The Pros and Cons of Using IPOs

An IPO, or initial public offering, occurs when a company makes shares of their stocks available to the public. Essentially, it allows companies to trade some stake of ownership of the company to public stockholders. 

While this does mean that the owners of the company relinquish some control, it can open the door to exciting possibilities of growth and prosperity. There are plenty of advantages and disadvantages of a company deciding to go the route of using IPOs. Here are some examples below...

PROS OF IPOs

Opens Up Capital for Additional Ventures

Usually, when a company launches an IPO it means they are in a period of sustained success (or else there would be no incentive to sell). However, it also functions as a way for the company to launch into a more aggressive period of growth that can lead to long-termed stability. 

For instance, companies that had their IPO in 2018 experienced varying levels of success in the stock market, with some seeing a significant boost in their valuations while others faced challenges. The IPO market in 2018 was dynamic, with a diverse range of companies going public and capturing the attention of investors and analysts alike. 

Companies can then duplicate this effort and then by selling off shares of the company, it creates a massive cash influx that can do a variety of things, whether that is launching new expansions of the business, purchasing new acquisitions, or paying off old debt that opens the company for future endeavors.

Opens Up Higher Potential for Talent

Another way that IPOs can help companies grow is by using the shares as a means of attracting higher talent to the business, both on an operational and executive level. A company undergoing an IPO can offer stock as an incentive to attract personnel that might normally be beyond their price range at the current moment. 

This helps companies punch higher than their weight class while they grow. This is appealing to potential employees because the payout when they sell their shares later might be far more valuable than the initial higher salary they would have received.

Allows for a Major Payoff for Owners

The money that is used to buy shares goes to two different places: back into the company or into the pockets of people who own the company. These owners might be managers, founders, high-level employees, or private investors who have equity in the company. 

While salaries and dividends have provided a financial benefit to the investors for years, the IPO is the major payday for many businesses. An owner of a company that is going public can make millions of dollars during an IPO.

CONS OF IPOs

IPOs Take Valuable Resources

Launching an IPO is a major stepping stone for a company, but it isn’t without its share of hard work. The IPO process takes a ton of time, during which the executives and high-level decision-makers of a company are highly involved. 

This takes away time that could be spent on other business ventures and building additional revenue. Third-party investment firms are also brought on during this time, to help undergo the complex IPO process. These companies cost valuable time and money, so there is a major initial cost of capital upfront to launch an IPO.

Potential Roadblocks with Owner Shares

If an owner wants to retain control by taking shares of their company for themselves, there may be potential roadblocks. Oftentimes, there are stipulations against this. And owners who do get shares of the company must sit on them for a long period of time since an owner selling shares of the company can have a negative impact on the value of the stock, which hurts other investors.

It’s also worth noting that even if an owner is still running the company after an IPO, their control isn’t always secure because they are answerable to a Board of Directors, who can fire them at any time. For all its benefits, it must be understood that there is a significant loss of control that comes with an IPO.

5 Financial Tips for Airbnb Hosts During the Covid-19 Outbreak

Through the news of industries that have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, one that has been slightly ignored is the world of Airbnb. There were 650,000 global hosts in 2019. There's a good chance all of them have been affected one way or another. To stem the loss of income, here are five financial tips for Airbnb hosts during the COVID-19 Outbreak.

1. Halt Design Improvements

Though big-box stores are promoting huge sales and low credit interest rates to stabilize their profits, this is not a time to invest in a huge renovation project. In other words, tearing down walls or building a new room from scratch. There are two reasons for this.

First, hosts won't find a contractor. If they do, there's a good chance they'll charge top dollar to risk their health to start a project. 

Second, if hosts take on improvements themselves and get seriously injured, then they can end up going to the hospital. Though it may seem selfish, beds in those medical facilities should be saved for those infected with the virus.

2. Don't Exhaust Savings Accounts

Connected to the first tip, hosts can't exhaust their savings accounts. They need to utilize what they have gotten from patrons to pay the mortgage, rent, and necessary bills. Any extra must be put aside in case the crisis goes longer than predicted. No need for hosts to jump online and spend their earnings on additional decorations.

