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Long Beach Island, New Jersey is an 18-mile strip of stunning sandy beaches where you can swim, sunbathe, surf, and simply play to your hearts content. While the beaches are always the main attraction, hidden gems and quaint little secrets can also be on your itinerary when you live like a local by renting a cozy Long Island Beach vacation rental for your family getaway.

The sandy shores of Long Beach Island can easily pull you towards their banks, requesting your attention day and night. However, to truly experience this lovely barrier island, it is imperative that you integrate yourself into the community and enjoy the local secrets for a getaway to remember. Rather than a cold silence that overwhelms in the larger, mainland cities, you will find a friendly, down-home feel as you stroll the streets and listen to the talk of the exciting upcoming events. By pulling your head out of the sand, you can come to know the true Long Beach Island and all that it has to offer its locals and visitors.

One of the best ways to push off the vacation title and truly discover your destination is by staying in a vacation rental that is just steps away from a knowledgeable local who can guide you on your trails. Long Beach Island vacation rentals are located in occupied and bustling neighborhoods where both visitors and year-round occupants commune so you can come to know the finest seafood restaurants in Barnegat Light or the best boutiques in Beach Haven. Forget about floating aimlessly around the island, and come to know its finest qualities from someone who simply refuses to leave its bountiful beauty by cozying up in a vacation home rental.

After utilizing your insider information and exploring the real Long Beach Island, a day at the beach is certainly in order. Although the numerous fishing, sailboarding, swimming, and sunbathing opportunities of the water are just a stones throw away from many Long Beach Island rentals, you will have to decide before your vacation if you want to look out at the ocean or the bay from your balcony and wall-to-wall windows. The choice is simply a matter of personal preference, but do not worry too much since the island is only a half-mile at its widest point, meaning oceanfront and bayfront adventures are always within sight.

In addition to the convenient waterfront excitement that you experience from Long Beach Island vacation rentals, you also have access to spectacular views and relaxing sounds every moment you are inside your home away from home. Breakfast on the deck is anything but ordinary as the birds flock overhead and the waves crash ashore, while the evenings are bound to be memorable in the hot tub as you listen to the peaceful quiet of a watery expanse and soak in the starry skies. Everything about your beachfront lodging screams rest and relaxation, so take advantage of your time in this serene setting by utilizing all of the amenities that are included with your accommodations.

Long Beach Island is a vacation destination that is meant to be savored, not simply passed through with a been there, done that attitude. Slow down the pace of your getaway by staying in a vacation rental that welcomes you home after a long summer day with amenities such as a washer and dryer, wireless internet, spacious rooms, plenty of bathrooms, and a kitchen that would make a gourmet chef proud. To experience local living every step of the way and understand what has the year-round occupants so enamored, book your Long Island house rental today.

GreatRentals.com has the most comprehensive selection of vacation rental homes on the Internet. For an alternative lodging option, consider Long Beach Island vacation rentals for your next trip to the Jersey Shore.

There are more than 526,000 properties in the UK with buy-to-let mortgages. The boom has taken place as more investors have shied away from the stock market and property has proven to be a great long term investment.

With a high divorce rate, mobile workforce and growing student numbers there is plenty of demand for rental accommodation. Whilst we can't cover all topics in this article, the tips below should be used as a sound platform upon which you can make your decisions.

1. Choose the right property

No surprises with this one. The area in which you buy should be well suited to letting. You also need to decide your target tenant market (young professionals, students etc). Consult local estate agents and letting agents to determine supply and demand.

2. Get the right mortgage

There are hundreds of investment property mortgages available. Most lenders will allow you to borrow up to 85% of the property value and the rent you receive should cover 125% of the monthly mortgage payment. A good mortgage broker will help you with this.

3. Consider the 'hidden costs'

You'll have many fees to pay, both up front and ongoing. There's the estate agent's fee, buildings insurance, mortgage arrangement fees, legal fees, stamp duty, and possibly service charges and ground rent.

4. Beware of ongoing costs

You must repair the property and replace fixtures and fittings, ensuring that the work meets the relevant health and safety standards. You also need to comply with fire regulations. See the 'Furniture & Furnishings Fire & Safety Regulations' available on the Dept of Trade and Industry's website http://www.dti.gov.uk

5. Choose a letting agent

If you decide to use one they will find the tenants (and do the reference checks), collect the deposit/rent and arrange inventory and tenancy agreements. They usually charge between 10-17.5% of the gross rental income.

6. Be insured

Many buildings insurance policies do not cover buy-to-let so check the small print of your policy. You can also insure your furnishings etc. The tenant will normally be responsible for insuring their own contents.

