You should treat your car like a friend. After all, your car is dependable and always there for you when you need it. You also know it inside and out, and it complements your lifestyle. What happens when the relationship turns sour, though? Here are 4 reasons why your car is like a relationship.



1. You need to commit

Choosing a car can be stressful with so many decisions to make. Petrol, diesel or electric? SUV or station wagon? Red, white or black? When you’ve done much soul searching, and you see a car that you know will only bring benefit to your life, you know that you must have it. It will help you get to work on time, it will support you with your hobbies, and it will be a good fit for your family. However, money doesn’t grow on trees, and you have to commit to the financial burden of running a car, and not just the initial funding to buy it.

2. You need to cherish it

When you get your car home, it’s the start of the new relationship. You make sure that you keep the vehicle clean and spic and span, and treat it like it the investment it is. However, as time moves on, you fail to notice that it needs an oil change, and its paint has a few little rust patches, and this beautiful car that you valued so much, is suddenly less appealing. You have devalued it, and you survive together in the hope it meets your daily needs. When you don’t cherish what you have with regular maintenance, it can soon fall apart.

3. You need to spend time together

If you have been diligent with maintaining your car’s health with regular inspections, it should run for miles and miles between mechanic visits; however, as your vehicle gets older, it may start to need more visits to the garage. You need to think about the money that you are spending on it to keep it on the road and consider replacing it for one that will be more dependable. Visit a dealership like Honda Scotland to source an approved car that won’t let you down, and, this time, ensure you keep it looking brand new.

4. You need to pay attention

As with relationships, to keep the value in your car, you need to pay it attention. Your car communicates with you; therefore, it is up to you whether you are listening or not. Is your car making unusual noises? Whether its screeching brakes or an unidentified whirring noise from the engine, you need to pay attention to the signs your car is giving you. A whirring noise could be a signpost that a minor adjustment needs to be made, or it could be a sign of a big-ticket repair. Does your car exhale a sweet scent from the ventilation? Your heat core could have eroded, and needs to be checked out before winter arrives.

To ensure it doesn’t fail you, make sure you do not fail it also. A car is a large investment; therefore, you want to keep it running and in pristine condition. Reduce its breakdown rate by looking after it; after all, it’ll end up looking after you in return.


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Plenty of aspiring entrepreneurs have an idea of the kind of business they’d like to set up; however, they lack the capital, to begin with. Funds can be tough to secure, not only for new enterprises but for well-established businesses as well.

Apart from bank loans, there are other ways to finance your business. HSBC, which is one of the largest financial services organizations and best business banks in the world, shares alternative options for financing your startup.

How to Finance Your Business

1. Crowdfunding

There are crowdfunding sites that let businesses pool investments from several investors instead of just looking for a single investment.

Before dealing with these sites, make sure to read the fine prints because there are some sites asking for payment-processing fees. Know the ins and outs of the site before launching a campaign or making an account.

2. Business Account

If you want to trade with organizations with great financial status, opening a business account will be your best option. You can also take advantage of export and import finance without the underlying documentary credit.

If you choose to sell on open account terms, receivable finance products will deliver the financing or collection services you need.

Furthermore, supply chain solutions will help you in optimizing your working capital, reducing costs, and gaining better control over receivables.

3. Factoring or Invoice Advances

Invoice factoring is a process wherein business owners sell their accounts receivable or invoices to a third party, known as the factor, for an upfront percentage of the total value.

If the factor collects the outstanding payments, it returns the remainder to the client, less the pre-determined fee.

This alternative method of financing will help fuel business growth by giving the necessary funds to keep operations going while waiting for clients to pay the outstanding invoices.

Factoring is an excellent way for entrepreneurs to have a capital for a low rate. But since there are plenty of factoring services available, it is crucial to choose the best factor to work with; otherwise, this form of financing can be really risky.

4. Grants

If your business focuses on research or science, you can get grants from the government. Certain banks, nonprofits, and companies are also offering grants for businesses engaging in research and development.

Since grants are not expected to be repaid, they are not just given to anybody. Most organizations have strict reporting measures and guidelines to make sure that the recipients will use the money wisely.

Finding and applying for a grant is not easy, so seek help from a reputable financial professional to assist in the process.


5. Venture Capitalists

Venture capitalists are individuals investing in a business, providing capital for expansion or start-ups. Most venture capitalists are investing in businesses with a high potential for growth (and risk).

An investment from venture capitalists is a form of equity financing wherein the investors will offer funding in exchange for equity positions in the company.

This is a great financing option for non-established businesses that weren’t able to secure loans from financing institutions due to a lack of collateral; a high-risk profile or insufficient cash flow.

6. Guarantees

With the use of guarantees and letters of credit, you can conduct your business with confidence.

An HSBC guarantee, for instance, can allow you to negotiate favorable terms with both suppliers and buyers whilst addressing all your financing needs. Use standby letters of credit if your buyers and suppliers are less comfortable with guarantees.

Finding the funds necessary to launch and grow a business is among the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs. Apart from primarily applying for bank loans, consider using these alternative methods for getting your business funded. Most importantly, work with a financial professional if necessary.

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If you are looking for your next family car to take your group on holidays and other adventures, then you will no doubt have a few ideas about what one you want. However, there might be other things you need to think about, for example, how safe is it? How fuel efficient is it?


