Discovery Science Toys – Top 5 Educational Gifts For Boys This Christmas Under $35

Gift the gift of discovery and education with a selection from the awesome range of discovery science toys this Christmas. There are so many toys available for Christmas that it can be difficult to select something that will hold your child’s interest for more than a day or week at the most. Why not get them an educational discovery science toy that they will want to play with over and over again. When choosing for my 5 year old I will select toys with educational value over the latest must have Hot Wheels or Buzz Lightyear product! Who knows what he will be interested in next year but science, investigation and exploration with a discovery science toy will always hold his interest. Ok, so will probably still get him something Lightning McQueen as Cars is his favourite movie of all time!I have chosen my pick for this year’s Top 5 discovery science toys for boys aged 5 years and over from over 1000′s of products available.Fascinations AntWorks Illuminated Blue – The Antworks Habitat (clear acrylic ant habitat) and the Antworks Illuminator are all included in the one box. The LED illuminator is removable and has a power adaptor. Kit includes the nutrient gel, a magnifying glass, an extreme zoom lens, ant catching/tunnel starting tool as well as an instruction booklet with interesting facts about ants. Tip: the ants are not included so you need to get this in advance and use the enclosed order form to get your ants in time for Christmas. Antworks is based upon a 2003 NASA Space Shuttle experiment to study ants in zero-gravity.Discovery Kids Dual Vision Night Goggles – Sneak around in the dark like a spy with these Discovery Kids dual vision night goggles in cool camouflage print. See in the dark with these goggles that feature 2 unique modes: green night vision and flashlights. There are 4 super bright LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes) included.Tedco Discovery Pak – Whether your kid is a science whiz or simply curious about the physical world, this variety pack which includes a Chandler Gyroscope, a Crystal Light Prism and a Magna-Trix set, can lead to hours of fascinating discoveries. The gyroscope is a precision instrument that spins like a top on a tiny pivot, seeming to defy gravity just to keep its position in space. The light crystal can be used to separate white light into a rainbow of colours or to create a periscope for looking around corners. With the Magna-Trix set you can learn to make magnets float in space. Instructions and accessories are enclosed to discover Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of gravity.The Magic School Bus: Soaring into Flight – The Magic School Bus and Ms. Frizzle take young scientists soaring into flight with twelve experiments. Youngsters can build a balloon-jet, experiment with parachutes, make a spinner soar, create the ultimate paper airplane, make paper magically rise, move floating ping pong balls, collapse a juice box, fly a glider, lift off rockets, and more. Tip: kit comes with all supplies needed (except for common household items) and a detailed manual with guidance for parents – so read before giving and have items on hand for at least one experiment on Christmas Day! Fascinations World Alive Worm Observatory – Discover the life-cycle of earthworms and learn how to care for them. Earthworms are important for the soil because by digging and tunnelling below the surface, they help to mix-up the layers by moving nutrients and air around. Watch worms tunnel, eat and reproduce in the habitat. Worm Kit includes: habitat, sand, substrate, magnifying glass, feeding pipette and tweezers but you are encouraged to source your worms locally!My hot tips:1. Don’t wait until November or December to buy Christmas gifts – get them during the year and hide them, that way you can take advantage of special offers, sales and save yourself some money this Christmas. If you forget about them (as sometimes happens to me when I hide them too well), bring them out for birthdays, rainy days or just something special!2. Get a great reference book to go with each of these gifts e.g. books about ants and worms for the habitats, books about spy gadgets for the vision goggles, flight and gravity books for the experiment kits – this adds even more educational value to the gift you are giving.3. Christmas gifts need not be expensive – this Top 5 are all priced under $35!

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Email Marketing (List Building): Starting a Small Business Online

Starting a small business online is not as complicated as most people are meant to believe.In fact, the internet is an ocean of opportunities for all.Though your success is not guaranteed, at least there is a high chance of growing your venture if you get a few things right.The problem with most start-ups is the hunger for overnight success.Most successful businesses today were started by people who dared to dream and think big.If you have a passion for business, feel free to pursue it and you will make it.The ingredients to your success may vary, but it all starts with the nature and future plans of your business.To get started, build a mailing list for effective email marketing.No RestrictionsThere are no limitations and stringent requirements for starting a small business online.Under normal circumstances, you will be required to comply with a long list of government regulations, register the business, acquire a permit or license, have the business premise inspected and much more.This is however not the case with online businesses; you can get started in a few hours from the time you make up your mind that it is something you truly want to do.You are not restricted to any geographical area because you can target anyone in the world.In short, anyone is a prospect on the internet; the possibilities for your success are unlimited.It is upon you to exploit them.Identify a Niche Or Product You Are Passionate AboutBefore starting a small business online it is paramount that you identify a niche you are comfortable with.Ideally, go for something you have some passion for and not just because of the money.Successful businesses are built on a solid foundation of passion and love for what you do.Save yourself the hassle and find a product or a service you wouldn’t mind offering twenty years later.Think about Bill Gates and his passion for computers and software.See the passion Mark Zuckerberg shows whenever he talks about his toy project that has changed how the world interacts online, Facebook.How about the late Steve Jobs whose legacy will live with us forever with world-class Apple products.The Market AvailabilityOne of the most important areas you must consider before starting a small business online is the market availability.A simple Google search is enough to enable you understand what can really sell.There are many business ideas, but not all will live to see the following year.If there is demand for a service or product, seek to fill that gap and you will forever be in business.Website and MarketingYour website is your shop or office.Start by designing a website and filling it with content.This should be done long before the business is launched.A small investment is all you need to have a website designed and hosted.Thereafter, start exploring various internet marketing strategies like email marketing, social media marketing, article marketing and an array of other available avenues to announce your arrival.Finally, don’t get comfortable when you eventually start recording sales.The business has just started, have an expansion plan.Just because you are starting a small business doesn’t mean you have to remain small.Stay focused and keep growing your business until it can sustain itself with minimal upkeep from you.With the internet and email marketing you can automate your business and let the system work for you.Best wishes!

