Drunk Driving – When to Hire a DUI Attorney
If you have been charged with driving under the influence in your state, chances are good you need a DUI attorney. In order to better understand why you may need legal assistance, let’s take a look at what happens when you are arrested and charged with this offense:
When you are arrested for this offense, you will most likely appear in your area’s District Court the next business day. This is called your arraignment hearing.
Having a DUI attorney with you during your arraignment can be very helpful. If for some reason you do not have a lawyer at this time, it is very important that you keep quiet and simply answer the basic question such as name, address, etc. The court will, by law, enter your plea of not guilty. It will then set a court date for what is called a pre-trial conference.
If you have not yet hired an attorney, after your arraignment, now is the time to do so. He or she can help you prepare your defense against these charges, whether you wish to plead guilty or not guilty.
Do I Need to Hire a Specialized DUI attorney?
The answer is yes. Lawyers are very much like doctors in that they often specialize in one area of their profession. A DUI attorney is someone who is experienced and well-qualified to handle these particular types of cases and charges. He or she will know how to best defend you against these charges because he or she will know the state laws and rules as they pertain to this type of charge. This high level of expertise and experience becomes even more critical if you are facing a second or third offense for driving under the influence.
What Can a Qualified Attorney Do For Me?
More than you probably know. To start, a lawyer who specializes in this type of case will sit down with you and get your side of the story. He or she will review the police reports, sobriety tests given, and blood alcohol tests, as well as any mitigating circumstances that may affect your case. From there, he or she can help you develop a defense, should you wish to fight the charges. Or they can help you draft up a guilty plea and present your case to the court for the best possible outcome.
One of the most important benefits to working with an experienced DUI attorney is that he or she can give you an honest assessment of your case. They can offer various possible options and, from there, you can decide what is the best action to pursue for your particular case.
Your lawyer can also set up a meeting with district attorney to see if a deal can be worked out. For many, especially those with multiple convictions, this can result in much less harsh punishments if found guilty on the charges.
Your lawyer may also be able to work out more favorable payment plans for court costs and possible fines. He or she may be able to have the original charges reduced. They may be able to work out a deal in which you are able to keep your driving privileges in order to go to and from work, even if you plead guilty to the charges.
These are just a few of the many issues that a qualified and experienced DUI attorney can do for you should you be charged with driving under the influence. Their expertise and guidance when it comes to police reports, sobriety tests, state laws, and working with the court, can be invaluable for anyone who may be facing a court appearance for this offense. It is money well invested and can result in less severe and less expensive penalties and punishments.
How to Store Tax Documents More Safely
In our current day and age, security and privacy are utterly important. This is especially true when it comes to storing your tax documents, all of which contain pertinent information that could be stolen and violated.
In this article, we are going to discuss three different options that are at your disposal for storing tax documents securely.
Option #1: Go Totally Electronic
While this isn’t the first option for many that I know, going totally electronic with your tax documents is a viable, secure option. When you file your taxes via Turbotax or H&R Block online, you are actually creating electronic copies of all of your tax forms.
This means that you can shred any paper documents that you receive as soon as you enter them into one of these platforms, thereby eliminating any paper documents that could be stolen from your home.
Then, these online platforms are secured with the highest level of bank-grade security. Information stored on these servers is basically more secure than the papers that you store in your home, and they have a very, very small chance of being hacked away from you.
Method #2: Buy a Lockbox for Your Home
Of course, the electronic method isn’t one that sits comfortably with everyone. As an alternative, if you decide that you would like to keep your tax documents in your own home, the next best option is to buy a lockbox that you can securely store your documents in.
A great idea is to bolt this box to your garage floor so that it can’t be picked up and stolen. Also, you will want to make sure that the lockbox is fireproof so that it wouldn’t be destroyed in the rare case of a home fire.
Method #3: Store Your Documents in a Safe Deposit Box
Finally, if you don’t feel safe storing your documents online or in your own home using a lockbox, the only other viable alternative for protecting your documents is to store them in a safe deposit box with your local banking institution. This method is going to cost you a couple of bucks each month, but you can be fairly guaranteed that your tax documents will be safe here.
The only foreseeable problem with this method would arise when you begin to collect so many documents that the bank doesn’t have a box large enough to store them all. This can easily happen after collecting tax documents for 20+ years. However, this can be solved by paying for a second box.
References
Are MLM Companies a Pyramid Scheme?
