Security bikes are a fantastic addition to Security departments for both private and public uses. In fact, the use of bikes for security purposes is one of the most cost effective, efficient, and safety enhanced programs that you could implement.

Using a bicycle for security allows the agent to cover a much larger distance in a far shorter period of time than on foot. In addition, once the security is in the vicinity of the call, the bicycle has much more of a stealth quality than a person running on foot, and the person has much more energy left when they reach the destination than if they had to run a long distance.

Bicycles can greatly add to the deterrence factor. If an agent is patrolling a campus, corporate, or other agency grounds, they can make many more rounds on a bike than on foot. Also, they can hear and see much more than if they were driving in a car.

For example, if an agency needs to patrol an area with a body of water and there is a walking path around it. If there are individuals causing problems on the other side and they are on foot, they can taunt the agent on the other side and cause problems, knowing that they have an extremely large head start once the security officer starts the pursuit. If that same agent is on a mountain bike, he or she can easily gain ground on troublemakers and criminals. They can also chase them trough narrow areas, on grass and if need be, inside of large buildings – all of which would be impossible in a patrol car.

Security bikes can be outfitted with decals, lights, bags and sirens. The bags can carry a multitude of gear that would not be easily carried on foot – especially if a chase is to occur.

Maintenance costs for the bikes are much lower and easier to repair than the high cost of auto repairs. The cost of energy is zero – only the energy used by the rider! This also helps the rider become healthier as they get in better shape.

At PoliceBikeStore.com, clients have expressed that Security Bikes have been very effective in everything from crime deterrence, to crowd clearing, catching criminals and even helping to clear crowds during a medical emergency at a campground.

As you can see, bicycles can be a very cost effective and safe addition to any police or security department.

Michael Harland is the Sales Manager for policebikestore.com Police Bike Store, which offers Police, Military and Security Bicycles for sale. His information comes from personal experience and he has been writing on the subject of law enforcement, security and bike related topics since 2001.

Well, its tax season again. That means millions of people will be rushing to file before the deadline and just as many will be eagerly awaiting their return. Tax returns are a funny thing. People tend to treat them differently than any other money. The rest of the year they will save, pinch pennies, and budget. When they get their tax return, they go wild.

In fact, I’ve seen people go so far as to make sure extra taxes are withheld throughout the year just so that they can have a large return! One person I talked to said that they did this as part of their saving plan. This does not make good financial sense though. First of all, as I mentioned, people tend to spend the money from their returns more freely. Second of all, you are allowing the government use of your money throughout the year. You are not paid interest or anything like that on your oversized return. Had you invested the extra money, or even just deposited it in your savings account, you would have earned interest on it through the year. By paying too much in taxes through the year, you are losing the chance to earn interest.

I’ve also heard people say that they want to make sure that they don’t owe money at the end of the year. This is probably the most reasonable train of thought, however, it still does not hold water. When you file your tax return, you are telling the government how much money they should have taxed you on. If you either forget about a deduction, or are not aware of one, you will not get that extra money back. It would be financially smarter to pay less throughout the year, and then establish what if any more you owe at the end of the tax year.

With the advent of the Internet, taxes have taken on a whole new life. You are now able to file online, as well as use different computer programs to help you calculate your return and even register to have your tax return deposited directly into your bank account. This is a quicker way to both file, as well as receive your return. However, one should be careful not to wait too long to file just because of the instant nature of the Internet.

For more information on netdetours.com/taxes/ taxes or netdetours.com/taxes/ tax returns please visit our website at netdetours.com/taxes/ netdetours.com/taxes/ or consult a tax professional. This article may be freely reprinted as long as all links stay intact.

Debt management plans (DMP) work to reduce your unsecured debt. They can also reduce your interest rates with most types of unsecured loans. To know what plan will work best for you, identify your own needs first. Then look for a company that has answers to your questions, reasonable rates, and a good record.

