Making Money With the Eminis

Experienced traders are familiar with emini futures or eminis as they call them. Eminis have been in the market for a long time. They are not as large as 'full-grown' futures that are traded on at stock exchanges. Eminis, on the other hand are traded on the internet.

This permits retail traders to compete against professional traders at the stock exchange, without having to leave the comfort of their homes. Only forex trading can give a trader more benefits than futures trading. Of course, inexperienced traders are at greater risk of losing heavily when dealing with futures or forex trading. But this has not deterred people from trading in either of these markets.

Though trading eminis is not a simple and easy process, a dedicated trader can acquire the skill with experience. Trading rules which apply to stocks and bonds also apply to eminis. Following these basic rules is extremely important when trading with eminis because of the enormous leverage it offers.

Failure to do this will certainly result in wiping away one's trading account within a short time. One of these rules is that you should 'let your profits run'. Another rule insists that you must 'cut your losses short'. This pair of rules makes a very sensible combination and provides for sensible trading.

The second rule, asking you to cut your losses short is of greater importance than the first which demands that you let your profits run. You may wonder why this should be so. It is so because if you do not cut your losses you will certainly deplete your trading account very quickly when you are dealing with eminis. Sadly, people do not pay enough attention to this golden rule and end up facing enormous losses.

We shall now look at this aspect of the trade since it is usually not given the attention it deserves. One knows fully well that the trader, like any of us, would not want to admit even to himself that he has made an erroneous decision. Being reluctant to acknowledge his mistake, the trader's ego will push him into waiting for a favorable change. All this time the trader will be accumulating losses.

While optimism has its own role to play in trading, it is also necessary to use one's common sense and be realistic and disciplined in money management. Breaking basic trading rules is not a sign good money management. Another reason why this 'cut your losses short' rule is violated is that traders lack confidence in the methods that they use to trade.

Because the trader who is chalking up losses feels that he has no better trading option, he holds on to his trading even when he keeps losing. He should bring himself to believe that it would be better to quit the losing trade because other, and better, opportunities would come his way in time.

The lesson one must take home from this is that when trading emini futures or any other market it is essential to have a sound strategy that one can depend on to cut one's losses before they become disastrous.

How to Successfully Manage Bad Press

Too many cooks will always spoil your broth, and try as you might, teaching new tricks to old dogs is an entirely futile enterprise. However, in spite of the wisdom of some old adages, the idea that "All Publicity is good Publicity" can definitely be tossed into the "ignore" pile by anyone pursuing a serious career in PR. If you're working for any substantial length of time in public relations, there will be occasions when you have to deal with bad press, so reputation management is a skill which you need to learn. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy, since bad press can come in all shapes and sizes, but these four pointers will help you to remain calm and give you time to focus on next steps...

1. Make sure key players are informed

No matter what the size of your company, or your client's company, you should have a PR plan. This should include a crisis management section which will detail the procedures which are taken whenever there is a risk of bad press. Top item on the plan ought to be who needs to be kept informed. Typically, this will be all senior management, and often it will include all members on the communications/marketing team. If this is a lot of individuals, it might even be worth setting up an email group, so that when you do have a crisis you can alert everyone quickly. As press officer, it is your responsibility not only to inform them at the onset of a crisis, but also any key developments and also further press coverage as it occurs.

2. Ensure that employees direct journalist calls to the correct spokespeople

Depending on the number of employees and the amount of clout your company has, journalists may try a number of different methods to speak to an insider about what is going on. This could be sketchy, since other members of the team may not know the ins and outs of the story, or your official company line, and it is easy even for media trained personnel to be flustered by questions. As a part of your day to day strategy, every member of staff should be aware who the press officer is, so that they are able to field any press enquiries. However, when a crisis occurs, it is essential to remind everyone that media enquiries should be directed to the appropriate team member. Having said this, it is important that all members of staff are kept up to date with key developments in any crisis. A successful internal communications strategy will send out updates to all members of staff which give them the information they need.

3. Have a statement ready to go

If the phone starts ringing and emails are flying, even the most experienced of PROs can become flustered. That is why it is useful to have a written statement ready to go to media. The benefits of a written quote are twofold. Firstly, having a written documentation of all of the media you have spoken to will make it easier to track who you have been dealing with. This will be important when the crisis is over since you may want to let those people know some good news, and the journalists will appreciate being kept in the loop as developments happen. Secondly, it avoids a lengthy or difficult telephone conversation which may see you having to deal with awkward questions.

4. Balance it with some good PR

Here's a maxim to believe in: "All Good Publicity is Good Publicity". It's not rocket science, and maybe you can think of it as the yin and yang of PR, but after you've had a crisis it's a good idea to sit down and think about what is great about your company. Unearth the charity work that staff have been involved in, find a real life story about how your product has really made someone's day, or if you're really stuck, just write a press release about how the crisis has been resolved and what procedures have been put into place to protect you and your customers from a similar crisis. If you can get some senior spokespeople to lend their voice to this good news, then it is even better, as it gives more credibility to the story.

Whatever type of PR you are in, you will have to handle bad press at some point in your career. It can be unpleasant, although for some people, this type of reputation management can be one of the highlights of the job. Each case is different, and you learn as you go along, but by remembering those four points, you are well on the way to handling bad press in a professional way.

What Travel Agents Need to Know About Corporate Travel Today

This is rightly named as the age of traveler-centricity and with the evolution of the new era of personalized travel; it is leading to research and development of a host of new so-called intelligent services. The command-and-control perspectives of traveling have changed a lot from the past and the focus has shifted more on the traveler and the productivity of each trip. It has become essential to maintain that the travelers have the greatest return on investment on each trip. New generations of young employees and managers, who have been growing up and dwelling in a digital age, are moving up the ranks as travelers. It has become essential to recognize the need for greater flexibility acknowledging that the employees who travel on corporate trips also consider a percentage of their trip to be a leisure outlet. With increasing globalization and rise in companies sending their staff overseas to network and connect with their offshore prospects/customers/suppliers, corporate travel is a highly profitable tourism segment. Before we talk about how tourism companies can better cater to business travelers, let us first look at why they prefer to use specialized corporate agencies over traditional agents

Why do businesses use Corporate Travel Agencies?

This might be the most basic question for a travel agency as to why they need to use agencies specializing in corporate travel when there are plenty of regular travel agents in the market. Here is the importance of corporate travel agencies who have online systems which allow business travelers access to their complete itinerary.

The following information is at the fingertips of the CTAs:-

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  full business itinerary details














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  up-to-date tracking details of flights (including delays or rescheduling)














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  transparent details about additional costs such as baggage fees or in-flight fees














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  travel alerts, if any, in the destined area














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  complete and up-to-date details about the visa procurement policies and identification required














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  currency requirement and conversion rates

What do corporate clients expect from Corporate Travel Agencies?

Negotiated Fares

The Corporate Agencies tend to have tie-ups with hotels, car rentals, flights etc. giving them access to lower fares which can be used only by the frequent business travelers. Discounted prices are not the only advantage though as they also offer flight upgrades, room upgrades, and VIP check-in lines as required.

In-depth information about the travel industry

Corporate travel agents have access to many travel resources and most importantly, quickly, than any other leisure travel agent. Additional information helps to make the business trips convenient and comfortable.

Changes in Itinerary

When an airline ticket needs to get rescheduled or cancelled, chances are the airline or the online service provider will charge lofty fees. When booking with a corporate travel agent, most of the times schedule changes can be done at zero or minimal extra charges.

Viable emergency contacts

It is important for the business travelers to reach the correct person at the need of trouble. Corporate travel agents have the experience and professionalism to relieve stress for both the traveler and the company.

What you need to consider as corporate travel increases?

Business Travel Barometer reported that corporate travel is witnessing an accelerated growth. However, when poorly managed, it may be no longer an advantage to companies and may, in fact become a burden. There are some factors which the corporations and CTAs must consider to get the best out of the time spent traveling.

Adopting a travel policy

The corporate must define a travel policy which is applicable to and respected by travelers at all levels. This policy should be used to establish the standards which will help to track the improvement of business travel. It will eventually help to reduce the costs of the entire package.

Do not limit the traveler's autonomy

The management is responsible for budgeting the travel policy which helps to improve cost management however, it is also essential to give a degree of autonomy to the traveler. The policy should be flexible enough to allow the employee to adapt the trip as per the situation.

Traveler's security should be a major concern

Business travelers need to have security in place. The company needs to stick to its definition of standards to ensure the employee's integrity. The CTAs should have reliable partners (travel insurance, airlines, hotel chains etc.).

