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Why Hire Local Movers for Your Move?

When planning a short distance move across town or even into the next one, it is a great idea to hire local moving services to facilitate the event.

Local movers provide many important services that can make a tiresome move easier to get through.

Rather than attempting a DIY […]

When planning a short distance move across town or even into the next one, it is a great idea to hire local moving services to facilitate the event.

Local movers provide many important services that can make a tiresome move easier to get through.

Rather than attempting a DIY move, consider these reasons why hiring local moving services can be the best choice for a trouble-free move!

Experienced, Equipped Movers - Hiring local movers provides customers with trained, experienced workers who know packing, furniture disassembly and reassembly, and how to get all those items out of one house and into another. They also bring all their own equipment, so there is never an issue doing it.
Great Service - Local moving services promote their businesses by building and preserving a great reputation within the community. It practically guarantees their customers will receive top-notch service every time, as local movers strive to provide their customers with the outstanding service they will want to tell others about.
Affordable and Cost-Effective - In comparison to the overall costs of renting the equipment for a DIY move including packing materials, dollies, moving blankets, and more, hiring local movers can be more cost-effective. Many times, DIY moving ends up requiring a bigger effort than people anticipate, with unexpected extra costs involved and the frustration of dealing with broken equipment.
No Lifting Involved - The best part about hiring a community service to handle local moves is they do all the lifting, loading, and unloading. If desired, they can do the packing, too!
Fast Convenient Moving - DIY moving takes a long time, from going to pick up the truck to gathering enough people to help load it, then driving to the new location and unloading it. A local move can end up being a multiple-day affair, especially if it involves more than one trip or a rushed stressful event when trying to return a truck on time. Using the right size equipment to make a move in a single trip, experienced professional local movers make moving faster and less stressful with customers needing only to direct and oversee the process while their possessions are carefully relocated.

So before thinking that a DIY move with rented equipment is the best or most inexpensive solution for a local move, contact a local moving service for an estimate first.

When it comes to moving, saving time, avoiding frustration, and staying safe are all valuable things that local movers can provide at an affordable cost!

Business Owners – What Type of Accountant Do You Need?

Accounting services are essential services that can help business owners run their companies more efficiently.

Yet before hiring just any accounting firm, it is important to know the different types of accountants and which one to look for.

This summary of the five types of accountants should help companies […]

Accounting services are essential services that can help business owners run their companies more efficiently.

Yet before hiring just any accounting firm, it is important to know the different types of accountants and which one to look for.

This summary of the five types of accountants should help companies in need of accounting services find the right ones that will help them reach business success.

Certified Public Accountants - CPAs are expert business accountants who handle things like an organization’s payroll, financial records, taxes, and other financial matters, as well as providing financial planning advice to the business owner. They are the accountants who most business owners turn to for the bulk of their accounting needs.
Management Accountants - CMAs start out as CPAs but continue their education in managerial accounting so they can provide financial consulting services to their business clients. CMAs are useful when companies must make important managerial and financial decisions that will affect the future of the business. They may also provide credit and financial analysis as well as other financial services to help companies make wise financial-based business decisions.
Accounting Auditors - Auditors perform accounting services to ensure the accuracy of financial records. These specialists are usually brought in periodically to help non-profits, for-profits, and other businesses verify their accounting records and correct any errors that might be discovered.
Forensic Accountants - When a company must review financial records to confirm adherence with certain laws or standards or even to detect fraud, accounting law firms that specialize in forensic auditing are called in. Forensic accountants are highly skilled accountants who also have a mind for investigation, uncovering mistakes, and detecting unusual patterns that could indicate wrongdoing or errors.
Government Accountants - Whether employed by a state, a city, a county, or even on a federal level, government accountants deal with assisting government agencies with their recordkeeping, their financial planning, and their allocation of funds.

Every company, no matter what industry or sector it does business in, needs qualified accountants to help in keeping its finances straight.

While general accounting services from CPAs are at the top of most business needs, some may require the occasional services of other accounting firms as well.

With accurate accounting services provided by these different financial experts as needed, any business can maintain accurate records and have a clearer understanding of their income and expenses, staying compliant where necessary, and how to become more profitable in general!

What Details Factor Into Moving Cost Calculations?

The first thing that anyone hiring movers to relocate their belongings from one place to another typically wants to know is how much it will cost them.

After all, moving services can be expensive and customers must budget accordingly.

