Why Your Business Needs To Be Online

Almost everyone in the developed world owns or has access to a computer that is connected to the internet. As such, it is incredibly important that your business is accessible by these people.

But what are the main reasons that your company should have an online presence? Read below to find out.

Clear and visible

Chances are the internet will be the first place many potential customers become aware of your business. If they do not like what they see then it doesn’t matter how good a product or service is. Within reason, of course.

It is true that many people will garner their opinion of your company on your website and will decide whether or not they want to use you. With a clear website that explains what your company is and does everything a customer needs you can become a leader in your field.

Brand and marketing

Potential customers will be far more likely to choose your company over a competitor if they are aware of you. Your company probably has a brand that you operate but if this is not clear to visitors and those who have never used you before then they will be wary.

By being online you have the chance to put your brand to your product or service and use your website as a hub for new customers to find you. Your brand also links in to your marketing: if you use your site to advertise your products without being pushy you will start to be trusted.

Online accounting

Being online is not just important for customers to see, but also for internal needs. Nowadays, all your payroll and accounting needs can be done online using online accountancy software.

They are all slightly different but essentially help you or your accounting team manage staff pay and company accounts. There are various levels for different company sizes but are well worth looking at to streamline monthly payments.

Be interactive

Social media that links in with your brand identity is a great way to get your business or service discussed. You can also direct the flow of the interaction with a well-placed comment or competition.

Not only does this increase your identity and presence but by being on Twitter and Facebook you can also learn things about your customers and tweak your services according to your audience’s demographic.

Interactivity is infectious and you will find that people start to talk about it even more.

Finding business

Being online also helps you to reach out further than your local area, while also trying to get the monopoly of those living nearby. People will search online so with good SEO and a well planned website you could get near the top of the search rankings.

That is when people will click on you and find you. Having local customers is important, but branching out will help your company expand.

Sources for client reference:

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/reasons-small-business-needs-online-presence-27742.html

The Importance of Personal Finance Budgeting

Budget (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

The principles of a sound wealth building system all require the foundation built on personal finance fixus. Solid and consistent budgeting is one of the laws of personal finance that you break at your own expense. Finance is often made more complex than it needs to be, and proper personal finance budgeting to build wealth need not be stressful. Simply by following a few simple basic rules of personal finance your budgeting will not only get you back on financial track but begin the process of wealth creation that we all deserve The cost of not following your money, and knowing how your money flows in and out of your possession is dear, and a very common mistake. But, what are the principles of successful budgeting.

The first principle of personal finance budgeting that comes before any dreaded calculations or budget sheet assessment is to remove all the emotion from your finances. This is the hardest and most important of the personal finance budgeting secrets to be revealed. If you find yourself wracked with debt anxiety, overwhelmed by countless financial obligations, or just simply hate counting bills and income, you are not alone. Removing the emotion from your personal finance budgeting will be a work in progress, and you should always remain on guard for its returning. But it is an essential and important to take effort to remove any emotion from this process. You are simply counting numbers,, to paint a map of where you are now, and to measure progress towards your wealth destination. Personal financial budget is a key component of building wealth. It allows you to quickly and stress free, debt repayment, college, regularly, so you can enjoy an early retirement and residential investment can Are you adequately budget, you can easily come and how much you can afford to spend money to know exactly how to go about your life, if you can.

The next step to when personal finance budgeting will be to compile a list of both your assets and your liabilities. With this step in the budgeting process we are trying to evaluate your net worth. With this information you can now make wiser decisions and streamline your finances, all with the help of a little personal finance budgeting each month. You simply need to make a list of what you own, assign each item a number as to what it could be sold for, or its current worth, and subtract from this list what you owe. For example, if you own a boat that can be sold for $1500 and you still owe $750 you would be left with a value of $750 that could be considered a part of your net worth. By determining these numbers in personal finance budgeting we are able to a better idea in the broad sense of what you are worth financially. Boring personal finance budget can guess, most people do not like the numbers work, but it's really simple. I have a budget, sometimes every other week, maybe 10 minutes a week, I had the hard way.

