There is no escaping from installing an antivirus software on your computer or your laptop. The major dilemma lies in choosing between the free antivirus software and their paid versions. It is a tough choice, especially because these paid software packages don’t come for cheap. So, what do you do? Paid antivirus software come with their own set of perks. Read this article to know the benefits of purchasing a paid version of antivirus software.

• Add- on features One of the main areas where the free antivirus software falls short is the add-on features that the paid versions often flaunt. Paid versions come with backup and recovery tools, and performance boosting utilities that ensure that your PC is running at its best potential.
• Guaranteed protection When it comes to free antivirus software, there is no guarantee that it will protect your device at all cost from viruses. In case of a paid software, the company makes sure to give you the optimum level of security from all kinds of cyber threats.
• Accountable customer support If you are facing some issues with the free version of any antivirus software, there is not much you can do. On the other hand, if you subscribe to a paid antivirus software package, then the software company will make it a point to always give you high-quality customer support.
• Multi-user license You don’t have to worry about purchasing separate antivirus software for every device you own. You can purchase one package and it will cover all your devices.

Who should you buy paid antivirus software? Many people live with this misconception that excellent cyber security is just for those high-class people, who carry out complex tasks on their systems. What these people fail to understand is that hackers and cybercriminals these days not just hack your devices, but also the personal data that is stored in your system. If your system is not protected, then any person can hack into your system, peep through your bank transactions, steal money, or even your identity. To avoid these security breaches, the best thing to do is to purchase a trusted antivirus software that guarantees complete protection against viruses and malware. Depending on your budget and security needs, decide which antivirus software will give you the much needed digital safety.

Antivirus software is an essential tool in this digital life to keep your devices safe and secure from hackers, phishing scammers, and cybercriminals. And when you are getting it for free, there is no reason not to give your device protection. Here is a list of the best free antivirus software you can start using immediately.  Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition The Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition downloads and installs in seconds and is one of the best free antivirus programs. The antivirus offers protection features for Windows, Mac OS, and Android. With real-time threat detection, virus scanning, and malware removal, this antivirus defends your device against all cyber threats. This quick and easy antivirus software is also good with phishing and fraud protection. It warns you when you visit any sites that steal identities.  AVG Antivirus Free The AVG Antivirus is one of the best free antiviruses in the market. It uses advanced virus and malware removal technology to detect and remove threats without slowing down your PC. This free antivirus software includes real-time security updates, scans for malware, ransomware, and performance issues. It also blocks unsafe links, downloads, and email attachments. The Wi-fi Inspector included with the free software protects the home network against intruders.  Avast Free Antivirus Avast Free Antivirus is light on your system’s resources yet offers powerful and advanced threat protection free of cost. This easy-to-install antivirus scans your PC for the newest threats and erases hidden malware, keeping your device safe. You also get security for your Wi-fi network and against phishing attacks and unsafe websites.  Kaspersky Security Cloud Kaspersky Security Cloud is one of the best free antivirus programs available for personal, non-commercial use. This free antivirus offers many features that are provided in most paid programs. The program fights off viruses, worms, Trojans, malware, ransomware, and other threats. Apart from Windows, it also provides support for Android and iOS. This program also offers some extras like a VPN, dark web monitoring, and password manager.  Avira Free Antivirus Avira Free Antivirus offers the best virus protection for Windows, Mac, Android, and OS. It offers a highly efficient antivirus scanner and facilitates safe browsing by blocking harmful websites. Avira Free Antivirus also has an easy-to-use interface and helps keep your system running fast and efficiently.  Enjoy using your devices without any worries of cyber threats by installing any of the best free antivirus programs mentioned above free of charge. 

The A1C tests reveal the level of blood sugar in the body for the past 2-3 months. The test measures the glucose attached to hemoglobin cells. These cells have a lifespan of three months. So, the A1C test can not only diagnose diabetes but also reveal important information about a person’s management of the condition. This can help doctors modify treatment plans based on the test results. Lower A1C levels indicate that your diabetes is under control. A score of 6.5% or above can indicate type 2 diabetes. If your score is higher than 6.5%, you might need to make some serious changes in your diet, lifestyle, and treatment plan to control your blood sugar effectively. Tips to lower your A1C levels

• Lead an active lifestyle. Include 30-40 minutes of exercise at least five times a week. Apart from your scheduled workout, include games and other activities in your life, such as playing a sport.

Your doctor can guide you about your requirement for physical activities based on your health needs. You may need to exercise more often to achieve lower A1C levels.

• Diet plays a significant role in diabetes management. If you are lax with your ideal diabetes diet, you may need to make modifications to your current food plans for lower A1C levels.

You may need to eat more fiber and avoid fried and processed foods. When blood sugar levels are under control, a person with diabetes can eat all foods in moderation. However, to manage the disease, a lifelong commitment to healthy eating is warranted. Say yes to:

• Whole grains – brown rice, wheat bran, barley, millets
• Green leafy vegetables, carrots, cucumbers
• Citrus fruits, berries
• Fish – salmon, tuna
• Legumes

Say no to:

• Fried foods
• High-fat dairy
• Sugar-rich drinks
• Red meat

Eat in moderation:

• Low-fat dairy
• Nuts
• Maintaining a schedule for eating is very important in diabetes management. Avoid overeating and skipping meals.

The A1C levels are specific to each person. Diabetes requires lifelong management and lower A1C levels can indicate good health. Follow your doctor’s recommendations for diet, exercise, and medicines.

