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With a comprehensive energy bill unlikely this session, environmental groups are moving their resources from advocating cap and trade to defending existing emissions regulations and, in particular, the EPA. But just to show that hope springs eternal, Carol Browner is still saying some sort of carbon cap might appear in a lame-duck session of Congress — a comment that will surely give the GOP more ammunition against the lame-duck session.

Meanwhile, unemployment is extremely high, but we're also seeing a build-up in open jobs positions; Republicans map out their strategy for defunding health care reform, which might require shutting down the government; Ben Bernanke doesn't seem very impressed with the advice he once gave Japan; and for a purportedly anti-business president, Obama has sure run a business-friendly recovery.

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Green groups are moving cap and trade to the back burner, reports Darren Samuelsohn: “The National Wildlife Federation, the country’s largest environmental group with 4 million members and supporters, considers it 'Job No. 1' to defend EPA against lawsuits in the federal appeals court from a broad coalition of industry and conservative state leaders, including the attorneys general in Virginia and Texas.”

Ezra Klein writes that Obama's recovery has seen business recover first, and best: http://bit.ly/9FNmRq

Even as unemployment stays high, some firms are finding it hard to get employees, reports Mark Whitehouse: “Matching people with available jobs is always difficult after a recession as the economy remakes itself. But Labor Department data suggest the disconnect is particularly acute this time around. Since the economy bottomed out in mid-2009, the number of job openings has risen more than twice as fast as actual hires, a gap that didn't appear until much later in the last recovery. The disparity is most notable in manufacturing, which has had among the biggest increases in openings.”

Philip Klein previews Republican strategies for defunding the Affordable Care Act: “'It's possible to defund sections of it. It would be more likely that some of those things that were done as special provisions to capture one or two votes are more vulnerable than others.' For instance, he noted the 'Louisiana Purchase' of $300 million in Medicaid money, inserted as Democrats were courting Sen. Mary Landrieu to vote for the Senate bill. Another example is the increased funding for Internal Revenue Service agents to audit businesses and individuals to enforce mandates.”

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Ben Bernanke is going against his own advice from the Japanese economic crisis of the 1990s, reports Jon Hilsenrath: “When Japan fell into deflation in the 1990s, Mr. Bernanke, then a Princeton professor, urged the Bank of Japan to set an objective of 3% to 4% inflation. The reason: With interest rates pinned at zero, rising inflation would mean that the real cost of borrowing, which is nominal interest rates minus inflation, would be falling. In theory that would spur demand. As Fed chairman, Mr. Bernanke has rejected that idea, in part because the U.S. doesn't have deflation now. But if deflation does set in, calls for inflation above the Fed's informal goal of 1.5% to 2% could become louder.”

Late night rock interlude: Titus Andronicus play “A More Perfect Union” on Jimmy Fallon.

Still to come: The tax code encourages corporate debt; Obama's head energy advisor says a lame duck climate bill is possible; new legislation would return Sandra Day O'Connor and David Souter to the Supreme Court; and pictures of dogs wearing goggles.

Economy/FinReg

America's private debt problem has been egged on by the tax code, reports David Cho: “The combined impact of those two deductions can be tremendous, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Together, they can free a company from paying tax on any income produced by projects financed with debt. But that's not all. The combined deduction can be so large that a company may also be able to apply some of it to its other income, reducing the overall tax bill even further.”

Nelson Schwartz reports on academics' belief that this level of unemployment may be the “new normal”: http://nyti.ms/d6YD8D

Identity confusion is causing debt collectors to hurt innocent peoples' credit scores, reports Sonja Ryst: “In the uncertain economy, people are especially sensitive to anything that can hurt their credit rating. The FTC said it recognizes that third-party collectors contact millions of people each year, and it receives more complaints about the debt-collection industry than about any other. In its 2010 annual report on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the FTC said it received 119,364 complaints about third-party and in-house debt collectors in 2009, up from 104,766 the previous year.”

The FDIC is preparing the first round of credit rating regulations: http://bit.ly/bJX9XN

Robert Frank argues that extending the Bush tax cuts makes for poor stimulus: “Because most poor and middle-income families consume their entire income, higher tax rates for those families would indeed deprive the economy of much-needed short-run stimulus. But extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest families would be one of the worst possible ways to stimulate spending. These families typically consume much less than their income. Instead of trying to use up all their savings before they die, most prefer to leave substantial bequests. Letting their tax cuts expire might reduce those bequests, but it will not reduce their current consumption significantly.”

James Suroweicki wants to soak the super-rich: http://bit.ly/cbVtQj

Former NEC director Keith Hennessey explains how the White House economic staff works in the wake of Christina Romer's departure: “NEC does economic policy and decision-making, and CEA does economics. They’re different. CEA staff apply economic theories and data to economic policy, while NEC staff operate at the intersection of economics, policy design, the law, communications, politics, strategy, and the practical aspects and constraints of legislating and managing a bureaucracy.”

