Is sunshine good for business?

Is sunshine good for business? We had  a long snow filled, icy,  tree damaging winter. It is good to see the sun. I want to play golf, ride my motorcycle, go to the beach, play ball with my kids. All of which moves money. Gas money, restaurants, traveling, new equipment, sporting goods. People’s attitudes are better in the summer. So go out, enjoy the weather, buy some new equipment,...

Have you learned anything?

Day after day we hear stories of emergencies and tragedies. 9/11; hurricanes; blizzards; economic strife and even death and destruction. We have seen it all. We have heard all of the stories and warnings. But have we done anything? Have you done anything to protect your business and your family? What if your key employee is suddenly not there due to illness, disaster or even death? Are you ready?...

Clueless?

This morning on the radio I heard someone talking about the fifteen lessons to teach your childern about money. The premise was that at no point during the American education process is there any discussion of personal finance, bank reconciliation, gross pay v. net pay, taxes, investments or anything like that. A survey was quoted that said seventy five percent of current high school seniors thought their best long term investment...

Changes in Health Insurance

This week the president signed the health insurance reform bill into law. All politics aside, what does this mean for you and your business today? The media, pundits and the politicians are all running around talking about immediate changes. There are no immediate changes with this type of legislation. At this point the bill filters through multiple levels of government bureaucrats eventually ending up at the IRS. The IRS creates...

7.5 minutes a week can save your company

If you are letting your staff pay themselves and  handle all pay raises, as well as handle all bonuses for your company for years on end they are going to overpay themselves and possibly others. The business owner must review payroll data periodically but on a per pay basis would be preferable. To review payroll doesn’t mean run the math on the gross to net , to verify health...

What do you do with uncashed paychecks?

A client asked me recently if I get to keep all of the uncashed payroll checks of my staff and my clients. He said, “I would think that would be a nice bonus for a payroll company every year”. No, I don’t get to keep the money and neither does the business owner. Do you recall the ads that say old bank accounts found!, uncashed paychecks found! and state websites advertising...

Why are the experts shocked but I am not?

Do you believe the experts quoted in every newspaper article or business journal? When I hear in every media report the experts are shocked I throw away all of the information that the experts want to give me.  If the experts were really experts they wouldn’t be shocked by what is taking place with the economy; they should have been expecting this turn of events. If being an expert...

Is February a time for New Year’s Resolutions and Reflection?

For many people this is a good time of year for reflection. Whether it is the religious holidays, the long awaiting of spring and warm weather or simply with the relief from the bustle of the holiday season people seem to spend this time of year reflecting and rebalancing themselves. Many people wait until February to set their personal goals so that they are passed the giddy rush of...

What are white papers? And why do we care?

What is a white paper? There is one standard answer and then there are many options. A white paper is usually a problem and solution report. For example if you have a problem with your computer you could search white papers for a solution. But what if you have an IT person for that? What use could a white paper possibly have for you?   I had a friend...

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness!

Just the name of this book is a tall order! Improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness. And the title is a bit of a stretch but I found this book to be helpful in detailing different approaches in how to help people do what is best without a lot of effort. To some that concept may rub the wrong way. After all, who determines what is best? This...