How to handle auto claims efficiently

An accident can take seconds to occur but overseeing the entire claims repair process may take days. Traditionally, drivers have been responsible for reporting the claim, arranging for the rental car, getting estimates on the repair work, checking with the shop to see when the work will be done, inspecting the car, picking up the car and returning the rental car.

Fortunately, this does not have to be the case and that's why it's a smart idea to investigate car insurance companies carefully.

For example, The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies offers drivers an accident claims repair process that takes only minutes-not days-of their time. Here's how the process works:

• The customer calls to report a claim at any time of the day or night and brings the vehicle to a specially designed service center.

• In about 15 minutes, the customer is in a rental car, if needed, with the assurance that the company will update the status of his or her claim.

• A claims representative prepares a repair estimate and contacts an auto body shop that has met strict quality requirements. The insurance company and the shop reach agreement on the cost of the repairs; the shop transports the vehicle back to the facility and the repair process begins.

• When the work is finished, the vehicle is returned to the service center where representatives from the insurance company and the body shop inspect the quality of repairs.

• Once the insurance company is satisfied with the repairs, the customer is called to schedule a pickup. Repairs are inspected and the customer drives off with a written document, saying that the repair facility and the insurance company guarantee the repairs for as long as the customer owns the vehicle.

Progressive has 25 Claims Service Centers open and plans to open 50 more sites across the country over the next few years.

How to cook a turkey

The most important thing to keep in mind is that a turkey takes a long while to cook through to the bone...and keeps on cooking once you remove it from the oven. Make sure to bake, braise or roast the bird at a high enough temperature to keep it safe to eat and don't overcook it. Don't leave your turkey in the oven to keep it warm while you get the rest of the dinner ready to serve. Take it out as soon as it's done, let it cool outside the oven for about 20 minutes and then carve away. You'll see the difference immediately when a turkey is prepared properly: the dark meat soft enough to break apart with a fork - the white meat moist and tasty. The secret is all in knowing how to buy and cook a delicious turkey! We're here to help you learn how to cook a turkey.

How big a turkey should you buy? You'll need at least 1 to 1Ѕ pounds of turkey per person if you're buying the whole bird, fresh or frozen. Of course, it's always best to go bigger. (After all, there are at least 50 ways to serve your turkey leftovers, including a winter store of turkey soup.) How long to cook? Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) then place the bird in the oven to roast.

A thought to consider--Great chefs suggest trying out your skills with a smaller bird before attempting to produce a holiday masterpiece. Like any other skill, perfecting a turkey recipe takes practice. Very few cooks can claim that their first turkey was perfect...but with every attempt you get more comfortable with what you're doing and the results keep getting better.

Simple steps how to cook a turkey:

Allow about 15 minutes of cooking time per pound - about 45 minutes per kilo unstuffed. It will take a bit longer, about 20 minutes per pound or an hour per kilo, if the bird is cooked with stuffing.

1. Preheat oven to 325. Remove the wrapper to see how much the turkey weighs and determine approximate cooking time. Remove the giblet bag and the neck from the turkey cavity. Wash the turkey inside and out and pat skin dry with paper towels.

2. Place turkey breast side up on a rack in a shallow (about 2 inches deep) roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer in thigh. Add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of pan, if desired.

3. Cover turkey loosely with a tent of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Roast the turkey until temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180°F. Cooking time will vary. For example, a 20 pound turkey will take 4 1/4 to 5 hours to cook, check the temperature on the thermometer after 4 1/4 hours.

4. Meanwhile, mix the stuffing or dressing. Place in a casserole and pop it into the oven during the last hour or so of roasting time.

5. Remove the foil tent after 1 to 1 1/2 hours of cooking time to brown the skin. Brush with vegetable oil to enhance browning, if desired.

6. A whole turkey is done when the temperature reaches 180°F. The thigh juices should run clear (not pink) when pierced with a fork and the leg joint should move freely.

7. Allow the turkey to set 20 to 30 minutes before carving to allow juices to saturate the meat evenly.

Note: Cooking times do vary. Why? There are many reasons - oven temperature may not be completely accurate, the turkey may be very cold or partially frozen, and/or the roasting pan may be too small which inhibits the flow of heat. The USDA highly recommends use of a meat thermometer to determine doneness of turkey. This is an important tool in learning how to cook a turkey.

