Ideas: Home Businesses and the Ball Adage Policy

It has come to light that men (well most men), have somehow lost their balls. It's not just a tragedy, but also an epidemic. The John Wayne’s are gone. Who killed them? Can we get them back? Please? It seems that most men have been emotionally castrated in our society and I believe I know who did it. Women. That's right, women! What I really wonder is: do we like the new men of our society, the men without balls? Or, do we miss the balls? And, how the hell does this relate to your, home-based business? I’ll tell you, but first a story... So, I am a woman and am I guilty of this? Probably. Do I regret the emotional removal of one's testicles, maybe? My first husband came with no balls; his previous wife swiped them and ran. My current husband came with some still in tact, and I think after 7.5 years of being together he has at least one full one left. Which is still better than none. And, as of late I had a friend that I recently found out has none. That’s right his wife took his too. It's a shame really. His balls are so gone that his wife has him convinced that pursuing happiness in others is a sickness and that he needs to be treated for it. Her exact words were, "You like to be with women that make you feel good about yourself." Well, duh. Apparently, that wasn't her job. Or, if it was she wasn't doing it. Apparently he can only find happiness with her. And, if he’s not getting it from home, he’s not supposed to find it anywhere else. Period. As a result, he is now entering counseling for this "disease." OI! So, my question to us women is: do we like our men ball-less or do we miss the real MEN? Do we really like being so controlling and so micro-manage oriented that our male population are left scared to talk to anyone, scared to communicate with the opposite sex, and made to feel guilty when they have a good time without us? Don't you think that takes away part of his soul, that is, who he is as person or his inner peace and happiness? Or, do we really just not give a damn, because hey we have the "control." We have created a weaker man a man with no backbone. Is that a happy man, a man to be proud of? I don't think so. It was kind of flattering back in the day, when men stood their ground, and put their foot down. Damn, I think it is kind of sexy actually, if you see how men USED TO BE. Now, this doesn't mean they should "go off" half-cocked, as if they don't have to be good and control themselves. It does mean, that we need to treat them like MEN and let them be happy. Whether it’s scratching their balls, what's left of them anyway, going out to watch the game with their buddies, or having a conversation (maybe even a conversation with the opposite sex). It's Ok, because if you treat them like men and with respect, and remember to admire them and all the great things they do for us and compliment them. Then I can assure you, they will be good as gold and love you for it so much more. So, what is my point and what does this have to do with home-based business marketing? Well, if you are a man, and want to make money helping and selling to local businesses, show them you have the BALLS to make their business money, and that you’re the MAN for the job. Walk into the place of business and strut your stuff. Stand proud, push your shoulders back, push out your mid region and act confident. You can do it. Gina has given you the Ball "Adage" policy! If you’re a woman go be sweet, kind, and caring. By caring I mean, truly show you care about his/her business. Show the business owner that you will prove your worth and that you are the wo-MAN for the job. Remember to compliment the owner on something, show them the results they will get when they implement your services. Leave the business owner with his balls, and you can tell him that his businesses will be better because you are dedicated to making his business the most successful in his field, in his area.

The Half Day Network – A 2x2 Matrix To Infinity And Beyond

Just mention 2x2 Matrix and immediately you think of programs like i800, 540 Plan, Regenisis, and even Easy 2x2. But let me warn you, there’s a new kid on the 2x2 block and his name is The HALF DAY Network. The HALF DAY Network was conceived by a young thirty something entrepreneur by the name of Kalen Howard. And although his wife and mommy may still call him Kalen, his business partners know him as plain old “Half Day”; which is a name given to him by a former manager while still working a real job at The Professional Education Institute. “Half Day” had been singled out by the PEI Management Team for working only a HALF DAY in the office and then leaving to run his successful investing business on the side. The PEI is well known for being the coaching arm for such organizations as Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad Poor Dad”, Franklin Covey’s “Seven Habits”, Jack Canfield’s “The Success Principles”, Carleton Sheets’ No Money Down Real Estate, and The Sedona Method. So needless to say, Half-Day has rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in the personal and financial development industry. But only a half day at a time. Then one day it hit him. “What if I could show as many people as possible how to think like the rich, go and secure their income in as little as 10 to 20 hours a week working their own affiliate business from home, and then once they’ve made enough money to cover their all their bills, teach them how to multiply the surplus money through interest generating assets such as stocks, options, foreign currencies, and real estate?” After all, a lot of companies teach people how to think and behave for success or make money with a business or invest their money, and some even do a combination of two out of the three. But, how many are teaching people how to systematically do all three? If there was one, “Half Day” had not heard of it even after working several years in the personal and financial development industry. So he set out to create the ideal success building program, and he calls it The HALF DAY Network. When asked to define a true Half Day, “Half Day” says “A Half Day is an ordinary average Joe, who works below average hours, but makes above average income.” It’s simple yet powerful; especially in a day and age where the average person is conditioned to believe that success only comes through a college degree and a ”Good Job”. “And they do it by working their 2x2 Matrix program online from the comfort of their own home or wherever else they may choose to be. As long as you can access a computer and a connection to the internet as a Half Day, you’re in business. Although on the surface most 2x2 Matrix programs like i800, 540 Plan, Regenisis, and Easy 2x2 all look the same, The HALF DAY Network is unique in that they don’t just teach you to make money by promoting the HALF DAY opportunity. They do offer the 2x2 Matrix business model and compensation plan, but beyond that they offer time tested proven education in Personal Development, Stocks, Options, Real Estate, For-Ex Trading, Credit Enhancement, and much more. Additional education is made available to the HALF DAY member with each cycle through the 2x2 Matrix compensation plan. And to insure that the education is some of the best available, “Half Day” brought in some of the brightest minds in the industry to help develop HALF DAY every step of the way. In addition, HALF DAY offers each member free access to the HALF DAY Sales Center that is staffed by seasoned Coaching Industry experts. And to insure that each member has every opportunity to succeed with the program, they receive unlimited twice weekly “Live” coaching calls hosted by affiliate marketing professionals. .

How Recession-Proof Are You?

Recession. It’s the ‘R’ word many business owners dread. It can mean blank order books, slow payment, hours being cut and real fears about long-term survival. However, there’s another ‘R’ word that helps many businesses carry on business as usual, and even excel, through lean times, and that's Reputation. It’s the cheapest and most effective way to protect yourself or your business in a faltering economy – it’s free, simple and has been a proven winner down through time. Businesses that have earned a positive reputation are better able to weather the storms of economic downturns more effectively than those that rely purely on product, price, place or promotion. Their ‘bank of goodwill’ with customers and suppliers enables them to retain not only existing levels of business, but also attract new business. When times are tough, having a good reputation is a significant asset and can provide a competitive advantage that can move you from ‘compete’ to ‘unique’. Developing and maintaining a great reputation isn’t about flash copywriting or fancy slogans, but demonstrating old fashioned values such as integrity, being honourable and building trust. Reputation is about who you are rather than what you are selling or providing. It means people will choose to buy or do business with you over competitors because they know you are loyal, trustworthy and will deliver on your promises. It’s the business gold that has stood the test of time. Studies have shown that as much as 85 per cent of business comes by word-of-mouth referrals – happy customers recommending you to others. This unpaid sales force can help you grow your business, especially in times of tough recession. However, personal recommendations only occur when the person making the recommendation is confident in your ability to deliver. After all, it’s not your reputation that’s on the line – it’s theirs. So how can you use your reputation to your advantage and keep your order books full? • Nurture the relationships you have with existing and former customers and contacts. Send them a handwritten card, call them by phone or send them a short, personalised email, 'just to keep in touch'. • Whatever method you choose, make it personal and make it sincere. Avoid being pushy or aggressively selling. • If talking business, focus on value rather than cost or price. Clearly demonstrate how you can save them time, money and / or deliver the outcomes they want. • Customise solutions for them. Not only will this improve your chances of meeting their needs, it will also help set you apart from your competitors. • Actively engage your 'unpaid sales force' of happy clients. Third-party endorsements are 6-7 times more powerful than straight advertising. Ask happy clients to provide a short testimonial for you and add these to your website and promotional materials. • Deliver on your promises - on time, every time - and be willing to be held accountable if things go wrong. When times are tough, consumers want to know the money they are about to spend will be spent wisely and that the person or company they choose will deliver on the promises they make. Consider reputation one of your most valuable assets and the recession will bite less aggressively.

