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How Your Decisions Can Affect Your Future by Robert Westervelt -

Personal finance involves making decisions that will impact your future – hopefully in a positive way. While you can’t predict the future, a little knowledge and a comprehensive financial plan will go a long way in helping you navigate the financial road of life and make the best decisions possible.

I was speaking with a friend of mine a few weeks ago who has been working towards buying a house for some time now. He told me that he was finally in a position to move forward and planned to purchase a home within the next six months. When he told me that both he and his wife were going to liquidate their 401k retirement accounts to use as a down payment, I immediately started thinking whether this was the best decision for them.

At a time when many middle-income Americans are not adequately preparing for retirement, this decision to basically start over seemed very risky. Both my friend and I tend to be more on the analytical side so I decided to take a few minutes and put some numbers together to look at the possible future consequences of their decision.

He, 38, and his wife, 42, had approximately $100,000 in their 401k accounts. At an average 10% rate of return, this $100,000 would grow to almost $1.8 million by the time he retires at 67! Even taking a more conservative 8% rate of return would yield over $1 million. Ultimately, liquidating their 401k accounts could cost them between $1 and $2 million at retirement!

This is assuming that they did not do anything to make up for it. But how many people do you know who, after purchasing a new home, have money left over to spare? In order to make up for this potential retirement shortfall, they would have to start saving an average of $800 per month until he retires, depending on the rate of return. Over 29 years they would have to contribute almost $300,000 extra!

Are they making the best decision? Who am I to say. It basically comes down to what is important to them. But, I wanted to make sure that they went into it knowing what possible consequences their decision could have. The bottom line is that you need a personal financial plan so that you can make sure your current choices and decisions do not hinder you from reaching your future financial dreams and goals.

Robert Westervelt has been doing financial planning for the past few years with a desire to help people get out of debt and achieve their financial dreams and goals. Most recently he has started a website http://www.easyfinancialplan.com to help families start developing their own personal financial plans.

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Avangate sponsors ISDEF 2006 by GECAD ePayment

Avangate, the eCommerce platform for electronic software distribution, was featured at this years’ ISDEF conference, the Independent Software Developers Forum in Moscow. An important event for software developers and vendors in Russia and surrounding countries, as well as for major players in the software industry, ISDEF is a key host of discussions on software market developments and trends.

The fifth edition of the international conference, ISDEF Spring 2006 gathered more than 200 attendants from 12 countries. Following the main theme of the event on selling and marketing software in European countries, Avangate delivered a presentation on cost effective approaches to marketing strategy for online software vendors.

For the first time sponsoring a Russian event, Avangate was well received by software authors and publishers present at the conference. The array of additional online marketing services offered by Avangate has proven itself to be very attractive and a real alternative to more established e-Commerce solutions.

More information on Avangate can be found at http://www.avangate.com
To download the Avangate presentation at ISDEF or see the special offer for conference participants go to http://www.avangate.com/events


About Avangate

Avangate is an eCommerce platform for electronic software distribution incorporating an easy to use and secure online payment system plus additional marketing and sales tools, such as an affiliate management system, automated cross selling options, software promotion management, Internet marketing services as well as consultancy on how to increase online software sales.
Avangate is produced and managed by GECAD ePayment, member of GECAD Group - delivering innovative IT solutions Worldwide since 1992. More information can be found on the corporate website, at:
http://www.avangate.com

For further information, contact:

Avangate
Tel.: +40 (0)21.303.20.68
Fax: +40 (0)21.303.20.67
Email: info@avangate.com
Web: http://www.avangate.com


For Media related enquiries, contact:

Delia Ene - Marketing Communications Manager
Tel.: +40 (0)21.303.20.68
Fax: +40 (0)21.303.20.67
Email: press@gecad.com



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IT Marketing: Establishing Credibility by Joshua Feinberg

How do you best establish credibility if you only have a couple of references and you're just getting started in the consulting businesses? This article will show you how to maximize the effect of the references you have and to get new ones.

For starters, make sure those references are as strong as possible and that you get them in writing-on your client's letterhead. They should also talk of specific benefits, like:
How you saved them money
How your technology solution generates more revenue
How you've enabled them to close out the month faster
How you've improved their productivity
How it allows them to communicate with tele-workers, with suppliers, and vendors more seamlessly.

For IT marketing, it's important to make your references as strong as possible-if you only have a few of them.

IT Marketing: Getting Your First References

If you don't have any references, get them by volunteering. Pick a nonprofit or two that you feel really passionate about and set up some kind of deal that is close ended. You don't want to be volunteering your services for too long. As part of your deal, ask them to write a testimonial for you. Nonprofits are usually well known and their recommendation will help you.

How Do You Ask for Referrals?

Many people are shy about asking for referrals. We don't want to push our clients and we don't want to look needy. They are useful for our IT marketing efforts, though. So, what is the best way to ask?

Always ask for a referral when someone gives you a compliment. If you walk into an office or you're finishing up a project and someone says, “This stuff is amazing. I can't believe that I can sit in the conference room now and get my network drive and surf the Web and do email.” or “This is amazing. Our remote offices can talk to each other and we cut down on $5,000 in leased line charges and we're doing it all over inexpensive DSL. You guys are terrific.” This is your time to act.