Stuffed Turkey:

For uniform cooking results, the USDA recommends cooking the stuffing outside of the bird (see step 4 above) If you insist on stuffing the turkey, stuff loosely and follow the steps below.

1. See step one above

2. Mix stuffing and lightly fill cavity. Allow 1/2 to 3/4 cup stuffing per pound of turkey. It is safer to understuff than to overstuff the turkey. Stuffing expands during cooking. Refrigerate any leftover stuffing and bake in greased casserole during the last hour of turkey roasting time.

3. Place turkey breast side up on a rack in a shallow (about 2 inches deep) roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer in thigh (see Turkey Safety: Using a Thermometer). Add up to 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the pan, if desired.

4. Cover turkey loosely with a tent of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Cooking time takes longer for a stuffed turkey. For example, a 20 pound stuffed turkey will take 4 1/4 to 5 1/2 hours to cook.

5. Remove the foil cover after about 1 to 1 1/2 hours of cooking to brown the skin. Brush with vegetable oil to enhance browning, if desired.

6. A whole turkey is done when the temperature in the thickest part of the inner thigh reaches 180°F and the stuffing is 165°F. The juices should run clear (not pink) when a long-tined fork is used to pierce the thickest part of the thigh.

7. Check the internal temperature of the stuffing. Insert the thermometer through the cavity into the thickest part of the stuffing and leave it for 5 minutes. Or use an instant red thermometer which will register the temperature after 15 seconds. The stuffing temperature will rise a few degrees after the turkey is removed from the oven. If the center of the stuffing has not reached 165°F after stand time, return the turkey to the oven and continue cooking.

Money in a whole new avatar

Money has inspired many songs and innumerable statements. “Money makes the world go round.” “Money talks.” “It’s all about the money.” Money does play a very integral role in our day-to-day lives. Think about our three basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter, and you know that there is a fourth basic necessity which precedes these three. And that, my friend, is money. We may abuse it. We may associate it with criminal activities. We may call it the curse of modern life. But, whatever we may say, the fact remains that we cannot live without money.

Money has undergone many changes. It displaced the barter system in the ancient times. Then currency took over to provide for the many transactions that had to take place. We have changed a great deal from the days of metal currency in gold, silver, bronze, and copper. The coins of today are not pure metal; they are made of cheap alloys. The currency these days consists of paper that costs a lot less than its face value. Slowly, this paper currency is being subordinated to the power of plastic. Credit cards have staked their hold on the world economy. They are rapidly gaining in popularity and are quickly becoming the new face of money.

The days of worrying about carrying large stashes of cash in flimsy briefcases are gone. With the virtual world taking over our twenty-first century reality, even money is becoming a virtual entity. People today, no longer feel the compulsion to have tangible forms of money. Just the knowledge that that rectangular piece of plastic is comfortably seated in our wallets is assurance enough. Earlier on, people were hesitant to avail of credit cards because of the feeling of being indebted. However, these days, with the rise of things like cash back credit cards and 0% balance transfers, people have gained a new perspective on credit cards.

It is no wonder that credit cards are slowly taking over from the paper currency that had been the standard till very recently. With living standards rising globally, and with the rising demand for instant gratification, people have begun to flock to credit card companies. It is rapidly becoming the rule to roam around with multiple credit cards while most of our cash remains in the banks.

Is paper currency becoming obsolete? Perhaps. After all, online transactions are much in vogue today. And it is not yet possible to pay for these transactions by using paper money. Credit cards have become the need of the day.

Single-serving technology will transform your income

Working a home-based business the offers quality products can be a very rewarding experience. Having the ability to earn a significant income offering a quality product, is a wonderful opportunity if you get involved with the right company. Taking the time to evaluate potential companies, products and pay-plans, is essential to building a long-term home business.

I have been a top-earner with a home-based Network Marketing company. The reason is - I found a product that was effective, and people really liked. Residual sales would continue to come in, therefore, I was awarded a great residual income. It enabled me to really build a huge income, simply by increasing the number of people who got their initial order. Since people loved the product - giving out samples became a good strategy in getting people to try the product.

The difficulty in giving out samples, is the expense of handing out 32 ounce bottles (a common size of Liquid Nutritional products). Most first-time business builders do not have the investment money to buy a lot of product to give away - especially if the size of the product is in 32 ounce containers. An obvious solution would be for companies to develop smaller sizes to hand out as samples.

