How to Spot a Money Pit

How to Spot a Money Pit How to Spot a Money Pit How to Spot a Money PitBuying a house is expensive enough without having to sink thousands and thousands of dollars into additional repairs. When trying to avoid a money pit, start at the bottom and work your way up!Money is pretty goodâ€"or at least its good when you have it. Needing it but not having it is pretty not great. Pits, on the other hand, are more situational, but they tend to be pretty bad. And what could be worse than a pit that  swallows  all of your money?!Yes, thats right, a money pit is undeniably bad. It describes a house that you purchase, only to later realize that it will need a lot of money in repairs to actually make it liveable.Of course, realtors and sellers aren’t likely to be too forward about all the problems the house they’re trying to sell is suffering from. That’s why you need to train yourself to spot a money pit before you put your money down. That training starts now. A strong foundation.Much like Drake, you’ll want to start from the bottom. “There are a few things worth checking out before deciding to buy a property,” advised Bryan Stoddard, director of  Homewares Insider (@homewaresinside). “From bottom to top, the foundations, the flooring, the walls and windows, and the roofing.When it comes to foundations, look for a steel-reinforced concrete foundation, the best thing is to consult a professional. When looking at the floors of the property, notice any bumps or uneven surfaces as they could be a sign of a bad structural setting.”And he wasn’t the only one to emphasize the importance of the foundation.“There are a host of potential profit killers when dealing with a fixer-upper,” warned Jeannie of Real Ventures Inc. “The biggest and most obvious to house flippers like us is the foundation. Imagine buying a used car that needs a new engine the second week you own it. OUCH! And its a huge expense that doesnt add value, it makes it functional. Thats what unplanned foundation work is like.She included th e following signs that a buildings foundation is no good:Vertical cracks in drywall above windows and doorsLateral cracks in the foundation itselfSagging floors in one area of the house.Settling pretty much always occurs with a house (its not always a major issue though).Cracks in drywall .. if they are large or grow over time, youve got a big issue.Lateral cracks in the foundation indicate serious issues that must be addressed immediately, she added, because the soil is likely eroding from one area and the weight of the house is pressing into the void.”Moving on up.Even if the foundation is looking great, there’s still an entire house on top of it that can be filled with problems.“When assessing a ‘fixer-upper’ you really need to break down what projects the home needs into three categories,” explained John Bodrozic, co-founder of  HomeZada (@HomeZada). “The first category is the house’s major systems like the roof, exterior walls, HVAC systems, windows, etc.  Thes e tend to be very costly to replace.“The second category is major lifestyle renovations such as kitchen and bathroom remodels.  Maybe everything is out of date and you want to replace it. Another concept here is whether you are planning on changing the layout of the interior walls. These are discretionary projects but also ones that can be quite expensive depending on the details on the home and what you want to do with it.“The third category is smaller finish projects. Projects like replacing the flooring with new tile, wood, or carpets or painting rooms and new light fixtures are relatively smaller projects and thus each one is less costly.”Here’s Stoddard’s take on the rest of the house:“Check the conditions of doors and windows. Do they look maintained, and do you feel a draft coming from them? Try to open and close all the doors and windows, so that youre sure theyre functioning properly.As for roofing, check out if the previous owners have maintained the roof, and also try to look for moisture inside the property. Look for cracks and damage on the building as theyre a sure sign of neglect.“Also, if the property is older, make sure the pipes are not made out of steel since they have an inherent problem with draining water away. Concerning electricity, look for any exposed wirings as a warning sign not everything is ok.Also, flickering lights can be a sign of faulty wiring in the building. Consult an electrician to check it out.”Come prepared.Not every issue will be apparent just from inspecting the house. That’s why it’s important to do your research and due diligence before even considering a purchase.“Another tip is to do some planning upfront if you are considering a fixer-upper,” recommended Bodrozic. “This involves listing out all the projects you want, and determine a realistic budget by doing some research on products, brands and price points.In addition, plan out the timing of the projects because you probably can’t af ford them all at once, so you can prioritize which ones come first, and which ones you can still live in the house with for a few years before you can tackle them.”But that’s not all!