Financial Security and the Perfect Business for the Average "Joe" or "Jane" with Credit Spreads

Who else wants to know how to work the hours of a retired person doing something to keep busy while being able to generate an executive salary? Once you take advantage of the Credit Spread training education I will tell you about, you will be amazed how easily do-able it is to understand and follow. This is not DAY TRADING! This is a low-risk, income-producing strategy, and I don’t mean a few lousy bucks, either. By now, unless you have been off the planet or away from all forms of communication and information, you are aware of the dramatic changes the market and many people’s portfolios have been through. By now, you are also aware that many people have suffered financial set-backs as a result of these changes. If you're feeling the cold crush of fear caused by the unrelenting financial catastrophes slinking around you at every turn... then this may be some of the most important information you will ever read... Also by now, or some time in the not too distant past, you have wondered: Why Some People Almost Always Make Money in the Stock Market? Look back through history and see that even during the Great Depression - many, many people made a decision to prosper, to grow wealthy - and DID SO. The difference being that they knew how. Here's some really amazing news for you... Thousands of people are quietly earning a six or seven figure income from cashing in on one of the few recession-proof businesses called Credit Spread Trading, while only working 4 hours per week... if that! Credit Spread Trading is an income-producing strategy known by an elite group of winning investors who receive monthly paychecks from Wall Street. The good news is this strategy isn’t reserved for just the elite or rich. Anybody can take advantage of it and it truly has the ability to dramatically change your financial life forever. Anyone -- literally anyone -- can become a highly successful Credit Spread Trader no matter what their skills, education or background. Regular Joe's (and Jane's) who are housewives, chefs, IT technicians, sales people, plumbers, and on and on, can all take advantage of this knowledge and have it change their lives in ways not believed possible. The Internet has leveled the playing field and allowed the small entrepreneur to play on the same field as the big players, which means the earning potential is enormous! It’s the Perfect Business Credit Spread Trading done online from the comfort of your home has the ability to dramatically change your financial life forever. No boss, no commute, no company to work for, but you receive significant tax advantages associated with running this special type of home-based business. This is that needle-in-the-haystack opportunity that will make a true impact on your life and make you consistent and realistic money online! This is not one of those "get rich quick" schemes If you're looking to make a million bucks this year...then please leave this page now! That overnight millionaire system does not exist and this is not about hype. BUT, if you are willing to put in a bit more than a few hours to learn Credit Spread Trading techniques, if you can imagine building an income of $50-$200 or even $300-500 a day and then growing it from there -- then please read on...because this information will be critical to your personal and financial freedom! So, if you're interested in making very healthy profits - without the anxiety of today's stock market - please pay special attention to what I have to say. I strongly suggest you investigate this for yourself NOW. INVESTIGATE NOW, GO TO ==> http://www.JasonStuartSolutions.com/credit-spread-option-trading-strategy/ Many deeply experienced investors believe that annual stock market returns will average 5% or less over the next several years. If you understand Credit Spreads you will be averaging, with all reasonable probability, 5-20% per month or more, month in and month out. Stockholders panic over earnings fluctuations... analyst downgrades... economic reports... news headlines... and just about anything. All that becomes a thing of the past when you understand Credit Spreads and how to do them properly. Imagine if you had a system of your own... a system so powerful that once you understand a few fundamentals, you will expend no more effort than simply looking at a market to know Instantly where the money is hiding... Is This Too Good To Be True? You will not have to be glued to your computer screen. Once you place your trades you can turn your computer off for the day!! With a Credit Spread education you have an opportunity to generate tremendous market returns with minimal market risk. In fact, by using this strategy on every trade, you can have an 85% probability or 3 to 1 odds in your favor, to make a conservative 8% per month. Ask yourself, if you could go into a casino with an 85% probability and 3 to 1 odds in your favor with proper money management, do you think you could be profitable? You bet you can. You don’t have to be exactly right on the direction of the stock to be Profitable. The stock can go up; it can go sideways and even pull back a little to still be profitable. It doesn’t get any better than that! You will make a lot of money, even when many others are losing theirs. Credit Spreads are a low risk, income-producing, trading strategy that can consistently provide monthly cash flow. So why buy stocks in today's market, when there is an alternative that can return even more, with barely a fraction of the risk? Think this is hype? Not even close. I would have nothing to do with such a thing and can offer you enough proof so you do not have to take my or anyone’s word for it. And, if you’re thinking, why should I care to tell anyone? The answer is simple. I believe what comes around goes around, I believe in “paying it forward”, and I enjoy teaching others. Everything is Revealed in a Free Trial. That’s right -- FREE. This very same education has been sold for well over $1000 – I know because that’s what it cost me when I got started in this very lucrative business. But, you get it 100% free for the whole trial period. Allow me to introduce you to the man who will lead you to life-changing income with 8-20% returns per month without the traditional stock market risk... All that's between you and a wonderful new reality is one last step... And that is to take advantage of a potentially life-changing generous offer. All you have to do is take action. It’s a Free Trial – at least investigate it (and it doesn't matter if it's 2:00am in the morning)!

Registered Service Agents - Why Your Company Should Use an Independent Registered Agent

A few years ago, a small oil and gas company in a large city re-located its principal offices to a smaller city in the same state but forgot to change its registered agent address at the Secretary of State’s office to reflect the move. Later, a third party filed a lawsuit against the company but could not locate its registered agent. As required, the third party checked the Secretary of State’s office to obtain the current address for the registered agent so that he could serve the summons on the oil and gas company, but the old address was of no use. Eventually, after being unable to serve the oil and gas company with the lawsuit papers, the third party obtained a default judgment against the company. The oil and gas company later had to spend a substantial amount of money to vacate the default judgment, all because the company failed to maintain a current address for its registered agent. In another case, an individual agreed to act as registered agent for a small company. A third party later filed a lawsuit against the company, and the private process server then sought out around Christmas time to serve the summons and petition on the registered agent for the company. Since the registered agent was an individual, the process server appeared at the person’s home with summons in hand on Christmas Eve in order to serve the lawsuit papers on the individual, knowing that he would probably be at home. Of course, this was very upsetting to the individual and his family. Although the foregoing cases are perhaps the exception to the rule, in both instances (and in similar instances that often occur) the legal risks, liability, frustration and embarrassment experienced in such cases could have been avoided if the companies had used independent, registered agents as their service agents. There are literally hundreds of thousands of companies conducting business in the United States. These companies range in size from small, family owned businesses to Fortune 500 companies. From a legal standpoint, these companies can be corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships or other types of legal entities. One thing that they all share in common is that they are all required under state law to have a designated registered agent. Once a corporation or limited liability company is formed, the laws of the various states require the corporation or LLC to designate a registered service agent so that service of process and other official documents can be properly delivered to the company. The name and address of the registered agent of every business entity doing business in a state is maintained in the office of the secretary of state or other applicable state agency so that the public can use such information to serve official papers on the business entity if necessary. Many companies, and particularly small companies, often designate an officer, employee or even an owner of the business to be the registered agent who will be served with summonses and other official documents as the company’s “registered service agent.” However, this can sometimes have serious, unintended consequences. There are several compelling reasons why a company should seriously consider using an independent, professional registered agent as its statutory “service agent” within a particular state. The good news is that there are independent registered agents who will provide this service at a very low cost. Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Use an Independent Registered Agent!! 1. You Can Prevent Easy Discovery of Your Assets & Obtain Privacy and Anonymity – One method of trying to conduct a search of assets owned by a person is to see if the person acts as registered agent for any companies in a particular state. For many small businesses, the owner of the company also acts as the registered agent. This is because the lawyer who formed the business entity may have designated the owner as the registered agent for the company when it was first formed. In the old days, if you thought that a person might be the owner of a company but you were not sure, you would have to manually check the records of the Secretary of State to determine whether the person acted as registered agent for the company. If the individual acted as the registered agent, you would know that the individual was also probably the owner of the company because people (other than lawyers) typically do not volunteer to act as the registered agent for a company that they do not own. This method of trying to locate the assets (i.e the companies) owned by a person through a manual “registered agent” search of the Secretary of States files could be like trying to find a “needle in a haystack.” In other words, this was not a very effective way to conduct an “asset search.” However, in today’s modern era of high-tech computer programs and search engines, many states have implemented on-line computer access to the business records that are maintained by the secretary of state or other central record keeping agency in the state. One example of this is Oklahoma’s “Sooner Access” program that is available on the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s website. Using these programs, which are often free of charge, a person can perform a “registered agent” search in a matter of minutes and locate all of the companies for which a person acts as registered agent. This is a quick and easy way for a lawyer or other interested person to conduct an asset search using your name. If you act as your own registered agent for your business, any person can now use your name to easily and quickly identity your various businesses. An independent registered agent like CorpAgent Services, Inc. and other independent registered agents can provide you with anonymity and a level of privacy by acting as your registered service agent. This will prevent others from using your name to conduct a quick, easy asset search to discover the various entities that you own. 2. You Can Avoid Service of Process at Your Home or Office. If you own a small business, there is a good chance that you are the designated registered agent for your business entity. When your business entity was first formed, there is a good chance that you were listed as the registered agent for the business. Often, the business owner does not know that he or she is the registered agent for the business until the owner is served with a summons or other documents by a process server. Unfortunately, the service of lawsuit papers and other official documents by a private process server often happens at the owner’s place of business or even at the owner’s home. Even in larger companies, the appearance of a private process server at your offices during the day to serve papers on the “registered agent” can be disruptive. At best, this is a nuisance; at worst, in the case of small businesses it can be an embarrassment to the owner. As described in the introductory section of this paper, there is one instance where a private process server served an individual with lawsuit papers at his home on Christmas Eve because the process server knew that the individual (who was the registered agent for a business entity) would most likely be home for the evening. By using an independent registered agent, the business owner can ensure that any summonses or other official legal documents are served on the third party registered agent, who will then send them to the owner under private arrangements. Many service agents, like CorpAgent Services, Inc., will scan and e-mail the documents to a designated contact person on a confidential basis. 3. You Can Avoid Potential Liability Through Stability and Continuity – If you are like most small business owners, there is a good chance that you will re-locate your business at some point in time. Many small companies move their offices from time to time, but in almost every instance the owner who acts as registered agent for the business forgets to file a change of registered agent form with the Secretary of State or other applicable agency. This can create serious problems! If service of process or other official documents need to be served upon your company, but you do not have a current registered agent address listed with the Secretary of State because you moved your office without updating your registered agent address, it may be very difficult for a third party to locate you. This can result in serious consequences! For example, in many states the secretary of state requires limited liability companies to file annual form that notify the secretary of state’s office as to whether the company is still active, and to provide and maintain a current address for the company. These forms are often sent to the registered agent’s office or the principal office of the company as shown on the secretary of state’s official records. If you have moved your business, but did not file the appropriate change of address form with the secretary of state, you may never receive the annual form. In some states, if you fail to file the annual form for three years, It is your responsibility to make sure that your registered agent address is current with the Secretary of State’s office so that third parties, including the IRS, can send important papers to you. If you fail to do this, you may miss being served with important papers. In a court of law, it is even possible that a default judgment could be entered against your company if service of process cannot be achieved because your registered agent or business cannot be located. If you use an independent, professional registered agent who always maintains the same office address, you can ensure that you will always receive the important papers that are being sent to your company through your registered agent. 4. Many Independent Registered Agents Provide Reminders for You to (i) Prepare Annual Minutes to Help Avoid “Piercing of the Corporate Veil” Exposure, and (ii) File Your Annual LLC forms – Many companies fail to update their minute books each year by preparing annual minutes of board of director and shareholder meetings. However, for corporations in particular, it is very important that the minute book be updated at least annually to include the minutes of annual shareholder and director meetings (or consents in lieu thereof) as required by law to avoid a possible “piercing of the corporate veil” by third parties. Some independent registered agents assist you in minimizing this risk by send you a reminder each year about the need to prepare your annual minutes or consent to action in lieu of formal meetings. In addition, many states require limited liability companies to file an annual form to let the Secretary of State know that the company is still active, and to provide a current address for the company. If you fail to file the form after a few years, the states will suspend your license to do business in the state and render the company inactive. In some instances, the state will not only suspend your authority to do business in the state, but they will grant your business name to someone else if it is requested. Some registered agents will either send annual reminders to their customers concerning the annual filing requirements, or they will furnish a “docketing” type of service that serves the same purpose. 5. You can Obtain Registered Agent Services at a Very Low Cost. Although some independent registered agents charge $200 or more per year for registered agent services, companies like CorpAgent Services, Inc. provide such services at a low cost of only $80 to $100 per year. Under a cost/benefit analysis, it is hard to imagine that a company’s money could be better spent to minimize the risks described above, and eliminate the nuisance of a process server showing up at your office with summons or subpoenas in hand.

