The people who face cash issues in their lives know the actual ups and downs that happen in life. Such a situation occurs in everyone’s life. Also, everybody may not have an asset to act as a shield for bad times. So for such borrowers, there is an opportunity for borrowing money through unsecured loans which does not create any hassle for them.
With these loans easily available to be borrowed, the people who do not have any assets can also take up money for their needs easily. These include tenants and non-homeowners. Also, those borrowers who may be having assets to their name but are not willing to pledge them can avail money through this opportunity.
The money through these loans lies in the range of £1000-£25000 so that the borrowers do not face a problem in fulfilling their personal needs. any desires or needs of the borrowers can be easily fulfilled through these loans like educational funding, wedding expenses, home improvement, car purchase, debt consolidation, travel expenses, vacation holiday etc.
The money is required to be repaid to the lender in a term of 6 months to 10 years. The rate of interest for these loans is slightly higher than the secured form due to absence of any collateral pledged with the loan lender to act as a guarantee for loan repayment. So the higher rate helps in cutting down the risk. However there are ways to get lower rate deals. The most effective is online researching. This helps in comparison of all loan quotes offered from which the borrower can then choose the most suitable deals.
Also, these loans are available to bad credit borrowers so that they can fulfill their needs as well. They too can research online to get lower rate deals for their needs.
The borrowers without assets can get easily money for their needs through unsecured loans. Now they do not have to make any compromise for the important needs in their lives.
Senin, 24 November 2008
Unsecured Loans: Make Way To Upkeep Your Finances
Break down of your personal finances compel you to go for monetary assistances. People find it hard to arrange fund as most of the funding requires to be secured by some sort of security pledging. The security gives a secured sense of loan repayment to the lenders. And if you are unable to arrange it, still you need not worry since unsecured loans are available as alternatives to the secured loans. These money provisions are best suited to tenants.
Indeed, such loans are nothing but personal loans, targeted solely to personal loan seekers. Any class of borrowers can apply for such loans provided that he may fulfill certain criteria. These criteria include stable monthly income, repayment capability and good credit ratings.
These Loans are well tailored to suit your any range of requirements. In terms of loan amount, you can able to secure a sum anywhere from £5,000 to £25,000 that you will have to repay within a specific period. This period ranges in between 6 months-10 years. In general, borrowers invest the raised sum for car purchasing, home improvement, children’s higher education, business development etc. You can invest the amount to pay off your pending liabilities. With the help, you can make your life debt free.
For all this, borrowers may opt for monthly instalment plans for easy repayment. Interest paid upon such money provisions happens to be higher in cost. Penalty charges can be quite high in case of missed payments. This can adversely affect your financial credibility in the market. However, if you shop around before you sign a deal, you will be able to secure such money provisions on cost-effective rates. Usually, the money is debited directly from the customer’s bank account. In order to save oneself from defaults, having enough balance in the account becomes essential.
Indeed, such loans are nothing but personal loans, targeted solely to personal loan seekers. Any class of borrowers can apply for such loans provided that he may fulfill certain criteria. These criteria include stable monthly income, repayment capability and good credit ratings.
These Loans are well tailored to suit your any range of requirements. In terms of loan amount, you can able to secure a sum anywhere from £5,000 to £25,000 that you will have to repay within a specific period. This period ranges in between 6 months-10 years. In general, borrowers invest the raised sum for car purchasing, home improvement, children’s higher education, business development etc. You can invest the amount to pay off your pending liabilities. With the help, you can make your life debt free.
For all this, borrowers may opt for monthly instalment plans for easy repayment. Interest paid upon such money provisions happens to be higher in cost. Penalty charges can be quite high in case of missed payments. This can adversely affect your financial credibility in the market. However, if you shop around before you sign a deal, you will be able to secure such money provisions on cost-effective rates. Usually, the money is debited directly from the customer’s bank account. In order to save oneself from defaults, having enough balance in the account becomes essential.
Bad Credit Loans: Get Money And Solve Your Cash Issues
When the problems are numerous, friends are few. These words are very apt when it comes to the situation of bad credit. Fulfilling your cash needs when having a bad credit history, it may be difficult to get the support you want. Getting external help will still suit you as the money is available without any hassle through bad credit loans.
The borrowers who have a credit score which is lower than 580 in the FICO report may be suffering from this problem due to various factors. It can be arrears, defaults, missed repayments or CCJs that have caused this problem. But the borrowers still deserve a chance to avail these loans for their needs.
Through these loans, the borrowers can choose whichever option that they like out of the secured and the unsecured form, according to suitability. The loan form also depends upon the ability of the borrower to pledge collateral with the lender for the money. If a bigger amount is required by the borrowers, they can take up the secured form by pledging an asset with the lenders. Amounts can be borrowed within the range of £5000-£75000 for a term of 5-25 years. The home, car or any asset of the borrower can be pledged as collateral.
Borrowers who need smaller amount can also take up money and that too without pledging any assets. This is possible through unsecured form of these loans. Money that is obtainable by the borrowers lies in the range of £1000-£25000 and has to be repaid in a term of 6 months to 10 years. Tenants and non-homeowners can also take up these loans for their needs easily.
Adverse credit history of borrowers may entail a higher rate of interest. But with the help of online research and comparison, the borrowers can take up low rate deals with the help of comparison of the loan quotes easily.
Bad credit loans are a great opportunity for the borrowers to avail money at the most needful times. It is a great respite for borrowers stuck in bad credit.
The borrowers who have a credit score which is lower than 580 in the FICO report may be suffering from this problem due to various factors. It can be arrears, defaults, missed repayments or CCJs that have caused this problem. But the borrowers still deserve a chance to avail these loans for their needs.
Through these loans, the borrowers can choose whichever option that they like out of the secured and the unsecured form, according to suitability. The loan form also depends upon the ability of the borrower to pledge collateral with the lender for the money. If a bigger amount is required by the borrowers, they can take up the secured form by pledging an asset with the lenders. Amounts can be borrowed within the range of £5000-£75000 for a term of 5-25 years. The home, car or any asset of the borrower can be pledged as collateral.
Borrowers who need smaller amount can also take up money and that too without pledging any assets. This is possible through unsecured form of these loans. Money that is obtainable by the borrowers lies in the range of £1000-£25000 and has to be repaid in a term of 6 months to 10 years. Tenants and non-homeowners can also take up these loans for their needs easily.
Adverse credit history of borrowers may entail a higher rate of interest. But with the help of online research and comparison, the borrowers can take up low rate deals with the help of comparison of the loan quotes easily.
Bad credit loans are a great opportunity for the borrowers to avail money at the most needful times. It is a great respite for borrowers stuck in bad credit.
Bad Credit Loans: Get Money And Solve Your Cash Issues
When the problems are numerous, friends are few. These words are very apt when it comes to the situation of bad credit. Fulfilling your cash needs when having a bad credit history, it may be difficult to get the support you want. Getting external help will still suit you as the money is available without any hassle through bad credit loans.
The borrowers who have a credit score which is lower than 580 in the FICO report may be suffering from this problem due to various factors. It can be arrears, defaults, missed repayments or CCJs that have caused this problem. But the borrowers still deserve a chance to avail these loans for their needs.
Through these loans, the borrowers can choose whichever option that they like out of the secured and the unsecured form, according to suitability. The loan form also depends upon the ability of the borrower to pledge collateral with the lender for the money. If a bigger amount is required by the borrowers, they can take up the secured form by pledging an asset with the lenders. Amounts can be borrowed within the range of £5000-£75000 for a term of 5-25 years. The home, car or any asset of the borrower can be pledged as collateral.
Borrowers who need smaller amount can also take up money and that too without pledging any assets. This is possible through unsecured form of these loans. Money that is obtainable by the borrowers lies in the range of £1000-£25000 and has to be repaid in a term of 6 months to 10 years. Tenants and non-homeowners can also take up these loans for their needs easily.
Adverse credit history of borrowers may entail a higher rate of interest. But with the help of online research and comparison, the borrowers can take up low rate deals with the help of comparison of the loan quotes easily.
Bad credit loans are a great opportunity for the borrowers to avail money at the most needful times. It is a great respite for borrowers stuck in bad credit.
The borrowers who have a credit score which is lower than 580 in the FICO report may be suffering from this problem due to various factors. It can be arrears, defaults, missed repayments or CCJs that have caused this problem. But the borrowers still deserve a chance to avail these loans for their needs.
Through these loans, the borrowers can choose whichever option that they like out of the secured and the unsecured form, according to suitability. The loan form also depends upon the ability of the borrower to pledge collateral with the lender for the money. If a bigger amount is required by the borrowers, they can take up the secured form by pledging an asset with the lenders. Amounts can be borrowed within the range of £5000-£75000 for a term of 5-25 years. The home, car or any asset of the borrower can be pledged as collateral.
Borrowers who need smaller amount can also take up money and that too without pledging any assets. This is possible through unsecured form of these loans. Money that is obtainable by the borrowers lies in the range of £1000-£25000 and has to be repaid in a term of 6 months to 10 years. Tenants and non-homeowners can also take up these loans for their needs easily.
Adverse credit history of borrowers may entail a higher rate of interest. But with the help of online research and comparison, the borrowers can take up low rate deals with the help of comparison of the loan quotes easily.
Bad credit loans are a great opportunity for the borrowers to avail money at the most needful times. It is a great respite for borrowers stuck in bad credit.
Saving Money on Your Food Bill
Saving money on your food bill
I wanted to start with this budget item as it is an area that a family or individual can really save some money. In our situation we are a family of four and our budget is $125.00 per week. I would not say we are pinching pennies, and by no means are we being extravagant. We also live in the Pacific Northwest. Prices do vary somewhat according to where you live.
There are many of you out there spending twice this amount. Even in our situation which many of you out there may find on the average or low side we could easily if need be tighten our belts and lower this bill by 30%. Yes, 30%
For the amount we spend a 30% savings amounts to $1950.00. If you are spending twice the amount we are that 30% savings can amount to a budget savings of almost $4000.00 a year. That is a nice chunk of change for that big screen TV, or too pay down your debt, or whatever other means you want to use it for.
Before we get into some details I want to add that a key element to managing and reducing any aspect of your budget is having the right attitude. Also, you need to have some discipline and be able to stick to your guns. But, set goals that are attainable.
Six quick tips to save money on your food budget
1. Buy the store brand.
2. Buy fruits and vegetables that are on sale.
3. Read the flyers that in the newspaper, clip coupons.
4. Shop more than one store.
5. Buy less prepared foods.
6. Go to the store after you have eaten.
7. Avoid impulse buying on quick trips.
Buying the store brand
Some folks are brand loyalists. But buying brand names can cost you a lot more money. The reality is that in a blind taste test most of us could not even tell the difference between the store brand and the name brand. In some cases the only difference between the name brand and the store brand is the label they put on the can.
Read the flyers
In reading the Supermarket flyers there is one general theme I have noticed. Between two or three stores there are typically enough items on sale to make some substantial savings. It is typical that most of us do a "big shop" a week and then do 2-5 quick runs to the store during the week. Change this pattern. Instead spend 10-15 minutes a week reading the flyers and planning your list to shop 2-3 stores. Most grocery stores are in the same general vicinity. Sure you might be adding about an hour to your shopping a week, but if that hour is worth saving $1950.00 on your food budget then it is well worth it!
Buying fresh fruits and vegetables on sale
We just spent .88 cents a pound for Fuji apples. They normally are $1.49 a pound. Thats a pretty good savings. We just love Fuji's. We like a lot of other fruits and vegetables as well. My point here is that there is always going to be some fruits or vegetables that you like that are on sale. Buy what is on sale and you will save money.
Shop more than one store
Do this in conjunction with shopping the weekly flyers. Whether you do one big weekly shop at three stores or some other plan that works for you, a sure fire way to save money is to shop more than one store.
Buy less prepared foods
Most people buy prepared foods because they are convenient. They are also a lot more expensive. A bag of noodles, and a few cans of store brand cream of mushroom or chicken soup is a lot cheaper and goes a lot farther than a box of Hamburger Helper. And, it really does not take any more time to cook up you meal using the ingredients I named.
Shop on a full stomach
Nothing more really needs to be said about this.
So how do I pull all this off?
* Set a plan and stick to it
* Get the food money in cash for the week and put it in an envelope. This is your budget, when the money run out you are done.
* Never (ever) go to the store without a list. Stick to the list!
* Treat yourself to an inpulse buy once or twice a month. Hold out money in your budget just for this. You will have something to look forward to.
Even with all of this good information some of you may be looking for a plan that is a bit more structured and disciplined. My spouse subscribes to a service called the "Grocery Game" which is essentially a formalized approach to everything I have discussed. It will cost you a few bucks to join, but is well worth it as they provide you will information on sales that you will not find in the flyers. Note: this service is not available in every area
Happy shopping!
I wanted to start with this budget item as it is an area that a family or individual can really save some money. In our situation we are a family of four and our budget is $125.00 per week. I would not say we are pinching pennies, and by no means are we being extravagant. We also live in the Pacific Northwest. Prices do vary somewhat according to where you live.
