Competitive Running Solutions for Tight Budgets

Running a marathon can be found on most bucket lists out there and since you and me both want to some day run an entire marathon, starting to plan ahead on equipment and training as well as marathon entry fees is something not only reasonable but mandatory. It is true that most of us believe running to be one of the most easily accessible sports because it mandates not fixed prices, no out of the ordinary equipment, no gym entry fees or other such costs, and in this you are right. You can be in your twenties, as well as be passed your 50s, it doesn’t matter: running is great and healthy for anyone. 

The issue with running is that when you decide to do it at a competitive level, meaning you are hell-bent on running an entire marathon, quality must trump quantity in anything you chose as equipment. And when marathon entry fees are as high as they are ( $255 for the New York City Marathon last year and $325 for the Caballo Blanco Ultramarathon) justifying such expenses when there are bills and other expenses to be taken care of surely becomes problematic. There are overwhelming lists of running equipment from shoes to GPS devices, special clothing, energy bars, energy gels, electrolyte tablets, iPods, wireless headsets- everything is available not only to make your run more enjoyable but also to reach even deeper into your purse. 

1. Shoes and clothing

Footwear is indeed the number one thing on your list: they come in different colors, shapes, sizes, thicknesses depending on whether you intend on running on grass or asphalt. And as with everything else, with novelty comes price. This year’s models will always be much more expensive than say last year’s ones: so try and buy in the off-seasons because more often than not you will find ridiculous discounts in the clearance sections.
There are also tons of fitness blogs out there such as http://www.runstopshop.com.au/orca-womens-compression-full-tight where you can find amazing equipment prices, tips and other type of information. The key is to be meticulous, search, search and search again because when you know your shoe model and size you can end up covering race entry fees with the money you save on equipment. Be sure to take care of your gear: many runners recommend that you not use the dryer for running clothing, they wear out significantly faster. Just gang-dry them instead, and you will see that they stay in better shape and wear out slower. 

2. Training and instruction

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For the running novice a few lessons might be needed to get him in the right direction but this can be challenging on a budget. So when a coach is not within your spending limits try to find like-minded people who have some experience and can give you some much needed tips. There are literally hundreds of blogs out there where you can read a lot of useful tips from seasoned professionals and trainers. 

3. Race entry fees

When getting started you might want to consider entering small races which always are more affordable (because organizers want to encourage more people to sign up). Asking for discounts is always a good idea since most of them offer student discounts or discounts for those who are already in retirement.

There are also pre-sign-ups where the fees are usually much lower than right before the race. You also avoid paying extra fees, so get informed and find the “early bird” discounts. And when planning for an expensive race you simply cannot find other discounts for you might find yourself having to pass on some smaller races in order to save up for the more expensive one. Planning is the key. 

4. Non-essentials

GPS devices, protein bars, energy drinks or gels, electrolyte tablets: some racers use them frequently so buying them will prove to be money badly spent. If you are into these items, try to buy them online, in bulk, consider pairing up with a buddy or two and save on shipping expenses.

As you see, with minor modifications here and there, you can surely have the experience of running a marathon and still be able to respect your budget. This does not mean that you cut back on quality, rather you pick the same quality, with no compromise but with a critical eye and some attention. Best of luck to you, be sure to share your times!

Life Insurance – A Must in Today’s Uncertain World

Is it a Necessity? 

Life certainly is uncertain and it might just be the opposite of what it is today. So you need to be careful and make sure that you add a security to your life and of those who are close to you, your dear ones. The best part about opting for a life insurance is that it will help you to retain a peace of mind and allow you to live your life to the fullest. So it might be said that yes, Life insurance is certainly a necessity, considering the uncertainties of life.

How many times in life have we seen that when the bread earning member of a family or a key person of a business dies, their family or the business gets affected to a great extent. 

Probable Solutions

This can however be avoided if we opt for a life insurance policy. With the help of a life insurance plan you can add security to your child’s education or the outstanding loan that you are repaying. It can also offer enough for one’s day care costs. Hence these are some of the advantageous aspects that one can reap with the help of a life insurance plan.

Let us now go through the things that must be kept in mind in order to choose an appropriate life insurance plan. The most useful thing that can help you to do so is a life insurance quote. In order to understand the merit of an insurance plan you need to make a close study on its various aspects. For example the premium that is to be paid the term of the insurance and the other terms and conditions. All these are clearly stated in a quote. Companies offer individuals the opportunity to get free life insurance quotes. While opting for quotes, one needs to be certain that the information that provide is true or at least they are not misleading. Companies might ask for your smoking habits or the family health history and other such related things. These information are vital in offering the best life insurance plans.

These are a few important things that should be borne in mind while opting for a life insurance quote. On a concluding note it must be said that owing to innumerable insurance companies it is always a good idea to ,make a thorough research to find a plan that is cut to our needs.

Are Mortgage Rates Higher for Investment Property?

If you ever applied for a new mortgage or refinance, one of the questions in the application is if the mortgage is for your primary residence, a vacation home or an investment. Why do they ask this question? It's because the way you use your property determines what your mortgage rate will be.

