How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Queensland

Queensland is known as the sunshine state. It has everything to boast about from pristine beaches to dense rainforests and the authentic Australian outback is one of the most preferred holiday destinations. The Great Barrier Reef, one of the world’s most beautiful natural formations occupies 2,300 km of the Queensland coast line.

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland and the state can be broadly divided into Bayside, Brisbane (central, inner north, inner south, outer north, outer south, west) central Queensland, far north Queensland, Outback Queensland, North Queensland, Southeast Queensland, Sunshine coast, Gold coast and Townsville region.

Real estate is a booming industry in Queensland. To become a Real Estate Agent in Queensland, AU you need to hold a real estate license. To be eligible for the license you need to be more than 18 years old, you need to have a place of business in Queensland, you must be a suitable person (as per defined guidelines) and have the requisite training.

Training is very important to become a Real Estate Agent in Queensland, AU. There are as many as 19 units that need to be successfully completed. If you are a part of the real estate industry already and have worked as a sales person, letting agent or the like, you would have most certainly completed six to eight chapters already. You can then get a Recognition of Prior Learning and then you will not have to repeat the chapters you already know. Formal education in real estate is also evidence to get Recognition of Prior Learning. You can contact your work place and let the learning centre know the chapters you have already done and study only the remaining.

Training courses are offered through correspondence and at centres. With correspondence mode, you have flexibility of timings and can do it from home. You can do the learning after school or work and there does not need to be too much adjustment in your daily schedule. The other advantage is that you can study at your own pace and take your own time to complete the course. There are no timetables to follow as well. But classroom training has some major advantages. With classroom training, you get ready access to the instructors and your problems/queries can get solved easily/quickly.

Many organisations provide workshops at various intervals during the year to help candidates prepare for getting the license to become a Real Estate Agent in Queensland, AU. There are many types of real estate licenses you can get, specific to the job you want to do. If you are only interested in auctioning property then an auctioning license will be enough, but a complete real estate license gives you the spectrum required to get into any sub field.

With a full real estate license one can become a Real Estate Agent in Queensland, AU and own and manage a real estate agency. One can sell real estate without getting into the hassle of passing it through an established agency.

Once you become a Real Estate Agent in Queensland, AU you:

1)Can buy and sell properties, put up business, residences and land on rent or have any kind of interests in them.
2)Can collect rent on behalf of the owners of the property.
3)Can do transactions or negotiate in the sale of property
4)Can negotiate and exchange buy, sell or rent residences and businesses, land or livestock
5)Have interests in livestock. You can buy, sell or exchange livestock
6)Can inspect or appraise property that is up for sale or rent
7)Can advertise, place signs on property that is up for sale or rent.
8)Can show property to buyers or anyone who wants to rent them

To become a Real Estate Agent in Queensland, AU you will have to fill up a form that you would get on the official website and pay for the personal background check as well. The license is usually processed within four to six weeks. This can be longer if any documents are missing and the authorities have to get in touch with you about this. Hence it is important to ensure that all your documents are attested where ever necessary, all the charges are paid for and the form is filled without any error.

Getting a full real estate license in Queensland will let you have a career in real estate like you had always wanted.

Fitness Tips for Better Results

The better your plan the better your results. If you take a rush at the problem you can do more harm than good. Our aim is to get fit and stay fit. The number one reason that people fail is that they go full speed into changing their diet and getting to the gym and quickly burn out. If you rush into a get fit and healthy regime and the results are not instant you can become dispirited and slip back into your old ways.

You are going to have to clean up your diet and, although this is essential, don’t go crazy. There is time enough later to count calories and regulate the balance between carbohydrates and proteins. For now eat healthy non-processed foods.

Next you have to confirm your goals. This will determine the actions that you must make and the decisions that you take. Many of us start with just wanting to feel good by looking good. By looking good we usually mean getting a beach body. You know, gaining some muscular definition, or looking “ripped” as they say.

Stay regular but start small. You will need to do weight training three to four times per week and cardio three times per week. Keep the weights light but the repetitions fairly high and alternate between upper and lower body on different days. Limit the cardio to twenty minutes for the first few weeks. Do the cardio after, but on the same day as the weight training.

Continue your dietary improvements and as your body becomes used to the changes you will notice a remarkable change in your feeling of fitness and well-being. As for the training, resist the temptation to increase the amount of weights too soon. Once you can visibly notice the improvement is the time to increase the repetitions and the amount of weight alternatively.

