Consumer BorrowingConsumer borrowing in the UK has now crashed through the £1 trillion barrier. 80% of this is due to credit card borrowing, loans and mortgages. How are people managing to handle their debt and what effect is debt having on families today?The National Consumer Council reports that 6 million families in the UK are already struggling to make repayments towards their debt, and Citizens Advice reports that over the last 6 years,...more
What's REALLY potent for a business, non-profit or association manager is public relations' ability to alter individual perception leading to changed behaviors. And then, to persuade those key outside folks to the manager's way of thinking, and help move them to take actions that allow their department, division or subsidiary to succeed. Potent because public relations does something positive for managers about the behaviors of the very outside...more
Day after day my in box, and I'm sure yours as well, fills with opportunity propaganda on how to make money. Do this, and poof, you're rich. Become an affiliate and sell my ebook, and poof, you're making lots of money. I don't know about you, but I can't tell what's a good opportunity and what's not any more. Because of this, I created a list of nine criteria, a sort-of checklist, to use when I do find something that I don't think is full of "poof." 1. Is the product any good -- in my opinion, and in my markets? This is especially true for me. I've found that informational fre*e products are nothing more than a tease. I just get tired of wading through 150 pages to find four pages that have anything "real." In addition, if they aren't decently organized or written, less than 2 out of 25 reach this from the hundreds I've read, how different is the information? Why would anyone want to pay $49 or $249 for the same thing offered in a $20 book? E-books aren't books. People don't buy them for the same reason. Even if the product isn't an informational product, what is different, unique, and important enough for me to buy that I can't buy somewhere else for less? Are the solutions clear,...more
We must first emphasize that here we are talking about outsourcing CAD projects, which is significantly easier than outsourcing software development or IT services (earlier articles of mine have explained why).This article also assumes that selection of the CAD providers has been completed with due diligence (the methods are described in an earlier...more
The notion that a business, non-profit or association manager can actually hold a big key to success in his or her own hands IS a thrilling idea! And it becomes more thrilling as the manager actually alters individual perceptions leading to changed behaviors of key outside audiences. Then persuades those external stakeholders to that manager's way...more
Every since serving a hitch in the military, I have been nagged by the question that's been hanging around leadership since time immemorial: How can some leaders persuade people to believe in them and follow them and other leaders can't? But it wasn't the military that provided me with a framework to answer that question. It was Albert Einstein and his quest for the unified field theory of the universe.Einstein is well known for his special and general theories of relativity, two of the crowning intellectual achievements of the 20th century. But what he is not so well known for is a magnificent quest that he carried on for some 30 years and ultimately failed in. That was his quest for a unified field theory of the universe, a theory that explains all the forces of the universe. And it was a quest that inspired me, in my small way, to find an answer to the leadership question. Einstein's special theory combined space and time into a single concept known as the space-time continuum. He spent the rest of his life failing to develop a unified field theory that incorporated gravity into the electromagnetic field. But it wasn't his trying to solve the conundrums of physics that...more
Business cost for everyone can get out of control very fast. Here's ten simple yet POWERFUL ways to reduce cost that can have a GREAT effect on the health of your business.1. Barter If you have a business you should be bartering goods and services...more
Homeownership, in any form, is a big step for most people. In fact, it's often one of the biggest financial decisions of our lives. Despite that, sometimes a homeowner in one country will want to buy a second home in another country, whether for a...more
Due in part to the popularity of the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s home auction program, more potential homebuyers than ever are buying homes at auction. Homes for auction aren't limited to just HUD, however. Many...more
Historically, real estate agents have represented the seller of a property. The seller, after all, is usually the one who pays their commission, and agents therefore have a fiduciary relationship with the seller. This in no way means that agents may...more
One of the most common terms found in a new home loan is a prepayment penalty. This type of penalty says that if the borrower pays off the loan early, commonly during the first five years of the loan, then the borrower will be responsible for paying...more
That Monaco is crowded with celebrities is no piece of news. Since 1869, when the personal income tax policy became favorable, Monaco attracted very many individuals with high net income, such as movie stars, sporting stars etc. who became residents...more