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If you make international business trips and carry a laptop computer than PC-to-Phone service is a great way to stay connected while on the road. As long as you have an INTERNET connection, you can make cheap international calls from any location to other computers or to any phone in the world. Calls to other computers using the same PC-to-Phone software are often Free while there is a charge for placing calls to phones (landlines or cell phones). The rates vary depending on the country and the type of phone called but rates are much lower than those charged by international hotels or long distance carriers. PC-to-Phone service is also popular with students, expats and people who operate small businesses with an international focus.

PC-to-Phone service providers continue to add new features that make their product more flexible and convenient to use. For example, Skype, one of the most popular PC-to-Phone service providers, offers free calls to other Skype users and the following added features.

• Low rates on calls to landlines and cell phones.
• An online phone number so people can reach you on Skype from any phone.
• The ability to send text messages from Skype.
• A built in Voice Mail feature so calls are never missed.
• Call forwarding that forwards incoming calls to a regular phone when the user is off-line.
• Mobile applications so Skype can be used from Mobile Phones.

Skype has continued to innovate and add features in order to broaden the appeal of their service.

We think Skype is a great option for people who want to make free calls to other Skype users. However, Skype’s international rates on calls to landlines and cell phones are not as low as other cheap international calling options. In addition to a per-minute charge for each call, Skype also charges a connection fee for each call made to a land-line or cell phone. In order to evaluate the relative cost of making international calls to landlines or cell phones with Skype, we compared the international rates charged by Skype to those charged by Tel3Advantage for the same call from the USA. Tel3Advantage was selected for this comparison since it is a high quality prepaid calling plan that can be used to make low cost domestic or international long distance calls from any phone without changing companies and it is very popular with those who make frequent international calls from the USA or Canada.

We compared Skype published rates (excluding their connection fee) to those charged by Tel3Advantage to the following popular destinations.

In many cases, the rates charged on international calls to mobile phones are substantially higher than the rate charged for the same call to a land-line. Therefore, when making international calls, callers should take care and read the fine print so they fully understand the rate charged for making a call to the type of phone they plan to call or they may receive an unpleasant surprise. In most cases, rates on international calls to mobile phones are higher than they are for calls to landlines but this is not always the case. The rate difference varies between countries and service providers so it is best to shop around in order to find the lowest cost product for making calls to the country and type of phone you wish to call.

We did some research on this topic by comparing the rates charged by Tel3Advantage, a popular prepaid calling plan, on international calls to mobile phones and landlines in various countries. We found there were some regional patterns to the data but no consistent rules. The following is a summary of our key observations.

• The rate charged on calls to mobile phones is substantially higher than they would be for the same call to a land-line. This seemed to be a typical pattern. Especially for international calls made to countries located in Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East. However, there were exceptions so callers should check the countries they wish to call before making any conclusions. Some popular locations where the rates charged on international calls to mobile phones are significantly higher than they are to landlines: Brazil, France, Italy, Mexico and the UK. For example, a call to a mobile phone in Italy from the USA costs 14.7 cents per-minute while a call to a land-line costs 1.8 cents per-minute.

• In some cases, the rate charged on calls to mobile phones were the same as those charged to landlines. Many of these locations were in Asia but there were many exceptions. We discovered the following popular destinations: Bermuda, China, India and Thailand.

• We also found cases where international calls to mobile phones where cheaper than calls to landlines. This is true on calls to the following popular destinations: Cuba, Egypt, Hong Kong, Singapore, Syria and Uzbekistan. In most cases, the difference in cost is small. For example, the rate charged for an international call to a mobile phone in Egypt is 9.4 cents per-minute while the charge for the same call to a land-line is 9.8 cents.

International callers should shop around for the best deal when deciding on a product to use for making cheap international calls. They should recognize that rates can vary significantly between countries and the type of phone they wish to call. It may be prudent to use one product for making calls to cell phones and another product to make calls to landlines. There are a wide selection of phone cards and other prepaid calling products to choose from so most callers can find substantial savings by shopping for the product that best fits their needs.