There are many of you out there spending twice this amount. Even in our situation which many of you out there may find on the average or low side we could easily if need be tighten our belts and lower this bill by 30%. Yes, 30%
For the amount we spend a 30% savings amounts to $1950.00. If you are spending twice the amount we are that 30% savings can amount to a budget savings of almost $4000.00 a year. That is a nice chunk of change for that big screen TV, or too pay down your debt, or whatever other means you want to use it for.
Before we get into some details I want to add that a key element to managing and reducing any aspect of your budget is having the right attitude. Also, you need to have some discipline and be able to stick to your guns. But, set goals that are attainable.
Six quick tips to save money on your food budget
1. Buy the store brand.
2. Buy fruits and vegetables that are on sale.
3. Read the flyers that in the newspaper, clip coupons.
4. Shop more than one store.
5. Buy less prepared foods.
6. Go to the store after you have eaten.
7. Avoid impulse buying on quick trips.
Buying the store brand
Some folks are brand loyalists. But buying brand names can cost you a lot more money. The reality is that in a blind taste test most of us could not even tell the difference between the store brand and the name brand. In some cases the only difference between the name brand and the store brand is the label they put on the can.
Read the flyers
In reading the Supermarket flyers there is one general theme I have noticed. Between two or three stores there are typically enough items on sale to make some substantial savings. It is typical that most of us do a "big shop" a week and then do 2-5 quick runs to the store during the week. Change this pattern. Instead spend 10-15 minutes a week reading the flyers and planning your list to shop 2-3 stores. Most grocery stores are in the same general vicinity. Sure you might be adding about an hour to your shopping a week, but if that hour is worth saving $1950.00 on your food budget then it is well worth it!
Buying fresh fruits and vegetables on sale
We just spent .88 cents a pound for Fuji apples. They normally are $1.49 a pound. Thats a pretty good savings. We just love Fuji's. We like a lot of other fruits and vegetables as well. My point here is that there is always going to be some fruits or vegetables that you like that are on sale. Buy what is on sale and you will save money.
Shop more than one store
Do this in conjunction with shopping the weekly flyers. Whether you do one big weekly shop at three stores or some other plan that works for you, a sure fire way to save money is to shop more than one store.
Buy less prepared foods
Most people buy prepared foods because they are convenient. They are also a lot more expensive. A bag of noodles, and a few cans of store brand cream of mushroom or chicken soup is a lot cheaper and goes a lot farther than a box of Hamburger Helper. And, it really does not take any more time to cook up you meal using the ingredients I named.
Shop on a full stomach
Nothing more really needs to be said about this.
So how do I pull all this off?
* Set a plan and stick to it
* Get the food money in cash for the week and put it in an envelope. This is your budget, when the money run out you are done.
* Never (ever) go to the store without a list. Stick to the list!
* Treat yourself to an inpulse buy once or twice a month. Hold out money in your budget just for this. You will have something to look forward to.
Even with all of this good information some of you may be looking for a plan that is a bit more structured and disciplined. My spouse subscribes to a service called the "Grocery Game" which is essentially a formalized approach to everything I have discussed. It will cost you a few bucks to join, but is well worth it as they provide you will information on sales that you will not find in the flyers. Note: this service is not available in every area
Happy shopping!
Proper Bookkeeping Helps An Organisation To Increase Profits, Reduce Taxes And Improve Cash Flow.
Accounting is the process of analyzing, classifying, recording, summarizing, and interpreting business transactions in financial or monetary terms. In order to summarize the results of a business activity, each financial transaction must be recorded in a bookkeeping system. Basics of Accounting : The owner’s right or claim to assets is expressed by the word equity, or investment. Other terms that may be used include capital, net worth, or proprietorship. Liabilities represent debts and obligations of the business. The business may have a liability to the owner, however, creditors’ claims to the assets have priority over the claims of the owner. An equation expressing the relationship of these elements is called the fundamental accounting equation. Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s Equity Revenues are the amounts of assets that a business or other economic unit gains as a result of its operations. For example, revenues represent earnings derived from fees earned for the performing of services, sales involving the exchange of goods, rent income for providing the use of property, and interest income for the lending of money. Expenses are the amounts of assets that a business or other economic unit uses up as a result of its operations. For example, expenses represent the amount of cash paid for services received, such as wages expense rent expense, interest expense and supplies expense. Revenues and expenses directly affect owner’s equity. If a business earns revenue, there is an increase in owner’s equity. If a business incurs or pays expenses, there is a decrease in owners equity. So, we place revenue and expenses under the “umbrella†of owner’s equity. Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s Equity Capital + Revenue - Expenses Steps to be followed for good Bookkeeping Systems : Many methods may be used. At a minimum, certain procedures should be done on a monthly or other periodic basis to make sure that your accounting records are accurate. Some of these steps are as follows: * All checks written and deposits made should be entered into a check register. * A monthly bank reconciliation should be done to make sure that all transactions have been recorded (including bank originated charges) and that the ending cash balances to the adjusted bank balance. * All expenses should be classified into business expense categories to record the various expenditures. * All deposits made to the account should be identified and classified (e.g., boarding income, interest income and owner contributions). * A financial statement should be prepared on a periodic basis to understand the results of your operation. it is extremely important to identify all the sources of deposits to make sure that actual income from operations is not confused with contributions of working capital from the owner. Advantage of Computerised bookkeeping : Computerized accounting systems allow you entry of transactions into an automated system to provide a variety of information. Simple accounting packages can be very powerful tools to assist in understanding the results of business operations. After the entry of the basic transactions, the data is available in a number of reports (e.g., cash disbursements register, income statement, balance sheet.) These systems help “non-accountants†automatically produce standard financial statements without much technical accounting background. Good habits in computer processing procedures must be used to make sure that all the transactions are recorded. Otherwise, the financial information presented may not be accurate.
Advantage of Outsourcing your bookkeeping to professional BookKeeper.
What is a role of a bookkeeper in your organisation : BOOKKEEPERS keep complete, up-to-date, and accurate records of accounts and financial arrangements. Bookkeepers verify and enter information into journals and ledgers or into a computer. They periodically balance the books and compile reports and financial statements. Bookkeepers also receive, record, bank and pay out cash. They balance checkbooks with monthly bank statements. They may calculate employee wages from plant records or time cards and issue payroll checks. Some of the other work they may do includes posting accounts receivable and payable, prepare and make bank deposits, record payrolls, maintain inventory records, purchase supplies, prepare purchase orders and do expense reports. Bookkeepers may also make schedules, sort documents, and file bills. These type of jobs are found in every industry and may have various job titles, such as accounts payable clerk, accounts receivable clerk or assistant bookkeeper. Cost of a Bookkeeper : The pay for these jobs depends upon experience, clerical skills, the level of responsibility and the job location. Beginning salaries go from minimum wage to $ 15 per hour. Experienced Bookkeeper can make $ 20 an hour. After having worked for three years with the same firm, a Bookkeeper can earn at $ 25 per hour. A Bookkeepers usually work 40 hours a week; sometimes it may be necessary to work overtime. Some employers have fringe benefits such as paid vacations and sick leave, life and health insurance, and bonuses. Other benefits that the employer may include are participation in a credit union, or retirement and profit sharing plans. Advantage of outsourcing Bookkeeping work to a professional bookkeeper : There are several distinct advantages to outsourcing your bookkeeping functions. First and foremost is saving money. You get what you pay for and if you don't pay for quality than you won't have quality service. However, you can save money by outsourcing because you won't be paying for employer payroll tax expense, workman's compensation and general liability insurances, vacation time, sick time, health insurance and other benefits a good full time bookkeeper will expect from his/her employer. Just remember, however, that these costs will be built into the consultant's hourly rate and their fee will reflect these costs. Any bookkeeping consultant who has not taken these costs into consideration is not a bookkeeper you want - if they don't know enough to include these costs into their fees, then they don't know enough to be a help to your business. You should expect to pay at least three times what you would pay an experienced full charge bookkeeper. And just how do you save money by paying three times the amount you would pay an employee? Well, let's see. There will be no recruiting, interviewing and training costs for start. And if you should find yourself unhappy with the services there will be no additional recruiting, interviewing and training to replace your bookkeeper. Also, you will not have to be concerned about law suits such as sexual harassment, unlawful firing, age discrimination, sexist, etc. Or an increase in your unemployment rates because you laid off an employee that you really wanted to fire but had no lawful cause to do so. So right away we have less time and money spent and potentially less hassle if things don't go well. And of course you will not be paying workman's compensation and general liability insurance premiums. Also any worthy bookkeeper will expect at least two weeks vacation, coverage for sick time, health and dental insurance and even perhaps more benefits. Most professional bookkeepers will have their own offices saving you space within your office. So you will not be buying that extra desk, calculator, computer and computer software. Your bookkeeper will be providing all of that as part of his/her fee. No software updates, computer maintenance, training costs, etc. Of course should you prefer to have your computerized bookkeeping records available to you at your office, a small investment in software installed on your computer makes this possible. Also no office supplies to be paid for. You will be amazed at just how much pens, pencils, and paper can be used by a bookkeeper. Your consultant bookkeeper will either ask you to drop off the work at their office, will pick it up at your office or some may even offer remote bookkeeping service. And by having your bookkeeping done off site, your bookkeeper will be able to work more efficiently and accurately because her/his office will most likely offer less distractions than your busy office. All of this is saving you money. And the best reason for outsourcing is that you control the amount of money spent on bookkeeping. What I mean by this is that the person you hire to do your bookkeeping will be doing just that - not answering the phone, dealing with drop-bys, chatting to other employees, etc. Also you can start with just a few hours a month and add on when you need to and then adjust downward again should it be necessary. Can you imagine finding an employee to start with only four hours a month, then asking them to put in 20 hours a week for awhile and then back down to four hours a month again. I don't think you would keep them for very long, but a free lance bookkeeper is able to work around these variables and even more importantly expects to work with flexible schedules. So have I convinced you yet? If so, then just remember "you will get what you pay for". Go for top quality because your financial records are the core of your business and without great bookkeeping you cannot expect to succeed no matter what type of business you have. After all don't you think you are worth it ?
4 Reasons Not to Purchase Business Accounting Software
Not all organizations need business accounting software. Because of the mobility some companies are better suited to utilize paper and pencil or a personal digital assistant(PDA).
On the other hand, some businesses have enough accounting data and that data is located in one place, to benefit from software. Some of these criteria listed below are directed toward certain business types and may not apply. But, if a company has more than any of these limiters, business accounting software would be a good idea.
Business accounting software is not needed if all of these apply:
1. Total monthly sales are under $2,000.
Generally, the amount of recording effort needed to keep track of $2,000 is minimal and can be done with a pencil and paper or an excel spreadsheet. It is a small enough number that any misapplication can be easily detected and corrected. If the sales are any higher, the risk for error and stealing drastically increase.
2. Less than 30 monthly sales transactions.
This is for the type of business that sells large equipment or contracts jobs that take multiple days to complete. When less than 1 sale per day is made, it definitely should not be an issue to make any calculations or recordings. Even if the project or sale is a long distance form the office, you should be able to remember that sale for days or weeks until it can be tracked.
3. Inventory less than 100 items.
Business accounting software can be very useful for tracking how much inventory is on-hand and how much is needed. Software can be programmed so that when a product is sold, it is automatically withdrawn from the inventory statistics. If there is less than 100 items stored at one time, then those could be easily managed manually.
4. No employees
Payroll can be done by hand, but it can be very time consuming and laborious. If something so detailed can be easily figured automatically by business accounting software, then it would make sense to use it. Besides, a large or small business wants to be working on increasing sales or optimizing efficiency instead of busywork. If no workers are employed, then obviously there is no need for software that calculates payroll.
If all 4 of these guidelines are met, then business accounting software is probably not needed. A software package may still be helpful, but within these ranges, it may not be economical. This is not to say that free accounting software cannot be downloaded and used, but it should not be purchased.
On the other hand, some businesses have enough accounting data and that data is located in one place, to benefit from software. Some of these criteria listed below are directed toward certain business types and may not apply. But, if a company has more than any of these limiters, business accounting software would be a good idea.
Business accounting software is not needed if all of these apply:
1. Total monthly sales are under $2,000.
Generally, the amount of recording effort needed to keep track of $2,000 is minimal and can be done with a pencil and paper or an excel spreadsheet. It is a small enough number that any misapplication can be easily detected and corrected. If the sales are any higher, the risk for error and stealing drastically increase.
2. Less than 30 monthly sales transactions.
This is for the type of business that sells large equipment or contracts jobs that take multiple days to complete. When less than 1 sale per day is made, it definitely should not be an issue to make any calculations or recordings. Even if the project or sale is a long distance form the office, you should be able to remember that sale for days or weeks until it can be tracked.
3. Inventory less than 100 items.
Business accounting software can be very useful for tracking how much inventory is on-hand and how much is needed. Software can be programmed so that when a product is sold, it is automatically withdrawn from the inventory statistics. If there is less than 100 items stored at one time, then those could be easily managed manually.
4. No employees
Payroll can be done by hand, but it can be very time consuming and laborious. If something so detailed can be easily figured automatically by business accounting software, then it would make sense to use it. Besides, a large or small business wants to be working on increasing sales or optimizing efficiency instead of busywork. If no workers are employed, then obviously there is no need for software that calculates payroll.
