Callaway Hybrid Golf Clubs
There are three different product lines in the Callaway hybrid golf clubs lineup. These align with their sets of woods and irons. They are the FT-Hybrids, X-Hybrids, and Big Bertha Heavenwood Hybrid lines. The attributes of each will be discussed separately.
FT-Hybrids
These clubs fit into the Fusion Technology line in which different materials are fused together to alter the club head characteristics. In this way weight can be redistributed to achieve certain goals. More weight is placed around the periphery of the club to both lower the center of gravity (CG) and place it farther back in the club head. This makes for more forgiving off-center hits and allows the ball to get into the air easier. One distinguishing feature of the FT-Hybrid line is the opportunity to choose hybrids with a hook bias. This helps golfers who slice the ball most or all of the time to hit straighter shots. This is an option on some of the clubs offered and will be discussed in more detail shortly. Other distinguishing features in Callaway hybrid golf clubs are VFT and S2H2 technologies. VFT stands for Variable Face Technology, and this makes the face thicker in the center and creates more distance. S2H2 takes weight out of the hosel which is redistributed to the club head perimeter. S2H2 means short, straight, hollow, hosel. Five different clubs are available, 1-5H, although the 1H is not produced in a left-handed version. The draw bias option is available in the 2-4H clubs as is a neutral version. The 5H only comes in the draw option and thus there is no neutral version for that club. There are a number of standard graphite shafts to choose from, and of course the clubs can be made with steel shafts. The FT-Hybrid line is the most expensive, and the clubs retail for $179 with steel shafts and $199 with graphite.
X-Hybrids
The X-Hybrid product line is a bit less expensive, retailing for $139 with steel shafts and $159 with graphite. Both the VFT and S2H2 technologies described above are utilized in the X-Hybrids as well. These clubs also have a unique sole design which is meant to cut through tall grass in rough areas easier. The clubs also have perimeter weighting and a low and deep center of gravity. Four clubs are available, 2-5H, but the 5H is not made for lefties. A good selection of standard graphite shafts can be chosen from as well as a standard Callaway brand steel shaft.
Big Bertha Heavenwood Hybrids
These clubs are the least expensive in the Callaway hybrid golf clubs product line, selling for $99 with steel shafts and $129 with graphite. Some of the core Callaway technologies are in this clubs as well, like S2H2. The clubs use a modified War Bird sole and have an elongated and low-profile face which is said to inspire a confident feel. They also feature a high Moment of Inertia, which helps with off-center hits. There are a lot of clubs offered in this line, 1-7H, so one could eliminate most irons except for 8, 9 and wedges. Left handed versions are only available in 2-5H, however. Once again there are a half dozen standard graphite shafts to choose from, as well as a Callaway designed steel shaft.
It should be noted that all three members of the Callaway hybrid golf club product lines are available in women’s versions. Of course there are differences from the men’s offerings described above, and these can be easily seen by visiting the company’s web site.
Calling a Lawyer Should Be a Private Home Sellers First Move
When you sell your own home you need to be prepared. Make an appointment with your lawyer so they can prepare you for any legal pitfalls you may be facing at closing time. Sorting these issues out before you sell can ensure a smooth transaction at the most critical of times down the road.
You are selling your own home because you think you’re up to the task, that it can’t be that difficult? You’re right of course; however you want to make sure you abide by some basic common sense guidelines to help ensure your success. It’s not all about putting a sign on the lawn and an advert in the paper.
Your first step should be calling a lawyer. If you don’t have one you will need to find one. A good bet is to get a referral from friends or family. A lawyer at this stage of your sale will give you all the legal information you need to enter into the sale with a confidence that would be lacking otherwise. Your lawyer can do a title search on your home to make sure it’s free of encumbrances that may only turn up on closing i.e. an encroachment. Do you have an up to date survey? These can be deal killers at the last minute you want to avoid. You’ll need a search done anyway to close your sale.
Lawyers can also advise you on any new by-laws or regulations you should be aware of for your home and area. Every jurisdiction seems to have rules that need to be followed when preparing an offer to purchase form. A lawyer can make sure these special clauses are written into your offer to purchase form. Have your lawyer provide you with copies of the offer to purchase in hard copy format and also on disk so you can print them off your home PC when needed. Ask your lawyer how he would prefer to see your offer set up.
Ask your lawyer to give you any information you will need to make the closing of your sale timely and without any surprises. If there is anything that will hold up or quash your deal you want advance notice so you can take care of the problem now. Count on being charged for your lawyers’ services but it’s the old adage pay me now or pay me later.
Ask your lawyer to give you some insight into your mortgage situation. He can give you details and options based on your current loan that perhaps will help your sale. At the very least the lawyer can give you questions to ask at your lending institution i.e. is your mortgage assumable? If the interest rate and terms are attractive the purchaser may want to assume your current mortgage. All good stuff to know in advance of your sale. Likewise your mortgage may need to be removed so the purchaser can arrange their own financing. What are the ramifications with this, will it be expensive to remove?
When you recruit a real estate agent to help you sell your home, the good ones know all this information in advance. Any information they don’t have that can create problems generally surfaces at closing thanks to the lawyers. Your agent acts in your best interests along with your lawyer to sort out these problems at closing and many issues are usually dealt with to either parties’ satisfaction one way or another.
Not having an agent working for you means your chances of having a problem sometime during the process of trading your real estate is a real probability. The best way to mitigate your chances of potential headaches is to spend the money up front for a legal professional to sort through the landmines before you step on one and your deal disintegrates at the worst possible time. You’ll be investing a great deal of time selling your home. Make sure you are prepared. It is fairly simple to sell your own home. Closing that sale cleanly is another matter entirely.
Callaway Golf Clubs | New Or Used, Still The Best
Callaway golf is the undisputed leader in golf club technology and sales. The company is constantly developing new products and improving existing products to ensure that Callaway golf drivers, woods and putters outperform the competion. In 2003 Callaway Golf was the first golf manufacturer to receive more than 100 US patents in a single year. Their commitment to excellence is unchallenged.
To understand how Callaway Golf compares to other golf club manufacturers, you need only to review their history.
1) 1986, Callaway was the first to use computer controlled milling machines, ensuring the flatness of their putter surfaces;
2) 1995, they had the number one driver on PGA, LPGA, Senior PGA, Nike and European PGA tours. Callaway Golf also became the number 1 golf manufacturer in sales of irons and woods;
3) 1996, they became the worlds largest manufacturer of golf clubs and Callaway Golf Ball Company was formed;
4) 1997, Sales reach $849 million, which was 3 times larger than the nearest golf club manufacturer;
5) 2003, Callaway Golf was the number 1 brand in woods, putters and irons combined for seven consecutive years;
6) 2007, Callaway has 17 products on the Golf Digest Hot List. They have irons, woods, drivers and golf balls which made Editor's Choice.
Upon reviewing the above history, it is clear that Callaway Golf clubs are the best in the industry. Unfortunately, this technology also comes at a price. A brand new set of Callaway golf clubs can easily cost $1,000 - $2,000. Although these prices seems high, they are comparable to golf club sets from other large golf manufacturers.
If you are new to the game of golf or do not want to spend as much on golf clubs, you should consider buying used golf clubs. You can purchase used Callaway golf clubs for substantially less while still getting top quality clubs. When purchasing used golf clubs beware of inferior quality merchandise, imitation Callaway golf clubs, clubs that have been altered from original manufacturers specifications and similar issues.
