Reporter

Getting Health Insurance for children

July 30, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Having to care for a sick child or a partner brings added challenges and stress to family life. Choosing the right Family Health Cover specially when you have more than one children is an investment in peace of mind — knowing you and your family will have access to high quality medical services when you need them.

Family Health Cover and insurance for Children

With Family Health Cover specially for families with children you may insure against some or all of the costs of health services not covered by Medicare, such as:

Hospital expenses (theatre fees or accommodation) as a private patient in either a public or private hospital
Dental treatment, Chiropractic treatment, Home nursing, Podiatry
Physiotherapy, Occupational, Speech and Eye therapy
Glasses and contact lenses
Prosthesis and other ancillary services

Dependant children under health insurance
Dependant children can be covered under a family policy or single parent family policy at no extra cost, provided the dependant fits the criteria set by the health fund. The Private Health Insurance Ombudsman defines a dependant child as:
‘an unmarried person under the age of 18 years. A health insurer may consider a person between the ages of 18-25 a dependant child, but will usually require certain conditions to be met, for example, the person may have to be a full-time student. Conditions vary between health insurers.’

If your single child is above the threshold age for a dependant child and not eligible for cover as a student dependant, you may continue to cover them under your family health insurance policy by choosing Extended Family Cover in your status box. Be aware that health funds impose higher premiums for Extended Family Cover.

Some Insurance companies that offer Health Insurance for children

HBF – Health Insurance
www.hbf.com.au/Health_Insurance
Health Insurance from $5.90 a week. Get a Quote Online & Switch To HBF!

NIB Health Insurance
www.nib.com.au/HealthInsurance
Private Health Insurance That’s Worth It. Join NIB Today!

There may be out of pocket expenses
Private health insurance may not cover the total cost of hospital and medical bills. This means you may have to pay an amount out of your own pocket. The out of pocket expense is referred to as the gap. The amount you will have to pay depends on whether your health fund, doctor(s) and hospital have a gap agreement.

The Australian Government Rebate is available to everyone who is eligible for a Medicare Card. The rebate was designed to help Australians cover the cost of their premiums.

Claiming the rebate

There are three ways to claim the rebate.

1. From your fund
You can get the rebate deducted from your premium cost by some providers. This reduces your upfront cost.

2. From a Medicare office
You can receive the rebate as a cash payment from a Medicare office when you have paid the cost of your premium upfront.

3. From the Australian Taxation Office
You can claim back the rebate on your tax return if you have paid the cost of your premium upfront.

For more information visit Medicare Australia and the Department of Health and Ageing.

Oven fairy ( Small Business- Start up Series)

July 26, 2012 by Reporter 1 Comment

We are starting a new small business start up series where we will feature Small businesses that have launched and willing to share their launch, how they run their business and their success story.

First in the series – Oven fairy www.ovenfairy.com.au

At age 63 you would hardly think starting a new business would be on your mind but that is what I did.

Oven fairy- Get your Dirt y oven clean

Staring into my dirty oven one day I just could not face the thought of cleaning it again. I searched for someone who would do the job for me and discovered that this service was not available here in Sydney. I immediately thought that here was a business opportunity.

My successful Interior Design business which I have had now for 40 years was extremely busy with many projects in the pipeline but despite that Oven Fairy was born.

Going from never wanting to clean my oven again I was out there developing my new enterprise by cleaning other people’s oven
Key to the “jump start” is the name Oven Fairy.s! It took several months to get the whole system right, training staff, implementing office procedures and imbuing everyone with our commitment to excellent customer service.

Tracking all our advertising a nd promotions told us what worked and what did not. Apart from our repeat business we ask every client where they heard about us so we know month by month where our business comes from.

The challenges were many from finding the right products that are environmentally safe to honouring our promise to return all the ovens to showroom condition.Oven Fairy is recommended by Ilve, Miele and Smeg and our statistics show that 65% of our business is returning clients and recommendations. We are the premier oven cleaning business in Sydney and we now have 7 Oven Fairies delighting passionate cooks in Sydney.

Oven Fairy also cleans stove tops, range hoods, microwaves and BBQs. Juggling Oven Fairy and Momo Interiors has kept me very busy and I am still enjoying all the excitement and rewards owning a business presents.

I will be 70 years old this year with no plans for slowing down. Passion and commitment to the highest levels of customer service, doing wh at you promise, being on time for appointments all contribute to success.

