First Wal-Mart goes after an insured woman and now I find another article where an insurance company refused to pay out to a family who lost one of the insured to cancer.

In the first instance, the settlement was paid without question but when the woman was rewarded a settlement, for the injuries she received in a devastating car accident, Wal-Mart demanded that the monies they had paid for her hospitalization be returned to them. Fortunately, for the woman involved in the case a law suit was filed and while it added additional stress to an already stressful situation she was not required to return the funds.

In the second case a husband and wife purchased a life insurance policy, when they discovered that they were to be parents, from The Savings Bank Life Insurance Co. of Massachusetts. Since they were in their thirties they had no idea that a claim would be made on this insurance for years. Sadly, however, just a year after the birth of their daughter the mother developed an aggressive form of breast cancer and died.

Facing life as a single father the husband filed a claim against the policy only to find out that SBLI would not pay. The company instead claimed that despite the glowing reports regarding both of their medical conditions from the insurance doctors at the time the policy was issued the mother must have known that she was ill before the policy was issued.

Since we all know that it takes two incomes to provide for a family these days the father still devastated by the lost of his wife was faced with the dilemma of how he was going to be able to provide for his and still fulfill his commitments at work. In our country and in Massachusetts specifically, anyone seeking life insurance should be made aware that it is up to the insured to prove that they did not misrepresent their well-being and were in good health at the time the policy was issued.

When questioned, SBLI contended that at the time the policy was issued it was required that the person being issued the policy be in good health, even if they were unaware of conditions contrary to those beliefs.

I must note, however, that since that time SBLI has settled with the family in this instance and is backing their fight to change the existing law. The new legislation would be dubbed “Jenny’s Law” after the mother who inspired the change. If the new law passes it will change the 1920 policy from placing the burden on the policy holder to the insurer who will have to assume responsibility for issuing the policy. The presumption would then be that the company would not have issued the policy if they did not believe the insured was in generally good health.

So, be aware that if your current policy contains a provision that states that the insured person must be in good health when a policy is issued, and also contains an “incontestability” provision, which says that for a certain period after a policy is issued, usually two years, an insurer can rescind a policy or refuse to pay a claim. Both are standard in life insurance policies and if anything happens to the insured during that time period insurers generally will carefully scrutinize the policy for loopholes so that they are not required to pay the claim.

My feelings on this are that when one buys insurance they are betting that they are going to need it, if not now, at some future date while the insurance company is betting that the person will not need to make a claim for years and that they will be able to pocket the premiums adding to their bottom line. Does this mean that you should not buy medical or life insurance? Absolutely not. I simply want to point out that the purchaser should be wary when purchasing insurance. As a consumer we all need to carefully read contracts and check out company payout records before purchasing anything that requires a financial commitment.

If you are looking for a place to move that would offer your family a steady stream of family friendly activities you should consider Nixa, Missouri. Nixa is located just eight miles below Springfield, Missouri, off highways 44 and 65 and is only about 35 miles from Branson.

I have lived in many different locales in my 50+ years but I have Nixa to be the most outstanding place of place. Having an eight-year-old grandson who is in the third grade we were anxious to find an area of the country that shone in the education department. We definitely found it here in Nixa. Not only have the teachers proven to be exceptionally talented I was amazed at the additional opportunities that existed in this area. The school, in addition, to the normal top notch curriculum, offers music, art, sports, computers, community oriented club involvement, and a parent interface that is far superior to what we had found in California.

Then we discovered that if that isn’t enough the school district offers free summer school geared not towards remedial students only but one geared towards making learning fun and preparing students for the next grade that they will be entering. Add that to a city that offers an exceptional parks department and a community center geared towards all ages and you could keep your family on the go seven days a week. For those of you who are boating enthusiasts you only have a short trip to enjoy either Lake of the Ozarks or Table Rock Lake facilities.

