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Tag: financial

  • How To Buy Personal Real Estate With 5 Tips

    How To Buy Personal Real Estate With 5 Tips

    There are all kinds of things you will want to consider when buying the real estate that your family will call home. The problem is that far too many get caught up in the small or cosmetic details of the purchase and search that they forget the primary needs of the family in the process. Keep the following things in mind when considering real estate purchases and you are much more likely to be happy with your decision a few years down the road. 

    1. Size. When it comes to real estate size really does matter. The problem is that it matters differently for different people. Those that are ageing and whose families have left home would do well in smaller properties that required lower maintenance. Those with growing families need room to grow not only inside the house but also outside the home. If you have 5 children you do not want to be crowding them into 2 bedrooms nor do you need five bedrooms (unless you want them of course) if you are a confirmed bachelor. Size is an important consideration when deciding on a house that will meet the needs of you and/or your family.
    2. Neighbourhood. This is important for everyone. No one wants to buy a home in an area where they do not feel safe. At the same time, most people also do not want to live in a neighbourhood that is just entering into or on the verge of a state of decline. Remember that a home for the most part is a 30-year commitment you want to make that commitment in an area that is slated for growth rather than decline.
    3. Property Value. The value of your property is what makes real estate an investment. The general idea is that in the 30-year period you are making the payments on your home the value of the home will experience a slow but steady increase. If the area you are considering for your real estate purchase has experienced a couple of years of the declining property value you may want to find out the cause before making the investment and placing your family in that area. It could be an indicator of potential decline.
    4. School District. This is typically only a consideration for those who either have children or are planning to have children. For those, however, it is a very important consideration. Most school districts around the country are determined by the neighbourhood in which you live.
    5. Cost. This is a very important consideration for most people who are searching for a home. Obviously, you want the best possible value for your money but you should take care that you do not find yourself slaving away to merely eke out your house note each and every month. You need to be able to live comfortably within your means along with your house payment in order to have the best possible real estate situation.

    Of course there are other common considerations that should be taken into account. Among those are the condition of the home, the number of similar families in the area, and the closeness of the area to other conveniences such as stores, work, and entertainment. All of these things add up to a deep satisfaction in the home you have chosen or growing discontent over the years.

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  • How to Open Your Business to Investors

    How to Open Your Business to Investors

    When you’re looking to expand your business, there are a lot of different options out there for funding. You can take out a loan from the bank, get angel investors or venture capitalists involved, or try to get crowdfunding. But one option that is often overlooked is opening your business up to investors. This can be a great way to get the money you need to grow without giving up too much ownership or control over your company. This blog post will discuss what you need to do in order to open your business up to investors and how it can benefit your company.

    1) Do your research

    The first step to opening your business up to investors is doing your research. You need to know who you’re talking to and what they’re looking for. There are a lot of different types of investors out there, so you need to make sure you find the right ones that fit your company. You also need to have a solid business plan and pitch deck that you can present to them. This will show them that you’re serious about your business and that you have a plan for success.

    Doing your research is also important when it comes to knowing how much equity you’re willing to give up. It would be best if you had a good understanding of your company’s worth and what percentage ownership would be fair.

    2) Make a great pitch

    Once you’ve found some potential investors, it’s time to make your pitch. This is where all of your research and preparation will come in handy. You need to be able to sell them on your business and convince them that it’s worth investing in.

    There are a few things that you should keep in mind when pitching to investors. First, you need to be clear and concise. They don’t want to hear a long, drawn-out story about your business. Instead, they want to know the basics: what your company does, what problem it solves, who your target market is, etc. Second, you need to be confident. This doesn’t mean that you need to be cocky, but you should believe in your business and your ability to succeed.

    Last, it would help if you were prepared for questions. Investors are going to want to know more about your business and how it works. They might also ask about your competition, your financial projections, and your plans for the future. It’s important that you have answers to these questions so that you can keep them engaged in the conversation.

    3) Consider the GIPS standards

    The GIPS standards are a set of guidelines that were created by the CFA Institute to help investors compare performance results. The standards are voluntary, but many investment firms choose to adhere to them.

    There are three main components of the gips standards: full disclosure, fair representation, and compliance. Full disclosure means that you need to disclose all information that could potentially impact an investor’s decision. This includes things like fees, commissions, and expenses. Fair representation means that you need to present this information in a way that is not misleading or deceptive. And compliance means that you need to follow the guidelines set forth in the standards.

