The Best Unlimited Website Hosting Services

by Nasr-Eddine VerhaeghHosting

There are a few things to consider when choosing a web hosting service:

1. Price

2. Disk Space

3. Bandwidth

4. CPU Usage

5. Memory Usage

6. Uptime

7. Support

Let’s take a closer look at each of these factors.

1. Price

The price of web hosting can vary widely. Some hosting providers offer “unlimited” plans for as little as $5 per month, while others charge $30 or more per month for similar services. When comparing prices, be sure to compare apples to apples – that is, make sure you’re comparing plans that offer similar features.

2. Disk Space

Disk space is the amount of space on the server that is allocated for your website. If you have a lot of high-resolution images or videos on your website, you will need more disk space than someone who has a website with mostly text.

3. Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred to and from your website in a given period of time. If you have a lot of visitors to your website, you will need more bandwidth than someone who has a smaller website.

4. CPU Usage

CPU usage is the amount of processing power that is allocated to your website. If you have a website that is very resource-intensive (e.g., a video-streaming website), you will need more CPU power than someone who has a simpler website.

5. Memory Usage

Memory usage is the amount of memory that is allocated to your website. If you have a website that is very resource-intensive (e.g., a database-driven website), you will need more memory than someone who has a simpler website.

6. Uptime

Uptime is the amount of time that your website is available. You want to choose a web hosting provider that offers a high uptime percentage.

7. Support

Support is the level of customer service that you can expect from your web hosting provider. You want to choose a web hosting provider that offers 24/7 customer support.

Now that you know what to look for in a web hosting service, let’s take a look at some of the best unlimited website hosting services.

1. Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the largest and most popular web hosting providers. They offer a wide range of plans, including unlimited website hosting plans. Bluehost is a great choice for small businesses and individuals who are looking for an affordable and reliable web hosting service.

2. InMotion Hosting

InMotion Hosting is a leading web hosting provider that offers unlimited website hosting plans. InMotion Hosting is a great choice for businesses and individuals who are looking for a fast and reliable web hosting service.

3. SiteGround

SiteGround is a popular web hosting provider that offers unlimited website hosting plans. SiteGround is a great choice for businesses and individuals who are looking for a scalable and reliable web hosting service.

4. A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting is a web hosting provider that offers unlimited website hosting plans. A2 Hosting is a great choice for businesses and individuals who are looking for a fast and reliable web hosting service.

5. GreenGeeks

GreenGeeks is a leading web hosting provider that offers unlimited website hosting plans. GreenGeeks is a great choice for businesses and individuals who are looking for an environmentally-friendly and reliable web hosting service.

My Top 5 Favorite Things About Maine’s Credit Unions (CUs)

by PATRICIA HolmesPersonal Finance

They care.

Big financial decisions can be intimidating. Where to open an account, buying homes or vehicles, and using credit cards are financial decisions that we want to make responsibly. 

Get a head start in life by joining a credit union.

With a supportive system made up of people who care about helping people, these decisions are not so scary.

Credit unions began as a movement to help the underdogs when big banks would refuse to serve them. Credit unions care about giving people a fair start in life.

They offer shared branching.

With 170 branches, Maine’s credit unions have nearly three times more locations than any single bank in Maine by “sharing their branches.” You can access your money from almost anywhere. When I moved away from home to college, this was important to me.

Shared branching means if you have an account with a credit union, but are traveling out of the area, you can perform account deposits, cash and check withdrawals, transfers, cash advances, loan payments, etc. at any other credit union that offers shared branching. You only need your photo id, your own credit union name and account number, the last 4 digits of your Social Security number, and the primary address on file for your account.

They are local, and they support the community.

Walk to Stop Hunger with Maine State Credit Union, 2013.

I love that my credit union supports the Campaign for Ending Hunger. Since the campaign began in 1990, credit unions and their members have raised $5.3 million, with 100% of proceeds, toward the cause. They also offer financial education and resources, and raise money through the Swish-Out Childhood Cancer Challenge, where 100% of all sponsorships help children with cancer and their families. 

They make life easy.

With convenient mobile apps, online banking services, and mobile check deposit, I can bank from anywhere!

Use your phone to deposit your checks! 

With mobile check deposit, I use my phone to deposit checks. By taking a photo of the front and back of the signed check, you have access to your money almost immediately.

The SURF ATM network in Maine has 230 SURF ATMs – the largest surcharge-free ATM network in Maine! I use the ATM locator – http://mainecreditunions.org/surf-atm-locator/ to find easy access to my money, wherever I travel, for free.

With online services, life is easy and convenient. You can track your spending, manage your budget, make online transfers, and create separate club accounts to better manage your finances. All of this can be done from home or on-the-go with mobile banking.

They have less fees and better rates on loans. 

As a student who graduated from the University of Maine, this is important to me. College is expensive, and I want the best rates on loans as possible. I also don’t want to pay extra money in fees.

Because credit unions are not-for-profit, they can return money to members in the form of better rates on loans, less fees and more annual dividends dispersed to your savings account each year.