Housing Starts Down? I Don't think So!

The Commerce department in Washington D.C. reported today that housing starts dropped 13 % to a record low in April. The largest contributor was Multi family unit, such as Condominiums and apartment complexes, which were off a whopping 46%. Single family structures were actually up 2.8%. That would help to explain the positive growing home builders sentiment. NAHB, the National Association of Home Builders, housing market index reported numbers in line with expectations and improving over the previous months figures. As stock futures tumbled this morning on the negative news my first thought was of inventory. Having been in the construction business for twenty years I've been through a few cycles. Home builders normally have inventory. Specs are built to have on hand for showing and also "quick" sales. When the economy turns sour and people quit buying builders are stuck with excessive inventory and while those homes sit the banks and utility companies are still expecting their money. Money going out with none coming in. A smart Builder has made contingencies for this contraction by putting some money aside to carry through the difficult times. As the economy starts to turn around, as I feel it is, Builders will begin to sell off some of this excessive inventory until a point of equilibrium is met. Back on a level field where as many are being built as are being sold. It's natural then that housing starts would be down. Not really such bad news as long as the other economic numbers are coming in positive or at least above expectations. As an optimist, and not an economist, I think in terms of human nature and business, not just numbers. So after further examination this morning I read that single family home starts were actually up 2.8% to 380000, the second straight month of improvement. That is really good news for real estate people. Home buyers on the fence still have time to find good deals, but this particular market seems to be improving. Here in the town where I live, Wichita KS, there are lots of prime properties at discount prices. Multi family buildings dropped from 167,000 to just 90,000. While those numbers are certainly bad, it affects construction more than the Realtor. Residential real estate professionals deal mostly in single family homes. If builders are building again it means that they must be selling off some of that inventory. As demand increases, so will the price of real estate. Home builders have been taking a hit in the pocket book during this recession. Homes have been selling, when they sell, at record low prices just to get rid of inventory. Home builders have been forced to slash prices to stimulate demand. Once that point of equilibrium is reached, and builders are selling as many as their building, prices will almost certainly begin to rise. The good news is that while builders profits are low, it means buying opportunities are abound.. Good buying opportunities and a chance to buy a new home with built in equity. After a contraction in the economy when the prices of homes and goods in general are sold off at discounts the time to buy is ripe as the recovery begins. We've all heard “buy low, sell high”. We seem to be right at or close to that point in this recession. As home prices rise, so will the equity in your new home. Say your Realtor brokers a really good deal for you on your new home. You buy low, maybe really low. As the recovery continues the price of housing will rise quickly. As housing prices rise, your built in equity is like money in your pocket.

Project Management Training Courses: So Many Options!

Project management training courses come in many sizes, types, and flavors. As Project Management is very popular topic among professionals today, there are many project management training courses out there to help Project Managers advance their skills and careers. Choosing the right project management courses among the plethora of options, however, can be daunting! This article provides some guidance to help project managers more easily sift through the myriad of options and find the ideal set of project management training courses for their situation. Here are some steps a project manager can take to identify the most beneficial project management training courses for their situation: 1. Match Training to Current Challenges A great place to start is to first look at current challenges and problems. For example, Project Managers often have challenges gathering clear requirements for the project, or maybe have special challenges with stakeholders on their projects. . Another complex multi-dimensional issue is project communications. Other less experienced project managers might like to work on their basic management skills. This may involve taking project management training courses covering a broad project management methodology or framework and enhancing professional credentials by earning a project management certification. 2. Select Best Delivery Methods As a second step, it is necessary to consider preferred methods of delivery for the project management courses. The most popular include classroom, audio, and online project management training. Classroom training Project Management Training Courses in the classroom enable students to give full, undistracted attention to learning. They also provide in-person access to the instructor and students for both learning and networking. However, classroom training is expensive, might involve travel, require the sacrifice of work time, and must be scheduled. The student also must participate in ALL topics, even those of lesser interest. Audio project management courses Audio project management training courses are gaining in popularity and can be very convenient, especially as a supplement to other training. While many usually lack the visual learning aspect, some PDA-based audio programs, are beginning to add video, enhancing the ‘anytime, anywhere’ aspect of this training method. For situations such as walking or driving a car, it important to assure that the audio alone is still effective. In general, audio or PDA-based project management training courses are a great supplement to other learning methods. Project management courses online Project management training courses can be taken online, and some are instructor assisted and some are simply pure, or individual, online training. Some online project management courses are live and are led and facilitated by an instructor over the internet at a scheduled time. These courses usually include the ability to interact online with the students and instructor during the class. Pure, unassisted, online training, on the other hand, is self-contained, is available 24x7, and the student can easily screen for topics of greater interest. Many online project management training courses also include and on-demand online mentor to contact for help. 3. Topics for project management training courses Lots of topics are appropriate for project management training courses. For example, something like Microsoft Project training might be a good topic for project managers who need to learn about a project management tool. A new PM with a technical background might like project management training courses on transitioning from more technical functions to project management. Others in the IT field, for example, might enjoy an IT project management course. There are many other topics, especially in the soft skills areas like leadership, management, and where a Project Manager can find just the right course at the right time to take skills to the next level. 4. Taking Action right Away Once the choice is made, it is beneficial to take the selected Project Management Training Courses as soon as possible to have the maximum impact! Realizing the benefit from project management training courses lies in applying the knowledge right away, and this also makes that knowledge one’s own for the long haul. In summary, the way to get the most out of project management training courses is to choose a topic related to something of very current interest, something for which there is a burning desire or need and that can be applied right away. Picking from among classroom, online, audio, self-paced, or other courses is an individual matter. However, giving one’s full focus and attention to the project management training courses and applying what was learned in the right away ensures maximum effectiveness!

Why the Bank Doesn’t Want Your HousWhy the Bank Doesn’t Want Your Housee

An Insider’s View of Why It’s Best to Work With Your Lender – For You AND the Bank – When You’re in Danger of Losing Your House Once upon a time, collateral was king when it came to borrowing money. And your home was typically the crown jewel of your collateral assets. Home ownership gave you instant credibility to a lender who could quickly pull up your payment history and deduce from past payment schedules that, yes, you were a reliable borrower and, even if something went south – a lost job, a divorce, an illness in the family – with the house as collateral, the bank would never lose money on your loan. But now the market is saturated with foreclosed homes, short sales and defaulted home loans. The value of property in some of the most saturated areas continues to go down and has yet to hit rock bottom, leaving both homeowners and bank owners in a precarious position. According to Robert Sumner, CEO of First National Bank of Pasco (FNB Pasco) near Tampa, Florida, “Everything is down right now; not only are we making fewer home loans but we are seeing fewer home improvement loans as well.” Sumner clarifies: “Those who still have their homes are simply trying to ride out the storm and waiting until the market goes back up; they don’t want to throw ‘good money after bad’ by doing costly home improvements if they’re not going to get their value back. Unfortunately, others are losing their homes altogether.” Sumner is referring, of course, to the staggering amount of foreclosed properties currently flooding the market. And he should know; Florida features one of the highest numbers of foreclosures in the country right now. Nationally, according to CNNMoney.com, “More than 1.5 million homes are seriously delinquent and close to foreclosure.” What’s more, a new study finds that “…more than 20% of U.S. homeowners – about 20 million residences – owe more than their homes are worth.” [Source: CNNMoney.com] Not wanting to become part of the problem but preferring to remain part of the solution, now more than ever banks are eager to stay out of the foreclosure business and do what they do best: banking. In other words, your bank doesn’t want your house. Rather, they’d prefer to work with you so that you keep the house. Banks don’t want your home for two basic reasons. First, the bank is not in the real estate business. They don’t want to filter precious assets of time, personnel and energy into inspecting the residence, listing your home, making concessions or worrying about upkeep. Further, who will mow the lawn and prune the shrubs once you’ve foreclosed on the property? Either the bank spends money to hire someone to do it or lets it alone to become not only an eyesore to the community but a liability on the already-competitive housing market. Either way, the bank loses money. Secondly, when the bank takes over the house the price is drastically reduced. According to Sumner, “Once the message is out that this is a ‘bank-owned’ property, both savvy realtors and buyers know that they suddenly have the upper hand; they know the bank wants to unload this property and they now have a much stronger bargaining chip. We typically experience a 30% loss on the value of the property the minute we assume ownership.” What can you do to avoid missing mortgage payments or, barring that, avoid foreclosure? Sumner lists three simple steps you can take to work with your lender to avoid your own financial meltdown: 1.) Reach out before it’s too late: If your income has been affected or your debts have simply snowballed to the point where paying your mortgage this (or even next) month is looking less and less likely, don’t bury your head in the sand but reach out to your lender and start communicating with them, sooner rather than later. They can’t help you if they don’t know you’re in trouble. 2.) Come prepared: The bank will need information to help you restructure your payments, refinance the loan or possibly delay a payment or two to help you with a current situation. Be sure to bring the latest information on your income, how it’s been affected, your current bills and debt load. Calling the bank beforehand (or visiting its website) will help you gather a specific list for each vendor. 3.) Prepare for the worst: Not every bank can help in every situation. Short of foreclosure, you will still need to pay your mortgage on time and Sumner warns you shouldn’t expect miracles. However, rather than take over your home the bank would rather work with you, realistically, to help you avoid foreclosure. Sumner warns there is no simple fix when budgets are tight and your mortgage continues to be your biggest expenditure per month. However, he stresses, “avoiding the issue is never the answer.”

