Miltiadis Marmara, the commanding officer of the 113^th Precinct in South Jamaica.

Councilman James Sanders Jr., who represents a district in Queens, echoes the complaint that, “It’s destroying our quality of life here. We’re even seeing activity where people are having strip shows in these homes.” When the police come, there is no one to arrest.

The trend of criminal activity in boarded houses ultimately penalizes those who have managed to keep their homes and remain citizens in good standing in the neighborhood. The property values are plummeting in areas of massive foreclosure, and immediate safety is increasingly an issue. “We worked three jobs to keep up payments,” said Floyd Jones of Rockaway. “It’s not safe to stay here, but no one is interested in buying the house.”

In the big picture, New York’s outer boroughs offer immediate cautionary tales about the death of the middle class. For some, the decent into deprivation and poverty is mercifully slow and inexorable. For others, it happens overnight.

Payday Loans Online

The advantages of selling a structured settlement and annuities are great indeed.

If you have filed a lawsuit against any particular company, you can either win the case in the court or go for settlement outside the court. In the latter case, you should be aware about structured settlements and how they work. After all you need to be informed of all things involving selling a structured settlement.

Selling a structured settlement or annuity doesn’t have to be complicated.  For example, when you win a settlement in court, the court may offer a structured settlement or annuity fund whereby you draw off this fund or monthly payment. You do not get all your money in one lump sum, only in some cases.

Suppose you get diseased due to consumption of a drug from some company, then you decide to sue the company and the amount that is agreed outside the court is a million dollars. In the structured settlement that the court offers you could be awarded or paid the amount in installments over the time instead of one lump sum.

Yeah I know right?  It doesn’t seem fair.  Either way, the monthly payments act as a constant source of income from a company over particular time duration.  It can be a great source of relief receiving monthly payments that you need.  It could also be a great source of relief by selling a structured settlement to a licensed buyer or Attorney.  By getting your money in one lump sum you can do your own investing instead of letting the company you sued use your money while they’re literally, “paying you off”.
The staff at Sovereign Funding will help you sell your structured settlement quickly to get the cash you require. The quote is no-obligation, and it is free. Sovereign Funding specializes in giving cash for your settlement and therefore there is no need to continue to wait for lengthy payouts.  A lump sum comes in handy when you don’t want to be forced to pay interest on large purchases while you wait for your settlement checks to trickle in. The advantages of selling a structured settlement are many!

Related Link:  Selling Structured Settlement

Three new trade agreements allow the U.S. to send whatever jobs may be remaining overseas.

 The House and Senate are marking the passage of three new free trade bills with high-fives, celebrating proof at last that bipartisanship is still alive and well in the legislative branch of the U.S. government.

With the signing of South Korea, Panama and Columbia onto our list of free trade partners, it’s perfectly evident that our partners supply us with low cost-goods while we support their low cost labor. That pretty much leaves the American worker out of any free trade agreement, at least in terms of paying bills, buying a house, supporting a family and the like

Of course there is every reason for heads of corporations to just love these agreements since it saves on overhead costs on manufacturing. That is really what this one note of bipartisanship is really about. It’s another corporate give-away, while promising nothing but more heartache for the American worker.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos proclaimed (as presidents will) that, “Today is a historic day for relations between Columbia and the United States.” This proclamation was undercut somewhat by Tarsicio Moro, president of Columbia’s CUY labor federation, who warned,” Our country isn’t developed; it does not have expertise much less requirements for trade at this level. The country should be clear as to who is responsible for the coming massacre, because industry, large and small businesses are going to be hit because we are not in a position to compete.

Worse, labor leaders in Columbia are in constant threat of violence. Said Rep. Maxine Waters of CA, “I find it deeply disturbing that the United States Congress is even considering a free trade agreement with a country that holds the world record for assassinations of trade unionists.

But then again, this free trade agreement, like the ones with South Korea and Panama, were not written to benefit those countries now, were they?

Subtlety was never his strong point.

An emergency meeting of the Occupation Wall Street’s General Assembly (yes, they’ve organized a General Assembly) was held yesterday to respond to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s order for the whole Occupation Wall Street gang to clear out of Zucotti Park, sleeping bags, tents and all, so that city sanitation workers could come in and clean up the area. The mayor called upon Brookfield Properties, owners of the park, to comply with the city’s code of sanitation and, in response, Brookfield asked Hizzoner to provide a company of the city’s finest (NYPD) to make sure protesters left quickly and peacefully.

Clearly the Mayor is fed up with the media and the fact that he and all his chums, some of this country’s finest oligarchs, are fed up with being cast in the role of villains. So let us be blunt. The mayor doesn’t give a hoot about a clean park. His aim was to ‘trow da bums out’, to put in Brooklyn parlance.

