Fun Educational Apps for Your iPad

Did you know you could turn your iPad into a Fun Educational Learning Center with some great educational apps? With so many apps, it can be tough to find the right fit for you and your child. In this article I plan to put you on the right path to discover what the iPad has to offer.

Book apps on your iPad are a great way to share special moments with your child.
While surfing the net I found a great app that is called Silly app, it has sophisticated and bright artwork, amusing characters, sound effects, animation, voice-over narration and music. This combination is what every child needs to have a good laugh and learn at the same time.

I would like to warn some parents before they go out and buy tons of educational apps to please understand, many of the most popular iPad educational apps are best suited for children in the elementary to high school age span. This is not my baby can read!

Natalie from Iphoneandkids.com has some of the best math apps that make studying math a lot of fun on your iPad. Here is a small list of those apps which can be found on iTunes.

Motion Math: $0.99

Kids math fun $1.99

Mathemagics: $0.99

I found Math Magic to be a great educational iPad app that helps your child improve their math skills in a fun and exciting way. One more math app that I almost left off the list is the Pop Math, although this game is dubbed as a fun game for kids of all ages, it has its limitations, younger children will need some basic concept of math and older children may not find it very challenging.

I know what you’re thinking, “Will my child like these apps,” well studies have shown
Kids love these apps because they seem more like playing than learning.

Another great place to look for educational apps for your iPad is the App Store. They have this cool app that helps young children learn the alphabet and phonics in a fun and educational way. For those little Isaac Newtons, they have the Star Walk which opens up the heavens like a telescope, taking kids or adults on a tour through astrological bodies and various constellations.

The amazing thing about iPad apps are they help your child review basic skills, improve critical thinking and decision-making skills, and even learn to read. In fact, there are educational apps designed to teach people of any age or skill level.

One of the best apps out there is the Edupath LSAT iPad app, which tests your child on nearly every LSAT question in print. This is an invaluable app which can prepare your child like no other.

Educational apps for your iPad are quickly gaining recognition as a premier piece of educational equipment. I can’t over stress it, the educational apps for your iPad are meant for kids to use the iPad to play games while learning new skills. Not only will kids have fun playing with these apps but they will gain information and maybe learn something new.

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2 Christian Home Based Business Suggestions

There are many ways to make money from a home based business.

Unfortunately there are also a lot of scams which promise you great wealth but end up taking some of your hard earned money.

Here are some suggestions for a good Christian home based business you can start.

1. Disciples’s Cross. This is a great home based business which was started by a Pastor from Louisiana. With this program, you have the opportunity to make a nice income producing hand made crosses and necklaces from home.

This opportunity is legitimate and easy to do. The amount of money you can make depends on how much time and interest you have available for this.

You can also sell the necklaces you create to other retail outlets for additional income potential. There is a great deal of information available on this opportunity from their website.

But be sure to check it out as it provides a good way for people to earn money from a Christian home based business.

2. There a number of companies you can sign up with as affiliates and promote the sale of Christian based inspirational materials. This can include posters or a variety of special keepsakes.

In some cases you can promote an affiliate site. Or you may elect to purchase some products as samples and show them to friends, family members and other interested potential customers.

It can be a nice way to generate extra income a provide helpful and inspirational comfort with a Christian based focus.

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Home Based Business – Trying to Get to Yes With Your Prospects

