Zune MP3 Players - Are They Worth It?
Everyone knows that the iPod steals the show when it comes to MP3 Players, but are they the best option out there? I'm going to show you why Zune MP3 Players are a much better investment than the iPod. Lets start with some of the features that the Zune MP3 Players have while the iPods do not: Wi-Fi, Pre-loaded Video, Pre-loaded Audio, FM Tuner, Landscape Mode, Wireless Sync, Custom Background, Wireless File Sharing, Tactile + Touch Control, and an X-BOX Marketplace Integration. That is quite a few features that iPod does without when you look at the list. Something else that is quite unappetizing for those with an iPod or have considered buying one is that the MP3 Player already comes with a pre-loaded virus. Already, Zune MP3 Players are proving to be a better deal. One feature that the iPod does have that Zune MP3 Players do not is a click wheel, which can prove to be quite useful when searching through your thousand plus song play list, but is that really enough to balance the differences? If you try to get all of the music you want to listen to through iTunes you will go broke, because you have to pay for each and every song. On the other hand, Zune MP3 Players have a Zune Marketplace in which you pay only $14.99 a month to receive unlimited downloads to all the music you want. Lets take a little time to review the comparison. The Zune completely blows the iPod out of the water in virtually every feature, one of the only features that both of them actually have is Portrait Mode, how exciting. If you wanted to go even deeper, the screen size for the Zune MP3 Player 80GB is significantly larger than the iPod, and the Zune 4/8GB is only slightly smaller; but much longer than the iPod version. Now, I understand that it may still be hard for you to make a decision on what MP3 Player you would like to purchase, but lets be honest. Just look at the facts, obviously Microsoft put in the time and effort to create a product that would not only be equivalent to the iPod, but destroy it's opponent with flying colors. The number of features and small details are in the Zune MP3 Player favor are abundant, more than enough to make a solid decision. What about Social Networking? Yet another feature that the Zune MP3 Players have, and the iPod does not. Now, if your one of those people who just want to be like everyone else, go ahead and pick up an iPod. But for those of you who want the best product, you will be purchasing a Zune MP3 Player. Summary: This article is a comparison between the iPod and Zune MP3 Players, to show you what product is better in terms of features and quality.,

A thousand and one gift
While traveling abroad, especially if you are going to meet a .oksanalove.com">lady you’ve been communicating with for some time, you might consider bringing a few gifts over. Selecting the right things seem like a challenge at first, but let me assure you – it’s not as scary as it seems.General rulesThe first thing to remember is that gifts don’t have to be something excessively expensive. They are meant to be simply symbols of appreciation and something to remember you by. Good ideas for gifts might be some hand-made crafts, something representative of your culture or things that mean something to you personally.It is very common to baseball hats or bring t-shirts. While these are great practical souvenirs, we would advise at least to find out the size of t-shirt/hat the person you are getting them for wears. It will save you from feeling confused when you give an XXL t-shirt to a lady with size 2, for example, and make the recipient feel like they are getting a personalized gift instead of an item fit-for-all.Advanced gift-givingOf course, if you want to go for something more interesting, there is no limit to your imagination. There are plenty of things women like: jewelry, accessories, collectibles, perfume, etc. Things like this could be a great idea to give someone with whom you have a fairly close relationship.If you want to give an extremely pleasant surprise and score some extra points for being a thoughtful and caring man that we all know you are, don’t feel inconvenient or embarrassed to find out about specific preferences of a lady you're going to visit. One my good friend simply blew his sweetheart away, when he brought her a superb collection of DVDs as a gift. It served a double-purpose: he shortened a wish list of an avid movie collector and gave her an extra chance to practice English. Speaking of: if the woman you're going to visit is trying to learn English, it might be a good idea to find something to help her do it (some books in simple language, software to help her study, etc.)If you decide to spoil your lady while visiting her, you will also have a plenty of options.For example, while visiting someone’s home, it is common to bring flowers and some sweets/cake with juice/wine. Again, it would be a good idea to ask about a person’s preferences before selecting something.It will add a nice touch to your first date if you bring her flowers.If you are looking to make a specific gift to a person, you could treat her to a session at a beauty parlor. All women like to look good, but not all of them can find time or money to have someone else do their hair, nails, etc. Even if it’s not the case, giving your girl an opportunity to get pampered will be a memorable event for her.Rules to rememberWhatever you are going to bring, make sure it is light and unbreakable in order not to come across with the problem of luggage limits and handling;Do not make gifts a central part of your visit; exercise moderation and focus on getting to know the lady you are meeting, not letting her know the contents of your wallet;Bring a few extra trinkets just in case you make some unexpected acquaintances and want to leave a souvenir for them.In spite of your selection of the gifts, remember: the best gift of all is the honest communication.Good luck!

