Are you considering a law enforcement degree? Are you interested in becoming:
o Police officer
o Detective
o FBI Agent
o DEA Agent
o U.S. Marshal
o Department of Homeland security officer
o U.S. Secret Service agent
If any of these law enforcement careers seem interesting and sound like something you would like to pursue, consider a law enforcement degree as this will lead you one step closer to your perfect career.
Law Enforcement Degree Programs – What are they like?
As our world becomes more complex and technically advance, so is the demand on more highly trained individuals. As in any other career, law enforcement careers today require more and more education training from prospective applicants.
Most positions within this field require an associate’s degree, bachelor’s or even master’s degree, usually in criminal justice. Not only will a higher level of education, such as a bachelor, masters or doctorate degree, lead to greater salary but also to more job opportunities and career advancement choices.
Law enforcement degree programs will train you for a wide spectrum of skills, allowing for a wide range of career options. You will learn about the court and judicial system, police procedures and policies, prison systems, rehabilitation and control of prisoners.
Law Enforcement Courses/Curriculum
Aside from the study of law and the legal system, courses focus on accounting, business finance, computer science as well as physical education to promote fitness and performance on the job. Foreign language fluency is important for federal employment.
In a law enforcement training program you will be exposed to courses in criminal justice, police administration, police management, police organization, criminal law, criminal procedures, crime scene investigation, interviewing and interrogation, criminal counseling, juvenile delinquency, pubic safety – to name a few.
As you can see from the long list of courses offered, law enforcement is becoming a popular and fast growing field. As a result, colleges and universities offering training in this area are able to provide many courses to choose from. By exploring all your options within this degree program, you can pinpoint your strengths, areas of interest and design your ideal future career. You can do so much with a law enforcement degree – make sure you find out what works best for YOU.
Online Law Enforcement Degree Programs
Online education is on the raise so it’s not surprising that most online colleges and universities also offer law enforcement training. Online degree programs give you the freedom from attending regularly scheduled classes and allow you to go to school while working full time and managing a family. They are becoming very popular as they are a way to advance your career while keeping your current job. Many employers will pay their employees to go back to school, online.
There are so many online schools offering law enforcement online degree programs, how are you to choose one? The best approach is to select a few, request information and research, read about their programs and courses offered as well as class/degree requirements. Some schools offer complete online degree programs, others require some in class time. Find out all the details before signing on to a program, be it an online associate, bachelor or online master degree law enforcement program. When researching schools, in addition to program details, try to find out faculty qualifications as well as the percentage of students that graduate and find jobs upon graduation.
Law Enforcement Careers
The primary goal of all law enforcement professionals is to protect individuals within their jurisdiction. With this career you could work as a state or federal agent, police officers, inspector, sheriff or detective. There are many opportunities for specialization within this field and the list of job titles is extensive.
Police officers are usually employed at a local level and perform task such as traffic control, regular patrols, investigation of theft and assault as well as community policing.
Detectives and Investigators specialize in one area of crime and are assigned cases within that area. Their primary role is to collect evidence, conduct interviews, and examine records all leading to crime solution, arrest and prosecution.
Federal agents are employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and perform investigations of all types of crimes. The list of task and job opportunities is extensive. Spend some time reading and researching all the opportunities and educational requirements before choosing an area to specialize in within the law enforcement filed.
Month: May 2018
Fashion Style Mistakes to Avoid
Not everyone has a highly-developed fashion style and fashion sense like the great fashion designers. But even great designers make fashion bombs sometimes. Although one cannot always be sure if his or her fashion is perfect or not, there are a few ground rules that one can follow in order to at least give him or her a chance to make a positive fashion statement.
Following trends and fashion fads blindly is something that you should avoid at all costs. While it’s true that it seems everyone around you might be wearing it, you have to be careful that you don’t get pulled into the frenzy if that style of fashion does not suit you. A lot of times, fashion fads don’t last long and when they end, you might find yourself with a heap of clothes that you won’t be able to wear ever again.
Accessorizing is good, but too much of it would be a fashion no-no. It’s only fine to wear ten bracelets and five necklaces and earrings and other bling you can find when you’re six years old and playing dress-up. When you’re grown up, it just looks ridiculous. One can show off whatever jewelries or accessories you have but not all at the same time. Remember there are other parties or social occasions where you can show of your other stuff. Add a little class to your fashion style by going with the “less is more” motto when it comes to accessories.