Banks Aren’t the Bad Guy

How Involving Your Community Bank Is Easier Than You Think When it comes to raising community awareness about a special interest, a local charity or a health concern, don’t overlook your community bank. That’s right; community banks are in the business of doing business in the community – FOR the community. In fact, according to Robert Sumner, CEO of First National Bank of Pasco (FNB Pasco) near Tampa, Florida, “Banking is a people business. Believe it or not, bankers get into the business to help people, as well as to make money.” Banks make great partners for a variety of reasons: 1.) Marketing without marketing: For one, they are often looking for ways to make their presence known in the community. Many small, local or community branches prefer to limit their marketing budgets to devote to direct customer concerns such as insurance, safety or program offerings, so sponsoring a local or charitable event gives them high visibility for low cost. 2.) At home in the crowd: Also, community banks want to work within their community to spread the word about their various services. Such banks thrive on close, personal relationships versus bulk deposits or banking programs, so community, school and charitable events just make good sense for banks. Here they can rub shoulders with potential customers in a non-threatening way and, frankly, let people know how they can help. 3.) A mutual relationship: Finally, banks lend credibility to your event while your event lends credibility to their bank. Seeing a bank logo on your giveaway tote bags, ball caps, stress release balls or pennants gives people the feeling that your organization is not only well-respected but well-backed. Likewise, community banks in particular thrive on being a part of the community they serve. Sponsoring your event isn’t just a wise business decision for them; it just plain makes for good neighbors! Now more than ever, banks are eager to help polish up their image in the community, in local business and in the local press. When it’s time for your next fundraiser, business or school partnership, head to your community bank first to utilize this vital community and business member. In order to take advantage of your local community bank’s community interest, consider reaching out to their PR person before planning your next event. You never know when a single well-placed call could just result in your top-place corporate sponsor!

Luxury Market Research - Affluent Consumers Plan Fewer Purchases of a New Home

Negative attitudes about the current economy and the economic outlook for the next 12 months are contributing to plans for deferring the acquisition of both vacation homes and primary residences by affluent consumers during the next year, according to the 15th twice-yearly Affluent Market Tracking Study conducted by the American Affluence Research Center. In the Spring 2009 survey of the wealthiest 10% of all U.S. households, plans to acquire a new primary residence during the next 12 months were reported by only 2.9% of the affluent consumers. Almost 70% of the homes were expected to be the purchase of an existing home rather than building a new home. Plans to acquire a vacation home were indicated by 2.3% of the affluent market. About 60% of the vacation homes were expected to be the purchase of an existing home rather than building a new vacation home. Equal to the potential acquisition of 325,000 primary residences and 258,000 vacation residences, these intentions represent a continued decline from the record lows established in the Fall 2008 survey. The record highs in this series of studies, which began in Spring 2002, were 9.6% for primary residences in the Fall 2003 survey and 10.5% for vacation homes in the Spring 2005 survey. The incidence of primary residence acquisition plans is highest among those age 50 to 59 (3.7%) and those with income below $200,000 (3.6%). For vacation home acquisitions, the intentions are highest among those with an income above $200,000 (4.0%) and those with a net worth of $6 million or more (6%). The survey respondents indicated a negative 12 month outlook for business conditions and personal household income. They also reported declines in their net worth, as a result of substantial declines in the value of their home and their investments/savings during the past two years. Together, these factors have contributed to a general attitude toward reducing or deferring expenditures in all areas. The intentions to acquire a new primary residence or a new vacation home are consistent with the overall mood of the affluent market. Over 80% of the survey respondents reported that they had made a general effort to reduce or defer expenditures during the past 12 months, would make a conscious effort to do so during the next 12 months, or had both done so in the past and would continue to do so in the future. The survey is representative of the population of the most affluent 11.2 million households in the U.S. that account for almost 40% of total personal income and two-thirds of the personal wealth of all Americans. The 640 men and women included in the national survey have an average annual household income of $290,000, an average primary residence value of $1.2 million, an average net worth of $3.1 million, and average investable assets of $1.4 million. This survey of the affluent market has a maximum margin of error of five percentage points at the 95% confidence level. These surveys track how affluent consumers assess current business conditions and their 12-month outlook for the economy, the stock market, personal household income, and their spending plans for different products and services that include major appliances, home computers, furniture/furnishings, home entertainment equipment, casual and upscale dining out, entertainment, recreation, domestic and international travel, designer and non-designer apparel, collectibles, fine jewelry, and political and charitable contributions.

How to Make a Rewards Credit Card Reward You, Not the Company

A rewards credit card can very often represent excellent value and present real benefits to the consumer. However, it is important not to sign up for a credit card based on the reward alone, and it will be important to take two things into consideration. The first aspect to consider is whether the card itself represents good value in terms of the available limit, the interest rate charged and any fees, in addition to costs that might be incurred for general maintenance of the account. The second aspect to look at is the reward itself, and whether this represents one which best suits your own personal interests, needs and habits. Very often, reward credit cards work by providing you with points on your account whenever your credit card is used to purchase goods or services from companies which are either subsidiary ones of the credit card company itself, or part of an affiliate network of finance and retail companies and organisations. One typical example many people come across is a credit card which offers consumers reward points for purchasing fuel from a particular garage or retailer. With a set number of points per litre or per gallon, these points can be accumulated until a specified number have been reached. This then allows the consumer to choose from a number of different rewards. In some cases, these can be items such as hampers, glassware, holidays or other material goods. In other cases, it could be vouchers for holidays and flights, and still others provide money off coupons or cash back. In this case, you might spend a hundred dollars and receive a 1% cash back reward. One of the issues that you need to look into when evaluating any reward is how easy it is to accumulate points. Knowing that you can achieve a free weekend break when you reach a certain level of points, you might then ignore the interest rate in order to attain the points. Exactly the same situation exists with store reward cards. People will pay more in the more expensive store just to get points on their card, and a nice lump sum pay-out later, rather than save the odd cent or two now. That is one of the attractions of reward credit cards, and one that is enough for many people to use them by choice. But before signing up for a rewards credit card it will be important to evaluate how likely it is that you will be able to realistically earn enough points to acquire the reward itself, and whether any changes to your shopping that may be required will impact on the amount you're likely to spend. However, if you don't see any real need to change your regular shopping habits, and you really will be able to earn points, prizes or money off coupons, then certainly it makes good sense to consider applying for a rewards credit card in place of a standard credit card which does not offer any kind of reward. As previously referred to with regard to store cards, one of the ways in which rewards work well for companies is by encouraging loyalty, and by encouraging you to use that particular credit card more often for your purchases rather than any other credit card you may have. However - make sure you don't fall into the trap of using your credit card to pay for goods instead of using either cash or a debit card, if you are then likely to forget to pay off the balance of the credit card at the end of the month. Putting all your bills on the credit card and then forgetting to pay the bill on time could result in you paying a good deal extra in interest. A rewards credit card is a great idea, and a real help if you already shop in a way which could provide you with privileges without you having to make any real changes. If you use a credit card regularly, such as in business for example, whereby your company reimburses your expenses, then a reward credit card is likely the best type for you to have - so long as you pay the bills when your company pays you for what you have spent!