Occupy Wall Street activists responded by organizing its own clean-up brigade to circumvent the need for ‘outside help.’ The place now shines; it smells better than auntie Vi’s bathroom.  There’s a sweet smelling shine of Lemon Pledge on the benches, a reassuring whiff of Tidy Bowl in the Sanicans. The park is ready for a state visit.

The Mayor was undeterred. The cops were scheduled in on Thursday morning, to break down the medical facility—yes, there is a medical facility on the grounds to treat injuries from cops and common ailments that are exacerbated by sleeping on hard ground in the open air around lots of other people. The tent is staffed, on an orderly 24/7 schedule, by volunteer doctors, interns and nurses from local hospitals.

The cops were to be there to break down the food tent, which is operated by volunteers to feed the hungry among the protesters, to hand out essentials provided by the largesse of sympathetic providers and food producers from all over the country.

Blomberg’s action was a legalistic ploy to send in the cops en masse.

The said General Assembly decided to call the Mayor’s bluff and not cooperate with the order to move out.

Any confrontation of this magnitude would have resulted in massive bloodshed.

On Thursday, the Mayor called off operation Clean Zucotti Park.

Power to the people!

Is it the right time to invest in the now?

Selling a structured settlement can be a practical solution in coping with a bad economy, but there are many practical questions one needs to consider prior to selling. Here are but a few:

1. How much do you need the up-front cash? Is the need enough to warrant paying the transaction fee?
2.  Is your structured settlement working for you as it is, or are you looking at the funds in the settlement as an asset with hidden potential for growth?
3. Is your structured settlement source secure from the harsh realities of today’s economy?

Let’s take a little time with each of these. The first question is subjective. Only you are able to determine your needs, much less weigh the option of realizing slightly less than the full amount of the lump sum to gain access to the funds. If you don’t really need to sell, then don’t sell. Why pay out of pocket for a lump sum you don’t really need? Obviously, though,  if you’re unemployed with a family to feed, clothe, and keep healthy, you do what you have to do, and you may have no choice but to sell the structured settlement to take care of immediate needs.

The next two questions are predicated somewhat on your position regarding the first question. Again, if you already have secure investments and a decent cash flow and are reasonably  free of debt, the structured settlement is just so much icing on the cake. The only position for the individual or corporate directors to make is can the money from the settlement be more wisely used. Having a lump sum to invest elsewhere is an attractive incentive to selling the settlement, even with the transaction fee required to free up the funds. It’s oft said that you have to spend money to make money.  Selling the structured settlement is a prime example of this ages-old aphorism.

Remember that your structured settlement is not like the dividend that shows up similarly on a rigid schedule. The structured settlement gains no value with age. And, depending on the fluctuation of the value of the dollar, you may actually be losing money maintaining the cache as a structured fund. If you have a portfolio, you are also familiar with the timeworn advice to diversify your assets. These days, diversification means much more that investing in bonds and stocks and mutual funds, or energy and technology or industry. The term ‘diversify’ these days means to consider investing in commodities as well as fiat-based assets, as a means of protect against sliding value not only in the stocks or bonds or mutual funds themselves, but to protect against fluctuating value of the dollar itself.

So you may have no choice but to sell your structured settlement, you may have no real need at all to sell it, or you may end up being foolhardy by NOT selling it. Those are the three possible choices of the three questions we asked at the outset.

The actual decision, however, is up to you.

If you do decide to sell, Sovereign Funding is here to help you, not to gouge you. Selling structured settlements is our business. We do it damn well, but we are not predatory about it. The decision to sell is often not an easily made one. We really are here to help with any questions you might have in making your decision whether or not to sell, and we are undoubtedly the best in the business to help you   should you decide to go ahead with selling.

Selling Structured Settlement Payments

A bad idea in conception, and a costly waste of time

It is predictable that the secrecy inherent in the Deficit Reduction Panel (aka, the Super Committee) would cause consternation on both sides of the aisle in both the Senate and congress. Concern is inevitable when a new uber-committee is tasked with discussions and solutions that impact the entire body, and so far the Deficit Reduction Panel has been less than transparent. No one except the twelve members of the panel know where or when the panel is meeting or if it has even met yet, but already there are grumblings coming from every side.

One of the main problems with the panel’s secrecy is that their recommendations are less likely to gain swift or any approval from the constituent bodies they represent. The only witness to their work are the director of the Congressional Budget Office and the chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, both of whom serve only as needed, in an advisory capacity.