Unless you are a seasoned golf professional or an avid golf player, used Callaway golf clubs are highly recommended. To ensure that the used golf clubs that you're buying are of the highest quality, purchase certified pre-owned used Callaway golf clubs. The benefits of certified pre-owned golf clubs are as follows:
1) the used golf clubs come with a warranty;
2) the golf clubs are compared to the original manufacturing specifications to ensure quality;
3) they are certified authentic Callaway golf clubs; and
4) they are substantially cheaper than brand new Callaway golf clubs.
Purchasing certified used Callaway golf clubs is similar to purchasing certified pre-owned automobiles. You know what you are getting and you receive a warranty. Make sure your golf club dealer is authorized to sell certified pre-owned used Callaway golf clubs. You can also visit our website for a certified dealer that can sell used Callaway golf clubs that are guaranteed to be authentic.
Callaway Golf Balls
Callaway Golf designs, creates and builds top of the range golf equipment designed to make every golfer a better golfer. Here at Golf Buy It Online we have a fantastic range of Callaway Golf Balls that can benefit every golfer. Whether you're looking for a golf ball to help provide maximum distance or increased greenside spin, Callaway produce golf balls for every player type. Callaway have received feedback from tour professionals such as Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson to ensure that their golf balls deliver high performance in the harshest courses.
The Callaway Golf Ball range features Tour i Golf Balls, Tour ix Golf Balls, HX Hot Bite Golf Balls, HX Hot Golf Balls, HX Pearl Golf Balls, Big Bertha Golf Balls and Warbird Golf Balls so there are plenty Callaway Golf Balls to choose from.
The technologically advanced Tour i Golf Ball provides the perfect balance of breakthrough distance and control. The Tour i Golf Ball will be released in July 2008. The Tour ix Golf Ball features 4-piece inertia technology and dual core construction designed to optimise distance. The new HX Hot Bite Golf Ball features a softer, proprietary cover that delivers exceptional feel and control as well as a high speed core. The new HX Hot Golf Balls feature a fast core, soft and resilient boundary layer, and a firm cover. HX Pearl Golf Balls are exclusively for low swing speed and lady golfers. The Big Bertha Golf Balls feature HEX Aerodynamics that helps reduce drag so your shots go further than ever. The Callaway Warbird Golf Balls are 2-piece golf balls built for distance.
All these Callaway Golf Balls are available at Golf Buy It Online where you’ll be able to find the best golf equipment from the best golf manufacturers at the best prices around.
Callaway Golf
Over the years, the name Callaway has become synonymous to the term Golf. It’s hardly surprising, given the fact that Callaway Golf is the best known brand for golf equipment recognized worldwide. Callaway Golf company manufactures primarily golf equipment: golf clubs and golf balls. Over time, their market ventures included sports apparel, footwear, timepieces and watches and various assortments of accessories. The Odyssey brand, Top Flite brand and the Ben Hogan brand are also owned by Callaway Golf.
No one could ever forget how Mr. Ely achieved iconic status, or rather his first masterpiece the “Big Bertha”. He was then a retired Burlington Industries Textile President with a big idea. The big idea was a cheap wooden driver inspiration which used to make his design which would later be realized as the Callaway Golf ‘s Big Bertha. After having acquired the services of Richard C. Helmstetter who was also a brilliant billiard cue designer, the Big Bertha was made. A marvel club at that time that showcase a 190cc steel club head that can hit the furthest and can hit even with minimal skill. The Callaway Golf Big Bertha completely revamped the existing golf clubs and set new standards for golf.
With a highly successful Product, Callaway Golf became public on the New York Stock Exchange.
Callaway Golf did brilliant publicity stunts too, to further its image line. For example when Bill Gates featured in the tongue-in-cheek commercial endorsement for the Callaway Golf Clubs, it was received with quite a reception. And Bill Gates isn’t that great in golf (with a notoriously high handicap). Other celebrities and distinguished personalities with remarkable golfing feats also contributed to making Callaway Golf a household name, such as Alice Cooper and Celine Dion. Even Pro Golfers like Arnold Palmer and Gary Player are considered image line enhancements when Callaway Golf obtained the rights for their playing equipment.
While other emerging successes of the Callaway Golf product line like Fusion Fairway Woods, Wide Sole Irons, X-18 Irons, and several golf balls particularly the HX Series golf balls did garner some successes, the Big Bertha still remains the flagship for Callaway Golf. The Big Bertha Line already has several technology touches on the design feature. The latest is the Fusion FT-3 Driver which won several matches already; Phil in his 2006 Masters Victory and Annika Sorenstam who used and endorsed the Callaway Golf FT-3 Driver to several recent championship victories.
The most notable feature of the Callaway Golf Big Bertha is the shortened design of the traditional hosel length by several inches, allowing some weight to be shifted nearer the club head. This allows more weighty punch on the golf ball, multiplying power to an otherwise moderate swing. This highly marketable innovation was dubbed S2H2 (Short, Straight, Hollow, Hosel).
In short Callaway Golf has done wonders to improve many golfer’s game.
The Callaway Golf Club
The Callaway golf club is one of the most popular and also reliable types of golf club in the market today. There are so many people (particularly retired men) that are fascinated with golf today and it is no wonder why the Callaway golf club is now in the peak of success in the world of golf clubs.
The Callaway Golf club is headed by Ely Callaway. He bought half of Hickory Stick USA and renamed it Callaway Hickory Stick USA. After purchasing it, he decided to hire the best people that would be an instrument in supporting his dream of Callaway golf club. He hired Richard C. Helmstetter to be the Chief Club Designer and this as others would say is the point of no return. The designs for Callaway golf club are truly revolutionary and innovative which is why the Callaway golf club is dubbed as the type of golf club that is unique and also high-performance kind golf equipment. After that, Ely Callaway renamed his company into Callaway Golf and then relocated from Cathedral City, California to a sleepy seaside town called Carlsbad, which is just north of San Diego.
One of the most innovative designs that the firm came up with was to create a stainless steel driver that had a larger and more forgiving head than any previous design. The CEO, Callaway dubbed it as “Big Bertha” which was derived from a German cannon back in WWI which was famous for its capability of shooting long distance range. This type of design was the one that made Callaway golf club a house hold name in the states because it experienced millions of sales and the Big Bertha type of Callaway golf club was the reason why Callaway became the number one manufacturer of golf clubs not only in the US but in the whole world which shows how popular golf is to the whole world.
At present, there are six classifications of the Callaway Golf club. The first classification is the drivers which are comprised of two models which are the Big Bertha Fusion FT4 and Big Bertha Titanium 454. The next classification of Callaway golf club is called the Fairway Woods. Fairway Woods have three types of clubs which are Big Bertha Fusion Fairway Woods, Big Bertha Titanium Fairway Woods, and Big Bertha Fairway Woods. The next classification of the Callaway golf club is a hybrid which is designed for long and distant shots. The model for this type of Callaway golf club is called Big Bertha Heavenwood Hybrids. The next classification is called irons which are divided into five types of models and these are Big Bertha, Big Bertha Fusion, X-Tour, X-18, and X-18 Pro. Another classification of the Callaway golf club would be the wedges and the model here is called Forged+ Wedges. The last classification for Callaway golf club is called the Putters. The Putters have two models in its classification which are Callaway golf I-Trax Putter and tour Blue.
The classification and models of Callaway Gold Club mentioned above are the ones that the firm manufactures. All of these models were made in the lieu with science, research, and practice. All of these models are worth a try and who knows? You might be the next Tiger Woods in the world of golf.