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Secured Loans

Business process outsourcing has opened the doors of third world countries like the Philippines to global business, inspiring local talent to attain world-class credentials and eligibility. Now that the country has proven its capability at providing a highly qualified pool of human resources, companies around the globe have seen the wisdom of outsourcing in the Philippines. In fact, the Philippines is one of the top recipients of outsourced business processes worldwide. Through business process outsourcing, companies are able to streamline their operations and lower costs. Certain work processes are sourced out at a fraction of the cost of in-house counterparts. Not only are resources saved but company management time is freed up, as well, to enable them to focus their attention to core business competencies, maximizing the company’s specialization and leveraging income and profit. Back Office and Front Office Procedures Business process outsourcing is divided into back office procedures and front office procedures. Back office procedures are internal functions that include, among others, human resources administration, payroll, tax compliance, purchasing and disbursement, order entry, billing and collection, and cash and investment management. Front office procedures are external functions that include, among others, customer relations, marketing and technical support. This contributes to customer satisfaction, strengthens brand loyalty and increases market share. Front office procedures are often handled by contact centers or call centers. Contact centers provide more comprehensive services beyond voice calls. Unlike call centers, contact centers use a multi-channel contact management platform where customer interaction may also be done over the web or through email, fax and even instant messaging. Inbound and Outbound Calls Contact centers handle either inbound or outbound calls. Inbound calls are calls from customers or employees of a client company. The calls are received by a help desk and, depending on the caller’s needs, are routed to the most appropriate persons to handle them. These calls are usually related to customer service needs, sales or technical support. The contact center is bound by a service-level agreement with the client company, where service goals are stipulated. Several metrics are used in measuring performance, including first call resolution, average handle time and average queuing time. Outbound calls are made by contact center associates to clients, customers or a lead list. This could involve telemarketing to prospects or current customers, or collections on overdue bills. The interaction is often recorded or tracked by special programs. Business Process Outsourcing in the Philippines Business process outsourcing in the Philippines offered by Web Dot Com includes software development and maintenance, animation and graphic design, back office processes, and inbound and outbound contact center solutions. Contact center associates can set appointments, do customer profiling and acquisition, conduct business to business telesales, process credit cards, manage leads, manage customer relations and provide customer support and technical support. Aside from business process outsourcing, Web Dot Com also offers comprehensive website development services, including web design, e-commerce solutions such as online store applications for online shopping and online payment, content management systems, advanced portal development and other custom programming, web based database programming, website maintenance and support, search engine optimization, search engine marketing and social media marketing. Established in the Philippines in 1998, Web Dot Com has in the last ten years succeeded in positioning itself well as an ideal business partner for companies in its home turf, as well as in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Korea, Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands. It is committed to giving top quality service to fully support to its clients’ business growth, believing that the client’s success is its success.

Business Process Outsourcing in the Philippines through Web Dot Com

Do you know what a secured loan is? A secured loan is a loan in which the person wishing to borrow has to give some sort of security, characteristically their property. A loan against a building that is owned outright is called a first charge, whereas a loan secured on a property that already has a mortgage is called a second charge. The amount you can borrow usually ranges from 3.000 pounds to 50.000 pounds, even though you can borrow sums up to 100.000 pounds, over a period of between 3 and 25 years. A penalty may be charged for early repayment of the loan, a fact you should check during the application process. You may even be able to borrow up to 80 per cent of your property's value, although since the credit crunch, this is now unlikely. What are the advantages of a secured loan? It's usually easier to acquire a secured loan than other forms of credit, largely because your borrowing is protected by the equity in your property. Secured loans are a way of borrowing large amounts that would usually be impossible by way of unsecured loans and offer the option of paying back smaller amounts over a longer time. They are a costly choice but, if other channels of credit have dried up, and you need a large amount of cash over a long repayment period, or you have a poor credit rating, then one of these may suit you. There are still some good secured rates available on the market, providing you have a fairly good credit score. What are the disadvantages? If your credit score is good, then you would be much better off opting for less risky credit, from avenues such as unsecured loans, credit cards offering balance transfer, remortgaging or looking for an extra advance on your existing mortgage. These options all tend to be cheaper. For people with poor credit history, secured loans can provide an option. A borrower can ask for a 20.000 pound loan protected against a building worth 250.000 pounds over a period of eight years, with a poor credit history, and still get loans from a variety of providers, but the interest rates would be relatively high. Debt specialists have long said that secured loans are stretched over unnecessarily long periods and are expensive. This makes it longer for the borrower to escape their debt and they could be at risk of losing their home throughout this period. If I want a secured loan how do I apply? The options for secured loan clients have reduced over the last year: there are now only seven top providers left in the loans market, this has dropped from eighteen providers in twelve months. Bad press has hit these companies hard - secured loans are quite often seen as a risky enterprise - and a falling property market, has made lenders more cautious about securing loans against property. You can go to a bank to apply for a secured loan, apply over the phone or visit a website. By using the internet you are able to source lots of options. Although the first part of your application is quick, you have to be given a seven day consideration time to ensure you fully understand the loan agreement Your credit history, the amount of equity you have in your property and your ability to repay the loan will determine the rate you have to pay for a loan. Will I have any kind of protection? Yes, you will be covered by the Consumer Credit Act 2006, a revised version of the previous 1974 act which only covered consumers up to 25.000 pounds. This revised act means that secured loans clients taking out bigger amounts have been covered since the 6th of April 2008. All loan providers are assessed on their conduct by the Office of Fair Trading. The Office of Fair Trading has the right to fine businesses for unethical conduct and can contest individual consumers' cases.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Website Development and Business Process Outsourcing

Corporate social responsibility is the buzz word in big business. In this age of environmental awareness and people empowerment, corporations are expected to behave ethically, uphold environmental sustainability, help combat poverty and support social justice. The public has learned to demand this in exchange for corporate existence. Although it is also true that many companies get away by paying mere lip service to corporate social responsibility, a lot of other companies have found it profitable to actually do the right thing. As more and more people are becoming socially responsible themselves, companies that “go green” or use sustainable technologies in producing environmentally safe products are gaining increasing numbers of loyal customers. From hybrid cars to green home cleaning solutions to natural makeup, products that save the earth are becoming the choice of many consumers. On the other hand, companies that have been caught red-handed – such as those proven to cause environmental contamination or those proven to outsource their manufacturing to sweatshops in developing countries – have faced censure and profit-shearing boycotts. Aside from the profitability of corporate social responsibility, though, companies would do well to recognize that it is actually be in their best interests to ensure the welfare of the environment and the people of this earth. The planet is their business site and the people are their market. For now, at least, there is no other known choice. How can they not want to protect their location and their market? Corporate social responsibility is not only for big business, either. Even small and medium scale companies are called to uphold its principles. Web Dot Com and CSR Web Dot Com is a company that offers a wide range of services in the field of website development and business process outsourcing in the Philippines with international clients. Its comprehensive website development solutions include portal development and other custom programming, web design, graphics and multimedia design, content management systems, web based database programming, e-commerce solutions with online store applications for online shopping and online payment, search engine optimization, website maintenance and support, search engine marketing, and social media marketing. It business process outsourcing in the Philippines includes animation and graphic design, software development and maintenance, back office processes, and contact center solutions. Contact center services include appointment setting, customer profiling and acquisition, business to business telesales, credit card processing, lead management, customer relations management, customer support and technical support. So what does corporate social responsibility have to do with website development and business process outsourcing in the Philippines? Web Dot Com is of the opinion that they are related and that, in fact, it can do quite a lot in the realm of corporate social responsibility. After all, Web Dot Com is based in the Philippines, a nation with 23 million people or 27 percent of the population living below the Asia-Pacific poverty line, according to the Asian Development Bank in 2008. This same country was tagged by the World Bank in 2008 as having the worst corruption in East Asia. As a corporate citizen of the Philippines, Web Dot Com cannot be isolated from these conditions. As an expert in web-based processes, Web Dot Com is in a position to reach a wide number of Filipinos both in the country and around the world. It is fully equipped to support or even launch any advocacy online for the benefit of the Filipino people. That is exactly what the company intends to do. Soon, Web Dot Com will be launching a powerful campaign to inspire awareness and involvement among Filipinos to positively make an impact on their own country’s fate. Watch out for this campaign.

All Encompassing Envelope Printing!

These are the days of skillful and qualified marketing. Looks are of immense importance in selling the products of a company or business. Even the envelopes you bring into play to your letters and all related credentials also need to show a professional touch, as they can talk dimensions about your dedication and assurance! There is an old saying ‘the first impression is the last impression’. Messy envelopes can give a wrong message to your customers and cohorts. Therefore, it becomes very important that you advance the finest envelope printing firms, in order to get your job done in style. A further important fact that needs to be cared is that the entire design and surface of your covers ought to match that of papers mail inside them. These days, stacks of companies are approaching towards the competent and professional printing services, for getting their printing jobs done. Letterheads, postcards, memo cards, brochures, and obviously envelopes are getting printed in an elegant and solicitous way, with a purpose to astound the consumers all over the place. Many of us have a preference of color copies, but black as well as white copies still have their strong suit areas. Colorful envelopes printing copies frequently coordinate your business identity because of their lucidity. Therefore, printing on both sides of the paper can set aside your money as well as energy. It will be better if the printing company can assemble and staple the papers in tandem with your modern day needs. We offer dynamic custom size envelope printing to our valued customers worldwide, containing the sizes like: #9 Envelopes, #10 Envelopes, DL Envelopes, and C6 Envelopes. We fulfill the demands of our clients, by utilizing the latest tools and technologies in the form of Full Color CMYK/PMS printing process so that they will be able to get the finest quality products. Moreover, we present you the supreme quality products, by presenting the full color printing envelopes. Last but not least, we profoundly look after our valued customers in this recession period, by offering them discounted envelopes printing services not only in the UK but also worldwide! Our artful and professional designers create graceful and eye-catching envelopes printing designs in a variety of styles, such as square envelopes, window envelopes, invitation envelopes, business envelopes, wedding invitation envelopes, gift card envelopes, vinyl envelopes, shipping envelopes, legal size envelopes, custom envelopes, full color envelopes, catalog envelopes, etc. Besides, our designers offer you free unlimited revisions until you are fully contented! Our 24/7 online customer support representative is the key person to fully understand your ideas and suggestions on live support chat, and hence he provides you the best solution regarding your printing products instantly. Furthermore, we not only offer our valued customers free shipment but also they don’t have to bother about value added tax (VAT)! Besides, we not only offer online printing services to our valued customers but also offer them sticker printing worldwide!! However if you are interested enough to buy our quality products, contact us, we provide you the best envelopes printing services worldwide. At the present time, envelopes printing have emerged as the best tool to market your products worldwide. Normally, envelopes are used for a variety of events, such as annual meetings, informal dinners, birthday parties, wedding ceremonies, business meetings, tenders, religious events, fundraising, music concerts, official meetings, sports events, etc. We offer cheap envelopes printing to our valued customers worldwide so that they will be able to fulfill their modern day needs in style!

