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Checklist your way to healthy financial footing

If your bank balance is looking slightly worse for wear, it’s not always easy to see how to turn things around. Debt can take its toll on your physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing, so it’s important to take control of your finances and get on the right financial foot.

Fortunately, the prepaid Mastercard® providers over at icount can help you to do just that. They’ve created the simple guide below, complete with a ‘healthy financial footing’ checklist that can help you to transform your finances over time. Read on and get checking to get a head start on a bright financial future. [Read more…]

Personal loan based on income

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There have been some serious issues in American society and its financial health is under question. There is too much debt around but equally there are valid reasons why people want to take out personal loans. The question is their availability. Interest rates are fairly low for those who apply successfully. The financial sector has changed in recent years and for many that change is for the better because the basis of being successful is increasingly affordability rather than history.

Everyone carries their credit score with them, good or bad. It is like a badge that will tell those who are interested something about you. It is something that lenders refer to when you apply for money but so do many potential employers are part of their decision process on a job application. In many cases it has become a badge that people do not want to wear. The reason for that often has its roots in the recession. When the Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO) crisis struck there was widespread misery. Unemployment doubled to over 10% and many received foreclosure notices before then losing their homes because they could not pay their mortgages. Every time they failed to pay a bill on time that failure was entered into their credit history resulting in a reduction of their credit score.

A Different Environment Prevailed

While few were entirely innocent because they had taken on credit and were unable to meet their obligations prior to the recession there was a very positive feeling about the economy and its growth. There was no reason not to have a mortgage that stretched them because property prices were rising quickly so their assets were going to grow. When the crash came and many who had thought they were in secure employment became unemployed the trouble started; and it continued until real estate prices fell. The surplus of property on the market with few buyers around ensured they were not going to start to rise particularly quickly. [Read more…]

3 Top things to do in Finland

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Whether you’re thinking about a quick holiday or a longer stay, the country of Finland has a lot of great experiences just waiting for you. All you have to do is show up, and come with an open mind. We pulled together a list of great things to do in Finland, and we hope that you’ll keep these in mind.

1. Casino Helsinki

If you’re going to hit this major Finnish city, you have to go to Casino Helsinki. We know a lot of people think of Vegas as the only place that has a space devoted to casino gambling, but that’s just not the case. You can go to Casino Helsinki and play all sorts of games? Now, we’re not planning a trip to this major city just yet. We’re much more likely to stay at home and stay to play our favorite games. If you find yourself saying the same thing, why not look at some reviews before you dive in? We like the way the info is set up at CasinoExpertti.com, where everything is literally at your fingertips. You won’t have to search long before you find the info you need to figure out where to start playing online. Every casino is going to have a slightly different flavor, so to speak. Go in, taste the ones you like and see if they would be a good fit for your interests. It’s really that simple!

2. Lutheran Cathedral

This beautiful cathedral just should not be missed! It is part of the Senate Square of Helsinki and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. When seen from the air, the church is in the shape of a Greek cross. You could even schedule to have your wedding held in this church, but there’s a very long waiting list for that to happen.

3. Turku Castle

This is one of the oldest buildings in all of Finland, and people still use it to this day. In medieval times, this castle was the stage for numerous sieges and even fierce battles. The peak of this castle’s significance was in the 16th century, as Duke John of Finland reigned over the land. This castle even served as a state prison for a few centuries! If you decide to make a trip to Finland, you have to check out the castle in its entirety…well, as much as you can schedule in a single day!

Overall, there are plenty of great things to do in Finland. Even though it’s not known for having a long summer season, the beautiful historical landmarks are worth checking out!

3 Simple Steps to Ensure the Workplace Is Safe for Your Employees

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A healthy work environment means a healthy business. Here are the factors worth keeping in mind to ensure this is achieved.

In an unsafe environment, work can be hazardous to your health, or even lethal. Well over half a million people (611,000) across the UK were injured while on the job from 2014 to 2015, according to official figures, and 142 people unfortunately lost their lives.

While shocking, these numbers are around half of what they were just two decades ago. That’s thanks to new rules and regulations concerning workplace safety, and vastly improved working conditions. Employers are legally obliged to provide suitable places of work for the people in them. Let’s take a look at three essential steps to take to ensure your business is compliant with these laws.

1. Your Duty of Care

As an employer, the law says you have a “duty of care” towards those who work on your commercial premises. After all, the very last thing you want is for your valued employees to become injured. Not only will they be unable to work, but they may have grounds to make personal injury claims against the company, too.

