There are lots of real estate agents in the world. However, there is this one trait that makes for a successful agent: it is this need to make a sale … and fast. Many people often mistake this kind of job as something that is not particularly taxing, both physically and mentally; but that is not true at all. There is actually a lot of preparatory work involved to make just one sale. The legwork involved is also considerable, and yes, one does have to brush up on their speaking and selling skills.

So what really makes a successful agent tick? What makes him or her far better than everyone else? Mostly, it’s the preparatory work. Yes, there is a lot of prep work to be done. Let’s forget about houses first, and concentrate on being an agent. A good real estate agent should be vocally expressive and people friendly. An abrasive manner towards potential buyers will not help you at all; and in this kind of business, you will be facing all manner of people (and all manner of interesting requests and questions.)

Try to make yourself as presentable and accommodating always, no matter what the situation is. Although you may be having a very looooong day or that you are not particularly prepossessed with the clients you have now, presenting a good front may win you long-term clients and even referrals.

If you are a free-lancer, you may want to have printed calling cards on you or even putting up your own website. You should have a way of making people know that you are dealing in real estate and that you are more than happy to find them a home. You could also start attending real estate conventions and seminars. Not only will this help hone your selling skills and show you the latest marketing trends in realty, but it will also give you networking access to a number of other agents (who can help your career) and potential clients.

Now, suppose that you have a house that seems like an easy sale, what do you do now? Do you simply put up a sign that says House For Sale, put in your contact number and sit by the phone? No way! A good agent makes more preparatory work to make sure that the house sells and that his or her commission is assured. Prep work may involve:

• Researching the neighborhood where the house sits, particularly where the local mall is, the laundry, the school, or other places of interest. You can even research or calculate how much the neighborhood is worth in real estate prices. There are some neighborhoods who command higher taxes, so you would need that information right off the bat.
• Researching exactly how much the house is worth and calculating the right amount of commission without scaring off potential buyers. Depending on what state, city or county you are in, some commissions may be regulated so it would be part of your unending researching tasks to know all these. Being ignorant of the local laws and conventions is a big no-no in real estate marketing.
• Taking the time to talk to the houses’ previous owners and finding out why they are selling the house in the first place. If the house is particularly old, it may help you in your sales pitch to know the entire background of the house. Some buyers prefer the charms of old (even antique) houses, and if one particular house has ties with history, it may even command a higher price tag.
• Taking the time to study and learn every crook and corner of the house, especially the unique details that can become the house’s selling point. Sometimes, though, this means that you have to call in the cleaning and repair crew to make the place more presentable to potential buyers.
• Also, you have to make sure that all the necessary paperwork is tight on all ends: yours, the previous owners and the new ones.

With so much identity thievery going on, it’s amazing that people still feel secure with placing potentially harmful information right there on their printed checks. This is only one of the many ways that identity thieves and outright racketeers sniff out their prey. If for one reason or the other, you become chosen as one of their many unsuspecting victims, chances are these guys will continue with their predation on you until you lose all your money, you become horribly entangled with debt, and that you spend the remaining part of your existence trying to sort out your financial, legal and personal life. So, instead of being complacent with your checking account, why not ensure that these thieves cannot single you out from the masses in the first place.

Here are some preventive measures to keep the wolves at bay.

One: never hand out blank checks. It’s actually surprising how this may seem so reasonable and yet many people still hand out blank checks – mostly to relatives and friends. According to recent studies regarding credit card and cash check fraudulent practices, only 5% are being done by professional con artists; the remaining populace consists of one-time, amateur scammers. These are the people around you (so called trusted friends, neighbors you have known all your life, even very close relatives) who are lured by the prospect of easy cash. After all, what is easier than writing several hundreds dollars worth on an already signed check?

Two: secure your checks only from banks. Ah, yes. The convenience of online banking is such a boon and bane at the same time. You can basically order your checks online and some of these offerings are far colorful and can easily be personalized to suit your taste; which by the way, is the complete opposite of what banks normally do for check printing. Nonetheless, if you get your printed check books directly from the bank, your identification number, (and all pertinent information) are secure.