Homeowners will be happy to learn that primary residences are given the lowest mortgage rates. It has to be the home you live in or plan to live in. If you're buying a second home or a vacation property you're going to be paying a higher rate. On vacation property there are also stricter underwriting guidelines. So be ready for that. 

If you're applying for a mortgage for an investment property you will be paying an even higher mortgage rate. An investment property is defined as a property you intend to rent or one you intend to resell at a profit. Mortgages on investment property are considered risky, as result you will paying higher fees and making a much larger down payment.

A Mortgage on an Investment Property is more Expensive

It does cost you more to finance a rental property, but how much more? If you're a borrower with a FICO score of 680 you will paying an extra 3 points in fees for the mortgage in closing costs or have a higher rate that's between .375% - .5% higher. The reason rates are higher is the lender is taking on more risk and the buyer has to pay the lender for that extra risk. Extra Risk? Investment property with a mortgage is riskier for the lender because if loss of rental income or home values drop the rental property owner has no reason financially to continue paying the note.

Remember over the last few years the home default problems we have been experiencing has come from people buying second homes or investment property. People will stop paying their investment property note before the note on their primary residence.

What are the rules to Qualify for a Second Home Mortgage?

Lenders have to follow a set of rules for you to qualify for a Second Home mortgage. Also don't try to qualify your investment property as a second home, lenders have a set of rules that you must follow so that doesn't happen.

Rules to Finance Property as a Second Home

• The residence has to be far away enough from your primary residence. If it's in the same town it doesn't qualify. 
• You must reside in the property at least some part of the year. 
• It can't be a multi-unit bldg. It must be single-family residence. 
• It has to be a property that can be resided in year round. 
• It can't be a timeshare or have a management company have control over it. 

If you are buying or refinancing a mortgage for your second home there are no additional fees. But there are limits set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for the amount of the mortgage.

No matter what type of property you need to finance, today is the best time to lock in your rates. It's not going to get any lower than it is now.

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How to Successfully Overcome Financial Issues

As society has evolved to accommodate more and more comfort, security and pleasure seeking, our fears have also evolved accordingly, and at the top of them is our fear of financial insecurity. The fact is that every endeavor we undergo is to some extent connected with our desire to reach a level of financial security where day to day life no longer comes with the burden of needing to find other ways of making ends meet. 

It is also understandable that in today’s financial climate, the anxiety about not having enough to cover basic needs is top concern for the majority of the world’s citizens, no matter which country or continent. And when the biggest fear we’ve faced our entire lives greets us at the door as we are served with an eviction notice, lose our jobs or find ourselves buried under a mountain of debt, it seems we can’t fight the feeling of being overwhelmed. 

Step 1: Access your Income and Beware of Debts

The truth is that it really lies in your control that you get out of debt. While general recommendations like creating plans for reducing the debt or increasing your income are certainly welcome, the idea is to systematically go through a set of steps that will bring you closer and closer to your desired goal.

The most important thing is to realistically assess your steady income and then determine which of that is being spent and on what. This means listing not only fixed expenses like gas, telephone or electricity bills, but also those that vary (such as recreation, clothing, gifts, entertainment). After having made your list, prioritizing and tracking what you have spent will come much easier. 

Step 2: Seek Advice from Professionals

The next step is to consider seeking financial advice from a reputable credit or financial counselor. There are many programs that offer lists of certified advisers. He will need to receive all the information you have gathered thus far, from your expense lists, to bills, debt lists, financial assets and anything you consider relevant to your situation. Then set a goal that you and your credit adviser wish to reach. Usually this is establishing a reasonable budget that can allow you to get your finances under control and reduce your debt all at the same time. If such an adviser is not within your reach, check out debtconsolidation.com.au where you can find countless information and tips on how to create such a plan yourself. 

Step 3: Make a Payment Plan

Contacting your creditors to set up a reasonable payment plan which is manageable is the next step you need to take. The home mortgage is the priority in this case. Many Americans for instance are unable to play their mortgage- but contacting the lender right at once will help you avoid foreclosure.

You will be surprised to see that many of them are open to cooperation when they see the situation is temporary and that you are actively involved in resolving the situation as fast as possible. There is the possibility of reducing the monthly sum by extending repayment periods, suspending payments for a determined period or not needing to pay additional amounts when resuming payments. With car loans, since a creditor is allowed to repossess the car at any time after the payments have stopped, the reasonable measure is to sell the car, pay back the debt and avoid added costs of repossession and negative credit reports. 

Step 4: Successfully Manage Your Debts

Debt consolidation through a second mortgage or other types of equity lines of credit may help you sink the cost of your credit but at the price of your house as collateral. There are positive and negative aspects related to these types of credits, you can obtain great tax advantages that are usually unavailable with other kinds of credits but you can end up paying “points” (a point is 1% of the total amount you borrowed).

Conclusion

As an absolute last resort, filing for personal bankruptcy may be an option if everything else has failed but the consequences will haunt you and are severe. The idea behind it is that it is decided in court that you are no longer mandated to repay certain debts but this information remains in a credit report for 10 years and this might make buying a home, getting another credit, and even getting a job difficult.

