6 Eye-Catching Apartment Add-Ons that Won't Cost You Your Deposit

So you’re moving back into an apartment. The only problem is that it's a little outdated and those white walls and basic carpets aren't as stylish as you had hoped. Don't worry, there are still plenty of ways you can make your apartment your own, and you won't have to worry about making your landlord mad or losing your security deposit.

There are several ways you can turn your plain and boring apartment into a decorative and modern abode without making any permanent changes. These ideas are simple, inexpensive and best of all: temporary.

Area and Throw Rugs

You might not think that rugs can make a big difference in an apartment, but the right patterns and colors can change the entire mood of a room or an entire apartment. Consider the shape and side of each room in the apartment and choose a rug shape, pattern and color that will highlight the accent furniture and wall decor in the room.

Tired of hardwood or laminate flooring? Cut large rugs to the precise measurements of a room and use heavy furniture to help hold it in place. A dramatic or colorful rug or carpet will draw attention to the center of the room and pull the entire look together.

Curtains and Window Treatments

Never underestimate the power of a great set of curtains. If you have large windows in your room or apartment, your curtain choices are that much more important. A person's eyes are naturally drawn to the windows in a room because of the light they bring in.

Choose curtains that are bold enough to be eye catching but subtle enough to not take your attention away from the rest of the decor and furniture. Consider bright or bold, solid colors that compliment your furniture, rugs and window moldings. Floor-to-ceiling models add depth to the room, and even offer the illusion that the celing is taller than it is. Blinds and shutters are another option that will help improve the look of an apartment.

Bedding, Throw Pillows, and Accents

Bedding and throw pillows can brighten and set the color scheme or theme for any room. Patterned pillows and bedding are a great way to bring several colors together in a room. Choose throw pillows in fun shapes that match your decor and don't be afraid to toss a couple of throw blankets on the back of your couch or chairs. Not only will they be convenient for yourself or guests who might get chilly while visiting, but they will also add a nice splash of color to whichever room they are in.

You can add a flash of color and your own personal style to any room through accents. Look for unique shower curtains at JCP to spice up your bathroom, and unique decorative trinkets to complete the look.

Finishings

Adding new finishings to kitchen cabinets, furniture or sinks is a great way to update permanent furniture and fixtures. In most cases, the landlord won't mind or even notice the changes and you can always keep the old ones and switch them back when and if you move out of the apartment. Finishings are inexpensive and easy to install, they are also available in thousands of different styles, colors and materials.

Accent Furniture

After moving into a new apartment, paying a deposit and other moving expenses, few people have the money to shop for all new furniture. A few pieces of accent furniture can be inexpensive, change the look and feel of a room and even make you appreciate your other furniture. Small tables, stands, lamps, stools and even chests add personality to a room and can be moved around and repositioned as needed.

Wall and Shelf Decor

Choosing what to hang on your walls and place on your shelves can be difficult. Too little decor and your apartment will look boring and drab. Too much and your risk creating a tacky or gawdy apartment. Choose your decor wisely and start with a wall hanging added to the center of focus point of the room. Choose a few other small wall hanging or shelf decorations that will compliment the focus point and pull the entire apartment together to create a harmony of patterns and colors.

Living in an apartment that is plain or boring can prevent you from ever feeling like you are truly at home. Just because you can't make permanent changes to the apartment doesn't mean you can't make it your own with some unique, fun and temporary updates and changes. Have fun and enjoy making your apartment into a home you will love and feel comfortable in.

Author Bio: Calvin Sellers is a freelance writer from Tampa, FL. Follow him on Twitter @CalvinTheScribe.

Six Tips on Investing your Money without Risking Losing it All

Investing in the stocks can be very rewarding, but it is also full of risks. You could easily make a huge profit or lose everything. There are a variety of different strategies you can employ when investing in the stock market. Some people like to take bigger risks with the possibility of larger gains. However, a lot of people just want to steadily grow their investment without the risk of losing it all. There are many strategies that a conservative investor can use to safely invest in the stock market without taking a lot of risk.

Know the Stock Market

The first thing you will need to do is learn about the stock market. There are many types of stocks including technology, businesses, large cap, and small cap. You should also know if the stock market is in a recession or a depression. A great way to learn more about the stock market is by taking a class or by reading the wall street journal or another investment journal. The more you know, the easier it will be to evaluate each stock and decide what the best decision will be on buying or selling.

