Uncategorized

Spent half the morning compiling a round-up, interrupted about every thirty minutes by one or the other…interruption. Hit “publish” and…FOOP! Disappeared the damn thing.

Apparently I hit “Move to Trash.” And there’s no “Trash” link anywhere to be found in the dashboard. Jesse the Wonder-Guru is going to try to resurrect the thing. Later.

All of which makes me exceptionally crabby.

In brief, the one thing I really need to get online today: Many thanks to Miss Thrifty for hosting this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance and kindly including Funny’s squib on the art and business of panhandling. Love the Dr. Faustus theme!

Meanwhile…If you’d asked me I would’ve told you:

• The new J. Jill collection is weirdly reminiscent of the Sears clothing I knew and loathed during my misspent childhood: everything looks like your mother made it from Simplicity or Vogue patterns.

• We’re a day late and a dollar short in figuring out that the pending demand for long-term care is about to take this country on a skateboard ride to Hell.

• I love our cops. But I sure do hate cop helicopters buzzing our houses and being routed back and forth over residential neighborhoods all the time.

• Man is the noisiest animal.

• Being lured into buying stuff from some retailer is not the same as loyalty.

• Our brave new world gets creepier and creepier by the day. Make that “by the minute.”

• News about movie actors and rock stars bores me witless.

• Every time I hear another story about the Great Desert University I’m sooooo glad I don’t work there anymore!

• People who let their dogs run loose in public parks — especially when the dogs are chihuahuas and the parks are home to coyotes and rattlesnakes — are dumber than posts.

• There’s a special place in Hell for parents who give their kids weird names. Demons will torment them by forcing them, into eternity,  to spell their children’s bizarrely mispronounced monikers.

• Styrofoam is the world’s most annoying substance with which to make cups and plates. I’m pretty suspicious of it as insulation, too.

• Houses covered with stucco look like they’re deliberately engineered to look shabby in 10 or 12 years.

• The word “multiple” makes users sound like they’re speaking with their mouths full. And using the word to mean “two” or “a few” is just plain affected.

• Elected leaders who think it’s their government’s place to tell citizens how much soda pop they can drink lead me to wonder who on earth elected them in the first place.

• Chocolate is good for your health.

• Wine is good for your health.

• Working is bad for your health.

 

Communication can be expensive, especially for small businesses that need to make a big effort to get in touch with clients in order to secure potentially lucrative contracts. Also, it can be complicated, as there’s no knowing whether a phone call, a flying visit or an e-mail is the best method to contact customers, investors or remote workers. However, a number of free and low-cost teleconferencing programs can make life a great deal easier.

In the U.S., Skype offers free video conferencing for anyone with a webcam or a compatible smartphone. This service is free as long as the parties you’re calling also subscribe to Skype, but calls to landlines or phones outside the Skype  network incur a charge. OoVoo provides a free video chat service. Like Skype, its free version will blitz you with ads, hardly desirable in a business setting; to avoid ads with these services, you’ll have to purchase a “premium” plan.

In the UK, a telecommunications company called Powwownow provides video conferencing at a very low cost. It has the potential to trump all those forms of communication in terms of saving time, money and making it easier to get in touch with those important clients. Interestingly, Powwownow offers not two but three levels of service: one that’s free but allows relatively small groups to conference; a pay-as-you-go plan that  provides UK and worldwide telephone numbers, and a premium version that allows up to 1,000 participants per call.

The benefits for small businesses are significant, and of course they’re multiplied many times over for larger companies that do business across state lines or overseas.

Save money: conference calling represents great value for money, as it’s very cheap to do. Going to meetings outside the office can be very expensive, especially if you’re paying for fuel or tickets to get to your destination. However, by arranging a conference call instead, you can have a meeting using the necessary software instead of spending hundreds on a business trip which might bear no fruit whatsoever. It can also save you from making expensive phone calls and enable some of your employees to work from home and contact you by conference calling.

Save time: as well as being expensive, travelling miles from your office to that of one of your clients can take up a lot of time which could be better spent doing work in the office. Arranging a conference call only takes a few minutes to do, and it can be ended in a flash too. It can also save time if you want to arrange a staff meeting, as every one of your employees who as conference calling capabilities can be invited.