There are some online companies who literally go phishing for information about your credit history. Some of them will send you legit looking e-mails and ask for your personal information in exchange for some fancy looking check books; and your worst mistake would be providing them the data they need. This practice is as safe as you swimming in deep ocean while trailing blood. This is the very thing sharks would need to locate you, latch on to you and shake you down. If you think that one predator is on your tail, think again. This online companies that phished for your credit info will most likely sell your information (making more money out of you without your knowledge) to other scammers or third parties as they are called. These third parties, in turn, can either be innocuous spammers or nasty scammers who will literally bleed your accounts to death. The bad news is: this cycle of phishing, scamming and selling your info to their parties will continue even when you have changed your account number. Identity thieves can very easily open accounts under your name and plunge a heavy hand into your resources without you ever knowing it.

The moral lesson here: don’t trust these e-mails or online offers asking for information regarding your credit history – not even when they have the most attractive offers of convenience and privacy.

Lastly: do not be scammed by unscrupulous insurance agents. The biggest fraud of all is finding security by subscribing to identity theft insurance. You are actually paying a great amount of money for something that can be very easily prevented. Keep your money, keep your checking account safe; and we can almost guarantee that you won’t need to buy identity theft insurance or checking account theft insurance or credit card theft insurance…

You’re probably thinking of becoming an accountant but have no idea what you have to do. Maybe you’re thinking of what course to take and what possible career you may have a future in. You could be wondering what characteristics an accountant should have and if you have these qualities. If you are, then this article is definitely for you as I give you the things that you have to know to be an accountant.

So what exactly does an accountant do? An accountant is the person you go to when you have financial concerns like questions about taxes or how to effectively manage your money or how much investment you can make given your salary. They are basically the persons you go to whenever you have important financial and business decisions to make. They make budgets, file taxes or tax exemptions; they tell you how your business is doing in terms of revenue, profit, debt, equity, and your loan interest or loan maturity. They pretty much do a lot of other things that relate to your money and business concerns. As the saying goes, when starting a business you need to hire two persons: the lawyer and the accountant.

Being an accountant is a highly stressful job, oftentimes requiring you to have forced overtimes. A miniscule mistake in calculations and application can cause your client or your company a lot. That is why it is important than an accountant is thorough, methodical and organized in his work. He must be able to meet deadlines and have the ability to juggle many tasks at once. An accountant must have perseverance and patience in his work.

You probably guessed that you have to take an accounting degree in a university to qualify as an accountant. You have to take a lot of business courses, some college math, management, taxation laws, auditing and finance, among others. Having a strong interest and aptitude in math is a plus but not entirely necessary. Accounting is more on applying the principles of accounting and bookkeeping rather than applying heavy math. It is more on analysis and knowing how to work around the numbers and figures that you are given to make a coherent report. An accountant also requires good written and oral communication skills as they would be required to submit written reports to their clients and to explain to a non-accountant how and why they arrived at their conclusion. Accounting is more on comprehension, logic and application of principles.

Aside from having these skills, there are certain qualities that an accountant should have as well. Accountants must have the ability to easily comprehend the given information, to analyze how to work the data and to give a useful output to the client. Aside from objective analysis, an accountant also enjoys a fiduciary relationship with his client. This means that he holds any information and data about a person or business in trust, and he is bound by ethical standards to keep this information confidential. The business competitors of his client may want to gain accesses to this confidential financial information, but the accountant must not give in to them. Accountants are given much responsibility and much trust is reposed to them so they must keep high ethical standards and integrity.

Getting your corporation or business covered or reported by the media may be a good way to make your company stand out from your competition. Having good media coverage can also potentially make or break your corporation’s or organization’s reputation or image. To make sure that you get the right media attention that you need, I have prepared this simple guideline in making a media friendly press release.