The obvious solution to the distributor, is not necessarily an economical solution for the Company. The production cost of putting out sample bottles, might not be economically feasible if the product assembly line is geared only toward mass-production of larger containers. Adding another size to the production, might not work for some companies.

Fortunately, I found a solution when I joined a company that offered single-serve technology as their product line. The company was smart enought to invest money in production of single serve bottles, rather than expensive fancy bottles. An excellent benefit to this type of production model, is that I have an inexpensive sample pack that I can give out to people. They can try the product and immediately determine whether they are interested in purchasing. Every time that I've given out product so far - I get a new customer. You can't find an easier way to build your business face-to-face.

I have often wondered why a company put so much money in the look of a fancy bottle, and took the value away from the product itself. I'd rather have a less-significant container, and more benefit from the product itself. With gogoforlife that's exactly what you get - Top quality products, in single serve containers - that people absolutely LOVE. Another great benefit is... residual home-income checks continue to rise, because the re-order rate is high and the distributors that I have recruited continue to drive sales by purchasing additional product to hand out as samples. A WIN, WIN, WIN opportunity.

Single-serve technology will change the Home-business industry. The companies that are leading the way will benefit the most. Home-based entrepreneurs that are smart enough to get involved now will reap residual benefits for years to come.

Money laundering in a changed world

If you shop with a major bank, chances are that all the transactions in your account are scrutinized by AML (Anti Money Laundering) software. Billions of dollars are being invested in these applications. They are supposed to track suspicious transfers, deposits, and withdrawals based on overall statistical patterns. Bank directors, exposed, under the Patriot Act, to personal liability for money laundering in their establishments, swear by it as a legal shield and the holy grail of the on-going war against financial crime and the finances of terrorism.

Quoted in Wired. com, Neil Katkov of Celent Communications, pegs future investments in compliance-related activities and products by American banks alone at close to $15 billion in the next 3 years (2005-2008). The United State's Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (finCEN) received c. 15 million reports in each of the years 2003 and 2004.

But this is a drop in the seething ocean of illicit financial transactions, sometimes egged on and abetted even by the very Western governments ostensibly dead set against them.

Israel has always turned a blind eye to the origin of funds deposited by Jews from South Africa to Russia. In Britain it is perfectly legal to hide the true ownership of a company. Underpaid Asian bank clerks on immigrant work permits in the Gulf states rarely require identity documents from the mysterious and well-connected owners of multi-million dollar deposits.

Hawaladars continue plying their paperless and trust-based trade - the transfer of billions of US dollars around the world. American and Swiss banks collaborate with dubious correspondent banks in off shore centres. Multinationals shift money through tax free territories in what is euphemistically known as "tax planning". Internet gambling outfits and casinos serve as fronts for narco-dollars. British Bureaux de Change launder up to 2.6 billion British pounds annually.

The 500 Euro note makes it much easier to smuggle cash out of Europe. A French parliamentary committee accused the City of London of being a money laundering haven in a 400 page report. Intelligence services cover the tracks of covert operations by opening accounts in obscure tax havens, from Cyprus to Nauru. Money laundering, its venues and techniques, are an integral part of the economic fabric of the world. Business as usual?

Not really. In retrospect, as far as money laundering goes, September 11 may be perceived as a watershed as important as the precipitous collapse of communism in 1989. Both events have forever altered the patterns of the global flows of illicit capital.

What is Money Laundering?

Strictly speaking, money laundering is the age-old process of disguising the illegal origin and criminal nature of funds (obtained in sanctions-busting arms sales, smuggling, trafficking in humans, organized crime, drug trafficking, prostitution rings, embezzlement, insider trading, bribery, and computer fraud) by moving them untraceably and investing them in legitimate businesses, securities, or bank deposits. But this narrow definition masks the fact that the bulk of money laundered is the result of tax evasion, tax avoidance, and outright tax fraud, such as the "VAT carousel scheme" in the EU (moving goods among businesses in various jurisdictions to capitalize on differences in VAT rates). Tax-related laundering nets between 10-20 billion US dollars annually from France and Russia alone. The confluence of criminal and tax averse funds in money laundering networks serves to obscure the sources of both.

The Scale of the Problem

According to a 1996 IMF estimate, money laundered annually amounts to 2-5% of world GDP (between 800 billion and 2 trillion US dollars in today's terms). The lower figure is considerably larger than an average European economy, such as Spain's.