Take Care! 

U.S. government bonds are the least-favorite asset of money managers

by PATRICIA HolmesPersonal Finance

U.S. treasuries are not the favorite assets of money managers, according to The Associated Press.

There are various reasons not to like the financial instruments. They provide very little return and many market experts anticipate that they will lose value when interest rates start to recover from historically low levels. There are various reasons not to invest in the securities, but demand for the financial instruments remains strong.

Many investors expect that prices will fall for these financial instruments, the media outlet reports. This prediction has not materialized yet, and investors who wagered that the prices for the debt instruments would fall did not generate the returns they were looking for.

It is entirely possible that there is currently a “debt bubble” surrounding the U.S. treasuries. While demand for the U.S. debt is strong and the federal government continues to run deficits, this desire for the debt of the world’s largest economy might not be sustainable.

If investors suddenly lose their appetite for U.S. treasuries and the country still wants to operate at a deficit, default could be triggered. More importantly for investors, the returns of the securities could increase.

China Sees Surge of IPOs, But Stability Uncertain

by PATRICIA HolmesPersonal Finance

As questions continue to rise about the wisdom of investing in Chinese companies, the nation’s IPO market has begun to pick up.

The Wall Street Journal reports that China has seen a spike in the number of companies looking to conduct initial public offerings after many businesses were forced to delay their plans during the down economy this summer. Reuters reported in September that several IPOs potentially worth as much as $4.5 billion were canceled in one week late in that month.

Now, companies ranging from wind turbine and equipment manufacturer Guodian Technology & Environment Group to Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, along with the country’s fourth-largest insurer and second-largest brokerage, have filed for IPOs potentially worth as much as $7.4 billion.

“A lot of IPOs have been pushed back by the narrowing market window as the European crisis evolves, but we’ve seen more companies eager to tap overseas capital for their expansion,” Fang Fang, vice chairman of Asia investment banking at JP Morgan Chase, told The Wall Street Journal. “This is driven on one hand by the continued urbanization, fixed-asset investment, and domestic consumption, and on the other hand by tight monetary supply in China.”

All told, Bloomberg reports that the Hong Kong Exchange and Clearing has seen nearly 110 companies request permission to conduct an IPO. Though less than half of that number has received approval, it still amounts to 40 companies and a full 20 are expected to complete the process before the end of the year.

The move appears to be an attempt to hop on still-high sentiment toward China as the economy begins to slow down. Reuters reports that the latest purchasing managers’ index from HSBC found continuing slowdown across the Chinese economy, with growth in the services sector dropping from 54.1 on the index in October to 52.5 in November.

Already the country has seen its annualized growth rate fall to 9.1 percent in the third quarter, but the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests that number could decline further to around 8.5 percent.

While the number of Chinese options will be high for the foreseeable future, the declining performance of the country’s economy could combine with the poor showings of several Chinese companies filing in the U.S. Chinese video site Tudou has fallen roughly 50 percent since its IPO over the summer, while its rival Youku has fallen about 50 percent from early trading and more than two-thirds from its peak over the summer.

Zuckerberg Would Prefer Boston to Silicon Valley as Startup

by PATRICIA HolmesUncategorized

Silicon Valley has a strong and long-lived reputation as the center of the digital world, with many of the world’s largest tech companies started or based there. But Facebook founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg explained in a recent interview that he would not have moved his company out west knowing what he knows now, according to The Guardian.

Zuckerberg moved to Silicon Valley in 2004, as Facebook was taking shape as a company. He notes that this period bore little resemblance to the party-filled portrayal in The Social Network, but that the area imposed different kinds of pressures.

“It’s still a little short-term focused in a way that bothers me,” Forbes notes from Zuckerberg’s interview. “There’s people who want to start a company not knowing what they want to do, or just to flip it.”

He argues that the pressure for a fast turnaround from investors forces many companies to avoid the long-term planning that ultimately proves essential.

Instead, Zuckerberg suggests he would prefer to have remained in Boston, another focal point of venture capital with a pool of talented young programmers just as strong as that found in Silicon Valley.

Facebook announces plan to hold IPO in 2Q12

by PATRICIA HolmesUncategorized

Facebook is mulling a $10 billion initial public offering (IPO) next year that would provide the social media giant with a market value of $100 billion, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, though this flotation amount is speculative.

Lise Buyer, principal of IPO advisory firm Class V Group, told the media outlet that “it’s far too early to accurately predict where the valuation will be on deal day.”

If Facebook’s flotation raises $10 billion, it will be the largest tech IPO thus far, easily surpassing the $1.7 billion that Google raised during its 2004 IPO. The media outlet reports that the largest tech IPO in history happened when Infineon Technologies AG generated $5.23 billion during the dot-com era. The second largest IPO came from Agere Systems, which raised $4.14 billion during the same time period.

The social media giant issued a statement during a January funding round that expressed its expectation of surpassing 500 shareholders some time this year, which will require it to file documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission either on or before April 30, 2012.  