If all 4 of these guidelines are met, then business accounting software is probably not needed. A software package may still be helpful, but within these ranges, it may not be economical. This is not to say that free accounting software cannot be downloaded and used, but it should not be purchased.
Autopilot Benefit of Business Accounting Software
Do you really want to manually calculate the all the figures from sales, expenses, overhead, loans, outside revenue, deductions, employee data(wages, taxes, and benefits), equity, investments, etc? Of course not, you want to spend time making sales and improving the company's efficiency.
If that is your desire, then you want business accounting software to work for you. It will automate menial tasks and give the ability to look at long and short-term statistics by generating multiple reports.
Automation is the key to productivity. When data is calculated and completed with a touch of a button, your efforts can be directed to more important duties or more enjoyable activities.
Business accounting software is the perfect opportunity to some aspects of the business on autopilot. The more autopilots running the company, the better. This does not mean control is given up. In fact, it gives more control and more freedom with options.
Autopilots should be simple to manipulate and customize. Business accounting software is a prime example of this. It allows the user to generate reports that show specific details of certain business finances. These reports are done virtually instantaneous instead of manual processing time.
Even though you and your colleagues may be perfectly capable of doing the business accounting, that is not the point. The point is time and energy. Whatever the amount of time or energy that is saved by business accounting software is time and energy not used for boring adding and subtracting.
Maybe the company does not have many figures to work up, but five minutes here and seven minutes there adds up quickly. You would be surprised to find just how much time is spent adding, subtracting, and writing down accounting information.
Even if the business is small now, one of the company goals should be to grow and do more business. Using business accounting software does not require any more time adding for gross or subtracting for net or comparing for cash flow. Alternatively, if the calculations are done manually, there is almost an exponential increase in work for increase in business size.
Once a business accounting software program is purchased or obtained, it is yours forever. No monthly or yearly fee, as with accounting staff. Up-grades may be purchased and there may be newer versions available, but if the software still meets the accounting needs of business operations, then it can be used indefinitely.
So, if the company is planning to operate for a long time, business accounting software can save a vast amount of time and energy. It allows people in the company to avoid trivial and time intensive calculating and focus on processes to move the company forward.
If that is your desire, then you want business accounting software to work for you. It will automate menial tasks and give the ability to look at long and short-term statistics by generating multiple reports.
Automation is the key to productivity. When data is calculated and completed with a touch of a button, your efforts can be directed to more important duties or more enjoyable activities.
Business accounting software is the perfect opportunity to some aspects of the business on autopilot. The more autopilots running the company, the better. This does not mean control is given up. In fact, it gives more control and more freedom with options.
Autopilots should be simple to manipulate and customize. Business accounting software is a prime example of this. It allows the user to generate reports that show specific details of certain business finances. These reports are done virtually instantaneous instead of manual processing time.
Even though you and your colleagues may be perfectly capable of doing the business accounting, that is not the point. The point is time and energy. Whatever the amount of time or energy that is saved by business accounting software is time and energy not used for boring adding and subtracting.
Maybe the company does not have many figures to work up, but five minutes here and seven minutes there adds up quickly. You would be surprised to find just how much time is spent adding, subtracting, and writing down accounting information.
Even if the business is small now, one of the company goals should be to grow and do more business. Using business accounting software does not require any more time adding for gross or subtracting for net or comparing for cash flow. Alternatively, if the calculations are done manually, there is almost an exponential increase in work for increase in business size.
Once a business accounting software program is purchased or obtained, it is yours forever. No monthly or yearly fee, as with accounting staff. Up-grades may be purchased and there may be newer versions available, but if the software still meets the accounting needs of business operations, then it can be used indefinitely.
So, if the company is planning to operate for a long time, business accounting software can save a vast amount of time and energy. It allows people in the company to avoid trivial and time intensive calculating and focus on processes to move the company forward.
Make money with private label Ebook Resell Rights!
There are million of Americans who have thought about it. Many of those individuals are interested in writing an Ebook due to their love for writing, but others are interested in making an income. Unluckily, to make a profit, you will not only have to write an Ebook, but sell it. This can be a long and difficult task; however, that does not mean that you can’t make money by selling Ebooks. You can with something that is known as private label resell rights.
To obtain the private label resell rights to an Ebook, you will need to find an opportunity. Online, it is likely that you will come across a number of different individuals who are selling the resell rights to their Ebooks. The fact that they are selling their rights does not essentially mean that their work cannot sell or that it is poor in quality. In fact, many Ebook authors just do not have the time to market their product to its targeted audience. However, if you do have the time and the information, you could make a full or part-time living.
As earlier mentioned, you will have to find an individual who is willing to sell their Ebook resell rights to you. When searching for that individual and Ebook, you are encouraged to be on the lookout for a number of different things. First, it is important to request samples or a copy of the Ebook. The cost of obtaining the resell rights to a private label product, including an Ebook, can be fairly high. Before agreeing to purchase the resale rights, you will need to make sure that the product will be marketable and in demand. If so, you can then proceed to strike a deal.
Finding an Ebook author, that is selling their private label resell rights, is a fairly easy process. The hard part is finding buyers for the product that you are now responsible for selling. There are a number of different ways that you can try and sell an Ebook. In addition to just using one selling methods, you may be able to find extra achievement by using a combination of them.
The best way to sell an Ebook is to target the Ebook’s intended audience. You may want to think about creating an easy webpage with your Ebook information on it. This webpage will not only be picked up by search engines, but you can also provide links; this is where targeting your audience will come in. For instance, if you have an Ebook on popular beauty tips, for more detail visit www.create-own-ebook.com you may want to post on message boards that have a focus on personal care. There are a large number of online message boards that allow the posting of a signature. This signature may include the link to your Ebook’s website.
In addition to using linking, you can also advertise the Ebook with online classified ads. Online, there are literally a limitless number of classified websites and many of them are free to use. Advertising the Ebook that you have available for sale online, especially with classified ads, is a low-cost way to generate public interest. Local classifieds are also a good idea; however, many cost money. Whether you only use online classified ads, local classified ads, or both, for more detail visit www.eazy-ebook-money.com your Ebook should get the exposure that it needs to start selling. Another way that you could sell the Ebook is through an online auction website. On any given day, most online auction websites have over one million products listed. There is always a chance that your Ebook could get lost in those items, but the chances are slim. On most occasions, your Ebook will get purchased or it will at least get the exposure needed to generate interests.
To obtain the private label resell rights to an Ebook, you will need to find an opportunity. Online, it is likely that you will come across a number of different individuals who are selling the resell rights to their Ebooks. The fact that they are selling their rights does not essentially mean that their work cannot sell or that it is poor in quality. In fact, many Ebook authors just do not have the time to market their product to its targeted audience. However, if you do have the time and the information, you could make a full or part-time living.
As earlier mentioned, you will have to find an individual who is willing to sell their Ebook resell rights to you. When searching for that individual and Ebook, you are encouraged to be on the lookout for a number of different things. First, it is important to request samples or a copy of the Ebook. The cost of obtaining the resell rights to a private label product, including an Ebook, can be fairly high. Before agreeing to purchase the resale rights, you will need to make sure that the product will be marketable and in demand. If so, you can then proceed to strike a deal.
Finding an Ebook author, that is selling their private label resell rights, is a fairly easy process. The hard part is finding buyers for the product that you are now responsible for selling. There are a number of different ways that you can try and sell an Ebook. In addition to just using one selling methods, you may be able to find extra achievement by using a combination of them.
The best way to sell an Ebook is to target the Ebook’s intended audience. You may want to think about creating an easy webpage with your Ebook information on it. This webpage will not only be picked up by search engines, but you can also provide links; this is where targeting your audience will come in. For instance, if you have an Ebook on popular beauty tips, for more detail visit www.create-own-ebook.com you may want to post on message boards that have a focus on personal care. There are a large number of online message boards that allow the posting of a signature. This signature may include the link to your Ebook’s website.
In addition to using linking, you can also advertise the Ebook with online classified ads. Online, there are literally a limitless number of classified websites and many of them are free to use. Advertising the Ebook that you have available for sale online, especially with classified ads, is a low-cost way to generate public interest. Local classifieds are also a good idea; however, many cost money. Whether you only use online classified ads, local classified ads, or both, for more detail visit www.eazy-ebook-money.com your Ebook should get the exposure that it needs to start selling. Another way that you could sell the Ebook is through an online auction website. On any given day, most online auction websites have over one million products listed. There is always a chance that your Ebook could get lost in those items, but the chances are slim. On most occasions, your Ebook will get purchased or it will at least get the exposure needed to generate interests.
Sabtu, 25 Oktober 2008
Will You Ever Have to Pay a Deficiency Judgment From a Foreclosure? by: Dave Dinkel
When a foreclosure is finished and the home is sold or assessed by an appraisal, for the loss on the mortgage, the deficit amount the bank will not get back from the mortgage balance and expenses due, is called a deficiency. In most states, the lender has an option to get a judgment in this amount against the borrower and this is called a "deficiency judgment". In addition to the loss of the homeowner’s home he also has the potential of having to repay this judgment in the future.
Even if the bank accepts a "deed in lieu of foreclosure" they can still get a deficiency judgment against the borrower. The borrower is the one responsible for the mortgage or deed of trust payments and he may or may not be the homeowner. If the homeowner has a co-signer, the co-signer will be as legally responsible as the borrower to pay back the deficit due. Depending on whether the foreclosure is judicial or non-judicial, and the specific terms of the mortgage, the bank may not be able to seek a deficiency judgment. These laws vary state-by-state and should be reviewed carefully to determine which applies to the reader.
The bank doesn’t just have the amount of the unpaid loan balance due but also legal fees, accelerated interest payments, back principal payments, in some cases pre-payment penalties, and other expenses as part of the judgment amount. This is why a homeowner who has had his mortgage a couple of years could owe more than he borrowed originally. As an example, the homeowner borrowed $200,000 in June of 2006 and in January of 2008 he goes into foreclosure and the final judgment against him could be $218,000! This is because of the additional expenses and the fact that he pays mostly interest in the first 10 years of his mortgage.
The largest loss the lender has is his loss of the ability to loan about 7 - 10 times the unpaid mortgage balance. This is because the Federal Reserve requires the banks to put cash into a non-interest bearing account to cover potential losses. Since the bank can no longer use these funds to get additional loans from the Fed, he is losing tremendous loan power. This loss of revenue to the lender can not be passed on to the homeowner or borrower.
The major factors in deciding whether the lender will pursue a deficiency judgment are whether the lender feels he can collect the judgment and the cost to collect it. In the process of working with the homeowner, the lender pulls his credit and can see what other outstanding bills he has and whether they are being paid timely. The lender can not see what assets the homeowner has but can sometimes see where he works. The homeowner will be asked to fill out a Net Worth Statement ("NWS") which will disclose these assets to the lender. This document is a major part of the decision to pursue the judgment or not. If the lender has no reason to believe the homeowner has extensive assets, they will issue the IRS Form instead. A note of caution - falsifying the NWS can be bank fraud in some states so be careful if you intend to return the NWS to the lender.
The deficiency judgment is determined by the court-approved "Final Judgment" amount in most states. However, in some states, the property must be sold or an appraisal done to determine the "expected" net loss. If your state does this procedure by appraisal, contest the appraisal and have the judgment lowered if you believe it was not correct.
The lender usually chooses not to get a deficiency judgment and instead report the loan deficiency amount on IRS Form 1099. The result to the homeowner is a "phantom income" requires him to pay income taxes on this amount. In this situation the final cost of the guarantor’s foreclosure is the amount of income taxes he pays the IRS instead of the entire deficiency judgment. This is a substantial savings to the homeowner and the lender also benefits because there is no collection on his books that is counted as a liability. Unless there is suspicion of fraud in the original loan, the lender will issue a 1099. In December of 2007 legislation was enacted that allows a maximum exemption amount a homeowner who resides in his property can write off for this deficiency amount.
Carefully weigh your rights and options when you make a decision to allow your home to be lost to foreclosure, as there are solutions besides foreclosure and deed transfer to the lender. Do not be paralyzed with fear that the lender will follow you forever to collect the deficiency judgment, as you have a number of options to fight this including attacking the validity of the original loan.
Even if the bank accepts a "deed in lieu of foreclosure" they can still get a deficiency judgment against the borrower. The borrower is the one responsible for the mortgage or deed of trust payments and he may or may not be the homeowner. If the homeowner has a co-signer, the co-signer will be as legally responsible as the borrower to pay back the deficit due. Depending on whether the foreclosure is judicial or non-judicial, and the specific terms of the mortgage, the bank may not be able to seek a deficiency judgment. These laws vary state-by-state and should be reviewed carefully to determine which applies to the reader.
The bank doesn’t just have the amount of the unpaid loan balance due but also legal fees, accelerated interest payments, back principal payments, in some cases pre-payment penalties, and other expenses as part of the judgment amount. This is why a homeowner who has had his mortgage a couple of years could owe more than he borrowed originally. As an example, the homeowner borrowed $200,000 in June of 2006 and in January of 2008 he goes into foreclosure and the final judgment against him could be $218,000! This is because of the additional expenses and the fact that he pays mostly interest in the first 10 years of his mortgage.
