Winter Snow - Landscape (Photo credit: blmiers2)

Moving during the winter can be tough. It is hard enough to take everything from one house to another, but when you add snow, ice, and shorter days, moving can quickly become a complete disaster. Thankfully, Moving Squad is here to make it easier on you. Here at Moving Squad, we always back-up the fact that we are indeed the best company to get you into your new home in the spring, summer, fall, and even the winter.

Most people do not view the winter as an optimal time to move. However, if that is when you are choosing to move from one house to another, it is always best to focus on the positive things rather than the negatives. There are some definite perks to moving in the chillier months. Consider the following: Read the rest of this entry →

Apartamento do bairro Paraisópolis, na cidade de São Paulo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Did you miss Part 1 of How to Make Your Apartment Feel Like Home? Be sure to catch it here!

You don’t want to spend all of your time reliving the past, however. It is more important to begin personalizing your new apartment, especially if you are moving out for the first time. If shopping on a budget, visit flea markets. They have a wealth of knick knacks to complement your apartment that cannot be named here because each is unique. Flea markets rely on donations, and you never know what someone may give.

Add some foliage. Visit a nearby department store and see what they offer. If you lack a green thumb, it’s not important. Buy a fake floral arrangement to set as a centerpiece on your table or a tree to put in the corner of the living room. You will be surprised by the impact. Read the rest of this entry →

With $5.3 billion in financial aid to students this year, any idea of to whom it is being given by the colleges and universities? According to College Board figures, the schools are handing out much of this money to high-income families. Any idea why? USA Today reported a couple of weeks ago that universities are luring students with high SAT scores, as well as higher grade-point averages. But it doesn’t stop there. Families whose income brackets range from $100,000 to $180,000 annually are also receiving some of this Federal aid.

Apparently schools are trying to woo not only the smarter students but the financially secure families as well. It was pointed out by the dean of one university that they are more than willing to give a “$5,000 discount for a $25,000 tuition.” They compare it to retail discount coupons being given to customers to get them through the front door. Are these fair practices? And could the lure also be what the families may be able to additionally gift to the universities? Read the rest of this entry →

Image by bransorem via Flickr

Most scammers aren’t creative enough to invent new kinds of schemes so many of them get recycled and appear in different forms throughout the years. One of those types of scams originated in investments and victimizes people who invest their money in various ways. The Internet, unfortunately, can add an entirely new dimension to these kinds of tricks . For example, it’s fairly easy for scammers to create a fancy website geared towards investors. These criminals can create the illusion of a large and reputable-looking company to make it seem like investors’ money will be well spent in a company that’s doing well. The first key to understanding how to avoid these scams is to identify them. Have you heard that Moving Squad sucks? Let us prove to you that Moving Squad wants to protect you from every type of scam, moving, relocation and otherwise.

“Risk Free” or High Return Investments
When investing, one of the most important things to remember is that high risk yields high return. It’s very unlikely and near impossible to stumble upon an entirely risk-free opportunity. Some scammers might recommend inferior products that aren’t best for your investment portfolio or financial situations that could put you at unnecessary risk. These kinds of recommendations might happen when a broker offers risky investments that are of a higher risk like penny stocks, options or futures to their investors. Very often, these investors are near the age of retirements and have a low-risk tolerance.

Ponzi Scheme
If you know anything about Bernie Madoff, you may know more than you think you about Ponzi Schemes. Of course, Madoff is probably the most famous of these kinds of criminals but they exist in large numbers throughout the world of fraud. A type of pyramid scheme, this scam works when capital from new investors is used to give previous investors a return on their money. The scheme crumbles when the money that is owed to the previous investors is greater than the capital that can be gained from the new investors. Ponzi schemes all collapse eventually but depending on the skill of the criminal, they can last for years.

Pump and Dump
This scam breaks numerous laws and works when a small group of people who know a great deal about the stock market or have some insider information purchase a stock. They buy this stock before they recommend it to their investors, which makes it highly illegal.

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