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Kuam Kan Hon is a Malaysian businessman and founder of Hartalega, the biggest manufacturer of nitrile gloves in the world.
He owns roughly 50% of the company and has a net worth amounting to $2.3 billion as these lines are written.
Here's how he did it.
Kuam Kan Hon was born in Kuala Lumpur in 1947.
He was the son of a luxury home builder.
We know little about Kuam's childhood or private life. He rarely gives interviews and when he does, it's always about business.
All we know is that Kuam began working at an early age.
He quit high school in 1969 to work in the construction company of his father.
At the time, the Malaysian economy was booming, and demand for luxury real estate was high.
He worked for his dad for 9 years with the intention to launch his own real estate company one day.
At the end of the 70s though, the economy wasn't as good as it was a decade earlier.
So Kuam let the real estate dream go.
Instead, he opened a woven badges and labels factory in 1978 called Timol Weaving.
The business did well, but profits weren't extraordinary.
Two years later, AIDS was discovered and no one really knew how it was transmitted. As a result, healthcare workers began putting on rubber gloves to protect themselves.
When a friend pointed out to Kuam that glove demand was going to spike, Kuam decided to shift his badges business. He taught himself how to make rubber gloves and began with just one production line.
About his early days, he declared that "success is a journey, not a destination."
The glove business did well and Kuam rapidly expanded.
In 1981, he decided to let Timol go and set up another company specialized in rubber gloves. He called it Hartalega, meaning "relief assets".
Kuam was involved in the day-to-day operations from the very beginning. Passionate about engineering, he was rarely in his office and spent his days with his workers, always trying to innovate processes.
This dedication encouraged him to create an important engineering department that built the entire engineering process by itself. All innovations were made in-house.
Their production technology is the most efficient in the industry, which enables them to produce more gloves faster and cheaper than their competitors, with higher margins.
In 2002, Hartalega, started investing in R&D because of two problems.
First, they needed to find a substitute for rubber. Rubber contains protein that some people are allergic to. Many patients and doctors could not be touched with rubber gloves.
While nitrile was a good replacement solution, nitrile gloves were thick because they were designed for industrial purposes only. Doctors and nurses would not be able to use their fingers properly.
So their second problem was to invent a thin nitrile glove.
They knew the task would be arduous as it was rumored to be impossible.
Furthermore, the manufacturing process would be completely different so they'd have to come up with new engineering processes and production lines.
They began working and three years later, their efforts were rewarded. Hartalega invented the first lightweight nitrile glove, weighing 4.7 grams only instead of 6!
The thin nitrile glove sounded the death knell of latex. In 2005, latex gloves occupied 95% of the market share. Nitril gloves ate their share and grew at a pace of 20% per year.
Hartalega kept on growing organically.
Taking Over
In 2008, Hartalega went public. 4 million shares were reserved for employees exclusively. The company raised enough money to expand by 80% that year and planned a 50% expansion in 2009.
Puzzled, investors wondered where Hartalega was going to sell their gloves as the glove industry grew much slower than the company.
"We're taking the shares of the rubber gloves market", simply answered Kuam.
A bit of luck helped him do so as in 2010, the price of rubber went up. This naturally directed users towards Hartalega's products as H1N1 threatened the world.
Hartalega kept on innovating and in 2011, produced yet a lighter glove weighing 3.2 grams.
In 2012, Kuam decided to take a step back from Hartalega. He stepped down from the role of CEO while remaining chairman and ceded the seat to his son.
The company grew exponentially since then.
In 2013, Hartalega had 6 plants, including workers quarters, a research and development centre, a sports complex, and even a learning center. These facilities produced 13.6 billion gloves per year.
Projecting strong growth, the company spent $580 million that year to build a manufacturing plant with 72 production lines ready to operate by 2021. They planned to produce an additional 28.5 billion gloves a year, then to get the total number of gloves to 44 billion once the remaining plants would be finished.
In 2017, Hartalega's competitor began to differentiate making condoms, car parts, and contact lenses.
Investors pressured the company to do the same but Kuam simply refused.
He explained that Hartalega's success in the glove industry was due to their willingness to focus. They were leaders in gloves because gloves were all they did.
Furthermore, they still saw opportunities in the industry and did not feel the need to diversify.
Kuam respected his promises. Hartalega launched the first non-leaching antimicrobial glove that same year.
This new product contains an in-built antimicrobial technology that kills microorganisms and prevents the spread of infections.
Rather practical in a hospital!
By 2018, nitrile gloves occupied 60% of the glove market and Hartalega had doubled in size compared to 2015.
Finally, 2020 was the year the company beat all the records.
The pandemic skyrocketed the demand for nitrile gloves to 120 billion per year.
Hartalega produced 1/3 of them, and their pre-tax profit for 2020 amounted to…$500 million.
As a result, the shares peaked in July 2020 and Kuam's fortune quadrupled. The shares have since tumbled back to 5.7 MYR, a pre-pandemic price.
Hartalega Itself
Hartalega relentlessly focuses on innovation and engineering. Factories are automated as much as possible to improve productivity and decrease costs.
They also installed a biomass energy plant in 2007 to produce energy and decrease reliance on gas. The plant functions with empty fruit bunch fibers as fuel, a cheap, abundant, and useless commodity in Malaysia.
Hartalega is a family business. Kuam has his three sons working in Hartalega, and two of his nephew.
One of them is a mechanical engineer and has an MBA.
The other, an accountant, is executive director and oversees the sales, finance, and marketing department.
The third one is the CEO.
The glove business, while being a bit boring, is a fantastic industry.
Without pandemics, demand for gloves grew by 8-10% per year, so with the pandemics (H1N1, Covid, etc), it's growing at a pace unseen before.
Meanwhile, Hartalega, despite being the giant that it is, is still growing at 20% per year. Since they IPOed in 2008, they never lost money.
In fact, their sole worry is not being able to supply enough gloves fast enough.
The company plans on manufacturing 95 billion gloves per year by 2027, roughly twice what they produce now.
They're also moving into tech with the creation of a connected smart factory. They already have a few Internet of Things technologies operating at this moment.
When asked for business advice, Kuam explained that there are no best practices or "checklist" to build a company. It's a matter of solving problems as they are coming.
While Kuam did not give any further details, he said that there had been a lot of failures at Hartalega.
"In running a business, there are many variables. Targets are always moving, so we need to make quick and accurate decisions. This is why those who pay more attention to details will hit the target first and win,'' he once declared.
As they seek to expand outside of Malaysia, Hartalega is currently building a blueprint that analyzes the best business practices in their line of work.
The company may be 33 years old, it feels like they are just starting.
For more billionaire articles, head to auresnotes.com.
Picture Credits: The Star
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Entrust Expands Footprint with Merger of Escrow and Trust Account Reconciliation Firm
October 30, 2014
American Escrow Reconciliation Inc., (AER) a nationwide third-party escrow and trust account reconciliation company, has merged with Entrust Solutions.
"Merging with Entrust Solutions was a logical step for AER," said Bryan Colbert, president AER, which is comprised of title insurance underwriter auditors. "We are excited to be able to offer the level and number of services provided by Entrust,"
AER provides clients with three-way accounting of escrow accounts, as well as an audit of the reconciliations.
Increasing regulatory pressure holding lenders accountable for the actions of their third-party service providers has resulted in title agents and attorneys to utilize third-party reconciliation services.
"Our focus has been and will always be on helping agents with compliance and proper segregation of duties," said Jonathan Yasko, founder and managing member of Entrust Solutions. "AER is a perfect fit to our overall company concept by helping and aiding title insurance professionals in a wide array of needs."
Yasko said the merger will increase Entrust's reconciliation footprint by over 30 percent.
Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or email@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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Bonanza casino reno
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text:
Former Nigeria international Raphael Chukwu Ndukwe has urged Lille metropole Nigerian striker Victor Osihmen to keep his focus and continue to work hard after hitting his 13th ligue un goal in Lille's 1-2 home loss to Olympic Marseille.
Chukwu-Ndukwe speaking in a chat with brila.net said the national team will be better for all of his performance at the club level considering the resurgence of Kelechi Iheanacho at Leicester city.
For Lille he is playing regularly, he just have to keep his focus, work hard and get ready.
"There is competition in the national team and that is good for the national team.
"We have a lot of strikers now who are also fighting to get a shirt into the team. So everybody has to work hard to be able to represent Nigeria.