Easy to use: conference calling is surprisingly easy to use. All you need to do is download some conference calling software and invite those you wish to speak to into your call and you’re away. It can make collaboration easy too, plus it allows you to make face-to-face contact with whoever you’re speaking to if you want to get a point across.

A survey conducted among small businesses in Scotland has revealed that amid the persistent economic gloom that is afflicting the UK’s economy, confidence among small businesses has risen. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said that confidence for the fourth quarter of 2012 was higher than at the same point in 2010 and 2011.

The FSB also found that businesses were better placed to invest  now than in the recent past , with many firms who took part in the survey confirming they were planning to put some money into areas such as technology, expansion and even recruitment. However, there were a few concerns expressed by some of the companies who agreed to participate in the research.

Confidence levels rose despite the fact that many smaller firms in Scotland had to contend with the double whammy of having to spend more on fuel and utility bills. The cost of both have risen significantly of late, with many energy suppliers raising prices by several percentage points in the past few months.

In a statement, the FSB’s Andy Willox said:

“When fuel and utilities get pricier, it’s harder for small firms just to break even, let alone make a profit. To do just that, they have to work harder than ever especially with consumer demand remaining low. Hopefully something will be done about fuel and utility costs in the near future.”

Something small businesses could do about trying to cut the amount they spend on utilities is comparing business gas & electricity with Make It Cheaper online. It can help businesses to find a better, cheaper deal with different supplier than the one they’re currently getting.

Despite the concern over the rising cost of running a small firm in Scotland, the FSB also found that investments made could rise in 2013. Mr Willox believes that the UK economy could benefit significantly through increased spending by small businesses, but also said that lenders should play their part.

“If small firms invest more money, then that capital could go towards other businesses, which could help to engineer economic growth. However, lenders should do their bit by helping out companies who seek opportunities for exploring new markets by taking a calculated risk or two”, he said.

Confidence among small businesses in Scotland may be higher than before, but the FSB say it’s still lower than in other parts of the UK. Smaller enterprises in Scotland may be finding it tougher than their English and Welsh counterparts.

It seems that more people than ever are making important financial transactions with smartphones and tablets. This certainly applies to trading on the stock market, spread betting and similar products, but how is this growth possible? This infographic hints at the creation of a dedicated Trading Platform.

Mobile trading makes perfect sense for any traders with a busy lifestyle. They can go to City Index Forex Trading on the move and it doesn’t take too long to do. Some of the most successful traders have made significant profits in excess of £1m to date using dedicated apps for iPhones and iPads.

Products like Forex are leveraged and, as with normal websites for computers and laptops, mobile trading involves the same level of skill and timing that is essential for any trader to make a significant profit at a level acceptable to them.

At the moment, iPhones are among the most popular devices for mobile trading, although BlackBerry and Android smartphones are being used more often by traders. Forex, CFD trading and spread betting are all possible with the right device.

Throughout the election cycle and the holiday season, the growing concern over whether Congress would reach a fiscal cliff agreement by the New Year bombarded Americans every time they turned on the news. Without the agreement, tax hikes on 98% of Americans would have been imminent—something which could have pushed back economic recovery and possibly sent the U.S. into another recession. The deal did pass in the Senate and the House of Representatives on New Year’s Day, allowing many Americans to breathe a sigh of relief. But what exactly are the terms of the deal—and what does the agreement mean for the future of America? Read on to find out.

Terms of the Deal

While the agreement was good news for most Americans, it did resolve to raise taxes on wealthy Americans in an effort to back away from the fiscal cliff. Taxes will increase from 35% to 39.6% for top tier earners, meaning that married couples who make over $450,000 and single filers who earn over $400,000 will be affected by the agreement. This group will also face and increase from 15% to 20% on taxes paid on dividends and capital gains. Estate values over $5 million will also see a hike in taxes, from 35% to 40%. Unaffected by the new fiscal cliff agreements are unemployment benefits, tax credits on college tuition, Medicare providers, and renewable energy tax credits (at least for now), all of which are designed to lift up the middle and lower classes and push the U.S. economy toward full recovery. Government spending cuts have also been delayed for two months, a point that was hotly contested in the GOP House.