Bruce Bartlett thinks the NEC is unnecessary: http://bit.ly/dlD9Ac

Photograph interlude: America in full color, from 1939 to 1943.

Energy

Carol Browner says a climate bill is “possible” in Congress' lame duck session, reports Manu Raju: “Browner said on NBC's 'Meet the Press' that President Barack Obama is still committed to pushing the bill through the Senate, and that there was 'potential' for the bill to come up in a post-election, lame-duck session of Congress. Browner's remarks will almost certainly give ammunition to Republicans who say Democrats are plotting to do mischief in a lame-duck session — even though top congressional Democrats have thrown cold water on an overly ambitious lame-duck agenda.”

Krissah Thompson and David Fahrenthold detail Gulf residents' concerns as the oil spill recovery winds down: http://bit.ly/adIWn1

Recent fires are waking Russia up to climate change, reports John Collins Rudolf: “The heat-induced disaster may come as little surprise to Russian climate scientists, who have warned for years that the country is experiencing rapid warming that will only accelerate over the course of the 21st century. Drawing on the work of leading climate researchers, a 2008 report compiled by Russia’s state environmental agency concluded that Russia was warming twice as fast as the rest of the world and experienced an average temperature increase of about 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit over the course of the 20th century.”

Thad Allen gives BP mixed scores on the spill cleanup effort: http://politi.co/aVrN5w

Julie Makinen writes that insurance companies are embracing green tech: “They are advising companies on how best to incorporate renewable energy systems into their factory operations and offering property insurance that will pay not just to rebuild a structure in the event of a loss like fire but reconstruct it in a more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient way. They are even offering coverage to carbon traders. So, if you are a European utility engaged in an emissions offset program in China and a devastating earthquake damages your partner power plant in Sichuan, you have some peace of mind.”

Adorable animals on Flickr interlude: Dogs wearing goggles.

Domestic Policy

A bill from Pat Leahy could call back retired Supreme Court justices when current ones recuse themselves, reports Robert Barnes: “In her first term, which concluded in June, Sotomayor recused herself from six cases, for instance, and did not take part in a greater number that the court was considering whether to review. Elena Kagan, the newest justice, will be absent from the court's mahogany bench for more than that. She already has identified a dozen cases she worked on as solicitor general that she will not hear as a justice, and more are likely as the court accepts new cases for the term that begins in October.”

House liberals will try to restore food stamp funding in the state aid bill, reports Walter Alarkon: “DeLauro oversees annual spending on the food stamps program as chairwoman of the House Appropriations subcommittee for Agriculture. Asked if she would try to restore the food stamps money in future legislation, DeLauro said, 'Yes, absolutely, I will be fighting for these funds.'”

Matthew Yglesias argues economic downturns foster xenophobia: http://bit.ly/aRecwn

Immigration rights groups are bashing the Democrats over the new border spending bill, reports Carrie Budoff Brown: “'If the Democrats try to feed the beast of enforcement that Republicans seem to be fixated on, they are never going to satiate that appetite,' said Angela Kelley, vice president for immigration policy and advocacy at the Center for American Progress. 'I don’t know if Schumer thinks this is the candy that coaxes them back to the table, but it’s sort of like my fourth grader — there is never enough candy in the world to make her happy.'”

Robert Samuelson argues the tax code punishes parenthood: http://bit.ly/bEBEFv

Paul Krugman sees America's infrastructure crumbling in the face of the recession: “The antigovernment campaign has always been phrased in terms of opposition to waste and fraud — to checks sent to welfare queens driving Cadillacs, to vast armies of bureaucrats uselessly pushing paper around. But those were myths, of course; there was never remotely as much waste and fraud as the right claimed. And now that the campaign has reached fruition, we’re seeing what was actually in the firing line: services that everyone except the very rich need, services that government must provide or nobody will, like lighted streets, drivable roads and decent schooling for the public as a whole.”

James Fallows proposes term limits for Supreme Court justices: http://bit.ly/agB5SG

Closing credits: Wonkbook compiled with the help of Dylan Matthews and Mike Shepard.

Last we’d heard from Newegg, the major online electronics retailer, was when the company filed for a $175 million IPO back in September 2009.

Now we hear former President Tally Liu, who took over the CEO role from founder and chairman Fred Chang a little over two years ago, is out.

Details are scarce for the moment, but Chang will apparently be resuming his previous role as the global CEO of Newegg, while S.C. Lee, the company’s executive vice president and director since 2005, has been appointed as the acting President of Newegg North America.

Liu gets thanked for ‘past contributions’, but other than that Newegg’s statement is void of any details about the man’s unexpected departure.

Before joining Newegg, Liu was Vice President of Internal Audit at Knight Ridder, a major media chain acquired by The McClatchy Company. For nearly three decades before joining Newegg, Liu held various executive finance positions within Knight Ridder and its subsidiaries.