    Adhering to the GIPS standards can be beneficial for your business because it shows potential investors that you are committed to transparency and disclosure. It can also give you a competitive edge over other companies that are not GIPS compliant.

    If you can nail all of these things, you’ll be well on your way to impressing potential investors and getting the funding you need to grow your business.

  • Managing Your Money: Five Tips

    Managing Your Money: Five Tips

     Money, money, money. It’s not everything, but it is incredibly important. So, whether you’re working hard to earn a beginning wage, just starting out your own business or you’re a high-earner looking for some help on managing your money, you’ve come to the right place. So, read on for some tips on how you can get better at managing your money. 

    1. Assess your finances 

    Before you get going, it’s important to look at your finances. How much money is coming into your account each month? How much money is going out? Do you know where your money is going each month? By taking a look at what’s currently going on, you can then plan much better for future money management. If you find this difficult or triggering (which for many is an immediate response) you could consider asking a close friend or family member to look through with you for emotional support and to lend an objective ear. An impartial view can help you understand whether or not your spending is appropriate or healthy. 

    2. Budget time 

    Budgeting is important, whatever position of life you’re in. It’s always important to have healthy savings, retirement funds, emergency funds, and even investments, so don’t skip this step. To help you budget, making a plan or financial goal can help a lot. So, make a physical or mental note of what you’re budgeting for, and see how much easier it is to budget. If you still find it hard, it may be useful to use a budgeting app such as Mint – it can help you manage your money simply and easily. 

    It’s important that you ensure that all of your finances are being included in this budget so that it is as accurate as possible. You should be updating your budget every time your financial situation changes such as if your income changes. When you get a new bill to pay such as iul insurance for example, or a new car payment, or whatever else, it has got to be reflected in your budget.

    3. Focus on your savings 

    Hopefully, you’re someone who finds it easy to put away money each month. Having savings will save you from having to borrow money at potentially risky high-interest rates, so putting money away really is an investment in a safer, fiscally healthier future. Additionally, if you run into a windfall such as a personal compensation claim or a DiversyFund lawsuit, putting some or all of the principal amount from this money into savings can help you reach and surpass a target. If you find it difficult to save each month, however, you can lean on the incredible world of tech. There are apps such as Chip that take out money from your savings account throughout the month (estimating amounts that won’t be noticeable) and put them in a high-interest account. This means that you can sit back and relax while an app does the hard work for you. 

    4. Build up investments

    Once your finances are under control, now’s the time to take stock and understand where you want your hard-earned money to go. If you can, make your money work for you. That means making investments that, in the long term most usually, will reward you financially. This can be daunting at first, but there are many online sites to help. 

    5. Go professional 

    If you have savings you want to look after or have come into some money from, say, an inheritance, now could be the time to look at wealth management firms. Entrusting your money to the professionals will help you get the best returns on it and allow you to rest easy, knowing the professionals are on it. 

    Disclaimer: Make sure you understand the numbers and how money actually works before handing over your life savings. Additionally make sure any wealth manager invests in the assets that they are suggesting. There is nothing worse than dealing with a wealth manager who is not an investor themselves.

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  • The Importance Of Financial Self Care

    The Importance Of Financial Self Care

    It goes without saying that juggling the priorities and demands of everyday, modern life can sometimes be stressful. Most of us rarely switch and step away from technology, and remember to take care of ourselves. Self-care can often take a back seat. This happens, even more, when it comes to your money, more precisely, your financial health. 

    What Is Financial Self-Care?

    Financial self-care is when you develop a set of habits that lead to you reaching your financial goals and enable you to save money. Putting money to one side for your savings every month, managing a budget, and following a debt management plan head-on are all great ways you can practice financial self-care. 

    We all know what it takes to take care of yourself or someone else in other areas, it’s something that is done deliberately to look after someone. Financial self-care can contribute to other areas of self-care such as mental and physicals just by reducing stress. 

    Why Does It Matter?

    What happens when you neglect your mental, physical, or emotional health? Your stress hits the roof. your immune system weakens, and you can feel as though you are losing control of your mood swings. Your relationship may even start to suffer. All of these can easily snowball and become a bigger issue, leading to burnout. Your finances are no different.  

    Think about what would happen if you spent that much you were in overwhelming debt, kept your money issues hidden away, or tried to avoid thinking about money completely. Disregarding your finances usually contributes to higher levels of guilt, anxiety, and relationship stress. 