At a fundamental level, ensuring the workplace is in an optimal condition and staff won’t be reaching for the nearest No Win No Fee solicitor because of an injury means maintaining the structural integrity of the building itself. All it takes is a loose brick or piece of ceiling plaster to cause harm to staff. Regular maintenance, including of the interior workspaces themselves, is therefore essential.

That also applies to the many types of equipment and machinery that businesses use — everything from photocopiers to forklifts. An electric shock or worse could be devastating to employees, and lead to any number of expensive personal injury claims. So with the premises and what’s inside it, the keyword for health and safety is: maintenance. Holding on to something that’s old in the hopes of getting a few more years out of it, or pushing back on maintenance schedules to cut costs, can often backfire and be exceptionally dangerous.

2. Illuminating Workplace Safety

In order to avoid workplace injury and personal injury claims from staff, it’s important — and also required under law — to provide proper lighting in all areas where people are working. What’s “proper” lighting, then? Not just any old light bulb, but lighting that’s as natural as possible and not so harsh that it causes glare and headaches. The lighting must also be provided in all areas where people move about, or may potentially do so, such as in emergency stairwells. Outside the building must also be adequately lit up for employees and pedestrians passing by.

You won’t be troubled by your employees hunting for a personal injury solicitor to handle a work-related injury if you look after their hygiene needs and general welfare during the hours they’re toiling away for you. Toilet facilities must be kept clean at all times, and have hot and cold running water along with such necessaries as hand-soap and towels.

Staff must also have suitable areas where they can rest and eat, and any catering facilities must adhere to government regulations. Additionally, you may wish to consider pregnant or nursing employees, and provide separate facilities for them.

3. Create a Great Place to Work

Making the place where your staff generate the business that keeps you in business as comfortable as possible will go a long way towards making them happiness and productivity. Attention needs to be paid to such things as temperature inside offices and other places of work — heating as well as cooling — and an adequate supply of ventilation.

Plus, if any of your employees work outdoors in any capacity, you’ll also need to provide adequate cover from high and low temperatures, as well as rain and severe weather.

With all of this, you’ll be well within the health and safety regulations and steer clear of personal injury claims. Even something as seemingly innocuous as an uneven floor or computer cables sticking out is all it takes for someone to fall over and become badly injured.

It all adds up to a win for you, and your valued workers.

Fraud Awareness – Phishing scams on the rise

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Phishing scams are on the rise and this is why companies like Wonga have put strategies in place to deal with their image being used as the mask of an online scam. These scams are not only targeted at individuals, but some scammers will also target companies. The way phishing scams work is that the scammer will send an email or SMS asking the recipient to send personal details or will let them know about some financial offer, such as loans. In these cases, they will often ask for bank account details or for the recipient to send a deposit in order to get access to the loan.

The importance of awareness

It is important to be aware of phishing scams so that you don’t end up duped. There are many reasons why these scammers exist. In some cases, it is to get money by asking for deposits, admin fees etc. In other cases, it is to retrieve personal information. The scammer may empty the bank account or go in and read emails. They may even use the information for identity theft, so it is imperative to be aware of these types of scams.

Raising awareness

Many businesses are raising awareness of phishing scams and it is important for individuals to have the same kind of awareness. There are some key ways to understand if your email or SMS is potentially part of a phishing scam:

Strange email address – even if the email has the logo of the company they are ‘apparently’ sending from, such as Wonga, PayPal etc., the email will probably not reflect that. It may look strange or have the wrong spelling.
Salutation – scammers will quite often not actually know your name, so the email is likely to just be directed to ‘Mr’ ‘Mrs’ etc. If it was from a legitimate company, they would have your name on file.
The sender – many businesses, such as banks and other financial organisations won’t actually send emails, as they need to be very strict with confidentiality, so if you get one through from them, it is probably a scam.
Nature of email – if the email says anything like ‘urgent notice’ or ‘please respond urgently’, it is probably also a scam.

This is what a typical phishing scam looks like and it will probably be all too familiar for most people.

Fig.1 above, a phishing email that used Wonga South Africa as the disguise to target South Africans. Note: No data leak or vulnerability occurred on Wonga’s website, data leak source is currently unknown.

Scammers will go to all sorts of lengths to get your information, so the best way to deal with emails like this is to call the company directly and check whether or not they sent it.

What to do about a phishing scam?

If you think you may have been the victim of a phishing scam, you should contact the company directly and send them a copy of your email or SMS. You should never respond to the scammer, as this response could be enough for them to get some additional information from you. You never know how these people may work. It is better to be safe than sorry, so just ignore it.

