Losing Your Temper ?

Posted on June 7, 2013 by robertjrussellcompanies

There once was a young boy with a very bad temper. The boy’s father wanted to teach him a lesson, so he gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper he must hammer a nail into their wooden fence.

On the first day of this lesson, the little boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. He was really mad!

Over the course of the next few weeks, the little boy began to control his temper, so the number of nails that were hammered into the fence dramatically decreased.

It wasn’t long before the little boy discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Then, the day finally came when the little boy didn’t lose his temper even once, and he became so proud of himself, he couldn’t wait to tell his father.

Pleased, his father suggested that he now pull out one nail for each day that he could hold his temper.

Several weeks went by and the day finally came when the young boy was able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

Very gently, the father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.

“You have done very well, my son,” he smiled, “but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same.”

The little boy listened carefully as his father continued to speak.

“When you say things in anger, they leave permanent scars just like these. And no matter how many times you say you’re sorry, the wounds will still be there.”

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Questions & Answers about the New Healthcare Act

Posted on June 5, 2013 by robertjrussellcompanies

Employer

Q: Do I have to offer health insurance?

A: If you have 50 or more full time or full time equivalent employees and one or more of your employees receives premium credits (government subsidies) to help purchase health insurance in the exchange, you are required to offer health insurance or pay a penalty. If no employees receive subsidies, then you are  not required to offer health insurance and pay  no penalty.

In addition, if you have 200 or more full time or full time equivalent employees, you are required to automatically enroll each employee in the company sponsored health plan.  They can then choose to opt out.

Q: What defines a full time employee and what is a full time equivalent?.

A: A full time employee is defined as anyone who works 120hrs/mo.  The number of full time equivalents is calculated by adding up all the part time hours worked by your part time employees in a month and dividing it by 120.  You cannot avoid the obligation to provide insurance by making everyone a part time employee.

EX1: You have 40 FT employees and 20 PT employees who average 80 hours per month.  FT + FTE = 40 + (20*80/120) = 40 + 13 = 53 You are required to offer health insurance or pay a penalty.

EX2: You have 20 FT employees and  40 PT employees who average 80 hours per month. FT + FTE = 20 + (40*80/120) = 20 + 27 = 47 – You are not required to offer health insurance.

Q: How much is my penalty if I don’t offer health insurance.

A: Penalty = (# of employees – 30) * $2000.
EX: A company with 60 FT and FTE employees – (60-30)*$2000= $60,000/year = $1000/employee.

Q: If I offer a group plan, what are requirements so I don’t pay a penalty

A: In general, minimum requirements for a ACA compliant health plan are that it limits deductibles to a maximum of $2000 for an individual and $4000 for a family and limits maximum out-of-pocket expense over and above the deductible to $6400 for an individual and $12800 for a family.  The plan must also offer all the “Essential Benefits” as defined by the ACA, such as a free physical each year and unlimited coverage.

Q: Can I offer a group plan and still owe a penalty?

A: Yes.  If the health plan is not ACA compliant or if the premium to be paid by the employee is more than 9.5% of the employee’s household income, then the employee qualifies for help through an exchange.  The employer then pays $3000 penalty for each employee that uses the exchange.

Q:Are there other ways to offer health insurance for my employees that may be less expensive?

A: Yes.  In many cases it may be less expensive overall for both the employer and the employee to pay the penalties and then purchase short term major medical insurance through a Section 125 PRA. Under a PRA, the employer can fix their health insurance costs much the same way they do with a 401K plan.  Any contribution made by the employer is in the form of pre-tax dollars. Employees can have money withheld from their check in pre-tax dollars to pay premiums.  The net result is a lowering of the taxable income for the employee and a lowering of the FICA matching requirement for the employer. In many cases, even including the penalties the employee and the employer save over 50% compared to a ACA compliant plan.

 

Q: Are there any scenarios under which I could not offer health insurance and still not owe a penalty.

