Ancestry records are no less than time traveler tools to get to know about your family history. The journey toward having a deeper understanding of your ancestry, such as who they were and where they came from, begins during family conversations and while going through old documents. Arriving successfully at the ancestry records is rewarding and renders the opportunity of knowing your ancestors in the most meaningful and intimate way. It is no less than your own “journey home”.

If you wish to find your roots and get to those ancestry records, here are 5 tips to follow when getting started.

Communicate with your elders
The elders of the family are truly the ancestors’ record trunk. They have an immense bank of information and can save you a lot of time during your quest. While you may have heard family facts in the past, it would serve well to specially take some time out to interview them and note down the new details. You can also take aid of old photos or documents and ask them to identify any familiar factors. Talking with your elders will present you with the best foundational knowledge.

Organize well
Organizing your search and the results well are the key to effectively gathering all the facts. An online database can prove valuable in the search for ancestry records. These databases allow for better organization of facts and systematic compilation of the same. Moreover, they also prove to be an easier way to get information about your family tree.

Home hunt
There is no denying the fact that the valuable clues of your ancestry records quest are often present in the family home. There may be rooms or trunks within the home that might have in store some great photos, documents, and even correspondence that can get you far. You can also take help from professional genealogists as they are seasoned in performing a home hunt for family history. They also conduct research, study patterns, and collect data ensuring the most appropriate results.

The trip to acquiring ancestry records is bound to be full of surprises and unexpected turns. It can be a never-ending game and the key is to keep going. It is just going to be your very own quest for personal history.

Let’s face it, getting a psychic reading can be an exciting experience. At the same time, for many people, it can turn into a nightmare because there are numerous impostors who intend to beguile unsuspecting clients. Therefore, if you are planning to get a psychic reading done in the near future, ensure to steer clear of “psychics” that make tall claims and statements like, “100% guarantee”, “saw you in a vision beforehand”, “buying my talismans will solve everything”, and so on. Remember that psychics are humans just like you but only with strong sensitive abilities.

Continue reading further to know what things you should be mindful of while getting a psychic reading.

Don’t ask specific questions
When you are visiting a psychic, it is natural to be curious about discovering what your future holds. However, don’t schedule a psychic reading session because you are looking for a specific answer to a specific question, as it’s highly probable it will leave you disappointed. Psychics are not mind-readers or superhumans, rather they are more sensitive and intuitive human beings, who can offer you can insights about what you need and not what you want to listen.

Don’t give too many details
Make sure that you don’t end up giving too much information, as a fraudulent psychic can take advantage of it and exploit you for their financial interests. An authentic psychic will guide the entire spiritual session and do most of the talking while asking you to verify the insights that they grasp. It is also vital to remember that no psychic can foresee any incoming tragedy or tell you the winning numbers for a lottery. So if a psychic tends to make such predictions then immediately end the session.

Don’t pay extra for outlandish claims
Tricksters will charge hundreds of dollars an hour in exchange for offering bizarre information. And as tempting as the sales pitch is, don’t fall for it, as you won’t find anything worthwhile. A genuine psychic will provide you with credible information at a reasonable fee for the benefit of the client and not theirs.

Don’t consider psychics that encourage you to be dependent on them
One of the most toxic outcomes hiring the services of a fraudster is that they will manipulate you into coming back to them by using tactics like readings with cliffhangers. Obviously, this is done so that they can unfairly extract more money from you. If you realize that a psychic is trying to pull this stunt then quickly back out!

A psychic reading is a modern form of an ancient practice called divination. Psychic readers are commonly referred to as “fortune tellers” because they are believed to foretell destiny. However, a genuine psychic is a person with an extra sensory perception (ESP), which means that he/she is able to “sense” or “read” things for information using unusual places or mediums.

Mentioned below are some types of psychic readings:

Clairvoyance
This psychic reading is performed with the help of images and visions that are related to a person’s daily life. Clairvoyants provide information and perceive the future by tapping into a person’s energy along with the details of their past and present.

Spirit animals
It is said that spirit animals are where an individual’s particular traits come from. The spirit animals symbolize the personality and skills that an individual might have developed over the years. A psychic reader relates the person’s emotions, linking it with his/her spirit animal, helping them find the true path in life.

