Prescription drug by mail order

Many people are unaware that it pays to get your prescription drug by
mail order than to drive to the nearest pharmacy.

For example, if you are enrolled in some HMO and you take some drug
continuously, you may get 3 months of supply together by mail order and
make a copayment of only $40 (= 2 times $20, a typical copayment)
instead of '3 times $20' = $60.

For example, PrecisionRX is affiliated with Blue Cross. Similarly, HealthNet
customers can order from Express Scripts. For Cigna customers, the site
to visit is TelDrug.

If You Are New in USA

If you are new in USA, you must remember the following things:
[There must be more but we just try to help you as much as we can]

o Visa Issues: If you are going for a long drive especially to border
areas , you must carry your passport and visa documents. Remember
this for your domestic air travel too. At the airport you are usually
asked to show your driving license but in any emergency situation or
under any circumstances of security concern, you may be asked to
show your passport and visa documents. If you fail to show, you may
be held up at the aitport for long hours. Also, check your luggages
properly and do not carry any kind of scissors, blades or things like
that which are prohibited by Airport authorities

o Buckle up That's the Law: Always drive with your seatbelt on. Do
not squeeze in a car with number of people more than the capacity of
the car.

o Kids Alone In Car: Donot leave your kids in a car, even if you think
you'll just take a short trip to the nearby shop. Police may arrest you if
they find your kids alone inside the car.

o Kids Alone In Home: Donot leave your kids below 13 years of age
alone in your home.

o Health Care: If you are coming from a country where health-care
system is not very organized (we apologize if we hurt you with this
statement), we just remind you that you are supposed to receive
health and dental check-ups each year through your health insurance.
You must have this done each year. Remember that for girls and
women, annual 'pap smear test' is very important.

o Tax: 15th April is the deadline for your tax filing. Even if you arrived
in USA in the last week of December'2004 or you didnot have much
income in 2004, you still need to file your return.

Toyota Prius: America's popular Hybrid car

Toyota Prius 2005

Toyota Prius averages about 55 miles per gallon. The Prius has a small
engine and, overall, has a high leaning toward the electric side of the
'gas-electric' equation of the hybrid technology.

An electric motor propels it at low speeds (in city streets). At low speeds
gas engines are much less efficient in producing the torque and frequent
stops aggravates it.

At high speeds (in freeways) the same motor works with the gas engine.
So, a second motor tethered with the gas engine generates much of the
electricity needed for the first motor. This process, however, is only 70
to 85 % efficient, which is much worse than the 98% efficiency of the
gasoline engines of conventional cars in which only the gears of
transmission come in between the engine and the road in transmitting
the torque.

However, overall the higher efficiency of driving in city roads win over
all other aspects of conventional cars as long as the car is small. Toyota
Prius is gaining more and more popularity among daily commuters all
over USA.

By the way, retail purchasers of a new Prius (completed during calendar
year 2004 & 2005) may be eligible for a federal tax deduction of up to
$2000 (Toyota Prius costs about 21000$ for base price).

Blockbuster & Netflix : The Competition for Online DVD Rental

Both Blockbuster and Netflix are engaged in a battle to win over the
hearts of millions of movie lovers. They are regularly changing their
pricing and conditions to suit the potential subscribers. The following
provides a comparison between two based on their current terms:

Here are a few common adavantages extended by both companies:
o Free shipping both ways
o No commitment. Cancel anytime.
o No Due Dates. No Late Fees
o 2 Weeks' free trial

Blockbuster offers the following terms and price:
3 Movies out at a time. $14.99 per month
with 2 Free instore movie or game rentals each month.

Netflix, on the other hand, has 3 types of schemes:
o 2 DVDs at a time (limit 4 per month) $11.99
o 2 DVDs at a time (No limit) $14.99
o 3 DVDs at a time (No limit) $17.99

Based on their current offerings to potential subscribers, we feel
Blockbuster has an edge over Netflix. Especially Blockbuster's
instore offering of 2 movies/games per month sweetens the deal
quite a lot and will be able to attract many to their direction.

Tax 2004: If you are confused, buy a software!

If you have not started yet and now wondering how you'll squeeze time to
file before the April 15th deadline, we believe it is better to choose the
software-option.