Following the determination of your net worth, our next budgeting step is to determine what your dynamic finances are. This sounds more complicated than it is, I am only asking that you make a list of what your monthly income sources are and how much you bring in each month from these income streams. Your budget provides you with a clear understanding of where your money is and how it is flowing. We then need to compile a list of your monthly expenses, what they are and how much the subtract from your monthly income. Proper budgeting your personal finances means leaving no expense or item off the list, no matter how small, account for everything. This budgeting task reveals to us the speed that you are travelling with your finances, either to financial ruin or towards your wealth building destination.

Estate Planning: The Four Vital Steps To Take With Your Assets

A well maintained portfolio is vital to any investor's success in today's marketplace. You need to know how to figure out an asset allocation. The asset allocation needs to match your personal investment strategies and goals. Your portfolio needs to meet your future needs for funds. It needs to give you peace of mind as well. These portfolios can be set to your investment strategies and goals. You should take an organized approach.

Figuring Out The Appropriate Asset Allocation For You

The first chore in building a portfolio is to work out your individual financial situation as well as investment goals. There are significant items to consider that will ultimately help you decide which direction to take and the vehiclet that will get you there. You should consider the amount of time you have to develop your investments. By defining the time sensitivity of your goals will help you calculate the amount given and how many years it will take to get there. Once that is listed you will also need to determine the amount that you will need to be satisfied. Caclulate your age, living standards and who is dependent on you. This setting of goals will help you determine what strategies to take.

Investment Strategies

An older person close to retirement has different investment strategies than a younger person that is just starting out. Investment strategies can vary from person to person. You also need to factor in your risk tolerance and personality. If your investment takes a short term drop and you begin to stress out about it, then the high returns from those types of assets are not worth the stress. Another factor you should look at is the trusts that need to be made. If you have several people that are dependent or that you want to have your money when you are gone you need to decide what type of trusts should be made.

Asset Distribution

When you take care of your current situation and your future needs for money, this will determine how your investment should be distributed among various asset classes. Sometimes when you take risks, you get big returns. You do not want to eliminate risk all together. You want to optimize it for unique style and condition. For example, a young person can afford to take greater risks in the quest for high returns if they do not have to rely on his or her investments for income. Protecting assets would be the goal of an older person. They also need to draw income from these assets. This needs to be done in a tax effective manner. Handlilng your finances through a law firm like Donnell Law Group will help you focus on estates, wills, civil litigation and administrative law.

Achieving Your Portfolio

After you have made your decision on the correct asset distribution, you can separate your money between the proper asset classes. These are equities and bonds. You can break these asset classes down into subclasses as well. There are various ways that you can select your assets and securities.

Preparing for High Health Care Costs After Retirement

Preparing for retirement can be difficult. Rising healthcare costs don’t make it any easier. This is especially true for older people who need to see a doctor, dentist or ophthalmologist more often than other younger people. Anyone who wants to retire will need to prepare for them.

What Changes Are Retirees Facing?

The landscape of the healthcare industry has changed significantly over the last decade. Here are some reasons healthcare costs are becoming more burdensome to people after retirement:

· Fewer employers are offering healthcare plans to retirees. The percentage has shrunk from 66% to 33% since the early 90s.

· Average healthcare costs have increased significantly in recent years. In 2013 a retiree would need to have saved between $220,000 and $360,000 to cover their healthcare expenses.

· Medicare cuts have made it more difficult for some seniors to find providers that offer healthcare, which means they often have to pay out of pocket.

There are also other changes that help some retirees while hurting others. The new Affordable Care Act is one of them. Many people with preexisting healthcare problems will be able to save money on their healthcare costs when the ACA goes into effect, but others are going to have to pay more.

Healthcare costs will continue to be a problem for many retirees in the near future. You will need to make sure that you prepare for them.

Preparing for Healthcare Costs Before You Retire

Anyone that plans on retiring before they are eligible for Medicare will need to be prepared to pay for expensive healthcare costs. Even if you have Medicare you will still need to pay a lot of money for your care. Here are some ways that you can prepare for these costs.

