NEXTADVISOR BLOG

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May 21, 2013

Can I File for Divorce Online?

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Q: I want to get a divorce but don't want to deal with a lawyer. Can I just get a divorce online?

A: Actually, yes, you can at least start the paperwork online. Many of the top legal services sites will help you fill out the paperwork to file your divorce, although the majority of the actual filing needs to be done by you.

LegalZoom, for example, will take you through a step-by-step process based on your needs and the kind of divorce you are filing for. They will even give you step-by-step instructions on how to file the paperwork with your local courthouse. LegalZoom can even set you up with a lawyer consultation, so you can ask any questions you need to about the divorce. If you think the divorce is going to be complicated or that the division of assets might be difficult, it might be a good idea to hire an actual lawyer, since LegalZoom does not provide you with actual legal counsel. Divorce paperwork pricing from LegalZoom starts at $299.

Rocket Lawyer can also help you prepare your divorce paperwork. Their interface actually has an interactive feature that allows you to see the paperwork being filled out as you answer Rocket Lawyer's step-by-step questionnaire. The benefit of Rocket Lawyer is that they can hook you up with a local lawyer for a discounted rate. They also offer their services for $19.95/month, so once you are done with their service, you can just cancel.

Check out reviews of both LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer here to get more information.

May 21, 2013

What Format Does Internet Fax Use?

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Q: When someone sends an Internet fax and I want to open it in my email, what format is it in? How about when I send a fax from my computer?

A: Great question! Most Internet fax services, like the top provider in our reviews, MetroFax, allow you to use a wide variety of common file formats, including Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word (.doc and .docx), Microsoft Excel (.xls and .xlsx), or image files including TIFF and JPG. Usually when you receive a fax to your email or Internet fax dashboard, you receive these in PDF or TIFF format.

Internet faxing is convenient, affordable and great for the environment. As we mentioned, MetroFax placed #1 in our Internet fax rankings. Their annual plan comes out to just $6.63 per month and their month-to-month plan is also well-priced at $7.95 per month. If you're looking for something even cheaper, Nextiva fax comes out to $4.95 per month when you pay up front for the annual plan. Read full reviews and compare all of the top Internet fax providers here.

May 21, 2013

Minted Offers 10% Off Father's Day Gifts

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Father's Day is right around the corner — June 16th — and Minted wants to help you get prepared by giving you 10% off all Father's Day gifts. From now through May 27th, enter the code DADS10 at checkout to take advantage of this offer. This discount is eligible on  personal and business stationery, journals as well as Father's Day art prints — excluding children and nursery art.

As one of our top-rated photo card services, Minted offers great quality cards and products that are sure to impress fathers of any age. Minted is a great option for someone who is unsure of what they're looking for because new designs and colors are constantly added to Minted's website. These designs are created by independent graphic designers from around the world that are selected by judges as the top designs in Minted's monthly design contests.

Here are some of our favorite Father's Day gifts from Minted.

Super Dad Journal and To Tie a Tie Journal from Minted

These customizable journals are a perfect gift for any father that enjoys writing or drawing.  Since each journal costs only $16 each — without the discount — it makes for a thoughtful gift that doesn't have to break the bank.  You can choose one of Minted's uniquely-designed journals or opt to decorate these 5.5"-by-8.5" journals with your favorite photo of you and your dad. Each journal's cover is made with sturdy, matte, uncoated 130 lb paper, and you can choose the design of the inside acid-free, uncoated, 60 lb. weight paper. Your choices include lined, graph or blank paper.

Gentleman Personalized Stationery from Minted

Another one of our favorites from Minted is it's wide-variety of personalized stationery that offer classic and unique designs that will bring a smile to any writer or professional's face. These customizable 4.25"-by-5.5" flat cards are printed on Minted's luxe paper and even come with a complementary gift box. You can even liven up your dad's stationery by personalizing the back with your favorite photo or selecting one of Minted's designs or customizing envelopes with a return address or personal message that to matches the stationery. Minted's Father's Day personalized stationery starts at $2.33 per card — with a minimum order of 35. Adding designs to the back of the flat card or envelopes costs an additional amount.

I Love San Francisco Limited Edition Art Print from Minted

Minted's art prints are a great way to liven up dad's office or favorite room in the house. These prints come with a variety of options in terms of the art — from still-life to drawings — that are printed on 100 percent cotton rag paper creating museum quality archival pigment print. To protect the art print during the shipping process, Minted ships the print in an acid-free and lignin-free sleeve. These prints come in seven sizes and start at $28 each. You also have the option to include a black. white or wooden frame for an additional cost.