Get in touch with Rosemary at www.ovenfairy.com.au

Guest article part of the “new small business start up series”

Related links for Small business start up series

http://get-your-own-publicity-and-start-up-your-business/

Woolworths Vs Coles in new advertising war

July 23, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Woolworths have stepped up the advertising ware to get new customers with a new catchy and cute advertisement featuring a nice oldies song depicting the fresh food people of Woolworth to rival the chef ads from Coles doing the rounds.

Australia’s retailers are spending up big to get the attention of the consumers with catchy new ads as coles have increased their take from the retail grocery market in recent years.

Woolworths new catchy Advertisement steps up the retail advertising war ( free Song)

Download Free the woolworths song.. Monday .. Tuesday (6.5mb)

Melbourne singer Gossling, who had a hit with guest vocals on 360’s Boys Like You, has recorded the soundtrack to the major new Woolworths campaign.

A presentation featuring ‘The Voice’s Emma Louise Birdsall performing the new Woolworths song A special presentation featuring ‘The Voice’s Emma Louise Birdsall performing the new Woolworths song

Listen to Emma Louise Birdsall’s performance here.

Here is the original song

The Woolworths song `Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday – I Love You’ was originally recorded in the late 1940’s by the Big Band vocalist Kitty Kallen with Lawrence Welk and his Champagne Orchestra.

Woolworths slogan has been updated from “the fresh food people” to “Australia’s fresh food people”.

The price fight Coles started last year when it cut the price of its house-brand milk by 33 per cent quickly became an all-out competition between the supermarket giants bringing the consumersbetter prices for many products , but sparking uproar in their grocery suppliers.

Coles has launched an aggressive advertising campaign in the past six months, and is reported to be outspending Woolworths by two to one by also including celebrity chef Curtis stone in their Advertisements

Coles new Single and advertisement – Down Down prices are down

Cole’s has hit back with a a new full length advertisement video by Status Quo. Watch video here http://downdown.coles.com.au/video/ . Down Down, Prices are Down is sung by Status Quo in thier extended tv commercial. thier previous advertisement also featured 64-year-old Vietnam vet, Rowe singing a reworked version of his 1965 hit, a cover of Shakin’ All Over. Coles even got thier new music store @ https://www.colesmusic.com.au/

A Coles spokesman said it was not surprised Woolworths has tried to emulate its success. “They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so let’s just say that with some competitors’ recent activity, we are feeling very flattered,” senior manager consumer PR, Jon Church, said.

Guar – The mining gold from India Coveted by US Miners

July 17, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

The people of rajasthan India often live in poverty, specially a lot of the farmers in the desert land of Rajasthan India. But suddenly a small little bean grown in rajasthan India is changing many lives for the better , creating a flutter in the Indian commodity market and also worrying a lot of us miners who use this bean for a mining method called fracturing

Guar the Indian Bean and Mining by Fracturing

A recent discovery that guar could stiffen water so much that a mixture is able to carry sand sideways into wells drilled by horizontal fracturing, also known as fracking has made this bean a commodity in demand.

U.S. companies drilling for oil and gas in shale formations have developed a big appetite for the powder-like gum made from the seeds of guar giving many small-scale farmers in India a nice bonanza who produce 80 percent of the world’s beans.
Halfway around the world, earnings are down for an oil services giant, Halliburton, because prices have risen for guar (The bean that is used in fracturing), the bean that many Rajasthan farmers have now started to grow, abandoning their traditional farming crops. . The increase in guar prices is helping to transform this part of the state of Rajasthan in north-western India, one of the world’s poorest places.

The magic bean Guar from India

This hard little bean when ground up, it becomes an essential ingredient for mining oil and natural gas in a process called hydraulic fracturing. This bean Guar is so hard that it can crack teeth, has become an unlikely global player, and poor farmers in India have suddenly become a crucial link in the energy production of the United States.

For centuries in Rajasthan India , farmers here used guar to feed their families and their cattle. These beans are easier to grow in the Rajasthani desert, a land poor in rain. Commercial interest in guar first developed when food companies found that it absorbs water like a souped-up corn-starch, and a powdered form of the bean is now widely used to thicken ice cream and keep pastries crisp.

Fracking boom in the United States

The fracking boom in the United States and now spreading in Europe has led to a surge in natural gas production, a decline in oil imports and a gradual transition away from coal-fired power plants. "Without guar, you cannot have fracturing fluids," said Michael J. Economides, a professor of engineering at the University of Houston who is a fracking expert. "And what everybody is worried about is that there is virtually no guar out there now."

In March, the United States bought 33,800 metric metric tons of guar gum from India, the highest amount ever. Last year, U.S. firms bought an average 22,000 metric metric tons from India a month.

