Jessica Lunsford Blog

Finding love in New York can be a daunting task. So daunting
that there are times when I just can’t handle the thought of it.
Therefore, I stay home snuggled up with Chinese food and a movie
instead of prowling around town. The only problem is one cannot
ignore all the singles columns, singles events, singles
headlines, it goes on and on. I begin to feel guilty that I am
not doing my part to find Mr. Right. On any given night one can
go to a singles event in the city. But why should I go to an
event to have a watered down drink and a piece of celery for $20
plus dollars? For those of us who hold out, there just may be a
light at the end of the tunnel of love.

Recently there have been columns written about being finding
love in unconventional ways, such as in the city streets. Some
women are totally cool with a guy walking up to her in the
street to ask her out and others think it is creepy. I find that
interesting. Isn’t it the same thing as a guy walking up to a
woman in a bar at a singles event? He sees what he likes; he
walks over, and gives his best line in the hopes of reeling the
woman in. In cases where a person walks up to someone on the
street it may be even more sincere than the usual meet market
environments. I am not saying not to use caution. If someone
looks like an ax murderer, chances are he just may be. Run don’t
walk.

The other way to find love that is creating a buzz is on the
subway. Being so close to people, it is hard not to bump into a
hottie or two on a train. Even I am guilty of taking advantage
of a crowded subway to get a little close to a hot guy (I only
did it once). There was talk of making singles cars on the
subway. Imagine the possibilities. Recently the L train was
voted at the best train to find that special someone. As cheesy
as I am, I thought it was sweet that it was the L train. The L
train could be turned into the “Love Train”. I grabbed my
metrocard to head for 14th Street to get myself a man. As I got
to my door, I had a thought. I remembered that the L train is
filled with artists and musicians. Does one really want to hook
up with a poor artist? I already have that covered; my man might
need to be a breadwinner. Reality set in and I put my metrocard
down to pop in a movie.

What I know for sure is that New York is a city filled with lots
of singles looking for their special someone. There is someone
out there for everyone. It helps to be open and ready at any
given time because one never knows when love will strike. If
only I knew for sure which train I need to be on.

Cruising The Columbia River With CruiseWest

Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com
http://jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/cruise02/columbia/columbia.html

he standard means of transportation for world travelers to Portland, Oregon is by air, land and sea but that’s not how the first white men came to the great Northwest Territory. CruiseWest offers a stylistic version of exploration of the waters that the Louisiana Purchase surveyors Lewis and Clark plied almost 200 years ago.

Portland is a primary port facility for west coast shipping, but sits inland from the Pacific Ocean, along the Columbia River. The local economy isn’t based just on the shipping trade - you’ll find thriving communities dealing in everything from ship repair and fishing canneries to agricultural, and of course the ever present tourist market.
‘
Along the Lewis and Clark CruiseWest journey, you’ll hear naturalists relate stories about the first settlers, the Indians who inhabited the territory, and the developers arriving later into this great countryside.

My travel arrangements were made through CruiseWest. I flew into Portland via Alaska Air and even Sacajawea didn’t have to pathfind the way to the baggage carousel. Shuttles whisk from gate to gate, and are for all passengers, not just the disabled. I found out about this a little too late, as I entered into my own self-appointed walking marathon. CruiseWest has it’s own baggage handlers and shuttle from the airport to the Marriott Portland Downtown Hotel, the jumping-off point for the adventure on the Columbia.

I met my first fellow explorers a couple from Seattle, who had sailed previously on this very vessel, Spirit of Discovery up in Alaska, now joining the CruiseWest flotilla after tendered through the Inside Passage; I learned the ship was capable of the voyage up the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

It started to rain and it continued in its Pacific Northwest infamy throughout the afternoon. This was no damper on my plans after all, I just came from the dry climate of Las Vegas, and a little rain was enjoyable.

At the Marriott our bags were immediately banded and prepared for boarding. Passengers gathered in the hospitality room awaiting an introductory presentation from the crew. With a couple of hours to kill I joined a lively crowd in the sports pub, featuring racks of TVs blasting out golf to football to the baseball playoffs. My arrival coincided with the annual Portland marathon, scheduled the next day. The bartender told me that this was the first rainy day in months and that it never rains on the marathon. After a light lunch, I found my way back to the hospitality suite in time for the crew’s Coast Guard safety instructions.

