Do you have a 2, 3, 4 or 5 year old? Then please read this. If you introduce your child to a 2nd language now you will be giving your child a tremendous advantage in learning and life! Being exposed to a 2nd language early in life builds a foundation for success that extends way beyond just being exposed to another language. It is amazing the way a young child can absorb various information. The more educational activities they are exposed to during these early years the more the brain retains. And the introduction to a 2nd language stimulates their young minds while helping them build BRAIN POWER.

Research shows that “Younger is Better” when it comes to learning a 2nd Language. It is easier to learn 2 words for a number, color or everyday word as part of the early education process than it is for an older child who has to relearn new words. Did you teach your child how to speak English? No – they just absorb it by being exposed to English as an infant and toddler so why not Spanish in conjunction with English?

Other research shows that learning a 2nd language at an EarlyAGE results in higher standardized test scores, increased math &amp language skills and educational opportunities as well as becoming better problem solvers with eventual premier job opportunities. Everyone from the United States Postal Service to many of your local employers are requiring employees to be Spanish bilingual as a condition of employment – so let them get a “jumpstart” by introducing Spanish basics ASAP.

Why not boost your child s confidence and self esteem by getting him or her exposed to Spanish basics as soon as possible. There will never be a better time than now!

Try these EarlyAge 2nd language resources:

www.spanishfun.net – SpanishFUN is a franchisor providing EarlyAGE 2nd language activities introducing PreSchoolers to Spanish

www.bocabeth.com – Fun and Entertaining CD s, DVD s, Flashcards and more to introduce young children to Spanish.

Bob Lasseter
Founder
SpanishFUN
EarlyAGE 2nd Language Activities
1-877-SPANFUN (772-6386)
spanishfun.net spanishfun.net

Bankruptcy is a legal way to offer folks with high interest debt a fresh financial start in life. In case you are considering personal bankruptcy as an answer to your debt problems, you are not alone. Bankruptcy is on the up and up as consumer debt explodes. Additional reasons for turning to bankruptcy for credit card debt alleviation include medical costs and job loss.

The two main types of bankruptcy are Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Chapter thirteen is generally preferable for most people as it allows the defaulter to hold at least some property. It is imperative to understand that a bankruptcy does not remove all your debts overnight. Alimony, income taxes, child financial support and student loans are not exempt from bankruptcy proceedings.

Many people think that filing bankruptcy is an easy way to solve all their debt and credit related problems. Filing bankruptcy is the worst thing you can do as far as your credit is concerned and it is best to learn how to avoid bankruptcy. A bankruptcy will remain on your credit report for 5 to 10 years. The new bankruptcy laws require that individuals contemplating bankruptcy take a financial counseling course which is a positive thing. Many find that bankruptcy is not actually the best option for them. Make sure you have all the facts and consider all the alternatives before making a decision that can have far reaching effects.

Most people believe that filing for bankruptcy is a straightforward method to completely eliminate their debt and credit associated issues. Filing personal bankruptcy is in all probability the worst possible thing you will do where your credit is concerned. A bankruptcy appears on your credit report for up to five or even ten years.

The recent bankruptcy act necessitate that individuals contemplating bankruptcy enroll in a financial advice course which is a really good thing. Most will then recognize that bankruptcy is not really the preferable alternative for them at all. Be in no doubt that you need to be in possession of all the facts and consider all of the choices available prior to making at a choice that might have a detrimental effect on your future credit.

Now is the time to think about ending the academic year with a bang! This is an opportune time to set up one-on-one conversations with each of your teachers to find out what you can be doing to improve on your weaknesses in their classes.

Usually, this is a great time to gain extra points. Here are some tips to think about: in English and history courses, you might want to bring in any old essays on which you didn t get a straight A and go over each one of them with your teacher to see what you could have done better. You may want to offer to rewrite several of these essays – not for another grade, but just to show the teacher how committed you are to becoming a better writer and to becoming a better student of English and history. Then you can ask the teacher for his or her guidance on the edits you ve made to see how you re coming along.

