A gold IRA is a type of individual retirement account (IRA) that allows you to invest in gold and other precious metals. Unlike traditional IRAs, which typically invest in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, a gold IRA is backed by tangible assets, which may provide additional protection against inflation and economic uncertainty. Some potential benefits of a gold IRA include:
Portfolio Diversification: Gold has historically had a low correlation with other asset classes, such as stocks and bonds, which means that adding gold to your investment portfolio can help diversify your holdings and potentially reduce overall risk.
Inflation Hedge: Gold is often seen as a hedge against inflation, as its value tends to rise in response to inflationary pressures. This can help protect your purchasing power over time.
Store of Value: Gold has been used as a store of value for thousands of years, and it is widely accepted as a form of payment around the world. This means that owning gold can provide a measure of financial security and stability.
When it comes to selecting the best gold ira company to manage your gold IRA, it’s important to consider factors such as reputation, customer service, and fees. Two popular options are Augusta Precious Metals and Goldco.
Augusta Precious Metals has been in business for over 40 years and has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. They offer a wide range of precious metals products and services, including gold IRAs, and have a strong commitment to customer service.
Goldco review, on the other hand, is a newer company that has been in business since 2006. They have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and specialize in helping individuals protect their retirement savings through gold and other precious metals.
Ultimately, the decision of which precious metals company to choose will depend on your individual needs and preferences. It’s important to do your research and consider factors such as reputation, fees, and customer service before making a decision. Additionally, it’s always a good idea to consult with a financial advisor or other trusted professional before making any investment decisions.
Fire safety should be a priority for any homeowner, but for those living in high rise buildings with cladding condemned as a serious fire risk it is absolutely critical to have the right detection and response measures in place.
Finding the best fire safety solutions is a stressful task, especially considering just how high the stakes could be but luckily v360 are here to help.
We are one of the UK’s leading providers market leading fire and security systems and provide waking watch services in high-rise buildings across the nation.
This guide will tell you everything you need to know about waking watch, how it works, what the advantages and limitations of it are, and what might be a more appropriate alternative for your needs.
What is waking watch?
Waking watch is a fire safety measure introduced in the UK in the aftermath of the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.
To give some sort of peace of mind to those living in other high-rise properties with the same condemned cladding installed, the waking watch is a system that involves fire marshals patrolling the property 24 hours a day and raising the alarm in the case of a fire.
Should a fire break out, it is the responsibility of a waking watch officer to alert all residents, contact the emergency services, and oversee the emergency evacuation.
Who needs a waking watch service?
If you live in a high-rise property of any kind, including apartment blocks and commercial office buildings, and a survey has found that the cladding on your building of the materials inside the walls pose a significant fire risk, you may require a waking watch service.
It is the responsibility of the building owner or manager to ensure the safety of all those within the property, so it is up to them to arrange and organise a waking watch.
It is recommended that a waking watch is put in place alongside other fire safety measures such as standard fire alarms (not enough on their own to protect a high-risk property) as a temporary measure until the issue of the cladding has been resolved or a common integrated alarm system has been installed.
What do waking watch officers do?
In accordance with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), a waking warden has 4 main areas of responsibility when on duty in a high-rise property.
These are:
1. Identification
Every 15 minutes waking wardens will conduct an extensive search of the entire building, examining every single floor and the exterior for any signs of a fire.
They will also survey the property for any potential fire hazards and check that all fire escape routes are free of obstacles that could interfere with evacuation.
2. Raise the Alarm
If a fire is detected on site, it is the responsibility of waking watch wardens to alert all residents to the threat as quickly as possible.
They will also contact the emergency services to ensure a rapid response.
3. Manage the evacuation
One of the main purposes of the waking watch being introduced was to facilitate a switch to a simultaneous evacuation strategy for high risk properties and professional fire wardens will ensure that this is carried out correctly.
Waking watch officers will oversee the full evacuation of the property ensure that alol residents are directed away from the incident area and monitoring the situation until the emergency services arrive.
4. Working with the fire service
Once the fire service arrives at the property, waking watch officers will liaise with them, briefing them on the situation and providing key information such as the location of the fire and whether a full evacuation has been successful.
This information can be critical to the fast suppression of a fire and limiting the threat to life and property damage done.
What is the alternative?
Waking watch conducted by highly trained fire marshals is an effective temporary fire safety measure.
However, given the cost of employing a physical officer 24 hours a day, in the long-term a more cost-effective alternative needs to be found.
For buildings with condemned cladding there are only 2 alternatives to waking watch:
Have the cladding replaced
Install a common alarm system
Whilst the obvious and ideal option is always to have the cladding replaced, this is extremely expensive and can take several years to happen.
For this reason, it is recommended that you have a common fire alarm installed as soon as possible as this will be just as effective at detecting fires, alerting the entire building, and allowing for simultaneous evacuation as waking watch, but at a much lower cost.