Although you started with the goal of looking ripped, it is perfectly normal to start considering the other two goals that usually occur. They are gaining strength and gaining size. It is not necessary to wait for months on your first goal before changing your routine.

Introducing some strength training will mean heavier weights at fewer repetitions. This will necessitate an increase in the food intake to fuel the increase in effort and to feed the growth of muscle. This is also the case for building bulk. Many students find that they get the most benefit by alternating every few months.

In all cases a steady increase in work rate produces the maximum reward.

Affiliate Marketing Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Making money on the internet is a popular way to get an extra income. Working online offers flexibility: people can do it whenever and wherever they like. Besides, there are many types of online businesses available today, and one of them is called ‘affiliate marketing’. This program allows you to be an affiliate marketer of some certain merchants and link their products on your site. When a product is sold, you earn a commission.

You are probably interested in this marketing program. But before taking a part in this business, it is essential for you to know the tips and tricks. Here are some affiliate marketing tips that would be useful for beginner affiliate marketers:

- First of all, you should build a website and you should select a topic that you love for your site. Try not to start with a topic that you don’t like since it will only make the site a boring place. People will know how well you know about your topic by looking at the contents of your website. That way, people will be interested in your website as well and you will draw more visitors. This may not get you the highest commission but it is a great way to attract traffic.

- A good website should feature a good design as well. It would be helpful if you know how to use a graphic design software. Adding graphics to your site will make it look attractive. If you are not sure how to use a graphics software, you can always rely on the tools available on the website builder site.

- When running an affiliate marketing business, people often ask about the best network to choose. Well, actually there is no exact answer to this question. It because each network has their own strong points and you should choose one of them based on the tools they offer. You can also choose merchants from the major networks and see which one that works for you.

- “Parasites” can have a negative impact to your business. When you are involved in affiliate marketing, you will find the term “ScumWare” or “ParasiteWare”. These are applications that can redirect your visitors to other websites. These applications often masquerade as file sharing applications or browser help objects. It is essential to learn more about these applications so that you won’t lose your visitors.

- Learn and learn more about the business. When you are involved in affiliate marketing, it is essential that you educate yourself. There are various things that you need to learn such as creating custom links or advanced HTML coding. You can easily find affiliate marketing tips and guides posted by other marketers on various forums.

Video Marketing For Lawyers – 9 Things You Must Ask Your Video Producer

Here are the 9 most important things you need to ask any video production company:

1. How long will my video shoot be?
2. How many actual video clips will I get for that length of video shoot?
3. How long will each video clip be?
4. Will you upload my video clip(s) to my website and blog?
5. Do you upload my videos to the video sharing sites?
6. Do you blog about my videos?
7. Do you put my videos on your own website and blog about the newest video you created?
8. Do you use your social networks to tell the world about my new video?
9. How much will you charge me to create another series of video clips?

If the video company you’re choosing doesn’t do all of those things with an all-in-one, turn-key system, ask them “Why Not?”

AM I TOO EXPENSIVE?

You’ve decided to produce videos to market your law practice. You’re now looking for a video production company. Here are 3 reasons why you won’t hire me:

1. I’m too expensive
2. I’m an attorney with years of experience creating and producing educational videos
3. You don’t want the commitment of creating video over 6 or 12 months

There. I’ve said it. These are the main reasons why you will not hire me. Now, I’m going to address each one and by the end of this article, you decide who you need to hire.

Most video production companies charge anywhere from $500-$35,000 to create attorney video. At the low end of the spectrum, you can get the cookie-cutter video where they use a fixed template that you cannot change and get only one video clip for your money. At the other end of the spectrum, you get a custom video channel with 3 or 4 video clips.

In the Lawyers’ Video Studio I shoot one hour of video. From that one hour I am able to get about 4-5 usable video clips lasting 2-3 minutes each! I do not recommend having video clips less than one minute; that’s a waste of your time and money. That will not give you enough time to explain to your viewers the information that they need to know.

Most video studios only offer an a-la-carte menu, where you pick and choose your options. That’s not the way we work in the Lawyers’ Video Studio. Contrary to most video production studios, we create a turn-key system where all you have to do is show up and start talking. You do not need to know anything about how the video is created, edited, compressed, uploaded or distributed. It’s totally done for you.