The largest loss the lender has is his loss of the ability to loan about 7 - 10 times the unpaid mortgage balance. This is because the Federal Reserve requires the banks to put cash into a non-interest bearing account to cover potential losses. Since the bank can no longer use these funds to get additional loans from the Fed, he is losing tremendous loan power. This loss of revenue to the lender can not be passed on to the homeowner or borrower.
The major factors in deciding whether the lender will pursue a deficiency judgment are whether the lender feels he can collect the judgment and the cost to collect it. In the process of working with the homeowner, the lender pulls his credit and can see what other outstanding bills he has and whether they are being paid timely. The lender can not see what assets the homeowner has but can sometimes see where he works. The homeowner will be asked to fill out a Net Worth Statement ("NWS") which will disclose these assets to the lender. This document is a major part of the decision to pursue the judgment or not. If the lender has no reason to believe the homeowner has extensive assets, they will issue the IRS Form instead. A note of caution - falsifying the NWS can be bank fraud in some states so be careful if you intend to return the NWS to the lender.
The deficiency judgment is determined by the court-approved "Final Judgment" amount in most states. However, in some states, the property must be sold or an appraisal done to determine the "expected" net loss. If your state does this procedure by appraisal, contest the appraisal and have the judgment lowered if you believe it was not correct.
The lender usually chooses not to get a deficiency judgment and instead report the loan deficiency amount on IRS Form 1099. The result to the homeowner is a "phantom income" requires him to pay income taxes on this amount. In this situation the final cost of the guarantor’s foreclosure is the amount of income taxes he pays the IRS instead of the entire deficiency judgment. This is a substantial savings to the homeowner and the lender also benefits because there is no collection on his books that is counted as a liability. Unless there is suspicion of fraud in the original loan, the lender will issue a 1099. In December of 2007 legislation was enacted that allows a maximum exemption amount a homeowner who resides in his property can write off for this deficiency amount.
Carefully weigh your rights and options when you make a decision to allow your home to be lost to foreclosure, as there are solutions besides foreclosure and deed transfer to the lender. Do not be paralyzed with fear that the lender will follow you forever to collect the deficiency judgment, as you have a number of options to fight this including attacking the validity of the original loan.
About The Author
Dave Dinkel is the author of http://www.StopMyForeclosureMess.com "32 Ways to Quickly Stop Foreclosure and has helped thousands of foreclosure victims for nearly 33 years. If you are facing foreclosure, visit http://www.StopMyForeclosureMess.com StopMyForeclosureMess.com for guaranteed solutions.MLM Prospecting: Creating a Win-Win Outcome by: Liz Monte
In any business endeavor, a win-win outcome is always the most satisfying and productive. It certainly beats the alternatives - win-lose, lose-win, or (heaven forbid!) lose-lose - in which one or both parties walks away feeling an assortment of negative emotions, possibly including disappointment, anger, resentment, and a desire to throw crockery against the wall.
What do we mean by win-win when it comes to finding new partners for our network marketing business?
For the prospector (you), a win probably means acquiring a new business partner with the following attributes: easy to work with, motivated, determined to succeed, reliable and accountable, upbeat, honest, hardworking, and so on. Of course, you would probably also want your recruit to have some free time and enough money to get started.
For the prospect... well, we really don't know what a win would be for her, do we? We could make an assumption and guess. We could assume that she just wants to make a lot of money. But what if we guess wrong? What if her heart's desire is to help people and make a difference in the world.
The only way we can know for sure what's going through our prospect's head is to talk with her -- ask questions, listen closely to the answers, ask more questions, and do a lot more listening.
One word of caution, though: When interviewing a prospect, it's very tempting to listen just until she mentions some problem your product or opportunity might help solve. And then... (sound of bugles) YOU'RE OFF AND RUNNING! Bending her ear about how wonderful your company is and how much she's going to LOVE what the products will do for her.
But telling why YOU think your opportunity is the greatest thing since sliced bread is not the goal. The goal is to reach a win-win outcome, and there's more to it than just presenting your favorite features and benefits and assuming that's what your prospect wants, too.
If you're truly dedicated to win-win, your goal is to reach a deep understanding of what a win would be for her and then honestly assessing whether or not your opportunity would create that.
If it's not a good fit, let it go. Thank her for her time and move on.
On the other hand, if you believe your opportunity is a match for her, go ahead and explain to her why you think so. Be sure to connect the dots between her specific problems and how your opportunity can address them.
Then she signs up, right?
Not quite. Actually, there's yet another critical step you both must take before reaching a win-win outcome.
Recently, I started reading a book that really gets into the whole win-win strategy, "The New Conceptual Selling" by Stephen E. Heiman and Diane Sanchez. (Although it was written mainly for business-to-business salespeople, most of the principles the book lays out are applicable to network marketers, too.)
It describes three stages of decision-making in the sales process.
Stage 1: The decision-maker (your prospect) comes to a better understanding of the situation she's facing. (This is where your question-answer dialogue helps her.)
Stage 2: The decision-maker explores her possible options and solutions. (This is that other critical step I mentioned, and it's where many network marketers falter.)
Stage 3: The decision-maker puts it all together and picks the best option for herself.
Why do I say that many MLMers falter in the second stage? The answer is that we naturally want OUR option to be the only one the prospect considers. But the person sitting before us must be free to consider ALL her choices, or her final decision will never be satisfying to her. (By the way, this is a common problem with many salespeople, not just network marketers.)
Plus, people know when they're being pushed or manipulated. Throughout this whole conversation, you've been creating rapport and building trust. If you suddenly start pitching your solution as the only one, your prospect will close up again before your very eyes. She might start talking about how she needs to think a few things over - and maybe she'll get back to you in a couple of weeks. Maybe. In other words, you just lost her.
Or if you do succeed in manipulating her into agreeing to your solution without giving her a chance to think about her other choices, she's likely to feel buyer's remorse down the road and secretly resent you for it forever. That's certainly no way to begin a healthy business relationship, is it?
If you want to play a positive role in your prospect's decision-making process and achieve your win-win goal, you must make it totally clear to her, both in your words and in your actions, that you support her right to explore all her different options.
The good news is, if you truly understand her situation and genuinely believe that your opportunity is her best solution, and if you have effectively communicated why you think that way, chances are pretty good that your prospect will end up agreeing with you. And then you will get to enjoy the most treasured of all outcomes.
Your new business relationship will be launched in an atmosphere of mutual respect and commitment, with the positive expectation that it will continue indefinitely. You and your prospect will each get what you want, and you'll both feel terrific about your decisions.
What do we mean by win-win when it comes to finding new partners for our network marketing business?
For the prospector (you), a win probably means acquiring a new business partner with the following attributes: easy to work with, motivated, determined to succeed, reliable and accountable, upbeat, honest, hardworking, and so on. Of course, you would probably also want your recruit to have some free time and enough money to get started.
For the prospect... well, we really don't know what a win would be for her, do we? We could make an assumption and guess. We could assume that she just wants to make a lot of money. But what if we guess wrong? What if her heart's desire is to help people and make a difference in the world.
The only way we can know for sure what's going through our prospect's head is to talk with her -- ask questions, listen closely to the answers, ask more questions, and do a lot more listening.
One word of caution, though: When interviewing a prospect, it's very tempting to listen just until she mentions some problem your product or opportunity might help solve. And then... (sound of bugles) YOU'RE OFF AND RUNNING! Bending her ear about how wonderful your company is and how much she's going to LOVE what the products will do for her.
But telling why YOU think your opportunity is the greatest thing since sliced bread is not the goal. The goal is to reach a win-win outcome, and there's more to it than just presenting your favorite features and benefits and assuming that's what your prospect wants, too.
If you're truly dedicated to win-win, your goal is to reach a deep understanding of what a win would be for her and then honestly assessing whether or not your opportunity would create that.
If it's not a good fit, let it go. Thank her for her time and move on.
On the other hand, if you believe your opportunity is a match for her, go ahead and explain to her why you think so. Be sure to connect the dots between her specific problems and how your opportunity can address them.
Then she signs up, right?
Not quite. Actually, there's yet another critical step you both must take before reaching a win-win outcome.
Recently, I started reading a book that really gets into the whole win-win strategy, "The New Conceptual Selling" by Stephen E. Heiman and Diane Sanchez. (Although it was written mainly for business-to-business salespeople, most of the principles the book lays out are applicable to network marketers, too.)
It describes three stages of decision-making in the sales process.
Stage 1: The decision-maker (your prospect) comes to a better understanding of the situation she's facing. (This is where your question-answer dialogue helps her.)
Stage 2: The decision-maker explores her possible options and solutions. (This is that other critical step I mentioned, and it's where many network marketers falter.)
Stage 3: The decision-maker puts it all together and picks the best option for herself.
Why do I say that many MLMers falter in the second stage? The answer is that we naturally want OUR option to be the only one the prospect considers. But the person sitting before us must be free to consider ALL her choices, or her final decision will never be satisfying to her. (By the way, this is a common problem with many salespeople, not just network marketers.)
Plus, people know when they're being pushed or manipulated. Throughout this whole conversation, you've been creating rapport and building trust. If you suddenly start pitching your solution as the only one, your prospect will close up again before your very eyes. She might start talking about how she needs to think a few things over - and maybe she'll get back to you in a couple of weeks. Maybe. In other words, you just lost her.
Or if you do succeed in manipulating her into agreeing to your solution without giving her a chance to think about her other choices, she's likely to feel buyer's remorse down the road and secretly resent you for it forever. That's certainly no way to begin a healthy business relationship, is it?
If you want to play a positive role in your prospect's decision-making process and achieve your win-win goal, you must make it totally clear to her, both in your words and in your actions, that you support her right to explore all her different options.
The good news is, if you truly understand her situation and genuinely believe that your opportunity is her best solution, and if you have effectively communicated why you think that way, chances are pretty good that your prospect will end up agreeing with you. And then you will get to enjoy the most treasured of all outcomes.
Your new business relationship will be launched in an atmosphere of mutual respect and commitment, with the positive expectation that it will continue indefinitely. You and your prospect will each get what you want, and you'll both feel terrific about your decisions.
About The Author
Liz Monte is particularly intrigued by new trends in network marketing that could potentially transform the industry's negative image and lead to the widespread acceptance of a kindler and gentler approach to direct marketing. She invites you to visit her website at http://www.wisenetworkmarketer.comWhat Does RICH Mean To You? by: Paul Mara
Have you ever been asked that question?
I was!
Back in 1979 while doing a “pressure cooker” course on selling with an insurance company!
I wondered how relevant that question was, considering my personal and financial situation at the time.
No wife!
No job!
I was a solo dad with three children, one of them a baby less than a year old.
“You must be kidding”, I thought to myself at the time!
What relevance can that have to me learning to sell insurance policies?
How naive I was!
The course that followed had an unbelievably positive and a life changing effect on me. Although it only took affect several years later. The seed had been sown!
You’re probably saying to yourself, “How can a course on selling life insurance have that much effect on anyone?”
Well that Insurance Company was the one created by W Clement Stone.
I found the course to be very challenging, because in New Zealand at that time we weren’t really aware of the “Hype” that Americans used to motivate their workers to perform at their optimum. It pleases me each time I think about it now, to know that I passed, top of the class and received a book as a reward, this book was already a best seller, but I’d never heard of it.
Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, of which W Clement Stone was co-author with Napoleon Hill. They shared their secrets on becoming wealthy and having a healthy, productive lifestyle, utilising the power of a "positive mental attitude". Sadly my motivation and my persistence waned and I stopped selling insurance.
I kept all the information, studies and the book I had won.
The “BOOK” Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, which I never opened or read for probably 3 years.
However I did continue two very positive things! I continued to read on a daily basis some of his quotes and I even put them on the wall. My two
favourites were;
“Success is achieved and maintained by those who try and keep trying” and
“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve”.
The second thing and the one which I believed the most important was “Goal Setting” I enjoyed the challenge and had learned enough during the course to
realise its long term value.
Life began to take several steps in the right direction not major ones, but positive ones.
Several important things happened in my life over the next 12 years.
Around 1981-2 I began reading, Through a Positive Mental Attitude,
I applied so many of their ideas and formulae, and by 1992 mine and my families life had completely turned around, this included a wonderful wife and two more children and a list of goals I had made in 1986 after father passed away, became a reality.
I had arrived finally, or so I thought, and was ready to respond to the question that still continued to bother me after all those years.
What Does RICH Mean To You?
I had some answers!
That’s what I believed anyway!
1 - " A consistent income created from hard work
2 - " A healthy family
3 - " A loving wife and loving children
4 - "A nice car
5 - " A great holidays
There are other things, but they are either directly or indirectly related to the above list.
Even now when I look at that list it seems to have “hit the nail on the head”.
Then within three years it all slowly began to fall apart, business wise, thankfully not family wise our “Polynesian Inheritance” is so strong, family always come first!
Where was I going wrong?