Identify Your Needs

Before you begin searching for a DMP, identify which accounts you want handled. Interest rates on credit card accounts and bills, such as medical, can be lowered with a DMP, but some types of accounts, like mortgages and student loans, can’t. DMP can still handle payments for these accounts, but they will charge you a fee for the service.

Make a list of the accounts you want handled. Include the lenders’ names and account balances. You can use this information to get quotes from DMP companies. Do not give account numbers or social security numbers until you have researched the company and signed a contract.

Compare Pay Off Dates And Information

As with any service, you want to compare companies before choosing one. To find a reputable plan, ask about pay off dates and the process. Legitimate companies will be able to give you specific closing dates for each account based on the balance and creditor’s name. All DMP receive the same low rate from creditors, so pay off dates should be the same.

Companies that require money upfront or give vague dates should be avoided. Such companies are either more interested in taking your money or are not qualified.

Research Rates

With a list of reputable companies, begin researching rates to find the best deal. Some companies have a small start up fee with monthly charges of no more than 15%. Other companies are subsidized in part, and may have a reduced fee, especially if you have poor credit.

Companies that charge a large, partially refundable initial fee are betting that you will drop out of the program before your accounts are paid. They keep your money without providing service. You should be cautious with such plans.

Check With Others

Another step to checking a DMP company is to look up their record with the Better Business Bureau or your state government. You can find records of past complaints online with these agencies.

Taking the time to investigate DMP companies can save you money and headaches later on.

To view our recommended debt management companies online, visit this page:
abcloanguide.com/debtconsolidation.shtml Recommended Debt
Management Services.

Carrie Reeder is the owner of
abcloanguide.com ABC Loan Guide, an informational
website about various types of loans.

For most of us, when we hear the words stock option trading, we automatically think of shares of stock being purchased and sold on the Stock Exchange, but in actuality stock option trading is something completely different from that. For those of us not too familiar with the ins and outs of trading and the stock market, when you trade an option, you are trading a right to a stock. That right then gives the owner the authority to purchase or sell a certain stock within a set amount of time, for a pre-determined price. Not only are rights to securities and stocks sold in this manner, but government bonds, foreign currency, and stock indexes also use option trading.

If the option being traded is a right to buy securities, you may hear it referred to as a call option. A put option is a right to sell those securities only, with no buy option. If you hear the term double option, it is a combination of a call option and a put option, which gives the owner to power to both buy and sell the securities. Call options are usually used for securities that are thought to gain in value in the near future. For traders, call options give them the power to get a rising stock locked in at a low price, so that they can turn around and then sell that stock for a nice profit, assuming that the value rises as predicted.

If for some reason the value of the stock fails to rise as expected, then the trader is not required to make any purchase, thus protecting his funds. Traders often use put options when a certain stock is thought to be falling in value, just the opposite of the call option. When a trader purchases a put option, he is required to pay a fee to the person selling him the option, often quite a hefty one at that. This fee is referred to as option money. If the person who purchased the option doesn’t use it, he only will lose the fee, or option money, that he was required to pay for the original put option.

Oftentimes, a smart trader can use put options to secure their own funds, and sometimes, make a great profit for themselves in the meantime. Keep in mind, that anytime you invest money in stocks or options, you do stand a chance of losing those funds, so you should only trade with money that you can afford to lose. Don’t use your mortgage money, or your child’s school fees to play on the stock market, it’s just not a wise thing to do, especially if you don’t have a clue to what you’re doing. Make sure you have a good solid trading foundation and education before you take the plunge. Some good ways to better educate yourself on the workings of stock option trading, is to invest in stock and option trading products, such as ebooks, magazines, stock trading sites, or even go for a well recommended trading seminar.

Options’ trading is a good way to cover yourself from major losses, in the event you make a bad choice or call on a particular stock or investment. Many people are also now starting to participate in online options trading as well, which makes it easier and faster, since it can all be done right from your home computer.