Be Relevant

Probably one of the most important things to remember in making press releases is to be relevant. Make sure you create a press release that talk of only relevant and news worthy stories about you and your corporation or business. Otherwise, if you make a press release of every single minute and mundane event in your corporation or business, you may end up never getting published at all, even if eventually you do have a potentially explosive story to tell. Aside from being news relevant, you must also only send press releases to the relevant persons. Don’t send entertainment news to the editor of the business section. Make sure you send the right story to the right person at the right time. To make sure that you are sending it at the right time, inquire with your media contact if it is a good time for them to receive a press release. This way you not only appear concerned and courteous, you also get a higher chance of getting your story read. Also remember to put the correct date in your press release and the specific contact details of the person the media can get in touch with.

Be Brief and Specific

In making press releases make sure that you make it obvious that you are sending a press release. Indicate in big letters the phrase ‘Press Release’ or ‘Media Information’ to inform journalists what it is they are reading. Include a short boiler plate description of your corporation or organization as well as any other information you think relevant to make your corporation stand-out (e.g., any awards or recognition you have been given). Make the heading of your press release catchy and interesting. In the first paragraph, that should be no more than two to three sentences with 50 to 60 words, make a summary of your press release with the more specific details in the following pages. Make the press release at most two pages and at best one page, making sure that you include all the pertinent details especially answering the who, what, when, where, how and why of your story.

Tailor your Press Release

If you really, really, really want to get your news published, you would go the extra mile for the specific news organization that you are targeting. Research on their style of writing and the specific format they use to publish their news. Follow this format to increase your press release’s chances of getting published ‘as is’ or at least garnering your corporation or organization a reputation of an ‘easy edit’ press release. Needless to say, a grammatically flawless press release is a must. Avoid technical words, flowery words and exclamation points as much as possible. Sensationalizing your story won’t help you at all. Lastly, remember to let at least two to three persons proof read your work before submitting it to the media.

Are you just starting your business and in need of added capital? Do you want to expand on your already growing business? Does your equipment need improvement? Is your business in need of added cash flow? If this is your situation then you are probably looking for some tips on how to help you get that bank approval for your business loan. Search no more as I give five tips that can surely help you in getting that much needed financial aid.

1. Present your Business Plan

With the high mortality rate of small and medium businesses today, is it any wonder that banks have become wary of approving business loans? With stiff competition for that business loan, how can you make yourself stand apart from the rest? The key is to prepare an excellent business plan. This includes having a brief executive summary of your business plan followed by the more detailed information about you and your business. Make sure you include the nature of your business and the service or product you offer as well as your sales and strategies. Bear in mind that your audience may not be familiar with your business so you must introduce it accordingly including who your competitions are, your target market, your business aim, personnel, and your projected financial outcome. You may also want to present a projected balance sheet. Be realistic about how much your business can actually earn in the future.

2. Good Credit Record

Having an impeccable credit record is probably one of the best things that you could do to persuade the bank to approve your business loan. Your credit record shows how you are as a borrower and how responsible and prompt you are in paying your debts. These are factors that are important with financial lenders as they are more prone to turn down business loans that have a record of not being able to pay on time.

3. Enumerate All of Your Assets

Providing the bank an accurate enumeration of all your assets is also an important factor in getting that business loan approved. The more assets you have the more security you can give for your debt and the higher your chances of getting approved. Since banks are risk averse, the greater collateral you can show, the lesser risk you pose as a borrower. Listing your house as a guarantee is also an excellent way for your loan to be approved. Other assets that you can list are vehicles, real property, stocks, bonds and cash. Be careful what you include as they may all be taken by the bank to answer for your loan in case you default.

4. Give a Detailed Allocation

Making a detailed allocation of where you will use your business loan can help in improving your chances of getting approved. It will show the loan officer where you will use the money and at the same time present options on how the bank can get the money back in case of default. For example you can say that you will use 50% of the loan for equipment. In case of default, the bank can take the equipment to answer for your debt.

5. Present a Good Income Record

In going to the bank, having your old income tax returns can be helpful. Show these to the loan officer so as to demonstrate your financial history and your capability to earn money.

Are you interested in building your business? Use one of the oldest, easiest and most effective tools for any business that costs you literally nothing?

