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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Great Plains is a brand of business software that was purchased by Microsoft in 2001. Since then Microsoft has rebranded the software to Microsoft Dynamics and has discontinued support for the system. However, Great Plains was a popular program in its day and many people still use it. While this system is spoken of highly by many of its users, all software has its flaws. Here are some of the most common pet peeves of people who are using Great Plains for accounting today.

A Lack of Support

Because Microsoft stopped offering support for Great Plains Accounting in 2008, it can be difficult to find solutions for your problems. If you have been using the software for a while, you may be able to figure new problems out for yourself. However, if you are coming into a new job without any prior knowledge of the program you can easily find yourself lost. This is especially true if no one else in your office is familiar with the program. Trial and error may be your only option, which can become downright panic-inducing if it is taking place during the end of the fiscal year. Upgrading can be pricy, but if you find yourself in this position it may be your best solution.

Default User Dates

Every time a person logs into a company on Great Plains, the user date defaults to the current day. This is understandable, but it can also lead to some snarls. The most common is when a user gets the message “the user date falls within a fiscal year that hasn’t been set up.” This is most likely to occur when trying to print out a report for a different year.  The problem can be corrected by changing the user date on the toolbar to the year of the desired report. However, this has to be done every time you log in.

Lack of Intuitive Solutions

With experience Great Plains can be easy to use, but when starting out users often find that the solutions they seek do not easily spring to mind. This can relate to formatting issues or when trying to correct information that the system has automatically added. Options may be grayed out without explanation or boxes unchecked for no apparent reason. These issues tend to be more prominent on older versions of the program, but many users find that it difficult to find a solution to their problems through trial and error. The best way for a Great Plains user to find answer to a problem of this nature is to talk to someone who has used the program before or to find a forum online to talk with other users.

Problems with Language Settings

Great Plains has some sensitivities to the default language settings that can result in frustrating or seemingly unexplained errors. A common message you may see is “all call stacks are in use. Cannot stat script,” when opening the Transaction Entry window in the General Ledger. You may also have difficulty with login or starting the program. The problem can be resolved by changing your computer’s language setting to United States English and disabling the “perform translation for character data” option in the ODBC configuration.  If this does not work, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the program.

Great Plains Accounting is a popular and highly regarded form of software. While some users may experience problems, many do not. It can be frustrating to start using the program without much support, but with time most of the common pet peeves associated with this program will become less and less of a problem.

Sarah Jackson is a freelance writer and editor who remembers when Great Plains was a little more great by comparison, but does greatly appreciate many oher fine offerings from Microsoft.

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Income drawdown can provide a great way to keep you financially comfortable in later life. Here’s a look at how it works.

A Quick Look at Annuities

Income drawdown isn’t complicated, but it can be a little confusing if you’re only familiar with the annuity model of pensions. Annuities work like this: you make regular payments into your pension throughout your working life, and when you retire you use that money to purchase an annuity. An annuity is a financial product that guarantees you a fixed income until the day you die.

The problem with this model is that it may not provide for your needs. Annuity rates are dependent on market conditions, so when you go to retire, there is a chance that you may receive a poor rate. Although the payment is fixed, inflation means that it will decrease each year in real terms.

How Income Drawdown is Different

Instead of cashing in your pension on retirement day, income drawdown allows you to make regular cash withdrawals from your pension, within certain limits. You can vary the payments you receive according to your needs, and the money that you’ve invested will continue to grow.

To avail of income drawdown, you’ll need to choose a financial product such as a SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension) with drawdown functionality. SIPPs also offer a huge range of investment choices, giving you the opportunity to grow your fund even further.

What Kind of Payments Can I Get?

There are two types of payment available in an income drawdown pension:

• Tax-free cash: 25% of your fund is available tax-free and can be withdrawn in instalments or taken as a one-off lump sum.
• Income: Of the remaining 75%, you can withdraw money as and when you choose. These payments are subject to income tax, and their is a limit to how much you can withdraw each year. This limit is often referred to as the GAD Max, and you can withdraw up to your GAD Max each year. Whether you take this as a monthly payment or an annual lump sum is up to you.

How is My GAD Max Calculated

There are three factors in deciding your GAD limits. Your age and the value of the pension are both taken into consideration, with the intention that your income payments should be balanced in order to ensure a regular pension for the rest of your life. Gilt Yields, a figure issued each month by the Treasury, are also taken into account.

Your GAD Max is recalculated every three years, although in some circumstances you will be able to request a recalculation before then.

When Can I Start Taking Income Drawdown Payments?

You can begin drawing down form your pension at any time after the age of 55. You don’t need to have actually retired, although if you are still in employment then you’ll be liable to pay the same amount of income tax that you would pay on your normal salary.

Income drawdown payments can be reduced, increased (within GAD limits), stopped and restarted as you see fit.

Will I One Day Have to Purchase an Annuity?

No, you can continue to receive income payments for as long as you like. If you would like to purchase an annuity later on, you can do so with your remaining pension fund.

Are There Any Disadvantages to Income Drawdown?