Brian makes his living as a full time trader and coach, if you enjoyed the article, be sure to get your FREE report. Find out more about Online Option Trading & Stock Option Trading

Are You Committing Trading Suicide? Learn How I Make 100% Returns annually! Get “47 Tips To Guarantee Trading Success” Totally FREE At elitemarketeer.com elitemarketeer.com

Now that we understand the types of funds that are available (from Understanding Mutual Funds Part I) it’s time to look under the hood and understand one of the most integral parts of a fund: the expense ratio. Most people do not understand what expenses are related to the funds they’ve invested in and how it impacts their investment dollars. The main point to keep in mind is that expenses are rarely made apparent in a statement. A mutual fund is required to give all investors an up-to-date prospectus that describes all related fees. However, it’s often difficult to understand the terminology and wording used in a prospectus.

So what is an expense ratio? First off, understand that the expense ratio for each and every publicly traded mutual fund can be found at numerous web sites. Try searching online to identify the expense ratios of any mutual fund you own, or are thinking of owning. They usually are made up of the following: the management fee, 12-b1 fees and load.

The investment advisory fee or management fee is the money used to pay the manager(s) of the mutual fund. On average, this fee is about 0.5% to 1.0% annually of the fund’s assets. This can also include the administrative costs of recordkeeping, mailings, maintaining a customer service line, etc. These are all necessary costs, though they vary in size from fund to fund. The next portion of the fee is the 12b-1 distribution fee. This fee ranges from 0.25% of a fund’s assets up to 1.0% of the assets. Simply put, this is for marketing, advertising and distribution services related to the fund.

Finally, one of the more prominent expenses: the load. One type of load is called a front-end load or “A” share. These loads are typically a one-time charge of 5% of the investment amount. This type of fee charges all loads up front and allows the investor to leave the fund without penalties. Then there is a deferred load most commonly known as “B” class shares. These funds defer the load in smaller percentages over time charging a surrender penalty should you leave the fund prematurely. Once the surrender period is over, the shares become “A” shares with no further loads being assessed. Finally, there are level load funds, or “C” shares. These charge small front loads, and level loads every year thereafter. Although “C” class shares might look like they aren’t so bad to buy initially they can end up being expensive to hold. Finally, there are also “no-load” funds that do not charge a typical sales load. Although generally these can look more appealing these types of funds sometimes will charge higher 12b-1 fees since they may not be actively sold through advisors or other financial professionals. Sometimes the key is the rate of return vs. the expense ratio. If a no-load fund is getting a 7% rate of return with no load and a loaded fund is averaging 12% rate of return it might make sense to invest in the fund with the load.

Some other concepts rather unique to a mutual fund are its turnover rate and tax implications. A fund’s turnover rate basically represents the percentage of a fund’s holdings that it changes every year (through the fund’s sale and acquisition of equities). A managed mutual fund’s turnover rate varies on the type of fund it is. For example: a small-cap growth fund will generally have a higher turnover rate than an index fund. Because buying and selling stocks costs money through commissions and spreads, a high turnover rate indicates higher costs for the fund. Also, funds that have large turnover ratios can end up distributing yearly capital gains to their shareholders and thus they have to pay taxes on these gains.

Armed with this knowledge the main thing to remember is that the returns that show for a mutual fund already take into account these expenses and show the “net return” for the fund. Knowing how much a fund charges in expenses will then allow you to make a true comparison of investments when picking between similar types.

Please note: this article does not take the place of a prospectus or investment advice from a licensed professional. Always research any particular investment before buying.

Rick Ramos has sold securities as a registered representative and is a licensed insurance producer for the State of Illinois. His articles regarding estate planning, retirement and investing have been featured on numerous websites. If you have other questions or would like more information you can e-mail him at: mailto:rick@insuranceblueprint.com rick@insuranceblueprint.com.

Do you want to be a master martial artist? Do you want to walk the warrior’s path correctly?