What was I doing wrong?
Whose fault was it?
Why now when we seemed so successful?
A myriad of questions passed through my mind, I began to blame myself, I was making wrong decisions.
I had begun a downward slide a personal one that took away my mental fortitude, my belief, my self-confidence, I lost motivation, the thing that really hurts me when I think back is that, “I didn’t really care anymore” I began to think that the world owed me, I was a good person so for that I should be rewarded. What a “Pity party”, darn pitiful is all I can say now!
After all these years I am finally getting back on track!
I realise that age and the new generation means I can never be what I was back then, why?
Well that’s the past and I now live for today!
Not tomorrow!
I have found a “Certain Way” that has been available to each and every one of us for more than ninety years.
Probably what W Clement Stone and Napoleon Hill and thousands of others used to become rich, but forgot to tell us some very vital points, whether they did it consciously or just took it for granted that we would figure it out, I am really not to sure.
Want to find out as I have???
The real meaning of what “RICH” is, go to my website “Right Now” and find out how you to can have a “RICH” balanced and fulfilled life with “Prosperous Equilibrium”.
PS. Get a “FREE COPY” about this “Certain Way”, with THE SCIENCE OF GETTING RICH check it out right now!
http://www.prosperous-equilibrium.com/
About The Author
I have been involved in several businesses over the last 38 years, some very successful and some not so good! But I love it!I began as a Motor Mechanic who owned several car repair businesses employing up to 15 people in New Zealand and Tahiti. When my father passed away in 1986 I took over his work as a Medical Interpreter and Guide in New Zealand, being fluent in three languages. We owned apartments for clients also. We now live in Australia and am now involved in Internet Marketing and loving the challenge. A very happy "Baby Boomer"!
http://www.prosperous-equilibrium.com/
Manage Debtors And Creditors To Improve Liquidity by: Terry Cartwright
Sales turnover and net profits may follow a rollercoaster pattern familiar to most business but when the cash flow dries up the game is over. Urgent attention to the management of working capital can provide every business with the cash resources to exploit its potential
Most businesses will experience periods of lower sales and times when losses may be incurred as expenses exceed sales income. The situation is recoverable by producing higher sales and reducing costs and expenses. A business that runs out of cash resources is dead in the water.
Debtors and sales income management
The objective is to obtain payment from customers as fast as possible improving cash flow and minimising the risk of bad debts and not being paid at all.
Payment terms offered to customers should be clearly stated and fixed as standard accounting figures according to the amount of funding the business is prepared to offer its clients. Because that is exactly what credit terms to customers is, free cash funding in exchange for eventual sales income.
Consideration should be given to using a cash discount system to encourage sales invoices to be paid faster. In some businesses it would be appropriate to obtain up front deposits and scheduled payments. Review this practise to obtain a greater proportion of payments faster to improve liquidity.
New customers should be subjected to a strict credit check. All new customers where credit check details are not available should be invoiced by the accounting function on a pro forma basis. Any businesses who fail to meet the highest credit score required should remain on a pro forma invoice basis.
The credit control function needs consideration from the first step of issuing customers with a sales invoice, producing customer statements of the debt owed and a set procedure of credit control letters and telephone follow ups that actually achieve the end result of getting the cash in. An essential process in the credit control procedure would be to ensure the accountant or bookkeeper always issues sales invoices and customer statements promptly.
Incorporate into the terms of trade a set of rules to invoke interest payments for late payment and late payment debt recovery costs. In the UK the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 sets out the statutory rights of business to claim interest and costs.
Consider the possibility of factoring sales invoices due from debtors either by selling the sales invoices to a third party or raising cash on the value of those invoices pending payment. Factoring has the disadvantage of often not being cheap but does have the advantage of generating a regular stream of cash.
Bad debts have a double impact on any business and all possible steps should be taken to reduce the risk. A bad debt not only uses valuable resources in chasing the debt with the negative impact on cash flow and liquidity but also is a straight loss to the net profit and a strong indicator that the accounting function is failing the business.
Creditors and expenditure management
The objective is to extend the time allowed for payment of expenses the business incurs.
Consider the frequency of all payments made to suppliers. Small business have alternative payment terms available for the payment of taxes. In the UK value added tax can be paid quarterly or monthly, vat cash accounting can ease the tax liability due in critical periods and paye payments can be paid quarterly rather than monthly for smaller businesses.
Every opportunity should be considered to improve liquidity and that would include the frequency which employee salaries and wages are paid. A sensitive area since it involves the most important people to the business success but adopting a payment period to coincide with the receipt of cash from customers may in some circumstances balance liquidity.
General creditors are a major area to be addressed in terms of both the amount of credit received from suppliers and the time required to pay those creditor accounts. Larger orders on extended payments terms creates a risk area should the goods not be used but can greatly assist cash flow as the business is effectively borrowing free cash from its suppliers.
Stock levels are crucial to financial management of the creditor total. High stock levels use valuable working capital which is offset in part by the level of creditors. Higher levels of stock financed by free credit from creditors lowers the cash flow requirements on the other parts of the business.
Most businesses will experience periods of lower sales and times when losses may be incurred as expenses exceed sales income. The situation is recoverable by producing higher sales and reducing costs and expenses. A business that runs out of cash resources is dead in the water.
Debtors and sales income management
The objective is to obtain payment from customers as fast as possible improving cash flow and minimising the risk of bad debts and not being paid at all.
Payment terms offered to customers should be clearly stated and fixed as standard accounting figures according to the amount of funding the business is prepared to offer its clients. Because that is exactly what credit terms to customers is, free cash funding in exchange for eventual sales income.
Consideration should be given to using a cash discount system to encourage sales invoices to be paid faster. In some businesses it would be appropriate to obtain up front deposits and scheduled payments. Review this practise to obtain a greater proportion of payments faster to improve liquidity.
New customers should be subjected to a strict credit check. All new customers where credit check details are not available should be invoiced by the accounting function on a pro forma basis. Any businesses who fail to meet the highest credit score required should remain on a pro forma invoice basis.
The credit control function needs consideration from the first step of issuing customers with a sales invoice, producing customer statements of the debt owed and a set procedure of credit control letters and telephone follow ups that actually achieve the end result of getting the cash in. An essential process in the credit control procedure would be to ensure the accountant or bookkeeper always issues sales invoices and customer statements promptly.
Incorporate into the terms of trade a set of rules to invoke interest payments for late payment and late payment debt recovery costs. In the UK the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 sets out the statutory rights of business to claim interest and costs.
Consider the possibility of factoring sales invoices due from debtors either by selling the sales invoices to a third party or raising cash on the value of those invoices pending payment. Factoring has the disadvantage of often not being cheap but does have the advantage of generating a regular stream of cash.
Bad debts have a double impact on any business and all possible steps should be taken to reduce the risk. A bad debt not only uses valuable resources in chasing the debt with the negative impact on cash flow and liquidity but also is a straight loss to the net profit and a strong indicator that the accounting function is failing the business.
Creditors and expenditure management
The objective is to extend the time allowed for payment of expenses the business incurs.
Consider the frequency of all payments made to suppliers. Small business have alternative payment terms available for the payment of taxes. In the UK value added tax can be paid quarterly or monthly, vat cash accounting can ease the tax liability due in critical periods and paye payments can be paid quarterly rather than monthly for smaller businesses.
Every opportunity should be considered to improve liquidity and that would include the frequency which employee salaries and wages are paid. A sensitive area since it involves the most important people to the business success but adopting a payment period to coincide with the receipt of cash from customers may in some circumstances balance liquidity.
General creditors are a major area to be addressed in terms of both the amount of credit received from suppliers and the time required to pay those creditor accounts. Larger orders on extended payments terms creates a risk area should the goods not be used but can greatly assist cash flow as the business is effectively borrowing free cash from its suppliers.
Stock levels are crucial to financial management of the creditor total. High stock levels use valuable working capital which is offset in part by the level of creditors. Higher levels of stock financed by free credit from creditors lowers the cash flow requirements on the other parts of the business.
About The Author
Terry Cartwright designs UK Accounting Software at http://www.diyaccounting.co.uk/ on excel spreadsheets providing complete Bookkeeping solutions http://www.diyaccounting.co.uk/smallbusinessaccounting.htm for small to medium sized businessesWhat is in a Franchise UFOC? by: Bob Richman
There are 4 parts to a UFOC:
* Cover Page
* Table of Contents
* Items 1-23
* Exhibits
The format for each of these sections is very specific and covers the following:
Cover Page The Cover Page identifies the franchise business, including the name under which the franchisee would operate and what type of business it is. It also includes the amounts of the initial franchise fee. In addition, any additional risk factors are included on the cover in all capital letters. Risk factors that may be included pertain mostly to which state is governing the franchise agreement and where any litigation is permitted to be filed and heard.
Table of Contents The Table of Contents contains the specific 23 items listed below, as well as the exhibits, in a standard format.
Items 1-23 Item 1: The Franchisor, Its Predecessors, and Affiliates This section gives you a background on the Franchisor, including anyone he/she has purchased the franchise from, and any affiliates, meaning anyone else who has a controlling interest in the franchise. Do your research on these representatives, including a credit check if possible. You're quite possibly investing your life savings with these people and knowing any other businesses in which they have been involved and how well they manage financial aspects is important.
Item 2: Business Experience This section gives you a background on the officers and directors of the franchise for the past five years. Similar to the information you will review on the Franchisor itself, you want to carefully review the expertise these people bring to the table. These are the people you will be working with and who will contribute greatly to the success of your franchise. You should get to know them as well as you can.
Item 3: Litigation Any history of litigation, including cases terminated by settlement, must be disclosed in this section. Any Franchisor who is under some kind of restrictive injunction is one to stay away from. Additionally, if a franchisor or any officer has a criminal history or any litigation pending that may affect his or her ability to maintain a franchise then this opportunity is not a worthwhile risk.
Item 4: Bankruptcy The bankruptcy disclosure requires that they tell you up front about any bankruptcy in the last 10 years concerning, "the franchisor, its affiliate, its predecessor, officers, or general partner". Entrepreneurs often have several failures before they are successful. Learning from failed business is not the experience you want to have, which is why you are considering a franchise. This doesn't always mean that having a bankruptcy in the disclosure is a sure prediction of a bankruptcy in the future, but you want to review the circumstances of the bankruptcy carefully, including the amount of time that has lapsed since that bankruptcy. You typically don't want to give your money to someone with a proven track record of not being able to manage it.
Item 5: Initial Franchise Fee The initial franchise fee is the fee you pay to purchase the right to operate as a franchise. This does not include all of the other fees that may be required to get started or continue operation. The important thing to know about the initial franchise fee is exactly what you are getting for those dollars. Knowing how they came up with that number is important. A large initial franchise fee does not equate to a larger earning or a better investment. Consider this fee in addition to the Other Fees (Item 6) and Initial Investment (Item 7) before concluding what it will actually cost to open a franchise.
Item 6: Other Fees Other fees include any other monies you will be required to pay to the franchisor, including royalties, advertising fees, service fees, training fees, or any other ongoing or one-time fees that you as a franchisee will be expected to pay directly to the franchisor.
Item 7: Initial Investment This is the key item in terms of figuring out what is will cost you to get a franchise up and running. This section is laid out as a table, and includes the estimated costs for training, equipment, opening, inventory and other costs associated with starting your franchise. For each item in the list, you are given the amount, the method of payment, when it is due and to whom the payment is to be made. Review this information carefully. Speak with other franchisees and see if the estimated costs were realistic. Expect that you will need more for unexpected expenses. Remember that most businesses are not profitable for at least a year, so include the amount of money it would take you and your family to survive for a year without income.
Item 8: Restrictions on Sources of Products and Services If the franchisor requires you to purchase or lease from designated sources, investigate further. Sometimes the purchase restrictions are because the franchise has negotiated a lower price for certain goods in return for guaranteed orders. However, sometimes the cost of the supplies is not competitive and the franchisor makes a bit of money from the procurement of supplies. This makes the franchise more expensive to run, even if the startup costs look attractive. If the costs are reasonable, the restrictions are not a big issue. Again, talk to existing franchisees to see if they feel these restrictions are reasonable and whether or not they are satisfied they are receiving their money's worth.
Item 9: Franchisee's Obligations Your obligations as a franchisee can be laid out in various agreements, including but not limited to the franchise agreement. This section explains what your obligations are and exactly where in the legal documentation you can find the information governing your obligations. This is an important section for you to review carefully, as they define your contractual obligations and if you breech these obligations your franchise can be terminated. Talk to current franchisees and see whether meeting these obligations has presented any difficulty. If the obligations seem unreasonable, move on.
Item 10: Financing Sometimes the financing required to start-up a franchise comes from the franchisor him/herself. As with any financial contract, review the conditions and be sure that they are competitive and make sense. Have an accountant or banking representative review the terms and give an opinion. Having a credit check would, again, be handy here.
