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If you are lucky enough to have a bit of disposable income, you are doing the right thing by researching ways of saving or investing your money. By reading about the different options available to you, you’ll be able to make an informed decision and make the best possible choice for you and your money. How you decide to save and/or invest your money will depend on many variables. Some of these include how much money you’ve got to work with, how much time you’ve got to work with and your all-important tolerance to risk. After reading the brief overview of mutual funds, Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GIC) and savings accounts below, it is advisable to discuss all your options with a personal finance advisor who can assess your situation on an individual basis.

Mutual Funds
A mutual fund is an investment where the money invested by many investors is pooled and then invested in a wide range of investments. The investments typically included in mutual funds include stocks, bonds, securities, short-term money instruments and others. Mutual funds are generally considered to be pretty safe as they are highly diversified. Each mutual fund will have a manger that is charged with trading the fund’s assets regularly. This person’s job is to maximize the rate of return for all the investor’s whose money is invested in the fund. The benefit of investing your money in mutual funds is that you can start with as little as $25 dollars and contribute to your fund on a regular basis. This is a great way to get started in investments and to grow your money even when you do not have access to a lump sum.

Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GIC)
A Guaranteed Investment Certificate, or GIC is a type of Canadian investment in which the rate of return is guaranteed over a fixed period of time. Guaranteed Investment Certificates are relatively low-risk investments, and thus yield smaller returns than that of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Within the category of GIC’s, there are lower-risk options and higher-risk options; however, GIC’s in general are considered low risk because even if you earn less interest or jeapordize your access to interest earned by withdrawing early your initial investment is guaranteed. These safe and secure Canadian investments earn interest at a fixed rate, variable rate, or based on a market-based index.

Savings Accounts
Savings accounts are very safe and flexible places in which to basically store your money. You can open a savings account at any bank and with as little as $25. You will have access to your money at all times, and depending on how much you keep in your savings account at any given time, may not even have to pay any bank fees. The downside of keeping money in a savings account is that your cash will earn little to no interest. Interest-bearing savings accounts earn very little interest compared to Guaranteed Investment Certificates or mutual funds. However, if you feel that you will (or may) need access to your cash during the short term, this is a great and safe place in which to keep your savings. Many people start saving with this type of account then transfer lump sums to other investments such as GIC’s or mutual funds.

The Verdict
Now that you know a bit more about GIC’s, mutual funds and savings accounts, you are better prepared to talk to your financial advisor about what’s best for you. If you don’t currently work with a financial advisor, speak with a customer service representative at your bank.

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A Guaranteed Investment Certificate, or GIC is a type of Canadian investment in which the rate of return is guaranteed over a fixed period of time. Guaranteed Investment Certificates are relatively low-risk investments, and thus yield smaller returns than that of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. GIC’s are typically offered by banks or trust companies. These safe and secure Canadian investments earn interest at a fixed rate, variable rate, or based on a market-based index. Many Canadians view Guaranteed Investment Certificates an excellent choice for an investment portfolio that requires a measure of safety.

How do Guaranteed Investment Certificates Work?

With GIC’s, you will invest an amount of money (determined by you) for a period of time that is determined by the specific type of Guaranteed Investment Certificate that you choose. Typically these periods of time vary greatly and can tend to range anywhere from 1 day to 10 years. GIC’s with longer terms will earn more interest than short term ones. When your Guaranteed Investment Certificate reaches the end of its term (otherwise known as ‘maturity,’) you will be able to access not only your initial investment, but the earned interest as well.

Some Canadian Guaranteed Investment Certificates require that the amount of money you invest initially remain ‘locked in’ for a minimum period of time (30 days for example). Other GIC’s will allow you to access your money before the investment matures. There are even Guaranteed Investment Certificates that allow you to add to your initial investment amount by making weekly, biweekly or monthly contributions.

Redeemable vs. Non-redeemable

Guaranteed Investment Certificates can be redeemable or non-redeemable. As aforementioned, there are some GIC’s which allow you to access your cash during the term. This is referred to as ‘redeemable.’ With a redeemable investment, you will be able to withdraw your cash before maturity. Some redeemable GIC’s specify that you will earn less interest if you cash out prior to maturity.

