Ever dream of working for Google? I know I have, and actually went about finding out how to apply, what to expect when applying and how they test you.

After having done this, I found myself unwilling to apply. Downright scary when you look at some sample questions they ask (and they will, and they aren't the same as the list below). But you can get a general feel of what they are looking for in terms of answers and the thought process that goes into coming up with these answers. Business Insider has a great article on it, a little old but still a fantastic insight into the machine that is Google.

15 More Google Interview Questions That Will Make You Feel Stupid.

For more information on the benefits of Google Employment and atmosphere one only needs to visit Google's "Life at Google" website.

Fighting the urge to splurge on a new phone.

I was once a technology freak who always had to have the latest and greatest gadget to tinker with. When I built custom PC's, I never went for the best processor, I would go with a step or two below the best and invest the money in water cooling kits, blocks, memory etc and see how far I could overclock a machine. The very last machine I had built (before married life) was around $5,000 cost including a new at the time 24' Dell Widescreen HD LCD Monitor. That alone was roughly $1,200.

I did much the same with cell phones, upgrading them several times throughout my contracts as I would get bored of them relatively quickly. I think in one years time I had gone through about 5 phones (talking 2004-2006) within a contract period of 2 years. An expensive game to play indeed but I didn't stop there, I was one of many to get Sidekick, the HTC Dream/G1 and yep, sold both a few months later, jumped ship to Verizon, sold that phone, jumped ship back to AT&T.

Now having said that my current phone is the only the phone that I have actually kept for the full term on the 2 year contract. What is the device that has kept me pleased and content for this 2 year period? The Apple iPhone 4 16GB (AT&T), I admit I have always been anti Apple anything, but once I had the iPod Touch 2nd Gen I was hooked and made the switch to an iPhone 4. The polish, build quality and software support is bar-none. My contract doesn't officially end until September 2nd, but I am currently eligible for an upgrade and not sure if I should wait or go for something out now.

I was an android user for roughly 7 months in the infancy of the platform with the G1/Dream and it didn't do it for me. But now that the platform has matured and there are some very stellar devices available I am having a hard time deciding. The Samsung Galaxy Note has caught my eye and for my business needs it would work very well, if not better than my iPhone 4 but from a support stand point I've heard mixed things.

From now to September I am sure a bevy of other devices will come out and wow the world. While there was no iPhone announcement at this summers WWDC, I am sure the next iPhone will be out in the fall. Samsung released their Galaxy S3 and while I haven't messed around with it I am not to enthusiastic about its design but that may change when playing around with it in the stores. The Samsung Galaxy Note is what truly makes me want to upgrade, but with rumors of the Note 2 in the fall, I just can't help but wait it out.

What do you all think? Should I upgrade now, later? Stay with Apple, jump to the Android platform? Let me know!

SEO - Search Engine Optimization

While perusing the job sites (this is a must for everyone, always keep your options open!) I came across a listing that was seeking an SEO. Now I knew what SEO stood for, but I really didn't "know" that this has become a money making position. I am pretty sure everyone remembers the days of using tags in their code for key words. But it appears things have drastically changed since my last website (which is soooooo long ago).

In a nut shell this position entails the modifying or optimizing ones own webpages to have a better placing in Google or other search engine results. Digging around some more I came across several sites explaining the do's and do not's of SEO. Not until I came across this wonderful article by Google themselves did I really get a hand holding explanation of what SEO is, and how you can optimize your sites using best practices.

I applaud Google on providing this, and this is another reason why I prefer to use Google services as they are always providing excellent documentation on how to use their services. You can access the Google PDF document on SEO by clicking below:

Google SEO - Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide

In Debt? Try mapping out a plan.

I know many people that are struggling to get themselves out from under the rock known as credit card debt. What most people don't know, is that you can effectively tackle these debts much like anything else.

• Make sure that every pay period, you PAY YOURSELF FIRST, ALWAYS!! If you can afford $50, or $100 every 2 weeks and put it into a savings account you will save $1,200 (based on a $50 deposit) or $2400(based on a $100 deposit) per year. If you are paid weekly, try to deposit $20-25 a week into savings. The reason is that you eventually want to start adding more and more into this account and your goal of eliminating or eventually paying down your debts significantly enough will be your motivator.
• You will want to pull out all your credit card statements, even better log into your online account and get the latest information. Don't cover your eyes, you will want to take a look at the current interest rate, balance and minimum payments that are due.
• Next you will want to see how much you bring in monthly, seriously sit down and work this calculation out. Set aside fuel costs, food costs, housing costs(rent/mortgage), car payment/insurance and so on. Once all the major bills are accounted for, look at what is left at the end of the month before your credit card payments. It should be pretty significant.

Lay out the card information in order of interest -> total balance -> minimums due. Interest is KING in this plan and you want to tackle it fast and hard. Take your credit cards, and either cut them up or put them somewhere far away from your wallet/purse or ease of access. If you don't have the card on you, you are less likely to use the card. Now if your minimum is $50, pay $75 or $100 on it. Pay more than the minimum, accelerate the process of making a dent into the principle balance on the card. As you are paying the card down and improving your credit score you can try a few things to help speed this up from a efficiency perspective.

• Call the credit card company and see if they will lower the interest rate. Be calm, but assertive. Explain you have been paying on time, paying more than the minimum and would like the interest rate to be lowered.
• If you have a great deal of self control and can keep a promise to yourself that you won't use the credit card again, then you should try to apply for another credit card that has a balance transfer with a 0% offer for 12-18 months. You will make significant decreases to the principal balance without the pesky interest. Keep the card you did the transfer from open, but DON'T USE IT! You can also negotiate the balance transfer fee, or have it waived out-right.

Keep the lower interest cards fed with the minimums until you can eliminate the high interest card. Once the card is paid off, keep the account open, but again cut the card or make sure you do not touch it. You want your debt/credit ratio to be reporting a positive change. Follow this with each card until you are back from the red. You will have accrued a pretty decent emergency fund in savings and will be adding more to it. Whatever you do, don't try to rush things. Pace this out, its going to be a long and drawn out process but you will and can do it. If you are feeling unmotivated, look at your savings account and think of what you want to do with it, and how you want to add to it.

NJ State Tax Savings - Get your deductions in!

When filing your returns be sure to include any medical related deductions, these can be:

• Insurance Premiums from pre-tax pay.
• Co-Pays
• Prescriptions
• Medical Bills
• Mileage to and from medical visits.

Remember, this is only for your state deduction. For more information be sure to check the NJ Division of Taxation.

TurboTax is a win!

When you think about doing your taxes, be sure to keep Intuit's TurboTax® in mind. Having run the gamut with H&R Block and other pay for services I can say this was probably the easiest return I've done.

TurboTax® Deluxe 2011 for PC [Download]

I've used TurboTax® for several years, but this year they really made it easy to file. When first logging in/creating your account you will presented with a screen that asks you what has changed during the year. From there it focuses on those changes and then guides you through the rest. Any questions? Contact their representatives for free assistance on their site. The Deluxe Package is priced reasonably $29.95 for Federal and $36.95 for State filings via online. Cheaper if the software is purchased.