I decided to walk the famous Portland park-like river walk to dockside, rather than the shuttle. Even though it was drizzling, it is a short distance, with the trail meandering onward for miles. I discovered hundreds of Canadian geese resting like decoys in the park. Once aboard ship, the crew guided me to my respective cabin. My bags had already arrived. Dinner was served shortly thereafter and the camaraderie began.

I found my cabin to be clean and comfortable with plenty of room, with dresser drawers both beneath the beds and within the dresser nightstand. The closet and vanity had more that enough room to hang a wardrobe and personal items and each stateroom had hot running showers. The lighting was perfect, a bay window for viewing and even a pair of binoculars in each stateroom provided for wildlife viewing.

Once I had a chance to freshen up, I went to the below deck dining room to meet the other passengers. Jeremy, the master chef for our cruise, had outlined entrée choices at the hospitality meeting before boarding. In no time, we were delighting in a wonderfully basted and broiled salmon. At each and every meal there was a choice of surf or turf or you could order a special diet selection. Menus were well balanced and planned and diners were informed at the end of each sitting what would be in store for us from Jeremy’s galley upon our next visit. I was not disappointed in the kitchen staff professionalism.

Then it was time for a long deserved rest as our skipper, Captain Kitt, no not Kidd, took the Spirit of Discovery out for the journey north up the Willamette River. We passed along Portland’s waterfront and beautiful homes nestled amongst the shoreline. Sometime during the night we connected up with the mighty Columbia River and cruised eastward, back along the same route that Capt. Robert Gray, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and Sacajawea explored in the early 1800’s at the request of President Thomas Jefferson. Their adventure was called “The Corps of Discovery.”

The Columbia River is the boundary separating the states of Washington and Oregon. This massive body of water serves both states equally and provides a thriving livelihood on both sides of the river. Throughout the night, we passed beneath several spans of bridges and passed through the first locks along the Columbia. I awoke rested the next morning to find we were moored alongside the Bonneville Dam, deep within the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, before starting the ascent through the Cascade Mountains.

After a hearty breakfast of “Jeremy’s Best” traditional eggs, potatoes, a meat side, juice and coffee we debarked awaiting motorcoaches for a tour of the Army Corps of Engineers Bonneville Dam. We drove a mere 3 minutes from the dam island they’d built, across the dam bridge, with a dam escort, and onto the other shore where we were met by the dam guides who would give us a dam tour. Now you really want to pay attention during this guided tour because this isn’t like just any dam tour. This dam also has another responsibility other than creating hydroelectric power.

Bonneville is the first of many unnatural obstacles for the various migrating chinookand coho salmon. The salmon die after their journey, but the steelhead trout, shad, lamprey, and sturgeon migrate annually from the sea to their spawning grounds as well. At various times of the year, different types of fish attempt an old pattern of returning to their hatcheries, but the man-made spillways and dams hinder their progress. (For more information on this situation tune into the controversy brewing in Washington D.C. over the removal of all dams in the Snake River, a main tributary to the Columbia.)

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Hooter, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent - Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com

About the Author

Hooter, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Leave your email next to the logo for FREE e travel newsletter.

Online stock market trading has made it possible for millions of
individuals, especially those who are not keen on investing in
stocks the traditional way, to play the stock market game.
Almost anyone, from novice investors to expert day traders, can
participate in online stock market trading.

But online stock market trading has many dangers and if you are
nit careful you could end up losing instead of earning lost of
money.

Online stock markets trading allow individuals to participate in
the stock markets at greater speed. But because of this, it has
also become easier to make investment mistakes. Therefore, the
fundamentals of smart should still be applied in online stock
market trading to avoid falling into traps.

One of the most common problems with first-timers in online
stock market trading is they think they can make a lot of money
online even without any investment skills and knowledge. This is
probably brought about by stories of overnight successes. They
must keep in mind that for every ten investors that makes lots
of money from online stock market trading there are at least ten
who lose money.

New online stock market traders think that they could survive in
online stock market trading without any investment skills and
knowledge is because markets have been bullish recently. For the
past six or seven years, common investors made significant
profits from any buy and hold strategy. Investors only start to
realize the importance of being financially savvy when markets
show bearish signals. That’s the only time they employ smart
financial planning through diversification.

