1. Ensure that all accessible external doors and windows are fitted with locks and the keys removed and hidden from view. This is a basic security measure, especially in places where you’re new and anybody can just break in your room.

2. Check with the landlord that previous tenants no longer have any keys. The previous tenants might come back and just enter without your permission. They might not have clean intentions. To avoid this, make sure that they had surrendered their keys to the landlord.

3. If in shared accommodation check the room door can be locked. It might not be safe with many people in one building. And it’s not always safe when you’re sharing your accommodation with someone you’ve just met. Privacy also comes into play, and a lock on your door may just help.

4. Join your local Neighbourhood Watch scheme and meet the neighbours. If there are any on your new place, join them! Other than being a great way to meet new people and make new friends, you’ll also be able to keep up with the different dangers in the area and security measures to employ.

5. Arrange for a friend to visit the property regularly if you are away to remove any mail and put it in a safe place. Don’t forget to provide them with a contact number. If you have to go somewhere, like go back home to your parents’ house for an occasion, have your friend take care of things for a while. It’s important that people will think that there is still someone present in the property to avoid burglary and break-ins.

6. Check outside lighting does work and leave lights on in the house during darkness using a suitable timing device. Lighting and timing devices have proven to be a burglar’s enemies.

7. Remove any valuables from show and put in a safe place, hidden from view. If you don’t them stolen, then better to keep it hidden safely.

8. Whenever you leave your home always lock all doors, even if it’s only for a couple of minutes. Don’t think that a few minutes isn’t enough for a burglar.

9. If the property has a garden, check access is secure. Burglars sometimes use the garden as a hiding place. Check whether anyone can possibly use the garden as a tool for hiding and check for any entrance and exits.

10. Ensure you have the household insurance policy details and a contact number handy in case a claim has to be made. Check in detail what the insurance covers in the likely situation that belongings will be stolen.

Source: Easier Finance

1. Minneapolis-St. Paul (MN)

Minneapolis-St. Paul is where it’s at when it comes to business, much more so than any other of the nation’s major urban areas. The Twin Cities ranked at the top of a MarketWatch study on the nation’s best metro centers for business, winning by a wide margin.

A healthy collection of companies — old and new, small and large, public and private — put the greater Twin Cities near the top in many categories in the study, which measured the concentration of businesses in the nation’s 50 most populous markets, as well as the job picture in each city. Minneapolis-St. Paul proved resilient in keeping its jobless rate low in a check of unemployment statistics.

(Source: MarketWatch: Minnesota Nice)

2. Denver (CO)

The Mile-High City placed in the top 20 in all categories except job growth, where it ranked 28th. Denver was particularly strong in the small-business and Russell 2000 categories, where it ranked second and sixth, respectively.

The region first attracted a number of cable and satellite operators like Echostar Communications Corp. (DISH) , then parlayed that into a technology boom that spawned the likes of Qwest Communications Corp. (Q) and Level 3 Communications Inc. (LVLT) .

3. Richmond (VA)

This city is in the bottom 10 in size, but placed first in concentration of Fortune 1000 companies and second in unemployment rankings. Among the companies in its stable are gas-and-electric giant Dominion Resources (D) and electronics retailer Circuit City Stores Inc. (CC) .

The area has good schools, available workers, a strong university system and a diverse economy, Cimino says. In addition to Dominion and Circuit City, the city also has insurer Genworth Financial (GNW) , home security firm Brinks Co. (BCO) and chemicals maker Albemarle (ALB) .

4. Boston (MA)

New England’s largest city not only benefits from a bevy of legacy firms like missile maker Raytheon Corp. (RTN) and retailer TJX Cos. ( TJX) , but also rides a resurgence in both health care and information technology. As a result, it placed high in the Forbes, Russell and small- business categories as well as job growth.

Along with Boston Scientific (BSX) and Biogen Idec (BIIB) , the city is home to a multitude of small tech firms like Progress Software Corp. (PRGS) and Irobot Corp. (IRBT) .

There are 2,371 software companies based in the state, many of which are in the greater Boston area, said Tom Hopcroft, vice president for the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council’s software unit. In the burgeoning robotics category, there are 150 companies, institutes and research firms, he added.

The secret to the region’s success is simple: Roughly 100 colleges are within 60 miles of downtown Boston, including, of course, Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

5. Charlotte (NC)

Home to a diverse number of public and private companies, Charlotte placed high in the Fortune, Forbes and S&P categories, all while its population rose at a healthy clip. The city’s population growth isn’t expected to slow any time soon either, said John Paul Galles, publisher of Greater Charlotte Business, as 80,000 people are expected to move to the region this year.