WA State Senator Patty Murray, who co-chairs the panel, argues that only behind closed doors can the panel members really be open and honest with each other. In fact, panel members resent invasions of their privacy. As Texas Republican Representative Jeb Hensarlin told reporters last month, “We like to eat breakfast without having cameras in our face.”

Officially named the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, the panel has extraordinary authority to recommend changes to tax laws, and its recommendations cannot be amended by either the House or the Senate before they are voted on.

The committee has been allowed too much power according to some, and its clandestine operations only exacerbate the tension in and outside the committee. The other problem is that lobbyists still have access to the panel members, many of whom represent states heavily dependent on military contracts. So when searching for ways to trim some $1.2 trillion from the budget, the panel cannot be expected to drill too deeply into the Pentagon budget, which suggests that social programs are or will be the most likely targets.

The likely outcome off the panel’s meetings is that their recommendations will fail to garner support, and the U.S. will have simply wasted a number of months which might have been usefully spent finding workable solutions to the deficit problem.

Meanwhile, the deficit clock keeps ticking.

Good God !

(So the author has failed the test of journalistic objectivity right from the top. Well…let us proceed.)

Washington mouths are on the loose as we march into the election season, and one of the hottest bits of gossip (for now) is that Biden will be given the many-splendored boot, and Hillary Clinton will be brought onto the ticket to pull out the win for an Obama second term, although one wonders who will wind up wearing the pants in the family.

There’s nothing wrong with old Joe, although he’s fallen off the radar lately. But the idea of the Lady Warrior bringing her whips and spurs to the White House gives pause. It’s a decent political tactic for the Democratic Party, but what it might portend for the rest of America truly sends chills.

You will remember that the once-respected Bob Woodward (of Watergate fame), writer for the once-respected Washington Post (also of Watergate fame), floated the possibility of the Obama-Clinton ticket in 2010. At that time Obama was looking “a little weak,” and now, of course, you can barely hear him screaming from the bottom of the well. So what was a witticism on a talk show has now become a subject for serious discussion.

For lovers of the Pentagon and uniformed pallbearers, there is probably no better match (except for the original Bush-Cheney duo, of course, which would be hard to top). Yes, Obama has had a very bad year, but does that mean that the rest of America and our men and women in uniform must suffer for it?

The lightweights on the Washington wag circuit insist that for Obama to change the ticket at this point would mean that he was admitting defeat.  One only openly courts their enemies when one is dying, after all.

We’ll leave it at that for now, but it will come as no major surprise if it actually happens.

New American Foundation offers sane, practical and practicable remedies

Everybody now admits that America and the rest of the world are dug pretty deeply into a financial morass. What has been lacking so far is a coherent strategy for climbing our way out.

The New American Foundation recently presented a huge paper, A Way Forward, which outlines the problems from many angles, it’s chronology, and then presents an ordered series of “pillars” to reenergize the flow of cash and build toward a global strengthening in job creation and market stability. The “pillars” can be summarized as follows.

Pillar 1 prescribes a 5-7 year public investment program which repairs the nation’s infrastructure program, putting people to work and laying the groundwork for a more “efficient and cost-effective” economy.  They emphasize that the program would be “self-financing” and that there wouold be minimal requirement for government funding.

Pillar 2 involves a debt restructuring affecting the banking and real estate sectors, which were the hardest hit areas and therefore constitute the heaviest drags on US recovery.

Pillar 3 engages the global community to facilitate de-levering between Europe and the US—that is—allowing more financial independence of nations, thereby lessening one country’s impact on the economic stability of its neighbors and its trading partners.

Details may be found at  http://growth.newamerica.net/sites/newamerica.net/files/policydocs/NAF–The_Way_Forward–Alpert_Hockett_Roubini.pdf

Signposts along the path toward global financial collapse

We have beaten the drum warning of very dangerous economic signals not to frighten, to thrill, or to drive up readership.  The warning is just that. Where are your savings and investments parked? Are there steps you might take now to secure your nest egg if the dire warnings actual become reality? These are considerations that one is wise to make in good times and in bad. Only the foolhardy would ignore them in times of economic peril.

It all began with the failure of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, followed by the failure of Washington Mutual, the first major US bank collapse. It continued with the fall of Fannie Mae. The signs keep mounting here and abroad that something financial catastrophic is in the wind, and that it is global in scope.

By all news account, Greece will soon default on its sovereignty soon. The country made some very bad swaps with Morgan Stanley in its first attempts to stem its debt problems, and now, for intense and purposes, Morgan Stanley owns Greece. Let that one sink in.

The contagion of fear is rapacious on every continent, but Europe is in a particularly volatile position financially, so that fear is greatly intensified. Once Europe was ‘all in’ with the euro, one European country’s problem was inherently linked to and affected every other European nation. France and Germany are, as the most politically powerful and financially secure European nations, on the hook to solve the problem with Morgan Stanley’s Greece.