WHO IS YOUR VIDEO PRODUCER?

Ask any of the video companies you are considering whether their video producers are practicing trial lawyers. Why is that important? It’s only important if you want someone to create video that online viewers want to watch. If you just want to create a video to ‘get your name out there’ and give the world a verbal resume of who you are, then you don’t need a producer who is also an attorney. That would be a waste of your time and money. There are plenty of good video producers out there who can create that type of video for you.

A video producer must have experience creating LAWYER video. Not wedding video. Not commercials. Not verbal resumes that do not help a viewer understand how you can solve THEIR legal problem. They may have won awards for work they did in TV or film, but you must ask any video producer these 3 IMPORTANT questions:

1. Do you know what a [fill in your specialty] lawyer (immigration, workers comp, DUI, personal injury, business transactions, etc.) does?
2. Do you know who my ideal client is?
3. Do you know what an online viewer looks for when searching for a lawyer in my specialty?

A producer who is a practicing attorney will know the answers to these questions. Other producers will likely not know the answers.

YOU DON’T WANT TO CREATE 24 to 60 VIDEO CLIPS THAT WILL GET VIEWERS TO CALL YOU

Ok, I understand. You’d rather stick with your very expensive (and useless) yellow pages ad that does not distinguish you from any other lawyer. Maybe you want to try some display ads in the newspaper again. Maybe you’ll try TV commercials or direct mail. Maybe even dabble in radio spots. That’s fine. One year from now I’d like you to come back to this article and objectively look at your stats to see how many calls you received from your other advertising; how many turned into actual clients; how much revenue you generated from that advertising and what your actual return on investment is.

One year from now, you will have lost the opportunity to create 6 months worth of videos. You might even have lost the opportunity to create 12 months of videos. Just think about how many viewers come to YouTube alone: Over 100 million people EACH MONTH! The goal of creating video is to greatly improve the likelihood that an online viewer will call you instead of your competitor. Anything you do to increase those chances will place you ahead and distinguish you from all of your colleagues.

By creating new video every month for six months, you create 4-5 video clips PER MONTH. That gives you 24 to 30 actual videos that will be online. For attorneys who realize how incredible that value is and the tremendous savings you receive, they will eagerly take advantage of the 12 month video incentive program and create 48 to 60 videos by the end of one year. That’s a huge number of videos.

Creating video is the best thing to have happened to me in my law practice. I receive calls from people across the country every day thanking me for educating them and asking me for legal help. Obviously not all callers have valid cases, but just think…if they hadn’t seen my videos, they would have never called.

So, are you willing to create useful video that will get viewers to raise their hands for more information and seek your counsel, or do you want to wait and let every other attorney get the opportunities you’re passing up? The choice, as always, is up to you. My goal is to make you an informed attorney and let you make an educated decision about which path you want to travel.

How To Find A Trustworthy Car Repair Shop

According to statistics, about 50% of the people who live in Canada own vehicles. It’s safe to say that at some point, all car owners will need to take their car to a shop for repairs or maintenance.

However, finding an affordable shop with trustworthy mechanics who fix cars promptly is not an easy task. How do you find a good repair shop for you vehicle? Here are some tips that may be helpful.

  • Talk to your friends and neighbors. Not only will they give you honest advice, but they can also give you hints as far as shops that should be avoided. This is especially helpful if you talk to family and friends who have lived in the area for a reasonable length of time.
  • Look for a shop as soon as possible. Most people don’t think too much about choosing a repair shop until they are having car problems. Then, they will take their car to whatever mechanic is available simply to get the problem fixed. This is probably not a good idea. In fact, the best time to look for a car repair shop is when your car is actually before you need one.
  • Consider distance. You may want to choose a shop that is close to your home simply for convenience. In some cases, it may be possible to walk to the shop instead of asking friends and family for rides to pick up or drop off your vehicle.
  • What are the shop hours? If a shop opens after you need to be at work or closes before you arrive home from work, it may be very difficult to pick up your car or drop it off. If you choose to do business with such a shop, you will need to take time off of work every time you have car problems.
  • Find out what types of payment arrangements the shop has. Some places will only take cash while others take cash and certain types of credit cards. Other shops may offer patrons a 90 day same as cash arrangement if repairs cost over a certain amount.
  • Check online to read customer reviews. Keep in mind that not all business will feature customer reviews, especially small “mom and pop” shops. However, you may find that many shops do actually have reviews. Avoid shops with a large amount of negative reviews, although keep in mind that every shop is bound to have a few unhappy customers.
  • Consider how long the shop has been in business. Repair shops that do a good job tend to stay in business for a long time. However, this does not always hold true. You may find a shop that has recently opened with excellent service too if you take the time to look around.
  • Chains or small businesses? There are good and bad points about choosing either a shop that is part of a chain or choosing a shop that is run by an independent owner. Before making your choice, it is best to evaluate your needs and see which type of shop would be best for you.