text:
Carlos bought a beachside house with monolithic cladding. Before he bought the house, Carlos's bank reviewed the vendor's builders report to ensure it was not a "leaky" home. Satisfied with the report, the bank approved Carlos's mortgage.
Two months later Carlos's town was hit by a cyclone. After the cyclone, Carlos noticed a leak in his downstairs bedroom and the ceiling starting to droop. Carlos called a builder to repair the leak. The builder filled up the upstairs balcony with water and found three leaks that had seeped into the bedroom ceiling. In his opinion, the cladding by the balcony had been damaged due to the storm and this had allowed water to come inside the house.
Carlos claimed the costs of damage cost arising from the cyclone from his insurer.
When the insurer arrived, they found black mould visible on the timber frames and concluded the leak had been happening for a long period of time. The insurer declined Carlos's claim. In the insurer's view, the leak had occurred due to wear and tear and not because of an unforeseen event. Carlos did not have cover for wear and tear in his insurance policy.
The insurer also appointed an independent building surveyor to assess the damage. The report found many weathertightness issues with the house, including the roof and deck failing to meet the required building standards of the time. The report noted that monolithic cladding is inherently high-risk especially for a house that is complex and in a high exposure zone (like Carlos's), and the damage in Carlos's house was likely to be widespread.
The insurer declined Carlos's claim because his insurance policy specifically excluded damage caused by his home failing to meet New Zealand building standards for weathertightness.
Carlos felt this was unfair. He was adamant there were no weathertightness issues until the cyclone damaged his house. Carlos relied on the vendor's builder's report which showed no concerns with the building construction or its weathertightness – otherwise, he would not have bought the house. Carlos also argued that his bank would not have approved a mortgage for a leaky home.
Carlos complained to FSCL.
We reviewed all of the evidence that both parties provided and found substantial conflicts in the expert evidence.
It appeared that no concerns with the maintenance or weather tightness of the house were apparent or picked up before the storm. These issues only became apparent when the storm, with particularly directed strong winds, drove rain-water into the house, exposing the house's defects to Carlos for the first time.
We considered that on the evidence available, two scenarios were possible. Either, the cyclone was able to drive a large amount of water into the house because of defects in the house's construction, or, the cyclone damaged the balcony, and the house's defective construction created the perfect conditions for water damage.
We decided that the damage was likely due to a contribution of both an unforeseen event (the cyclone) and construction defects. We asked the insurer to pay Carlos for half the repairs minus any excess.
The insurer agreed and the claim was settled.
Insights for the consumer
Consumers should always get their own builder's report before purchasing a house. A vendor's report may not be as thorough, or applicable in purpose.
Consumers should be aware that monolithic cladded houses are considered inherently high-risk from a weathertightness perspective. It pays to check whether your insurer will cover losses arising from water entering the house.


text:
So good to see Former NBA player Lamar Odom back on the right track! "Bachelorette" Hannah Brown, "Queer Eye" star Karamo Brown and former NBA baller Lamar Odom are among the celebrity contestants who will face off on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars"!
I just wonder if he will be able to dance because most athletes are super stiff and usually do not do well especially basketball players, chile we shall see lol. See the complete list inside, have a great day!
Here's who else will be competing:
- Lauren Alaina – Country singer and Season 10 runner-up on "American Idol"
- Christie Brinkley – Former supermodel and actress
- Ally Brooke – Pop singer and member of the girl group Fifth Harmony
- Hannah Brown – The most recent star of "The Bachelorette"
- Karamo Brown – Culture expert on the Netflix reality series "Queer Eye"
- Kate Flannery – Actress and former star on "The Office"
- Ray Lewis – NFL legend and sportscaster
- Kel Mitchell – Actor and former Nickelodeon star who was one half of "Kenan and Kel"
- Lamar Odom – Former NBA player, reality star and Khloe Kardashian's ex-husband
- James Van Der Beek – Actor and former star of "Dawson's Creek"
- Mary Wilson – Singer and former member of The Supremes
The celebs will compete with their pro partners when the new season premiers September 16 on ABC.


text:
DP5447 A New International Division of Labour in Europe: Outsourcing and Offshoring to Eastern Europe
Europe is reorganizing its international value chain. I document these changes in Europe's international organization of production with new survey data of Austrian and German firms investing in Eastern Europe. I show estimates of the share of intra-firm trade between Austria and Germany on the one hand and Eastern Europe on the other. Furthermore, I present empirical evidence of the drivers of the new division of labour in Europe. I find among other things that falling trade costs and falling corruption levels as well as improvements in the contracting environment in Eastern Europe are affecting the level of intrafirm imports from Eastern Europe. These factors also favor outsourcing over offshoring. In contrast, low organizational costs of hierarchies and large costs of holdup (when there are no alternative investors in Old Europe or no alternative suppliers in Eastern Europe) favor offshoring over outsourcing. Tax holidays granted by host countries in Eastern Europe also mildly affect the organizational choice.


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MSU Hate Group Sponsors Bizarre Anti-Gay Lecture
The morning of Sept. 25, flyers posted across the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing blared "GAYS SPREAD AIDS." They bore the insignia of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) and invited students to attend a lecture that evening by anti-gay agitator Ryan Sorba entitled "The Born Gay Hoax."
About 100 MSU students made it to the talk. At least two-thirds were anti-YAF demonstrators who silently protested Sorba's message by wearing brightly colored "I Have a Story" T-shirts and holding signs aloft throughout Sorba's 90-minute presentation. One male student's placard read, "I made out with all the YAF boys."
Sorba — pictured below with his arm around MSU YAF leader Kyle Bristow (thanks to East Lansing-based journalist Todd Heywood for the photo) — for the most part stuck to a standard anti-gay script of branding homosexuality a degenerate lifestyle "choice" rather than an innate trait, though he deployed a few of his own rather bizarre rhetorical flourishes. "When a male dog mounts another male dog, he simply desires to be stimulated … just as when he slavishly mounts a shrub or your dinner guest's leg," Sorba declared. "Would this dog consider himself homosexual? Does he bark with a lisp?"


text: Tips and TricksMiscellaneous:Make Your Own Buttons (14.12.2008)Sometimes your project is missing just the last little "something". Buttons can do the trick. Of course, there are many beautiful buttons you can buy, but who has just the right one in their drawers? Or who, at that exact moment, wants to spend the time and the money to place an order? Tips on self-made buttons come to the rescue! If you want your very own individualized buttons, you will need to make them yourself. You can use polymer clay, sliced twigs, shells and other materials to create small objects and drill holes into them. Since I know how to use a jigsaw, I cut out my desired motifs (1-1.5 cm), drilled small holes and painted them. I used some of them in my mini quilt Tannenwald. Shank buttons are difficult to attach so that they lie flat. Depending on their material you can cut off the shank with a saw, pliers or some other tool. Smooth the cut with sand paper, carefully drill holes and sew onto your project. If really necessary, you can also glue on your motifs. Susana König's method of choice to make colorful buttons and beads is baking. Here's how: Another tip comes from Gudrun Schulze who sewed the small winter landscape: "I managed to snatch wooden shapes in the clearance sale and made holes with my mini drill. Great buttons, just like that!" And this is how it looks like:


text:
The following is a press release from the Public School Forum of North Carolina
RALEIGH, NC (October 18, 2017) — In a statement released today, the Board of Directors of the Public School Forum of North Carolina said the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was wrong and urged Congress to pursue a path toward permanent legal status for the more than 800,000 young immigrants brought to the United States as infants.
The full statement was adopted last week at a meeting of the Board of Directors and focuses on the organization's commitment to educational opportunity for all North Carolina children:
"North Carolina's public schools are expected to be safe, welcoming and inclusive, with doors open to all children, regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, immigration status, or other protected status. We believe the recent decision by the President to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will lessen opportunities for some immigrant children to reach their full potential and contribute to our state's vitality. This action will damage our schools, communities and economy, limiting the ability of these children to pursue education and training necessary to prepare them to contribute to our state's workforce and prosperity. Rescinding DACA thrusts innocent children and young adults into an abyss of trepidation and uncertainty, fearing deportation as they walk our streets or pass through our schoolhouse doors."
Keith Poston, the president and executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina, said, "The Public SchoolForum of North Carolina believes in educational opportunity for ALL children—we don't caveat it based on immigration status."
"We're encouraged that North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis is providing leadership in finding a legislative solution to protect these young people," Poston added.
The full statement is attached. The Public School Forum is sending the statement this week to each member of North Carolina's congressional delegation.
About the Public School Forum of North Carolina
The Public School Forum of North Carolina is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on improving educational outcomes for all North Carolina children. Since 1986, the Forum has been an indispensable and nonpartisan champion of better schools and the most trusted source in the state for research and analysis on vital education issues. We bring together leaders from business, education and government to study education issues, develop ideas, seek consensus, and ultimately inform and shape education policy. We do that through research, policy work, innovative programs, advocacy, and continuing education for educators and policymakers. Follow us on Twitter @theNCForum and visit our website at http://www.ncforum.org/