Here are many of the key points I share with my students, both personal and online subscribers, again and again. I’ve adopted a different presentation style to wake you up from the “been there, heard that” mentality that you might have slipped into by now.

1. Thou Shalt Know The Dangers in Your World and Focus on Being Able to Handle Them FIRST!

2. Thou Shalt Train With Your Teacher as Much as Possible

3. Thou Shalt Study The History of Your Techniques to Understand the Technology

4. Thou Shalt Not Expect Instant Results (Development takes time).

5. Thou Shalt Practice Consistently and Earnestly. (Practice makes perfect but, ONLY when you practice perfectly!)

6. Thou Shalt Not Misuse Your Skills (Insure that only those doing damage, receive your own).

7. Thou Shalt Not Take Short Cuts (It only slows your progress in the long run).

8. Thou Shalt Strive to Understand the Concepts and Principles at the Heart of the Forms.

9. Thou Shalt Get Training and Perspectives from Many Sources.

10. Thou Shalt Run All Lessons Through Your Own Experience (No blind obedience – it’s your life!). No experience? Get some or make sure your teachers have enough for BOTH of you!

If you want to be a master, not just of the martial arts, there are things that you must do.

No exceptions.

No excuses.

Start now by “walking the talk” and thinking, feeling, and acting like a student who wants to be a master warrior. I’ve often discussed one of my favorite sayings which more than applies in this instance. It says that…

“… What you’re doing speaks so loudly that I can’t hear what you’re saying!”

You are in control of your destiny. As Richard Bach pointed out again and again in his books like, “Illusions,”…

“…we design our lives through the power of our choices.”

So, choose!

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and director of warrior-concepts-online.com Warrior Concepts International, an expert in the realms of real world self-protection tactics, and a master teacher in the art of Ninjutsu – the art of the Ninja. Through his classes, seminars, book and video products, and corporate training events, he empowers individuals with the time-tested and proven concepts, principles, and closely guarded secrets of the warrior in a way that makes them highly effective in Today’s world. Get more information about his seminars and warrior-concepts-online.com/ninja-camps.html ninja camps and other related topics by subscribing to his newsletter at warrior-concepts-online.com/newsletter.html warrior-concepts-online.com/newsletter.html

Using credit card often results in accumulation of number of pending bills and thus results in making your credit score poor. While using credit cards, people generally don’t think of its affects on their financial status. Despite of the credit score, they also ignore the fact they are paying high rate of interest on using credit cards.

One thing the people must keep in their mind, that, as soon as they pay off their debts, sooner their financial status will improve. A healthier financial status not only improves the credit score but also assist the person in the activities of the financial market.

Rather than paying such a high rate of interest the person must hire a debt consolidation company to get rid of its credit card debts. Generally the debt consolidation company provides the loan to deal with the credit card debts known as credit card debt consolidation loan.

The benefit of consolidating credit card debt through loan is that the person is required to pay a low rate of interest on availing it. Otherwise credit cards holds very high rate of interest.

One thing the person must keep in his mind that credit card debt consolidation loan may not suit to all the people. So, it’s better to consult the financial advisor and discuss your problem with him. After analyzing your financial status he will recommend you, whether credit card debt consolidation loan, suits you or not. If advisor suggests you to avail the loan then only go for it. Otherwise, this can result in leaving you in worst condition.

Taking advice from the financial advisor is generally free of cost or they charge nominal amount for their service. More often it is seen that the financial companies offering such debt consolidation loans provide free advice along with the amount of loan.

There are other ways also, to get rid of the credit cards debts such as individual voluntary arrangements, bankruptcy etc. These methods also make the person debt free but they are considered as bad credit in the financial market. So the person must avoid such ways of eliminating debts.

The convenience of using money anywhere has increased the popularity of the credit cards among the people. And it is generally seen, while consolidating their credit cards debts people often gets into another debt by using credit card. Which implies it is easy to get in but difficult to come out of this vicious circle of credit card debts.