Mobility and automation

To optimize time and ease the processes, the administration of management platforms should have automated processes. This means they should adopt mobile solutions where search options, travel alerts, ticket reservations etc. can be accessed quickly, easily and on the go.

Corporate Travel Trends in 2016

Corporate travel trends tend to change regularly. 2016 has also not been any different and the travel management companies (TMCs) and corporate travel agencies (CTAs) are quite focused to provide steady if not strong axis all over. A growing MICE sector, investments in mobile and big data and enhanced focus on duty of care are some of their areas of focus.

Rising prices

The consolidated buzzword among global suppliers, airfares, hotel rates etc. is the rising fares. It is sometimes the move of the suppliers to generate discounts which encourage travel if there is a strong decline in demand. A positive 2016 world economy has been bringing an increase in air fares of a few percentage points, hotels are expected to see 4%-6% rise in average global rates and the competition will remain moderate in the car rental services.

Duty of care

Risk management is one of the major points of emphasis for corporations. Corporate customers are allowing new policies and improved technologies to monitor employees' location in case of an emergency, especially when they are travelling to foreign destinations. For instance, Concur Risk Messaging helps to identify the travelers moving around in the world and alerts them with alternate travel arrangement as and when needed.

Focusing on MICE

Meetings industry is a major growing sector and the corporate travel trend is developing on it. The corporate travel agencies should better start aligning the various meeting procurement methodologies with its transient travel sourcing. One of the ways could be to broaden the variety of meeting services by incorporating incentive trips within it.

Investing in technology

A sharper focus on increasing value and becoming more traveler-centric can be done by bringing in mobile friendly technologies. Mobile and big data are definitely the two most significant technological investments which any corporate travel agency must focus to make their platform more appealing.

Business travel analysis after Brexit

Following Brexit, ACTE and CAPA shared their speculations. According to them, the greatest short-term effects on the travel industry will come from the weakening of the pound against other world currencies. Greeley Koch, executive director for the Association of Corporate Travel Executives said that the business travel industry will trend on currency fluctuations; with some companies taking advantage of the weaker pound and traveling more, while others may withhold business travel until world markets find their own level.

Impact of terrorism on corporate travelers

Travel policy makers and administrators need to be guided by rising terrorism scare. For executives and staff undertaking travel on behalf of businesses, the travel agents and corporate travel agencies (CTAs) should prove the reassurance for their safety through the travel policies. It is more than likely that the surveys conducted over corporate travelers reflect the general concern of the global business travelers about the spate of terrorism. However, there is no denying the fact that terrorist threat is changing the patterns of business travel. The key impact of this is to keep in mind that the companies providing travel services for business travelers need to enhance their focus on security and the associated risks in delivering the services to corporate clients. According to a recent finding, travel managers have higher estimation of their policy's effectiveness in addressing risk compared to skeptical business travelers.

Concluding

Although the corporate travel sector has continued to progress, there are a plethora of challenges faced by the industry. A rapidly changing consumer market, the emergence of new business models, the impact of technology, man-made and natural crises are some of the fulcrum points that need to be considered before planning corporate trips.

7 Top Tips to Car Salesman's Or Saleswoman's Success

Given that car sales account for 19% of total US sales in 2000 (source: US Small Business Administration), a lot of people are buying cars which mean that they are a lot of people selling cars. Additionally, new car sales have dropped from 63.4% in 1989 to 60% in 1999. Selling cars is not easy given that many still have a negative perception of car salesmen or women. Hopefully, these 7 tips may help you to sell more cars.

1. First and Foremost YOU need to think of yourself as a business. Car sales people work for an auto dealership, but most work on a salary and commission basis. When your compensation is commission based, this means you have more control of your destiny and should view yourself as a business instead of just a sales person.
2. Adopt a Planning Attitude. If you do not have a plan, then you are on some else's plan - usually the successful car saleswoman or salesman. As a practicing performance improvement consultant or coach for the last 10 years, I have observed that most people plan less for their own lives than they do for a simple visit to the grocery store.
3. Learn how to prospect. There exists a fundamental belief that the auto dealership is responsible for bringing traffic through the door because the dealership owners have all those "big bucks" for media advertising. Given that 80% of all new sales comes from referrals, would it not make more sense to prospect individually rather than simply on outside resources to control your destination? Those media efforts usually bring in suspicions, not prospects. Use your time wisely by focusing on prospects those who have a need, dollars and are a decision-maker. Do not rely only on the auto dealer to send out letters. Take the time to write some handwritten notes.
4. Improve your sales skills to make more money. Today's buyers are far more savvy than years ago. Learn how to cultivate and develop long term relationships. Consider a proven buying / selling sales process where marketing and selling skills are united to deliver to the desired results of another sold car. New car sales to used car sales are far more relationship based selling than years ago when car sales was a commodity sale.
5. Establish your sales goals using your great planning attitude. If you are a car salesman or car saleswoman and have 300 customers and the industry average sales cycle is 3 years, then every year you should be selling 100 cars. Focus your efforts of those who will be buying a car this year, but remember to continue to touch those who will potentially be buying another car in 2 or 3 years. HINT: Use the WAYSMARTcriteria for goal setting.
6. Identify the attitudes or beliefs that are obstacles to your success. Working with those in the auto industry, I have heard countless reasons why sales can not be made. However, when these reviews are reviewed, they are usually unfounded reasons based upon existing attitudes and beliefs. For example, "corporate has ruined the car industry by posting prices on the Internet. Everyone knows everything about the car." My response is "if price was a real objection, then everyone would be driving a Yugo or a Chevette. HINT: When you change how you look at things, the things you look at will change.
7. Make managing yourself priority number one. You must learn how to maximize your time especially in the area of ​​time management, ongoing professional development such as through business coaching training and personal life balance. The auto industry is truly a 24/7 business given that cars are with us each and every day of our lives. However, it is important not to lose sight of your personal life including family, friends, physical health, etc.

Yes, you can be an incredible car salesperson who can increase sales through these 7 simple car salesman tips. Just remember, sales regardless of industry is all about knowing your numbers and then multiplying your activity to secure those desired results.

Advanced Mobile SEO TIPS For Mobile Marketing

In 2016, Google introduced the mobile-first index system to provide the best user experience for their mobile users by prioritizing mobile-friendly websites. This new indexing system will first look into the mobile version of your website to determine the ranking. Websites without a mobile version or poorly optimized mobile websites will drop out even further in search engine results pages (SERPs). But, the good news is this Mobile SEO is simple and easy to do yourself tasks.

Advanced Mobile SEO Tips for Mobile Marketers:

Mobile SEO is nothing than a conventional SEO, creating content and tagging to make it stand out online. These white-hat mobile SEO tips will help you to avoid search engine penalties and maintain better online visibility.

1. Google My Business: mobile online marketing.

One of the most important and effective mobile marketing move that business owners can do is signing up for Google My Business account. It is free and simple, by filling the information to the best of your ability and add more possible pictures of your business. When people searching for the keyword that is related to your business, there is more likely to visible your 2nd information first. So, think of using it for mobile marketing.

2. Using social media:

According to reports, average mobile users spending their 80% of the time on social media of the total times they are spending on the mobile. These social media sites bring a huge amount of traffic to your website. So, to improve visibility to mobile users, priorities your social media marketing strategy. The frequency of posting, Quality of content and optimized social media campaign will help your brand stands out. Also, read our Content Marketing Guide.

3. Take advantage of plug-ins for mobile SEO:

If your website uses WordPress or another content management system (CMS). you can use various plug-ins to improve your mobile site more user-friendly. One of the popular CMS, WordPress offers a large number of plug-ins to optimize images, improve speed and take care of other important mobile SEO factors.

WPtouch is the popular universal WordPress plug-in that will create a Google-approved mobile version of your website. If you can't afford a professional to update and optimize your website, try these plug-ins to build a mobile-friendly website and improve visibilities.

4. Use keywords for mobile users:

It is proven that mobile users search differently than other desktop users. Optimize your content for mobile keyword search phrases to show up your content to the right people. Find the right tools to find the right keywords for your content, you can find keyword comparisons by the device in Google's Search Console.

5. Improve page loading time:

When it comes to mobile SEO, page loading time is the most important issue. There are many factors that define the page loading time. Gzip compression, Image optimization and using Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), there are some tools and plug-ins to perform this tasks and improve the faster loading of mobile web pages.

Final Words:

Digital marketing trend changed the whole scenario of marketing. Mobile SEO is becoming a most essential task for all bloggers and webmasters for mobile marketing.

