Controlling Student Loan Payments

Student loan debt has become an epidemic of sorts. These loans can be hefty and ultimately stressful. Many young people in America are scared to even make a monthly payment on their student loans. It could seem impossible to deal with due to the enormous balance that doesn't seem to go anywhere.

When you are young you are impressionable. Today's millennials are no exception. Accruing student loan debt is seen as a necessary burden essential to achieving their careers. Many find themselves employed following college. However, according to CareerBuilder.com about half of college graduates in 2014 were employed in jobs that do not require a college degree.

To make things worse the student loan lenders begin hounding their "clients" immediately after graduating. If you are one of these clients you probably know by now that nothing in this world comes easier than debt. The chances of you having money to pay your student loan debts so soon is quite slim.

Before leaving high school these young, impressionable people are lead to believe a college education will lead to a guaranteed career. Turns out, it is not that simple. The Washington Post reported in 2013, according to data from Jaison Abel and Richard Dietz of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, only 27% of college graduates had jobs related to their major. If this comes as a rude awakening to you I apologize. There is no one simple way to make your dream job come true and your student loan debts disappear. However, it takes action, commitment and it is possible.

Student loans. If reading those two words infuriates you don't worry. It should. Paying off student loans may seem impossible but there are ways you can help yourself out. The first thing you need to do is understand what type of loan you have. Some loans are eligible for certain benefits which may assist your situation.

Check out the National Student Loan Data System (NSLD). This website is home to the U.S Department of Education's database for student aid. Only federal student loans are eligible for this aid. In my experience I've talked to more individuals with federal loans than those with private ones.

A good idea for those who are unemployed or "between jobs" is deferment or forbearance. A deferment or forbearance allows you to temporarily stop making your federal student loan payments or to temporarily reduce the amount you pay. This could be helpful if you are in danger of defaulting on your loan. A default occurs when you have not made your monthly payments for an extended period of time. In the case of a default, the lender make execute legal action in order to get their money back.

If you are eligible for deferment, the federal government may pay the interest on your loans during the deferment period. The opposite goes for a forbearance. In a forbearance you may be able to lower your payments or stop payments completely for up to 12 months.

These options can give you room to breathe and pursue the career you studied so long to achieve.

There are other options available to help get your monthly payments decreased to a manageable level. There are income-based repayment plans for people with direct loans or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans. In an income-based repayment program your monthly payments can be reduced to 10% of your monthly income. In most cases the loan is forgiven after 25 years in these programs.

Depending on your situation, there may be a repayment plan out there that best suits you. Head over to the Federal Student Aid website and browse their listings of payment plans.

Student loan consolidation is a viable option for people with more than one student loan. If your student loans have varying interest rates and minimum monthly payments you should look into a Direct Consolidation Loan. Just like traditional consolidation, a direct consolidation loan combines multiple federal student loans into one loan with one payment and interest rate. These loans can stretch the amount of time you have to pay the loan, thus lowering your monthly payment. You will also get a fixed rate on your interest instead of dealing with variable rates.

Consolidation does have its down sides. You may be more comfortable with the monthly payments but, you will end up paying more in the long run due to the interest rate. If your individual loans had attached benefits you will lose those as well.

You may not have planned on dealing with student debt when you were leaving high school. With most people it seems to sneak up on them as soon as the leave college. No matter what your student debt situation is there are programs available to help you manage it. You deserve to focus on the future and work towards your career goals instead of worrying about monthly payments.

Direct Sales Team Vs Distributor - Which is Better For an International Market?

If you're looking to expand your sales to new markets, then there's one big question you must ask: do I build a direct sales presence or use a distributor? Each method has its benefits and drawbacks, but we're going to make a strong case to use one method over the other in almost every instance.

What's the difference between direct sales and distributors?
A direct sales presence means that your company establishes, manages, and pays a sales team of one or more people in the target market.

An outside agent is any entity that will sell your product in exchange for a service fee. One example is a sales rep, who sells your product in exchange for a percentage of the sale. A distributor is similar to a rep, except they would buy product from your company and sell it directly to the end customer.