The System

It is important to realize that money laundering takes place within the banking system. Big amounts of cash are spread among numerous accounts (sometimes in free economic zones, financial off shore centers, and tax havens), converted to bearer financial instruments (money orders, bonds), or placed with trusts and charities. The money is then transferred to other locations, sometimes as bogus payments for "goods and services" against fake or inflated invoices issued by holding companies owned by lawyers or accountants on behalf of unnamed beneficiaries. The transferred funds are re-assembled in their destination and often "shipped" back to the point of origin under a new identity. The laundered funds are then invested in the legitimate economy. It is a simple procedure - yet an effective one. It results in either no paper trail - or too much of it. The accounts are invariably liquidated and all traces erased.

Why is It a Problem?

Criminal and tax evading funds are idle and non-productive. Their injection, however surreptitiously, into the economy transforms them into a productive (and cheap) source of capital. Why is this negative?

Because it corrupts government officials, banks and their officers, contaminates legal sectors of the economy, crowds out legitimate and foreign capital, makes money supply unpredictable and uncontrollable, and increases cross-border capital movements, thereby enhancing the volatility of exchange rates.

A multilateral, co-ordinated, effort (exchange of information, uniform laws, extra-territorial legal powers) is required to counter the international dimensions of money laundering. Many countries opt in because money laundering has also become a domestic political and economic concern. The United Nations, the Bank for International Settlements, the OECD's FATF (Financial Action Task Force), the EU, the Council of Europe, the Organisation of American States, all published anti-money laundering standards. Regional groupings were formed (or are being established) in the Caribbean, Asia, Europe, southern Africa, western Africa, and Latin America.

Money Laundering in the Wake of the September 11 Attacks

Regulation

The least important trend is the tightening of financial regulations and the establishment or enhancement of compulsory (as opposed to industry or voluntary) regulatory and enforcement agencies.

New legislation in the US which amounts to extending the powers of the CIA domestically and of the DOJ extra-territorially, was rather xenophobically described by a DOJ official, Michael Chertoff, as intended to "make sure the American banking system does not become a haven for foreign corrupt leaders or other kinds of foreign organized criminals."

Privacy and bank secrecy laws have been watered down. Collaboration with off shore "shell" banks has been banned. Business with clients of correspondent banks was curtailed. Banks were effectively transformed into law enforcement agencies, responsible to verify both the identities of their (foreign) clients and the source and origin of their funds. Cash transactions were partly criminalized. And the securities and currency trading industry, insurance companies, and money transfer services are subjected to growing scrutiny as a conduit for "dirty cash".

Still, such legislation is highly ineffective. The American Bankers' Association puts the cost of compliance with the laxer anti-money-laundering laws in force in 1998 at 10 billion US dollars - or more than 10 million US dollars per obtained conviction. Even when the system does work, critical alerts drown in the torrent of reports mandated by the regulations. One bank actually reported a suspicious transaction in the account of one of the September 11 hijackers - only to be ignored.

The Treasury Department established Operation Green Quest, an investigative team charged with monitoring charities, NGO's, credit card fraud, cash smuggling, counterfeiting, and the Hawala networks. This is not without precedent. Previous teams tackled drug money, the biggest money laundering venue ever, BCCI (Bank of Credit and Commerce International), and ... Al Capone. The more veteran, New-York based, El-Dorado anti money laundering Task Force (established in 1992) will lend a hand and share information.

More than 150 countries promised to co-operate with the US in its fight against the financing of terrorism - 81 of which (including the Bahamas, Argentina, Kuwait, Indonesia, Pakistan, Switzerland, and the EU) actually froze assets of suspicious individuals, suspected charities, and dubious firms, or passed new anti money laundering laws and stricter regulations (the Philippines, the UK, Germany).

A EU directive now forces lawyers to disclose incriminating information about their clients' money laundering activities. Pakistan initiated a "loyalty scheme", awarding expatriates who prefer official bank channels to the much maligned (but cheaper and more efficient) Hawala, with extra baggage allowance and special treatment in airports.

The magnitude of this international collaboration is unprecedented. But this burst of solidarity may yet fade. China, for instance, refuses to chime in. As a result, the statement issued by APEC in November 2001 on measures to stem the finances of terrorism was lukewarm at best. And, protestations of close collaboration to the contrary, Saudi Arabia has done nothing to combat money laundering "Islamic charities" (of which it is proud) on its territory.