It is estimated that after the initial cost of installation has been overcome, the ongoing cost of a common fire alarm system for each resident of a high-rise building is 82% LOWER than that of waking watch.
Karol Zielinski puts it on the line and reminds business owners and managers that it’s okay to hire someone smarter than yourself. I’m willing to bet what he really means is that it’s important to hire capable people. You have to give someone credit for having the smarts, drive or experience to start a company. Having said that, smart people can help you solve business problems.
The truth is some business owners can be intimidated if they think an employer is smarter. It can be a challenge finding a hat rack for that urge to be the outright boss or leader. When you hire smart people, other members on your team can learn from them. There are other benefits to hiring smart people too. They learn quickly and you won’t have to spend as much time teaching them. This frees up managers and business owners to focus on growing the business. The moment of realization to hire smart people usually comes when managers realize they can’t do it all. The reality is that your employees shouldn’t just be smarter than you. They should also be honest, caring and committed to the company’s mission.
Show your own smartness by hiring smart people. Every employee will have strengths or weaknesses. Help them identify what they’re good at and work with those who need improvement. Create a workplace where people will be motivated to come to work each day.
Aging is a process we all must endure but anti-aging treatments can help to prolong your youthful look for many years after the tell-tale wrinkles and fine lines have threatened to appear.
You don’t have to go under the knife with an invasive surgery to achieve this either with a variety of injectables available to add volume to your face, eliminate rough skin, and smooth over imperfections.
Non-surgical treatments have seen a real boom in popularity over the last few decades and have now actually surpassed their surgical counterparts across the world.
Two of the most effective of all non-surgical cosmetic procedures that tackle common signs of aging in the face and neck are dermal fillers, and PDO threads.
Both PDO threads that are used to tighten skin and increase collagen production, and dermal fillers that are used to restore volume and tackle sagging skin are fantastic options, but which is better suited to your needs?
That is exactly what we are about to find out, with this comparison guide looking at the key determining factors between thread lifts and dermal fillers Glasgow.
What is the goal of your treatment?
Dermal fillers and thread lifts, although often compared, help to achieve a number of different things.
Fillers are used to replace lost volume in the face which has the effect of smoothing our lines and wrinkles and achieving more youthful looking skin. In recent years, these fillers have become incredibly effective and can now be utilised by a skilled doctor to achieve a number of very specific different outcomes.
PDO threads on the other hand will visibly lift the face, pulling skin tighter together, and stimulate the production of both collagen and elastin, leading to more moisturised skin, rejuvenated with the elasticity of youth.
If you are looking for and overall boost the aesthetic over your entire face, with no downtime and limited disruption to your life, thread lifts are a great choice, but if you have a single or a couple of specific areas to target, thin lips, for example, dermal fillers might be the better choice.
How long will the treatment take?
Bother dermal fillers and thread lifts are extremely quick procedures, and most people don’t even bother to take any time off work whilst the work is done.
Dermal fillers tend to be slightly quicker, at around 30 minutes for a standard treatment, whilst PDO fillers come in at a still impressive 45min-1 hour.
Whilst both these procedures are non-surgical, a thread lift is very slightly more invasive than a dermal fillers treatment, and local anaesthetic/numbing cream will be used to reduce discomfort to the lowest possible level.
After the treatment has been completed, the discomfort felt will be restricted to redness or minor bruising around the injection site, for both treatments.
How long is the recovery?
This is where dermal fillers and thread lifts really come into their own, and a big reason that they are preferred to surgery by many.
In general, you can return to normal activity, with a very limited restrictions immediately after these treatments, and you should be completely back to and improved normal after just a few days.
Over this period you should avoid things such as swimming, excessive sun exposure, and heavy workouts. As thread lift procedures are a little more involved, there may be a few additional precautions that should be taken, so discuss these with your doctor before you proceed, just so you know what to expect.
How long do they last?
Neither dermal fillers or thread lifts are permanent and with both treatments you will need to return to the clinic every so often if you want to keep the effects on a long term basis.
On average, however, these are two of the longest lasting temporary non-surgical cosmetic treatments. Depending on the type of filler used, dermal fillers last anywhere from 6-18 months, whilst the effects of a thread lift last between 1-2 years.
So, which is the better choice?
After all these comparisons, you would hope that there would be a clear winner between these two fantastic cosmetic treatments. The fact is, however, that they are both great choices and it really does come down to personal preference over which one you want to go with.
Hopefully the information in this blog will have given you the information that you need to make a more informed decision, but if you are still stuck, get in touch with your local expert cosmetic doctor as soon as possible.
The right cosmetic treatment normally comes down to the exact results that you are looking to achieve, and the issues that you are attempting to tackle and by explaining these to your doctor, they will be able to use their wealth of experience and expertise to advise you on which one will be best suited to your needs.