Is Direct Sales Better?
For most businesses expanding into new markets, especially international markets, hiring a distributor is a better decision-at least until there is enough return from the market to justify building a direct sales presence.

Sure, there is one major advantage to having a direct sales presence-control. Control over the day to day activities of your sales personnel is appealing to most business owners. But this control comes at a heavy price. To start, you'll need to spend the time to hire someone in that market, then train them, then equip them with sales material and management, if not office space and equipment. These costs are prohibitive for most small businesses looking to expand internationally.

And there are even more costs that we have not mentioned yet. Each market has it's own unique laws, cultures and customs that are essential to master if your company wants to establish a successful sales presence. Japan is a classic example of a marketplace with unique legal structures and business customs that, if not followed, guarantee the failure of any sales efforts. It's hard to pin down an exact monetary value to this learning, but ask yourself this: Can you afford to establish, manage, and pay a sales force in a foreign country for at least a year while they learn the routes and generate no revenue?

What about a Distributor? Is a distributor better for new markets?
Distributors are a cost effective means to enter a new marketplace successfully. Here are just a few of the reasons:

• No Overhead: Unlike running your own sales team, a distributor will take care of the hiring, managing, payment, and optimization of its channel. You're just borrowing their distribution, while they handle the maintenance.
• Established Channel with Local Knowledge: A good distributor will already know all the laws and customs of the market you're entering. You do not need to reinvent the wheel-you can use someone who already has local local knowledge.
• Understanding Pricing and Purchasing Power of Market: Along with knowledge of the laws and customs comes knowledge about the most successful ways to price and market your product locally.
• Cost Effective: Since you will not be paying for the above items, distributor relationships are much more within reach of a small business trying to enter a new market.

Using a distributor has some downsides as well, but they can be minimized by building a good relationship with a distributor.

• Not your own people: You will not be able to directly manage every step of the process. While it may make you nervous to lose some control over the sales process, you can manage the risk by building a transparent relationship with your distributor with constant updates and feedback from both ends.
• Distributor has many products to represent: You may not be the distributor's top priority at any given time, and you want to be sure your product is not getting shuffled to the back of the line. Once again, a well-established relationship with constant contact will ensure that your product is getting the attention it describes.
• Not a "turn key" solution: You can not just give the distributor your products and expect success. You'll have to manage the relationship. This takes time, but it's still less costly than trying to install a direct sales team from scratch.

So what do I do next?
If you are not convinced that a distributor would be better for your organization than acquiring a direct sales team, seek help from a consultant who has experience establishing a presence in new markets. A consultant can use his or her experience to analyze your opportunity and recommend the best course of action.

Before you choose a distributor, you need to know ....
Choosing the wrong distributor will set you up for failure. The wrong distributor simply will not generate sales, and you'll have wasted at least a year finding and setting up an unprofitable relationship.

There are certain things to look for in a distributor, and they are different for every market. The best thing to do is to find a professional, one with experience in distributor relationships, and hire that professional to help you search for and identify the right distributor.

Digital Images Taken On A Portable Xray System Can Be Viewed Most Effectively Using A Dicom Viewer

Portable x-ray units make it possible for doctors and veterinarians to take their practices on the road when needed. Some offices are completely portable, and go to their patients wherever they are, while others have both a home office and mobile services. If you are considering a portable xray system, it is good to know that you can get the final results by viewing the digital images you take in the field with a professional Dicom viewer.

A viewer consists of hardware and software designed for viewing digital medical images to the best effect. Many times a viewer is used in conjunction with a medical-grade digital-graphics monitor for the best display. The monitors currently available are sized to suit the types of digital x-rays that you normally take, and include those wide enough for single-screen viewing of full chest x-rays and other types of digital images. Physicians turn to a medical viewer to ensure that they have the best resolution possible from each diagnostic tool that they use in their practice.

When you use your portable x-ray setup, you have a couple of different options for viewing. Some imaging machines allow you to view the image directly on the unit. Others can be connected to a laptop computer with the appropriate software, so that you can view the images on your laptop.