Believe me, at the end of the year, when those teachers are deciding between the A- and the B for you, if you ve done this rewriting and shown this extra effort, they re going to give you the A-. For math and science, now is a great time to turn in some extra problem sets and find out if you can gain extra credit in any way by doing extra work. You might also want to bring in your old quizzes and tests to go over any problems you didn t understand.

Set up time to meet with the teacher either before or after school to go over the problems one by one and to make sure you understand everything.

Remember, the final exams for math and science are normally cumulative, so you want to make sure you understand everything from the entire year.

Speaking of exams, now is also a great time to start studying for finals! I know it seems like ages away, but if you just start to review your notes, your quizzes, your tests, your labs, your projects, your papers, and make sure you understand any error you made in the past and how to prevent this error from happening again, you ll be in much better shape for your finals in May and June. So get organized and collect all of the work from the entire year to review!

If you re studying a foreign language, an effective and entertaining way to improve your mastery of the language is by watching some films in the language you re studying. For example, if you re studying Spanish, you may want to pick up a Pedro Almodóvar film-any one from his oeuvre-and watch it scene by scene, first listening without subtitles, pausing it, then repeating back the lines. You don t have to, and probably shouldn t, watch the film straight through, because this is a time-consuming exercise, and you will be able to retain more by working in smaller increments of time. Your incentive to finish will be finding out what happens in the end of the movie!

While it is generally better to watch a movie from the culture of the language you re studying, here s another fun way to strengthen your command of the language: Take a DVD of one of your favorite movies, one that you ve seen many times-like Meet the Parents or Old School-and change the audio settings to play the movie in the language you re studying. Because you are already familiar with the plot and dialogue of this movie, you won t get lost as you listen to it in another language. This exercise might also help you pick up slang phrases and figures of speech in the language you re studying that you might not learn in the classroom.

Other ways to gain extra points with your teachers: Make sure that you re showing up to class on time, that you re participating in the classroom, that you re being helpful to your peers, and that you re going above and beyond the required assignments. If you have time to do even a little bit of extra work, your teachers will be thoroughly impressed. Also, for juniors, this is the time to make a strong final impression on your teachers, especially the ones who might be writing you recommendations.

Many of you are in the process of studying for SAT subject tests and AP exams. The best way to prepare is to practice, practice, practice. Buy the practice test books and do as many practice tests as humanly possible before you go in. Not only will you be much more familiar with the questions and the test, studies have shown that simply being exposed to a practice test ahead of time will yield higher scores.

Remember, I know it seems like a lot of work now, but this pays off towards your end-of-year report card, test scores, and evaluations, and summer is coming up sooner than you think. Make sure you ve set aside at least two weeks this summer to sleep in, rest, and take time for personal reflection-you deserve it!

–Katherine Cohen, Ph.D. President &amp CEO, IvyWise LLC iywise.com iywise.com

Dr. Cohen graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University in 1989. She continued her studies at Yale University, receiving Masters degrees in 1992 and 1994, and a Ph.D. in 1997. Also in 1997, she received certification in College Admissions Counseling from U.C.L.A
Prior to founding IvyWise, Dr. Cohen served as a Reader in the Yale University Office of Admissions, reading, evaluating and recommending for admission and rejection, hundreds of applicants to Yale College.
Dr. Cohen is the author of two books on college admissions. The Truth About Getting In and Rock Hard Apps: How to Write a Killer College Application.
Dr. Cohen is a member of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC), the Independent Educational Counseling Association (IECA) and the Western Association of College Admissions Counselors (WACAC).

Secured loans are available in the market at pretty low and attractive rates. It is the best option of loan for people who own their home and feel the need for personal loan. It requires the borrower to provide the lender with some form of security. In case of secured loans, the security will be the borrower’s property, regardless of whether it is mortgaged or owned outright. Loans secured against property that is already mortgaged are known as second charges, whereas loans secured against a property owned outright with no existing mortgage in place are known as first charges.