Start Saving Before Retirement

You will need to start saving money long before you retire. Try putting as much money as possible into your IRA, 401K and other tax sheltered savings accounts. One expert advises that you will have a 90% chance of being able to cover your healthcare costs if you save $360,000 before retirement. You will want to save even more if you have existing medical problems such as diabetes or eye problems. Seeing an endocrinologist or ophthalmologist will be easier if you have prepared for it ahead of time.

Plan for Higher Costs if You Are High Income

Medicare Part D beneficiaries making over $170,000 a year will need to pay more for their benefits. People making between $170,001 and $214,000 will pay 40% more plus $11.60 more for coverage. Those making over $428,000 will be paying 200% more plus an extra $66.60 every month. Anyone that exceeds these incomes will need to plan for these costs.

Choose the Right Plans Before and After Retirement

Both patients receiving Medicare and those seeking private insurance on the exchange will have a number of options. You will need to find a plan that offers the coverage that you need. If you have serious medical conditions then you may need to choose a plan with higher premiums and lower out of pocket expenses. It may be a good idea to purchase a silver or platinum plan on the health exchange if you don’t qualify for Medicare, because these plans are cheaper for people who have many healthcare costs.

If you are making less than 250% of the federal poverty line then you may qualify for an enhanced silver plan. You may be able to deduct a lot of your income after retirement so you should speak with your insurance agent or an ACA Navigator to see if you can qualify.

About the author: Kalen is finance and consumer writer. He shares tips on preparing for new changes in a changing world.

How the Government and Charities can Help Get you out of Debt

Wipe our Debt (Photo credit: Images_of_Money)

Living under a mountain of debt is stressful, frustrating and can have a significant impact on your quality of life. Even though you may not think there's any help out there, you can get assistance with debt from area charities and even the government if you know where to look and how to approach the situation.

Debt Management: Where the Government and Charity Meet

Getting impartial professional advice regarding your current financial situation is the first step to becoming debt free. Counselors can help you negotiate with creditors, create a budget and do whatever else you need to do for financial solvency and get you on your way to alleviate that debt.

Debt services often charge fees, but you may qualify for free help through the government's Money Advice Service. Some agencies are operated by charities and charge low or no fees for helping individuals who qualify under their income criteria. According to the official services website of the UK government, the "Money Advice Service has information on organisations that can advise you about whether a Debt Management Plan is right for you.

Evaluate Your Circumstances From All Angles

In order to uncover every possible help resource, whether charity or government, you need to look at your current personal circumstances. If you're struggling with debt because you have ongoing medical issues and miss work, for example, you may be eligible for programs designed to help people under those particular circumstances or for those who have your illness.

Look at all the factors that are contributing to your financial situation while considering the big picture. You may not be considering buried circumstances that are causing you to struggle financially and that might cause you to miss avenues of help you qualify for. A little searching can definitely go a long way. 

Leave No Stone Unturned

Once you've identified everything that plays a part in your finances, start looking for outside help. Contact government agencies first, as many can point you in the direction of charities that can assist you even if you don't quality for any government programs. Don't assume you're not qualified for something until you've at least spoken to someone with that service or program.

Try information services, such as income support phone number, to get connected with government programs you may be eligible for. Ask government representatives about private programs you may qualify for whether you're approved or denied help.

Charities can be a little harder to pin down on your own, especially given how many have limited funding for advertising or may be struggling with outreach efforts. Prepare to do a bit of research to locate private agencies that can help you.

Check local online support forums for people in situations similar to yours to identify charity agencies you may not be aware of. Local government seats may have listings of charities that operate in the area. Use social media to check for charities in your area and to ask others if they're aware of any agencies if you feel comfortable doing so.

Make sure you follow application instructions and meet all the paperwork requirements for any government agency or charity you apply to. The sooner you turn in a completed application, the faster you'll get help.

Neal Bricker covers debt and financial topics related to seniors and others for various publications. He keeps up on current news and trends regarding services and debt management techniques.