Don’t buy things just because they are on sale. Similar to following fashion fads blindly, buying just because an item is on sale is just a waste of money. Make sure that when you buy with your hard-earned money, it would be something that you can use and that it will last. Otherwise, sale or not, it’s better to clench your teeth and just walk away.
Wearing clothes that don’t fit you is also a big mistake. First of all, ill-fitting clothes are not very comfortable to wear. And clothes that are too big or too small will do nothing for your figure. It will just make your wardrobe a fashion disaster. Do yourself a favor, if your clothes don’t fit you, give them away. You’ll not only help others, but you’ll also be helping yourself.
In the end, it doesn’t take much brain power to know the right fashion style for you. It’s all about having control over yourself, and knowing the right balance of things. Keep in mind that too much of anything is never good.
Fashion at the Weekends
My weekends tend to be split into three main fashion categories, with a different outfit for each one. Friday is the girls night and all that goes with it, Saturday is dinner with my man at a sophisticated restaurant and Sunday tends to be country walks with the dogs and family lunch.
The best part of a night out for my girlfriends and I is the preparation. Pampering, preening and plucking. We tend to leave the office early and start getting ready from 4pm onwards. Friday nights have been the girls nights for over ten years and the women’s fashions and trends have changed so much in that time. But it’s not just about what was in fashion that has changed but our personal style choices. First of all, ten tears ago we were still students. We were on a budget and Primark was only just on the cusp of being the icon it is today. My fashion style was probably much more creative than it is today because I couldn’t afford to just walk into a boutique and buy exactly what I wanted. I hunted charity shops, did clothes exchanges with my friends and once we even bought a sewing machine. However, it spent more time collecting dust than sewing. Our style at that time was very much “less is more”. Short skirts, low tops, sleeveless, backless dresses and all this in the middle of January.
These days I like to think we are a little more sophisticated in our fashion choices. There is big trend towards 1940s fashion at the moment and this suits my friends and I just fine. The hair is glamorous, the make up powerful and the preparation takes forever. There is something so lovely about getting dressed up for a night out with your girlfriends. I think it’s the child in you that still likes to play dressing up.
After a night dancing with the girls on a Friday, I usually need a good detox in the gym on Saturday before my big night out with my gorgeous man.I like to dress in total contrast on a Saturday night. I wear black black black. I like to create a look that is sultry and mysterious. I have even invested in a wig. I love how different it makes me feel.
Finally it comes to Sunday and I am more than happy to take it slow. I embrace the country life on a Sunday. But not too much, I still want to look fashion savvy and not like a complete country bumpkin. I love the fact that the Barbour style jacket is so current. The great news is that it is available in a wide range of colors, navy, red, camel, racing green and for a wide range of budgets. I own two such jackets. One is quilted and when paired with a Hermes type scarf ( I have not invested in an original as there are so many similar ones available I thought it would be more cost effective) I feel ever so regal and start looking for my corgi. The other jacket is more military style and I can even get away with it in the city on a rainy day. Finally I opt for military style boots or flat grey brogues. The perfect chic country Sunday.
Bags – Fashion Style
Bags, bags and more bags! Whether you’re going out to the nearest grocery store or for a formal evening out, a bag is a must for any lady. This season, bags in different shapes and sizes are ‘in’, but it is important to realize that if the most fashionable bag is worn on the wrong occasion and most importantly with the wrong type of outfit it will only make you look silly. Small clutch bags give an elegant and chic look and are a must for a formal evening out or a lunch with friends. The small clutch bag gives a graceful and chic poise to the lady holding the bag and looks awesome with long shirts and caprice. Small pouch bags also look great, as they are no hassle to carry and comfortable that makes them all the more better for formal occasions. Since saris are also favorite outfits on formal evenings and clutch bags, pouches are a must for an “all-out elegant look.”
