CREDIT CONSIDERATIONS - Part 2

(Continued from 4/15/13 post)

If you want to buy a car or house or apply for a credit card or loan, your credit score will determine your eligibility and terms.  Here's how to improve that score:

1.   Avoid late payments.  Set up automatic payments to your creditors.  If you must juggle payments due to cash flow, try to limit the number of past-due accounts.  A history of late payments on several accounts hurts your score more than delinquencies on a single account.

2.   Spread your debt over several types of accounts: installment loans, retail merchant accounts, and credit cards.

3.   Curb spending.  Keep your outstanding balances to less than 50% of your available credit.

4.   Pay down debt and don't move balances to new credit lines -- that hurts your score.

5.   If you have a short credit history, don't open new accounts too rapidly as a large number of new accounts can lower your number.  Lenders like to see a long history of responsible payments.

6.   Don't close unused accounts.  The longer you've had a line of credit open, the better it is for your score.

7.   Check your credit report by ordering it yearly for free from www.AnnualCreditReport.com.  Check for errors and follow up to ensure that they are fixed.
Sources: Consumer Reports, Small Business Services Bureau

Next month: How to fight back against credit damages . . .

CELEBRATING MY 25th YEAR AS A PHYSICAL THERAPIST . . . THANK YOU FOR YOUR REFERRALS!

Could you use health education content for your newsletter, blog, website, or hand-outs for your organization, business, or event?  I can save you the time and effort -- by providing customized materials on a variety of topics for you to reproduce and personalize with your contact information.  Please call me for more details at       617-738-8222.

IS YOUR HOME A HAZARD? - Part 2

Continued from 4/6/13 post . . .


These injury prevention tips are especially important for seniors:


- Have grab bars professionally installed inside the tub and next to the toilet

- Position a lamp next to your bed so it's easy to reach

- Use a night-light between bedroom and bathroom

- Exercise regularly to improve balance

- Make sure your doctor or pharmacist examines all medications, including over-the-counter, as some can make you dizzy

- Have your vision checked at least once a year

- Wear sturdy shoes inside and outside your home; don't go barefoot or wear slippers or flip-flops

- Write emergency numbers in large print and keep them near all phones

- Put a phone near the floor and/or keep your cell phone on your person at all times in case you fall and can't get up
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Consumer Reports


CELEBRATING MY 25th YEAR AS A PHYSICAL THERAPIST . . . THANK YOU FOR YOUR REFERRALS!

Gift certificates for therapeutic massage and Easy Relaxing Meditation CD's make thoughtful gifts for Mother's Day (Sun. May 12th).  Please contact me at 617-738-8222 to place your order.

CREDIT CONSIDERATIONS - Part 1

Your qualification for loans, your loan interest and insurance rates, and even employment, can depend on your credit score.  The most commonly used, the FICO score, developed by Fair Isaac Corporation, ranging from 300 (less desirable) to 850 (most desirable), is calculated using the following categories:

35% is Payment History - Timeliness of payments is a big part of your score.  Bankruptcy and past due amounts, and how recently they occurred, are factored here.

30% is Amount Owed - The proportion of the number of accounts that you have and balances owed to total credit available is a major consideration.

15% is Length of Your Credit History - More recently opened accounts count less favorably than older credit.

10% is New Credit - This consists of the ratio of the number of recently opened accounts to established ones.

10% is Types of Credit - A history of managing various types of loans (credit cards, retail accounts, mortgages, installment loans) can help your score.
Sources: Fair Isaac Corporation, www.myfico.com (the site where you can obtain your FICO score for a fee)

Next month: How to improve your FICO score . . .

~ CELEBRATING MY 25th YEAR AS A PHYSICAL THERAPIST . . . THANK YOU FOR YOUR REFERRALS! ~

Gift Certificates for Therapeutic Massage and Easy Relaxing Meditation CD's make great gifts for your office staff on Administrative Professionals Day (Wed. 4/24/13) - Please call me at 617-738-8222 for more details.

IS YOUR HOME A HAZARD? - Part 1

Falls are the most common injury by far among adults, and the leading cause of accidental death among those 65 and older.  Here are some ways to prevent injuries:

- Remove throw rugs or use double-sided tape or a non-slip backing to secure them.
- Clear a path.  You should never have to walk around furniture or piles of papers, or hop over extension cords or safety gates.
- Make sure there's a light in your stairway, and light switches (the kind that glow) at the top and bottom of the stairs.  If your home lacks those, hire an electrician.
- Where practical (the cellar or garage, for starters), paint the top edge of stairs with a contrasting color so that you'll see it better.
- Secure loose stair carpeting, fix loose or uneven stairs, and consider putting handrails on both sides of stairs.
- In the kitchen, put often used items on shelves you don't have to stretch to reach.
- Invest in a good step stool; don't use a chair.
- Many tubs and showers are too slippery, so use a rubber mat.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Consumer Reports

Next month: more safety tips! . . .


