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December 28, 2006
The Whole Truth About Microcaps
Most investors think of the major stock exchanges when trading stocks comes to mind. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ), and the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) are among those that first come to mind. Often overlooked by the mainstream media, penny stocks are a low ticket security for companies that are valued at under five hundred million dollars and often trade in low volumes. These stocks also trade on 'Over the Counter' exchanges such as the OTCBB or Pink Sheets.
The very fact that microcaps trade at such low volumes increases the risks involved in investing in them. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strongly suggests traders of microcaps to remember that these stocks typically trade with very low volumes on average. This makes finding buyers when you want to sell, and sellers when you want to buy more difficult. As a result, you may not get the stock at the price you want. This can result in buying too high
Despite the risks involved, small cap stocks are often attractive investments to investors for various reasons. If you are new to investing and looking for the chance to return a high yield for a relatively low investment you are likely to come across some penny stocks. The attraction often lies in the fact that at such low prices any changes are often measured by the hundreds of percent this means that your investment can literally double in one or two days time.
On the other hand, the price of penny stocks can drop just as drastically and equally fast. Those who are inexperienced investors would do well to avoid small caps until they have a better understanding of how things work. It is also important to note that because of the relatively low 'worth' of the companies that are often listed on the OTCBB are often considered questionable investments. Some of these companies have such a limited financial history that no accurate determination of their actual value can be made. Many of these companies are either very new or dangerously close to bankruptcy.
There is also a strong potential for fraud with some buyers artificially 'enhancing' or driving the costs by buying large amounts of shares and raising the perceived value of essentially worthless stocks. Most traders who fall for this lose many when it comes time to sell.
A common definition for microcaps is any stock that trades below $5.00 per share.
Penny stocks are not for everyone. Consider speaking to a financial advisor to see if trading microcaps fits in with your risk tolerance.
It is important to remember that not all of these companies are frauds and many of them have a great deal of potential. Some are new businesses that are working hard towards their goal of earning a spot on the larger exchanges. Do your research in order to decrease your risks of landing with a declining or dishonest company. Often, most investors are often convinced that one good investment can make them a nice tidy profit. While this is true it is better to invest in a company that is showing slow and steady growth than one you are hoping will sky rocket over night. Take the time and do your research rather than gambling with your investment.
Posted by David at 5:05 AM | TrackBack
December 26, 2006
Small Business Missing Still Out Because Of Katrina Oversight
Small Business: John Kerry, D-Mass., is calling for hearings on the Small Business Administration's disaster loan program, saying only about one-fifth of the $10 billion in loans had reached affected areas; wants "aggressive contracting oversight" of work slated for small firms.
Plus the Democrat majority in Congress is pledging for closer inspection of how $88 billion in federal aid for Hurricane Katrina is being spent.
These and other related issues such as the purchases made by federal employees with government-issued credit cards are scheduled for heraring in early 2007.
Posted by David at 9:01 AM | TrackBack
December 25, 2006
A new Internet marketing opportunity
The Internet was made for audiobooks.
Totally downloadable, popular with business leaders and others trying to maximize their time, they allow the latest best-sellers to be "read" by hearing.
Just about any book or novel you want in anaudiobook format, perfect for listening to in your car, on your computer or on your iPod.
Audiobooks are being sold through dozens of online sites by Interet marketers. A site called AudioBookstorePortal, is equipping audiobook affiliates to sell the titles and earn 10% commissions.
The site provides premade html pages that affiliates upload to their own sites, providing fresh and individualized content (good for search engines) and a new way to monetize a Web site.
Posted by David at 1:19 PM | TrackBack
December 24, 2006
Internet Phone Calls Have You Heard of it?
Voice Over Internet - Ever since the Internet entered our lives, there have been tremendous changes in the way in which we communicate. For one thing, we use e-mail communication to instantaneously get our messages to others across the globe, no matter which part of the world they happen to be in. And for another, we do a whole lot more on the Internet than we ever imagined possible. But if you stopped to think about it, the Internet essentially hinges on what once was a different kind of communication. This is nothing but the plain and simple telephone call. What used to transmit voice calls over wires now transmits data information over the same thing. Slowly but steadily the wires too are disappearing to give rise to what has come to be known as web phone calls.
