Financial Security for You and Your Family

Financial security is at the top of concerns for millennials according to a recent Gallup Poll survey. Many people wonder what financial security is, and the answer may not be as black and white as one thinks. With the cost of living increasing more rapidly than our income, it is wise for millennials to start preparing now. A future without the Social Security program for elderly citizens is not an outlandish idea for millennials, as well as future generations, to prepare for. Some financial planning activities you can do to prepare for your financially secure future are sitting down and speaking with a financial professional, planning the foundation of your savings, and reviewing your financial plan annually and making adjustments accordingly.

Speak to a Financial Professional

I understand that there is a strong urge to resist sitting down with a financial professional, or better known as the dreadful insurance agent. But, before you decide against speaking with that awful agent, think about this idea. The financial professional cannot force you to purchase any products, and a good one knows that pushing too hard for a sale leads to the exact opposite result. Insurance companies will make sure their financial professionals are well informed of the products their firm offers. For example, New York Life is an insurance company that offers a wide array of financial planning products such as annuities, securities, and of course, life insurance as well as other related products. New York Life assures their financial professionals understand their products, and it is the financial professional's job to understand your financial situation. The meeting with the financial professional is free, and they often will meet you in your home or a neutral site so that there is no pressure to make any decisions until you are ready. The financial professional will always work their schedule around you, their valued prospect.

Build a Foundation for Saving

Once you've sat down with a financial professional and discussed ideas for financial planning based on your situation, then you can develop a plan for a foundation of savings. Remember, you do not have to start saving the same day you talk to a financial professional so it can start whenever you are in the right position to save. A good foundation for saving is securing your most valuable asset, yourself. Since you've spoken to the financial professional, you should now have a better idea on what expenses you need to cover when you, inevitably, pass away. However, with the right policy, it can also pay out money based on the returns the policy has gained while you're still alive and breathing. This money can supplement your retirement income, it can pay for your children's college before the policy is even paid off, or it can fund any other project you want it to. Life insurance is a good foundation of saving because of the versatility and affordability of it. New York Life actually carries a policy for a $1,000,000 of coverage and can be purchased with a premium as little $50 dollars per month for qualified candidates.

Review Your Plan Annually

After speaking with a financial professional and setting a foundation for your financial future, you should review your plan annually to make sure that your future unfolds in the most favorable position for you. As you grow and experience the vast wonders of life, the plan you set may have to change in conjunction with your life. For example, kids or more kids can come into the picture at any time. Your living expenses will increase or decrease as time progresses, so the plan has to adapt to changing times for a forever evolving person. In this world, everybody's plan for his or her future is different, so your savings plan should be customized to your plan for the future.

Ensure your financial security today, so you can travel forward with confidence in this world of uncertainty!

How To Do Business In Catering

Being into a catering business also means having knowledge on how to do business in catering. Of course, when putting up a business, you need to spend some money to be used for buying utensils, cooking ingredients, advertisements, acquiring licenses, and emergency funds. Other people resort to putting up their properties as collateral in order to start a medium to large-sized catering business, while others just make use of the amount of money that they have by starting a very small catering business at home.

But, how much does putting up a catering business really costs? The typical amount that a budding caterer needs in order to put up a catering business is around $2,000. Having this amount will already provide you with all the necessary licenses (such as catering licenses) and permits (such as food handling permit) that you need along with the equipments and utensils that you will be using for the business. The amount is already enough for purchasing your start-up utensils and equipments.

When doing business in catering, the caterer should possess the quality of a good salesman or saleswoman. He or she should know how to properly deal with other people and must have the skills needed in order to convince strangers to listen to what he or she will say and basically get his or her service as a caterer. The caterer should also have ideas on how to promote or advertise his or her services to the maximum level with the minimum expenses possible.

Aside from having the qualities of a good salesman or saleswoman, a caterer should also be excellent in other aspects of catering. Doing business in catering does not only mean having knowledge or ideas about food preparation and presentation, but you also need to be a good accountant, a good manager, and a good secretary. It is necessary for a caterer to provide extra effort in order to make the business productive and successful. These are just some of the sacrifices that you need to undergo when being into the business of catering.