For the older among us Nixa is close enough to Springfield to provide you with the best in medical care in southern Missouri. The two hospitals available are Cox and St. John’s both of which have all of the most up-to-date facilities available and are staffed with caring doctors and staff. Each of these hospitals are divided into individual care centers that will address your needs be they bone and joint health, cancer, or heart issues.

So, have I sold you on the family values yet? Oh wait, I forgot to mention that in a town of 21,000, 5700 of them youths, we also boast somewhere near 20 active churches that aim to offer unbelievable services to the community. These services range from offering a food and clothing closet to anyone in need to offering a food coop to make all of our money stretch further.

Of course, the next question would be: Can you afford to live there? The answer is a resounding yes. Houses are affordable and I mean nice houses. We were able to purchase a 2600 square foot house, made of solid brick, in a great neighborhood and on a huge lot for $160,000 just two years ago and the best part is that the value has not decreased despite the current housing dilemma. In Springfield proper with just a little patience you can still find nice, smaller homes for under $90,000. Then to top that off both areas offer the least expensive energy and utilites bills to be found anywhere,. As of May 1 our cost for a gallon of gas was $3.29. our combined electric, water, sewer, and garbage bill was $87. Our natural gas bill has never been higher than $180 and that was for a terrible January. In the summer it runs as low as $20.

In general, Nixa provides a wonderful not too small town atmosphere in close proximity to a large town where you can find nearly anything your heart could want while still being close enough to resort areas like Table Rock Lake and entertainment areas like Branson. When you look at the map you will also discover that you close to several states including Arkansas, Kansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Oklahoma. So if you want to travel Nixa would provide you with a secure home base while sitting pretty much right in the middle of the US. So, go ahead and check us out. If you are looking to be enriched and contribute to a community that will richly reward your efforts we would love to have you join us.

Remember the traveling salesmen of old with their magic cure alls that the public fell for? Then we came to find out that they were nothing more than alcohol or in the worst case scenario an addictive drug of some kind? If you remember them then maybe you also remember what happened with Thalidomide in the ’50s and Vioxx or Fen Fen. If you do then you are aware that drug companies often market their products before the long term effects are known. Given that I do not wish to belittle the hundreds of hours of research that have given antibiotics or new hopes for treating cancer but when it comes to Apatrim consumer beware.

On Sunday April 20, 2008 the company promoted this product with a 48-hour cut-off to entice consumers to run-out and buy the product before it was no longer available. It was purported to possess an amazing compound that is extracted from a plant called Caralluma Fimbriata that has been used by the native tribes of India for years. This drug was reported as a way that these tribes were able to reduce hunger and quench thirst during times of famine and drought. However, one of the things that bothered me about the ad was that there was no mention of the drug company that created this amazing product. Then when I did go to its Web site to check out the product and its claims I discovered that the entire United States clinical trial consisted of only 26 patients.

These twenty-six patients consisted of currently healthy individuals between the ages of 31 and 73. The study was conducted under the direction of Dr. Ronald M. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D. a former clinical professor at the University of California’s Los Angeles School of Medicine. The claim is that these 26 individuals participated in a four-week study where the drug was consumed as directed and the patients daily routine was supposedly not altered. There was to have been no added exercise or reduction or change to their diets. Sounds wonderful. Well, as most things I question anything that seems too good to be true because it usually is. Where is the proof that these individuals had no problem five years down the line or that they actually ate as they normally would have? In reality the principle is that people must consume fewer calories than their body burns in order to lose weight so somehow these people were eating less. It should also be noted that the study did not disclose the daily caloric intake or the level of exercise that these individuals maintained during the course of the four-week trial.

However, if an individual is willing to risk the long-term side effects of a relatively untested drug (weight loss supplement) and has the money to throw away if it doesn’t work for them the creators of this miracle formula state: “An amazing 100% of participants who took the active ingredient as instructed either lost weight or inches off their waistline during this four-week study.” They went on to state that: “some participants experienced incredible results, losing as much as eigh pounds and up to three inches off their waistlines.” Incredible? I lost more than that on Weight Watchers during the first four weeks and I didn’t have to take a possibly dangerous concoction from a company wanting to cash in on my health.