The Importance of Quality Banking Software

Perhaps as never before, the necessity for excellent banking software has become evident. Retail banking requires a client-focused approach that will attract new customers and maintain them in a long term business relationship. One way to ensure customer satisfaction has been to guarantee rapid response to questions as well as information-gathering for business transactions.

New banking software technology can provide broad retail functionality while it supports various multi-channel models simultaneously. Scalability and resilience are also important features in quality software for banking needs. New core banking applications need to be able to address and support merger and acquisitions activities.

A new concern has been raised by the recent financial collapses within the banking industry. Astute attention to collateral management may have played a positive role in averting some of the humiliating losses that occurred and adversely affected so many smaller banks and loan institutions as well as the customers they represented. Quality banking software is being developed to include systems that monitor contractual descriptions and types. It will have the capacity of maintaining customer information, contractual data, and credit count relationships. This will be a significant part of any core banking application program.

Excellent financial software is also available for corporate and correspondent banking requirements. This banking software can introduce new business models as it responds speedily to ever-changing market conditions. It can reduce costs and identify and manage the risk factors at work, as well. In contractual management, this feature will assist in recognizing contractual shifts in value before they can cause significant damage. An excellent banking computer program will be flexible enough to include new products as they become available and should improve the overall efficiency of the banking business. All of these improvements should add value to the customer relationship which, of course, is paramount.

When one thinks in terms of universal banking, the amount of information that must be collected, processed, re-calculated regularly, and stored is mind-boggling. More and more banks have chosen to simply out source some of this mass of data collections, including information in contractual management, rather than handle it in-house. New technology will allow for broader functionality in the banking service. Various different kinds of banking products will be able to move across all kinds of channels, especially on the international level. This agility will enable banks to compete with the large international financial institutions that venture into their markets.

When considering the best in banking software, one must look at its "functional richness" as well as its scalability and flexibility. It must be adaptable to the latest in open technology, and it should include a system- connectivity with bilateral management. Customers today want as close to real-time views as possible. They want quick access to their counter-party's collateral and exposures. The ability to function with broad and sweeping informational strokes will strengthen the attractiveness and competitiveness of banking operations for the approaching years.

Top 10 Tips for Choosing a Web Designer for Your Business Web Site

How to Choose a Web Design Firm

Simple. You do your homework on them. Then, you start asking questions and taking notes. There are plenty of web designers available. You want to go with the best because, in fact, your web designer is in essence your partner. You want to choose a designer that takes YOUR business seriously.

What questions do you ask?

There are several important questions to ask when choosing a web designer for your business web site.

Creating your web site can be a tricky process. Choosing the best web design firm for your business web site is a very important decision. And if your company is like most small businesses, you probably do not have a web design experience. Building your web site will take time and work. And working with a web designer is no easy task. So choose the right web design company from the start and avoid do-over's, which can be cost and time consuming.

1. What kind of web experience do you have?

For starters, find out what kind of design experience your potential design firm has. Do they have experience with content management systems such as Joomla or Drupal, do they have experience working with "raw" HTML? Has the web design company created web sites similar to yours? Do they have relevant industry experience? If you want to sell products through your web site and accept credit card payments, does the web design company you are considering have experience with ecommerce hosting?

2. Do you have a portfolio that I can review?

An experienced web design company will have a solid portfolio of web sites that they have created for other clients. Ask for links to other site the design company has created and reviewed each one. Do you like what you see? Do the sites have a style that appeals to you?

3. Do you have any references?

In addition to reviewing web sites, ask for customer references. Contact their clients and ask them about their experience with the web design company. Were they happy with the results? Did they get what they paid for? How much did they pay? Would they recommend them? How long did it take? What did not they like about the company? How responsive was the company when they had questions?

4. What are your prices?

The most important step in pricing is to make sure the potential design company outline all of the prices associated with the work and puts it all in writing. Never enter into a deal without all of the costs are well understood up front.

Ask them a bit about how they manage payments. If they respond in a very business-like and professional manner, this is a good sign. If they throw out answers like - "Do not worry, we'll manage" or "Whatever you are comfortable with", do not be fooled. This is trouble waiting to happen. Get the price in writing before you begin the project.

5. Do you have experience with search engine optimization?

Most small business owners do not have it in their budget to hire a separate marketing firm to work on search engine optimization (SEO), so it is imperative that your web designer have experience in SEO. A good designer will know that design and SEO go hand-in-hand. Designing a web site for search engines with "clean" code that utilizes cascading style sheets is essential to getting your content indexed in the leading search engines, such as Google and Bing.

6. Do you have experience with social media marketing?

Many marketing firms do know the first thing about social media marketing. These firms are stuck in the past and are not as effective as they pret to be. Be sure that you work with a designer that knows how to setup a Facebook fan page for your business and design a customized Twitter profile. This is important because you will want your social media properties to mesh with the design of your web site. The web site and social media pages should complement one-another.

7. What is your process for designing or building a web site?

Make sure you ask your potential web design company about the process that they use? Do they design a web site or do they build a web site? An experienced Internet professional should understand the difference between these two concepts. If they do not, they're probably not as experienced as they claim to be. Building a web site is a highly technical process, while designing a web site is a highly creative process. Many advertising firms specialize in web site design which does not necessarily require any web development skills whatever. At the same time, many firms design web sites, yet out-source the creative portion of the project. Find out from the beginning what the process if for the firm that you are considering.

8. How long will it take?

Perfectionism can be a huge stumbling block in the fast paced world of the Internet. Some designers are unable to compromise between quality and time to market needs. Test: See how long it takes until you receive a proposal.

9. What type of support is offered after web site launch?

If your design firm does not offer web site maintenance, you might want to continue looking. Most reputable design firms will offer "post-launch" maintenance for companies that do not have an in-house webmaster.

10. Which web hosting providers do you work with?

If your design firm does not know the first-names of the contact at their favorite web design firm, then this should raise a red flag. Most reputable web designers know not to choose a web host simply because they are the most popular or because they offer the cheapest web hosting. A reputable web design firm should know who to call and how to get results! Does your web designer work with a green hosting company? Environmentally-friendly web hosting is becoming more and more popular for business web sites looking to implement an eco-policy.

Getting a little recognition on the W3 is hard, even in a niche market (especially in a niche market). You have less than 10 seconds to convince a site visitor to stick around long enough to learn about the quality of your services, your products or your message. Web surfers are jagged out on information overload. If they do not see what they want to see on your home page or a landing page, they bounce. So, making a statement about your corporate culture and your business' core values ​​has to happen in the blink of an eye. Visitors will never even see the "About Us" page if you do not create a good impression - in 10 seconds. So, go green! An emblem or banner claiming that you employ green hosting makes an immediate statement about your on-line business. It says you care about the environment.

Do your homework when choosing a web design firm.

Good designers are creative people that need to think out of the box. Finding a good web designer is getting harder and harder. The good designers are being snatched by agencies and large projects. They are overloaded with work and often, you will not know about them because they do not have time (or need) to market themselves. Doing your homework and asking the right questions is important to decide if they are right for the job.

Make Money and Love It

Someone once told me that play is work that we enjoy. I began to wonder why people do not play at work. There is a stigma that surrounds the word work. It is a necessary evil; it forces you to work for your weekend - the time you enjoy; it is just to be endured. But I do not believe it. Work can be fun, sure there will still be tough days, but there is nothing wrong with looking forward to going to work on Monday. Many things factor into whether you will enjoy your work: the people, the environment, and the work itself. These factors can keep you from enjoying work, but when used to your benefit, they can also help you find and retain enjoyment at your work.

What you excel in doing will affect if you enjoy the work you do. This is because individuals find satisfaction in accomplishes. I am a great goal-setter, planner and executor. I worked for a company where I severely got to use any of those skills. Instead, my time was focused on encouraging people to do things that did not want to do, which required skills in reading people, customizing messages to each individual person, and being a cheerleader; none of which are my strengths. Knowing this, each day I would try to improve how I talked to people and to influence them to smile at customers, and each day when my goals were not reached I went home feeling like a failure. Being in an environment where you can use your strengths allows you to go home with a sense of accomplishment. Spending your day toiling in areas where you struggle, leaves you feeling empty.

Many books have been written that will help you discover your strengths and weaknesses. Some go so deep as to help you find your undering motivators. These are fantastic resources which I recommend. For now, however, I want to focus on a quick analysis.

Think of your best day at work where you felt a sense of accomplishment. What happened? What activities were you doing? Did you land a tough deal? Did you overt a crisis? Did you create a successful plan? What attributes did that day's activities have? By boiling it down you will find the basics of what you enjoy doing.