Always keep in mind that when an individual is getting him or her self involved in a business, he or she is also doing a gamble. As mentioned above, others even put their properties as collateral. And, this kind of act is rather risky, but can provide you the chance of earning some money. Just keep in mind, though, not to gamble more than what you can afford to lose. As you know, being a loser in a kind of gamble that is more than what you can afford to pay really hurts a lot and can cause you a lot of burden.

Yes, You Can Play Video Games For Money - Earn Up To $ 120 An Hour Testing Video Games

You are about to learn how you can play video games for money as a video game tester.

The upper limit of income right now is about $ 120 an hour --- and you can get there ... eventually. Since you are just starting out, you will only make around $ 15 an hour. That is OK, it's still a great place to start.

Now, how in the world can I play video games for money? Who is going to pay me?

The gaming industry is huge, its up to $ 50 billion. Launching a game that is full of bugs is going to be devastating for the company. It will cost them millions of dollars to recall the game, fix it, and repair it. To pay you a few thousand dollars to test their games is pennies compared to the price they will pay for shipping a faulty game.

But why do not the programmers find all the bugs?

Programmers are paid ~ $ 50 an hour to program the game. They do not have time to play the game. Not to mention, there is so much variation in game play a lot of people are needed to test it. Outsourcing help from video game testers is the most cost effective means to test the game.

This sounds too good to be true, what are some of the drawbacks to becoming a video game tester?

Well first starters, you can end up working long hours and your thumbs can get very sore. Also, you are playing games that are not complete yet, and that can be very frustrating. And worst of all, you will have to replay a lot of the same levels over and over. It can be a tedious job at times, but if you are willing to take the good with the bad, read on to find out where to find these jobs and how to apply.

For the record, being a video game tester is great once you get into it. You can play video games for money right out of your room. They will mail the game to you and you can work from home, and generally work the hours you want. It really has some nice perks.

Where can I find video game tester jobs?

Make a list of game developer websites (like SEGA, Microsoft, EA, etc). Bookmark their websites and check them every few days. Keep an eye out for a job posting and applying to the first one you find. Keep at this for a few weeks and you should find something soon enough.

How do I apply?

Submit your resume with an emphasis on: good communication skills, strong attention to detail, and patience. They want to know you can play their game for hours and find bugs. You are going to play video games for money, but your role is a TESTER not a PLAYER. Remember that.

How can I make my application stand out?

Offer to work your first job for free. Call up the person in charge of hiring the video game testers and tell them you are so enthusiastic about being a game tester you will work for free. This will get your foot in the door when you have no experience. You can then use this as a reference for your next job.

You can also write a letter with a plastic bug in it and say "do not let your game ship with bugs, give me a call ..." !

Now you know it is possible to play video games for money and why it's a serious business. You know where to start looking, what to focus on in your application, and how to improve your chances getting hired.

Get out there and get gaming!

We Discuss Feng Shui For The Office Desk

In today's era of open concept offices and cubicle farms, introducing some Feng Shui for the Office Desk concepts to the office will keep the energy flowing positively around you, so that your mind will be clear and you will have good fortune in your work. Feng Shui for the Office Desk is the ancient Chinese art of harmony and energy flow and that affects you and your physical environment, so follow these tips and tricks to ensure the energy flows:

- Position the desk so that you have clear sight of the door, with the wall at your back. This allows you to see who enters your office, and gives you the security and protection of the wall.

- Keep the area in front of your desk clear, to allow for freedom of movement of both people and energy.

- Try not to put your desk next to, or directly opposite the door, as these positions disrupt the direct path of the energy flow into the room.

- Do not face the desk directly towards a wall, as it acts as a barrier to the energy.

- If in a cubicle, try to arrange your workspace so that you do not look straight out into a hallway, or a stairwell, storage rooms, closets, elevators, escalators, or toilets.

- Enhance your creativity by placing your computer in the North or West area of ​​your desk.

- Increase your business and / or career success by placing an aquarium or tabletop fountain in the North, East, or Southeast area of ​​your desk.

- Placing a metal safe in either the North or Northwest corner of your office will symbolize the security and prosperity of a business.

- Have a good balance of opposites in your office area: light and dark colors, hard and soft cushions on chairs, etc.

