the league of eight world leaders who upgraded from ordinary jobs

 Jimmy Morales

Actor and comedian, Jimmy Morales, has always been in the spotlight, and is quite familiar with being the subject of headlines. But on Monday, the 26^th, Morales made international headlines for a very ‘serious’ reason; the 46 year old became Guatemala’s president after beating former first lady Sandra Torres by a 69 to 31 percent vote.
The former comedian quit his TV show last year to run for the presidency. According to reports, people barely paid attention to him initially – 0.5 percent support back in April – but once former President Otto Perez became entangled in a messy corruption probe, Morales’ campaign got a boost that led to his overwhelming success at the polls.
In a unique case of life imitating art, Morales once played the role of a cowboy who nearly becomes president in a film – “A President in a Sombrero”. Though he has no political experience, and some eccentric policy ideas, Jimmy Morales promised to fight against the corruption that has consumed Guatemala.
Morales’ transition from comedy to politics is not unique to him alone; he joins the league of world leaders who once had peculiar jobs.
Andry Rajoelina – DJ to president

The 41 year old former president of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, rose to prominence as a disc jockey, and advertising king, before gradually transiting to politics in 2007.
Rajoelina decided to go into politics after a brush with the authorities where they restricted him from installing billboards in Antananarivo, the capital city of Malagasy. Until his descent from power, Andry Rajoelina was Africa’s youngest head of state.
Johanna Sigurdardottir – Flight attendant to prime minister

Elected in 2009, Johanna Sigurdardottir made international headline as the first female prime minister of Iceland, and the world’s first openly gay head of government.
Nicknamed Saint Johanna for her humanitarian work, the former prime minister was a flight attendant for nine years at the country’s national airline, Icelandair. Interestingly, her political career started there, when she started organizing trade union, and then moved to national politics.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio – Club bouncer to Pope

Before he became the world’s most revered clergy, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, worked as a bouncer in a bar to help pay for his tuition. To top that, he was also a janitor, sweeping floors and cleaning houses.
Pope Francis got his calling into priesthood when he passed by a church for confession, on his way to propose to his long-time girlfriend, “Something strange happened to me in that confession. I don’t know what it was, but it changed my life.”
Michael Sata – Cleaner to president

The late Zambian president was a cleaner at the British Railway, he once told a British interviewer that he would sweep Zambia cleaner than he swept London stations.
Until his death, Sata was the fifth President of Zambia, elected in September 2011. He was also the leader of the Patriotic Front party.
Michael Sata– Waitress to chancellor

Unarguably one of the most powerful women in the world today, Germany’s Angela Merkelwas once a waitress. As a student of physics in Communist East Germany, the research scientist worked as a barmaid. “I did the barmaid thing … I got an extra 30 pfennig for each sold glass,” Merkel revealed in a biography, titled, “Merkel, Macht, Politik?” – Merkel, Power, Politics? – by German journalist Patricia Lessnerkraus.
Edi Rama – Painter to prime minister

Prior to becoming a politician, the current prime minister of Albania was famous for his paintings. The 51 year old, who was also a former basketball player, got into politics in1998, when he was asked by former Prime Minister Fatos Nano to become the Minister of Culture.
Edi Ramastudied at the School of Fine Arts in Paris, and has organized a number of personal art exhibitions. When he became mayor of the Albanian city of Tirana, he found an outlet for his artistic personality; he ordered the demolition of kiosks and illegally constructed buildings in the city, in addition to directives that communist-era grey concrete buildings should be repainted in bright pink, yellow, green and violet.
Tony Abbott

Nicknamed “the mad monk”, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, trained to become a Catholic priest in his 20’s. As a student, the 57 year old politician was also a boxer. He became  a journalist  for The Australian after quitting seminary school; this led to his appointment as press secretary for then Liberal and opposition leader, Dr John Hewson, after which began his steady rise in politics.
Abbott champions socially conservative policies which many believe is due to religious background. An Australian journalist once said though it’s been decades since Tony Abbott left the seminary, he still takes it with him wherever he goes.

