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How To Market Your Business Positively While Selling Possibly

How to deal with the possible negative assumptions while selling your business

There could be a whole range of valid reasons why people would want to sell their businesses and many times they are legitimate. However in the perception of other people in the business environment who are more inclined to expect the worst such a sale are perceived to be the result of poor management or financial pressure. Such perceptions when they are not properly dealt with could lead to many unnecessary problems and they could do a lot of harm to the reputation of such a business owner who are in the process of selling his business. That is why this whole process of selling the business has to be considered very carefully and the business owner should have an excellent plan in place of exactly how the business owner would like to proceed with the sale of such a business. This is especially true when the business owners has more than one business and therefore need to ensure that their reputation is not harmed by negativity because of this current sale.

A business owner also has to consider the vulnerable relationships surrounding his business

No business operates within a vacuum but rather every decision which is made by such a business owner will have an effective upon many other parties like the employees of that business, the suppliers of that business, possible investors in that business and many other interested parties. How would the rumors relating to the sale of your business affect your suppliers? Especially if they do not know the circumstances that are surrounding the sale of his business and they are left to speculate and wonder about your motivation to sell the business. This may lead to a situation where they are reluctant to advance you any credit on stock which is ordered. The same thing are true when possible investors in your business learn about your decision to sell the business and especially if you have not informed them about this decision beforehand. This may lead to a deterioration in the relationship between you and your investors.

The good name of your business is important especially in the time of selling

When there is a whole lot of disorder, running around and visible desperation then this will impact negatively upon the reputation of your business and will cause you many problems with the process of selling that business in a profitable fashion. This is exactly why you should know exactly what you’re doing and why you are doing it and then ensure that the process has been carefully considered to ensure that absolutely any circumstance could be avoided which may bring about any negativity. The more reputable your business is in the eyes of possible buyers the more value will that business have and the larger purchase price can be negotiated. Therefore the process surrounding the selling of your business has to be planned very carefully and great care should be taken to avoid absolutely any situation or negative rumor from spreading in the business community.

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Obtaining Health Insurance after Cancer

Cancer is among the most dangerous diseases known to man today. As a matter of fact it is not a disease but a group of diseases. The disease is characterized by the explosive growth of abnormal group of cells that forms the tumor. These cells are what destroy the tissues of the body that are near. Through the lymph vessels and bloodstream, the cancer cells can also reach the other parts of the body. Cancer may be a leading disease today but fortunately, it is becoming more treatable today. More and more cancer patients are surviving the disease and are living a healthy life but unfortunately, obtaining a health insurance after cancer is not that easy. Some insurance companies don’t feel that cancer survivors are eligible for health insurance coverage due to pre-existing conditions. This is what leaves many cancer survivors uninsured.

And to cancer survivors, though cancer insurance policies are a great plan that will actually pay them to keep their appointments for cancer screenings regularly, some feel they don’t need an extra expense to their monthly budget that is already overly stretched. However, it is important to keep in mind that cancer insurance pays for itself.

Pre-existing conditions means that it could take a year before an insurance company will pay the health costs related to pre-existing conditions including cancer. Though the cost may be enormous and survivors may need to pay these expenses on their own, obtaining a health insurance cover is still possible.

There are actions that a cancer survivor needs to take to get access to health insurance after cancer. For those who already have individual policy, the very first thing that they need to do is to carefully inspect their insurance policy and see what is covered and what is not. Check the type of treatments that are available. See if they allow you to select your own specialist or consult a doctor of your choice. Know how to go about getting a second opinion and what expenses are covered like chemotherapy, surgical procedures and doctor visits.

For cancer survivors who are already insured, group coverage is the best option because the rates are usually less expensive and the coverage is more likely to be maintained by large company rather than an individual policy. However, not everyone can access this option.

Cancer survivors need to be aware of the many scams out there. Many dishonest insurance companies out there claim to offer the most affordable health insurance to survivors of cancer. Many scams are mostly found online and they are typically from companies that were unknown. The best way to avoid becoming a victim of such unscrupulous companies is to seek claims only from well-known and reputed health insurance companies.