What potential online stock market investors need to realize is
that online stock market trading is really no different from
traditional stock market treading. The web hasn’t changed the
fundamentals of smart investing it has only made it easier to
invest. Individuals - like most professional day traders -
should still have a set of rules and guidelines to help them
avoid the dangers of online stock market trading.

Like in traditional stock market trading, the first thing you
have to do is to arm yourself with basic information about the
company you’re investing into so as to avoid “gambling.”

Perform some fundamental analysis to determine if the stock is
worth the price. You can do this by researching. Good source are
websites of major brokerage houses, finance publications and
mutual-fund companies.

Because online stock market trading is easier, it becomes
tempting to trade often. But it’s tough to beat the market on a
consistent basis. For the long term, a buy-and-hold strategy is
the best way to invest even in online stock markets.

If you had finally decided to move your family into a new place because your new job is asking for it, it may come to a term that you will sell your house. By applying several simple techniques and tips, you can actually sell your home without the help of a real state agent. Since you’re moving with your family, selling your home can help in finding and purchasing a new house.

However, in selling your house, it will take hard work and commitment from you. Precisely, you can’t always find buyers in an instant. So, you must take the right strategies in order to increase the chances in getting your home to be sold.

Here are helpful tips that can help you in each way:

• You must understand the status of real estate market.

Getting the current situation of real estate status is a great start. You must determine what kind of decisions you will make that can affect the sale of your house. If needed, you ask from real estate agents for considerable guidance.

• Timing .

Timing is one thing that you can’t take for granted in the estate market since it comes with its high and lows. If you’re not in a hurry to sell your home, you can wait for the right buyer to arrive.

• You can form a team of professionals.

Even if you know how to handle things in selling your house, it is advantageous to have specialized knowledge from sales agents as well as from real estate lawyers. They can help you on matters pertaining to selling and buying agreements.

• Determining the selling price of your home.

The perfect way to determine the right selling price of your home is through a professional real estate appraiser.

• Preparing your house to be sold.

You can set open house days to possible interested buyers. The house must be thoroughly cleaned.

• Spread the news.

You can put a sign board in your front yard that can call attention from passersby. You can also make highlight sheets in outlining key features of your house so that you can distribute those to friends.

• Learn some negotiating skills.

In negotiating, you and the buyer keep on exchanging offers. In discussing the price, it’s advised that you know the proper calculations of numbers are correct. If done right, you have the position to negotiate in a firm manner.

• If all fails, go and ask from realtors.

If you didn’t get what you’re hoping for, you can list your house to any multiple listing services. It will cost you some fee however your house will be exposed to thousands of buyers across the country.

These helpful tips can give you the flexibility you always wanted in selling your home in such a way it could save or make thousands of dollars in your account.

There are some things in our society which tends to destroy the fabric of our life as a family. The simple things we so nonchalantly ignore are deteriorating the ability for families to enjoy togetherness as a unit.

Is there a major ball stadium anywhere in the United States of America barring none which can report there is not one red cent of taxpayer money helping there business. Maybe the working blue collar dude is not paying for the brick and mortar building.

Does the city or state provide an incentive rebate or reduced rate of taxation. I’ll provide a little secret the tax break for the head of a blue collar wage earner bellying up to the ticket window is a joke.

I would be afraid to ask what it would cost to take junior and sis out to the game if television in the $$millions were not paying to help keep his ticket prices low. Some of our ballplayers are being begged to suit up and play because a signature for one year less than multi-$$ six figures is sneered at.

Right now as we go to press there are forces at work to keep low to middle class wage earners and their families away from the ball park. Back in early days of the game of baseball blue collar sporting fans jumped a trolley headed out to the park and he still had jingle left in his pocket when he got home.

I would suggest all professional ball clubs commit to fostering a subsidy for all kids free entry to any sporting venue. There is simply no way any child under 10 years will be at a ball park without Mom and Dad or both. If there is room in the car Grandpa will want to crowd in also.

America has no choice but to see the high salaries the political subsidy play and the abnormal TV payoffs. Baseball fans will only be played for a sucker just so long then it time out see you later alligator or after while crocodile. It’s been good to know you.

Big daddy moneybags I wish you well in your grand ball stadium with flashing scoreboard which now reads, “Please Come Back You Hear.” Bubba’s turnip truck turned around and came back and he climbed back aboard.

Sign at Bubba’s house for the paper boy reads,”Stop the paper indefinitely have gone to better parts of the world.”