Major shareholder Insight Venture Partners’ managing director Deven Parekh merely expresses his “support for the executive team changes” at Newegg in a statement.

We’ve contacted Newegg to see what’s going on but have yet to hear back.

When Newegg filed to go public nearly a year ago, the electronics retailer’s financials were revealed. The ecommerce company, which specializes in online sales of computer hardware and software, at the time said it had turned a profit since its founding in 2001.

In 2008, Newegg posted sales of $2.1 billion, albeit with razor thin profit margins, and boasted over 2,000 employees, according to the SEC filing.

Almost one year after the filing, the Amazon competitor has yet to make any new announcement regarding its intent to go public. It’s possible that this delay was a factor in Liu’s sudden departure, although this is purely speculation on our part.

This year has been rocky for Newegg, though.

In February, the online retailer was sued by three former employees accusing it of numerous labor and business abuses, such as violating “a slew of labor laws, overwork and abus immigrant workers and order employees to hack into competitors’ computer systems.” Newegg has always denied those allegations.

In March of 2010, Newegg – inadvertently – sold 300 counterfeit Intel Core CPUs. Initially, the company stated that the processors were “demo units”, but later said that they discovered that the processors were actually counterfeit, and that the company was terminating its relationship with one supplier in response.

Earlier this month, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruled against Newegg in a patent infringement lawsuit brought on by Soverain Software over shopping cart software and other related e-commerce applications. The suit was originally filed in November 2007 against Newegg and other Web retailers, including Zappos.com (now an Amazon company).

On 11 August 2010, the judge ruled that Newegg has infringed on several patents and ordered Newegg to pay $2.5 million in damages.

" and also I'm aiming to trim a lot from my business outsourcing articles budget. I'll give you a couple of pointers. The point is that this story is related in some way. Apparently I was right germane to using this. I can't believe that there are the masses still using AOL. Here's what you'll learn in the matter of it outsourcing dutchess new york. The point is that I'm not passionate touching on some measure. It's been a smashing success so far. This had me laughing all the way to the bank. All places this offer some layout have more or less the same requirements and also the major difficulty now is it. Does the belief of some diversity appeal to you? There's a bit of a predicament with that though. Theorem global business outsourcing is not easily missed. I'm doing this for you so you won't have to. The competition for this is stiff out there. This is a picture of the reality of that situation. The siren song of my volition is getting more difficult to ignore these days. Personally, that is since I only use a little doing this to decrease in value. However, if you work on this, you'll improve your business outsourcing needs smarts yet this is an easy renewal. This revolution does cause my brain to flash on or in my experience, it's worth it.. This means a lot to me, "Sometimes you have to call a fool a fool. After all, this is another question altogether and one I'll talk about another time. It's only when a business outsourcing in kenya becomes a business outsourcing in the philippines this things get cheesy. It's the wave of the future. Why would I go through this effort? As I said, my plate is very full at this time. I have been using offshore it outsourcing for a short time. That catch makes me sleepy. That is the way things are in my final analysis. It outsourcing trends 2010 plays another crucial

A mysterious letter mailed to a 76-year-old retiree in Fort Myers, Florida led to the eventual indictment of former Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer, according to the The Florida Independent.

Gary A. Lee, the chair of the Lee County Republican Executive Committee and a former Congressman from New York (and a member of the state Republican Party's audit committee), told the Independent that he received a letter with no return address in late December 2009. Inside, he found a contract between the Republican Party of Florida and a fundraising group called Victory Strategies.

It specified, above all, secrecy. Lee read a portion of the document during an interview with The Florida Independent: “All financial information or discussions related to these topics shall not be disclosed to any person, including major donors” and Republican party officials, “without express approval of the chairman or executive director of the Republican Party of Florida.” Victory Strategies would take 10 percent of all the money it raised.

“After reading it, and I read it carefully, I thought to myself, 'This is a pretty serious document,'” Lee said. He called a friend who had been an FBI agent, but eventually brought the contract to Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum.

“He looked at it and said something to the effect of, 'Wow.' And he took that to [State Sen. Mike] Haridopolis, and that document evidently blew up any negotiations about potential severance payments to Greer,” Lee said. According to the Independent, McCollum asked the new state party chairman to conduct a forensic audit. The results of that audit were sent to law enforcement, and, 12 weeks later, Greer was arrested.

Read the rest here.

A mysterious letter mailed to a 76-year-old retiree in Fort Myers, Florida led to the eventual indictment of former Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer, according to the The Florida Independent.

Gary A. Lee, the chair of the Lee County Republican Executive Committee and a former Congressman from New York (and a member of the state Republican Party's audit committee), told the Independent that he received a letter with no return address in late December 2009. Inside, he found a contract between the Republican Party of Florida and a fundraising group called Victory Strategies.