It acts as a proficient debt management tool because it is possible to spread loan payments to term of up to 25 years. As with secured loan the lender is guaranteed to recover his money in any circumstance and the APR(Annual Percentage Rate) tends to be as less as 6.9% compared to any other loan. Secured Loans are made available for many different purposes and are ideally suited for large amounts ranging from £5,000 up to £2,50,000 with any purpose with repayment terms between 5 to 25 years, as well as providing the most appropriate professional advice to you at all times.

The wide range of secured loans offered is Secured Consolidation Loan, Secured Homeowner Loan, Fast Secured Loan, Best Secured Loan and Cheap Secured Loan. You know where to look back when others have refused you for loans owing to your bad credit history, mortgage arrears, CCJ(County Court Judgement), no proof of income. To simplify the whole process of loan application, online tool has been designed to apply directly.

Secured loan rates are of two types:

Based on your financial circumstances and convenience, you can choose the type of interest rate and avail the loan.

Fixed rate: With such loans, you pay the loan at a fixed rate of interest. The advantage with this option is that the monthly installment will not be affected with the change in loan market rates.

Variable rate: If you take secured home loans at a variable rate, your repayments will be affected with the change in the financial market.

Online queries are handled quite professionally by secured loan experts and they also provide all the information related to your financial predicament and offer a wide range of loan solutions.

Today, a borrower has extensive information on secured loans and tips to obtain a low rate loan available on the net. With the online route available, one can easily get the loans approved. This in turn saves a lot of time and effort on the side of the borrower which would have otherwise got wasted hunting for a lender. A borrower’s motto should be to take a loan which carries the lowest interest rates. For this, he/she should make a complete research of the prevailing interest rates in the markets so that he/she does not get cheated by the home loan lender.

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The history of our great nation preserved for future generations.

Ten years ago the late Peter Johnson wrote for the Money section of the Sunday Times an article on, ‘ Collecting for Investment – 19thNov 1995.’ This coincided with the opening of our shop Pendulum of Mayfair Ltd which specialises in antique clocks and Georgian furniture.

Peter found the subject fascinating and expressed a wish to come again and assess the success of our venture. Unfortunately he is not here to do this but I think he would have found the results interesting.
We are definitely still here and have lots of satisfied clients world wide who have found pleasure from their investments.

It is true that the market for average quality,’ brown mahogany” furniture and clocks has suffered since 911 but the market for genuine high quality antique clocks especially in the choice mahogany and walnut woods, has continued to increase in value at very high rates. The intrinsic labour costs in these clocks make them perfect forms of investments. There are many tax efficient reasons that make antique clocks a perfect investment for pension funds and other large institutions, this has further increased prices and will continue to do so. These clocks come from an era when this was truly a great country, where horology was the foremost profession. It is one of the reasons why this country boosts an empire. Without sorting the Longitude problem out, navigation at sea was nearly impossible.

We have two clocks in our possession with the receipts which clearly demonstrate the investment potential of these items. Pictured on the back of the Longcase door on the Sinderby Loncase clock (attachment) owned by Rudyard Kipling is the purchase price dated 1934 of 13£ 10 shillings. This clock if it was for sale today would fetch in the region of £35,000.
We have a receipt of a superb walnut 8 day clock dated1917 for 20£. This clock would realise over £70,000 today.

For a typical good quality London mahogany in 1980 we were selling these at £2,500, in 1995 at the start of the shop this figure was between 6 and 6,500£ and now this figure has risen to over £14,000.

Date Average Price of Standard London mahogany Longcase Clock C.1770

1980 £2,500

1995 £6,250

2006 £14,000

The shop has done spectacularly well over the last 10 years because it specialises in only the finest high quality genuine antique clocks.

We also have a receipt of a superb walnut 8 day clock dated1917 for 20£. This clock would realise over £70,000 today.

All work on these fantastic clocks is carried out in house by our specialised workshop in Cheshire, we now undertake the clock repairs for Asprey’s and Garrards customers since they have closed their antiques department. In a market where many have fallen by the wayside, we have continued to grow at very healthy rates. A dedication to selling the finest genuine 18th century antique clocks. It is becoming increasing difficult to find the types of clocks we sell and this will no doubt further increase prices in the future.