Tel3Advantage offers some of the cheapest rates on international calls to Costa Rica. The rate is only 2.8 cents per-minute for the first 30 days if a new customer signs up under the Tel3Advantage Triple Promo. This rate includes all fees and taxes. The same low rate applies to calls to cell phones or land-lines and there are no restrictions. In addition, new customers get up to 321 Free Minutes as a bonus when they open a new account.

Tel3Advantage prepaid long distance is also a safe option since it offers one of the most popular international calling plans in North America. They have been in business for over 15 years and have more than 100,000 active customers. The also have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. It can be used to make cheap long distance (domestic or international) from any phone in Canada or the USA without changing phone companies. It is simple to use since there is no need to dial account numbers or PIN codes when making a call. There are no long term contracts or maintenance fees. Simply use the service as much or as little as you like and only pay for the minutes used. Tel3Advatage also provides customers with a free on-line account where they can make changes to their account and monitor account activity. Up to 10 phones can be linked to one account so the same account can be used with your home, cell or business phones.

Tel3Advantage offers the lowest rates to Costa Rica and other popular destinations.

With the Holiday Season fast approaching, a perfect gift for a friend or loved one who is far away may be the gift of a phone card. A phone card gift card can be delivered to any location in the world instantly via e-mail and there is no tax, duty or delivery fee. A phone card gift card is very easy to purchase and is a useful gift, even for the person who has everything.

A gift card can be purchased in any amount (from $5 to $100) and the recipient can trade it in for any phone card they want. So they can choose the best phone card for their needs from a vast range of phone cards including those with a global reach and a full range of special features.

Purchasing a gift card is easy. Once you complete a gift card purchase you will receive an email containing a PIN number and a link – all that is needed for a phone card to be selected and activated. Just send this information to your friend or loved one and they can choose the phone card they want. It is that easy.

Visit Phone Cards International to review a full range of international phone cards and choose the gift card option if you would like to send a special gift to a friend or loved one this holiday season.

I just received the condo sales report for Orange County for the month of September and the average Condo in Orange County is listed for $315,528 while the median list price is $299,000.  Just for comparison sake, the average condo in Laguna Woods Village is listed for under $200,000 – that is 1/3rd off what the “average” condo is listed for in Orange County.  I have always said that Laguna Woods Village was a bargain!

Also out this week was the sales report for September.  30 condos sold in Laguna Woods Village for an average purchase price of $240,000.  839 Condos sold in all of Orange County last month for a median  purchase price of $300,000.  Once again, Laguna Woods Village comes in almost 1/3rd less in price on the “buy” side than any other condo in Orange County.  BUT, prices are rising, especially the condos on the low end of the market.  Average days on market has gone down to 102 days, a little more than 3 months on the market for the average listing…  That is down from 150 average days on market 3 months ago.  So we are seeing a trend develop!  WE ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MARKET RIGHT NOW.  I will put that in caps because I really believe it!  Inventory is going down and there is pent up demand to purchase – at least in Laguna Woods Village – remember, Real Estate is very local, and what is happening here might not be happening everywhere…  If you would like to purchase a home in Laguna Woods Village, call Patrick McNamee at 949-293-7814 or visit his web site at: www.leisureworldre.com

A payday loan seems harmless at first and you might simply borrow $100 with a fee of $17.50. That can look very good when you need money fast. However, if you can’t repay it when it comes due you’ll incur additional interest that can reach a cumulative a whopping total of over 900 dollars. You could be paying interest for months or years on that small one hundred dollar loan.

Most Credit Unions are now offering alternatives to payday loans. These loans are typically for amounts under $500 and the monthly payments are small. Interest rates are small, too, and there is typically no collateral required.

In the Dekalb and Sycamore areas (Illinois) contact the Illinois Community Credit Union. We cater to members who receive lower rates on services and loan interest on the Sycamore mortgages, auto loans, and title loans.

Most people know how to use a prepaid phone card by now. However, a few people have never used one so this post is for their benefit. Most of the time, prepaid phone cards are used by dialing what is called an access number, a special phone number, which allows a user to access the phone card service providers system. Some service providers have a network of access numbers and others have only one access number, these can be toll free numbers or what are referred to as local access numbers requiring users to pay the call. In any case, prepaid phone cards are used by first accessing the service providers system.

