All posts by Shauna

Radon, the number two cause of lung cancer

38, radon mitigation, radon reduction

Everyone is well aware of the incredible dangers of smoking cigarettes but for some reason or another, the second largest cause of lung cancer, radon, is hardly ever discussed. In fact, when most people go and buy a new home, they rarely ever consider the possibility that radon could be sneaking up from the cracks in the foundation or the basement. Varying amount of radon exists in almost every region and in almost every home though so it is important to have a professional radon mitigation company come and test how in danger your home is. Radon is a naturally occurring product of decaying uranium, which is found naturally in soil. When there are very little bits of radon in the soil, the threat to the people in the house is fairly inexistent. In some areas of the United States though there is a much higher amount of radon that appears naturally in the soil and homes in those areas need to take extra precautions to make sure that their homes and families are taken care of.

One of these areas where a lot more radon shows up in the soil than in other areas is Colorado. In fact Colorado ranks up on the list of top radon states so the residents have to take even more measures to protect themselves from this odorless, tasteless and colorless substance. or up through the water supply, however the latter is a significantly less frequently occurring situation. As you could probably imagine, radon that comes up as a gas and is inhaled is likely to cause lung cancer where as radon that comes up from the water supply is more likely to cause stomach cancer.

radon mitigationWhen Colorado residents move into a new home it is encouraged for them to call a radon mitigation company to come and do basic testing to see if there is an unsafe amount of radon present in the home. Once you get the all clear from the radon mitigation company it is a good idea to set up a radon detector in the home to monitor and see if ever something changes. Because radon is naturally occurring in the soil it can develop and become a problem at any time. The levels or radon in a home can even change quite a bit throughout the year so it is important to monitor the changes.

After you receive the all clear from the radon mitigation company, it is a good idea to also install a radon detector in your home so that you are notified if there are ever any changes in the radon condition of your home. Once the radon detector is installed it will function similarly to a basic smoke detector in that all you have to do is to check the batteries every so often and the device will notify you if ever there is an increased amount of radon in the home.

Taking care of IT needs in your company 

38, IT support

When it comes to making any sort of decisions on what kind of computer network to go with, which Internet provider, what kind of programs to go with and everything else can be incredibly confusing and overwhelming. Unless you already know a lot about IT, it is usually a decent idea to have someone there to help you make those difficult decisions. This not only will help you make sure that you pick all of the right options for your company but it can also save you an incredible amount of time since you will not have to spend hours upon hours researching all of the information that you need to make an informed decision.

Normally the best way to find someone who will be able to help you make all of these big decisions is to check out local IT support companies. Usually they have enough experience with everything from Internet providers to security systems as well as know the right price for these types of things.

IT supportWhen it comes to picking the right server for your company the IT consulting company can give you advice based on your company’s size, figure out how much data is the best option for your voice provider, figure out which Internet provider is the best for everything that you need, get you set up with everything so that it is ready and working as well as so much more. With the right IT support company your process of getting your company set up and going will be much easier. When you are able to push off the decisions that you know little to nothing about to someone who knows all about it and can quickly figure everything out for you, you allow yourself more time for the things that are important for your company that only you can do, which is a much better use of your time and resources.

Once you have an IT company that you really like it also makes a number of things easier throughout the lifetime of your company as well since you already have someone to call when you run into any sort of IT problems which of course you will. IT problems are one of those things that will always happen one way or another and are also one of those things that can be the most frustrating problems imaginable. No matter how frustrating any IT or technical problems will be when they come up, it is at least better and easier to try and ignore it and move on when you know that someone is on their way to fix it and that you do not have to worry too much longer about it. Hopefully the IT support company can also get everything set up up correctly and in such a way that the number of instances that you have to deal with in regards to your computer systems will significantly decline. If this does not seem to be the case than obviously you need to find a better IT solutions company. 

Having our class reunion on a luxury cruise ship

38, Regent Cruise Destination, Seven Sea Cruise package

When I was a kid I went to one of those way over fancy, privileged private schools. At the time I hated it there because I felt that they all were jerks because they had too much money. As I grew out of my terribly angsty and hateful adolescence I finally started to make friends with some of the people at the school. I would not say most, or even a slight majority but a good few.

