When you take a deep breath, you’re inhaling the highest quality of air in the U.S. in a decade. According to a new report released by the American Lung Association (ALA), tougher emissions standards have made a positive impact on the quality of air. Pollution has fallen to its lowest levels recorded since 2000.

The Clean Air Act

Steady progress in reducing pollution can be credited to the Clean Air Act, says Charles Connor, president of the ALA. Since 1990, the Clean Air Act sought cleanup of coal-fired power plants and gas-guzzling SUVs, pick-up trucks, and diesel engines. 

Last year, the EPA required that states control wind and weather-borne pollution across state lines. While some lawmakers protested that the initiative undermined economic growth and energy production, the EPA stated that the overall health benefits of millions of Americans was well-worth any lost profits in the energy sector.

It’s a bittersweet moment when your child goes out on their own, either graduating high school and moving on to dorm life in college, or getting a ‘real job’ after college graduation. What kind of gift would you get them to commemorate such an important occasion? Here are a few suggestions to help.

For the High School Graduate

They are going to be entering a new phase in their life, one that may be both exciting and scary (for them as well as you). If they will be living on a college campus, you have numerous options for gifts. Here is a list in a wide price range:

-Small refrigerator – they will appreciate having snacks and cold sodas handy for late night studying

-New laptop for all of the reports they will be doing

-Portable fan for white noise; dorms can be loud

-Luggage to make it easy for them to pack and come home on weekends

-A set of gift cards for local restaurants in the college town

-A bed-rest pillow for long nights of studying on their bed

Reports have been showing that the housing market is improving, which is good news to both buyers and sellers.  There are several indicators that show we may be transitioning to a seller's market. 

Inventory

The length of time that it takes for inventory to turn over has dropped to around three months, which is good news for sellers.  This means that if there were no new homes listed for sale, it would take three months for all of the homes to be sold.

More Jobs

When new businesses open or current businesses add new workers, more people will be buying homes.  People may move into the area and others feel more confident to buy a house when they have a stable income.

House Prices Increase

This indicator is usually one of the later to be seen.  However, you will begin to see less negotiation between buyers and sellers; buyers are more willing to pay the sales price.  Sellers are less likely to offer deals or reduce their price because they know someone else will be interested in the house at the selling price.

Is it time for your child to go off to college? Are you thinking about ways to save money? There is a way that might not have occurred to you, to help your child through college and make money, too.

Many parents are opting to buy a house rather than pay for a dorm room or apartment rental while their kids are in college. This may seem like a major decision for a few years of savings, but there are many benefits...

Invest for Your Retirement

Once your child graduates and moves out, you can rent the house and put away the money for your retirement. Once the house is paid for, you can get a good return on your investment. When you retire, you can either continue to get rental income to supplement other retirement funds, or you can sell the property. Since property usually increases in value, you could end up making a good profit.

Save Money on College Expenses

Besides saving on the cost of a dorm or an apartment, you will save money on food, too. Your student can skip the cafeteria plan and eat at home. 

If you’ve sent out your resume to dozens of employers without a single bite in sight, it’s time to shake up your resume. The following tips can transform a bland, black-and-white document into a competitive, eye-grabbing resume. 

1. Objective statements are out, cover letters are in.

There was a time when objective statements with professional career aspirations would get you to the first round of interviews. Today, however, due to much shorter attention spans, potential employers would rather see a well-designed resume than a fluffy objective statement. Not only do objective statements take up valuable space on your resume, you can fit the same information with more personality and salesmanship in a cover letter.

2. Quantify your efforts.

In other words, be more concrete on your resume. If you increased sales at your last job, write down the number or percentage of sales generated by your campaign. Replace generic bullet points with specific ideas, products, and processes that you contributed at your previous job. The more concrete evidence, data, and numbers you can include, the more impressive you’ll appear to reviewers.