The following are the steps typically required when using a prepaid phone card.

Step 1: Dial a toll free or local access number in order to access the service providers system. Access numbers should be provided when the phone card is purchased.

Step 2: The caller identifies himself or herself to the system. This can be done by entering a special series of numbers provided with the phone card providers system, called a PIN code, or in the case of PIN Free phone cards the system will automatically ID the caller using caller ID technology.

Step 3: The caller dials the number they wish to call. Phone cards from the North America will require the caller to enter the prefix 011 when making overseas phone calls or the prefix 1 when making a domestic long distance phone call.

As indicated above, the mechanics of using a phone card are simple. However, there are a few things to consider when shopping for a phone card. For example, do you really want to enter a complex PIN code each time you place a call. This may not be a nuisance if you only intend to make a couple of calls but if you plan to use the phone card for multiple calls or for an extended period-of-time than a PIN free phone card should be considered. It is interesting to note that phone cards from major telecommunication companies like MCI or AT&T often do not have PIN Free Dialing or other features. These phone cards typically charge high rates and have good call quality but there are phone cards with similar call quality that are more appropriate for long-term use.

Another important consideration when making a phone card purchase is the access number network. Be sure that the phone card being considered has an access number in the country where you plan to use the card. This is often a problem when a phone card is purchased in the USA and used overseas. Most phone cards have a limited range of coverage. They can only be used to place calls from certain countries and, in some cases, they can only be used to make calls to certain locations. Be sure to purchase cards that have the required coverage.

Another important consideration is the location and type of access numbers used by a phone card. Many phone cards charge extra for using toll free access numbers and these extra charges are usually not included in the advertised rates. It is usually cheaper to use a local access number so check to see if one is available in the area where you plan to use a phone card.

Phone cards are relatively simple products to use but even simple products require some thought and investigation before making a purchase. A virtual phone card like Tel3Advantage should be consider when making calls from North America because it offers high call quality and a full range of features including PIN free dialing and an on-line call history. It is a popular product for people who routinely make international phone calls from North America and want to save money and still have quality, convenience and flexibility.

How much are you paying for home phone service each month? Is it more than $25, $50 or even $100 per month? In any case it is likely more than $10 per month. Some VoIP service providers are currently offering prepaid VoIP phone service with around 40 features and unlimited long distance calling in the USA and Canada for less than $10 per month. That is right, less than $10 per month. Hard to believe but true and, in most cases, equipment is provided free of charge. Most of these plans include the usual features which number around 40 and include things like caller ID, voicemail, call waiting, e911 support and caller return. Customers will need high speed INTERNET in order to use these VoIP phone services but a lot of people already have DSL or broadband connections. If so, there are some great deals out there on VoIP service. We mention a couple of them below. There are other VoIP service providers so shop around before making a purchase. This is especially true if you plan to make international calls since rates on overseas calls vary significantly between VoIP providers.

The following two VoIP Phone Service options are about the best we have found.

The first is from Via Talk. They are offering one of the best deals in the market today. For a prepayment of $199, you will get two VoIP lines (phones) for one year. They are currently offering one year Free for new customers so you will get two VoIP phones for 2 years for $199. Each VoIP phone features unlimited calling in the USA and Canada for a mere $4.14 per month (each). This is simply the best deal in the market today.

Another company offering prepaid VoIP is Joi Phone. These are especially good for people who want to make international phone calls. They offer several low cost international packages that feature unlimited calling to various countries. There basic plan costs only $8.95 per month (when prepaid for one year) and it features unlimited calling to 9 countries.

Prepaid VoIP service is an attractive option for some people but it does carry risks. A case in point was the sudden bankruptcy of SunRocket VoIP in July, 2007. They offered cheap prepaid VoIP service and left many of their customers holding the bag or, in this case, the phone….

How many times have you purchased a phone card with great rates to one location but you used it to call another location and found it to be outrageously expensive? This is a common problem with many international phone cards. They tend to be regional or country specific. Either, they can only be used to call to or from certain countries or locations or they tend to their rates are country or region specific. To get around these limitations, many international callers use a high quality prepaid calling plan like Tel3Advantage which has good rates to most international locations but there is another way.