A: Yes.  If you have less than 50 full time and full time equivalent employees.

Employees

Q: Does my employer have to offer health insurance?

A:  No.  Employers who have fewer than 50 full time and full time equivalent employees are not required to provide health insurance. Those with more than 50 are required to either offer ACA compliant plans or pay a penalty.

Q: Do I have to take my employer’s plan?

A: No. You can always apply to an exchange, either public or private, to see if coverage is cheaper for you and your family through an exchange.  If you work for a company with more than  200 full time and full time equivalent employees, and your employer offers a health plan, your employer is required to automatically enroll you in their plan.  You can opt out if you choose.

 

Employees/Individuals/Self Employed

Q: Are there less expensive options available for health insurance?

A: Yes. For those families whose household  income is between $65,000 and $300,000 per year, paying the penalty and applying for short term major medical plans that provide 2 million dollars of coverage per person per year will result in savings of 40% to 60% over the cost of an ACA compatible plan.

 

Q:How much is the penalty if I don’t buy ACA compliant insurance?

A: 2014: Penalty is $95 per adult and $47.50 per child (up to $285 for a family) or 1.0% of family income, whichever is greater.

2015: Penalty is $325 per adult and $162.50 per child (up to $975 for a family) or 2.0% of family income, whichever is greater.

2016 and beyond: Penalty is $695 per adult and $347.50 per child (up to $2,085 for a family) or 2.5% of family income, whichever is greater.

Q:Who collects the penalty?

A: The IRS as part of your annual income tax return.  You will be required to show that you had ACA compliant health insurance for yourself and every member of your family for a minimum of 9 months of the year.

Q: Are there other options besides buying insurance on a government exchange?

A: Yes. Many insurance brokers will provide private exchanges that offer all the products available on the public exchanges plus addition products and services.  In addition, some health insurance carriers that may service your area, have opted not to participate in the government sponsored health exchanges, but instead are relying on brokers to sell their products.  Brokers will be able to provide access to all the government subsidies as well as a broader range of compatible products. 

Q: When can I sign up for health insurance?

A:  As of now, the plan is to have open enrollment between Oct of 2013 and Feb of 2014.  After that, normal open enrollment will occur between Oct and Dec. of every calendar year with the plans going into effect as of the 1stof January of each calendar year.  There are a series of qualify events that will allow people to sign up for health insurance in between the open enrollment periods, but simply coming down with a serious illness or have an accident are not qualifying events.  In these cases, you will be fully responsible for any and all medical bills.  It is advisable to have some form of insurance in place at all times, either ACA compatible or short term major medical coverage.

Q: How do I sign up for health insurance?

A: Contact your USA Benefits broker.  The price for any health insurance plan, whether you purchase through a government exchange or a private exchange is exactly the same.  The advantage of using a broker is that the broker works for you, not the government or the insurance company.  They have access to more options that the government exchanges and represent a broad cross section of companies.  You’ll get the best deal that fits your family and needs from an experienced broker.

Q: When do the new ACA compliant health plans go into effect?

A: Plans typically will have a Jan. 1st effective date.  There are a number of “qualifying events”, such as loss of a job, divorce, death of a spouse, etc. that can trigger someone to get health insurance in the middle of the year, but for most situations the open enrollment will be between Oct. and Dec. and the effective date will be Jan. 1stof each year.

Q: What happens if I don’t sign up for health insurance, decide to just pay the penalty and then sometime during the year I get sick?

A:There are several qualifying events that make it possible for people to enroll in a ACA qualified health plan outside of the open enrollment period.  Accidents and illness are not qualifying events.  In other words if you do not elect a health plan during open enrollment, between Oct and Dec of each year, after Jan. 1stof the following year, you will

Alternative: An alternative for those who want to keep insurance costs low and still maintain coverage is short term major medical coverage.  It is typically 40% to 60% cheaper than exchange plans,  provides $2,000,000 worth of coverage and  renews every year.  It is the ideal choice for those who are reasonably healthy and want to provide basic coverage for themselves and their families. 