In a home based business you must relentlessly make efforts to get the clients to choose your products and services. You have to make your business related activities so attractive to your customers that they willingly start using them. Getting your prospects to mentally answer yes and to submit their order for your products and/or to at least send you their contact information is critical to ensuring the success of your home based business.You will need to learn to apply various marketing methods to further your business in such a manner that customers will be attracted to it. When you have developed a strong relationship with your customers by showing them that you have something of value for them, they will return for more. The key is to give them something of value free before you ever ask for them to purchase anything from you.To get them to ‘yes’ for your products and/or services, you will need to make sure that your products and services are of high standard, delivered in a timely manner and are cost effective. Couple this with good solid customer support and you are on the road to your business success.Build your credibility by being professional in every aspect of your business. Below are some tips to help you get the approval of your potential customers.Check out your Competitors:Explore what other successful competitors in your line of business are doing. Determine to what extent you can accommodate and adjust the best features of their entrepreneurial ideas into your home based business. Your intent should not be to simply copy cat their ideas, but to use them as the basis of developing your own ideas and improvements to make them better. There is no harm in adapting what has been successfully tried and tested. Once this is done, price your products and/or services just below their pricing while maintaining the same or higher quality and deliverability.Adding your own business ideas will help to improve the product, service and/or the delivery system giving you the edge on your competitors. This will help to give a unique identity to your business venture.Find your Business Niche by customizing your business:You will be able to generate more business if you customize your services and products and create a niche market. Even if you are only able to make or change a small part of your business tasks to suit your clients’ needs, you will be filling a niche in your professional field and attracting new customers.You should thoroughly analyze your business along with all of your products and services to find out how you can help to resolve your customers’ problems. Once they find out that you are sincere about helping them solve a problem in their life or business, people do not mind paying for quality services that your home based business offers.You will need to continually gauge customer’s response to your services or products. If it is positive you may have cause to enlarge your business to create new customers. If instead, you find a negative response, you will need to determine the cause for their negativity and to modify your business accordingly. Failure to address the negative aspects of your business will lead to your business failure.Affordability:You should continually monitor your competition and do a price analysis for all your products and services to ensure quality and affordability for a large segment of your customer base. This will help you to not only retain your current customers, but also generate new ones.You should never compromise the quality and safety features of any of your products or services for the sake of price. You need to ensure that you only provide business products and services that are user friendly and risk-free.You will not gain the confidence of your customers if they experience loss or feel insecure about using your products. In fact, once they lose confidence in what you are selling, your reputation will suffer accordingly and cause your business to suffer.Deliver on time, every time:If you want to beat the competition you will need to ensure that your business is able to deliver the goods and services on time every time without question. Your customers’ orders should be filled and shipped as quickly as possible without any compromise on quality. If you are unable to fill the order in a timely fashion, then you should communicate the reason for the delay and offer the customer a refund.All businesses suffer customer grievances from time to time and your creditability and business success will depend upon how you handle them. Your response to your clients’ grievances should be prompt and you should work diligently to resolve the problem to the customers’ satisfaction. Doing so will help to ensure your future in your home based business.

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Home Based Businesses For Under $100 – Affiliate Marketing