The Best Tips On How To Improve Your Credit Score

During tough economic times, many people have problems paying their bills on time. Often they end up with credit problems. Fortunately, there are things a person can do to start a credit repair process. Start out by reading the steps in this article to learn the best ways to easily repair your credit.

An important tip to consider when working to repair your credit, is to be sure that you hang onto all of the good standing status for any accounts that you can. This is important, because if it comes down to it, going further in debt on one account is much better than ruining the record of two accounts.

Unethical credit repair companies may promise to give you a new credit identity in order to raise your credit score, beware. In order to do this, they may have an EIN tax number issued to you by the IRS, or they may use a stolen social security number in place of yours. Both are deceptive and/or illegal practices.

If you have hurt your credit and have realized the damage you have done, it is important to start by actually paying what you owe. If you need pay your credit card bills, you need to find a job even if it is at McDonald's. If you do not pay your card off, your credit will never get better.

Be patient. It could take up to 10 years to clean up your credit completely, depending on how bad it is. Even if you are able to get out of debt quickly somehow, you won't be able to erase any derogatory remarks in your credit report overnight. Your score will, however, steadily improve.

If you are trying to improve a damaged credit score while under a considerable debt burden, consider contacting your creditors and having them lower your credit limits. There are two effects to lowering your credit limit. First, it prevents you from continuing to run up debt. Second, it improves your image as a responsible and trustworthy user of credit.

Do not make credit card payments late. By remaining on time with your monthly payments, you will avoid issues with late payment submissions on your credit report. It is not necessary to pay the entire balance, however making the minimum payments will ensure that your credit is not damaged further and restoration of your history can continue.

Discuss your credit situation with a counselor from a non-profit agency that specializes in credit counseling. If you qualify, counselors may be able to consolidate your debts or even contact debtors to reduce (or eliminate) certain charges. Gather as many details about your credit situation as possible before you contact the agency so that you look prepared and serious about repairing your credit.

As previously stated, credit problems are a pretty common problem faced by people. Since so many people have had credit problems in the past, there are many proven ways to improve a person's credit rating. Use the great information in this article to begin repairing your credit, quickly and easily.

The Road To Recovery Credit Repair Tips

If you have issues with your credit, you may feel trapped by your low credit score. Digging yourself out from the credit problem can feel like a daunting task, but it is possible. Read through the following article for tips on how to repair your credit, and you will find simple methods to pull yourself back up.

While repairing your credit only close a couple of accounts every six months. Sudden changes on your credit report reflect instability and can lower your credit rating instead of improving it. Take your time when going through the process and this will help to improve your credit score.

Having between two and four active credit cards will improve your credit image and regulate your spending better. Using less than two cards will actually make it more difficult to establish a new and improved spending history but any more than four and you may seem unable to efficiently manage spending. Operating with about three cards makes you look good and spend wiser.

Keep your chin up. You are not a bad person because you have bad credit, and you are not alone. Many people are dealing with cleaning up their credit right now, it's just that no one is talking about it. Realize that your situation is not permanent, and dealing with this now will only make you stronger later on.

If you work every day but never seem to have any money, you should track how much you are spending and on what. By keeping a daily list of everything you spend your hard earned money on, you will be able to cut down or do away with those expenditures that are not required. You will be able to establish a realistic plan of how much money you need for a month, and you can use the rest to pay off other debts or just save the money, the choice is yours.

When you inspect your credit report for errors, you will want to check for accounts that you have closed being listed as open, late payments that were actually on time, or any other myriad of things that can be wrong. If you find an error, write a letter to the credit bureau and include any proof that you have such as receipts or letters from the creditor.

Having many debts can be harmful to your credit score. One way to begin to repair your credit and reduce debt is to start with your smallest bill and add extra to the payments on that account. When it is paid in full, start working on the next smallest debt. The more accounts you pay off, the higher your credit score gets, and it looks great that you are working hard to pay off debt!