Networking is one of the easiest and most efficient methods of creating opportunities and growing your business. Unfortunately very few business people network effectively.

Successful networking is the process of building relationships that involve give and take from each party. Willingness to help everyone in your network when you have the opportunity is essential to your success. You never know who will have the contacts or resources you might need to improve your business or solve a problem.

Let’s first look at some ways you can use networking to make an immediate connection to the business community.

At least once a month participate in the meetings and events of organizations you are involved in. If you are not involved in any organizations, join one. Business organizations provide invaluable contacts and resources.

Start your own networking group. Invite ten to twelve local contacts to meet weekly to share information, ideas and leads with each other. Or you could develop a network group from around the world to participate in a weekly tele-meeting. Rent a bridge line for an hour a week (members could take turns covering the cost) and become a resource for each other.

Participate in Internet business forums, chats and bulletin boards. Through the sharing of your knowledge and expertise within the Internet business community, you can build trust and recognition among your peers. Being involved will increase your creativity and growth potential.

How can you begin to put into practice and benefit from networking to today?

1. This may seem too simple, but create a verbal business card. Then, when you meet a new prospect, you can introduce yourself in a manner that leaves an impression and tells them what you do.

Example: “My name is Andrew Thompson. I assist individuals in creating passion in their business and personal lives through coaching.”

But be sure to also have a pocket full of business cards, and always ask for a card in return. And don’t forget to request an email address if it is not on their business card.

2. Add everyone you meet to your networking database. Then immediately send them a notecard encouraging them to stay in touch and letting them know you enjoyed meeting them. This note should be handwritten. Two new contacts per day will turn into 500 new potential clients or sources of referrals that you currently don’t enjoy.

3. When you read an article that you know will be of interest to someone in your network, take the time to send a copy. The same applies to web sites you discover or online publications that may support their business pursuits or personal interests.

4. Although email is a great way to stay in touch, everyone enjoys receiving a personal note. Place at least three notecards in your briefcase or planner every week and make sure that they have all been written before you replenish your supply for the next week. Let those in your network know you value the relationship.

Here are some ways to begin your notes:

• “Thank you for…”
• “I appreciate…”
• “It was great to…”
• “Your support yesterday…”
• “I enjoyed reading about you (your company) in…”
• “Congratulations on your recent…”
• “I could use your help…”

5. Each week, call four people whom you have not talked to in at least 90 days. This implements an ongoing process of reactivating your network.

Become an enthusiastic networker, and you could turn an average business into an extraordinary success.

In a world where cut-throat competition is the name of the game, business owners must find ways to advertise and promote their products or services to the most number of people at the lowest possible cost. In olden times this may mean newspaper advertisements, brochures, TV commercials, billboards, fliers, etc. But the boom of the internet has revolutionized the way businesses have advertised. One of the revolutionary ways to advertise that have been brought about by the internet technology is video marketing.

What is video marketing? Video marketing is a kind of marketing strategy where businesses or companies use videos that are uploaded in the internet to cater to a target specific audience with the end goal of promoting and advertising the company, the product or service and the convert these promotion or awareness to sales of the product or service.

If you have heard of video marketing, you may ask why your business or company should try video marketing. There are at least 5 reasons why you should use video marketing. Video marketing is as enticing to the consumer, if not more so, than the traditional methods of advertisement because it combines both the visual and audio appeal of the television to the interactivity and easy access of the internet. Second, video marketing is also a lot less expensive than the more traditional forms of marketing, as disseminating videos cost nothing as compared to continued TV time, newspaper space or billboard space. Third, since videos need to be accessed and searched before they are played, you can be sure that only those that are interested in your product will watch your videos making your videos more target specific than other forms of advertisements. Fourth, since you use videos, your message, which is the company and the product or service, gets delivered faster and easier. Lastly, using videos gives you more colorful and creative ideas to capture your audience’s interest.

