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From The Email Bag -- Free Antivirus Protection Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I'm on a strict budget with my home-based business and would like to postpone buying antivirus protection for my computer. Do you know of any free options that are reliable as well? - Colleen in Revere, Mass. Dear Colleen: While you should spring for a comprehensive commercial package as soon as you can, there are some free tools that can help. AVG has a free antivirus option, available at free.avg.com, and Malwarebytes, at malwarebytes.org, offers free protection, too. As with any antivirus tool, make sure you update the software regularly. Hackers are notorious for their malicious creativity, and mount new attacks continuously. Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I have 11 years' experience as an executive assistant and have been thinking about starting a virtual assistant business. But my husband says that "VA's" in India and China are much cheaper than VA's here, and I wouldn't make enough money to justify the effort. What's your opinion? - Cheryl in Yakima, Wash. Dear Cheryl: It's true that virtual assistants in India and China generally charge lower rates than VA's in the U.S. However, it's really a question of the types of services you plan to offer and your target market. For example, if you want to provide more basic services such as calendaring or data entry, your fees will have to take offshore rates into account. But if you offer higher-end services in a more exclusive role, such as a personal assistant for senior executives, lawyers or prominent consultants, you can not only charge more, but build in some competitive protection, too. Dear Rat Race Rebellion: People say you should never pay someone for a work-at-home job, but I've read in online forums that sometimes a legitimate company will charge for training or background checks. I'm afraid of being scammed. Who's right and who's wrong? - Sarah in Toledo, Ohio Dear Sarah: Many job seekers have been victimized by "pay-to-work" schemes, involving such standbys as envelope stuffing kits, outdated mystery shopping lists and "certifications" that don't lead to promised jobs. This state of affairs led to the often-repeated warning that you should "never pay to work." But there are exceptions. Companies that hire independent contractors, for example, are often obliged to charge for training in order to avoid having the IRS reclassify their contractors as employees. If this happens, substantial penalties can follow. But we're not tax experts, mind you, so to get the full skinny on these distinctions, just search using "independent contractor vs. employee," and go to the IRS pages you'll see in the results. Christine Durst and Michael Haaren are leaders in the work-at-home movement and advocates of de-rat-raced living. Their latest book is "Work at Home Now," a guide to finding home-based jobs. They offer additional guidance on finding home-based work at www.RatRaceRebellion.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2011 BY STAFFCENTRIX, DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM |
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