India produces about 85 percent of the world’s guar. Worries for this year’s monsoon, which is vital for an adequate crop has risen in speculation over commodity prices for guar

Vikas WSP, an Indian company that specializes in the production of guar powders. Vikas signed contracts with farmers guaranteeing a return of nearly $800 per acre if they planted guar, no matter what this year’s monsoon brought.

"Last year was an extraordinary year," said S. K. Sharma, managing director of Lotus Gums and Chemicals in Jodhpur. "In 35 years in this business, I’ve never seen that."

Mr. Sharma said his company would soon open a second plant dedicated entirely to serving gas companies, adding that he was cautiously optimistic that guar prices would remain robust. "But we know there are efforts to grow guar in China, Australia, California and elsewhere, and it has us worried,"

Neil Beveridge, an oil analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, said demand for fracking services should continue to grow rapidly as the industry expanded outside North America. "We’re already starting to see a big increase in Eastern Europe, Argentina, Australia, China and India itself," he said.

Mr. Economides, the Houston fracking expert, said. "There are no easy or cheap alternatives to guar,"

guar sowing increases
price of sugar
guar prices 2012
guar
guar gum price monitor 2012

That is good news for guar producers and farmers of Rajasthan India.

What To Do If You Are The Victim of Mortgage Misselling

July 17, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Mortgage misselling is a real problem that occurs to many individuals across the UK and throughout the world. It is the process in which a lender provides less than ideal or ethical lending practices to an individual or homeowner. There is, however, recourse if this occurs and claims for compensation for misselling can be an option that may be best for you. The following explains more.

Claims For Misselling

One way to take action against a lender that has not provided you with all of the information you needed or treated you with less than ethical standards while lending, is to make a claim for compensation for misselling. This compensation can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the type and size of the loan that was given. There are several different ways in which compensation is calculated, and each situation will be treated uniquely. One way that it can be calculated is by comparing the bad mortgage and what was paid with what the homeowners should have received a loan amount for.

The amount of overage spent each month may be reimbursed to the individual homeowner covering the period of time the bad mortgage was in effect. This is just one way of calculating and the court as well as financial advice may dictate the terms of the agreement for the amount of compensation for misselling.

Important People

When it comes to addressing a concern over compensation for misselling, a homeowner really need to find a team of individuals or group of resources that can help him or her through the process. Part of the team needs to be developed by advocacy for oneself. The largest part of the team is the homeowner and they must stay informed, do their research, and arm themselves with as much knowledge as possible to prepare for the potential battle with the lender. This is important because knowledge both prepares for the proceedings as well as can be a comfortable source for information during a confusing process.

Another great team member that should be found early on in the process is a single or group of claim lawyers. Claim lawyers can help to guide through the process as well as handle any legal issues that arise. You should choose a lawyer that is well-versed in this type of law and, more importantly, this type of claim. This will help to ensure that they are best prepared for the spontaneity that can occur in court.

Olympics – Boxing & Business sports round up

July 10, 2012 by Reporter 1 Comment

Australian swimmers will receive A$35,000 for winning individual gold at the London Olympics later this year, Swimming Australia said on Monday as reported in stuff.co.nz.

News for australia + olympics

The winners of relay gold medals will share an A$60,000 bonus between all the swimmers who took part in the race.

Boxing Australia

“I’m the only one that can beat Floyd,” says Anthony Mundine. He is ready to belatedly introduce America to ‘The Man’, but says his upcoming bout against Bronco McKart is merely a steppingstone to meeting Floyd Mayweather.

Australian Paralympic at the Olympics

The Australian Paralympic Committee is preparing to deliver an Australian Team to the 2012 London Paralympic Games of approximately 165 athletes and 140 officials (total Team size of 305). This will be the largest Team Australia has ever sent to an away Paralympic Games. More team information..

http://london2012.olympics.com.au/ – Official Site of the 2012 Australian Olympic Team for London Olympics. News, Athlete Blogs, Bios, Video, Galleries, Online Games, Education Resources …

http://corporate.olympics.com.au/ – Official site of the Australian Olympic Committee. … AOC. Less than one month and counting. The Opening Ceremony on 27 July is fast approaching and…..

The Samsung galaxy Beam projector phone I8530 for Business and presentations

July 2, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

An exciting fresh concept that has already been available in the market has now been introduced by a trusted player Samsung phones. Projector phones have been widely available in south Asian countries like Singapore , china and India but now Samsung has just released a new projector phone called “Beam”.

