This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of eSmart Tax. All opinions are 100% mine.

Typically I wait until the last possible moment to file our taxes, but this year was different. Our son started at the local college, and they needed our 2009 1040 asap (Pell Grant, etc.). My preferred method for years has been, and remains to this day, filing online. While I’m perfectly capable of filling the excess of paperwork out by hand, the answer is… why should I?

For one thing when you file for free online or use a premium service (I have home business(es) I write off), it only makes sense to select a quality tax filing system that is “preloaded” with all the latest tax laws and tax credits. I do not know about you, but wading my way through income tax information for the pieces I need is not high on my list. (more…)

For years I’ve made my living working at home, of course from the internet. This often requires sitting for hours on end (no pun intended). Without the right tools, serious health problems begin to raise their ugly heads.

I’m here to state loud and clear that Office Chairs should be at the top of your list. Sitting at a computer keyboard on a folding chair, kitchen chair, or someone else’s used office furniture is never the way to go.

Think ergonomics! Also understand what the function of your chair is really going to be used for… executive, manager, or task chairs comes to mind. Each has a specific purpose, each is designed with a specific job in mind!

Look for quality built furniture, ergonomically shaped for your body. Arm rests are a must since you need to have a place to rest your arms while the computer “does its thing.”

Recently I had the huge pleasure, after 18 years using the wrong office furniture, to acquire THE PERFECT CHAIR!

In just a short time, I have noticed such a huge difference. I am no longer sore and limping around the house after sitting for long stretches of time.

Of course, get up! Every now and then you must move about, get the blood flowing.

But above all, look for the proper office chair, and a great place to start is Spacify.com. They have a huge selection to choose from… you’re sure to find exactly what you need.

By the way, they ship to the United States, Canada, and Internationally

Happy sitting!

Strangely enough, six weeks ago everyone was excited around here. Our son graduated high school this past June, and after what we thought was even debate, enrolled into ITT’s Computer Network program.

Unfortunately, after the first six week’s he’s also unenrolled and here are several reasons why:

1.  No one properly explained the funding sources nor the repayment schedule – now granted we should have been more up on this ourselves, but with only one “child” (now an 18 year old “adult”) and no prior experience with FAFSA or any student grants and loans, we did rely heavily on ITT being upfront and honest about all aspects of it. (more…)

I just got off the phone with the CEO and Founder of Pyrabang, Christian Perrillo (see note at the very end of this post). I had a specific reason for calling (a subscription problem of my own doing), and was more than pleasantly surprised to reach him by phone.

For the observant visitor, you’ll note on the sidebar of this blog, the vertical box to Pyrabang. It “looks like” (in its own odd way) a Google adsense box (which are also there). However, that’s where the resemblance stops.

Pyrabang is more like Digg’s little brother – in my mind – especially after the conversation that I just had with Christian.

Only “similar to Digg.” Pyrabang goes well beyond that popular social media website. Pyrabang’s tagline is “the new media” and this new media serves multiple purposes: (more…)

First, I actually need to create a subtitle for this post, and I’m calling it:

“How to Earn Accreditation With Surprisingly Low Out of Pocket Expenses Using A Platform Trusted by Fortune 500 Companies to Live Your Dream or Boost Your Employment Standing”

Okay, NOW I can get started telling you about Learn.com.

Elearning has never been easier (or less expensive). Learn.com (personal version) offers a vast array of online Accredited courses in:

o Healthcare
o Finance
o Legal
o Insurance
o Ethics
o Compliance
o OSHA
o and more!

They also have a search-able catalog of more than 5,000 additional courses from IT topics to personal development… and more!

You’ll see below that I’m looking around the IT section, but the next one I’ll be investigating will be their courses on health care. Health care and teaching are two valuable employment opportunities no matter where you live or plan to move to… they are just “in demand” fields (so I’ve got to keep that in mind as I look around).

Another amazing feature to using Learn.com online is you can create your own “job profile.” This means you choose your career path and they help you develop the necessary skills to achieve your own dream!

Going yet another step further, if you’re the inventive type and have a course you’ve created, Learn.com will help you sell it. Of course, with such high standards, they do review and qualify you to become a “course author” beforehand which only makes sense.

I just registered – for free - and there are 10 courses immediately available for me – again for free (easy enough to find, after registering and logging in click on Free Courses).

The problem is choosing which one?! Actually you can pick class by class or bundle the whole thing together. For instance, I just clicked on the IT program.

I have 15 choices, and each of them is broken into subcategories. The IT Technology Cisco Certified Network Administrator (CCNA) is further broken down into 13 sub-sections.

I can choose to:

o Take one course at a time at just (hold onto your hats!) $3.99/month or

o Opt for 6 months (giving myself more time for studying the course for just $6.99/month OR

o Select all the sub-courses, take a year to complete them, and pay just $9.99/month.

Now keep in mind, I’ve over here investigating IT because that is my passion. However, there are numerous “passions” to choose from. You can search by:

o Free Courses
o Sub Category
o All Courses by Category
o Or, Create a Course.

What is intriguing to me is THIS just may be the stepping stone your newly graduated son or daughter needs if they are “in between” what to “do next.”

And be selfish! Heck, brush up and/or add more skills to your own personal resume to hang onto your job or find a new one!

Oh, and while I personally am roaming around the “personal account” (again created for free), they also have a “business” signup, too.

Decisions, decisions….

Okay, I think I’ve written enough because, frankly, I want to spend several hours going over my choices and picking the perfect course that applies to me (while keeping my eyes open for our son).

To read their current press release, just click here.