When the typical new business operator starts a business, they concentrate on making the business succeed. That is necessary but not the only thing that a business operator should concentrate on. A business depends on cash flow to exist and grow, so business operators would do their business a good turn by looking at sources of cash flow provided by the Government.We are talking about the taxation authorities such as Inland Revenue Department...more
What is the number one way to prevent failure in business? Take a minute to really think about your answer. What comes to mind? Increasing patients or customers served? Effective marketing? Location, location, location? Improving patient or customer care? Being the best in your industry? Although these are all essential aspects of business, the answer isn't any of the above. The number one way to prevent business failure is to...more
There can't be many traders who haven't at least considered the idea of telling the boss what they think of him, throwing it all in and going off to trade the stock market for a living. It's a big risk financially, and that uncertainty is what stops most from jumping ship. Is it really possible to trade for a living?The DreamYou know how it is, you're sitting in a traffic jam at some unearthly hour of a particularly wet and miserable morning, on the way to the same office you have sat in for too long to remember, and you're thinking - there must be a better way - life shouldn't have to be like this. Your mind starts to wander and you find yourself thinking back to that stock you bought only a week ago, and how it skyrocketed giving you enough profit to takes the kids to Disneyland in the summer, and you begin to consider if you couldn't make a fulltime living at this trading game. The advantages are certainly tempting; no more pointless meetings with the manager, hours to suit, holidays whenever you feel like it, and with your home-office - no more traffic jams. Heck, come to that you could even make home anywhere you want it to be! By the time the traffic starts moving again....more
In part 1 of this article I started to look at the financial implications of giving up the day job to instead start trading full time for a living. There are more than just monetary considerations as we will see later, but for now, there are some more costs to ponder.More Costs!Let's move on to equipment. Presumably you already have a PC and...more
Recently, my family and I took a trip to Maine to visit relatives. During our stay, we toured the rocky shore lines and took in the beautiful architecture of the old towns.One sunny morning, three generations of Wardlaws boarded a lobster boat and set out on a guided lobster trapping excursion.We quickly learned lobstermen lead a life of hard work...more
OK, so you are up to your head in debt. You are stressed out, it is now affecting the way you function and absorbing most of your daily thoughts. You have no idea what to do. OK, first things first. Take a step back and try and look at things with a clear head. Your debt is manageable. If you have many bills and just can't afford them all, the first thing you should consider is a debt consolidation loan. A debt consolidation loan will help you out by consolidating all of your debt into one monthly payment that you can afford.Second of all, figure out what is an affordable amount of money, that you can afford to pay monthly. You want this to be a fair amount of cash, however you still need to account for some money for yourself to prevent yourself from slipping further into debt.The next step is to cut up your current credit cards. I know I've fallen into this trap on numerous occasions; I didn't cut up my credit cards and planned to use them for 'EMERGENCY ONLY'. Well, a few months roll by, and that new shirt, and that tank of gas add up to ANOTHER full credit card. If you no longer have credit cards, you can't be tempted to use them.Finally, you need to correct the...more
Morningstar now provides Fiduciary Grades on mutual funds. How does Morningstar determine these grades? How can mutual fund investors use these grades to better manage their portfolios?Mutual fund investors use Morningstar Rating as a sign post of...more
Putting a piece of paper in a file folder is easy; finding it again is the hard part. There are ways to make your files easier to use and your papers easier to find. Invest in a sturdy, four or five-drawer file cabinet. Spend the extra money it takes...more
One of the hardest things for most individuals working from home is to stay focused. One of the best ways to stay focused is organization. In addition, being organized will help your time management skills. The two are very much intertwined. Planning...more
Every day we get emails and telephone calls from people who want to get started in Real Estate. We hear, I am just checking out your program. Or, I've been researching for the past six months to try and find a program. While researching and checking...more
An Ann Landers column "Parenthood is not a job for the weak at heart" caught my interest.Job Description for a ParentPosition: ParentJob Description: Long-term player needed for challenging, permanent work in chaotic environment. Candidates must...more
A big source of managerial churn is lack of clarity around the decision process. The biggest source of confusion is the Team Decision. Does this mean that the boss wants lots of input and discussion before deciding or does it mean that a decision...more