How To Get a Mortgage If You’re Self-Employed
If you are self-employed, work on a contract basis, or have an income that is irregular or comes from multiple sources, it will generally be harder for you to get a mortgage than it is for someone who is an employee and can easily prove their income.A self-employed person is someone who runs their own business and works for themselves without an employer. Directors of small limited companies, although technically employed on a PAYE basis, will generally be classed as self employed when it comes to applying for a mortgage or remortgage.With over three million self-employed individuals in the UK, the attitude of many mortgage lenders towards the self-employed population is a problem that can affect a large number of people, even though many self-employed people often earn more than a lot of salaried workers.The problem stems from the fact that the majority of mainstream mortgage lenders require proof of income when assessing a mortgage or remortgage application. Employed people can use their payslips and P60 as proof of salary, but there is no such straightforward equivalent if you are self-employed.In place of payslips, self-employed workers may be asked to provide audited accounts that show their income over the last three years. However, in many cases, these accounts will not give an accurate reflection of how much money a self-employed person is making. This is because if the accountant who prepared the accounts is doing his job properly, he will have offset as many allowable expenses as possible against tax. This has the effect of reducing the self-employed person’s net profit, upon which the lender will base the size of mortgage or remortgage they are prepared to offer.The situation is even worse for the newly self-employed, as they may not yet have been trading long enough to have had three years’ worth of accounts prepared.This is where mortgage lenders who specialise in self-certification mortgages and self-employed mortgages come into their own. These types of lenders appreciate the different and complex working patterns of the self-employed, contract workers, and people whose jobs are seasonal. They are prepared to look at each case individually and assess each mortgage application on its own merits, rather than just applying a series of one-size-fits-all income tests. In many cases, self-certification means that you do not need to supply any proof of income – you just declare what your income is without having to provide any supporting documentation.In addition, specialist self-employed and self-certification lenders are more likely to offer flexible mortgage products that allow overpayments and underpayments. This is ideal for people whose income can fluctuate throughout the year, as it means you can overpay when times are good and underpay if you’re business is going through a quiet period.—–Copyright 2004 David Miles. You are welcome to reproduce this article on your website, so long as it is published “as is” (unedited) and with the author’s bio paragraph (resource box) and copyright information included. In addition, all links to external websites must be left in place.
What Is The Big, Fat Health And Fitness Lie?
Kevin: Good evening, everyone. So Craig, you’ve been in the fitness industry for over 26 years and with that, I imagine comes a bit of wisdom. Why don’t you start with your story and how you’ve gotten to where you are now?Craig: Sure Kevin. Well, first of all, I started out in the fitness industry as a personal trainer making $3.50 an hour.Kevin: Wow.Craig: So I’ve been in it for awhile and I grew through the ranks in the fitness industry to the executive level. I was the president of two of the largest fitness organizations in the United States. I was the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the largest chain of fitness clubs in the world operating in 11 countries. I also successfully owned and operated my own fitness company. I’ve visited 30 countries and evaluated health and fitness trends all over Russia, Asia, Europe. I’ve been to dozens of fitness conventions, purchased millions of dollars worth of equipment, supplements and other health and fitness related products and I’ve also had the ability to train thousands of health and fitness professionals around the world and help them to help other people improve their lives. So this really kind of led me to where I am today, which is to where I just got to the point where I want to do something more and that’s why I wrote my book The Big Fat Healthy Fitness Lie and founded the Fit Advocate website so that I could create a platform to protect and enhance the lives and health and fitness consumers.Kevin: Now you just mentioned your book, The Big Fat Health and Fitness Lie which I absolutely love. What is the big fat fitness lie. Let’s just lay it on the table.Craig: Why mince words? Let’s dig right in. The lie is that there are these billion dollar industries out there getting richer while we get sicker and fatter and with all the so-called solutions available for losing weight and improving our health, we are literally in the worse shape in the history of modern civilization. There’s big profit in sickness and in fatness, and a lot of times people question that and they think, “Oh, well we live in the United States, we’re in great health and we have the best health care system” which is a complete fallacy. Here’s an interesting fact that people should be aware of, we’re approaching some 300 million people in the U.S. and we have every year 200 million diseases that are diagnosed for conditions that could be prevented with simple lifestyle changes.Kevin: Wow.Craig: And we spend in the United States, 270 billion dollars on 3.7 billion prescriptions written to, not to cure anything because there’s really very few cures in modern medicine, medicine is meant mostly to mask our symptoms. So taking into our bodies a lot of toxic chemicals and you know there’s so much confusion out there and misinformation about health and fitness. So there’s a huge opportunity, unfortunately, for people to make big money on the lack of knowledge that people have about how to lose weight, improve their health, get in shape and live better. So millions of people are out there paying thousands of dollars that have no chance of helping them achieve their goal and that’s really the big fat lie.Kevin: And let me just ask you this, you’ve been on the other side, you’ve been a part of the industry that is making a lot of money in the fitness clubs and the organizations and everything. When did you suddenly say, “Hey, you know, maybe I need to educate people about this.”Craig: Well, first of all I never felt that the club industry was a bad industry.Kevin: Okay.Craig: And in my book I still am a big proponent of joining a fitness center