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Do people trust you ?

Posted on June 5, 2013 by robertjrussellcompanies

I trust you * I don’t trust you * I don’t know if I trust you.

These are the 3 things people think when they first meet you. Is it because of you or is it because of something from their past that has made them think this way ?

Here are my guidelines to establish trust and credibility:

1. Smile and be enthusiastic – make them want to be with you.

2. Get into common ground with them.

3. Speak their language. Use their words and expression. Speak at their pace.

4. Tune in on their moods and feelings.

5. Listen to how they say something and what they say.

6. Provide good feedback. Use acknowledgement, supporting statements and empathy statements. Ask clarification questions.

ALWAYS AVOID the following:

1. Being judgemental

2. Explaining too early or too often.

3. Sounding hostile, challenging to insincere.

If this helps – please comment at the bottom of this post and let me know that you like it or don’t like it.

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How heavy is your bag ?

Posted on June 3, 2013 by robertjrussellcompanies
I recently spoke at a church congregation in Mesquite, Texas.  As I was talking to the enthusiastic believers, I asked them ” What baggage are you carrying in your life ?”We all carry our stuff. As children we have a small bag with all of our wordly possessions and sometimes things that happen to us as children. As we grow older we pick up another bag and carry it. This bag contains hurts, accomplishments, defeats and victories as a teenager. Then we get older, go to college or get a job and more accomplishments and defeats hit us……..and we add another bag as we go through our life journey.

The older we get, the more stuff we put in our bags.

What are you holding on to that you can’t let go of ?

Is it Anger ?  Guilt ?  Shame ?  Fear ?

How long can you go on and hang on to all of the bags that you have so bodly clinging to ?

When will it be time to let go and FORGIVE ?

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Is your Air Condition Unit ready for Summer ?

Posted on June 2, 2013 by robertjrussellcompanies
Many AC problems don’t mean you have to replace the unit — fixes are cheap and easy.

 

“Let comfort be your guide,” says Tom Hutchinson of Hutchinson Plumbing Heating Cooling. Air conditioning is all about comfort, so the simplest way to evaluate your system is to ask: Am I comfortable?

 

Air conditioning and HVAC units don’t last forever — 12 years is an average lifespan — and the moment they fail is usually when you need them the most. The good news is that not every system malfunction spells total doom. Many nuisances are so cheap and easy to fix, you’ll kick yourself for not doing them sooner.

Warning sign #1: My air conditioning won’t turn on

Possible cause: Often, the most likely culprit is the easiest to remedy: the thermostat isn’t set correctly, or power isn’t reaching the AC unit.

The fix: Check to see that the thermostat is set to AC or “cool,” that the temperature setting is correct, and that the battery is fresh. Second, check the circuit breaker: Could simply be a tripped fuse.

Cost: Free

Warning sign #2: I’m not as comfortable as I was last year

Possible cause: “Airflow is paramount to comfort,” notes Hutchinson. If you aren’t comfortable, the problem usually can be traced to issues with airflow.

The fix: Change the filter. (You should do this as part of regular HVAC maintenance anyway.) Depending on the quality of the filter, the amount of people living in the house, and if there are pets, the filter should be changed every 30-90 days.

Outdoors, make sure there’s at least 24 inches of clearance on the sides and 5 feet on top of the unit. Also, check to make sure there are no obstructions to the home’s cold air returns and registers.

Cost: $5 to $20, depending on filter.

Warning sign #3: My utility bills are abnormally high

Possible cause: A spike in operating costs typically signals inefficient operation. After a dirty filter (warning sign #3), the most likely culprit is a choked condensing coil. Located within the outdoor unit, the coil has countless cooling fins — much like a car radiator — that can accumulate dust and debris.

The fix: Call out a pro for a spring tune-up.