With a Certificate of Deposit (CD), the maturity date is fixed as is the interest rate. CDs do offer a financial advantage in terms of assured returns and security via the FDIC net. However, you can't use the moneys before maturity. In case you opt for an early withdrawal, an early withdrawal penalty is levied. As an investor, your goal is to maximise returns, taking due factoring for liquidity as well. Based on your estimated cash needs, you can choose between short term and long term CDs. CD rates vary depending on the duration. A long term CD will offer you the highest interest rate, while a short term CD will give you a comparatively lower rates of return.

• Short Term or Long term The choice is yours, depending on your need for liquidity. Since early withdrawal attracts a penalty, it is best to assess your future cash needs before you make a CD investment.
• For short term goals like paying the downpayment for a home mortgage, buying a car or paying for a holiday, you can choose to invest in a short term CD.
• However, if you need a large sum for important commitments like your child's education or paying off a mortgage, a long term CD works best—it offers higher returns.
• Also, by choosing to reinvest the interest on a long term CD, you enjoy the benefit of compounding. This way, you earn a substantial interest. It is to be noted that CD interest is compounded monthly.
• The high return on a long term CD is shadowed by the risk. In the long term, interest fluctuations are pronounced. Though the interest rate is fixed at the time of investment, the real return from the investment (say after 5 years) would turn out to be less than your principal investment.

How To Balance Risk and Return

• Laddering your CD investment is the best way out to minimise the risk and maximise returns. When your ladder CDs, you open multiple CDs of varying tenures having staggering maturity dates. Example: instead of having a consolidate CD of one large amount, it is recommended to have smaller denomination CDs spread over years, say one year, two years and so on. This way you can ensure liquidity by utilising the CDs that have matured.
• Laddering ensures that you will not have to incur early withdrawal penalty. The short term CDs keep your liquidity intact, while the long term CDs earn you high interest rates.
• You can also adopt the barbell strategy. Under this kind of CD structuring, you invest only in short term and long term CDs. You don't invest in intermediate term CDs. This strategy helps to increase your overall yield.
• Choosing the right CD is based on your saving goals. A fine balance between liquidity and returns can help your money to grow optimally.

Diarrhea is stools with a water-like consistency. Diarrhea also increases the frequency of the bowel movements, but the main characteristic of the condition is the watery nature of stools. There are many different chronic diarrhea causes, and the symptoms can last for more than four weeks. Causes Chronic diarrhea can occur for several different reasons.

• Chronic diarrhea causes related to inflammation in the intestines are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Both of these diseases can inflame the intestines and cause severe diarrhea (often with bloody stools).
• Chronic diarrhea causes related to improper absorption of fat are diseases of the small intestine and low levels of pancreatic enzymes. Any injury to the pancreas can cause low enzymes levels. This interferes with fat absorption in the body and causes chronic diarrhea. The pancreatic injuries or trauma can occur due to alcoholism, cancer, cystic fibrosis and hereditary pancreatitis.

Gluten (a protein in some grains such as wheat) insensitivity can cause swelling in the small intestines and cause diarrhea. The small intestines can have difficulty in processing gluten in varying degrees. Some people only develop low to high levels of intolerance to gluten while others can have celiac disease. The latter is an autoimmune condition. Autoimmune conditions are those where the body wrongly reacts to the presence of a foreign substance and causes a reaction. In the case of celiac, the body or the immune system reacts to gluten.

• Chronic watery diarrhea can occur due to an improper absorption of certain carbohydrates in the body. These carbohydrates can be sorbitol, lactose, and fructose.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) causes diarrhea along with other digestive problems.
• Chronic diarrhea causes can also include parasitic infections and antibiotic use.

Treatment Treating the underlying cause of chronic diarrhea can provide relief from the condition.

• For conditions such as celiac disease, there is no cure but to avoid eating gluten. This can significantly improve gut health and provide relief from chronic diarrhea.
• For severe symptoms, the doctor can prescribe medicines.

Chronic diarrhea can be a very distressing condition. But with proper diagnosis, it is possible to treat or manage the symptoms.

Hard water can be the reason behind several domestic issues such as water spots on products made of glass, or a thin coat like film on shower doors. Getting the best water softener for yourself can be helpful, but before purchasing one, you should know how to get the best pick. A water softener is useful because it discards the hardening agents, the calcium, and magnesium ions and replaces them with salt or sodium through ion exchange. Watch for an NSF-certified water softener company which includes one system monitor as indicator during the low level of salt. It guarantees to retain optimum standards for soft water. What is the grain capacity of a water softener? The capacity of a water softener depicts the highest number of grains of water hardness which the unit can eliminate before regeneration. Method to calculate the hardness It is calculated regarding grains per gallon (mpg). Usually, 1 grain of hardness means one / 7,000 pound of rock. The municipality's water supply may calculate this with respect to milligrams, liters or parts per million. 1 gpg refers to 17.1 mg / L and alternatively 17.1ppm. You can ask the municipal authority about the calculation, or buy a water test kit to do it yourself. What does regeneration mean? After some time the resin platform within the water softener gets films of hardness particles all around itself. At this time, the softener turns into the regeneration mode during which the salt or sodium of the tank is poured into the influx of water to eliminate those particles. In the post-regeneration process, the unit becomes ready to offer a constant flow of your desired soft water. For best water softener or water filter system, nugget-style salt is suggested. Is the recharging water of the softener harmful? Not at all. It doesn't have a negative impact on septic system or soil percolation process. Even the electricity amount for this water softener needs as much as a digital alarm clock needs. It's recommended for all kinds of hot water to undergo a softening process. For people on a limited diet of sodium, go to the doctor as cold taps make it tough to decrease the sodium intake through drinking and cooking water.