Research the Stocks You Are Interested In

Read up on the stocks that you are looking to invest in. For example, if you are looking to invest in Apple stocks, find out how the company is doing. See if the stocks have increased or decreased recently and if the stocks prices are expected to rise or fall. You don't want to throw your money in blindly. It's best to get as much information about each stock you plan to invest in so that you can make the most educated decision.

Know Your Risk

You should determine how much risk you are willing to take in order to turn a profit. If you are not a big risk-taker, you will need to determine how to invest in stocks safely. Invest only a small portion of your cash in the stock market. You can lose your money, including any future interest as well as the principal. You can decrease your risk by consulting with a professional and gaining as much knowledge as you can about market trends and what is expected to happen with the stock market.

Diversification

An important step in reducing the amount of risk you take on is diversification. Invest in many types of stocks including the technology sector, electricity, or international stocks as well as mutual funds and bonds. You should have at least ten different stocks in your portfolio. Invest only a small amount of your total into each stock. That way, if one you choose flops, at least you only lost a small percentage of your total investment.

Create an Emergency Fund

Since investing money in the stock market can be very risky, you should save up a large amount of cash that will last you six months in case of an emergency. You will know that you will have enough money in case you lose your investments. Investing is for your savings and your extra cash. You don't want to put all your eggs in one basket, so make sure you have back up savings in the meantime.

Rebalance Your Portfolio

You should always keep an eye on your portfolio. Re-balance the amount that you have invested in each stock so that one stock does not contain a large portion of the money you have invested. Experts recommend re-balancing your portfolio every six or twelve months.

Creating a well-balanced portfolio will help reduce your risk when investing in the stock market. Taking these steps should guarantee that you will not lose a large portion of your money. If you ever decide that you are taking on too much risk, then reevaluate what you are willing to invest and make changes to your portfolio.

The Safest Cars for Senior Drivers

It's a simple fact of life: as we get older, our priorities change. It should come as little surprise then that when it comes to cars, senior drivers do not have the same priorities as younger motorists when it comes to what they drive.

For most senior drivers, an abundance of speed or a flashy exterior have little appeal. Senior drivers are more likely to be seeking practicality, usability and safety in a new car. These priorities differ from their younger counterparts not only because seniors tend to live different lifestyles, but also because most seniors over the age of 65 have one or more health issues that need to be accommodated for. In most cases, low-slung sports cars and raised four-wheel drive vehicles are simply out of the question for older drivers.

If you are a senior who is in the market for a new car, you should be mindful of your individual needs when making a decision. Doing so can help you better determine which cars are best for you. It’s also a good idea to check online reviews of new and used cars for sale. By doing their homework before buying, seniors can be better informed consumers and have a better shot of finding a new car that is just right.

Here’s a look at some of the best and safest cars for senior drivers. All have been designed with safety and practicality in mind – you'll note that all are offered either as four- or five-door models – and each fulfills a particular niche that separates it from the next.

The Family Hauler: Chrysler Town & Country

The Chrysler Town & Country has been the gold standard for minivans since it was first introduced in 1982. Combining the driving characteristics of a traditional family sedan with the space and usability of a sports utility vehicle, the Town & Country is ideal for senior drivers who are seeking a vehicle that offers a large passenger capacity. With easy ingress and egress, senior drivers will find getting into the vehicle poses no difficulties, and there is ample seating for grandchildren.

The Luxury Cruiser: Lexus LS460

For senior drivers who are seeking the ultimate in luxury refinement, there can be no other choice than the Lexus LS460. Quiet, comfortable, luxurious, well-appointed, safe, and technologically advanced, the LS460 is a world-class sedan that will impress even the most discerning individual. What truly separates the Lexus LS460 from the competition, however, is its many technological advancements, such as self-parking and pre-collision warning systems.

The Safe Choice: Volvo S60

The Volvo S60 offers sophisticated luxury in an understated package and has been designed with safety in mind. Perhaps not surprising given the company's reputation for producing safe automobiles, but the S60 from Volvo is one of the safest vehicles on the road. In both NHTSA (National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration) and Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) testing, it received five out of five stars for safety, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave it “good” ratings in all categories.

The All-Rounder: Toyota Camry

As the most popular sedan in America, the Toyota Camry is liked by many. And for good reason: it tends to do just about everything well. It provides ample performance, offers a number of amenities and features, is safe and well-designed, and is comfortable and easy to drive. Furthermore, it is available in a variety of different trim levels to suit drivers' individual needs. If you are seeking a reliable, trouble-free, and generally well-rounded sedan, you can't go wrong with the Toyota Camry.