As you can see, finding a good car repair shop isn’t very difficult; it just takes some time and effort!

Senior Employment Can Be A Golden Prize!

Do you want senior employment? Are you 50 years of age or older and hoping and praying to land a job?Whatever your motivation to find work is, welcome to a labor market seemingly tilted against senior employment seekers. But take heart! Golden opportunities now abound for senior job seekers and the ball is in their court. There’s great news for you and dire warnings for all the critics.Newspapers trumpet headlines about seniors unable to get even minimum pay jobs. Employment fairs advertise work for anyone breathing, but they’re generally low paying $10-$12 openings. The young people staffing the application desks at these fairs seem to be mentally jotting down your age when you ask for a sign up sheet.Why is this good news? Because contrary to appearances, The United States is on the brink of an incredible labor shortage. Well respected economists predict a huge labor shortage that is making itself felt even at this moment in time. How big a labor shortfall is looming on the horizon? Some estimates run as high as 10 million unfilled positions by the year 2010.Millions of senior employees are rapidly nearing retirement. At the same time fewer and fewer younger people are coming of age to fill the vacuum. Many astute business executives of today are growing keenly aware of the worker shortfall on the horizon.Even Congress is now taking notice of the coming labor shortage. Legislation is being discussed now to provide tax credits to companies opening up flexible senior employment work schedules.All for senior employees 62 years of age or older. The icing on the cake is that health and pension benefits will be included. Be optimistic if you’re an individual seeking senior employment! With a little homework, preparation and a small dash of creativity, you can get excellent work for yourself right now.Don’t be surprised at all the opportunities out there. You’ll discover that there are a lot of options for you to choose from, more than you ever dreamed of. You won’t have to settle for just any old job that’s offered. Take out a piece of paper right now and begin jotting down a list of jobs you’d like to have. And please underline the word like. Along with it, write out your work experience and what you want to do. If you’re a senior employment seeker, then you’ve earned a lot of experience in many different areas over the years.Don’t forget to put in your hobbies too! You’d be surprised at what things like fishing and bowling can add to your job description. And this is a campaign just as important as any battle waged by the general of an army.Do you like reading about sports and politics? Add those to the mix too! Now, when you’ve finished the list decide what type of jobs you’d like to have. No matter how far afield from what you’ve worked at in the past. Meditate about it until you come up with several possibilities. And remember, the sky’s the limit.When you’ve decided on a few jobs you’d be happy doing, research the businesses that offer senior employment. Then call them and get the names of the managers that do the hiring.Finally, make out a brief resume of your work history. Now is where creativity comes into the picture. Compose a short, single page cover letter. Make it brief, and don’t just rehash the things you listed in your resume.On the cover letter, itemize what you’ve done to warrant hiring you for the position you want.Be truthful, but tell them what you can do to fulfill the job’s bottom line. You’ll be surprised, because the cover letter is often the deciding factor in hiring.When you’ve finished, make a personal visit to the business and ask to see the hiring manager. It’s a good idea to call first and make an appointment if possible. But don’t hesitate to make an unannounced visit if needed though. Whatever the outcome of the meeting, leave a copy of your resume and cover letter.Within the next three days, if you haven’t heard back from the hiring manager, call on the phone and ask for him/her. The follow up phone call will demonstrate your desire for the job. Most personnel specialists agree that this course of action is one of the most effective methods to acquire senior employment. Even if the company isn’t advertising an opening, it can often lead to a job in an anticipated opening in the future.So, don’t figure the only job you can get is flipping burgers or packing groceries. You have talents and experience that companies are hungry for now, and you’re valuable. As a person seeking senior employment, you also come equipped with an old fashioned work ethic not in over abundance in today’s workplace.Pick out the type of work you want to do…and go for it!Be assured, the national and local labor markets now realize that being a senior employment applicant carries with it added experience, talent and knowledge.

