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Terry Mitchell - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, blogger, and amateur political analyst from Hopewell, VA. He's been in the software development/engineering line of work for over 27 years.
He blogs and writes about various subjects such as current events, politics, cultural and social issues, health and well-being, personal finance, religion, technology, media issues, law, government, sports, humor, and trivia.
Through the BlogBurst network, his blog entries are often carried on the Web sites of of ... [More]
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- How to Use Grants to Start a Business
[Business:Fundraising] It's expensive to start up a business, as any entrepreneur can tell you. There are any number of costs that depend on what type of business you are starting.
- How to Set Up a Family Budget
[Finance:Budgeting] In times when everybody makes less and everything costs more, developing a family budget and committing to it is one of the best ways you can improve your financial situation and secure your family's future. Knowing exactly how much income you have and how many expenses you have allows you to outline a road map that will help you reach your financial goals.
- How to Sell Your House in a Slow Market
[Real-Estate:Selling] There's no escaping the fact that the real estate market (among other things) is in a slump. Property values are at an all-time low, and stricter mortgage lending requirements are making it more difficult for willing buyers to get approved for home loans.
- How to Get Your Bank to Pay You
[Finance:Personal-Finance] There are a few different ways to "get your bank to pay you." Some of the most popular methods for saving money at the bank are detailed below. For maximum savings, employ more than one of the recommended strategies.
- How to Get the Most From Your Rewards Credit Cards
[Finance:Credit-Tips] There are a number of reward credit cards available and if you use them the right way, you can end up with quite a few benefits. The trick is to work with them to get the most out of each particular reward.
- How to Get Paid For Fishing
[Recreation-and-Sports:Fishing] There are some ways in which you can earn money for fishing. Whether you leave your day job or simply make money on the side with your favorite hobby, consider these ideas for getting paid to do what you love.
- How to Get Free Textbooks Online
[Shopping-and-Product-Reviews] Buying more than one, and in some cases various textbooks for each class you take can be a heavy financial burden. Borrowing or sharing textbooks isn't realistic as it is difficult enough as a student to budget your time without having constraints on when and where you can use any given textbook. Luckily, there are ways to save money when it comes to textbooks.
- Tips on How to Select a Real Estate Agent
[Real-Estate:Selling] As you prepare to sell a home, one of the most important professionals you will work with is your real estate agent. Choosing the right one can mean the difference between a quick sale, and having a house that is sitting on the market waiting for months on end. You want someone who is knowledgeable, competitive, and professional, but finding that individual in the sea of available agents is not always easy.
- How to Save on Energy Bills During the Summer
[Home-Improvement:Energy-Efficiency] Saving money is on everyone's mind at the moment and with summer heat rapidly approaching, you're probably wondering how you can cut back on your energy bills. The warmer months are an excellent time to go bare bones with your electricity since you won't need to be heating the house and less energy needs to be expended in general.
- How to Prevent Tax Audits
[Finance:Taxes] Being audited can be a very stressful, not to mention financially hazardous, experience. While many people will go their entire lives without being audited for taxes, not everyone is that lucky. There are, however, some ways to help prevent the tax man from checking up on you.
- How to Make Money As a Mystery Shopper
[Business:Careers-Employment] Chances are you've heard about these people, mystery shoppers, who get paid to do things like eat in fancy restaurants and buy things at nice stores. And, chances are, you've wondered how you can get a gig like that. This article will explain everything you need to know about mystery shopping.
- How to Know When to Quit Your Job
[Business:Career-Advice] Quitting your job is never an easy decision, but there are times when it is the best one. How can you know when quitting your job is the best choice? Sometimes when things are stressful at work, staying the course is the best option, but there are a few clear signs that quitting and looking for something new is really the right thing to do.
- How Short Term Disability Benefits Are Taxed
[Insurance:Disability] If you have injured yourself (on or off the job) and have been rendered temporarily disabled, you may be collecting short term disability benefits. The benefits may be paid out by the social security administration or from disability insurance provided by your employer.
- Easy Ways to Cut Your Family Budget
[Finance:Budgeting] With joblessness on the rise, out-of-control mortgages and general economic turmoil, families and individuals are looking for ways to spend less and save more money. Whether you're facing foreclosure, collecting unemployment, or haven't yet felt the effects of the recession - we could all use some extra backup savings.
- Don't Lose Money to Internet Fraud
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] The best way to protect your money from Internet scams is to avoid them altogether. In a perfect world, you never would, but even the best of us get taken in once in a while. The most common type of scam is the one in which someone offers something for sale online, takes your money, and then never delivers a product.
- Considerations When Converting From a Traditional to a Roth IRA
[Investing:Retirement-Planning] IRAs are confusing, because there are so many different types. The two most commonly used IRAs are traditional and Roth. Both allow taxpayers to contribute up to $2000 each year to the IRA and offer tax benefits.
- Tips For Avoiding Bank Overdrafts
[Finance:Personal-Finance] There is no doubt about it - getting hit with a steep overdraft charge from your bank is the worst. Banks charge you anywhere from twenty to fifty dollars or more if you go over on a check, and sometimes it's just a simple mathematical error on your part that causes the overdraft.