Ensuring your desk has the optimal Feng Shui for the Office Desk flow is difficult for cubicles, as often moving the desk is not an option, but you can still implement many of the same Feng Shui for the Office Desk concepts. Simply substitute the words "desk" each time you see "office", and you'll be able to implement feng shui easily at your office desk. Energy, or "chi" is one of the fundamental concepts in feng shui, and being able to increase the chi at your desk is important. More chi means greater prosperity and security for you, ensuring your success and happiness. Place an object in the wrong spot, and the chi is disrupted, and you will need to re-implement Feng Shui for the Office Desk at your office desk.

Password Recovery on the Cisco ASA Security Appliance

In this article, I'll explain how to perform a password "reset" on your Cisco ASA security appliance. The more commonly used term for this procedure is "password recovery" which is left over from the days when you could actually view passwords in configuration files in plain text. Today, such passwords are encrypted and not actually recoverable. Instead, you will gain access to the appliance via the console port and reset the password (s) to known values.

This procedure requires physical access to the device. You will power-cycle your appliance by unplugging it at the power strip and plugging it back in. You will then interrupt the boot process and change the configuration register value to prevent the appliance from reading its stored configuration at boot. Since the device ignores its saved configuration on boot, you are able to access its configuration modes without passwords. Once you're in configuration mode, you will load the saved configuration from flash memory, change the passwords to a known value, change the configuration register value to tell the device to load its saved configuration on boot, and reload the device.

Caution: As with all configuration procedures, these procedures should be tested in a laboratory environment prior to use in a production environment to ensure suitability for your situation.

The following steps were designed using a Cisco ASA 5505 Security Appliance. They are not suitable for a Cisco PIX Firewall appliance.

1. Power-cycle your security appliance by removing and re-inserting the power plug at the power strip.

2. When prompted, press Esc to interrupt the boot process and enter ROM Monitor mode. You should immediately see a rommon prompt (rommon # 0>).

3. At the rommon prompt, enter the confreg command to view the current configuration register setting: rommon # 0> confreg

4. The current configuration register should be the default of 0x01 (it will actually display as 0x00000001). The security appliance will ask if you want to make changes to the configuration register. Answer no when prompted.

5. You must change the configuration register to 0x41, which tells the appliance to ignore its saved (startup) configuration upon boot: rommon # 1> confreg 0x41

6. Reset the appliance with the boot command: rommon # 2> boot

7. Notice that the security appliance ignores its startup configuration during the boot process. When it finishes booting, you should see a generic User Mode prompt: ciscoasa>

8. Enter the enable command to enter Privileged Mode. When the appliance prompts you for a password, simply press (at this point, the password is blank): ciscoasa> enable Password: ciscoasa #

9. Copy the startup configuration file into the running configuration with the following command: ciscoasa # copy startup-config running-config Destination filename [running-config]?

10. The previously saved configuration is now the active configuration, but since the security appliance is already in Privileged Mode, privileged access is not disabled. Next, in configuration mode, enter the following command to change the Privileged Mode password to a known value (in this case, we'll use the password system): asa # conf t asa (config) #enable password system

11. While still in Configuration Mode, reset the configuration register to the default of 0x01 to force the security appliance to read its startup configuration on boot: asa (config) # config-register 0x01

12. Use the following commands to view the configuration register setting: asa (config) #exit asa # show version

13. At bottom of the output of the show version command, you should see the following statement: Configuration register is 0x41 (will be 0x1 at next reload)

14. Save the current configuration with the copy run start command to make the above changes persistent: asa # copy run start Source filename [running-config]

15. Reload the security appliance: asa # reload System config has been modified. Save? [Y] es / [N] o: yes

Cryptochecksum: e87f1433 54896e6b 4e21d072 d71a9cbf

2149 bytes copied in 1.480 secs (2149 bytes / sec) Proceed with reload? [confirm]

When your security appliance updates, you should be able to use your newly reset password to enter privileged mode.

Copyright (c) 2007 Don R. Crawley

Tips to Help You Succeed With Mobile Marketing!

Mobile marketing is one of the latest and greatest methods of advertising for business of many kinds. If it is done correctly, it can really increase the traffic to a website or number of customers to a store. Use the following tips to help you integrate mobile marketing into your marketing plan.