Typically, the cost of both local and long-distance moves is […]

The first thing that anyone hiring movers to relocate their belongings from one place to another typically wants to know is how much it will cost them.

After all, moving services can be expensive and customers must budget accordingly.

Typically, the cost of both local and long-distance moves is calculated based on a number of details about the move and the services being contracted:

Moving Dates - For most movers, weekday services can usually be booked less expensively than weekend services. Off-season moves in the winter and other slow times also tend to be less expensive than moves made during the busiest times of summer and other busy periods.
Distance - How far will the move be? One of the calculations that factor into moving fees are the distance the load must be shipped.
Services - Will the move be a full-service move with the movers doing the packing or will the customer self-pack? Are there any extra-large or fragile items that must be maneuvered? Is there furniture that must be disassembled? All of these factors can affect the cost of moving services. Basic moving services typically include two or three workers, loading and unloading the truck, and delivery to the new location with anything else added on at additional cost.
Labor - How many movers will be required to pack, load, move, and unload the truck? Moving estimates typically include an hourly rate for each of the movers required to do the move.
Insurance - Most moves include a minimal amount of insurance to protect personal property while it is being handled and moved. Additional insurance must be purchased at an extra cost.
Amount of Belongings - How much personal property will the movers be loading and moving? The size, weight, and number of items in the load will affect the size and type of vehicle the moving service must use to perform the move.

Since every mover has its own rates and specifications for these services, customers must always start out by requesting an in-person, fully documented moving estimate.

From there, they can discuss their budget with their moving representative who should be able to suggest a few ways to get the bill a little bit lower if necessary.

That might involve delaying a move for a slower week or waiting for a chance to fill up a partial load to cut the mover’s expenses or some other compromise; however, many services will at least offer these opportunities if they are available.

To get the most accurate moving estimate and cost-effective services, plan out moves well in advance whenever possible and discuss budget options with the moving company!

The Challenge of Winning a CUE Claim With the VA

Proving a service connection to receive VA benefits is one of the more difficult parts of applying for those benefits.

Many veterans applying for VA disability benefits are denied if the VA rater assigned to review their case is not able to make a service connection to their injury […]

Proving a service connection to receive VA benefits is one of the more difficult parts of applying for those benefits.

Many veterans applying for VA disability benefits are denied if the VA rater assigned to review their case is not able to make a service connection to their injury or condition.

Yet raters can make mistakes and when a veteran feels a mistake has been made, they can try to open a Clear and Unmistakable Error or CUE case to have the issue re-considered.

What Is Considered a Clear and Unmistakable Error?

A clear and unmistakable error or CUE is what a veteran dissatisfied with a rating denial hopes to prove when seeking a re-consideration of their VA disability benefits claim.

These cases are permissible when veterans believe their rater omitted details on their medical record or other proof of their condition or its connection to service duty.

If the veteran can prove that the rater’s decision is incorrect and that incorrect decision resulted in their denial of VA benefits, their service connection could still be established and the veteran could be approved for disability benefits.

The Difficulty of Proving A CUE Case

The issue with CUE cases is that proving the error is extremely challenging.

Finding an “unmistakable” error in the rater’s decision that an adjudicator would also consider unmistakable itself is difficult.

Beyond that, arguments for CUE can only be based on whatever information was available to the rater at the time the VA benefits claim was initially reviewed and rejected.

New medical records and other new details that were not available at that time, even if they today establish a connection, are of no value.

Problems In Getting Prior Rating Information Evidence

When attempting to prove a clear and unmistakable error, the veteran can only do so with the information and judgment used by their rater at that time and getting such information to review can be equally challenging.

In addition according to VA benefits help experts, information that was held by the VA but not available to the rater at the time of the denial that could have proven connection had it been available is another concern that anyone filing a CUE case must consider and find a way to access.

In Summary

What can a veteran claiming VA disability benefits do in these instances when CUE cases might be valid?

Between the challenge of getting information from the VA on which to base a CUE case, the rules on what information is and is not permissible, and the many other small details that can influence the veteran’s ability to prove CUE, the best recommendation is to seek VA benefits help from an experienced rating expert outside of the organization.

Proving CUE is one of the hardest things for any veteran with a verifiable service-connected disability who has been denied a claim to do.

VA benefits help experts with the knowledge and awareness of which information is required to prove CUE and where it can be accessed can help.

Making A Short-Term Move? These Tips Can Help!

Local moves are ones that are temporary, meaning there will be a return to the original space or another permanent space.

