Is Real Estate a Good Investment for You?

August 22, 2014 Finance Tips

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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?

August 21, 2014 Finance Tips

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

August 21, 2014 Finance Tips

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.

Mortgage Rates and How They Can Save You Money

August 19, 2014 Finance Tips

Being a home owner is not only a major life goal ad accomplishment, it is one of the greatest responsibilities a person can have in terms of the financial investment they are making. Taking out a loan to purchase a new home brings with it the responsibility of paying back that loan through a monthly mortgage agreement. It can be a daunting proposition to take on a loan of tens of thousands of dollars which is why the affordable home mortgage program is in existence.

It is designed to help all home loan payers find a way to securely and easily pay back their home loans and avoid defaulting on payments and any associated penalties. It can be a challenge at tomes to make payments, specially during times of employment and financial difficulties. So programs such as this exist to help homeowners with all mortgage payment and management needs. It is a valuable service that has helped many and that is well worth looking into for yourself. The affordable housing enhanced loan program has helped many and it can do the same for you!

Refinancing your home mortgage can be beneficial for you and your family. Refinancing a home mortgage allows you to obtain a lower interest rate and help you save a large amount of money in the long run. It is important to take the time and refinance your mortgage when interest rests are low, which will allow you to save on the mortgage and housing costs. When seeking to refinance your home it is important to take the time and seek a mortgage professional and ask for mortgage refinance advice. Seeking the advice of professional will help you save money by finding a low home mortgage refinance rate.

Home mortgage refinance advice can come from a mortgage professional, a Realtor, mortgage refinance programs, banks and more. Before you look to refinance your mortgage, it is important to evaluate certain financial aspects such as credit score, loan terms and any sort of penalties for early payment of your current home loan. Having low home mortgage refinance rates is helpful to save money, but these important financial aspects will also pay a part in how much you money you pay each month and how much you are saving. Before you take the steps to refinance your home mortgage be sure to seek mortgage refinance advice and learn what type of rates are available and how they best work with your situation.

Mortgages are typically handed for 10-25 years of financing and the higher or lower your interest rates will help determine how much money you end up paying back. By refinancing your home mortgage to a loan with lower interests rates, you can save yourself money over time. Simple mortgage refinance advice will help make sure your current loans are the best fit and most valuable option available to you. Some mortgage professionals specialize in helping people with bad credit refinance their home loans where others won’t speak with anyone who has bad credit. It is important to seek out the type of advice that is best for you before looking to refinance your home mortgage.

Letting the Experts Handle the Tough Tasks When It Comes to Payroll

July 31, 2014 Finance Tips

If you’re a small business owner and you’ve been thinking that your payroll program could use some help, you may want to consider outsourcing the program to a professional processing service. Why, you ask?

Many small businesses find themselves caught between two (or more) countries — for example, many businesses are based in the U.S. but often employ Canadians. You would think that tax regulations would be pretty similar between these two countries, but they’re actually really different. And it can become difficult to stay up-to-date on regulations and policy changes for one country, much less two countries. A professional payroll processing service employs people who do just that — they stay informed about policy changes so that you don’t have to.

You may think that all of these regulations aren’t too confusing, but just wait for tax season to creep up. So many businesses make mistakes when doing payroll tax calculations, and the mistakes are honest, but that doesn’t matter. Steep fines can accompany mistakes, no matter how small, and this can be really harmful for small businesses which have tight budgets to begin with.

And speaking of money, outsourcing your payroll program might actually save you money in the long run. It cuts down on time that you have to spend doing boring paperwork and number calculations, and it lets you focus on the business you want to do. If you wanted to sit around and fiddle with numbers all day, you would have become an accountant — right? The fact is, you started a business because you were passionate about something and wanted to share your passion with others. Opting to outsource all the extra paperwork lets you do just that. It keeps your employees happy (because they get paid on time), it keeps the government happy (because it gets taxes), and it keeps you happy too!

The Importance of Hiring a Small Business Accountant

July 30, 2014 Finance Tips

For better or worse, taxes are a part of life. Every civilization in history has relied on taxes, including the Sumerian civilization, which kept tax records on cones made of clay. And if you manage your own company, you know how important it still is to keep quality financial records in order to make sure your company continues to function and sustain itself.

With that in mind, you may come to the conclusion that finding an accountant for a small business should be a top priority of yours. After all, putting accounting tips and tricks into practice can be essential to running a business, but you may not have an accountant in-house.

When choosing an accountant, make sure that you hire a professional who doesn’t merely have basic accounting tips to offer, but can also actively keep track of and anticipate outgoing and incoming funds, how they are being allocated, and other details by assessing expenses and revenues.

If you have difficulty finding an accountant for a small business and you do not hire one, you may risk not having adequate financial resources eventually, which can also lead to legal complications and ramifications.

