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...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 dividend will cost the company $850 million. Co-founder Bill Gates, who owns about 1.2 billion shares will receive a dividend of $96.5 million. The dividend marks a shift for Microsoft, which had long hoarded cash - to the tune of $43.4 billion - for research, acquisitions and legal claims.After reading this article I couldn't help thinking about a report, which I believe stated that there were an estimated 33 million people in America living under the official poverty level. Bill Gates, by giving away his Microsoft dividend to those living under the poverty level could begin to create 96 millionaires, year after year after year. What a boost to the economy that would be! Imagine all those new millionaires every year spending money on something other than food, Salvation Army clothing and shelter. Bill Gates (by giving away his Microsoft...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...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 cash dividend every week of the year. The 12 companies (with staggered dividend payout dates) in your perfect Mutual Fund should not only provide a cash dividend every week of the year, each company should also have a historical record of raising their dividend every year for at least the past 8 years (to eliminate risk).The perfect Mutual Fund would have no fees attached, every cent put into the Fund would work toward your return on investment (ROI). There would not be any commission fees, load fees, management fees, operating or advertising fees, and there would be no illegal trading practices, hidden fees abuses or any type of hidden fee. The perfect Mutual Fund would benefit only you and your family and no one else.The perfect Mutual Fund would require a savings plan to add to your holdings every quarter, until retirement. This would allow your perfect Mutual Fund to dollar-cost average (buying the same stock at different prices...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
Looks like Microsoft Great Plains becomes more and more popular, partly because of Microsoft muscles behind it. It seems to be goof solution for mid-size and even large multinational corporation with Headquarters in US and branches Worldwide. You,...more