Financial Fitness Checklist

Title:Financial Fitness ChecklistWord Count:382Summary:Take the financial fitness checklist and see where you stand with your finances.Keywords:financial, questions, credit, questions financial, credit cards, questions financial fitness, fitness,cards, financial fitness, pay, financiaArticle Body:To find out just what kind of financial shape you're in, answer the questions in the followingFinancial Fitness Checklist.1 If you're married, print this out and take it home so that you andyour spouse can work together to answer the questions. Make a note of how many questionsyou answer yes to.1. Are you using more and more of your income to pay your debts?2. Do you make only the minimum payments due on your loans and credit cards each month?3. Are you near, at, or over the credit limit on your credit cards?4. Are you paying your bills with money intended for other things?5. Are you borrowing money or using credit cards to pay for things you used to buy with cash?6. Do you often pay your bills late?7. Are you dipping into your savings to pay current bills?8. Do you put off visits to the doctor or dentist because you can't afford them?9. Has a collection agency called recently about overdue bills?10. Are you working overtime or holding a second job to make ends meet?11. If you or your spouse lost your job, would you be in financial trouble right away?12. Do you worry about money a lot?If you answered \"no\" to all questions on the Financial Fitness Checklist, you're the picture offinancial health.One or two \"yes\" answers, while not necessarily a sign of impending doom, can be a warningsign of potential problems. Before things get any worse, take time now to draw up a realisticbudget (including a savings plan) or to revise your spending plan. Cut back on your use of

credit cards, and watch closely for other signs of financial trouble.Three to five \"yes\" answers could mean that you're heading for financial trouble. It's imperativethat you get your spending under control right away. If you don't have a monthly budget, drawone up and follow it. Put away your credit cards and cut out all unnecessary spending until youcan answer \"no\" to all the questions on the Financial Fitness Checklist.If you answered \"yes\" to more than five of the questions on the Financial Fitness Checklist, youmay already be in serious financial trouble. But don't despair. Financial counseling can start youon the road to financial recovery.Title:Individual Health Insurance Company - Why Should I Look For One?Word Count:326Summary:Even though many people choose whether or not to take a job, as well as keep a job, based onbenefits such as a great health insurance package, not all employers offer health insurancepackages. And, they are not required to. If you work for an employer such as a small-business抯owner, chances are you are not going to be able to get health insurance through your job. Unlessyou are married and can be added on to your spouse health insurance, you will most likelyneed to look...Keywords:Article Body:Even though many people choose whether or not to take a job, as well as keep a job, based onbenefits such as a great health insurance package, not all employers offer health insurancepackages. And, they are not required to. If you work for an employer such as a small-business抯owner, chances are you are not going to be able to get health insurance through your job. Unlessyou are married and can be added on to your spouse health insurance, you will most likelyneed to look into purchasing an individual health insurance.Other people who will be interested in finding individual health insurance include those whoare unemployed for various reasons, including the return to school, and those who areself-employed. The good news for self-employed individual health insurance policy holders isthat the insurance premium is tax-deductible.With the seemingly steady rise of already expensive medical costs, health insurance issomething everyone needs. Health insurance offers a sense of financial security as well as peaceof mind. The number of people in America who are currently without some type of healthinsurance is always astounding. Having health insurance helps protect you and your familyfrom financial disasters in the all too often event of a major injury or illness. Even if the

medical situation is not quite as severe, it is still better to have health insurance to help with themedical costs than not have it.Remember, most all of us have other bills of some sort that must be paid. It will be difficult tomanage payment of them all once those medical bills start rolling in and you do not have healthinsurance to help with the costs. It is true that an individual health insurance company is mostlikely going to have much higher rates and much more limited coverage, but if purchasingindividual health insurance is your last option, it is one you should definitely take.Title:Unhealthy Air in Schools: Building Materials Play a RoleWord Count:263Summary:Many children are being subjected to indoor air quality problems in their schools.Keywords:Unhealthy Air in Schools: Building Materials Play a RoleArticle Body:Many children are being subjected to indoor air quality problems in their schools.Oftentimes, these problems can be attributed to the materials used in constructing the schools,many of which provide a food source for mold.Even with the best building design, moisture likely will be present in all schools at some point,so the choice in building materials is critical to reducing or eliminating the amount of damagecaused by mold.A new video produced by the National Concrete Masonry Association titled \"Building SmarterSchools: Are You Making an Educated Investment?\" calls attention to the issue of mold inschool buildings and its cost to communities.\"In our area of Texas, there is an 18-month-old school that is abandoned and full of mold,\" saidChris Huckabee, chief executive officer of the architecture firm Huckabee & Associates and afrequent lecturer on high-performance school design. \"This is obviously not popular with thetaxpayers or the school administrators.\"The video showcases schools across North America in which masonry construction was thesolution to serious mold problems. Huckabee notes that all of the schools that his company hasbuilt -more than 1,000 - were built with masonry because mold will not damage it.\"Schools are landmarks in the community and we want them to stand the test of time,\" said

Huckabee, who is featured in the video, along with school architects, a school superintendentand a facilities director for a large school division. All favor the use of concrete masonry inschool construction because it is resistant to mold, wind and fire, durable, energy-efficient andeasy to maintain.