As the article stated at the beginning, credit issues can feel like you are trapped in the rubble. Applying the advice given in the article helps you learn how to quickly release yourself from your credit struggle, and give you the tools you need to move up and out of disrepair.

Tips For Dealing With Personal Finance Problems

It is of the utmost importance that your personal finances are kept in order. The problem is that most people do not know how to properly manage their finances. In the following article, you are going to be given information that is crucial to follow if you want your finances in order.

Avoid buying junk food. These foods can be expensive, and even if they're not, the cost of them can really add up. If you cut out buying a lot of junk food, not only will you save money, but it'll be healthier for you. It's a win-win situation for you, and your family.

Teaching guitar lessons can help one support their personal finances as well as build ties both in the music community and with people from all walks of life. As one builds a customer base or finds a music school to teach out of they will increase their finances and network at the same time.

A great personal finance tip is to be conscious of how much water you're using each month. A lot of folks take water for granted on a daily basis and often forget how much running that water will cost at the end of the month. Keeping water intake down can save a lot of money.

Do everything you can to see if there are ways to save some money. What bills do you pay that you can try to make cheaper for your family? Could you cut down on the electric bill by paying more attention to usage? Have you checked with your insurance company recently to see if there is a savings waiting for you?

If you have consistently made your credit card payments on time for at least one whole year, you may have some leverage to negotiate more favorable terms, like a lowered interest rate or even a higher credit limit. Of course, only go for the second option if you have a real need to do so and can responsibly pay the added amount every month.

Look at your employee benefits and maximize the personal finance opportunities that may be there. Your employer may have a 401(k) plan available to employees. There may be the option for you to pay healthcare through pre-tax dollars. There may even be corporate discounts available to you for your cell phone bill! Read through every opportunity and take advantage of as many as you can.

As stated in the beginning of the article, a person cannot get their personal finances into order without knowing how. And sadly, many people do not know how. This article was made to give you tips and information that you can use in order to get your finances on the right track.

Tips For Keeping Your Personal Finances In Order

Well, you've decided to better your personal financial situation. That is very good. Though there is a lot of information out there, don't worry because helpful personal finance tips are here! Listed below are some tips that will help you get started and organized so that you can improve your overall financial situation.

Accurate and well-organized records are an important part of a healthy financial plan. Keep your financial papers in folders and organize the folders in a filing cabinet or storage containers. Add important receipts and documents to your folders, as soon as you receive them, so that they are handy when you need them.

A good personal finance tip is to bring a frugal friend or a family member with you when you're out doing your shopping. This is great because they'll stop you from spending too much and prevent you from going on a spree. They are very level-headed and you will be surprised at how much money you can save.

If you need some money in a pinch, look at selling an item or two rather than taking out a loan or borrowing money from a friend. Do you really need a TV in the bedroom and in the living room? Did you really have to get the most expensive fridge at the store? You can sell some things for money in a pinch.

Subscribe to a good life insurance. Compare different options and subscribe to a plan early, so you can secure a good interest rate. Make sure your purchase enough coverage to help your family and cover certain expenses, such as, your estate taxes. You should upgrade your coverage when you need to.

In today's economy, with so many people out of work or underpaid, it is possible that you will need to live on a leaner budget than that which you have been accustomed. Doing the hard work of cutting expenses and expectations will pay off in the long run as you make it through this recession without added debt, but saving instead.

When trying to arrange your personal finances you should build fun, spending money into the equation. When you have gone out of your way to include entertainment in your budget, it ensures that you remain content. Secondly, it ensures that you are reasonable and have a budget already in place, which allows for entertainment.

Now, don't you feel better after reading all those tips? That was a lot of information to think and read through, but at least now you know what to do and where to begin with your personal finances. Also, you can always refer back to the above list of tips if you forget.