Another way to view the images is to print copies when you have a printer attached to your mobile imaging system. Or, if your laptop is connected to a PACS system as well as a wireless internet connection, you can send your digital images taken in the field back to your home office for further study and storage.

When a physician or veterinarian is equipped with diagnostic tools that are mobile, a whole new level of patient care is possible. There are some patients who are unable to visit you at your home office. These can include those in nursing homes, convalescent centers, as well as people on cruise ships or even athletes playing sports in stadiums. Veterinarians often have to travel to their patients in order to provide routine health care, and a mobile x-ray system can help to provide you with the diagnostic information you need for accuracy in diagnoses.

The Easiest Way To Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets Like A Pro

How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets - Easy Guide For Weekend Warriors And DIYers

We always suggest that you hire a professional to do the job for you for multiple reasons which include experience and insurance of a quality job! But for those who want to know how to paint kitchen cabinets without a professional spray, this is how you can get professional looking results for under $ 200.

How To Achieve Professional Results When Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets

I have been getting a ton of questions via lately about one of our Facebook postings in which I painted our kitchen walls and cabinets. Most people are curious and want to know how to paint kitchen cabinets, and how much it cost to get our cabinets looking like new.

Our house is very old and so are our cabinets. It did not bother us at first but ever, we got sick of looking at that ugly veneer look so we decided it was time for a makeover.

It's not very difficult to paint over veneer it just needs the right prep work. If you hire a professional I would suggest trying to do as much as you can yourself such as taking off the doors and hardware and maybe sanding them lightly with a 220 grit sanding block. Just a light scuff will do (imagine you are cleaning a window). That will save you a few dollars. But if you decide to do it on your own here are some tips on how to paint kitchen cabinets and get amazing and long lasting results.

Preparation When Painting Kitchen Cabinets

After you remove your doors (or just masking your hinges) light sand / scuff the surfaces that are being painted with a 220 grit sanding block. Use a type of degreasers such as Windex or Zep Citrus Degreaser.

Next, you have 2 options.You can use a 220 grit sandwich and lightly scuff your surfaces or use Krud Kutter-Gloss Off which you can wipe on using a rag and let it sit for 10 minutes. Your surfaces will be deglossed without having to sand them.

Your next step is to prime the surfaces with the right primer. I used one coat of "INSL-X Stix" which is a urethane acid You can find it online or at your local Benjamin Moore Supplier. Check your local Hardware store.

Using a good quality paint will help you get the best finish possible. I suggest using Benjamin Moore Advance Alkyd. It is very easy to work with and dries to a hard and durable finish.

Using a 2-inch Nylon paintbrush start cutting in around the hardware (if you did not remove the doors) and any places Your Whizz ™ roller will not reach. Next, use your Whizz ™ roller to apply your ALKYD enamel. Try to paint in the same direction as your grain (if your cabinet has a fake wood pattern). Let it dry overnight and repeat. You can hang your doors now but keep in mind that even though the enamel will dry overnight, it still takes 30 days to fully cure so be careful and try to avoid scrubbing them before those 30 days.

Selecting Your First Welder

When one first starts searching for a welder to select it can be easy to become overwhelmed. There are a plethora of different types of welders to pick from like arc welders, MIG and so on. Even if you can easily narrow down the kind of welder that you need, you still have to select the brand and the capacity of the welder. Thankfully if you have some information of the varied types of welders the welder selection process will be much simpler.

First, you have to know what the type of the welder really means as far as its function. MIG and arc / stick are most likely the two most popular types and are probably going to be the type of welder a beginner would select.

A MIG (metal inert gas) is one of the simplest welders to learn when starting out. A MIG uses a spool of wire to weld. Once the trigger is rolled and the wire touches the object to be welded a circuit is completed and melts the welding wire. Also while this is happening an inert gas is being let out by the welder at the point of the weld to prevent gases from the air from weakening the weld.