Check out our full review of Minted to learn more about the service, or visit Minted's website directly to start shopping for your dad today.

May 20, 2013

Can I Transfer My Number to VoIP?

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Q: I've had my phone number for 20 years, so it's really important for me to keep it. If I change to VoIP services, would I be able to keep my current phone number?

A: We know how important it is to keep your long-time phone number and luckily all the Home VoIP services we review — except Skype — allow you to transfer, or port, your phone number to the VoIP service for no extra charge. This process is simple and begins the day you sign up.

It's important that you do not cancel your existing phone service before the transfer is completed because cancelling before the transfer's completion can cause you to lose the rights to your phone number. In most cases, porting takes about five to 10 business days and once the porting is complete your previous phone service will automatically be cancelled.

In order to begin the porting, you'll have to provide the VoIP service with information from your current phone service, so it's helpful to have a copy of your current bill nearby to make sure you enter the information accurately. This information usually includes your name, phone number, current phone provider and account number for that provider.

Porting can be confusing and the process may vary from service to service, so we encourage you to contact the VoIP service directly to get complete details about how you can port your phone number to that service.

Check out our Home VoIP Compare Page to learn more about the services we review or visit our FAQs page to find out how VoIP services work.

May 20, 2013

How Much Does Diet to Go Cost?

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Our top-ranked diet meal delivery service, Diet-to-Go, placed first in our 2013 diet meal delivery taste test. It's also affordable, especially with the 20% discount they're offering NextAdvisor readers. With the discount, your first order will be just $76.79 for 5 days worth of healthy lunches and dinners. Here is a breakdown of their pricing options for the traditional meal plan:

  • 5-day lunch and dinner plan: $95.99/week
  • 5-day breakfast, lunch and dinner plan: $112.99/week
  • 7-day lunch and dinner plan: $131.59/week
  • 7-day breakfast, lunch and dinner plan: $142.99/week

Note that these prices are what you will pay before the 20% discount, which you can easily apply at checkout by using the promo code NEXTADVISOR20.

Diet-to-Go delivers all around the US and if you live in the Washington DC Metro area (including Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland), Baltimore area, Greater Philadelphia (including South New Jersey) or the San Francisco Bay area (including East Bay), you have the option of picking up your meals fresh at a number of different locations. On average, shipping costs $16.95 and if you decide to go with the pick-up option, there is a $5 weekly pick-up fee.

Read our full review of Diet-to-Go to get all the details on the service as well as sign up, and compare it side-by-side with other diet programs here.

May 20, 2013

Get 'World War Z' Audiobook for Cheap on Audible Before Seeing the Movie

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For all you zombie fanatics out there, the hit book and soon to be movie World War Z is now an audiobook through Audible.com. The book, written by Max Brooks who is a zombie enthusiast and son of the legendary film star Mel Brooks, is a post-apocalyptic horror novel following up on his previous book The Zombie Survival Guide. The book is written in a collection of small passages and takes a look at the zombie apocalypse from various different lenses of environmental, religious and geo-political accounts.

This audio book is a great segway into the upcoming movie that comes out this June starring Brad Pitt. The audio book version of World War Z is narrated by Max Brooks, Alan Alda, John Turturro, Rob Reiner, Mark Hamill, Alfred Molina, Simon Pegg, Henry Rollins, and Martin Scorsese. This star studded lineup of narrators helps to bring a lot of life and character to this audio book and makes it one of our top choices.

The regular price of this audiobook usually runs around $28.00 but through Audible.com you can listen to it for the low price of $7.49. If you are interested but were looking for some more information on Audible, you can find a full comprehensive reviews on the whole service here.

May 17, 2013

Can I Protect My Family with Identity Guard?

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Q: I'm a single parent and interested in signing up for Identity Guard, but I also want to make sure my children have identity theft protection. Does Identity Guard offer any program that protects one parent and two children?

A: Great question! Yes, Identity Guard does offer a plan called kIDSure that allows you to protect yourself as well as your children. This plan allows you to add a child to an existing adult's plan for only $4.99/month per child, so the monthly total for you and you two children would total to $24.97/month. You'd also get a free 30-day trial so you can try out the service before you make a financial commitment.

kIDSure is a plan that specializes in protecting children's identity since children don't have a credit history or as much personal information as adults. This child-specific identity theft protection monitors for your child's information on criminal records, DMV records, utilities records, as well as scans for Social Security number exposure on the Internet black market.

Identity Guard's kIDSure has no age requirement, and no limit on the number of children that you can add to your membership. The only requirement is that the enrolled children are actually your children.