“Another big issue is permitting,” Jeannie told us. “Has the house youre considering had an addition to increase the living space and was it permitted?If an addition was done without permits and youre doing work such as electrical rewiring or replumbing the house and in inspector comes out, they may find that the addition wasnt permitted. You might have to completely demo that illegal addition.Research before purchasing can be done online sometimes but not in all cases. Phone calls to the county or city permitting office may be enough but an in-person visit might be necessary.”Know who you’re working with.In addition to the details of the house, the details of who you’re working with can be as or even more important.“The most critical and sometimes not realized pitfall until its too la te, is having a reliable and good contractor,” urged Jeannie. “A bad contractor can literally destroy your budget and your dreams of the finished product.Imagine having to not only fix whats wrong but redoing the things youve already paid for. Weve gone through this in our business and it DOUBLED the budget.”And of course, as we mentioned earlier, it’s vital that the sellers you work with are trustworthy.“As for the final advice, if the seller is uncooperative and unwilling to help you make these checks, hes hiding something,” warned Stoddard. “So better make sure youre out of there before you buy and later regret it.”Take care of your money.On this blog, we frequently write about how people can improve their financial outlook by avoiding short-term no credit check loans like payday loans, cash advances, and title loans. But getting stuck in a money pit could  easily be far more costly than any of those predatory bad credit loans could ever hope to be!Buying a home w ill always be expensive and come with its own set of risks. But the more careful you are and the more research you do, the better your odds will be of avoiding a money pitâ€"and the better your financial outlook will be moving forward.To read more about saving money on home maintenance, check out these other posts and articles from OppLoans:6 Ways to Keep Your Home Warm for LessHow You Can DIY Your Way to Cheaper Home Maintenance9 Tips for Keeping Your Security Deposit12 Tips for Getting Rid of (and Selling) Your Extra ClutterDo you have a question about saving money? Let us know! You can find us  on  Facebook  and  Twitter.  |  InstagramContributorsJohn Bodrozic  is a co-founder of  HomeZada (@HomeZada), an online and mobile home management solution. HomeZada strives to educate and provide resources for homeowners in all areas of home management, including home inventory, home maintenance, home finances,  and home improvement projects.Jeannie is a married, stay at home mom in Atlan ta and is currently pregnant with her second child. She’s also a real estate investor. In her free time, she loves to travel, read, go for walks in nature and go to the movies.Bryan Stoddard runs a website called  Homewares Insider (@homewaresinside) that explores all things related to homes, interior design, furniture, and gardening. Im also a passionate home designer that loves to tinker with DIY and design schemes.

Financial Risk Management Consultancy Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1770 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? Sometimes companies are faced with tough investment decisions to make. Mostly, these are decisions that affect the future growth or perpetuity of a particular company. Each company would like to know the expected returns in future so that it may plan ahead. However, with the current volatility in the market where prices are fluctuating without warning, it becomes hard to pinpoint what a company will be worth in future or at what price the commodities of the company will be at a certain date in future. This dilemma is faced by QGold Corporation. This company aims to expand. In so doing, it must make sure that its future is stable. Since the company gets its revenue from the sale of gold and gold products, it must have a way of making sure that these prices are stabilized to prevent unforeseen losses in the future. This report investigates the options available for QGold Corporation and recommends the use of hedging through the investment in the futures contracts market. The future contracts market offers price stability by enabling QGold Corporation have a definite expected return figure for when the contracts mature and thereby enabling the management to make viable decisions in the company. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Financial Risk Management Consultancy Finance Essay" essay for you Create order Introduction This report aims at investigating the avenues of risk present in QGold Corporation, the risk factor exposed to QGold Corporation, the current system in use by QGold Corporation in the management and/or mitigation of financial risk in their organization and provide ways and recommendations which QGold Corporation may use to eliminate financial risk in their system. This report will use a number of methods and approaches in the analyses of the financial risk in QGold Corporation. Correlation analysis will be employed as well as discounting of cash flows. Since the company aims at expanding its capital base and scope in the near future, and since the profit or loss realised by the company is solely dependent on the market prices of the gold mined by the company, there is a need to make sure that profitability is guaranteed in future in the volatile gold market. Discounting of the cash flows and futures will be done to be able to analyse this particular case. Correlation will also be used to find the profitability ratio of the gold now compared with the futures prices of the same as given arbitrarily by the Australian financial futures reports. QGold Corporation: Brief history QGold Corporation is a company based in Australia that deals with the mining, processing and sales of gold and gold products. QGold Corporation produces its product from Charter Towers gold field in Northern Australia. This field is deemed to be one of the highest grade fields in all of Australia. The company has a vision of expanding its operations beyond northern Australia. As such, massive capital has been employed in the prospecting of gold. It seeks to be capable of producing up to 50 million ounces. Those expansion policies are already underway as the company has started extracting gold and processing gold products. Financial risk factor in QGold Corporation QGold Corporation gets its revenue from the extraction, processing and sale of gold and gold products. Due to this, the corporationÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¬ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¢s profit and loss is dependent on the price fluctuations of the gold. As projected by the board of the company, the company is expected to benefit one dollar (USD) for every one cent increment in the price per ounce of gold in November 2012. However, the market for gold in Australia and the world at large is currently very volatile and taking into consideration the massive amounts of money and input, both in personnel and other resources, it is crucial for QGold Corporation to manage its risk factor so as to try and avoid losses. Reasons for want of risk management in QGold Corporation There are quite a number of reasons warranting QGold Corporation to manage their financial risks and their level of exposure to risk. Triantis (2000, p.561) sums some of these risks as follows in the succeeding discussion. The company wants to decrease the probability of it becoming bankrupt, find ways of bettering its terms of transactions with its clients, suppliers as well as its employees. QGold Corporation also seeks to reduce cases of value-decreasing investment decisions such as prospecting mines without having them initially investigated to prove that there is existence of deposits. According to Newland Tanaka (2010, p. 24) entrepreneurial ship requires a degree of ingenuity so as to achieve its targeted revenues. Similarly, QGold Corporation is also aiming at trying to minimize cases that would to the decrease or falling short of projected and targeted returns on investments. Gold price fluctuations as an avenue of risk for QGold Corporation Gold price fluctuations in the market have been a factor that has led to the collapse and sometimes, the rapid rise of many gold mining corporations in Australia. According Wikiposit (2012) the average price of one ounce of gold in 2012 was placed at USD 1658.04. This is an increment from the average price of one ounce of gold in the year 2011 which was placed at USD 1534.22 (Wikiposit, 2012). Evans Brearley (1999, p. 696) claims that the price increase in gold resources and production in 1980s and in the subsequent years have precipitated into the increase in the prices of gold. This increase in production occurred as a result of advancement in technology and use of carbon-in-pulp and carbon-in-leach methods of production in the mining fields (Evans Brearley, 1999, p. 696). QGold Corporation expects the price of gold to increase in the coming months and this is confirmed by the PriceWaterHouseCoopers (2012, p. 6) who conceded in their research that 80% of the executives and key players in this industry were interviewed said that they expected the prices of gold per ounce to keep on rising. However, the volatility factor of prices of gold canÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¬ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¢t be out ruled. Due to this, the company has decided to caution itself against impending losses by investing in the futures market through