Sometimes when planning for your future, you can lose sight of a truth that is always with us: we are living our lives in the present.
(ARA) - If you've been in an auto dealer's showroom recently, you won't be surprised to learn that the average price of a new car is approaching $30,000. While there's no getting around the price you have to pay for a new automobile, there are plenty of things you can do to make sure you won't have to make the same investment again anytime soon.
If you find yourself with less-than-good credit, you are not alone. Business Insider, an online business news website, reports that one in 50 households owes more than $20,000 in credit card debt. Coinciding with this alarming figure, the site further states that more than 2 million Americans look to credit counselors each year to avoid bankruptcy.
(ARA) - Whether you're buying a gift for someone else or buying something nice for yourself this holiday season, there are always those looking to criminally benefit from stealing your identity. As the shopping season heats up, criminals are looking to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers and businesses at every turn.
(ARA) - Given today's economic and employment outlook, the thought of paying for higher education can be discouraging. The average cost of higher education for students staying in their home state was about $6,400 and about $15,100 for out-of-state students in the 2009-2010 academic year, according to a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Looking at these statistics can be nerve-racking, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
(ARA) - With the year nearing its close, you should be aware of tax planning strategies that can position you favorably for 2012 and beyond. Specifically, both the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "Health Care Act") and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Jobs Creation Act (the "Tax Relief Act") were enacted into law in 2010 and offer certain tax planning opportunities.
(ARA) - Through tempestuous weather and extreme four-season cycles, today's vinyl siding is living up to both the style and durability demands of discerning builders, remodelers, architects, homeowners and multifamily developers. Manufacturing advancements allow the market's innovative producers to artistically recreate looks of genuine weathered cedar, reclaimed brick and deeply-faceted stone.
(ARA) - One of the many benefits of marriage is having a partner to share in the day-to-day tasks. One person might handle the laundry while the other takes over yard work. But, when it comes to money management, while you may end up delegating most of the responsibility to one person, it's in every couple's best interest to be mutually involved in the family finances.
(ARA) - The holiday shopping season is the time of the year that service and retail businesses big and small look forward to all year. In fact, National Retail Federation research shows that the last two months of the year can account for between 25 and 40 percent of all annual sales. For small businesses especially, the holiday season is often a crucial make-or-break opportunity to earn the revenue required to sustain the business the following year.
(ARA) - Aging in America can be physically and financially debilitating. People 65 and older have a 68 percent probability of becoming disabled in a way that will affect at least two activities of daily living, according to the AARP report Beyond 50: A Report to the Nation on Independent Living and Disability. The median national cost for nursing home care is about $77,745 per year, a 2011 Genworth Cost of Care Survey by CareScout (C) revealed.
(ARA) - In the age of wireless communication, telecommuting and global travel, a professional's "office" has become more of a virtual world located anywhere from a hip coffee shop to a busy airport. This makes creating one's stationary office fun, stimulating and imaginative even more important.
Business is all about technology, and, for the most part, always has been. But even though mobile offices, telecommuting and Web-based functions dominate today's business atmosphere, some of the traditional aspects of business shouldn't be forgotten.
For most of us, it seems like the holiday season starts earlier every year. But for those who work in the retail world, it may seem like the holiday season never actually ends - at least when it comes to planning for it.
There's a reason the holiday season gets longer every year, and it's not just because people love to celebrate. Businesses know that customers are going to do their shopping early, and they're all positioning themselves to be the store that comes to mind when a customer is thinking about gift ideas.
There's a reason the holiday season gets longer every year, and it's not just because people love to celebrate. Businesses know that customers are going to do their shopping early, and they're all positioning themselves to be the store that comes to mind when a customer is thinking about gift ideas.
(ARA) - Effective resume writing is as much an art as a science. In one page or less, you must communicate your personal and professional attributes in a way that leads employers to believe you are qualified (but not over-qualified), experienced (but not burnt-out), confident (but not conceited) and creative (but not crazy).
One of the biggest advantages of running a small business versus a larger one is that small businesses have the ability to adapt much quicker to a changing landscape. While change may move slowly at a large corporation, it's easy for a small business to be nimble and modify its business plan to compete in the current market.
As a small business owner, it can be difficult to shift your attention away from continually glum U.S. market growth reports. When your business depends on a vibrant marketplace for survival, it's only logical that you'd want to watch vigilantly for changes, for better or worse. However, if you're so focused on one thing, a lot of opportunities to grow in different ways could be passing you by.
When you start a small business, you'll probably discover that what you learned in business school doesn't cover everything you need to know as a business leader.
Business owners shouldn't throw a big party just yet, but the truth is, they're in better shape now, with a better outlook for the future, than they were just a couple of years ago.