California Child Support Laws | Golden State
Both parents have a legal duty to provide financial support for their children. In California, as in most other states, the court may order either or both parents to make regular child support payments that cover a child's living and medical expenses.
California Child Support Laws
Both parents have a legal duty to provide financial support for their children. In California, as in most other states, the court may order either or both parents to make regular child support payments that cover a child's living and medical expenses.
California’s child support agency is administered through the Department of Child Support Services. This agency can help both custodial and non-custodial parents with a number of child support related services such as establishing paternity, locating a non-custodial parent, establishing, enforcing, and modifying child support orders, and collecting and distributing child support payments.
Establishing Paternity for California child support laws
Your child’s paternity must be established before child support can be ordered. Establishing legal paternity gives your child many rights, including child support, access to medical records, government benefits and more.
There are several methods you can use to establish the paternity of your child. The simplest method for establishing paternity is to complete a Paternity Opportunity Program Declaration. This form must be filled out and signed by both parents to establish paternity without going to court. If necessary, California’s child support agency can assist you in establishing the paternity of your child by helping you get free or low-cost genetic testing when the child’s father is in question.
If the child’s father lives in another state, California’s child support agency can work with the other state’s agencies to obtain genetic testing, establish a child support order and enforce child support payments.
Paying California child support laws
Once a child support order has been established, the non-custodial parent will generally be required to continue making payments until the minor child emancipates or until otherwise noted in the child support order. Under California law, a parent's obligation to pay support continues until the child becomes eighteen years of age. Under certain circumstances (if the child is unmarried and attending high school full time), the current support obligation may continue until the child is nineteen.
Modifying California child support laws
In order to modify a child support order, you must contact your local child support agency to request a modification of the child support order and then cooperate in the review process by providing the requested financial and visitation information.
You can also request the modification of a child support order by filing a motion directly with the court. Contact the Family Law Facilitator's office in your county of residence for help in filing the motion. See below for a complete list of Family Law Facilitators.
Bylaws | The Guts of a Corporation
Most states make forming a corporation relatively painless by providing forms for practically everything. The bylaws of the corporation, however, are an area you don’t want to rely on a form.
What Are Bylaws?
Bylaws are the technical rules that govern how a corporation will be run. They are a private document for the corporation and are not filed with any government entity. The purpose of the bylaws is to set out how things such as meetings, voting and share transfer will occur with the business.
Provisions
Typically, the bylaws will be the biggest document in your corporate book. If you are a single shareholder entity, they tend to be fairly straightforward since there isn’t really any dispute possibility unless you have a split personality. If there are two or more shareholders, however, the document is going to be a key item because it is going to detail voting rights and so on.
Typically, the bylaws of a corporation will cover the following specific issues:
1. Board of Director Meetings – When, where and how meetings will be conducted.
2. Notice of Meetings – The form, time and how notice must be given to board members.
3. Quorums – Before a board can issue resolutions on corporate business, a certain percentage of board members must be present. This “Quorom” is set out in the bylaws.
4. Annual Meetings – The bylaws typically detail when and where the annual meeting of the entity will occur.
5. Special Meetings - The process by which special board meetings may be called when an issue arises that requires the immediate attention of the board.
6. Voting Rights – Language detailing the voting rights of shareholders and board members in relation to passing or defeating resolutions.
7. Share Transfer Rights – Language detailing share transfer issues such as right of first refusal and so on.
8. Directors – Language detailing how many board members there will be, the length of their term, compensation, etc.
9. Amendment – The process by which the bylaws can be amended to reflect the evolution of the business.
10. Removal – Language detailing when and how a board member can be involuntarily removed.
There are numerous other provisions that can and probably should go into the bylaws of a corporation. Make sure to discuss them with your attorney.
Bylaw Legal Form | The Internet Solution
Getting a legal form is easier than ever. Learn the advantage of the Internet and bylaw legal forms for use.
Ah, the Internet. Never has there been so much information available to the common man on all sorts of topics. The danger being of course that one can never really know if the information they are reading about is actual facts or complete fantasy.
While this is not important maybe when searching for information on a rock band or trying to look up when a movie is playing locally, but when that information is medical or legal you need to be sure that what you’re reading is in fact valid.
Let’s say for the sake of discussion you are in need of a bylaw legal form. What would you do? Unless you have a law degree you can’t just simply sit down and type one out. But do you really want the expense of hiring an attorney to fill out a simple document like a bylaw form?
The legal arena is a tangled web in itself. There are so many laws and regulations covering all aspects of society. But thanks to the Internet simple procedures which were once only in the realm of attorneys only can now be taken care of much easier and less expensive by you with little to no legal training at all.
The easiest and best examples of this are simple legal forms which are now available all over the Internet. Where before these almost secret documents were closely held by lawyers, one can now surf the web and download and print legal forms printing them out and saving literally hundred to thousands of dollars.
Take the bylaw form for example. This simple form can now be looked up and downloaded from many online legal advice sites and then filled out with all your personal information. Then simply print it out and take it to get notarized and you have a legal document which will be upheld in any court in the land.
Before getting a simple bylaw form filled out and official by a lawyer could easily cost hundred if not thousands of dollars depending on intricacies and details. Now with a simple download you can fill out your bylaw form and be on your way.
Bylaws are just one example of the legal forms available on the Internet but the reason bylaws is such a perfect example is that what you are doing yourself by downloading the form your self is exactly what a lawyer would do. He simply would tell his secretary or paralegal to fill out the form and then he would sign it handing it over.
Of course you will pay for an hour or more of the lawyer’s time when all that happened was what you can do yourself. So the next time you need a bylaw form just find and fill it out yourself. Bylaw forms and more are all available right on the Internet. Your brand new legal advisor.
Business laws basics
A professional degree in Juris Doctor relates to a higher grade of studies in law. With business houses expanding in size and the legal issues gaining higher importance for day to day working of large corporates, demand for Juris Doctor professionals has been increasing. As the business interacts more with the society and their other counterparts need to resolve legal matters emerge simultaneously. All this has given an impetus to students aiming for career in law field. But a purely law background without any corporate experience may not be well accepted by business industry. Top ranked services in companies also demand a graduate in business organization along with lawyer’s degree.
As demand for combined degree in JD and business is being a preferred combination to build a rewarding career in law. Business and law schools at various places have joined hands to impart students with best career courses. At many places Law Schools providing degrees of Juris Doctor and business school providing Master in business administration present a cooperative program for the convenience of aspiring students. This opportunity to avail concurrent degrees in both fields is a stepping-stone for success of students. Students who cannot travel to different places at the same time have a best prospect of finding excellent professional training under one roof.
Surviving in the law field gets tougher from the day one tries to enter the school of law. Getting admission requires fulfilling entire formalities along with earlier creditable basic high school record, clearing the admission test for the law school and even recommendations from people. The same is applicable for business studies a student is required to prove his quantitative skills and efficiency in microcomputers to get admitted. A dedicated and hard work during the courses ensures students with excellent results which in turn to provide better career opportunities.
A law person has various prospects for different types of career that he would like to accept. Depending on his caliber and willingness to work hard a lawyer can decide upon practicing law in an exclusive law firm or he may choose to be an in house lawyer. An exclusive law firm requires an extensive knowledge of one particular area in law where as an in house lawyer is required to deal with entire aspects of legal issues that relate to the particular company in which he is involved.
