Even though your kids want a pet and promise to take care of it, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are mature enough to handle the responsibilities of pet ownership. Pets offer companionship and teach children important life lessons about friendship and responsibility, however, some pets are better than others for certain ages and lifestyles. Following are 7 tips for choosing an age-appropriate pet for your family:

1. Choose a social pet Consider choosing an animal that has already been socialized and knows how to behave around children, such as an older cat or a dog with a history of getting along well with young children. Families with small children should be wary of bringing home a new puppy or kitten since baby animals require extra care and are more prone to scratching and playful biting.

2. Learn about breeds. Using dogs as an example, it’s important to know that some breeds, such as Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers, are traditionally gentle and friendly and, thus, offer a great choice for families with small children. Find information on different breeds online or at the library. Ask veterinarians or friends with similar pets about their experiences. Determine if you can accommodate the type of pet based on their exercise, space and attention requirements.

3. Practice first. If you have never owned a dog before, be sure to do a trial run with a relative or a friend’s dog before committing to the real deal. This way, you can make sure your kids are capable of tackling the responsibilities of caring for a pet.

4. Teach behavior. Show your kids how to act appropriately around animals, such as how to handle their new pet without squeezing, dropping, or disturbing the animal. Remind them to always wash their hands after handling any animal. Never leave a small child alone with a dog or cat until you know the pet is trained to stay calm. Remind children to ask the owner before approaching animals they don’t know.

5. Consider your schedule. Think about how much space you have inside and outside your home to accommodate a pet, how often you are home, and if you have time to devote to feeding, walking and cleaning up after a pet. This will help you determine if you want a pet that needs a lot of attention, or if you want a pet that requires minimal interaction. Also consider any allergies of family members before bringing a pet home.

6. Be prepared. Discuss the pet’s needs and type of care required and try to have all the equipment ready in your home before the new pet arrives.

7. Clean up potential hazards. When bringing a pet into your home, you will need to pet-proof it as you have childproofed your home, such as removing plants that are poisonous if ingested and securing electrical cords so the pet won’t chew on them.

Following are age-appropriate pet recommendations:

• Ages 3 to 5: Consider a guinea pig for preschoolers. Guinea pigs are gentle, like to be held and rarely bite.

• Ages 6 to 10: Consider “shelf pets” for elementary-age kids, such as fish, mice, hamsters and gerbils.
• Ages 10 to 13: Consider rabbits, dogs and cats for tweens.
• Ages 14 and up: Consider a bird or fish for teenagers. These low maintenance options are great for older kids who are busy with school and extracurricular activities.

Following are age-appropriate pet chores:

• Ages 3 to 6: Play with the pet while supervised, help pick up pet toys and wipe up spills caused by the pet.

• Ages 7 to 10: Feed and brush the pet. If the pet is a dog, this age group can help walk the dog.
• Ages 10 and up: Clean a cage, walk a dog, empty a litter box, bathe a pet and help give medications.

Hilary Basile is a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com at http://www.myguidesusa.com, you will find valuable tips and resources for handling life’s major events. Whether you’re planning a wedding, buying your first home, anxiously awaiting the birth of a child, contending with a divorce, searching for a new job, or planning for your retirement, you’ll find answers to your questions at MyGuidesUSA.com

Find parenting tips and resources at http://becomingaparent.myguidesusa.com

It seems that no matter what you do with your money or where you put it, the government wants some part of it. You can’t even buy a cheap and greasy fast food meal without paying taxes on your plate of poison these days! And when it comes to property sales, many homeowners and sellers are looking for ways to cut back on that tax liability of theirs, and 1031 deferred exchanges may be the answer or at least part of the answer for many. These arrangements have become more and more popular in recent years and many are taking advantage of them. But what exactly are 1031 exchanges, and how do they work? What are the benefits, and what are the requirements? Of course you should consult with an attorney to be sure of all the requirements for you, but we can give you a general review in this brief article.

Paying Taxes on Equity

The government typically assumes that if you sell a home that has equity in it, that amount of money that you make over and above any mortgages or liens on the home should be considered as profit. Typically a seller would then pay taxes on that amount at the end of the year. However, with 1031 deferred exchanges, you may actually put off paying taxes on this home for some time. How so?

The IRS Code provides for a deferment of taxes on the disposal of a property if that property is replaced with the reinvestment of the proceeds from the sale into another property of equal or greater value. The arrangement of 1031 deferred exchanges provides for the idea that there has been no real equity from the sale of the property since it has been traded or exchanged for property of approximately the same value.

Taxes Deferred, Not Excused

It’s important to remember that deferred means that your tax bill is not excused; it is simply deferred or put off. When the property you’ve purchased as a replacement is sold then the original gain you received along with any additional gain from this sale is then subject to taxation. Of course, this is assuming that there will be gain from the sale of the second property, but that tax bill will of course eventually become due.