So folks, after all this is said and done the choice is up to you. If you wish to find Apatrim you can find it at CVS pharmacy and Walgreens who were the first stores to snap up the new product. Once more is produced you will also be able to obtain the product through its Web site: apatrim.com.

While divorce and separation are usually the result of two parties being unable to continue to live under the same roof it is important to remember, when children are involved, you are not the only ones being affected by your decision. It would definitely be simpler if that wasn’t the case but when you chose to give birth and bring these young lives into the world you made a commitment knowingly or not to do what is best for them.

I acknowledge that in some situations removing them from a hostile environment may be the best thing for them but how much better to behave as adults and act in a mature matter that helps the children understand that they are not to blame. While this is probably the last thing you are thinking or feeling as you battle with your soon to be ex-spouse unless you act in a manner that is conductive to rational thought you might not be aware of the effect that your words and actions are having on your children.

Remember children are not sounding boards for your frustrations and feelings of disappointment. They need to feel loved by both parents, both set of families, and know that they are going to be taken care of and not abandoned by either. This is even more true of situations where there has been no legal tie of marriage. In these situations it is so easy for the father or the mother for that matter to simply take off and leave the children in the custody of the other parent. When this happens the remaining parent may find themselves in a financial situation that is ruinous.

Having gone through a nasty divorce many years ago, when my own children were teenagers, I know the long-term effects that not playing nice can have on them. While I tried to obey all the court edicts and attend the parenting classes for divorced parents and avoid saying anything negative about my children’s father that was not the case on his side. He blatantly refused to obey any court order rather it be paying the house payment (where he was actually residing as I had moved myself and the children away from there), attending classes, or abiding by the court’s restraining order.

At the time, living in a very small community, his barrage of lies and verbal attacks made life impossible for all of us. Yet, I believe it the children who suffered the most. Thankfully for us the girls had been raised with enough self-worth and love that they were able to survive but to this day they have next to nothing to do with their own father.

In other custody battles one can see how the children are affected when the father or mother fights paying child support. To them it is the same as saying I don’t care about you. The same is true when frivolous law suits and custody battles pursue. Unfortunately, it appears that it is common for the non-custodial parent to file claims for joint legal or physical custody in an attempt to delay court ordered child-support payments. Filing these requests, however, is not the real problem. It is the knowledge that the suit is just a tactic to harass and hurt the custodial parent. This is especially true of the parent who has never met the child or who has shown no interest the child from an early age. Thankfully, the court will take into consideration the fact of child support paid. If the non-custodial parent has not paid any child support or has sought to escape payment the court is likely to deny them any contact with the dependent child.

On the negative side, however, again this means that the child is denied the opportunity to know the non-custodial parent and may well feel that they are not important enough or worthy of that parent’s love.

With all this said my point is that when divorcing yourself, from a situation legal or otherwise, the parties need to take great care in what they say about the other partner in front of the children. They also need to do all that is within their power to insure that the child is allowed to spend time with both parents and is made to feel as secure as possible. This should entail a time each day for the child to spend with both parents if at all possible and this time should be spent keeping the child on a schedule that is similar to the one they shared when you were all living in the same house. That would mean that if the child is with the father over dinner time and home work time that this routine would still exist. If the mother has the child when the routine would involve their cleaning their room then that task is still done.

I firmly believe that the more ordinary that divorcing parents can keep the child’s routine and the more that the stress can be kept out of the picture the better for the children involved. Remember you are not divorcing the children, whether you are leaving the home or not, and that means that before God you are still responsible for their emotional, financial, and physical well-being.

Tags: custody, custody battles, children, physical custody, emotional well-being of children, legal custody, sole-custody, joint custody, child support, non-custodial parent, custodial parent, parenting classes

As a wife and mother I cannot but note how much harder it is to make ends meet as the price of gasoline, home energy and food prices continue to soar out of control. My question is why would Congress allow so many of our farmers to move their focus from feeding the hungry to making ethanol? It is a proven fact that it takes more oil to make a gallon of ethanol than to run an automobile.