Some phone card marketers like Smart Global Call International Phone Cards provide their customer a free balance transfer feature. Using this option a customer can transfer an unused balance from one phone card to another. This handy feature has several possible uses. Some of these are listed below:

• A traveler purchases a phone card to call the USA from Italy but moves to Moscow, Russia and finds that the card does not work. Using the balance transfer feature the remaining balance can simply be transferred to another card that can be used to make calls from Moscow.
• A caller purchases a phone card to call a friend in Brazil. The caller than wants to call another friend in Japan but finds that the card can not be used to call Japan or has lousy rates. No problem, using balance transfer the remaining calling card balance can be transferred to another card with good rates on calls to Japan.
• Another use is to save money by taking advantage of special deals. Smart Global Call usually offers one or two of their phone cards at a 10% discount. A shopper can purchase one of these phone cards and than transfer the balance to another phone card, saving 10% on any phone card.

This is a handy feature that covers a wide range of possibilities since Smart Global Call markets more than 30 different phone cards that can be used to make calls to or from more than 230 countries. Saving money on international calls has never been easier.

Leisure World, Laguna Hills, California (now referred to as Laguna Woods Village in the City of Laguna Woods) is the nation’s leading planned residential community for seniors. It was conceived and developed by Ross W. Cortese, who built the first Leisure World in Seal Beach, California in 1960. Cortese, a man of unlimited vision, believed that a void in housing existed for a person age 52 and over.

To find out what Seniors wanted he talked to civic leaders, doctors, clergy and groups of older people. He discovered that Seniors, those 52 and over, wanted a fresh new start in their lives after raising a family, fulfilling a career and, basically, just wanted to be free of household duties and the maintenance and up keep of a home. They wanted to enjoy their “Golden Years”!

Based on his research Cortese, working with a team of planners, architects, builders and designers, started Leisure World in Laguna Hills in 1963. His concept was to build a community that would cater to the needs of seniors.

The first manor (residence) was completed in November 1964 and the last manor in September 1980. Leisure World (the name was changed to Laguna Woods Village in October 2005) has approximately (2008 figure) 18,000 people who live in one of the 12,736 residential units (6,323 co-ops, 6102 condos and 311 units in two tower buildings), 7 clubhouse (originally 6 were constructed, but a 7th was added in 2005), 5 swimming pools, 10 tennis courts, 2 golf courses, an equestrian center, 10 craft shops, 2 garden centers, 2 RV storage areas, a library, 2 fully equipped fitness centers and over 200 clubs and organizations for residents to participate in. Add to this a “free” community bus service and a residence security service that patrols the 2,095 acres and mans the various entrance gates.

When completed Leisure World contained all the elements that Ross Cortese had envisioned in the early 1960’s, security, access to local health care facilities, nearby shopping, good transportation, cultural events and programs, excellent housing, recreational and educational opportunities and various other activities designed for Seniors to ensure their freedom and the opportunity to enjoy their “Golden Years”.

Right now it is a “buyer’s market” and we have many fine homes ranging in price from $122,000 on up to $350,000.  Patrick McNamee of Century 21 Rainbow Realty is an expert in this area, please check out his web site to get more real estate information about this active senior community: www.leisureworldre.com

Article contributed by Frank J. Hill, Broker/Owner Century 21 Rainbow Realty
Used with permission

Tel3 offers the following prepaid calling products that are sold exclusively by Tel3 affiliates. These are easy to sell and offer a potential for significant current income and a continuous stream of residual (long-term) income.

• Tel3Advantage Flex Plan – a high quality prepaid long distance plan that can be used to make low cost long distance calls from any phone in the USA or Canada.

• Tel3 Mobile – An international calling plan for cell phone users. Users get free access to Tel3’s SmartPlug technology that allows Smart Phone users to make “direct dial” international calls. They can complete international calls without dialing an access number or PIN code and use the new Tel3 Mobile international plan with any cell phone service provider.
• Tel3 Business Plan – A new calling plan that has been designed to meet the needs of businesses. It includes great rates, high quality and special on-line reporting and account management tools that business needs for managing expenses.