"Turbo Tax" is a good solution. Step by Step you'll be asked all questions
and you just put all your ionformation. In these last few days you may
manage to get a good discount in one of your local stores. For example,
you may get Deluxe version of "Turbo Tax" for as low as $19.95 (regular
price $39.95) if you know where to look for bargains.

H&R Block's "Tax Cut" is another option and in "Staples" store, we found
its standard version was getting sold essentially free after mail-in rebate.

Both of these offer a free (after mail-in rebate) state tax software with it.
A cheaper way is to go online and feed your data instead of buying the
CD. Both H&R Block and Turbo Tax provide this service.

If you donot have much complications and your income is low, we
recommend using the free software options from "Turbo Tax",
"H&R Block", "Complete Tax", "TaxAct" etc. etc. You need to go
to these sites through www.irs.gov. Also, these are free only for Federal
Tax. you need to pay for state tax though. One annoying part is their
frequent prop-ups requesting you to upgrade to their paid version.

What if your Credit Card Holder Agreement changes

Recently a number of credit cards have started changing their card holder
agreement mostly for hiking their interest rates and for binding their
customers into stricter laws.

When you apply for a credit card, the contract that binds you as the card
holder to pay as agreed also binds the issuer of the card to the original
terms of the contract. However, many of us never notice that there's a
clause in most card holder agreements called "universal default" which
allows the bank to change the rules midway unless you disagree.

If you disagree to new terms and conditions, the bank then gets the right
to close your account. On the other hand, you have the right to pay off
the remaining balance under the terms of the original agreement.

After you receive a notification from the bank regarding such revisions,
you must respond in writing within 30 days. You may simply let the bank
know that you wish to continue under your original card holder agreement
and continue to pay accordingly.

You cannot, of course, use the card anymore because the account will be
closed. But that is good. You will not add anymore to your debt in a card
which is increasing its interest rate.

Change oil of your car: How often?

Nowadays most of the automakers specify 5000 or 7500 miles'
interval for oil change. But most of the shops in the business of car
repair still recommend 3000 miles' interval.

It depends on your driving habit if we wish to decide who is right.
Even if your auto-manufacturer recommends longer interval, it could
be that they are actually meaning it for a driving habit that does not
involve wondering around the city with too frequent starts and stops
or carrying excessive loads. Short (like 1-2 miles) intermittent trips
in too cold weather and long (above 25 miles) continuous trips in too
hot weather (say in California desert) or any trip in muddy roads
may also go against such recommendations.

On the other hand, if your driving habit is quite normal most of the
days, it is good to have oil-changing trips at longer intervals. This
saves your money and wait-time and also prevents some significant
amount of pollution to the environment.

Internet Deals for Electronic Goods

"TigerDirect", "Crucial", "SlickDeals" are some names which are too
familiar to a few but rather unknown to vast majority of US
consumers of elecronic products.

For most of the people on street, "Circuit City", "Best Buy", "Fries",
even "Walmart" and "Target" are destination for their car trips to
bring the latest gadget home. You may, however, save a lot if you
check out the websites of "TigerDirect" for a better deal.
"Crucial.com" is for memory upgrades for your computers and
gives excellent deals. And you may also check "SlickDeals"
for electronics and even apparels!

Hybrid Cars: Time to offset high gas bill

Last November the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy
Department released their annual list of the most and the least
fuel-efficient cars.

With gas prices finding newer and newer peaks ... we thought we must
remind our readers that list again, which they might have forgotten or
misplaced:

Most Fuel Efficient: (city/freeway miles per gallon)
1. Honda Insight (manual, hybrid) 61/66 mpg
2. Toyota Prius 60/51
3. Honda Insight (automatic, hybrid) 57/56
4. Honda Civic Hybrid 48/47

Least Fuel Efficient: (city/freeway miles per gallon)
1. Dodge Ram Pickup (2 wh dr auto) 9/12 mpg
2. Lamborghini L-147/148 Murcielago 9/13
3. Dodge Ram Pickup (2 wh dr manual) 9/15
& Lamborghini L-140/141 Murcielago
4. Bentley Arnage LWB 10/14

Teach Concepts of Finance and Savings to Kids

Many of us ignore the importance of teaching ideas and concepts of
personal finance to our kids but it is a crucial part of their
development and growing up as a responsible individual. If they
cannot manage their personal savings and planning for their future,
just a good education may land them on a good job but they may fail
to utilize that advantage of having a good job.