When undertaking a mobile marketing campaign keep in mind that most people look for businesses in their area. Include keywords in your campaign that lets a potential customer know your local business location and then target the largest audience possible.

Make sure that your mobile marketing efforts work across all of the potential platforms your customers will use. Your messages should come across evenly well on iPhones, Blackberries, and Android devices. Remember that it is easier to simplify the messages you send than to custom-fit messages to different platforms. The KISS principle is in full effect in mobile marketing.

Try not to use large graphics in mobile marketing campaigns so your readers do not have to waste a ton of bandwidth downloading your text or email. Instead, use your copy to give an effective sales pitch which is targeted towards the demographic of the recipient. This will get you more conversions than a graphic any day!

There are many free online QR code generators who also give you access to tracking statistics, so use one of them for your mobile campaign. This will allow you to keep track of which campaigns work the best and where the QR code should be on the product to get the most use.

Mobile device users are typically on-the-go, so your marketing message must be short and to the point. Tell them exactly why they need you and let them do the clicking to find out more information about your product or service. The more information you provide, the less likely they are to read it.

Always be upfront about the identity of your company in your mobile marketing efforts. Few customers appreciate being contacted anonymously. Phone users will heavily discount the potential appeal of a deal or sale when it comes from an unknown source. Your company name should be the first thing you communicate in your mobile messages.

You should research the habits of the customers you reach through mobile marketing and tailor your communications and special offers to their needs. Treat them as a special subset of your customer base and learn all that you can about their buying habits. The offers you send out to cell phones should have a special appeal to your mobile customers.

Developing a mobile app that contains tons of useful information related to your niche is an excellent mobile marketing strategy. Apps that provide helpful information and tips are very popular. You can include links to your related products and services inside the app in order to generate more sales, or profit directly from selling the app itself.

Brevity should always be the keystone of your mobile marketing communications. Although it looks like people use their smart phones all the time that does not mean they want to spend their time reading long advertisements. Make mobile messages as short and to-the-point as you possibly can.

All of your mobile marketing messages should include a strong call to action. The call to action is an imperative statement designed to goad your customers into doing something. Remember that this does not have to be a demand for an immediate purchase. Even advising customers to follow a link will serve as an effective call.

Take the tips that you have learned through this article and apply them to your marketing plan. Your business is sure to benefit from the time and the energy that you put into your mobile marketing campaign. Keep with your plan and you are sure to see the results you seek.

Business Analytics and Its Applications

Business Analytics refers to the technologies, skills and also practices for the continuous investigation and also exploration of the past business performances.

This process helps in gaining a lot of insights and also drives in the business planning stage. Understanding the performance of the business and also developing the latest insights also form a very integral part of the process of Business analytics.

It is mostly based on various statistical methods and also data. The process of business analytics is very popular for making extensive and proper use of the statistical analysis that includes predictive modeling and also explanatory modeling.

Analytics can be used very effectively as input for the various human decisions or also the fully automated decisions. Business intelligence includes OLAP (Online analytical processing), querying and also reporting. This is a very handy process and this means that there are numerous applications of this process that can never be ignored. It uses very consistent measures of metrics and this means that the process altogether becomes ever easier. The new insights that can be developed are of very good use as well. The user can learn a new method or process on a daily basis whenever Business Analytics is being implemented.

The number of application of business analytics can never be undermined. Business Analytics is used by banks such as Capital One who subsequently make use of data analysis. It is used for differentiating among the customers and this differentiation is done on the basis of credit, usage and the remaining characteristics as well. It helps in matching the characteristics of the customer with the various product offerings. Analytics help the business in concentrating and working on the fundamental objectives. This helps in improvement of the working of the business. These applications are responsible for the growth in the usage of Business Analytics.

There are various types of analytics. These analytics are decisive analytics, descriptive analytics, predictive analytics and also prescriptive analytics. These types help in supporting the human decisions, gaining insights, predictive modeling and also recommend decisions by using the simulation and optimization processed. The main challenge of Business Analytics is that it broadly depends on the volume of data that is in question. Thus the availability of data is extremely important for the overall process to be successfully executed and also completed. It also helps in determining the types of subsets that will be required. It is one of the important things to remember.