text:
Certain Poor Shepherds, Scene 4: Coffee, skee ball and brews
In day 4 of "Certain Poor Shepherds," our Christmas tale by Chris Satullo and Tony Auth, heroine Nora Gallagher finds out that being Tony Razzolini's friend is more complicated than she thought.
Part four of a seven-part holiday fiction
The story so far: Nora Gallagher, a young Philadelphia nonprofit employee, has befriended an old fellow from Old City who is proving to be a more complicated acquaintance than she bargained for.
"Gestapo! Fascista! Stasi! Cossacks!" Tony Razzolini hunched over a cup of coffee at Silk City Diner, spitting the words like curses at his spoon.
Tony Razz had been slowly sobering up, but wallowing in a foul mood since Nora and Julia rescued him an hour before from the police station, where he'd been detained for drunkenness and smacking an officer with his cane.
"Got any other heroes from history you'd like to throw out there, Antonio?" Julia said. "By the way, whenever you're ready to thank us for dragging our tails out into the cold night and bailing you out of lockup, we're all ears."
Tony went on muttering: "Throw Razzolini in the dungeon. At least no dragons. Don't tell the cardinal. Oh, that's Richelieu. The man in the mask. d'Artagnan, no. But Cher, yes. With no Sonny. Told you not to ski."
A risky invitation
Tony cackled. Then, suddenly, he looked up and seemed to register for the first time since they'd arrived at the diner that he was sitting in a booth across from Nora.
"Ahhh, fair maid of the fountain. When did you get here? And who is this?"
"Julia, Tony. Julia Fideli. A fellow paisan. We met about an hour ago."
The canyon creases in Tony's forehead grew even deeper: "Don't think so."
"Have a little more of your coffee, Tony," Nora said gently. He did, slurping loudly.
"The gendarmes. The jackbooted thugs of Filthydelphia. I was trapped by them. You rescued me?"
"Yes, we did. Tony, you've got to watch it with the drinking. Do you remember everything that happened? You don't, do you? You hit a police officer with your cane."
"Ahhhh, a cane mutiny …" Another cackle.
"This wasn't funny, Tony. You could have spent serious time in jail."
"And have. And have, fair maid. One survives. Cervantes. Caravaggio. Gandhi. King."
"… And Tony Razz," Julia said. "Exactly the grouping I was just thinking of."
"Want more coffee there, Tony?" Tony waved a hand: No. " If not, let's get you home. We're working girls, Julia and me. We've got to get up in the morning."
"Working girls?" Tony Razz scanned the two of them with a lascivious, gap-toothed grin.
"No, not like that, you old lecher," Julia said. "Nora here lifts up the dispossessed of Philadelphia. Me, I help give TastyKake's butterscotch krimpet the brand prominence it deserves."
"Just so," Tony Razz.
With a good deal of clatter, he pulled himself up, stood next to the diner table, leaning on his canes. "Homeward bound. But to thank my guardian angels, I invite you to a festive holiday lunch on … two days hence. At my place. My nook, my aerie, my abode, my bower, my hideaway. Chez moi. C'est moi, I am forced to admit. Festive, I tell you, festive it will be. Noonish, shall we say?"
"Thanks, Ton, but I think I got to get my cuticles trimmed that day." Julia shot a warning look at Nora as if to say: Girl, you are NOT doing this.
"I'd love to, Tony," Nora said, hooking her arm through his. "OK, let's get you out to the car and take you home. That way I'll know the way chez toi, when I come for the festive lunch."
Skee ball wizard
"Two balls left. How many points do I need?"
"Forty. We need 40 to beat 'em. Go get 'em, Gallagher."
Nora Gallagher bumped fists with Dan Slotnick, put down her Shock Top and got ready to roll.
It was the holiday party for More Than a Roof, and the action in the skee ball corner of Buffalo Billiards was getting heated.
The teams were Outreach vs. Office, for the right to play Louisa Cross and the two board members she'd coaxed out of their Mount Airy homes for a boisterous night in Old City.
Nora picked up the dirty-brown ball and went through her pre-shot ritual: Roll the ball between her two hands to "warm" it up; then lift up to her lips for an air kiss, then scrunch her face into a parody of intense concentration.
Clunk. The ball skittered up the ramp, popped into the air, hung for a tantalizing moment on the rim of the 50-point hole, then teetered back into the 30-point circle.
"OOOOOOOoooooh! So close, yet so very, very far," she said.
"C'mon, Nor, 20 points. Gotta have it. Gotta get it. Go get it."
Same ritual as before. As Nora got ready to roll her last ball, she recognized a tingle in her stomach.
"Good Lord, I'm actually nervous," she thought, and the ridiculousness of that fact seemed to free her wrist. She flicked the ball toward the concentric circles facing her. The ball made a targeted leap right from the smallest circle. 50 points.
Booo-yahhhhh! Victory.
"Oh, yeah! Oh yeah!" Nora thrust her arms into the air, palms up, in the "raise the roof" gesture. Dan reached if to hug Nora, then thought better, aborted the mission, and morphed his move into an awkward fist bump.
The outreach team slinked away.
Louisa Cross' voice boomed behind Nora: "Nice shot, Nora. So clutch, my grant writer. But prepare to meet your fate, you three. The last time I lost at skee ball, Michael Nutter had hair."
The championship tilt was tight, Nora, Dan and Michelle from finance against their boss Louisa, and the two board members, who turned out to be awfully competitive for do-gooders from Mount Airy.
It got down to Nora and the final ball again. Or so she thought. Her side trailed Louisa's by 30 points. But when she reached down to pick her last ball, another one plopped down the chute. An extra ball.
"Huh, how'd that happen? Did we miss a turn earlier?"
"Must have," Louisa said. "Go ahead and take both, Nora."
Nora did, rolling two smooth 30's to give her team the win – and hugs all around.
Louisa strolled to the bar to buy pitchers all around, the loser's duty. Nora plunked down next to her pal Julia Fideli. After years as Nora's sidekick, Julia had honorary staff status for all More Than a Roof events.
"Nice rolling, dude," Julia said with a smirk. "Sort of."
"Sort of what?"
"Didn't you get what happened there, Gallagher? When your team was in its last big strategic huddle there, Louisa reached over to the next machine and borrowed a ball and plopped it into your tray."
"No way! Why would she do that?"
"Oh, I dunno, to make sure that her pet grant writer, whom she reamed out the other day, had a good moment and felt like a winner."
Louisa returned to their table holding two frothy pitchers. She set them down, gave Nora a wink and settled in next to her.
"Nice skee-balling."
"Thanks, boss."
"So Julia tells me you've been doing a little freelance homeless outreach without a license." Nora's eyes shot stilettos at her best friend, who gave a "who-me?" gesture.
"I kill you later, Fideli. Julia, he's not homeless. He's got an apartment in a senior complex off Vine. And he's quite a fascinating, erudite guy. He's obviously got some issues, but he's sweet."
"So, Louisa," Julia said, "please inform Ms. Skee Ball Wizard here that she's not superwoman, she can't fix everybody and it's not safe to fly solo when dealing with the drug-addled and possibly psychotic, no matter how cuddly they seem at first glance."
"Seriously, Louisa, shouldn't Nora just try to get the guy in for an intake interview?" Dan added.
Louisa looked for a long, quiet moment at Nora.
"Actually, guys, Nora's just fine," Louisa said. "Sure, there's science. There's research. There's good procedure. But at the bottom of all that, there has to be faith. There has to be caring. There has to a belief that we can all make a difference, one life at a time, heart to heart, soul to soul.
"I'd dare say Nora's trying to live out everything I've tried to teach her these last four, five years. Tony Razzolini was the name, right? As far as I recall, we've never come in touch with him before. So whatever his story is, let's give Nora a chance to tease it out."
Nora lifted her glass to Dan and Julia in triumph, then took a long swig.
"Thanks, Louisa. Tomorrow I lunch chez Razz. I'll expect you all by my desk at 3 for my report; you by conference call, Fideli."
"I, for one, can hardly wait," Julia said. "Of course, until then, I'll monitor my police scanner. Just in case. "
Tomorrow: A festive lunch, chez Razzolini
Listen to the radio play version of Certain Poor Shepherds, on WHYY-FM, at 10 p.m. Dec. 23, 1 p.m. Christmas Eve, 6 p.m. Christmas Day, or with the audio player above. Starring Marty Moss-Coane, Dave Heller and other members of the WHYY team.
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.


