5 Things to Know Before Investing in a Small Business

With the economy steadily recovering after the great recession, small businesses are experiencing a renaissance. While that's great for innovation, it can also be difficult to weed out the good business opportunities from the bad ones. 

With that in mind, this guide is designed to help new investors figure out what the most important factors are in making a business decision. 

Is the Business Idea Sustainable?

With the app craze currently taking Silicon Valley by storm, it's easy to get caught up in trend markets. Unfortunately, trends disappear as quickly as they come, and it can be difficult for a business to establish itself in time to truly capitalize on them. 

If you're considering investing in such a market, it might be a good idea to look at comparable businesses and see how long it took for them to establish themselves. 

Research the Structure

It's no secret that small businesses can be a risky prospect for investors. The Small Business Administration estimates that roughly fifty percent of all new small businesses fail within their first year. 

While investing early can certainly be rewarding, it also pays to understand exactly how the business plans to turn a profit. Going back to the restaurant example, if you plan to invest in a friend or relative's restaurant idea, make sure you've taken the necessary legal steps to make any deal official. 

Social bonds may be strong, but a legally binding contract is even stronger. 

Returns

Assuming the business is successful, when will you see returns? Investors that have a specific amount of time in mind before they expect to be paid should consider investing via a loan instead. 

Know the Operating Costs

One of the most important factors to consider when investing in a business is how much money it costs to maintain on a daily basis. For small businesses that are just starting out, it's also important to consider how money is being spent to establish the brand. 

For example, if a restaurant is spending money on extravagant furniture and furnishings, instead of cutting costs through suppliers like Budget Restaurant Supply, this should be a red flag for investors. 

Exit Strategy

Even if the business is successful, it's not uncommon for investors to have to wait several years before they can start seeing a return on their investment. 

Not only should an investor have an official exit strategy laid out in their investment, they should also expect to not see any kind of reliable returns for at least five years. If that's too long, then it might be best to consider holding off on the investment.

While this is by no means an exhaustive list of everything an investor should consider, it should serve as an effective baseline from which to study additional details further. 

With these five tips, you should be familiar with some of the most common failures of novice investors, and be able to tell the difference between a good prospective startup and a bad one.

The Best Mother’s Day Freebies and Deals for 2016

Mothers Day is just a few days away. So as to celebrate mom restaurants are offering discounts and specials to show mom just how much she is loved.

We already know mom is the real deal on Mother’s Day (and every day). Restaurants and other venues do, too. And that’s why every year they fire up bargains for you to share with the moms in your life.

Here’s what we found so far. More freebies and deals will be announced as we edge closer to Mother’s Day, which is May 8 (yes, it is earlier than last year). As always, we caution to check with your restaurant of choice to make sure it is participating in the Mother’s Day deal this year. We’ll update this list as the week progresses.

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, the nationwide chain of sports pubs, is offering moms a free Mother’s Day meal with the purchase of a meal of equal or greater value. Dine-in only.

Eat at a Bob Evans on Mother’s Day and moms will score a voucher for free coffee that’s good for up to four visits.

Chicken Salad Chick, the Alabama chain with 52 restaurants mostly in the South, launches Mother's Day weekend Friday with a free scoop of its signature Classic Carol chicken salad to all moms.

Fogo de Chao is offering moms who dine at one of its Brazilian steakhouses on Mother’s Day a dining card good for a complimentary lunch or dinner on her next visit.

Hurricane Grill & Wings is giving away free dessert to moms on Mother’s Day with the purchase of an entrée.

McCormick & Schmick’s restaurants are once again honoring moms with a free chocolate-covered strawberry with brunch on Mother’s Day.

Dine at Spaghetti Warehouse on Mother’s Day and mom will receive a free lasagna or spaghetti dish on her next visit.

5 Ways to Make Your Money Work for You

In an individual’s life, it’s important to utilize money to work to your benefit. It can make things easier in the long term and help in living a more content life. We will talk about 5 ways you can make your money work for you, from investing, to saving and yes, even to using credit cards.

Utilize Credit Cards with Useful Rewards Programs

Sure, financial advice is usually anti-credit cards, but done correctly, they can offer benefits. 

Sign up for one that provides you with rewards that are of interest to you, such as airline miles if you are an avid traveler, and then pay some of your monthly bills/expenses with the card. You must pay off your balance every month, though, for this strategy to work.

Don’t Give up Free Retirement Money

If you are employed by a company that matches a portion of what you contribute to your 401(k), you should at minimum contribute up to the maximum amount they match. That match is essentially free money. 

Or think of it another way, if your company matches ½ of what you contribute, that’s an immediate 50% return on your regular contributions, which blows away the average market returns.

Invest

Put some recurring money into the markets. You don’t even need to study the stock market to have success over the long term. Over many years, regular investments into an index fund will do well for you. 

By steadily putting money in and even buying on the dips, you’ll be ahead of most people. A useful tool is an online investment growth calculator found on many banking websites.

Budget

If you have no idea how much money you’re spending each month, chances are you are wasting a lot of money. Every little bit truly adds up. Take 60 days and keep a log of everything (and I mean everything) you spend each day. 

At the end of that 60 days, you’ll immediately find ways to save. You’ll likely be able to make larger, smarter purchases that save money in the long run.

Eliminate Debt

If you are carrying balances on credit cards, the interest rate is likely pretty high. This is a lot of money being thrown away that could be used to work for you in a positive way.

Bottom Line

As you can see, there are many ways to get your money working on your side. Give some or all of them a try and get the ball rolling on the better piece of mind that financial stability can bring you.

A Guide for Wealth Planning in Retirement

Wealth planning in other word means succession planning. It is a way of structuring your wealth today and preserving it for your family till your next generation. 

With the high market standard and it is important that you build an empire for your children to cherish the beauty of it.

Planning is Key

Planning includes preserving your wealth, optimising your tax, estate planning, your property planning which relates to the capital all over the world. 

There are numerous ways that your possessions would be in trouble if not planned well. The affects of the same will not only be faced by you but by the next generation as well. It is believed that wealth is mostly generated by one generation and the fruits of the same are cherished by the next three or more generation. 

If it is not planned well or is planned incomplete may get jeopardized with the passing time and year. 

Protect Your Family

You need to protect your succession, the potential threat to your assets would be a dispute by a family member and the assets get divided among the member as a result the property owner’s increase with the less assets available with individual. 

The other threat would be death of the family member or the property owner and further division of the valuable assets to the member of the family & close relatives. 

It is advisable that all the wealthy family's should have a proper plan for their assets and secure the capital and family for being threaten with the unwanted issues.

How it works?

1. A smart budgeting of the assets or a property the individual holds.
2. Defining the goal and implementing the strategy to secure.
3. Referring and analysing the different plans and a way to take necessary action for saving. 
4. Identifying the plan and strategically making the investment of the current property to multiply the same with due course of time. 

In the above cases a professional advice for a wealth management will be like a saviour and expert like David Barcomb who has been in the field for 20+ years will provide a right solution and a guide to wealth management. 

The subject is complex in its way but he being the subject matter expert advice that are bespoke to you. The unclear picture about finance and property will be structured with an accurate wealth planning, with an additional gain in the existing asset.

Not many people believe in saving and securing the wealth. The wealth management plans grabs attention with the high return on investment as a result it attract number of wealthy family to be a part of it.