Posts by scol

Posted by May 20, 2018Business, Finance

Ensuring That You Have The Perfect Business Card

A business card should be one of the first things that you get when starting your business. Having a business card allows you to show people your business and give them all your contact information. You can also leave your business cards out at various places to reach everyone that may want to use your services. There are two ways that you can get a business card. You can either do it yourself or hire a company to make the business card for you.

DIY Business Cards

There are many programs online that you can get in order to do your own business cards. These will allow you to create a unique design and put in all of your information. You will be able to control all the aspects that go into the making of your card. However, it can be difficult to come up with a design for your card. You will want something that stands out and attracts people. You will want to make sure that the font is also easy to read and that you include all of your information. You will also want to make sure you proofread everything that you put on your card. Printing out your cards can also be a pain. Your printer may not make them stand out as much and cutting them out can be a real pain. This can take a lot of your time and effort.

Getting your Business Card Designed by Professionals

Instead of dealing with doing your cards yourself, a much better option is to hire a professional company that knows how to do business cards. A professional company can take your information and what you want in a business card and turn that into a design. Once they complete your design, they will send it to you for final approval. They will handle putting everything on your card and when it comes time to print, they will handle the cards and have them cut out for you professionally. You will not have to worry about a thing. You will be able to sit back and wait for your cards that will surely amaze your clients and future clients.

Don’t settle for a bland business card. Get a professionally designed business card that will make you stand out from your competition. Once you have your business cards, remember to pass them out often. Look at places where you can place your business cards and always keep them there.

Posted by April 22, 2018Business, Finance

The Ball and Chain of Big Business Bureaucracy

The business world is full of David and Goliath stories that illustrate how quickly a large, well-resourced company can lose ground to the little guy. Like stereotypical musclebound bodybuilders, big businesses are strong, but they can become inflexible over time and lose the advantages that propelled them to success as startups. Why? Bureaucracy.

You Can Fight City Hall!

The larger a business grows, the more it tends to become ensconced in a cocoon of middle managers who develop policies and procedures that make decision-making tougher than turning the Titanic. While a leadership structure that defines authority is necessary to ensure clear communication and coordinated efforts, hierarchies can become so bloated that the process of making necessary strategic changes is slowed by endless deliberation and the need for too many people to reach a consensus.

There’s no doubt that government regulation and labor issues encourage an environment in which rules reign, but the larger management grows, the more self-perpetuating it becomes as risk-averse department heads seek to validate their positions by creating ever more policies that undermine the need to adapt and curb the enthusiasm of talented staff.

Create a Yes Culture

Today’s consumers are savvy. They don’t take no for an answer and if a business won’t meet their needs, they’ll find one that will. Start-ups with nothing to lose and the will and flexibility to make things happen are finding unprecedented ways to say yes. They’re wowing customers with attention, great service and a demonstrable appreciation for their business.

In large companies, customers and decision-makers are often insulated from each other by layers of management and a plethora of rules that force employees to eliminate every reason to say no before finding ways to say yes. Customers feel like they’re invisible and unappreciated.

Never Stop looking Forward

Corporate culture is notorious for suffocating innovation because it’s risky and threatens the status quo. As many top-level managers put it (see The Deal – August 2016 – Lowy), while start-ups are busy looking for new ways to gain an edge, big business is often satisfied doing things the way they always have.

Bureaucracy in a large company incentivizes employees to resist change. The accountability processes created to ensure repeatable and profitable results can put the need to innovate on the back burner as creative staff works on the premise that avoiding risk and maintaining existing profits is more important than developing cutting edge ideas.

This mentality is often conveyed to employees unwittingly by members of management who measure staff performance by comparing quarter to quarter profits instead of looking at the big picture. When maintaining gains over a three month period seems like the singular goal, even the most talented staff will develop tunnel vision.

Big business tends to lose operational and strategic flexibility over time simply because it takes longer to turn an ocean liner than a row boat. But, avoiding the bureaucratic traps that slow decision-making, make a business less responsive to customers and stifle innovation is a must for growth in a market that thrives on constant change.

Posted by January 23, 2018Finance

Find out how you can get a personal loan

At some point in life everyone will find themselves in a place where they may need a little extra money to take care of things. This is the reality for the working class. Emergencies like car repairs and home improvement issues will often play a part in the type of loans that people need when it comes to getting things done.