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SDLP Mid Ulster MLA Patsy McGlone has said that animals will suffer if an animal cruelty register is not introduced in the North.
He was speaking after DAERA Minister Edwin Poots said a register was not possible for legal and financial reasons.
The SDLP has been campaigning for an All Island Animal Cruelty Register, with widespread support from animal rights organisations and the public.
Mid Ulster MLA Mr McGlone said:
"After a long campaign to introduce an All Island Animal Cruelty Register, in which we received widespread support from animal rights organisations, the public and politicians on both sides of the border, it's extremely disappointing that DAERA Minister Edwin Poots has now dismissed the plan with an explanation that doesn't stack up.
"Our proposals would make huge strides in keeping animals out of the hands of abusers by stopping people with bans from being able to purchase animals, working with animals or getting a license to breed or sell them. It would also link animal cruelty with other relevant offences, further keeping animals out of harm's way.
"Minister Poots' proposal of rehoming organisations asking for proof of Access NI checks will in no way address the issues raised and will only 'encourage' rehoming organisations to adopt the policy. This plan completely ignores the many different ways that abusers get their hands on animals and the need for cross-border cooperation to stop those with animal cruelty convictions travelling from the North into the South to purchase animals and vice versa.
"I would urge Minister Poots to listen to animal rights organisations and reconsider the implementation of an animal cruelty register. Without action offenders will continue to go undetected and animals will suffer as a result."


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Whitney Houston went out partying last night and was seen with blood and scratches on her leg and wrist! See the pics inside and peep photos of a wild lingerie party at Shemar Moore's house.....
Last night, Whitney Houston was spotted leaving Tru Hollywood nightclub in LA. And she looked happy (we guess) and all, but why the blood and scratches??
Not too sure about what happened INSIDE the club, but Whitney (and her wig) both looked a little tired.
Whatever may have happened, she was able to pull it together and sign a few autographs and show love to her fans. Sigh.....one has to wonder if the bankruptcy stories are true.
And we hope those cuts--which some seemed to have been there a while--are purely accident.
Shemar Moore invited a few of his homeboys (and some lingerie models) over to his mansion for a Superbowl party on Sunday....and it looks like things got scandalous. TMZ copped these pics:
The theme of the party was simple....and posted out back. "What happened at Shemar's house NEVER HAPPENED ... Let's Get It In!"
So according to the theme......
Shemar NEVER hooked up with this chick!
And these people were not there either!
Really Shemar?
Photos via PacificCoastNews


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The faculty custodians will lose their jobs on the quiet of the month; the School Committee decided Wednesday morning.
In a 5-minute public meeting that followed a 3-hour government session, the panel voted 3-2 to outsource custodial responsibilities of the general public faculties with a personal cleaning organization. The private session started at 7:15 a.M.
Members Jeannie Meredith, Linda Gaieski and Marc Magliozzi, voted in want of the trade. Lisa Morgante and Liz Marchese voted in the competition. None of the participants commented on the selection.
The move becomes met with remarks from the audience, some calling the School Committee contributors cowards.
"See you in November," yelled out former School Committee member Arthur Grabowski, alluding to an upcoming election.
One of the most potent reactions came from 16-12 months-antique Olivia Tamagna, who pleaded that the board pays attention to a scholar's attitude before making a very last decision. The School Committee did now not preserve a public hearing on the problem.
"I experience that it's critical that you hear the opinion of a pupil," stated Tamagna. "I know you need what's fine for Saugus students; however, outsourcing is not what's nice for us."
The Saugus High School pupil changed into the most active resident to speak at the meeting, and she or he became delivered to tears when she heard the final vote. It became her elementary faculty custodian, Bill Moore, who consoled her.
The crowd of human beings ready in the hallway outside the closed doors of the executive assembly dwindled to less than a dozen as the hours ticked on.
While they waited, the board also discussed the May eight executive minutes that had been wondered via Morgante and Marchese earlier this month, and latest Open Meeting Law lawsuits filed against them.
Marchese and Morgante said they believed they had been voting to gather more excellent facts approximately the custodial bids acquired with the aid of the department on the May eight meeting. Afterward, but, they have become worried that the vote terminated the union contract.
A secretary was no longer present on the government consultation while a vote turned into taken, stated Marchese. Because of that, she said she did no longer consider all people took notes for meeting minutes or recorded the wording of the vote taken.
Wednesday morning, Meredith stated that the vote becomes "to reiterate the original motion made on May 8."
Board members were escorted to their automobiles with the aid of 3 Saugus law enforcement officials. The officers also advised the group attending the assembly, which started heckling the panel, that the meeting was over and that they have to leave.
The committee has not but named a non-public cleaning organization to take over the custodial work at the schools.


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With the winter holidays and New Year's past, you might be thinking about how you can improve your life. Maybe you want to diversify your choices in cuisine or start working harder for a professional goal. Or maybe you want to start seriously improving your mental health. We here at Manhattan Wellness care deeply about your well-being. Maybe it's time you start taking the time for yourself, too. Change can be scary, but you don't necessarily have to start with anything bombastic. It could all just start with four simple changes in your morning routine.
Do you ever feel bleary or out-of-sorts from a bad night's sleep? Have a difficult time forcing yourself to sleep at normal hours? According to a study recently published in The Lancet Psychiatry, people whose circadian rhythms, or daily sleep-wake cycles, are irregular have a higher probability of suffering from conditions such as major depression and bipolar disorder. By just setting the alarm earlier and waking up at a regular time, you could be starting your day off right.
Meditation can be a powerful tool. It doesn't have to be the classic "om" that is commonly depicted in television either. Simply closing your eyes to clear your mind for a few seconds can do wonders for your emotional regulation. And with the explosive popularity of apps such as Headspace, there are more options than ever to choose from.
Quick tip: feeling anxious? Take a deep breath, relax your muscles, and clear your mind.
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Did you know exercise has one of the most profound effects on your mental health? It makes sense that if your body feels out of sorts, the rest will soon follow. Time and again, studies have shown exercise to have a profoundly positive impact on mental wellness. Feeling anxious? Stay indoors and get your steps in. Implementing some sort of extra physical effort into your life will build over time. Soon, you'll be feeling stronger and more focused.
It's easy to debate what your New Year's resolution will be; the hardest part is implementing it. Hopefully, with these four simple tips, you will feel confident enough to incorporate some helpful structures into your life.
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Canceled in 2008 because of protests and calls for Tibetan independence the previous year, the annual Lithang horse-racing festival may not happen once again this year if the situation in Tibet and much of the Tibetan-populated areas will turn for the worse in coming days. Tensions have been reported as high ahead of the 50th anniversary on March 10 of a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959 that led to the Dalai Lama fleeing into exile in India. As last year, once again this February and March the towns across the Tibetan plateau are being sealed off from visitors with armed .
The annual Lithang festival, scheduled once again to be held in Mola Grassland in vicinity of Lithang from August 1 to August 8, a grand gathering of Tibetans to race, compete in acrobatic stunt riding and archery, is an experience to add to your list of places and events to must-see in your lifetime. To witness thousands of Kampa Tibetans gather decked in striking traditional garb and ornaments singing and dancing in an ambiance of nomadic atmosphere is one of those cultural celebrations that should not only be allowed to be staged every year but encouraged as well as protected as mankind"s cultural heritage. Unfortunately as individual tourists as well as tour operators have been banned from bringing their clients to Tibet, Westerns Sichuan and Gansu, and to make sure no uninvited visitor slips through troops block approach roads, more of the same hardline treatment dished out by the Bejing regime breeds more resentments worldwide, the crackdown induces a thouoght that , they themselves, one could only hope, should finally realize is indeed in need of an overhaul.