derivatives of the futures contract. Hedging strategy and the futures contract as a method of risk mitigation in QGold Co. Dodd (2001, p. 1) defines derivatives as financial contracts that are meant to bring about changes in market prices of a particular commodity without actually bringing about a change of ownership. According to Campbell et. al (2006), hedging is making a particular investment as a way of trying to mitigate the risk of adverse and unpredicted fluctuations in prices of a certain asset. A hedge is a very good way or reduction of risk. This is done by investing in the futures commodities market. According to Wikiposit (2012), the price of gold in October 2012 commodities futures market is given as being USD 1691 per one ounce of gold. The current price of one ounce of gold is given as USD 1674. Wikiposit (2012) also give the margin requirement for September 2012 as being USD 1687.60 per one ounce of gold. This figure, USD 1674, is not guaranteed to rise in future. As much as all the conditions as presented by PriceWaterHouseCoopers (2012) point and predict a rise in the future price of th e ounce of gold, the market could behave otherwise and adverse effects on the prices realized. If this happened, QGold Corporation could find itself exhibiting losses. To cushion the company from such losses in the unpredictable future, hedging should be employed here. QGold should employ the use of derivatives to enable it avoid future losses. However, the use of these derivatives should be well monitored as sometimes their misuse could lead to massive losses. Jo et. al (n.d, p.2) argues that the unethical or unprofessional use of derivatives could lead to a global financial crisis. QGold should take an offsetting position in case it decides to invest in the futures commodities market. Finnerty Grant (n.d) defines offset hedging as the liquidation of a futures position through making a transaction today of an equivalent value thereby getting rid of the futureÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¬ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¢s delivery requirement. Currently, QGold Corporation has an exposure of a value exceeding 50 million ounces of gold. Data borrowed from CME group (2012) gives two options of futures for gold, that is, for the months October 2012 and December 2012 respectively. QGold Corporation may decide to either invest in both of these futures or one of them depending on their stand regarding risk management. Recommendations After the options available to company QGold have been analyzed in the preceding discussion, some recommendations are done as stipulated in the subsequent paragraphs. Firstly, QGold should look for ways of minimizing the risk exposure inside the firm. Before resources are employed in prospecting for mine fields, an intensive research and study should have been carried out beforehand to ascertain the availability of the said minerals. Sometimes prospecting might be carried out on a mine only to find that there are no mineral deposits thereby resulting into loss of massive resources and time. QGold Corporation should also get a good hedge fund managing company to offer them advisory services on how they will invest in the futures market to avoid losses resulting from unethical use of derivatives. The best futures should be identified and invested in. QGold Corporation should continue with their expansion plans and utilize its size for market advantage. A big company is more capable of exploiting the market better than a small company. Conclusion In conclusion, it has been made evident in matters discussed in this report that QGold Corporation will be able to avoid future losses by engaging itself in hedging through investing in the future contracts market. The volatility of the gold market in Australia and the world in general makes it very hard for companies to predict their future returns. This is because prices may fall leading to a decrease in the returns or they may rise resulting to an increase in the level of returns. Since the future lies unknown and no one knows for certain what will occur, itÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¬ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¢s better to prepare to the future today. To prevent imminent losses in the future, investing today in a futures market will guarantee a company a specific return to investment regardless of the risks involved or the prices that will be existing at that time. However, QGold Company may also find itself making losses where the market prices that will be existing at the time of maturity of the futures contract exceed the price of the futures. Despite that notion though, investing in the futures contracts would be the best measure for QGold Corporation to take as it totally eliminates all risk, gives definite expected returns in future and allows the corporation the freedom to make other management decisions without fear.