If you are all for the glamorous and glitzy look then clutch bags with stones and embroidery will do the job for you. So for a classy touch go for petit bags and purses to complete your look. The huge metallic bags are the most popular bags this season and are definitely en vogue! They were in vogue last winter’s as well but their fashion has not worn out. In fact, huge bags are all the more in fashion this summer. They look good with any casual outfit like a Tee-shirt dress and jeans, A-line frock dresses or your casual day to day wear. These bags are useful for those who go to college, university or work as they are spacious enough to carry your make up kit and you can fit in just about anything – maybe even your pet Chihuahua! They are also lifesavers for moms with infants as the mother can not only keep her make-up and accessories but also her babies ‘accessories’. You have a lot of choice in these bags, as they are available in metallic colors as well as in any other colors with or without artificial stones, chains and buckles. Just be careful that you don’t buy an over-accessorized bag because it just ends up looking very cheap. The best thing about these bags is that they look good on just about anyone. However, keep the bags large enough – do not go for the ultimately over-size bags that will surpass your outfit and undermine your personality. This can be a total disaster as it will make you look like a huge metallic piece of leather and you don’t want that!
A much better choice for a bag to take on a semi-formal GT would be the bamboo bags. These bags can be found in almost any color but personally one finds them better in natural earthy ones like beige, brown or black. Stylized with diamantes, stones, sequins, and beads these bags come in different designs. Bamboo bags look casual yet give a graceful feel to the over-all look. Worn with a semi-formal clothes and stilettos, it definitely looks chic.
Well, that’s just about it for the bags in vogue this summer but one thing you need to be really careful about are the fake designer bags that can be found very easily these! Please do not buy bags that have Gucci and Armani drooling over them. Besides people have become so aware of fashion these days, you can tell an original from a fake. So to save yourself from embarrassment stay away from fake designer bags!
What Do Apartments in Dallas Check For When They Run Your Application?
Apartments in each state and, even in each city within the same state, have their own different qualification procedures when reviewing the application of a potential new renter. Take the state of Texas as an example. The largest metropolitan areas in this state with the highest concentration of apartment communities are Dallas, San Antonio and Houston. There are thousands of various apartment complexes in each of these cities. You would think they would have the same requirements for approval when running an Application for a new renter since they are all located within the same state of Texas. However, Dallas has very unique requirements that are different from Houston and San Antonio as well as different from other cities and other states.
Apartments in the illustrious city of Dallas check four (4) major areas in order to approve your Application: criminal background, income/job, rental history, and credit. It is the combination of these specific 4 areas that make Dallas requirements unique as a city, as well as how lenient or strict they are within each of the 4 areas.
For instance, In Houston, located only 239 miles away from Dallas, there are some apartments that consider your debt and your debt to income ratios as well as Social Security fraud history, when checking your Application. These are items that are never checked by Dallas apartments when they run your Application. Also, Dallas is more lenient than Houston when doing a criminal background check when it comes to fraud and financial crimes. Several apartments in Dallas will still work with you if you have a misdemeanor or felony in those categories, whereas in Houston these two areas are almost always causes for denial of your application.
As another example of how unique Dallas qualification requirements are, consider how Dallas differs from another major city, San Antonio. In the city of Dallas, apartments do not check how long you have worked at a particular job. The length of your employment history is not a consideration. As long as you HAVE employment and income that can be verified, most apartments will approve your application. In fact, you can have a brand new job, or even be transferring here to Dallas from another location, and all you need is a “Hire Letter” from the new employee showing your start date and your rate of pay. This is different from San Antonio. Most apartments in San Antonio want to see at least 6 months of employment history.
So, as you can see, Dallas has unique requirements that they check for when running an apartment application. Here are the specific requirements that Dallas apartments look for in more detail:
1. The first area that the best Apartments in Dallas check is your income qualifications. They almost always require that you earn three (3) times whatever your rent amount is. Other cities and states may require that you earn 2.5 times, or even 3.5 times the rent amount, but almost all properties across the board in Dallas check to see that you earn 3 times minimum. For example, if your rent is $1000, they want to see proof that you earn at least $3000 a month. You can provide this proof of income in the form of paycheck stubs. If you are self employed, you can provide bank statements and the most recent year’s tax statements. If you are new moving into the Dallas area and have been transferred from your job, or you are just starting a brand new job, you can provide a letter from your employer on company letterhead from the HR department or the hiring manager. The letter should state that you are being relocated and what your income will be.
Many cities, such as Houston and San Antonio, check to see how long you have worked for a particular employer, and therefore will not accept a “New Hire Letter”. Dallas does not do this. As long as you have the Hire Letter, you can be accepted with a brand new job. More than likely, however, the new apartments will call the company and ask for verbal verification of the letter, and it must be signed by someone with authority, such as the Hiring Manager. They may or may not ask for the letter to be notarized.
