Data suggests that more than forty million Americans don't have a bank account. The reasons can vary, but this has opened an innovative avenue in the US financial market. Prepaid debit cards have taken the market by storm, and have ensured that there's always a convenient method of performing transaction. Upon activation, you can use the card anywhere. Not only does this save time, but it can also help you streamline your finance. There's a recent upward trend in the number of prepaid card users. Here's how it all started. The Rise Of No Fee Prepaid Debit Cards As the name suggests, you can reload these debit cards at your convenience. You don't need a bank account to use this facility. That's why prepaid debit cards are an easy way to perform transactions. Being a popular non-cash medium for transaction these days, prepaid cards help a lot of people. These include daily wage workers and those who don't trust the banking system. Prepaid debit cards let the user control their money according to their needs. But, since this concept is new, banks sneak in hidden charges when the card is used. So it's important to do some proper research when you're choosing a prepaid card provider. The aspects that you should take into consideration are duration, no-fee period, and minimum balance you can have on the card. Look around and see if there are any other features that are attractive to you. Why Are Prepaid Debit Cards So Popular? Using a prepaid debit card is more of a matter of convenience. The user can deposit a certain amount with the number of retailers at the same time. After that, the card works like a regular debit card, where you can swipe it to make a transaction. Retailers provide a lot of benefits if you're a prepaid debit card user. These offers increase if you already have a bank account. You can get cash back offers, free ATM transactions, easy payments utility bills etc. Online shopping becomes easier as well. Considering the advantages, consumers prefer to have the ease of prepaid debit cards. What Are The Drawbacks Of Using Prepaid Debit Cards? As easy as using a prepaid debit card might seem, there are some downsides. It can be somewhat expensive since there are fees and charges that you'll have to pay. Since the prepaid card industry is at a nascent stage, bankers tend to charge ridiculous amounts. There are charges on minimum balance, calls to customer care, and even activation fees. These charges can range anywhere from $2 to $20. What You Should Keep In Mind When Using A Prepaid Debit Card There are popular prepaid debit card providers who don't charge any fees. American Express, Bluebird, Kaiku, Visa etc. don't charge their consumers for activation. Many of them also don't charge fees for monthly maintenance. You can do some research on these service providers. Then you can choose which prepaid card would serve you best. When you don't have a bank account, this kind of research is even more important. Once you've decided what your priorities are, a prepaid debit card can ease the burden by a lot.

COPD is quickly becoming one of the most lethal illnesses in America due to an increasing number of people taking up smoking and being exposed to airborne pollutants. What makes it even worse is that more than half the patients are undiagnosed, and their condition only comes to light in the advanced stages of COPD. Though COPD has no complete cure yet, certain medications can work as treatment options. With about 11 million people being diagnosed with COPD in America, COPD medication is in high demand. Pulmonary Rehabilitation – What you need to know? COPD treatment can comprise a combination of medications and certain other treatments such as COPD oxygen therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation, surgery and psychological help to deal with stress. Pulmonary rehabilitation is the most popular COPD medication used by patients. Pulmonary rehabilitation helps patients to deal with COPD and carry on their everyday activities. It may not cure COPD but helps patients to deal with it. The highlights of pulmonary rehabilitation are as follows:

• Pulmonary rehab is a treatment program that is customized to the need of the patient.
• This COPD treatment teaches COPD management strategies to increase the quality of life, i.e., it helps patients to train the mind, heart, and muscles to achieve the best they can even with damaged lungs.
• In this type of rehabilitation, a team of specialists prescribes COPD medication to deal with and prevent certain symptoms of COPD.
• Pulmonary rehab also has an element of social care, which helps patients to come together and learn to cope with COPD together. This conditions the mind to deal with the illness.
• This facility also encourages patients to exercise on a daily basis, teaching them breathing exercises to improve the functioning of their lungs, and also to eat well.
• The rehab provides education regarding COPD and the various other treatments such as symbicort COPD treatment, new COPD treatment, and other information that patients with this condition ought to know.