Now, a number of years later I still keep in contact a little bit with a few of them and for the first time in probably close to a decade I am going to be able to see them. I am surprisingly excited to see the few people that I really grew to love at that school and a small part of me is even kind of excited to see some of the other people I did not get along with all that well. It is probably mostly curiosity about how they all turned out but oh well.

cruiseWe are finally going to be able to see each other again because it is our twenty year class reunion. I know it sounds horribly cliché to say anything about oh how the time has passed but dear god… twenty years. To celebrate such a momentous occasion as the day that we were finally able to leave that school we are all going to meet on this crazy fancy, all inclusive luxury cruise. This in all honestly, is most of the reason that I am excited for the class reunion. I may not be thrilled about seeing many of the people that I went to school with but I surely am excited to spend a week on the ocean working on my tan and drinking fancy cocktails with little brightly colored umbrellas in them. Because it is with the whole school I am also assuming that this cruise is a lot cheaper than I would ever be able to find for a Seven Seas Cruise Package so I am surely not going to pass up this opportunity. I have already contact the people I am still friends with and make sure that we have our cabins in the same area so that I can more or less choose who I am going to be close to.

I have already been checking out the Regent Cruise Destination website and checking out all of the things that we are going to do on this trip and it really does look pretty nice. Absolutely better than meeting up in the school for the reunion or something like that. I know that is what a lot of schools do and let me tell you, I would never in a million years consider doing something like that. Having the reunion on a luxury cruise ship is by far the best possible thing that they could have chosen for our reunion. Now all I have to do is find the best looking dress I can find and I am ready to go.

 

During your divorce or separation you could need a divorce attorney

38, child support attorney, divorce attorney

No matter what kind of lawyer you need under any kinds of circumstances, it is always important to make sure that you get the best lawyer possible. Most of the time having a good lawyer means that you will get a bit of extra money in your claim but in the case of divorce or child custody, having a good lawyer on your side can mean a lot more. If you end up not having a good defense you might loose everything you have in the divorce and more importantly you might not get a fair chance at how much time you are allowed to spend with your children or under which circumstances you will be able to see them.  Since a judge is never going to have the full story on how competent each person is as a parent and will instead only get a very fueled he said, she said argument, I think it is incredibly important to have a quality divorce lawyer on your side so that your side can be agued competently and calmly. Most of the time people going through a divorce are not clear headed enough to make a calm and rational argument but screaming at the judge about how terrible the other parent is is not going to make your case for you being any better.

family law attorney Having a divorce attorney not only helps you have a clear and concise argument and fighting chance to being able to have adequate time with your kid, a divorce attorney will also help with all of the other issues surrounding divorce like the splitting of possessions. Often in divorce one person feels like they really got the raw deal and had to give up more property or possessions than they thought was fair or sometimes parents end up paying a lot more in child support than they think is fair.

When it comes to child support specifically, there is a lot of difficulties that are often run into either on the side of one parent feeling like they have to pay more than they should or, more often, there are problems with one parent not paying their portion of the child support. In cases like these many people choose to hire child support attorneys to try and get their former spouse to pay or to go to court over the amount due each month. Of course having a child support attorney doesn’t guarantee that you are going to ever get any money from your former spouse but it is worth a try sometimes. Sadly there are people out there who no matter what will not pay their child support either because they are just terrible people and do not care about their former partner or their child enough or because their financial situation does not allow for them to send any money. Sometimes though having a child support attorney and going to court does fix the problem or the judge could even order for the persons wages to be garnished so sometimes it is worth a try.

