“Having a lodger” or “taking lodgings” are phrases that bring to mind the Victorian era, when widowed ladies rented out rooms in their city homes to single men and women. Though private homes and apartments have since become the norm, the idea of renting a single room in a private home has been steadily increasing, due in part to the difficult economy. For homeowners, the idea of renting out a room has become more and more appealing, so much so that the number of private homeowners renting out a spare room in their home has more than tripled in the past year.

Financial advantages of renting out a spare room

The extra income generated on a monthly basis is one of, if not the, main reasons that people choose to open their homes to a stranger. The amount of rent being charged for a room will vary depending not only on the size of the room and its amenities, but also on where the home is located. A bedroom with bathroom and kitchen privileges may run around $200 per month while a room with a private bathroom en-suite or possibly an efficiency layout with a small refrigerator and microwave could run as much as $500 per month. The type and amount of furnishings, as well as the utilities included will also affect pricing.

Renting out a spare room also allows the homeowner to receive a break on their income taxes by deducting part of their home ownership expenses. Real estate taxes and home mortgage interest are two areas where dividing the property into effectively two homes can save when it comes to tax time. Deductions may also be taken for general maintenance, expenses and repairs to the home, including utility bills and repairs to appliances, as long as these are available to the entire home. Installing utility services directly to the room being let may also be deducted, for example the installation of a cable or phone line.

Financial costs of renting out a spare room

Choosing to rent out a room in the home means the homeowner may have to invest before the profits roll in. The room needs to be properly and simply decorated with a sleeping area the primary focus and a seating area a close second. This may mean carefully selecting furnishings and investing in pieces such as a sleeper sofa or a built-in Murphy bed that are both functional and attractive. Room design and décor may need to be quite different in a rented room than it would be in the rest of the home, with furniture choices and layouts more like those in a studio or efficiency apartment than in a traditional bedroom. The homeowner can save on the furniture by watching for sales and taking advantage of free delivery if available. Neutral color palettes and wood furniture pieces are universally appreciated and allow the tenant some leeway to express themselves and their style by adding accessories and personal items.

Other financial considerations include legal expenses, such as credit checks on prospective tenants and extra home insurance reflecting the new rental status of the property.

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Through necessity, saving money is a preoccupation for many householders. With energy price hikes, rising inflation and wages that never increase, something’s got to give somewhere.

For those looking to shave expenses off their budgets, the home is a good place to start. It is important to save money where we can and when we look more closely at our homes it is often the case that we could be doing things more efficiently. Here are some ideas for making savings across all areas of the home.

Heating and insulation

Keeping warm in winter is certainly not getting any cheaper. Produce savings in modern homes by being flexible with the central heating thermostat. Reducing the temperature by a couple of degrees saves money, but will not be noticeable. Oil heating can be expensive and increasingly householders are opting for wood burning stoves, which offer cheaper fuel alternatives.

Check for draughts and seal around doors, wooden floorboards and around windows to minimise cold air blasting in. Double-glazing helps keep a house warm but if this is too costly, for a fraction of the price plastic film can be applied to windows to make rooms warmer. Simply apply with special tape and shrink with the heat from a hair dryer, the reduction in draughts and condensation will be immediate. Other effective ways of restricting heat loss at windows include solid shutters, heavy curtains and thick blinds.

Other cost saving areas

Half the battle with saving money on energy in the home is down to changing people’s habits. Getting them to switch off lights when they aren’t in use, not leaving gadgets on standby, switching to LED light bulbs, fitting aerating shower heads, using the oven to cook more than one dish or investing in a pressure or slow cooker for cheap delicious meals at low cost – all these small changes can add up to substantial cost reductions.

High-cost appliances

The cost of heating water with electricity is high. Do not overfill the kettle, only boil the water that is required – this is one of the biggest wastes of money and energy in most homes. Only turn on the washing machine when there is a full load. Most clothes can be washed at 30 instead of 40 degrees – lowering the water temperature will scrub money off the laundry bill. Tumble dryers eat energy so if hanging out laundry to line dry is an option, do it for free.