Cost: $75 to $150

Warning sign #4: Weird noises during startup and operation

Possible cause: Rattling, buzzing, or ticking? The good news is that the cause might be little more than a loose screw. The bad news is that it could be caused by a bum blower motor (indoors) or bent fan blade (outdoors).

The fix: If you’re lucky, a simple tightening here and lubricating there will fix the problem. If not, you might require a new fan motor or fan blade.

Cost: $75 for an inspection and tune-up; $750 for a new motor.

Warning sign #5: The AC shuts off before or long after I’m comfortable

Possible cause: Improper placement of the thermostat can wreak havoc on one’s comfort. The unit might be in direct sun, too close to a register, or near a hot oven. Also, a remodel might have you spending more time where the thermostat is not.

The fix: Relocate the thermostat.

Cost: Free if you’re handy (and plan on reusing the same unit), up to $150 for a new programmable unit and somebody to install it.

Warning sign #6: There’s a puddle of water next to my furnace

Possible cause: During normal operation, the system generates moisture in the form of condensate. That water collects in a pan and flows out a line either into a floor drain or sump basin. An accumulation of water signals a blockage or disconnection of the tube.

The fix: Inspect the tube for crimps, clogs, and disconnections. Also, if the water flows into a sump basin, ensure that the sump pump is in good working order.

Cost: Free to clean out blockage; $20 to replace line; $50 for new sump pump.

Warning sign #7: The air coming out of the registers doesn’t feel as cold as it used to

Possible cause: The refrigerant lines aren’t insulated.

The fix: The outdoor unit is connected to the indoor system by two copper refrigerant lines, which should be covered with an insulating sleeve. Make sure that it is. Also, the system may need its refrigerant re-charged.

Cost: $5 for insulation and up to $150 for a system re-charge.

Warning sign #8: My AC unit refuses to kick on at all

Possible cause: Burnt-out compressor

The fix: If the compressor fails, the unit won’t run. The only fix for this is a costly replacement of the equipment.

Cost: $600 to $1,000. It might be wise to replace your air conditioner if it’s more than 8 years old.

 

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Carriers flock to PPACA federal exchanges

Posted on May 30, 2013 by robertjrussellcompanies

More than 120 health insurance plans have applied to sell their products on the federally run health insurance exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the White House said in memo Thursday.

One-quarter of those applicants are new competitors in a state’s individual insurance market.

In the 19 states where the federal government is running the exchange, about 90 percent of so-called “target enrollees” will have at least five insurance companies to choose from, the White House said.

Currently, in most states the individual insurance market is dominated by one or two insurance companies. But the administration claims that’s set to change next year under PPACA.

Officials are predicting that 7 million people will buy coverage through the exchange system in 2014.

About 85 percent of those people live in one of the 46 states in which two insurers now cover more than half of all individual market enrollees, officials said.

Eager to counter Republican criticism of the law, the White House’s upbeat assessment of the effect of the law comes four months before consumers can begin shopping for subsidized private insurance in new state markets. Widespread enrollment in those plans is crucial to the successful implementation of President Obama’s 2010 health care law.

The administration’s findings about increased competition generally match up with private sector assessments of early indicators. The market research firm Avalere Health found strong insurer interest in participating in about a dozen states that have released details of their new insurance markets.

Whether the competition will result in lower premiums, however, remains an open question.

Administration officials point to a report by the Democratic staff of the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week that determined that in Oregon and Washington the competition is lowering premium rates even before income-based tax credits are taken into account. But two other states whose filings were examined by the committee, Rhode Island and Maryland, signaled premium rate increases.

An earlier report by the committee’s Republican staff surveyed insurers who estimated that premiums would increase in most cases.

Indeed, concerns remain that people who already have insurance coverage, especially the young and healthy, could face an increase in premiums because of the new law’s demands. The plans that will be offered next year are more comprehensive than many bare-bones policies currently available to individuals.

