Coffee Needs Take Over The Office

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tassimo. All opinions are 100% mine.

In my office there is the daily list of things to do, meetings to go to, and problems to solve. It's a busy office because over the last few years we have had to cut back on staff. Present employees have had to take on new duties to make up for positions that have been cut. Our team is a great bunch and I try to look for ways to show my appreciation.

When the team comes to work everyday they have in tow their fancy coffee drink from Starbucks or other coffee shop. I like my morning coffee drink also. I have at home a Tassimo single cup coffee machine which makes me my fancy coffee for much less than I can get one out.

I thought why not get one for the office and let the team also enjoy a nice cappuccino or latte during the day. I found a great machine for the office and it's called the Tassimo Professional.

Like mine at home it has all the great Gevalia espressos and coffees, the Suchard hot chocolate and the Twinings teas. The T Discs are like the ones I use at home so I know it will be very easy to use. I like the one touch activation, it's so simple. It's easy to clean and doesn't take up to much space.

 I found out that if you like the machine you can sign up for a Tassimo Professional free demo. This Tassimo Professional is just what I need. It will serve the coffee drinking needs of my team and I can't wait to try it myself. I am going to sign up for the demo, you should to.

Are Department Store Credit Cards a Good Idea?

Image by MoneyBlogNewz via FlickrWhenever I  go out shopping, when it's time to pay I get the question from the cashier, "Would you like to open up a store credit card?" It's happening at more and more stores. Many stores bottom line depends on customers using store credit. Clerks are under pressure to push as many new cards as possible. There are major incentives to store employees to do this. Department store profits, from their own credit cards, amount to 30 to 40 percent of net income. 

It would be easy to turn down the request for the card but it usually comes with a generous discount for that purchase. It makes you stop and think a moment. Lots of people justify the new card by this discount and vow to pay it off immediately. The trouble is, and the stores know it, the majority do not pay it off. The stores know a percentage of its new card holders will go back to the store and continue to charge more.

Before opening that new credit card consider 5 things:

1. Store credit cards usually carry a high interest rate. You intend to pay it off but you don't. So you are doubly dumb by using the card and by paying higher than normal interest charges. Using one low interest card or your debit card for all credit purchases is a much better way to control your spending. 

2. Store cards encourage you to not shop around. The store card is a magnet to get you back into the same store. You are now limited to where you can shop. You feel obligated to come back to the same store over and over again. With a general purpose card you can shop at stores offering the best prices, you're not trapped at only one store.

3. You don't need a store card. Why start a habit of getting a store card. Are you going to get a card at every store you shop at. Just because you shop at a particular store sometimes, doesn't mean you need a card for there. A single credit card is best for all your shopping needs.

4. Are you really getting a great initial discount. Is ten percent really enough of a discount on a $100 purchase. Could you have gotten a better deal by just shopping around a little more and maybe getting a 20 percent discount on a sale, avoiding the credit card deal altogether. 

5. Opening a credit card should not be an impulse decision. Is opening a new credit card at the spur of the moment a responsible thing to do? Should you give it a little more thought than the 2 seconds it takes to respond to the offer. Are you being pressured at the cash register to take the card? It's no accident that it's done in that fashion. You are under pressure when you want to say no. But just say yes to be nice and not hold up the line of people staring at you.

Is there any reasons to take out a store credit card?

If you are making a large purchase at a home improvement store or you are buying a pricey electronic toy. If you are saving at least $100 it may be a good idea and worth taking on the new card. Only if you do find the cash to pay it off and close the account as soon as possible.

3 Alternatives to Rising Prepaid College Plans

Image via WikipediaThe costs of a college education continues to rise every year. Many parents fear that college tuition will someday be unaffordable. In Florida, we have two options that the state provides to pay for future college costs. We have a prepaid college plan and a 529 plan.

Over the last few year the costs of the prepaid plan have skyrocketed. Now to enroll in the plan it will cost you $49,293 for four years tuition at a Florida public university. That comes to $298 per month until October before the child graduates from high school.

Florida Prepaid administrators blame it on a law that allows public universities to make hefty increases in tuition and other fees. The universities blame it on the economy.

To put it in perspective, I purchased this plan for my 11 year old when she was born and it only costs me $61.00 per month. So you can see why the current fees are so crazy.

What to do?

There are always alternatives. The safety of the prepaid plan versus the market risk of the 529 are features that must weighed by the parents. The time span for accomplishing the goal is a big benefit. But a few ideas below will get you started.

1. Take half of the $300 and invest it in a tax-free 529 College Savings Plan. The $150 put away ever month, should after 17, grow to $54,00 at an interest rate of 6%. But their is always stock market risk to consider.

2. A cheaper Prepaid Plan for enrolling in a 2 year community college plan would only cost you $48.00 per month. This would get your child halfway there on a college education. You could either borrow the rest or work during the the first to years of college and save the money for the last 2 years of tuition.

3. You could do a combination of both plans . Saving in a 509 college plan and paying for one of the cheaper prepaid programs.

The time will be here before you know it. Saving for college comes down to putting away a little money each month. It's the consistency of saving regularly and the accumulation over time that will result in the goal.

3 Qualities of A Successful Insurance Salesman

Image by Kansas Sebastian via FlickrThis week I went over to see my insurance agent. I usually stop in so we can go over a few of my policies. What's great about my insurance agent is that he makes you feel like you're his only customer. It's customer service like that, which makes people feel, they are being served and not just sold. My insurance agent is very successful not for just recommending the right products but because he cares about his customers.

What makes a successful sales agent?

1. Integrity.
Our insurance agents have to be trust worthy. They must say what they mean and mean what they say. They hold our personal information and we trust them with their knowledge of products. We count on their knowledge and recommendations. Sometimes our future rests on their guidance.

2. Caring
A successful insurance salesman will care for their clients. They know it is the only way they will get returning customers. If a client knows they can talk to their agent at anytime and get results, the insurance agent will have a customer for life.

3. Being a People Person.
The insurance business has always been a person to person business. The customer cannot buy insurance unless they talk to a person. This means you have to be knowledgeable, provide solutions, and just help people.

If you have a great insurance sales agent be sure to recommend them to your friends and family, they will appreciate the business.

If you would like to read some great stories from successful sales agents in the life insurance industry, why not visit the American Income Life official blog