It specified, above all, secrecy. Lee read a portion of the document during an interview with The Florida Independent: “All financial information or discussions related to these topics shall not be disclosed to any person, including major donors” and Republican party officials, “without express approval of the chairman or executive director of the Republican Party of Florida.” Victory Strategies would take 10 percent of all the money it raised.

“After reading it, and I read it carefully, I thought to myself, 'This is a pretty serious document,'” Lee said. He called a friend who had been an FBI agent, but eventually brought the contract to Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum.

“He looked at it and said something to the effect of, 'Wow.' And he took that to [State Sen. Mike] Haridopolis, and that document evidently blew up any negotiations about potential severance payments to Greer,” Lee said. According to the Independent, McCollum asked the new state party chairman to conduct a forensic audit. The results of that audit were sent to law enforcement, and, 12 weeks later, Greer was arrested.

Read the rest here.

“Every dollar you spend on making your home more efficient decreases the cost of your power system by approximately $3 to $5!”
~~~Home Power Magazine

You may need to perform a home energy audit. This simply means you will do a study of how energy is used and lost in your home. You can do the audit yourself. Hire a contractor. Or ask your energy provider.

How do you do it yourself? Take a good look around your home. Drafts and air leaks are the bad guys. You will need insulation, caulking and weatherstripping to give 'em a beating and take 'em out. The obvious places are windows and doors. If you feel cold air blowing a gale around either one of these, grab a caulking gun, aim and fire. You may want to consider replacing windows and doors if do-it-yourself measures won't cut it.

And don't forget to check around fireplace dampers and window air conditioners. Other energy wasters are gaps around pipes and electrical outlets, vents and attic hatches. Anywhere and everywhere there is an opening, picture money squeezing out through! Most energy is lost through ceilings and walls. You'll want to find out what kind of insulation is in your home and if it's up to snuff for your climate. If you have your building plans, check the R value of your home when it was built. This is the laboratory standard which describes the insulation's resistance to heat transfer. You may want to consult an insulation contractor.

How's your heating and/or cooling system? If it's at least 15 years old, you should consider replacing your system with the newer, more energy-efficient models of today. I know it costs money now but you'll be amazed at the improvements. Lighting accounts for at least 10% of your energy bill. Remember when your parents hounded you to turn off the lights when you left the room? Okaaay..They were right! Now you get to say it. Along with conserving light, buy the new compact fluorescent bulbs. They are said to last 10 times longer and use a quarter of the electricity.

If you're able to afford a professional contractor to do your energy audit, seriously consider it. Why? They have the knowledge and tools to give you the most bang for your buck. They will spot things you've missed. And don't forget. Your public utility company may do one for little or no cost.

For more information on energizing your home, visit Renewable Energy For Newbies at http://howtomakepower.blogspot.com

The Air Force, Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General, Veterans Health Administration, Department of State, Air Force, Army, Military Academy, West Point, NY, Field Operating Agencies of the Army Staff, Army Medical Command, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, General Services Admin, Public Buildings Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Army Installation Management Agency and more are looking to hire more than 1, 000 employees in New York State right now and the list is up dated almost daily. No matter what the economic situation is, the federal government is always hiring. They are not for everyone, but if you like a challenge with a job that has duties you will not find in the private sector, but where your private sector experience can be put to good use, you a should at least take a couple of minutes and see what is available. It costs nothing to give it a try.

The Federal Jobs Site is easy to use. You can search by state or city and refine your search by specific agency or job classification. Most of the jobs can be applied for on line, each one has a phone number to call if you have any questions and the postings have very detailed descriptions of the duties and qualifications.

One of the jobs available in New York right now is for a Domiciliary Assistant with the Veterans Health Administration in Bath New York with a salary from 30,772.00 – 40,005.00 USD per year. There are actually 5 opening for this one posting and it is one of the most challenging and at the same time most rewarding. You would be responsible for as many as 220 patients during your shift, most of whom are being treated for drug abuse. You would have to be able to perform clerical work related to the care and treatment that the patients have received. Check the listing for more detailed information. The qualifications are not that complicated either. This is one thing you will find with most federal jobs. They giver you different options. You can use experience or education to qualify and in some cases a combination of both, however they are every strict when it comes to what each one of them must reflect. With this job, you must have a valid drivers license. And at least 1 year of specialized experience either in the same type of job or a field that is closely related to it. If you want to use education to qualify, you need to have completed 4 years above high school at an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college, or university. You do have the option of using a combination.

Some of the other choices in New York include Operations Technician with the Army Installation Management Agency in Northern New York with a salary from 38,117.00 to 49,553.00 USD per year, Special Education Teacher with the Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System in Otisville, New York with a salary from 48,549.00 to 82,410.00 USD per year and Supervisory Auditor with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in New York City with a salary from 122,963.00 to 180,619.00 USD per year.