Still, a universal code is emerging, based on the work of the OECD's FATF (Financial Action Task Force) since 1989 (its famous "40 recommendations") and on the relevant UN conventions. All countries are expected by the West, on pain of possible sanctions, to adopt a uniform legal platform (including reporting on suspicious transactions and freezing assets) and to apply it to all types of financial intermediaries, not only to banks. This is likely to result in...

The Decline of off Shore Financial Centres and Tax Havens

By far the most important outcome of this new-fangled juridical homogeneity is the acceleration of the decline of off shore financial and banking centres and tax havens. The distinction between off-shore and on-shore will vanish. Of the FATF's "name and shame" blacklist of 19 "black holes" (poorly regulated territories, including Israel, Indonesia, and Russia) - 11 have substantially revamped their banking laws and financial regulators.

Coupled with the tightening of US, UK, and EU laws and the wider interpretation of money laundering to include political corruption, bribery, and embezzlement - this would make life a lot more difficult for venal politicians and major tax evaders. The likes of Sani Abacha (late President of Nigeria), Ferdinand Marcos (late President of the Philippines), Vladimiro Montesinos (former, now standing trial, chief of the intelligence services of Peru), or Raul Salinas (the brother of Mexico's President) - would have found it impossible to loot their countries to the same disgraceful extent in today's financial environment. And Osama bin Laden would not have been able to wire funds to US accounts from the Sudanese Al Shamal Bank, the "correspondent" of 33 American banks.

Quo Vadis, Money Laundering?

Crime is resilient and fast adapting to new realities. Organized crime is in the process of establishing an alternative banking system, only tangentially connected to the West's, in the fringes, and by proxy. This is done by purchasing defunct banks or banking licences in territories with lax regulation, cash economies, corrupt politicians, no tax collection, but reasonable infrastructure.

The countries of Eastern Europe - Yugoslavia (Montenegro and Serbia), Macedonia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Albania, to mention a few - are natural targets. In some cases, organized crime is so all-pervasive and local politicians so corrupt that the distinction between criminal and politician is spurious.

Gradually, money laundering rings move their operations to these new, accommodating territories. The laundered funds are used to purchase assets in intentionally botched privatizations, real estate, existing businesses, and to finance trading operations. The wasteland that is Eastern Europe craves private capital and no questions are asked by investor and recipient alike.

The next frontier is cyberspace. Internet banking, Internet gambling, day trading, foreign exchange cyber transactions, e-cash, e-commerce, fictitious invoicing of the launderer's genuine credit cards - hold the promise of the future. Impossible to track and monitor, ex-territorial, totally digital, amenable to identity theft and fake identities - this is the ideal vehicle for money launderers. This nascent platform is way too small to accommodate the enormous amounts of cash laundered daily - but in ten years time, it may. The problem is likely to be exacerbated by the introduction of smart cards, electronic purses, and payment-enabled mobile phones.

In its "Report on Money Laundering Typologies" (February 2001) the FATF was able to document concrete and suspected abuses of online banking, Internet casinos, and web-based financial services. It is difficult to identify a customer and to get to know it in cyberspace, was the alarming conclusion. It is equally complicated to establish jurisdiction.

Many capable professionals - stockbrokers, lawyers, accountants, traders, insurance brokers, real estate agents, sellers of high value items such as gold, diamonds, and art - are employed or co-opted by money laundering operations. Money launderers are likely to make increased use of global, around the clock, trading in foreign currencies and derivatives. These provide instantaneous transfer of funds and no audit trail.

The underlying securities involved are susceptible to market manipulation and fraud. Complex insurance policies (with the "wrong" beneficiaries), and the securitization of receivables, leasing contracts, mortgages, and low grade bonds are already used in money laundering schemes. In general, money laundering goes well with risk arbitraging financial instruments.

Trust-based, globe-spanning, money transfer systems based on authentication codes and generations of commercial relationships cemented in honour and blood - are another wave of the future. The Hawala and Chinese networks in Asia, the Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE) in Latin America, other evolving courier systems in Eastern Europe (mainly in Russia, Ukraine, and Albania) and in Western Europe (mainly in France and Spain).

In conjunction with encrypted e-mail and web anonymizers, these networks are virtually impenetrable. As emigration increases, diasporas established, and transport and telecommunications become ubiquitous, "ethnic banking" along the tradition of the Lombards and the Jews in medieval Europe may become the the preferred venue of money laundering. September 11 may have retarded world civilization in more than one way.

