Countless people fall victim to the idea that they’ll finally retire by starting a website that will earn them thousands of dollars each night as they sleep. You’ve probably seen the infomercials: Buy real estate for pennies on the dollar. Property flipping with no risk. eBay Millions in Minutes. Make money while you sleep. Turn … Read more
We are currently in the midst of the worst recession most of us have ever lived through, so I thought it would be a good time to discuss money’s role in marriages. I would love to just pretend money has no role in marriage, but I’d have to be pretty blind to act like that … Read more
Have you seen that Geico commercial where a Humphrey Bogart wannabe asks the audience, “Can switching to Geico really save you 15 percent or more on car insurance?” He then asks the question, “Do people use smartphones to do dumb things?” Obviously the correct answer is, “Yes.” So the next scene shows three nerdy guys … Read more
I’ve been writing about Netflix an awful lot lately, but it’s only because Netflix CEO Reed Hastings keeps doing things that they later need to apologize for. In case you’ve missed any of the news, here is a quick timeline of what happened: September 2010: Reed Hastings says Americans are self-absorbed and ignorant of Canadian … Read more
Once you have decided to invest in property, a long and complex process is in the making. The services of a reputable real-estate agent will make the process easier. Real-estate agents offer many services to their clients including many for free. Finding a suitable mortgage is paramount when buying property and the use of a … Read more
Are you an artistically gifted person? Are you good with your hands, paint, thread, scissors, or any other crafting tools? Then earning money online may have just gotten easier for you. For those who don’t already know, Etsy is an online marketplace for handmade goods, and vintage items. Before you start thinking “it’s the eBay … Read more
Your customer is angry because someone dropped the ball. Whether it was you, your wife, your employee, or your dog, it doesn’t matter; all that matters is the customer is upset. What questions will you be asking yourself? What’s going to happen next? Will they tarnish my Better Business Bureau rating? Was it bad enough … Read more
If you are a business owner, or you are starting a business, then you will undoubtedly face the dilemma of firing an employee. There are a million reasons to fire an employee, and about a million ways to perform this bitter task. Today, we are talking about firing employees improperly. Naturally, you probably think I’m … Read more
Yesterday, I purchased 3 coupons on Restaurant.com for a local pizzeria. They were $25.00 coupons that were purchased for $10 and I got an additional discount through my company. The coupons have a $35.00 minimum purchase, and last night, I had an interesting experience trying to use them. My expectations were simple: go to the … Read more
The DOW has had a lovely run this week so far, but it’s been a roller coaster ride since the year 2000. You had the dot com bubble burst in 2000, you had the terrible events of 9/11, you had the subprime mortgage crisis in 2007-2008, and we’re still limping from that. On top of … Read more
I love different perspectives on things. I’m always trying to provide a different perspective on finance because it makes things interesting and it makes learning easier, at least for me. A few months back, I picked up this book Weird by Craig Groeschel on a whim, and I’m very happy that I did. This might … Read more
Last time, I posted a satire about how Netflix should charge double for their services. On that same day, Reed Hastings, the Netflix CEO, sent out an apology trying to justify the price increase. He began discussing cost structures and other concepts that the majority of readers can’t truly understand or appreciate because we don’t … Read more
Please note: this is a complete satire. There is a lot of uproar lately about Netflix’s price increase. People got comfortable paying $8.00 a month, and it was raised to $9.00 a month last year. Beginning in September, the Netflix price increased by separating their DVD and streaming services and charging about $16.00 for the … Read more
If you do any research into starting a business, you’re guaranteed to come across the phrase “finding a niche” somewhere. A niche is a specialization, it basically means finding your place in the market. There are many products that serve many different market segments, and this is because of market fragmentation. What is market fragmentation? … Read more
Recently, I attended a SCORE.org Business Planning webinar and thought it might be beneficial to provide a bit of an overview for you. If you feel this might be a webinar you would like to take, then there will be a link for it at the bottom of this article. The first point tackled in … Read more
Last time, we wrote about “What to do when your business is failing“, and we discussed tactics such as: Efficiency Management Volunteers and Interns Product Line and Marketing Your Product. Those are excellent areas to improve your existing business, but planning can help prevent a mid-business crisis. Surely, you’ve probably heard of a business plan, … Read more
So your business could be doing better, right? People cite many reasons for their business doing badly such as: Bad Economy Lazy Partners Political Climate And just about any other thing they can come up with. In short, it is someone-else’s fault. Sometimes, I feel bad for “someone-else” because it seems like he is always … Read more
If you’ve ever worked for a corporation, then I’m sure you’ve heard of “Corporate Stability.” Corporate stability, in the context that we are discussing, refers to how comfy, cushy, and stable your corporate job is. Corporate stability is largely a myth perpetuated by fear. Decades back, I’m sure it was a real thing, but anyone … Read more
With everyone scrambling to find employment, it seems important that I continue my posts on employment. If you’ve missed any of them be sure to read: 30 Days and You’re Fired! Burning Bridges Today, we’re talking about what your Take Home Hourly Wage (your real hourly wage) is. You have an hourly wage, everyone does. Even … Read more
Recently, I saw a tweet mentioning that a certain person had 30 days to find a new job or they were most likely going to be fired! It seems extremely harsh, but it’s also far better than being let go on the spot. Without getting into the politics of who probably did what, I want … Read more
I’ve written several times about the importance of networking, and how networking can make the difference between standing in a checkout line or a soup line. Today, we’re going to talk about a slightly different aspect which falls into the arena of maintaining that network. A network is a group of people who make up your … Read more