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Life Insurance: Back to Basics

Life Insurance: A Slice of HistoryThe modern insurance contracts that we have today such as life insurance, originated from the practice of merchants in the 14th century. It has also been acknowledged that different strains of security arrangements have already been in place since time immemorial and somehow, they are akin to insurance contracts in its embryonic form.The phenomenal growth of life insurance from almost nothing a hundred years ago to its present gigantic proportion is not of the outstanding marvels of present-day business life. Essentially, life insurance became one of the felt necessities of human kind due to the unrelenting demand for economic security, the growing need for social stability, and the clamor for protection against the hazards of cruel-crippling calamities and sudden economic shocks. Insurance is no longer a rich man’s monopoly. Gone are the days when only the social elite are afforded its protection because in this modern era, insurance contracts are riddled with the assured hopes of many families of modest means. It is woven, as it were, into the very nook and cranny of national economy. It touches upon the holiest and most sacred ties in the life of man. The love of parents. The love of wives. The love of children. And even the love of business.Life Insurance as Financial ProtectionA life insurance policy pays out an agreed amount generally referred to as the sum assured under certain circumstances. The sum assured in a life insurance policy is intended to answer for your financial needs as well as your dependents in the event of your death or disability. Hence, life insurance offers financial coverage or protection against these risks.Life Insurance: General ConceptsInsurance is a risk-spreading device. Basically, the insurer or the insurance company pools the premiums paid by all of its clients. Theoretically speaking, the pool of premiums answers for the losses of each insured.Life insurance is a contract whereby one party insures a person against loss by the death of another. An insurance on life is a contract by which the insurer (the insurance company) for a stipulated sum, engages to pay a certain amount of money if another dies within the time limited by the policy. The payment of the insurance money hinges upon the loss of life and in its broader sense, life insurance includes accident insurance, since life is insured under either contract.Therefore, the life insurance policy contract is between the policy holder (the assured) and the life insurance company (the insurer). In return for this protection or coverage, the policy holder pays a premium for an agreed period of time, dependent upon the type of policy purchased.In the same vein, it is important to note that life insurance is a valued policy. This means that it is not a contract of indemnity. The interest of the person insured in hi or another person’s life is generally not susceptible of an exact pecuniary measurement. You simply cannot put a price tag on a person’s life. Thus, the measure of indemnity is whatever is fixed in the policy. However, the interest of a person insured becomes susceptible of exact pecuniary measurement if it is a case involving a creditor who insures the life of a debtor. In this particular scenario, the interest of the insured creditor is measurable because it is based on the value of the indebtedness.Common Life Insurance PoliciesGenerally, life insurance policies are often marketed to cater to retirement planning, savings and investment purposes apart from the ones mentioned above. For instance, an annuity can very well provide an income during your retirement years.Whole life and endowment participating policies or investment linked plans (ILPs) in life insurance policies bundle together a savings and investment aspect along with insurance protection. Hence, for the same amount of insurance coverage, the premiums will cost you more than purchasing a pure insurance product like term insurance.The upside of these bundled products is that they tend to build up cash over time and they are eventually paid out once the policy matures. Thus, if your death benefit is coupled with cash values, the latter is paid out once the insured dies. With term insurance however, no cash value build up can be had.The common practice in most countries is the marketing of bundled products as savings products. This is one unique facet of modern insurance practice whereby part of the premiums paid by the assured is invested to build up cash values. The drawback of this practice though is the premiums invested become subjected to investment risks and unlike savings deposits, the guaranteed cash value may be less than the total amount of premiums paid.Essentially, as a future policy holder, you need to have a thorough assessment of your needs and goals. It is only after this step where you can carefully choose the life insurance product that best suits your needs and goals. If your target is to protect your family’s future, ensure that the product you have chosen meets your protection needs first.Real World ApplicationIt is imperative to make the most out of your money. Splitting your life insurance on multiple policies can save you more money. If you die while your kids are 3 & 5, you will need a lot more life insurance protection than if your kids are 35 & 40. Let’s say your kids are 3 & 5 now and if you die, they will need at least $2,000,000 to live, to go to college, etc. Instead of getting $2,000,000 in permanent life insurance, which will be outrageously expensive, just go for term life insurance: $100,000 for permanent life insurance, $1,000,000 for a 10-year term insurance, $500,000 for a 20-year term insurance, and $400,000 of 30 years term. Now this is very practical as it covers all that’s necessary. If you die and the kids are 13 & 15 or younger, they will get $2M; if the age is between 13-23, they get $1M; if between 23-33, they get $500,000; if after that, they still get $100,000 for final expenses and funeral costs. This is perfect for insurance needs that changes over time because as the children grow, your financial responsibility also lessens. As the 10, 20, and 30 years term expires, payment of premiums also expires thus you can choose to use that money to invest in stocks and take risks with it.In a world run by the dictates of money, everyone wants financial freedom. Who doesn’t? But we all NEED financial SECURITY. Most people lose sight of this important facet of financial literacy. They invest everything and risk everything to make more and yet they end up losing most of it, if not all- this is a fatal formula. The best approach is to take a portion of your money and invest in financial security and then take the rest of it and invest in financial freedom.Ultimately, your financial plan is constantly evolving because you are constantly evolving. You can’t set a plan and then forget it. You need to keep an open eye on your money to make sure it is working hard because that money needs to feed you for the next 20-30+ years that you will be in retirement. You have to know how to feed your money now so that it can feed you later.

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