There is no hurry, of course. But you may slowly start ...
probably as they enter Middle School.

The following websites may assist you in your endeavor:
http://www.kidsbank.com/ for Credit Record, FICO score, Insurance etc
http://www.moonjar.com/ for FICO score, Mutual Fund concepts
http://www.richkidsmartkid.com/ for Savings, CD, Credit Record

Car Maintenance: Cleaning Fuel Injection

A fuel injector is an electronically controlled valve which is supplied with
pressurized fuel by the fuel pump in your car. The injector is capable of
opening and closing many times per second. When the injector is
energized, an electromagnet moves a plunger which in turn opens the
valve, allowing the pressurized fuel to eject out through a tiny nozzle into
the combustion chamber of the engine. The nozzle is designed to atomize
the fuel -- to make as fine a mist as possible so that it can burn easily.
Loan
Over the years of use, the small passages in the nozzle can become
obstructed from deposits in the gasoline and external factors found during
normal engine operation. Thus, especially in old cars, fuel injector cleaning
service is needed on all injectors at some point. Most injectors don’t fail,
they just become obstructed. Gasoline is required to have a certain
detergent component that will keep injectors and combustion chambers clean.

So, sometimes cleaning fuel injectors means adding a bottle of fluid to the
gas tank. For removing more build-ups, it needs a mechanical procedure
involving a sort of pressure cleaning and chemical wash costing $50 and up.

However, our advice is, don't do it unless it is directed by the
manufacturer in your manual. Only a handful number of manufacturers
recommend it. If your vehicle is running rough or has become very old, it
might be that there are a number of other causes behind it. Only repeated
injector cleaning may not turn out to be the long-term solution.

3.25% APR in Emigrant-Direct's Savings Account

We just learned from the site "MyDollar" that the Emigrant-Direct Bank,
NY has increased its interest rate in Savings account to 3.25%. No
minimum deposit is required. That is the highest rate in USA and is a
much better investment than locking your money in Certificate of
Deposits (CDs) which may be offering less interest rate.

Internet Browsing with 'Browster': Save Clicks!

Last week we talked about Firefox, a fast-growing browser in the internet
world and how it is taking users away from Microsoft's widely-used
Internet Explorer.

Here we present a new free plug-in application for Internet Explorer
browser, called "Browster". People who feels pain in clicking through links
day and night may love Browster. Instead of clicking through each item
from a Google or Yahoo search engine results, you just need to take
mouse arrow over an icon (of thunder) beside the item in the search result
and you get to see a preview of the page.

Finally you save time and clicks. However, the search engines and internet
advertising sites which depend heavily on their income from click-throughs
on advertisements may not be pleased with this invention from Microsoft.

Bowster is currently in Testing state. In any case, if you are one of those
zillions who use Windows system and Internet Explorer browser, you may
consider downloading Browster from This Link. Oh Yeah! You need to click
on that link.

Home Equity Loan: The Unemployment Insurance

As we were discussing last week ... the average home price in many parts
of USA skyrocketted in recent years. This means that your ability to take
a higher loan from that equity has increased to a level never seen by your
parents or grandparents. Our advice is: Utilize that ability but never use
that ability to spend.

So, open or keep open a home equity line of credit (which may come out
to be from anything to even $100000 for average homeowners) in a
mortgage bank. But try not to use it or try to keep the balance zero. There
could be an annual fee - you may even avoid that by selecting a fee-free
fund. There are some costs for opening an account and the annual fee
could be below 100$.

But why are we advising you to spend even that for a loan that you'll not
utilize? We see that the job market is not growing as expected. Our
parents used to keep 2 or 3 months' salary as an emergency fund for any
gap of employment that they might have to go through. Nowadays ... job
market experts suggest that we should be ready for about 6 months to a
full year of unemployment! If such an emergency comes, the above costs
may come out to be cheap premium for an effective "unemployment
insurance" which no company on the earth ever offered.

So, use your home equity line of credit as an emergency fund only.