Internet marketing - finding a niche

One hurdle people find difficult to overcome is choosing their first niche. What they're suffering is that old "paralysis by analysis" feeling. They're thinking so hard about what will make money via Internet marketing, that they're totally ignoring one very important rule of business: Do what you love. If you aren't having fun every day. What's the point?

So, what can you do? Here are some ways that you can jog yourself into a great Internet marketing niche:

Decide what has fascinated you over the past 10 years. Maybe it's comic books. I like comic books. Is it a good niche? Perhaps. But you might be into fishing or gardening, or even kite boarding. But whatever it is, it has to excite you. You have to have a desire to want to learn more about the subject or you already have to be very knowledgeable, but you have to enjoy whatever your niche is.

Go to the library and walk up and down the nonfiction aisles, while looking at the book titles. The first book you're interested enough in to pick up might be a good choice of Internet marketing niche. But maybe not. Keep walking until you find something you can become engrossed in from antiques to zoology, you'll certainly find something that draws you in.

But if that doesn't work. Try giving yourself a sleep suggestion. When you close your eyes at night, ask yourself, what should my Internet marketing niche be? In the morning, you'll probably come up with an answer. No one is sure how this works, but it does. And, it works for solving just about any problem. Your subconscious has the information. You just need to access it.

Don't just settle on one Internet marketing niche, though. Try to come up with a list of about 5 that might be workable. Then, go over to the keyword selection tool at SEOBook. com and plug your niches in, one at a time. See what kind of traffic the main keyword for your niche is getting. Go to AdWords and see what kind of traffic words are getting. For example, if I plug fishing into the "Google Traffic Estimator" I see that the competition is high, the cost per click for AdWords is $0.69 - $1.01 and that the term gets 8,000 - 10,000 clicks on AdWords ads per day. That's a great niche to be in! On the other hand, if I plug in "basketweaving," it's at the other end of the spectrum. There's little competition, and there's only 1 click per day. Not too good. So, go through your list, until you find a term for which people are actively searching for and buying products.

Finding your Internet marketing niche shouldn't be that hard. Don't go nuts trying to decide what it is because it will probably change with time. You're learning, so much of what you do at the start will be changed and modified as you learn more and progress. Just don't' freeze up. You'll accomplish exactly zero, if you don't start somewhere.

Algae resistant roof shingles

Many homeowners are burdened with unwelcome house guests every year. It’s not the kind of guests that you’re thinking of, however, as this guest doesn’t enter the home. It invites itself to sit on your roof and causes unsightly discoloration. It’s algae and it effects a lot of homeowners, particularly those who live in areas of high humidity. Algae, however, doesn’t discriminate against those who don’t live in highly humid climates. It will attach to any roof and can be carried through wind, squirrels, birds, etc.

The Copper Concept

The concept behind algae resistant roof shingles is actually quite simple. Copper, which is a main ingredient in this new innovation of shingles, stops algae before it attaches to your home. Homeowners can now purchase shingles that have copper built directly into the colored granules. The copper isn’t visible, but it’s presence is certainly felt by unsuspecting algae as it is unable to survive on your roof‘s surface. With use of these new products, your entire roof becomes an unwelcoming host to algae. Expectedly, these shingles will cost a few extra bucks, but are well worth the extra cost when you factor the expense of algae removal. The copper or zinc present in algae resistant shingles are activated further by rain, which distributes the algae fighting components even further along the roof’s surface. Rain generally promotes moisture on the roof, which serves as a breeding ground for algae. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case thanks to algae resistant roof shingles.

Manufacturers Of Algae Resistant Roof Shingles

Many of today’s top shingle manufacturers offer algae resistant roof shingles, which can be installed by a local roofing contractor. They have access to a wide variety of products, including shingles with attractive colors to compliment your home. A roofing contractor normally gets a discount on these items and, in turn, may be able to pass that savings onto the customer. In many cases, warranties are even offered to cover algae resistant shingles. Always choose a company that stands behind their product.

Locating A Professional

A professional roofing contractor in your area will be able to order, and install, your choice of algae resistant roof shingles. After locating the perfect contractor, ask them for a quote and an expected timeframe. It may be a good idea to get several quotes from different contractors before making a final decision. Knowing that your roof is protected, from unwanted algae, will give you a greater peace of mind and allow your home to remain beautiful and fungus-free.