Posted by David at 10:00 PM | TrackBack
Are you an Avid Stock Trading Investor
Stock Trading Investor : It seems like so many individuals are diving into the stocks and real estate markets these days. Not that it's a bad thing? It simply seems to be getting more common. Personally I thing stocks and real estate are wise investments if you know what you are doing. Many people have made millions in the past by going this route. However, several of us, or should I say lots of us, are not educated when it comes to stocks, bonds, real estate and such. This is why some reading and learning may be in order before we take that plunge into investment-land. One wonderful nuance to the stocks game these days is online stock market dealer. This was certainly not around when our parents were young. You've got to love all the possibilities. Are you ready to start stock market broker?
Posted by David at 9:47 PM | TrackBack
December 23, 2006
Audiobook formats: How they work
An talking book generally comes in two formats: MP3 and WMA. Both of these formats will play on PCs and Macs and most portable players, like the iPod.
The book publisher chooses which format they want the title to be distributed in. When you purchase a downloadable audiobook from an online store, you are usually taken to a special area of the site where you can choose from a variety of file format based on the quality of the recording.
Naturally, the higher the quality, the bigger the file and thus the longer it will take to download.
If you have a high speed broadband Internet connection you will probably prefer to download the highest quality file available. If you have a slow Internet connection you can choose to download a file that is smaller in size, but will not be of quite the same quality, but it will still be very listenable.
Posted by David at 7:26 PM | TrackBack
December 19, 2006
New Year Retirement Resolutions For The NOT So Young
by Joshua Geary
We’re assuming that by this time, your self-directed IRAs and other IRAs as well as ROTH IRAs or other vehicles you may have – are all in place. But giving them a more in-depth scan would be a healthy resolution for the New Year. There’s always the chance that one or two areas could be improved – a difference of a few thousand dollars more for your pocket.
Before 2006 ends, here are some elements you may want to check:
(A) RMD – required minimum distributions. If you are 70-1/2 years old or if you are the beneficiary of retirement assets, you may be required to withdraw a certain sum for your retirement account each year. If you fail to make the RMD by the deadline date, you could end up making the IRS richer by paying a penalty of 50% of the balance of the excess accumulation. Speak to your IRA custodian about the use of the fair market value (FMV) of the previous year in determining the amount of this year’s RMD. Since he’ll be submitting to you an FMV statement on the 31st of January the following year, he’s the person who can explain this in detail. Make it your business to know every transaction detail that is carried out – it is YOUR money.
(B) ROTH IRA conversions – if you’re planning to convert your traditional IRA, simple IRA or SEP into a ROTH this year, the assets must leave the ROTH IRA by December 31. If your accountant believes that you’ll be paying lower income taxes this year as opposed to next year, then any ROTH conversions executed this year would generate lower taxes on the amount rather than if converted next year.
Get the most from your accumulated IRAs- discover and utilize available options at myrealestateira.com.
Posted by David at 4:47 PM | TrackBack
Video Conferencing over Asterisk
Sidance, a VoIP solutions provider, was the first in the world to integrate video and Asterisk. This held the gates wide open for niche video solutions.
Developers at Adiance succeeded in being one of the first companies to add native video support for Asterisk, possibilities for advanced video solutions, e.g. video conferencing and broadcasting were suddenly much more feasible.
Recently released, this technology looks set to be interwoven with Sidance’s own existing products range including outbound/ inbound VoIP call center software solution, VoIP telecom gateway, Soft phone with multi-user Video Conferencing support and other Asterisk software solutions for VoIP.
Technology such as this allows everything that is currently achieved with voice on a powerful Asterisk solution platform. Comparative 40% cost savings when building VoIP solutions could be achieved for the customer.
Through an integration of technology such as this that is innovative with an infrastructure already in existence, or through becoming a partner with Adiance for getting a new communication infrastructure set up, ICT industry service providers are able to add more value for money services to their clients.
For any extra information on the phenomenon that is internet phone VoIP , or just to see the various phone VoIP services on offer at the present time have a look at the internet for literally thousands of VoIP dedicated webpage’s!
Posted by David at 3:05 PM | TrackBack
December 18, 2006
New Year Retirement Resolutions – For The Young
by Joshua Geary
Okay, so you’re only 30, you say, why worry about retirement when it’s light years away? That’s precisely the reason.