The Gas Mileage King: Toyota Prius

The current king of the hybrid marketplace, the Toyota Prius shares much of the traits of its older sibling, the Camry, while offering superior gas mileage in a variety of body styles. The current Prius lineup includes not only the standard Toyota Prius sedan, but the Prius V and Prius C as well. The former is a minivan-sized vehicle while the latter is a small hatchback perfect for city driving. Whichever model you choose, you can expect superb gas mileage in a practical package.



By Samantha Rivers

Samantha Rivers is a freelance writer and editor who covers automotive, insurance and finance topics both online and in print. She is a contributing editor to UpwardOnward.com and is on Twitter @SassySammyBee.

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What Employers Look for when Employing New Staff

For an employer, new staff can bring a wealth of experience and skills to a company. Recruiting the right employee can be a great asset. From the moment a potential employee walks into an interview, the employer will assess their integrity, their likeability and their competence. Employers now have access to social networking sites. These sites can show your political views, your personal life and good and bad moments. Social networking can be used to your advantage, but just remember to keep them digitally dirt-free. 

Able to work in a team

All employers hope that their company will work as a team. Teamwork leads to greatness; not just one person. Praise for a team will lead to great success and recognition for all staff, as well as the company. Employees who can leave what they are doing to work as a team to meet a deadline are invaluable. 

Ability to organise and prioritise

A self-motivated employee will be able to prioritise what needs to be done, even if this means organising schedule shifts and solving problems. Managers can guide you but if you need constant guidance when performing daily tasks, you will become a burden to the company. Employees must possess inner drive and self-motivation to be able to tackle unexpected hurdles when they arise. 

Ability to make decisions

Businesses are fast paced and employees must be able to multitask and be able to manage different projects at the one time. Being able to handle a variety of different tasks, being able to make split second decisions and showing a passion for your assignments are all qualities that employers look for. These are all qualities that can lead to advancement. An employee must also have the ability to be able to adjust and not be too set in their ways. 

Knowledge relating to the job

It is important to have technical knowledge or experience relating to a particular job. Employers may want the applicant to walk straight into a position without undertaking much training. Solid references and a detailed resume can attest to an employee’s attributes. 

Dependable

Getting to work on time is only a small part of showing you are dependable. Working and dressing in a professional manner and having a positive attitude will enhance the company’s reputation and brand. A positive attitude will carry a good employee through difficult situations. This attitude will make fellow employees feel secure and will help create good morale amongst staff.

All employers want to hire people who are intelligent, trustworthy and dependable. These traits will make them good at their jobs. A great employee will have balance in the workplace, as well as outside the workplace. Balancing the two will make for an employee with a better attitude. Joining a company is like gaining another family. 

Companies like www.mabeyhire.com.au stand behind their employees and make sure employees are a good fit with their company. An employee who fits in well with the company will bring enthusiasm, confidence and initiative to that company, which will help that company succeed.

5 Mortgage Problems You Want To Avoid So You Don't Lose Money

They say we learn from our mistakes, so that means it's a good idea to make them in the first place. What they really mean is that it's good to make a spelling mistake so the teacher can correct you. They're not telling you to make a terrible mistake when you're half way through the biggest purchase of your life. You'll still learn from the mistake, but it could cripple you. Let's look at a few things you don't want to mess up when it comes to your mortgage.

Don't go crazy with credit

Before you apply for a mortgage you don't want to have too much credit in your name. That means any big purchases you're thinking of making should be put on hold until your future mortgage is wrapped up. Even if you have the best credit rating in the world it's going to scare companies away when you owe lots of money to different people. What would happen if your circumstances changed and your finances were hit? Everyone who has lent you money would have to compete with each other to get theirs back.

Don't hide from your lender

A lot of people hate hearing bad news so they don't open their mail when it comes in. If they can't afford to pay their mortgage it gets worse because they stop answering their phone. Lenders find it impossible to reach people, but I'm sure you realize this will never make the problem go away. It could actually make it worse since lenders have a few options at their disposal and they could maybe save your home, but unfortunately this is never going to happen when they can't even contact you.

Don't skip the inspection

It's easy to fall in love with a beautiful home as soon as you walk through the front door. Sometimes they just 'feel' right and you know you want to buy it. Unless you can see into the future you don't know what is going to go wrong. The only way you can find any unknown problems is by getting a home inspection and you need one carried out before your offer becomes official. Your perfect home might look beautiful to the naked eye, but you don't know what is going on behind the scenes.