Spanish banks, too, are falling like dominoes—five major Spanish banks have collapsed. French banks are teetering because no fresh cash is coming in. Who wants to put their money into banks that are about to go down trying to rescue another country (Greece again)? Banks in Portugal , Iceland, China, Russia and Brazil are more have more or less frozen their accounts, so it’s very easy to see the dominoes falling even now. The problem for all the banks and in fact, the entire financial community, is that there is not nearly enough cash in the system to pay off the accumulated global indebtedness. It is as simple as that.

Because of this lack of cash on a global basis and because of debts which therefore cannot possibly be repaid, credit agencies at home and abroad have begun to downgrade credit ratings. In a way, the downgrading of any credit rating is moot at this point. Once a country has reached critical mass, when there are no longer enough dollars in a country’s system anywhere that can match its indebtedness to other nations or private/public entities, a country’s rating automatically drops to ZERO. For this reason, Standard and Poor’s action dropping the US from AAA+ to AAA, strikes us as silly and quaint. It is mere window dressing which only masks the actual seriousness of the occasion.

Spain and Italy will be the next European country’s to follow Greece into default.  Morgan Stanley may wind up owning their entire assets as well. So much for their sovereignty.

As follows night the day, this massive move of countries into default can only yield a meltdown of the global debt markets. There will no longer be a place (not a single one) where countries can go to to borrow money, because all funds will already be debts “purchased” from other countries.

To reiterate, there is not enough cash in the global system to pay off what is already owed. For any country to seek a temporary solution by printing more money at this point would only find inflation being added into an already boiling cauldron of bad news.

Finally, the accumulated weight of sovereign debt defaults and bank failures must inevitably lead to a collapse of the present global economy. Call it a global recession, a depression, or a Global Ice Age as some predict. It matters not.

Now the good news. Yes, there is good news. Assuming the apocalyptic prognosticators (with whom this author happens to side) are correct, all this really means is that a new global economy will emerge from the ashes, again as night follows day. Some are concerned that the global financial meltdown has been plotted all along by a global cabal of Bilderbergers (will report on them another time) and a few other groups—most often referred to as the ‘global elite’. However it is probably high time for a new  financial system, after which we will deal with any assholes who think they own it as the Occupy Wall Street protesters continue their march around the globe.

Derived from:  Martin D. Weiss, PhD., “7 Major Advance Warnings” in Money & Markets 10/10/11

It’s been said that a cup of coffee shared with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent.  This quote holds true for the widespread coffee houses throughout the city of St. Louis.

Throughout the largest city in the “Show Me State”, coffee houses have spread quickly in the last decade.  Becoming centers for cup after cup of matters flowing while enjoying a calming atmosphere.

Here coffeehouses are known as a social setting for many to come and stimulate their wit as well as warm their tongues and souls.  They provide comedy, games, and community family night entertainment.

Premium specialty coffee is consumed by millions in coffee houses throughout the city.    In the last decade coffeehouses have reached a high in sales and have become increasingly significant on an annual basis.

Located near Grand South Grand, Hartford Coffee Company is rated high amongst these coffeehouses.  It provides a cozy, fun, family-oriented atmosphere where you can enjoy a wide variety of coffee.

Hartford Coffee Company is known for their community events and family nights.  Live musical entertainment, free wi-fi, and kids night is just a few events hosted in this relaxed establishment.

One of the largest and most popular coffeehouses in St. Louis is the Coffee Cartel.  It was voted the best coffeehouse in 2011 by St. Louis Magazine, receiving the A-List award. The Coffee Cartel is located in the historic Central West End.

A chain of coffeehouses known all through the city of St. Louis is Mississippi Mud. It was voted best coffeehouse in 2008.  Mississippi Mud improves the real coffee flavor of a variety of blends by fire roasting. Their roaster is batch fed and gas fired.  Mississippi Mud has various locations throughout the city.

St. Louis can be said to be the perfect democrat of coffeehouses.  Known for their rich roasted blends and family atmosphere, they provide much more than just a great cup of coffee.  Reminded of a popular quote, “Chocolate, men, coffee – some things are better rich”.

 Check out these coffeehouses and enjoy the atmosphere and the love of enjoying and savoring a great cup of coffee!

You ever had a morning where, you wake up, wash your face, brush your teeth, turn on the radio and heard the greatest news ever?

Apparently coffee is good for us again. It holds a host of physical and psychological benefits. Coffee reduces Depression in women. Studies at Harvard show that women who drink fully caffeinated coffee have a 20% lower risk of depression versus non coffee drinkers. The risk of suicide decreases when the consumption of coffee is increased.