Financial Online Safety

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In our digital world today, keeping ourselves safe online is of the utmost importance, for there are so many places in which a breach can be discovered. Although we can never truly remove the chance of our identity and finances being stolen or used, we can take measures to ensure that risk is at a minimum.

Recognised Brands

It is always vital that you seek out brands and companies you’re familiar with, or at least who someone else knows well. This isn’t to say that every unknown website is a danger, but that a renowned brand, like Betway, will undoubtedly have higher security measures in place to ensure customers are protected. Should a friend or family member come to you and say that they have found this casino site or such like, make sure that it is with a name you can easily find online – read reviews, look through forums, anything to ensure it is safe. The same is also important for any type of website, not just those dedicated to gambling, which in turn leads us to another way to keep safe.

Payment Methods

Sites that pose the most risks are normally those that involve financial transactions of some kind, normally that of payment for goods. With this there are then no end of options you can decide upon before committing to your final purchase. What this means is that, with so many options available, some are understandably safer than others, which is why it is important to figure out which are better for your needs. Out of all those listed, credit cards and e-wallets, such as Paypal, are your better bet for online safety. This is because cards have extra protection in place from banks, and e-wallets enable you to store your valuable information in one place, instead of inputting them everywhere.

Unique Passwords

This is probably the most obvious of the tips to financially security, but it is a significant one nonetheless. Having a simple password may be simple to remember, but it is also easier for others to guess, whereas a long password combined with letters, numbers and symbols makes your accounts more secure. Should it prove too difficult to remember the codes, don’t worry as software is around that can store all your different passwords all in one place.

Your money is among some of the most valuable items you have to your name, and thus taking extra precaution to ensure its safety is an important ritual to get into the habit of.

The Sanctuary of He – A Mancave Guide

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We’ve seen the films where the guys have permanently stocked beer fridges and pool tables in huge outhouses, and although you may not have the space to accommodate those kind of luxuries, you deserve a mancave. Whether it’s a box room, converted attic, basement, garage or shed, find a space and get to work.

The first thing to think about is electricity, you’re going to need power for your iPod dock, console, mini fridge and TV. If you don’t currently have power in your future sanctuary, try running an extension cable until a more permanent solution can be found.

If space is an issue you’re going to want smaller seating, shelves to save space, and perhaps a wall mounted TV. Before you make any big purchases put a Facebook status out to see if anyone is getting rid of anything you might want, you’ll be surprised at what you find. Another great tool for kitting out a mancave is the Gumtree freebie page.

If your mancave is within the home you might want to think about soundproofing, It’s no good having your own space if you can’t play music into the early hours or stay up all night on watching films. To find out how to soundproof a room on a budget, check out Oakwood Doors guide here.

If your mancave is outside of the house, insulation is going to be vital. Try cladding any shed walls and blocking any entering drafts. You’ll also need to make sure the space is completely waterproof, especially if you’re going to have electricity going out to it. If it’s going to be an outdoor mancave, make sure you purchase a heater so you can still use it during the colder months.

Unless you want to disconnect from the world for a while, you might also need to think about moving the router. If your new found man space is outside the home you’re probably going to have to get the router as close to the nearest door as possible. You may be able to boost your signal with a new router if needed.

Decoration is essential. You may not need to actually get a tin of paint out, but some old memorabilia, posters or sports shirts won’t go a miss. Check the attic or storage for bits and pieces you may have forgotten about, or go on a charity shop search. Old record covers can look great when they’re framed on walls.

Extensions – Create More Space Without Moving Home

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It’s strange how a house can all of a sudden start to feel that bit too small, and when you’ve got fond memories it can be hard to think about leaving. Perhaps your family has grown, you’ve acquired more stuff, or you just don’t seem to have the room you require. Whatever the reason, you may not need to move. If you love your house or the area you live in, building an extension is a great way to add loads of additional room to your home.

When you start looking at bigger properties you realise just how much an additional room might cost you, and it’s a lot! It’s a well known fact that the bigger the property the higher the price, however, it’s also true that the more rooms you require the less properties there are available.

It might not seem ideal to live on a building site temporarily, it will be messy and loud, but it might make the most financial sense. Plus, moving is never a straightforward process, who wants to pack and unpack everything they own.

Luckily, in recent years extending your property has become easier than ever. The laws surrounding property development have been liberalised, and this will stay the case for any property built before May 2019, making this is the ideal time to get planning your extension.