How to Get a Personal Loan

There are going to be a lot of people that are able to benefit from personal loans, but first people need to know how they can go about acquiring these personal loans for their personal needs.

One thing that people realize early is that personal loans are designed to help people that have needs for small amounts. This means that someone that is trying to get a personal loan should not expect get a loan that is in a six-figure range. That is really the first step to getting a personal loans. You need to have realistic expectations for what you’re trying to do.

Knowing your credit score

Another thing that you must be mindful of when you are getting a personal loan is your credit score. Since you are applying for a loan for yourself the credit score is definitely going to come into play. You need to have a good idea of just how high or how low your credit score is. This is really going to have a big effect on what you are borrowing.

If you believe that your credit score is questionable you should get a credit report. If it is really low you should work on trying to repair your credit long before you acquire the loan. This is going to help you out in different ways. Initially, it is going to help you gain more confidence in getting the loan because you have a better repayment history. The next thing that it is going to do is play a part in the interest rate that you have for the loan. These are all things that you need to consider when it comes to getting a loan. People that need a loan will certainly benefit from having a good credit score.

Check Multiple Sources

There are a ton of ways for people to get personal loans, but people really need to consider all the sources that are available times you will have to move beyond the traditional bank because it may be easier to acquire a payday loan with a loan company that allows you to get the money without a lot of checking in to your credit scores.

There are online resources (https://financedistrict.co.nz/loans/personal-loans-no-bad-credit-check/) for getting a loan as well. Sometimes people may need to look at multiple sources if they want to acquire multiple loans for different things. There certainly are resources out there, but the best thing that a person can probably do is talk to a loan officer about what they need when it comes to getting a loan. They would definitely need a pay stub to verify pay.

Posted by October 2, 2017Finance, Investment Options

So you are looking to sell your house?

So the time has come for you to sell your home but you have no idea what you should do. There are so many factors that are out there to consider it can be terrifying and challenging.

Luckily though we have taken the liberty to outline a few pieces of advice that can better help you make the correct decisions and thus help you get the best price you can get and a fast house sale. After all that you are selling is not just a simple item, this is a home.

Sell at the right price

What many people who decide to sell their homes to sell their home at a cost that doesn’t meet the actual home value. What does this mean, many people, who are wanting to sell their home, private their home at an undervalued price?

It is important that when you sell your home that you sell it at a cost that is worth the value of the home. Price your home at its appropriate value. Understand that there will be many people who want to buy your home and people will go beyond the recommended price.

Do not be scared to price your home for what it is. You are offering a home here.A place where a family can gather together. This is something special.

 

Make sure your closets and cabinets are empty

This may sound somewhat useless, but you would be surprised how closets that are full or cabinets that are stocked can make a person feel turned off. Imagine if you will visiting a dentist office to get your tooth pulled out at the dentist office are old products and items scattered around the room.

What you are selling here is your home. You have to make sure the house is clean and tidy. Keep the appearance up, and you will be able to sell the house. Nobody will want to see your old hammy downs.

Take your possessions down

When selling your house, you have to remember that you are leaving your home. What does this mean? Pictures of old residents and family members can make the house you are trying to sell a home that someone else is stealing.

Even more so, nobody wants to hear that your mother lived in this house all her life and died in that room. As graphic as this may sound, this will have, unexpectedly, the wrong thoughts in a person mind.

The home you are giving way must always be meant to serve as just that, a home. Make sure that you can make the house feel welcoming and that the family that is looking is also willing to buy.

Final Thoughts

Selling a home can be an exhilarating experience. Letting go of such an excellent valued possession is never easy, but it can be fascinating and gratifying knowing that you have given your home to someone else who will love and cherish it as much as you did.

Your home is an extension of you and your family to make sure that you have dressed it up appropriately. Happy selling everyone.

Posted by September 22, 2017Finance, Investment Options

Not sure what a surety bond is or why a particular construction company would use one? Find it out now.

If you are about to hire a construction company for a job, you may have heard that you should also make sure the company you hire has a surety bond.

Not sure what a surety bond is or why a particular construction company would use one?

If so, here is a quick explanation of the role of a surety bond as well as why a good construction company should never start a new job without one.

What are surety bonds? — This is an assurance that the company putting up the surety bond, usually an insurance company, believes the construction company you are going to hire is not only capable of doing the job but will also complete it in the time needed.