THANK YOU FOR PATRONIZING AND REFERRING PEOPLE TO MY INDEPENDENT PRACTICE.  WHEN YOU SPEND AT A LOCALLY OWNED OFFICE, MORE THAN 50% STAYS IN OUR COMMUNITY.  AT A CHAIN, MORE THAN 80% GOES TO DISTANT CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS!

IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS WRITING SKILLS

Guest Author: Beverly Zibrak, President of the Word Doc, Brookline, MA

Follow these five guidelines to make your business writing have the most impact:

1. Be concise.  There is more written material available now than ever.  But, ironically, people are reading less.  So being concise is more critical than ever.  If you can say it in 500 words, try honing that down to 300.  The average web page should only contain 250 to 300 words.  Get to the point.  Make your argument or state your facts, then be done.

2. Use correct terminology, but not jargon.  In technical and scientific writing, jargon may be unavoidable.  Otherwise, you can usually sidestep it.  If you aim for clear, understandable writing, avoid trendy terms that often mean nothing.  Replace them with understandable, succinct language.

3. Edit your work.  This is critical.  It is unavoidable to have typos, grammatical errors, or errors of tone after your first pass at a written piece.  To avoid these pitfalls, check your work at least two times before submitting or posting it.  Better yet, have someone who has editing skills edit it.  Nothing replaces a fresh set of eyes.

4. Make sure your facts are correct.  It is easy to use the Internet for fact checking.  However, much that is on the Web is incorrect, including the "facts" on Wikipedia.  So crosscheck any data you find or quotations you use.  And be accurate with names, titles, and genders.

5. Adopt a writing style that is professional but not stuffy.  Try to not write in an overly formal style.  A reader should find a familiarity in your work.  Informal does not mean unprofessional.  But try to avoid slang, acronyms (imho, btw, etc.) and other writing shortcuts.  Save these for personal emails and other such written correspondence.


Beverly Zibrak is President of the Word Doc, a writing and editing services firm dedicated to helping small business with all their communication needs, including web content development, press releases and marketing communications, and blog posts.  You can reach Beverly at www.worddocusa.com or 617.584.9847.

CRACKING THE CODE

Have you ever wondered about the numbered stickers on fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and nuts?  More than 1400 international PLU (product lookup) codes have been used to identify and assist with check-out and inventory control of bulk produce in supermarkets since 1990.  These 4- and 5-digit codes indicate what the item is, its type and size, and where and how it was grown.  Following are some  key identifiers -- and you can plug in codes at http://plucodes.com for more information. 

- if the 1st digit is a "9", the produce was grown organically.
- if the 1st digit is an "8", the produce was genetically modified.
- if the 1st digit is a "0" or the number is a 4-digit code, the item was conventionally grown.
Source: IDEA Fitness Journal




COULD YOU USE HEALTH EDUCATION CONTENT FOR YOUR NEWSLETTER, BLOG, WEBSITE, OR HAND-OUTS FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS, OR EVENT?  I CAN SAVE YOU THE TIME AND EFFORT -- BY PROVIDING CUSTOMIZED MATERIALS ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS FOR YOU TO REPRODUCE AND PERSONALIZE WITH YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION.  PLEASE CALL ME FOR MORE DETAILS AT 617-738-8222.

HOW TO PREVENT BECOMING A POST-RESOLUTION DROP-OUT - Part 2

Continued from 1/17/13 post . . .

Here are more strategies to help you to stay motivated:

Keep records -  Tracking exercise sessions and how you are feeling physically and emotionally, in addition to periodic physical assessments, can help you see progress towards your goals.

Learn - Take any opportunity to educate yourself about topics such as nutrition, proper form, warm up, and cool down.

Focus on benefits - Studies show that 70% of our self-talk is negative.  Exercise will produce better health, higher energy and self esteem, and improved sleep, concentration, and ability to handle stress.  While you may not see all of these benefits immediately, it will get easier over time.  Frequently reminding yourself of these benefits is essential for overcoming negative self-talk.
Source: American Council on Exercise




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