As one of our top-rated identity theft protection service, Identity Guard also offers extensive monitoring for adults including active monitoring of your 3-bureau credit report, credit cards, public records, Social Security number, applications of for credit‚ a cell phone‚ auto or home loans. If Identity Guard notices anything suspicious or phishy, they will alert you. The plan also includes Internet security software from Zone Alarm so you can even keep your family's computer protected.

Check out our full review of Identity Guard to learn more about the service or sign up for Identity Guard to protect your family and start your 30-day free trial today.

May 17, 2013

Does Internet Fax Have Busy Signals?

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Q: My employees are required to fax in their timeslips on Fridays. Sometimes they have to try 4-5 times before the fax will come through and get busy signals. Can Internet fax services accomodate this incoming volume without busy signals?

A: The absence of busy signals is just one of the many benefits of Internet fax. Faxes sent to your Internet fax number are sent to your service's dashboard and/or to the email address you have associated with the account. This means you can receive faxes anywhere there is an Internet connection, even your smart phone, without having to worry about the busy signals that regular fax machines get through a phone line.

When choosing an Internet fax service, take note of their monthly fax allowance, how many email addresses you can associate with the account and of course, the price. Our favorite service is MetroFax, thanks to their good value and excellent interface. Take a look at this blog post to help you choose the right service, and make sure to check out our Internet fax comparison page to look at all the services we review side-by-side.

May 16, 2013

Customizable Diet Programs

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Dieting can be tough when you're a picky eater. That's why some diet programs allow you to add some personal preference to their meal plans. Out of the meal delivery services we've reviewed, we found Jenny Craig to be the most customizable. When you first sign up, they'll send you their most popular foods, but if you choose to continue past 2 weeks, for example, you can select dishes from a personalized meal planner. Jenny Craig is pretty secretive when it comes to explaining their different plans and pricing options; however, we calculated the average cost to be $15/day. Read our full review of Jenny Craig here.

While Jenny Craig may be the most customizable, it isn't the best-tasting. That award goes to Diet-to-Go, our #1 ranked diet program. Their meals are slightly customizable, since you can specify if you have any dietary restrictions or specific dislikes. Check out our short video tutorial which takes you through the process of selecting a meal plan and ordering from Diet-to-Go. A basic meal plan from Diet-to-Go will run about $19.43/day. Read our full review of Diet-to-Go and see how it stacks up to other services by visiting our diet comparison page.

May 16, 2013

Does Cardstore's 'Add My Signature' Tool
Actually Look Good?

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Cardstore recently added a new feature to its card customization called "Add my signature." This feature allows you to upload your real-life signature to the card. Naturally we thought this was an interesting feature, so we decided to test it out. We selected a card, and began customizing.

Once you select your card and begin customizing it, you have the option to add your signature to the card. The "Type your signature" option allows you to type your name in the card using the font of your choice. We decided to choose "Scan your signature" because the other option didn't seem too exciting since you can type your signature with nearly every card service we review.

Our signature inside the gray box.

To begin this process, you must print a PDF form, and sign inside of the gray box. The paper includes step-by-step instructions that tell you all you need to know. Once you have signed in the gray box, you more options in terms of how to get your signature on the card itself.  You can either scan the signature yourself or mail the form to Cardstore and let them scan the form for you. We opted to scan the form because we had a scanner on-hand. We scanned it, saved it as a JPEG then uploaded it to our card.

Screenshot of the card with our signature.

Once we placed it in our card, we weren't too pleased. Even after we centered the signature it still was obvious that it was an uploaded item and not written in the card organically. We clicked "Add to order" with hesitation because this feature didn't seem to be too promising. About three days after we ordered the card, we received it in the mail and were pleasantly surprised with the results.

Our signature on the actual card.

The card actually looked good, and — luckily — nothing like it did on the screen. There is a little pixelation if you really look at the signature, however it isn't enough to really notice. The website states that the signature will appear in black on the card, yet on the card itself it has a tint of blue, which was the color of the pen we signed we used to sign the paper. Since all of Cardstore's cards have a white interior, each card "signed" from home should look similar to our card.

Overall, Cardstore's "Add my signature" is a solid addition. It offers the opportunity for people to sign their cards online and have them mailed directly — through Cardstore — to the recipient. Although this isn't a feature that we're likely to be using often because we enjoy signing our own cards, it still is a great option to have.

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Disclosure: NextAdvisor.com is a consumer information site that offers free, independent reviews and ratings of online services. We receive advertising revenue from most of the services we review. Our editors thoroughly research and whenever possible test each service we review and offer their honest opinions about each one. We are independently owned and operated and all opinions expressed on this site are our own.