Contemporary corporate world is flooded with information systems and technology. However, to ensure that all systems go as per plan and produce the desired level of productivity gains, several controls need to be put in place. There are several international standards and best practices that can be sought for guidance on how to manage information system optimally. However, the most popular and widely accepted is the COBIT standard.

COBIT (Control Objectives for IT) is a standard developed by ITGI (IT Governance Institute) in collaboration with ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Control Association), which is the governing body for all CISAs (Certified Information Systems Auditors) worldwide. COBIT has been divided into four domains with 34 control objectives. The domains are named as 'Plan and Organize', 'Acquire and Implement', 'Deliver and Support', and 'Monitor and Evaluate'. Under these, controls have been provided to address all IT needs of organizations. The repository of controls have been developed to ensure that all general and specific IT related issues that companies face on day to day basis. The standard also provides measures the firms should take to get complied with COBIT's recommendations.

Though COBIT has been widely used by organizations big and small as a benchmark for developing and maintaining their information systems and processes, however there are some critics who argue that COBIT is too general and lacks the necessary specificity that other standards like ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) and ISO27001 ISMS (Information Security Management Systems) provide to IT managers towards ensuring that a fool proof system is put in place in organizations. In the opinion of these critics, all recommendations provided by COBIT lack the focus that IT implementers, managers and auditor require to carry out their respective responsibilities in the IT realm. Other standards as identified above, are equipped with in depth information and guidance on how to deal with relevant issues, however COBIT provides only a superficial coverage to all issues. Hence, in their views, it covers everything but does not go into details of any one of these.

Having said that, a large number of organizations have benefited using COBIT standard. Almost all IT and IS auditors worldwide use COBIT as bible for conducting information system reviews and risk management engagements. This gives an indication of the usability and wide spread acceptance of COBIT standard and its recommendations towards information systems and technologies.

In a nut shell, it can be said that although COBIT has some inherent weaknesses as stated above, yet it is still treated as only authentic benchmark that has global acceptance and is used by all small, medium and large organizations to manage and control their information system facilities, processes and procedures.

Just because you have a pre-approval from a mortgage lender to buy a home doesn't mean that the money will be there when you need it.

When I first met John and Mary (not their real names), they were first time home buyers, interested in Richmond, VA real estate and all excited about the prospect of owning their first home. After getting pre-approved by a mortgage broker they had found through their own research, they contacted me to help them find their dream home.

With the real estate market in Richmond, VA being the way it was at the time, it only took a few visits to prospective homes to find one that was nearly perfect for them (there is no such thing as the perfect house, by the way). After a bit of negotiating, we had a contract and the process of moving towards real estate closing began.

All was going well until about three days before the scheduled closing when I heard from my clients that their mortgage broker told them that there was a problem with their loan approval process. The lender was missing some documentation and could not provide the funds needed at closing to buy the house until this was cleared up. Closing delay number one.

My clients cleared up the issues and a new closing date was set for two days later. A day before this closing date, my clients received another email from the lender stating that there was yet another problem and closing would be delayed again for another three days. Closing delay number two.

When we inquired for clarification, we could not get a hold of the mortgage broker and he did not return phone calls for days. Meanwhile, no one knew what was going on and the closing was put on hold until we could talk with my clients' lender who seemed to have disappeared. Closing delay number three.

We finally found out that the mortgage broker had left for vacation and would not be back for about a week and there was nothing anyone could do until he returned. Well, we didn't wait and eventually got to talk with the manager, who kept dodging us as well and we were getting no closer to closing. Boy, was this a mess as you can well imagine. My clients were living in a motel with furniture in storage and the owners had moved and still paying on their old mortgage.

This kept going on and on. We were told that we would close “tomorrow” and when tomorrow came, we would close the next “tomorrow”. It was not until my clients had gone to another mortgage lender, this time a bona fide banking institution instead of a broker, that their existing mortgage broker finally said that they now had everything they needed and we could close “tomorrow”.

Well, this time it really happened, but it was almost six weeks from when the closing was originally scheduled! Can you imagine? It all made me cringe and boil with anger for what my clients had to go through and my hands were tied. Mortgage brokers do not have to be licensed and can get away with a lot of shenanigans.

An uncommon real estate occurrence? Unfortunately, it is not. I am sure that almost every Realtor® you talk to will share a similar experience. You would be appalled at the number of times that mortgage approvals fall through at the last minute and derail a real estate transaction, leaving both buyers and sellers in a lurch, not to mention all the other people involved like settlement attorneys and staff. The saddest thing about it all is that there is very little one can do about the tactics that mortgage brokers use to convince home buyers that they will have the money that they need, even if they are unsure whether that will actually happen in time for closing.