For this particular article, the title should’ve been “FREE Home Based Businesses”… but oh well, we’ll just leave it as it is.Affiliate marketing happens to be the ONLY home based business opportunity that you can start literally with ZERO start up capital. (And if you’ve been doing your research, you should already know that starting a home business online usually comes at some sort of price.)It doesn’t cost you anything to sign up with an affiliate program, and if you know what you’re doing, it doesn’t cost you anything to market your program either… so literally any money that you make from affiliate sales will go directly to your pocket. But before I start going off on how much money you can make promoting affiliate programs – and I can talk about that ALL day – let me give you a break-down of how affiliate marketing actually works. (That is… if you don’t already know)The would-be affiliate – you – goes to any one of the thousands of affiliate networks that are available online and signs up with them for free. Once you’ve signed up, you get your very own affiliate link that you can use to promote that particular program. And from that point on, all you have to do is send traffic to your affiliate link. That’s it. The sales letter has already been written for you, the merchant account and shopping cart have already been set up for you, and the product has already been created.If you were going to do all of those things yourself, you have no idea how much time, money, and effort you would need to put in to set it all up. We’re talking $1000′s of your personal money invested, and hundreds upon hundreds of hours of work put in. Not to mention all the headache that comes along with taking care of your own customer service.So the simple fact that it’s been all done for you should be a very powerful motivator to choose affiliate marketing as your home based business. But if that’s not enough, there is just one last piece of info that I want to share with you about affiliate programs. (This will blow your socks off). For a very long time, the only way that you could get paid through affiliate programs was on a “one sale, one commission” basis. That means that any sale you made, you’d get paid the initial commission due to you, and that was it.If the product creator made any follow-up sales to that particular prospect… you wouldn’t get a DIME of it. But what I’m seeing a lot more now-a-days is how program owners are starting to pay their affiliates on a continuity based comp plan. Continuity means that the product is delivered through a monthly subscription… and every month, the buyer is charged another $17, $27, or $47 for that month’s subscription.So this means that if you refer a sale to that particular affiliate program, you’ll get paid EVERY MONTH that the subscriber stays with that program. Pretty cool, huh?So promoting continuity based affiliate programs will allow you to make PASSIVE INCOME from your home based business… and if you can get paid without having to do any extra work, wouldn’t that be the ideal lifestyle that we’re ALL trying to go after? And now for your action step… Visit one or all of the affiliate networks below. (And I recommend that you go to Google and search for more “affiliate programs” that you can join).Sign up with the network of your choice and start reviewing some of its products that you can promote. Once you’ve picked the product, do a Google search for “free traffic generation” and use some of the hundreds of ideas that will be presented to you.Here are some of the most popular affiliate networks:

ClickBank

Commission Junction

Amazon

Target
There are a LOT more out there and I highly recommend that you look for them.

Tips For Starting a Home-Based Business

There are many ways that you can start a home-based business and in this article we will discuss things you need to consider before you start a home-based business.Starting a service orientated home-based business is a good option for many people as your start-up costs tend to be lower than a product-based business. The goal of the service business is to find a method of meeting the needs of others, such as lawn care or managing business accounts. It will require a great deal of research to find the top service requirements of your area and how you wish to fulfill those needs.The sole purpose of the service business is to meet the needs of others, so you can easily run it from your home as there is not a lot of overhead or products to keep in stock. This further keeps your costs to a minimum and makes it much easier to start for very little money.A good beginning to advertise your service is to set up a website. In today’s day and age the first place people tend to look to is the internet. Having a presence there will help you promote your company, and you will soon realize that the opportunities are endless for you to market and find new customers.Once you have chosen your service business you will want to do some additional research. You don’t want any unpleasant surprises because you didn’t start your business correctly.1. Check your local laws to find out if you need to register and get zoning for a home-based business. Most home businesses do not require zoning, but if you plan on meeting customers in your home or posting signs in your yard, there may be a registration process. It is better to learn at the beginning, rather than be fined or worse yet shut down once your business is established.2. Understand your small business tax laws. You do not need to be an accountant, but there are certain things you need to do. Check with an accountant, or contact the government directly to find out any specific instructions for tax laws involving your new business.3. Have a separate work space in your home. There are many benefits to this besides giving you a quiet and well organized work space. It some cases you can claim this portion of your home as a tax deduction (check with your accountant).4. Take advantage of both online and offline marketing methods to grow your business. Your service business could not only include a targeted market, but by advertising in as many places as possible, you will gain clients from places you may not have thought of. Even if you are unsure of the value, advertise in as many genres as possible.5. Have a set schedule between work and home life. As a home based business it can be a difficult balancing act, but with a set schedule and sticking to it you can relieve some of the pressures.Having a home-based business is a great alternative for people who want to own a business, but do not have a lot of money for start up costs. It can be a very rewarding and challenging venture, but if you have the spirit of a entrepreneur, you can have fantastic success with starting your home based business.