What do people say you are good at? Does your boss ever refer co-workers to you for advice because you do something well? Do people seek you out as the expert in certain activities? What do you get recognized for? These are all great indicators of your strengths.

What do you find yourself doing when you do not have to? Are there activities at work or home you find yourself participating in even though you do not have (are not required) to? I am constantly creating plans and setting milestones for projects I do outside of life. My friend will sit down and pound out a book in a day. My husband will design and build things, not because it needs to be done, but because he enjoys the process. Figure out what you enjoy that can be translated to work.

Just knowing what you are good at is not enough, it is important to understand what you do not do well. What do you dread doing at work? Do you avoid paperwork like it is the plague? Do you make as few client calls as possible? What activities do you do that never seem to measure up to the status quo? My first internship I asked to cold call potential investors to see if they would be interested in speaking with a broker. After four hours of cold calling I went home crying. Each time I made a call that day, I would feel apprehension: afraid they would ask a question I would not have the answer to; afraid they would be rude to me; afraid I would get yelled at. Talking to strangers and trying to sell a product was not my strength.

After you know what you do not do well, there are two things to do: either manage those weaknesses or avoid situations that require them. To manage a weakness you need to leakage other skills to help you do that activity to the (level of the) status quo. Do not expect to ever make your weaknesses a strength. That same time you could use practicing and improving your current strengths and yield a much higher return on investment. Look at the activities you do not do well and see if there are ways for you to do that activity a little differently and still achieve it. Some things you can avoid absolutely. Is there someone at work whose strengths compliment your weaknesses? Maybe you can share the work. Do you have the authority to hire someone to take on the work you do not do well so you can focus on your strengths? In my business I am good at the organizational management piece where my partner is better at the sales piece (remember my cold-calling experience). I focus on directing the vision of our organization while he brings in the business. Would this work for you?

By understanding your strengths versus your weaknesses, you can begin shaping your job to fit you (or finding a different career). You will find you have much more satisfaction after spending your day being successful versus struggling through a workday by trying to rely on weaknesses. And go ahead, play at work.

Money Savings Techniques

How to save more money is a simple question that often begets a simple answer, make more and spend less. This is certainly a case of easier said than done. Just like losing weight, all you have to do is just move more and eat less. I wish it was that simple. However, it's always harder to do because it involves changing our behavior.

More specifically, I'm talking about habitual behavior that we all rely upon. All of us have our own patterns of behavior at work, home, with friends, family, and even in money management. These behaviors allow us to rely on prior adjustments to maintain a sense of control over our environment. Its human nature to want consistency, reliability, and even predictability in life. Otherwise, life seems chaotic and we feel out of control. This can lead to stress and anxiety.

We can all agree that habitual behaviors help make life easier, but what if some products? A common example is someone who makes a good wage, but does not save. We do not want to alter the habitual behavior of approaching a good wage, but we want to change our behavior to be a saver.

Our saving habits most likely started in childhood. Our parents were our role models, but our socioeconomic status matters too. Many of those from a lower income family are very cost conscious even as they move into the middle class. They often keep frugal habits continuous learning more. These patterns from childhood can become deeply ingrained. Occidentally, the news reports a homeless man who has a million in the bank. He lives that way due to these deeply ingrained frugal habits from childhood.

If you were raised middle class or higher, you are likely to have less anxiety about money. But, you may end up saving less and spending more due to this complacency. I'm not saying you need to feel anxiety to save, but you do need a plan . It seems that the middle class, most of America, has fallen into this pattern of not saving enough for retirement.

By the time you are near retirement, your behavior patterns are well developed as a result of the many years of use. Changing these long term patterns is very difficult and often fails. It's natural to return to behaviors we are comfortable with. So, if we involve automatic savings before we receive the money , we do not have the nagging pressure of saving.

I like automatic savings because you often forget about it. There is no requirement to monitor or change your behavior as the amount to save is pre-arranged. The best automatic savings are the many retirement plans that invest your money pre-taxed, IRA, SEP-IRA, 401k, 403b, etc. You must maximize these plans whether there is matching or not . However, it's a mistake to stop there since we are still not saving enough even with these plans.

Because saving does not come naturally, we must have an after-tax plan like a Roth IRA or an investment account as well. Since this is after tax, you'll need to set up an automatic deposit yourself. The best method for all our savings is pre-arranged because we do not have to consciously decide to save each payday, we do not feel stressed or deprived, and are more likely to continue the saving program as a result. After all, Social Security is pre-arranged and its been successfully paying out benefits for a long time. We're just extending this model.

How much to save for leading up to retirement? Of course, this answer is different for each person. Some say 10% or 15% is good, but they are not retired. I'm retired and I can certainly tell you the more you save, the better. I forget percentages and save as much as I can . I notice that people adjust their lifestyle to accommodate whatever their income tend to be. Getting used to living modestly is a good idea and a prelude to retirement sustainability.

Many writers claim you'll need a huge nest egg of millions to last 30+ years in retirement. I see this as a narrow tactic to get you to buy their product. The truth is that income streams are the foundation of retirement for most of us , not a huge savings. Social Security, annuities, dividends and interest, and any work income are distributed to us over time. So, it's a continuous income stream that provides us with security and sustainability in retirement. In other words, do not panic if your savings are low, just work on maximizing the income streams.

A great method for reducing day to day spending is to use cash. When we pay with plastic cards, we become detached to the amount spent. Counting out the amount with cash heightens our awareness and reduces our spending (1). There are certain times when credit card protection is needed, but for day to day spending, cash can help balance your budget.

A realistic attitude is also needed to accept some economizing leading up to retirement. We know we have to spend less, but we do not want to feel deprived. So, our retirement identity is a successful person who creatively manages their money and lifestyle to adapt to the ever changing economic conditions of our time.

Money Saving Techniques:

1. Maximize your contributions to your pretax retirement plan

2. Set up additional automatic contribution to an after-tax retirement plan

3. Contribute as much as possible in the above plans

4. Use cash instead of plastic cards for daily purchases

5. Learn to economize and view yourself as someone who successfully adapts to the ever changing economic conditions

6. Increase you financial education with classes and investment clubs

1. Chatterjee, P., Rose, RL (Vol. 38; 2012) "Do payment mechanisms change the way consumers perceive products"; ideas.repec.org; Retrieved on 2-5-2014 from: ideas.reped.org/a/ucp/jconrs/doi10.1086-661730.HTML

How To Choose A Boxing Gym

Health Clubs

Exercise fads come and go. If you don't believe me, sit up after midnight and watch the parade of info commercials on TV. The majority of them focus on the latest hot trend for shaping up. Some health clubs do offer boxing classes, but they may only view it as a temporary fad. In other words, the classes will be offered only as long as gym management thinks that what their customers will demand boxing training. If you want to do training for the long run, find out if the gym offers the class on a regular, on-going basis. This is important if you're going to put your money down. Health club memberships usually aren't cheap, and their contracts can be hard to break.

Some health clubs have fitness or aerobic boxing classes, which focus only on the workout itself. No sparring is involved. If you only want to hit the bags and the punch mitts, these classes are perfect. If you do want to compete at some point, talk to the trainers to see if they do prepare people for that. If not, seek out another gym.

Take into account the atmosphere of the health club. Some are glorified social clubs, while others cater to a certain crowd, like bodybuilders, for example. The culture of the club may have a bearing on how you may like or not like training there.

Traditional Boxing Gyms

A buddy of mine attends a gym where mostly professional boxers train. He described the boxing training atmosphere as being intense and no-nonsense. The fighters are hungry, and they want to win championships.

These types of gyms are usually privately owned. Some have a mix of amateur and professional boxers among their members. I have heard of a few gyms that are strictly for professional fighters only. Be prepared to work when arriving at the door of a traditional boxing gym. The trainers will expect that everybody who comes there will work hard on their training. They're not going to waste time on anyone who won't.

Prices vary. Unlike health clubs, some boxing gyms do not require people to be locked into long term contracts.

Participants can pay their membership dues on a monthly basis. On average, monthly fees can be as low as $50.00 all the way up to a couple of hundreds a month. Those who know they'll be going less often can pay a day fee, which may range between ten to twenty-five bucks each time. Paying a day fee is also a good way of checking out a gym before committing to boxing training there.

Personal training as well as group classes can be had at traditional boxing gyms, but keep in mind that separate fees are involved.

Some of the older gyms haven't gotten around to making their places welcoming to women, unfortunately. Don't be surprised to find there's no designated women's washroom or locker room in older gyms. If you can overlook having to use a converted custodian's supply room in order to change into your workout clothes, more power to you. Maybe if you push enough, management will make the changes.