The Benefits Of College Tuition - 1285 Words

The key to living a comfortable life in today’s world is having a college education. Life has gotten much harder and the job market has become more competitive without a four year degree. Having to work two or three jobs and both parents of the home working to put food on the table. People are barely making it with a bachelor’s degree now and are finding themselves needing a master’s degree to get a better job. College tuition has been increasing at a steady rate. Many students are finding themselves not having equal opportunity to attend college due the high tuition cost. A large number of students that do attend find themselves with a huge amount of student loans to pay. Colleges have raised their tuition greatly, created unequal opportunity and create loans that take years to pay back. The tuition for college has skyrocketed. â€Å"For the past quarter-century, the cost of higher education has grown 440%, according to the National Center for Public Policy an d Education, nearly four times the rate of inflation and double the rate of health care cost increases† (Lataif). Inflation raises every year and tuition keeps getting more expensive as if it needs to be ahead. Some states have had their tuition raised more than others. Smith gives an example, that in the 2007/2008 fiscal year the state of Nevada raised tuitions in the state’s public universities by 10.9%, while the Boulder Campus for the University of Colorado raised their tuition by 14.6%. Rates of tuition increaseShow MoreRelatedThe Debate On College Tuition Essay951 Words   |  4 PagesThe Debate on College Tuition In our country, several young students in pursuit of a higher education, must work overtime at the local McDonalds, flipping burgers, to pay for their college tuition; while trying to juggle school work and study time during their limited free time. Meanwhile these students live in a country who has buried itself trillions in debt with no end in sight. Sadly, this is the environment that sets up the impassioned debate on whether college tuition should be free in ourRead MoreAdvantages Of College Tuition764 Words   |  4 Pagesof financing college education either by the government or by college students. With a government funded college system, students would not be enabled to pay for tuition, providing additional benefits. Overall, our country should allow free college tuition to ensure the creation of a well-educated workforce, equalized opportunities, and decreased financial obligations for students. To begin, permitting colleges to remove tuition will result in a well-educated workforce. Free tuition would advertiseRead MoreU.s. Securities And Exchange Commission1523 Words   |  7 PagesThis program evaluation contains the overall progress of the 529 plans and the benefits. The objective of the 529 plans by the Government of United States of America is to provide advantages to the college savers in availing the tax rebates and tax reductions. The educational system is benefiting from these plans and the document provides the analysis of the factors that play their part in the providing the benefit to the sector and the overall economy. According to the U.S. Securities and ExchangeRead MoreThe Government Should Fund Free Education854 Words   |  4 PagesIn today’s economy in order to be successful, a college education is essential. Having an education has become a privilege rather than a right. The government should fund free education as a way of investing in the future generations. Therefore, the first two years of college should be free to every student graduating from high school. Firstly, financing each student’s education has been a struggle; especially for students that come from low-income families who are living paycheck to paycheck. StudentsRead MoreEducation Is The Most Important Part Of Every Human993 Words   |  4 Pagesworkforce and education crisis. America’s economy is collapsing and it is losing to countries like china, Brazil, Russia, etc. because Americans are deprived of education because of high college costs. High school graduates in America want to attend college but when they attend college, either they drop out of college or they graduate but end up paying money for student debt and loans throughout their life. According to Vermont senator Bernie sanders, today Americans have a burden of 1.3 trillion dollarsRead MoreShould College Tuition Be Free?1115 Words   |  5 Pagestoday’s society is that college tuition should be free or if not free, more affordable for all students. Certainly, higher education should not be considered a luxury where only the wealthy could afford, but an opportunity for all caste systems. It must be an accessible and affordable opportunity for all students in order for them to invest in their education. Higher education is important because it provides more careers to choose from than the careers offered without having a college degree. UltimatelyRead MoreIs Post Secondary School Worth It?1405 Words   |  6 Pagesis being beat by the rapidly increasing tuition costs. Everyday people make the decision whether it is worth paying for high college tuition when job wages are decreasing. However, since the wages of jobs are going down it is more important now that people receiving a degree from a college or university. Therefore they can be on the top of the pay range by having the advantage of getting a job over high school graduates. It is worth paying the high tuition cost because the end result after fortyRead MoreEducation For A Better Future1493 Words   |  6 Page son to attend college†(Kelsey). Where these students come from should not affect the level of education they can obtain. Other states across America have already starting allowing undocumented students to apply for financial aid along with in-state tuition. There are thousands of undocumented students that get accepted into prestigious schools, but find themselves hopeless in the end because the cost may be too much to bear. 