Credit Cards and Identity Theft

As more and more Americans become reliant on credit cards in their daily life, identity theft is growing. Identity theft is when someone uses your personal information without permission. They can obtain credit or use your existing credit to put you in a serious financial crisis. Prepaid credit cards may be an option for someone who wants to avoid identity theft.

Prepaid cards are a credit card that you add a certain amount of money to. These cards do not have a set limit, but rather your spending is based on how much money you put on the card. The idea is that you can use the card anywhere credit cards are excepted, but without the worries of debt. You do not get charged interest charges and can not exceed your spending limit. These cards are not tied to a bank account and you do not get monthly bills. This makes prepaid cards virtually unworthy an identity thief's time.

If you are approached by someone trying to steal your identity you can feel protected with your prepaid credit card. Most of the time these thieves try to get your credit card number so they can then use it to make purchases. Even if they do get your credit card number they still can only use the amount of money you have on the card. They can not go on a crazy spending spree and since the card is not attached to any bank accounts, they can not access your other financial information. This protection doesn't come with debit cards or regular credit cards.

Using prepaid credit cards everyday or just for occasions, like traveling, when you could be more prone to identity theft is an overall good idea. Many thief's are looking for an easy target, but if you play it smart you won't be that target.

Divorce and Consent Order - Why Every Divorcee Should Get One

This article mainly concerned with people who are looking to deal with their divorces online, rather than face to face with a traditional high street Solicitor, but the issues will be the same as we explore why we would always advise that people getting a divorce also obtain a consent order.

What is a consent order?

In England and Wales it is an agreement (often financial) between parties which has been made legally binding and enforceable by a court.

In terms of a divorce, it ensures that the wishes of the parties are sanctioned by a judge, so that if one party to the divorce changes their mind later on, the other party can go back to court to enforce the order.

Many people going through a divorce may have already dealt with the practical details of their finances before actually starting the divorce petition itself and will often say, "Why do we need an order when we have already split everything?"

The answer is simple. No one knows what may happen in the future, people change their minds. They can be influenced by new partners or by changing financial circumstances, and the last thing anyone needs is for an application to be made to the court years down the line which will not only cost a fortune in legal fees but will cause upset and anger for years. A consent order is in fact a form of insurance, let's call it divorce insurance.

To avoid this we urge all people getting divorced, no matter how big or small their assets are to obtain a consent order to prevent this happening to them.

The consent order can deal with the division of property, division of savings and investments, child and spousal maintenance and of course debt.

Where can I get a cheaper consent order?

You don't have to have a high street Solicitor deal with your consent order. Nowadays there are companies online who offer the service. They can draft the order to your specific requirements and often can file the order for you and deal with any queries. The reason they charge less than Solicitors is that they use Solicitors to draft the documents on a pay-by-case basis, so the more they deal with the more they get paid. Like any volume provider they have become expert at turning round the documents quickly and without mistakes.

Understanding Intellectual Property Types and How They Fit Into an IP Strategy

Intellectual Property (IP) is a valuable asset for many businesses.  Identifying, developing and leveraging IP assets can provide a competitive edge, increase revenue and extend product lines that accelerate business growth.

Before developing an Intellectual Property Strategy, it is important to understand the various types of intellectual property assets and how they are applied to business activities.  This article provides an overview of several types of IP assets.

1. Copyright - Provides a legal right to exclude others from publishing, selling, or distributing a literary or artistic work.  Copyright protection applies to specific expressions of an idea, but not to abstract ideas themselves.  Consider copyright protection for books, articles, manuscripts, music, artwork and computer software.

2. Trademark - Applies to a word, design, logo, picture, slogan, or other symbol used to identify a source of products or services.  A trademark is typically identified using a TM, SM, or ® notation.  The ® symbol designates a Federally Registered Trademark (registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office).  Companies commonly use trademarks to protect their company name, advertising slogans and corporate logos/identifiers.

3. Trade Secret - Business information that is subject to reasonable efforts by the business to keep the information confidential.  This information has value to the company because it is not generally known in the marketplace.  Examples include recipes, formulas, customer lists, marketing plans and manufacturing techniques.