Municipal Park District Boxing Gyms

If you live in or near a big city, boxing training via the park district may work for you. The fees to work out are much less than going to a health club or to a private gym. Another plus is that these types of boxing gyms often can be found closer to your neighborhood.

Their biggest asset, being open for all, can also be a park district's boxing gym's major drawback as well. All kinds of characters are drawn to boxing gyms. Private health clubs and traditional boxing gyms can put barriers up to keep some problem personalities out. Those who train at park district gyms may have to grin and bear some difficult people. It's a great idea to talk to the coach before signing up to get a feel for how those types of gyms operate.

Boxers in these types of boxing gyms often participate in local competitions, and some park districts do hold boxing shows throughout the year. If you find an adults-only boxing class through the park district, great! But keep in mind that the park district's main focus is being family-friendly and providing recreation for youths. Many of their boxing programs may be for all ages, in the same gym, at the same time. If it's not going to be a problem to train alongside grade and high school kids, then go for it. Being around people who are at different levels in terms of boxing skills is a good thing. Everyone can learn from each other.

These types of boxing gyms tend to be no frills. The field house, or building where the boxing gym is, may not be in the best of shape. There may not be locker rooms or showers, depending on the location. If the coach can't make it in on any given day, the gym may not open.

Getting personal attention once in awhile may be a challenge depending on how many people are in the class. Some people question the level of training and the quality of coaches who work within the municipal recreation system. But you may prefer training in these types of boxing gyms as opposed to privately owned gyms.

All Female Boxing Gyms

These gyms are a great alternative for women who want to avoid dealing with issues in predominately male gyms, such as sexism and macho attitudes. The emphasis is on empowering women. They tend to be more respectful of women who are only interested in becoming fit, as opposed to wanting to compete. Many offer classes for those who prefer classroom structure.

Ask questions, talk to the coaches, and talk to the people who attend the gym so you can get a clearer picture of which gym will work well for your training purposes.

5 Ways Blockchain Will Transform the Life of a Common Man

With all of the media set ablaze with news of prices of cryptocurrencies, you may wonder how it affects a common man. Right at the heart of cryptocurrency and other digital currencies is Blockchain technology.

There are various industrial and administrative problems that the technology can solve for the common man. Do you own a small business but often feel transparency is lacking because of traditional methods of communication? Have you ever ended up with higher than usual medical bills? As a business owner, is finding legitimate candidates a hassle for you? These problems affect entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses, individuals and Blockchain technology seeks to provide solutions to make the life of a common man much simpler through simplified solutions.

Banking

Banking in almost all countries is still very focused on paper-intensive transactions for any money transfer, recordkeeping or other back-end functions. Blockchain technology can replicate this in a digital format and create a decentralized ledger that allows not only the bankers but also the customers to access a single source of information. This system allows banks to eliminate chances of fraud as documentation and proof of ownership of assets can be checked digitally by bankers in the Blockchain ledger which can be accessed at any time in an unalterable format.

Identity theft is also a major problem in the banking sector, with citizens' information being stolen and used to open fraudulent accounts for illegal activities. According to the Federal Trade Commission's online database of complaints, there have been over 13 million complaints filed for card fraud and identity theft with 3 million of these complaints being filed in 2016 alone. Through a blockchain system, customers can directly view all accounts owned under their name and immediately notify their respective banks in case they spot any suspicious activity in their banking details. Some of the known examples include IBM-backed Hyperledger Fabric project and the Utility Settlement Coin by UBS.

Healthcare

Blockchain technology can simplify healthcare in incredible ways and make medical data management much simpler. Making patient records widely accessible can allow research on drug development much more convenient, and it also reduces the implications of counterfeit drugs. Clinical trials and their outcomes can be made available in a decentralized network, allowing healthcare specialists and researchers to conduct research and find solutions to better healthcare. Accenture is one of the biggest companies that have started offering innovative healthcare solutions for the medical care sector for secure and fraud-free transactions.

Medicare frauds can also be brought down through blockchain billing management as the billing system can be fully automated without any scope of intermediaries committing fraudulent activities. With over 56 million people under Medicare as of 2017, over $1.3 billion has been ripped off the government through fraudulent activities by rehabilitation facilities and home health care services. Blockchain systems can effectively safeguard citizens who seek medical assistance from healthcare providers that overcharge for services offered through fraudulent billing practices. The centralized data not only help medical professionals in offering treatment based on the history of the patient and his/her family but it also eliminates the chances of a patient incorrectly recollecting past symptoms or disorders.

Public Records

One of the most important civic administration functions of a government is to record all information about its citizens. This includes information about individuals and businesses with regards to their assets and activities. Most of the recorded information is recorded in paper databases, making data management extremely difficult even in developed countries.

Blockchain-based systems like Ubitiquity can encode all public records in a digital ledger to keep the data on citizens from being altered for fraudulent activities. Identity theft is a problem that can be very difficult to deal with for the administration and digitizing all public information to make it tamper-proof can help prevent such instances of criminal activity.

Voting

One of the biggest limitations of the voting system in almost every country is that even today, voters need to be physically present at polling booths to cast their votes and can make things difficult for people who need to travel on poll days. More importantly, there are no means of verifying the poll results for the average citizen.

Blockchain development companies like Followmyvote are coming up with solutions that seek to make online voting a reality. It will allow citizens to view accurate information on poll standings and results and various other statistics publicly. It also leads to safer voting for citizens of countries in internal or external conflict and criminal activities to coerce citizens into voting for specific candidates can be completely avoided.

Business Hiring

Businesses of all sizes have a hard time finding the right staff. Through blockchain technology, it is possible for businesses to verify credentials of all applicants through a digital database. Blockchain technology can be applied to create a decentralized database of professionals with verified qualifications in a secure ledger that businesses can refer to for hiring candidates. Learning Machine is a New-York based company that seeks to address this problem that focuses on recording verifiable information on workers.

Tax or employment-related frauds make up 34% of all identity theft as of 2016, and a blockchain system makes the hiring process for any business much more secure as a company would have access to valid candidates only, reducing the risk of hiring fraudulent employees. It also helps applicants by speeding up the hiring process and helping them to find jobs they are eligible for and have a hassle-free application process.

Use of blockchain technologies helps individuals and businesses alike, and it also protects personal information while making important data publicly visible. While blockchain has the best application in cryptocurrency, its use can spread to other sectors as well to provide meaningful solutions to citizens around the world.

Direct Sales Team Vs Distributor - Which is Better For an International Market?

If you're looking to expand your sales to new markets, then there's one big question you must ask: do I build a direct sales presence or use a distributor? Each method has its benefits and drawbacks, but we're going to make a strong case to use one method over the other in almost every instance.

What's the difference between direct sales and distributors?
A direct sales presence means that your company establishes, manages, and pays a sales team of one or more people in the target market.

An outside agent is any entity that will sell your product in exchange for a service fee. One example is a sales rep, who sells your product in exchange for a percentage of the sale. A distributor is similar to a rep, except they would buy product from your company and sell it directly to the end customer.

Is Direct Sales Better?
For most businesses expanding into new markets, especially international markets, hiring a distributor is a better decision-at least until there is enough return from the market to justify building a direct sales presence.

Sure, there is one major advantage to having a direct sales presence-control. Control over the day to day activities of your sales personnel is appealing to most business owners. But this control comes at a heavy price. To start, you'll need to spend the time to hire someone in that market, then train them, then equip them with sales material and management, if not office space and equipment. These costs are prohibitive for most small businesses looking to expand internationally.

And there are even more costs that we have not mentioned yet. Each market has it's own unique laws, cultures and customs that are essential to master if your company wants to establish a successful sales presence. Japan is a classic example of a marketplace with unique legal structures and business customs that, if not followed, guarantee the failure of any sales efforts. It's hard to pin down an exact monetary value to this learning, but ask yourself this: Can you afford to establish, manage, and pay a sales force in a foreign country for at least a year while they learn the routes and generate no revenue?

What about a Distributor? Is a distributor better for new markets?
Distributors are a cost effective means to enter a new marketplace successfully. Here are just a few of the reasons:

• No Overhead: Unlike running your own sales team, a distributor will take care of the hiring, managing, payment, and optimization of its channel. You're just borrowing their distribution, while they handle the maintenance.
• Established Channel with Local Knowledge: A good distributor will already know all the laws and customs of the market you're entering. You do not need to reinvent the wheel-you can use someone who already has local local knowledge.
• Understanding Pricing and Purchasing Power of Market: Along with knowledge of the laws and customs comes knowledge about the most successful ways to price and market your product locally.
• Cost Effective: Since you will not be paying for the above items, distributor relationships are much more within reach of a small business trying to enter a new market.