No Hassle Payday loans-a way out of an unexpected cash problem

These types of loans are unsecured in nature thus they attract a higher rate of interest from the lenders. The reason as to this is to cover the lender in case the borrower defaults on their loan repayments. Now with the current economic recession having weaken most of the peoples spending abilities, the salary given at the end of the month is no longer enough to see most the people through to the next paycheck without getting some extra money fro somewhere. If unexpected financial emergency occurs, it becomes very problematic to get the required monies to settle it. You may be forced to seek for help from relatives but this usually does not work as they will normally come up with one reason or other to deny you. This should no longer be a problem as of late, a lot of payday loan providers have cropped up offering you with just what you require. Payday no hassle loans are approved instantly and there have little formalities. The loans are best gotten from the net or online. This being so, the information verification, approval and availing of the loan amounts is usually within a few hours after your application is received by the lender. The loan amounts are instantly wire transferred into your account after approval. These loans are also known by other names, such as payday loans, cash loans, instant cash loans hassle free loan and in many other such names. Pay day loans are unsecured in their nature thus the amounts that can be availed are limited. The money is lent to you with the understanding that you repay the whole amount with your next paycheck. The lenders give out a minimum of $100 to a maximum of $1500 of the loan amount and they have to be repaid within 14 to 31 days after approval. If for one reason or another you are unable to repay the advanced money as agreed, the rates of interest doubles, hence it is very important to repay the due amounts at the required time and not a minute later. When you apply for these loans, no collateral is asked against the amounts to be advanced, thus the name “hassle free loans” There is also no check on the borrowers credit history thus the loan are both suitable to the borrowers who bear bad credit history and the ones who are clean. For those borrowers who bear the bad credit tag, there is never a better way of redeeming their credit worthiness. By paying out the due loan at the require time, the bad credit borrower has been able to restore their credit record to good, thus the importance of paying your debts in time. No hassle payday loans can be used to meet unexpected financial expenses such as a sudden car breakdown, urgent medical bill, utility bills settlement etc. But for a person to be availed with the money to take care of the above expenses, they must be adults who are 18 years of age or more, have a current and active checking account, have a permanent residential address and must be in a gainful employment on which they are earning a salary of not less than $1000.

Six Business Lessons I Learned from “Beauty Shop”

I discover a lot of business and life lessons in movies. While I don’t get out much these days, and I rarely have occasion to kick back and watch them at home, I value the nuggets of wisdom that I take away from them. One night I actually put my feet up and watched Queen Latifah’s movie “Beauty Shop”. I missed about 20 minutes of the movie, between her walking out on her old job and starting her own business. Still, I noticed lessons that we entrepreneurs can keep in mind as we build our own businesses and our brands. 1. Be your Authentic Self. Queen Latifah’s character, “Gina” was an honest, down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is woman. And while her pretentious boss (“Jorge”, played by Kevin Bacon) did not appreciate this, her customers certainly did. So when Gina walked out the door, many of her customers went with her. This genuine nature carried through to her new business. Because it was not an act, because she was true to herself first, customers got exactly what they expected, their Gina. Had she tried to emulate ‘Jorge’, it’s doubtful that level of loyalty would have followed her out his door. Copy-catting doesn’t work. Be true to YOU. 2. No one said this would be easy. When Gina walked out, she jumped without a net. She knew she had the skills, she just had no plan. By staying true to herself, she worked it out. She set up shop in an area where the rent was more affordable than the “uber-salon” she left. Even when the overhead and costs at times felt as though it would all bury her, support from friends and family helped her to soldier on. She never, never, never quit. And neither should you. If you believe in what you’re doing, then you can find a way to make it work. 3. Hire good people, treat them well, and stand by them. In her old job, Gina wanted to give junior staff opportunities to grow, and they appreciated that. She brought one of these staffers (Alicia Silverstone’s character) with her to her own shop, because she knew this girl had what it took to be a good stylist. And when an abusive customer demanded Gina fire one her employees for defending a co-worker, Gina fired the customer instead! This ties back into Lesson #1 about being your authentic self. Gina knew that clients come and clients go, but her staff would stick by her through thick and thin, as long as she was prepared to do the same for them. If sticking to your personal values costs you a customer, then trust me… you are FAR better off without them. 4. Don’t sweat the competition – just keep your radar on. Gina focused on her family and her business. She didn’t give a sniff as to what her old boss was up to, or how his business was doing. She didn’t call up his customers and “steal them” even though he accused her of doing so. Even so, Gina kept her radar tuned in. She took note of things that were said. She kept her ducks in a row and kept good records. It’s highly unlikely that your competition will vandalize your place of business as in the movie – surely they’re not THAT stupid! There will be those who resort to mudslinging, however. In those situations, do like Gina did: pick up the pieces, hold your head up and move on. Put your focus on YOUR customers and YOUR business. Do not stoop to the accuser’s level. As the lovely and brilliant Sales Diva, Kim Duke says: “People who throw mud are the ones with the dirt on their hands.” 5. Create products that serve your customers and fulfill their needs. Gina cooked up some homemade conditioner in her kitchen and quietly used it on her customers. She never made a fuss about her conditioner; she simply believed that her product would help her customers. THAT was what mattered to her. The ladies at her salon affectionately called it “Hair Crack” because customers kept coming back for more! They were addicted to it because they too believed in its ability to help their damaged hair. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we strive for as entrepreneurs… having happy customers who keep coming back for more – because they LOVE it and BELIEVE it can help them. Creating your own products can go a long way to entrenching on-going customer loyalty and building your brand. 6. Treat every customer like they are your saving angel. In this age of continuous bombardment of marketing messages, NOTHING is as effective as good word-of-mouth referrals. People put more credibility to a personal reference than they ever will in a big advertising campaign. And best of all, the cost to you is NOTHING. Zip. Nadda. Just be yourself, do good work, and create great products your customers love and want to buy again and again. If you treat every customer as through they were the most important person on earth (and they ARE in that moment), then they tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on…

The Package IS the Product

The Christmas season is upon us, and children young and old take great pleasure in wrapping gifts for loved ones and friends. Now, a little family history here... my mother, Head Wrapper of our household at Christmas, was not one to 'fuss' with wrapping to make gifts look like those found in store displays. As a Capricorn born in the Chinese Year of the Goat, "pragmatic" should have been her middle name. No sense investing a lot of time in making it look 'perfect'. Or buying expensive and difficult-to-maneuver foil paper and wrestling with superfluous curly bows. She had four kids ranging in age from two to 15 ripping everything to shreds inside 10 minutes on Christmas morning. So why bother? Heck, larger gifts would get wrapped in the Regina Leader Post Sunday comics. Wha-a-a-at? It was colorful! To this day, I admit, a certain amount of Mom's practicality has rubbed off. Although my husband refuses to let me wrap anything in newspaper, I do tend to save the 'fancy' paper for special gifts. If it's REALLY special, it gets a stick-on bow! Ooooooo.... the anticipation to open THAT one... A-HA! There it is. YOU know what I mean! You see that one gift under the tree, the one with the Martha Stewart treatment. The big fluffy bow atop a thick foil embossed paper with the hand-made card... and YOUR name on it! And you just KNOW it's THEE gift! The packaging influenced your opinion of its contents! Think for a moment, back to this Christmas shopping season. How many times did a package influence your decision to buy? An episode of "The Shopping Bags" in 2007 looked at the effects of packaging on our purchasing behavior. And no surprise to this designer, research indicates that consumers are heavily influenced by the packaging of products. It's the kind of subtle nuances that experienced designers know get results. In one case, tasters said that the pop from a can with more yellow on it had a more refreshing taste. And that when sampling canned meat, tasters thought the one that came from the can with the photo of the meat – with a spring of parsley on top – tasted more homemade. In their own live case study, the ladies conducted taste tests of various ranch salad dressings. When the samples were 'blind' (tasters could not see the label) tasters showed a preference for a store brand over leading national brands. But when tasters saw the bottle displayed, over half chose a highly recognized national brand name dressing, simply because the packaging was more attractive. They expect that the national brand is the better quality product. So what does all this mean? Package design is not just about fulfilling a function, or even about making something look nice. It's about building a brand. "Packaging will become even more integrated with the product in function, branding, and merchandising," says Duane McDonald, Senior Manager of Package Production at Kimberly-Clark Corp. "It has to do its part in delivering the brand promise to consumers. Graphics and aesthetics will be more important." Robert Henry Hall, Vice President of Brand Development at Boston Beer Co., describes this brand promise as "an emotional benefit of style. The design makes the consumer feel a certain way through the product and package use."