for the average person, there are, of course, some caveat of how to get a quality club. I have an article on the ten worst tricks for the fitness industry. So I try to expose the things that I think are bad but there’s also a lot of good too, but what I did notice while I was operating all of these clubs and trying to help people is that I would talk to thousands of consumers, face to face. For a big part of my career, my job was to get out there and help, work with people in the field, club operators, managers, sales people, fitness staff members, personal trainers, to talk to them about how to help people make decisions that are good for them and the guiding principle, of course was always don’t focus on making money, focus on helping people and you will make money as a natural result, as a natural bi-produce of helping people. That’s always been one of my guiding principles, but in speaking with all these consumers, you find that the average person spends thousands and thousands of dollars on products and services that have no chance of helping them. They spend hours and hours of wasted time on information that will never help them improve their health or change their lives. So I got tired, frustrated and really kind of outraged at all of the quick fix solutions that are out there that people jump from one to the other and without really understanding the true cause of why they’re in such poor health. So I wanted to try to educate them on all of the things, the lies the deceptions while also trying to give them simple solutions for how to improve their health, how to lose weight, how to get in shape, how to live better, how to feel better with no tricks and no gimmicks for the rest of their lives. That’s really what the big fat health and fitness lie is all about and that’s really what the Fit Advocate website is all about.Kevin: And you take a different approach in your book as opposed to a lot of the other books that I’ve read about health and fitness and it’s related to addiction. You say addiction feeds this whole lie. What do you mean by this?Craig: Well, many people live a self-inflicted toxic lifestyle that destroys their health and feeds this lie. So what do I mean by that? Well, the definition of toxic, first of all, is poison and in our society we are surrounded by poisons, in our air, it’s in our water, some of them we can’t avoid and many of them we can, however. A lot of these poisons, they’re not going to kill us today, but instead what they do is they slowly and quietly deteriorate and destroy our health.There’s two specific types of poisons or toxins that I talk about that create these health problems. The first, of course is chemical exposures. There are thousands of untested chemical combinations in our food supply to improve taste, texture, color or to extend shelf life. There are low calorie, low carb foods laced with toxic sweeteners that has contributed to obesity and diabetes. We’ve been conditioned to believe that sodium fluoride, for example is good for our teeth. Yet it’s a known chemical waste bi-product of the aluminum and phosphate fertilizer industry. This chemical has been pumped into our water supply and put into our dental hygiene products for years but fluoridation has been flatly rejected by many developed countries because of the dangers and the lack of really any scientific evidence of any health benefit. Beyond that, we have toxic chemicals in our household products, our cleaning products, personal hygiene products. Fruits and vegetables have been treated with herbicides and pesticides. Chickens and cows are fed ground chicken and beef. Then pumped full of antibiotics to stave off disease from the horrific conditions in which they live and where they’re slaughtered. So we have all of those, you know, all of this chemical toxicity. That’s the first concern.The second is the biggest toxic exposure which is related to stress, and people don’t realize this but as much as 80% of all disease is the result of stress and having had the ability to travel all over the world and visit, you know, I believe I’ve been to over 40 countries now, you find that we in America are the most stressed out country on the planet. We work more than any other activity other than sleep. Just think about our normal lives, we wake up every day and we’re running on empty from morning to night. We’ve got the pressures at work, at home, the challenges sustaining some sort of happy relationship with our significant others. We’ve got the demands of the kids, trying to pay the bills. We have all of the negativity in the news. We’re all trying to live the American dream which is predicated on financial freedom, but the truth is only a fraction of people out there actually ever realize the American dream and the rest of us are simply trying to get by, and, you know, we’re buried in a mountain of debt. All of these things add up to a lot of worry and stress and to cope with this stress, what do we do? We drink, we smoke, we take drugs, we over eat, we eat the wrong foods and we spend hours in front of the television or surfing the internet. All of these activities, unfortunately make us fat, lazy and out of shape, and what happens is this poor health that’s created from this self addictive lifestyle creates, and opens the door for these big fat health and fitness lies. One of them is companies that market, manufacture and market and sale products that have no chance of helping us and then, of course, the worse thing is when we look to synthetic chemical compounds, prescription drugs, as the first line of defense to handle our self inflicted health problems. So we really have a lot of issues that we have to deal with in order to be healthy, but people need to understand the basis of where it starts, the cause.Kevin: Yes. How does someone take that sort of addiction or quote unquote addictive personality and turn that into fitness success?Craig: Well the first thing they have to do is identify it.Kevin: Yes.Craig: You have to realize it. Here’s, here’s a fact that’s pretty important that people should know about, the number one reason that people give for not exercising regularly is that they don’t have enough time, okay. Yet the average American watches four and a half hours of television a day. So there’s an issue there with priority and people have to understand that time is the most important and the most valuable thing that we have because once it’s gone you can’t get it back. If you want to improve your health, you have to make time to do all of the things that are necessary to improve and enhance your health and your life and it’s not just exercise but it is one of the key components. So they have to first understand the issues and then have the right motivation and set the right priorities to get them to where they need to be.