7. Be prepared for the tax man

You'll pay income tax on any rent you receive, although you can deduct certain expenses, including mortgage interest payments. There may also be capital gains tax to pay when you sell the property.

8. See buy to let as long term

It's rare to make a profit in the short term, so it makes sense to take a 5 to 10 year view.

The Financial Tips Bottom Line:

Whilst investing in property takes effort and a great deal of patience, the rewards over the long term can be impressive. You should research as much as you can, however not to the point where you have 'analysis paralysis' and subsequently take no action. In summary, do your research and you'll be well on your way to either increasing your portfolio or starting out in property investment!

NOTE: Buy to Let mortgages are not regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Ray Prince is an Independent Financial Planner with Rutherford Wilkinson plc, and helps doctors and dentists get the best deals on mortgages, protection and investments, as well as helping them achieve their financial objectives.

Get your free retirement planning guide, exclusively for UK Resident Doctors and Dentists. Just visit http://www.medicaldentalfs.com Youll also receive the twice-monthly email newsletter Financial Tips that will enable you to keep right up to date with all the financial issues affecting doctors and dentists.

Rutherford Wilkinson plc is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

"Outsourcing," even in the most simple examples -- like that of sending an e-mail campaign by a third party -- requires alignment just as any other business activity. In this business case the supplier of the e-mail campaign had just changed their approach. Since last month it is no longer "possible" to send html-e-mail that take more than X. kbyte. The chat feature worked fine and from "Jim" I learned that newsletters are now bounded to a content limit. But he made an exception...

Whatever the reason was for this change, the approach to handle the change is quite clear: Just do it and wait for the consequences. This is the same strategy that Google uses for the You-Tube video content: just allow every content uncertain of copyrights and wait what happens. The difference is that the you-tube case is operational and the e-mail campaign directive concerns a change of tactics, but the idea is the same.

Exceptions are a pain. So in order to gain more efficiency organization will try to create standards to which clients will have to comply to. Of course there is always the possibility to complain and those individual cases will be handled case-wise. To approve too many exception will make that the new standard will loose credibility, but a limited set of exceptions can be handled and will not weaken the main standard. There are always some exceptions, they will not disorganize your business.

Another advantage if this method is that the information value of the exception. If clients do not massively complain about the new rule, than the dropped feature wasnt too highly valued anyway. If clients do complain than there is a problem. A simple test (the launch of a balloon) amongst a client panel will clear this issue.

In this way you have managed your clients into a new direction. And this pattern is equally powerful to handle internal clients in accepting a change. The main recipe for this approach is: just do it. This is possible if the impact of the change is (below) average. In that case: put on your shoes and go and see where the resistance takes a certain volume so that you have to reconsider your tactics. In many other cases: Well begun is half done.

2007 Hans Bool

Hans Bool writes articles about management, culture and change. If you are interested to read or experience more about these topics have a look at: Astor White or sign-up for our newsletter.

It's hard enough on us when we're at odds with our mother when she's alive, but it's even more difficult if she passes away. My client recently left me a message letting me know how important it was to her that she had made peace with her mother and had no regrets when her mom died.

A Client's Story:
"My mother passed away this past week. and I was just thinking to myself how happy I am that I don't have any regrets. I wanna say thank you for the help you've given me over the past few years with trying to work through my anger and my frustration with her.

Being there for her at the end was really nice. I was with her when she died. I was the only one of us 3 kids that rushed to be there by her side, and I'm glad I went when I did. It was an amazing experience. We were able to tell each other we loved each other.

She told me I was her best friend. And then my dad told me he was really glad I was there. Of all of us 3 kids, he said that I had been the most helpful. It feels so good to have things cleaned up with my family.

The other thing is that I had a talk with a girlfriend and told her she should call you and come in to see you. She had a close call with her dad recently in that he had a heart attack (and is only in his 60's so that was really scary for her). It happened about the same time that my mom had her heart attack.

My friend has all the same issues with her mom that I did. Her mom won't communicate and be direct with her or deal with stuff about her dad's health.

Like my mom, she is being very manipulative and controlling through her dad's crisis. I was able to share with her how I had gone through all of that and why I first went to you and some of the things I learned from you. I hope she'll come and see you. C.S.in Denver.

Handling Difficult Mothers
As Mother's Day approaches, we think about our mom's and what gift to give her and what to say in our card to her. We often wish we felt closer and warmer than we do. Instead, many of us have felt hurt, rejected, manipulated,or controlled by our mothers. We feel a sadness or even anger when we read all the cards about "supportive, loving mothers." These are cards we can't send.