They have to cover a standard set of benefits, including prescription drugs, maternity care and rehabilitation services. Insurers are also limited in what they can charge older customers, and they are not allowed to turn away sick people or charge them more. The most important cost feature is that the new plans limit copayments and other out-of-pocket costs to $6,400 a year for individuals and $12,500 for families.

A new report by Center Forward, a bipartisan research group, concluded that differences in current state regulations will determine the effect on premiums. Of six states it examined, the report determined that five would see sharp premium increases of up to 50 or 60 percent. One state, New Jersey, could see a drop in premiums of up to 25 percent.

People without access to coverage through their jobs can start shopping on Oct. 1 for subsidized private insurance in new state markets. The actual benefits begin Jan. 1. But because of continuing opposition to the law from many Republican governors and state legislators, the federal government will be running the insurance markets in more than half the states.

via Carriers flock to PPACA federal exchanges | BenefitsPro.

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Life Insurance Fact 1

Posted on May 30, 2013 by robertjrussellcompanies
After a life insurance policy is purchased, most people put the papers in a file and just pay the premium when the bill arrives.

Problem: A family’s life insurance needs change every few years. Depending upon the type of policy you own, performing a life insurance checkup may take as little as an hour or so and you may save big money.

Visit our website: LifeInsurancePricedRight.com to get the BEST rates available – we only quote through A+ or A Rated Companies!

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How I went from an iPhone to a really big Android phone

Posted on May 27, 2013 by robertjrussellcompanies

Late on the night of September 9th, 2012, I was sitting at my kitchen table, going over notes for a piece I was writing about video game arcades. The next morning at 6AM I was bound for an Amtrak train which would take me to Pennsylvania, then to Baltimore, on a four-day trip of interviews for the piece. I was packed and ready for bed. I was exhausted, and as I brushed my teeth, thought of the next day’s work.

I’d like to be able to say that I went peacefully to bed, my iPhone tucked underneath my pillow as I was wont to do, but that isn’t what happened. What happened, instead, was a series of events involving my phone, a toilet, and a bowl of rice at 1AM. As I removed the SIM card from the phone and buried it in rice, still vibrating and refusing to power down, I didn’t know that my phone was definitely, totally, completely dead.

I went to bed angry at myself for dropping my phone into a toilet

In horror, I quickly and hastily chose from among the dozens of tester phones I am routinely surrounded by. I passed up a Windows Phone as too foreign since I have so little experience with them, and settled on a European version of the HTC One S. It was bigger than my iPhone, which I didn’t like, but it was close enough in size that I thought I could manage for the unavoidable four days of hell I was surely in for. After all, traveling with a brand new phone when I’d need access to my emails, maps, music, and text messages with only minutes to make the switch was not ideal in any way. I went to bed afraid and confused, angry at myself for dropping my phone into a toilet. As I struggled to figure out how to set the alarm on this dreaded device and silence its notifications, I cursed it openly.

This was my introduction to Android.

I was suspicious of sizing up: I assumed that my days of multitasking one-handed were over, and they were. The One S wasn’t mine and it wasn’t an American phone, which seemed to cause it occasional data problems, but, other than that, I loved it. I got on that Amtrak train on September 10th groggy and acutely aware that I was going to be uncomfortable with my phone for the duration of the trip.

It’s now been so long since I touched an iPhone

But I was wrong. By the end of the trip I was emailing other Verge writers, effusively praising the glories of Android. Rdio worked beautifully! The notifications were so much better than the iPhone’s! My email, oh God, my email. I composed long, beautiful emails in dead spots where I had no service and it quietly sent them later on. The Twitter app seemed… better. It loaded faster, I thought. The battery life was better than my iPhone’s. I could effortlessly Gchat, 24 hours a day! Editing documents on my phone was something I could actually do realistically now. Oh, and the maps put the iPhone 4 to shame. There were other, smaller things, too, but I can’t remember them, because it’s now been so long since I touched an iPhone.