Why does this happen? Very simple – mortgage brokers will shop your loan to a number of lenders until they find the best deal, usually for them, and they do this a short time before the closing date. Once they find a lender, the company that is actually putting out the money for the house, the lender performs an in-depth credit search on the buyers.

This is called underwriting and it is one of the last steps for loan approval. If there is anything missing or not up to the lender's requirements with the buyer's credit audit, the lender will not give the money and the mortgage broker now has to shop around some more to find a lender who will give the money, which then delays the closing. Sometimes they find one, but valuable time is lost, and sometimes they don't find one and tell their clients that they don't qualify for a loan.

When delays occur, what you will hear from the mortgage broker is that the underwriter needs this or that in order to complete the application. What the broker isn't telling you is that it is a different underwriter each time the broker shops your loan and that's why more documentation is needed because something is always missing it seems whenever the broker finds another underwriter and the closing date keeps moving out.

Just getting a pre-approval letter from a mortgage lender or broker does not guarantee that you will actually get the money for your new house. It only means that your credit score has been checked and that you fall within a certain range of pre-approval, but until underwriting, nothing is certain. What does help to ensure that you will receive the money when needed is a mortgage commitment. This basically says that the lender has checked enough in order to determine that you are eligible to receive the loan and will get it. However, many lenders will not offer one until all information is checked and approved and the buyer has found a house.

It is prudent for the home buyer to talk with several mortgage lenders including brokers and traditional lenders like banks who actually provide the money. This way, you can be assured of what your options are and the differences between each one. You can then determine which loan package and lender is right for you. You have something to compare and also fall back on if something goes awry.

It is also very important for the home buyer to be truthful with the information provided to the lender. If anything is held back or covered up, it will only come up later and that puts the closing in jeopardy.

So, remember that your mortgage is only guaranteed to the extent to which your lender goes to qualify you. There is much involved to get to the point of commitment and lenders don't like to go through the entire underwriting process until the milestones of the closing process are reached, such as the home inspection and appraisal.

There is some helpful real estate and mortgage information on one of my favorite websites at http://www.VirginiaRealEstateNetwork.com They have resources that might make a difference for you and help you understand the whole process better. You can also find homes for sale there.

Shop around! You are buying money, lots of it. You are the customer and you have choices. To the lender, money is a product that they want to sell to you. They can't make money when it is just lying around in their bank. Without you, they have no business, so get the best deal that you can. Let your lender know that they have competition. Only then will you be able to figure out what your best option is. Ask questions until you fully understand.

Ciao for now,
Bernie Rosellen, Your Agent In The Field
Please keep in mind that my statements above are based on my personal experiences and observations around the neighborhoods of central Virginia. Some statements may not reflect fully the situations, regulations and laws of other states nor apply in all areas, so please see what applies in your state (my disclaimer to keep me out of Realtor Jail).

About the author:
Bernie Rosellen is a Virginia licensed Realtor®. He works with both home buyers and home sellers and specializes in the Richmond, VA area including Chesterfield, Henrico, Powhatan, Goochland, and Hanover counties. Besides actively practicing real estate, Bernie writes real estate articles as “Your Agent In The Field”™ from the perspective of being out in the neighborhoods and in the trenches of real estate. You can find out more about him and the real estate market in central Virginia at his website http://www.TheRosellenTeam.com

 With all of the political pressure from politicians and beaurocracies, Immigration is aggressively cracking down on the laws that prevent employers from knowingly hiring employees who are not legal citizens or aliens of the United States. Immigration is conducting audits all over the country to discover the unlawful hiring of illegal aliens and placing increasingly harsher punishments upon employers who do not pass the Immigration audits. 

If you feel that you might be subject to an Immigration audit, it is imperative that you become proactive now. Raids on businesses all across the United States are conducted every day, and you might be next. Making sure that all of your employees are in order, and that you have no skeletons for Immigration to find, is the first step toward surviving an Immigration audit. 

#1 Perform Your Own I-9 Audit.

Rather than waiting for Immigration to knock on your door, get ready now to make sure everything is in order. Compare your payroll records with all of your I-9 forms and make sure that one exists for all of your employees. All of the forms should be filled out completely and correctly, and it wouldn’t hurt to call in all of your employees individually to go over the paperwork and correct any mistakes. Performing your own audit will ensure that there are no surprises when and if Immigration does an audit. 

#2. Centralize Your I-9 Records.

When paperwork becomes confusing and scattered, mistakes are invariably made. Rather than risking a mistake on an I-9, have two or three employees whose primary job is to fill out the I-9 forms. Train them in each step of the I-9 process, and let them handle all of your new employees. Allowing supervisors who are unfamiliar with the process to complete I-9 forms might result in mistakes slipping through the cracks, giving Immigration the ammunition they need to penalize you and your business. 

#3 Keep Meticulous Files

Your I-9 forms should be kept in a single file where they can be accessed easily whenever you need them. Do not keep your I-9 files in your Employee Personnel files because then all of that will be disclosed to immigration, which compromises your employees’ privacy. You can also have two copies of I-9 forms; one for the I-9 file, and one for each individual employee’s file.