It could mean moving out while home renovations are being done, moving into a rented space between the sale of one home and occupying another, or any other […]

Local moves are ones that are temporary, meaning there will be a return to the original space or another permanent space.

It could mean moving out while home renovations are being done, moving into a rented space between the sale of one home and occupying another, or any other situation that involves staying in one place only temporarily for a short time.

Whatever the circumstances are, local movers can help in numerous ways when the question becomes what to do with all of a person’s belongings when they won’t actually be staying in a new space for long.

Make A Moving Plan - Short-term local moves require careful planning since they are basically two moves wrapped into one. If it involves hiring local moving services, find a reliable company and include them in the process to create a plan of action around leases and other important dates and needs.
Pack What Is Needed First - Before having local movers pack and/or take away anything from the first residence, pack up separately all the items that will go to the temporary residence. Label those boxes and set them aside by themselves so they can be loaded by a local moving service onto the moving truck last, as those will need to be taken off first.
Put Other Things In Storage - Everything else that is being removed from the first residence can be stored in the interim. Some local moving services even offer storage in their own warehouses for short-term situations. The rest of the belongings can be packed up and loaded first onto the moving truck, with the short-term needs going on last. Movers can then bring the first set of boxes to the temporary residence, unload them, and then continue on with the rest to either put them in storage at their own facility or take them to a storage unit of the customer’s choosing.
Repeat the Process In Reverse - When the end of the temporary relocation arrives and it is time to move once again into a permanent residence, the local movers will load stored boxes back onto their truck, then pick up the remainder of a customer’s possessions at the temporary residence, then deliver it all to the final destination.

Short-term local moves can be a little confusing, especially when it leaves someone dealing with all of their personal belongings in multiple places.

The good news is that local movers are used to this kind of thing and have great solutions to help people get from one residence to another, even when that includes a stopover in-between!

What is the Concurent Retirement and Disability Program?

A common concern of retiring veterans with service-connected disabilities is how their VA disability benefits compensation will affect their retirement pay.

Normally, veterans receiving disability pay and then reaching retirement age and the start of their retirement pay will see a reduction in retirement pay in the amount of […]

A common concern of retiring veterans with service-connected disabilities is how their VA disability benefits compensation will affect their retirement pay.

Normally, veterans receiving disability pay and then reaching retirement age and the start of their retirement pay will see a reduction in retirement pay in the amount of their veterans disability benefit.

Yet some disabled veterans can qualify to retain some or all of their retirement benefits while continuing to receive their veterans disability compensation if they qualify for the Concurrent Retirement and Disability Program.

What is the Concurrent Retirement and Disability Program?

The Concurrent Retirement and Disability Program or CRDP allows qualifying military veterans with service-connected disabilities to receive veterans disability benefits plus military retirement benefits concurrently without a reduction in retirement pay.

It is designed to protect the retirement pay of disabled veterans who made the military their career prior to their disability.

How Does A Veteran Qualify for CRDP?

To qualify for CRDP, veterans must have a disability rating of 50% or higher and in addition, meet one these requirements:

They must have retired from the military after 20 or more years of service.
They medically retired under Chapter 61 due to a service-connected disability.
They retired early, having served less than 20 years, under the Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA).
They served for 20 or more years in the National Guard and Reserve.

For veterans meeting the above requirements, CRDP will restore some or all of their retirement benefits based on their disability rating up to 100% of the retirement benefit.

Under this program, veterans with a total disability rating are entitled to their full retirement pay concurrently with the full VA disability benefits package.

Are There Retroactive CRDP Payments?

Additionally, as this program is a newer benefit still being phased in since 2004, some qualifying disabled veterans may also be entitled to retroactive CRDP payments if the date that their disability became 50% or higher was prior to their application to the program.

Any retroactive CRDP payments due are issued by the VA in a lump sum separate from current veterans disability compensation and retirement payments.

Find Out If You Qualify For This Benefit!

Disabled veterans who have served 20 or more years before their retirement and have a disability rating of 50% or more at this time could qualify for the Concurrent Retirement and Disability Program, which allows them to keep more of their retirement benefits every month.

To learn more about this veterans disability benefits program and whether they qualify, disabled veterans should reach out to the VA or discuss it with a veterans disability compensation expert who can help them access all of their VA disability benefits entitlement.

What Are Payroll Schedules and How Do They Work?

A decision that every business owner setting up their employee payroll with a payroll company must make is one that pertains to payroll scheduling or how often everyone will get paid.