In reality, Airbnb hosts should have at least six months of emergency savings available. In addition, they should be charging enough to have their expenses paid. That's how to make money with Airbnb.

3. Invest in Online Programs to Enhance Hosting

The one thing to do with the money previously earned from Airbnb guests is to invest in online programs about hosting. Companies like Bnbformula offer these learning sessions to help others become as successful as they have.



Should the number of guests be lower during the COVID-19 outbreak, it is a prime opportunity for Airbnb hosts to gain a better understanding of their industry. With the available time, they can absorb the material offered instead of rushing through it. 

In turn, they'll retain knowledge that can be utilized once the travel and business markets pick up. Overall, the return on investment in one of these online programs may be greater than the initial cost.

4. Refinance Your Mortgage

With interest rates at zero percent due to the COVID-19 outbreak, there is no better time for Airbnb hosts to refinance their mortgages. By taking measures to accomplish this task, they'll be able to lower their monthly payments. If they do this while maintaining their regular guest fees, the hosts can increase their profits. Thus, they will stay ahead of the curve should another issue emerge.

Granted, some Airbnb hosts might be afraid to head to their bank to fill out forms. Luckily, many financial institutions allow homeowners to obtain refinancing estimates and complete the process online. All that's required is the necessary paperwork. That can be sent to the bank via secure document scans and uploads.

5. Look for Other Airbnb Properties

The COVID-19 outbreak hasn't shut down all businesses across the globe. Airbnb hosts still have plenty of tools at their disposal to search for other property investments in their area. This is the right time to review available locations. When the economy recovers, there's an excellent chance people cooped up in their homes for months will want to travel.

Therefore, hosts should consider investments not only near their current property but also those near tourist attractions. For instance, places in the mountains or near the beach that will not take a huge investment to freshen up. Even if hosts live in a shelter-in-place area, they can still travel to the other property for minor updates. As a result, the residences will be ready for use when the restrictions are lifted.

Though the circumstances are serious, there are opportunities for investment and financial security for Airbnb hosts. Yes, during the moments of nothingness there will be urges for these hosts to buy on impulse. If they can push those back and maintain their existing finances, the results for them will be more successful than they were prior to the COVID-19 crisis.

It Costs How Much?! 5 Reasons Your Utility Bill Is Too High

There are a number of different costs associated with maintaining a household. You want to do the best you can to keep your expenses low. One cost that may surprise you is your electricity bill. Here are 5 reasons your utility bill is too high.

Insulate Your Home

You don't want to let the temperature-controlled air in your home go outside. To prevent this, you need to keep your home secure. Shut windows and doors. You should even look into getting a specialized energy-efficient window and door options. If you haven't added insulation to your walls in years, it could be time to do that as well.

Air Conditioners

Your HVAC unit is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to your electricity bill, especially during the summer. You should replace the filter at least a couple times a year, and more often if you have pets. Air conditioners also require regular maintenance to ensure they run at top efficiency.

For added savings, you should also consider getting a smart thermometer to automatically change the temperature when you and your family aren't home. You can even change the temperature from your smartphone no matter where you are. This limits wasteful energy use and will save you money in the long run.

Use the Right Light Bulbs

Most people use incandescent light bulbs because they are the cheapest option when shopping at the store. However, the more expensive options can end up saving you more in the long run. LED and CFL light bulbs use less energy and last longer. This means, your bill will be lower with time and you won’t have to replace the bulbs as often.

Outdated Appliances

You have a number of different appliances in your home. As appliances get older, they require more and more electricity to run. You should replace your old appliances with EnergyStar appliances specifically designed to use less electricity and water. There will be an initial cost at first, but you'll see the savings in your utility bill.

Unplug

You may not realize exactly how many things you have plugged in at your home. Even if these electronics are off, they still eat up energy. While this passive usage may seem small at first, it adds up significantly. Unplug your phone charger and your laptop when you aren't charging it anymore.