COPD medication combined with the right treatments can help to improve the quality of a patient’s life. Pulmonary rehab is an amalgamation of various treatments being offered in one place.

Seniors who are financially challenged and need free cell phones for emergencies use can get free cell phones for the occasional calls through a few no-contract plans available for them. Wireless free cellphones for seniors are also available for free for seniors, depending on their income. This is along with monthly air-time minutes according to the criteria seniors qualify for. One can get free cellphones for seniors by looking up some cheap deals online or in the nearby stores. For example, free cellphones for seniors can be obtained through a few no-contract phones that work well for infrequent users of cell phones. These pay-as-you-go phones help save money as they are pre-paid cell phones that are not owned on a contract basis. With these free cell phones, there are no credit checks, fixed monthly bills, hidden costs, or contracts that are the usual features of traditional phone plans for cell phones. These no-contract phones allow users to purchase a special pre-paid phone with a certain amount of available minutes for texting or in the form of talk time that need to be used within the given period. Majority of national carriers like Verizon and AT&T offer pre-paid plans that are inexpensive, similar to independent networks like Cricket, Net10 and Virgin Mobile. T-Mobile and TracPhone also offer some good free cellular phones plans. Another option is the Doro PhoneEasy 618 that is sold via Consumer Cellular. It offers senior-friendly phones with simplified features and big buttons on a no-contract basis and is one of the cheapest options out there in the market. With calling plans starting at $10 per month, it costs about $60. Lifeline Assistance program The Lifeline Assistance Program is a government-sponsored program that subsidizes landline companies as well as wireless services that offer free cell phones along with 250 minutes of monthly free airtime and texts. This is done for those who qualify for the low-income criteria. Millions of Americans are eligible for this free cell phone offered via the Lifeline program, and only about 15 million have availed the service so far. Many different national pre-paid wireless companies like Assurance Wireless and Safelink offer free minutes and phones through tie-ups with other regional carriers within the country. It is true that more than one wireless company provides the free phones and minutes in most of the states. For those who are eligible, the free phone that is received is a basic cell phone that offers voicemail, text messaging, caller ID, and call waiting. To qualify for these services, the recipient needs to prove that they are receiving some government benefits like Food Stamps, home energy assistance, Medicaid, public housing assistance, or SSI. Another criteria for eligibility is the household income that needs to be at or below 135 or 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. These vary from state to state. The Lifeline program is a good way for low-income seniors to obtain a free cell phone, and seniors should check for service and eligibility requirements around their area by logging on to the site and locating the services available in their zip code area. The Lifeline program lets households with low income to get discounted telephone services to help them make ends meet on a monthly basis. A telephone is a necessity for most Americans, and more so for seniors. A cell phone or even a basic telephone is an important link to the outside world in today’s age. Whether it is an emergency, or for a job or even to simply know that help is a call away, a phone that is affordable is a necessity.

Ugg boots are a winter essential as the shearling lining gives you all the coziness you need for winter. While they are cozy, they are really expensive too, and getting a discount on top brands or in-fashion uggs is almost impossible. Here are a few ways in which you can get the best pair of uggs for a cheap price and without burning a hole in your pockets. Offseason sale Buying during the offseason is the best time to buy Uggs: the summer or any time after or before winter. This is because Ugg has off-season sales wherein the discount range for Ugg boots is usually between 20% and 50%. They also have other attractive coupling offers, etc. that will make your expense worth it with the deal. When you pick something from last year's Ugg boots selection or from before that season, then the deals get even sweeter and you can have your own ugg boots at a cheap cost for all the comfort you need. Buying from the kids' section The feet range for children is very similar to those for women. Women with a relatively smaller shoe size can always shop in the kids' section. The cost of kids' Ugg boots is almost close to 20% lesser than that of the adult Ugg boots range. The price of women’s sizes 5-8 is equivalent to the that of kid’s feet size range of 3-6. You can easily find a good pair of Ugg boots and most often there are a lot of discounts or sale posters on kids' Ugg boot ranges. When you do buy a good pair of ugg boots, it’s all about care. Make sure to treat them well and they will last for quite some time. If you buy ugg boots that are not water resistant, then the easiest way to maintain them is by spraying a coat of waterproofing spray and keep them stored securely during the off-season so that when you pull them out again for the winter, they shouldn’t be spoilt. Keep in mind the environmental factors when you buy your boot because some fabrics can react worse t climate change when compared to the classic ugg boots.