A MIG welder is easy to weld with. Simply clamp the grounding wire to the objects to be welded, Place the end of the welding gun around one half of an inch away from the surface and pull the trigger.

An even more simple type of wire feed welder is a flux core. With this type you do not even need shielding gas as it is inside within the middle of the wire. Realize that while flux cores are easier to use and less expensive than an actual MIG welder, the welds will be much worse cosmetically. As such, a flux core is good for someone that needs a welder for practical use around the house and farm where the welds actually do not particularly matter. If you are purchasing a welder to do work on an auto body, or weld metal artwork you would most likely want to select a MIG.

Arc welders are the other main category of welders for novices. Arc welders are the easiest to weld with. Just hold a welding rod in one of the clamps and touch the items to be welded. This completes a circuit, melts the rod and welds the items together.

Arc welders usually have more penetration than MIG or flux cores, but they are more difficult to weld with. The positives of arc welders are that they are fairly inexpensive and they create tough welds when used correctly. You can also select an arc welder for around 100 bucks that is appropriate for hobby use.

Overall either a MIG or an arc welder would be a great choice for someone that is just beginning to learn how to weld. To read and learn more about specific welders please visit welder reviews .

What Is Bitcoin & Why Is Cryptocurrency So Popular?

Bitcoin has been the buzz word in the financial space. As of a matter of fact, Bitcoin has exploded the scene in the last few years and many people and many large companies are now jumping on the Bitcoin or cryptocurrency bandwagon wanting a piece of the action.

People are total new to the cryptocurrency space are constantly asking this question; "What is Bitcoin really?"

Well, for starters bitcoin is actually a digital currency that falls outside the control of any federal government, it's used worldwide, and can be used to purchase things like your food, your beverages, real estate, cars, and other things.

Why is Bitcoin so important?

Bitcoin isn't susceptible to things like governmental control and fluctuations in the in the foreign currencies. Bitcoin is backed by the full faith of (you) the individual and it's strictly peer-to-peer.

This means anyone complete transactions with Bitcoin, the first thing they realize is that it's a lot cheaper to use than trying to send money from bank to bank or using any other services out there that requires sending and receiving money internationally.

For example, if I wanted to send money to let's say China or Japan I would have to have a incur of fee from a bank and it would take hours or even days for that fee that money to get there.

If I use Bitcoin, I can do it easily from my wallet or my cell phone or a computer instantaneously without any of those fees. If I wanted to send for example gold and silver it would require many guards it would take a lot of time and a lot of money to move bullion from point to point. Bitcoin can do it again with a touch of a finger.

Why do people want to use Bitcoin?

The main reason is because Bitcoin is the answer to these destabilized governments and situations where money is no longer as valuable it used to be. The money that we have now; the paper fiat currency that's in our wallets is worthless and a year from now it'll be worth even less.

We've even seeing major companies showing interest in the blockchain technology. A few weeks ago, a survey went out to a handful of Amazon customers whether or not they would be interested in using a cryptocurrency if Amazon creates one. The results from that showed that many were very interested. Starbucks even hinted about the use of a blockchain mobile app. Walmart has even applied for a patent on a "smart package" that will utilize the blockchain technology to track and authenticate packages.

Throughout our lifetime we've seen many changes take place from the way we shop, the way we watch movies, the way we listen to music, read books, buy cars, look for homes, now how we spend money and banking. Cryptocurrency is here to stay. If you haven't already, it's time for anyone to fully study cryptocurrency and learn how to take full advantage of this trend that's going to continue to thrive throughout time.

Identifying The Real Journey to Create Wealth

So often when one pursue the quest to create wealth, they do so without really understanding, as well, as appreciating, what wealth creation is really all about. While it is true it may have different meanings for anyone seeking to create wealth, what is equally true is that creating wealth involves a defect meaning that those who have really been successful in creating wealth really appreciate, and understand.

