Health Insurance

Health insurance is an important benefit that every household employee would like to have as a part of their compensation package. There are tax breaks for both the employer and the employee to make this more affordable than you might think. Like all employers, the government encourages household employers to contribute to their employee's health insurance premiums. You can do this by making a portion of the compensation tax free to the employer. Similarly, the employee is not taxed on that portion of the compensation. You have two options: the household employer can choose to be the billing party for the policy, paying the premiums directly to the health insurance company, or the household employer can provide the dollars for premiums to the employee. Either way, the employee savings will be about 20% of the amount of the health insurance contributions and the employer savings will be about 10% of the amount of the health insurance contributions. The tax breaks associated with health insurance create a powerful financial tool enabling nannies and housekeepers to get critical coverage without destroying employer's budgets.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Cell Phone Nunbers go Public in July

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month.
REMINDER..... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.

.... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.
It is the National DO NOT CALL list It will only take a minute of your time.. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON .. It takes about 20 seconds.


http://www.MartaPerrone.com

Patio Furniture Test

Michael Finny, the Consumer Watchdog for ABC solves problems for viewers. The latest question is what kind of "Patio Furniture" is most durable in the sun, rain and wind. Mother Nature is tough on every thing outside and definitely accelerates the wear and tear on outdoor furniture. Steel furniture is durable, but also very heavy to move. Rachel Rothman of Good Housekeeping says that aluminum is much lighter and more durable, but also more expensive. "Wicker is very light weight but not always weather resistant." The conclusion: When buying patio furniture, think of 3 things: weight, most weather resistant and expense. You want to be able to move it around easily, keep it as long as possible looking in good condition and not pay too much!!! Plastic just might be the answer!! But if you want it to look good too, then spring for the higher-end "Wicker".

http://www.theprofessionalhousekeeper.com

The New Teacher: Robot

Children are fascinated with toys that move, so it is no surprise that researchers developing robots who can teach various activities are seeing the possibilities. The innovation is such that the machines are able to learn as they teach which makes them also effective in repetitive therapies that are used to treat developmental problems like autism. In other countries, they are using the robot to serve as an assistant in the classroom and experimenting with having them teach language. They are finding that in many cases, testing the youngsters' knowledge is showing an error reduction of more than 25%. Research in social robotics (a computer science devoted to enhancing communication between humans and machines) find that grade school students are increasing their accuracy when taught by a robot. In San Diego, researchers are working on a robot named RUBI to have 2 main components: mechanical and psychological. RUBI actually can cry when a child tries to harm it (like attempting to take its arms off). With the reaction, the children are backing off at the sound. Apparently it is the machine's behavior that matters in making the child and machine in sync.

As usual, technology advancement brings about an ethical social debate.
Do we really want our children being taught by robots? Would removing the human element to teaching be a problem if you achieve a greater effect to learning?

http://www.martaperrone.com

Housekeepers Alert: Be Good to those Furry Critters!

Gail Posner who died at the age of 67 in March of this year was an heiress, and quite extravagant during her years alive and certainly thereafter. She has left 8 million pounds of her assets in the name of her dearly loved pet canines. Upon dying, she arranged that her Chihuahua, "CONCHITA" (who happens to have a Cartier necklace worth 10,000 pounds) and two other dogs be left a trust fund of 2 million along with a 6 million beach-front manor in Miami. The will also states that her "defenders" and "HOUSEKEEPERS" will receive a massive 17 million pounds and the right to reside without rent in Gail Posner's property while they nurture the animals. Of course, her son is initiating a lawsuit to invalidate his mother's wishes.

Yes, it is important that Housekeepers love those furry critters and know how to care for them because a "pet" can be far more important than a relative.

DAY CARE CENTERS PACKED

Sue Shellenbarger of the WSJ writes about the "Day Care Waiting List" dilemma. Parents are begging for admission and putting their unborn children on the waiting list. This essentially means that children are on a day-care waiting list for approximately 2 years. Women, more than ever are in the work force and 11,000 day care centers nationally are full to capacity. It is on a come-first basis, but infants usually have the longest wait lists. As always, siblings of children already enrolled typically get first dibs on openings. The best advice she offers is to 1) register for child care at least one year before you need it, 2) visit several centers and get your name on more than one wait list, 3) enroll all your children at the same place to get sibling priority, 4) call the center monthly to make sure your status is current, 5) leave contact information anytime you leave travel, 6) plan to enroll in summer when more slots are open, 7) be flexible and take any slot that comes available, and 8) stay on your first choice center even if you are enrolled elsewhere.

REMEMBER THE BABY IN THE BACK OF THE CAR!

It seems astounding that this could be true; the National Safety Council reports that there are about 30 children per year that die of Hyperthermia when left inside vehicles, even when the temperatures are not especially hot. Many of these incidents are as a result of forgetfulness and not just neglect that happen when parents and caretakers inadvertently leave their children in the car. There is an increased sense of awareness around this issue. Jannette Fannell of KidsandCars.org is trying to make a difference by working with Auto Makers to make a reminding device to warn drivers that a child is left behind. However, her efforts to get child-left-behind legislation was unsuccessful. As a result, Kids and Cars is proposing other safety belt latching reminders. The proposed regulation would also mandate child-left-behind warning which could share electronics with the belt reminder. http://www.theprofessionalhousekeeper.com