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A college education can help provide a personRead MoreThe Effects Of Rising Tuition On Students Choice Of Future Career Field1308 Words   |  6 PagesRising Tuition Costs on Ferrum Students’ choice of future career field Christin C Hyslop Ferrum College Fall 2014 The Effects of Rising Tuition Costs on Ferrum Students’ choice of future career field Introduction Do rising tuition costs affect Ferrum College students’ choice of major? Descriptive research will be done to determine if there is a relationship between rising tuition costs and Ferrum College students’ choice in major. A sample set of students attending Ferrum College will be

Rousseau as Totalitarian Free Essays

ROUSSEAU AS TOTALITARIAN? Rousseau, known as â€Å"Father of Modern Democratic Theory†, was being accused by other people as a â€Å"Father of Totalitarianism†. This is one of the contentious issues which attack Rousseau’s social contract; he is seen to be advocating totalitarian solution rather democratic. Others may have only misunderstood the concept of totalitarianism but I tell you there is no clear evidence showing he is in favor of totalitarian. We will write a custom essay sample on Rousseau as Totalitarian? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Why, then, some considered Rousseau as a totalitarian? Maybe it goes with his controversial concept of general will. The general will can be perceived as an objective truth to which every citizen must conform. Therefore everybody was under the control of the general will. Since totalitarianism is defined as a  political system  where the state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life whenever necessary; this means that the general will can be use as a totalitarian device. But the methods suggested for discovering the general will were basically democratic. This concept was introduced to prevent exploitation and this will only take effect if it is willed by the citizens. In this case, we can see that Rousseau was proposing that the best way for a community to make decisions was really to use democratic procedures. Hence, we cannot condemn him being a totalitarian advocate just because general will reigns. After all, even if it controls every citizen, it still comes from all and it tends always to the preservation and welfare of the whole and every associate. Another thing that can probably make people thinks of Rousseau’s social contract as a totalitarian is due to his view of â€Å"majority binds the rest†. Rousseau was aware that no particular human being knows what the general will truly is that is why he proposes that what the majority has voted, it is the general will, assuming that everybody is thinking for the common good of the community and not for his own self-interest. Now problem the decision of the majority is what rules the community and we don’t even know if they are really thinking for the common good of everybody. They maybe considered as one political group who reigns over the community. This cannot be a valid reason for saying that Rousseau was after a totalitarian government. Remember Rousseau has insisted that the sovereign is the people and not a particular group only. And at the start of the compact, before they have voted for what they think is general will; the people should give their consent to all the laws that will be passed even in their opposition. Despite that the decision of the majority wins, the people still has participated in determining that certain law. Rousseau was merely proposing measures aimed at creating community cohesion and preserving democracy. We can now say that his proposal was really an authentic attempt of finding a form of association which will defend and protect with the whole common force the person and goods of each associate, and in which each, while uniting himself with all, may still obey himself alone, and remain as free as before. How to cite Rousseau as Totalitarian?, Essay examples

taj mahal Essays (315 words) - Grammar, Rhetoric, Essay, Copula

For this Peer Review Discussion Board, all students will need to do the following things: 1. Each student will need to create a new thread and attach a copy of his/her essay for review by classmates. Remember that since others are reading the essay, it is important that you always make sure you choose to write about things that you do not mind if others read. You will only receive credit for complete drafts that are a minimum of five full paragraphs. 2. Cut and paste the following questions into your response and thoughtfully and clearly answer the questions concerning the paper you are reviewing , be as helpful as possible to the author of this draft. Use complete sentences and specific examples. What is the essay's dominant impression or thesis? What points does the writer emphasize in the introduction? Should any other points be included? If so, which ones? Would you characterize the essay as primarily an objective or subjective description? What leads you to this conclusion? Point out some examples fo figures of speech. Could the writer use figures of speech in other places? If so, what and where? What specific details does the writer use to help readers visualize what is being described? Where could the writer have used more details? Would a visual have helped readers understand what is being described? Are all the details necessary? Can you identify any that seem excessive or redundant? Where could the writer have provided more details to support the thesis or convey the dominant impression? How are the details arranged? What other arrangement could the writer have used? List some transitional words and phrases the writer uses to help readers follow the discussion. Which sentences need transitional words or phrases to link them together with other sentences? Do any sentences contain misplaced or dangling modifiers? If so, which ones? How effective is the essay's conclus