What kind of income will the Dallas apartments consider? In addition to income from a business you own or from employment, you can also include funds that you receive as child support, disability, retirement, investments, etc. Any and all income that is legal and is provable will be considered.
What if you are retired and do not have income? Some areas would require you to move to a retirement community or senior facility. But most apartments in Dallas are flexible in this regard. They will just require a copy of your bank statements to verify that you have enough funds to cover the cost of the rent for each month of the lease. For example, if your rent is $1000 a month, and you sign a 12 month lease, they will check to see if you at least have $12,000 in savings. They will also consider any Social Security money that you receive as monthly income. And if all else fails, they will accept a co-signer. Because Dallas is flexible in working with retired individuals, many enjoy the freedom and dignity of renting their own apartment without having to move into a retirement home for seniors. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that Money Magazine voted Dallas as one of the best places to retire in 2006 and 2007.
2. The second area that the best apartments in Dallas always check is your past rental history. They want to know if you have ever broken a lease or been evicted. They will check with the current apartments you are living in now, even if they are in another state, to verify that you are leaving on good terms. It may be tempting to try to “stretch the truth” and hide the fact that you owe past apartments money, but resist the urge. The credit check that they pull on you will reveal any debts that you owe to past properties. In Dallas, any past debts to properties that are still unpaid, even if they are many years ago, will mean an automatic denial if it shows up on your credit. The Manager does not have control over making the final decision in this regard. This is because most apartments in Dallas are managed by large Property Management Companies who make all the corporate decisions for their properties. They set the rules, and the rule is always to check for any property debts and automatically deny an application if such a debt appears. Other cities with a higher percentage of privately owned small apartment communities, such as San Antonio or Houston, may be more flexible in this regard since they maintain more control over who they accept or deny and the Manager may be allowed to make the final ruling.
What can you do if you do owe a past apartment community and you are searching for an apartment in the Dallas area? Well, it all depends upon whether or not it shows up on your credit report. If you aren’t sure if it shows up on your credit, you might first pull your own free credit report and look to see if it is there. Make sure to pull the credit from all three reporting agencies since you aren’t sure which one the apartments will use. If the incident is mentioned nowhere on your credit, then you may choose not to bring up the past, especially if you have had good rental history SINCE that occurrence. If it does show up on your credit, then you will not get approved at any apartment complex in Dallas. Your only option is to go back to that prior property that you owe funds to and pay them off. Be sure to receive a receipt or letter that shows your debt is paid in full so you can present this letter to the new Dallas apartments. Even with the receipt or letter, not every property in Dallas will work with you. A skilled Dallas Apartment Locator will be of great assistance in guiding you to the properties that are a little more lenient in this regard.
3. The third area that the Dallas Best Apartments check is your credit. As we mentioned above, they are mainly looking to see if you owe any past apartments money. However, Dallas is unique because they also will check to see if you owe past utility bills, mainly the electric company. The reason they check this is because you will not be able to turn on your electricity at the new apartment if you still owe the utility company money. So you will have to pay off any debts to the electric company prior to filling out the apartment application. In fact, some Dallas apartments even require you to call the power company and schedule the date for them to turn on the electricity to your new apartment, and get a confirmation number to prove it is scheduled, before they will give the final approval to your Application. Apartments in other cities are not as strict in this area as Dallas.
Another item they will look for on your credit, besides just past apartment debts and utility debts are housing debts. Perhaps you use to own your own home, and now you are moving into an apartment. The apartments will check to see your payment history with the mortgage company and will look for property debts and foreclosures. If a foreclosure shows up, then they may not be able to work with you. It depends on how many years ago the incident happened. An Apartment Locator familiar with Dallas apartments will be in the best position to assist you.
4. The last area that apartments in Dallas always check is your criminal background. Although most cities and states run background checks on applicants, each city is different in how they react to the findings. Dallas apartments run a background check that goes back indefinitely. It will show any past misdemeanors or felonies that you have ever received in your entire life. It doesn’t matter if the occurrence happened 30 years ago. It will still show up. Most apartments in Dallas automatically will decline your application if any felony shows up. However, they can be flexible in a few areas where other cities are not.
For example, if the felony or misdemeanor is for something that does not involve harm to another human and does not involve theft, approximately 10% of the Dallas apartments will work with you. Some examples of misdemeanors or felonies that SOME properties may be more flexible with are: check writing fraud, drinking while driving, possession of marijuana, etc. Other cities are not flexible enough to consider any exceptions and will deny an application for any crime, regardless of its nature.