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Your credit score is one of many pillars of your finances. While you can survive without credit, you can go much further with an excellent credit score. This is why people are always looking for tips on how to improve a poor credit score or make an average one better.
Experian's 2020 Consumer Credit Review tells us the average FICO score in the U.S. hit an all-time high of 710 in 2020, which is good. Perhaps you're wondering how you can get your score to this point or higher. It is possible, but it takes work, consistency, and the right knowledge. That's why we've brought together nine finance experts who know the secret to excellent credit. Keep reading to learn how to increase your score and keep it high.
Benefits of a good credit score
A good credit score can sometimes take you places that even robust savings can't. There are endless benefits of having an excellent track record as a borrower and paying bills on time. Here are a few of these benefits according to our finance experts.
Financial Stability
One of the most liberating feelings is financial stability. Knowing you have the money or access to resources needed to pay your bills and live comfortably can give you peace of mind. Good credit can help you attain financial stability, as you may have access to more lucrative jobs. It can also help you qualify for loans that can help you create your own stream of income.
Ibo Dusi, Chief Operations Officer, Happy Money shares some benefits of a good score.
EXPERT: Ibo Dusi – Happy Money
"A good credit score can help you on the journey to financial stability as you'll often end up paying lower interest rates and may find more success in securing a job."
If you didn't know, some employers check your credit and use it as a determining factor during the hiring process.
Dusi continues, "…Employers often pull your credit when considering you for a new job or even a promotion. Whether you'll be working with kids, handling money, or in a role that requires a security clearance, good credit shows responsibility and reliability and could put you at the top of the list."
For those looking to move beyond conventional career paths, credit can open doors of opportunity. Not everybody uses loans to start a business, but they can be a helpful resource. Without an impressive credit score, your chances of being approved for business loans are slim.
Rebecca Lake, Personal Finance Expert, shares more on this.
EXPERT: Rebecca Lake – Boss Single Mama
"If you want to start a business so you can be your own boss, a good credit score can help you secure loans to get your idea off the ground."
Easier Access to Utilities
It isn't always common knowledge that you need good credit to qualify for some utilities. It may be shocking when you try to take out an internet contract and the service provider runs a credit check. The same applies when it comes time to rent an apartment or get a cellphone contract.
According to Dusi, "People may not realize that with a good credit score, you'll receive more favorable terms on the small things too—such as signing a contract with your cellphone or internet provider."
He continues, "These contracts are actually a form of credit since you're committing to pay the provider for the term of the contract. So keep in mind, if they see red flags in your payment history, you could be denied service or be stuck with unfavorable terms."
This is a reminder to keep up with your utility payments, as failing to pay could hurt your credit in some scoring models. Also, as Dusi states, utilities are an unconventional way of building your credit score outside of loans and credit cards. Alternative credit scoring models like UltraFICO, Connect, and Experian Boost can report your payment history to credit bureaus to help generate a credit score. We'll discuss more about how this works below.
Better Insurance Rates
When you apply for car insurance, your credit score can influence the cost of your monthly premium in some states. Insurance providers sometimes use what's called a credit-based auto insurance score (as one of many ways) to determine how likely you are to claim and pay your monthly premiums. If your credit score isn't on the high-end of the spectrum, you could pay high premiums.
Likewise, your credit score can also affect the premiums you pay on life insurance.
Personal Finance Writer Myles Ma provides better insight on this.
EXPERT: Myles Ma – Policygenius
"Life insurance may not be the first thing that comes to mind when consumers think of good credit. A good credit score won't directly lead to better life insurance premiums, but the behaviors that lead to a good credit score can. For example, life insurance companies won't look at your credit score, but they will look at your credit report and generate an insurance score. They based this score is based on your income, debts, insurance history and driving history. Similar to your credit score, a history of bankruptcy and missed payments will bring your insurance score down and potentially bring your insurance premiums up. But you can't look up your insurance score."
If you enjoy going on vacation, that's another incentive to build your score. A high credit score can give you access to luxury vacations that would otherwise cost you thousands of dollars. Andrew Chen, founder of Hack Your Wealth, says with a good credit score, you can get pre-approved for discounted vacations.
He gives us a real-life example of how having a great score landed him a luxury vacation.
EXPERT: Andrew Chen – Hack Your Wealth
"A few years back, I took my wife to London and Paris for two weeks. We stayed in fancy five-star hotels for zero dollars for the entire two weeks because we could redeem loyalty points that we had earned on premium credit cards our high credit scores had given us access to. We also redeemed those points for free round-trip flights. Our only expenses were food, drinks, and museum tickets."
Maintaining a good credit score
Building your credit score is a game of consistency, and so is maintaining it. The key is to keep the elements used to calculate your credit score at the forefront of your mind and let them guide your financial decisions.
Here are a few expert tips on maintaining a good score and avoiding long and short-term dips.
Keep utilization low
Credit utilization is the second biggest factor that influences your score. Experts advise you only use 30% of your available credit within a single billing cycle. Using more could cause a dip in your score as lenders flag you as a risky borrower. The assumption is that if you're close to maxing out your cards every month, you may be experiencing financial difficulties.
Adams explains it best stating, "The second most important factor in credit scores is how much debt you owe and your credit utilization. Using a smaller percentage of your available credit on revolving accounts (such as credit cards and lines of credit) boosts your scores. And the opposite is true when you use more of your available credit. That causes your utilization ratio to spike and your credit scores to drop quickly. Using more of your available credit is a signal that you might make late payments in the future and could be a higher risk to creditors."
Pay bills on time
Late payments can occur for various reasons, including financial hardships or simply forgetting to pay. However, missing a payment can damage your score, so avoid it at all costs. Pay the minimum payment and set a reminder or automate the payment so you don't forget. If you can't pay on time for any reason, contact the service provider to see how they can help.
Your payment history is the biggest influencer—driving 35% of your score—so it's extremely important to pay your bills on time and pay at least the minimum required balance. —Myles Ma @policygenius Click To TweetAvoid closing cards
If you aren't using a credit card account or you're tempted to overspend, you may consider closing it. This can negatively affect your score, so think twice before doing it. Two common outcomes you may experience are:
- Score drop because your available credit reduces and your utilization ratio shoots up
- Score drop because the average age of your credit drops
If it's the oldest account on your credit report or you don't have many accounts open, you could especially be susceptible to these negative effects.
Closing a credit card can cause a dip in your credit score. So even if you are no longer using the card, keep it open. You can even cut it up so it's out of reach but keep the line of credit open. —Ibo Dusi @happymoney Click To TweetThis isn't to say you should never close a credit account; high annual fees, high interest rates, and insurmountable debt are a few reasons to close it. Just consider the implications before doing it. Even if you decide to close an account and your score drops, it should go back up within a few months assuming you pay your other credit accounts on time and keep utilization low.
Rate shop within a two-week period
What happens to your score when you're buying a new car or looking for a perfect mortgage? In some cases, multiple inquiries within a short period can cause it to drop. However, there is a trick to protect your score, which Dusi shares.
"As you may know, repeated inquiries can cause a dip in your score. So, if you're rate shopping for a mortgage or auto loan, make sure you complete all loan applications within a two-week period and you'll take advantage of FICO's 30-day credit inquiry grace period."
The exception to this rule is shopping for credit card accounts; multiple applications within a short timeframe will hurt your score.
Ask for removals
Mistakes happen, and sometimes, lenders are more forgiving than you think. If you have a missed payment, for example, call your loan or credit card servicer and ask if they can remove it.
Dusi advises, "Ask for forgiveness. We're all human. One or two hits are likely to happen to even the most perfect credit scores. Go to the credit bureau or lender and ask how you can work to remove the ding to your score. And proactively engage with the lender before you're delinquent to avoid credit score dips. Don't be afraid to ask for help and be prepared to make a good case for why you deserve the chance to fix whatever caused the dip."
Consider the implications of paying off loans
Paying off a loan is something worth celebrating. Sadly, it doesn't always reflect positively on your score. Why is this? Some reasons it could drop include:
- It affects your credit mix. For instance, if you have four accounts open—one is an installment loan and the other three are credit cards, you would no longer have a good credit mix once you paid off the installment loan.
- It was the only account with a low balance
Ma explains in more detail, "A tip that often gets overlooked is to space out major credit moves, such as paying off a loan. My credit score recently dipped after I paid off my car. A major change to your credit like that can temporarily decrease your score because you're reducing the variety of your credit mix or shortening your credit history. Before paying off a loan or making a big change to your credit, make sure your credit score is high enough to withstand the small dip."
Ma also advises that after paying off a loan, you should wait before applying for new credit. "Once you do pay off a loan, I recommend waiting a month or two before applying for new debt to allow your credit score to stabilize and help you be eligible for better rates."
Rest assured, the dip is temporary, and your credit score should bounce back after a few months of consistency.
Live within your means
Not everyone is good at budgeting and saving. Developing these skills is key if you want to maintain a good credit score. You can use apps like Tiller to help you stay on track and monitor spending.
Most importantly, avoid emotional spending. It can lead to credit card debt and take you on a downward spiral financially.
Stop spending money you don't have to buy things you don't absolutely need. —Laura Adams @lauraadams Click To TweetBuild an excellent credit score
Good is good but wouldn't you like a very good or dare we say an excellent credit score? From adding new credit to your credit mix or making sure your utilization stays low it's possible with careful planning.
Become an authorized user
What is an authorized user? This is when a credit card user adds you to their account and gives you the authorization to use their card. If you can convince someone to add you as an authorized user, you could be well on your way to an impressive score.
Get a secured card