Payroll scheduling is an important part of every payroll system and a decision that can affect everything from […]

A decision that every business owner setting up their employee payroll with a payroll company must make is one that pertains to payroll scheduling or how often everyone will get paid.

Payroll scheduling is an important part of every payroll system and a decision that can affect everything from talent recruitment to employee satisfaction.

It is a business detail that must also comply with state and local payroll laws and can affect income tax decisions as well.

Before randomly assuming once-weekly or twice-monthly employee payroll is sufficient for any company, business owners should understand the different payroll schedules and how they affect employees, and their companies.

What Is The Difference Between A Pay Date and a Pay Period?

Primarily, it is essential for employers and employees both to understand the difference between a payroll system pay period and a pay date, two terms that frequently get confused.

The pay period is the span of days that the payroll amount includes, which is cut off by a certain date to leave time for the payroll company to configure and issue payroll.

The payroll date is the date on which the payment is issued and available to employees.

What Are The Different Payroll Schedules?

There are four schedules that payroll systems customarily use for configuring pay and deductions, then issuing payments to employees:

Weekly Pay - Employee payroll is issued every week on the same day.
Bi-Weekly Pay - Payroll is issued every two weeks on the same day bi-weekly day.
Monthly Pay - Payroll is issued once monthly on the same day of the month.
Semi-Monthly Pay - Payroll is issued twice monthly on the same two days of the month.

How Do You Decide Which Payroll System Is Best?

Deciding which of these options is the best for any business owner’s employee payroll requires consideration of factors such as state laws, as some states require weekly pay and overtime pay calculation, as federal law requires overtime to be calculated weekly.

Payroll system scheduling must also incorporate a system for tracking and paying benefits such as PTO, healthcare payments, and more.

Additionally, more or fewer tasks managed by a payroll company can affect the cost to the business owner.

Adding It All Up – Pardon the Pun!

Between the four schedules, monthly employee payroll is usually preferred for the employer since it reduces payroll company costs and it might be a common way to pay independent contractors; however, it is not a favorite of employees and can make hiring new people a challenge.

Conversely, while employees prefer weekly pay, this involves companies paying more to their payroll system for more frequent services.

Depending on the size of the company, company culture, type of employees, and other accounting details, company owners must find the payroll schedule that works best for everyone.

What Are Some Benefits A Foot Massage Can Bring?

Practically anyone who has ever had a foot massage will agree that they are one of the best massages out there.

Foot massages are so relaxing that they can even put a person to sleep!

They are also an important type of massage therapy that offer many other great […]

Practically anyone who has ever had a foot massage will agree that they are one of the best massages out there.

Foot massages are so relaxing that they can even put a person to sleep!

They are also an important type of massage therapy that offer many other great benefits beyond relaxation.

Learn just how great a foot massage can be and why it is so worth visiting a spa to have one done by a professional massage therapist.

Improved Circulation – Massage generally helps to improve blood circulation throughout the body. Foot massage can greatly improve circulation through the legs as there are many blood vessels that end in the feet.
Lowered Blood Pressure - Foot massage has a great relaxing effect that has been directly correlated to lower blood pressure and a greater feeling of overall wellbeing.
Reduced Anxiety and Depression - It can also reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, in part due to how massage therapy improves circulation but also because of that relaxed state that comes so easily with a massage of the feet.
Reduced Pain from Migraines - Reflexology suggests that treating certain areas of the body can reduce pain in others. Based on this understanding, a foot massage is known to alleviate the pain of migraine headaches.
Reduced Pain from Foot Problems - Massaging the muscles and tendons of the feet can reduce pain from cramping and plantar fasciitis as well as promote faster injury healing due to improved blood circulation.
Reduced Foot Edema - Whether due to medical conditions like diabetes, secondary to an injury, or simply from inactivity, a foot massage two to three times a week can control edema in the feet. It is also a non-medicinal favorite of women experiencing uncomfortable foot swelling during pregnancy.
Relief from Symptoms of Menopause - Based on the above benefits, a good foot massage can work wonders for some of the symptoms of menopause, creating better moods, increased feelings of relaxation, and reduced discomfort due to circulatory issues, high blood pressure, and muscle and body tension.

A foot massage by a trained massage therapist is much more than just a foot massage; it is a great improver of overall health and wellbeing when done routinely.

Massage therapy that includes foot massages can reduce or eliminate a multitude of problems by improving body circulation, reducing feelings of stress, and activating the immune system to promote faster healing.

