Maybe this has slipped the minds of a few American executives – but this tragedy in India at the hands of American Gas giant Union Carbide rates as the worst industrial catastrophe of all time. While Obama calls for British heads to roll over the BP oil spill, let’s revisit a few facts that he might do well to consider…

11 people killed in accident on oil rig leased by British company BP, resulting in 4 presidential visits, a $1.6bn clean-up bill and the establishment of a $20bn compensation fund in 2 months.

15,000+ people killed in accident at Indian Bhopal plant owned by American company Union Carbide, resulting in O presidential visits, O clean-up bill and just $470m compensation in 25 years.

Now, shall we say Pot. Kettle. Black…?

One of the problems with packaged investments and particularly tax privileged investments such as IRA investments is that the investment element tends to get neglected or at least it’s overshadowed by the magic words “tax deductible”. Yes, it’s clearly to your advantage to get those tax deductions but don’t forget that it’s an investment that you’re making and any tax deduction can be far outweighed by charges or duff performance.

Working out which time is the best time to refinance your home mortgage is something which can take some effort and knowledge on your own part – but if you go to the trouble of educating yourself about market trends and refinance rates your research and homework could end up saving your thousands in interest over several years. So find yourself a calculator, get online and start your research…

There are many good sites which offer you the facility of a refinance calculator. Once you have found what the current home mortgage rates are verify them with the source of the information – usually a phonecall – and ensure that you are speaking with a mortgage officer. Compare your current mortgage rates with what is advertised – can you lower your rates by at least half a point…? if so then it may be time for you to consider a mortgage refinance.

If you can lower your rates by more than a point or two then it is definitely time for you to take action. If you are only a new home owner and intend to be in your home for less than five years then you would be best not to bother at this point – longer than that and it would pay you to consider home mortgage refinancing.

In  Australia you can insure yourself for private health care, in the UK you simply have to pay for it. It is not out of the range of many people despite the costs involved – what you need to do is create a health savings account for yourself which will pay for a private hospital and your choice of doctor. It could be well worth it in the long run considering the waiting lists right now – and the risk of contracting one of those deadly infections that are endemic in the public hospitals.

It has been said many times that in order to make money you have to spend money and with regards to real estate this is certainly true. With the recession the homebuyer has found it difficult to get a foot on the property ladder, and if you are already an occupier you will have been hesitant to make the move to a new property. The tax credits scheme will enable prospective homebuyers – and first home buyers – to take advantage of these lucrative tax credits on offer:

- If you are a first home buyer you can benefit from up to $8000 in tax credits. This offer also includes those who have not owned a home for the previous three years. The limit of the price for the new home purchased is $800,000.

- If you have lived in your current home for five of the eight past years you can benefit from up to $6,500 in tax credits. This is particularly useful in encouraging current home owners to ‘trade up’. The scheme has been expanded to include those in this category so take advantage of it.

- Due to restrictions there probably will be no more extensions on this scheme so with this in mind you will need to have a written, binding contract by April 30, 2010 and must close by June 30, 2010.

- There are income limits: $125,000 for singles and $225,000 for married couples with a $20,000 phase-out of the credit for both.

More information here which explains how important the 2010 Homebuyer Tax Credits scheme is in getting the home industry back on track:

What this guy is saying basically is that homebuyers are vital to the nation’s economy – first homebuyers and subsequent buyers all make a significant contribution to keeping the economy stable. We need folk to buy homes, we need folk to sell the homes – and the easier and less complicated it is made to achieve this the better.

I encourage you to visit the site and get informed about this scheme; even if you have only been considering buying your first home in 2010 you can still qualify but you need to get moving. Try starting the search for your next/new home while you there!

In recent times the delivery of post-operative pain relief has seen big advances however there have been problems experienced by those who have had a shoulder pain pump fitted following arthoscopic shoulder surgery. These were intended to deliver anaesthetics to the area to relieve pain but studies have shown that an unacceptable amount of people have suffered damage to the shoulder joint leading to further serious conditions.

Currently litigation is in progress so if you feel you may have a case regarding this I advise you to seek legal representation as soon as possible.

For instance different road conditions and weather affect situations in the mid-west than they would in the Rockies – you wouldn’t be expecting to hit a girzzly bear in Florida either would you…?

If you are going to be hitting the open road in the US and, for example are heading off across Alabama and stopping there for a bit, then you’d need to have a look at some Alabama auto insurance just to make sure you’re covered there.

Might be somewhat confusing but then it’s a big country out there.

Rising fuel costs are suffocating those businesses right now so it probably helps to find options where a gas purchase card can actually save fleet managers some money on their fuel costs. Being able to save even 5 per cent in this regard can mean all the difference between make or break. And it is getting to that stage for many business owners right now.

The knock-on effects have most recently been the FTSE plummeting by 200 points in the last few hours. This bank is 158 years old and all efforts to bail it out failed – no doubt the shockwaves are being felt globally in the world of finance.

They say “When the US sneezes the world catches the cold ” but the UK has been feeling the effects of the credit crunch via it’s own financial troubles. The Big Boys are finally coming down.

And is it any wonder? free marketeering and financial institutions operating way beyond their own control; the huge salaries and bonuses enjoyed by those at the top of the banking tree; the huge profits made by these banks and bankers which went into pockets and lifestyles rather than to the small investors and account holders.

Do we feel sorry for these banking giants…? of course we don’t. Those of us who work hard and invest have had to watch in recent years as these banks encouraged reckless borrowing on a ridiculous scale and discouraged those from saving by giving next to no returns.

And add to this the recession which has hit the UK – ongoing massive uncontrolled immigration, growing unemployment – and a Govt turning a blind eye to the situation; start deporting and stop importing so many migrants – the Home Office staff at Croyden should be instructed to take all those paper towers of immigration applications outside and build a bonfire with them. 

And maybe the idea of hiding your money under the mattress is seeming more practical now than ever before.

Similar scenes have been happening recently with Tennessee banks; anxious investors have been calling the hotlines to investigate whether their money was FDIC insured. Prompted by the IndyMac collapse recently customers are taking the worst-case-scenario outlook while the Tennessee Bankers Association attempts to calm the situation.

Another bank ready to order the moving boxes…?

Just remember the old saying – Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – and this particularly applies to investments. If you have $100,000 or less in an FDIC insured bank rest assured your money is safe – but think on and don’t keep it all in just one bank.