New projector Beam phone By Samsung released

In addition to its 8 megapixel camera , Dual core

processor and HD RECORDING , this amazing Samsung Beam Projector phone can project the videos , Photos and documents on the phone to any surface just like a projector. This feature can be particularly useful to the education industry and also in the meeting rooms and also handy to trainers. Due to its size and form presentations or documents can be emailed to the phones and projected to a surface or meeting room on the go.

Video of samsung Beam phone in action

samsung galaxy beamphone projector

This Beam projector phone boasts a built-in, 15 lumen pico-projector sporting a 640 x 360 16:9 nHD resolution.

Samsung claims that with the device’s large 2,000mAh battery can provide around three hours of projection time. The display sizes can be maxed up to 50 inches.

Quick SPECS FOR Samsung I8530 galaxy beam

Dual-Core 1 GHz Processor

5MP Camera with Flash

Android 2.3

802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz Wi-Fi

768MB RAM, 8GB Internal Memory

MicroSD (up to 32GB)

Standby Up to 760 hours (2G/3G)

some of the features the camera boasts are Auto focus, Smile detection, Exposure control, White balance, ISO control, Geo tagging, Panorama, Scenes, Effects, Self-timer. View the full specs over here at phone arena

Australian Carbon Tax 101

June 30, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

While carbon price and carbon tax is all over the news, many people actually dont know what its all about specifically. Below is a guide and FAQ to get your facts and info on the carbon price in Australia and its effect on the common man as well as business

What is the carbon price or carbon tax ?

The carbon price is not a tax on Australians, but a tax levied on 260 companies and 34 councils. You might ask why councils ?, because councils deal will landfills and waste which adds to pollution they will have some carbon price to pay.

Who is exempt from the carbon price (tax) ?

Agriculture – carbon price will not apply for agricultural emissions

Family car – Emissions from the family car and light on road vehicles

How ill the carbon price effect the common man ?

Some of the costs borne but the top companies having to pay the carbon tax will be passed onto consumers which will most likely be in Electricity , GAS and FOOD

According to modelling done by CSIRO _ AECOM on likely increase in prices due to this

Electricity bills could increase by $2.80 aweek

Gas By 0.40 cent a week

Food by $1.20 a week

Compensation for the Utilities price rises to common man

$15 billion will be allocated to low and middle income households in the form of tax cuts and increased government payments.

Household assistance – Average assistance of $10.10 a week, and means 6 million households will be either no worse off or slightly better off.

From 1 July, the tax free threshold has been raised from $6000 to $18,200, which will mean a million people no longer having to fill out a tax return.

It will be raised again by $1200 to $19,400 in 2015-16.

1.7% rise for pensioners and recipients of the Family Tax Benefit, delivered as advance payments in May and June.

Business and carbon tax

Very few employers are said to be directly affected by the carbon tax, with only 500 large businesses said to be affected directly.

The government has allocated $9 billion to the industries that will be hit hard and who employ a lot of people in Australia . These companies will be assisted due to keep them competitive with their international competitors during this adjustment period. Its mainly Heavy industries like , Steel, aluminium, and cement manufacturing .

Where does the carbon tax received go ?

While the government is collecting this tax to develop clean energy, a significant part of this money received will be used to cerate new Clean energy technologies and create new jobs in this sector

This includes the

$10 billion Clean energy Finance corporation

$1.2 billion Clean technology program

Carbon tax , GST and tax return ?

The carbon tax has nothing to do with individuals and will not appear on you tax return or in a bill that you receive from a retail shop ( shopping bill). It is only a tax on large 500 companies

There will be some initial price rises to utilities, food and some other goods as companies pass on the costs of the carbon price to consumers.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will be monitoring price rises during this period . Any unfair price rises can be reported on their hotline number is 1300 303 609.

Calculator the impact of the carbon price on my family / household?

There is an easy online tool to calcuate the impact carbon price on your family. The carbon price tool is based on independent analysis undertaken by CSIRO and AECOM, based on research commissioned by The Climate Institute, Go to http://www.yourcarbonprice.com.au/

Which companies and industries pay the carbon tax ?

Companies and councils individually generating more than 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year will be required to pay for their emissions under the carbon pricing mechanism.

Companies that directly emit greenhouse gases, such as power stations, mines and heavy industry, and some public authorities (councils)responsible for emissions from landfill

Why carbon tax in Australia ?

Before the introduction of the price on carbon or carbon tax , big companies could pollute as much as they liked for free. But the carbon price puts an economic and dollar value on pollution and treats it as a cost of doing business.