So, in order to avoid such situation the person must reduce the use of credit cards. And avail credit card debt consolidation loan for their previous credit card debts.

Alex Jonnes is associated with Easy Debt Consolidations. He is Masters in Business Administration and writes on various finance related topics. To find Debt management, easy-debt-consolidations.co.uk/credit_card_debt_consolidation.html credit card debt consolidation loan, debt consolidation finance, bad consolidation debt loan at lowest interest rates visit easy-debt-consolidations.co.uk easy-debt-consolidations.co.uk

There is a new credit scoring system in town. It’s called Vantage Score and will make understanding your credit score as easy as understanding your report card was in high school.

At least that’s the plan. The three major credit agencies, Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union announced on March 14, 2006 that they would be adopting the new system and rolling it out to banks, mortgage lenders and credit card companies immediately.

“There’s clearly been a need out there to have a consistent scoring model that works across all three reporting agencies’ data,” said Kerry Williams, group president of Experian’s credit services division. “And consumers need a consistent score that they can understand and use in their own financial lives.”

It was developed as a joint project between the three agencies and marks the first time the three have used the same scoring system. In the past even if all three agencies had collected exactly the same data, the scores each arrived at could vary significantly. This is because each used it’s own proprietary scoring model, developed internally.

With Vantage Score each will use the same method to arrive at a score. This means that any variance will be due to different data being collected. Many consumers are unaware that not all businesses report credit issues to all three bureaus, just as not every business pulls credit reports that merge the three agencies into one report.

Virtually every mortgage lender looks at all three scores and makes its decisions based on the middle score. It is important to note that it is the middle score not the average of the three that becomes your effective score in the mortgage industry.

Under the old system scores range from 350 – 850, with higher scores meaning a higher level of creditworthiness.

With Vantage Score higher scores still mean more creditworthiness, what is different is that there will also be a letter grade assigned. The new range is from 501 – 990 and the grades will be as follows:

901 –990 = A

801 – 900 = B

701 – 800 = C

601 – 700 = D

501 – 600 = F

While this new system may seem simpler at first several consumer advocacy groups have expressed concern regarding the accuracy of data gathered. Citing the old ‘Garbage In, Garbage Out’ adage, and expressing concerns over the accuracy of the data more than the scoring system itself.

The old system will still be around and in use while it is unclear how much the new system will be adopted.

What will remain true is what it takes to establish and maintain good credit scores under either system. Do not carry too much debt, pay your bills on time and avoid excessive credit inquiries.

Steve can be reached at steves@viewpointfinance.com and (909)238-3787

Steve Scheunemann is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, having served during Desert Storm and in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia as a helicopter crew chief. He served on active duty from 1987 through 1993 and as a reserve Marine until 2000. He is also a former police officer, and the son and grandson of career police officers.

Along the way he has held a variety of jobs, from pet store manager, to technical instructor, and even as a cowboy on a cattle ranch, while simultaneously running a small farm with his wife Stacie.

He is a dedicated husband and father to seven wonderful children, and has been a Cub Master with the Cub Scouts.

Today he serves your interests as a real estate loan professional. A field he has been involved in for the last five years.

On average, homeowner households earn 95% more than renting households per year. With 26% of a rental households disposable income being spent on renting, in comparison to 15% of homeowners on their houses (not including maintenance), it is unsurprising that people who rent find it harder to manage and turn to bad credit personal loans for help.

It’s easy to fall into the rent trap. As monthly rents take over ¼ of their income, debts for renters can easily pile up. It is very difficult to make any savings towards a deposit for a home and very easy to get bad credit if you skip payments on things like credit cards to try and make ends meet. Fortunately, renters with bad credit can still apply for a bad credit personal loan.

A bad credit personal loan is an unsecured loan. This means that unlike a home equity loan you do not have to pledge a valuable item such as a home or a car to guarantee repayment. If you rent this makes perfect sense as you do not have a home to pledge anyway!