Three Sure-fired Ways Small Town Businesses Can LOSE Customer Loyalty

I live in a small rural community in Western Canada, sandwiched between a “small city” of about 80,000 and a major metropolitan center. There’s a lot of pressure to buy from local businesses in order to support our entrepreneurial base. I’m in favor of keeping it local whenever it’s possible. I too have a small business and appreciate local business supporting my venture. However, I still believe that you need to EARN the business. Just because you’re the ‘only game in town’ right now, or the political pressure is to ‘shop local’, doesn’t mean you can take your customers for granted, or ‘diss’ other local businesses. 1. Be gracious, even if you don’t get what you would like. My son’s hockey team just ordered some tracksuits from the bookstore at our local college. Several teams did the same. The college does not advertise that it can do this; someone just ‘knew’ they could get these suits at a very reasonable price. And since the college too is a local business and supports the community, it’s still “shopping locally”. The only catch was that the disk with the logo to be embroidered on the jackets was not available to the college. It was only available to the two local embroidery shops, the same ones who did NOT get the order for the tracksuits. When approached to do the embroidery, one vendor said to our team representative, “Since you didn’t order the tracksuits from me, I’m not going to guarantee my work. So if something gets wrecked, I won’t be responsible.” The message that kind of talk sends is that this person INTENDS to mess up a few jackets – out of spite! Whether that happens or not remains to be seen. Regardless, it’s very unprofessional. If you say things like that, you sound like a spoiled brat. Just take your ball and go home then. Certainly you can let a customer know that you’re disappointed you didn’t get the order. You still smile and deliver a quality product so they can go back to the other 17 families getting their jackets and marvel at the great job you did. If even half those people come to your shop for work in the future because they heard how good you were about the whole thing, doesn’t that pay its own dividends? 2. No one likes a gossip. When you live in a small town, there tends to be at least two of everything. Two hair salons. Two travel agencies. Two printers. Two hardware stores. Two accountants. You get the idea. If you spend your spare time gossiping and cutting down the work of your competitor, you do yourself a disservice. Gossip is probably one of the most harmful things you can do – to yourself. If you think it’s a way of letting people know what it’s ‘really’ like to do business with the other guy, you’re wrong. What it does is let everyone know how very insecure you are about your OWN abilities. Every business has its strengths. And everyone has things they just don’t particularly like to do in their line of work. Instead of competing, try collaborating. Get to know “the other guy” on a personal level. Understand their business. Share resources and information. Believe it or not, this will actually INCREASE your own business. It’s true. If you cannot help a customer on a particular day with a particular need, refer him to your “other guy”. He will do likewise for you if he’s asked to do something he knows is your specialty. I’ve got such an arrangement with a local ‘competitor’. We’ve collaborated on a few projects. She’s sent design work to me. I’m referring website queries to her. We both win, and most importantly, so do our clients. 3. Understand that customers are NOT fire hydrants. You cannot lift your leg and pee on your clients, mark them as your territory, and growl at any other dog that comes within 50 feet of them. This goes back to the previous point. Customers’ needs change. They grow. Hopefully your business does too. Sometimes, it’s just not a match anymore. They want to move on. Maybe you need to as well. Again, it serves you well to be gracious. Ask them why they feel the change is necessary. Ask them too if there was anything you could have done better that might have swayed their decision to stay instead. At the end, wish them well, and leave the door open to renew the relationship in the future. You’re more likely to get referrals from customers who have been given a kiss farewell than a kick in the keester. None of this is rocket science. None of this is MBA stuff. It comes down to the way our grandfathers used to do business: with a smile, a handshake, and some good old-fashioned common courtesy.

Leasing Retail Space - Terminating the Lease

Expense escalations are relevant when the landlord is paying a base level of expenses and when the tenant is paying expenses. With a typical gross lease, the landlord pays all expenses and the tenant pays expenses in excess of a base level. (Gross leases are atypical for retail.) The base level is typically the operating expenses for the year the lease is signed. The "expense escalations", would be expenses in excess of this base level which the tenant is responsible for paying. Caps on Increases? Some leases also provide a cap on increases in expenses. To provide more certainty for the tenant's cost of occupancy, the tenant may request that property tax increases do not exceed 5% in any year. Property tax increases can be enormous in some states. For example, initial property tax assessments in Texas for retail buildings have increased by 20% to 100% for many retail building owners. In many cases, these large initial assessments have been successfully reduced to a level much closer to the prior year's value. Cap Example However, the property tax assessment process can be arbitrary at times. If the property taxes did increase by 20% or 100%, the landlord would be responsible for the increase in excess of 5% for the example given. There are also sometimes expense escalation caps for utilities, insurance, total expenses and other items. Co-tenancy Termination Clause A co-tenancy clause for retail defines a tenant's right to terminate the lease if another tenant ceases operations. For example, consider a grocery anchored neighborhood shopping center. Let's assume Kroger's, a nationally known grocery retailer, is the anchor. Bob's dry cleaner store decides to lease space in the center because it believes the Kroger versus will draw all a large volume of traffic. There's an agreement to pay rent commensurate with the traffic which should be generated by Kroger. However, five years after the center is built Kroger decides to "go dark". Can You Terminate the Lease? In other words, it ceases operations at this location. A co-tenancy clause would provide Bob an option to terminate his lease. There will typically be a defined period for terminating the lease based upon the co-tenancy clause. Eminent Domain Eminent domain is the right of government to take private property. Historically, eminent domain was limited to taking private property for public purposes. However, the US Supreme Court expanded eminent domain to include taking private property for private uses. In most cases, property owners are compensated for "takings" through eminent domain. Eminent Domain Issues Issues related to leasing retail space include who retains compensation for a leasehold estate, what happens if eminent domain takes an amount of parking which makes operation of the Senate set retail center impractical and are there any rent abatements during construction related to a partial taking of the retail center. Leasehold Estate A leasehold estate is a tenant's interest in real estate obtained through a lease. A leasehold estate becomes meaningful when contract rent is substantially lower than market rent. Having the right to use retail space for a payment well below market rent has value. In the event of a complete taking up (when the government takes the entire retail center) the lease needs to address proceeds of the tenant's leasehold estate. Do they belong to the tenant or to the landlord? Partial Taking In any "partial taking", the government only takes a portion of the retail center. This may or may not include any portion of the building. For the sake of discussion, let's assume a retail center with 10,000 ft.² and 50 parking spaces. The 50 parking spaces are in two rows of 25. One row is along the street and one row is along the front of the building. The current amount of parking is just barely adequate. The condemnation will "take" the 25 parking spaces along the street. This leaves the property with only 25 parking spaces, or about half of what is necessary. The lease needs to define the rights and responsibilities of both the tenant and the landlord in event of a partial taking. Pay Rent During Road Construction? Consider addressing the payment of rent during road construction related to eminent domain. Most leases are silent on this point. In many cases, the loss of business due to construction is not compensated. The landlord must pay his expenses and mortgage payment during construction. The tenant's sales often decline precipitously during construction. There is no easy answer to equitably address this issue. The Market Research and Consulting division of O’Connor & Associates provides information necessary to make decision to commercial real estate professionals. Occupancy and Rental Data, ownership and management information are routinely gathered for four major land uses – multifamily, office, retail and industrial. This information allows investors to compare competitive properties, facilitate business decisions and track market and submarket performance. In addition the data is useful to brokers who for example continually monitor Houston retail space leasing, Houston office space leasing, Houston industrial space leasing, Houston apartments, Dallas apartments, Ft. Worth apartments, Austin apartments, and San Antonio apartments.

Forex Ambush 2.0: 100% Successful Trades, Slow to Trade

Summary: By all accounts, it works. They claim 100% successful trades. The one live account I found out there indeed had 100% successful trades and a 170% net profit over 7 weeks. The drawbacks are that you have to manually trade (the robot only gives you signals), or pay an extra $97 a month for their auto-trade version. And the auto trade version only supports 1 broker - FXCM. I do recommend Forex Ambush - it does work as advertised. $197 for manual version, plus $97 a month for auto-pilot trading. 60 days money back guarantee. Forex Ambush 2.0 uses an advanced custom-designed, artificial intelligence engine to process Forex data. Basically, it analyzes live and historical currency pricing and it then predicts the future trends. Once it finds a currency pair that it determines it can accurately predict, it sends you an alert. Forex Ambush 2.0 claims it has been 100% accurate so far and I didn't find any evidence of a losing trade when researching this review. Logically, large banks and trading organizations would have been using technology like this for years. Forex Ambush's ambition is to take the technology to the wider market and into the consumers' hands. Forex Ambush 2.0 claim it has been described as working so well, it feels like it uses insider information to pick trades. My attitude is that if it is so smart, why can't it pick the future of every movement. Of course nothing can do that. Instead, what this does is narrow things down to where it can confidently predict a future movement. Like, for 1,000 movements/fluctuations - maybe it is confident only the one time. Which is not a problem, as long as it is always right. After reviewing Forex MegaDroid and Fap Turbo, where they consistently got better than 95-97% accuracy, 100% success is not so far away. Perhaps Forex Ambush is just that bit more conservative, I really don't know. Like all expert advisors, don't expect a flurry of fast and furious action all day long. These forex robots often go several days with no trades at all. When visiting the Forex Ambush website, I was expecting the usual gaudy/tacky sales page - which is there as the home page - but at least there is a website with other pages (unlike many other vendors). I always like to scan through the offer first, and see what they claim, then the rest of their website before going off an investigating them fully with the professional traders. Anyway, that's where the Forex Ambush became a concern - when reading their website and seeing what it does. What its "software" does is give you "trading signals" - recommendations of what to buy and when. You have to do the trade manually. Which means of course you have to sit at the computer and be ready just in case it does make a recommendation. Remember, sometimes it can be days with no buy signals at all. For this, you pay $197 - once off. And you must make all the trades manually. For the automatic trading version of Forex Ambush 2.0, you then need to upgrade to the Diamond level of membership - and this costs you $97 per month - plus the original $197. Add to that their recommendation of using a VPS (virtual private server) at an additional cost of about $49 a month. A VPS is a server running 24x7 at a web-hosting company which has very fast internet connections to it. The main thing is that it is always turned on. You login to and manage it via your web-browser. Anyway, it then gets worse when it is explained that the automatic version does not operate with MetaTrader4 - which is the industry wide platform for almost everyone. Instead, it uses a proprietary platform - for no logical or explained reason. Forex Ambush AutoTrade V1 currently only supports the broker FXCM. You will need a regular FX Trading Station type FXCM account, not an MT4 or Active Trader type FXCM account. They claim they are not affiliated with FXCM in any way with FXCM - but this is not true. For sure they get a commission of your action. Their site quotes "Forex Ambush AutoTrade is a special piece of software which will run on your Windows computer or VPS that automatically receives signals and trades them. It is not an EA and currently only supports FXCM. It does not work with MetaTrader 4". They say more brokers will be supported in the future. That the software will interface directly to FXCM through their API (think plug-in), and that you don't actually need to install the broker's platform on your computer. But it really makes no sense to move to non-standard platforms as it ties you down to which broker's you can trade with - namely only 1. That alone is a big turn off for me. Again for their website "The AutoTrade software will automatically interface to your FXCM account and execute Forex Ambush signals for you. There is no other charge; this service is free and included with the Diamond Edition service. We do not charge an extra spread or any fee through FXCM". I did find one live trading account. Starting with an opening balance of $1,393.31 on March 31, 2009 it made 100% successful trades and a net profit of $2,367.79 as of May 15, 2009. So, 168% profit in 7 weeks which is up there with the best. You can click the link below, or right mouse on it and open it in a separate window (be patient, I found the link took 2 minutes to load). Forex Ambush Live Account since March 31, 2009 The user base for Forex Ambush is very small. On the large Forex forums I frequent, most people haven't heard of it. It would have been nice to get the views professionals but sadly none seem to know of it. On their website is a chat room - which is a nice touch - just login as a guest and chat with whoever is online about their product. I would have never found the "live trading account" link without the chat room.