Now that you know why you should use video marketing, here are some tips on how to maximize your videos so as to attain your goal of product awareness and product sales. The most obvious and probably the most challenging thing to overcome with video marketing is to make your videos as catchy and interesting to your consumers as possible. Be sure to put the information the audience is looking for at the start of the video so as to keep the audience interested. It is also important to remember that in making videos you must waste as less time of the audience as possible. Make the video short without compromising the information. Configure the video so as the viewer needs to click only once to load, activate and play the video.

One of the purposes of your video is to reach as much people as possible. Therefore, it is necessary that you optimize your video not only for video search engines but also for content search engines. To do this you must create relevant names for the video and use key words that the video search engine can index.

Very few mortgage loans are assumable and yet people still try and assume them either by breaking the rules outright or finding ways to go around them. To be able to understand more of assuming mortgage loans, I have prepared this discussion on the ways to assume mortgage loans and some ways people go around mortgage loan restrictions.

More often than not, it is the buyers of a property that is subject to the loan that are eager to assume the mortgage loan. Strictly speaking, assuming mortgage loan means that a person, usually the buyer of the property, takes it upon himself to pay the mortgage loan either with just the consent and agreement of the original mortgagor (usually the seller of the house) or with the consent of the both the mortgagor and the mortgagee( the lender).

There are basically three ways to assume a mortgage. The first way is for the buyer to buy the property subject of the mortgage. In this case, the buyer does not have to do get the consent of the mortgagee. It is still the seller that is responsible for the mortgage. However, the buyer of the property will get affected if the property is foreclosed. The second way to assume mortgage is for the buyer and seller-mortgagor to both pay the mortgage loan. The third way is through subjective novation, where, with the consent of the mortgagee, the buyer becomes the new mortgagor.

For the first method, there need not be any consent or knowledge from the mortgagee. What you have is an internal arrangement between the buyer and the seller where the mortgaged loan becomes part of the selling price of the property. For example, a house and lot valued at $200,000 is mortgaged for $80,000. The property can be sold at $200,000 and the seller will apportion the $80,000 as payment for the mortgage loan.

In the second method, the mortgagee is usually notified as he shall be accepting payment from both the buyer and the seller. A nominal fee for this assumption is usually asked by the mortgagee. For the third method to be possible, the mortgagee must give his consent to the assumption of the mortgage by the buyer. This means that the buyer will be the new mortgagor and the seller will be completely released from the mortgage. This third method is rarely ever approved by the mortgagor.

Method one and two are possible except if there is a ‘due on sale’ restriction otherwise known as a restriction clause. This clause is usually found on the document evidencing the loan or the mortgage. According to this clause, if any part of the property is sold or transferred without the mortgagee’s consent then all of the remaining mortgage debt will be due and demandable at once. To get around this some people just does not inform the lender of the assumption and hope he does not find out. Others execute an ‘agreement of sale’ or ‘bond of deed’ wherein the seller binds himself to sell the property to the buyer the moment the mortgage is paid.

How much money do you need to retire? Most financial experts agree that people need an average of 50 percent to 70 percent of their pre-retirement monthly income in their retirement years to retain their lifestyle. Income from Social Security usually makes up about 20 percent. Some financially savvy individuals shoot for the higher percentage due to the increased health care costs of aging individuals. Increasingly financial planners are suggesting that people target over 70% to account for those costs.

Exactly how much is needed is dependent upon an individual’s goal for his/her retirement years. Many people work part-time jobs or dabble in a home business or hobby to make extra money. Others like to travel or spend their time in leisure activities. When picturing your financial future, determine your wants and needs. Make a list. Once the list is completed, make another one. The second list should outline your assets, savings and investments already on hand.

Planning for retirement is essential. Starting early helps to take the edge off. A saving and investment strategy can make the retirement years much more enjoyable and hassle free.

Because of the uncertainty of Social Security, it may be practical not to count on it as a major source of your retirement income. Use it, instead, as a supplement. Depending on your age when you start planning, there are several factors to consider including some of the following:

How much equity do you have in your house or plan to have by the time retirement comes around? Borrowing against the equity can stave off financial emergencies. Taking too many loans, though, will deplete the equity and there won’t be any for retirement.

