School is the place where a child’s foundation towards a better and successful life starts. From the very early years until high school graduation, a student will learn a lot from the teachers, guides, mentors, school environment, peer groups, etc. This is the reason why finding the right kind of quality school becomes the most important factor for an educated life. Schools are not just for studying a variety of subjects. They are also for extracurricular activities, making friends, learning manners, becoming better at social skills, etc. Not every school can cover all of this with finesse; however, a great, quality school is what a child needs for a brighter future.

However, in the current educational scenario, there are thousands of schools to choose from and this can lead to confusion among the parents. Therefore, below are a few very crucial points that should be considered before choosing a school for their kids.

Teachers and mentors

The very first area that should be observed and scrutinized is the quality of teachers in the school. A school should have the right mix of new-age teachers and veterans who have years of experience in the field of education. Teachers are the ones who teach, guide, mold and interact with students every day, thus amazing teachers can help with better learning and better communication.

Student-centered values

A school should have core values that are completely centered on students. Every decision and step taken by the staff and the principal should be for the betterment of the students. Their core concern should not be business, but the welfare of the students and how to turn the children into better and more learned individuals.

Environment

A good school should have a positive environment for all types of students. A friendly yet disciplined environment is a must to make sure that students are learning within the boundaries and are disciplined. Also, having a friendly environment means the students can openly speak about their problems and can have healthy communication with their mentors and teachers.

Balanced curriculum

A school is not just a place to read books and learn the subjects since there are many other areas that a student can excel in. Having an exhaustive subject curriculum is great, but along with it, the school should also have sports, arts, etc. as a part of their syllabus. This type of balanced curriculum can help the students to indulge in other types of activities and can also help with discovering their hidden talents.

Parental involvement

While choosing an ideal school, make sure that the institution pays equal importance to the parent’s involvement in their children’s progress. There should be timely parent-teacher meetings to inform parents of their child’s academics and other results. In the case of disciplinary actions and also positive happenings by the students, parents should be informed. This way parents can learn about their kids and what is happening in their school life on a day-to-day basis. Also, teachers and mentors should help parents in making them understand what is good for kids and what else can be done on the domestic side to help the student perform better.

“Dare to be free, Dare to go as far as your thoughts lead, and dare to carry that out in your life”

Narendranath Datta better known as Swami Vivekananda (12 January 1963- 4 July 1902) was an Indian Hindu monk, creative thinker, social reformer, great speaker, and fervent patriotic who founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. He firmly practiced, preached, and advised others for the pure and true spiritual path. His birthday is celebrated as National Youth Day in India.

Here are few anecdotes from his life-

Once when Swami Vivekananda was in Varanasi, he was surrounded by a large number of mischievous monkeys while he was coming out of the temple of Maa Durga. They seem to be exasperating him. Swamiji did not want to catch them so he started running but the wicked monkeys followed him an old monk was watching them he asked Swamiji to ‘stop and face them!’ Swamiji obeyed the monk and stopped. When he turned around and faced the monkey they ran away. Years late he said, “If you ever feel afraid of anything, always turn round and face it. Never think of running away.”
During a long trek in the Himalayas Swamiji found an old man extremely tired and exhausted. He was standing without any further hopes at the foot of an upward slope. The man complained to Swamiji in frustration, “Oh, Sir, how to cross it; I cannot walk anymore; my chest will break.” After patiently listening to them and he replied, “Look down at your feet. The road that is under your feet is the road that you have passed over and is the same road that you have before you; it will soon be under your feet.” His words motivated the old man to resume his onward trek.
On September 11, 1893 in his debut speech at the Parliament Of religions in Chicago instead of the customary ‘Ladies and Gentleman’ he addressed the gathering of 7,000 people with ‘Sisters and Brothers of America’ for which he was applauded for full 2 minutes.
While returning to India from London, one of his British friends asked him: `Swami, how do you like now your motherland after four years’ experience of the luxurious, glorious, powerful West?’ Swamiji patiently said: `India I loved before I came away. Now the very dust of India has become holy to me, the very air is now to me holy; it is now the holy land, the place of pilgrimage, the Tirtha!’

Sustainability is usually a term about environmental issues. Lately it’s become more of a personal finance term as well. That’s because financial decisions need to be sustained over the long term. To sustain you and your family over time, Financial Sustainability means planning and flexibility. Having Plans B, C and D is a necessity.

Here are a few tips for those who want to see their money stay around as long as they do.

Save Before You Invest

It’s a good idea to secure at least nine months of living expenses saved before even thinking about investing. As you plan your savings strategy, make sure you contribute enough to your retirement funds, particularly if your employer still offers a 401(k) match. Once you have your emergency fund, keep on saving. A good goal is to put aside at least 10 percent of your earnings each month (or as you can afford it). By retirement, you’ll have a nice chunk of money to nest in.