Using a distributor has some downsides as well, but they can be minimized by building a good relationship with a distributor.

• Not your own people: You will not be able to directly manage every step of the process. While it may make you nervous to lose some control over the sales process, you can manage the risk by building a transparent relationship with your distributor with constant updates and feedback from both ends.
• Distributor has many products to represent: You may not be the distributor's top priority at any given time, and you want to be sure your product is not getting shuffled to the back of the line. Once again, a well-established relationship with constant contact will ensure that your product is getting the attention it describes.
• Not a "turn key" solution: You can not just give the distributor your products and expect success. You'll have to manage the relationship. This takes time, but it's still less costly than trying to install a direct sales team from scratch.

So what do I do next?
If you are not convinced that a distributor would be better for your organization than acquiring a direct sales team, seek help from a consultant who has experience establishing a presence in new markets. A consultant can use his or her experience to analyze your opportunity and recommend the best course of action.

Before you choose a distributor, you need to know ....
Choosing the wrong distributor will set you up for failure. The wrong distributor simply will not generate sales, and you'll have wasted at least a year finding and setting up an unprofitable relationship.

There are certain things to look for in a distributor, and they are different for every market. The best thing to do is to find a professional, one with experience in distributor relationships, and hire that professional to help you search for and identify the right distributor.

How To Manage Your Money In Any Market To Make Profit

Many Forex traders are unsuccessful for one reason: they over-trade. If you are not having success trading, you must first determine whether you are over-trading before adjusting your trading strategy.

The 3 questions that follow will help you determine whether you are over-trading.

Are you using too many strategies?

Many unsuccessful traders use between 5-10 different strategies and, of course, they do not make any money. The main reason for that is that, the more strategies you use, the less you can focus on the market itself. I am not saying that you shouldn't know the market or master your strategy. Those are essential to become consistently profitable. However, this may be an impossible task if you are trying to master 3, 5, or 10 different strategies at the same time.

Are you risking too much on every trade?

Understanding the amount you risk is of more importance than knowing/setting the amount you are going to make. Money management is the most important step of your trading strategy. Many traders go from being unsuccessful to being extremely successful by simply implementing a sound money-management strategy.

What do you do when you are making money?

Greed is your worst enemy. It is human nature, we often get greedy when profits are running high. I've been there, done that, but, at the end, ended up losing it all. Greed leads many traders to reckless acting and committing mistakes.

After asking yourself these questions you probably know whether you are over-trading. Over-trading is really as harmful as using a strategy that has a low ROI (return on investment).

Now let's discuss how you can prevent yourself from over-trading.

Establish a trading plan: Before you enter a trade you should always know where you are going to exit. You should also have a set of rules to gradually take profits, where your stop loss will be if the trade goes against you, and, as you gradually take profits, where your trailing losses will be.

Your trading style should fit your personality: this is very important because your money management strategy should emulate your personality. Every trader has a different tolerance for risk and, while higher risk may lead to high rewards, it may also lead to bigger losses. As a scalper you will probably set small percentages for profit in each trade (0.5% to 2%) and, as a swing trader, a bigger percentage like 3% or 4% is the norm.

Your trading style and personality should be the driving force behind the Forex strategy you implement.

LED Headlight Bulb Conversion Kit Upgrades for Car Headlamps

In 2015 there are quite a few companies selling LED headlight kits.

The things that you need to look for are Heat Dissipation, Beam cut-offs, and the type of light emitting diodes that are being used. With LED headlight technology, you can't have one without the other, and in the end, the same old adage, "you get what you pay for", still rings true.

If you have great Philips or CREE LEDs in the product, but don't have the technology and thermal management systems to properly interact with these LEDs, you are simply wasting your money.

Thermal management is key in getting the longest life out of the LEDs.

You want the LEDs to be bright, but you also want them to last the distance.

Beam cut-offs are also important so as to give the best beam of light possible out the front of your car, truck, motorcycle, or driving light.

A lot of companies simply do not have the depth of technology to be able to get these three elements working together, to maintain brightness, beam direction, and longevity.

Thermal management systems have come a long way since the "bad old days" when people started pumping more power through light emitting diodes.

The main issue was that light emitting diodes burnt out very quickly in high temperature environments.

LED headlamp bulb manufacturers are now using either the "Fan" type system coupled with copper pipe tubing technologies to dissipate the heat away from the light emitting diodes to prolong their life.

This in itself is a definite science, and without the right people, money, and equipment, you will not go far.

Luckily, a few companies are emerging as leaders in this industry and so providing the market with an affordable alternative to old halogen technology, and even HID technology.

There are many types of bulbs available that you can retro-fit into your car, but make sure you check the size of the LED bulb before you buy them.

Each car, or application, can have specific limitations on how much room is available in the headlights housing so make sure you check that the LED bulb is going to fit your specific application.

LED bulbs for cars are now becoming a lot brighter, but remember that they are still not as bright as HID.

They key to buying high performance LED headlight bulbs is to go with the leaders in the industry and pay the little extra for the best products on the market.

Look for companies who have been dealing in this technology from its conception and you will be well on your way to finding a solution that stands the test of time.

How Much Does It Cost To Invest In The Stock Market?

The answer to "how much does it cost to invest in the stock market?" depends on a number of factors including but not limited to the kind of investor you are, the type of stock you buy and the company you choose to invest in. The stock market is risky business because the probability of you losing money is high. That is the reason why you need to understand the fundamentals of the business before you invest. Before you can determine the cost of investing in the stock market, you will have to understand how it works.

What Is the Stock Market?

Stock market is the buying and selling of stock (shares) of a company. The shares are securities that are listed on the stock exchange. Once you buy the stocks of a company you automatically become a shareholder in the company. You will earn from the stock you bought in two ways; first through the dividends that are paid by the company to the shareholders. The second way you earn money is through the appreciation of the company. Depending on the type of stocks you bought, the dividends are usually calculated on a fixed rate or variable rate.

The Different Types Of Stocks Can Affect How Much It Costs

When it comes to calculating how much it costs to invest in the stock market, you will have to determine the type of stocks you are buying. There are different types of stocks and they all have different market value.

Common Stocks; These are securities that represent ownership of a company. Once you buy these stocks you will have a right to vote at any shareholder meeting. The common stock shareholders however, are usually at the bottom of the priority ladder. This means if the corporation goes bankrupt, the common shareholders will only receive their money after the creditors and the preferred shareholders. In terms of cost these stocks have a less yield.
Preferred Stocks; These stocks give you a little ownership of the company but you do not get any voting rights. The preferred stock shareholders usually receive dividends that are calculated on a fixed rate. The preferred stocks have a higher yield per stock as compared to the common stocks.
Penny Stocks; These are usually referred to as common stocks of the small public companies. The penny stocks are usually priced at $ 5 and below.
Factors That Affect Stock Prices

The price of a stock effects how much it will cost to invest in the stock market. It is thus important to understand the factors that affect the stock prices.

Company Performance

This is the major factor that impacts the stock prices. The company performance, returns to the company earnings, both current and future earnings. The performance of the company may be affected by factors like employees' layoff, change in company management, a new service or product, scandals and many more. These internal factors directly influence the price of a stock.

Inflation And Deflation

Both of these factors directly affect the stock market. Inflation is where the prices of goods and services rapidly go up. This causes the cost of manufacturing and transporting of goods to go up. In an event of inflation, the stock market drops due to the decrease in revenue. Deflation on the other hand is usually the drop in the prices of goods and services. While deflation is supposed to be a good relief, most investors do not invest in the stock market. This is because they believe that the economy is weak. This causes the stock market to drop.

Interest Rates And Foreign Markets

The interest rates that are imposed on a company while borrowing money from the financial institutions usually affect the prices of the stocks. Higher interest rates typically affect the company borrowing which will in turn reduce their profits and dividends. Foreign markets on the other hand affect the stock prices indirectly. When the economic status of the countries goes down, it affects the stock market negatively. Once the economic status changes, it influences how the foreign countries will trade with the said countries. This will in turn affect the stock market of the foreign countries.

Tips Of Determining the Cost Of Investing In the Stock Market

Time to invest; when it comes to the cost of investing in stock market, it is not only money that matters. The time you invest in financial market is also important. You need to determine the amount of time that you are willing to invest in the stock market.

The number of shares you are willing to buy; the number of shares that you are going to buy will determine the total amount of money you will use. If you are new to the business is advised you buy a few stocks as you learn about the business. Also remember not to buy all your stocks from one company, diversification is very important.