Depending on what you are planning for retirment, it’s also possible to sell a house and use the equity to purchase a smaller one, a condo or go into an apartment and put the money into an investment account to draw from.

How much money is there currently in a savings account? Some financial planners suggest that a good base for a future retirement nest egg is to have one year of your working salary in the bank or some other form of investment account such as an IRA, Mutual Fund or Certificate of Deposit, etc.

What do you anticipate your health care costs to be? If you invest in a long-term care account when you’re 40, it’s possible to have over $200,000 in that account by the time retirment kicks in. They are not inexpensive policies. One quote was for about $900 per year. However, they pay for in-home care, nursing home and the like.

Using these questions and others that specifically pertain to your life, determine a dollar amount that will cover you needs and wants. With that figure, factor in the number of years until you plan to retire from your primary occupation. You will have those years to save.

Here is one way to look at retirement when determining how much you will need and how long you will be required to save. If you need $700,00 in your nest egg, you will need to save approximately $28,372 per year, earning six percent per year, if retirement is in fifteen years. That gives you something to aim for.

Even if you do not already have a significant amount of cash on hand, use what you have as a base. If you haven’t even begun to save and retirement isn’t very far off, invest in slightly more aggressive investment opportunities. Of course, there is more risk. If you deposit $10,000 into a Mutual Fund and earn an average of 12 percent per you, you can expect approximately $20,000 to be in that account at the end of six years.

Seek the advice of a professional to help you in your planning if you need to. When consulting a professional, however, keep in mind that some will steer you into investments that put higher commissions in their pockets. Trust the person you’re working with to do what is best for you.

Also, if you’re financially knowledgeable, you can get tips and advice on the Internet. There a various websites that offer tools that can be used to help you calculate your financial needs for retirement.

The sale of a life insurance policy by the owner before the policy matures is called viatical settlement. This kind of arrangement involves insured individuals with a life expectancy of less than two years—so most people who are terminally ill enter this kind of deal. Some people may confuse viatical settlement from life settlement as these two are almost similar, but the latter involves individuals with a longer life expectancy of two to 15 years.

The viatical settlement is usually purchased at a price that is less than the benefit of the insurance policy. The person or company who purchased the insurance policy of someone (who is terminally ill) will collect the health benefit of that person when he/she dies.

In countries with high healthcare costs or under-subsidized health care support from the government, viatical settlement proves to be advantageous for people who are terminally ill as this allows them to pay for their hospital bills and help them with their financial management.

From the investor’s viewpoint, purchasing viatical settlement is almost the same with buying a bond with a negative coupon without any redemption date. The return benefit will just depend on the seller’s life expectancy.

In the US, this settlement became popular in the late 1980’s when AIDS epidemic was widespread among gay men who had life insurance policies but without any family to support. The viatical settlement let them extract value from their insurance policy while they were still alive. The seller and the policyholder mutually benefited from this arrangement, as the former collected their return at a relatively short time, while the latter can pay for their extremely high health insurance premiums.

There are government regulatory agencies that oversee and regulate dealings with viatical settlements as the industry has attracted unscrupulous life insurance dealers who demand large commissions to push the settlements. Companies that purchased life insurance policy from its owner would often resold it to individual investors, and this would require salesperson/middlemen. This is not a conventional investment for companies as hiring middlemen may sometimes be too costly.

Because of some medical breakthroughs, the life expectancy of people becomes longer. This means that investors will have a longer time to collect their returns because the policyholder will have a longer time to live.

Although some investors had a fair share of bad experiences with viatical settlements, these remain a great means of terminally people to manage their financial responsibilities. According to a 2002 study, viatical settlements provide a lot of mutual benefits to investors and the policyholders. This settlement also has a high approval rate to many hospice financial counselors.

For companies who are in the business of viatical settlements, be careful when investing on a policy. Some fraudulent middlemen sell insurance policy of applicants who are not really terminally ill. Medical exams and blood tests would reveal if someone is really a candidate for a viatical settlement. So make sure to follow lenient procedures and background checks for the policyholder applicants before investing on his/her insurance policy.