- A Roth IRA Vs A 401(k)
[Investing:Retirement-Planning] Even in times of economic turmoil, one of the most important financial objectives for individuals of working age is to save for retirement. It is important to secure your future financially by ensuring that you will have enough money saved up for you to enjoy the lifestyle you desire in retirement.
- How to Choose an Estate Attorney
[Finance:Estate-Plan-Trusts] Planning your estate is no small task, and making sure everything is done correctly can be critical to the financial wellbeing of your heirs and loved ones. Estate planning is more complicated than simply drafting a will. It also works to minimize taxes and other fees and sets up contingency plans for your health care should you become incapacitated.
- A Student's Guide to Banking
[Finance:Personal-Finance] Whether you're going off to college in another city or state or whether you'll be a commuter student that lives at home, this new stage of life brings a whole new set of responsibilities. Part of the responsibility of being a college student involves being financially responsible for expenses such as tuition, books and materials, dorm or apartment rental, utilities, cell phone bills, etc. You may be lucky enough to have help from your parents, but it's not too early to start learning about banking.
- What is a Reverse Mortgage?
[Real-Estate:Mortgage-Refinance] A reverse mortgage loan is a federally insured private loan that was created specifically to enable senior citizens (over the age of 62) to translate a portion of their home equity into cash. They therefore provide people with cash in advance against the value of their owned property. This can be very useful to senior citizens to supplement their income if they are struggling to meet their living expenses.
- Good Debt and Bad Debt - How to Know the Difference
[Finance:Credit-Tips] Many people assume that all debt is the same and a very bad thing. That is simply not true... there are times when it is well worth getting into debt, but you need to know the difference between the good and the bad forms of it.
- How to Organize Your Monthly Bill-Paying
[Finance:Personal-Finance] Needless to say if we all had our way, we would forego the chore of paying our monthly bills, or better yet forego receiving these demands for money altogether. Unfortunately though, paying our monthly bills has to be done, but we can however put a system in place that will make this process a lot easier.
- The Primary Factors That Influence Stock Share Prices
[Investing:Stocks] Although everyone seems to know the main rule for investors is to buy low and sell high, not nearly enough people are aware of the factors influencing stock share prices. Share prices increase and decrease as a response to news. This news can either be broad, as in the case of changing interest rates, or specific news pertaining to one company.
- Homeowners Insurance 101
[Insurance:Home-Owners-Renters] If you are a new homeowner or about to become one, it is vital that you learn what you need to know about homeowners insurance. Whether you bought your home with cash or are financing through a mortgage company, it is important to insure your home.
- Must-Offend TV
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] You will rarely find nudity, explicit sex, or a certain four-letter word on network or basic cable TV in the U.S. That's because, of course, most viewers would find those things offensive. However, other things that are just as offensive to me (or, in some cases, even more so) seem to be fair game these days.
- Try These Bad-Day Busters
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] Whenever you notice that your day is starting to go bad, you may be able to reverse the situation. Try one or more of the following "bad-day busters."
- What People Really Mean
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] Many times, people will say one thing when they really mean something else. In some cases, it's a matter of using euphemisms instead of getting straight to the point, often to avoid to hurting someone's feelings or seeming too brutally honest. In other cases, it's an attempt to deny or "clean up" the reality of a given situation.
- Have Financial Markets Incurred Permanent Damage?
[News-and-Society:Economics] Even after a complete recovery, who will be able to look at our financial markets quite the same again? Indeed, I believe most investors have become a little more cynical and suspicious as result of the current recession and related setbacks that we have been experiencing for the last six months.
- The Multiple Job Tax Trap
[Finance:Taxes] When one has multiple employers at a given time, each employer might be withholding taxes as if they are that employee's only employer. That could easily result in not enough taxes being withheld, leading to the employee having to write a check - possibly a fat one - to the IRS at tax time.
- Prestige and Honor Must Be Earned
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] True honor and prestige must be earned. They should never be bestowed on someone as a reward for being lucky enough to be born to the right set of parents.
- Is McCarthyism Making a Comeback?
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] A certain one-note politician from the state of New York is angered by the fact that her governor selected Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, a fanatical gun control proponent who represents Long Island in Congress, is upset at Gov. David Paterson's choice because Gillibrand, who was beginning her second term as an upstate New York congresswoman, is a card-carrying member of the NRA.
- Overzealous Law Enforcement Strikes Again
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] Recently, six teenagers at a Pennsylvania high school were caught participating in a new fad called 'sexting.' Named as an obvious takeoff of texting, it is a practice in which one sends nude or semi-nude photographs of oneself, via a cell phone, to a peer - usually of the opposite sex. In this particular case, three girls had been taking and sending nude photographs of themselves to three boys.
- How About Some Alternative News Programming?
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] With the advent of the 24-hour cable news cycle in the early 1980's, I thought we would actually get some variety in the types of news programming that would be available. Instead, we have gotten more of the same. When a major news event like this occurs, the thinking at CNN, CNBC, Fox News, etc. seems to be that people won't be able to get enough of it.