Non-redeemable Guaranteed Investment Certificates do not allow withdrawals before the maturity date. Non-redeemable GIC’s may offer higher interest rates than redeemable ones.

Interest

Guaranteed Investment Certificates in Canada can be offer either fixed or variable interest rates.

Fixed Rate GIC’s

With a fixed rate GIC, your investment will earn interest at a set rate. That is, the interest that your investment earns will be consistent throughout the term of the investment. The benefit of fixed rate GIC’s is that you can predict exactly how much your investment will be worth on the maturity date.

Variable Rate GIC’s

Variable rate Guaranteed Investment Certificates are either linked to the Canadian prime interest rate or to stock-market performance. With interest-rate linked GIC, you are guaranteed that your money will grow, but you will not know at which rate until maturity. With market-linked GIC’s, you can earn more interest if the stock market does well, but your initial investment will be protected either way.

Benefits of GIC’s

The most important benefit offered by this type of investment is safety and security. Your initial investment will be protected. With fixed-rate GIC’s you can also enjoy guaranteed growth and an easy way to project value at maturity. GIC’s are also known to offer excellent interest rates. Finally, GIC’s are typically pretty flexible investments. You can enjoy flexibility in length of term as well as how often you receive payments.

If you live in Canada and are interested in investing your money in a safe instrument, a Guaranteed Investment Certificate may be right for you. To find out more about what is available in your area, visit your local bank.

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Balinese Ceremony

Many couples who are already legally married or for some reason do not wish to be legally married in Bali but do wish to experience a Balinese Ceremony may experience a Balinese Celebration.
It is important to know that this is not a Legal Wedding ceremony and no certification will be presented at the end of it. It is a ceremony in which the celebrant prays for good things such as safety, health and happiness for the couple. It is preferred that the couple be dressed in Balinese Wedding Costume or Traditional Balinese Customs

There is no document required for Balinese Blessing.

The Packages Inclusive :

Simulation of Balinese Wedding Procession & Balinese Offerings Wedding Blessing from the Balinese Celebrant and Assistance Balinese Wedding Costume / Traditional Balinese Customs for couple (Includes make up, hair dressing and accessories) Yellow rice (Tumpeng Nasi Kuning) for the ceremonial Detailed explanation of all aspects of wedding procession with question/comments via email or telephone Two Children as flower girls in Balinese custom Two page boys (2 Balinese Men carrying Balinese Umbrellas) Live rindik Balinese bamboo music during ceremony Commemorative Ceremonial Certificate Full wedding coordinator assistant and service Arrival meeting service with Bali Rani Wedding Organizer to answer question and familiarize with the wedding schedule and wedding liturgy.

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The US economy is in the throes of a recession accompanied by a dwindling job market. While IT has traditionally been a demand field, it is now experiencing a significant drop in new job opportunities. Many companies have started to outsource jobs to low cost destinations where the cost of labor is cheap.

Companies that continue to hire on-site professionals are looking for employees that are not only qualified in the field but have certifications to confirm their qualifications.

Employers believe that certified employees are more productive on the job, have better customer relations, earn more customer trust and thereby improve the profit margin of the company. In addition, certified professionals can also command higher salaries.

There are well over 400 certifications available in the computer industry. A popular one however, is the Comp TIA A+ certificate. This has the advantage of being an international vendor neutral certification. Yet it is recognized by major hardware and software vendors as well as distributors and resellers.

The Comp TIA A+ certificate verifies that the technician and do such jobs as installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance and basic networking.

The original exam consisted of two parts. One tested hardware technologies and concepts while the other covered operating systems and concepts. These two areas are considered to be the basic foundation of technical skills and knowledge required by entry-level workers.

Although the two tests of hardware and operating system concepts have been preserved, the exam has been updated to include additional areas such as security, safety, environmental issues and communications.