If this does not happen, the construction company collapses mid-way through the project or cannot complete it anywhere near the time you need, then the company issuing the surety bond pays for the completion of the project or the damages you have incurred.

Why do construction companies use surety bonds? — Most construction companies that use them do so because it gives the company a lot more legitimacy.

After all, with so many construction companies going bankrupt mid-way through jobs or not being able to complete them in the time needed, if a company has a surety bond it makes the would-be client much happier about hiring them.

With a surety bond, the construction company is also less likely to go bankrupt and more likely to complete the job on time and within the budget.

This is because, in order to be able to get a surety bond, most insurance companies ask for indemnification from the owner of the construction company. Once indemnification has been handed over, the company’s owner does not want to lose it so will do everything in his power to make sure the job is completed and under the specifications you wanted.

How can a surety company prevent a job from not being completed? — Another wonderful thing about a construction company with a surety bond is that the insurance company does not want anything bad to happen with the job either. If it does, they can lose a huge amount of money on a failed construction project.

So, if they do feel like the job has a chance of collapsing or the construction company going bankrupt, they will sometimes offer technical help to them to try to get them back on track.

If that does not work, they may send a construction manager to try to rein in the project and get it back in track. If all else fails, then an insurance company may even offer financial help as an incentive for the construction firm to finish the job.

What happens if the job or the construction company does collapse? — If the firm you have hired does go bankrupt or has problems completing your construction project, you should contact the insurance company that issued the surety bond.

They will then make sure the job gets completed in the manner that was first agreed upon.

Posted by September 1, 2017Finance

What is settlement risk and how can you make sure yours is limited?

If you are about to sign a contract with someone where foreign currency exchange is involved, you may be being told by a financial adviser that you need to look at the settlement risk of the agreement before you sign.

If you are not sure what settlement risk is, that can make signing the agreement a little more frustrating or confusing. Do not worry, though. Settlement risk is actually quite easy to explain and, if you believe you may be subjected to it, there is something you can do to limit that outcome.

What is settlement risk? — This is the idea that when you enter into a contract with someone, there is going to be a risk that at the end of the contract the settlement does not happen as agreed upon.

That can mean the person agreeing to pay you a certain amount does not pay or, if they do, they pay much later than agreed. When a late payment occurs, that can force you to extend credit to them you do not want to extend, or to be short of money yourself.

So how do you limit your settlement risk to ensure it does not happen?

Why is settlement risk the most dangerous when it comes to foreign currency exchange? — You are being warned about settlement risk as you are entering into an agreement that involves foreign currency exchange. The most risky of things when it comes to settlement risk.

Why is settlement risk so risky here? That is because if you hold up your end of the bargain and pay the money you are supposed to pay at the end of the contract, the money you pay will then be converted to the other person’s currency.

If they do not pay you the money they owe you in their currency, however, they get to keep the money you paid as it has already been exchanged but you do not get yours. This happens often when foreign currency exchange is involved as part of a contract.

What to do to lessen your settlement risk — There are many different financial services solutions that deal with settlement risk. For example, an easy solution, if you can get the other party to agree, is to send your payment through a bank that deals with settlement risk in particular.

This type of bank is set up so that payment is done in a different way than with a regular bank.

You pay the money you owe the other person as part of the agreed upon deal, and you pay it into that particular bank. The bank holds your money and does not pay out to the other person until their money is also in the bank. Both currencies are then exchanged at the same time and each person gets their money.

If the other person does not pay into the bank the amount of money they owe, then they do not get your money transferred into their currency. The money is then returned to you so that you do not lose that as well as the money that was not paid by the other person.

Posted by June 19, 2017Finance, Investment Options, Trading

Are There Legitimate HYIPs?

What are HYIP’s?

Before you can talk about whether HYIPs are legitimate or not, you need to first understand what it is. The acronym HYIP stands for, high yield investment program. A typical HYIP program will offer around one percent returns on investment, per day. In most cases, this type of program will be set up using a website, that may not be clear as to how exactly your money will be invested. Vagueness on the details is usually a hallmark of HYIPs. This is why you should be very careful, and do your due diligence before even considering investing in an HYIP. In a nutshell, an HYIP is just a fancy term for a pyramid scheme.