It’s Almost Tax Day! Are Yours Filed Yet?

The 2022 tax deadline is almost here and if you are like many people, that rush last-minute into the various local tax places, you have yet to even look at yours.

You might be quite surprised at the wait when visiting one of the chain quick stop tax help […]

The 2022 tax deadline is almost here and if you are like many people, that rush last-minute into the various local tax places, you have yet to even look at yours.

You might be quite surprised at the wait when visiting one of the chain quick stop tax help places since they are not always so quick at this time of the year.

Not only that, but for those with more than just simple personal returns to get done, these are not always the best tax services to run to as the clock continues to tick away.

A private tax help service with experience in all types of tax returns is your best option for fast, knowledgeable service.

What Are The Reasons For Choosing a Professional Tax Pro?

Why choose a professional tax preparation firm over some of those temporary tax help shops that close up after tax season?

Availability - While everyone is waiting in the lobbies of those quick tax places to meet with a preparer, you can schedule an appointment with a tax professional, meet with them at that time, discuss everything, and then leave your paperwork, no waiting involved.
Experience - Professional tax preparers have years of experience dealing with not just basic individual tax returns, but also more complex returns for families, those with dependents, people running sole-proprietorship businesses, and general business taxes as well.
Licensed CPAs - The professional preparers employed by the best tax services are actual licensed CPAs, not just people trained to do taxes as a part-time job to earn extra money. A large portion of many CPAs' education and careers are devoted to learning taxes, tax preparation, and tax changes every year.
Vast knowledge - Special tax circumstances require a vast knowledge of tax laws and how they must be applied. Mistakes made by less knowledgeable, less experienced preparers create a greater potential for the filer to be audited or even end up with penalties.

With tax day only a few weeks away, the best option for anyone looking to have their taxes done quickly and correctly while saving them the most money and hassle is to avoid the quick tax places and choose an accountant tax professional instead.

The best tax services are those that are staffed with CPAs who can provide the best and most experienced service to all clients.

Get Tax Help Now!

The clock is ticking and April 15th will be here sooner than you think.

Make an appointment with a CPA for the skilled tax help you need!

How Full Body Scanners Are So Much Safer to Use in Prisons!

One of the biggest challenges that correctional facilities face is finding the safest and most efficient ways to prevent contraband like drugs and weapons from finding their way through the facility’s doors.

Body scanners have become a huge part of this control technique, as it makes screening faster, easier, […]

Body scanners have become a huge part of this control technique, as it makes screening faster, easier, and with a much lower need for physical contact with inmates.

Still, as full body scanners for corrections has become a standard, questions about its safety have arisen.

Fortunately, as full body scanning technology has advanced, safety levels have gone up.

Concern With Cumulative Levels of Radiation

The main concern that is brought up pertaining to frequent full body scanning is cumulative radiation levels and how much is too much radiation or enough to cause harm.

The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP, USA) provides recommendations and guidance on maximum dose limits for the general public, of which inmates, visitors, and staff at correctional facilities all classify, and how to prevent harmful overdosing.

NCRP guidelines state that doses of up to 1 mSv per year in non-medical settings are considered safe; anything beyond is not.

This can become a problem in instances where facilities are still using older, outdated scanning technology, as this forces the continued use of pat-downs and other physical screenings to keep exposure levels below the recommended maximum.

Goal Is Higher Definition With Lower Radiation Doses

Based on these considerations, one of the critical goals in the development of more advanced body scanners is to generate scans that have higher definition using lower doses of radiation.

Today, there are full body scanners for corrections that do just that.

This lower dose scanning technology that has entered the market over the past few years is not just safer for inmates and staff as far as radiation dosing is concerned, but it is also safer in how well it works.

Full body scanning using technology that can differentiate between body tissue and any other material, and do it quickly, reduce the need for physical searches and other contacts between staff and inmates.

Making Body Scanning for Contraband Detection Better

Overall, the newer generation of full body scanners for corrections is making the job of contraband detection in facilities a more efficient, humane, and respectful process.

With minuscule radiation doses that equate to as little as 1/1000th of the NCRP recommended annual dose and exceptional imaging capabilities, keeping correctional facilities safe from a variety of contraband has never been easier.

As more facilities reach the point of upgrading to these new, advanced body scanners, the industry as a whole will begin to appreciate greater safety for all persons and safer facilities as more contraband is stopped at the doors.