The most important thing was that the transition, which I’d sort of wanted but feared for several years, was seamless, mostly because I already used so much Google stuff. This should come as no surprise to switchers and long-time Android users, but it did to me. I’d messed around with Android phones over the years, but had lazily stuck with iPhones, consistently, since their debut back in 2007. There were plenty of things I didn’t like about the iPhone, but I’d never encountered anything I considered a deal breaker. Nothing but absolute force made me change. And when I did change, I never looked back.

Htc-one-s-560The HTC One S

I didn’t even try to turn my iPhone back on when I got home four days later. In fact, I didn’t try to turn it on for about six months (it’s dead, as I suspected). And, while I’ve been actively window shopping for a phone to call my own since last September, I never once seriously considered buying a new iPhone.

A few months ago I started saying that while I loved Android, my ideal Android phone didn’t exist for AT&T. Let me describe it: it’s an Android phone, made by HTC, and it’s about the size of an iPhone. It has LTE. The size was really the one remaining annoyance, I guess. Though I’d adjusted just fine to the extra height and width of the One S, four months ago or so, I still had it in my head that the ideal phone for my smallish hands was roughly… iPhone sized.

Enter the Facebook phone, also known as the HTC First. No phone could fit my wish list more perfectly, and once I realized that the Facebook veneer was optional, I assumed this would be my next phone. Finally, I thought, someone woke up and made what I’ve been dreaming of! And it’s HTC! HTC whose Beats by Dre (don’t laugh, they rule) I adore and now require, whose hardware is, in my opinion, the best in the industry, whose Sense skin I actually really like. Thank you, HTC!

Finally, I thought, someone woke up and made what I’ve been dreaming of

But I didn’t buy it. Instead, I decided to give the also-brand-new HTC One a spin. The One is HTC’s newest, beautifully-designed and built flagship Android phone. Sure, it has some weird home screen stuff on it which made me mad to look at, but it was easily disabled, leaving me with Sense, which as I said, I’m a fan of. The One was also quite large by my standards and I assumed that I wouldn’t want to buy one because of that.

Again I was wrong. Now, it’s not like this phone is giant, but it feels different, and it takes some getting used to. The first few days were uncomfortable, and I thought about going back to the One S until I found a phone I wanted to commit to. I briefly thought, “I should just get that Facebook phone,” as I my thumb struggled mightily to reach the notification drop down one-handed. By the end of the first week, though, I had adjusted, and there were some things that I knew I wasn’t willing to budge on which would make it hard for me to abandon the One: first, the screen, which is large, is also incredibly beautiful; it’s beautifully built, and it seems to be indestructible, though I haven’t tried dropping it in a toilet… yet.

My hands needed to learn to stretch

The truth is that while I spent months imagining — and talking about — a phone which was exactly the HTC First, I was all the while adjusting to a different and better reality: that of a slightly larger phone. The smaller “iPhone-sized” dream was just a red herring.

It’s been almost 8 months, and one month ago, I finally relinquished that HTC One S, trading it in for the much larger, but very similar, HTC One.

Here’s the thing: I’m probably a pretty standard smartphone user, in that I find something I like and I stick with it. I don’t switch phones every few months or even every year. Change isn’t hard, it’s just not something I’m interested in. I go with what works, and I think that’s what most people should do. I’ve had five phones in around seven and a half years, counting the few months I used the HTC loaner. But it’s an inescapable reality that despite myself, I’ve once again adapted to the modern world. It turns out I was wrong: the phone didn’t need to fit my hands, my hands needed to learn to stretch.

Blog Credits:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/26/4366104/size-matters-how-i-went-from-an-iphone-to-a-really-big-android-phone

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The Robert J Russell Show – Interview with Daphne Smith

Posted on May 25, 2013 by robertjrussellcompanies

The Robert J Russell Show consists of stories and interviews from people from all background who have overcome obstacles in their life.