Though coverage for cancer survivors is not that easy to obtain, still, they are not impossible. If you will conduct proper research and ask as much information as possible, you will be able to obtain health insurance after cancer. It also helps if you will read as much articles about health insurance. You will find more articles online.

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These 5 Money Habits Will Help You Retire Early

Retirement looms in the future like a golden promise — bright, desirable and rewarding. Maybe you hope to retire abroad, or just finally relax into the home you’ve had for years. However you won’t be able to retire into a blissful dream without doing the work now to create and save money to live off of then.

Check out these five habits that will help you design the dream you want to live.

Think Ahead

Saving for retirement is a long-term process. The sooner you get started, the easier it will be to accumulate wealth gradually. Instead of trying to rush into a last-minute get-rich-quick scheme, taking the time over 20 or 30 years to save will position you well to retire in style. Shifting even a few dollars from each pay check you earn in your younger years will help you create the nest egg you’ll need to retire early. Buy to let mortgages are similar to, but different in comparison to residential mortgages. Compare the rates on these with what you’d get on the most competitive home buyer mortgages on the market – the rates offered tend to be noticeably higher.

Budget

Make a budget and figure out what your monthly expenses are. You can use that information in two ways. First, you’ll be able to calculate a rough target sum to save. Multiply your monthly expenses by your target number of retirement years to find this figure. Second, you can use your budget to plan for how much money you’ll need to save now in order to retire later.

Incentivize While saving for retirement is a long-term goal, try setting more immediate financial goals, like paying back student or credit card debt. Not only will taking those actions put you in a better place moving forward, but you’ll train yourself to manage your money well when you enjoy the reward of meeting of your goal. In this way, you’ll use a basic tenet of learning psychology – operant conditioning – to change your own behaviour.

 Choose Wisely

To reduce your overall spending, try purchasing high-quality items that will last longer and wear out more slowly. Doing so will cut back on the number of times you have to buy the same item, which means more money in your pocket to put away for retirement. Any sort of money-saving habit you can establish early will help you contribute to your retirement fund, as long as you’re consciously making the choice to shift the extra dough over to your savings account.

Be Informed

Take the time to seek out retirement resources that will help you understand the realities of taking an early retirement. An abundance of information is available online to help you craft and continually update your financial plan.
Establishing these five money habits will lay the groundwork for you to enjoy the retirement you crave.

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The Cost of a Bright Future

Education in South Africa is fast falling victim to increasing living expenses that outstrip salary increases. Typically, the cost of education increases at 9% per annum, much higher than the current inflation rate, meaning that the cost of education is rising faster than salaries. According to the General Household Survey published last year, 74% of people aged seven to 24 were attending educational institutions nationally. A lack of money for fees is the main reason for a large proportion of individuals not studying in this age group, with 35.8% of premature school leavers blaming a lack of money for their inability to study.

The soaring cost of education

By 2027, five years of public high school will cost about R436 000, five years of private high school R1 743 900, while three years of university will soar to R643 900.

At present, half of South African parents are not yet saving for education – according to a recent Old Mutual Savings and Investment Monitor (Omsim) survey. It is generally believed that couples should begin to save even before they plan to have children. This would equate to more manageable monthly contributions, which are less likely to put excessive pressure on disposable income (short-term personal loan providers can help out in a pinch).

When choosing a savings product to make provision for education funds, three factors should be considered.

Calculate how the savings return will fit in with the rest of your financial portfolio. For example, if you choose a product with a 7% return, but are paying 9% interest on your bond, it would be better to invest in your bond which would allow you to save more in the long-term.

Properly research investment product providers. Look into the credentials of financial firms before making a decision. Check that they are registered with the Financial Services Board and that they have a reputable track record.

Unit trusts and investment policies are ideal as education savings plans, depending on your savings behaviour and requirements.

Invest now to save later

Allan Gray recently analysed the cost of financing education for one child through pre-school, all the way to graduation from a tertiary institution. They found that if all the fees were paid from a parent’s salary, the total cost could amount to around R2,4 million.