This is your golden opportunity to ask for
An updated testimonial (or any testimonial if you don't have one)
Ask if they happen to know anyone else who might be able to benefit from your services

The Bottom Line on IT Marketing

One of the best forms of relationship IT marketing is asking your current clients for testimonials and referrals. Don't be shy. Your clients will not mind endorsing you if you do good work.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Biz Tech Talk. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg can help you grow your computer consulting business, the RIGHT way! Sign-up now for your free audio training program that features field-tested, proven Computer Consultants Business Tools at http://www.SmallBizTechTalk.com

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Program Offers A Crash Course In Handling Auto Accidents by Stacey Moore

Experts say traffic accidents can be among the most stressful events a person can experience. Fortunately, a new program has been created to help drivers deal with that stress more effectively.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were over 6 million traffic accidents reported to police in 2004. That breaks down to more than 11 accidents per minute; by the time you finish reading this article, over 30 auto accidents will have taken place, and that doesn't include the minor fender benders that go unreported.

Whether it's due to Mother Nature, mechanical failure or the guy behind you trying to balance a cell phone conversation with a cup of coffee, the unfortunate reality is that it's easy to become one of these statistics at some point in your daily commute.

If that collision does happen, many insurance companies offer some kind of roadside assistance plan to customers, often as part of a special package or a stand-alone service for an additional charge.

However, recent reports have shown that using these insurer-based services may ultimately lead to higher insurance premiums. Those same reports also bring to light the often-overlooked manufacturer-based roadside assistance programs and the many benefits they can offer motorists. Aside from having no effect on insurance premiums, they can offer better towing options, a wider range of services and are almost always included for the duration of the vehicle's warranty, as is the case with the plan offered by Ford Motor Company.

'We like to think of our Roadside Assistance Program as a paramedic for your car,' said Ford Customer Service Division's George Gilbert.

The program is available on every new vehicle the company offers, be it a lease or purchase. It comes at no additional cost, it's valid for the duration of the vehicle's standard warranty and it offers drivers a variety of services that aren't just limited to warranty issues.

'Many people think a manufacturer roadside program is just to assist them if their car breaks down, but we're here to help our customers in just about every situation imaginable,' said Gilbert.

For example, towing services to dealerships up to 35 miles away can be obtained for any purpose, including accidents. In the event of an accident, the program offers motorists the convenience of a single call to help manage the mayhem, from police dispatching (if necessary) to towing services, emergency services and even repair arrangements. The plan can also assist drivers in more benign situations, such as a flat tire or keys locked in a vehicle. If you run out of fuel or need a jump start, customer service representatives can coordinate with local services to get you back on the road with minimal delay. The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is valid anywhere in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Manufacturer roadside programs such as the one found at Ford Motor Company offer convenience, confidence and reliability to customers in one comprehensive package, all while offering a cost savings over many insurer-provided assistance programs.

Using a factory-based roadside program can help get your car to the people who know it best, and by insisting on genuine original equipment manufacturer parts for your repair, you will help ensure your vehicle is returned to its former glory. When that unexpected collision occurs, take a moment and reach for the companion that came with your car; it's the onboard 'paramedic' that's ready to take care of you in your time of need.



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HP Compatibility With Ink And Others by

One of the advantages of being a larger company in a specific industry is your ability to make specialized products. You see it all the time in any industry. In the sports industry, a number of larger companies can make fitted helmets because they have the financial resources to do so. In the computer industry, places like Dell have the ability to sell a wide range of products because of their financial infrastructure. This is also true in the printing industry with companies like HP that have the financial ability to make a wide range of specialty products available. What is more interesting than that however is the fact that a lot of the specialty products that HP produces vis-à-vis HP ink and other printing accessories is actually compatible with the wide range of their other printer kit products.

The ink that is manufactured by HP is different depending specifically on what the chemical structure of the ink particle is. An ink particle is not just created from some natural substance anymore; there is a process that goes into manufacturing these particles artificially so that they have certain chemical characteristics that the manufacturing company wants them to have. In the case of inkjet, it might be one thing and in the case of remanufactured ink products, it might be another. The goal with ink cartridge products, regardless of what kind of ink they contain, is to make the products themselves compatible with things like high quality paper such as the photo paper put out by a number of different companies.

So we know already, based on what HP has said in their press releases as well as the results of a number of independent lab tests that have been done, that the chemical compatibility of HP ink and the other materials that exist in the HP printing system is there. What exactly does this mean? It ultimately means that the chemicals that are in the ink and the chemicals that are in the paper react well with one another. It also means that the particles in both are appropriately sized so that even if the two do not end up mixing, they can co-exist in the same space without one having a negative effect on the other with its presence.

A lot of the times, chemical compatibility is there when you don’t notice anything. If you are able to go ahead and print something out and notice that everything looks great, then that is a sign of chemical compatibility. Without that type of compatibility, there are a number of bad things that could happen with the printing that would make you want your money back. Printing is one of those areas where if everything is constructed properly, you don’t notice, but if something is constructed poorly, you tend to notice it right away.

Ellen Davidson is a freelance editor for HP Ink Online. Read more and find great deals and discounts on HP Ink Online products at http://www.HPInkOnline.com/index.aspx.

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