Wireless speakers, the modern way of enjoying music, have two units. An RF transmitter unit which connects the audio output of equipment like music players, Wi-Fi equipment etc., using an RCA plug. The receiver, amplifier and speaker are placed where listeners want the sound, which in other words, means high portability and wires should, definitely, be out of the way and powered by rechargeable batteries. The systems are adequately insulated from other RF frequencies in the neighborhood. Each manufacturer came up with their own sophistication to suit the consumer demands and brands proliferated. Some companies use radio communication frequencies and these are called Bluetooth speakers. The degree of sophistication claimed by one of the brands is that their earphones are built to last by manufacturing them with glass filled nylon and corrosion resistant stainless steel to last lots of travel.  It has a high-level noise cancellation system that can be set at three different settings to suit the ambient noise. It has consistent performance at all volumes and the sound can be made to surround the listener. The ear bud type is sweat proof and is engineered to sit in the ear comfortably by conforming to the natural contours of the ear and distribute the sound evenly to all parts of the ear. Products of such high sophistications fall under the best wireless speakers. There are products from $40 upward to suit to the varied pockets of the customers. The purchaser should have a clear idea of what he wants. One should buy the product that has received good reviews on the net and has features that define essentialities in a wireless speaker. These Bluetooth speakers also have a USB port for charging, can be paired to a device and the range is, more dependent on the device, and is said to average 10 feet reach. There are variants within the price band that afford better facilities. Some come with Jabra Assist App, built FM radio, Volume, auto off & on, power nap, voice guidance and motion sensor. Wireless speakers are very popular and these products are available to cater to both sophistication and utility segments.  

You have to plan a great party that would not only please your peers but also would add to your reputation as an efficient host/hostess. Planning a party is not an easy task, but when handled with precision it can turn out to be exactly as you had pictured it in your mind. You pay attention to different aspects of a party, such as the food, the decor, the venue (our own house or some good restaurant) and finally the drinks. Deciding which drink would appear on your menu is a tedious task as you have to put a lot of thought into it. The beverages that you are about to serve in your party should strike a chord with those attending your party, as chances are very high that people often attend parties for good beverages.

If you are about to throw a party, do not fret and do not freak out since there are some really interesting beverages that would help you win accolades as a host.

• The good old Martini is an all time favorite among almost all sections of the population! The succulent mixture of gin and vermouth, garnished with either a lemon or an olive is what would appease your guests' taste buds

• The Cosmopolitan is one of the most popular beverages that is high on the list of a majority of hosts. If you are a Hollywood enthusiast you would know how A-listers liked being seen with the drink, so, give your guests an opportunity to experience the same feeling

• The Gold Rush has garnered quite a fan following in recent times. The Gold Rush Cocktail is your bourbon and lemon juice garnished with mint. The interesting combination has made it to the list of awesome party beverages, so add it yours as well

• Next on the list would be the Whisky Sour. Your traditional whiskey with lemon juice and sugar and at times, mixed with a dash of egg white! Though it sounds unusual, it has its army of admirers

• Add the Mai Tai to your list of beverages. It is fruity and it has rum, so fruit lovers at your party can rejoice. Two rums, an orange curacao and orgeat syrup is what it is made up of

• The Piña Coladas are the ones with a liking for sweet stuff. It is a mixture of rum, coconut cream or coconut milk and pineapple juice blended with ice

Since you have the list of some of the most happening beverages that can win you the title of the best host ever, make sure you throw a great party. Bottoms up!