Item 11: Franchisor's Obligations Just as the UFOC lays out your obligations as a franchisee, the obligations of the franchisor must be clearly disclosed in this section. You are putting your financial future into the hands of the franchise that you purchase, at least in part. Be sure you understand exactly what you are getting for what you are paying. You may want to approach this section in a different manner than the others...perhaps backward. Rather than reading what they will provide, begin by making a list of what you think you will need to be successful. Determine what kind of training you will need and see whether they provide it, when it will be offered, what kind of training it is, and whether or not it meets your needs. What kind of ongoing support or documentation do they include? Also determine what you would need after you have opened the franchise and see whether those items are included in their list of obligations. If they are missing things that you think you will need to be successful, ask to have those things added to the franchise agreement. Verbal promises from salespeople are not sufficient - promised items should be added to this section.
Item 12: Territory Opening a franchise just to see another franchise open up a half mile down the road would be enough to make anyone crazy. The territory section of the UFOC is designed to lay out exactly what rights you have to any territory. Having the right to an "exclusive area" cuts down on the competition, at least from within your own franchise. Unfortunately, not all franchisees are alike. Some will take full advantage of their area and develop the market to its fullest. Others will assume that the lack of competition in their immediate area means they have a right to the business and therefore don't work quite as hard to develop that area. There are many other situations in which an exclusive area causes issues for a franchisor, and most will not grant them. Some will grant an exclusive area only for a specified amount of time or only as long as a certain level of achievement is reached by the franchisee. Understanding what options the franchise offers is very important.
Item 13: Trademarks This section discloses any trademarks, service mark, service name or logotype used in the franchise business and whether or not that trademark or service mark are registered with the US Patent Office. Using a trademark symbol (™) is not the same thing as having a registered trademark. The registered trademark (®) means a certificate of registration has been granted to the franchisor. A trademark registered in the Supplemental Register does not have the same legal rights and there should be a statement in the Trademarks section disclosing this information.
Item 14: Patents, Copyrights, and Proprietary Information This section is important to you only if patents are important to the franchise. If so, get a copy of the patent from the U.S. Patent Office and review the status of the patent. Be familiar with any copyrighted or proprietary information outlined in the UFOC, as the franchisor has a right to modify or prohibit use of anything patented, copyrighted, or proprietary information disclosed in the UFOC.
Item 15: Obligation to Participate in and the Actual Operation of the Franchise Business This section outlines any requirements for the franchisee to personally be involved in the operation of the franchise. If the franchise does not require the franchisee to run the business him or herself, then there must be a statement outlining whether or not a manager running the day-to-day operations of the franchise in place of the owner must complete the franchisor's training program and/or own an equity share of the business, and any limitations placed on the manager (such as being approved by the franchise).
Item 16: Restrictions on What the Franchisee May Sell Restrictions on what you may sell will affect those franchisees who want to operate an expandable business while they own the franchise. This section is also important if you are limited to selling goods or services that won't make you enough return.
Item 17: Renewal, Termination, Transfer, and Dispute Resolution This section is one of the most important in the entire document, and is presented in a table format for easy browsing. The best contract is one stating that as long as you do not breech your contract you can renew your franchise agreement, forever. Contracts that place a limit on your possibility to renew solely at the discretion of the franchisor are bad. Also pay close attention to extensive repairs or decoration that will required as a condition of renewal. The amount of money expected to be spent should be reasonable and there should be some kind of formula so that costs are not incurred all in the same year. Additionally, the refurbishment should keep you industry competitive.
There are many types of transfers. Transferring among business entities, such as from a sole proprietorship into a corporation, should definitely be allowed. A good agreement will also allow your franchise to be transferred to your heirs. If this is not allowed and you're still interested in purchasing the franchise, try to make some provision for the repurchase of your franchise by the franchisor.
This section also outlines the causes for termination of the franchise agreement, states whether the franchise can be sold and who has the right of first refusal (your own blood relatives should not, ideally, come after the franchisor on first rights), and delineates your right to arbitration. Essentially, the more rights you have to control the renewal and transfer of your franchise, the more rights you have for the continuation of your business and the better the agreement. Make sure your franchise attorney reviews these rights as well as your rights to litigation (or requirement to use arbitration). Any additional risks for litigation will also be on the cover page, remember.
Item 18: Public Figures This section requires the disclosure of any public figures the franchise uses as a spokesperson, how much they were paid, and how much control they have in the business (if any). Find out how this arrangement relates to you, whether you can use that figure in personal appearances or advertising, how much it would cost and how frequently you would be allowed to do so.
Item 19: Earnings Claims It is very tricky for a franchisor to project, estimate, or in any way forecast financial sales. There are so many variables in play for an individual franchise that it would be mostly guesswork and optimism to project for a prospective franchisee how much money they will make with their business. Any claims made by the franchisor to this effect must be substantiated, so rarely will you see any earning claims included in a UFOC. The best way to get an idea of what to expect for earnings is to talk to existing franchisees. Find out how long they've been in business, when the business turned profitable, and what their average profits have been. Remember that each business is unique and that each franchisee does not run a business equally well. Speak to several franchisees to get a clearer picture of a range that you might be able to expect.
Item 20: List of Outlets All of the existing franchise locations, along with the franchisee's contact information, is listed in this section. This is the pot of gold, right here. Contacting franchisees with questions about their relationship to the franchisor, their ability to meet their contractual obligations, their general earnings, and how realistic the start-up projections are is the best bit of research and review you can possibly do before purchasing your franchise. Prepare your questions and schedule time with franchees in advance; this one is important.
Item 21: Financial Statements This section points you to the exhibits containing the audited financial statements of the franchisor for the last three years. Take these statements to a qualified accountant for review. The financial status of the franchisor is a track record, showing you not only the ability of the franchisor to run the business, but also the likelihood of success or failure.
Item 22: Contracts All contracts or agreements a franchisee will need to sign must be attached to the UFOC. This includes the Franchise Agreement, purchase agreements, lease agreements, and others.
Item 23: Receipt This document is a receipt of acknowledgment of the UFOC. This has to be provided as the last page of the document for the franchisee to acknowledge that they have received it. This is only important because no monies can legally be exchanged until 10 days after the receipt of the UFOC (the "cooling off" period provided for by law).
Exhibits Any documents that have been identified in the UFOC for the franchise to review or sign must be included as an Exhibit. The exhibits will include copies of such things as the financial statements, Franchise Agreement, leases, or Loan Agreements.
About The Author
Bob Richman
FranchiseGenius.com is the most comprehensive source of franchise information on the web, with 1,500+ franchises for sale and free objective franchise selection tools.
To view additional franchise articles and profiles for 1,700+ franchises for sale, please visit http://www.franchisegenius.com
This publication is copyright © 2008 by Franchise Genius LLC. This copyright notice and any embedded links within this publication must remain as part of this document.
FranchiseGenius.com is the most comprehensive source of franchise information on the web, with 1,500+ franchises for sale and free objective franchise selection tools.
To view additional franchise articles and profiles for 1,700+ franchises for sale, please visit http://www.franchisegenius.com
This publication is copyright © 2008 by Franchise Genius LLC. This copyright notice and any embedded links within this publication must remain as part of this document.
How To Write A Successful Business Plan by: Jason Kay
Whether you are planning to start a brand-new business, expand an existing company, or get financing for a business venture, you will need to write a business plan. A business plan not only lends your business a sense of credibility, but also helps you to cover all your bases, increasing your chances of success.
Although writing a business plan can be a lengthy, intimidating project, it is not necessarily difficult. Here is an overview of how to write a successful business plan.
What to Include in Your Business Plan
Your business plan needs to demonstrate that you have thoroughly considered all aspects of running your business. To that end, the standard business plan has nine major sections, covering everything from your business’s mission statement to a detailed financial analysis.
Executive Summary
The first – and most important – section of your business plan is the executive summary. This section is so important that it should literally be the first thing the reader sees – even before the table of contents! However, it should also be written last, as you’ll have a better understanding of the overall message of your business plan after you’ve researched and written the other sections.
One of the most important parts of the executive summary is the mission statement. The mission statement is only three or four sentences long, but it should pack the most punch out of everything else in your business plan: Those four sentences are responsible for not only defining your business, but also capturing the interest of your reader.
The rest of your executive summary should fill in the important details that the mission statement glosses over. For instance, your executive summary should include a short history of the business, including founder profiles and start date; a current snapshot, listing locations, numbers of employees, and products or services offered; and a summary of future plans and goals.
This section is a candidate for a bulleted format, which allows you to list main points in a manner that is easy to scan. Avoid using too much detail – remember, this section is a summary. A page or two is usually sufficient for an executive summary.
Market Analysis
The next section of your business plan focuses on market analysis. In order to show that your business has a reasonable chance for success, you will need to thoroughly research the industry and the market you intend to sell to. No bank or investor is going to back a doomed venture, so this section is sure to fall under especially close scrutiny if you are looking for financing.
Your market analysis should describe your industry, including the size, growth rate, and trends that could affect the industry. This section should also describe your target market – that is, the type or group of customers that your company intends to serve. The description of your target market should include detail such as:
• Distinguishing characteristics
• The needs your company or product line will meet
• What media and/or marketing methods you’ll use to reach them
• What percentage of your target market you expect to be able to wrest away from your competitors
In addition, your market analysis should include the results of any market tests you have done, and an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors.
Company Description
After your market analysis, your business plan will need to include a description of your company. This section should describe:
• The nature of your business
• The needs of the market
• How your business will meet these needs
• Your target market, including specific individuals and/or organizations
• The factors that set you apart from your competition and make you likely to succeed
Although some of these things overlap with the previous section, they are still necessary parts of your company description. Each section of your business plan should have the ability to stand on its own if need be. In other words, the company description should thoroughly describe your company, even if certain aspects are covered in other sections.
Organization and Management
Once you have described the nature and purpose of your company, you will need to explain your staff setup. This section should include:
• The division of labor – how company processes are divided among the staff
• The management hierarchy
• Profiles of the company’s owner(s), management personnel, and the Board of Directors
• Employee incentives, such as salary, benefits packages, and bonuses
This goal of this section is to demonstrate not only good organization within the company, but also the ability to create loyalty in your employees. Long-term employees minimize human resource costs and increase a business’s chances for success, so banks and investors will want to see that you have an effective system in place for maintaining your staff.
Marketing and Sales Management
The purpose of the marketing and sales section of your business plan is to outline your strategies for marketing your products or services. This section also plans for company growth by describing how the growth could take place.
The section should describe your company’s:
• Marketing methods
• Distributions methods
• Type of sales force
• Sales activities
• Growth strategies
Product or Services
Following the marketing section of your business plan, you will need a section focusing on the product or services your business offers. This is more than a simple description of your product or services, though. You will also need to include:
• The specific benefits your product or service offers customers
• The specific needs of the market, and how your product will meet them
• The advantages your product has over your competitors
• Any copyright, trade secret, or patent information pertaining to your product
• Where any new products or services are in the research and development process
• Current industry research that you could use in the development of products and services
Funding Request
Only once you have described your business from head to toe are you ready to detail your funding needs. This section should include everything a bank or investor needs in order to understand what type of funding you want:
• How much money you need now
• How much money you think you will need over the next five years
• How the money you borrow will be used
• How long you will need funding
• What type of funding you want (i.e. loans, investors, etc.)
• Any other terms you want the funding arrangement to include
Financials
The financials section in your business plan supports your request for outside funding. This section provides an analysis of your company’s prospective financial success. The section also details your company’s financial track record for the past three to five years, unless you are seeking financing for a startup business.
The financials section should include:
• Company income statements for prior years
• Balance sheets for prior years
• Cash flow statements for prior years
• Forecasted company income statements
• Forecasted balance sheets
• Forecasted cash flow statements
• Projections for the next five years – every month or quarter for the first year, with longer intervals for the remaining years
• Collateral you can use to secure a loan
The financials section is a great place to include visuals such as graphs, particularly if you predict a positive trend in your projected financials. A graph allows the reader to quickly take in this information, and may do a better job of encouraging a bank or investor to finance your business. However, be sure that the amount of financing you are requesting is in keeping with your projected financials – no matter how impressive your projections are, if you are asking for more money than is warranted, no bank or investor will give it to you.
Appendices
The appendix is the final section in your business plan. Essentially, this is where you put all of the information that doesn’t fit in the other eight sections, but that someone – particularly a bank or investor – might need to see.
For instance, the market analysis section of your business plan may list the results of market studies you have done as part of your market research. Rather than listing the details of the studies in that section, where they will appear cumbersome and detract from the flow of your business plan, you can provide this information in an appendix.
Other information that should be relegated to an appendix includes:
• Credit histories for both you and your business
• Letters of reference
• References that have bearing on your company and your product or service, such as magazines or books on the topic
• Company licenses and patents
• Copies of contracts, leases, and other legal documents
• Resumes of your top managers
• Names of business consultants, such as your accountant and attorney
Writing a Successful Business Plan
Despite the quantity of information contained in your business plan, it should be laid out in a format that is easy to read. Just like with any piece of business writing, it is important to craft your business plan with your intended audience in mind – and the bankers, investors, and other busy professionals who will read your business plan almost certainly won’t have time to read a tedious document with long-winded paragraphs and large blocks of text.