While undergoing training in one of the law schools a student would learn about different aspects of law like civil law, criminal procedures, constitutional law, contracts, property, professional responsibility, basic federal income taxation, legislative and administrative interpretation and many others. The syllabus is cautiously devised to ensure that students receive exhaustive training to deal with maximum situation in the professional front. Similarly Masters Degree in Business administration imparts education in business for global society, corporate finance, managerial accounting, information resource management, strategic management, master’s project and other similar relevant courses. Anyone pursuing both law and business studies simultaneously has an advantage of studying some courses that are counted towards both degrees and hence a considerable amount of work is reduced for these students.
Business | Ethics | And The Law
The primary objective of a business is to make money. Why would an individual or group of people start a business if he did not want to make money? An argument that is generated by some is: “Should profits be the only function of a business?”
The desire for businesses to make money can sometimes lead to what is considered unethical business practices. Keep in mind the words unethical and unlawful are two separate terms with two separate meanings. One side of the argument states that ethics should not play a part in business as long as the business abides by the law of the land then they should not concern themselves with ethical behavior, but they should act in the best interest of the organization. The other side of the argument states that for an economy to function in a capitalist fashion that businesses must act in an ethical fashion regardless if their actions are legal under law.
Milton Friedman contends that the sole responsibility of business is to increase its profits. Robert Almeder maintains that if capitalism is to survive, it must act in a socially responsible ways that go beyond profit making. The views of these two individuals go to the heart of the argument. This author believes that after reading their material that the views of both are exaggerated. I do believe that a business’s responsibilities do go beyond what is legal. A business has a responsibility not only to the owners or stockholders, but also to the consumer who trust the business is acting not only in a legal manner but a safe and ethical manner as well. If a business goes out of its way to act in an unethical fashion then the business has broken their trust with the consumer. Once a business loses the trust of their consumers then profits will plummet. Seeing that profits are the primary function of a business then it is in the businesses best interest to maintain a trusting relationship with the consumers and continue to act in safe and ethical manner.
Keeping in mind that it is not the purpose of a business to propose or to dictate legislature nor ethical behavior to the individual, a business should not be held accountable for what a small population of consumers consider unethical. If the practice of the business is out in the open and hazards of their products are readily published and do not present the possibility of death involuntarily to the consumer then legislature should not dictate ethical behavior to business nor individuals for that matter.
Budgeting: The Critical Flaw That Causes Most Budgets to Fail
Budgeting. It's a word we're all familiar with. Everyone knows what a budget is, right? Yet how many of us actually make and stick to a solid monthly budget? The truth is that most of us start out with the best of intentions, but an unexpected expense comes up and busts our budget. Then we give up and go back to juggling our finances and worrying about having too much month left at the end of the money. However, if you are striving to create a budget for the purpose of systematically paying off your debts or to start a savings and investment program, then it's critical to develop a workable and realistic budget.
So what's the problem? Why do most of us fail at the simple task of creating a budget so we can live within our means? The simple truth is that most budgets don't work because they fail to account for irregular or variable expenses. Everyone knows how much their rent or mortgage payment is. It's the same amount month after month. If your rent is $1,000 per month, that's a no-brainer. The same is true of many other fixed expenses, such as auto loan payments, cable TV subscriptions, insurance premiums, and so on. It's easy to budget for these expenses because the amounts don't change from one month to the next.
Besides expenses that are the exact same figure each month, there are numerous types of expenses that vary a little from one month to the next, yet we still have a pretty good idea what we spend each month. A good example is our grocery bill. Most of us have a fairly clear picture of how much we spend each week at the supermarket. So, we can insert a realistic figure into our budget-in-progress and not be too far off the mark. The amounts may go up or down slightly each month, but we usually know the range we're dealing with. Other examples of this category include telephone bills, utility bills and gasoline (when prices are stable, that is).
The real culprit in busted budgets is the variable or irregular expense. How much will you spend on car repairs over the next 12 months? What about medical bills? Home maintenance costs? It seems that bills for these types of expenses hit us out of left field, and there goes our budget. Before long, we're using food money to cover a new set of tires for our car and the whole budget comes crashing down.
So what's the solution? There is no perfect answer to this problem. But we can come to a close approximation by using the simple technique of monthly averaging. Start by gathering 12 months' worth of checkbook registers, bank statements, and credit card statements. Write down (or enter into a spreadsheet) how much you spent each and every time your money went toward something that was not a fixed expense. Group these expenditures into categories, such as auto, home maintenance, clothes, etc. Don't try to break it down too far. What you want is a handful of useful categories. Then keep listing each of these expenses under their relevant categories for the full 12-month period.
When you are done with this exercise, you should have an excellent idea of your total annual expenditure for these variable expenses. For example, if you add up all the automobile repair or maintenance expenses for the year, and the figure comes to $1,200, then divide by 12 to get the result of $100 per month average. That's how much you need to allow in your monthly budget in order to build up enough reserves to handle an auto repair when it comes up. Again, this method isn't perfect, because an expense may come up that exceeds your estimated outlay, but at least it takes into account a closer approximation to reality than simply guessing, or worse, ignoring auto maintenance in your budgeting.
The trick here is to set up a separate savings account in which to set aside these "extra" funds. Let's say the "extra" $100 goes into the savings account for six months, and then you get hit with an auto repair for $400. You pull the money from your $600 savings that was purposely built up for this type of expense. This way, you're automatically setting aside amounts intended to cover each type of irregular expense that you encountered over the previous year.
Most people are shocked when they perform this 12-month analysis of irregular expenses, and it immediately becomes clear why their budget is always breaking down. This technique leads to the discipline necessary to recognize that "extra" money is seldom really extra. If we think we have our bills covered, and there is some cash burning a hole in our pocket, our tendency is to spend it on something fun. But if we know that there really is no cash left over, because we haven't yet set aside the extra $100 needed to keep our car on the road, then we'll be less inclined to spend it on pizza, beer, and movies.
Budgeting can be successfully accomplished by this technique of monthly averaging, especially if we consistently apply it year after year. As we move forward, our understanding of our true expenses becomes clearer and clearer, and we are no longer surprised by the occasional unexpected expense.
The best way to implement this approach is to set up a regular savings program, where the amount you're setting aside to cover irregular expenses gets automatically deducted from your paycheck and forwarded to your savings account. If the money is deducted from your paycheck before you even see it, then you will be less tempted to skip this critical part of the budgeting process, and you will greatly increase the chances of making a budget work over the long term.
Becoming A Policy Advocate: How To Make Your Voice Heard On Laws That Effect You
Each of us at some time in our lives has become outraged when hearing of a new bill being introduced by our legislator(s). Even worse and because of that bill, we hear that a new law has been enacted and will become effective in the near future. How the heck did that happen we might ask? I didn’t even know that kind of law was up for consideration you might think. It seems sometimes that all of a sudden we’re to abide by this new law whether we like it or not. I can assure you, it didn’t happen suddenly and you had the power to do something about it. There are three important things you can do to make sure your voice is heard.
Education
Education about the political process is crucial towards an understanding on how policy becomes law. Most of us know that at the National level of the United States, we have a President, a Vice President and staff that are supposed to work towards protecting the public interest. There are three governing branches in our democratic system; Executive (the President and staff), Judicial (Supreme Court) and the Legislative (Congress-the decision-makers on legislation/law). It is the legislative branch that will be the focus of this article. Education on the political processes of government will bring about the second most important thing you can do to make your voice heard on the potential passage of laws that will affect you.