To get a conventional credit card, you often need to pass many checks. Your credit history is one of the influencing factors. If you don't have a spotless credit history or have no credit history, lenders may be reluctant to approve a credit card or you may face much higher interest rates. To overcome this challenge, get a secured credit card.
According to personal finance expert Laura Adams,
EXPERT: Laura Adams – Personal Finance Expert
"Using a secured credit card that reports payment history to one or more credit bureaus is one of the easiest ways to build credit from scratch. They work like a regular card, except you must pay a refundable security deposit, which becomes your credit limit."
Note that not all providers report to bureaus, so be intentional about choosing one that does. Are you wondering how much the deposit is for a secured credit card?
Adams answers this by saying, "The required deposit varies depending on the secured card you choose; it could be as low as $50 or have a maximum of $5,000. Making a larger deposit allows you to use a secured card for larger purchases."
Credit cards
When you don't have access to credit or you're just starting out, you can use other people's creditworthiness to build your own. Lake shares more insight stating,
One of the easiest ways to build good credit is to ask someone you know to add you to one of their credit cards as an authorized user. This allows you to essentially piggyback off their good credit history. —Rebecca Lake @seemomwrite Click To TweetDon't worry about having to share a card with the account holder; you should get your own card with your name on it. Becoming an authorized user is also beneficial for those with children or teenagers. You can help them get ahead by simply listing them as an authorized user.
EXPERT: Natalie Graham – Go From Broke
"You'll get the benefit of their credit history without having to do anything yourself. Some people may be reluctant to do this but remind them they don't need to actually give you a card or even access to the account. Simply being named on the account is all you need. This is an especially great way for parents to help their kids build credit."
Some people don't know, but you can get someone to cosign on a loan you wouldn't approve for on your own.
CEO David Melnicoe further explains how this works.
EXPERT: David Melnicoe – Tradeline Supply
"Credit "piggybacking" allows you to build credit by becoming associated with another person's good credit. For example, you could have someone with good credit cosign or guarantee a loan that you might not qualify for otherwise, or you could open a joint credit account with that person."
Use a newer scoring model
Conventional scoring models use the following factors to calculate your credit score;
- Payment history 35%
- Amount owed 30%
- Credit history 15%
- New credit 10%
- Mix/Types of credit 10%
What happens when you're new to the country, just clocking 18, or have little credit history? This is when alternative credit models can benefit you. They factor in other things like utility bill payments.
As Lake rightly states, "Something else worth noting is that newer credit scoring models are now taking things like rent and utility payments into account. So, something as simple as paying your rent or electric bill on time can work in your favor for building credit."
Here are three alternative credit scoring models to know about.
Ultra FICO: Ultra FICO enables you to share your checking, savings, and Money Market Accounts with credit bureaus. This helps boost your score as lenders can see if you pay your bills on time.
Experian Boost: Another alternative is Experian Boost, which allows you to build credit using things like Netflix, phone contracts, and utilities. It's an extension of Experian—one of the largest credit bureaus in the country. Unlike other alternate scores, using Experian Boost increases any FICO score based on your Experian credit report.
How does it work? Ma explains, "Services like Experian Boost let you connect the account(s) you use to pay your bills and add the payment data to your Experian credit file."
Connect: Connect is the first organization ever to help consumers build an accurate bill payment history with rental, utility, and other recurring bill payments. An added bonus is it's free to use.
Pay balances early
When you have credit cards or a loan, one of the terms of condition is paying an agreed amount by the due date. This greatly affects your score as payment history comprises 35% of a FICO score. Paying balances before the due date can have positive effects and reduce the likelihood of late payments.
Andrew Chen explains, "Typically, the credit utilization statistics reported by your credit card issuers to the credit bureaus are sent at the end of your monthly billing cycle, when your statement closes."
He continues, "What you can do is just pay off your balance slightly before the end of your statement closing date each month. When your credit card issuer reports your credit balance to the credit bureaus, it will look like you are using little to no credit (because you've already paid off the balance for the month). The balance your card issuer sends to the credit bureaus is lower, which makes your computed utilization lower, which increases your credit score—but really all you've done is just pay your bill off a few days early."
Check your credit report
Something people sometimes overlook when building credit is their report. Checking it regularly is key, as mistakes sometimes happen.
"If you are looking to build your credit, it's a good idea to read through your credit report carefully and check for errors that may be lowering your score. Common credit report mistakes include things that may seem harmless, like a misspelled name or wrong address, but could be signs of identity theft that could result in your score taking a hit," says Myles Ma.
Sometimes mistakes on your credit report are harmless. In more serious cases, it could be identity theft. What happens in the event someone steals your credit or is using your information? Ma gives detailed advice on what to do if you're in this situation.
"If your identity has been stolen, you may also see accounts you don't recognize or duplicate accounts, or even delinquencies on accounts you don't have. All of these can have negative effects on your score, so it's important to file a dispute with the credit bureau reporting these mistakes. Reporting an error, and ultimately having the mistake removed could result in a score increase. As the credit bureaus don't share information with each other, make sure you're looking at all three main credit reports for any mistakes and reporting them to the corresponding bureau."
Hire someone
When you have a poor credit score, sometimes it's best to seek professional help. Trying to improve your score on your own can take time and resources you may not have.
John Rampton, founder of Due.com gives us an example of how helpful outsourcing financial challenges can be.
EXPERT: John Rampton – Due.com
"When I got married, my wife had a horrible credit score. Literally in the 400s. I have always had 750+ credit, so I didn't get it. She had a car repoed, stopped paying on credit cards, missed hospital bills. Life gets hard, we lose our jobs, crap happens. I get it. I didn't realize how low it was, but it was something where we hired someone to fix her credit. Cost us around $150 a month and a LOT of our time hounding them to do what we needed them to do."
Credit repair services can help you remove negative marks on your credit report. Before choosing a company, check reviews, and understand how the services work. Rampton gives insight saying,
"How credit repair works with the company we hired, they send legal notes to creditors telling them to remove the bad credit once it's been paid off. Over the course of around a year and a half (total cost was around $2k plus 60 to 80 hours) we were able to improve her credit from mid 400s to high 700s."
You should also consider using credit counseling services as they can provide debt management advice. You can also try debt consolidation as it helps negotiate lower interest rates and consolidate your debt.
Getting a handle on debt—particularly if you have past-due accounts, can help you stop credit damage so you can start rebuilding.
Advice for those afraid to use credit
When you think about the work that goes into maintaining credit, it can be off-putting. Some people resort to avoiding credit altogether, especially if they've had unpleasant experiences with debt.
Feelings of fear are valid, but it's necessary to put things into perspective. If at any point you want to finance a house or car, take out a loan, apply for utilities, or even get a dream job, you may need good credit.
Personal finance expert Dominique Broadway advises,
EXPERT: Dominique Broadway – Finances Demystified
"Don't be afraid to use credit! I know many times you will hear people telling their stories of how they got into tons of debt and are therefore scared of credit. However, if you use your credit responsibly, it will help you save thousands of dollars when getting a car, buying a home, and more. Credit can also give you the ability to leverage other people's money to grow your wealth!"
1. Don't borrow more than you can afford
Sometimes, people have bad experiences with credit because they're overspending. Credit can seem like free money but it's not—you often pay interest on what you're spending (if balances aren't paid in full every month).
As David Melnicoe says, "You do not have to go into debt or go overboard on spending to use credit successfully. Start small by opening a credit card, using it to pay for some of your usual expenses, and paying off the balance in full every month."
Budgeting can also help you live within your means. If you're new to credit, create a budget before you get a card. Irrespective of your credit limit, only spend what you can afford to pay back.
Ma suggests, "Before opening a credit account, it's a good idea to create a budget. This can help you control your spending and determine the maximum amount you should charge on your credit card each month, so you don't overspend. As a starting point, Policygenius offers a user-friendly and free budget spreadsheet that you can download and easily personalize."
2. Educate yourself
There are tons of resources you can use to learn about credit and how it works. The more educated you are about credit, the less intimidating it may seem.
Rampton says, "Read the advice of the richest people in America. They ALL used credit to get where they are. Don't take advice from just one person—read, listen and acquire the knowledge it takes to make you comfortable with the decision. Never borrow more than you know you can pay back. Never take unnecessary risk."
Credit can help you build financial freedom and also make it easier to access the resources that you need to make your dreams come true. Lake shares a similar perspective as Rampton on the importance of self-education.
"Credit is really just a tool, and if used properly, it can help you get the things you want or need without leaving you in a pile of debt. If you're wary about falling into a debt trap by using credit cards or loans, then the first step is learning how they work. That means understanding things like APR, grace periods, fees, etc. From there, you can start to learn those positive credit habits mentioned earlier that can help you build a good credit score."
3. Start small if you're new to credit
When you're new to credit, building your score can start with a single credit card or store card. You don't have to go all out and get anything overwhelming. The goal should be to start building credit history as early as you can.
"We understand that getting a credit card or signing on for a loan can be scary, especially if it's the first time you've applied for credit of any kind. But by taking a proactive approach to your credit score, starting small and starting early, you can save tens of thousands of dollars over time with lower interest rates and payments. You can use credit wisely," Dusi says.
You can decide to only use your credit card for specific expenses like utility bills or groceries.
4. Take advantage of saving opportunities
Credit cards in particular offer many saving opportunities. You can get discounts at certain stores, reward points, rental car insurance and much more depending on the card you have. Find out the benefits of various credit card providers and choose one that aligns with your goals. For example, if you travel often, you may want a card that offers travel miles or points when you spend.
Managing credit isn't a score we're taught in school, but it isn't impossible to learn in adulthood. With discipline and the knowledge the finance experts above shared, you should see your credit score climbing up the ladder in due time.