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

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We do not post in weekend. Next posting will be on
Monday. Note that not all of our postings are on this
page. To see past postings click on the list on the sidebar.
Thanks for your support! Enjoy your weekend!
----------------------------------------------------------
You will also enjoy reading the following site and get
useful tips on personal finance and investment.
Click to Read : MyDollar
(Received highest rating in WeBlogLinkDirectory )
----------------------------------------------------------

FICO Score : A Number for Your Credit History

Some facts about FICO score:
FICO credit scoring system was developed by Fair, Isaac and Co.
It ranges in between 350 to 850. More the better.
The score tells lenders how likely you are to pay a credit obligation or
repay a loan on time. If you have higher scores, you are likely to get
lower interest rates in mortgages and sometimes even in credit cards
and you'll be more in a position to demand some favors from your
creditors.

The following criteria (in order of importance) determines your score:
- Payment History
- Amount currently owed
- Length of credit history (established in USA)
- New credit (newly opened accounts lower your score)
- Types of accounts in Use (whether your mix of credit accounts, i.e.
mortgages, installment loans(like car loan) and credit cards, is a healthy
one. Having too many of one type goes against you.

Home Equity Loan: The Temptation

Mortgage companies are trying to arouse your temptation to take a loan
on the equity you have built on your home whose value (if you are in
places like L.A. or Boston) skyrocketted in recent years and just spend it
through a vacation in Hawaii or having a new car or whatever
.... Sometimes it almost seems that all that will come free.

Fed will continue to increase the interest rate throughout the year and,
remember, unlike 30 year or 15 year mortgages, home equity loan is
usually tied up with that rate. So, if you spend that equity, after a few
months you may feel much more pain than the pain of not having a new
car or that dream vacation in Hawaii. Be sure. Having peaceful mind and
a daily normal life with your family or with your hobbies could also be
enjoyed as a great vacation that you can afford in easier ways.

Sally Ride Science

Mutual Fund, QQQQ, Nasdaq, Hybrid car, DOW, Fidelity, Vanguard
On this International Women's day we introduce to you one of the most
charismatic and dynamic American woman of our time - Sally Ride.
Sally Ride is the first American woman in space and a fascinating person.
To know more about her career and activities, visit this NASA site .
Mutual Fund, QQQQ, Nasdaq, AMEX, S&P, DOW, Hybrid Cars, SUV,
"Sally Ride Science" was founded by her to support the large number of
girls and young women who are, or might become, interested in science,
math and technology. The company organizes events and activities for
girls that empower them, engage them and encourage their interests.
Besides the festivals, current programs include Sally Ride Science Camps,
TOYChallenge and the Sally Ride Science Club - a national club created to
keep middle school girls engaged in science adventures by connecting
them to people, information, and attitudes that will nurture their
relationship with science and technology.
Mutual Fund, QQQ, Nasdaq, AMEX, S&P, DOW, Vanguard, Hybrid Car
For more information visit SallyRideScience.com or call (800)561-5161.

Today is International Women's Day

We may not have the qualification of the President of Harvard University,
but, contrary to his recent remark, we sincerely believe (from so many
examples around us in USA and throughout the world) that, despite
physical and genetic differences between men and women, there is no
proof that women lack capabilities to shine in the fields of Science and
Technology and Math.
Mutual Fund, Hybrid car, Nasdaq, AMEX, S&P, DOW, Fidelity, Vanguard
We convey our respect to all women from all corners of the earth who are
continuously keeping the balance and harmony of this world in a beautiful
way. Mutual Fund, QQQ, Nasdaq, AMEX, S&P, DOW, Fidelity, Vanguard

Application For College Financial Aid

Many parents of college-bound youngsters are currently working on the
looming deadline of anywhere from March 1 to March 15 that many
colleges have for submission of financial-aid paperwork.

The key form involved in this process is called the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You may download the form and related
instructions from: FAFSA Form. This site also allows electronic filing
of the form. It is a free form and you should apply even if you think that
there might not be any chance for you; New scholarships are created
every year and you may find some surprises.