Short Answer:
No. MLM companies are legal and trusted companies that allow their distributors or recruits to legally make money based on product sales or the sales of those below them. So long as they are not being paid exclusively for signing people up or being compensated for the amount of product they themselves must purchase, then there is no pyramid scheme occurring
Long Answer:
A pyramid scheme is a type of business model where a person recruits others with a promise of making money for enrolling others rather than selling products and services. The scheme gets the name pyramid from its shape, putting one individual at the top with multiple layers of individuals stacked underneath, each being cheated while those on top benefit profusely. Individuals are tricked into thinking that by recruiting more individuals, they will make money. Even though no product has been sold, no investment made, no wealth created and no service provided, the empty promise of getting rich quick fools more people than it should.
It is important to note that pyramid schemes are, in fact, illegal. Pyramid schemes most often make themselves evident in Ponzi Schemes or fraudulent MLM companies.
Ponzi schemes are illegal. It starts by taking the money an investor has given you, and rather than investing it, it is used to pay past investors…after of course, paying yourself a handsome salary. The investor never receives disclosure as to what will happen with their investment, or they are lied to and given false hope. The investors never know that they invested into a Ponzi scheme and they almost never get their money back. The only way they receive any ROI (return on investment) will be if another investor is tricked into “investing.”
Unlike pyramid schemes and Ponzi schemes, MLM companies that use the network marketing model are perfectly legal. Unfortunately, there are a few bad eggs that have used this model as an illegal front. Pyramid schemes using the guise of an MLM company will more often than not to sell products or services with no independent value. On other occasions, they may require their distributors to find and recruit new people to the company solely for the purpose of driving profit to the company. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) closely monitors MLM companies to ensure that each MLM company is operating legally and truthfully.
You are probably wondering, how do people end up getting involved in a pyramid scheme? One aspect that is particularly dark is how recruiters within the pyramid scheme blindly rob innocent people by convincing them to spend their hard-earned money on a lie. These consumers are led to believe that by “investing,” they will not only be paid but will profit greatly in a relatively short period of time. Soon after “investing” into the scheme, the money is given to the initial recruiter. In order for them to be profitable, they must now bring on more people under them, each of whom will go through the same buy-in process. The promise is usually conveyed as the ability to make a large profit with just a small investment or small amount of work – the classic “get rich quick” mentality.
Unfortunately, as more people are duped into joining the pyramid scheme, the base of the pyramid becomes increasingly weak, eventually reaching a point where it is no longer strong enough to support the upper parts of the pyramid. One of the biggest deceptions of a pyramid scheme is the investment and/or company will simply sustain itself. It is not possible for this to happen due to the fact that there is no actual business taking place. It is simply an intricate process of money changing hands, ultimately ending up on the top of the pyramid. It is only a matter of time before the new recruits or investors lose the money they have invested in being a part of the company.
The bottom of the pyramid scheme — where the majority of people are located — is the most vulnerable portion of the scheme. It soon becomes impossible to find the number of new investors and people needed to pay the level above. Mathematically, there is no possible way for those on the bottom of the pyramid to make money. Those at the bottom of the pyramid are always the ones who lose as their money is taken from those on top.
Do yourself a favor and always research a company thoroughly before you make any sort of commitment. A few MLM companies that have had run-ins with the FTC and it is a good idea to research if there are any open claims against the company. Simply do an online search for the name of the company and scam. For example, you could search for Kyani scam or DoTerra scam. This should bring up any results with the FTC Scam Alerts pages if there are any. Now that you know that MLM companies are not pyramid schemes, you can simply do the research on the company you are thinking about joining.
Les entreprises de marketing de réseau sont-elles un schéma pyramidal ?
Réponse courte : Non. Les entreprises de marketing de réseau sont des entreprises légales et de confiance qui permettent à leurs distributeurs ou recrues de faire légalement de l’argent sur la base des ventes de produits ou de la vente des distributeurs de leur lignée descendante. Tant qu’ils ne sont pas payés exclusivement pour inscrire des gens ou ne sont pas compensés pour la quantité de produits qu’ils doivent acheter, alors il n’y a pas de schéma pyramidal en place.
Réponse longue :
Un schéma pyramidal est un genre de modèle d’entreprise où une personne recrute d’autres personnes avec la promesse de faire de l’argent quand elles inscrivent d’autres personnes plutôt que de vendre des produits et des services. Le schéma obtient le nom pyramidal de sa forme, mettant un individu au sommet avec plusieurs étages d’individus empilés en dessous, chacun étant trompé tandis que ceux du dessus bénéficient profusément. Les gens sont trompés en pensant qu’en recrutant plus d’individus, ils gagneront de l’argent. Même si aucun produit n’a été vendu, aucun investissement fait, aucune richesse créée et aucun service fourni, la promesse vide de s’enrichir rapidement trompent trop de gens.