4. Patent - A grant by the government to an inventor.  The inventor has the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling the invention.  Three general types of patents include utility patents, design patents and plant patents.  Utility patents are useful in protecting the functional aspects of a product or process.  A design patent protects the ornamental design of a product.  Plant patents protect new varieties of living plants.  Consider patent protection for  products, methods, computer software, manufacturing processes and chemical compounds.

These different types of intellectual property offer varying levels of protection and distinct procedures necessary to protect the IP asset.  A successful Intellectual Property Strategy considers each type of IP asset and leverages assets that are appropriate for the particular company and consistent with the company's goals.

The Challenges of Being a Caregiver When Brain Cancer is Involved

My husband has glioblastoma multiforme, an incurable form of brain cancer. Ted Kennedy died from it. The early challenges I am experiencing as a caregiver are disbelief, feeling overwhelmed, trying to define my role as caregiver, maneuvering a change in my marital relationship, recognizing the need for financial and legal planning, and caring for myself.

Disbelief. It is difficult for me to stay focused. It is hard to grasp what is going on. There are a few facts that I hold onto. My husbands' symptoms developed rapidly during a four week interval. From being able to speak normally, he started searching for words, and then progressing to not remembering the names of objects, substituting words and phrases which didn't make sense, to not being able to spell. He had an emergency MRI, which showed a large mass over his left temporal lobe. A rushed appointment for brain surgery was made in the next state. I was told that he would not be expected to live more than one or two years even with the tumor removed and aggressive treatment undertaken.

Overwhelmed. Initially I felt completely overwhelmed, like I didn't know whether I was coming or going. Ten days after surgery, I am going in and out of feeling overwhelmed. I realize that I'm not attentive to my surroundings, as though I'm zoned out somewhere. My center of my chest hurts. I know this to be a major sign of stress. Also my breathing is shallow. I must tell myself to breathe.

Caregiver Role. I'm abruptly being thrust into the role of caregiver, and I'm trying to figure out what this means practically. My husband's expressive language limitations cause major problems in communication and in joint decision making. I need help in defining my role. Hopefully, when we go to the Cancer Center, the social worker will help educate me.

Marital Relationship. I'm having to take over decision making and financial management. My husband needs reminders and direction. We are both distressed. Both of us become frustrated and irritable with each other. He says things to push my buttons, and I react. I'm on a sharp learning curve. I need a support group and will go to a meeting this coming week. I also need personal counseling, and my appointment is made.

Financial and Legal Planning. I need to make sure that our affairs are in order. My husband had this role before his surgery. I'm discovering that our papers are in disorder. He may have allowed his life insurance, naming me as beneficiary, to lapse. I will go to a lawyer even though my husband does not want me to, nor does he want me to spend our money on legal fees. I feel conflicted in going ahead without our discussing and agreeing to a plan, but this is the new reality of our relationship and my role as caregiver.

Self Care. It is critical that I take exceptionally good care of myself. I have my own health issues and must not get run down or stressed. Otherwise, I will rapidly decline and then both of us would need caregivers.

A Children's Injury Lawyer Talks About Settlement of Children's Injury Claims

When an injury case involving a minor is settled, the courts often require special precautions to protect the minor. The court is concerned that the settlement proceeds be used solely for the best interests of the child.

Typically, the lawyer is required to file a petition requesting court approval of the settlement. The petition sets forth the terms of the settlement and why the attorney believes it is in the child's best interest. The court may require parental consent as well. Other issues that the petition will address include any liens on the settlement, the age of the child, the injuries suffered and the present condition of the minor.

Some courts require a hearing so that the court can question the attorney, the parents and even the child. Other courts will approve the petition without a hearing if it appears on its face to be proper.

Once the petition is approved, the attorney and/or the parents set up an interest bearing trust account. This account will be virtually untouchable until the minor turns 18. If the minor is in dire need of funds, the attorney will have to petition the court for early withdrawal.

Where the court is especially concerned about parental neglect, the court may require that the attorney, and not the parent, take responsibility for setting up the account. The court is concerned that since the parent cannot spend the money, the check may never be deposited. The court may require that the attorney file a certification attesting to the fact that the account was indeed set up promptly after the court's approval of the settlement.

