Citibank recently launched a new credit card that takes away an important sting felt by many consumers: late fees. In an unusual move, the bank is now offering consumers "permanent forgiveness" for late payments and will no longer assess the customary $39 late fee when a payment arrives after the due date. While the offer sounds great on surface, if you dig a little deeper you will soon learn that there are some things about the new Citi...more
What does the phrase "team building" mean to you? Quad-biking? Abseiling? Propping up the bar with your work colleagues? Allow me to disagree.Let's look at the word "build" and see where that leads us. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines the word "build" as "Establish, make or accumulate gradually". This definition implies a sense of time passing and growth. This, in turn, implies a modicum of care and attention to maximise the growth -...more
Maybe it took the State of The Union address from President Bush to bring the concept of Health Savings Accounts out into the open for all to see. Whatever the case, this is an idea and reality that is long overdue and a great solution to health insurance for many people. Health savings accounts, coupled with a companion low-cost high-deductible health care insurance plan, will take the bite out of monthly health care costs for many consumers, and provide a powerful savings component at the same time. Let's look at the details.While Congress passed the legislation creating Health Savings Accounts in 2003, it has taken a while for the word to get out. In a nutshell, the deal is as follows: Health savings accounts are tax-free savings accounts, which are necessarily paired with a high-deductible insurance policy for catastrophic medical expenses. You are able to put as much as $5150 (family) or $2600 (individual) annually into these accounts, which are in turn used to cover normal and customary medical expenses, like doctor's visits, routine checkups, etc. Some of the neat things about these accounts, besides the tax-free part, are that you may carry over unspent money from year to...more
The interest of lenders in secured homeowner loans is justified. No other loan covers lenders from as much risk involved in the lending process as a secured homeowner loan. But, what explains the surge of interest of borrowers towards secured homeowner loans. Don't they fear that their home can be repossessed in the process? The only logical...more
How can you apply ergonomics to your work life?Thanks to the study of ergonomics, we can now find better ways to work. It has been shown that our bodies can be under stress and tension even when we are sitting at a desk. Applying the techniques learned through the study of the work environment helps the body to work better and more...more
Congratulations! You successfully sold one or more of your company's products or services to a business unit, department, or division of a large organization. Now your manager has tasked you with "account management". If you are not already familiar with account management, you are probably asking yourself the following questions:1. What is "Account Management"?2. What skills and talents are required to excel in Account Management?3. What activities must be performed to maximize Account Management return on investment?Providing answers to these questions is the focus of this article.1. What is Account Management?Account management is a synonym for ACCOUNT PENETRATION. Just because you have sold one product or service to one business entity within an organization doesn't mean your job is done. Think of all the additional opportunities that may exist in the account! For example:Does your company offer additional products or services that might be a "fit" for this customer?How many other business units, departments, divisions, and subsidiaries are potential prospects for your company's products and services?2. Required Skills and TalentsA critical talent for successful account...more
An affiliate marketing program is a revenue-sharing marketing strategy where a merchant pays their affiliates a commission for referring business to their website. The webmaster signs up as an affiliate in the affiliate marketing program and gets a...more
The patterns of any particular investment will detail therelative risks and rewards undertaken with each investment.Risks can be defined as "the chance or possibility ofinjury, damage or loss." Risk focuses on the future and ourability to forecast...more
Loan ProposalApplying for a small business loan can be exciting and yet stressful at the same time. For the best results and to heighten your level of confidence, be prepared when you visit the lender you've chosen for your business loan interview....more
With the advent of information technology and the Internet, work-from-home schemes had been a continuous trend for so many years now, and it seems to be getting better each day.So, here you are trying your way to get out of the traffic because you...more
Selecting a lender can be as tedious and detailed a process as preparing a business plan or loan proposal. Many business owners and potential business owners are so concerned about being approved on a business loan that they forget the importance in...more
I do not draw a very large salary package, but have come up through a lot many grades. Apart from the other lessons that this ascent taught me, the most important lesson was that no matter what you earn, your expenses would always exceed them.The...more