It is important that you maintain a positive attitude in this situation that would indeed turn any man’s nights into restless and full of doubt. In most cases the doubt situation is resolved and with a revised payment plan you are well on your way to getting back on your feet.

Tips on Learning Forex for Free with a Practice Account

If you’re a frequent traveler to foreign countries, then you must have the basic concept of foreign exchange or forex. The conversion of one currency (your currency) to the currency of that country you’re visiting needs a particular exchange rate. Every currency floats against others throughout the globe. Forex traders speculate the movement of one currency’s relation to another. According to a leading forex website, a very few percentage of traders can make money by trading in the foreign exchange market. So if you want to belong to that category, you must take advantage of online resources like practice accounts, online trading classes, self-instruction course books, e-books etc. for free. 

Here is how to start off with forex trading for free.

• Create a practice account – At the outset, you need to create a forex practice account, also referred to as a virtual account, for free. There are a number of online companies with which you can open your free simulator account. As a new trader, you must be accustomed with how to make trades and to the mistakes prior to investing real cash to transactions. Since forex training comes up with high leverage, you must check your account balance and account information regularly. Companies like Forex Loft offer real-time news and quotes on forex market. They also offer free practice account by creating which you can download online tools, graphs and charts. Such accounts can be accessed for free for as long as 30 consecutive days. However, sometimes extension is also possible on request. 
• Practice with a paper account – You can do it until your transactions make profit. You need to use spreadsheets to review the transactions. Since many currencies can be traded with a few cents or even less in a single trading session, you must learn how the traders utilize borrowed amount to increase their return on investment. For instance, a trader controls 100,000 USD/GBP and believes that the dollar price will rise against the pounds. If his trade moves just a few cents in his favor, then he may earn thousands of dollars. Since he can borrow up to 50 times of the amount he has in his account, the return on investment will be huge. 50 times’ equity is often offered to most forex traders. This leverage magnifies profit and/or loss of a trade and so may not be suitable for all forex traders. 
• Go through online classes – You may go through online classes as well as training courses for free. You may also get course books at free of cost through your regular library’s Internet system. Any reputed library allows their members to access their Internet system. For free online training session, you’re required to have prior registration. You can use free online course books to implement foreign exchange trades in a virtual forex practice account. 

Discussed above are some useful tips with which you can get a hold over forex trading for free.

What to Look for in a Conference Venue

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If you have a conference or business meeting coming up soon choosing the right venue for the event is critical for a successful event. It's important to prepare ahead of time by first finding and booking your venue because there are many events being held and bookings fill up fast.

When preparing for your event you will find that there are many different types of facilities available. The different venues available offer a variety of services and physical restraints. Today you have a choice of a variety of venues, you need to chose one that offers the services that fits your needs. Choose a conference venue in London for your next business meeting.

Types of Venues

• Convention Centers - These are large spaces that offer a variety of services. These are the largest of all spaces you have available and can be used for meetings that require a lot of floor space for attendees and displays
• Conference Centers - These are smaller than convention centers. These cater more to large business meetings that need to fit in a lot of people in a setting of a business or sales meeting.
• Hotels - Hotels offer both the convenience of on site accommodations and the flexibility of multiple options for meeting hall space.

Determining the number of attendees to your event needs to be established first. Not knowing this will cause problems and waste money. Having a venue to little or to big will cause your event to be a failure. No one wants to be crammed into a space and having your guests in a cavernous space will also be problematic.

After you have determined the number guest potentially attending there are other details that must access for a proper venue.

 (Photo credit: EddieDeen)

Catering - A successful event consists of making your guest comfortable. Besides a great space you must also consider catering. Your attendees will be looking forward to having something good to eat. If you disappoint them, you have will have a lasting negative effect and leave a bad memory of your event.

Check to see what types of foods are offered. Is the food of high standard. How is the food presented and will they provide meals for guests with dietary restrictions. Check out a live event at your venue beforehand and actually see what is offered, it will help you decide if it's right for you.

If the catering is not what you want but you still like the facilities ask if you can bring in outside catering. Some great venues have excellent facilities but terrible catering, an outside caterer would solve that problem.

Venue Condition - If you want to make a good impression on your guests you need to book a venue that will be memorable. An event influences how the public and business associates view your company. Are the facilities clean and in good condition? Is the area quiet and free from distractions? Are the restrooms sufficient? Creature comforts are critical for making your guest comfortable.

Venue Reputation - A great event venue is not just about square feet and location it also is about the staff that runs it. Are the managers and staff willing to go the extra mile for their guests. Will they be helpful and flexible with special requests? Will you be treated well?

Will you really be allowed to make the venue your own? Will you be allowed to hang banners and add signage? Does the venue have business facilities and a concierge standing by to handle immediate needs? Will you be able to adjust seating, table, and room layout to suit your needs?

Modern Audio-Video Needs - Today's business meetings require modern up to date electronic equipment for presentations. Your venue needs to have equipment like TV monitors, projectors, lighting, and a good PA system. A good wired and wireless Internet that is reliable is critical for your presentation and the needs of your guests.

By making pre-event site visits, researching facilities equipment and services you will be able to choose the venue that will give you an outstanding experience for your guests and make the organizers look great.