Professional Business Network

Fees for real estate brokers can be a substantial portion of overall costs, and especially during a buyer’s market like the one we’re in now, homeowners should weigh their options regarding For Sale By Owner – nicknamed FSBO and pronounced “fizz-bo” as a cost-cutting alternative.
But before choosing which way to go, it always helps to consider these four  practical points.

#1 There is More Value at Stake Beyond the Commission
Selling yourself means a commitment of time and energy, and time is money. So decide ahead of time whether you are prepared to sacrifice your valuable time – and whether it is worth it compared to what you would pay a Realtor to set appointment, deal with clients, and field phone calls about your listing.

#2 You May Still Have to Pay a Partial Fee
As a FSBO, if a Realtor brings a qualified buyer and a successful purchase offer you will still need to pay a finder’s fee. The cost could Read Full Post…

As we start a new year and a new decade, lots of people are looking for smart financial tips, especially those that relate to ways to avoid identity theft and credit card theft. But while much of the expert advice out there is complex and sophisticated, some of the most important steps you can take to protect yourself are also the easiest and simplest of all.

Each year, for example, you should empty out your wallet and study everything in it. If it does not belong there, get rid of it so that your wallet is not so crowded and overstuffed. The way to determine whether or not it belongs there is to ask yourself whether you need it in an emergency – like the contact numbers of relatives, attorneys, or insurance companies – and if you use it regularly. If you have a credit card in your wallet that you have not used for a year, for instance, consider removing it. Of Read Full Post…

Being British sometimes feels synonymous with a resigned acceptance of disappointment. A feeling football, cricket and tennis fans know all too well. Having brought these great sports to the world, we can now quietly murmur into our pints that we’re ‘not bad’ at most of them.

Even as we emerge from recession today, our recovery is way behind most other developed countries (Germany and France returned to growth last summer) and comes at a very marginal increase of 0.1 per cent. It’s almost as if we were the chubby kid at a sports day event gasping to reach the finishing line while everyone else leisurely sips orange squash.

Strange then that in a poll from SmallBusiness.co.uk 31 per cent of the 538 respondents said this Sceptered Isle was the top country for business. Or is it?

You don’t have to go as far back as Alexander Graham Bell to find examples of eminent British innovators. The wind-

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Insurance premiums for professional indemnity insurance, directors and officers insurance, workers compensation and commercial vehicle insurance are tipped to rise after a horror year for the sector.

The forecasts, contained in a report by accounting firm Deloitte and investment bank JP Morgan, come as the insurance sector struggles to recover from a disastrous 2009 financial year, when industry profits fell due to increased claims, catastrophes and increased competition.

Commercial insurance lines (including building, vehicle and director’s insurances) are tipped to see an average rate rise of 6%, while personal lines (vehicle and home and contents insurance) are tipped to climb 7%.

This follows an average 4% jump in commercial premiums in 2009 and an 8% jump in personal premiums.

JP Morgan senior insurance research analyst Siddharth Parameswaran says the increase in commercial premiums was felt most at the small and medium end of the business market.

He says the new increases for 2010 mark a real change in the sector’s pricing cycle, which has helped business customers over the past few years.

“This is a real turn in the cycle since there have been premium decreases in a majority of classes for a number of years.

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As Spanish banking giant Santander completes its rebranding of Abbey National and Bradford and Bingley this month, and American conglomerate Kraft swallows up Cadbury, many may feel a pang of sadness as the darlings of British business keep diminishing. But like it or not the world moves on, and as a small business it could be beneficial to heed this message.

Even if your sales are strong and you have a loyal customer base, giving your ‘brand image’ a rethink could be worth your while. It may be that your company or your customers have moved on since your business idea was first conceived. Ask yourself whether the brand effectively communicates what sets you apart from your competitors, and if you are appealing to the customers you wish to attract.

Rebranding doesn’t have to involve paying thousands to an image consultant to pick a silly name, all it requires is some basic market research. Work

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While much of the early stages of the public hearings by the US Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission was a review of the causes and consequences of the crisis, the more interesting discussion was conflicting views on the ‘too big to fail’ issue and a consensus that simple leverage was a major factor in the crisis. 

The way those institutions – the too big to fail’s – are ultimately dealt with will have enormous implications for competition, innovation and the structure of the global financial services sector. 

Not surprisingly, the two big commercial banks, JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America – both too big to fail (TBTF) – had a different perspective on how to address the implications of banks that can’t be allowed to fail to those of non-bank analysts who testified before the commission. 

Bank of America chief executive, Brian Moynihan, argued that the issue was over-stated and misunderstood. The institut

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While most of us grow weary of reading news about what Congress is voting on, the new credit card bill now under consideration may be worth paying attention to. Anyone who carries a credit card will be affected – hopefully in positive ways – by this latest effort toward government bank regulation to ensure that consumer credit card terms and practices are not taking undue advantage of cardholders.

Most legislators have vowed that in order for the credit card bill to pass and get approved with their vote, it will have to include some key components. For one thing they are pushing for more transparency regarding consumer credit card rules – which basically means that they want the new credit card bill to require plain English in plain sight, versus complex legal lingo buried in small print. They Read Full Post…