The good news is that if parents begin to invest R3,500 a month at the birth of their child, and use the investment to fund all of the child’s education fees, the impact on those parents’ budget would be 29% lower (assuming an investment return of 3% above inflation).

Even if investment for a child’s education begins when they start school, and the investment only earns enough return to keep up with inflation, investing would lower the impact on the household’s budget by 13%.

Today, far more children set their sights on going to university than in the past, and a tertiary education if far more than a nice-to-have. In today’s highly competitive job market, it is becoming increasingly important to continue one’s studies to honours level or towards another postgraduate qualification after the initial three-year degree has been completed.

Knowing how much is enough

The first step in formulating an education savings plan is to figure out how much you will need to save for your child’s education. There are online education calculators to help you find out. Such a calculator will give you an indication of the costs you need to take into account when planning for the education of your children.

Education savings products

Keep in mind that investments will need to provide returns that keep well above inflation and education inflation. These typically are available in balanced funds or growth funds, which can be accessed via education policies and unit trusts.

Saving cash may not be the most effective way to save for longer-term goals, given that in the current low-interest rate environment, its returns over time barely keep up with inflation. Instead, unit trusts and investment policies provide ideal products to use as part of an education savings plan.

If it is an important requirement to have flexibility and early access to your money, then unit trusts offer these benefits. If you decide to go the education policy route, this option provides you with a more structured savings plan that allows you limited access during the first half of the term. It does have the added advantage of value in the full term, access to leading asset managers, benefits for your child on your death or disability and access to funds that offer guarantees on your savings.

Whether unit trusts or an education policy, the only way to give your child the brightest of futures is to begin to save now for their education now.

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Benefits of Taking a Commercial Mortgage

Understanding commercial mortgages

A commercial mortgage refers to any loan you take on a property that is not you primary place of residence. Although the term is mostly used to refer to property meant for business purposes, it also includes other types of property acquisitions such as when you take a mortgage on a property you intend to let.

In most cases, the security offered on commercial mortgages is the title of the property being bought. Many lenders will finance the loan up to 70% and you will have to raise the rest of the balance either though some other forms of financing or cash. If you do not have the 30% some lenders will give it to you as long as you provide additional capital.

At EuroGuide commercial mortgages, we offer you loan brokerage services for mortgages, secured loan brokerage as well as funding for commercial mortgages. Through our panel of lenders, we are able to get you the best rates for your mortgage. In addition, we offer you expert advice and guidance in relation to all matters regarding mortgages.

The term of commercial mortgages varies anywhere from 3 years to 25 years although there are some short time financing options available. The short term commercial mortgages usually have a repayment period of less than 2 years and are commonly known as bridging finance. These types of loans are made by specialized lenders are used to start a project before the main mortgage is secured.

Advantages of commercial mortgages

-Commercial mortgages allow you to keep the ownership of the property as well as your business as you continue servicing the loan. Other types of financing usually ask for a stake in your business.

-The loans allow you to make huge capital gains since the value of property appreciates over time.

-Compared to other types of loans such as unsecured loans, commercial property loans have lower interest rates hence lower monthly rates because you can pay over an extended period of time.

-Depending on the terms of your mortgage, you can sub-let the property and earn some additional income which you can use as part of the mortgage repayment.

-Commercial premises are not usually subject to the rental fluctuations associated with residential rental properties. This gives you a chance to make more concrete plans for the repayment of the mortgage.

-Commercial mortgage repayments are predictable and allow a business to make better plans for its cash flow.

-The interest payments on commercial loans are tax deductible which allows a reduction on the annual tax overheads that your business has to pay.

Disadvantages of commercial mortgages

-In most cases you have to raise a deposit of 30% of the value of the mortgage. This is a substantial amount of money that can be used to expand your business.

-In case you take up a variable interest mortgage, you may end up paying a lot of money in case the rates increase.

-While you are still making the repayments, you still have to maintain, insure and secure the property.

