Can I Fix My Bad Credit Alone?
December 23, 2007
Can I Fix My Bad Credit Alone?
by: Magalie Noel Dresse
Certainly, you can! But let me ask you this: why fix it alone when you can have help?
While I’m not saying that it’s better to fix bad credit with the help of an expert, there are some indisputable advantages when you hire a professional credit repair company to take over your credit problems. If you don’t have the time for it, naturally it’s better to turn over everything to a professional credit repair company. If you don’t think you have enough experience dealing with the finance people - haggling, negotiating, disputing and so on - then once again, maybe it’s time to call for 911. There are just so many things you have to do when you’re fixing bad credit that really, when you compare what you’d have to go through with the amount the credit repair company is going to charge you, it seems like you’re paying a small price indeed.
But if you’re determined to try it out alone first then certainly, I won’t stop you and indeed congratulate you for having the fortitude for such a task.
The Fine Line Between Persistence and Stalking!
December 22, 2007
The Fine Line Between Persistence and Stalking!
by: Colleen Francis
In sales, there’s a fine line between persistence and stalking. In my experience, with the exception of prospects who are already in the sales cycle, that line is usually drawn at about once every 6 weeks. So given that you only have once every 6 weeks to make a direct impression on your “B” and “C” list prospects, how can you make sure those follow-up calls have the greatest possible impact?
Let’s go back to the science of sales, and dissect a typical opening call that I hear 80% of the time when I’m coaching sales people:
“Hi Mary, this is Colleen from Engage Selling. How are you today? Great. I’m just calling to check in and see if anything has changed since the last time we spoke?”
Did you spot what’s wrong with this opener - and why? I see at least three big mistakes, any one of which could cost you a potential sale.
Mistake #1: “How are you today?”
Concerned About Your Pension?
December 21, 2007
Concerned About Your Pension?
by: Ken Morris
In the wake of poor market performance over the past few years, a number of traditional pension plans sponsored by private employers do not have sufficient assets to provide the promised benefits. These plans are underfunded.
In general, if your plan is a traditional pension plan, it promises to pay you a specified monthly benefit in retirement. Your plan may specify a flat dollar amount, such as $100 a month. Or, more commonly, it may specify a benefit formula, which takes into consideration other factors such as your age and your length of service. For example, your plan may provide for a benefit equal to 10% of your average salary, based on your three highest wage earnings years with your employer, for every year of service with your employer.
With a traditional pension plan, your employer is responsible for making all contributions to the plan. Each year, your employer must hire an actuary to calculate, based on interest rate and other assumptions, the amount that must be deposited into the plan so that the plan will be able to provide the promised retirement benefit.
Invest In The Stock Market For The RIGHT Reason, Using The RIGHT Choices
December 21, 2007
Invest in the stock market for the RIGHT reason, using the RIGHT choices!
Investing in the stock market is not purchasing a stock at 25 dollars a share, hoping it will go to 35 so you can sell it, then hoping it will drop back to 25 so you can buy it back, so that you can sell it again at 35, and so on and so forth.
In my opinion, that is gambling. And, I would imagine, some would believe that ANY investment in the stock market is gambling.
So, for the sake of argument, let’s assume that every investment in the stock market is a gamble (whether you’re trading in and out of a stock position or a long-term investor). If every investment in the stock market is a gamble, then, how does the investor/gambler stack the odds in their favor?
What are the right investment choices for the right reason that will stack the odds in favor of the individual investor, to receive a return worth the gamble? What is the RIGHT reason, and what are the RIGHT choices to make when investing/gambling in the stock market when looking for a return better than a passbook savings account, a CD, Bond or Mutual Fund?
Product Development The Easy Way
December 20, 2007
Product Development The Easy Way
by: Joe McVoy
Here’s how to create successful new products if you’ve never had an original idea in your life. I’m not very creative, so that’s the only way I could create any products at all. All I’ve done is to create new products by improving on an existing product that already sells well. By doing this I’ve sold over $39 Million of products to major retailers.
Improving on existing products takes most of the risk away. With a totally new invention or completely new product, you don’t know at first whether it will sell. If you start with something that sells well already and you make it a lot better, you don’t have that problem.
Here’s a story that makes the point:
When I started my first business, my partner had a small screen printing operation and we set up a joint venture together to explore products I would create and sell and he would make. He was selling souvenirs and a popular look at the time was to make decals out of prismatic vinyl. (This a metallic material with a pattern embossed into it to reflect light into rainbows.)
What To Do If You Didn’t Get a W-2
December 19, 2007
What To Do If You Didn’t Get a W-2
by: Richard A. Chapo
If you worked in a salaried position during 2005, your employer should issue you a W-2 form for your tax reporting. So, what if you haven’t received one?