Whether you're mother suffocated you or was barely there, you can work through your issues with her. Resolving your issues with your mom will not only help you make peace with her but also will help you in your relationships with friends,lovers, bosses, etc.

At some level, we all seek the approval of our parents. And when we feel we don't get it (for whatever reason), we feel rejected and subconsciously assume that we're to blame and are not good enough in some way. This sticks with us and affects our self-esteem and affects all of our future relationships.

A mother is the first person to help us create high self-esteem and give us a sense of security. But she also has the power to do the opposite as well. Because of their own insecurities and problems they never resolve, they often hurt us (usually thinking they are protecting us).

As we become adults, we need to realize that our mother's behavior toward us is usually less about me and more about her. Her own personal problems have accidentally affected us. This only means that her criticisms and judgments about us are likely not true, but not that we excuse her bad behavior.

It is our job, however, to stop her from treating us badly.

What Makes Her a Difficult Mother?
-she avoids and denies my emotions
-she doesn't give me unconditional love, accepting me with my imperfections
-she still tries to control me, if not directly, then through guilt
-she doesn't speak up and tell me what's really going on and instead plays martyr or some other game
-she doesn't support me in my risk taking and growth to move ahead in life
-she criticizes me and makes me feel like I'm not smart enough to make good decisions

What To Do:
1) The key to resolving issues and making peace with our mothers is separating ourselves emotionally from them so that we see their hurtful behavior simply as "bad" behavior instead of taking it so personally; and then holding our mother's accountable for that bad behavior.

2) Take mom off her pedestal. She doesn't know what's best for you anymore; she just knows how to push your buttons.

3) Don't edit your conversations when you around her. Be yourself with her, not who she wants you to be.

4) Stop her if and when she starts criticizing you. Tell her to stop and then leave her presence or hang up if she continues.

5) Write her a letter letting her know that her judgment of you is wrong. Tell her how you are different from her and that you choose to be different from her. Let her know she can no longer judge or critize you, and that if she does, you will let her know some of her own faults. Tell her how you expect her to treat you in the future.

6) Prepare in advance for every interaction with her and set up boundaries to avoid incidents, i.e. "Mom, you know I'm only going to stay for an hour, so don't be upset when I get ready to leave."

Or, "If you judge me about that, I won't share anymore information with you. I need you to stop talking to me like that now or I'll have to leave."

Or, "I know you won't approve, but I'm not asking your permission, so please just listen and support my decision."

I taught this information, and more, to the client who thanked me above, and I helped her find peace with her mother before she died.

Luckily my own mother is still alive and doing well. I told my mother that her fights with my dad gave me a negative view of men and made me feel sorry for her. I then mothered her when I needed to be mothered myself. I told her how that has affected my life.

After she heard me and we worked it out, my heart warmed up so much that I had something else to tell her: "Mom, something good did come out of it all: playing therapist to you and dad made me the best relationship therapist ever! After all, I started at age 10."

So should you start all of this with your mother on Mother's Day? That's up to you. It may sound negative and she may not like what you have to say at first. But trust me, once you start speaking the truth with her and being yourself and stopping her from hurting you, you, like me and my client above, will warm up to her and be able to have a much closer relationship -- one like both of you have always wanted.

MY MOTHER, MY MAKER
(A poem by a client)
I've met my maker - what a sight to see.
My maker's my mother - what a woman is she.
My mother's my mirror - I see my reflection.
My mother's my vision - despite my objection.

In some ways she's generous in her show of affection.
She has countless ways to express her rejection.
By my maker's hand, have I turned out to be,
more of her than who I thought was me.

It's a scary thought - to be her clone.
There's more of her than I want to own.
I have worked too hard to be my own person.
Only to come full circle to learn the lesson.

No matter how hard I try to dispel the notion.
I am woven by the threads of her commotion.
Here I am - my mother's daughter.
Swimming in circles in her stormy water.

In this calm of the storm I can hear a voice
that assures me that I do have a choice.
I can try to escape and drown with exhaustion,
or I can use this truth as my internal combustion.

I can kick and stroke to escape her sea
or within its bounds be the best me I can be.

Carolyn Bushong, a Denver therapist, helps couples & singles: in her office, on-line, by phone. Author of: The 7 Dumbest Relationship Mistakes, Loving Him Without Losing You, Bring Back the Man You Fell in Love With. Has appeared on Oprah. 303-333-1888 http://www.carolynsays.com