When you need quick medical care, check out Urgent Care San Tan Valley

38, Urgent care centers in San Tan Valley

We have all been there, you get sick unexpectedly or hurt yourself and you need medical attention fast. Many illnesses and injuries aren’t large enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room but if you wait until your normal family doctor to have an open slot to see you, you may end up waiting much longer than you would like to. Situations such as this are the perfect time to look towards Urgent Care San Tan Valley medical centers. Urgent Care Centers, which are all around Nevada and Arizona, are walk in clinics that can help you out with almost any medical problem you might have. If you know a head of time that you are going to need to see a doctor you can go ahead and make an appointment but what truly makes Urgent Care Centers in San Tan Valley great is that they are there day or night, right when you need them.urgent care center Depending on which branch is closest to you, they usually are open from eight in the morning until eight or nine at night, every day of the week. If something happens during the middle of the night and you need medical attention the emergency room is still your best option but for everything else during the day, Urgent Care San Tan Valley can get you fixed up and back to it in a matter of no time. One of the worst parts of getting sick or hurting yourself is being out for a few days or even a few weeks while you are recovering. It is just a part of life of course and sometimes it must be done but for those moments when you are terribly busy and can’t take a few days off to recover, getting into the doctor quickly can help shorten your healing time as much as possible. With the help of some painkillers, antibiotics and bandages hopefully whatever illness or injury you have will be on its way to healing and so you can carry on with all of the important things you have to do in your life. Urgent Care Centers are also usually a bit cheaper than typical doctors offices or emergency rooms which is a very welcome change with how high medical costs have been climbing over the past few decades in this country. The price is of course dependent on what kinds of procedures you have done and if you need any medications or tests ran but in some cases patients can save between two and six hundred dollars by going to an Urgent Care Center. Of course your insurance policy should also cover an Urgent Care Center in San Tan Valley just like it would a normal doctors office visit. You can check for sure what your insurance policy will cover by giving your insurance provider a call. There are a number of different Urgent Care Centers around so check which location is closest to you. You never know when you might need a doctor in a hurry.

Getting my financial portfolio together with a financial advisor

38, financial advisor

I have never been very good about saving money for my future but the very little bit that I had been able to save up pretty much completely disappeared during the last few years with the financial collapse and now I feel that I am pretty much back to step one. I still have a number of years left working and I have a bit of an IRA and a 401K through my work but it really isn’t much. Most of my life I have worked either part time or as a freelancer so I haven’t exactly been having anyone put aside any money for me and since I can’t get either paying for individual insurance or on medical bills that my insurance doesn’t even cover. Between my piling medical bills and loosing all of my savings in the crash I am not exactly doing well financially. I have made an appointment with a financial advisor to see just how bad of shape I am in and what my options are from here. I am nervous that he will tell me that I am beyond hope, that my financial plan is so far from anything that will actually support me in the future but I figure the sooner I get some input from a financial planning service the better off I will be and the longer I will have to get myself out of this mess. I am not sure how much a can help me considering my current job doesn’t even pay enough to allow me to start saving but maybe they know of something that I am not thinking about. financial advisorEven if they don’t, maybe they can at least give me some advice for the steps I can take once I actually start making a little bit better money. Either way, a financial planner will for sure have more information and ideas on what my different options are than I ever could. Maybe there is something out there that is perfect for my situation and all I need to do is find it. On my own I have already cut down on a lot of my expenses in effort to try and save more and be more responsible with my money. It will be a while before I have enough saved up to do anything with it but maybe the financial advisor can at least show me the right direction to be going in once I have a little bit of money saved up and can actually do something with it like invest it or something. I am not sure where my future will lead me but hopefully after a little bit of hard work and determination I will be able to get my financial future at least back on a track that feels more comfortable. Making the appointment with the financial advisor is certainly the first step towards progress and growth.

Going back to flight school to get a new type rating

38, type rating

There are some industries where the pure experience of the job will push and allow you to learn new things and expand your capabilities. There are others of course where no matter your current experiences and abilities, in order to expand your carrier horizon you need a certain proper training program or certification. One of these industries that require strict certification and training programs is the world of aircraft pilots. No matter if you are wanting to get a new type rating for your own hobby as a pilot or if you are a professional pilot trying to expand your skill set, you need to find a flight airline training program to both teach you that new skill set and then give you the piece of paper afterwards that allows you to fly a certain kind of aircraft. If you are already an established pilot it can be difficult to find the time to go back and get new training for a new type rating. You not only have to navigate around your current work schedule but many of us also have a whole other set of responsibilities including family requirements or other kinds of engagements. Having a busy schedule doesn’t necessarily exclude you from being able to find a program to learn a new flight type rating certification. There are a number of different flight schools that realizes that its customers are probably busy and need to work around a complex schedule. It might take an extra bit of searching and effort but it is possible to find a great flight school out there to fit somehow with your needs and your schedule. While some people might get frustrated with the idea that it might be a little difficult to find the perfect flight school, once you find the perfect match it will be worth it in the end to be able to get your new flight type certification while not having to disrupt your entire life. type ratingGetting your new flight type rating is not an easy process but once you complete the process it can make a huge difference in the pleasure you receive out of flying as well as hopefully open up some new doors for you if you are a professional pilot. Most people who want to continue with their carrier while simultaneously going back to school to get a new type rating certification choose to enroll in a night school program. Many students find the combination of working during the day and going to school at night a very difficult process but for some it might be the only possibility to get your new type rating. Because of its difficulty, this option of course doesn’t work for everyone but for those who still want to continue with their day job this can be the best possibility to manage both their professional and their student life. Since pilots don’t always have a nine to five arrangement though, night school might be a little tricky for you.