Top 10 Money Management Tips For Newly Weds

All newlyweds look forward to a life of love and bliss. While we certainly hope for the best for all newly married couples, it is foolish to think that married life will always be a bed of roses. One problem a lot of married couples face is their finances. Sadly, this is one important issue that they don’t take the time to plan well. To avoid this, we’re featuring 10 money management tips for all you honeymooners out there.

1. Do an honest financial self-assessment with your spouse

It’s important for couples to do an assessment of themselves and each other before tying the proverbial knot. Not only should they be secure in each other’s love, but they should also be secure in each other’s ability to provide.

Therefore, couples should know each other’s net worth. They should be up front about their income, assets, and investments. Couples who are honest about their personal financial information tend to make better financial decisions in the future. 

2. Set SMARTER goals

SMARTER is an acronym for S-simple; M-measurable; A-attainable; R-realistic; T-time-bound; E-enriching; R-rewarding. Newlyweds, and even those who are getting married, should keep this in mind when setting goals. It’s crucial that they set up realistic and attainable financial goals they know they can achieve. But they should also make it a point not to become a prisoner of their goals.

3. Plan ahead

Financial planning is all about creating a workable budget. A family’s budget is hard to do without doing an honest self-assessment and setting goals. Couples, especially newlyweds, will benefit by creating sub-accounts. These are the monthly payables that take care of their “overhead” expense. Examples of these sub-accounts are rent, utilities, transportation and communication expense, groceries, insurance, etc.

Part of planning is creating a strategy to meet the target budget (meaning: not go over it). But it’s also incumbent among the couple to come up with a contingency plan whenever certain situations dictate that they need to go over their budget for the month.

4. Stick to the planned budget

When the couple receives their individual monthly earnings, they need to deposit money into these sub-accounts first before they spend for their indulgences. This is the best way for them to stick to their planned budget. This method instills discipline in the couple, and at the same time ensures that they are not living beyond their means. Whatever is left after paying the sub-accounts can be used by the newlyweds however they wish.

5. Have a weekly “business” meeting

Couples need open communication in their marriage. And this holds true not only for love, but for finances as well. A lot of times, couples fight or argue because one of them brought out a touchy topic about finances at the wrong time.

This can be avoided by scheduling a weekly “business” meeting. Newlyweds can set aside an hour a week to discuss everything about their finances—from credit card debt, bank accounts, investments, and insurance. In the business meeting, the couple has a chance to confer and iron out financial details with each other. The goal should be to settle financial concerns during the meeting to avoid discussing finances until the next scheduled business meeting.

6. Control or manage debt

This should be easy to do if the couple started off on the right foot by planning and managing their budget early on. But if they were already deep in debt even before they got married, they should make it a priority to get out of debt as fast as they can.

They can start with the debt with the higher interest rate. Between a credit card debt that has an APR of 22% and a student loan with a 17% rate, they’re better off funneling more funds into the student loan. It might take a heavy toll on the couple’s finances on the get-go, but at least they’re not accumulating more penalties and interest on their unpaid debt.

7. Build an Emergency Fund

An emergency fund should be one of the allotted sub-accounts. It is advisable that the couple set aside 10% to 15% of their monthly income to go into the emergency sub-account. At least when the rainy days come, they know they have readily accessible funds they can reach into.

8. Plan for retirement early

It’s never too early to start planning for retirement. Couples will gain a lot if they talk to or ask their employers about retirement options (even on the first day of work). Some companies offer competitive retirement plans where they match employee contributions. Another approach is to invest in a retirement plan with a financial institution.

9. Invest

Another financial aspect that doesn’t get much attention is investments. Newlyweds need to decide early on where their surplus income will go. They need to research on investments that can give them a good yield without tying-up their money for a long time. Or they can talk to an investment or fund manager. These professionals can help them come up with investment packages to suit their current needs.

10. Remember: “For richer or poorer”

All couples should remember the vows they made, especially when dealing with financial issues. Things can get testy when discussing the household budget or when dealing with credit card debt. Therefore, it’s best that couples take a step back before they get eaten up by their financial problems, and remember their promise to love each other for better or worse and for richer or poorer.

Get your married life started on right foot. Take these money management tips to heart and you and your spouse will be on your way to financial freedom.

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