The basic rules were that any single-storey extension can be made to a property without planning permission, so long as it doesn’t exceed 3 meters in length. If you have a detached property this goes upto 4 meters from the rear of the premis. With the temporary relaxation of the rules, you can now build up to 6 meters behind an attached property and 8 meters behind a detached home, however, you will have to speak to your neighbours about it and gain their agreement.

Regardless of what type of property you have, you will still need to fully comply with building regulations and gain permission if you reside in a conservation area, or if your building is listed. Make sure you are fully informed of all rules and regulations before you carry any work out or plan the size of the extension.

Other things to consider before you start building are electricity, lighting and heating. You’ll want to know roughly how you’re going to lay the room out once it’s done so you can plan power sockets and window space. Try to get as much natural light in the extension as possible. Depending on where the extension is, you might also have to think about where the back door is going to go. It is always advised to do the designing with a professional, and they have experience and can offer great advice.

You’re going to need some wall space for a radiator to heat the extension up. Traditional radiators are great, but can take up quite a lot of room, and if the extension is fairly small this might not be idea. Companies like CNM Online offer vertical, horizontal and designer radiators, meaning their are more options available than ever before, some of which are great for saving space.

It is crucial to remember you’re going to be taking up some of your current garden space to develop the home. You may need to rehome some of your current plants and move sheds or patio slabs. You’ll have to check that no essential pipework is covered incase of future problems.

Although an extension does require some hard work and stress, it is worth it to save the money and stay within the home that holds your memories.

How to Run a Successful Business – Case Study William Hill

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If you are looking to run a successful business, then you will be wise to look at other successful businesses to see how they have managed to do so well. A great example of this is William Hill as they have managed to adapt to changes in the market and demand for betting which have changed since the Internet flourished.

William Hill was well established as high street betting office business before the internet launched. However, as the Internet grew, high streets had less customers due to online retailing and the convenience of this. This meant that all high street businesses had to adapt and William Hill did just that. They still offer the over the counter betting services that they always have done but they also launched a very successful online business. They are currently one of the leading online betting and gaming providers to the UK online. Many customers prefer the flexibility of being able to bet online as they can do it at any time and from home. To start with that was the only option but as mobile phones improved and it was possible to use apps when away from a static Internet connection the options grew as well. William Hill was there every step of the way making sure that they developed with the changing market so that they had options available for every possibility that their customers wanted. They also expanded abroad into Australia, UK, Italy and Spain although they still have 82% of their business in the UK.

So you can see how William Hill sports betting has adapted to a changing market and this is something that all businesses need to be able to do. Some business owners feel that if one part of their business is not doing so well it is a failure of them to change and that they need to keep persevering. Although perseverance is a great asset, it is really important to understand that customers change their habits frequently and so it is not a failure of the business if things start to do less well but it could very well be an indication that there has been a change in what customers want. This means that it is very important to be flexible and willing to adapt so that the business can continue to flourish. [Read more…]

So You Want to Build a Business – Here’s How To Get Started

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If you ask most people what their ultimate dream is, they’re usually going to give you two different answers: they want to own their own home, and they want to run a business. Usually people start a business so that they have the money to buy their own home and then some. You can definitely increase your quality of life with a business, but a business can also become one of the hardest things that you’ve ever done in your life.

There’s a right way and a wrong way to start a business. The wrong way would be to just dive in without having any idea of what you actually want to do. Far too often people are in a financial crunch and they think that running a business would be better money as well as more freedom. You have to understand that once you quit your job, you’re the boss and that means that everything is essentially your responsibility. You get to scoop up a hundred percent of the praise, but you also get stuck with one hundred percent of the blame too. That’s a point that a lot of would-be business owners skip over.

Before you do anything else, you should make sure that you actually start a business plan. This might not be a formal business plan, but any planning that you can do before the big leap is definitely a good thing. Figure out what products and/or services you can offer to the audience of your choice. You might even need to look around at your competition to see what they’re offering and how you can get into the same field s them. Reaching out and building a network professionally is a good way to see what will be involved as you make the switch to entrepreneurial life.

Getting a great mentor can help you sidestep a lot of issues in your company, because you won’t have to go in blind so to speak. Your mentor should be someone that is already running a business, or retired after running a business. Someone that’s coming up alongside you can be good to bounce ideas off of, but they shouldn’t be your main teacher — in fact, they might be making the same mistakes as you!

The best thing that you can do for yourself is to give yourself enough time and enough savings to enter the business world on your terms rather than having to make moves out of desperation — that’s the best way to get started!