How To Set Your Health And Fitness Goals With Goal Setting Techniques

Once you have identified the sort of things you wish to get out of life, you will then need to create a plan of action that helps you achieve your goals and personal desires. Once you have written down a tentative plan on how to go about accomplishing your goals, you will need focus in order to stay on the path towards your shining glory and rewards. After setting goals, you need to manage these pursuits, as well as maintain motivation through an effective plan of action.Throughout society, the pressure to stay thin, maintain an attractive appearance and exhibit a perfect picture of health, as well as continue fitness goals are common personal goals. In this day and age, sticking to health and fitness goals are pretty hard with all of the enticing restaurants lining the streets of even the smallest of cities. Exercising often takes a backseat to the other goals you have set for yourself, such as getting that raise at work or finally sealing the deal on your first home.Eating on the run as you race to pick up the kids from soccer practice or shop for weekly groceries becomes a common habit for those who feel they cannot take the time to prepare a well-balanced meal. Finding the time to stick to health and fitness goals is becoming an increasingly hard task to accomplish in many households, which not only affects adults, but also trickles down to their children. What kind of example are you setting for the little ones looking up to you?Whether you are forced to focus on health and fitness goals because your doctor has suggested it or you are unhappy with your appearance, finding the time to devote to this life-changing goal will prove highly beneficial in the long run. One of the first things you should decide upon when entering this personal challenge is why you wish to pursue any health and fitness goals you may have set for yourself.Knowing why you want to tackle these goals will better help you achieve these desires. For some, improving their appearance is ranked number one, while others wish to lose weight for a specific reason. Athletes set health and fitness goals to increase their flexibility, physical skills and strength, as well as endurance. When achieving these goals, more than just a better body and physique is obtained, confidence is built and a renewed sense of mental and emotional health is felt.How to Set Realistic Health and Fitness GoalsOne of the most important aspects of achieving health and fitness goals is setting realistic goals, which usually involves focusing on reasonable time frames (in regards to seeing results). If you expect to reach your high school weight in a month, this is highly unlikely. If you believe you can increase your benching weight from 100 pounds to 300 pounds in one week, you are seriously mistaken. Setting realistic health and fitness goals increases your chances of completing the milestones you wish to achieve.Take weight-loss goals, endurance goals and speed goals one step at a time. You won’t become a speed demon overnight and you can’t squeeze into a dress three sizes smaller after one day of working out. Achieving health and fitness goals takes time and you need to be willing to give as much as you wish to get out of the process.Record Keeping HelpsWhen you write down personal health and fitness goals on paper, they become a real mission to accomplish. Jot down smaller goals, such as run on the treadmill for 30 minutes straight without stopping or leave the sweets alone during the weekdays. Once you accomplish these smaller tasks, you might be well on your way to losing 10-15 pounds during the winter season. Crossing out each goal you’ve achieved is also a great way to keep motivated.Don’t Get DiscouragedAccomplishing health and fitness goals can be a frustrating journey, but with a positive attitude, patience and persistence, you will see results even if they don’t come in time for the high school reunion.

Ten Top Tips on How to Choose the Right Kids Entertainer

Kids entertainers are very popular and you want to make sure that you pick the correct one, after all your son / daughter’s birthday is only once a year and you don’t want it to be a disaster. Here are ten of my top tips to guide you through the process.1. Who are they?Many entertainers work for large organisations and they all go under the same name such as “Magic Sam the Magic Man” for example. When you locate someone who you think is suitable, see that you will be getting that person and that you haven’t landed on a company based website.2. Is their show suitable for your child’s age?Just because someone advertises as a children’s entertainer doesn’t mean that they cater for children of all ages. Make sure that the little ones will not miss out on the fun because the entertainer only caters for the older children.3. What exactly do they do?It may look like a flashy website and they call themselves a children’s entertainer but you need to know what you are getting for your money. Is it just a magic show or will they be doing the games too. All this should be clearly shown on their website, usually where they tell you the prices of various packages that they offer. If it doesn’t clearly explain on the website then go elsewhere.4. Do they give suitable prizes?If they provide prizes what are they?. You don’t want and shouldn’t expect cheap plastic rubbish that will fall apart as soon as the child gets home. If unsure just ask, you want to know what you are going to get for your money.5. How long do they stay?.If they advertise a 2 hour show for example, does this include the setting up time and what do they do when the children are having their tea? A good entertainer will arrive early, set up and be ready to begin. This time, and the packing away time, will not be included in their 2 hour show. Also, a good children’s entertainer will keep the kids entertained whilst they are having their party food.6. Are they CRB checked?It is essential that you make sure that your children’s entertainer is CRB checked, if not keep well away!.7. Are they insured?All entertainers should have public liability insurance in case anything unexpected happens. Again, if they are not keep well away. Why take the risk?8. Are they experienced?.Find out how long have they been in the business as you want an entertainer who is experienced in entertaining children.9. How will I know you will turn up?A good entertainer will always phone you a couple of days before the show to make sure that everything is still fine. This will help you to know that they haven’t forgotten about you.10. Ask!!!Never be afraid to ask the entertainer about any concerns or questions you may have. It’s your money and you want to make sure that the person you are booking is the right one for your youngster.