Once having passed the Comp TIA A+ exam, one can sit for the Comp TIA A+ 220-602. This confirms a technician’s skill in installation, building, repairing, configuring, troubleshooting, optimizing, diagnosing and preventive maintenance in a field service or enterprise environment. It is highly recommended for those technicians who plan to work in a mobile or corporate environment.

The Comp TIA A+ is part of the certification track for corporations such as Hewlett Packard, Cisco, Novell and Microsoft.

It is also recommended that individuals who have received A+ certification pursue a Microsoft certification for Microsoft Windows since most desktop computers use this system.

There are also many certification opportunities open to entry-level technicians who are working with specific systems. For instance, Sun offers the “Sun Certified Associate for the Java Platform.” This is recommended for entry-level programmers, for students studying to become Java programmers or for program managers working with Java technology.

Sun Java offers various certifications for people working with Java. These are categorized as basic, intermediate and advanced. An example of a basic certificate if the Sun Certified Java Programmer.
The Sun Certified Java Developer is an intermediate certificate for Java developers.

Cisco also has many certifications available, which cover Cisco products as well as Internet working technologies. Cisco certifications cover three levels of proficiency: associate, professional and expert. They have a campus in Silicon Valley.

These companies also offer considerable support to technicians who wish to acquire these certificates.
Sun has pre-assessments on their web site to help a technician determine which courses to enroll in and readiness for exams. In addition, Sun offers free proficiency assessments, practice exams and coaching programs in Java and Solaris.

With the vast amount of opportunities available, any technician who desires certification will have no trouble accomplishing that goal.

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The CCIE is the most prestigious credential one can hold in the IT industry. CCIE stands for Cisco Certified Internet Work Expert and the certificate is truly the Rolls Royce of all computer certifications. The CCIE occupies the number one position on various Top Ten Computer Certificate lists.

However, the CCIE is also the most difficult credential to acquire. One has to sit for a grueling exam that is more difficult than the CPA exam or the State Bar of California, which is considered the most difficult of all the states.
The State Bar Exam of California has a pass rate of 48.2%. No other state in the United States has that low a pass rate. By comparison, the CCIE has a pass rate of only 26%. Some examinees attribute some of the difficulty of the exam to the tremendous amount of determination and self-motivation that is required.

However, CCIE holders complain that their achievement garners no respect outside the industry. While mothers brag about their sons and daughters who are lawyers and CPA’s, little is said about the son or daughter with a CCIE. Fortunately, in Silicon Valley it is a different story. A CCIE holder can look forward to an annual salary of about $115,000 or more.

Second on the list of “in demand” certifications is the CISA, which certifies auditors. And there is good news for this group. Auditors are much in demand in a dwindling economy.

Due to phishing, hacking, and spamming, security has become a major issue in the IT industry today.
So security certificates are also in demand. A security certificate that is seen on many “Top Ten” lists is the CCSE. This is a high level security certification for employees who work with check point products and are required to maintain secure VPN’s.

Another security certificate that usually makes the Top Ten is the CISSP or Certified Information Security Specialist. A holder of this certificate can look forward to an excellent salary of around $94,000 annually. Only a few years of experience or education are required to qualify and only one exam needs to be passed.

On the other hand, the PMP or Project Management Professional requires an extensive amount of skill and experience. However, once these requirements have been fulfilled and the exam has been passed, one can expect an annual salary in excess of $100,000.

The holder of a CAPM or Certified Associate in Project Management also earns a high salary. However, one can qualify for this certificate with 1500 hours of work on a team or twenty-three hours of project management education. In addition, the candidate must pass a three hours exam consisting of 150 questions.

The MCSD or Microsoft Certified Solution Developer is another certificate that commands a high salary from $70,000 to $120,000 per year. However, one is expected to have more than just developer skills. One must be knowledgeable in the field of enterprise solutions and Microsoft products and then be able to apply business analysis skills to recommend the best solution for a particular business.

There are many other certificates available that enable people who qualify for them to earn high salaries. A quick search of job sites such as Monster or Dice will reveal those most in demand and the salaries offered.

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