Family life with love and concern not money and greed needs some attention by you and me.

Throw smoke if you will but sooner or later Bam ! over the fence it goes and where it stops nobody knows.

Any body going my way?

Major Wiley B. Channell USMC (retired) and now talking baseball at http://www.baseballfarminf.com for club owners and blue collar paying fans.

One thing is sure even a good ole Mule will get stubborn and balk sometimes. HEE HAW

Established in 1976, Gehring L.P. launched its North American
operations in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

The 50,000 square foot facility provides a full service machine
tool operation, engineering and assembly of custom precision
honing machines, comprehensive research and development
services, contract honing services, tooling re-work services, a
highly skilled team of service technicians, spare parts and
in-house manufacturing of super-abrasives by another Gehring
Group member, Diato L.P.

After a six-month implementation Gehring L.P. went live on
Encompix, the nation’s leading ETO (Engineer-to-Order) ERP
system. The implementation or champion team was comprised of
eight representatives from each department, including both
end-users and managers. As with most successful implementations,
the president was heavily involved and committed to the
project’s success.

Adrian Mitrea was the project manager for the Encompix
implementation. According to Mitrea, “We are seeing a
streamlining of our processes with better communication between
departments. Our people can see the whole process and not just
their piece. They now understand the effect their work has on
downstream operations, and we now have the discipline to make
things happen the right way. This is a direct result of having a
single, integrated system.”

According to TR Cutler, spokesperson for the ETO Institute
(www.etoinstitute.org), “This Gehring implementation is
indicative of the type of efficiency process many ETO
manufacturers are completing to stay competitive in a global
economy.”

Encompix (www.encompix.com) has filled the manufacturing
software requirements of Engineer-to-Order companies since 1992.
The company name reflects the commitment to developing business
application solutions that encompass the complex areas of
project-based and job-based manufacturing. Encompix provides ETO
manufacturers with a competitive advantage by improving bottom
line results.

Encompix www.encompix.com Roger Meloy 513-733-0066

# # #

I e-mailed Mykill, the drummer of Slayer tribute band Dead Skin
Mask. I’m not sure what he prefers to be called. His name is
Mike Aresco (Michael, hence spelling as Mykill). He is an
interesting character, to say the least. After seeing them for
them twice, this time with a 60% new line up, I wanted to see
what they are doing and what news of their CD release is
available. This is what Mykill said:

Javier: That is some set you play.

Mykill: Well, no, not really. It is necessary for this music.
Slayer does not use a small rinky-dink drum set, nor do I. You
see, Slayers albums, all have use of a big set. The only album
you could get away with some small, crappy 5-piece set is,
maybe, SHOW NO MERCY. From HAUNTING THE CHAPEL to GHUA, there is
NO WAY. So, any Slayer tribute that has any less than 11 pieces
of drums on that stage, had better stick to songs off SHOW NO
MERCY, less AGGRESSIVE PERFECTOR.

Javier: Tama and Paiste. That helps bring Slayer’s music to life?

Mykill: Well, yeah! The TAMA (drums) part of the music is the
least detectable. It is real hard to listen to a cd and tell
what brands of drums are used. There are too many variables,
like, what heads are on the drums, mic placement, or what
effects and equalization are in the mix. TAMA are very strong,
look great, and stay adjusted. I have NOT screwed with my MTH
100 tom holders, since I bought them in ‘91! The MTH 900 is the
same way. The PAISTE (cymbals) part, there is a huge difference
between the sound of PAISTE and the other brands. PAISTE is the
best sounding cymbal you can get. If you ask me… there is no
other choice. Even if Slayer did not use them, I would. They
sound like no other and they are gorgeous to look at. I’d rather
buy these brands, forever, rather than ever get others for free,
actually. Fortunately Paul (Bostaph), and Dave (Lombardo) are
smart AND have good taste!

Javier: Have you seen or heard any other SLAYER tributes?

Mykill: Yeah.

Javier: Is Dead Skin Mask your first and only project?

Mykill: Yes and no. We (Dead Skin Mask) are about to start on
our own songs. DSM is, at least for now, the only one. I have
another one I’m currently assembling called Self Bias Resistor.
Obviously, it is a FEAR FACTORY tribute. Vocals are what I’ll do
in that one. As for my first, no. I wasted allot of time in
another useless endeavor. But something good came out of that
last nightmare, I found Romeo (DSM vocals) towards the latter
part of it. With out him, this (DSM) would probably not have
done one show, yet. Funny how sometimes good can come from a
very bad situation.