text: His angels guard you (BL) Puella ClaraOctober 17, 2018 Blessing of the Day, Tuesday No Comments Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related ← What is a human being for You to notice? (BL) Rejoice that your names are written in heaven (BL) → Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


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With 2021 now just around the corner, thoughts naturally turn to what next year might bring. For existing investors, this could mean expanding your portfolio at a rapid rate to take advantage of new opportunities and positive buying conditions.
Meanwhile, for new investors – or those who have entered the market only recently – there may be a desire to grow your selection of homes quickly and at scale.
But how can this be achieved? According to leading UK property developer SevenCapital, the most daunting aspect for anyone with dreams of building a property empire is often knowing where to start.


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Kirby Smart, Georgia's coach, signaled Sunday that he remained supportive of Stetson Bennett IV, who was 29 for 48 with two interceptions against Alabama.
"Obviously, we have to play better in a lot of areas, but to put any part of that blame, or all of that blame, on Stetson, there's a lot more to it than that," Smart said. "We've got to play better around him. We've got to play better on special teams, defense and, really, all facets of the game."
Cincinnati (13-0) experienced nowhere near as much heartburn on Saturday, when it beat Houston, 35-20, in the American's league championship game. It had fixed a course for the playoff in October, when it went on the road and beat Notre Dame, 24-13.
The Bearcats have scored about 39 points per game and have averaged 429 yards of offense. The Cincinnati quarterback, Desmond Ridder, had a game this year in which he threw three touchdown passes, ran for a score and caught a throw for another touchdown.
But the Cincinnati defense has been particularly sturdy and has allowed an average of 4 yards per play this season. Cincinnati's opponents have scored a total of 25 touchdowns — the Bearcats have scored 70 — helping Cincinnati to lock down the conference lead for fewest points allowed per game (16.1).
"We don't want to think we're carrying some flag for the non-big schools, so to speak," Luke Fickell, Cincinnati's coach, said. "We just want to be us, and our guys have done an unbelievable job all year at kind of handling all of the different distractions and different things that we've kind of gone through with people trying to tell you how you need to play and what you need to do to have any chance."
In addition to the semifinal matchups, the playoff committee also announced pairings for four other major postseason games.


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Yes, we are talking about Christmas in September, but the festive mixed parties are back!
Ding Dong Merrily on High is not a song you expected to be humming in September, but after reading that sentence, we suspect that you are and with good reason because the festive Christmas parties are back at Posh in 2021!
We have two dates available for the party in the Caroline Hand Executive Suite, Friday 3rd December and Saturday 18th December with a minimum booking of 10 people. The event kicks-off at 8pm with 7.30pm arrival.
The event includes a three-course meal, a bottle of prosecco per table of 10 and there will be a disco too! The cost is £39.95 per person.
You can view the menu for the event here.
To book or to find out more either email email@example.com or call 01733 563947.


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I'm 28 years old, have no children, although I plan on having two someday. THE GOAL: Become financially independent and retire in 10 years. That retirement will look like me living off of $40,000 a year with a $1,320,000 nest egg, but I'll have to live off of 22K a year now to get there
My current debt
My total debt ($681,805.45): $4,000 left to pay on my car, $23,319.33 in student loans, and $654,213 in mortgages. Although my mortgages are considered assets, they aren't paid off yet so they are still considered debt.
Where did this 22K a year living expense come from?
According to the trinity study, if you plan on retiring early and living off of your passive income from your retirement funds, you first should take the amount you plan on spending each year and multiply that by 33 to get your retirement number: (40,000 * 33) = $1,320,000.
I make around 120K a year. For me to get to $1,320,000 in about 10 years, I would need to invest $75,000 a year, while achieving a 8% return. I also would have to only spend $22,000 a year.
Now Is This Actually Doable?
Current monthly expenses ($1414): $325 car payment (10 payments left), $125 monthly utilities, $35 phone bill, $143 cable/internet, $113 car insurance, $120 gas, $250 groceries, $50 gift fund, $253 student loan, $50 travel card. Amount I need to invest ($6250): $1625 401K, $500 IRA, $291.60 HSA, $3833.40 brokerage account. Based on my expenses and monthly income, I should be able to do this and still have ~$590.00 dollars who don't yet have a job. I'll call them my spontaneity dollars, but what does a lifestyle like this actually look like.
What does a 22K A Year Lifestyle Look Like?
Being that I have about $590 dollars left to play with on this journey. I can do a mix of a few things each month. I could put this towards additional debt (student loans, car payment), invest more to cut my 10 year goal down further, or enjoy the journey. I'll focus on some fun things that'd I'd spend my money on:
- I can afford to eat out about once a week ($50 *4) = $250
- I can spend $100 on entertainment a month( Netflix, museums, concerts, etc) = $100
- 2 one hour massages ($60 + $20 tip) = $160
- Put the rest towards my travel budget / save it for a fancier month next month
Ways I can stretch this $590 — coupons, eating out for lunch vs dinner, splitting/sharing meals while out, thrift shopping, free activities, etc. The goal isn't to spend the $590 a month but to give myself an idea of the sorts of activities that I can still do while doing this extreme savings plan.
I wrote this post to help anyone else thinking of retiring early. I As with any goal, it will require sacrifices. If you sacrifice for 10 years to enjoy a more flexible lifestyle that gives you the option to retire at least you now have a plan on how to get there.
What appeals to me most is being able to have the option to stop working if I wanted to. I would plan to live off of $40,000 a year. If I wanted to live a more lavish lifestyle I would look for part-time work. Instead of being forced to work I would choose when and if I wanted to work.
If you have any tips, questions or comments feel free to drop them below.


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"There's a new world master among us, and her name is Can Xue."—Robert Coover
Two young girls sneak onto the grounds of a hospital, where they find a disturbing moment of silence in a rose garden. A couple grows a plant that blooms underground, invisibly, to their long-time neighbor's consternation. A cat worries about its sleepwalking owner, who receives a mysterious visitor while he's asleep. After a ten-year absence, a young man visits his uncle, on the twenty-fourth floor of a high-rise that is floating in the air, while his ugly cousin hesitates on the stairs . . .
Can Xue is a master of the dreamscape, crafting stories that inhabit the space where fantasy and reality, time and timelessness, the quotidian and the extraordinary, meet. The stories in this striking and lyrical new collection—populated by old married couples, children, cats, and nosy neighbors, the entire menagerie of the everyday—reaffirm Can Xue's reputation as one of the most innovative Chinese writers in a generation.
1 in stock
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A city man was shot while trying to escape a robbery attempt on Mercer Street early Sunday morning.
The victim, 35-year-old, was with friends in a vehicle on Mercer and Warren streets at around 3:35 a.m.
A suspect approached demanding the belongings of the occupants.
The victim was struck by gunfire when he tried to escape. He then sought treatment at Saint Joseph's University Medical Center for non-fatal gunshot wounds.
Police continue to investigate the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to call the Paterson Police Ceasefire Unit at 973-321-1342.