If you have a non-violent glitch on your background criminal record, you need a qualified Apartment Locator in Dallas who has knowledge of second chance properties to assist you in finding the 10% who might work with your situation. If your particular offense is not one that any apartment property in Dallas will accept, then the Locator will let you know. In that case, your best bet is to find a privately owned house that is for rent by the owner. These can be found in the newspaper. Do not apply for a rent house that is represented by a Real Estate Agent, or they will have the same background check that the apartments have, and you will run into the same problem. Only rent houses that are for lease by the owner offer more flexibility.
Enjoy Your Life With Latest Games
Online gaming is one of the remarkable inventions that is ever made by modern science. The total number of games that are being played across the globe is truly uncountable. This entertainment resource is one of most popular choices of entertainment among the children as well as teens. Not only an online game serves as a high-class entertainment, it is also a good medium to meet other online players from different places or countries. Most of latest games are made on the flash platform.
Online gaming is not only the source of enjoyment for the game enthusiasts all over globe, but is also growing to be one of the most lucrative businesses. The websites which provide plenty of latest games get gigantic amount of hits and therefore they become fabulous advertising tools for most marketing campaigns.
There are numerous types of latest games available on the Internet, such as shooting games, adventure, fighting, racing and many more. The shooting games are sub-genre of action frolic because shooters get the opportunity to take part in most adventurous actions. Under the category of shooting games, the player usually views the events from behind the eyes of the main character, normally a few feet behind the shooter. They are based on high-end features and most of the times they are based on popular films. These are the favorite tools for doing time pass for the shooting enthusiasts. These games have been favorite among the kids as well as teenagers. The shooting games either require you to fulfill one particular mission and in some cases, just let you to kill the enemies without any proper mission. There you just have to clear the game stages.
Free online games also include space related games, wherein your aeroplane just goes on shooting meteorites and other targets, which come in the way of your space craft. In the middle of the game, you can also get some surplus power that can add extra strength to the players’ plane, such as power missiles, protecting rings, multi way missile and many more. Therefore, these are considered as great stress relievers.
Innovations have always been a rife part of most of the new types of activity conceived by mankind and hence the facet of invention is also a part prevailing in the world of online gaming. These inventions are quite absorbing in terms of their game-play and hence increase the pleasant experience of playing the latest games. An individual who is playing an online game can chat with his antagonist in a real time multi-player game and he can also win money.
The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same With High School Fashion Styles
Value is hot! Most of us will look for deals like shopping at J.C. Penny, Kohl’s and department stores that have value And name brands. We all “grow up” during high school (well most of us). High school fashions today declare who we are while we are. We are honing our socialization skills and finding what fashions reflect who we are. This is why there are various looks that high school students have. We’ve included just a few:
Most of us think by merely donning the varsity team jacket will somehow transform our look into “jock mode.” However this does not hide our poor fashion sense or lack there of and neither do large letters and colors of the high school. The ultimate way to key into the Jock Look is by going out for a school sport and making the team and earning the right to wear that jacket. And by sport and team I am not referring to the varsity chess team.
We all remember the geeks and nerds don’t we, and some of them were actually us. Usually none by their “un-cool” clothing these prodigies are usually so engulfed with numerous projects that they could care less about what they wear. As with all changes in fashion trends, actually having geeky clothing isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Let’s face it, geeks and nerds are thriving because of the fact that everyone has a computer. Do you recall when role playing gamers were known to be Satan worshippers? Well today some of them are none as world class cyber athletes. This high school fashion can be scored by being preoccupied with solving the problems of the universe and by wearing a shirt with a witty saying or technological jargon a face it.
While this high school fashion is popular among fans of rock bands making a statement is a definite plus with those we call, “rockers”. These are usually shirts that make statements or shirts featuring their favorite band. This fashion usually includes a ton of trinkets and studded bracelets or a tribal necklace. With this high school fashion you need to take on the “appropriate” attitude to go with it. Being passionate about music is of course essential and having an IPOD or headphones will cinch the look. For the guarantee of turning girls heads a pair of drumsticks or a guitar case will do the trick as well.