Life Insurance For Mortgages

Bank Coverage vs. Private Coverage. What you need to know!So let’s get on to a mortgage insurance discussion. Did I say mortgage insurance? Ah yes! Yes, it’s a unique name given to normal, ordinary life insurance, couched under a very nice sounding name – which makes a whole lot of difference to people wary of “life insurance.” So, they’re not buying life insurance-no, no, they’re buying mortgage insurance. I wish there were many more such unique names for good old Life Insurance which would persuade people to buy life insurance and protect their loved ones and their estates.Apparently, people do not want to talk about death; so life insurance is the last topic for discussion unless you get a close call from the Creator, by way of a heart attack or stroke. Mortgage insurance is not mandatory at your bank, or anywhere for that matter. All you have to do is sign a waiver and you’re off to the races. The waiver releases the lending institution of its obligations to offer you a plan that would take care of your family in the event you had a premature death.Let’s get back to the statistics. Out of 1,000 people aged 30, 125 will die prior to the conclusion of a 25 year mortgage. And surprisingly, despite having this fantastic name to this very important plan there are thousands of families lacking protection and leaving their dependent families open to the risk of losing their homes. I am certainly glad that due to the plans aggressively marketed by the banks, many families are protected. Or else, there would be thousands of unprotected families who would end up homeless.If a mortgage is not paid immediately, in the event of your death, it will become a huge liability to the family.Choices: Let’s visit the choices your family would have to make in such a situation.1. Will the surviving spouse/partner carry on the entire burden of the mortgage and will the bank accept the risk? If two incomes together found it difficult to make both ends meets, how can one income possibly be adequate?2. The family could sell the house, relocate or rent somewhere else. Will there be a buyer for the house? What about the cost involved in selling the house? Will there be enough money after selling or will the family owe the bank?3. Sell the house and move in with the relatives. Not the best alternative and how many people have philanthropic, generous relatives willing to take in another family? Not many, I can bet.4. It’s an accepted fact that for most people their house is their most valuable asset and they protect it by way of mortgage insurance.By the way, I’m sure you have heard this statement from a friend saying that someone they knew had died and that the surviving family does not have any money. You can immediately conclude that those folks did not have insurance and must have probably snubbed many insurance advisors like me. If one truly loves his or her family, a mere $15.00 a month can prevent such an eventuality.o Why take advice from a bank official, whose experience is not insurance?Before we discuss the nitty-gritty of the plans marketed by the banks and other lending institutions, let’s get one thing straight. Would you go to your dentist if you are ill? Or, would you go to your family doctor? True, both are doctors, but their lines of specialty are totally different. Why, then, would a person take advice from a bank official (whose expertise is banking and NOT insurance) to purchase protection of his/her most valuable asset?Don’t get me wrong-bank officers may be extremely knowledgeable in the financial aspects of banking related issues, but insurance issues are far beyond their scope. They are only doing their duty by offering the mortgage plans available.Therefore, getting advice and signing an extremely important document which can affect your entire family’s financial future is something you have to take really seriously. An Insurance Advisor, on the other hand, is qualified to give you better advice on insurance related issues.o Plans offered by an Insurance Advisor provide coverage that remains level for the term you select.Mortgage insurance plans offered by banks relate to your mortgage balance, and obviously as your mortgage drops so does your insurance coverage. In this case, if you are happy about reducing your mortgage, remember that the insurance company is equally happy because this reduces their liability.Individually acquired plans are tailor made for you personally and so, if you are healthy, you get a better rate. Unfortunately, the plans that banks recommend are group plans. It does not matter how healthy you may be compared to others in the group.o Plans we offer have premiums guaranteed and cannot be changed by the insurer.As you might be aware, group plan premiums are generally not guaranteed. Mortgage insurance plans are group plans.o Individual plans do not reduce their benefits and so the premium remains the same.Mortgage insurance plans offered by banks relate to your mortgage balance, and as your mortgage drops so does your insurance coverage, as mentioned previously. However, the premiums that the bank charges you remain the same. Does this seem fair?Most bank plans leave the insurance carrier with loopholes to decline your claim.o Individual plans will require complete medical check-ups done by qualified medical professionals, at the time of application, which will save your beneficiaries from problems later. It also protects your interests and the interests of your beneficiaries at a later date. Qualified Insurance Advisors will coach you on most medical questions so that your answers are accurate and appropriate.Most bank plans can be set up with a few condensed medical questions-which leaves your bank’s insurance carrier with loopholes to decline your claim.o Our plans do