You may be paying more for your electricity than necessary. If you want to save money, you should look into your behaviors in your home. When you make some of these simple changes, you may be surprised as you watch your bill drop significantly.

Top Five Timesheet Management Systems

What is a timesheet?

A timesheet is a virtual tool that enables you to track and record your worked time. By using a timesheet, you can follow or see precisely how many hours you have accomplished. Using a timesheet as an employer, you can also track how many hours each employee has worked.

The purpose of a timesheet

In a working environment, a timesheet is an essential tool. The primary use of a timesheet is for payroll, accounting, and human resource management. A timesheet works like a database that contains all the information needed for employers, and it helps to pay workers fairly.

Best timesheet management systems

There are many timesheet management systems which are essential to managing your time. Some of them are listed below:

1- Time Doctor

The best timesheet software programs not only keep track of your time, but they also maximize your productivity and profitability level, and the time doctor is one of them.

It is an automated time tracking software that enables you to generate automated timesheets in the form of various reports. There are also free timesheet calculators available, one of such is provided by dremployee.



For employees, they need to press a start button on the application to start a timer, which starts tracking their time they are spending on a task. Time doctor ensures that employees don't have to fill in timesheets manually. It is accessible on desktops, tablets, and even on mobile phones.

2- TSheets

For the employees who are always on the move, can keep track of time. It allows you to track employee time accurately from any device. Tsheets is a handy tool for sales and support teams, freelancers on long term projects for the company, and remote sides of all sizes. Tsheets can be used on desktops, tablets, and mobile phones as well. 

It also has a GPS option that helps to track your employees when they clock in or clock out. Tsheets is a great tool to increase employee accountability. Another useful feature Tsheets has that the employee can attach a photo of the completed task and attach it to the timesheet.

Tsheets also has permissions and restrictions option, and you can grant permissions and restrictions to your employees based on the job.

3- Clicktime

Another useful app is to click time that allows businesses to track and monitor employee time usage and billable time. It also maximizes the productivity level and profitability. 

Clicktime is available on desktops, web, and mobile devices, including windows, mac, Linux, ios, blackberry, and android. Clicktime is a comprehensive app that has various other features, and its customer support team can help you to integrate these features.

4- Hubstaff

Hubstaff is another valuable tool that allows you to track and monitor employee activities during working hours. It helps you to see how productively employees are spending their time at work. 

Hubstaff is best for small, medium businesses and with remote teams and provides you highly accurate timesheets. It shows you a better understanding of your team's capacity. It also linked to payroll, and you don't have to do manual calculations to pay your freelancers who bill you by the hour.

Hubstaff is accessible on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.

5- Everhour

Everhour is another well-designed and straightforward tool that can be used for reporting and invoicing. It is a valuable tool for freelancers and small and medium businesses. It creates highly customizable reports for you.

Everhour has many features, including a monthly timesheet, an over-time report, and a real-time dashboard. It also has a reminder option that reminds you to track time on working days if you haven't recorded time yet.

Everhour is accessible on Chrome, iOS, Windows, and Mac.

How Do You Know If You Need A Bankruptcy Lawyer?

There is no need to drown in debts, primarily unsecured debts, or debts that aren't related to utility bills while a bankruptcy lawyer can help you out. You may find yourself in such a situation, especially after a bad loss, investment fraud, divorce, or even an accident that leaves you maimed and physically disabled permanently. 

While your other insignificant investments and Insurance compensation may be able to sustain you in the meantime, it isn't advisable to always take chances and gamble, lest someone sues you, and sends debt collectors into your last remaining property.

So, how do you know that your business is never going to wake up from insolvency? How do you know that it is never possible to service debts as planned before? Well, the following instances should prompt you to look for a Montgomery AL bankruptcy lawyer immediately:

Unable to pay bills

If your employer was recently offering a house or car as part of prerequisite packages, then financing the same kind of lifestyle when jobless can be challenging. Remember, you can still afford to pay some utility bills such as telephone bills, but you are straining very much, unlike before when you were liquid. 