You need to think about retirement because it’s this time when you have the most mileage and leverage. Do it now while you’re still
years away from your 50s and 60s because acquiring retirement savvy does not happen overnight. Think of all the financial maneuvering
you can do with your 401(k) as an example. The 30s and 40s are you wealth-building years – they’re also the years when you’ll be
changing jobs quite often and taking your retirement plans with you to the next employer, or the next town, or the next state. As you
get into a mortgage and build a family, the word “retirement” may seem rather remote but this is the best time to take advantage of time
while it’s still on your side. So while the 30s and 40s may seem like exciting times peppered with career progressions and stock options
and salary perks, it is, alas, also a time for easily getting into debt. The average American family now needs a second vacation home,
will be buying a third car, looking at private schools, and of course investing in those dental braces that cost an arm and a leg.
As everyone ushers in 2007 with the usual fanfare and champagne and fireworks, you could start thinking about how to add some
spark to your IRAs and company-sponsored retirement plans.
You just might wake up one morning when you’re 55 and sigh, “dang, why didn’t I do it then…”
Get in on the advantages of youth in preparing for retirement with a self directed IRA or 401k. Check it out at myrealestateira.com.
Posted by David at 5:23 PM | TrackBack
December 16, 2006
Back tax problems can be solved by an offer in compromise
An offer in compromise (OIC) is an agreement between a taxpayer and the Internal Revenue Service that resolves the taxpayer's tax liability. The IRS has the authority to settle, or compromise, federal tax liabilities by accepting less than full payment under certain circumstances. An OIC is considered only after all other collection alternatives have been explored.
The minimum offer amount must generally be equal to, or greater than, a taxpayer's reasonable collection potential (RCP). The RCP is defined as the total of the taxpayer's realizable value in real and personal assets, plus future income.
The IRS may legally compromise for one of the following reasons: doubt as to liability, when doubt exists that the assessed tax is correct; doubt as to collectibility, when doubt exists that the taxpayer could ever pay the full amount of tax owed; or effective tax administration. Under effective tax administration, there is no doubt that the assessed tax is correct and no doubt that the amount owed could be collected, but the taxpayer has an economic hardship or other special circumstances which may allow the IRS to accept less than the total balance due. Absent special circumstances, taxpayers that have the ability to pay the tax liability in a lump sum through an installment agreement will not be eligible for an OIC.
Taxpayers requesting an OIC must have filed all required federal tax returns. If in business, they must also have filed and paid any required employment tax returns on time for the two quarters prior to filing the OIC, and be current with deposits for the quarter in which the offer in compromise was submitted. Taxpayers must also not be a debtor in a bankruptcy case.
Taxpayers may choose to pay the offer amount in a lump sum, in monthly payments over the remainder of the statutory time allowed for collection, or a combination of a lump sum and monthly payments. Generally, it is to the taxpayer’s advantage to pay the amount in the shortest time possible because longer payment terms will require a larger offer amount.
Ordinarily, the statutory time allowed for collection is suspended during the period the OIC is under consideration, and is extended further if the OIC is later submitted to the Appeals Office. If the IRS grants a fresh start by accepting the OIC, it is expected the taxpayer will have no further delinquencies. If taxpayers do not abide by all the terms of the agreement -- including filing all future returns and making all payments when required for 5 years or until the offered amount is paid in full, whichever is longer -- their OIC may be declared in default. If the IRS rejects the OIC, taxpayers will be notified by mail. In the IRS letter, it will explain the reason for the rejection and provide detailed instructions on how to appeal the decision.
Posted by David at 11:06 PM | TrackBack
December 15, 2006
The audiobook online maze
We all know about bookstores. And real books. But just where do we find audiobooks?
Prior to the Internet, we all had no option but to physically visit the bookstores or order via phone or mail. But now with the advent of the Internet, you can search for the exact audio book you want, check out the cost and order it... without leaving the comfort of your home or office.
It is now safe to say that the audio book market place is now on the Internet. Physical bookstores can't match the incredibly abundant advantages that shopping for audio books on the Internet provides.
The audio book market place on the Internet gives you the opportunity to instantly search for and find the particular audio book you are looking for.
This can't be compared to the era of physically going through several bookstores and manually checking the thousands of books available before you find the audio book of your choice.