not require you to pay additional PST. The premium offered is the final figure, no PST surprise.Premiums quoted by group insurance plans do not include Provincial Sales Tax. Therefore, just like the rest of your regular purchases PST sneaks in silently to add to your total. So, when you shop for a price, please take this into consideration. A PST of 8% could buy you a lot of additional insurance coverage OR reduce your cost significantly.With our plans, the premium offered is the final figure-no PST surprise.o The plans offered by an Insurance Advisor insure both spouses separately, and so, insurance is paid on both deaths, for instance in a disaster where both the insured die, two separate death claims in the same amount will be paid, thus doubling the benefit.Bank mortgage plans are “first to die” plans-i.e. the plans pay and cease when one person of the two insured dies. Obviously you would agree that that’s the purpose of this insurance. Sure. However, wouldn’t you prefer a better option?For example: a 45 year old male and a 42 year old female insured for a mortgage of $250,000 “first to die” would pay $49.50 per month. By insuring them separately for two amounts, the cost would be about $52.00 per month. Wouldn’t you agree that it’s worth an additional $2.00 month to double the coverage, so that the beneficiaries receive $500,000? That’s the advice you will receive from a qualified insurance professional.o The plans an Insurance Advisor offers can generally be converted to a permanent plan, without the necessity for further medical evidence. So if you develop a medical condition which would disqualify you for insurance, this feature would be of great importance in the continuation of your insurance policy, thus protecting your family.Bank mortgage plans are strictly rental (term) plans and that’s about it. You do not have a choice.o Our plans are traditional life insurance policies, the proceeds of which go to a named beneficiary tax free. The insurance policies are creditor proof, thus totally negating undue expenses such as probate fees.When insurance proceeds from a bank plan are paid towards a property, those proceeds may be open to probate or creditors.o With traditional life insurance plans, the choice of coverage amount is always yours and does not require mortgage documentations.Again, as the coverage of bank plans relates to your mortgage balance, you do not have a choice. For instance, if you wanted an extra amount of coverage to protect your family, you would need to purchase it from elsewhere and unnecessarily end up paying an additional amount of money by way of policy fees.o With the plans an Insurance Advisor offers, the choice of using the benefit amount anyway you choose is yours, and you can make any changes as and when you need. For instance, when you die, your spouse has the option of whether he/she wishes to pay off the mortgage in its entirety or not, as per the spouse’s needs at the time.With a bank policy the bank is the beneficiary; your family has no choice.o Our plans are portable. They are not tied to any property. They are based on your life-not your house or any other asset.When you purchase a mortgage insurance plan from a bank, you are confining the coverage to a particular property; hence, the moving to another property requires another contract.o Refinancing does not affect the insurance plans that an Insurance Advisor will offer.Refinancing alters your mortgage balance and so the contract of a bank plan stands void. There will be a rate increase in line with your current age, with additional underwriting. You in fact may not be able to get insurance again as your health conditions may have changed.o We offer you choices of coverage ranging from 5 to 21 critical illnesses with the flexibility of purchasing the amount of coverage that you can afford. Also, you can claim two benefits separately-i.e. if the insured gets a critical illness and claims, then dies after the claim is paid, the death benefit also gets paid.Some institutions generally add the critical illness benefit to your life insurance coverage, giving you no choice with regard to the amount you may wish to purchase according to what you can afford. It also does not allow you to claim two benefits-i.e. if you collect a claim on a heart attack which is a critical illness benefit and you survive, then the contract ends. Also, the number of critical illnesses covered is limited.o A qualified Insurance Advisor can draw out a plan which allows you the option to stop paying premiums and still continue your policy.Bank mortgage insurance plans are term products which have no cash values, and so, if you stop payments, the policy will immediately lapse.o Most insurance agents will service you effectively and most of all take care of a claim, personally assisting your family when in dire need. Most Insurance Advisors’ actions will definitely speak better than bank TV commercials. They will assist you in the creation of an estate and certainly will meet you one-on-one and at your choice of venue or at your home. Basically you have hired the services of a professional in this line for the rest of the term of the plan you have purchased.Can you recall any bank making personal contact with you such as sending you a birthday card, a calendar, newsletters, or even making a courtesy call, etc.? The only time you would hear from them is possibly at the time of renewal, which would mean an additional sale for them.It’s worth noting that traditional life insurance policies from an Insurance Advisor offer a discount of approximately 9 per cent if the premium is paid annually, thus reducing the cost significantly. This discount factor does not arise with a bank’s mortgage insurance plans, which are generally paid on a monthly or biweekly basis.

