Naturalization

What is naturalization? Naturalization is the process in which a person not born in the United States voluntarily becomes a US citizen.

There are several eligibility requirements to becoming a citizen of the United States.

1. You must be at least 18 years old when filing form N-400.

2. You must have been a permanent resident for at least five years.

3. You must have lived at your place of residence for at least three months prior to filing form N400.

4. You must have lived in the United States for five years before filing your form N- 400.

5. Out of the five years you must be physically present at least 30 months proceeding the date of filing form N-400

6. Be a person of good moral character. Be able to read, write and speak English. Be able to follow the principles and ideas of the U.S. Constitution.

The Affirmation

What is an Affirmation? And affirmation is similar to an oath in that they are both equally binding under the law.

The difference between and affirmation and an oath is it is a formal statement made under the penalty of perjury. The affirmation is also free from religious language. The reason for this there are many religious organization which do not allow their members to swear to God for any reason. The way and affirmation is made up it does not contain any words which require swearing. The person merely affirmed and declares.

In the state of Florida a Notary Public may use a couple of different forms of oaths and affirmations they would be the affidavit and deposition. I know this will sound complicated to the layperson so if you have any questions consult a qualified attorney before you make any deposition or oaths.

The Deposition

As a notary you may be called upon to notarize a deposition. What is a deposition you might ask yourself?

A deposition is simply the written testimony of a witness taking out of court or other hearing proceeding. The parties to the deposition are under oath or affirmation and appear before a notary public or other legal authorized person. The deposition is generally intended to be used at a trial or hearing of a criminal prosecution or a civil act. The examination consist of questions provided by an attorney or judge.

Giving my Windows a DIY Window Treatment

Guest post written by Stacy Evans:

There are a lot of things that I could use in my apartment. Just a few of those include painting my kitchen, which is this weird beige yellow color and hanging up pictures in my bedroom. But there are some pressing things to do like hanging up some curtains. I really need them soon for privacy, so I decided to make a weekend project of making some window treatments.

I haven't really done that before, or at least past just hanging up some curtains I bought at a store and done nothing else with them. Because of that, I looked online to see if I could find some advice about window treatments from someone who knows a thing and I saw the site www.debtconsolidation.me. I caught myself looking through it some and after that I decided to use it to help me with my debt. It's been an issue in my life for a while and it's not going away on its own.

I found a really fantastic idea for a DIY window treatment that was exactly what I had in mind for my living room! I'm finally feeling at home in my new place.

Jurisdiction of a Florida Notary

Does a notary in Florida have the authority to notarize documents in the entire state?

In previous years a notary in the state of Florida could only notarize documents in his own County. There was a notary known as a notary at large who could notarize documents in the entire state of Florida. The state law concerning notaries was amended and a Notary Public in the state of Florida has the legal authority to perform all authorized official duties within the geographical boundaries of Florida. A notary in the state of Florida is a state official. Did you know that a notary in the state of Florida has the authority to marry a couple. So if you are thinking about having a beach wedding on one of the beautiful beaches located in the state contact a notary in that area and they can perform the wedding right on the beach for you.

Beware Of Home Improvement Scams

There are many people that just roam around the United States scamming people with the home improvement scam. Senior citizen should beware as they are especially targeted.

One way to prevent from becoming a victim of this scam is when approach by these people do not make any agreements without checking with local officials if they are licensed and bonded. Check with your Better Business Bureau if there are any complaints. If you informed them that you have to check their credentials first I guarantee you if they are phony they will not return for your answer.

It is easy to spot these schemers as they will tell you something like I need cash up front or will require a large deposit before the job is even started. You never want to pay any money up front as you probably will never see them again. They may say they have a special offer that you must act upon immediately. They may tell you you need a new driveway or your roof looks like it is having a problem. Stop and think about it unless they have x-ray vision how would they know this by driving by your home. They will tell you that you have to make the repairs immediately your answer should be first I have to check with the city or county about the proper permits to do the work. They will leave so fast it will make your head spin. So remember before entering into any agreement for repairs or remodeling be sure to check with your local officials if this company truly exist and is authorized to do work in your area. Only do business with a licensed and bonded contractor.

Now Is The Time To Buy.

If you are in the market for a new home now is the time to buy why you might ask? One reason is homes have never been more affordable than they are right now.

Mortgage rates have reached rock bottom prices. You want to purchase your home before the interest rate begin to rise again and make your monthly payments rise right along with them. There are so many foreclosures on the market that the buyer is in a great position as they say it is a buyers market. If you are a qualified buyer financing is readily available for you. Owning a home also is a great tax deduction. So check with your local real estate agent as they have many different listings to choose from and have knowledge of the real estate market in your area.

Yardwork

Before moving to Florida, we lived in a three bedroom two baths home in another state that had a large yard with many trees.We are now living in a two bedroom two full baths condo with no yard at all. I have to admit that I do at times miss doing the yard work.

Here, the landscaping is included in our home owner's fee. I remember that we have a lot of trees on our previous property and when the leaves began to fall, it was quite a job to pick them up. My father had a riding lawn mowing machine with a leaf catcher attached to the rear. He would crisscross the yard on the lawnmower picking them up and dumping them in one large pile to be bag. Cutting the grass and picking up the leaves on the riding lawnmower was fun and I enjoyed it a lot. It was a very efficient way to clean the yard. A riding lawnmower is expensive but if you have a large yard it is well worth the money.

Easy Sales Leads at Infofree

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of infofree for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you own a business? Are you having difficulty in finding the right tools and marketing strategy to increase your sales? If you own a business, you should triple your effort to compete with other businesses locally and globally. We are in the generation of high technology so, you might as well take advantage the power of sourcing out any sales leads either business or consumers.