It is also to be noted that this change in focus that has fueled these out-of-control prices has also began causing food riots in poorer nations. With that in the back of your mind think about what you are now seeing in the news. People here in Missouri are stealing copper from our public telephone lines and new home constructions. They are rustling cows to feed their families and local food pantries have been stretched to their limit. Even federal programs like WIC are showing signs of limiting the commodities they offer and setting higher qualifying standards.

Along with the difficulties in making enough money to purchase food we now faced with a major slowdown in the economy that has led to massive layoffs so people are being forced to do whatever they can to survive. This has been shown in a number of ways one of which is the increase in the number of burglaries and armed robberies that are being reported.

Perhaps the most frightening of these to the majority of us is the home invasion variety. A friend of mine sent me a note to tell me about another friend who had been a victim of one of these. The experience was not only terrifying but brutal. Could this have been avoided? Perhaps not, perhaps yes if the person perpetatrating the crime had not felt desperate to survive.

To protect yourselves you can spend $1000 or so on a home alarm system and then dole out monthly payments to the alarm service or you can move to an area where you feel that this type of crime would be less likely. However, wouldn’t it make more sense for the government to take the situation under control and put a moratorium on the construction of vehicles that are considered gas-guzzlers and invest some of the billions of dollars that they are spending on this fruitless war in Iraq to create a new type of vehicle that could run on anything other than Arab oil? Brazil took the situation seriously back in the 70s and now are totally independent of foreign oil. What is wrong with the American people that we do not insist that our government secure our future by investing in our infrastructure and planning for a future free of the need for dependence on foreign governments?

My feelings are that as money tightens so are the dangers that we as a country will be facing but if the next president will take control there may still be hope for our country’s survival.

Tags: danger, infrastructure, survival, president, america, economy, investing, home invasions, alarm systems, foreign oil, gas guzzlers, ethanol, armed robbery, burglary

To each of us loss means something different. To some loss is most thought of in connection with material things, the loss of a home or wealth. To others loss is closer to home and deals with the brokenness one feels when they lose someone they love.

For my niece the loss of her soul mate and true love after 20 years and 4 sons was devastating. She knew that he wouldn’t have left if God hadn’t deemed it his time but still there was a certain amount of anger that he had left her behind. Yet, she knew that she still had work to do on this earth and managed to pick herself up and move on. I give her enormous credit that she was able to put her grief aside and focus on all the good that she could do on this earth until it was her time to be reunited with her one true love.

For my ex-mother-in-law the loss of her husband of 50 years was equally devastating but she has been unable to get past it and daily lives her life missing him and wanting to die. What a waste of a life that could be so helpful to others.

For me? To date God has been good to me and my soul mate and children are still with me. That is not to say that I have not lost people that I cared about but never have I had to deal with the loss of someone that I had lived with day to day and loved beyond measure.

What surprised me then was how hard I took the loss of our pet, Frankie. True we never viewed him as just a dog. We got him when he was 2 weeks old, the runt of the litter and abandoned by his mother. He was only 8 oz and no one expected this feisty little guy to survive. However, we took him home, bottle fed him and loved him and he was the best friend any of us could have ever had for nearly fifteen years.

The brokenness that all of us felt was unbelievable when we knew that we could no longer let him suffer when he couldn’t stand on his own to go to the bathroom and his big brown eyes begged us to help him. I never knew such heartbreak as when we stood there saying good bye to him as the vet administered the medicine that would end his life. It was so hard to be there but there was no way we would let him leave this earth without being surrounded by those who loved him.

It has been nearly a week and thinking of him still brings on the streams of tears but now we can remember the joy he brought to our lives as well. We will get through this but I know that if this was so hard for me to deal with I will be a total basket case if God calls my mate home before me or decides to take one of children or grandchildren. I pray that if that happens He gives me the strength to be as my niece has been a positive and strong person so that those around me can handle the pain they are also forced to deal with.