Money, IT's Purpose & Real Value

The pursuit of money is a continous, never ending focus of the majority of people today. This intenet focus on the part of some people, governments, those in the business community, just to name a few, have resolved in many cases individuals, organizations actually operating out of their minds. This coupled with losing the deeper meaning of the role money really play in our lives. So the question becomes what is the purpose of money? Money as we know it, coins, paper notes, or beads is really currency that is a means of exchange. Money in itself has no power. It receives it power through the value we or society assign it. Example, a sliver of printed paper is assigned value $ 1, $ 10, $ 50, $ 100 for the purpose of exchange. At any moment, that paper with assigned value could be declared worthless. So the single pursuit of money in itself, does not guarantee overall prosperity, and abundance.

Understanding Prosperity and Abundance

When speaking or thinking of prosperity, we are really thinking of thriving, flourishing, the good things of life, success, affluence, good fortune. On the other hand abundance, is having a fullness, as well, as an overflow of supply. Both prosperity and abundance, are freed from the limitations that are connected in the pursuit of money. Successful wealth creators really understand their pursuit is really about prosperity, and abundance.

Why? Because both are available with unlimited capacity. Additionally, wealth creators are aware, understand, and appreciate that more, and more of everything is available to be created that lead to prosperity, as well, abundance. They recognize the power of the energies that emit from both prosperity and abundance. The more one's journey is for prosperity and abundance, the more the actual manifestations of wealth becomes a reality. This include manifestations of joy, happiness, wisdom along with physical manifestations that may include wellness, things of value that is intrinsic, extrinsic, or assigned value like money.

What these manifestations do not bring that comes with the singular pursuit of money, is fear & resistance. The singular pursuit of money brings the fear of either not having enough money, the fear of retaining what one have, the fear of being obsessed with money, to mention a few. These fears coupled with the resistance to the pursuit of prosperity, along with abundance. There is resistance to these because the belief of "money pursuers" is that through money prosperity, as well, as abundance is created. They do not see that prosperity & abundance is linked with an unlimited source. They do not see that there are not any errors attached with abundance or prosperity. Sometimes even greater is that they do not see that once one really make the conscious decision to pursue prosperity, abundance they become free to create the unlimited means to complete freedom, wealth, success, joy, happiness. Creating financial freedom, creating the reality of your dreams for your family, yourself, as well, as for others only occurs through surrendering to creation to the pursuit of total wellness, prosperity, and abundance.

The Plan

There are choices that anyone seeking to create wealth must make. First, is deciding how you choose to live? Will you choose the singular path of money, by living below your means? Will you continue to think, live through psycho-midgetis? The pursuit of wealth is not about less. The creation of wealth is not about limitations. Embrace the concept that the physical, including money, will create the fulfillment of your dreams is a course riddle with limitations, fears, resistance. On the other hand, embracing, activating the unlimited course of prosperity and abundance render an ongoing flow of fulfilling, rewarding manifestations. Secondly, you must choose between remaining in the status quo, or breaking free and embracing a higher reality. The status quo is based on controls, riddle with limitations. The higher reality, is based on embracing consciousness of that prosperity, as well, as abundance is anchored on a level that transcends any physical pursuit. Achieving a successful and fulfilling wealth creation plan starts with consciously committing to embracing, growing the energy of prosperity, as well, as abundance. This is the foundation of your overall plan. The stronger you build this foundation, the greater fulfillment becomes. The Plan therefore is quite simple. The real creation of wealth is 'spiritual'. Therefore the foundation of the plan involve these steps:

• Begin the consciousness, awareness, and commitment to transcend from the vicious pursuit of physical manifestations.

• Seek and develop a spiritual consciousness ( this is not a matter of religious membership ), Pursuing prosperity and abundance first and foremost with the clear understanding, as well, as appreciation of the unlimited reserve of both.

• Developing an awareness that this is the spiritual pursuit that produces an endless flow of the physical manifestations, things of assigned value, like money, additional assets. Not the other way around.

. • Finally creating wealth is the growth of prosperity and abundance we individually achieve. The more you grow in prosperity and abundance, the more your physical manifestations grow as well.

With your special talents you have the opportunity to create, as well, as implement your plan.