A really useful thing to know is that a bad credit personal loan can be used for just about everything including:

• Buying Christmas presents

• Furnishing a rented home

• Paying off credit card bills

• A new car

Most companies that offer bad credit personal loans are not interested in what the money will be used for, they are merely interested in whether the person taking out the loan will be able to make the repayments or not. If you have bad credit then you will need to seek appropriate lenders who offer a personal loan for people with bad credit, but there are an abundance of specialist lenders available.

The main advantage to using such a loan is that unlike a credit card, the credit is non-revolving. This means that the interest rate and the term of the bad credit personal loan are fixed at the outset. The monthly repayments are always the same and this makes it far easier to allow for in a monthly budget.

As these loans are unsecured and for bad creditors, they do carry a higher interest rate than a home equity loan, but if you do not have a home then this narrows your choices substantially.

Peter Siu is a successful freelance writer providing valuable advice for consumers when applying online for credit cards, student credit cards as well as other personal & mortgage loans. You can visit his sites at uscreditcenter.net uscreditcenter.net ukcreditcentre.com ukcreditcentre.com and – His numerous articles offer moneysaving tips on a number of topics.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that credit is easy to get, because everywhere you turn it seems like somebody is offering you a credit card or a loan. But that’s only reality for people with a good credit history. For those who have a poor credit rating, getting credit can be almost impossible, or at the very least ridiculously expensive.

Getting black marks on your credit history doesn’t take much. Perhaps you missed a payment to a creditor, or forgot about that outstanding loan. Every time you mess up on a credit contract, the creditor reports you to a credit bureau. One or two minor mistakes might not cause you problems, but once you have a few negative entries on your credit history, you will start to find it increasingly difficult to get a credit card, and will probably start being turned down for loans.

As debt spirals, so do defaults, with the result that more and more people are getting a bad credit rating. Naturally plenty of people see this as a great opportunity, aggressively marketing their credit repair companies to those in trouble. Unfortunately most of them also charge some hefty fees, and only do things that you can do for yourself. Some are even outright scams.

Despite what the ads might lead you to believe, credit repair companies don’t have any special relationship with the credit bureaus to make credit repair easier. They can’t magically get negative entries on your credit history erased. Generally a credit repair company will only do things that you can do yourself. One popular strategy is to get a copy of your credit history and challenge every negative entry. While this may seem like the credit repair company is taking action, in fact it’s quite likely that this will achieve nothing unless there’s genuinely been a mistake. And in the end, you can get the report and challenge entries without any help.

Even worse, some credit repair companies will encourage you to pursue strategies which are highly questionable, possibly even against the law. This may include suggesting you start again with a clean credit history by changing address or banking details. Apart from the fact that this is a highly dubious strategy, more often than not it fails anyway.

You’re much better taking matters into your own hands and seeking advice from a government source or a trusted non-profit organization if you need some extra direction. The first step is always to get a copy of your credit history from a credit bureau. It’s highly likely that there are other people with the same name as you, and so errors can happen. Anything on the report which is obviously wrong should be immediately challenged in writing.

Once you’ve cleared up any errors, or if there are none to begin with, then you need to start rebuilding your credit history so that in time you end up with a good rating again. Apply for a secured credit card, use it regularly and above all, make sure you pay the bill on time every month.

free-online-instant-credit-report.info/Credit-Report-Repair.html Credit repair takes time and effort, and you need to make sure you budget your money so that all your creditors are paid on time and you don’t end up with further negative entries against your credit. While it can be tempting to listen to the credit repair companies which seem to promise miracles overnight, in reality your credit repair journey will be a long and slow one. But it’s one you can take without handing over big dollars to someone else.

Need a free-online-instant-credit-report.info/article-9-free-credit-report-online.html free credit report or want to quickly and easily improve your credit score? Try visiting free-online-instant-credit-report.info, a popular free credit report website that provides tips, advice and resources to include information on credit report repair, credit report scores, credit report services and credit report disputes.