Lower Health Insurance Rates – How to Get Them
Most people or rather all people today are looking for an insurance company that offers you a lower rate. Especially health insurance which is one of the most important types of insurance you and your family need.Health insurance is can be very helpful to you and your family, particularly when one of your family members unexpectedly falls ill. The health insurance that you have will help you with the expensive medical bills. Getting you and your family’s health insured is very expensive.One of the many ways to lower your premium is to pay a big amount of deductible which you could handle. So in order to help you lower your insurance rates here are some other tips.You need to shop around for health insurance rates vary in every company. Besides one company might view your health and the risk you poses differently than the other company. Aside from the rate company’s insurance policy might also differ from other insurance company’s policies.Make sure that you have submitted all your medical records and you have said the truth about your health condition. Because when you lie to your insurance company you might get the worst.You should choose your insurance health carefully, and if you have preexisting illness you have to know that you will be having a hard time looking for one. There are not so many companies who will risk giving health insurance to those people that has preexisting conditions.You should live a healthy life style, company might not ask you what you’re eating everyday or how many fats and water can you consume in a day. But they will surely check on those things too so it helps if you eat healthy food and do exercise. This might help you lower your rates.Also you are a smoker; you should try to stop smoking for you might have 30 percent add up to the price of your disability, life and health insurance rates. If you have a history of drug used you might not be able to get and insurance.Also some insurance company might require you to have a physical examination or some short term exam such as taking some blood from you and your vital signs.Your doctor’s can also help you in getting your insurance coverage, for some insurance companies will ask your doctors about your health records. They can help you in explaining your previews illness if you have one.These are just some of the tips that can help you lower your premium rate and help you save some of your hard earned money. But you also have to shop around so that you could find a suitable health plan for you and your family. Insurance that could help you when you need it and an insurance company that gives a good service when it is needed by their clients.
Important Health Tips Every Construction Worker Should Know
Basic job site safety is imperative in the construction industry, where a small mistake could cause a serious injury or even cost you your life. That’s precisely why organizations like OSHA have made a dedicated effort to improve safety and health awareness for all construction workers nationwide.As of 2009, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that there were 816 fatal accidents on construction sites in the US. This occurrence was more than any other on-the-job fatality rate in other single industry sectors in the US in 2009.It resulted in almost one out of five work-related deaths in the construction industry that year.With these statistics in mind, it is more important than ever to pay attention to safety awareness on a construction jobsite. Simply understanding basic safety precautions can work wonders to prevent harmful and even fatal jobsite accidents that have become commonplace in the construction industry today.All-Weather PrecautionsThe construction industry is in operation year-round, rain or shine. If you commonly find yourself working outdoors, then you need to be well aware of daily weather conditions.In the cold, make it a priority to protect your hands, feet, and head with proper clothing. Wearing warm clothing that won’t restrict body movement is best to regulate your core temperature while still remaining quick and agile on your feet. If you are working in hot weather, wear clothing that will protect against the sun to reduce the risk of sunburn and heat stroke.Regardless of the weather, it is critical to drink enough water throughout the day so that you don’t risk dehydration. Dehydration is common in hot climates, but it is also easy to get dehydrated in cold weather when the air is dry and lacking humidity.Regular ExerciseIn order to protect your health as a construction worker, it is essential to exercise regularly so that your body can withstand the strenuous demands of the job. When it comes to loading and unloading heavy materials, regular exercise will improve core strength and flexibility so that you are less likely to injure your back.For example, if you are driving a forklift or operating a crane all day long, it will be easier for you to sit comfortably and maneuver materials if you are in good physical shape. This is critically important if you work in an industry where you lift heavy equipment or operate heavy machinery on a day to day basis.Protection Against Toxic MaterialsIf you work in an environment where you come into contact with paint, you could be at risk for lead poisoning. This is especially common when working on tunnels, bridges, and elevated highways built several decades ago.If you are in an environment where you are exposed to toxic chemicals, consult with your physician to have your blood lead level checked regularly as a precaution. In addition, when working with asphalt, don’t breathe in the fumes directly. It is also important to wear protective equipment, like a face mask, when waterproofing, roofing, or paving roads with hot coal tar to reduce the risk of eye, skin, and respiratory irritation.Most construction workers that experience health issues often make problems worse since it is difficult to take time off of work to treat ailments. As a construction worker, taking necessary precautions will stop health problems before they start.