What You Need to Know About a Small Business Loan Application

Believe it or not, every small business loan application doesn’t have to take up a few weeks of your life. Not every lender will require perfect credit, a complicated business plan, and pages and pages of documents just to tell you whether or not your business is going pay rent this month. Occasionally small business owners find themselves in a financial tight spot. That’s a simple fact of doing business. What’s not a fact is that the major banks, SBA and fast cash merchant cash advance companies are your only options for a small business loan application. Read on to learn what other small business loan applications options you have.The Good and Bad of a Small business Loan Application from a BankIf you have ever tried to fill out a small business loan application from a traditional bank, you may already understand the headline. If you haven’t, allow me to fill you in. Banks place heavy emphasis on the entrepreneurs personal as well as business credit, in addition to many other factors. For some business owners, a few missed payments on a credit card can be the difference between receiving funding and being left out in the cold.Most banks will also want years’ worth of tax returns and other documents for their loan application. They will spend weeks analyzing the data, slogging through every decision you have ever made. You will also need to explain exactly how every penny of the loan will be spent in advance, and detail it in a business plan.Banks will also require a list of collateral and capital that you are willing to risk on the loan. Should your business run into hard times, you may find the delivery van that you need to run your business has been taken away by the bank.Finally, after the banking crisis of the last few years, many banks are still feeling the after effects of their poor lending policies that led to the near collapse of the economy in the first place. This can make it difficult to simply find a bank that is accepting small business loan applications at all.I don’t want you to think that bank loans are all bad. Quite the contrary, banks provide some of the cheapest and safest working capital a business owner could ask for, which often more than makes up for the inflexibility of the loan application process.What about an MCA or alternative loan for small business?An MCA (Merchant Cash Advance) is a very different form of lending. To qualify, most lenders require you to have been in business for more than a year, as well as a minimum monthly number of credit card transactions. While the terms and process are much more flexible than a small business loan application, the price tag for the capital can vary widely from lender to lender.MCA’s are not technically a loan; rather, the lender purchases an amount of future credit card sales your business is expected to make at a discount. Because of this, the loan is repaid in micropayments as credit card sales are made. The advantage to this is there are no large monthly minimums to meet. The disadvantage is a slightly higher overall cost unless the lender has access to inexpensive capital and can provide a discount on merchant account services that will further offset the cost.Unsecured loans, while sometimes more expensive, often have a much simpler small business loan application process. The trade off is the possibility of slightly higher interest rates to cover the risk of the loan. Because of that, it’s best to find a company that offers a lowest rates guarantee during the small business loan application process. Shopping around can help you save a substantial amount.So what are your options?Choosing the right option really depends on your situation. If you can afford the extra time and resources necessary to get a traditional small business loan, then perhaps it really is the best option for you. If you have less than perfect credit or believe you may have a few slow months coming soon, a loan based on cash-flow or an advance on your credit card sales may be the best option. In the end the key is finding a reliable bank or lending company that you can trust to help you find the right solution