The human aura
A psychic uses a person’s aura to discover emotional energy, thoughts, and memories. The human aura tells a lot about an individual’s personality. It can also include energies belonging to friends and family members. An aura reading helps in determining things that are blocking positive energies and hindering growth. Clearing and cleansing from negativity can help one in setting on a better path.

Palmistry
This type of psychic reading can reveal details about past, present, and future events in a person’s life by reading the lines on the palms of a person.

Numerology
This type of psychic reading can help in determining a path in a person’s life based on his/her birthdate, name, and sometimes, even on the basis of the time of birth. Psychics believe that these details have a prominent effect on one’s life, personality, and future.

Mediumship
A psychic reading that refers to the psychic’s ability to foretell future events based on the physical, spiritual, and intuitive medium by tuning into the energy around the person in question.

Your wedding day stands tall among the most important days of your life, and you would definitely want everything to be perfect. Weddings often turn into one of the most expensive affairs for most people. However, if you prefer being on the thriftier side and want to minimize the budget of your wedding, start with the invitation card. Did you know that a couple ends up spending nearly $650 or more on their wedding invitations alone? Here are 5 ways to save big on your wedding invitations.

• Do-it-yourself: One of the best ways to save money on your wedding invitation is to make your card yourself. Many often refrain from having DIY invites, since making many cards is time-consuming. After all, there’s already too much to do for the wedding. There is also the problem of the result being sloppy and looking unprofessional. However, there are a number of make-your-own-invitation kits available in the market right now. These kits make it quite easy and affordable to create your own wedding invitations.
• Get the help of a creative friend: If being creative and crafty is not your way, get the help of a friend who loves DIY projects. Ask around and you may find a friend or someone in your family willing to do handmade cards for you for free. These uniquely made wedding invitations will not only look exquisite but will also have a personal touch to them.
• Send snappy e-vites: One of the most fun and frugal ways to send out wedding invites is through social media or emails. You can fit in all the information regarding accommodation, maps to the venue, wedding ceremony schedules, and even photos and videos of the bride and the groom in an e-vite. You can set up direct responses to go along with your invitations; your guest will just have to click or tap, and you will get your guest list immediately, without any manual counting of invitations.
• Score a deal by starting early: It is usually recommended to pick wedding invitations four months prior to the wedding. However, it is best to start hunting for wedding invitation deals as soon as all the wedding details have been fixed. The earlier you start, the better deals you will get. Sign up for group buying websites and coupon websites so that you get the best deals on your wedding invitations.
• Design your own card: Another great way to save on your wedding invitations is by creating your own design. You can take inspiration from designs available online or from magazines. If you have your own cardstock, take your design to a local stationery store or print shop. You will get your own uniquely designed wedding invitations at a far lesser price.

Tags: wedding invitations

There are so many aspects of a wedding that need your personal attention. In addition to choosing a skilled wedding planner and ensuring that you haven’t left out any of your family and friends from the guest list, there’s another factor that needs your attention and personal touch. Your wedding invitation is one of the most important aspects of your wedding and captures the essence of the kind of wedding you want to have. You need to invest a lot of time in choosing the right wedding invitation, as your invitation is what sets the tone for the rest of the event.

If you haven’t found the perfect wedding invitation yet, read on to be on par with the latest trends in the realm of wedding invitations and make the right choice.

Watercolor: Water colored wedding invitations are unique, and these are far different from the monotonous wedding invitations that follow the century-old templates. Watercolors make the wedding invitations appear graceful, vibrant, and extremely artistic. You can opt for abstract water colored wedding invitations or the ones that have flowers artistically painted across the border. Water colored wedding invitations are the perfect blend of romance and vibrancy that will set the tone of the wedding.

Blind letterpress: Here’s another wedding invitation trend that has become increasingly popular with couples preparing for their wedding. Blind printing is a process where ink is not used to print a particular portion of the card. Blind printing can be done to print patterns or words on the surface of the wedding card to create an impression or dent of your choice. Moreover, whatever is printed can be easily read even without the presence of ink. The blind letterpress wedding invitations look elegant and chic at the same time.