So why did I write this? I guess so that people out there know that they aren’t alone in experiencing the pain of loss and that there are different ways to handle that pain. I hope that all of us can look to a stronger source than ourselves, in my case it is my God, and come out better people for the pain we experience.

Tags: loss, pain, god, brokenness, heartbreak, surviving loss, death, pet death

It seems as if not a day is going by when the American consumer is not faced with yet another cry of doom and gloom from the economic factors that control our economy. How much of this is due to the poor leadership in Washington and how much to the natural ebb of flow of economics still appears to be uncertain. It cannot be denied, however, that in the last seven years of the Bush Administration’s war on Iraq, or as they choose to call it Terror, the trillions of dollars that have been spent has not benefited the average American consumer.

In the last several months we as Americans have been subjected to fear from all economic angles from job layoffs, high gas prices, mortgage failures, and a falling stock market. This fear is being ingrained in the consumer and could easily lead to a great depression, worse even than the 1930s if consumers continue to hoard what little they have. Our economy is dependent on consumer spending so when we don’t spend more jobs are cut and the cycle of desperation begins.

In the 1930’s 25 percent of the population was without jobs. Currently our unemployment rate, while the highest in many years, is still under 6 percent. That means that we are not in a depression at this time even though there is little doubt that we are suffering an inflationary recession. Of course, if you listen to the current president he will tell you inflation isn’t too bad. Did you know, however, that the consumer index does not figure in fuel and food costs stating that they are to volatile to be included?

To show you what is now happening consider the following:

• By the end of 2007, 36 percent of consumer’s disposable income went to food, energy and medical care. This is the largest amount since record keeping began back in the 1960s.
• Economists are telling us that people are treating themselves much less often showing up in restaurant forecasts that state that 54 percent of all restaurants are reporting declining business and the government states that eating at home has increased in the last year for the first time since 2001.
• The economy has also forced grown children to return to their childhood homes after losing a job and/or being unable to make it on what they are earning. This has forced Mom and Dad to try and figure out how to make it on less as well.
• With the surging mortgage foreclosure rates waste management, thrift stores, and salvage companies are seeing less reusable items such as furniture and/or appliances as consumers are holding onto what they have.

This is just the tip of the iceberg though as one saw when Bear Stearns came down causing investors to fear a run on the bank. The problems are  multi-faceted, however, and include the housing crash, the credit crunch, and a loss of confidence among investors and consumers alike.

For those in the job market the fear of losing your job is causing you to squeeze your wallet a little tighter but for investors it means the credit crunch is keeping corporations from borrowing as easily they could a year ago. That is forcing them to delay big projects, which cuts into the job market putting more people out of work.

On a positive note, however, the economy has always had its ups and downs. However, this is the first time since 2001 that our future jiggled on the end of recession. That year though investors bore the brunt of the downturn as the stock market adjusted to balance the excessiveness of the 90s technology boom. In this instance, all survived because consumers were fortified with tax rebates and encouragement from their government instead of the doom and gloom that is being broadcast on all news stories today.

So, even while we are not in a declared recession, this time around (mainly because it takes two consecutive quarters of shrinking economic activity to be declared) the pain is no less real. Richard Sylia, of Stern School of Business, believes that this current financial crisis looks like the worst one since the great depression. However, he adds that this doesn’t mean that this current crisis will be anywhere as bad “since Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is a student of the Depression and appears to be steering the Fed toward avoiding the mistakes of back then.” Additionally, being part of a global economy should help to insulate us to a certain extent. This is something that was not the case in the 1930s when the depression was America’s problem alone.

On the other hand, Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan stated in the Financial Times that “the financial crisis would be the most wrenching since World War II and would only end when housing prices stabilized.”

