| December 14th, 2011, Mark Williams In the US, the import and export gap is still a big issue, especially when combined with huge unemployment, slow progress, a foreclosure wave and mounting government debt. Georgia lost a predictable 87,700 jobs and was the 10th worst hit state due to these crises. As per a study by the Economic Policy Institute, in the last decade Georgia lost 2.8 million jobs because of the trade deficit just with China. Nationally, imports have outweighed exports for over three decades. Economists’ reason for the amount of harm the trade gap has caused to the US economy, which includes loss of US manufacturing jobs, little or no developments in the research sector and also unstable growth. Last year Georgia exported more than $28.7 billion worth of US made products but also imported products valued at $60.2 billion according to the Department of Economic Development. To solve this trade gap, economists came up with an idea to sustain and spur the economy called “multiplier effect” where each dollar spent kindles other spending. But if “leakage” happens, termed by economists as spending going overseas, it reduces the impact at home. Example, when consumers take tax cuts and buy televisions made in China or autos made in Germany, leakage takes place. However, if they buy products like this cup holder, which is made in the USA, leakage is minimal. → Read More November 30th, 2011, Mark Williams Receiving regular vitamin B12 injections is done for a number of medical disorders such as vitamin B12 deficiency, diabetes, Lou Gehrig’s disease, cancer, chronic fatigue, AIDS, pernicious anemia, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, sleep disorders, depression, allergies, anorexia nervosa, and other cases where a doctor notes that keeping regular B12 levels in the body will be beneficial. Vitamin B12 can be given in oral form such as capsules and tablets, and it can come in an individual B12 pill, in a combination with the other B vitamins, or as part of a multivitamin package. Taking vitamin B12 injections is a popular and quick remedy, especially for those who tend to skip or forget taking pills on a daily basis, although most doctors will prescribe taking B12 in oral form if the patient’s need for the vitamin doesn’t require large doses. The importance of vitamin B12 in the body is rather numerous, since the vitamin is indispensable for healthy cells, brain and nervous system. Further research has still to be done on their effect as appetite suppressant foods and on helping people lose weight, prevent aging and treat cancer, but it is agreed that vitamin B12 is one of the vital nutrients that human beings need everyday. The necessity of vitamin B12 makes it rather unfortunate that one can get side effects from taking the nutrient in injection form. → Read More November 11th, 2011, Mark Williams Imagine that one day you get a notice in the mail from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) giving you the bad news: YOU ARE BEING AUDITED. You put on a brave face and say, “No problem!” You gather up all the necessary items, meet with the auditor, and say, “Whew! Glad that’s over.” But it ain’t over. You soon get another IRS notice in the mail that says that the IRS has classified your activity not as a business, but as a hobby! “What?! That’s ridiculous!!” you exclaim. Yes, it may be ridiculous, but it happens more than you think. How can you keep this from happening in your business? One critical technique is to start writing a business plan. What is the Purpose of a Business Plan Anyway?
The purpose is quite clear and simple: it proves that you are doing business to make a profit. You aren’t just having fun, playing around, or looking for a way to save on taxes. No, you are in this thing to turn a profit and make a part time or full time income for yourself. 5 Steps to Writing a Business Plan
I was reading the book “Lower Your Taxes – Big Time!” by Sandy Botkin. Botkin is a Certified Public Accountant and former attorney and trainer for the Internal Revenue Service. He says that one of the IRS’s favorite tactics is to classify your business as a hobby – if they can! While he suggests a variety of strategies to prevent this from happening, the first thing he recommends is to develop a business plan. And here are the 5 vital ingredients: 1) Projected estimate income – What volume of sales do you expect?
2) Projected estimated expenses – What expense will be incurred as you generate revenue?
3) Projected estimated profits – How much profit do you expect after subtracting expenses from revenue?
4) A solid basis for the projections – What strategies and marketing will help you achieve steps 1 – 3?
5) Dates spanning 5 to 10 years by which you plan to reach these projections Don’t Make Excuses -Do It Now!