Dangers Of Lacking Financial Education And Giving Value To Others

In this article, I am going to talk about the dangers of lacking financial and values education which are just as important as our school education which mainly and still focuses on theory and academic score having read and understood the books by Robert Kiyosaki like Rich Dad Poor Dad as well as watching all videos of Eben Pagan on what it takes to succeed in business, relationships, wealth and improving all areas of life as his subscriber and customer which are in contrary to what we have been taught and conditioned to think and do by our parents, grandparents and teachers.

Truth being said, most of us only think of making money for ourselves, families and loved ones if we are married and have kids without understanding that in order to make money, we need to give and deliver value to others which is just as important. That also ties in with what Zig Ziglar said that you can have everything you want in life if you give enough people what they want in life. The only knowledge we have is that we have to study hard to get good grades and qualification so that we can get great jobs with high pay in order to have our homes, marry, retire, and live happily ever after. While our parents - especially those from low and middle-income families - told us this out of concern, this sort of mentality is sadly outdated in the current 21st century. And even more so with digital technology looking to shape and change the way we live, study and work.

A rich parent - for instance the current US President Trump - will never tell his children that. Sure at first glance, they will tell their children to respect others in public and tell them off if they are disobedient and do not behave. But behind closed doors of their homes only known to family members and maid serving them, they will share with them other things that poor and average parents will never share with their kids.

Which is while making and saving money are important, delivering value and smart investing to maximize it are just as important.

According to Eben Pagan in his YouTube videos, he said after years of studying about business and wealth, he learnt two critical things. One is that people do not like to give away their hard-earned money without getting any value in return. When I say value, I am not talking about anything that sales and marketing people offered them. But what people really need and want for themselves and loved ones. Second is that money has a hole in its bucket and unless you know how to earn, you will lose every dollar you spent never mind on what things.

Here is another truth of life which I discovered after my very own study and research on other articles and blog posts besides reading and watching videos by those gurus. That is money is never given or distributed evenly all the time. It is only for those who delivered the most value as in helping and making a difference to others' lives as well as those that others feel closest to. Even if it is otherwise, most people will squander on things they like short-term but are not essential long-term. Especially luxury items such as cars, condos, gadgets and jewellery to name a few. And when they spend all their hard-earned money with little or no savings, they will usually resort to those things.

1. Taking on 1 to 2 part-time jobs on top of their main one just to be able to cope with the daily expenses and support their family.

2. Borrowing from families and friends,

3. Asking for loans from creditors, loan sharks and banks,

4. Applying for credit cards,

5. Gambling in casinos, lottery and sports betting

While there is nothing wrong with the first though it might put additional stress on individuals' health and well-being, there is everything wrong with the other four which I myself was guilty of in the second and fourth.

Because every time you borrowed, you needed to pay back as we Asians have a very strong ethnic and principle on it. If they are not carefully abided by, tragedies may occur. Not just on individuals who cannot pay back and lose everything but their families as in their parents, parents-in-laws, spouse and children as well.

And the saddest truth is when the family is poor, the spouse have to work or take extra job as well to bear the costs and the children will have to give up their passion, interest and even studies just to work early to copy with the family burden costs.

For the rich, it is another story. Suppose if one or both your parents are running the company as bosses or CEOs, you will be required to help them out upon completing your studies.

Otherwise they will be judged as "selfish and unfilial who only think of themselves, inconsiderate and uncaring about their families' well-being."

That is if they want to pursue their ambitions, interests and passions they once have as children but are dismissed by most parents as naive child words, play and who are just asking them what they like to be when they grow up simply to make fun of them.

It may sound weird to you but that is the situation in my country Singapore.

Which explains why most people are conditioned to study hard, work hard, save hard and retire comfortably with just one working job income they see as honest earnings.

Any income incurred outside are dismissed by baby boomers in particular - as fraud from cheating other people of their hard-earned money which is partially true with some entrepreneurs but it is wrong to dismiss every business owner because of a few rotten eggs.

Given the fact that government supports them because they are our pioneers, very little room is given for youth development not just in terms of creativity and innovation but in terms of money and wealth management be it creation, multiplication and preservation.

The only things they know are saving, working and borrowing money as well as buying insurance policies from financial advisors who may or may not be acting in the interest of their clients.

Hence their ignorance, overspending and not earning enough leads them to be over-dependence on government to the extent of asking more and blaming the government when things are not going the way they expected and wanted. That will cause serious implications on our economy and society well-being in general be it relationships and the daily essentials of life we, our families and future generations need.

I don't mean to sound arrogant but if I am in the shoes of Minister for Education, I will make financial education compulsory as one of the main subjects. Especially when it comes to generating, growing and saving money while still acting in the interest of others as in giving value.

Which most people need to know but in actual truth, they don't which is absolutely critical.

Except for a selected few.

Like Warren Buffet, Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki and Eben Pagan I earlier mentioned.

Developing Your Financial Life And Understanding Of Money For The Long Haul

It's no secret that when you're financial life is going well life just feels right.

This can happen in fleeting moments where you know the bills are paid and you have a nice sum left over for whatever you want - it's a pretty good feeling to have.

But is that feeling consistent?

For most people it is not consistent at all, and there are too many times where the feeling of lack takes over - and that can be a nasty moment where you feel like your money just isn't going very far.

It's not a good feeling, and we tend to feel as if all of our money is going toward all the stuff we need to buy rather than what we want to buy.

It's literally a feeling that we never want to have, but can be a key sign of where we are with our finances.

It's not that we don't have enough money - it's that we don't feel like we have much money, and that's totally different.

This is sort of like understanding that your car is perfectly fine - runs well and doesn't give you problems - but you have a small but weird feeling as if it might break down soon.

Does that feeling really help you out at all - or does it just give you needless worry when you have a perfectly fine running car.

That's the different between feeling prosperous and abundance versus feeling poor and impoverished.

These are literally just feelings - and you can shift how you feel about your finances in an instant which might help to reveal a few truths about your situation.

Am I saying that poverty and abundance are just feelings?

Not quite - but the reality of having money versus not having anything start with emotions and having the belief.

That means that shifting the way you think is a very good thing, and actually way to propel you out of that feeling of lack and into the feeling of abundance that you know you've had before, but you would like to feel far more consistently.

This is not about making you just delude yourself into the fantasy of just thinking you are prosperous when you aren't - nope, we're not going that direction.

We are taking your old beliefs and shifting them so that you aren't so accustomed to thinking in terms of lack and having no money.

Sometimes we pick up negative money beliefs from people and others around us, and they don't enable us to have positive money habits long term - and that is a problem.

Other times it can be very frustrating to know that we picked up those negative money habits - believed them to be from us - and acted upon them thinking that we had to live forever like that.

It's sort of like thinking that you only work to pay the bills - which is a horrid way to think about life.

You can shift all of that through adopting positive money beliefs over time which will shift your financial outlook and your money understanding in general.

We are moving away from thinking foolishly about our money - having so much unnecessary spending - and pulling ourselves toward wiser spending habits that enable us to keep more of what we spend and dissolving all tendencies to spend our money on things we don't need.

This isn't a small thing either - so don't think this will happen over night.

Embracing stronger financial habits long term is about consistent behaviors we do over time - the small stuff we do on a daily basis that prevents us from spending our cash on the unneeded crap which ends up eating up all of our money.

Once you eliminate those horrid spending habits, that actually gives you a stronger budget and that is literally one full step closer to have stronger finances in general.

Most people don't really think like that, and it's that oblivious thinking that brings them less and less cash in hand after bills are paid each week - and that's not a good way to live, or a good way to manage your money.

One of the worst cases is to not have a budget at all - and that just leads to major unmanaged spending that doesn't allow you to have much if any extra cash at all.

If you don't know what your budget is, it is very likely that your spending will be out of control and your bills feels like they're your primary expense.

Though bills might be a necessary thing, they don't have to feel like a chore and something that you have to begrudgingly hand over on a routine basis.

When you feel and know you have abundance with your money situation the bills are just a necessary thing that you do that allows you to live, have shelter, and use your basic necessities at home and otherwise.

If you didn't have those things, life would be a lot worse off - and if there are some things in your bills you just don't need, you need to cut those things out of your life.

This is still part of the unnecessary spending part, and it even affects our bills and the stuff we pay routinely for but don't remotely use.

Removing all of that from your budget literally means that you are spending more efficiently and moving yourself away from poor financial management and understanding your money situation a whole lot better.

Just as it was stated earlier - the smaller steps add up to larger changes over time, and as you shift your money habits and adopt stronger budgeting going forward you will literally keep more of your money and spend far less on the stuff you never needed.