Of Pyramids and Investors

For those of you who do not know what a pyramid scheme is, the mechanics of it are quite simple. First, the investment “opportunity” is brought forward by a small group of people, or sometimes by a single person. Then, whoever joins the business will be required to bring more people to join them. Each subsequent enlistee will be placed under the person who brought them in. Everyone who joins the program after the first person will be required to pay a fee to the immediate person above them and so on and so forth until it trickles up to the person on top. Therefore, the earlier you join, the higher up you will be on the food chain, and the more money you will make. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that such a scheme not only can’t sustain itself for long, but the people who joined towards the end (most of them) will lose money.

Keeping it Legit

Are HYIP’s legal? Well, that depends on how you look at it. All HYIP’s are pyramid schemes, but not all pyramid schemes are not illegal. This has to do with fraud. If an HYIP is committing fraud, then it doesn’t matter what business they are in, it is illegal. They could be feeding the poor and tending to the sick, it won’t matter because fraud equals illegal. There have been legitimate businesses based on the pyramid scheme model for quite some time, even now.

But even in those cases, they are involved in a specific business, such as selling consumer goods like food or detergents and are not going around promising the moon to its investors, based on nothing. The difference is that a legitimate pyramid scheme is not only promising fairly high ROI, but they require people who join to sell products, from which a portion of profits moves upwards as seen in pyramid schemes. This is what makes them legal. In other words, it’s not just about pushing money up to the next person, which is what most HYIPs are.

How to Spot a Red Herring

First of all, use a monitoring website, like HYIP to check if a program is a scam, or actually paying. Before considering an HYIP there are a few things to look into. If an address is given make absolutely sure it is legit. Giving fake addresses is a common ploy of fake HYIP’s. See if they have any type of certification. If they do, make sure it is for real. In some countries, it is possible for anyone to purchase a certificate of incorporation for a small fee. Look for phone numbers, if one is provided, give them a call and ask them to give as much info about their company as possible.

Posted by June 6, 2017Finance, Investment Options, Trading

Trend Following is the Key to Success in Trading

Trendy Success and Trend Following in Trading

The boom in trading in global markets can be attributed to savvy traders who understand the concepts that create success. It would seem almost inevitable that traders would seek trends in B2B and B2C ventures that offer the ripple effect of increased revenue.

The markets consist of bear, bull and black swan trading, many of which include trend strategies that help to make trading rules more malleable to the needs of businesses and investors. This is true even in the more unpredictable black swan markets.

Trading philosophy allows markets and traders to participate in and dictate specificity of trades. Trend following requires a keen eye for seemingly superficial and insignificant changes and the ability to modulate these changes into increased revenue.

Trend Following and Investment Trading

The most successful financial traders are those who possess an innate sense of trend following. Knowing where to invest is part of trend following. Timing of trends also plays a key role in successful trading.

One major recommendation is to focus on trading habits of successful traders with longevity. For example, the world knows when Warren Buffet picks up on a trend, his investment savvy and prior successes are reliably astute. His trading prowess is substantiated by the constant reference to him as “The Oracle of Omaha.” His trading philosophy is based on the British born, Benjamin Graham, known in the trading world as, “The Father of Value Investing.”

In value investing, the basic philosophy espoused by Graham and followed by Buffet is to “look for securities with prices that are unjustifiably low based on their intrinsic worth.”

However, in value investing, trading trends are deeply embedded due to the fact that purchased securities may be underpriced, but have undergone basic analysis and various forms since these securities were first offered as IPOs.

The Basics of Trend Following in Trading

To fully understand the importance of trend following, it is necessary to study trend following habits of those who enjoy lower risk and higher ROI. For trend following experts in trading, lower risk and higher ROI is accomplished mainly through combining several features:

. People

. Trend systems

. Incontrovertible trading data

. Risk Analysis

People “watches” contribute to the success of trend following. People are investors who determine the ups or downs of global markets through buying and selling of various types of investments. For example, when investors suddenly begin to purchase stock in precious metals like gold, silver and copper, the trend following experts look for the reasons for these upsurges. If, on the other hand, stocks in oil suddenly begin to dip, this too requires study of the issues impacting the drop in market trading.

Trend Following in Global Markets

Stock exchanges are a good place to follow trends in trading. What many investors do is take a consortium view of international stock exchanges daily trading trends.