It lowers the risk of Prostate Cancer in men. Each cup of coffee that is drank by men lowers their risk of the lethal Prostate Cancer by 10%. So if a man drank 6 cups of java, he lowered the risk by 60%. Nice huh? Prostate Cancer is well known to be lethal.

It may protect against head and neck cancers. There was a study taken at University of Utah that showed that people who drank more then 4 cups of Joe a day had a 39% decreased risk of Oral and Pharynx cancer than non-coffee drinkers. It has also been shown that people that drink more coffee than others lower the risks of Brain Tumors, Colorectal, Endometrial, and Liver cancer.

It may ward off Alzheimer’s disease. There was a study done on mice in which they were given doses of caffeine. It confirmed that coffee decreased the abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease. When the mice started showing signs of the disease they were given caffeinated coffee as much as five cups a day. It showed that their memory impairment was reversed.

It appears to stave off Diabetes. Many studies have shown that coffee may be protective against Type 2 Diabetes although it is not fully understood. People who drink three to four cups of coffee a day are 25% less likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes than people who drink fewer cups, such as two a day.

There are still currently more studies being down with caffeinated coffee. What hasn’t been looked at yet is that caffeine causes you to stay up and raises your blood pressure. I’m just wondering how drinking four or more cups of coffee will help when it has its adverse side effects.

Coffee anyone?

It all comes down to who you want to work with and who you can trust

Selling a structured settlement is fairly commonplace today. Normally, a structured settlement is involved in court cases where a victim is paid a court-settled amount of restitution over time, for an injury or for other damages. Invariably the structured settlement involves a strict payment schedule that is strung along over months and years so as to be equitable for the payer as well as the payee.

The structured settlement concept was first “invented” in Canada in the early 1960s, when families brought multiple suits against the Canadian manufacturers of Thalidomide, a supposed fertility drug which in cases too numerous to count was proven to have damaged fetuses during pregnancy. The problem of ‘Thalidomide babies’ born with grotesque physical deformities and defects was a worldwide epidemic. In the particular case of the Canadian manufacturer, they could not begin to offer full financial restitution because they were overwhelmed with the number of claims against them. The Canadian Justice system came up with a plan whereby the claims could be paid out in a structured way with legally proscribed agreements between the manufacturer and the litigants. Claimants were paid over time, in such a way that the manufacturer was not crippled with a single overwhelming  financial blow. This legal instrument, instituted by the Canadian court system, came to be known as a “structured settlement.”

Today, the structured settlement is a standard legal instrument used in the settlement of most liability claims between private parties, corporate entities and litigants.

All well and good. But what if for some reason the victim, possibly you(?), has an immediate need for more and perhaps all of the cash awarded to them (or you) as part of a legal claim now, upfront, and you can’t wait the months or years until the sum is paid in full? That’s where companies like Sovereign Investment can help out.

Working within the stringent dictates of the IRS tax code, many investment companies can purchase your settlement or annuity and pay you cash up front for up to the total amount that would have trickled in to you only over many years. How do they do this? They work with the entity established through the legal system to have your settlement shifted over onto their books. The settlement no longer comes to you, it trickles in unchanged to the investment firm or bank. Meanwhile, the bank or firm charges you a one-time fee for taking on the burden of the settlement payments and the accounting liability. So what you get is the lump sum full value of your original court decision, minus a fee to the intermediary for assuming the legal responsibility of your settlement on their books and ensuring legal reporting to the IRS on a timely basis year to year.

Meanwhile, you have the lump sum owed to you as part of the original court decision less the cash paid for services discussed above, and you only have to deal with the IRS once, in the calendar year in which you received the lump sum payment. That’s a couple of headaches taken care of with one action.

If you want to sell your structured settlement, the only decision you have to make after choosing to sell, and it’s a very important decision, is who are you going to work with?  It needs to be a group you can trust, because you’re going to have to work with them closely in dealing with an old wound. You will have to let them in on the full details of your court settlement, so it’s best to work with people you feel you can entrust with your case and whom you can trust as individuals, and even better if they are people who you like…as people.

OK, an up-front truth. I write for Sovereign Funding Investment Company. I’m not exactly neutral, but I do know one thing. They have dealt with me professionally and fairly, and I am in close personal contact with a number of the Sovereign employees all the way to the top, David Springer, the CEO. I trust them, and I think you can, too. But to be safe, check out many firms who can help you sell your structured settlement. See what they can offer you, and at what price. But do me a favor and check out Sovereign Funding while you’re at it. Many companies can offer you the service, but Sovereign is among only a handful of companies that can rightfully claim this as their only business. This is all they do, and they’ve spent years developing new efficiencies to help their clients sell their structured settlements more easily. As a result, Sovereign does it better than anyone else.