 

Summary: While traveling abroad, especially if you are going to meet a .oksanalove.com>lady you’ve been communicating with for some time, you might consider bringing a few gifts over. Selecting the right things seem like a challenge at first, but let me assure you – it’s not as scary as it seems. , , ,

more investments
As you draw on your investments for living expenses in retirement, you’ll want to keep your tax bill as low as possible. The general rule is that you should withdraw assets from taxable accounts first; then tax-deferred accounts such as traditional IRAs and annuities; with tax-free accounts such as Roth IRAs last. This process enables your retirement assets to compound tax-free for as long as possible. Early in your retirement, you usually should sell currently taxable assets first because little or no tax likely will be due. The following is our view on the order of selling investments to generate retirement income: Start by taking dividend income and any mutual-fund distributions in cash instead of reinvesting them. You pay tax on these payouts even if you reinvest them. So use the cash instead. Next, sell investments with the highest cost basis and therefore low or no taxable gains. In this category typically are bonds, bond funds, money market funds, bank CDs and Treasury bills. And if you unload any losing investments, you’ll be able to offset your tax bill on any gains you’ve taken with other investments. Finally, if you sell long-term winners, your capital-gains tax rate will be 15 percent or less instead of at your ordinary-income tax rate of up to 35 percent. These tax rates will rise in 2011 in some cases, however. Another way to limit your tax liability in your regular accounts is to make changes gradually. If you plan ahead for your cash needs, there will be no reason to sell or buy except on an investment’s merits. Then, as you sell investments, you can replace them with new vehicles that will better meet your needs. What you don’t want to do is sell good investments because of a sudden need for income. This needlessly creates capital-gains taxes and causes you to sacrifice growth opportunities. In general, you should keep your tax-deferred retirement plans intact as long as possible. Plan distributions are taxed as ordinary income. By leaving the assets untouched in the early years of retirement, they’ll continue to grow unhindered by taxes. Later, you can tap your retirement accounts, which will have enjoyed extra years of tax-deferred growth potential. Starting at no later than age 70-1/2, you have to start tapping your IRA or other tax-deferred accounts for required minimum distributions (RMDs). In this situation, be sure to take your annual RMD before drawing on your regular account. The RMD may be enough to cover all or most of your cash needs in addition to Social Security benefits and income from other sources. If you’re a retiree who’s younger than 70-1/2, it may pay to start IRA distributions early if you’re in a low tax bracket now and have a relatively large IRA. You could take enough from the IRA to bring you only to the top of the 10 percent or 15 percent federal tax brackets. If you need more cash, money from taxable accounts may increase your tax bill little or not at all, as we explain above. What if you also own a variable annuity you purchased with aftertax money? Lump-sum annuity withdrawals are taxed on a last in, first out basis. So earnings come out first, taxed as ordinary income. Then amounts taken from principal are nontaxable. But withdrawals are taxed differently if you set up a series of payouts over your lifetime or a specific time period. A portion of each payment is considered a return of principal and isn’t subject to ordinary income tax. The percentages of each payment that are taxable and excluded from tax are determined when you elect to annuitize the policy. Withdrawals from a Roth IRA will qualify for tax-free treatment if it’s been at least five years since you first contributed to the plan. Note that you also usually must be at least 59-1/2 to avoid a penalty for early withdrawal. But distributions you take because you’re disabled, or that are made to a beneficiary or to your estate after death also qualify for tax-free treatment. angies list

list your vehicles
Summary: It's FREE to list your vehicles on 123Bidz.com Whether you are a private car owner or a car dealer, you will never have to pay to have your cars listed on our website. If you're already registered, login here and start posting your ads now. Otherwise you can register now - it's free! Keywords: car classified ads, free car classifieds, sell car for free online, free auto classifieds, sell my car online for free, free website to sell car, sell my car on the internet, buy cheap used car, cars for sale online