Regards

Daniel Clements

www.pendulumofmayfair.co.uk

You don t just put roots into it you put kids into it (and sometimes the lower half of envious adults playfully trying to be young again). Just like the good-old-fashioned potato sack race stuck between the three-legged race and the egg dash the days when we hopped around in real potato sacks and fell over our burlap-covered feet and each other, bunny-hopping toward the finish line to be the first to cross. It was always the big hit at our picnics and family reunions. Everybody including Sally would join in.

What was the point? It didn t matter, we had fun! I remember one summer when we used cloth sacks- Didn t last long! Ripped seams, torn cloth, and huge tears from nearly half the herd of children made that the last time my Mother tried it. There is something special about those potato sacks, not just the race itself. When the day would be over, my little brother Tommy and I would crawl into these sacks and roll around in them. Those bring back wonderful memories.

What else can you do with Potato Sacks? A new way I have found to use potato sacks is by substituting them for the rope that we tied around our ankles in the three-legged race. It s better to have each partner stick one leg into the sack instead of hinging from a rope or handkerchief tied around our ankles. More recently, I have noticed people starting to use them in P.E. classes. Some teachers use robbinssports.com/sporting-goods-store/physical-education-equipment-c-207.html educational potato sacks for fun, educational games which involve colors, numbers, and even languages. There are many uses to be found using potato sacks. What are some of yours?

Find robbinssports.com/sporting-goods-store/heavy-duty-potato-sack-race-bags-dozen-p-2571.html Potato Sacks at robbinssports.com/sporting-goods-store/ RobbinsSports.com

It’s a long lesson, but to see our money grow rapidly, we must first mentally prepare, learn, and realise the power of the gap. Of course, there are a lot of gaps that you’re probably thinking of: the gap between rich and poor, the gap in our bank accounts, the gap in our financial knowledge.

The importance of this gap first dawned on me as I read all the personal financial media I could find around two years ago. What Gap? The gap between what you earn and what you spend.

Have you tried sticking to a budget? “I tried that and it’s no fun”, you say? Would you consider saving 12 years (and over $100,000 in interest) off a 25-year home loan worth it? (Example assumes $4,000 per month net salary in account, $1,600 spending). A line of credit, or equity loan, is one reason to budget, but it really comes down to how you manage your gap. Without being mindful of your expenses, you will never be able to get ahead on a line of credit loan.

The difference between a wealth mindset and a struggling mindset is one of priority. Take our family’s unique circumstance: our income is about to nearly double thanks to my husband’s business success. Faced with this exciting prospect, many people would be planning purchases they had put off, holidays, car upgrades or second car, and have a distant goal to save the rest. Our challenge is to save the entire amount we do not usually get. Not only save, but to make it work harder in an accelerated growth plan. Our goal is to save close to $60,000 for a house deposit in only 12 months.

How does an ordinary housewife set up such a deal? I decided we would do well to invest in Property Securities (unlisted) and picked the best-performing Australian fund over the past 3 years. I know all the pundits tell you not to pick on past performance, but in this instance it was a good choice as these types of funds have only about one negative year in 20, and this one had steady growth.

Investing $3,500 per month combined with a regular monthly margin loan of $1,000 through an online discount broker, we will be able to set aside $39,500. The broker also refunds the 4% entry fee. After compounding, paying back loan and interest (not counting tax deduction), we will have around $62,000 (at 37% growth). So there we have our house deposit.

I am not saying that this is the only path to wealth, and I know we are fortunate not to really need the second wage, and even more fortunate that this fund did even better than projected. It is a calculated risk. But I am saying that putting some time into this sort of planning really could set you up for life.