#4 Require Original Documentation. When hiring a new employee, make sure that you are given original copies of documentation, such as green cards, social security cards and driver licenses. Photocopies can too easily be “doctored” and failing to see originals will put your credibility in jeopardy. 

#5. Make Copies.

Once you have obtained original documentation, produce photocopies of each for your protection. Although not required by law, this will show a good faith attempt to keep everything legal, and even if the documents prove to be fraudulent, you cannot be at fault because you were shown proper documentation. This will make your job – as well as that of Immigration – easier.
#6. Write a Policy. Protect yourself by writing (or having an attorney write) a policy for termination of employment should fraudulent documents be provided as a basis for hire. This way, you have the right to terminate any employee who falsifies his or her immigration status, and you won’t be caught up in a legal mess. Having this policy will also impress Immigration should they arrive for an audit.

Today's economy is the worst it's been in several decades. Unemployment rose slightly in October to a level of just over 10% nationally. For people like me who find it difficult to find work, the job search can be very discouraging and disappointing.

My husband and I have a limited income and so we make every dollar count. I chose to try out mystery shopping for a number of reasons: I've always wanted to try it and I'd heard that shoppers were reimbursed for items as a part of the “shop.” I also didn't want to tie myself down to a regularly scheduled job now that I had a baby and my husband was taking college classes. I needed to be able to make my own schedule and work on my own terms. Mystery shopping seemed like a good alternative, especially with the Christmas holidays approaching.

The first step with every company is to complete a “shopper application.” Because of IRS regulations, they are, by law, required to ask for a social security number and some companies require potential shoppers to complete a W-9 after approving the application. This is because every shopper is an independent contractor and is not employed by the company. In the process of setting up my I.D., password, and submitting my information, I discovered that a few companies offer direct deposit, but most will only pay through Paypal. So, in order to get paid, I needed to update my Paypal account to make sure I could get paid if I performed work for that company.

I spent a lot of time at the computer for about a week, completing online applications and scouring their job boards for opportunities. Most companies pay an average of $7.00 per job plus a small reimbursement for a required purchase. However, some shops pay up to $50 for a one-time trip, depending on the client and scenario. For average shops, though, a small purchase is required simply to provide proof that the shopper actually went into the store and also to evaluate the cashier. I did score a few jobs with one company and performed my first shop. Much to my dismay, I hadn't read the shop instructions correctly, and was not paid for it. I had made one small mistake, but one mistake in an otherwise perfect shop can and often does, cause a shopper's report to be nullified.

After this first misstep, I trudged on. My husband was skeptical at first and wondered if I would make enough money for it to be worth my time and effort. I reasoned that I'd been home with a baby for several weeks and hadn't been able to get out and about for months due to being on bed rest. So, even if I wasn't paid a fortune, I felt good about being able to get out and be mobile once again. And so I continued, and was paid a whopping $15.00 within two weeks for my next two shops.

Mystery shopping companies love people who can write. They love it when their shoppers offer vivid and clear descriptions of people, places, and interactions that occur. They love it even more if the shopper has excellent grammar, spelling, and punctuation skills. They also appreciate honesty and reports submitted by the deadline. Because I have great writing skills, my reports are always given the highest rating possible. By submitting them on time, I'm ensuring that I'll be able to secure more assignments in the future.

One pitfall people often experience when doing mystery shopping is giving an opinion from a customer's perspective. This isn't what the company wants from their shoppers. The companies want facts, not opinions. I've been tempted to compare experiences when preparing some reports, but it would defeat the purpose of my assignment. The client (store I performed my shop at) wants facts: who greeted customers, who didn't. Did employees smile? Were customers escorted to items they asked about or did employees simply point in a general direction? Were employees knowledgeable about store policy and products? These are the kinds of things clients want to know, and it is my job as a mystery shopper to find out. I can't say something like, “The associates at X location were much nicer than the jerks at Y location.” As much as I would like to do this, unfortunately, I can not.

Many mystery shopping companies provide explicit instructions on how to perform a shop. Sometimes a shopper must ask a certain question or follow a certain scenario exactly. For example, the first shop I performed for XYZ company involved a certain home goods store. I signed up to perform the shop and read the instructions. The directions stated I was to buy an item (any item) and then go back into the store to return it at a later time. I was the required to ask about a certain product in the hopes of being escorted to that department, and then, finally, go into another department, wait to be assisted, and ask about a specific item there and see how knowledgeable the associate was about the product. It was a complex shop, and being new to mystery shopping, I made a mistake and wasn't paid. I spent several hours of my life doing the shop and completing the report, only to find out I'd misread the instructions and would be denied payment because of it. It was a hard lesson to learn, and frustrating, but I made changes to ensure that mistake would not happen again.