Tel3 provides a Free, Customized website that can be used as an on-line sales platform. They also provide access to professionally designed banners and videos for on-line advertising campaigns along with a variety of off-line marketing materials.

Earn a Continuous Stream of Income from Tel3

Earn a bounty on each new account opened (up to $50 per account) and continue to earn commissions when customers recharge their accounts. Commissions on usage (recharges) go up to 16%. Unlike many phone card programs, Tel3 pays their agents each week so if you work hard this week you can get a good paycheck next week.

Tel3 also features numerous special offers for consumers and marketing incentives for agents during the year. These all translate to higher commissions and earnings for agents. The affiliates are the marketing arm of Tel3 so they are treated as true partners in the business.

A good thing to keep in mind when shopping for a phone card or other prepaid calling product is to think about how you plan to use it. Many phone cards have a limited number of local access numbers and charge extra when using a toll free access number. The extra charge for using toll free access can be 1 cent per minute or more. This may not sound like much money, but if you are calling a location that only costs 2 or 3 cents per minute to call, it is a significant additional charge. In order to avoid additional charges, shop for a phone card that has a local access number in the area where you plan to use the card. This may be from your home or it may be in cities you plan to visit while you are traveling. It is very important to check for access numbers if you are planning to use the phone card while traveling overseas since, in general, phone cards only have access numbers in specific countries. For international phone cards it is easy to use a search tool to find cards that have access numbers in all of the countries you plan to visit. Just visit an on-line phone card website and use the search tool to find a phone card that has access numbers in the countries you plan to visit. You will likely be able to find a phone card that will work from all of the locations you plan to visit.

In the USA it is not so easy since many phone cards only have local access numbers in large cities or they may be concentrated in specific regions of the country. One of the great features of Tel3Advantage is that it has a very wide network of local access numbers in the USA and Canada. They have local access that can be used from most small towns or suburbs which makes it a great product to use for making low cost domestic or international long distance calls while traveling in the USA or Canada. There are phone cards that have a similarly wide network of access numbers or do not charge for toll free access but these are less common.

Tel3 announced today that they are offering a Free No Obligation Trial offer of their popular prepaid  long distance phone service for cell phone users. There is no cost or obligation. Those who sign up will be able to make up to 60 minutes of Free International Phone Calls using Tel3Advantage. Visit Tel3 Advantage Free Offer for more details and/or to sign up for this Free Offer.

Tel3Advantage is a popular prepaid long distance phone service that can be used to make low cost long distance calls from any phone in the USA or Canada.  It is very simple to use and it can be used with any existing service provider.  It is a high quality, low cost option for making international long distance phone calls.  For further information on Tel3Advantage, visit International Calling Guide or call 800 441 0321. 

Hello fellow Americans.  We have been hearing a lot of talk about the government “bail out” of the mortgage market as a solution to this current financial crisis.  I’ve got a better idea, give the people who are in crappy ARM’s that they can’t afford the option of a gov’ment secured 60 year mortgage (at the prevailing interest rate)!  This will lower their mortgage to a manageable amount of money each month with the hopes that in another 7-10 years the prices of homes will go back up and then they can sell for a profit or at least what they owe on the home…  Also, make the 60 year mortgage “assumable” so another person can buy the home if the person just wants out entirely…  As an “incentive” for taking on this 60 year loan - for the new person that wants to buy the distressed property - throw them a “bone” of only having to come up with like 3% down or something - since they are taking a risk by purchasing this home and will have to stay in this house for another 7-10 years lets say, until the housing prices come back up again!

I am a real estate agent in Laguna Woods, Calif. (www.leisureworldre.com) so I know a bit about the mortgage market and how it works.
 
I am so surprised the “big wigs” in Washington have not thought of this idea.  Don’t “dismiss” the bad debt, keep it until prices rise again and then nobody looses!!  Shout it from the roof tops fellow Americans and pass this Blog entry around the Internet!

By Patrick McNamee, Realtor, Century 21 Rainbow