P.S. While you’re visiting the Sovereign Funding website, check out the blog and the articles. There are some interesting things to read on subjects ranging from politics to Hollywood and points beyond. Sovereign brings the world to your doorstep every day. Maybe it’s worth bookmarking.

Was the mainstream press merely uninterested, or did they have a reason for hiding the information?

A group called Project Censored has published its annual list of the top ten underplayed news stories of the past year, and the results are not surprising. We could quibble about the use of the term censorship, but otherwise the stories either flew under media radar (doubtful) or they were simply “under reported” for political guidance reasons. This group doesn’t seem to be concerned with stories we read about daily that were spun to the hilt with politically charged disinformation from the get-go.

The stories listed in the Project Censorship report seem to fall in no particular order of importance.

1. More soldiers committed suicide this year than in the same reporting time frame used for the 2010 report: This is worthy of comment certainly, and it did not receive much attention except in alternative press. I think the feeling it goes back to the average American blind acceptance of George Bush’s definition of patriotism. There was always the undercurrent of thought that soldiers who commit suicide are somehow weaker and less heroic than those who stick around. Total BS, of course. So the press hides not the dead bodies, particularly those war-party patriots deem as being “less than gallant.”
2. Centcom (US Central Command) secured a contract with a tech company based in LA to develop a program enabling US service workers to use fake online social media sites to guide dialogue and insert military propaganda: This is no doubt true, but then anyone can join any social organization which they wish to propagandize” and simply play the wolf among sheep until the time is right. It’s done all the time without government contract. It’s a common tool used by many. It hardly counts as censorship.
3. Thanks to an Obama approved initiative, the CIA and the U.S. military are now authorized to kill US citizens abroad, outside war zones (read that as “anywhere”). It appeared on the front page of the Washington Post in January, and no one has heard about it in the press since—until lately, now that the bodies have started to turn up. This is indeed censorship of the most egregious kind. Even Bush only locked people up indefinitely. And the papers reported it, they just supported the wrong side (Bush, Cheney, Woo)
4. The man made food crisis: Since basic commodities including rice, meat, produce have become commodities, it is commodities traders in Chicago who have sent food prices soaring, not environmental woes, not acts of nature, and not overpopulation. There is plenty of food in this world. It is the gaming of the market that has kept the prices for it out of reach for the poorest countries.  This is definitely a subject that has been secreted from the public, and one more reason to beat feet to Wall Street. This news should surprise and disgust you. The real meaning of poverty is that many poor nations are growing wonderful crops which their own people simply cannot afford to buy, because commodities traders have driven prices to the skies. Next time you see pictures of a starving child in Ethiopia with flies on them, think on this one.

(See part two for additional info)

Info base:  Project Censored, “Downplayed”, by Rebecca Rowe, The Pacific Northwest Inlander, 10/11/11

Playing Hot Potato With The Euro
Who’s got the money?

Reports are coming fast that and participation by France in the Greek bailout are likely to lower the country’s rating from AAA to AA, and the push is coming for Germany to manage the bailout virtually singlehandedly.

While Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Nicolas Sarkozy announced today that they have a package of reforms to recapitalize the banks, the Greek problem continues to be a stumbling block. With details left so vague, the uncertainty is still unnerving to investors who hoped to take more decisive action.

The declaration of closer contact between European countries comes after the governments of France, Belgium and Luxembourg agreed to nationalize Dexia, Belgium’s biggest bank, with a cash infusion of taxpayer money after the bank became the first foreign casualty of the Greek sovereign debt crisis. Dexia’s failure was the biggest euro zone bank failure in years, and it left many banks feeling less than confident in the stability of their investments.

The European leaders remain at odds about how to proceed initially, with France wanting to pump money from the developing bailout mechanism, while Germany is insistent that that fund should be used only as a last resort, if the banks are unable to raise money on their own.
The bailout of Dexia comes as both France and Germany scramble to to pay down their own debts, and some are concerned that a big bailout to Dexia seriously threatens the nations’ sterling debt rating.

Belgium is in even a more tenuous situation with its debt at 97.2 percent of gross domestic product. It has the third highest debt burden behind Greece and Italy.

Unless a steady hand can hold the union together, Europe could fall like a house of cards, and the cards would fall very quickly. Mrs. Merkel is now increasingly concerned about any run on the banking system, and told finance ministers and leaders from the World Bank and the I.M.F. last week in Berlin that Germany supported a coordinated bank recapitalization program.

The question remains as to where this influx of new cash might be expected to come from.