It used to be a time where you could get a car sold by just placing a for sale in the rear window. Well, times have changed and the way we use to sell cars have changed also. There are many places online where you can list your used car for sale, but there is one major problem, the expensive listing fees. Some places charge you anywhere from $20 to $50 to run your car ad for 1 month. If you car does not sell, you have just lost a big junk of change that could of have been gas money. However, there is an alternative to these expensive listing fees. 123bidz  allows you to list your car for free for 2 months. You have the option to set a firm buy now price or you can let users bid on your for top dollar. without losing cash from the beginning. Getting a car sold locally can be a hassle and sometimes you sell the car under the price you wanted for it. 123bidz has made it easy for buyers to find . Do not wait any longer to list your car. It is free to list and you could  possibly get it sold today. 

economic news
We’ve been hit with a barrage of good economic news lately, but it has so far only managed to temper investors’ enthusiasm of equities rather than scuttle them altogether. Stocks actually managed to put in a decent reversal yesterday after falling to 1,040 on the S&P 500 and less than 10,000 on the Dow Industrials. Most likely we’ll rally a bit more, but chances are we’ll soon revisit and, indeed, trade below yesterday’s nadir. As more bad news gets digested, however, we’ll move closer to the Federal Reserve stepping in with additional quantitative easing, buying up bonds on the open market to put cash into the system. News of this is likely to ignite a powerful stock market rally; it’s just a question of from what level on the S&P and Dow it will occur. The bond market is certainly worried about where we’re headed. In late 2008 – early 2009 when yields were as low as they are today, the S&P was 200 points or about 20 percent lower that it is today. A weak economy and declining corporate profit expectations suggest we’ll surrender at least a portion of that difference at some point. Traders will be scrutinizing tomorrow’s GDP report as well as a policy speech from Fed Chair Ben Bernanke for clues as to where we’re headed and how soon the central bankers will act. One thing’s for sure, while we’re in a deflationary environment right now, more money printing will ultimately be inflationary. No surprise then that gold continues to display impressive relative strength and is just below record highs. It’s not just Americans that are finding comfort in owning gold. The World Gold Council yesterday released its quarterly report on gold demand. Worldwide demand in the second quarter rose 36 percent to 1,500 metric tons. Leading the charge was investment demand, with China among the strongest investment markets, where retail demand rose by 121 percent to 37.7 tons in the period. This is a trend that should persist for years to come—and the supply of newly mined gold isn’t likely to keep pace. The Chinese government actively encourages its citizens to buy gold as a means of channeling savings into investments. They go so far as to run ads on television extolling the virtues of owning the metal. Anyone can walk into a Chinese bank and purchase gold (at a smaller premium than what we pay here) and the metal can conveniently be stored at the same bank. There’s a solid rationale behind China’s gold strategy, in contrast to no such strategy here in the US. For China, the bigger its position in gold the more likely it will be to acquire the resources it desperately needs to develop. Equally important, the more gold its citizens own the greater the control the government has over its citizens’ wealth and wellbeing. China’s sizeable and growing gold horde may at some point be used to back up the yuan. They’re not there yet, but in light of the debasement that’s taking place in the dollar, the euro and the yen, we suspect the Chinese are angling to establish a gold-backed yuan. In other words, the Chinese would be able to say that you can exchange one yuan for a certain amount of gold (which, of course, would be less than the then current value of the yuan). This in turn would make the yuan a close substitute for gold. In a world of growing resource scarcity owning gold is as close as you come to controlling your fate. At $1,240 an ounce gold is downright cheap, even after a decade of outperforming other asset categories. A year or two from now, with inflation again heating up, today’s price is likely to be a distant memory and your investment account the better for it. And if you’re skeptical about the prospect for inflation given today’s deflationary backdrop, keep in mind that this inflation will be driven not by our own growth, but by growth in emerging economies in the context of increasing resource scarcity. So we could paradoxically be faced with asset (real estate) deflation and materials inflation simultaneously. That not a pretty picture, but it’s the likely scenario we’ll be faced with and our various metals investments will leave us in good stead should it come to pass.