For those of you who don't have an online audio book store in mind, you can get started by using the search engines to search for the audio book title of your choice.
There are hundreds of sites offering thousands of book titles in many varied categories and genres.
Posted by David at 10:49 PM | TrackBack
December 14, 2006
How to Find an Online Survey Company
The easiest way to find an online survey company is to use any of the search engines out there. Just type "surveys" and watch how many different types of surveys pop up. Most of them will say that you can earn extra money just by filling them out. Granted, if you have plenty of time to offer, you may make more money than those that just do it in their spare time. For some, it's a nice pay day, and for others, it's a second, third, or fourth pay day. Make sure you do some research on your survey to make sure they will pay.
Read more about finding an online survey company...
Posted by David at 8:49 PM | TrackBack
December 13, 2006
8 Reasons To Be An Affiliate Marketer
When I began affiliate marketing I know only half of these things but, in hindsight, if I had have known these things then it would have made the decisions I made so much easier. Such is the intention of this article, to contribute towards the success of affiliate marketing newcomers. Here are 10 reasons to be an affiliate marketer. In fact the only reason I wrote 10, is because there isn't enough space to write the 100 that there really are. I hope you find them informative and helpful.
1. No product to produce.
Often creators of products (usually info) pay large fees to make or have their products made. With affiliate marketing forget about it.
2. No products to deliver.
If your promoting information products it's a download page or if your selling physical product its shipping, handling and distribution. With Affiliate marketing you needn't worry
3. Copy the same method.
Once you discover a method of affiliate marketing that works you can reproduce it for any product. Then continue to do it until you have more money than you know what to do with.
4. High income potential.
The amount of money you make increases in proportion to the amount of time you put into your site. Once you have developed a format that you know converts your visitors to customers, all that you need to do is get as much traffic to the site as humanly possible. You can get into search engine optimisation or simply work on your Pay Per Click strategies, but either way the harder you work the more you get paid.
5. Make passive income.
The king of them all: Money while you sleep. There's nothing like waking up in the morning, checking your clickbank account and finding sums of money that have accumulated while you've been lost in peaceful dreams. Enough said!
6. No customers to deal with.
Forget complaints, nasty people, changes in customer preference, forget it all. The merchant takes the responsibility and changes their site accordingly.
7. Low start up costs.
The only cost in setting up an affiliate website is that of registering your domain and host, then getting some traffic through. If you're making your own products the costs can be significantly higher in amount and number.
8. No payment processing.
Forget refunds, taking details, names, addresses, emails, credit card numbers. Your merchant handles it all. All you do is sit back while the money gets put into your account. That simple!
Posted by David at 2:08 AM | TrackBack
Doing Online Survey To Get Paid
Doing online survey is one easy way to do extra money. Companies that need to do market reviews, that what to find out what you like, what you might possibly purchase and what you are interested in will pay you to answer their questions. Today this is the easiest method for companies to do online surveys.
Paid Survey Advantages
You can work whenever you can or prefer, morning, noon, night or midnight it doesn't matter. You just have to find a company or website that will pay you for doing online surveys, log in, select the surveys you want to fill out and get paid for your time. You can also choose if you want to work for 30 minutes, 1 hour or 6 hours, it doesn't matter.
Doing online surveys to get paid is also an great opportunity to express your opinions on different matters, try out new products, be heard, and participate on online focus groups.
This is a good opportunity for students, stay at home moms or dads, someone that doesn't have time or for anyone who wants to work at home.
You can be working by tomorrow because you will receive immediate access also it is very easy doing online surveys to get paid because it does not involve leaving the confines of your computer, so you will not have to wait to begin the work. You can have access to hundreds of companies that will give you cash to express your opinion while sitting home.
Read the whole article Doing Online Survey To Get Paid
Posted by David at 12:02 AM | TrackBack
December 11, 2006
Secure Data Recovery
The government has a set of demands that strictly require procedures to have absolute security while data is being recovered from computer media that has become damaged and unreadable. Some facilities have won the Department of Defense James S. Cogswell Award because of their secure data recovery processes. When it comes to secure data recovery, many options are available.
What Kind Of Options Are Available?