Il est important de noter que les schémas pyramidaux sont en fait illégaux. Les schémas pyramidaux se manifestent le plus souvent dans les systèmes de Ponzi ou les compagnies frauduleuses de marketing de réseau.
Les systèmes de Ponzi sont illégaux. Cela commence en prenant l’argent qu’un investisseur vous a donné, et plutôt que de l’investir, il est utilisé pour payer les investisseurs précédents… après, bien sûr, vous être versé un beau salaire. L’investisseur ne reçoit jamais d’informations sur ce que son argent va devenir, ou bien on lui ment et on lui donne de faux espoirs. Les investisseurs ne savent jamais qu’ils ont investi dans un système de Ponzi et ils ne revoient presque jamais leur argent. La seule façon dont ils reçoivent un retour sur investissement (ROI) sera si un autre investisseur est trompé et « investit » à son tour.
Contrairement aux schémas pyramidaux et aux systèmes de Ponzi, les entreprises qui utilisent le modèle de marketing de réseau sont parfaitement légales. Malheureusement, il y a quelques personnes malhonnêtes qui ont utilisé ce modèle comme front illégal. La plupart du temps, les schémas pyramidaux utilisant la forme d’une entreprise de marketing de réseau vendent des produits ou des services qui n’ont aucune valeur. En d’autres occasions, ils peuvent exiger de leurs distributeurs qu’ils trouvent et recrutent de nouvelles personnes dans l’entreprise uniquement dans le but de générer des profits pour celle-ci. La Commission fédérale du commerce (FTC) surveille étroitement les entreprises de marketing de réseau pour s’assurer que chacune d’elles fonctionne légalement et sincèrement.
Vous vous demandez probablement, comment les gens finissent par s’impliquer dans un schéma pyramidal ? Un aspect particulièrement sombre, c’est la façon dont les recruteurs dans le schéma pyramidal persuadent aveuglement des gens innocents à placer leur argent durement gagné sur un mensonge. Ces consommateurs sont amenés à croire qu’en investissant, ils ne seront pas seulement payés, mais feront de gros profits en peu de temps. Peu de temps après « avoir investi » dans le schéma, l’argent est donné au recruteur initial. Pour qu’ils soient rentables, ils doivent maintenant amener plus de gens sous eux et chacun d’eux passera par le même processus d’achat. La promesse est généralement de pouvoir faire de gros bénéfices avec un petit investissement ou une petite quantité de travail, la mentalité classique « devenir riche rapidement ».
Malheureusement, au fur et à mesure que de plus en plus de personnes sont dupées à rejoindre le schéma pyramidal, la base de la pyramide devient de plus en plus faible, atteignant finalement un point où elle n’est plus assez forte pour supporter les parties supérieures de la pyramide. L’une des plus grandes déceptions d’un schéma pyramidal est l’investissement et / ou l’entreprise va simplement se maintenir. Il n’est pas possible que cela se produise en raison du fait qu’il n’y a pas d’entreprise effective. Il s’agit simplement d’un processus complexe dans lequel l’argent change de mains, arrivant finalement tout en haut de la pyramide. Ce n’est qu’une question de temps avant que les nouvelles recrues ou les investisseurs perdent l’argent qu’ils ont investi pour faire partie de l’entreprise.
La base du schéma pyramidal, là où se trouve la majorité des personnes, est la partie la plus vulnérable du système. Il devient bientôt impossible de trouver le nombre de nouveaux investisseurs et les personnes nécessaires pour payer le niveau supérieur. Il est mathématiquement impossible pour ceux qui se trouvent en bas de la pyramide de gagner de l’argent. Ceux qui se trouvent en bas de la pyramide sont toujours ceux qui perdent car leur argent est pris par ceux qui sont en haut.
Faites-vous une faveur et faites toujours des recherches complètes sur une entreprise avant de vous engager. Quelques entreprises de marketing de réseau ont eu des problèmes avec la FTC et c’est une bonne idée de faire des recherches pour savoir s’il y a des réclamations en cours contre celles-ci. Il suffit de faire une recherche en ligne sur le nom de l’entreprise associé au mot escroquerie. Par exemple, vous pouvez chercher la phrase escroquerie Kyäni ou escroquerie DoTerra. Cela devrait faire apparaître tous les résultats avec les pages d’alertes d’escroquerie FTC, s’il y en a. Maintenant que vous savez que les entreprises de marketing de réseau ne sont pas des schémas pyramidaux, vous pouvez simplement faire la recherche sur l’entreprise que vous envisagez de rejoindre.