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The Best Home Based Business – 1

I have produced an article on the best home based business. It has been produced to help you make a better informed decision as to what type of business you could start at home for yourself.Ideally, the best home based business is going to be the one that has a zero start up cost, requires no effort to run and delivers huge profits. Would you like a business like that. I know I would. The question is: Does such a business exist. The answer is: in all probability, No.So I asked myself, what is the next best thing. The answer is: look for a business with low start up costs and something that you have a burning desire for and a keen interest in.What Type of Business:
The type of business you start can depend upon your skills, both past and present. It will be easier and quicker for you to start up a business where you already possess the skills and knowledge, rather than having to undergo training to acquire the necessary skills. some ideas for the best Home based business could include: child care, tutoring, translation, tailoring services, consultancy, website designers, arts and craft makers, publishing, catering, virtual assistants (that is, providing office based services over the internet).To get your creative juices flowing, think about this: have you experienced poor service where you have said to yourself, I could do better than that. If so, then this could be a good place for you to start. Or, is there a gap in the market, for example, is it easy to obtain good gardening services in your area, if not maybe you could provide one.What you have to understand about the best home based business is that your ideas have a value. They lose their value when they are ignored by you, or when you talk yourself out of doing something about them, or you give up based upon somebody disapproving. This is a mistake and having persistence would benefit you in these instances.A low cost business start up:
Do not forget that the purpose of business is to produce a profit. In order for the best home based business to start and succeed, the principles such as desire, faith and persistence, must become a core belief within yourself. Also and this is vitally important, you must have a plan. Make one before you start and follow it.We are living at a time when money is tight for many people. But this should not prevent you from becoming a business owner. Therefore, lets take a look at starting a business with as small amount of money as possible. In these circumstances having an online business is the best home based business and would be beneficial as many online services can be obtained for free.What you have to understand is that trust and consistency are all important online. If you do not build these qualities with your customers, you will find it hard to succeed with an online business. Unfortunately trust and consistency will take time to build. Not necessarily years, but months rather than weeks. You will have to give something of yourself, to your online customers otherwise they may not trust you enough to buy from you. In the online world you also have to build relationships.What is the best home based business:
There is something else I would like to say about starting an online business and it is this: Do not believe the hype about instant riches when running an online business. You can make money online, but you will need patience and persistence. If I was asked to choose, my best home based business it would be an online business.

Benefits of a Home Based Business In Lieu of Traditional Employment

In today’s uncertain economic climate, a growing number of people are looking to establish home businesses in lieu of looking for traditional employment under an already established but highly unstable business. Establishing your own home based business or start up is a relatively simple task; all that will be require of a potential entrepreneur is a solid, well thought out business idea and great care taken when executing the idea.The economic market is in a highly erratic position which leads those looking for a stable source of income to pursue self employment because it is a great way to avert a number of potential pit falls that today’s economy is littered with. Starting one’s own home based business also affords the owner absolute freedom to make their own executive decisions as to the well being of the business.Establishing your own home based business is a relatively simple process. The most important element to setting up a home based business is a solid and well constructed business model. Having a great business plan and effective form of executing your idea’s will benefit you in the long run. When working from home, you will mostly likely have a separate room or study which will be used as a dedicated home office; here you can effectively run your business at your own pace.It is easier to work at a pace you are comfortable with because it is your business; you are afforded a level of freedom you would not usually have in a traditional business. You are your own boss and you can run your business the way you see fit; there is no supervisor to report to, no strict work policies and absurd work hours. This new found freedom will significantly reduce your stress levels, while personally improving your skills as a leader and professional entrepreneur.Operating a home based business will effectively help you to grow as a professional, all while increasing your productivity. The time you spend working is directly proportionate to the money you will make in your home based business; this leads you to be more practical with time management and to utilize your skills and assets effectively. When working for yourself, you are not boxed in to one particular job with limited opportunities to branch out; in your own business, you are the CEO, marketer, accountant and secretary. You have a wide array of experiences.With the freedom that a Home Based Business allows, it is no surprise that people continue to establish their own businesses. The era of home based business start ups is only beginning.

