Crime Never Takes A Vacation – What Intruders Don’t Want You To Know

Written by Ascot Media Group on November 22, 2011. Posted in Breaking News, Business, Financial, News, Safety, Security, Self Help

Nashville, TN, – Our lagging economy has spurned a dramatic increase in burglaries and home invasions across the country, with agencies reporting an increase in 2010 after falling for a number of years. What is especially troubling is that these crimes have increased in the suburbs and small towns – places where it rarely happened before.

“The numbers reflect what we have been hearing from listeners all over the country. The bad economy has caused an increase in crime and it is happening everywhere”, says home security expert, Alan Young. Over the past three months, Young has conducted nearly 100 radio interviews, giving listeners tips on how not to become victims of a growing burglary and home invasion epidemic. Young is CEO of Armor Concepts LLC and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, The Today Show, and The Discovery Channel, as well as numerous local news segments.

Young’s common sense approach to home security, which focuses on economical ways to keep from becoming a victim, has suddenly made him a very popular guest for radio show hosts. “It was really interesting to hear his common sense approach to security. I know that it made me think, especially the part about alarm systems… “ said Georgianne Kiricoples, host of the “Breaking Through” radio show.

According to Young, there are three keys to making sure that your home is secure. The first is simple, “Use some common sense. Don’t post vacation plans on Facebook and don’t post vacation photos while still on vacation. Many burglaries are committed by someone you know or by someone connected to someone you know. Letting the world know that you’re not home is an easy way to become a target.”

The second key is to make your home a less attractive target than your neighbor’s home. Sounds crazy, but according to Young, “If you and your neighbor are being chased by a dog, you don’t need to be faster than the dog, just your neighbor. Make your home a less attractive target and thieves will go somewhere else – unless you have something that they really want.” Steps to making your home less attractive to burglars include cutting shrubs and properly lighting the inside and outside of your home.

The third key is to secure the exterior of your home. “Most people think about home alarm systems as home security. An alarm simply tells you that someone is inside your house and police response times are often greater than 20 minutes. A home alarm is the equivalent of having OnStar in your car. Would you not buckle your seat belt because OnStar will call the police after you have an accident? Alarms are a good addition to your home’s security but 85% of all break-ins are through a door. Secure your doors and you greatly increase your likelihood of success against a burglar.”

For door security, Young recommends EZ Armor, an inexpensive kit that reinforces the jamb, locks and hinges on an exterior entry door. The kit can be installed in about 30 minutes by a do-it-yourselfer and is guaranteed to help prevent kick-ins. EZ Armor can be purchased at Lowe’s, many ACE Hardware stores and online at www.armorconcepts.com. He also recommends upgrading your deadbolt to an ANSI certified Grade 1 lock. There are several models, including one from Schlage, that can be purchased at many hardware stores.

“Security does not need to cost a lot, it just needs to work. Anyone that tells you otherwise is taking you for a ride. With a little common sense and a little effort you can effectively secure your home,” concluded Young. Many other home security tips, along with recommendations for what to do after a burglary, can be found at www.armorconcepts.com.

Young was featured on Nashville news last year when a couple in Murfreesboro, TN were victims of burglary and then avoided a repeat offense by taking Young’s advice. After being robbed, the couple installed EZ Armor as kick-in prevention on their door. When the same burglar came back weeks later and tried to kick in the same door, he made so much noise that the neighbors called the police and he was apprehended.

Alan S. Young is CEO of Armor Concepts LLC. Mr. Young and Armor Concepts have been featured on The CBS Early Show, The Today Show, The Discovery Channel show “It Takes a Thief” and numerous local news segments. Armor Concepts’ Door Jamb Armor, EZ Armor and FIX-A-JAMB products are sold nationally through Lowe’s, ACE Hardware, Do-It-Best and on their web site at www.armorconcepts.com.

NEW COST BASIS LEGISLATION LEAVES INVESTORS WHO PURCHASED PRIOR TO JANUARY 1, 2011 TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES

Written by Ascot Media Group on February 14, 2011. Posted in Financial

Although the Cost Basis legislation which requires brokers to report their clients’ cost basis has gone into effect as of January 1, 2011, what most investors don’t realize is that the requirement is only for securities purchased after January 1, 2011. That means that brokerage firms are only responsible for what was purchased this year going forward and not for the millions upon millions of shares that investors currently own. This is potentially a huge problem for investors because at the end of the day, they are responsible for accurately reporting their capital gains/losses to the IRS.

In the last several years, Cost Basis has taken center stage with the IRS, Congress and the Financial Services industry. The focus began back in 2005 when the IRS reported over $11 Billion dollars in underreported capital gains by taxpayers in their Tax Gap Study. Then in 2008, the Economic Stabilization Act was passed by Congress which included the Cost Basis Legislation and since then, the financial industry has been busy making sure that they will be compliant going forward from 2011 for stocks and 2012 for mutual funds.

So what does that mean for an investor with a broker and an investor without a broker? Practically the same thing, unless your brokerage firm is going to provide you with your cost basis for the stocks you already own as a customer service. If not, then it means that you will have to calculate and be legally responsible for your cost basis information as much as the guy who trades online in his underwear at 2:00 a.m.! As many investors already know, trying to get the purchase or sale price of all your reinvested dividends, corporate actions, and other critical pieces of information necessary to calculate your adjusted cost basis, is time consuming, frustrating and susceptible to human error.

Recently there have been articles and blogs telling investors where they can go to research pricing and corporate action information in order to calculate their cost basis, but Cost Basis adjustment was always a very difficult calculation, even for professionals, so how is an investor supposed to research and calculate this information accurately enough to report to the Internal Revenue Service? What wasn’t widely known until now is that there is an amazing online tool available to the public. It is called NetBasis and is available at www.netbasis.com.

NetBasis can automatically calculate the adjusted cost basis for any security going back as far as 1925. It will take into consideration all corporate actions as well as any possible dividend returns or return of capital that may have occurred during the exact holding period of the investment, so the information is specifically tailored to the individual investor. It isn’t a table where you try to see where your investment fits in, nor is it just a pricing list where you have to figure out the rest. You simply choose your security, enter in your purchase and sales date(s) and number of shares, and NetBasis does the rest in seconds. It also gives you the ability to choose your accounting method which investors are now able to do under the Cost Basis legislation. NetBasis can also calculate the cost basis for securities that were gifted or inherited.

NetBasis is a system that was originally designed for the financial services industry. A professional version of NetBasis is currently being used by brokerage firms, accounting firms, Fortune 500 companies, and universities, but now everyday American investors can access the same tool and get the same accurate results. For a small fee of $19.50, an investor can enter multiple buys and sells for one security and receive their adjusted cost basis, gain/loss, sale proceeds, fair market value, and a detailed accounting page that provides a chronological listing of all of the corporate actions and other adjustments that have occurred to your security.