You want to know something really wild? You can almost be a millionaire inside 10 years, without headaches or lottery tickets. Say you decide that you’re going to delay gratification for 10 years: no credit cards, no personal loans, no car loans, no flash new gadgets unless it’s budgeted for. You contribute $1,000 per month to a proven property or other fund, you borrow another $1,000 per month, (50% gearing ratio) and returns are kept at 23% after fees, over 10 years. To keep up this return, research, monitoring and switching occasionally may be necessary. After 10 years, starting with $1,000, you’ll have $857,700 (after paying back your loan). This is more value than the investor who carefully saved $2,000 per month for the same length of time and borrowed nothing. It represents a 514% return on equity. Ah, the miracle of compound interest.

If you want to know how I worked this all out, it’s a margin lending calculator at infochoice.com.au (Calculators> borrowing to invest > savings gearing calculator).

Some of my friends think saving and investing is beyond them. Well, living off a pension when I’m 65 would be beyond me; I like my luxuries and I intend on having them. Later.

Jennifer Lancaster is an Australian copywriter and runs Power of Words. She helps small business build a better identity and appeal to their customers through clever copywriting. She is the author of “The Small Business Total Image Manual”, which is a marketing guide. More on copywriting can be found at pow.net.au pow.net.au Please email mailto:info@pow.net.au info@pow.net.au for free report: “How to Stop Wasting Precious Advertising Dollars”.

You must have heard of this saying, but have you really thought of what this means? Have you interpreted it to you and your circumstances? Most of us haven’t.

When we believe something and put our focus on it then that is what we invite into our lives. We hope that we can become debt free and have abundances in our lives. Then we focus on what we don’t have in our lives. We focus on how we don’t have enough money to pay the bills, how we have so much debt and are living pay cheque to pay cheque. We continuously stress out about the scarcity in our lives versus the abundances. We rarely play the gratitude game, where we write or say thanks for all that we do have in our lives. Instead we focus on the don’t haves.

If you are serious about getting out of debt and living the life you dream of then you must switch your thinking to that of abundance. You must stop dwelling on the “I don’t have “ mentality. You must be conscious of everything that goes through your head during a day. The way when you go for lunch and you say I really shouldn’t to this because I can’t afford it. The new outfit that you need to go to an upcoming event that you dread buying because you feel you can’t afford it. Those are the kind of thoughts that I am talking about. Those are the thoughts that you have to replace with YES I can do this and I will be successful. I deserve that lunch or outfit and I am grateful that I have the money to purchase it. Easier said then done you say, I agree, but it can be done.

This is a slow process but it works so you might want to try it.
When you are sitting down to pay your monthly bills and you have more of them then money. Try to think about the ones that you are paying. For instance, this month I am paying the phone bill, so I would concentrate on the positive feelings of being able to pay it. I would say out loud “I am grateful that I have more than enough money to pay the phone bill. I have more than enough to pay all my bills. This might not be true and if fact probably isn’t but your mind concentrates on your thoughts and will work it’s way to find how to pay your bills. Not on creating more bills and less money. Then the bills that you don’t pay but put in the drawer until next month you say I have enough money to pay these bills on time next month.

It is a process of small changes. One step at a time, one bill at a time and soon you will find that you are getting ahead. It doesn’t happen overnight but it does happen.
Change your focus and you change your outcome. Celebrate your successes. Try it you might just surprise yourself.

Heather Bannon
Is a freelance writer and journalist. You can
learn more about Being Broke at didyousmellthat.com didyousmellthat.com

The toy world has seen a steady increase in sales in recent months due to the strong sales of Webkinz, Webkinz trading cards and the Nintendo Wii. However much of the rest of the toy world is down as platforms like the Playstation 3 and Playstation 3 games have well under sold their expectations. This fall some new toys are coming into the market which include new Webkinz, TMX Ernie and TMX Cookie Monster and Singing Pizza Elmo. The question now is with the rising gas prices looking to put a clamp on holiday sales will it make sales of these specialized toys decline this year lower than they have been?