Awareness
How did that law get passed and why didn’t you know about it? It would be negligent not to mention that some proposed bills are worded and designed to confuse or hide the actual intent of the bill. Often, bills are routed through the House of Representatives and the Senate with the intention of sneaking the bill through towards being passed in an effort to keep it from gaining significant attention. Your education and awareness of policy will train you to read bills from a critical perspective. Every bill or proposed piece of legislation is available for reading by the public (both on the National and Local levels). Becoming aware of what a bill really intends to change and what its purposes are is up to you to critically analyze. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves and become aware. It is only then that we can take action.
Take Action
Let’s talk about one example of a bill being proposed at the National level. Senate Bill, SA1379 has been introduced to require "certain dietary supplement manufacturers to report certain serious adverse events". What does this REALLY say? What does this bill actually intend to do? What is its purpose? Education and awareness will take you into the text of this bill with knowledge and a critical eye. Then you can make an informed and responsible decision.
Becoming an advocate on any policy issue requires determination and passion. After education and analysis of any particular piece of legislation we can decide to accept the bill or reject it. If you accept or agree that a proposed bill should be enacted and made law you can sit back and let it run its due course. If, however, you reject a policy and find it unfair, objectionable or unjust, it’s time to take action.
Policy advocates take action in several ways. They can be individuals or groups. They either attempt to improve existing policy, establish new policy or make attempts to defeat existing policy. They act. No matter the effort, if you want to change laws, you will need some tips on how to create the change you wish to see implemented.
To become effective change advocates we must first understand that changing policy can often be extremely challenging and difficult work. You may encounter opposition at every turn. You may find very few others that support your position or values. On the other hand, there may be many people that want to join in your effort to change a policy or law. If you are truly passionate about an issue and believe it needs to be changed, the rewards of your efforts could be many. The most important thing to remember is that it takes only one person to start the process for change but you will need support. Let’s talk about how you can begin.
After educating yourself on the actual bill you wish to challenge, having some general knowledge of how a bill becomes law will become just as important. The best place to begin is in understanding your own state/local legislative process.
* Find out who your senator and representatives are in your voting district
* Visit your state capitol.
* Spend a day at the capitol and watch the senate as they vote on proposed bills.
* Make an appointment to meet with your legislators, senator or representative to discuss your opposition or concern around a bill
* Never doubt your power as a voter
* Many states set up specific days for roundtables, discussions. Presentations around specific bills or issues. Find your passion, a bill that interests you and join in on the open forums.
Taking a day to familiarize yourself with the legislative process will guide you on how to effectively advocate for the bill or policy you want changed. Simply put, it will show you how things are done. It will arm you with the information you need to challenge what you believe to be right. There are other ways to safeguard your rights when it comes to policy.
* Keep your legislator’s addresses, emails, and phone numbers handy and communicate with them on a regular basis. Just a note: Some are saying that e-mail is becoming less effective. Legislators and public servants receive many e-mails on a daily basis; yours could get lost, ignored or easily overlooked in the avalanche.
* Look up your state’s legislative web page. A wealth of information is available there and most are user friendly. This resource is an educational tool loaded with what bills are currently being introduced in that legislative session, how to contact your representatives, the status on all bills currently being considered as well as some older ones from past sessions to name just a few.
While this is not an exhaustive and complete list of things you can do, it is a beginning. Becoming educated on the ways of law and rule making, staying aware of those bills that could affect you or your loved ones and taking action will insure you that you tried to do something. Sometimes all of the advocacy and action in the universe won’t change policy but wouldn’t it be fulfilling to know that you took some part in trying to effect a change? You took part in something you believe. You could, without knowing how huge the impact was going to be, have helped millions of your fellow Americans or state citizens. Take the time to know what’s going on in the political process. It is your right to protect yourself from policy that could harm. It’s our obligation to help others not to be harmed as well.
Become Debt Free Using The Law Of Attraction!
Due to steadily rising costs of living and the increase in financial commitments many people experiencing money problems. Often along with money problems there may also be worries about keeping employment due to downsizing and big layoffs. Some people have large outstanding debts and the financial burden is so great that they do not see a way out.
If you are worried abut your financial situation and you would like to be debt free take heart!
With the Law of Attraction you can learn and understand that you can make your own life. You are not helpless and you do not have to wait for external forces to make changes in your life.
You now can learn that the Law of Attraction will bring everything into existence what we are attracting knowingly or unknowingly. If you have financial difficulties and debts you are responsible for it. This maybe difficult for you to see right now but it is true.
The exact opposite will also be true if you are attracting money and a life free of debts to you.
You may wonder of how you could do this. Maybe you have already seen the secret DVD or you have read about it. You may be wondering how you can attract what you want into your own life. Well here are a few tips that may help you along those lines to become debt free using the Law of Attraction:
1. Take some time first to read up on the Law of Attraction and how it will work!
Think about the information that you are reading about.
2. Check out some books about famous and rich people. Read up on their live stories!
Change the way you think about money at this point in your life. The way you are thinking about money has brought you to where you are right now. Check out some books like “Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill or Success Stories by Robert T. Kiyosaki to just mention a few. Reading these kinds of books will help you to focus on money in a different way. You will soon have the right mindset when it comes to money. Take a look at your former spending habits and try to avoid making the same mistakes.
3. When using the Law of Attraction you should meditate daily as this will greatly enhance your progress in the endeavor to take full control of your financial future.
Meditation will help you to know yourself better and it will train you to listen to your inner being. It also will help you to understand more about what it is that you are thinking even on a subconscious level. It will also give connect you to source energy. Avoid living the “treadmill live” like so many people. Make mediation a priority instead and take out the time that you need to meditate.
These are just 3 simple tips that will help you to become successful in becoming debt free and in changing your financial situation with the Law of Attraction.
Beat the Heat - 7 Tips to Help Your Lawn Survive a Drought
With temperatures rising and rain fall decreasing, summer time is putting a serious strain on your lawn. If you are not careful, your lawn could end up dead. No rain and water restrictions can really take a shot at your ability to take care of your lawn. However, there are some tried and true tips that are sure to beat the summer heat.
When your lawn is suffering from a drought, these tips will help you survive:
1. Raise the blades on your mower. Taller grass provides more protection from sun and grows deeper roots, which makes it more resilient.
2. Resist the temptation to bag your lawn and use a mulching mower instead. The clippings will provide a barrier that keeps moisture in your lawn longer.
3. Aerate your lawn twice a year (fall and spring) to keep out thatch and help the roots grow deeper.
4. Sharpen your lawnmower blade. Dull blades put your grass under lots of undue stress. Stressed grass needs more water.
5. Water early in the morning and when it is not windy to avoid unnecessary evaporation of your rationed water.
6. Use a drip type irrigation system like a soaker hose. It put water in the ground, where it is needed, more efficiently.
7. Do not fertilize in the summer. Experts will tell you that fertilized lawns are more sensitive to heat and require more water.
Green is definitely a color to envy in the heart of the summer. Do yourself a favor and follow these tips to keep a green lawn that makes your neighbors squirm with envy.
Basic Ethics For Lawyer Advertisi
Lawyers have several sets of rules to consider when creating advertisements. The FTC regulates all advertising in every state; each state may have its own regulations governing advertising; and the attorney ethics rules of the state in which you are advertising will regulate lawyer advertising. A review of FTC rules can be seen at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/guides.htm. Most rules are just plain common sense and are meant to protect the public. Some state lawyer ethics rules go further. For instance, some rules are meant to protect the image of lawyers.