Keep Credit History Good

Being a habitual bill payer signals to banks and issuers that you are a risk worth taking. Paying credit cards or mortgages late will lead to negative consequences that damage your credit score and overall credit health. Banks and issuers consider payment history when evaluating your credit risk. A long-standing history of on-time payments suggests you are responsible and reliable borrower; a poor history suggests you many not repay debts and could result in a costly loss. Remember that a credit report is like an adult report card.

Spend for Retirement

A simple trick for saving: spend less than you earn. That might not be easy if you are already having trouble keeping up with bills. A spending plan would take care of that. Some people call this a budget, but since we’re referring to retirement as something to buy, a spending plan is more appropriate. Think of a budget not as a means to the end of buying a 60-inch television but a budget that will sustain over decades that will put you out ahead financially once you’re deep into retirement.

Savings Plans Are Still Good If You Can Get Them

If your company still offers a traditional retirement plan like a 401 (k) plan, it’s a good idea to put in your money up to the point where the company stops matching your contribution. Even if the funds within the 401 (k) don’t make great gains some years, at least you know you have the company match that doubled your contribution. A fairly high interest rate will come out of that. You might not have doubled your money by the time you are allowed to take it out, but it’s going to be a lot higher than what you could make on any other investment.

Make the Most of Income Sources Other than Savings

Choices of when to start taking Social Security can cut your retirement income by 25 percent or boost it by an additional 32 percent. Married couples can use strategies like claiming spousal benefits to increase income substantially. Factor in maintenance expense if your income comes in the form of rental properties. There’s a tremendous amount of benefit that some smart planning can do for you that will help over the long haul.

There are many sources who offer business funding today. Knowing the different sources will help you find the best funding options for your business.

Remember, most of these funding sources you can access right through your funding suite with us. So reach out to me to receive more information about the specific funding that will work for you and your business.

In the meantime take a look at some of the many sources of funding that are available today.

Business Charge and Credit Cards are a fast and easy way to access cash for business. You can use the money for any purpose, and you can be approved for business credit with no personal guaranty or credit check. Many merchants will approve you for individual credit cards of $10,000 or higher.

Angel investors have been responsible for funding over 30,000 small businesses each and every year. With over 250,000 active angels in the country you may want to consider an angel investor network to simplify your search. These investors are a great source of funding when banks won’t approve you, and perfect for projects where you need a lot of money.

Asset Based Funding is perfect if your company has collateral such as accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, purchase orders, or real estate. These assets can be used to secure the financing you need, and you can secure asset based funding even if your credit isn’t very good.

Bank Loans are still available, although they have become harder to get approved for. Many large banks tend to be much more conservative in lending so you may want to consider a community bank or credit union for a small business loan.
Equipment Leasing helps when you want to lease expensive equipment, and some equipment leasing and financing also works for you to borrower against existing equipment you already own.

Factoring is perfect if you have high amounts of account receivables. You can obtain funding up to 25 million and you can receive your advance within 24-48 hours in most cases. With factoring, you sell your company’s accounts receivables to a company (known as a factor) at a discount, in order to free up your cash. The company that purchases the receivables then assumes the responsibility for collecting them. This is a great option as they absolutely don’t care about your own personal credit.

Grants are a great way to get money for your business, especially government grants. Depending on your business types and intended use of funds, there are many options available for you to receive grant money that doesn’t need to be paid back.

Lines of Credit are perfect sources of working capital. A line of credit works like a revolving credit card but with much lower interest rates and higher available credit limits. You can get credit lines over $150,000 and write checks from the account or use a debit card to withdrawal funds or use for purchases.

Merchant Cash Advances and Merchant Lines of Credit are perfect for businesses who process credit card payments. This type of financing will advance you money against future credit card transactions. You can even get a debit card to use the funds you secure.

Microfinance Loans are less difficult and time intensive to qualify for with loan amounts ranging from $500 to $35k. Many businesses use several micro loans to get money for their business versus applying for one larger loan due to the easier qualifying criteria.

SBA backed Loans are still one of the most popular financing options available today. SBA backs, or insures about 80% of the loan while the lender lending the money takes on about 20% or so of the risk. Due to the lower risk to the bank, many major banks are more apt to lend money using SBA backed loans than regular loans.

Venture capital is neither easy nor fast to be able to tap into but can be a viable source of funding. This is a great source when you need higher loan amounts, and don’t mind giving up a potential stake in your company. Plus you don’t have some of the headaches that come with conventional funding.