Business plans for startup companies and company expansions are typically between twenty to forty pages long, but formatting actually accounts for a lot of this length. A strong business plan uses bullet points throughout to break up long sections and highlight its main points. Visuals such as tables and charts are also used to quickly relay specific information, such as trends in sales and other financial information. These techniques ensure that the reader can skim the business plan quickly and efficiently.
Think of your audience as only having fifteen minutes to spend on each business plan that comes across their desks. In that fifteen minutes, you not only have to relay your most important points, but also convince the reader that your business venture merits a financial investment. Your best bet is a well-researched business plan, with an organized, easy-to-read format and clear, confident prose.
About The Author
Jason Kay is a former professional business plan writer and provides business start up advice. He contributes to business magazines and websites such as http://BudgetBusinessPlans.com, which provides business plan writing services and business plan samples.ETFs, Funds And Shares: What Are They And What Are Their Benefits? by: John McElborough
Exchange Traded Funds, better known by many investors as iShares, the brand owned by Barclays Global Investors ('BGI') have been around in the UK since April 2000, with the launch of the iFTSE100 on the London Stock Exchange. From a slow start, by the end of 2005 (the latest figures available), some 125 billion was held in assets under management. Generally, when you look for your share price information, you'll find them grouped in the extra MARK section, where you'll now find some 45 different ETFs on offer. Although they have been around for sometime, let's just remind ourselves how ETFs work. They are listed on the stock exchange, providing the flexibility and trade ability of a share, including the fact that the price is continuously quoted, but that one share can provide instant exposure to an entire Index, giving you the diversification benefits of a fund. ETFs are also a flexible way of achieving cost-effective market exposure. Because the funds are registered in Ireland, there is no stamp duty to be paid on purchases. Management costs are taken from dividends that are accrued by the fund, and any excess income is then distributed to shareholders: unlike unit trusts, there are no initial fees to pay on the original purchase. The price of the fund is always close to the 'Net Asset Value' (NAV) of the underlying investments and will usually have tight spreads, unlike some unit trusts and some investment trusts. Also ETFs will disclose their holdings everyday, whereas traditional funds usually disclose their holdings twice a year.
What can I invest in?
ETFs offer a wide range of opportunities for investment with varying levels of risk: as at mid-December there were 45 different markets/indices to invest in, ranging from corporate bonds to the Taiwanese market. Starting at the lower end of the risk spectrum there are several corporate bond ETFs, as well as some Gilt-based investments. Moving on to the medium risk level, you can choose from global funds to ones that are more specific to individual regions, such as the US or Asia. There's also the option of investing in individual indices: 'index trackers' are available for the UK's FTSE100 and 250 Indexes, the US S&P 500, or Europe's Euro first 100 & 80, spanning the top European companies. For those wanting a higher level of risk, there are also ETFs which will give you exposure to emerging markets, such as Turkey, Korea, Taiwan and Eastern Europe. ETFs don't offer the same wide variety as unit trusts, but for investing in the countries and sectors they do cover, their charging structure and trade ability make up for this. As such, they provide a good, low cost, easily-traded route into the market, with the flexibility to move up the risk ladder as your experience and capital grows.
Finally, if you've an appetite for an even spicier approach, the London Stock Exchange also enables you to invest in commodities, through ETCs (Exchange Traded Commodities). Although like ETFs they are traded in the same way as shares, and are eligible to be held in a PEP or ISA, they do work in a completely different way. Whereas ETFs actually buy the underlying investments, ETC managers don't buy and store tons of wheat and copper, stack-up barrels of oil, or herd livestock into pens. Rather, they buy options on these commodities. As a result, ETCs are classed as more 'complex' investments by the FSA and you'll need to complete a special 'risk notice' confirming you understand the additional risks of investing in them. So take a fresh look at ETFs - you might just find they offer you more than you thought!
Funds: take your pick of the best
Unit Trusts and Open Ended Investment Companies (OEICs) are investments that let you pool your money with lots of other 'retail' investors. This money is invested on your behalf by a wide range of specialist fund managers, investing in, for example, Government gilts and bonds, commercial property and equities. Investing in funds gives you access to a highly-diversified range of investments at a reasonable cost. You will also have easy access to asset classes and international markets that would otherwise be difficult and expensive to invest in and benefit from the Fund Manager's contacts, knowledge, experience and expertise. Funds come in many shapes and sizes from 'trackers' to specialist or 'themed' funds.
An index-tracking fund (often referred to as a 'passively managed fund') aims to match or 'track' the performance of a given market index, such as the FTSE All Share or the FTSE 100. They do this using computer programs to work out how much of each individual company they need to buy and sell to mimic the performance of the Index as a whole. But not all 'tracker funds' match the Index they are tracking that well - so be sure to check their record. An 'actively managed fund' on the other hand employs researchers to study and engage with companies in which they plan to invest, and to keep abreast of the prospects for companies in which they already invest. They'll compare their performance to a 'benchmark' index related to the investment objectives of their fund, with the expectation that the extra work they put into tracking down the 'best' investments will literally pay dividends through higher growth than that of their benchmark.
Choosing your funds
When you pick your funds, be sure to rate them against other funds that fish in the same waters. Don't expect a 'value' fund and a 'growth' fund to have similar track records. Only by comparing funds with their true peers will you make a good choice. Whilst past performance should not be seen as an indication of future performance, past performance does matter when comparing like with like. Chasing winners however, is as dangerous as day-trading. Not surprisingly, all five of the top-performing funds at the end of 1999 were technology sector funds. Sector funds have a place in many a portfolio, but for the majority of investors they belong at its edges, not at its heart. An individual fund will give you a wider spread of underlying investments: by investing across a number of funds you're better able to smooth out the ups and downs of the market overall. But that won't work if it turns out that your funds hold virtually the same investments. So have a look at each fund report to see their top holdings and make sure you've got a good spread overall.
Individual Company shares
When it comes to the individual shares part of the investment model, the lowest risk entry point has always been recognised as companies in the FTSE 100. However, you should always bear in mind that the Index evolves over a period of time, changing its overall make-up. Consider, for example, that over the last 6 years technology shares have fallen out of the Index, while mining companies, on the back of booming commodity prices, have dramatically increased their presence. Yet, because of the volatility and cyclical nature of the sector, individual mining groups can't be classed as low risk. Other 'big names' have gone from the Index due to take-over activity - companies like P&O, Abbey National & BAA - all of which have to be replaced.
Today, some 80% of the make-up of the overall value of the FTSE100 comes from just 5 sectors - Banking, Mining, Oil & Gas, Pharmaceuticals, and Telecoms (fixed and mobile). So, if you're looking to the Footsie to form the bedrock of your investment in individual shares, where should you start? Companies involved in essential, everyday products and services, such as the water and electricity utilities and broad-based retailers often provide a solid backbone to any share portfolio. You could argue, however, that the classic 'defensive' nature of utilities has recently been undermined by the number of take-overs within the sector. The share prices of the remaining companies have climbed to all-time highs, potentially increasing the level of risk.
There is without doubt an appetite for the assured cash flow that utilities provide, and it's fair to say that a growing number of analysts agree it's hard to justify the current prices. Despite this, get your timing right, buying at the right price, and these sectors should still provide a strong base on which to build your individual holdings. To extend your scope, whilst still staying within a lower risk profile, your next ports of call should be into the banks, pharmaceuticals, tobacco and beverages sectors.
Move on up to the intermediate, 'medium risk' level, and you've an increasing choice, including the remaining FTSE100 companies, dominated by the mining sector. The majority of shares in the FTSE250 would also fit into this 'medium risk' category. Still relatively large companies, it is these shares that have seen some of the biggest gains over the last 3 years, helping push the 250 Index to record levels in 2006. One noticeable difference between the FTSE250 compared to the FTSE100, is that companies here generally have less international exposure. When it comes to the consideration of risk, you can play this one of two ways: some argue that having the majority of profits coming from the UK provides for less risk, while others (including us) favour having fingers in as many regions as possible.
Finally, at the higher end of the risk scale you find smaller companies and AIM quoted shares. These tend to be more volatile and less liquid than their larger cousins, factors that generally lead to wider bid/offer spreads. The AIM market has seen considerable growth over the last 10 years, partly because companies don't have to comply with the same stringent requirements of the main market.
Often, private investors don't get a look-in as part of the flotation, having to wait until the shares start trading, so do pick your time and use stop-loss limits - that early flush of success isn't always carried through. One of the fastest growing sub-sectors within AIM is small mining and exploration groups, many of which are based abroad but have chosen to list in the UK. Because their prospects include a significant amount of 'hope' value, such companies will represent the very highest level of risk. Equally classified as higher-risk, though as a result of different factors, are shares in overseas companies.
Household names like Volvo, Coca Cola and Johnson & Johnson are big names and big companies. The additional risk they bring for investors comes from the fact that the majority of their earnings are from overseas. So you face the added risk of changes in exchange rates. Over recent months, for example, the fall in the US$ would have had a big impact on the sterling value of dividends from US shares And when the companies you invest in are smaller ones, it's often harder to find reliable research and analysis, harder to track and compare performance, and harder to follow the news that affects the share price. True, most big UK names also trade globally, but as 'home market' companies they are well-researched, much commented upon and regularly feature in the UK business finance pages. That's not to say you shouldn't venture outside these shores - far from it - but you need to do so with your eyes open. That's why we see overseas shares as being more appropriate for investors asthey move up the experience ladder and once they've built a balanced portfolio. And it's also why, in general, we'd advise investing in market trackers and funds before moving into individual overseas shares.
About The Author
The Share Centre http://www.share.com offer information and advice on shares and http://www.share.com/webp/share.htm share dealing. Learn about the stock market, research shares and deal shares online.Superior Leader - Warren Buffet by: Michael J. Spindler
Superior business leader and American investor Warren Buffett is often called “Oracle of Omaha” or the “Sage of Omaha” and philanthropist. (Wikipedia, 2007) Buffett is the CEO, and the biggest shareholder of the Berkshire Hathaway Company. Buffett’s has an estimated current net worth of approximately $52 billion in US funds. Forbes Magazine ranks Buffett the third richest person in the world in September 2007 behind Carlos Slim and Bill Gates.
Warren Buffett is known for his economical and plain lifestyle. Buffett still lives in the same Omaha, Nebraska house that he purchased in 1958 for $31,500 with a current value of $700,000. In 1989, Buffett spent $9.7 million of the Berkshire’s funds on a corporate jet. He jokingly named it “The Indefensible” because of his past criticisms of such purchases by other CEOs. (Wikipedia, 2007)
Warren Buffett decided to make a commitment to give his fortune to charity back in June 2006. Buffett’s charity donation is approximately $30 billion, which is the largest donation in the history of the United States. The donation was enough to more than double the size of the foundation with 83% of it going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Buffett believed that his family had enough money to get started in life so Buffett decided to give his fortune to charity. Buffett’s annual salary in 2006 was only $100,000. In 2007, Buffett was listed among Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. (Wikipedia, 2007)
What makes Warren Buffett a good business leader? This is what everyone wants to know because Warren buffet is so successful. It all starts with leadership. Warren buffet is a true leader where his leadership makes a difference in the world. Leadership is very much related to change and Warren Buffett has the capabilities of leadership change to fit the changing world. Warren Buffett has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to map read in the irregular waters of change. Is Warren Buffett born a leader? The authors of this paper believe not. Experience and research has shown little evidence that an individual who comes to power is a “born leader.” Warren Buffett took the falls that any other leader has to take. Warren Buffett learned from his mistakes and turned his mistakes into a positive thing. Warren Buffett shares his leadership at all organizational levels and Buffett is empowered to share leadership responsibilities. In the world of business, many titles related to leadership roles are actively used in business and Warren Buffett wears those titles to make him effective in multiple leadership positions in business. Distinction between good leadership and good management is made often. Managers are made to be organizational, controllers and budgeters. Warren Buffett has leadership in all three departments and one must have these traits to be a good business leader.
Another important trait in Today’s business leadership is communication. Warren Buffet is a skilled communicator in all aspects of life. Communication is the real key of leadership. Skilled communicators have an appreciation for positioning in the business world. Warren Buffet is experienced at positioning himself at the right place at the right time. Warren Buffet has the understanding of the people he is trying to reach and what he can and cannot hear from the people. Knowledge of audiences’ needs and wants gives the orator the ability to listen. Warren Buffett is an excellent listener with the ability to convey his understanding.
When Warren Buffett talks, people listen. Warren Buffett can send a message through an open door and does not have to push the message through a wall.
Leadership is crucial to any successful business and good leadership is what Warren Buffett is all about. This is what makes Warren buffet a good business leader.
Mr. Warren Buffett’s investment strategies and course of leadership are shining examples of characteristics shared by cognitive theorists. Cognitive theory is an approach of explaining behavior through perception, anticipation, and thinking. Mr. Buffett’s continual approach of analyzing both possible investment choices, market trends, and the ability to place management resources of the right caliber in the right position has consistently brought this investor to the forefront amongst peers and the marketplace. At the core of every sound investor is a creative innovator.