When it comes to secure data recovery and backup, you can take care of it on your own or you can have a professional take care of the process for you. When you are participating in secure data recovery, you would want to use certain software that has solutions for data recovery, file repairing and diagnosing your disk. You may also need to recover something from your mailbox that you deleted. When you use secure data recovery for the mail, you can restore the mailbox as well as get data directly from the server backups. You can also get data off unmounted databases
Read the whole article Secure Data Recovery
Posted by David at 8:47 PM | TrackBack
How Does Air Freight Work ?
Our present day living is driven by the need to communicate, to be informed and to send various items worldwide. And due to time constraint and the immediate necessity to transfer everything in the fastest mode of transportation available, the airline and cargo industry devised ways of carrying cargoes while maximizing time incurred during the process.
How Does Air Freight Work
Cargo shipment by air is now termed to as overseas or domestic air freight service. Items shipped at this mode range anywhere from a couple of pounds to as much as 43 000 pounds. Therefore accommodating almost all items that need for immediate shipment.
Parcels and express letters are typically the easiest to ship due to relatively handy size and weight. For larger-sized items however, various methods of shipment are required for travel and services vary depending on the number of categories including:
§ The size and weight of the item
§ The duration (number of days) required for shipment
§ The type of item
There are four basic categories for shipments namely:
a. Household goods which cover items such as furniture and the likes.
b. Overnight express or express shipments that deliver personal and business items which are observably lighter and smaller in size. These often come in the packaging of the carrier or the service provider and are often delivered overnight or within a couple of days, depending on the choice of service the shipper agreed on.
Parcel delivery, on the other hand, covers those items that are typically boxed. The services vary and packaging may be provided by the company or should the shipper chooses, may be shipped on the box of their own.
The duration of delivery varies yet typical of this kind is the speed of 500 to 700 miles per day, providing it a coast to coast travel of around 4 days.
Beyond this types are the LTL and TL freights. These are the actual overseas or domestic air freight services and obviously cover cargoes that need big-time shipments.
Items covered in this category often weigh 15 000 pounds to around 43 000 pounds and have lengths not exceeding 53 inches long.
For each type of service level comes different corresponding prices. Parcel and express packages have pretty simpler system of pricing as compared with cargoes covered in the Less-than-Truckload-Freight and Truckload Freight which have more complicated systems of pricing.
National Motor Freight Classification is the system of pricing that monitors and dictates what price must be given to each item depending on its loadability, density, mixability and a number of other factors.
Theoretically, fragile items require higher costs of shipment since they fall in the freight class 125 to 500.
Denser items such as industrial machineries and steel require lesser care yet take most of the weight falls under the freight class 50 to 85.
Generally, these freight classes have assigned prices for which the assigned class corresponds to the base rate given.
While most overseas or domestic air freight service providers can be contacted directly, heavier cargoes require freight brokers for easier arrangements and for the facilitation of savings. Such brokers can be contacted through online marketplaces. They have the hand for directly arranging shipments at much lower rates since they act as intermediaries between carriers and shippers.
It is good to remember that when shipping cargoes with any type of overseas or domestic air freight service chosen, you must know in full all the terms and conditions included.
By: Paul Dean
Posted by David at 5:47 AM | TrackBack
December 9, 2006
Using Audiobooks with iPods
Audiobooks come in two basic formats; MP3 and WMA (windows Media Format).
Both will play on PCs and Macs and most portable digital players.
When you purchase a downloadable title from an site you will typically be taken to a special area where you can choose from a variety of file formats.
If you have a PC running windows,that's all you need to know. A little box will pop up on your screen, you click the play arrow and you hear the book through your computer speakers.
But what about if you want to listen to your audiobook in a car?
No problem. Just burn it to a CD like you would music. Pop it in your car (or any CD player) and you're good to go.
If you have a digital music player, like one made by Archos, Creative, Philips, iRiver and many more, those same files can just be dragged over to the library on the player.
It's a little tricker with an iPod. That's because Apple, the maker of the iPod, has a very proprietary system. Don't worry, though. Getting music on the iPod just involves a simple extra step. If you have an iPod you will need to get audiobooks in the MP3 format. After downloading it, ypu then need to burn the MP3 file to CD and then transfer it into iTunes.
Apple iPods import MP3 audiobook file just like they do music CDs. Simple, huh? Now there's no excuse not to catchup on the crime and mystery thriller audiobook.