Benefits of 1031 Deferred Exchanges

Why would a property owner investigate such an option? One of the most obvious benefits of the deferred exchanges is that if you are allowed to defer your tax bill, then you have that money available to you to invest to do what you want with it, rather than making a payment to the government for it. Also, if you are able to defer you tax bill you can then reallocate your investment in your portfolio without immediately paying taxes on those gains.

Requirements for 1031 Deferred Exchanges

Obviously there are some stringent requirements for a property sale and purchase to qualify for exchanges. For one, the value of the replacement property must be equal to or greater than the value of the property that has been sold or exchanged, as must the equity in the replacement property.

Also, the debt on the replacement property must be equal to or greater than the debt on the exchanged property, and all proceeds from the sale of the relinquished property must be used to acquire the replacement property. The seller of the property may not receive the proceeds or take receipt of funds for the sale in any way. The seller also has only 180 days to after the sale of the relinquished property to complete the exchange.

These of course are just some basic requirements for 1031 deferred exchanges. You should of course consult a property attorney before you agree to such an exchange to be sure that your taxes will in fact be deferred.

David Cowley has created numerous articles on real estate investing. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to real estate investing. Visit Real Estate Investing

If the thought of children receiving poor child-care sets your blood to boiling, you clearly have a heart for kids, which is the number one factor for creating a successful child care business. But, the truth is, even if you have a passion for children, running a day care center is a lot of work!

Like any home-based business, there are both pros and cons. It’s up to you to decide whether the pros outweigh the cons, or vice-versa. Below is a list of some specific aspects of starting a day care center, including the good and the bad about each one Take them into consideration as you make the choice of whether starting a Day Care Center is right for you.

THE KIDS

- The Good: Starting a day care would enable you to spend your day doing what you enjoy doing-being around kids!

- The Bad: The kids aren’t bad themselves, but their actions can be. Kids are definitely challenging. If you struggle with patience, anger, or get easily frustrated, child care may not be the job for you.

CONVENIENCE

- The Good: The work comes to you. If you have kids yourself, the start-up cost will be minimal, as toys probably abound in your home anyway. If there’s extra food to purchase, you can just pick it up during your regular weekly grocery shopping. And an added bonus: you can claim these items on your taxes at the end of the year!

- The Bad: Your home may take a hit…the mess, stained carpeting, sticky floors…it all comes with the job. If you are someone who takes pride in your spotless home, you would be in for a rude awakening. Besides that, you’re pretty much stuck in one place for an extended period of time. Not the most appealing to those who like to be out and about during the day.

JOB SECURITY

- The Good: The demand for child care has never been so high. There will likely never be a shortage of kids needing good care.

- The Bad: Especially with today’s economy, you never know when a parent will lose a job or need to pull their child out of day care. You could have four kids one day, one the next.

INCOME

- The Good: The income potential is huge. Day care is not, nor should it be, cheap. Depending on how many kids you decide to take in, and the going-rate in your area, from a financial standpoint, starting a day care is a great choice.

- The Bad: See Job Security (above). Consistent income for any length of time may be hard to come by. As kids come and go, your income will, too. Also, remember that you will not get any paid sick days, vacation days or health benefits. If you or your children are sick, you will basically lose a day or two of income.

FLEXIBILITY

- The Good: Flexible Hours AND work load. You decide how many hours you want to work. Maybe it’s full-time, 8 to 6 every day. Or two days per week. Maybe you prefer afternoons only. Or even evenings, to accommodate second shift parents. It’s completely up to you! You also choose your own work load. Do you want to take four kids or just one? The number of children you are legally allowed to care for varies. Be sure to check your particular state laws.

- The Bad: You might not be able to find the exact schedule you want. Compromise just may be inevitable.

TECHNICAL STUFF

- The Good: There are a ton of tax write-offs for the licensed day care provider. You might want to check out the following link, which lists all kinds of helpful sites by State:

http://www.nccic.org/statedata/dirs/regoffic.html

- The Bad: The tax laws tend to be complex. There are lots of ins and outs you’ll need to learn. Permits and licenses to earn and apply for. You’ll need to consider whether this will be a problem for you. And, if you have any children of your own, your write-off allowance for toys and such will certainly be affected.

This only gives a glimpse at some of the pros and cons to starting a child care business in your home. If you find that the benefits outweigh the negative aspects, this may just be the job for you!

Visit WahmZone, the ultimate community for the Wahm and all Work At Home Moms. Learn about Working From Home as well.