- Prospective 2008 Presidential Candidate - Mike Huckabee
[News-and-Society:Politics] Unlike some of his potential rivals for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination, Mike Huckabee is both a fiscal conservative and a social conservative. This, combined with the fact that he is a fellow southerner, could make him an attractive choice for southern primary voters.
- A Look Ahead to 2008 (Part I)
[News-and-Society:Politics] Just as everyone has breathed a sigh of relief at the end of 2004 presidential campaign, I would like to take a quick look ahead to 2008. Today, I will be taking a look at the potential Republican candidates.
- My Trusty Predictions For 2005
[News-and-Society] Since it is still very early in the year, I will use this space to give you my trusty predictions for 2005. While none of these are guaranteed and any predictions are always fraught with risks, I'm reasonably sure the majority of them will prove to be quite accurate. They are based on my analysis of the personalities involved and the outcomes of similar situations from the past.
- A Collection of Unrelated Thoughts - Volume One
[News-and-Society] Have you ever heard of an FBI agent who wasn't "special"? Or an attorney who wasn't "at law"? Have you ever met an optometrist who didn't wear glasses?
- Prospective 2008 Presidential Candidate - Mark Warner
[News-and-Society:Politics] Mark Warner was elected governor of Virginia in 2001 after losing a closer than expected Senate race to John Warner five years earlier. Virginia law does not permit its governor to succeed himself, so Warner's term ended in January. Therefore, he will be able to devote himself to full-time campaigning for president. The fact that Warner was a Democratic governor in a strong "red" state will be a positive for him.
- Prospective 2008 Presidential Candidate - Hillary Clinton
[News-and-Society:Politics] I see a distinct possibility that Hillary Clinton's campaign could implode early next year, shortly after she officially announces her candidacy. Even now, at least eight months before her official announcement will come, her popularity with Democratic voters is starting to freefall.
- Four Things That Would Be Too Good to Be True
[News-and-Society] There are least four things that will never happen in my lifetime because they would simply be too good to be true. These things are: cable TV subscriptions sold on an a-la-carte basis, a federal sales tax replacing the federal income tax, the election of a Libertarian president, and a major league sports franchise coming to Virginia.
- Cut the Macaca About George Allen
[News-and-Society:Politics] I can understand someone being against Allen for a variety of reasons, including his lock-step support of the White House on the War in Iraq. But I wonder about voters who would otherwise vote for Allen, but have decided to vote against him because of this one indiscretion.
- Eleven Days That Doomed Clinton's Campaign
[News-and-Society:Politics] Now that Barack Obama has become the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, let's take a look back at how Hillary Clinton lost. Last year at this time, it seemed inevitable that she was going to win the nomination. What went wrong?
- A Look Ahead to 2008 (Part II)
[News-and-Society:Politics] Last week, I began my look ahead to the 2008 presidential campaign with the potential Republican candidates. Today, I will continue by taking a look at the potential Democratic candidates.
- Why the Digital Transition Should Not Be Postponed
[News-and-Society] President Barack Obama has requested that Congress postpone the mandatory analog-to-digital TV transition from February 17, 2009 to a later date. However, I completely disagree with this request. I think it would be a major mistake to postpone it after running thousands of public service announcements -- ad nauseum -- stating that the deadline was February 17, 2009. For one thing, it would cause mass confusion at this (late) point in the game.
- What a Federal Stimulus Package Should Include
[News-and-Society:Economics] President Barack Obama is proposing to spend nearly one trillion taxpayer dollars on a federal stimulus package to hopefully revive the ailing U.S. economy. Such a bill has already been passed by the House of Representatives and is now headed to the Senate, where changes to it are likely. Therefore, what form the final version of this bill will take is unknown at this time.
- Octuplet Mom Should Not Profit
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] While the public doesn't have a right to impose its views on a woman in regard to her reproductive decisions, it should stand firm in preventing anyone from profiting from unwise choices. If, as has been reported, the California mother who recently gave birth to octuplets is now seeking millions of dollars for her story, she should ultimately come away disappointed. It is her right to have as many children as she wants, as long as she can take care of them and provide financial support for them.
- Tax Season - It's Here and I Hate It
[Finance:Taxes] I have never had to send the IRS a check. Actually, I usually get a decent refund, despite the fact that I take every possible exemption on my W-4. Even so, I hate tax season and I'm sorry to see it here again.
- Prospective 2008 Presidential Candidate: Mitt Romney
[News-and-Society:Politics] Since being elected governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney has become one of the bright young stars of the Republican Party and surprisingly finished second in a recent straw poll of Republican insiders. Romney is a good speaker and an excellent campaigner.
- Prospective 2008 Presidential Candidate: John Edwards
[News-and-Society:Politics] Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards will face an uphill climb for the Democratic nomination. He only served one term in the U.S. Senate, as he didn't seek re-election in 2004, the year he was the Democratic vice presidential nominee.
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