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Creating an earthquake preparedness kit is easy. Many people are not concerned with emergency situations, but an earthquake presents a very real danger with a huge spectrum of harmful or potentially fatal consequences. There are only a few simple things to consider for creating a kit like this, and it can be done by anyone on almost any budget.  Why not take the time to build one…it’s inexpensive insurance. (more…)

Insurance is, for the most part, a beneficial product that meets a real need.   The need for Auto, Home, Health, and Life insurance isn’t in dispute.  Similarly, in the commercial world, corporate liability insurance is a no-brainer.  However, that doesn’t mean that every type of insurance makes sense.   There’s two types in particular that can be a good idea in some specific situations, but are, for the most part, an unneeded expense.

Although they aren’t related, the acronyms for the two are remarkably similar: PMI and PPI.   PMI stands for “Private Mortgage Insurance” and is basically a risk reduction product for mortgages.  PPI claims to be a product that protects borrowers by making their payments on a loan should they become ill, unemployed, or otherwise unable to meet their financial obligations. (more…)

It’s one of those terms you’ve heard before, but perhaps never really understood, at least we didn’t.  To get handle on the topic, we talked with the experts at McRae Marketing Automation, and left with a better understanding of what it is, and why every company should have it…big or small.

To get the concept of  what Marketing Automation is, you have to go back to the days when the sales department didn’t have computers.   Everything was a manual task.  Salespeople would make phone calls and in-person visits to cultivate leads, and the sales funnel was typically managed in a notebook or whiteboard. (more…)

GoDaddy’s recent technical glitch regarding their Domain Name Servers (DNS) was estimated to have taken down the websites of millions of small, medium, and even some large businesses for a full day.  In the past, only large businesses would have seen a financial impact from a website outage, but fast forward to today, and even the least technical small companies depend on the internet for at least a portion of their business.

How can you protect your business from extended website outage?  We talked with the experts at HostingHQ to find some options.   After a thorough discussion, we were able to vet out the best of their field-tested tips:

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T-Mobile isn’t the only major carrier with customers wondering why it doesn’t offer the iPhone.  Prepaid giant MetroPCS is also without the device, and with Virgin Mobile rolling it out  (though no Virgin mobile promo code is available) now, MetroPCS is looking a little awkward. (more…)

In 2011, the Federal Lifeline assistance program provided over $1.6 billion dollars in an effort to offset the costs of cell phones and monthly service fees for roughly 12 million low-income Americans. This program, credted by an FCC mandate is popular for what should be obvious reasons. Many citizens, however, are unhappy that the program is not more stringent with eligibility requirements. The program has not been closely managed, and as a result, many people who shouldn’t qualify for  free government cell phones are getting one, or sometimes even two phones…all at the expense of taxpayers. (more…)

The Lifeline Assistance Program is a U.S. government run benefit program that’s a cruicial part of the Universal Service Fund, whose main goal is to ensure quality, affordable telecommunications for our citizens.   The lifeline program allows carriers like Assurance Wireless to provide eligible low-income customers free, or heavily discounted cell phones and airtime for their essential phone needs. (more…)