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Apartment Property Management

Apartment property management is considered the managing of a multi-unit rental property and the residents or tenants that occupy it. These properties can range from small multi-unit buildings to very large complexes housing hundred of residents. Residential property management is a more industry used term and could include the managing of single-family homes as well as apartment complexes.

As you can imagine the managing of these types of properties can become quite complex and time consuming in comparison to managing a single-family house. Many owners of apartment buildings do not have the time, expertise or the desire to manage such on their own. In these cases, it is recommended to hire a qualified property management company that specializes in apartment property management.

Responsibilities of an Apartment Property Manager

Here are just a few apartment property management responsibilities that could be required of anyone managing an apartment building:

Rent collection
Showing available units to prospective tenants
Credit and background checks
Initiating lease contracts
Monitoring and processing lease renewals
Enforcing the rules of a lease contract
Dealing with violators of a lease contract
Handling an eviction from start to finish
Mediator when feuds between tenants occur
Utilities
Grounds keeping
Security and safety of premise
All types of maintenance issues or repairs you could think of
Knowledge of landlord/tenant law
Knowledge of fair housing laws
Not ready to manage your Apartment Buildings Yourself

The good news is you can enjoy all the financial benefits of owning these types of properties but not have to deal with the managerial responsibilities of managing them. Some apartment building investors though may decide to take on certain responsibilities themselves. This is a great way to educate yourself, learn from real life experience the in’s and out’s of the real estate investing business and of course save some money. That being said, we highly recommend acquiring legal advice or counsel if you are unfamiliar with landlord/tenant and fair housing laws in your state and at the federal level.

Hiring an Apartment Property Management company

There are many management companies in your area who are well-qualified, licensed, and well versed in city, state and federal laws regarding the responsibilities between landlord and tenant. If you’re ready to delegate the management of your apartment building today, we recommend interviewing several management companies. Having an apartment property manager on site at your apartment complexes is a good idea, especially when you cannot oversee the maintenance and renting business that comes with owning larger properties. Often, on-site apartment property managers that maintain apartments will be given their own apartment as part of their compensation.

Things to ask before hiring an apartment property management company

Experience – How long in business. Does the Management team have a proven system in place to streamline operations such as maintenance repair, timely statements, rental deposits, and communication channels? More companies are giving owners access to their property account information via a web site portal. Here you can view your statements, any repair items or rent deposits..etc.

Credentials – Does the Apartment Property Management team possess all licenses or certification required by state law? Unfortunately every state licensing requirement is different. We always recommend using a licensed Property Manager for all your rental property needs whether state required or not.

What percentage of their management portfolio are apartment complexes. If 90% of their portfolio is managing single-family homes, you may want to consider hiring one with more experience in managing larger multi-units.

Get references – Always ask for a current list of properties they manage (do some drive-by’s) and talk to other property owners who are their clients.

We suggest hiring a local real estate lawyer to review the Manager/Owner contract and the Landlord/Tenant contract. And don’t be afraid to request changes be made if necessary.

And go over all the fees involved in the management of your property. Set up fees, lease renewal fees, do they impose a mark up fee for service/repair calls etc. Find out what their cancellation policy is too. Once you think you’ve got all your questions answer, then ask this one “Are there any other fees I should know about that we have not discuss that may affect me?”

Investing in apartments for cash flow

Investing in apartment buildings is a great way to build your real estate wealth. Typically these types of properties do well for cash flow to the investor versus single-family houses where you may see appreciation in value more common. When qualifying these types of properties for your portfolio you will want to take into account the passive income that will be generated along with the expense ratio. It’s all about the numbers. A good apartment property management company should be able to help you in your decision-making.