Moody romance: For the madly-in-love couples, this trending wedding invitation theme is a perfect choice. Moody romance plays with dark backgrounds and bold patterns without appearing garish. Usually, you will find different types of floral prints that look effortless and posh when it is against a contrasting dark background. This bold wedding invitation will definitely leave an impression on the recipients.

Celestial invites: If your love for celestial bodies is extremely profound, you can extend it to your wedding invitation as well. A cosmic touch never goes waste. You can pick special constellations for the wedding invitation — like the day you met your better half — and let the universe take part in one of the happiest days of your life.

Tags- wedding invitations

Being a part of a charitable cause helps promote the greater good and can also make the donor feel good about themselves. Apart from the good vibes, it comes with another advantage, i.e., tax benefits. However, before filing tax returns, there are certain guidelines you shouldn’t overlook. Read further to know how you can make the most of your philanthropic endeavors.

• Itemize to claim the contribution
  To claim a tax deduction for charitable donations, you need to itemize the contributions on tax return’s Schedule A, using the form 1040. You can file taxes with the help of an accountant or by yourself using a computer software.
• Contribute to a qualified tax-exempt charity
  Typically, charities need to have a 501(c)(3) status to qualify as non-profit organizations such as educational institutions, hospitals, certain government agencies, and humanitarian foundations. However, establishments such as churches or other forms of religious entities are not mandated to acquire a 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue System.
• Collect the receipts
  To claim tax benefits, it is imperative that you save the receipts and appraisal letters from the charitable organizations. Moreover, if the donation made to the charity exceeds $5000, then you need to get a professional assessment done in order to claim the tax deductions.

Claims excluded as tax deductions under charitable donations
Some contributions stated below can’t be used to file tax deductions –

• Donations made to individual people
• Donations made to political campaigns, political parties or committees
• Donations made to business organizations or labor unions
• Donations made to schools and hospitals which aren’t NPOs (non-profit organizations)
• Donations made to the governments of foreign nations

Limits on charitable donations
The IRS has levied certain limits on the amount of tax benefits one can claim using charitable donations. Typically, your claims of charitable contributions shouldn’t exceed 50% of the adjusted gross income. In some cases, depending on the type of contribution made, such as a property, the limit on the tax benefit can be further reduced to anywhere between 20% and 30%. If your charitable donations are more than the prescribed limit, then the surplus amount will be moved to the next year’s tax filing season, so that you can claim your benefits then.

Donating money for charitable causes is one of the noblest things one can do for the society. However, while one is contemplating about making a contribution for the greater good, one must exercise some level of caution. Why? Because it is important to ensure that whatever money has been donated goes to the right place and is used for the proposed plan. Therefore, before making any donations to a charity, it is imperative for a donor to run a check on the establishment in question.

Signs of a charity con
Today apart from personal contact, charities use all types of communication mediums including phone calls, emails, text, and even social media networks to promote causes. Irrespective of how charities contact potential donors, there are certain red flags stated below that shouldn’t be missed.

• Refusal to produce detailed data about its mission, identity, and expense breakdown.
• No evidence of tax deduction for the contributions made.
• Using a name that resembles eminent charity organizations.
• Use of high-pressure donation campaigns that coerces the donor to make immediate transactions without giving one enough time to think or research.
• Offering sweepstake rewards in return for a donation.
• Asking for confidential information such as a bank account number or debit/credit card details.

Things to check before making a donation to a charitable organization
To make sure that your contributions benefit the right individuals and causes, here are some precautionary measures you should take.

• Insist that the organization gives you some details such as an address, telephone number, websites, social media handles, and reliable references.
• Research about the organization online, and pay special attention to search results or threads mentioning words like complaints, scams, or frauds.
• Call up the charity and personally inquire about its causes and the mediums they use to solicit donors.
• Check the charity’s credibility by examining if they are registered under the National Association of State Charity Officials.
• Ensure that the donations made to the charitable organizations or fundraisers are tax-deductible.

Fortunately, today one can find various charity vetting tools online that can help donors investigate a charity’s legitimacy. Apart from the basic details, these online platforms inform donors about how a particular non-profit organization spends the accumulated money. Here are some websites that can aid donors in making the right decision –

• GuideStar
• The Wise Giving Alliance
• Charity Navigator
• Charity Watch