To calculate where money could be saved look at the gadgets or appliances that get used for long periods. LED TVs and game consoles are often in use for hours at a time – research which models are the most efficient before buying, as over a year these savings could mount up. There is a lot of information out there about the most cost effective, energy efficient household appliances. Get into the habit of selecting new big-ticket items such as cookers, fridges and dishwashers based on their energy ratings – the most efficient models are usually pricier, but going for the cheap option is a false economy.

Saving money around the home is all about looking harder at how we do things. Acting upon what we learn will benefit not only our wallets, but mother earth as well.

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Of late, the option of binary options trading has become quite popular. In this type of trading, the payoff amount is some kind of fixed amount of asset or nothing at all. In the recent times, the binary options trading has been divided into two major types – Cash or nothing binary options trading and Asset or nothing binary options trading. In case of cash or nothing binary options trading, a fixed amount of cash is paid when the option expires while in case of asset or nothing option, the underlying value of the asset is paid off.

Benefits of binary options trading

There are various benefits associated with binary options trading. In order to understand the trading option in a better way, you will have to know about the benefits in details. Let’s take a look:

Accessibility: People prefer trading through binary options because in this option, the investor will be buying the contract and not the asset itself. This will help open up the profit option through binary trading to a greater number of people who would otherwise be restricted due to high prices of other stocks. For example, if you have $1000 and you find that a share costs your $50, then you will be able to buy 20 such shares. Later on, if the share prices increase to $55, you will be able to make a 10% profit on them (20X5 = $100). However, if you invest your money in binary options trading, you will get a profit margin of as much as 71%.

Know the risks: If you go for binary options trading, then it will ensure that as an investor you know how much loss you may have to incur. Most of the companies providing binary options trading will never ask for more money in case the option expires out of money. This helps the investor to plan better for the next investment.

Simple deals: In most cases of binary options trading, the payout is dependent on direction of the asset price change and not on the difference in price. As a result, the investors do not need to have a detailed knowledge about the product. Thus, this option is easier for a new investor as well.

Profitable option: Apart from accessibility of binary options, you should remember that as the profit is not related to the difference in price but to the change in direction, making profit becomes easier.

Trade from home: In case of binary options trading, you will get a platform which will help you in trading for international binary options directly from your home. You can do so whenever the markets are open. Thus, the traders and investors can trade from the comfort of their home.

Now that you know about the major benefits of binary options trading, it will be easier for you to decide whether you should go for this option or look out for stock trading. Once you know about the option that suits your purpose well, you will be able to invest money confidently.

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Any person, who has ever undergone a major surgery or was forced to spend several nights in a hospital bed, will likely remember the mountain of paperwork they had to fill out, in order to ensure their insurance coverage would be effective at the time of the procedure. At the same time, health insurance policies can be very complicated, and it is not uncommon for many individuals to be confused by their insurance provider’s explanation of benefits. Oftentimes, it is not until several weeks – or even months – later, when all medical bills are forwarded to the patient, that paperwork errors are finally discovered. Unfortunately, it usually also becomes more challenging to correct these errors after the bills have already been processed by your insurance provider. However, you may still be able to fix any discrepancies, as long as you keep a good record of all the procedures, tests and other medical services that were provided. In addition, there are several great tools that can make the process of managing all of your medical bills a lot easier and far less time-consuming.

• Managing your Medical Bills: Errors, Clerical Mistakes and other Discrepancies

According to the Medical Billing Advocates of America, as many as 80% of all medical bills contain errors and mistakes that ultimately lead to higher bills, as well as higher insurance premiums. The mistakes can range from double-billing for individual procedures, charging for exams with contrast when none was used, and even decimal point mistakes that convert a minor $100.00 dollar charge to a major $1000.0 expense. Furthermore, these mistakes will very rarely occur to the advantage of the patient, and hospital accounting staff members seems to be far more diligent when it comes to catching errors that go against their employer’s best interest. Consequently, checking the bills for clerical errors is the first, and the most important step of managing your medical bills.

• Claims, Billing Statements, and Explanation of Benefits: What is the Difference?