In the past, lawyer ethics rules have been more restrictive, however, they have been slowly eroded by both State and U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Because they have been losing ground, state regulating bodies have have become complacent. Consequently, lawyer advertising has continued to evolve and today there are many lawyers advertising without even thinking about ethics rules. It is at this point that the enforcement wave may return. Where the violation is minor, it is unlikely that any action will be taken, but when a lawyer advertisement contains a major ethical violation, authorities will have no choice but to attempt to exert their control. If they do nothing, there will be no need for rules. They may as well take their chances in court.
Ethics rules have been slow to keep up with changing times. I believe that some ethics rules, such as requiring that your local office address appear in the advertisement, may become unenforceable and should be eliminated. This rule may have originally intended that clients should have the means to find your office address if your telephone number changed or to determine if your office was geographically convenient for them. This rule no longer makes sense. Use of a toll-free telephone number ensures that your telephone number will never change even if you move your office. According to Nielsen/Net Ratings, in February 2004, 74.9% of households had Internet access. Telephone companies are now offering high-speed Internet access and electric utility companies are now able to offer high-speed Internet access simply by plugging into an electric socket. According to New American Library, computers are now outselling TVs. In a very short time, every home in the US will not only be able to have Internet access, but high-speed Internet access and can easily access a lawyer's web site and determine the office address. Lawyer advertisements can include a web site address where a potential client can find the lawyer's contact information. Requiring the lawyer's office address in a TV commercial, effectively prevents smaller lawyers from joining group advertising where smaller budgets are combined to effectively compete against wealthier lawyers. There simply is not enough room in the TV commercial to list the address of every lawyer.
With regard to the public need to know if a law office is near them, this is the least important qualitative factor that a client should consider. Instead of looking for a lawyer who is a couple of blocks away, a potential client should look for other factors such as experience with the client’s problem, personality, etc. Many times, clients and patients are willing to travel from the suburbs to the city to find a lawyer or doctor because of the perception that professionals in the city are more competent. Additionally, upon making a call, the caller can simply ask for the address of the office.
For your state’s ethics rules, see ABA Links to State Ethics Rules Governing Lawyer Advertising, Solicitation and Marketing at http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/clientdevelopment/adrules.html#. For a list of resources and articles on ethics and lawyer advertising, see http://www.hurt911.org/lawyer-advertising/lawyer-advertising-tips-articles.html
Below is a short list of what I believe are some of the most important ethics rules to consider when creating attorney advertising:
1) Referrals: If you pay money to anyone and a client is referred to you, you are probably obtaining an illegal referral, unless the referral is from a Bar Association. Advertising involves a risk. The risk is that you may pay for advertising and may not sign up any clients. If you are offered a guarantee that you will sign up enough cases to cover the cost of advertising, this guarantee turns your advertising campaign into an illegal referral system. If you are considering working with an advertising agency that offers a guarantee, have an ethics lawyer review the guarantee before you work with that agency. If you work with an advertiser or an agency, make sure you are actually paying for advertising and not for the cases. Beware of advertising schemes where "someone" offers to send you clients which have been obtained without advertising and offers to bill you on their "advertising agency" bill head for advertising services or consulting services. Several lawyers and doctors, I have spoken to, mistakenly believed that if they have a bill for advertising, it’s legal. These schemes are clearly illegal in addition to violating ethics and can result in an arrest and conviction. Know who you’re doing business with and live by a simple rule: If you’re trying to make something look like something else, it’s probably illegal.
In some states, such as New York, if telephone calls are answered in a central office, no person can decide which calls go to which lawyers. For instance, if the agency or call center receives telephone calls from callers requesting different services such as bankruptcy, criminal, divorce, and personal injury, a referral may made when the operator decides which lawyer to send the call to. Even if all calls request personal injury services and an operator is able to decide whether to give the call to lawyer "A" or lawyer "B", a referral would be made.
2) Disparaging Other Lawyers: Advertising which includes a remark disparaging other lawyers is probably one of the quickest ways to get into trouble. Not only is it unethical in most states, but lawyers who view your disparaging advertising will likely report you.
3) Misleading Advertising Claims: Claims should be carefully examined to avoid being misleading. Claims implying that your law firm can get more money or that your law firm is powerful are misleading. Even a claim that you are a big-city lawyer, while it could be true, can be considered misleading as an implication of power or competency due to your location. In states, such as New York, where the lawyer is required to charge the client for expenses, stating that there is no fee unless you win will not only violate ethics but subject you to a lawsuit.
4) Claiming to be an Expert: Most states prohibit lawyers from stating in their advertising that they are an expert or that they specialize in a particular practice area, unless the lawyer is board certified. Where the lawyer is not certified, some states, like Texas, require that the lawyer state that he or she is not certified (this rule should also be eliminated).
5) Vanity Telephone Numbers and Web Site Domain Names: Some vanity telephone numbers and web site domain names can violate legal ethics. Make sure that your vanity telephone number or web site name avoids use of certain words which could potentially create an incorrect expectation in the mind of the consumer or violate one of the other ethics rules. Both vanity telephone numbers and web site domain names should not imply that you are better than another lawyer, that you can accomplish something for the audience that may not actually occur or that you are an expert.
Use of words such as "BEST", "TOP", "FOREMOST, "LEADING", "WIN" and similar words in a vanity telephone number or web site domain name would likely create a misleading expectation in the mind of the consumer and will violate ethics rules in most states. The question is by who’s standards are you the best or leading and in what? 1-800-WIN-XXXX may be good for a casino, but when used for personal injury will imply that the person who becomes a client of the firm will win money when, in fact, that may not happen and even if it does, it’s an award for just compensation, not a "winning". Laura Hodes in her article for the ABA Journal entitled Vanity Phone Numbers Make Your Firm Less Forgettable, quoted Will Hornsby, an expert on lawyer advertising and staff counsel in the ABA Division for Legal Services, who said that while there is nothing unethical about vanity numbers, "1-800-I-WIN-CASES would be unethical because it is making an unsubstantiated claim, creating unjustified expectations that can be true but still be misleading."
6) Trade Names: Most states do not allow lawyers to use trade names. While a 1-800 vanity phone number can be branded in advertising so people remember how to call you, it should not become your trade name.
7) Verdict Results: If you advertise previous settlements or verdict results, most states will require a disclaimer that prior results are not predictive of future outcomes. Claims must be true and you should be able to prove it.
8) Use of Actors in the Commercial: Some states prohibit lawyers from using an actor in the commercial to portray a lawyer and have strict regulations regarding the use of testimonials, and the portrayal of clients.
9) Dramatic Accident Re-creation: Some states prohibit use of dramatic accident recreations in the commercials.
10) Jingles: Some states prohibit use of jingles in commercials.
11) Office Address: Most states require that your main office address appear in your advertising.
12) Copy of Advertisement: Some states require lawyers to keep a copy of the advertisement for certain period of time. Some states require lawyers to submit a copy of their advertisements for prior approval.
Bankruptcy Lawyer Dirty Secrets
The field of bankruptcy law has exploded in recent years, even though the process of filing for bankruptcy really only involves filling out a few forms. Misconceptions, frightening news articles, and misleading advertisements put out by many of the firms now specializing solely in bankruptcy law have convinced the average consumer that they absolutely must hire an expensive attorney in order to get rid of the money they owe.
Even if the client has an above-average number of questions or a combination of income, debt, and assets that are more complicated than most, an experienced lawyer should be able to handle a bankruptcy claim from start to finish in a matter of hours. Some honest legal professionals only bill their clients for this small amount of work, but the majority charges a minimum of $2,000 for a basic filing. In fact, in some areas, rates can skyrocket as high as $10,000 for a single case!