Don't lie on your application

At the moment you might not have the greatest income in the world and you could even owe some money to credit card companies, but you still have to tell the truth when you're filling in your mortgage application. It's even harder when you know you're due a big pay rise within the next year because you'll have to settle for a much smaller loan at the present moment. If your lender finds out you've lied to them you could end up in a lot of trouble and it could also be a federal offense.

Don't pick the wrong mortgage

I know it's easy to change your mortgage these days and everyone swaps around like crazy, but don't pick the wrong mortgage in the first place and you'll save yourself so much hassle. You might still need to change it further down the line, but at least you'll save yourself a few years of wasted money. People only choose the wrong mortgage in the first place because they choose the wrong people to help them, but you can take care of that by making sure you speak to a skilled financial adviser.

You only get one shot

Once you mess up you'll lose money and there is no getting away from it. You can always take out another mortgage, but your money will never magically appear again. Take your time if you're buying a home for the very first time because you don't want to regret something even if it only affects you negatively for a few years.

Author Byline:
The author of this article, Ian Andrews, is a freelance blogger, currently writing for First World Mortgage, well-known mortgage lenders in Connecticut. Ian loves cooking and on weekends he provides lessons to the underprivileged youth.

Jack Comeau on How Community Involvement Helps a Financial Planner

Finance (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

Undoubtedly, the responsibility of a financial planner, which is to provide sound, accurate financial advise to his or her clients in the goal of protecting and creating wealth for that client, is not a simple or easy thing. It takes years of experience in working in the financial markets; it takes acute people skills; and perhaps above all, it takes a real love for delivering quality client service.

The mentioning of this second requirement – people skills – touches on a point that I would like to write about. I think there sometimes exists among financial planners the erroneous idea that, in order to gather and deliver accurate financial recommendations to clients, knowledge of the client’s financial portfolio and the trends of the markets is the only thing needs to be known.

However, I think this is a real misperception in the financial planning industry and one that can lead to real consequences. I would argue that in order for a financial planner to be truly effective in their role, that is, in order for the advisor to be truly effective in sustaining and building their client’s wealth, an advisor needs to build profiles of his or her clients that go beyond simply including the client’s financial background and data. Questions need to be answered like, where is this client in life? Is the client close to retirement? Are they just beginning to set aside money? Does the client have any major short-term or long-term goals in mind? These types of questions are what I call “key life facts” and I would put my name, Jack Comeau, beside the argument that a financial planner’s knowledge of them is equally as important as his or her knowledge of the client’s financial facts.

But, how can a financial planner go about learning some of these key life facts about their client? Well, naturally, the first and easiest opportunity to do so comes when a financial planner first meets a new client and engages with him or her in an in-depth introductory conversation. Topics obvious to this conversation include how you, the financial planner, can best serve the client’s financial goals; a description of what the client’s financial goals are; and an introductory explanation of how you will go about achieving the client’s goals.

Needless to say, having this kind of introductory engagement with the client is paramount to creating a healthy, productive relationship between client and financial planner, and no relationship should go without it. However, what this sort of formal or informal meet-and-greet also provides is the perfect opportunity for the financial planner to ask the client about key life facts that, although fall outside of the direct sphere of the client’s finances, play a definite part in helping the financial planner get a more useful and more well-rounded idea of the client’s financial picture.

I would also argue that there is another way for a financial planner to gain a more well-rounded perspective of the client and his financial picture, and that’s through active community involvement. The benefits for a financial planner of community involvement I think are often overlooked, but I know from personal experience just how important it can be. I’ve been living in the Saskatoon area now for many years now and community involvement has always been a priority of mine. I’m a member of the Saskatoon Estate Planning Council, the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and my area’s CLU Chapter, among other community organizations. Now, yes, taking an active role in my community means that I have the opportunity of meeting more potential clients and, thus, expanding the business of Comeau Financial and advertising my name, Jack Comeau, to more people.

However, business interests set aside, I have come to find that networking and regularly connecting with members of my community does something far more vital for my role as a financial planner – since many of my clients are also members of my community, associating with them outside of my office yields a much better and much more intimate understanding of such things as their values, where they are in the path of life and what kind of short-term and long-term goals they may have. This in turn provides me a much stronger base of understanding for my responsibility of delivering financially sound advice to them.

In the end, we as financial planners must realize that making financial recommendations for a client is not something that happens in a vacuum. Our recommendations to our clients both affect and are affected by a client’s values and the milestones in their lives, two “key life facts” that we must continually strive to gain a better understanding of.