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The problems in Europe don’t look like they’ll be resolved any time soon, and wary investors are staying away. As investors flee from European assets, some didn’t go too far, parking their cash in Switzerland and its related exchange traded funds (ETFs).

The Swiss franc is hitting ever higher heights against the euro as currency traders flock to the relative safety of the franc, remarks Ivan Martchev for The Motley Fool. However, the Swiss franc is still down against the U.S. dollar. []

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Wireless communication systems are pervasive these days, but if you’re running a business chances are your still running a lot of wires and plugs in your walls.  The more electronic gadgetry that’s available to business owners also means the higher demand for electricity.  According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, “office equipment directly consumes 7% of total commercial electrical energy.”

Whether desktop computers, monitors, fax machines, copiers, scanners, or other multifunctional devices, office equipment consumes a fair amount of electricity.  Even when these devices are not on, but are still plugged in, they consume power.  A recent study from the Energy Center of Wisconsin examined energy used by this kind of equipment, and offers solutions to reduce it.  Here are five suggestions for businesses looking to limit their office ‘phantom’ energy use.

1. Enabling power management settings on computers- Researches found that 75% of desktop computer electricity consumption occurs when no one is in front of the computer.  When you enable power settings your system will automatically respond to periods of inactivity by putting it into low power modes.  With respect to this study, 80% of desktop computers did not have these settings enabled.
2. Knowing the difference between Hibernate and Sleep- Hibernate mode saves the existing session to the hard drive and eliminates the risk of losing data.  But recovering from hibernate will take longer than sleep mode.  In terms of electricity usage, hibernation always reduces to near zero consumption.  Sleep mode retains data in the volatile computer memory and can be ‘reawakened’ very quickly.  But if power is cut, unsaved files will be lost.  Sleep mode will generally use more energy than hibernation mode and might not be much of a reduction at all in older computer models.
3. Using a “smart” power strip to disconnect power to peripherals when a main device (such as a computer) is turned off- A smart power strip is designed to reduce standby electricity consumption.  For example, if the main device is a computer, your periphery devices might be the accompanying monitor, printer, and stereo speakers.  In this way, the strip will sense when the main device is being turned off and will subsequently turn off the other devices it’s associated with.
4. Manually unplugging- This one is pretty self-explanatory.  But many users will find this tiresome and annoying.  If it’s an easy plug to get to and you’re not using it most of the time, go ahead and unplug it.  If you’re going to manually unplug, however, it’s a good idea to turn of the equipment before you do as a safety precaution and to save device settings.
5. Install Google’s Energy Saving Gadget- This is a software tool which allows you to easily monitor your computer’s energy use.  It sets your computer’s power management settings to EPA recommended standards and will show you how much energy you’re saving.

Michael Dykstra is a writer at Resource Nation.  He writes extensively about  purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

Do you have terrible credit because you just went through bankruptcy or foreclosure?  You may have been trying to do some simple things like reapply for a credit card or refinance you home loan but may have been unsuccessful in every attempt.

In this article I going to discuss with you why you won’t be able to get another unsecured credit card for bad credit and what you can do build up credit as an alternative .

Must Have Good Credit

First off, in order to get a credit card you are going to need excellent credit almost 90% of the time, but the real question here is why do you need that credit card?  If you have terrible credit because of bad spending habits,  bankruptcy, or foreclosure, you may want to consider an alternative here.

Instead, look into a secured credit card like the Orchard Bank Secured Credit Card.  Secured cards unlike unsecured cards will not give a credit limit but instead must be funded by your own money.  These cards also work about the same as other credit cards but will make a much better safety net for you in the long run.

To Much Debt

The next reason you may not be able to get unsecured credit cards for bad credit is because you have to much debt.  Having to much debt can send a red flag to lenders that you cannot handle cash flow.

To solve this issue check out my debt plans section and look into setting up your own debt snowball plan to help you eliminate your debt.  As a good gauge to help you see how much debt you have if you add up all of your debt payments and it’s more than 36% of your income you have to much.

Missing Payments

Finally, the  last reason why getting unsecured credit cards for people with bad credit is so hard is because they are missing payments on there other bills. Missing pay

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Demand for rare metals will continue to increase as our technology needs increase. But the limited supply of these metals has countries positioning themselves for the future. Soon, you may be able to capitalize on the uber-rarity with exchange traded funds (ETFs).

Reflecting increased investor interest in minor metals, Steve Dew of Index Universe reports that Van Eck Global has filed with the SEC to start a new ETF that will track the Minor Metals Index. The ETF does not yet have a ticker, but it will be called the Market Vectors Minor Metals ETF.

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We’ve all heard horror stories around lending money to a family member or friend, only to find out later on that they were not able to pay the lender back and it resulted in a damaged relationship. Despite the wealth of warnings, I am sure that it is something that we will all encounter at some point and the answer won’t be crystal clear.

Whether or not this has happened to you, let’s share and discuss:

• Have you lent money to family or a friend in the past? What was the result?
• If you haven’t lent money in the past, would you, if asked in the future?
• Are there any circumstances that you would or would not? What ar

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After the interview  you obtained the job, but before signing, inform you on some essential aspects for the smooth running of things at the new job. The company is  a suitable place for you? You have the opportunity to develop your career? The pay is fair for that hard work?

Before accepting a job offer, consider the following aspects:

1. Organization that offer the job

From unofficial information from those who have or had jobs in the company, to the questions you ask during technical job interview, do not miss any opportunity to find out who is that who offer the job. E

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