We're not talking about difficult or outrageously complex changes here - just small stuff that you can do on a daily basis that allows you to be far better with your money long term while embracing stronger finances through better money management habits.

Finding Finance and Insurance Careers in the Automotive Industry

Interested in finance and insurance (F & I)? Love cars? Looking for a way to merge the two into a long-repeating and fulfilling career in the automotive industry? It's time to consider a career in auto sales and F & I management. Now is a great time to invest in F & I training, which can provide everything you need to succeed in this career. That means you will acquire excellent leadership and communication skills and have the expertise required to handle the financial and legal aspects of a sales transaction.

Automotive Business Manager programs are designed to teach the skills required to oversee the financial and legal aspects of the automotive industry. Students in these automated training programs are trained in finance and lease options, sale of after-market products and the use of specialized software.

Becoming an F & I manager means you will be in the center of the action. It also means you will have a direct impact on profitability and be rewarded accordingly. Need another reason to invest in F & I manager? Job Futures 2000 precedents that more than one-third of all jobs created in Canada will require a skilled trade design or a college diploma.

What about the extensive restructuring of the automotive industry? There has been a lot of change, but the automotive industry remains one of the world's largest and most important business sectors. Moreover, a surge in demand is expected as consumers make purchases that would normally have been made in the last two years and additional demand is created by increases in population, new consumer offerings and improved manufacturing technology. Employment prospects for automotive sales and F & I management are good for the following reasons:

• A growing shortage of well trained individuals to fill sales occupations
• Service Canada predicts there will be strong demand for qualified candidates in Sales and Service, Business, Finance and Administration "because this sector will account for more than 45% of all retirements over the next five years."
• Significant worldwide growth within the automotive industry

You know what happens when demand for a specific job goes up. Salaries also go up. That's exactly what is happening for F & I Professionals. Key elements of F & I training programs can include the following areas of study:

• Business Manager's Role in the Dealership
• Financial Institutions and Their Requirements
• Getting the Contracts Purchased
• Credit Reporting Overview
• Understanding Credit Scores and Risks
• Reading Credit Reports
• Prequalification Using Credit Reports
• Cash Conversions
• Bank Conversions
• Use a Customer-Friendly, Aggressive F & I Process
• Qualify Your Customer, Use The Right Words
• Product Knowledge
• Effective Selling Techniques
• Menu Selling Leasing Skills and Techniques

TUNING-IN: A Key Element for Improved Functional Movement and Overall Wellness for Your Workouts!

When you think about health improvement, it can cover a lot of different things. Your focus for health improvement will depend on your wellness goals. What do you want to achieve? Better fitness, strength, balance, flexibility, improved sports performance, weight loss, stress management. There are many components to a well-planned health improvement program for optimal wellness and whole-body health.

Fitness however is one of the most important parts of any health improvement plan. Performing daily exercises and maintaining an active lifestyle is vital to maintaining good health. Good functional movement habits will help you achieve a strong, fit, flexible body that works well to keep you safe and injury-free for optimal wellness!

Evaluate this question; How often when you workout, do you "tune-out?"

Many people rely on their electronic toys to distract them from what the body is doing during a workout. Almost everyone works out watching TV, reading on their Kindle or iPad, or listening to music on their headphones. People do not realize that they are losing their focus on what the body is paying by paying more attention to the book, show, or song they are watching or listening to then what they're doing! The body ends up working out on auto-pilot. Who knows if the right muscles are doing the work, because we're too busy singing along with our favorite tune, or watching TV to really pay attention to what we're doing.

To get maximum benefits from your fitness activities, it's important to "tune-in" and pay attention to what the body is doing while it's moving! This is one of the great benefits from Pilates training. Usually there is no music, you HAVE TO pay attention to everything your body is doing from your head to your toes through the whole entire workout. Breathing, Control, Concentration, Flow, Rhythm, and Precision are all consistently adjusted and corrected because you're consciously moving the body.

Striving for balanced muscle development to stay fit and injury free takes focus. It takes brain-power to tell the body what to do and how to move. And then it's important to pay attention and notice if the body is doing exactly what you've asked it to do.

This is why "tuning-in" is so important! You can get much better results if you are aware of what your body is doing. Not only do you have the chance to notice if you're working well, but you can also quickly evaluate whether you're doing things right, or wrong, and make adjustments. Why waste time during your workouts. Tune-in to practice efficient functional movement habits for improved health!

By focusing on what you are doing, you will become more aware of how things feel, what muscles are really working or are not working, how easy or difficult the challenge is. Learn to be conscious of your body's posture while moving, feel the right muscles do the work, and notice if you are breathing properly!

These may all seem like simple, small things to pay attention to, but when you start taking them into consideration during every single second of your workouts, BIG results will come your way! Get the best results possible from your health improvement program, start by re-evaluating your health and fitness goals. Check out your wellness routine, then "tune-in" and see what you notice!

If you need help optimizing your form, function, and being sure you've got the right exercises in your workout program to get results, consult with a Pilates teacher or functional movement specialist. Quickly improve your functional movement habits and increase the results from your training efforts!

Better Functional Movement Habits + Repetition of Good Habits with Exercise = Amazing Health Improvement Benefits!

Make the most of your efforts for health improvement all the time! "TUNE-IN" and pay careful attention to form and function for optimum fitness.

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Are You Embarrassed by Your Sales Manager Job Description Skills? Here's What to Do

Supervisors, and especially sales managers, acquire their outputs from the group they manage. This requires behavioral attitude that enhance the company and accommodating attitudes.
• These abilities are created predominately from:
• An enthusiasm for individual needs and perspectives
• An eagerness to invest time and commit thought to analyzing states of mind
• A feeling of equity or reasonable management

RESPECT FOR OTHERS 'SPECIAL PERSONALITIES

Typically the business manager will have to work his or her way up in the company and will have to amaze product learning, a database of loyal clients, awesome thoughts regarding development of sales, and incredible compatibility with partners and customers alike. However, there is a likewise scope for experienced transactions directors to be parachuted into an organization to convey a crisp way to deal with dealing with the business department. Sales managers now and then decide and build up sales territories in accordance with the organizations' development plans. He or she will likewise be in charge of setting standards and sale objectives for the business officials and the business group in general. Successfully working in as the controlling hand for the business team, the business manager will likewise outline the staff's training programs, create methodologies for the business group to work productively and urge collections to outperform short-and-long term targets.

INBOUND MARKETING MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION

If you're in a promotion department then you simply need to move to an inbound approach, it's conceivable every thing you'll have to demonstrate the accomplishment of your inbound marketing program. If so, you'll likely be looking to hire a holding nothing back inbound advertiser, someone who can build and grow your inbound marketing system starting from the earliest stage. Search for somebody who is exceptionally self-motivated and flexible ... also, completes stuff (what's more, in case regardless you're trying to persuade your manager to make the move to inbound in any case).

21ST CENTURY DEALS SUPERVISOR

The business profession has changed over the prior decade as an after effect of advances in IT, the expansion of correspondence channels and automation. "The administration job is trying to understand the change and sale supervisors are critical to its prosperity," says one encountered sales director. Sale administrators today should comprehend IT system, perceive the force of web-based social networking, and be fully informed regarding sales and customer trends. He or she will be great with figures and ready to analysis measurements and always monitor deal figures and the group's execution, as indicated by agreed KPIs.

CAPABILITIES REQUIRED FOR SALES SUPERVISOR JOBS

Employer hiring stuff tend to search for applicants with a bachelor or graduate degree in a business organization with a concentration in marketing. Education in business law, economic matters, business administration, bookkeeping, arithmetic, finance, and statistics will surrender candidates a leg on the opposition. Computer and Internet skills are likewise valuable for record-keeping and information services. Many business supervisors are promoting inside from the business executive part. A few companies likewise offer confirmation programs, a capability that is turning into a standard among managers. The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management offers a scope of Marketing and sales manager job description add qualifications for expert business people from little Awards to larger Certificates and Diplomas. These capabilities are on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) and are directed by the UK government education controller.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work with Marketing to assurance predictable lead era.

• Work together with sales manager to make and prepare prospecting process.

• Work together with sales leadership to make and prepare lead capacity handle.

• Hire high-performing business people as indicated by HR staffing rules.

• Prepare new sales representatives to guarantee achievement.

• Oversee everyday execution of all business collections and deliver reviews.

• Work with sales authority to produce thoughts for sale challenges and motivational activities.

• Lead and timetable week after week or potential month to month group gatherings with deals group and administration.

• When you hire, an employee must be stated in sales manager job description that that Prepare and guarantee adherence to sales handling.