Here are some things to consider when you are choosing your next family car.

Safety Features

With any car, they have to go through stringent testing to see whether they are safe to drive or not. Usually, there is a rating that each vehicle gets so that consumers can get an idea just how safe it is.

These tests are, of course, subject to other considerations. For example, a bigger car will perform better than a smaller car because it offers more protection. However, there should still be enough protection to keep you safe in a crash.

There are other factors that go into the safety of the vehicle. Does it have driver and passenger airbags? Can the front passenger airbag be turned off if you ever need to put the child seat in the front?

As you are going to be using your vehicle for transporting children, you need to make sure there is adequate protection for them in the back of the car. That includes side impact protection and anchor points for child seats.


Where Will you be Driving?

Depending on where you live, your vehicle may need different features to accommodate the surroundings. For example, if you are living in the country with dirt roads and lots of hills, then a four-wheel drive vehicle might be the best option. If you are doing a lot of town driving, then something like a Mazda CX-3 will be a better option because of the fuel efficiency and high ride height.

Another factor is the number of children you have, you want a vehicle that can accommodate not only your children but also all the luggage that comes with them, especially on holidays.

Will you be Towing?

Some families have a boat or a camper that they take with them on trips. While these are great, you have to think about the vehicle that will be pulling it.

If the boat or camper is big, then you will need a vehicle that can handle the weight without being put under too much stress. You should be thinking about a vehicle with a bigger engine and perhaps four-wheel drive to give you the best traction.

The best types of engine for this would be a V-6, however, they are more expensive to buy and run. If you are only going to use your camper or boat one or twice a year. It may be better to get a smaller vehicle and rent a larger one for your trips.

Choosing a good family car takes a lot of thought, and sometimes things you may not even think about will be a factor.


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It may sound bakya to some people but when I can, I try to watch the latest teleseryes, especially if they feature actors or characters that I can relate to in real life. When I was young, I would keep my glued on TV for Mula sa Puso or Pangako Sa’yo. They made me sympathise with the characters and at the same time feel relieved that my life isn’t that bad compared to the main protagonist’s.


One such favourite actor that I love watching on TV is Ian Veneracion. I remember him when he was my childhood crush when he played Joey de Leon’s son in Joey and Son. I know he’s older than me but he doesn’t seem to age that much. In fact, when he played in the remake of Pangako Sa’yo as Eduardo Buenavista, I fell in love with him again. Moreso when he was cast as Engr. Anton Noble! Who wouldn’t? He’s not just an actor, he’s also a painter, an athlete, a pilot, a chef, and admirably, a family man. I can just imagine how busy his schedule can get.



Just recently, United Laboratories (UNILAB) made him a brand ambassador for Conzace the most prescribed multivitamin and mineral brand in the country. Mike Jimenez, Conzace assistant brand manager says he is “...the epitome of superior immunity and good looks,” I think that’s an understatement: he’s ageless. This product is literally an ACE up his sleeve (Antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E is paired with Zinc for immunity). Meanwhile, according to the Ian himself, health manifests from the inside out. He doesn’t just want to look good, he really puts value on being healthy so that he can do more for himself, his family, and his life’s work.

Compared to other multivitamins, Conzace has the highest levels of ZACE combined. All these elements play different roles in one’s well-being. This unique formulation in Conzace creates a synergistic effect that is clinically proven to help boost immunity, promote healthy skin and hair, and assist in wound healing as it speeds up skin regeneration.

At this point in my life, I think that like Ian, I'm putting extra effort on being healthier as I age. I believe that Conzace can help me reach this goal.


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Many plumbing problems can be much more complicated than most people think. They require the skill of a trained plumber in order to fix them correctly. However, there are many people who do not want to spend the money that is required to hire a plumber. These people will often make the mistake of trying to tackle their plumbing problems on their own. More often than not, they only succeed in making the problem worse than it was before. Here are a few of the benefits that you will get when you hire a professional plumber.



1. Having a professional plumber to fix your plumbing problem will give you the peace of mind that the job will be done correctly.

Trying to fix your own plumbing problems is a bad idea for a number of reasons. You might think that the problem has been successfully fixed. However, you do not have all of the training that a plumber has. Therefore, you might be completely mistaken. There is a chance that the problem was not fixed correctly and you are unaware of it. This can lead to an even bigger problem that will cost you a lot of money to fix down the road. Hiring a plumber who has many years of experience will ensure that your problem will be fixed the right way.


2. A trained plumber will be able to point out other problems that you might not have noticed.

The problem that you call a plumber to fix might not be the only issue with your plumbing. It is very possible that you have one or more smaller plumbing problems that have gone unnoticed by you. It goes without saying that unnoticed plumbing problems can turn into large ones if they are not dealt with right away. Atlanta plumbers are trained to do very thorough inspections of the plumbing that is surrounding the area they are working on. This gives them the ability to notice small issues before they become very serious. You can then have the plumber fix these small issues for a fraction of what it would cost if you waited until they became more serious.

3. A reputable plumber will guarantee all of the work that he does.

Even the best plumbers make mistakes every now and then. This is why a plumber's guarantee is so valuable. The best plumbers will give you a guarantee on all of the work they perform at your house. This means that they will come back and fix any problems again for free if the repairs were not done right the first time. You should never hire a plumber who will not guarantee his work.

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