A duopoly is a situation in which two firms control nearly all of the market for a product or service. Duopolies can be surprisingly competitive. If you remember that the price of a product or service is determined solely by the highest losing bid price and the lowest losing ask price, you'll realize why a duopoly can be so competitive. A large number of inefficient competitors will have almost no affect on prices in the long run unless...more
Why is a value investor writing about an unprofitable internet company? Because value investing is about finding dollars that trade for fifty cents; with a market cap of less than 75% of sales, Overstock.com (OSTK) looks like it may be exactly that. But isn't it too risky?The greatest risk in any investment is the risk of overpaying. So, the real question is: what is Overstock worth? I think it's worth at least $1.5 billion. With...more
In the UK, Banks have been ordered by the financial watchdog, the Financial Services Agency (FSA) to refund Mortgage Exit Fees to clients they have overcharged when they redeemed a Mortgage. This is of major significance to those involved within the areas of Debt Management, Debt Settlement and Bankruptcy in general as these figures could be quite substantial overall.Long overdue, this affair could cost in excess of £300 million at the end of the day. Part of the problem lies with potential conflict of interest scenarios whereby the conveyancing quite often is carried out by the Banks own appointed "Panel Solicitor" who are unlikely to question too deeply any of the banks own imposed charges. The Lawyers don't want to offend the Lending Institution by questioning the validity of the charges as they don't want to be removed form the Lenders Panel of approved Solicitors - it's an incestuous business and if you can always try and get an independent Lawyer to work for you in transactional cases like these.Simply put, this situation arises from the following. At the outset of any agreed Mortgage or Loan there is always the fine print that entails what additional charges...more
Years ago I gave a consulting client a one-word solution to overcoming his business challenges. The one word was, "FOCUS." At our weekly meetings I emphasized the importance of focus for this successful entrepreneur seeking even greater success. We worked closely together to help him stay on track with his business goals. It was during this period...more
What is an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA)An individual voluntary arrangement begins with a proposal based on your financial circumstances and how much you are realistically able to afford to contribute towards an IVA, either on a monthly basis or from other assets you may own. The proposal is presented to the court and then to Creditors....more
When I speak with many website and business owners, I usually get asked this question over and over gain. And that is "what can I do to get more customers, clients or subscribers? Well there's a 1001 answers I can give that question. Because there are so many ways to find new business.The problem with finding and advertising for new customers is that it can be expensive. In essence it could even be a gamble to fork out a bunch of money on a new advertising campaign, because you really don't know the outcome or response will be. This is especially true on a new advertising strategy. If you're like a lot of business operators you'll slap an ad together, and publish it somewhere, hoping for the best. To make matters even worse most of the time businesses publish an ad that always starts with a headline with their company name on top. What they really should be doing is putting a strong benefit to start the ad as a headline, so the reader's eyeballs continue to read the rest! But this article is not about advertising to first time customers; it's about something better, a more affordable strategy with trust and recognition automatically built...more
Q: How important is the name of a business? Should the name of a business reflect what the business does or is it better to come up with something catchy and easy to remember? -- Randy P.A: What's in a name? When it comes to your business,...more
Reduce your tax payments by claiming an interest payment deduction.If you are busy paying off your student loans, the last thing you want to do is to pay interest on the money that you're about to give right back to the government. Luckily, in a...more
Do you know what "proceedings supplemental" are? If you are in the business of collecting judgments in Indiana, and from time to time virtually all secured lenders are, then the June 27, 2007 opinion by the Indiana Supreme Court in Rose v....more
Decision Finance was formed in early 2000 and is the trading name for Xbridge limited an online commercial, business, and financial intermediary for small to medium sized businesses. DF has the backing of Prudential PLC, Boston Consulting Group and...more
You've recently been promoted to management, and are now responsible for the department in which you were previously employed. One of your former peers had also applied for the job, and you are now feeling waves of resentment from him that...more
As a result of a directive from the Financial Services Agency, Banks in the United Kingdom are now being instructed to return fees to clients they are deemed to have overcharged. This is of major significance to those involved within the areas of...more