By coming to EuroGuide, you will get all the information you need about your commercial mortgage. In addition, we will listen to your needs and customize a loan that is perfect for your needs.

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Mind the Gap: Swing Trading Meets the Gap

Price gaps are a common phenomenon in financial instruments and are reflective of a substantial change in the underlying technical or fundamental outlook.  This is a pattern that occurs across almost all financial assets including foreign exchange, stocks, commodities, and futures.  A price gap is typically indicative of a widening of the spread that occurs after a major announcement.  For stocks this could result from earnings while for FX this could imply economic news that surprised markets.

These particular trading situations arise frequently and are formed by the confluence of fundamental and technical factors, making them particularly attractive swing trading opportunities.  There are four major types of gap patterns that traders seek to identify including breakaway gaps, exhaustion gaps, common gaps, and continuation gaps.  Each has their own specific setup and contains a different set of risk-reward characteristics.  Today we will take a closer look at breakaway gaps and exhaustion gaps.

Breakaway Gaps

Breakaway gaps, as they imply from the title, are a runaway movement in prices that typically signals momentum and volume moving distinctly in one direction.  A gap to the upside will likely see continued upwards momentum whereas a gap lower will expose the opposite situation.  From a swing trading perspective, this situation offers the opportunity to get involved in a momentum trade near the beginning while providing a multi-day opportunity for reward. It can also reflect the beginning of a new phase of a trend, hence greater reward for traders that get involved in breakaway gaps early.

From a strategy perspective, identifying areas to set entry and exit can be defined according to the gap price.  For an upside gap, entry should be as close to the beginning of the gap as possible with exit planned for the price before the gap higher.  Any move below the pre-gap price could indicate an exhaustion gap, not a breakaway gap which means a reversal strategy might be more useful and relevant for trading the gap.

A recent example of a breakaway gap would be USDJPY which has since gained substantially after breaking higher following commentary from the Bank of Japan regarding expanded quantitative easing and asset purchases.  Since the breakaway gap, the pair has appreciated over 250 pips.

Breakaway Gaps

Exhaustion Gaps
Exhaustion gaps, as the name suggests, is when a momentum move sees its last gasp in one direction before momentum reverses and the instrument either corrects or trends in the direction opposite the gap.  A gap upwards that fades to the downside is typically viewed with a bearish bias while a gap downwards that fades upwards is considered to have a bullish bias.  These situations typically occur towards the end of a trend and implies that an instrument’s direction has been overextended and is likely to see a pullback for deeper correction.
The best strategy for trading an exhaustion gap is first confirming that the trend has been exhausted and is in the process of reversing.  This can be confirmed if the gap is filled in and continues to trend in the opposite direction of the gap.  The best entry point to a changing trend is one that sufficiently confirms the reversal of the prevailing trend.
A recent example of an exhaustion gap and reversal would be GBPAUD which has filled in the upside gap and is trending lower after making another attempt to breakout to new highs.  The fill in of the gap is indicative of a possible entry point into a new downtrend after the confirmation.  However, if the pair moves back higher above the post-gap price this trend reversal might be not holding and could have merely been a pullback to momentum.
Exhaustion Gaps
Correct Classification
Classifying the gap correctly is important to applying successful swing trading strategies to the right situation.  Misidentification can result in poor risk-reward characteristics for a potential trade.  Whenever getting involved in trend following strategies, timing is imperative.  It is also important to identify the proper trading time horizon to avoid being shaken out of a trade opportunity. Although it can be difficult to walk away from a trade and let the situation play out, constant monitoring might cause a premature exit from the trade instead of patiently waiting for the pattern to complete.

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Five Skills to Develop if You Want to Become a Manager

Being a manager can be a difficult job, and it requires that you work hard and develop many important skills. If you are aspiring to be a manager, make sure you work to develop the following skills so you can succeed. We asked the experts at Hajoca’s management training program what skills those aspiring to leadership positions should focus on and here’s what they told us:

Communication Skills

To be good manager, you need to develop your communications skills. Communication means many things as a manager. You need to be able to listen to your subordinates, and you need to speak clearly and in a way that both subordinates and superiors can easily understand. By doing this, you can do your job better, you’ll be more productive, and you’ll be a real asset to your company.