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Naataq Gear
Nuna Vest
Soft fleece vest with beautiful jacquard trim inspired by the traditional kuspuk.
Fit: Women's fitted style. If you would like more room size up.
Dimensions: Models are wearing a size Medium and XLarge.
Color: Teal, Blackberry, or Moss.
Fabric: 100% Polyester.
Care: Separate light and dark colors; wash similar fabrics together, machine wash warm, use permanent press cycle, no chlorine bleach or fabric softeners, remove promptly from spin, hang dry. Do not dry clean.
About the Designer:
Alice Bioff, founder of Naataq Gear, is Inupiaq. She has lived in Nome with her family since 1999. Alice was working as a tour guide when the Crystal Serenity made its first voyage up and over the arctic circle. One day at sea, a tall passenger with a white cowboy hat admired Alice's traditional Alaskan garment called a Kuspuk. The man asked if the Kuspuk was waterproof. This sparked Alice's vision for Naataq and her idea to create a water-resistant jacket inspired by the traditional Kuspuk to share with visitors that came to the region via cruise ships. To her surprise, not only did the visitors love her garment, so did her fellow Alaskans!
Today, Naataq Gear offers quality products that are not only functional and beautiful, but share a story and a culture that has been in existence for over 10,000 years.


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V/A Molde Punx Go Marching Out 2xLP
Long-lost-tape-to-deluxe-vinyl reissues are about as common as overpriced novelty flexi-discs these days. My lengthy and committed romance with Norwegian punk and hardcore motivated me to aquire this one and I simply could not have been prepared for how great it is. Many of Norway's best early punk offerings have been well documented through the Bloodstains series, Anarki & Kaos comp, all of the classic X-Port Plater releases, Tsjernobilly Boogie compilation and countless comp tapes and blogs. This collection of fourteen Molde bands from 1980-83 was allegedly limited to something like 30(!) copies, but despite what you might be thinking that should mean, the quality is fucking significant! You all know BANNLYST and hopefully ANFALL and mayyybe PSYKSIK TERROR, but not other pre-SO MUCH HATE/STENGTE DÁ˜RER bands like NEVROSE, STYGGE FÁ˜T, FORBUDT UNGDOM or SKABB. It's really notable how great and varied in sound and approach all of these are. I can't even pick highlights, there's something for everyone, all youthful and full of formative punk excitement, though I must point out all members appear to be young men, not a single woman. A satisfying 12×12-inch booklet comes loaded with punk as fuck layouts for each group, complete with cute baby-punk photo layouts (including my guitar hero and absolute legend BÁ¸rre Lovik) and lyrics, really giving the proper space and document to a thriving early scene from a city less than 300 miles from the Arctic Circle. I'm experiencing immense pleasure in spotting the names of some of my favorite players in bands that were previously unable to be heard! This recommendation certainly comes from a certified nerd but I would urge you to pay the $40+ if you can.


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Natural gas, which for years has been promoted by the oil and gas industry as the "cleanest" of the fossil fuels, may not be as environmentally friendly as advertised. The United States' reliance on natural gas as a source of power is only increasing. In 2017, 31.7 percent of U.S. electricity came from natural gas-fired generation, up from 27.3 percent in 2013.
But while natural gas produces fewer carbon emissions than burning coal, the production and transportation of natural gas releases a significant quantity of methane – a greenhouse gas that also contributes to climate change.
For the past five years, research teams at Colorado State University have measured methane emissions at more than 700 separate facilities in the production, gathering, processing, transmission and storage segments of the natural gas supply chain. Their work, along with numerous other research projects, was recently folded into a new study published in the journal Science. This comprehensive snapshot suggests that methane emissions from oil and gas operations are much higher – 60 percent higher – than current EPA estimates.
Anthony Marchese has been focused on measuring this problem for years. He's a professor of mechanical engineering at Colorado State University and in 2013 and 2014, he and his team of researchers spent months on the road, surveying methane emission at over 100 oil and gas sites in 13 states.
"You'd pull up to one of these facilities in the morning. And we'd do a quick survey of the facility with our optical gas imaging, so this is a camera that can detect methane which is usually invisible," Marchese explains. "And we would see the facility and what we could call an 'abnormal operating state.' For example, you might see natural gas spewing out of one of the condensate tanks."
Why is Methane Leakage a Big Deal?
Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas, with more than 80 times the climate warming impact of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it is released. According to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), fully 25 percent of manmade global warming that the Earth currently is experiencing is caused by methane emissions.
A new study finds that in the United States such leaks have nearly doubled the climate impact of natural gas. That puts methane leaks on par with carbon dioxide (CO2)-emitting coal plants for two decades.
Right now, there are approximately 500,000 natural gas wells operating in the U.S. Some two million miles of pipes and millions of valves, fittings, tanks, compressors and other components operate around the clock, seven days a week, to deliver natural gas to your home.
That natural gas that you burn may have traveled 1,000 miles or more as it traveled through this complicated network. At many points along the way, there are ample opportunities for some of it to have leaked out into the atmosphere.
Those natural gas leaks can be accidental, caused by malfunctioning equipment, but a lot of natural gas is also released intentionally to perform process operations such as opening and closing valves. In addition, the tens of thousands of compressors that increase the pressure and pump the gas along through the network are powered by engines that burn natural gas and their exhaust contains some unburned natural gas.
One way to quantify the magnitude of the methane leakage is to divide the amount of methane emitted each year by the total amount of methane pumped out of the ground each year from natural gas and oil wells. The EPA currently estimates this methane leak rate to be 1.4 percent. That is, for every cubic foot of natural gas drawn from underground reservoirs, 1.4 percent of it is lost into the atmosphere.


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Day 3
This was the day that was to be the busiest and it proved to be true. I decided to show early in order to get parked a bit easier and, indeed it was quicker than trying to park at the last minute. The traffic is horrendous.
Great surprise right away; Nancy Lopez showed up at the booth beside us and hung around for over an hour as she endorses their product, iDGRIPS. I took a moment to snap her picture and talk with her a bit about Mulligan Magazine. My understanding is that she has been a woman of faith through her Catholic upbringing. She was open to our concept and Dann Lemerand was able to speak to her later in the day and further gain a commitment from her to take a look at the magazine and see how she may want to contribute. She's a wonderful ambassador for the game with her incredible career with 52 victories. I call her; "the Arnold Palmer of the women's game".
We continued to discuss the direction of the "golf ministry" group, including; Jim Hiskey, Bill Rogers, Links Players International as well as a couple of other folks I did not recognize. He talked about how the "Mulligan GC" was originally meant to be the vehicle by which they would reach all golfers for Christ, but, the medium just didn't happen the way they expected. He was encouraged by the direction of Mulligan Magazine and Kingdom.golf in moving the concept forward. He also mentioned the 2016 Payne Stewart Cup location being changed to Northern Ireland, in fact, the group was discussing that concept this weekend.


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Overachieving Teachers 2020 with the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show
It's back! KVKI's Kidd Kraddick Morning Show has teamed up with Pilot Pen once again this school year to give you the chance to win a G2 Overachievers prize pack complete with $1,000 to make this school year your most successful yet... you know, when we get back into the classroom!
Are you a teacher? Do you want to supply your classroom with the very best tools for back-to-school? The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show and Pilot Pen want to make sure eight lucky teachers have everything they need for their classroom!
Deserving teachers will be chosen by to receive a G2 Overachievers prize pack, including Pilot's #1 selling G2 gel ink pens – the ultimate tools for overachieving classrooms – and a $1,000 Visa cash gift card.
To enter, click here to tell us how you would use $1,000 in your classroom to inspire the next generation of overachievers!
Show Pilot how you bring power to your pen on Instagram @PilotPenUSA, Facebook.com/PilotPen, and Twitter @PilotPenUSA.
Overachieving teachers can visit G2OverachieversClub.com to receive exclusive deals and news.


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By Rodgers & Hammerstein
The first collaboration of famed partners Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Oklahoma! set the American musical theatre standard.
Produced by Madison West High School at West High School, 30 Ash Street, Madison
Performances: March 4-12, 2016
Performance Times:
7pmTicket Prices: $10 General Admission www.eventbrite.com or purchase tickets at the door
Call for reservations or more information.