Another Worrisome Forecast
Stop us if you’ve heard this

The Economic Cycle Research Institute, a private forecasting firm based in New York has predicted each recession correctly for the past 15 years, so their latest comes as particularly chilling: As bad as the economy is, it’s about to get worse.

It predicts that the country is about to enter a deeper and longer lasting recession, and if borne out, it spells bad news not just for portfolio managers and incumbent politicians, but for this still unemployed and under-employed. While the government-spun unemployment figure remains temporarily steady at 9.1 percent, it’s likely that we are headed securely into double digits for the next few years.

At the “recovery” has been weaker than many analysts had predicted, and a dark cloud hovers over the euro zone. With Spain, Portugal and Italy already in sharp downturns, even Ben Bernanke is issuing a warning that the economy was “close to faltering.” This from the good news guy.
Any array of economic indicators causing normally staid financial advisors’ eyes to twitch is of concern.  What’s worse, analysts are understanding that the business cycle is contracting, and that more frequent recessions might be the new norm.

Venture Capitalism on Downswing
Who can blame them?
It comes as no real news that venture capital firms raised only $1.72 billion in the third quarter, the lowest level since 2003. After beginning the year with soring hopes for internet companies such as Facebook and Groupon, the wet towel of reality has slapped faces at big venture backed companies who are now cowering from wild fluctuations in the market and tumbling valuations.
According to Mark Heesen, president of the National venture Capital Association, “The quarter’s low fund-raising numbers are reflective of the ongoing challenges within the venture capital exit market. “Until we begin to see a steady and sustained flow, we can’t count on investors stepping up.”
An extra $5 million will buy you his real thoughts on the situation.

Are you one of those people who have difficulty starting their day without their morning fix of three or four cups of coffee?   Well you are not alone.  Millions of people have come to the realization that without a pick-me-up from their favorite coffee bean brewing, they are lost without their boost for the day.

We find ourselves empowered by the stimulant in coffee beans.  Falling prey to its caffeine dependency many feel its need to increase energy and alertness.  Elevated moods also contribute to our daily dose of caffeine.  Holding true to the statement,” I don’t want to even talk to her without her morning coffee”.

The coffee roasted bean produces natural caffeine that is made from the coffea Arabica plant. The caffeine content of the bean depends on two factors, the variety of coffee beans and where it is grown.  The soil condition coffee beans grow in can also affect the amount of caffeine that comes from the bean.

We attribute the amount of caffeine we have from our coffee by how finely we grind the beans.  The method and length of time used for brewing will also determine the caffeine content. 

The health aspect of the coffee bean can be looked at in different standpoints.  Coffee contains several compounds found to affect the human body chemistry.  The bean itself contains chemicals which mildly affect humans as a defense mechanism.

Benefits have been known to derive from the green coffee bean.  This bean is a dominant cardiac and respiratory stimulant that acts as a bronchodilator to improve breathing as well as increases heartbeat and blood flow.

The personal mantra of most American people is to basically keep going.  We live in a fast paced world that keeps us in demand.  However, we are not the energizer bunny. We have no batteries required, only caffeine.

It was an early, busy Monday morning about two years ago.  A day that most people would remember as a beautiful fall day when all the trees were changing color.   But the only color changing I remember unfolding from that day, was the color in my sister’s face.  She had not had her morning coffee!

Hell hath no fury like my sister without her morning coffee!  The grim mistake that my brother-in-law had forgot to pick up coffee the evening before turned out to be a costly one.

This is her “morning stomping ground”.  It is her territory where she oversees her flock before sending them all on their merry way.  All this while satisfying her morning fix of her favorite coffee ground roast.  She earned that spot.

The absence of fresh ground roast coffee brewing in the air became her first withdraw.   This pleasant odor had become a necessity to her.  The fresh, ground aroma missing from her kitchen didn’t go unnoticed.

Most coffee consumers agree that a few cups in the morning are the perfect stimulant needed to start the day. It has been known to many coffee drinkers to relieve headache and tension. As well as keeping them aware and alert.

These statements hold true for my sister who is an avid coffee drinker.  However, if she misses her morning coffee, relief soon becomes growls and twitches. Her morning stomping grounds had been trampled.

The morning conversation was replaced with snares and grunts.  Most mornings at my sisters are full of laughter and fun. But without her coffee, a whole new social interaction is in place.

All of us who had experienced this tragedy before knew the formality.  Take a few deep breaths, smile graciously, and take control of the situation.  Go to the nearest Starbucks or coffee shop and get her a cup of coffee as soon as possible!      