As a manager, you may have to do presentations from time to time; you will need top-notch communication skills to speak to audiences filled with hundreds of people. Your message needs to be clear. To develop your communication skills, study how other people with great communication skills speak and write, and take classes.

Problem Solving Skills

As a manager, the tough problems will often land on your desk. One of our regional managers was in charge of integrating a business we acquired and getting that entire team running on our system. He was based out of Chicago but had to spend half his week in our office in Indianapolis changing over their operating systems. Many challenges were ahead for months on end but he proved his leadership capabilities and received a promotion to regional vice president for his efforts.

Building Relationships

Another important skill to develop in order to be a good manager is relationship-building. Managers must talk to and work with many different people. You will be interacting with anyone from the custodian to the president of the company. Because of this, it’s essential that you’re able to be friendly with them and build a real working relationship with them. You must be kind and have confidence along with being comfortable interacting with anyone and everyone. Your job will go much more smoothly if you can build relationships with others.

Team Development Skills

Teamwork is a vital skill every employee of a company needs. With proper cooperation, a company will succeed and be able to accomplish the goals it has set for itself. As a manager, you will need to work together with your team and make sure they are cooperating with one another. Make them a strong, cohesive unit so that productivity will increase. If you don’t have team-developing skills, work won’t be done as efficiently, and some employees may do the wrong projects or tasks. Understand how to create a perfect team by utilizing the individual and unique talents of every employee.

Project Management Skills

Project management is crucial to keeping projects within budget and on time. Just because you can create teams and handle employees well doesn’t mean you are a great project manager. You need to be able to properly allocate resources and make an accurate schedule to see what tasks should be done each day. Projects that aren’t done on time and on budget cost the company money and cause it problems.

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Bitcoins: Why all the Fuss?

There’s been a lot of talk about Bitcoins in the financial world recently and while some people immediately embraced the excitement of a new digital currency, many have continued to shy away from it because of a lack of any real understanding of what it is and how it actually works.

Are you really missing out, or are Bitcoins just a passing fad? To help make up your mind, here are some of the basics.

What are Bitcoins?

As mentioned above, Bitcoins are a form of digital currency used to make direct payments, without the need for any third parties. It is handled completely online and has become one of the most popular and prominent forms of peer-to-peer payment.

They are gained initially through a process known as ‘mining’, in which new coins are generated in exchange for computers completing processing work. All transactions using the coins are recorded in a public ledger, which anyone can view, eliminating the need for a central bank or administrator.

What are the advantages?

The major advantage of Bitcoins is their accessibility. They can be used to make payment to any country at any time, without needing to worry about borders, time differences, regional holidays and so on, and because these payments are direct, you control your own ‘money’, cutting out any lengthy waiting times while it passes through an intermediary.

Bitcoins are also completely decentralised. There can only ever be a certain amount in circulation at any one time, keeping control over issues like inflation or hoarding. It’s also reasonably safe, as personal information is not required to make a transaction and payments cannot be reversed, making fraud very difficult.

What are the disadvantages?

The main disadvantage of Bitcoins is their lack of mainstream reach. Because they are still somewhat new, a lot of businesses haven’t adopted their use as yet and though the coins themselves have remained relatively secure, some of the exchanges dealing in them have been called into question over the management of their transactions.

As with all fledgling features, it’s also far from perfect, with various tweaks and improvements still to be made in order to give people the reliability and trust they demand from a currency; the volatility that comes with the fluctuating demand and limited number of coins scaring some people away.

Will they last?

It seems Bitcoins have not only grown in popularity in their own right over recent months and years, but they have even triggered the emergence of a whole host of other so-called ‘altcoin’ currencies, suggesting that alternative investments and payment forms could well be the way of the future and at the very least, they won’t be disappearing any time soon.