Greater Charlotte is home to financial powerhouses Bank of America Corp. (BAC) and Wachovia Corp. (WB) , as well as Family Dollar Stores (FDO) and Belk, a privately held regional department-store chain.

6. Nashville (TN)

A slew of insurers and hospital companies make their home in Nashville. Some notables are Community Health Systems (CYH) , LifePoint Hospitals (LPNT) and privately held Vanguard Health Systems. The spawning of the health-care industry traces back to the founding of Hospital Corp. of America in the 1960s. Also known as HCA Inc., the company encouraged its own doctors and executives to branch out and start new hospital companies on their own.

One company that can trace its lineage to HCA is privately held Ardent Health Services. Originally set up as a group of psychiatric hospitals, it now is a group of acute care centers. Chief Executive David Vandewater previously was president and chief operating officer at a later incarnation of HCA, known as Columbia/HCA. It now has reverted back to HCA and is privately held.

Now, there are 300 health-care companies in the middle Tennessee region. Nineteen publicly traded firms are headquartered in Nashville.

7. Washington, D.C.

Having the world’s most powerful government in your hometown is good for any economy. It makes for a plentiful source of direct jobs, not to mention steady work for federal contractors.

The feds, coupled with a growing private sector, vaulted the Washington, D.C., area, which includes suburban Virginia and Maryland, to the top spot in the unemployment category. The region was the only one of all 50 metro areas to post a sub-3% unemployment average for the sample months. It also posted a solid finish in the job-growth category.

The nation’s capital also is a breeding ground for younger companies, as it fared well in the Russell category. It was in the top 20 in S&P and population growth categories, and the middle of the pack or below in others.

But the area’s sunny job prospects are what vaulted the D.C. area to the top 10. And much of that came courtesy of the federal government, which pumped $55 billion into the local economy.

8. New York

The Big Apple has the third-highest concentration of small businesses of any metro area, and its standing as the nation’s financial center propelled it to fourth place on the S&P 500 list. It also was ninth in concentration of Russell 2000 companies and 11th in both Fortune 1000 and Forbes 400 rankings. If the study had used just those five categories, it would have placed second behind Minneapolis-St. Paul.

But it dropped down the list due to sub-par rankings in population growth, job growth and unemployment, where it ranked 47th. The jobless rate in New York averaged 5.2% for the months surveyed.

9. Birmingham (AL)

Being smaller has its advantages. If you have just a few companies on one of these given lists, you have a better chance of moving up the chart. Birmingham was able to take the No. 1 spot on the Forbes list, even though only six companies on that list are in Alabama’s biggest city.

Birmingham also placed high in the unemployment and job growth rankings, but is well down the list on a number of other categories, particularly concentration of small businesses, where it ranked 37th.

Privately held construction companies are big in Birmingham, which is home to Brasfield & Gorrie as well as BE&K. Other big private concerns include periodicals publisher Ebsco Industries, mining firm Drummond and industrial equipment maker McWane.

10. San Francisco, CA

Metro San Francisco includes the Oakland and San Jose regions for the purposes of the MarketWatch study, and its ties to Silicon Valley are what propelled it to this list.

The nation’s information technology capital had the distinction of being the only city to finish No. 1 in two different categories, S&P 500 and the Russell 2000 categories, an indication of a good mix between established and upstart companies. It also was fourth in the Fortune 1000 rankings.

The Bay Area didn’t place higher, though, because of slow population and job growth over this decade. It also slipped on the unemployment index, which takes the post-Internet bubble job picture into account.

“Quality of life” plays an important role in the Bay Area’s inclusion on the list. Its residents, and business leaders apparently don’t mind the high price involved for real estate and various consumer goods.

Source: MarketWatch: The Rest of the Best

In protecting a child’s possessions from theft, loss, and damage as he or she takes off for university, parents are urged to see if their home insurance policies can cover their child’s possessions as they are away from home. Insurance is generally not in the checklist of most parents, but the theft of their child’s possessions can be a problem.

Just recently, students from Kansas University experienced a break-in and two laptops were stolen. Not only was there a violation of the students’ privacy, the theft of the laptops was a blow to the students who needed them for their academics.

All parents should check the contents of their insurance and see if it covers the possessions of their child as they go to their selected universities. If there is none, they can inquire with the home insurance company and ask for additional insurance to protect their child’s possessions.