Real Estate Law – The Challenges of Decaying Foreclosed Properties and Ownership Laws

It seems that when we make one law in the real estate sector, someone comes along and skirts it, thus we make another, and then someone else discovers a loop hole, so what do we do? Well, you get the picture. Today, the number of laws on the books in this industry is ghastly, mountains of rules, regulations, laws, ordinances, and an army of lawyers still attempting to sort it all out. And there is now a shortage of lawyers in the sector as the cases stack up, along with the foreclosures at all levels of the court system.

An interesting article I’d like you to read was posted in the Wall Street Journal on May 5, 2011 and titled “L.A. Blames Bank Foreclosure Blight” by John R. Emshwiller. The City of Los Angeles obviously has their attorneys trying to figure out a solution, in one case they’ve contacted an International Banking Institution holding mortgages who “claim they are not responsible for the decrepit properties which they hold the mortgages for,” rather they say it is the contractual obligation of the “loan servicing company” – and that prior to the evictions, the properties were the responsibility of the individual who took out the mortgage in the first place.

Meaning that in many cases those who had their homes foreclosed on, were irresponsible, and may have stolen parts off the house and also owe for any bill that the City of Los Angeles levies upon those properties. Meanwhile, there were some cases filed by those evicted, claiming they were unlawfully evicted by the loan services company. Now the question is; exactly who is responsible?

Well, I can sure as I am standing here say that the City of Los Angeles isn’t responsible, but they are being left with the bill, meanwhile entire neighborhoods are witnessing property values drop due to the situation with decaying properties. Apparently, everything will be tied up in court for a while, at a time when the LA Courts have cut staff, judges, courtrooms, and are completely back-logged. If the state filings in each individual case must be settled first, then that could take years.

Meanwhile the City may have to, as have other cities start assessing a monthly charge to clean up these properties and then cloud the title with a lien. Meaning the City may not ever recoup the costs, or ever get paid, and if they do it will could be years, realize also that Los Angeles like many cities in California isn’t breaking any speed records on tax collection or getting out of their debt.

So, does this mean that these properties are left to rot, for years until the market returns, and all of a sudden, the fixer upper crowd buys these properties at auction from the city, or a company selling the assets in receivership? Well, perhaps that’s what we are looking at down the road, and across the alley in a neighborhood near you. Please consider all this.

How To Succeed At Online Product Creation The Easy Way

Product creation could be a frightening subject for a lot of Internet marketers to face. Some folks who get in the game with the intention of making a full time income are completely ignorant as to how an online business operates. One of the most profitable ways to create online cash is by creating a product that others are happy to pay for.

Product creation is legitimate method of generating money through internet marketing but many entrepreneurs get it wrong. They start by imitating their Internet marketing gurus by creating information products on Internet marketing in hopes of getting rich the way their heroes did. The problem is that they usually don’t know what they are doing and enter a highly competitive niche with very little marketing experience or connections.

Here are a few tips for effective product creation that may help you get on the right track:
Start by finding a profitable niche with low to moderate competition. If you conduct some rudimentary market research and keyword research, you’ll find many opportunities in areas that will surprise you. Amazon and eBay are two great places to brainstorm for product ideas.

Developing Your Product does not have to be a difficult project. You can find experts in the right field for your niche and pay them to write the material while an artist designs the packaging and website or blog. You can outsource the entire product creation part of the project after you conduct the research and testing to ensure profitability.

Sales and marketing strategies should be created while developing the product and learning about the market. Some experienced marketers use pay per click to drive traffic to their offer page; some folks outsource the entire marketing campaign to affiliates through ClickBank or other affiliate programs.

Product creation does not need to be hard, particularly when the merchandise is electronic. E-books, videos, audio and multi-media products sell very well. They are distributed immediately to customers electronically. Once you have a good feel for a niche market, try to service your customers with associated products and upgrades. If you want to earn money online through product creation, you must understand supply and demand. The majority of new online marketers fail miserably because they go after highly competitive markets or forget to research their chosen niche properly. You have to create your products according to the needs, wants and desires of the prospective customers.

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