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Things to Consider When Working Out What to Save for Your Retirement

Retirement is, in many ways, something most people look forward to. Without needing to go to work every day, you have time to travel, spend time with your family, and work on hobbies you may never get enough the time to enjoy whilst working. However, with all the doom and gloom in the media about how many people no longer have enough money put aside for retirement, if you are thinking about beginning to save for your own autumn years, you may wonder exactly how much you need to put away from your paycheck each month, or which of your current assets will help you when the time comes.

Saving for retirement is important, but often when working out a budget, people only take into account their normal living expenses, and maybe a little extra for things like nice vacations or good gifts for their grandchildren at Christmas. While this is a reasonable approach, it can often leave retirees shocked when something unexpected to them (but fairly normal for elderly people) occurs and they are faced with a large bill. Here are some things to consider when working out your retirement budget, which you may not have thought of before:

Home Modifications

It may be hard to imagine right now, but in the future, you or your spouse may have mobility issues as a result of normal aging problems. If you can no longer get up the stairs in your house, or can’t get in or out of the bath, for example, you may need to modify your home so that these things are possible again. Things like stairlifts or accessible baths are easy to get hold of and will take care of these problems, but the work required and the units themselves can be quite expensive. Having some room in your budget in case you need to do things like this will make sure your retirement is far less financially stressful, as you can adapt your home as the needs arise.

Retirement Housing

If you are working out your budget based on the current amount of rent you pay, or the fact that by then, you will have finished paying off your mortgage and housing should effectively be free, it may be worth thinking about what you might do if you can no longer live on your own, or if you want to move into housing specifically aimed at the elderly where there is care available and other people in your age range to socialise with. Saving money for comfortable retirement housing within your budget can alleviate these worries, and means you don’t have to sell your house if you were planning to pass that on as a legacy to your children or other loved ones.

While it may not be easy to imagine being unable to live as normal in your current home at this point in time, factoring in house modifications and the possibility of retirement housing with your budgeting plans can make your retirement far more comfortable.

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5 Ways to Cancel Student Loans Apart from Consolidation

The most conventional way to get out of student loan is to clear them all. However, paying them all is not the only way to get out the problem; there are several alternatives to student loan consolidation, which can eliminate the burden of student loan. Each of the following five ways offers a distinct approach towards debt elimination in terms of the amount of loan it will offload. Way of repayment suggested by each program is applicable to only a specific type of loan.

Followings are a few ways to help the students part their ways with their education loans.

Start Teaching: If you start as a full-time teacher in a low-income primary or secondary school, you will have both Stafford and Perkins loans cancelled. You can accept a teaching job at a school that has shortage of teachers in a particular subject. Opportunities vary from one district to another and the first step is to get in touch with the local district to find out availability of posts. There are multiple programs to help the debtors with loans if you want to take up teaching as a profession.

Peace Corps: This organization will pay off up to 70 percent of your loan burden, depending on how long you want to serve for Peace Corps. They send volunteers to over 70 different countries, providing you with a chance to explore the world. The organization will give coverage for your board and room but no actual earning will be credited to your account.

State-Government Job: Many states provide their employees with loan repayment program on certain level. This program is especially meant for the debtors with low-income ceiling. This low level of earning is different in every state. If you earn less than that level, you are automatically eligible for a debt elimination program. If you have studied education, nursing or social work at your graduation level, it will significantly step up your chance of earning eligibility

Army National Guard: Majority of the recruitment incentives at military offer scholarships for joining a military school, Army National Guard provides an option of student loan clearance up to $10,000. However, the amount paid off is subject to the recruitment terms. As theses loan repayment programs are offered at times, so those looking to capitalize on the opportunity must check the state they are residing in as well as neighboring states as well.

Hospitals: It will not be much of problem for you to find out a hospital offering loan repayment option. In some cases – depending upon the service they are in need of – they are ready to repay the entirely of your loan in lieu of your accepting a job. Usually, full repayment options are offered to the nurses as well as occupation and physical therapists. However, it is up to the hospitals to decide whom the program will be made available for. In some hospitals, such facilities are also extended to the staff in administration. To gather the details, the best is to directly contract the hospital in question.