How Markets Responded To The Deal

The new resolution was signed just in time for global markets to reopen for the New Year, and when they did, they rallied in support of the agreement. London’s FTSE 100 broke through 6,000 for the first time since July of 2011, and Germany’s Dax index reached 7,779.22. Hong Kong’s Seng index also showed strong support, opening at 2.1% on January 2. The U.S. Dow Jones industrial average also showed modest gains on the first trading day of the New Year, registering at 13,107.14 (up 1.28%).

Consumer confidence has continued to remain strong in the first few weeks of 2013. As of January 14, Britain’s FTSE 100 is up to 6,129, Germany’s Dax is holding strong at 7,759. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.6% on Monday, and the U.S. Dow Jones closed at 13,507.32 on Monday, continuing to show strong support for the fiscal cliff agreement in the New Year.

Do Your Part

For most Americans, the fiscal cliff agreement means that tax hikes have been averted for the time being. Even if holiday spending has left you strapped for cash, you can still show a vote of confidence in the U.S. economy by selling your unwanted or outdated electronics on musicMagpie to get some extra spending cash. Once your check arrives, go out and spend it—it’s the surest way to help give the economy the kick start it needs in 2013 after years of sluggish activity.

This post is contributed by writer Matt Morgan. Matt is a recent graduate from Southampton University, an aspiring writer who blogs at www.thebookofmatter.com.

Housing costs can often accumulate and lead to you could be spending more than you should. Instead of throwing that extra money into the black hole that is your mortgage, ensure you take advantage of the various ways that you can save on your mortgage and have money you had previously written off to invest in making your house more energy efficient, so you’ll save on utilities too. Read on to learn all about how to save on your mortgage and invest it so you save on utilities.

Shop around to get the best rate

Since lending agencies are interested in getting your business, they will often offer lower rates as a means of attracting customers. You may be able to negotiate a better rate with your lending agency. However, you will need to research the latest news on mortgage rates and be familiar with the current climate of the housing market. Then you’ll be able to tell if the rate you are getting is fair and perhaps do a bit of negotiating.

Take an existing mortgage

If you’re looking at buying a house, you can also assume an existing mortgage instead of getting a new one all together. This is a particularly attractive option if the rates on that mortgage are lower than what you would currently get. For this option to be available, the mortgage must be transferable and you must be able to pay the difference between the purchase price and the outstanding debt.

Make an extra payment each year

Making an extra payment at the end of each year will help you pay off your mortgage faster because the extra money is applied to your principal, so your balance will decrease. You’ll also save because a portion of this payment won’t be going toward interest. Several free mortgage calculators available on the Web, such as this one from Bankrate.com, will give you a feel for how this might work in your favor.

How to save on utilities by going green

Once you have gotten your returns from saving, invest them in green alternatives to help you save on heating and electricity. With fossil fuels becoming ever more expensive, you’ll want to start building the infrastructure to liberate yourself from these finite resources. Here are some ways to go green and save money on home energy costs.

To save on lighting, replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. While they may cost more initially, these bulbs use electricity more efficiently and also don’t wear out as quickly, so you won’t have to replace them as often. They use about a quarter of the electricity an incandescent bulb uses and can last up to ten times as long.

You can also trade your car in for a hybrid that uses less gasoline by running on electricity. Popular models like the Toyota Prius may help consumers reduce their fuel bills while also reducing their dependence on fossil fuels.

Finally, for a long-term project, you can consider converting your home heating system to a geothermal system. Geothermal heating relies on the temperature of soil underground to distribute heat through your home through a geothermal heat pump. While the upfront costs are significant, a geothermal system can save you thousands in the long run.

They say, “a penny saved is a penny earned.” When applied to your mortgage and home improvement investments, this saying takes on gigantic terms. You can save thousands of dollars if you play your cards right on your mortgage and then make the right investment choices in your home.

This post is contributed by writer Matt Morgan. Matt is a recent graduate from Southampton University, an aspiring writer who blogs at www.thebookofmatter.com.