The high gas prices have not seemed to affect the sales of Webkinz and Webkinz trading cards as Webkinz have received well over 750,000 searches per month online. Many retailers have sold out and have been sold for quite some time of the Webkinz plush and the Webkinz trading cards look to be extinct soon enough. As Christmas approaches hype could only build for the new TMX Friends which are the “Tickle Me Extreme Friends” and the follow up to the Tickle Me Extreme Elmo or (TMX ELMO) as its better known. The new TMX Friends are TMX Ernie and TMX Cookie Monster. They have the same features of the TMX Elmo such as extreme laughter when you tickle them and many of the same motions. TMX Friends stand about 3 inches shorter than the TMX Elmo however.

With the release of the TMX Friends in October we ll also see the Singing Pizza Elmo which is sure to be a hit with any Elmo collectors or children who love Elmo. But the question remains for the economy, will it overcome the short falls and allow consumers to buy their toys for their kids this fall and winter quarter? I have to believe that parents and kids will find a way to buy whatever toys they are looking for this winter at whatever expense. Hopefully the economy and gas prices can rebound by the forth quarter of the year but its hard to say. It seems that every expert opinion on the economy has seemed a bit off in recent times so I never base anything I believe on what anyone else says. Walmart sales have recently been down 3% under last year and that could be another factor going into this years toy season as Walmart tends to be a front runner in sales in just about every market category.

No matter what happens with the economy and gas prices this year TMX Friends, Singing Pizza Elmo and The New Webkinz and Lil Kinz plush toys will be sure to be this seasons front runners and captivate numerous kids and parents around the globe. Against any prediction it could be another season of high sales for vendors on Ebay making premium prices on these toys on a sold out market. This year Webkinz Plush and Trading cards have commanded such premiums already. Webkinz Trading Cards have been selling as high as $260 a box and some of the retired Webkinz Plush have harnessed a $1000 price tag. The main thing to note on this achievement is that many people are paying the prices. No price is too much if people are willing to pay it and someone is always willing to pay whatever price to get the toys they are looking for. TMX Friends, Ernie, Cookie Monster and sining Pizza Elmo may bring down some of the high Webkinz Prices this fall and at the same time we ll see many gaming console system at great rates especially as new titles are released for each system by fall. If you are in the market for any of the hot toys this year I suggest getting them as early as possible and as soon as they hit the market. If you can grab a few extra you may be one of the next hot merchants on Ebay.

Mikey Simms

bidorbuytoys.com/” target=”_blank Buy Webkinz Tmx Elmo Ernie and Cookie Monster

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Tax preparation and tax preparer selection is not all that difficult, but there are those who make it difficult by not adhering to a few simple rules. It begins with choosing your tax preparer carefully and carefully communicating with that
preparer once he or she is chosen. It begins with choosing your preparer carefully.

Here are questions you can ask your tax preparer before you get started.

1. What are your qualifications?

A CPA or Enrolled agent are the best qualified to do taxes. Both of these designations regularly take classes and take an exam for their designations. A CPA or certified public accountant is the
highest qualified.

2. Would you be willing to lie on my return?

If your preparer says yes, run as fast as you can. This can get both of you in trouble so why would he/or she be willing to lie. Perhaps your preparer is not licensed. Licensed preparers can loose their designation if they are caught lying on a return.

3. How is your information protected in their office?

The computer and back up files should be secure after hours. All paper files should be secured in locked cabinets. Identity theft is on the rise.

4. What are your cost?

Agree on a tax preparation before you hand over your information, so there are no surprises.

5. Can I pay you extra to re-check my return against documents I have given you?

Ask your preparer to re-check your return. If you have the ability to check your return against your documents that is fine. But, you absolutely should check for the small things: correct spelling of your name, correct social security number, correct occupation, correct income, and any other minor items, which could turn major if entered incorrectly.

6. How Long Will It Take?

It is your responsibility to organize your tax information and submit it to your tax preparer early. It is your tax preparers responsibility to get the information back to you in a timely manner, so you can file your taxes well before the tax deadline.

Lois Center-Shabazz is the founder of the personal finance website, MsFinancialSavvy.com MsFinancialSavvy.com and author of the 3-time award-winning personal finance book, Let’s Get Financial Savvy! ISBN #0971979502.