Today’s Interview is with Daphne Smith.  This is what Daphne told me about her obstacles –

” …..little did I know I also closed off joy and healing with occasional bouts of mild depression and thoughts of suicide. I recently had closed off memories released and revealed of childhood molestation by a male care giver.”
To listen to more shows and interviews – visit: http://robertrussell.info
Would you like to be interviewed ?

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The Importance of Backing up

Posted on May 25, 2013 by robertjrussellcompanies

Tech Talk: The Importance of Backing up

For many people, backing up their computers is like getting exercise or eating more vegetables: They know it’s the right thing to do, but they just can’t seem to get around to it.

I know, because I’m like that.

After buying a new computer last year, I never backed it up. I knew the dangers, of course. Hard drives fail all the time for all kinds of reasons. A power surge could fry the machine. Or a disaster of some kind could destroy it.

But I kept putting it off — until it was too late. In December, my computer was stolen. Among the data I won’t ever recover are the raw videos I had stored there of my daughter riding a bike for the first time and some stop-motion animated movies my son made.

Things could have been much worse. I use the Google Drive cloud service to store my documents, so I didn’t lose them. Because I’m a subscriber to iTunes Match, which keeps a copy of users’ music files on Apple’s servers, I didn’t lose my music collection. And I had copies of most of my pictures spread across a variety of places, including an old external hard drive, my dad’s computer and the memory card in my camera.

But I’m still kicking myself for what I lost. And I’ve been trying ever since to figure out the best solution for archiving my data.

I’ve long thought that an online backup service would make the most sense when compared with other options, such as an external hard drive or a network-attached storage unit.

Because your data is stored outside of your home, you’re protected against disaster — and theft. You don’t have to worry about keeping an external drive plugged in or fret about it failing. And many still offer bargains. CrashPlan, for example, charges just $190 for a four-year subscription that entitles you to an unlimited amount of storage space. That’s less than what you’d pay for a 4-terabyte external hard drive.

But when I subscribed to an online backup plan several years ago, I was disappointed. The plan, from Mozy, was inexpensive, less than $5 a month, and it offered unlimited storage. But it took weeks to transfer all my data. Worse, it repeatedly stalled out while backing up, and then it had to start the backup all over again. And I worried that all the data I was transferring to the cloud would exceed the bandwidth cap on my Internet service, and that I’d face extra charges or the prospect of having my service cut off or slowed down.

Also, Mozy’s service seemed too much like a black box. It was much easier to transfer data to the service than to see what I had stored there — or to retrieve it.

Online backup hasn’t solved all these problems. Even with faster Internet speeds, data transfers can take weeks or even months. And at least in some cases, broadband providers’ bandwidth caps are still a problem.

But after doing some new research, I’m giving online backup services another try. It’s easier to see and access your data now than before. And online backup services retain their advantages over other options.

I’m still testing services and haven’t made a final decision on which one I’ll keep. But I’m impressed enough with CrashPlan that I likely will sign up for the paid service after my trial expires.

Here’s what I like about CrashPlan: It’s reasonably priced and, unlike some services, doesn’t threaten to slow my transfer rates if I exceed a certain amount of data. CrashPlan doesn’t set any limits on the size of files you can transfer to it, an important point for me because I have many large video files. And the service retains files you delete from your computer unless you specifically tell it to delete them; by contrast, some services will automatically remove those files from their servers just 30 days after you delete them from your computer.

CrashPlan isn’t perfect. My first backup has been painfully slow. Worse, all the data I’m sending to the service from my computer appears to be slowing Internet speeds on the other devices connected to my network.

But slow speeds are a small price to pay to have some peace of mind about my data. Because I don’t want there to be a next time when it comes to losing it.

Troy Wolverton is a technology columnist for the San Jose Mercury News. Reach him at twolverton@mercurynews.com [2] or follow him on Twitter @troywolv [3].

via RISMedia » Tech Talk: The Importance of Backing up

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