What To Do If You Didn’t Get a W-2
W-2 Forms, known as Wage and Tax Statements, must be issued by employers to all employers with duplicates being reported to the IRS. W-2 Forms have to be issued no later than January 31, 2006, which means you should have already received yours as of the writing of this article. Notwithstanding this legal requirement, more than a few employers fail to send out W-2 statements in a timely manner. This is particularly true for small business, which have a bad habit of being unorganized. There isn’t any tactical advantage to failing to send out W-2 forms, so don’t assume the employer is carrying out a vendetta.
If you haven’t received a W-2 Form from an employer, the first step is to contact the person or business and ask why it hasn’t arrived. Keep in mind that if you’ve moved since you worked for the employer, the W-2 Form may have been delivered to the wrong address or returned to the employer. Don’t assume the employer knows where you are.
Ten Top Tips for Work-From-Home Newbies
December 18, 2007
Ten Top Tips for Work-From-Home Newbies
by: Mike Thompson
If you are embarking on a work-from-home career then there are a number of practical things you can do to smooth the ride and make success easier to achieve.
1. Working from home can be very satisfying but don’t let it dominate your life. Set a special room or area aside for working and keep it separate from the rest of your home.
2. The same applies to hours of work - plan to work a set number of hours each day and stick to your plan. Don’t be tempted to do jobs around the house when you should be working.
3. Keep complete and thorough records of everything you do, preferably in a page-a-day diary. Without a boss looking over your shoulder it’s easy to let discipline slip.
4. Perform regular backups of your entire system. If you don’t then all of your emails, internet favorites, correspondence, articles, logon information, web templates, and all your software are at risk.
5. Keep accurate accounts - keep a complete record of what you are spending and where. It can be very easy to lose track of your expenditure and it is easy to overlook monthly subscriptions. You will need all this information anyway for tax purposes.
A Long-Term Strategy For Securing Affiliate & Joint Venture Details
December 17, 2007
A Long-Term Strategy For Securing Affiliate & Joint Venture Details
by: Alice Seba
If you want star affiliates in your market to join your affiliate and promote your products, you really have to go out and find them. You can certainly promote your affiliate program on your own website and to get people to sign up, but the best results come when you go out and find your own joint venture partnersand it sounds like you already understand that.
You can find potential partners by finding websites that:
- Have good website traffic
- Have decent sized email lists
- Target your buying audience
How do you find these people?
- Go to your favorite search engine and see which sites come up near the top for your target keywords.
- Check their ESTIMATED traffic ranking at Alexa.com - this site very roughly estimates how popular a site is based on traffic and page views. The lower the ranking number, the busier the site. This is not a foolproof method, but can be used as a guideline to compare websites in similar markets.
Assessing the Opportunities Presented by the New Iraqi Currency
December 16, 2007
Could it be possible that you are staring right into the most spectacular financial opportunity of the century? Operation: Iraqi Freedom will undoubtedly be a war marked in history for loss and tragedy, American victory, and the rise of a nation with a new democratic government. But could it also be a war historically remembered for the financial opportunity it created for the sharp investors who keenly recognized an ephemeral chance at the right time?
The War on Iraq ended with a nation placed on the footstool of many new operations. An old dictator was removed; a new government was instilled, and the old currency, each note stamped with the face of the now powerless Saddam Hussein, was suddenly valueless and burned in the streets by American soldiers. In its place entered a new currency, beautifully created with the input of the people and history of Iraq.
The United States funded this new currency, artistically crafted by the De La Rue, the world’s premier currency printers. Unveiled during a press conference in the capitol city of Bagdad, the new Iraqi currency was introduced. A historic university, erected in the thirteenth century, is etched into the one thousand dinar bills. A serene waterfall graces the front of the periwinkle five thousand dinar notes. And a humble, hardworking farmer holds up a sheaf of wheat on the most substantial bill of all: the twenty five thousand dinar note.
Asset Location ? Increase Investing Returns & Reduce Your Taxes
December 16, 2007
Location ? Once the holy grail only for real estate investors is fast becoming the mantra for every stock, bond, and mutual fund investor. Experts and studies now recognize managing asset location is second only to asset allocation in determining the success of your investment returns.
Importance of Asset Location: Asset location is a cornerstone to success for a simple reason. Taxable accounts differ from tax-deferred accounts {401(k), IRA and similar retirement}. Taxable accounts require you to pay income tax on every dividend and capital gain generated by your investments. This tax substantially reduces the amount of reinvestment and annual investment growth. On the other hand, retirement accounts defer taxes allowing returns to compound without penalty and at a substantially faster rate. Asset location refers to the optimal placement of securities between taxable and tax-deferred accounts. Good choices reward investors with long-term compounding and significantly higher returns. Poor choices, or more commonly, no choice, leads to below average results.