Some might say, “I don’t have any idea how to come up with those kinds of numbers.” Well, try telling that to an IRS agent and still convince him that you are serious about your business! → Read More November 1st, 2011, Mark Williams You must be asking yourself where you can get money. You might be very worried now not knowing where you can get additional funding with the emergency situation you are dealing with. I need money today! That is what is in your head and you might already be thinking of just getting a loan. However, before you apply for a loan, there are some questions you should ask yourself first so that you do not run into problems later. Do I really need to make the purchase now? If you need money because you want to buy something, you need to ask yourself if you really need the item you are thinking of buying or if you just want it. A lot of people often confuse needs and wants. A need is something you absolutely will not be able tom live without like food. On the other hand, a want is something which is not really necessary for your existence, like those high-heeled shoes on your feet. Is it really necessary to get a loan for the item or can you wait longer and save enough money to buy it in cash? If your answer is the latter then refrain from getting that loan. There is really no need to do so. Is there something less expensive than what you want to purchase? Most often, when people buy big ticket items, they often go for the most expensive brand but do you really need to? If there is something more affordable, go for it. Why waste extra dollars when you will be getting the same thing. If you wish to buy a car, do not forget to consider used cards. There are reasonably priced used cars which are still in very good condition. → Read More October 12th, 2011, Mark Williams  New entrepreneurs spend too much time worrying about raising “startup capital” for their business. I realize you have bills to pay and a spouse to comfort, but you need to give serious thought to whether you actually need outside investors to help you start your business. Some Businesses Are Capital Intensive Yes, I can acknowledge that certain businesses (and business models) need big chunks of money to get out of the starting gate. For example: - restaurants
- retail stores
- manufacturing businesses
- sales organizations (that have to pay high upfront commissions)
If you’re planning to get into those kinds of ventures, you probably do need an investor to start the business. But what if you aren’t getting into a capital intensive business? Are You Sure You Need Outside Investment Money? Have you thought through every possible scenario for getting the business off the ground? Could you do any consulting or offer other time-for-money kinds of services that would get some cash in your coffers until your core product gains some traction? I’m convinced that many new entrepreneurs seek investors for purely emotional reasons: 1. They’re freaked out by the idea of “going it alone,” and the idea of taking on an investor makes them feel more secure about the business’s chance of succeeding. 2. Subconsciously, they know that having a big wad of cash in the bank (thanks to the investor) delays the day when they’ll finally have to roll up their sleeves and start knocking on doors – asking prospects to buy their product. 3. They lack confidence in their business concept or product idea, and they’ll feel validated if an investor ponies up some cash to get the product to market. → Read More September 17th, 2011, Mark Williams  In order to determine if downsizing hurts productivity, a case study on the Hampton Fire Department was conducted following its first-ever layoffs in April 2005. Although productivity and morale suffered following the layoffs, there was some uncertainty as to whether this came about because of the downsizing alone or if there was some other cause or contributing factor. For anyone who has been through a layoff, whether personally affected or not, it should come as no big surprise to learn that the study found that downsizing directly affected the productivity of the employees. A survey was conducted as part of the study. Thirty-six fire service personnel who had been working at an organization while it was downsizing took part in the survey. Here are some of the pertinent statistics: - The percentage of respondents who were not very satisfied with their jobs went from 3% to 44% after the layoffs.
- The percent who were very satisfied fell from 72% to 11%.
- Forty-seven percent of those who kept their jobs through the layoffs thought about looking for new jobs elsewhere.
- Eighty-one percent believed that morale was lower as a result of downsizing.
- Seventy-two percent thought that productivity had been negatively impacted.
Losing a job is one of the most stressful things that can happen to a person, so it’s no wonder that employee morale would decrease. Those employees who were not downsized most likely feel like they came close to losing their jobs, and they may still fear that the worst is not over, that more layoffs are yet to come. → Read More September 16th, 2011, Mark Williams  If you’re like me you probably can’t stand the logarithmic chart. Having your stock values all squished together at the top and expanded down low is just very irritating. I also didn’t appreciate length descriptions of how a log curve is calculated. So I won’t bother with that here either. So why bring them up at all? Simple – they easily show you the compounded return of an investment. You know when they say 8% return per year on average for stocks? These charts are set up to show this easily. The power of blue chip stock investing as opposed to say penny stock alerts trading is the compounded growth you get from long-term solid investments, in-fact even Albert Einstein viewed compound interest as the greatest invention in human history. This means that the growth from the previous gains can now grow as well. If a stock is $10 per share and gains 10% it will be worth $1 more per share. If it grows another 10% it won’t be worth $1 more, but $1.10. That’s the true power of compound investing, when done year after year. When charted on a log chart you just draw straight lines at different pitches to see the compounded growth curves. I use these charts after a stock that I like fundamentally (solid earnings growth, good dividend gains, gaining free cash flow, reducing debt) falls in price significantly. I’ll chart the stock on a 20 or 30 year time frame. Then I’ll draw a through the average of the prices that seems to follow the general trend of the chart. This will give you the average Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR). → Read More September 8th, 2011, Mark Williams  Motorists that are under 25 years of age will always tend to find it hard finding a cheap motor insurance quote. The problem is that the cards are always going to be stacked against them, until they gain more experience driving a vehicle and building up their no claims status. Most motor insurers will always penalise young drivers heavy, giving them an expensive premium. The fact is that around 25 percent of young drivers aged under 25 are involved in an accident, plus they are more likely to also have driving convictions on their licence too, for speeding offences. This in the eyes of the insurer is not good and not the kind of policyholder they want as a customer, because they are too much of a risk. The AA car insurance policy could offer you a great deal. Obtain a quote from them and see what they can do. So how can under 25s obtain a cheaper motor insurance quote? Well, first of all they can read some of the following techniques that will help keep the costs down. A proven technique that many motorists use when getting a quote, is to pay more money in excesses. By paying out more money in potential future payments to the insurer when making a claim, it will cause the monthly premium to fall. By increasing it too the highest amount motorists could save around 25 percent. → Read More | Listen to Mike Colliss Interviews |
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