Javier: Do you stay in touch with past band-mates?

Mykill: … About a year ago I talked with Bryan, back in
Connecticut, from Lost Soul…

Javier: Aside from Bostaph and Lombardo, who made you want to
pick up a pair of sticks?

Mykill: Wow, there are allot. Probably the first drummer I
noticed, as a young kid, was Ron Bushy from Iron Butterfly.
Around that same time I discovered Ringo Starr. Years later,
when I was 12, Alex Van Halen found my ear. I used to see Buddy
Rich on The Tonight Show when I would be awake late. He amazed
me! He still does. Also Stewart Copeland was very interesting to
me. These were the drummers that forged my desire to become one
myself. Once I heard Slayer, well, I found an unheard of speed
that captivated me. There are so many more. Even today, I still
find new drummers that awe me.

Javier: The last one, tell me about this cd.

Mykill: Sure, 4 maybe 5 songs, out in 2005, clips will be on the
site, also in 2005, (http://www.deadskinmask.com) before it (cd)
is released.

Look for Dead Skin Mask, Slayer tribute band. They are very fast
and very good.

Javier Escandoza.

When you are in the process of your initial IT sales consultation, it is likely that you will be asked to take a look at something while you are there, For example, they may say, “We’ve been having a problem with this router. Could you just take a look at it please?”

Don’t Risk Doing More Harm

What should you do? If it only takes a few minutes, what’s the harm, right? Well, if you get started and you can’t fix it five minutes, you’ll get yourself in hot water. They’re not even a paying client here and you are taking the risk of not being able to fix it quickly or doing further damage–neither of which will help you with IT sales.

Back Away from the computer

Be extremely cautious about sitting down at PCs or touching configurations with servers or laptops or PDAs or anything that could end up getting you in quicksand before there is a signed agreement for an IT audit. The key is to gain IT sales, not do free work.

Even when you’re out doing the technology assessment, you need to be extremely careful to make sure that you’re doing exploratory work that’s very low-risk. You don’t want to end up breaking something. You don’t need a future client or prospect point the finger at you and saying, “Look, you broke it.”

The Bottom Line about IT Sales

So, rather than “take a look”, you need to close the deal. You need to move them from free to fee.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg, co-owner of Computer Consulting 101, gets computer consulting businesses more steady high-paying clients. Now you can too with your free access pass to proven computer consulting secrets at www.Computer-Consulting-101.com

It is 9:00 am on a Monday morning. Do you know where your employees’ attention is? Is it on work?

Picture this. You are at work. The phone rings. It is your aging father’s neighbor calling to say that Dad is walking around outside in his pajamas and seems confused. You have a full day of meetings and deadlines. Your heart sinks as you try to figure out how to care for your dad and keep your job.

The phone rings again. This time it is the school nurse saying that your asthmatic child is having trouble breathing.

According to the American Productivity Audit, one-third of respondents said dependent health concerns were a top reason employees were not able to focus on their job while at work.

What you may not know is that the situations above can just as likely happen to a working woman as to a working man. However if a woman gets the troubling phone call, she is more likely to talk about it at work while the man will not (2003 National Alliance for Caregiving national survey).

Millions of working adults - men and women - are juggling the competing demands of caring for a chronically ill or disabled parent, raising a family, and managing a career.

Working caregivers sacrifice leisure time, and often suffer stress-related illnesses. Negative effects on working caregivers include time lost from work, lower productivity, quitting a job to provide care, lost career opportunities and lower future earnings. Eventually, some 16 percent quit their jobs to provide care full-time. Work disruptions due to employee caregiving responsibilities result in productivity losses of $1,142 per year per employee. According to the Washington Post, researchers estimate that the cost of informal caregiving in terms of lost productivity to U.S. businesses is $29 billion annually.

Caregiving Takes Work-Life Toll

A recent MetLife study dubbed “Juggling Act” revealed some of the productivity-killing adjustments that caregivers choose to make to their work schedules:

• 84% make phone calls

• 69% arrive late or leave early

• 67% take time off during the workday

• 29% make up work at another time

In addition, a national survey conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving in 1997 found that two in ten working caregivers turned down the opportunity to work on special projects; almost as many avoided work-related travel. Forty percent of the survey respondents said that caregiving affected their ability to advance in their jobs.