Learning To Invest In Foreclosures

There is lots of talk these days about foreclosures. Investing in foreclosures can be a big money maker when it comes to real estate investing niches. While investing in foreclosures results in large profits when you choose the right house, ther are pitfalls that you must look out for before you buy a foreclosure. there are a lot of other factors to consider. A foreclosure occurs when the owner defaults on the mortgage. The bank has to start the process of taking the property that was pledged as security for the homeowner's loan. If the homeowner can't remedy the situation by paying the bank any money that is then owed, the property will likely make its way to public auction where it will be sold to the highest bidder at a sheriff's or trustee's sale. In my state of California, they use a trustee sale. When you are investing in a foreclosure, the first step is to determine what you are doing with the property. Do you plan on flipping it for a profit? Are you going to keep it as a rental? This will determine what area you should look in when searching what type of foreclosure properties you're interested in pursuing. The main factor to consider when you invest in a foreclosure is to know the law in that jurisdiction. There are laws that vary from state to state and county to county that govern foreclosures and if you violate those laws, accidentally or purposefully, serious consequences will follow. A lot of the home study courses and infomercial gurus advise buying a foreclosure and then renting the property back to the homeowner with the hope that they'll repurchase it at a higher price in the near future. Do not do this! One of the highest risks a real estate investor can take is letting the previous owner come back and reclaim their property because they misunderstood what you had agreed upon. In most states, you, the real estate investor, is the "bad" guy - you lose! Besides, would you really want a tenant in your property that has a history of not paying their bills? Of course not! You should always run a credit report on the potential tenant no matter what their excuse is today. However, many beginner real estate investors as well as many experienced foreclosure investors do that very same thing each day and pay a high price for doing so, oftentimes losing their investment completely when a judge declares that the transaction was indeed a usurious loan instead of an option to repurchase. During various stages of foreclosure, you can make a deal happen between you and the homeowner in default, wait and purchase at the auction, buy after the auction or many other more sophisticated strategies. If you intend to buy a property at the public auction, know that in some states, the law sets a certain time frame for foreclosures to become finalized commonly referred to as a redemption period. If you're considering investing in foreclosures, it is highly advisable for you to find out if and how this law potentially affects the ownership and possession of the property in your local area. You may think you own the property, when in fact you are a temporary caretaker for a set period of time. Once again, know rhe law! If there is a redemption period, the homeowner could be working out a deal with another investor or attempting to sell the property in some other manner without you even being aware what is happening. This can obviously have a big impact on what you do to the property during the redemption period, even if the property is vacant at the time of the auction. You could find yourself investing in foreclosures, putting money into them, only to lose all of the profit you thought you had coming to you. You are buying real estate foreclosures to make a profit. Act like it and treat it has a business! Many real estate investors look at investing in foreclosures as a sure bet to increase their wealth and or portfolio but fail to realize the potential pitfalls that await them. Knowing what to do as well as what not to do will save you a ton of money and headaches as you progress into the arena of investing in foreclosures. When you finally decide to buy real estate foreclosures, the bottom line is always to make a profit. A good rule of thumb to follow is only consider buying a foreclosure if you stand to make at least a 30% profit no matter what happens. That way, you'll never have to worry whether or not you should make a deal or not. Once you learn your local market for investing in foreclosures, you will find yourself keeping an eye on which properties are headed to foreclosure and how to potentially make potentially high profit deals happen on a regular basis. You will also begin networking and becoming familiar with other investors in your area. Finally, do not do everything yourself, especially if you are just starting out in the business. You should actively seek out someone more experienced than yourself to model. And remember, that education and specialized knowledge are key as well as taking massive action on what you learn along the way will guarantee your success as a pro real estate investor!

IRA on Death, IRD, Taxes and Stretch IRA-How the IRA distribution is dependent upon the IRD

The unpleasant TRIGGER word in the IRS dictionary is "IRD" [I]ncome in [R]espect of a [D]ecedent, Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 691. Income in Respect of a Decedent (IRD) refers to those amounts to which a decedent was entitled as gross income, but which were not properly includable in computing the decedent's taxable income for the taxable year ending with the date of the decedent's death [or] for a previous taxable year under the method of accounting employed by the decedent. Pursuant to Sec. 691, the amount of the IRA distribution is included in the gross income of the beneficiary for the tax year when it is received. Simply stated, the government allowed you to post-pone the tax while you were alive. Now, they want to collect, period. The baby boomer generation needs to understand and master the total significance of IRD, because they have accumulated significant wealth creating Taxable Estates. IRC Sec. 2031 defines and controls the valuation of the decedent's gross estate to include the value of all assets at the time of the decedent's death, real or personal, tangible or intangible, wherever situated. A decedent's estate may include stocks and securities, real estate, business interests, personal effects, annuities, trusts, IRAs, and other qualified plans. Because of the complex calculation of IRD, the IRA can be included in both the estate tax return and the income tax return of the recipient, thus creating the potential 77% tax-trap of double taxation. What's IRD taxable income? In order to determine whether an item of income is IRD, one must first determine how the decedent would have been taxable in his hands under IRC Section 691(a)(3), then he must consider the accounting method that was employed by the decedent. Generally, cash basis taxpayers only include "actual" cash received or constructive receipt (i.e. Interest on a CD) on the decedent's date of death. Regardless of the accounting method employed by the decedent, IRD is subject to income taxes on a current basis when the triggering event occurs, generally the actual receipt of the income by the beneficiary. A thorn on your wealth transfer to your next generation. Rev. Rul. 92-47 holds that a distribution to the "beneficiary of a decedent's IRA" is IRD (Income in Respect of a Decedent) under Sec. 691. Pursuant to Sec. 691, the amount of the IRA distribution is included in the gross income of the beneficiary for the tax year when it is received. However, Sec. 642(c)(2) provides that an estate or a trust shall be allowed a deduction for any amount that is permanently set aside for charitable purposes. Distributions from an IRA are taxable to the recipient. Distributions must begin not later than the required beginning date and continue over the life of the IRA owner [or] over the lives of the IRA owner and a designated beneficiary, IRC Sec. 401(a)(9)(A). There are ways to mitigate this unpleasant result. Implementation of any large IRA plan requires careful attention for the IRS requirements and estate tax considerations. The simplistic catch-all solution being bandied about is the "stretch-IRA." This solution requires "stretching" IRA distributions to a much younger beneficiary other than the owner, i.e., over the life of your grandchild, which is longer than your own. Stretch IRA and Estate Tax Problems Stretch IRAs are okay for those with no estate tax problem. Stretch IRAs do not work for those individuals with estate tax problems. Why does the Stretch IRA not work? Because when the stretch IRA passes to a younger heir, estate taxes are due. If the younger heir receives a $3 million dollar IRA, there would be a $1,500,000 estate tax due. Where is the younger heir going to get $1,500,000 to pay the IRS? The presumption is that the heir will take the $1,500,000 out of the IRA. When the heir takes out $1,500,000 from the stretch IRA, it is taxable income and income taxes are due on that money. This statement is required by IRS regulations (31 CFR Part 10, §10.35): Circular 230 disclaimer: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. Federal tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein To learn more about how to protect your IRA, reduce IRA taxes and have a personal assessment of your portfolio contact Best IRA Rescue. We provide professional services in: precise asset protection systems; tax-ree wealth creation systems; advanced income tax tax-deferred strategies; implementation of tax efficient transfers to your next generation elimination of the probate process; and the elimination of the only voluntary estate tax system.