To share questions, comments, or tips about how to find a quality accountant for your small business, be sure to make your thoughts known in the section below. Learn more at this link: www.sp-pc.ca

San Antonio Area Experiencing Commercial Real Estate Market Boom

July 28, 2014 Finance Tips

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According to the latest figures being released by Integra Realty Resources, San Antonio and the metro area are experiencing a very strong local commercial real estate market. The news is being received positively by those interested in ensuring the economic future of San Antonio.

Even though the nation, as a whole, is experiencing lower demand for commercial real estate, it seems that demand in San Antonio will continue to grow. The growth is even spreading to neighboring cities of Pleasanton and Boerne, which, in the past, many in the industry labeled as “too small” and said they would not be able to attract sufficient investment capital.

According to Martyn Glen, the Senior Managing Director of the San Antonio Office of IRR, there’s an obvious reason that commercial real estate is booming in San Antonio — the city’s economy is doing well, and commercial real estate developers will follow the money trail left by consumers with full wallets. “We have a low unemployment rate, lower than the state,” he explains. “And people here have good ideas of education, as is shown by the large number of very high quality colleges in this area.”

There are other contributing factors, of course. Glen thinks that hotel construction downtown will likely receive a boost after the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts opens this September, and the victory the San Antonio Spurs had in June helped to capture the eye of investors from other cities.

Additionally, the Eagle Ford Shale has helped to stir a lot of local real estate interest throughout the San Antonio area. “It brought about $60 billion into the economy in 2013, it has increased population, and led to an increase in the work force,” he explains, and says that it is likely to inspire more demand for housing and construction for several more years at least.

Are You Financially Ready for Retirement?

July 28, 2014 Finance Tips

Having money for retirement can be a huge concern. Even if you make enough to try and save, there are a plethora of things that can happen that can completely clean out your savings. All it takes is one serious injury, buying a home or car, or paying for your kid’s education to keep you working for years longer than you intended to before retiring. Investing is a good way to help ensure that you can retire when you want to with enough money to live on.

Not many people think about retirement — only 37% of Americans have figured out how much money they need to make before they are able to retire, according to the U.S. Retirement Confidence Survey. If you are one of those people who hasn’t yet planned for the future by investing, you might want to find a financial advisor to help you.

An investment advisor can help you find many more investment opportunities than you probably would otherwise. If you are interested in some investment opportunities but are unsure of the best course of action, a financial investment advisor can also help you with risk management, like portfolio management and asset allocation.

The best financial advisor will also keep track of all of your investments, liabilities, income, assets, taxes, and even your estate plan. If you aren’t sure how investing works or don’t have time for things like tax planning or wealth transfer, a professional can probably help. More like this article: winshipwealth.com

Why Your Business Should Start Accepting Credit and Debit Cards

July 24, 2014 Finance Tips

If your business only accepts cash or checks, you could be missing out on a lot of revenue from other sources. Currently, credit and debit cards are the most popular way for consumers to pay for goods and services, and there aren’t very many people who don’t use this convenient payment method. In order to get this service, you need to choose a credit card payment processing provider that can offer you great rates and simple service.

Thinking of expanding your business to allow for transactions with credit and debit cards? If you’re unsure, here are some reasons why you may want to consider these types of payments.

Most people use them.

They’re good anywhere.

There’s plenty of technology to help you with this process.

Today’s mobile payment

In today’s economy, not accepting credit cards can be seriously detrimental to your business.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Mutual Funds

July 23, 2014 Finance Tips

A mutual fund is a professional type of managed collective investment scheme that brings together money from numerous investors in order to purchase securities and allows for fund rating. There is technically no legal definition for the term “mutual fund.” Mutual funds are generally applied only to those collective investments that are regulated and sold to the public. Sometimes they are referred to as “investment companies” or “registered investment companies.” Most fund rating mutual funds are “open-ended”, which means stockholders can buy or sell shares of the fund any time they please by redeeming them from the fund rating itself, rather than on an exchange.

Mutual funds have advantages and disadvantages when compared to direct investing in individual securities, which is why fund rating is so important. Mutual funds have a long history in the United States and they play an important role in everyday finances, such as retirement planning. There are three types of mutual funds: open-end, unit investment trust, and closed-end. The most common type, the open-end fund, has be willing to buy back shares from investors at any time. Exchange-traded funds (ETF) are open-end funds or unit investment trusts that trade based on an exchange. Mutual funds are generally classified based on their principal investments. The four main categories of funds are money market funds, bond mutual funds, stock funds and hybrid funds. Funds may also be categorized as index or actively managed.

Investors experience low risk and the possibility of high returns with fund rating mutual funds. Mutual fund managers have proper access to the market information. This gives them adequate ways to responsibly make investment decisions for their managed funds. Fund rating mutual funds offer investors a wide variety of stocks and bonds in which to choose from when deciding what to do with their assets. Investing in mutual funds gives investors the ease to liquify or redeem their funds if they are in a financial emergency, another reason for fund rating.