What Employers Can Do

Here are seven measures you can take to reduce employee stress, increase productivity and decrease lost work time due to employee caregiving responsibilities.

1. Offer “cafeteria style” employee benefits which allow employees to select supplemental dependent care coverage to reimburse costs for in-home care or adult day care. Benefits also should cover therapeutic counseling for employees to help cope with the stresses of caregiving.

2. Provide information on helpful Internet sites or resource centers.

3. Organize in-house caregiver support groups or coordinate with local community groups or hospitals so that employees can attend an outside support group.

4. One of the most critical benefits for an employee with caregiving responsibilities is time. Flexible work hours, family illness days, and leave time are key. Data from the Bureau of National Affairs (1993) found that flexible scheduling improved job performance, decreased lateness and employee turnover, and increased job satisfaction.

5. Companies with 50 or more employees must comply with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which allows for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a seriously ill parent, spouse or child, while protecting job security. Smaller firms can use the FMLA guidelines to provide support for individual employees.

6. Hold a company “caregiver fair” or a series of lunchtime seminars on issues such as health care planning before a crisis hits or coping skills for caregivers.

7. Offer private long-term care insurance coverage for employees, their spouses, and dependents.

Employers have a stake in designing responsive and effective programs to support their caregiving employees. Research has demonstrated that the cost to employers of lost productivity and other factors related to caregiving employees’ difficulty in balancing work and family is high. Taking action immediately starts to increase productivity, lessen direct and indirect financial costs, and enhance employer/employee work/life relationship - which directly impacts on employee morale, satisfaction and retention.

About The Author

Michael Christian is the President of Patient Advocate Solutions (PAS). PAS provides healthcare navigation and insurance resolution for consumers, employers and healthcare providers. Contact him at (732) 564-9800 or www.pas-now.com

It is hard to watch television these days without hearing about credit scores. If you are not looking to get a loan or credit card, you may be wandering whether or not they are important. Your credit score is important, regardless of whether or not you plan on applying for a credit card or loan. In this article I will explain what a credit score is and why it is important.

What Is A Credit Score?

Your credit score will determine whether or not you’ll be approved for a mortgage loan, and how high your interest rate will be. Your credit score will also determine the cost of your car insurance. Even certain jobs, which you apply for, will require you to have good credit. Having a low score will make things much more expensive, and you may find that some companies won’t hire you. The easiest way to get a good score is to make sure you’re responsible with making your payments on time. It is also important to understand what is used to calculate the score.

Calculating Your Total

The type of different loans you have makes up about 10% of the score. If you don’t have an established credit history, the number of different accounts you have will be considered. Your payment history makes up 35% of your credit score. The number of different accounts you make payments on is considered, as well as number of late or missed payments you have. Any liens, bankruptcies, or judgments will be reviewed, and this information will be used to factor in your score. Services such as furniture rentals and car loans are included as well as credit cards.

The total amount owed makes up about 30% of your credit score. The number of accounts you have and the amounts you owe on all of them are reviewed. The closer you are to maximizing out your loans, the more likely it is that your credit score will be lower. How much you have paid back on your loans is also taken into consideration. The age of your credit history makes up about 15% of your credit score. If you have a long credit history your score will be higher if you don’t have any negative marks in the past. The last factor that makes up your credit score is called new credit.

New Agreements

New credit refers to the number of new loans you have opened recently, and makes up about 10% of your credit score. The number of request you’ve made for credit cards or loans is also computed. Now that you know all of the things that are used to calculate your score, what can you do to improve it?

What You Can Do To Improve

One of the things you can do is make sure all of your bills are paid on time. If you are too busy to make sure your bills are paid on time, set up automatic payments so that the money is debited from your account on the day it is due. You also want to make sure you don’t open too many accounts within a short period of time. It is also important to keep your balance low in proportion to the total amount of credit available on the loan. You should owe 25% less than the total available credit on your loan or credit card.

It is also better to pay off your credit card instead of moving over the balance to a card that has a lower interest rate. Constantly moving around your balances can cause your score to become lower, because the total amount you owe could fluctuate if you close certain accounts.

Joe Kenny writes for Card Guide, offering the latest information on credit cards, visit them today for more credit card articles.