Most of us think of BLACK when referring to the Goth fashion of high school clothing. Whether fortunately or not this is not just a high school fashion it is used by numerous people who wish to make statements of sorrow. The accessories are the key really; such as, black eyeliner and lipstick. Don’t be swain by thinking these Goths are dressing as such to show their individuality; more or less this form of dress is more commonly done to be included in a group and sort of blend in with people who want to show that they belong.
The toughest fashion look to maintain as you must always stay atop the latest high fashions racing from store to store to obtain the first best outfit ever. Well you also have to know what is “cool” and what is definitely “not cool”. And as a true fashionista, you must launch the highest standard of high school fashion.
This is just a few of the high school fashions a foot at your local high school so get out there and look around your local high school and catch one today or create a new one.
Buying Furniture: Use a Website or Home Furniture Showroom?
When buying furniture, many people are undecided whether to buy from a home furniture showroom or from a website. The feeling is generally that online is easier and also more convenient, but that buying from a showroom or mall store is safer. Are they right or not?
Unfortunately there is no distinct answer to this question, because those marketing using each of the above options claim they are the best and safest. There is little evidence either way regarding the security of your payment details. There have been problems with leaked details online, and with credit card cloning offline, so quite frankly you are best to ignore that aspect.
The vast majority have no problems using either method, and it comes down to which is best for you. Is it more convenient to buy online? Sure it is! Is it best to by online? That is your decision to make, but with furniture one thing is clear – you have a far better choice online, but you get a better view of your furniture in a mall store or home furniture showroom before you pay for it.
So which is best? Neither! You need to think about the benefits and drawbacks of each method of purchasing furniture and try to eliminate the negative aspects of each while combining their strengths or benefits. Let’s have a look at the advantages and disadvantages of each, while keeping in mind that the weakness of one will likely be a strength of the other.
Buying Furniture Online
Large Choice of Manufacturers: The main advantage of buying furniture online is that you can visit a large number of online furniture store websites in a morning. You can check out Sherrill Furniture for a good selection of upholstered chairs and sofas, Simply Amish for some mission or Shaker furniture for your kitchen, Southwood Furniture for a selection of beautiful reproduction furniture and L. & J.G. Stickley Furniture for beautiful living room and dining room furniture.
Made in America: These are just some examples of American furniture manufacturers that offer products that are 100% made in the USA. So another advantage of buying online is that if you are patriotic, you can find the truly American companies where every item is made in America. Try that in your local shopping mall, and you will struggle to find products that are made in the USA by American craftsmen and women using sustainable American wood.
Online Room Planners: Several furniture outlets or dealers offer design services or online room planners for your use. In fact, you can often rely on finding a room planner on the website of a manufacturer. After entering the dimensions of your room, you get a scale model of it and you can add similarly scaled thumbnails of your furniture choices to add to it by the click of a button. That way you can see how your furniture choices fit into your rooms.
Easy Ordering: Some online furniture stores allow you to order and pay online. We are assuming here that online and offline payment methods are equally secure, which they generally are. However, sometimes it is too easy to order online with a credit card, and you can easily overspend
Buying from a Home Furniture Showroom
See Your Furniture Live: By far the biggest advantage of buying furniture from a mall store or furniture showroom is that you see what you are paying for. It might look great on your computer, but how does it look in the flesh? Is the color truly what you want, and is the wood grained the way you want it?
Ease of Operation: These recliners and lift chairs sound marvelous, but how do they actually work? Is that recliner easy to operate with your arthritic hands? Is that lift chair gentle or will it shoot you out into the room on your hands and knees when you want to stand up? It is important that you understand how your choice of motion furniture operates, and that it is suitable for you or your elderly relative.
Ask the Right Questions: When buying furniture you will likely have a few questions to ask. How do you do that online? Have you ever tried to get a quick answer online? They do not exist! One of the strengths of buying from a home furniture showroom is that you can ask the questions you want to ask, and you get an instant answer.
Conclusions
Our conclusion is that you can use the benefits of each of these methods. You can select your furniture line from the websites of your favorite manufacturers – or even better, select a reputable local dealer and check out all the suppliers it offers. A good dealer will offer products from good American furniture manufacturers such as those mentioned above.
Make your choices online, giving yourself some options or alternatives then visit the home furniture showroom of the dealer concerned. Check out the items you have selected live, and if they seem fine, pay for them. You get the benefit of online selection and offline live viewing and payment security!