Anything close to straining forecasts the coming hardships which you must prepare to handle. Also, if you start paying the utility bills from your savings, then that amounts to straining, in which case you need a bankruptcy lawyer before things go further south.

Bounced checks

It is understandable for a check to bounce, especially when there are technical hitches from the remitting or receiving banks. However, how about when multiple checks bounce at a go? For instance, if a check to your supplier bounces, the ones to your employees bounce, and the one to your child's school also bounces, then there is a problem from the remitting account, which may be zero account balance. 

You don't have to wait and receive complaints from everyone else. Instead, look for a bankruptcy lawyer to handle the situation from there.

Limited cash flow

The only person who can tell if there is inadequate cash flow in your life is you! Furthermore, if the cash flow has moved from affecting your current accounts and is now eating up the reserves, then you need to file for bankruptcy. That will allow you to strategize and bounce back to financial independence like before.

Court representation

Lastly, it may all end up in you needing court representation because of one reason or another, but still, due to financial constraints, you cannot afford an attorney. The other reason for court representation is when a creditor moves to court to secure an order to auction some of your stuff. 

When it culminates to that extent, the noble thing to do is calling a bankruptcy lawyer, who will know how to handle things from there. However, you must also note that before being declared as bankrupt by a court of law, you must fulfill the prerequisite conditions as stipulated by related laws.

You'll never know when things will go wrong in your life, but at least you will see it coming. Brace for it, take it positively and file for that bankruptcy notice. Once you've hit rock bottom of life, it is always easy to rejuvenate from a fresh financial start, free of debt obligations.

Tips On Choosing A ‘Winning’ Bankruptcy Lawyer

Bankruptcy is a situation that can be very stressful for you and your family. It can drain you emotionally, physically, mentally and psychologically. That’s why it’s best to hire a lawyer to help you through the whole process. 

However, you don’t just need a lawyer, you deserve the best, one who is highly experienced and excellent at their job. You need to look for a lawyer who can handle your case skillfully, yet at a reasonable cost.

This article will give you knowledge on choosing a ‘winning’ bankruptcy lawyer

Look for referrals

Your family members and friends can give you referrals to help you in your quest to find the best lawyer for you. You can also talk to lawyers and tax preparers that you know to give you referrals. 

You need to be sure to specify the type of lawyer you are looking for, and whether you need representation for a business or individual. While getting referrals, seek to know whether the attorney you are hiring is specialized in dealing with bankruptcy cases.

Check the background of lawyers referred to you.

After you get referrals, it is always prudent to look into the finer details of the lawyers referred to you. Assess their background by checking reviews from their website feedback page. 

Check also if they have disciplinary cases from state or local bar associations. Establish whether the lawyers referred to you have the certification to deal with bankruptcy cases, such as whether they have a membership in a bankruptcy association.

Evaluate further

At this level, you need to narrow down to a few lawyers that seem most promising to you as prospects. Contact them and listen to them carefully since you are in the business of choosing the best suitable lawyer for you. 

After contacting them, you should be in a position now to narrow down the process further to two of them. Make appointments with the two remaining lawyers, and share your financial documents with them: a list of your debts and your house deed if necessary. Evaluate the experience of your attorney again at this level. 

Allow him to explain himself to you in a broad way and question him. Note how he or she is answering questions and treating you since their first behavior is very important. Discuss your case with him or her and let him guide you through the procedures to be followed in filing your bankruptcy. 

You also need to discuss the attorney fees. Some law firms, such as Benenati Law Firm, decided to differentiate themselves by charging lower attorney fees.

Finalize the choosing

Between the two, choose one after meeting them and hearing from both of them. Consider the one who is caring, giving you attention, and taking the time to explain the whole process. At this stage, do not feel pressured to make a choice and sign the fee agreement.

Do not choose a bankruptcy lawyer after only a few minutes of research. Instead, get someone who has the best qualifications, experience, and an outstanding reputation. You deserve only the best, take time, and choose wisely.