From My Finances UK:

Top ten items students plan to take to university:

1. Mobile phone (93 per cent)
2. iPod/MP3/MP4 player (74 per cent)
3. Laptop/computer (63 per cent
4. USB/memory stick (63 per cent)
5. Jewellery (49 per cent)
6. Television (47 per cent)
7. Camera (45 per cent)
8. DVD player/recorder (39 per cent)
9. Designer clothes (38 per cent)
10. Hi-fi (34 per cent)

Reverse mortgages are being used widely nowadays by senior citizens to release the home equity of their property as one lump sum or multiple payments. Seniors have to be at least 62 years old to qualify for a reverse mortgage.

With reverse mortgages, the obligation to repay the loan is deferred until the owner dies, if the home is sold, or if the owner leaves the property. The homeowner makes no payments and all interest is added to the lien of the property.

There are, however, some questions and issues regarding reverse mortgages that aren’t clear to many. Financial Freedom and IndyMac Bancorp, Inc. (through a press release) cite their top 10 reverse mortgage myths and tell us the real deal about reverse mortgages.

1.The bank takes the house OR the borrower can lose the house.

With a reverse mortgage, the borrower retains title to the home throughout the life of the reverse mortgage. The borrower cannot, as a result of the reverse mortgage be forced out of his or her home, as long as property charges, such as taxes and insurance, are paid and the home is maintained in reasonable living condition. Once the last borrower permanently moves out of the home, the loan must be repaid. Most properties secured by reverse mortgages still have equity when a maturity event occurs and therefore the borrower or his/her heirs choose to sell the home to repay the loan and preserve this equity for the benefit of the borrower or his/her estate.

2.The home must be paid off or be debt-free to qualify for a reverse mortgage.

Reverse mortgages convert home equity into cash. As long as there is sufficient equity in the property, the homeowner may be eligible for a reverse mortgage. In fact, many seniors use a reverse mortgage to pay off an existing mortgage in order to eliminate a required monthly mortgage payment.

3.When a reverse mortgage becomes due, the bank sells the home.

The borrower is in control of the home and retains title, not the bank or lender. So while it’s common for the borrower or the heirs to sell the home to repay the loan, it’s a decision the borrower or his heirs make. The borrower or the heirs might also refinance the home in order to repay the loan.

4.It’s cheaper to move to a smaller house.

While this strategy might be right for different reasons, seniors need to analyze their costs carefully before making this assumption. The process of selling a home and moving into a new home can be expensive. The typical real estate commission of 6% on a $300,000 home would be $18,000. Add moving costs, and the undertaking to find a new home and the decision is not as simple.

5.Children want the home or don’t feel comfortable with a reverse mortgage.

Seniors are encouraged to talk with their children about reverse mortgages. Many baby boomers are faced with trying to plan for their retirement and pay for their children’s education. Often, the children of many seniors are happy that their parents have a financial solution available to help them live more independently and financially secure.

6.The borrower could end up owing more than the home is worth.

Two of the great safeguards for reverse mortgages are that they are structured so that the borrower or his estate can never owe more than the value of the home upon repayment. In addition, the HECM products are insured by the Federal Housing Administration, an arm of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

7.Reverse mortgage proceeds will impact Social Security and Medicare benefits.

A reverse mortgage will generally not affect regular Social Security payments or Medicare benefits. Depending upon the borrower’s situation, a reverse mortgage may affect benefits one receives, if any, from the Federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, or state-administered programs like Medicaid. It is recommended that the borrower speak with his or her financial advisor and appropriate governmental agencies.

8.There are restrictions on how the money is used.

Actually there are no restrictions. The cash proceeds from the reverse mortgage can be used for any purpose. It is recommended that the borrower speak to a financial advisor. Many seniors have used reverse mortgages to travel, pay off debts, help their kids, make a luxury purchase or just live more comfortably.

9.Once the proceeds are received, taxes will need to be paid.

The cash proceeds from a reverse mortgage are tax free because it is already your money. It is recommended that the borrower consult with a financial advisor.

10.Reverse mortgages are only for seniors in need, or for the ‘house rich, cash poor.’

The reverse mortgage is an excellent financial planning tool that has been used by homeowners from all walks of life to enhance their retirement years. Increasingly, lenders are seeing interest and growth among jumbo reverse mortgages geared toward borrowers whose homes exceed the FHA lending limits, which peak below $400,000. Many seniors with multi-million dollar homes are using reverse mortgages as part of their estate or legacy planning in conjunction with advice from financial advisors.