You will need the data from your 2004 federal income tax return to fill out
the application, but DO NOT wait until you file your 2004 tax - even if you
have not completed your taxes you should use estimates to complete the
FAFSA form. Otherwise you may find yourself somewhere around the end
of a long queue. That's because most states and colleges start allowing
submission of FAFSA forms beginning Jan. 1. Applications received earliest
are given top priority.

Although the form is FREE to submit, Parents should remember that
student financial aid is not meant to provide a free financial assistance to
you. The system is set up to provide assistance to those who might not
otherwise be able to attend college.

Car Maintenance : Radiator flushing

Radiator is the heart of its cooling system of your car. To drive your
car safely, it must be clean and clear of blockages and there must be
no leaks in the system. The radiator's function is to get rid of the heat
from the hot water circulating in the cooling system. The hot water
enters the top tank in the radiator, filters down through the core fins
of the radiator and cools, then returns to the engine through the water
pump.

In old cars, the radiators were of the 'open' or 'not-sealed' types. Hot
flushing was a mandatory maintenance practice - good drivers used to
schedule that twice a year - once in spring (after those snowy winters)
and in Fall (after those hot summers). Too often motorists used to
neglect radiators until something bad happened which is why radiator
problems were perhaps the most common cause of on-road breakdowns.

However, if you have a new car - beware - if the repair shop you visit
continues to recommend hot flush at regular interval even for modern cars.

The truth is that most cars now have closed or 'sealed' radiator systems
which do not loose coolant over time. Also modern coolant fluids can
continue for two years and more before losing effectiveness. Please read
the manual of your car to find out at what interval you must consider a
flush.

Upromise: College Fund penny by penny

Upromise is a good way to save money for the college fund of your kids
little by little as you go around shopping and dining in restaurants.
... Well, perhaps you know it already because you saw their stickers on
Grocery store aisles but did not take the trouble yet.

We think it's a very good way to start saving for college funds. So, just
register your credit cards and grocery store cards by logging in
Upromise's Website and before you realize, you'll see cash getting piled
up ... especially if your spouse spends a lot.. or you like dining out or travelling ..

Firefox : The Internet Web Browser of Popular Choice

If you are not a computer geek, you may not notice that slowly, quietly
but definitely people around you are changing their internet browsers in
their computers.

So far Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser remained to be the most
widely used program on the world's personal computers. More than 90%
of Windows users still depend on it. But Microsoft hasn't made any
important functional improvements in Internet Explorer for years and
slowly those who need more and more improvements in usability and
security are opting for something new and .... so cometh: "Firefox"

Firefox is a free product of an open-source organization called Mozilla .
Firefox is both more secure and more modern than the Internet Explorer,
and it comes with a number of important user-friendly features that the
Microsoft browser does not have. It also has a better built-in pop-up ad
blocker than Internet Explorer. It also provides "tabbed browsing" with
which you can open many Web pages at once in the same browser window
and each is accessed by a tab. To keep length of our posting small we are
avoiding more detailed discussion here but you may learn more from their
website or just by starting to use it.

Although Firefox still has a tiny market share, millions of people have
downloaded it in recent months. Just yesterday they released an upgrade
to version 1.0.1 to improve and fix multiple security issues. So, if you
have not yet got it, get it free or even if you are using it, get an update
by clicking here .

New Hybrid Luxury Car from Lexus: RX 400h

Lexus' new luxury RX 400h is essentially a hybrid version of its
gas-powered model, RX 330. When it will come out on April 15, it will
have a suggested sticker price of price of $48,535 - about $10,000
more than the price of 330 model. Lexus is planning to sell about
27000 cars annually.

400h has all-wheel drive and 268 horsepower engine, a navigation
system and a number of high-tech gadgets. Acceleration? 0-60 mph
in 7.3 seconds! Mileage? 27 miles per gallon on the highway and 31
miles per gallon in the city. That is 67 percent improvement over
RX 330 and looks good in luxury car category but for truely Green
people it does not sound too good in the overall category of hybrid
cars which is led by Honda Insight [61 mpg in city, 66 in freeway]
and Toyota Prius [60 mpg in city, 51 in freeway].

Toyota (parent of Lexus) , with its popular Prius model, owns about
60 percent of the hybrid market. The share of Hybrid in total car
market is currently under 1 percent in the United States and may
approach 3 percent by 2010.