Dear Reader,These articles will provide a step by step guide on how to start and run a home based business based on my experiences and other home business owners. This is part 1 in a series of 5 articles. They are written in a basic format and where possible main points are summarised in an attempt to be understood by all. I have tried to minimise the technical jargon as much as possible.So lets jump right in and see what we need to know about...more
Ask this question to 100 people and you will receive 100 very different answers. The fact of the matter is there is no right age to start. But don't fret (did I just say fret?) knowledge is power! To borrow a line from Star Wars, "Use the force Luke." The force I'm speaking of is compound interest. Since our main objective is to find an ideal age to begin saving, you have to understand the difference between simple and compound interest. Simple...more
For a business, non-profit or association manager, they could be fatal, coming as they do in four bitter flavors. Mistake #1 - You limit your PR activity pretty much to placing product and service plugs on radio and in newspapers. Mistake #2 - You fail to embrace the kind of PR plan that persuades those important outside audiences to your way of thinking, then moves them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed. Mistake #3 -- You fail to use the high-impact, fundamental premise of public relations to deliver external stakeholder behavior change - the kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives. Mistake #4 -- you fail to get the creative potential of your assigned PR team or agency which you need to positively impact the behaviors of the very outside audiences that MOST affect your unit. Here's one way to reverse that hurtful process. Take a look at this fundamental public relations blueprint. People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and...more
I would like to share with the reader an article printed in the financial section of U.S.A. Today on March 7, 2003 which exemplifies the awesome power of a stock dividend. MICROSOFT TO ISSUE FIRST DIVIDEND TODAY:Microsoft investors will get their first payday today, when the tech giant shells out its first dividend. At 8 cents a share, the...more
Of the many areas in international business where cultural differences manifest is in the corporate meeting room. International meetings are an area where differences in cultural values, etiquette, interpretations of professional conduct and corporate rules are at their most visible and challenging to control. In international business meetings,...more
Wanna know a little secret? There is an ingenious method you can use, to pay off your 30 year fixed rate loan, in 23 years or less. It's straightforward, simple, and easy to understand. In this article, we're going to explore this little known secret, and we'll provide several examples of how it works, a few methods on how to implement, along with some information on where to go and how to get started.1. Accelerated Payments: By accelerating the payment structure on your loan, the life of the loan is reduced: In a normal 30 year fixed rate loan situation, your monthly payment is applied towards principle and interest. It is amortized over the course of 30 years. So any money above and beyond your normal payment is applied solely towards the principle of the loan. By reducing the principle of the loan, you are reducing the total amount of interest that must be paid, and that equates to an early loan payoff.2. An Illustration: You bake a cake (principle), and put it in the oven. Once the cake is out of the oven, you'll need to frost it with icing (interest). Let's say your cake is 12 inches in diameter, and let's say you need 3 jars of icing. But you're hungry, so you eat half the...more
Is the Mutual Fund you build yourself! The perfect Mutual Fund you build should have the objective of owning no more than 12 to 15 companies; owning shares in 12 companies would allow the diversity needed to sleep well at night and would provide a...more
Are there any universal laws that most successful people seem to follow? Great question, huh?With that in mind, I began listing some common denominators in order to share them with others. I've been very fortunate to have had some success in my life,...more
Have you ever noticed this to be true?The best things in life for me are those things are not things at all. People and experiences make the biggest mark: a wonderful relationship, time with family, or a fantastic vacation that stays in my mind for...more
Not long ago, I traveled back east to Ohio and Chicago. While I was there, I was amazed that the friends I made along my journey seemed to have completely different observations of the state in which they lived. For example, when I asked what the...more
It is important to note that every smart investor wants to minimize risk while maximizing profit potential. Yet conventional investment theory tells us that in order to increase returns, you have to increase risk.You may be surprised to find that...more
For most people, there is a direct correlation between how worried they are about retirement income, and how much they can actually do about it. This is because the more worried you are, the closer you probably are to retirement, and the less time...more