Daily Sun Safety to Save Your Skin

Summer is here and families are heading outside for fun in the sun. There is no better time to make sun safety a top priority. While living in the extreme heat of the Middle East, protecting my skin was a top priority. After 3 years of daily exposure to the sun, and temperatures exceeding 140 degrees, my doctor insisted I looked 10 years younger. The following tips are how I protected myself and will help you protect yourself and your loved ones from the sun’s damaging rays. Watch the clock. If possible, schedule your outdoor activities before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. – midday rays are the most dangerous. Shade is good. Not only is it up to 20 degrees cooler in the shade, it also reduces exposure to the sun’s damaging rays. Cover up. The less skin exposed to the sun, the less damage done. As temperatures climbed into the 140’s, wearing long pants and a long-sleeved shirts another layer of protection. Dark colors and tightly woven fabrics provide a higher level of ray blocking protection, but can be hot. The key is dry, loose fitting clothing. Another option is specialty clothing designed to block the sun’s rays. Wide-brimmed hats provide protection for your face, ears and neck. Sunscreen for safety. Generously apply sunscreen every day – at least 15 minutes before going outdoors — about a palmful to cover exposed skin. Many experts recommend a broad-spectrum product with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher, I used an SPF of 15.  Don’t forget your lips. Skin cancer can develop on lips, too. I relied on a lip balm with an SPF 30 sunscreen. No sunscreen product protects you completely, limiting your exposure to the sun is still the best protection. Go back for seconds. When outdoors, reapply sunscreen every two hours — and more often if you’re sweating or swimming. Accessorize. Sunglasses that block 99 percent of UV rays are important. They’ll help protect your eyes — and the skin around them. Cloudy and cool weather. Sun damage can happen even in cloudy, cool and snowy weather. Daily protection is important. And, swimmers, boaters and beachgoers, take note: That’s true for water and sand, too! Tanning beds and sunlamps give off harmful UV rays as well… you don’t have to burn, to damage your skin and contribute to skin cancer.

2013 Anti-Fraud Conference

I cannot recommend this Conference enough!  It is for anyone concerned about Fraud and interested in learning ways to prevent becoming a victim.

Invite your clients, family, friends and neighbors!

Each conference is FREE for senior adults and includes breakfast and lunch.

There are 8 locations around the state of Oklahoma. Find a location near you and make sure you attend!

Learn more ===> 3 Hours of CE Credit Available for Attending Anti-Fraud Conference.

Tulsa ranks among top cities for global investment

National and International media tout Tulsa region successes.

The Tulsa region continues to establish itself as a national leader for attributes related to economic development and quality of life.

Recently, northeast Oklahoma has been featured in national and international media, highlighting the contributions of stakeholders including the George Kaiser Family Foundation, VisitTulsa, downtown development leaders and many more who strive each day to create a better community.

Tulsa in the News:

“In midst of a downtown revival, ‘Tulsa time’ has arrived again” by Steve Paul of The Kansas City Star

(The Wall Street Journal) A house museum that oil riches built

Global investment publication fDi Magazine included Tulsa on its newly released list of “American Cities of the Future,” placing Tulsa at No. 10 among mid-sized cities in the category of “Foreign Direct Investment Strategy.”

To compile its rankings list for fDi’s “American Cities of the
Future,” the publication collected data using specialized online data collection
tools as well as other sources. Information was collected for 422 cities under
several criteria, including economic potential, infrastructure, business
friendliness and other categories. Cities in North, Central and South America
were included in the fDi Magazine rankings.

“Northeast Oklahoma continues to attract top-tier companies from diverse
sectors, and we strive to cultivate an environment that enables us to recruit
leading firms from across the U.S. and internationally,” said Justin McLaughlin,
senior vice president of economic development for the Tulsa Regional Chamber.

Offering something for everyone, Tulsa is a great place to live, work, play and raise a family.

Does Your Small Business Have to Provide Health Insurance?

In conversations with small business owners I am often asked, “do I have to provide health insurance to my employees?” In short, No business has to offer health insurance. However, certain large employers (with over 50 full time equivalent employees) either have to offer qualified and affordable health benefits, or pay a tax penalty under a mandate in the Affordable Care Act. This mandate is often referred to as the employer mandate, “play or pay” requirement, or employer shared responsibility.

If your business has less than 50 employees, the mandate and tax penalty does not apply to you.

To learn more download this Free Health Care Reform: PLAY or PAY eBook by ZaneBenefits.

Message from the BBB: Beware of Green Dot MoneyPak Scams!

Your BBB wants to remind you to beware of scammers using the Green Dot MoneyPak prepaid cards you can purchase at local stores. Using a prepaid card is a convenient way to pay bills online without threat of risk to your bank account. But scammers have found a way to get that money from you too! Green Dot spokesman states, “Fraudsters will call or email you saying that you won a lottery or can buy discount merchandise at their phony websites – but you need to pay fees to get your prize or purchase that merchandise via MoneyPak – and only MoneyPak, then they ask for the 14-digit code.” Once you have given them that code – the crooks can then transfer your MoneyPak funds to their own prepaid cards.