If you want to improve your sales, search for new customers now. You can check out the easy sales leads through infofree. It will provide your company an unlimited sales leads and mailing lists for a low monthly fee which you can surely afford. I was able to sign up a free trial and when I logged in, I was able to search for businesses and person in their data base. This feature allows the member to have the free access for unlimited leads which are important to augment sales growth and productivity.

If you are a blogger like me, you can try it out for just $39.95 a month, just use BLOG39 code. You will enjoy over 50 data bases to choose from, free contact manager, search by area code and more. Just click the link for more information about infofree now.

Probate

Anyone who knows what probate is wants to avoid it. You might be asking yourself what is probate?

The simple answer to this probate is the process that goes through the courts to determine that a will is valid and what is state should be settled by the terms of the will. It is often a long and stressful procedure that could create ill will among family members. If there is any way to avoid going to probate it would be in your best interest to take it. In many states a will will not go to probate if under a certain amount of money. So be sure to check with your attorney as the laws concerning probate have been changing in many different ways.

Right to Cancel

Purchasing a new home is probably one of the most its expensive items you will buy in your lifetime.

After purchasing your home and all the paperwork is done you will be going to what is generally referred to as the closing. This is where you will sign the final paperwork get the keys and the home is yours. You will notice that the paperwork that you sign is generally an enormous amount and can be an intimidating. There is no way that you can read through all this paperwork and understand it unless you have many hours to do this. Many home buyers begin to have second thoughts after signing all this paperwork. Not to worry you have three days after the paperwork is signed to cancel the agreement. The three days will begin the day after you sign the paperwork and does not include Sundays or federal holidays. This gives you some breathing space if you want to go home and review the final paperwork. You should make a appointment with a good real estate attorney to review the paperwork with you before the three days are up then you will have peace of mind and be able to enjoy your new home.

Credit Repair

I know you have seen ads on the television and in the newspaper from companies that claim they can repair your credit.

In reality you can repair your credit by yourself without the help of one of these companies. To repair your credit you must contact the credit bureaus and review what is in your credit report if there are any items that are a mistake or not true you can request them to be removed. By disputing the negative items is really the only way you could change your credit report. Many credit repair companies will guarantee that they can make changes in your credit report this is not true. So don't waste your money trying to repair your credit by using one of these companies. Just contact the credit agencies and if there is something negative on your report follow the procedures and disputed it. Then your credit score may rise a little bit.

Bankruptcy

Thousands of people a year find financial relief by filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This type of bankruptcy is helpful to people who have unsecured loans such as credit cards or medical bills.

When you file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy it will take effect immediately and stop creditors and debt collectors from harassing you. It will give you some breathing space to re-organize yourself and gain control of your financial future.

Filing bankruptcy can be a solution if you have a large amount of debt. There are several disadvantages of filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The bankruptcy will remain on your credit report from 7 to 10 years. If you apply for a loan in the future or a credit card or even a car loan creditors will check your credit report and see that you have a bankruptcy and may not grant you a loan. If you do secure a loan or a new credit card you will pay a much higher interest rate that if you had not filed. You have to remember when you file bankruptcy it is a public record and future employers can access it this could affect you being hired for a job. If you do file for bankruptcy you should definitely use an attorney that specializes in this field they can give you expert help.

Madonna's Pay Day

When Madonna performed at the Super Bowl halftime show how much money do you think she was payed?

The answer to that might surprise you she actually did the event for free. Performers who do the halftime entertainment at the Super Bowl do not get paid. Why then would they do that you might ask? A simple answer to that question would be for the publicity. The Super Bowl is the most-watched event in the world by performing in it you capture a worldwide audience that would be hard to duplicate in any other venue.

Though you are not paid to perform in the Super Bowl the actual production such as the dancers and other performers are paid for though there is no cost to headliner like Madonna. They also receive free transportation and a hotel for their entourage. Another benefit from being a headliner performer is all the free publicity that could add up to millions of dollars if you had to pay for it. So in the long run it is very beneficial to land the job as entertainment at halftime of the Super Bowl.

Overdraft Protection

If you are managing your own finances as most of us are you should be familiar with the term overdraft protection. What is overdraft protection?

Overdraft protection is simply a service that banks begin to offer during the latter part of the 20th century. This service guarantees that a check you write on your account will be honored no matter what amount you have available in your account.

The service is not free and can be limited on the coverage when the overage remains under a certain amount. The fees will be charged to your account depends on the policy of the bank. Most checks marked insufficient funds can be run a second time through the account after that the bank will not allow it to be processed anymore.

Once you are notified of a bounced check you have to take action immediately to remedy the situation. Normally you would have a couple of days to cover the face value of your check and pay any penalties or fees that are required. If you do not do this you could end up in court for writing bad checks and have to pay court fees plus the possibility of going to jail. So be on your toes and check your checking account balances as often as possible. This is easy to do by just opening an online account with your bank that will give you access to check your available balance anytime you want to. With this knowledge you will be able to avoid bouncing a check.

Specific Power Of Attorney

To grant someone a General Power of Attorney can be a very risky idea. When you do this you are granting the person the power to just about do anything with your affairs for example they could draw money out of your bank account.

This is where the Specific power of attorney comes into play. By issuing someone you trust a specified power of attorney you are authorizing the person to perform a limited act. For example signing a real estate form for you. By doing this you are protecting yourself from any fraudulent transaction that might not be in your best interest. If you are not sure as to what type of power of attorney you may need be sure to consult your attorney.