    On the other hand, if you spend some time focusing on the state of your money affairs, then things start to make a shift. Thinking about your finances as a priority support a healthy mindset. Knowing you are taking care of yourself and your loved ones in terms if of your financial future can help to keep you positive. Developing and pursuing money goals puts you in control, and can help you have a balanced life. 

    Financial Self-Care Tips

    When it comes to looking after your financial health, you need to find ways to support your goals, circumstances, abilities, and needs. Then include these as part of your routine, some of these actions include: 

    Talking 

    Whether it a sit-down chat with your partner or a quick message saying click here and check this out. Talking about your financial issues, ventures, and future is much better than hiding it away. Many people who are in relationships don’t want to admit they are in debt, but struggling alone isn’t a healthy way to deal with your finances. Instead, ditch the guilt and work together. A couple’s budget, or being honest about the budget for trips away, or days out, etc. can help a lot. 

    Have Inspiring Goals 

    Passion is something that can give you that push to achieve. If you are passionate about your goals, you are more likely to meet them. Put some time to one side to think about what our financial goals are, and what it would take to get you there. This way you can set yourself targets and tasks that will help you get there. Whether it’s to save for a new car, a mortgage, a trip away, or even retirement, what do you need to get yout there, and what will it feel like? 

    Become And Stay Motivated 

    If you’re not motivated, it doesn’t matter how many goals you set yourself. Make sure you reward yourself for good behavior and work towards pushing yourself towards your goal. If you hit a milestone, reward yourself. Track your goals and progress. If you do it as a couple or as friends you could hold each other accountable.

    Keep Track Of Your Daily Income And Outgoings

    Having complete control over your money means you are in the know about how much is coming in and going out. Make it part of your daily habits to keep track of your spending. Whether it’s detailed in a spreadsheet, jotted down on a piece of paper, or in a tracking app, it will help you to keep track and feel in control. 

    Have A Realistic Budget And Saving Target 

    Sticking to a budget is easier said than done. If your income is irregular or low, sticking to the rule of always spending less than your income and saving the same amount each month should help your budget and saving target to remain realistic. Make sure you set a budget that you know you can stick to that allocates funds to savings every month. Once you have a budget that matches your income, remember to go back and review it once in a while. At the end of the month is the best time to do this. It enables you to adjust it if you need to. 

    Borrow Smart And Save 

    You should always pay off your debt before you take out any large sums of money such as for a mortgage. If you do need to borrow make sure you do it smartly. This means you should do your research, look for the lowest APR, and think about refinancing to get a better deal. For example, if you have several credit cards with high APRs and you are preapproved for a higher limit, balance-transfer card, it may be worth getting it and transferring your other cards to this one. It will enable to you pay off the debt during the interest-free period and also move several payments into one manageable one. 

    If you can, you should try to save every month. It is always best to put money into your savings on payday rather than leaving until the end of the month. If you leave it, you are more likely to dip into the funds and save nothing at all. 

    You should always try to pay off debts first. You should tackle them head-on and try not to accumulate more debt until it is manageable. It’s a good idea to boost your income to accelerate debt paydown. The snowball method (starting with the smallest and moving the largest) is proven to work very well. 

  • Common Business Mistakes That You Shouldn’t Ignore

    Common Business Mistakes That You Shouldn’t Ignore

    Have you decided to fulfill a dream of years and finally start your own independent business? This is without a doubt an especially important and exciting decision that will change your life and therefore, just before you jump into the deep water, you should do whatever it takes for the new business, which you have planned for so long, to lead you to professional satisfaction and financial success. Is it possible to predict in advance the success of a business in its infancy? Well, to some extent. When the first steps in setting up a venture are carried out accurately, professionally and in a balanced way, the potential for success increases. At the same time, setting up a business is a complex and challenging process that, beyond the professional tools that the business owner has in hand, requires careful knowledge, experience, and financial planning. It is at this point that many of the new entrepreneurs who decide to start a business on their own, without business support, “fail”. Read about the common business mistakes that you shouldn’t ignore in this post…

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    Investing Too Much Capital

    Some businesses get into trouble when they invest too much capital upfront and demand doesn’t materialise as they expect. Tesla is currently experiencing this issue as pointed out in an article by Robert Oates, managing director, Arbtech. The share price is high, yet the company doesn’t have the real-world business success to match. 

    Many of the world’s most capital-intensive companies are struggling to make big profits right now, even with low-interest rates. That’s because the real value in the economy is in the knowledge that people have, not the plant and equipment they own. That’s why Google, Apple, and Microsoft are so valuable, but AT&T and Ford aren’t in the same league. 