Increasing your wealth with different investments

38, professional business cpas

After such a harsh market crash of the financial institutions, banks and housing market, many people are not sure where to turn as they try to pick up the financial shambles of their lives. If you add on the horrendous unemployment rates on top of all of the other problems Americans have faced recently it adds up to a lot of lost money and households lagging behind where they need to be financially to keep going. Now that things have finally started to turn around in some ever so slight ways, many people are going to different outlets to try and make some of their money back and take advantage of the still slightly struggling markets. While there are many options when it comes to investments, all with varying risks and benefits. No matter which path you choose however, you should always consult a professional CPA (Certified Public Accountant) on any financial decisions. By having a CPA on your side you can get a professional opinion on any of your investment possibilities. The CPA can help you assess different levels of risk and reward possibilities and pitch in any information they might have after their years and years as a professional in the business. While many people do not particularly like to take the opinions of others into account, a professional CPA firm will know all of the ins and outs of financial investing and be able to hopefully push you to make only the best possible decisions for the financial interest of you or your company. Having a professional CPA on your side can help you avoid possible bogus or possibly unprofitable investments and lead you in the direction to find some of the best and more profitable investment opportunities available. Many professional business CPAs are in the know about any new trends in investing as well as know all about all of the mistakes made in the past by other companies and individuals so that they can help steer you clear of any probable pitfalls that could damage your success and portfolio. Also, a professional business CPA can be a wonderful help if you need, assistance with any tax information or processing you might need. This is particularly important if you actually start making money off of your investments. Some of the tax laws can be incredibly confusing and unclear. You of course do not want to be stuck paying more taxes on your investments than you need to but on the other hand you sure do not want the IRS coming after you for not paying enough. Business CPAA professional business CPA will make sure that they find every piece of taxes that you are responsible for, make sure they are paid and then get you out of any of the tax loops and exemptions you might be eligible for. You might think that hiring a professional business CPA will cost too much but if you consider the possible gain from their knowledge and expertise in the financial industry, it can quickly add up to looking like if you do not hire a professional business CPA, you are walking away from better investments and more money.

Starting a concession stand for our kids’ sport games

38, American Concession Supplies, concession stand, concession stand suppliers

Coming up with money has been difficult for my husband and I the last few years after both of us, who work as freelancers, started facing a lot of difficulties finding any work. As a freelancer, we are both used to being creative for finding work. In no other business do the workers have to try so hard to sell themselves and their ideas in order to scrape by with pennies. My husband and I were brainstorming one evening with all of our bills spread across the table on new ways to make a bit of money. We started by making two lists, one of things we would like to do and one with the things we already spend a lot of time doing. I had heard at a freelancer’s workshop once that the best way to find extra cash in your life it to market on something you are already doing for free. American Concession StandsMost of the things on our “things we already do” list were not much more than humorous what ifs. What if we could get paid for doing our own laundry or get paid to help our kids with their homework. While those may not be the greatest or most profitable of ideas, one thing we thought of is how much time we spend at our kids’ sport games. We want to support all of our kids so we always make it a point for at least one, if not both of us to be there at every game, no matter how monotonous it may get sometimes. We started to think about all this time we spend at games. How because it is a small and rather small field we always had to bring a cooler of drinks and snacks. We probably would have bought food but the closest place was a few minutes away and to give up a parking place at a youth soccer or baseball game is subjecting yourself to some sort of slow, monotonous torture. Plus, we didn’t want to leave and miss some of our kid’s game. What if we missed them scoring a goal or making a great pass? We would never hear the end of it. This whole thing lead to our best idea so far, selling basic food and drinks at the games. We talked to the owner of the field about opening a small operation, only selling to our team and the opposing team during our team’s games. We didn’t want to make it any sort of big operation, just something to have going while we were already planning on being at the sports complex. The owner was ok with the idea so we started looking at concession stand suppliers and decided what kinds of things we wanted to sell. Because this was a small operation we wanted to keep it small and basic, nothing that had a terribly short shelf life or wasn’t hands down popular. We made a small list and have started to order everything we need from American Concession Supplies. By next week we should be up and running our first concession stand during our daughters game.