The Pros and Cons of Group Health Insurance
The health insurance marketplace is certainly challenging, but count your lucky stars that at least you have choices. To that end, this article is going to explore the pros and cons of group health insurance.
Group Health Insurance Pros
- Group health premiums are subsidized by the employer. Generally, an employer must contribute at least 50% of the “employee only” premium. As such, if you are the employee, you can likely get a richer health plan for less premium than you would pay in the individual health marketplace. However, the cost to add your dependents to the employer’s plan, may be cost prohibitive. In this case, and assuming that your dependents can qualify, then you may want to put them on an individual health plan.
- Group health premiums for large families are the same as for small families; whereas in the individual market, you pay a separate premium for every family member. So, if you have a large family, you may be able to get a better deal by adding them to your employer’s plan. As with any insurance change though, don’t make any changes without consulting with an experienced insurance advisor in your state.
- Group health insurance in most states is guaranteed issue – meaning that you can’t be turned down because of pre-existing health conditions. This is a real blessing if you or a family member has a medical condition that prevents you from qualifying for a individual plan. But, this is a double-edged sword. While being guaranteed issue is a huge benefit for those with pre-existing medical conditions, it does come at a price. This one feature alone accounts for most of the disparity between group and individual insurance premiums. Yes, that is right – in most states, individual health premiums are almost always less expensive than group health premiums.
- Most group plans cover maternity. So, if you are planning on having more children, you should definitely consider hopping on to a group plan. While you can add a “maternity rider” to individual plans, these riders tend to be expensive, restrictive, and otherwise provide less value than the coverage you can get in a group health plan. That being said, if you are considering having more children, we recommend that you contact a health insurance advisor in your state for advice about what is best for your family. The right answer is different for each unique family.
- Economies of scale can benefit employees of large employers. It is true that the larger the group, the larger the risk pool is in which to share the risk which CAN result in lower premiums than are available in the individual health market. However, the guaranteed issue “issue” CAN wreak havoc on this type of plan. For example, a large employer with good benefits tends to retain employees for long periods of time. Eventually, the average age of the group starts to creep up and so do premiums. In addition, people with large medical needs (expensive medical conditions) tend to be attracted to large plans because they are guaranteed issue with good coverage. And so, over time, not only is the group’s average age increasing, but the group is also attracting employees with large expected health costs. This is the dilemma that we see with large health plans like the U.S. auto-makers and even government plans. Eventually, those with lots of medical needs begin to outnumber those with little or no needs and so premiums are driven higher and higher.
Group Health Insurance Cons
- Group health insurance can be more expensive than individual health insurance. ln fact, if you don’t factor in the employer’s contribution towards premiums, then individual plans are almost always more affordable than group plans. However, as we discussed earlier, not every one can qualify for an individual plan.
- What happens if your employment is terminated (by you or your employer)? Yes, you will likely have some benefit continuation rights (through COBRA or state continuation programs), but these benefits can be very expensive and the term limited. So, eventually, you either have to secure another job with benefits, an individual health plan (assuming you are insurable), or possibly join a government health insurance program for the uninsured (if you are not insurable). Let me emphasize, that you should NEVER be without some form of major medical health insurance. Being without this insurance puts you and your family in serious financial jeopardy. In fact, a recent Harvard University study found that 50 percent of all bankruptcy filings were partly the result of medical expenses.ยน To the same point, every 30 seconds in the United States, someone files for bankruptcy in the aftermath of a serious health problem. Don’t let this happen to you.
- Group health insurance premiums are rising faster than individual health insurance premiums. Why? Because most group plans are guaranteed issue and since they accept “all comers”, they tend to attract those with high medical costs. On the other hand, most individual health insurance plans are medically underwritten. This means that the insurance company can say “no thanks” to any application that it deems to not be in its interest. Put yourself in their shoes – would sign a contract to provide $30,000 in annual benefits to someone that was only going to pay $3,000 in premiums (for a net loss of $27,000) if you didn’t have to? Hmm…let me me think about that one. The answer is a resounding “NO!”. Because of this underwriting process for individual health insurance, insurance companies can control their risk and more effectively manage their profitability, resulting in more stable prices.
As you can see, there is no clear cut answer as to which type of insurance is the best. The answer depends on a number of factors and is different for every unique situation. The best advice I can give you as you consider your health insurance options — get good advice from an experienced health insurance advisor.