Currently, when any medical service is provided to a patient that has health insurance, the billing is usually forwarded directly to the insurance provider that settles the claim, and the patient may – or may not – receive a billing summary from the insurer. However, the summary will only serve as the explanation of covered benefits, and will not be the bill itself. For example, if your insurance decides not to cover certain procedures, they may notify you about it, but you will not be liable for any remaining balance until you receive another bill directly from the medical provider. However, it is still important to check the bill received by your insurance company for any errors, and you should request a statement listing all of the services provided on the specific date in question. You should then compare this list against the report you receive from your insurer, checking for any discrepancies in terms of care received or dollar amounts charged. It is also important to keep these statements together with your personal medical record, in case you need to dispute any claims several months after the medical services have been rendered.

• Taking Advantage of Online Services Provided by your Health Insurance Company

Many health insurance providers in the United States including all the major providers, now offer online services to their clients that allow them to check the status of their claims from their home computers. In most cases, you will first need to make an online account using the insurance information from your card. Once that is all done, you will be able to access the list of currently pending claims, as well as those that have already been settled with the medical provider. However, you must realize that it can often take several weeks for the provider to notify your insurance about any services you have received, and the claim information will not be immediately available.

• Other Management Tools Available Online

In addition to the services provided directly by your medical insurance company, there are several apps that can help you manage your medical bills. One of the more popular ones is Simplee – a free online service that can act as a database of medical records, claims and other insurance information. The service is also able to automatically spot errors such as duplicate entries, or eligibility issues, as well as predict your insurance coverage for specific treatments. Although the service was introduced only two years ago, it has rapidly grown in popularity, and – especially considering its automatic error detection – its number of users is only expected to further increase in the future.

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In 2012, legislation was passed to provide all former presidents and their spouses a lifetime of Secret Service surveillance and protection.  Prior to this, former presidents were protected for ten years after their terms of office were completed.   This new legislation protects a former president’s children, as well, until they are 16 years of age.

What Does It Take To Become A Secret Service Agent?

It’s no small task to become a security agent for the president or former presidents and their families.   Secret Service Agent positions are coveted roles in a highly competitive field.  To be considered for this unique type of profession, one must meet a list of pre-requisites.  Some basics include the following:

1:  Must be an American citizen between the ages of 21 and 36

2:  Must possess a valid driver’s license

3:  Must have 20/60 uncorrected vision but correctable to a perfect 20/20

4:  Male applicants must be registered with the Selective Service

5:  Must have the ability to pass a rigorous physical fitness exam as well as psychological and medical exams

6:  More often than not, must have a minimum of three years work experience in law enforcement, criminal investigation or a combination of the two fields

Assuming all these pre-requisites are met according to the guidelines established, the candidate would need to prepare for extensive education and work experience in addition to having a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree, depending on the level of government security.  A grade point of 3.0 would be the minimally-accepted grade for each college course previously completed—not to be confused with a 3.0 grade point average!   Additionally, a series of interviews, polygraph screenings and drug testing would be in order, as well as a candidate’s personal references who, in turn, would be interviewed, also!

Bonds Are Formed:

Regarding government officials in general, there are several types of protective personnel used to oversee the safety of an elected or formerly-elected government public figure and his or her spouse and children.  Often times, the hired secret service agent progresses on to become a permanent employee with the family since an almost co-dependent relationship emerges where the protected feel reliant on the care and watchfulness of the agent and the agent can develop feelings of immense possessiveness towards the family due to the emotional bonds that are many times formed.

They Won’t Be Messed With!

Top-notch security agents, who reign supreme and make a considerable income, are an elite group who are trained to the hilt.  Aside from remaining in tip-top physical condition, this cream-of-the-crop-level agent will have extensive training in martial arts and other types of hand-to-hand combat techniques including Aikido, Budoshin Jujitsu or Krav Maga, which is a type of contact combat used by the Israel Defense Forces where death of the opponent is considered a possible/ probable and acceptable outcome.    Being well versed in handling concealed weapons, including handguns and expandable batons and tactical handcuffing all go with the territory.

Are You Interested?

If you can meet the criteria discussed above and are accepted for top-secret clearance, be willing to travel extensively as well as frequently relocate.  Having the innate ability to rapidly analyze situations and environments and quickly choose smart solutions are not only important, but required.  Starting out with security companies such as Unified Protective Services can be a great place to start as well. Having the mental fortitude to adapt to a variety of situations and maintain composure in volatile circumstances are attributes a coveted and highly-paid secret service agent will demonstrate as if it were second nature—which it needs to be!

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