A final protection involves the attorney's fee. Even in states that do not ordinarily cap the percentage an attorney can charge in an injury case, kids are different. The courts may severely limit the percentage so that the child's share is maximized. The court may also require that the attorney's fee be calculated on the net, after repayment of litigation costs, instead of on the gross settlement.

Introduction to Tablet PCs

The Tablet PC is a notebook or slate-shaped mobile computer that is approximately the size of a paper tablet. It gives us portability, flexibility and usability that are changing the way we work with our computers. Its touch screen or digitizing tablet technology allows the user to operate the computer with a stylus or digital pen instead of a keyboard or mouse.

Tablet PCs will have two formats: the "convertible" model with an integrated keyboard and a display that rotates 180 degrees and can be folded down over the keyboard, and the "slate" model with only a screen and pen. They can use external wireless or USB keyboards. The most popular convertible tablet PCs are the Acer and Toshiba. The most popular slates are the Motion Computing/Gateway Computers, Fujitsu, and HP/Compaq.

Many Tablet PCs use a Wacom digitizer, which delivers pen-position input to the computer at a fast rate. Tablets with these digitizers project a small magnetic field above the screen that interacts with electronics in the tablet's stylus. The user therefore is able to rest their hand on the screen without affecting the image or mouse pointer; only movement of the stylus affects the mouse pointer.

Tablet PCs became available to the general public with the introduction of Microsoft's Windows Tablet PC Edition in the fall of 2002. Before then they were used in small markets in industry, medicine, and government. Now they are used by students and many professionals.

Let us now have a look at the improvements in Tablet PCs:

oThe battery life of Tablet PCs has increased a great deal. This gives us more freedom to do what we need to do when we need to do it. We're free to take our computers into meetings and classrooms and to take notes the way that's most familiar, by writing. Centrino technology has improved. This means that more powerful processors can be used with little or no loss of battery life compared to lower powered CPUs.

oBetter wireless support allows us to log on to networks more easily than ever, with built in firewire. All this convenience comes packaged in a 3 pound computer that's not much bigger than a paper tablet.

oThose who don't type have the option to use handwriting, can use keyboard to enter data. Others may prefer speech input, or a combination of both. We're free to take our computers into meetings and classrooms and to take notes the way that's most familiar, by writing.

oTablet PCs are lighter than the majority of notebooks. Most weigh about 3 pounds or less. Size is also smaller, with the Tablet PC about the size of a paper tablet. Some of the newer Tablets have larger screen sizes or built-in drives. These can increase the weight considerably.

oThe Tablet PC uses a low or ultra-low voltage CPU chip that's actually considerably faster than its "number" indicates. This also improves battery life. With the introduction of the Intel Centrino and Dothan, the Intel-based Tablet PCs will be comparable with faster desktops. As an example, according to Intel, a Centrino 1.6Ghz processor is comparable to 2.4Ghx Pentium4-M.

oSome Tablet PC models are including a CDRW-DVD drive within the unit. Some have USB or firewire models available. There are also third party drives available.

oThe Tablet PC can use the pen technology in PowerPoint presentations, etc. These annotations can be saved for future presentations or erased completely. Using a Tablet PC with a projector allows the presenter to annotate slides, etc as he speaks.

oThe Tablet PC can be used in both portrait and landscape modes. A touch of the button changes it instantly. There's no need to reboot.

oTablet PCs generally use a 1024x768 screen resolution. High-resolution displays and Microsoft's Clear Type display technology make the Tablet PC an excellent reading platform. Video is also improving with one model offering a resolution of 1400x1050.

oSome Tablet PCs offer fingerprint scanners for increased security. There are also 3rd party devices such as USB pen drives that contain a security lock. Without the pen drive, the information on the Tablet PC is irretrievable.

Tablet PCs are changing the way we use computers. They'll continue to do so and in more ways than we're currently envisioning. As this year progresses, expect to see more innovations in features and size and even more availability and features galore, including dual core processors and better graphics.