MILLS Surname Meaning and Family History

MILLS Surname Meaning and Family History The MILLS surname is a last name often bestowed originally on someone who worked in a mill (occupational) or lived near a mill (descriptive). The name derives from the Middle English mille, milne, coming from the  Old English mylen and  the Latin molere, meaning to grind. The mill served a crucial role in most medieval settlements, built to pump water or grind grain. Another possible meaning derives from the Gaelic Milidh, meaning soldier.   See also the MILLER surname. Surname Origin: English, Scottish Alternate Surname Spellings:  MILNE, MILL, MILLIS, MILLE, MILNE, MULL, MILLMAN, MULLEN, MUELEN, VERMEULEN, MOULINS, DESMOULINS Famous People With the Surname MILLS John Mills (born  John Lewis Ernest Watts Mills) - Beloved English actorC. Wright Mills - American sociologistHayley Mills - English actress and daughter of Sir John MillsJohn Stuart Mill - 19th century social and political philosopherJames Mill  (born James Milne)  - Scottish philosopher, historian, and economist  Darius Ogden Mills - American banker, philanthropist and Gold Rush adventurerBertram Wagstaff Mills - British owner of the Bertram Mills Circus Where Is the MILLS  Surname Most Common? According to surname distribution from  Forebears, the Mills surname today is most prevalent in the United States. Its use is fairly evenly distributed across the country, with a slightly higher incidence in some of the states where early milling was common, including North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Indiana. Surname maps from  WorldNames PublicProfiler  indicate the Mills surname is especially common in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Within the UK, Mills is found in greatest numbers in England and Northern Ireland. Genealogy Resources for the Surname MILLS Tips and tricks for researching your MILLS ancestors online. Mills FamilyTreeDNA Project WebsiteThe Mills DNA Surname Project began in October of 2002 and has a large number of participants collaborating in using DNA testing in combination with traditional genealogy research in an effort to identify their common MILLS ancestors. Men with surnames such as  Mills,  Miles, Mull, Milne, Desmoulins, Mullins, Meulen, Vermeulen and Moulins men are encouraged to participate in this Y-DNA surname project. Genealogy of a Mills FamilyA genealogy for one branch of the Mills family that migrated from Virginia to New Hampshire and Maine, compiled by several researchers of the Mills family. Mills  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Mills  family crest or coat of arms for the Mills surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. MILLS  Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Mills  surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Mills query. FamilySearch - MILLS  GenealogyExplore over 4  million  results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Mills surname and variations on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. GeneaNet - Mills  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Mills surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Mills Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Mills surname from the website of Genealogy Today. References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

How to Ask for What You Want at Work

How to Ask for What You Want at Work It’s a fact of life that you will rarely be handed exactly what you want in in your career. It’s up to you to take control of your future and move it in your most ideal direction–if you sit around and wait for people to take notice and reward you, you might be waiting for a long time. If you’re feeling undervalued at work, here’s a surefire plan to organize your thoughts and make a plan before you approach the powers that be.Put into words what is making you unsatisfied. Do you feel your salary is too low? Are your hours too inconsistent? Do you despise working with a specific client?The first step will lead you to the next–and most important–step: identify exactly what it is you want. A raise? A better shift schedule? To be relived of your client? Be specific–it is important to have a concrete goal you can clearly express.Next, envision how your work life will be better if your ideal situation comes true. How might this change make you more valuable to your employer? What are the major selling points you can offer for making this change?Finally, create a plan and put it into action. What is the best method in your workplace for making a change? Send that email or make that call, set up a meeting, and put your best foot (and argument) forward.Even if making and implementing a detailed plan does not lead to your ideal results, your voice and demands will have been heard. If nothing else, a proactive attitude always lets your supervisors know you’re serious about your future.