Posted by David at 9:32 PM | TrackBack
December 8, 2006
Vending Machine Business
Vending machine sales can sometimes be predict by the owner; in order to make such predictions the owner should look at the cost of the candy as well as the location. Vending machine manufacturers can be either a single person or a large company; in order to determine which one is better a person should do research on the company. You will get a varying of prices on the vending machines; the reason being is that some can be purchased used or new.
When you sit down to discuss the business with a vending machine distributor, you can get a good estimate and idea of what it takes to run a successful business. Before you buy a vending machine with a lot of fancy knobs and gadgets, you should also make sure this does not make it harder to use for the customers. When you contact a vending machine distributor, you have the option to choose from many different styles of vending machines. Business owners from 1979 to 1995 have reported vending sales have increased at more than ten percent per year.
Posted by David at 3:52 AM | TrackBack
December 7, 2006
Discount Auto Insurance - Keep Your Hard-Earned Money
discount auto insurance is so easy when you do an online search. There are many insurance companies that do offer this option for many customers who want to search through several different companies to get the best possible quotes. With many of these sites, all you have to do is select the type of discount auto insurance you need, fill in a short form and receive quotes from as many as six different online insurance companies.
An online automobile insurance quote saves you time and money. You no longer have to spend time using the telephone trying to get discount auto insurance or take time off from work to visit each of the automobile insurance company offices. You can do an online search at any time of the day or night and receive an instant quote in your inbox. Depending on the site, you may have to wait up to 24 hours for the quote or longer if you submit the quote request on a weekend.
When you look for discount auto insurance there are many types of discounts that you can avail yourself of. For example, many of the online automobile insurance quotes provide a discount if you are over the age of 50. Discount auto insurance is readily available if you have not had an accident in the last six years and have not had any traffic violations.
Posted by David at 3:21 AM | TrackBack
December 2, 2006
Fixed Income Asset Management
In the past, risk management for the professionally managed portfolios was built around the analysis of the portfolio’s
current position or holdings. The reasoning behind this is the investor can’t predict what may happen in the portfolio
and can’t tell where it is going, unless he knows where it is at now. Fixed income markets were the reason management
techniques were thoroughly developed. This is important with fixed income asset management.
There are some drawbacks and limitations as the fund management is taking place in a moving environment. To some level, this can be overcome with certain analysis, but the quality of information is reliant on the quality of the forecast fed into them. Additionally, most investors will not leave the portfolio unchanged when scenarios around them change. This is another important factor in fixed income asset management.
Read the whole article Fixed Income Asset Management Asset Management
Posted by David at 8:31 PM | TrackBack
Linux Data Recovery
There are free file recovery utilities that are out there for the Ext2FS file system that is used with Linux. Linux data recovery can be one of the fastest data recoveries ever seen. Linux data recovery has recovery programs that are out there that will recover files from existing logical disks even when the file records are lost. The problem is there aren’t any network capabilities that can reconstruct damaged RAIDS or stripe sets that are in R-Linux.
What Kinds of Features Are in Linux data recovery?
There is a standard “windows Explorer” interface-type style. When it comes to Linux data recovery, the supported files are Ext2FS. Your Linux recovery program will recognize and parse partitions. You will also be able to create an image file for an extra disk partition. These image files can be processed like a regular disk. The information on the Linux data recovery will be recovered and can be saved on any network or regular disks that are accessible by your computer.
Read the whole article Linux Data Recovery
Posted by David at 6:18 PM | TrackBack
Discount Life Insurance Will Give You The Best Protection You Need
There is always a chance that there is a better deal somewhere else, no matter what you are buying. That is why you should research and find discount life insurance. Did you know that life insurance rates can vary as much as 50% between carriers? That's why you should have a licensed professional help you make a good choice in discount life insurance.
Most life insurance professionals work with some of the nation's leading experts in discount life insurance who want to compete for your business. Just the very nature of the name tells you that you will be getting the lowest rates in life insurance. You can get online life insurance quotes at a discount as well as business life insurance for you and your partners.
Most people looking for life insurance look at the bottom line for the total price. If this is lower than other online life insurance quotes, they feel they are getting discount life insurance. The fact is that you have to compare the details of the policy to see whether or not the policy is really a discount.