These inflated prices have actually driven many of the honest attorneys out of bankruptcy altogether, because once a client has been convinced that bankruptcy should cost them thousands of dollars, they are naturally wary of hiring anyone who charges much less.
Filling out bankruptcy paperwork is so simple in many cases that attorneys have their secretaries fill it out. Yet the field has created so much money for certain greedy lawyers that instead of letting their clients know this, they instead pocket the cash and stand back and watch while bankruptcy filings needlessly get out of control.
No matter what circumstances brought you into your current financial situation, declaring bankruptcy should never be a first choice when trying to deal with high levels of debt. Especially after taking into account high attorney fees and new credit-card-friendly laws, it would be much better for you in both the short-and long-term if your financial difficulties are handled out of court.
Bankruptcy Lawyer | Your Final Solution When Running Out Of Options
Declaring your business to be legally bankrupt, only mean that you have done everything you could and there is no way for recovery. It means being deep in debt that it will already be impossible for you to sustain the business.
There are kinds and variations to bankruptcy and the legal process will depend very much on where you are coming from but the purpose is the same. Bankruptcy cases will take years to resolve. The court will determine what debts do not have to be repaid and what will be directly deducted from your income.
In the interim, credit lines will be closed to you. Your credit history will be tainted and no credit institution will want to do business with you. Back taxes that you owe will still have to be paid and obligations will still be enforced like alimony and child support.
When there is no resolution that is possible, finding a good bankruptcy lawyer will then be the only recourse.
A good bankruptcy lawyer should be someone you can be comfortable talking with. Someone you can trust and someone who has displayed competence in handling bankruptcy. This is very important as communication between you and the lawyer must be based on trust. There have been so many instances when the client holds back on information that he thinks is not so significant only to learn later on that the piece of information that was withheld posed additional complication to the case. Withholding information from your bankruptcy lawyer pose problems where non existed before. Bankruptcy lawyers can only help the client to the extent of the knowledge that the lawyer has. It is crucial then that the client works with the lawyer. This is in the first place the client’s future that is at stake.
Do not hesitate to interview the lawyer prior to retaining him. Ask the lawyer questions and a good lawyer must answer you in a language that you can understand. If you don’t, do not be afraid to clarify statements that could be ambiguous to you. Find out a bankruptcy lawyer that already has an extensive experience in handling bankruptcy cases. Whenever possible find a bankruptcy lawyer who is a specialist. Avoid the generalist, as they may not be able to help you as much.
If you feel uncomfortable talking with a particular bankruptcy lawyer, find another one. You can visit the local bar association to find out their recommendation.
When you visit your bankruptcy lawyer, bring a list of all the creditors that you owe, including payments to personal loans that you are not left behind and a list of all your assets and liabilities. The more information you provide the bankruptcy lawyer, the better and more accurate the recommendations he will give you. Remember that lawyers can only work as good as the information that you provide.
Cooperate well in giving your lawyer the data regarding your case because you are in the best position to give those to him. You also will be the person that will either suffer or benefit from the outcome.
Bankruptcy Lawyer | When to Hire One
The main purpose of a bankruptcy lawyer is to help an individual or business go through the legal procedures for filing bankruptcy. Lawyers are meant to help deal with creditors, meet with the court systems to set up payment plans or repayment programs, gather together and liquidate assets, and fill out and file necessary paperwork. Just as a realtor would be the knowledgeable party in the selling or buying of a home, a bankruptcy lawyer will be that knowledgeable source during a bankruptcy proceeding.
In most state and county legal systems, you are not required to have a bankruptcy lawyer for the legal proceedings. This does not always mean it is wise to do without a bankruptcy lawyer, though, as most specialize in just financial law. Unless the court case would be easily cut and dry or you already know a great deal about the legal system in this case, a bankruptcy lawyer can help from becoming overwhelmed with the legalities of the system.
From the start, a good bankruptcy lawyer should help you to determine which chapter of bankruptcy to file and will offer sound reasons why. If you don’t know anything about the different chapters, this is an excellent reason to begin consulting a lawyer. Many lawyers will even offer a free consultation where you can simply claim the advice and move on to take care of the remainder of the case yourself. Often, though, lawyers will charge by visit or by activity, such as appearing at the courthouse or filing paperwork.
Keep in mind that not all bankruptcy lawyers specialize in the same type of cases, so it is important to find a lawyer who can help you with the type of financial difficulties you are having. Some bankruptcy lawyers work specifically with businesses, while others work solely with individuals. Having a good experience with your lawyer will undoubtedly include finding someone knowledgeable in the areas you need expertise.
Another excellent reason to consider hiring a bankruptcy lawyer is simply to have someone knowledgeable who can help guide you through the paperwork process. In bankruptcy cases the paperwork is the most overwhelming aspect and more often than not, bankruptcy lawyers will actually fill out and file all of the paperwork for you. This takes away the burden of dealing with paperwork in the middle of a financially and emotionally straining time.
If you decide that hiring a bankruptcy lawyer is right for you, ask the local court house for names of lawyers in the area. You may also want to consider asking trusted friends or family advice for finding bankruptcy lawyers. If all else fails, take advantage of technology and research cases in your area to see which bankruptcy lawyers most often represent individuals or businesses. This is a great way to determine who the best lawyers are for your financial needs.
Bankruptcy Lawyer
Bankrupt - Bankruptcy lawyer
But what is more important is the choosing of a bankruptcy lawyer who can file and win the title of bankrupt for his client. There are a few steps that are being highlighted below and what may help an individual in choosing a bankrupt lawyer to serve his or hers purpose. The toughest part of this whole is, choosing whether or not to file a case for bankruptcy. And if the choosing part leads to the answer yes, then that is from were the individual will feel the necessity of a bankruptcy lawyer.
Bankruptcy is actually a special area of the law, which makes it all the more important for an individual to hire a lawyer who has all the respective knowledge that is usually required in this field. Thus, the most essential and important step should be to contact the local bar association of the locality. This is usually done to take there advice before deciding upon which lawyer will the individual will entrust his case to prove him bankrupt. The individual can also choose his own lawyer and then ask the associations thoughts and concerns over this lawyer. The individual can also take recommendations from the association regarding the lawyer of his choice. As the bar keeps in touch with these lawyers, it has its views and thoughts against them, and depending upon the nature of the case the association also suggests a list of lawyers, who the association thinks are capable of handling this case.
The individuals concerned should however not restrict themselves to only what the bar says or what the individual thinks, the individual should try to gather information about the lawyer or any other lawyers by asking and enquiring to their friends, colleagues and their relatives. Or even better is if the individual can enquire to other lawyers and attorneys regarding the lawyer of his choice or any other lawyer that may suit his or hers case requirement. The individual can also search online on the web before coming to a decision and before deciding upon his choice among the lawyers. After all these searching and scanning if any lawyer suits the individual’s requirement and comes within his pocket size, then he is the man!!
Bankruptcy Law Firms
Even though bankruptcy provides the individual with a credit free life later, it affects the credit rating for about 10 years, so filing for bankruptcy is not really a very easy option. Also, some cases, such as those dealing with mortgage and alimony, may not even be considered in the court as proper reasons for bankruptcy. Bankruptcy must also be considered only when all other options have been exhausted.
It is possible for the individual to represent himself in court when filing for bankruptcy. However, most bankruptcy laws can seem to be very complicated to a common citizen, so it is suggested to pay a visit to an attorney before filing for bankruptcy. Most attorneys will be able to give clients the general gist of the procedure and an attorney dealing with credit counseling will be able to provide proper guidance.