It works this way by requiring large companies that pollute to buy a permit valued at $23 for every tonne of carbon pollution they emit into Australia. The more emissions, the higher the financial cost for the polluter. This will help us not get to a stage like other countries like China and India who are facing major pollution problems and need to invest billion of dollars in trying to solve this problem.

Info Links:

INFOGRAPHIC – Carbon Price and cost of living joint report.pdf

Online Surveys for Money as a Part-Time Job

June 28, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Online surveys for money have become really popular among many work at home types who see it as an easy way to earn a good amount of money. Though they offer a good payout, they really cannot replace your full time job (at least in the first couple of months).

The primary reason behind this is that the number of surveys that you would receive is not fixed. Sometimes you might get a lot of surveys and sometimes there might be none. You cannot give up your full time job based on such an uncertain source of income!

Why people want to go for online surveys for money?

Because they are highly convenient

Because they are very easy

You can choose your work load and work timings

The payout is pretty decent

You do not need any specialized or technical knowledge

Thus, we see that even though these surveys offer an uncertain amount of payout, they still have many benefits; and the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

Thus, it might be a good idea to go for these online surveys for money as a part time job, but they initially might not be able to replace the income from your full time job.

There are a lot of benefits associated with legitimate online surveys for money. For people who want to supplement the income from their regular job, paid online surveys are a blessing in disguise. They enable people to earn a lot of money from the comfort of their own homes. But the paid online surveys should be subscribed to only after determining its credibility and legitimacy; otherwise it might lead to a huge waste of your time, money, and efforts. With the increasing rate of inflation, the cost of living is also steadily increasing; but the sad part is that earnings and salaries are not increasing proportionately. So, people have o find various different avenues of income.

Legitimate paid online surveys are one such avenue that can help in the growth and success of an individual. They can help you to utilize your free time in an efficient manner. Legitimate sites ensure that you receive your payments or rewards on time. All the cash that you earn by filling up the surveys get deposited into either your PayPal account or any other bank account according to your preference and convenience. Some of the well known, legitimate online surveys for money that you can subscribe to without having to worry about anything are: YouGov, LightSpeed, Synovate, and Brand Institute.

Guest post by online surveys for money

Simple Guide in Opening a Cyprus Bank Account

June 27, 2012 by Reporter 1 Comment

Opening a Cyprus bank account is very simple. However, if you are planning to set-up a corporate bank account then you may wish to consider hiring the assistance of partner agents knowledgeable in this field. It will make the submission of the required documents easier and more convenient. It may even free you from the hassle of having to physical appear in the presence of bank officials as part of their screening process.

Step One: Selecting a Cypriot Bank

You should select the best Cypriot banks that will cater to your needs. There are plenty of banks offering their services in Cyprus, so it is best to get as much information from these banks before considering them. It is best to look at their rates and the fees they charge for international money transfers, personal accounts, and overdrafts because these are most likely the same type of services you will be using in your corporate account.

Step Two: Fulfilling the Documents

Cypriot bank accounts strictly follow the EU directive against the tolerance for illegal banking practices. Therefore, corporate accounts are expected to submit the following documents in adherence to this regulation.

1.    a certified proof of identification from the applicant, which covers the owners, the directors, and other members of the company or organization
2.    professional reference, which comes from a different bank
3.    proof of residence for all the members, owners, and directors of the company or organization, which includes credit card statement, original bank statement, or anything similar to these
4.    detailed description of the Cypriot company’s proposal for business activities, which includes its geographical reach, PR material, investments, certified evidence of source of funds, contracts, and business marketing materials
5.    initial meeting according to the preference of the bank officials

Step Three: Initializing the Bank Processes

You may request the processing of your bank account registration even if you are not yet in Cyprus. You can make a bank account order online through most banks and submit your payment in EURO. You will then receive bank applications that can be filled out online. Simply post it back to the bank together with copies of your passport and other documents. The bank will then send feedback on other requirements, which may be necessary for you to complete the initial bank transaction. If necessary, then you may need to submit notarized copies of the documents. Therefore, it is wise to have a partner agent that will submit all of these documents in preparation for your arrival and authentication of the information. Once approved, you can then grant them instruction to deposit the required amount to activate it.

Estimated Fees

Opening a Cyprus bank account is not free from necessary fees, however it only minimal. Internet banking may go as low as EURO 350 or USD $450; offshore bank account is EURO 750 or USD 1,030, and bank accounts with no relation to a company is EURO 350 or USD 615. This may vary depending on your choice of bank and hired partner agent that will process your documents. In any case, it is best to consider the services of certified and highly reputable organizations for a guaranteed Cyprus bank account in a matter of days.

This is guest post by a contributor