I began to accumulate assignments and my calendar was quickly becoming full. What to do? How to keep up with all of these and how to remember which company I'm performing a shop for? I created one email account specifically for my mystery shopping. That way, I receive assignment information at that particular address and it I can easily keep track of it. Linking my Paypal account to this email was a cinch, as Paypal allows several emails to be linked to one account. I also began a spread sheet in Excel. I included date, store name, address, payment amount, reimbursement amount (if any), job status, payment total, payment date, and mystery shopping company. I discovered I also needed to include the time frame because some shops must be performed in the mornings, afternoons, or evenings. In this way I can pull up my assignments for the week and month and see how much I have the potential of earning in one month. Like I said, mystery shopping doesn't pay well, but I discovered that if I schedule several shops for one day in one general area, then I maximize my time and energy and can stay focused instead of worrying about whether I'll get lost, run out of time, or (god forbid) forget to perform a crucial aspect of my assignment.

My first month as a mystery shopper, I earned close to $225; nearly $280 if my reimbursements are included in the total. This isn't great, but I've made a profit, I'm getting out into the world, and I get paid to do something I enjoy!

One aspect of this that I appreciate is I can take my baby with me on some assignments. A few assignments restrict the presence of children, but for the most part, I'm able to take my child with me as long as I am still able to focus enough on the task at hand and provide a detailed, thorough report. One day last month I took my two-month-old daughter with me downtown to perform three shops that paid much more than average. My husband wasn't able to watch her that day, and I wasn't about to lose the opportunity because of it. So I packed up my little one, got on the bus and headed to the center of the Chicago. That day I had three makeovers done in my quest for information and excellent customer service. My daughter slept through most of it (except when she woke up hungry), and having her with me actually provided more opportunities to evaluate customer service than had I not brought her with me.

During this past month I've figured out which companies offer the most assignments and which companies offer the better paying assignments. I've also figured out which companies are harder to please, and that others are more strict in their acceptance of new shoppers than others. I currently do work for about four mystery shopping companies, and have been very pleased with the results. It keeps me busy and makes me feel productive. I am contributing to the quest of better customer service!

Mystery shopping companies sometimes offer assignments that are not mystery shopping, but rather, auditing and merchandising. Performing an audit for a company is much different than performing a mystery shop. For one, the auditor isn't required to make a purchase, and second, the auditor must announce him/herself upon arrival and give the manager-on-duty a letter of approval to take photographs and do a sort of “inventory” of the displays and items on shelves. Audits can take hours to perform. And like mystery shopping, the instructions must be followed exactly. It is a lot of work, however auditing assignments generally pay more than mystery shopping because of the time commitment involved.

Merchandising is just as it sounds. The merchandiser goes to the store and puts out new merchandise and packs up old/expired merchandise to be sent back to the manufacturer. Sometimes the materials and products are sent to the store. Other times they're sent to the merchandiser. Each merchandising assignment normally takes no more than two hours and is usually fairly straightforward. Therefore, the pay is lower than that of auditing. The main difference is merchandising can be an on-going assignment, with one to two permanent trips to the site indefinitely. This can be a way for someone to earn a steady income while looking for the more juicy auditing or mystery shopping assignments. There are also companies that offer movie theater auditing assignments, so if someone's a movie buff, performing audits in movie theaters may be a perfect blend of entertainment and work.

Like I've said before, mystery shopping doesn't pay great, but it can be moderately profitable if you have the time to allow for it. Here are some things I've learned:

1. Schedule multiple shops for one day in the same area, no more than a couple miles apart.
2. Make sure the compensation is worth the effort. If a job pays $5 but you have to pay $4.50 in bus fare/gas, and then make a $3.00 purchase, it's not worth it. However, if you see that a mystery shopping company is offering several shops for $5-$10 each and they're all within a five mile range of each other, schedule yourself to do several on the same day. You'll save transportation costs and maximize your time and effort. *Keep in mind, though, some companies have a limit to how many shops you may do in one day. I never schedule myself for more than four because after that it can become confusing.
3. Do your research! Never, ever, ever pay a company money for “lists” of mystery shopping assignments. Legitimate companies won't ask you to pay to join their mailing lists.
4. Legitimate mystery shopping companies do require your social security number to report earnings of over $600 per calendar year. If you feel uncomfortable doing this online, you might be able to provide it another way. Contact the company for options.
5. If you schedule yourself for an auditing job, be aware that it can be time-intensive. Don't schedule other shops or jobs on the same day when you're doing an audit that takes more than three hours. Trust me.
6. Keep a folder of your assignments – both completed and pending. Print out the instructions for each job and read them over several times. Follow the instructions you're given exactly. Remember, one mistake can mean no pay.
7. Don't limit yourself to just one company. You're an independent contractor, not an employee!
8. Be honest. Don't type up a bogus report because you didn't feel like going to do a shop. Most businesses these days have video cameras. If a client disputes information on a report, they may consult the security camera videos.

Below the article I've included a couple URL's for some companies I've researched and found to be legitimate. I've also included the URL for the Mystery Shoppers Providers' Association. MSPA lists jobs with legitimate mystery shopping companies all in one place. It's always a good idea to get a second opinion, though, so do your research!

Good luck, and happy shopping!

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