It may also be a good idea to take a consortium view of today’s trading experts. By following trends in international stock exchanges and trading experts, trend following is the key to success in trading.

Posted by April 24, 2017Finance

5 Tips for Using a Credit Card

Credit cards are a useful tool for both establishing credit and having emergency funds. Unfortunately, it’s easy to get caught up in unnecessary spending, which can rack up debt quickly. Use these 5 tips for using a credit card to enjoy the benefits for years to come.

 

Avoid Using Credit Cards for Cash Advances

While the available funds can often be handy, using your credit card at the ATM is significantly more expensive than using your card directly. In many cases, not only do you pay interest on the cash you withdraw, but you’ll most likely pay an ATM fee as well. These withdrawals can add up quickly, and have you paying far more for cash than just your card’s interest rate.

 

Pay off Your Balance Whenever Possible

At the end of each payment cycle, usually 30 days, the interest of your balance is applied. If you pay off your balance in full each month, there is no interest to be applied. This not only gives you a stellar credit rating, but allows you to have the credit card balance available to you in times of emergency.

 

Limit Your Use of a Credit Card

If you’re establishing or re-building your credit, limiting your purchases is a great way to keep the card in good standing. Consider using your card for necessities like gas or your cell phone bill. This keeps your balance rotating. At all costs, you should avoid using a credit card to treat yourself. Buying TV’s, computers and other expensive items that you wouldn’t be able to normally afford can leave you strapped when it’s time to pay the bill. The end result is interest fees that make your purchase even more expensive than originally presumed.

 

Try to Keep Your Balance at Less than 40% of Your Credit Limit

Credit bureaus looks at several factors to determine your credit score. The ability to consistently make payments and keep your balance low is one of the easiest ways to establish or improve your credit. Ideally, the major credit bureaus recommend that you keep your balance to 30-40% of your total available credit.

 

Always Keep Tabs on Your Account

The convenience of automatic payments is one that can cause us to lose sight of our account security. If your card number is stolen or ripped off a card reader, failure to keep an eye on your account could mean months before you see any issues. By the time you notice credit card fraud, it may be too late to report it to your credit card company. Check your card account with your banking institution at least once per week to maintain a vigil eye on the activity and prevent fraudsters from ruining your well-established credit.

 

A credit card should, under no circumstances, be considered “free money”. Not paying your credit card can leave you with more debt than expected, as well as relentless calls from collection agencies. Use a card wisely and you’ll find that you’ll have a higher balance available, and a credit score that sets you up for future decisions like automotive and home purchases.

Posted by December 13, 2016Finance, Investment Options, Trading

Trends in Forex Trading

Trends in forex trading are a very simple forex strategy that helps the traders to estimate the price movements of a currency pair. It helps in estimating appropriate entry and exit points for a currency pair. Trend trading is being used by the forex traders at all levels for successful trades.
When you collect all the data points from the past and plot them into the chart, you start seeing a direction in which the currency prices are heading towards. This is called the trend in forex which lets you estimate the prices of currency in the future based on the analysis of past currency movements.

Types of the trend:

There are basically three types of trends that are seen in the forex market, i.e. uptrend, downtrend, and sideways/horizontal trend.

Uptrend: It is a series of the escalating highs and lows. In an uptrend, each successive low must not fall below the last lowest point. Otherwise, it is considered a reversal;

Downtrend: it is a series of the descending highs and lows;

Sideways/Horizontal trend: It occurs when there is very less movement up and down in the peaks and troughs. Some experts believe that is rather not a trend since it does not show any direction or movement.

Apart from the type of trend based on direction, it can be a long-term trend, or an intermediate trend, or a short-term trend.  The long-term and intermediate trend is a collection of various short-term trends.

Trendlines:

Trendlines are the lines which are used to define the trend in a currency pair. It is basically a charting technique. It is trendline only that helps us to identify the trend accurately, especially in the case of reversals, trendlines are helpful for easy identification. Trendlines help the traders to successfully estimates the points at which the currency pair shall move upwards or downwards.

There are many benefits of trend trading in forex. But, you need to learn how to identify and understand trends to take profitable decisions instead of losing money by investing against the trends. Trend trading helps you escape out a bad trading strategy only if you study the trends accurately. Moreover, studying trends in different currency pair help you identify currencies with better pips available. Trade in currency pair that has strongest trends to earn more profit. That’s the reason trend trading is so popular.

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