I am scandalous, I am trying to get your attention in the headlines.  I wanted to grab you up out of your seat to listen to the impersonator we hired to talk like, or “impersonate” the President of the United States of America, Obama.  Oh, and we shouldn’t be “using anything”, not the government, not our neighbor, not even our poor elderly aunt or grandma.  We need to rise above the government, lol, and respect ourselves, how is that for a “headline”?

Was the mainstream press merely uninterested, or did they have a reason for hiding the information?

 5. Prison companies fund anti-imigrant legislation: This one is new for us, which means the censorship has been fairly complete. During Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s successful bid for reelection in 2010, her largest out of state campaign contributions came from high-ranking executives of Corrections Corporation of America, one of the nation’s largest prison companies. During her first term, Brewer had championed (state) Senate Bill 1070, a strict piece of anti-immigration legislation that drew criticism for racial profiling. Low and behold, CA profits directly from building and operating prisons and detention centers. Even more offensive, CCA employed two of Brewer’s legislative aids as lobbyists. The warning to immigrants is unmistakable in Arizona. Consider moving to other states. They’ve got you profiled and they don’t like you. They are building prisons just for you.

6. Google spies: Yeah OK, there is some loose evidence that Google is on board with the CIA and is partnering in CIA intelligence operations.  There is some set of possible linkage between Google investors and CIA technologies. Sure sure, OK, put on hold, developing news, whatever.

7. Selling positivism in the military (related to soldier suicides no doubt): OK, you remember all the mind control experiments and courses in the ‘70s, and the feel good New Age retreats in the 1980s? The US Army apparently has apparently finally sniffed the incense during the intervening years and has develop the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program (CSF), which is described as a ‘holistic approach to warrior training’. Pretty funny, we think. One can hardly call this a case of censorship. It seems clear that this one was included on this list simply because no one has heard of it, not because there is anything possibly nefarious lurking somewhere underneath. But we are still chuckling over the “holistic approach to warrior training” concept. Don’t Bogart that joint. Anyway, Google CSF to find out more, but watch out for CIA snoops.

8. The myth of clean nuclear power: Scientists have been debating the cleanliness and safety of nuclear energy since Werner von Braun moved to the states. It may be that the two sides are so firmly entrenched that publishing each new salvo by either side doesn’t rate anymore in the news cycle, but it is not a case of censorship. What I thought this list might include in this regard is the reality or nonreality of manmade global warming. Co2 emissions, that dirty coal, ozone holes…you know, the faked scientific discussion that enabled Al Gore to recently by a lovely new $9 million mansion in LA.

9. The government is manipulating the weather: Speaking of stretched credulity,  there were a few credible scientists who presented a few credible reports at a credible ‘international symposium’, leading to the assertion that climate manipulation (if not full climate control) is “neither hoax nor conspiracy, and is fully operational.” Yeah? So why they hell can’t they stop all this rain in Seattle?

10. The real unemployment number: Everyone knows the real unemployment is 15.9 percent. Everyone has heard the number somewhere, just not on ABCNCBNPRFOXCNBCMSNBC (and affiliates). Call this a form of censorship to keep the old spirits up.

(11.) Not listed on the report was a real process of censorship that really is worthy of noting. It is called Ron Paul censorship: Yeah, he’s won two straw polls and recently won the most votes at the Values Voters Summit, and he has placed in the top three of nearly every poll including those done by major media (MSNBC, CBS, ABC come to mind). Yet when you go back and revisit the raw data later on the day the poll results were published, Dr. Paul isn’t even included on the list. On an NPR report this morning (Morning Edition), Steve Inskeep was doing an interview with Mara Liasson for a report on Rick Perry, and she mentioned his poor rating after the Values Voters Summit, which Dr Paul not only won but won going away. Yet as she ran down the list of candidates at the event, she didn’t even mention Ron Paul–you know…the winner at the event.

Info base:  Project Censored, “Downplayed”, by Rebecca Rowe, The Pacific Northwest Inlander, 10/11/11

Do you think you have ever been discriminated against?  Perhaps we should look at discrimination and what it is and then you can draw your conclusion then as to whether you have or have not been discriminated against.

According to Wikipedia discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category.  I wonder how many categories one actually fits into. Read the rest of this entry »

In today’s society it has become increasingly hard for an older person to find a job.  This became evident today, October 6^th, 2011, when breaking news in Texas was released about Texas Roadhouse having a suit filed against them due to the fact that they would turn older applicants away from jobs stating, “We think you are a little too old to work here.”

Now excuse me, but the last time I checked that was against the law.  In 1967 a law was passed called The Age Discrimination in Employment Act.   In essence, this law states that people 40 and over cannot be discriminated against because of their age.  So what is up with this company? Read the rest of this entry »