Your pension payments are not guaranteed as they would be under an annuity arrangement. In order to keep receiving payments, you will need to have money in your pension and a bad investment choice may see your pension lose its value. This is why many income drawdown products are sold on an advice-only basis; it is recommend that you speak to a financial adviser before investing in such a product.

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As you’ve probably heard, the economic climate is harsh at present. Due to the rising prices of many goods, lots of families are feeling the squeeze and putting a lid on their spending. With all this going on, the last thing you might be thinking about right now as a young family is putting money aside for your children’s future – but there’s no guarantee that things will be any easier by the time your child leaves home to go to university, or search for work. No matter how bad things may seem, it’s always a good idea to at least consider putting money into a Children’s ISA.

But with an already squeezed budget, you might be asking yourself: How can it be done? How can I trim our household outgoings any more than I already have?

Here are some ways you can free up money if you’re finding it a struggle to put funds aside:

Cut Down on Unused Luxuries

We all have them: gym memberships we never use; digital channel packages we don’t watch; subscriptions to cookery or gardening magazines we never read but which seemed like a good idea at the time; the list of extraneous luxuries goes on. So, before you make a purchase or a commitment to something which requires a monthly payment plan, stop and think: Do I really need this? Can I live without it? There’s nothing the matter with indulging yourself every now and again, but if you’re going to spend money on a hobby, make sure it’s worthwhile. Remember that this is money you could be putting to better use elsewhere. 

Be Thrifty With Your Utilities 

You might think that switching off the lights in the rooms you’re not in, and not leaving the TV on standby overnight might not make much of a difference – but it all adds up. Being clever with your energy use will not only help to reduce your carbon footprint but will also reap you rewards when you receive your next utility bill – and in turn free up more money to put into your savings.

Eat In More

We all deserve a nice meal out every now and then, especially after a tough week. But it can be easy to cave in to temptation and let this become a regular fixture. Having a meal in a restaurant can seem like such an appetising prospect that we’re often blinded to the cost of it – which doesn’t hit us until we’ve got the check after a round of desserts. If you find yourself eating out regularly, this is a cost you can easily cut out. Treat yourself to a nice meal by all means – but remember that taking out and eating at home, or even cooking a special meal yourself instead of eating out regularly will almost always be cheaper. 

Take Advantage of Deals

In your household, a holiday might be a non-negotiable fixture of your year – and understandably so. We all need to take time out from our busy lifestyles every now and then. But if you’re looking to save money, it pays to seek out deals and offers and get in there early. If you’re booking a summer holiday, try and plan it in January or even before if you can, and the chances are there’ll be a host of early bird price deals on offer.

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Facing debt alone can be a challenging and frustrating experience. Unfortunately, getting into debt happens a lot quicker and easier than getting out of it, and the journey to becoming debt free can sometimes feel unsurmountable. The hardest step is admitting that you might need to seek help, so here are a few of the great benefits that you can experience from seeking professional debt assistance.

Assessing the Situation

A professional consultant will be able to take stock of your financial situation and give you an honest appraisal of your debt. The amount may be more or less than you initially thought, as people often don’t look at the sum of their debts as a whole. The next step is often to discuss your current budgeting strategies, and work out ways to help you immediately make small changes to improve your situation. Having an objective opinion on your debt is an invaluable benefit of seeking professional debt assistance.

Preventing Further Damage

Another important advantage of accessing expert help is that they can assist you to cease potentially damaging habits right away. Protecting your credit rating is a very important financial goal, and your consultant will be able to ensure that you retain the best possible ranking. In addition, they will be able to negotiate with your creditors, often forming agreements that will allow you to pay reduced amounts every month until you are back on track. This allows you to start working off your debts without worrying about defaulting on your loans.

Strategies that Work

Perhaps the greatest benefit of seeking professional debt assistance is that you will be presented with a range of strategies and solutions that are proven to work. Everyone’s financial situation is different, so a good consultant will tailor their solutions package to best suit your needs.

Peace of Mind

By accessing professional assistance, you can be confident that your debt is in the right hands. The most important thing to consider when selecting a debt solutions specialist is ensuring that they are reputable and professional. Unfortunately some companies simply aim to take advantage of your vulnerable financial situation, and can leave you with even worse debt than when you started. Choose a widely recognised and trusted name, such as Australian Debt Reduction. With great customer testimonials and acclaim from the media, you can be comfortable knowing that you are being looked after by a true professional who has your best financial interests at heart.

Stress Less, and Enjoy Life Again

Financial stress is one of the worst things to have to experience. It sits in the back of your mind every day, producing feelings of guilt, frustration and helplessness. Imagine getting your life back without having to worry about your debt every single day. By seeking professional debt assistance, you know that you have taken a big positive step towards eliminating your debts, and can start to focus on enjoying life once again.

Don’t let debt ruin your life, take control of your financial situation and get help today. By seeking professional debt assistance, you are proactively combating your issues with debt. It’s not easy, but with some expert assistance, you will be well on your way to a debt free life sooner than you might think!

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