Innovation demands creativity. Creativity in turn draws on our cognitive faculties, across the full amplitude from emotion to reason. In the number-heavy world of global investing, innovative thinking is critical. Innovative investors decipher future trends, spot likely winners by combining science (financials) with art (acuity and perception) and continuously mitigate risk. They assess user needs, product features, the proper deployment of money, professional organizational structures and risk management. (Kore Kalibre, 2006)
Mr. Buffett’s instinct and ability to interpret market trends is also held by tight reigns. Despite over 50 years of growth, Mr. Buffett always adheres to one of the most basic business principles: “…only compete where you have a competitive advantage. Warren Buffett refers to staying within your circle of competence. Social psychologists tell us, though, that we are prone to overconfidence when it comes to assessing our abilities…” (Arthridge, 2006) A man of Warren Buffett’s position and track record could easily be derailed to a sense of over confidence. The principle of only competing within your range of competitive advantage is a principle that can be applied to many other areas in life, and Mr. Buffett’s ability to work and live by this idea has allowed him to continue forward with minimal bruising.
By establishing the previous examples, the authors can reinforce the principles of cognitive theory in that Mr. Buffett behavior patterns are clearly dictated by thought processes, which include interpretation, analysis, and foresight. “As experiences and events gain meaning and value, the process becomes increasingly top down as the mind in (a) attempt at an orderly process influences perception though beliefs, goals and external process” (Gardener, 2007)
Warren Buffett’s is a self empowered leader, because he is loyal, sets goals, plans a strategy for achievement, and stays committed until he accomplishes his purpose. Up to date, he is the greatest stockbroker of all-time. He is a very conservative investor that prefers to invest in companies that sell name brand products that he uses. For example, Coca-Cola, Gillette Razors, See’s Candy, Gulfstream Jet, and GEICO are the major companies he invested in. In the nineties his assets quadrupled in less than five years. He is a smart investor that usually does not take big investment risks. For example, he will not invest in internet stock, because the return is unpredictable. He likes to invest in companies that he is sure will be successful 20 years later. He buys the company with the intentions of keeping it forever. Usually, the management team of each company is the same staff that sold it Warren Buffett from the beginning. He stays loyal to his partners, and the team workstheir best to keep him happy.
After Warren Buffett’s wife died, he decided to donate 85% of his money to charity. However, “he wants his money to be used the same year he donates it”.(Harris, 2006) The requirement will accelerate the process to help the world. According to Fortune magazine, five-sixths of his money will go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This foundation which focus on finding cures for diseases that are common in poor nations. The rest of the money will be split among four other charities, that are each run by his three children and one that is in his late wife’s name.
Warren Buffett is not a huge spender. In fact, he still lives in the same house he bought 40 years ago. Warren “told ABC News “Nightline” that being born into wealth did not entitle his children”(Harris, 2006). In addition, he told Fortune magazine that, “A very rich person would leave his kids enough to do anything, but not enough to do nothing.”(Harris, 2006) In other words, he wants his children to work earn their money and value hard work and smart choices.
In the year 2006, Warren’s first annual donation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was $1.5 billion and the rest was divided among the four charities. He was the first person to make a donation better than Bill Gates, the richest man in the world. It seems as if Bill Gates and Warren Buffett set a good example and lead others to be more generous, because now the Barron Hilton has committed to donating half of his fortune to charity also. Barron Hilton is the founder of the Hilton Hotels and is worth $2.3 billion. Hopefully, a trend started among the fortunate to give to the less fortunate.
The personality of Warren Buffett ties to the Social Cognitive Level, because he tries to understand and make sense of other people. He observes the differences in social knowledge when dealing with people. Social cognition refers to making sense of ourselves, others, and how the information is used. In the sixties and seventies Albert Bandura and Walter Mischel were psychologists, studying personality development. They found that social learning and cognitive principles improve ones abilities to self-regulate and to follow goals. Warren investment choices were successful, because he conditioned his the way he processed information, choices, and expectations.
References - DO Not Strip References!
Gardener, J. (2007). Cognitive Behavior Theory. Retrieved December 26, 2007, from http://www.cognitivebehavior.com/theory/index.html
Harris, D. (2006, June 26,). Warren Buffett's Unprecedented Generosity. Retrieved December 31, 2007, from http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=2118501
Kore Kalibre (2006, March-April 2006). Warren Buffett’s Innovation: Staying away from Rapid Product Innovation. Retrieved December 26, 2007, from http://www.korekalibre.com/index.php?option=com_magazine&task=show_magazine_article&magazine_id=26
Legg Mason Value Trust (2006, October 26). Legg Mason Value Trust (LMVTX) Letter to Shareholders. Retrieved December 26, 2007, from http://markets.kiplinger.com/kiplinger?GUID=323448&Page=MediaViewer&Ticker=LMVTX
Wikipedia (2007, December 25). Warren Buffett. Retrieved December 18, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Buffett
Free to distribute - However- Do not strip Article References, remove the HTML if needed, but keep the URL’s. Do Not Remove the Authors name, Michael J. Spindler and keep the hyperlink to http://www.localmusichits.com - I use software that compares my “library” and scours the web for placements. When I find my article on your site and you have not followed the above binding agreements, Lawyers will be involved.
Warren Buffett is known for his economical and plain lifestyle. Buffett still lives in the same Omaha, Nebraska house that he purchased in 1958 for $31,500 with a current value of $700,000. In 1989, Buffett spent $9.7 million of the Berkshire’s funds on a corporate jet. He jokingly named it “The Indefensible” because of his past criticisms of such purchases by other CEOs. (Wikipedia, 2007)
Warren Buffett decided to make a commitment to give his fortune to charity back in June 2006. Buffett’s charity donation is approximately $30 billion, which is the largest donation in the history of the United States. The donation was enough to more than double the size of the foundation with 83% of it going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Buffett believed that his family had enough money to get started in life so Buffett decided to give his fortune to charity. Buffett’s annual salary in 2006 was only $100,000. In 2007, Buffett was listed among Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. (Wikipedia, 2007)
What makes Warren Buffett a good business leader? This is what everyone wants to know because Warren buffet is so successful. It all starts with leadership. Warren buffet is a true leader where his leadership makes a difference in the world. Leadership is very much related to change and Warren Buffett has the capabilities of leadership change to fit the changing world. Warren Buffett has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to map read in the irregular waters of change. Is Warren Buffett born a leader? The authors of this paper believe not. Experience and research has shown little evidence that an individual who comes to power is a “born leader.” Warren Buffett took the falls that any other leader has to take. Warren Buffett learned from his mistakes and turned his mistakes into a positive thing. Warren Buffett shares his leadership at all organizational levels and Buffett is empowered to share leadership responsibilities. In the world of business, many titles related to leadership roles are actively used in business and Warren Buffett wears those titles to make him effective in multiple leadership positions in business. Distinction between good leadership and good management is made often. Managers are made to be organizational, controllers and budgeters. Warren Buffett has leadership in all three departments and one must have these traits to be a good business leader.
Another important trait in Today’s business leadership is communication. Warren Buffet is a skilled communicator in all aspects of life. Communication is the real key of leadership. Skilled communicators have an appreciation for positioning in the business world. Warren Buffet is experienced at positioning himself at the right place at the right time. Warren Buffet has the understanding of the people he is trying to reach and what he can and cannot hear from the people. Knowledge of audiences’ needs and wants gives the orator the ability to listen. Warren Buffett is an excellent listener with the ability to convey his understanding.
When Warren Buffett talks, people listen. Warren Buffett can send a message through an open door and does not have to push the message through a wall.
Leadership is crucial to any successful business and good leadership is what Warren Buffett is all about. This is what makes Warren buffet a good business leader.
Mr. Warren Buffett’s investment strategies and course of leadership are shining examples of characteristics shared by cognitive theorists. Cognitive theory is an approach of explaining behavior through perception, anticipation, and thinking. Mr. Buffett’s continual approach of analyzing both possible investment choices, market trends, and the ability to place management resources of the right caliber in the right position has consistently brought this investor to the forefront amongst peers and the marketplace. At the core of every sound investor is a creative innovator.
Innovation demands creativity. Creativity in turn draws on our cognitive faculties, across the full amplitude from emotion to reason. In the number-heavy world of global investing, innovative thinking is critical. Innovative investors decipher future trends, spot likely winners by combining science (financials) with art (acuity and perception) and continuously mitigate risk. They assess user needs, product features, the proper deployment of money, professional organizational structures and risk management. (Kore Kalibre, 2006)
Mr. Buffett’s instinct and ability to interpret market trends is also held by tight reigns. Despite over 50 years of growth, Mr. Buffett always adheres to one of the most basic business principles: “…only compete where you have a competitive advantage. Warren Buffett refers to staying within your circle of competence. Social psychologists tell us, though, that we are prone to overconfidence when it comes to assessing our abilities…” (Arthridge, 2006) A man of Warren Buffett’s position and track record could easily be derailed to a sense of over confidence. The principle of only competing within your range of competitive advantage is a principle that can be applied to many other areas in life, and Mr. Buffett’s ability to work and live by this idea has allowed him to continue forward with minimal bruising.
By establishing the previous examples, the authors can reinforce the principles of cognitive theory in that Mr. Buffett behavior patterns are clearly dictated by thought processes, which include interpretation, analysis, and foresight. “As experiences and events gain meaning and value, the process becomes increasingly top down as the mind in (a) attempt at an orderly process influences perception though beliefs, goals and external process” (Gardener, 2007)
Warren Buffett’s is a self empowered leader, because he is loyal, sets goals, plans a strategy for achievement, and stays committed until he accomplishes his purpose. Up to date, he is the greatest stockbroker of all-time. He is a very conservative investor that prefers to invest in companies that sell name brand products that he uses. For example, Coca-Cola, Gillette Razors, See’s Candy, Gulfstream Jet, and GEICO are the major companies he invested in. In the nineties his assets quadrupled in less than five years. He is a smart investor that usually does not take big investment risks. For example, he will not invest in internet stock, because the return is unpredictable. He likes to invest in companies that he is sure will be successful 20 years later. He buys the company with the intentions of keeping it forever. Usually, the management team of each company is the same staff that sold it Warren Buffett from the beginning. He stays loyal to his partners, and the team workstheir best to keep him happy.
After Warren Buffett’s wife died, he decided to donate 85% of his money to charity. However, “he wants his money to be used the same year he donates it”.(Harris, 2006) The requirement will accelerate the process to help the world. According to Fortune magazine, five-sixths of his money will go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This foundation which focus on finding cures for diseases that are common in poor nations. The rest of the money will be split among four other charities, that are each run by his three children and one that is in his late wife’s name.
Warren Buffett is not a huge spender. In fact, he still lives in the same house he bought 40 years ago. Warren “told ABC News “Nightline” that being born into wealth did not entitle his children”(Harris, 2006). In addition, he told Fortune magazine that, “A very rich person would leave his kids enough to do anything, but not enough to do nothing.”(Harris, 2006) In other words, he wants his children to work earn their money and value hard work and smart choices.
In the year 2006, Warren’s first annual donation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was $1.5 billion and the rest was divided among the four charities. He was the first person to make a donation better than Bill Gates, the richest man in the world. It seems as if Bill Gates and Warren Buffett set a good example and lead others to be more generous, because now the Barron Hilton has committed to donating half of his fortune to charity also. Barron Hilton is the founder of the Hilton Hotels and is worth $2.3 billion. Hopefully, a trend started among the fortunate to give to the less fortunate.
The personality of Warren Buffett ties to the Social Cognitive Level, because he tries to understand and make sense of other people. He observes the differences in social knowledge when dealing with people. Social cognition refers to making sense of ourselves, others, and how the information is used. In the sixties and seventies Albert Bandura and Walter Mischel were psychologists, studying personality development. They found that social learning and cognitive principles improve ones abilities to self-regulate and to follow goals. Warren investment choices were successful, because he conditioned his the way he processed information, choices, and expectations.
References - DO Not Strip References!
Gardener, J. (2007). Cognitive Behavior Theory. Retrieved December 26, 2007, from http://www.cognitivebehavior.com/theory/index.html
Harris, D. (2006, June 26,). Warren Buffett's Unprecedented Generosity. Retrieved December 31, 2007, from http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=2118501
Kore Kalibre (2006, March-April 2006). Warren Buffett’s Innovation: Staying away from Rapid Product Innovation. Retrieved December 26, 2007, from http://www.korekalibre.com/index.php?option=com_magazine&task=show_magazine_article&magazine_id=26
Legg Mason Value Trust (2006, October 26). Legg Mason Value Trust (LMVTX) Letter to Shareholders. Retrieved December 26, 2007, from http://markets.kiplinger.com/kiplinger?GUID=323448&Page=MediaViewer&Ticker=LMVTX
Wikipedia (2007, December 25). Warren Buffett. Retrieved December 18, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Buffett
About The Author
Michael J. Spindler - http://www.localmusichits.com - A Musicians Community for Fans and the Bands to promote hits in local music on a national stage.Free to distribute - However- Do not strip Article References, remove the HTML if needed, but keep the URL’s. Do Not Remove the Authors name, Michael J. Spindler and keep the hyperlink to http://www.localmusichits.com - I use software that compares my “library” and scours the web for placements. When I find my article on your site and you have not followed the above binding agreements, Lawyers will be involved.
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