To help the economy to this point the Fed’s have slashed interest rates. A good thing for people needing to borrow money but not so good for those who are relying on the interest they earn on their savings. Then too we can look forward to the upcoming tax rebates and tax breaks for businesses, even though this money must be  borrowed since our national debt is in the trillions of dollars already. Overall, though economists believe that something has to be done soon to slow down the number of foreclosures which are the cornerstone of the economy’s woes.

Basically, it comes down to the fact that if we wish to avoid a recession and its effects financial institutions are going to have to provide the needed credit to keep the economy moving forward. If they don’t we all lose.

Tags: great depression, economic downturn, credit crisis, foreclosure, recession, national debt, economic cycle, alan greenspan, federal reserve, tax rebates, interest rates, ben bernanke, richard sylia, stern school of business, stock market, bear stearns, mortgage crisis, unemployment 

When interviewing for that position that you so desperately want, careerbuilder.com  says that there are fifteen mistakes that you must avoid.

1. Don’t shotgun out resumes to jobs you are not qualified to accept.  Instead aim for those positions that fulfill your career goals and for which you are trained. 
2. Don’t automatically send out a video resume. These are often of no interest to hiring managers who have no desire to see you act. However, if the position is one in which you will be acting then a video resume would be called for. 
3. Never assume that you are on a first-name basis with the interviewer even if they are younger than you. It is considered appropriate to wait until the interviewer provides you with their first name and gives you permission to use it. 
4. If you really want a position it is best to keep your private life private. Make sure that you have nothing embarrassing to be found on MySpace or Facebook. 
5. Make sure that you are prepared for the interview, don’t wing it. Every hiring manager will appreciate the effort you made to find out about the company that you are hoping will hire you. You should know what the company’s product or service is, who the company president is and where the company hopes to be in 10 years. This along with an idea of how you can fit your skills into their corporate structure will help you appear more practiced and passionate than candidates who are not prepared. 
6. Definitely dress for the part that you hope to acquire. That means you should not dress too sexy, too casual, or too outrageous. In addition, be aware that cheap and the overuse of perfume can often be a turnoff to the interviewer. 
7. Don’t just apply for any job. When you do find the one you want though go after it like an athlete in training. 
8. Don’t just answer the interviewer’s questions with a yes or no. They want to hear a direct response from you to the questions that they ask. In answering it is permissible to support your point with specific examples. Remember, that talking too much portrays nervousness and/or the inability to deliver a direct response. 
9. Do not appear unprofessional by suggesting that the interviewer contact you at an inappropriate email address such as letsparty@aol,.com . 
10. It is important that you keep your resume short. A ten page list of all your accomplishments is a huge mistake so try to abridge your efforts into a more manageable version or the interviewer is likely to put it to the side as too much trouble to review. 
11. Make sure that you don’t forget to network with those people who can help you. Jobs are often awarded on the basis of who recommends you or on who you know. 
12. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance in finding the perfect job for you. In actuality, asking is one of the best things you can do and shows you as a person of courage who really wants to get the job that you are applying for.  
13. Don’t forget to thank the interviewer for their time regardless of the outcome. This should be done in the form of an email to the hiring manager. You can use it as an opportunity to make another impression on him that may move you up on the list of possible hires. In some cases you can ace a job interview and even get a job offer only to have it revoked by a carelessly worded or inappropriate thank you not. 
14. Also important is that you do not bad mouth your last employer. No matter how bad he was remember that the person interviewing you must look out for the best interest of the company that you want to hire you. If you bad mouth one employer they may well wonder what will keep you from bad mouthing them if everything doesn’t work out the way you want it to. 
15. Lastly, be prepared with a list of good questions. Not asking open-ended questions is a sure-fire way to show that you don’t care about the company. Questions like “Where do you see this position going?” or “What is going to make the person who takes this position successful?” are good possibilities that will make it look like you have given the position a lot of thought.

I sincerely hope that this recap of Careerbuilder’s information will help you to achieve your employment goals in an economy where jobs are becoming harder to find.

Tags: employment mistakes, careerbuilder, employment goals, economy, interview questions, networking, resume