MoneyPak offers these 7 tips to help protect you from fraud!

1. Never give your MoneyPak number to someone you don’t know.
2. Never give receipt information about your MoneyPak purchase to another party.
3. Use your MoneyPak only to reload your prepaid cards or accounts you control.
4. Refuse any offer that asks you to buy a MoneyPak and share the number or receipt information by email or phone.
5. To use your MoneyPak with PayPal or eBay or other online merchants, transfer the money to your PayPal account before you pay the merchant. Don’t email your MoneyPak number directly to any merchant.
6. Don’t use the MoneyPak to pay taxes or fees to claim “winnings” on a foreign lottery or prize promotion. Unless it’s an approved MoneyPak partner, don’t use MoneyPak for any offer that requires you to pay before you get the item.
7. Check this list of approved MoneyPak partners before you use your MoneyPak to pay.

To avoid falling for MoneyPak scams, consumers should:

• Be wary of websites or Craigslist advertisements linking to websites where customers are specifically asked to pay with a MoneyPak card.
• Never give their MoneyPak number to someone they don’t know.
• Remember that advance-fee loan offers are illegal and targeted at customers and companies struggling with debt and poor credit.
• Remember that if you’re told you have pay to a fee — via MoneyPak or wire transfer — to collect a cash prize or sweepstakes winnings, you’re being scammed.
• Avoid offers that don’t accept credit card payments and require you to purchase a MoneyPak and provide the card number via email or by phone.
• Beware of websites requesting MoneyPak as a form of payment even if they display the MoneyPak or Green Dot logo. Consumers should check www.moneypak.com for a list of approved MoneyPak partners.
• Treat their MoneyPak cards like cash. Unlike credit cards, MoneyPak transactions can never be reversed.

 If you are aware of a possible scam alert Green Dot. If you believe you are a victim of fraud contact your local police to file a claim and complain to their state’s consumer protection bureaus and the Federal Trade Commission.

1 in 40 children will become victims of Identity Theft this year!

According to one expert, 1 in 40 children will become victims of Identity Theft this year.  Based on the size of most public school classrooms, that’s 1 child for every 1.5 classes.    That’s INSANE!!!  Will the next victim be someone you know or love?  Learn how you can help protect the ones you love.

5 Places Where You Should Never Give Your Social Security Number

Every time you go to a new doctor or dentist and they give you a clipboard brimming with documents to fill out and sign, notice how they always ask for your Social Security number? Do you dutifully give it up? Did you ever wonder if they really need it?

I once asked a doctor why he wanted it. His response: “I don’t really know…continue reading

Obama: Federal Agents Will Enforce ObamaCare, Even If Your State Says No

ObamaCare is not popular. It was not popular when it was enacted, and it has not become any more popular now, especially as people have begun to see the fall-out from this regulatory nightmare, such as skyrocketing insurance costs. Many states, read more…

Wage and Tax Related Identity Theft

Wage and Tax related identity theft hits an all-time high and accounts for over 40% of all reported identity thefts…

Forbes Magazine…Janet Novack wrote on 1/29/2013 an article ranking the top 10.

1. Get Medical Care?  Hospital employees selling your COMPLETE identity profile
2. File a Paper Tax Return?  IRS data entry employees stealing and changing return
3. Serve in the U.S. Armed Services?  Co-workers selling info outside the service
4. Use a dishonest tax preparer?  No license or background check required
5. Use an honest tax preparer?  All the your records are vulnerable to a breech at their office
6. Have a gullible employer?  Could fall for phishing attempts from fake IRS employees
7. Get behind on your bills?  Credit collection employees gain access to your information
8. Get sentenced to prison?  Prison employees gain access to ALL of your personal information
9. Take out a student loan?  Once again, all your information entrusted to an employee of a loan company
10. Be down on your luck using social services?  Social service employees get ALL of your personal information to file government forms for benefits

Essentially, in all of these cases all of your information was conveniently in one location and directly accessible to human interaction and trusted to be secure. Think of all the places your information is already in one place….a doctor’s office, an insurance company, social security administration, every HR office of every company you’ve ever been employed, every utility you’ve ever had in your name, every credit application you’ve ever completed, every tax return you’ve had someone else prepare for you or sent to the IRS.

Let’s face it, our information is out there and accessible to the millions of thieves anxious to get a hold of it and willing to pay others who have access to it in order to get it for themselves.

Here is a link to the actual article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/janetnovack/2013/01/29/irs-tips-wont-protect-you-from-identity-theft-tax-fraud/

Protect Your Insurance Premium

If you are waiting until January 1, 2014 to see what happens with insurance rates…do yourself a favor and apply for private coverage now!  All premiums are expected to take a significant jump with rates for younger men expected to increase as much as 200%. 

By purchasing an individual private policy now you will be able to lock in your premium rate until December 1, 2014.

Don’t wait any longer. Find an Insurance Agent in your area who is willing to help you find the right coverage to meet your needs and budget today.