    Errors at the beginning of the journey

    Sometimes these are minor mistakes that can be easily corrected. But, when it comes to poor, extravagant and ill-considered financial management, the chances of the venture “standing on its own two feet” and becoming a commercial success are almost nil. Most of these financial mistakes are common to businesses of different sizes and types: Those that belong to areas like industry or technology and those that deal in the areas of freelance, service and sales. Do you know how not to fall into the financial traps of novices? Here is a kind of “checklist” of common mistakes in conducting financial business:

    Non-separation of bank accounts

    Ask any business consultant – what is the most basic mistake that prevents a new business owner from starting “on the right foot”? The answer will be unequivocal: Managing the finances of the business through the personal bank account. Well, often, founders of exempt or licensed businesses (limited companies are required to open a business account by law) do not think that creating a business account at a bank in the beginning is a necessary action. You should also be well aware of the finances that a new startup will incur. For example costs of equipment, labor and more. Do you need something specific to purchase such as a solid carbide rod if you work within construction, or Dovetail metal cutters for engineering? 

    This is one of the most important recommendations of business consultants in the financial field: Treat the first year of business as a trial period, in which no large purchases are made. Whether your business needs a massive investment or not, be careful, calculated and rational. For example, it is not advisable to make significant private investments, such as buying a house, car, booking expensive vacations or producing large events. When it comes to personal expenses, try to be economical. And why is it important? Because the future may come as a surprise and your new business, even if it is already profitable, is still not stable enough for you to trust in the long run. Do not try to jump through hoops, invest in what is required, not beyond that. Be sure to look at all the pitfalls before making any huge financial decisions. 

    With the rise of fintech and digital currency having two or three banks is not a far cry for any individual or company no matter where you are based around the world! Get in touch to find out more…

  • Is Money a Motivator?

    Is Money a Motivator?

     

    The economic woes have seen unprecedented times across the globe from the developing to the developed parts of the world. The financial sector has taken a battering and has seen many people question the embedded culture that existed for so long with an attitude of ‘let’s make as much money as possible no matter what the cost’.

    The cost has been far more than just the loss of money. There has been a huge impact on people’s lives not only economically but socially and environmentally. Do you think we have now seen a shift in what people think about money? Are these institutions losing their appeal on being able to use money as a motivator to entice the once egotistical human being?

    A few weeks ago I attended an event about people who were ‘escaping the city’ – it seems as though more and more people within the financial sector are escaping to find happiness through achieving their purpose, which they once thought existed by making as much money as fast as they could. I believe we are seeing a huge shift in how humans think and feel about money.

    The late rapper Biggie Smalls once sang about ‘Mo Money, Mo Problems’ and it appears to ring true of those who make huge amounts of money, even when they do so ethically, having problems with people trying to bring them down. Don’t get me wrong I think having money and enjoying money is a great thing, I just think that humans are placing more of an emphasis on how money can be utilized in order to make a difference in the world.

    We saw in the recent USA election the fight between Obama and Romney and on one side you had a person that was engaging local communities to support the election campaign and the efforts that together ‘we can make a difference’. Then you compare it to the other side that tapped into the financial institutions to finance the election campaign and their already bulging bank balance. And who won, it was the person that appealed to the people at a human level – a sincere level not based on how much money a person can make for business and those that operate in it, but how to support one another at all levels in society.

    Let’s put aside the fact that money is not worth the paper it’s written on for a moment, and pay particular attention to those entrepreneurs that did not set out to make money but wanted to make a difference and felt compelled to utilize their talents in order to do so. I am sure you can think of many social media entrepreneur/tech companies that had only the thought that they wanted to take action on what they felt their passion was and through trial and tribulation made millions (actually billions) changing the face of the world and how we connect with one another.

    If you haven’t done so already I would suggest you read Nilofer Merchant’s eBook 11 Rules for Creating Value in the #SocialEra. I will end this article with a short extract from Nilofer’s eBook ‘’Purpose is a much better motivator than money. Money, while necessary, motivates neither the best people nor the best in people.’’

     

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I’m Lena Benjamin—global growth strategist and author of NIFTY, expanding into sustainable fashion and film. With 25+ years of experience in over 30 cities, I advise on UK buy-refurb-sell property ventures and have worked with startups, corporates, and SMEs. From Amazon interest to FT recognition—let’s unlock your next move.

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