Month: August 2014

Is Real Estate a Good Investment for You?

    Finance Tips

American real estate partners douglas fleit

Real estate is an excellent investment option that can create a constant stream of income if you handle it well. It can even increase in value over time if you take good care of your property and you can end up making a significant profit.

It’s unwise to go into real estate investing unprepared, however. In fact, most advisers will warn you not to borrow money for investments and have most of the cash on hand to pay for a home or an apartment. At the bare minimum, you need to make sure you can make payments even when the property is unoccupied by tenants. Relying solely on rent can end up costing you money and credit if you have a high renter turnover rate or late payments. Using a loan to purchase a property can add years onto the time it takes to actually make a profit.

The exceptions to this rule are real estate developers working on larger projects. Typically, developers will only have a small percentage of the real estate development funding they need to make their project a reality. When the developer is ready to seek investors, they can make proposals to commercial real estate development companies, individuals, and banks.

Commercial real estate development companies consist of collections of individuals interested in funding projects they believe will be profitable and successful. The only downside with commercial real estate development companies is that the developer has to share some measure of creative control, but many projects wouldn’t be funded otherwise.

Regardless, whenever you invest in real estate, you have to be aware of area taxes and have a clear vision for renting your property. You can go through a rental company to share some of the workload of collecting rent and repairing the property, but this can be expensive. Consider this if you don’t have time to care for a property yourself.

When deciding on a rental price, consider the fees and expenses that rental companies, repairs and utilities incur and incorporate those into the price to keep you covered. You should also put any extra money earned in the first few months and set it aside for unanticipated cost and repairs. Make sure buildings are up to code before you rent them out.

See this link for more: www.americanrepartners.com

What Can New Pharmacy POS Software Do For You?

    Finance Tips

Pharmacy point of sale

Not all Point of Sale systems are the same, and when you’re running a complicated small business like a pharmacy, you need to find the right POS system to handle all your specific pharmacy needs. Don’t believe us? Here are just a few ways that your business could benefit from using one of the many retail pharmacy POS systems available today:

  • Newer pharmacy POS systems are able to provide all the basic functions of a POS system, like processing transactions and keeping track of customer loyalty programs, and updating your POS system to one geared towards small businesses and pharmacies doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice these basic functions. You can even update your software to a mobile POS system, which functions just like a normal cash register (without the actual cash register drawer), except that it can be carried around anywhere in the store.

  • Pharmacy POS systems are able to keep track of prescription records, making it easier for pharmacists to access patients’ information and provide better product recommendations. These new systems aren’t intended to take over a pharmacist’s job entirely, but rather, they make it easier for pharmacists and pharmacy staff to stay organized and provide better services to customers.

  • Don’t let recent news about hackers scare you — new POS systems are really more secure than ever before, and there’s no reason for a business or its customers to feel like their personal information might get stolen. Even mobile POS systems come equipped with card readers and electronic signature capabilities, which ensure that a customer’s personal information is always safe, and that the pharmacy is providing the correct prescription to the patient for whom it is prescribed.

Your patients’ health and personal data is always the number one priority of your small pharmacy, and when you install or upgrade to a POS system that’s designed specifically for businesses like yours, it’s easier than ever to make sure that you and your pharmacists never miss a beat. Good refereneces.

Four Things You Should Ask When Choosing a Financial Advisor

    Finance Tips

San francisco tax planner

The benefits of having a certified financial advisor who can help you optimize your finances at every level are virtually endless. A good financial advisor can help you complete your taxes each year, invest smarter and manage your portfolio, and much more.

But if you’ve never had an investment advisor or certified financial planner before, knowing how to find a financial advisor with the right qualifications and experience can be tough.

To help you with this, here are the top four questions you should always ask when trying to find a financial advisor who is right for you:

1. How experienced are you?: Every financial advisor you speak with should be able to tell you his or her level of experience. Ideally, you should choose a certified financial advisor with many years of experience in the field and a good track record of helping clients like you with their investments and finances.

2. What qualifications and certifications do you have?: In addition to a college degree in finance or business, your ideal financial advisor will have some sort of certification — typically, the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP) gives out these certifications.

3. How are you paid for your services?: It’s important to understand how your financial advisor will charge you for his or her services. Some certified financial advisors charge by the hour, while others will charge a percentage of the assets in your investment portfolio. There are also others who use a commission-based system of charging.

4. Can you explain this concept to me?: You don’t want your financial advisor to explain financial concepts in a language you don’t understand. Try asking your prospective advisor to explain a financial or investing concept to you, such as the difference between active and passive investing. If you can understand what he or she says, you’ve found a great certified financial advisor. Find more.