When choosing their equipment, women golfers have largely the same considerations to think about as men. Just as for men, we would advise starting with a club pack as your first set, with a combination of driver, fairway woods, hybrids to replace the long irons, irons from 5-SW and a putter. Most new golfers find that they rely on their 7-iron and pitching wedge at first, slowly gaining familiarity with the other clubs. Equally the same as for men, we would recommend cheaper cavity back, cast head on your clubs, as the more refined forged blades are really for the better player. And we’d recommend a set of two or three wedges, to play all the chip shots, and probably a mallet putter as these are easiest to align, and weighted to help you achieve a square, balanced stroke.

Women’s shafts are crucial to help you play your best

However, for the women’s game, there are special options to consider. The shaft is the axle of the club, so the better the shaft, the better the club. As your game improves, it is very much worth considering investing in decent ladies’ clubs, with ladies’ flex.

Ladies’ flex

Flex has a major effect on the feel of the club, and also makes a difference to the distance you will achieve. Most women struggle to really power down on the ball - when hitting a driver, they tend to achieve a swing speed of less than 60mph. This would give a carry distance of under 180 yards. If you use a driver with a ladies’ flex, then you will be maximising the carry of the ball, whereas if you tried to hit a driver with a stiff shaft, designed for swing speeds of over 80mph, you would probably find it difficult to achieve the momentum you desire.

Ladies’ loft

Loft angle has a major effect on distance off the tee, and generally the slower your swing speed, the higher loft you should choose, to really get the ball airborne so it can travel further. You should be looking at lofts of 13-15 degrees in a driver.

Graphite shafts

To help achieve a faster swing speed, women are also more likely to do well with graphite shafts in their woods, as these are more flexible and lighter than steel. You may also consider them for your irons, as you will probably find them easier to swing.

Get the length right

In terms of length, it is worth getting measured to make sure your clubs are right for your height. If they are too long, you will find your whole set-up is out of kilter and you are probably making lots of mis-hits. Do it yourself by taking a wrist-to-floor measurement from the crease of your left hand (for right-handed players) down to your feet and then making a simple calculation. For example, if you are between 5′4″ and 5′7″ in height, but your wrist-to-floor measurement is between 33 and 34″, then you will need shafts which are a quarter to half an inch shorter than standard. If however your wrist to floor measurement is 36 to 37 inches, you will need clubs half an inch longer.

Callaway and Ping both supply excellent ranges of clubs for women, with their Big Bertha ladies ranges (Callaway) and G5L (Ping). Wilson also has a substantial women’s range, with their L6 series of irons, hybrids, woods and more.

Choose the right golf balls

For women as much as men balls can make a big difference to your game, the more complex multi-layer constructions will provide more feel and control, whilst the simple two-layer offerings will give you the distance you need before you start to think about finesse. But for women, balls such as the Srixon Soft Feel for Ladies (pic) are designed to give a higher launch trajectory for greater overall distance, performing best in tandem with women’s slower swing speeds. They should also provide excellent feel around the greens.

Choosing the right golf shoes

There two different types are recommended for both men and women - a heavier-duty winter pair and a lighter summer one which allows the feet to breathe. For women, of course, style is all important, so why not consider something like FootJoy AquaLites which offer women golfers ultra-lightweight comfort with added stability. This performance waterproof golf shoe comes in a choice of styles, at affordable prices. Meanwhile, Hi-Tec has now brought out several shoes incorporating their excellent CDT (custom directional tracking) technology for women, for unbeatable stability.

Choosing the right golf bag

For women just as for men, golf bags have enjoyed a high-tech makeover in recent years with everything from lightweight parachute materials and graphite-friendly tops to ‘club management systems’ and mobile phone pockets revolutionizing the market. 2007 will see the bag scientists pushing the boundaries further, with ergonomic handles, adjustable dividers, elaborate trolley-fixing mechanisms, ingenious shoulder harnesses and more.

But for all that, your main options when choosing a bag are a sturdy cart bag (some are specifically designed for buggies, so be sure to check), a stand bag suitable for trolley or carrying; or the new generation of lightweight ‘pencil’ carry models for a quick nine holes. And when it comes to women’s bags, the idea is to make them as light-weight and easy to handle as possible, as well as colour-coordinated to go with the rest of your equipment. Sun Mountain, Wilson and Yonex all have excellent women’s bag ranges available.

Finally of course when it comes to clothing you want to look your best, and these days there are golf clothes that perform, keeping you cool in hot weather and dry in wet, without making you look like you’ve been stranded in the 70s! All leading manufacturers provide women’s options, from simple golf tops through to waterproofs, and there are even gloves, such as the Wilson Staff Grip Soft, which are designed for the shape of women’s hands.

For more information on Ladies Golf Equipment read here.