Most attorneys provide a free consultation regarding the case. It is very important to choose a proper attorney as they can make or break the case by not being actively involved.
It is suggested to run a few enquiries rather than hiring an attorney solely based on the attractive advertisements. Many law firms have licensed attorneys specialized in dealing with bankruptcy cases. It is suggested to select one of these attorneys to deal with the case.
ACcording to a new bankruptcy law that was passed in 2005, credit counseling from a licensed firm is a must at least six months before filing for bankruptcy. Keeping this into account, lots of law firms have started offering these services to the public. These companies are licensed and have representative agents who can help individuals and firms with the credit problems. They might even be able to provide a solution so that the firm or the individual can reach to some form of settlement with the creditors.
Bankruptcy Law Changes Designed To Hold Debtors Accountable
However, over the years many were taking advantage of the bankruptcy laws to continually file bankruptcy as often as allowed by law to get out of paying their financial obligations. This overuse of the system led to more stringent rules to protect creditors often the loser in cases with people who worked the system to their advantage. New laws were designed to prevent those from simply getting out of their obligations.
For those who fall into out-of-control debt, the bankruptcy laws exist to help them make a fresh start. Providing the need for financial and debt management as part of the bankruptcy process will provide the needed help while sifting out those individuals who use the bankruptcy laws to simply create debt and have it wiped out by the court periodically.
In most instances the laws still allow for discharging all legally dischargeable debt for those whose only way out is through bankruptcy. However, it also makes it tougher to meet the demands of the new laws. This may prevent some people from filing for bankruptcy, either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 from seeking the help offered through bankruptcy, only making their financial life more miserable.
In 2005, the U.S. government seemed to agree with lobbyists for credit companies and determined that too many debtors were allowed to get out from under their self-created debt by filing for bankruptcy. Many were pointing to a few cases in which people with the means to make good on their obligations were simply filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and leaving the creditor holding the balance.
The new law, which was supposed to provide additional help to consumers in handling their credit load, also added many requirements, including the need to go through credit counseling services before filing bankruptcy. The counseling is also to provide alternatives to bankruptcy, attempting to move more people from Chapter 7 bankruptcy into a plan that will provide the creditors receiving payments through Chapter 13 filings.
The new bankruptcy laws added extra burdens for the debtor as well as the attorneys, which not only increased the amount of information collected for bankruptcy filings, but also included many new financial requirements that are beginning to resemble the current income tax code. In order to understand the new rules and regulations as well as the reporting requirements, many attorneys will need to specialize in bankruptcy.
There are also penalties in the new law for both attorneys and clients who willfully attempt to use inaccurate information in a bankruptcy petition. If a violation is found by the court, the attorney fees and client costs can be claimed by the court trustee, giving the trustees more incentive to more carefully review all filings in the court.
Bankruptcy Law | Some Important Facts
One of the primary laws regarding bankruptcy that was passed in the United States in 2004 is the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act. This law just went into effect in October 2005, but has already caused quite a stir in the financial and bankruptcy law arenas. Besides making it more difficult to qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, or complete bankruptcy, the law imposes stricter rules and budgets on Chapter 13 debtors.
A major change the law makes throughout the United States is the need for debtors to have filed tax returns for four years in a row before qualifying for bankruptcy. As well, dischargeable debts, or those debts where personal liability is taken away by the court system, is more difficult to come by. The Act requires that debtors prove good reason for dischargeable debt and is even requiring more debtors to take responsibility with non-dischargeable debt budgets.
As far as the two major types of bankruptcy laws are concerned, Chapter 13 bankruptcy is that which allows the debtor to keep some assets upon proving only limited debt and a steady income. This bankruptcy is excellent for those debtors who have gotten themselves into major financial difficulty but still have means of paying for some assets. The court will set up a repayment schedule and budget that allows for full repayment of mortgages or cars within three to five years.
If repayment is simply not an option, the bankruptcy law requires that a debtor will file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This is often referred to as complete liquidation of assets, except for exempt items. Exempt items in a bankruptcy hearing are determined by the court and are usually items that are a necessity, such as a car or work related items. As well, the courts will distribute debts into two categories: non-dischargeable and dischargeable debt.
Non-dischargeable debts also fall into two categories: non-dischargeable due to wrongful conduct on the debtor and non-dischargeable due to public policy. Wrongful misconduct by the debtor could mean theft or laundering money while public policy could include child support payment or court related judgments.
Keep in mind that in either type of bankruptcy, an individual is almost always required to still pay for taxes, student loans, alimony, child support or court related fees. This is the place where many bankrupt parties are misled in the Chapter 7 bankruptcy, as it is often referred to as "a fresh start". While the court can set up payment plans to help the debtor repay public policy debts, even Chapter 7 debtors will still be required to make payments.
Another major point regarding bankruptcy law is that a bankruptcy will stay on a credit report for approximately ten years. This will make it extremely difficult to become eligible for any type of credit, even a credit card, but especially for a car loan or a house mortgage. While some creditors will still offer limited credit to bankrupt individuals, the interest rates and finance charges are usually through the roof. This makes it even more difficult for debtors to get back on their feet.
Last but not least, keep in mind that bankruptcy law will require any co-signers to be responsible for debt payments. If mom or dad signed for a car loan when you were young and you still owe on that car, they are liable for payments. These friends or family members who were once doing you a favor may be brought into the bankruptcy law court proceedings, which can put a strain on friendships and family relations.
For specific bankruptcy law questions it is best to contact a bankruptcy attorney or legal aide in your county or state. Bankruptcy laws and proceedings may vary slightly from state to state, so be sure to make contacts in the state where you plan to file for bankruptcy.
Avoid Discrimination Lawsuits
Use Caution in Hiring and Firing
AmCheck’s PEO/ASO’s human resource department helps your company in avoiding discrimination lawsuits including racial and age discrimination lawsuit.
One of the advantages of outsourcing to a Professional Employment Organization PEO or Administrative Service Organization ASO such as AmCheck, is the fact that your PEO/ASO’s Human Resource Department can help you decipher some of the legal technicalities that exist as a result of Federal Legislation regarding discrimination. This is part of the reason many PEOs may be involved in the process of hiring and firing at the worksite--it is one of many methods we use to protect you from risk of discrimination lawsuits.
Legal changes in recent years have made it more and more difficult to avoid legal tangles with prospective, existing, and former employees. Consider, for example the caution you must exercise with regard to employee relations as a result of sexual harassment litigation. What about the way you treat your older employees as a result of The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) to avoid age discrimination lawsuit, or the way you accommodate disabled employees because of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)?
In addition to these federal laws, there may be local or state laws with which an employer must comply. Each of these laws must also be taken into consideration when promoting, demoting, or transferring employees to other departments.
Always consult with our HR Department before taking employment action. The HR Fact Finder recommends that you protect your company from costly legal battles by avoiding impulsive hiring, termination, transfers, promotions, etc. A company whose decisions in these areas are carefully considered should be able to avoid most legal tangles involved in discrimination lawsuits.
A Case In Point:
A recent “Corporate Downsizing” in a large firm resulted in the decision to transfer 5 women (including one female manager with over 12 years of tenure) to another department and offer them reduced compensation. The female manager was to be replaced by a male with less experience. All five of the women hired attorneys, because in spite of the fact that this was probably a well-intentioned attempt to make the department more efficient, the move looked like it may have been prompted by an act of discrimination.
This article brought to you by AmCheck. Visit us at www.amcheck.com.Source: HR Fact Finder This article excerpted from an article formerly entitled, “Human Resources: Some Cautions about Hiring and Firing”