Europe Comes to Agreement, Though Issues Remain

by PATRICIA HolmesBusiness

Europe took a major step toward resolving some of its debt woes late Thursday and into early Friday. According to The New York Times, the European Union has agreed to change its treaty to require a greater degree of fiscal responsibility from member nations.

The new treaty requires countries in the European Union to limit their deficits to no more than 0.5 percent of their gross domestic product, though that rule can be bent under certain circumstances. It will also impose penalties for those who break that rule and require a greater degree of information sharing.

The treaty did not garner full support of all member nations, with the U.K. and Hungary refusing to support the treaty, though all members of the euro zone voted in favor and it also received a welcome boost from Mario Draghi, the head of the European Central Bank.

‘It is a very good outcome for euro area members and it’s going to be the basis for a good fiscal compact and more disciplined economic policy in euro area countries,” Draghi said, according to The Times.

That same morning, however, The New York Times notes that Moody’s Investors Service also downgraded the credit ratings of three of the largest banks in France – Société Générale, BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole – illustrating the still growing impact of the debt crisis.

Hedge funds attracting significant capital from institutional investors in 2011

by PATRICIA HolmesPersonal Finance

Hedge funds have been attracting significant capital from institutional investors in 2011, with current funding levels on track to make this the second-best year since 2004.

Institutional investors have been allocating massive amounts of money to hedge funds, with $39.9 billion in net inflows and pending searches happening from the beginning of the year through November 10, according to Pensions and Investments.

The media outlet reports that if the current rate of investment is maintained for the rest of the year – as many market experts predict – 2011 will be the biggest year for inflows into hedge funds since 2007, and the second largest since 2004.

Data provided by the media outlet indicates that a total of $17.4 billion in institutional investor capital was allocated to hedge funds in the first quarter, $5 billion in the second quarter, $8.3 billion during the third quarter and $9.2 billion in the fourth quarter through November 10.

The Wall Street Journal reports its opinion that investors may be looking to hedge funds as they have recorded a loss of 5.4 percent during the first three quarters as opposed to the Standard & Poor’s loss of almost 10 percent.

Europe Comes to Agreement, Though Issues Remain

by PATRICIA HolmesPersonal Finance

The European Union has taken a step closer to creating a tighter fiscal union.Europe took a major step toward resolving some of its debt woes late Thursday and into early Friday. According to The New York Times, the European Union has agreed to change its treaty to require a greater degree of fiscal responsibility from member nations.

The new treaty requires countries in the European Union to limit their deficits to no more than 0.5 percent of their gross domestic product, though that rule can be bent under certain circumstances. It will also impose penalties for those who break that rule and require a greater degree of information sharing.

The treaty did not garner full support of all member nations, with the U.K. and Hungary refusing to support the treaty, though all members of the euro zone voted in favor and it also received a welcome boost from Mario Draghi, the head of the European Central Bank.

‘It is a very good outcome for euro area members and it’s going to be the basis for a good fiscal compact and more disciplined economic policy in euro area countries,” Draghi said, according to The Times.

That same morning, however, The New York Times notes that Moody’s Investors Service also downgraded the credit ratings of three of the largest banks in France – Société Générale, BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole – illustrating the still growing impact of the debt crisis.

Dividend ETFs attracting significant inflows

by PATRICIA HolmesPersonal Finance

Dividend Exchange traded funds (ETFs) have been attracting substantial capital inflows as investor market volatility persists.

The yields that are currently being generated by other market opportunities are driving investors to seek out these financial instruments, according to Risk Magazine. Pershing Securities, a New Jersey-based firm that offers structured financial instruments and and ETFs as well as acting as a clearing house, has observed the number of ETF positions taken by clients of its firm spike 56 percent in the last year.

“With current yields in the U.S., investors are looking outside of just money markets and bond funds… and a lot of the answers are coming in the form of equity dividends,” Sandra Motusesky, director of investment solutions for product management and development at the company, told the media outlet.

Dow Jones has responded to the surging demand for these dividend paying funds by offering more dividend indices, according to the media outlet. Of the ETFs that have seen the largest of influx of funds this year, several of the top five are appealing because of their dividends, ETF Database reports.

The Grocery Game Announces Musical Holiday Contest with $1000 Prize

by PATRICIA HolmesUncategorized

LOS ANGELES, CA, 11/23/2010 – TheGroceryGame.com, the largest grocery savings and online coupons website in the world, is thrilled to announce their new musical holiday contest for all of their Facebook fans.

To enter the contest, entrants must upload a video of themselves singing their favorite holiday song and post it to the Grocery Game Facebook wall. The video can include family, friends, pets, background music, dancing, costumes and props. Creativity is encouraged; the only requirement is the song must mention “The Grocery Game” at least three times.”

The winner of The Grocery Game musical holiday contest will be chosen by how many “likes” their video receives on The Grocery Game fan page. First place wins $1,000, second place wins $500, third place wins $200, and the top ten finalists will all receive a copy of “Shop Smart, Save More!” by Teri Gault, founder and CEO of TheGroceryGame.com.