Report: Combined Consumer Education and Increased Security Measures Equal Reduced Identity Fraud

Identity theft.....what BS, in my opinion. People have a high regard for their own importance, thinking someone wants their identity (and their stuff). It's like cell phone when they first emerged, people carried them as a status symbol. At least 50% of people in Colorado Springs..do not sign their debit/credit cards........or they print "See ID", even though it says on the card "Not valid without signature". It is my mission to learn where they heard this advice!

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/

While surfing the 'net, I came across a report about the reduction of identity theft and identity fraud. Obviously, it caught my attention. Following, in part, is that report which was produced by Javelin Strategy & Research, and co-sponsored by CheckFree Corporation, Visa Card, and Wells Fargo & Co.

While identity theft remains a multi-billion-dollar problem for businesses, organizations, and individuals, incidents of the fraud dropped significantly last year, according to a report.

Identity fraud occurring in the United States declined in 2006 by 12 percent over the year before, from $55.7 billion to $49.3 billion, according to the third-annual survey by Javelin Strategy & Research. The survey, which involved 5,000 telephone interviews, estimated the number of victims dropped for the fourth consecutive year by about 500,000 to 8.4 million persons.

Researchers attributed the decline to better consumer education and awareness and increased use of online banking and financial sites that allow closer monitoring of accounts. "Businesses are doing a lot more, law enforcement is doing more, and so are consumers," said James Van Dyke, president of Javelin, a research company in Pleasanton, Calif., specializing in financial services and payments.

Tena Friery, research director at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer organization in San Diego, said she was surprised by the size of the decline but said there is much greater public awareness.
"We still have a long way to go," she said.

According to the report, there was a significant reduction in fraudulent new-account openings, traditionally one of the most common kinds of fraud. It occurs when a criminal uses a victim's personal data to open a new account.

The survey also found that it takes on average less time and expense to resolve a fraud case than last year. When fraudulent accounts are opened, the average fraud amounts dropped from more than $10,000 in 2005 to $7,260 in 2006. Resolution times dropped from an average of 25 hours in 2005 to five hours in 2006.

Van Dyke said one reason the numbers are down is that businesses are "screening account applicants much more closely."
Individuals and consumer groups have long argued that extra screening was needed because conflicting application information, such as two addresses, could indicate identity fraud.

One group that isn't doing better, according to the report, is 18- to 24-year olds. This age group was more likely to become a victim of identity theft than other age groups. (See sure to read my related article, Your Child's First Year at College: Prime Target for Identity Theft?.

The report references offline criminal activities; however, I do believe that incidents of identity theft have remained unchanged online. One example is stated above, with cybercriminals targeting recent high school graduates and college freshmen.
Unfortunate victims, these graduates and college freshmen provide extremely lucrative opportunities for the cybercriminals to obtain their personal information. Even before they start their first careers, these graduates and college students will, most likely, be crippled by identity theft.

To protect yourself, you need an internet security team of experts making sure that you, your family, and your business computer are always safe and secure. The best protection you can have in today's rapidly changing world of cyber-attacks is to have expert support for all your Internet security needs that will provide technical support without any hassles and without charging you extra fees. It will become even more critical than it is today as time goes on. You need to find your own personal team of experts to rely on. If you ever have a security problem, you will want to have a trusted expert you can call for professional help, without any hassles and extra costs!

Because cybercriminals are becoming smarter and more sophisticated in their operations, they are real threats to your personal security and privacy. Your money, your computer, your family, and your business are all at risk.

These cybercriminals leave you with three choices :

1. Do nothing and hope their attacks, risks, and threats don’t occur on your computer.

2. Do research and get training to protect yourself, your family, and your business.

3. Get professional help to lockdown your system from all their attacks, risks, and threats.

Remember: When you say "No!" to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don't, we all lose!

© MMVII, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, The Internet Safety Advocate and Educator

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com


About the Author:
Etienne A. Gibbs, Independent Internet Security Advocate and Educator, consults with individuals, small business owners, and home-business entrepreneurs regarding online protection against spyware, viruses, malware, hackers, and other cybercrimes and pc-disabling issues. For more information, visit www.SayNotoHackersandSpyware.com/.

Tips on Building Revenue for Your Business

(NewsUSA) - It's a dog-eat-dog world. You must be prepared for anything when deciding to open your own practice or small business. And once you become a business owner, you need to know how to make your business grow.

"What keeps business owners, practice owners and partners up at night is likely the challenge of managing and growing the business," says Steven Stralser, clinical professor at Thunderbird: The Garvin School of International Management and author of "MBA In A Day."

In his book, Stralser addresses business professionals who have extensive training in certain industries but want to learn the skills necessary to manage businesses of their own.

Packed with examples, helpful anecdotes and real-world case studies, this straightforward guide gives readers a comprehensive business education without having to spend the time and money on graduate school.

The book covers essential principles and concepts taught at today's top business schools. Topics include negotiation, accounting, marketing, effective communication, information technology and leadership.

Stralser offers the following tips to help your business grow.

* Focus on existing customers. With advertising and other marketing costs, finding new customers can be expensive. Acquiring new business is important, of course, but so is keeping and growing your current clientele.

* Stay in touch. Offer more products or services to existing customers, clients or patients. They will respond with loyalty and future business. Think "greater share" of customers instead of "market share." It's simpler and more profitable in the long-run.

* Develop a Web presence. Developing a Web page puts information on your business right at the fingertips of clients or potential clients. And not only does accessing your Web site save them time, it saves you time as well.

For example, a client can have access to old reports from past projects. By having this information accessible online, you won't have to take time out of your busy schedule to print and ship the reports to that client.

For more information on Stralser's book, visit www.mbainaday.com.

The Do's And Don'ts Of Launching A Small Business Website

Launching a new small business website is often a long and painstaking process. And for most small businesses, the endeavor rarely ends in success. The terrain is mapped with freelancers, firms, and consultants that don’t offer the same services and most certainly don’t charge the same prices. Projects are often riddled with unclear expectations, missed deadlines, and ridiculous hourly rates. What’s worse is that many developers have the audacity to ask for even more money halfway through the project. Even after all of the hard work is complete, most companies don’t even see a return on investment.

If you haven’t been there, you probably know someone who has. IT outsourcing and procurement is often times so traumatizing that many of us vow never to deal with it again. But the whole process need not be so difficult and fruitless. The purpose of this article is to aid you in launching a successful website with minimal pain and effort. Who knows, if you play your cards right, it may even be within budget and on time!

The Don’ts

Don’t spend too much on web hosting. If you are a small business that is just beginning to define your online presence, you don’t need a whole lot! You most certainly don’t need 10,000MB (10GB) of web space and 100,000MB (100GB) of bandwidth each month. So don’t pay for it! You might be thinking, “Well, if it’s relatively cheap and I may need it in the future, why don’t I just spring for it now?” That kind of reasoning paves the road to overspending. Besides, web hosts making such offers are hoping that you won’t really use the massive set of features. Expert web developers and power users will use that kind of space and bandwidth, however, and the end result is a bogged down and slow web host. Go with something economical and reliable; it’s probably even faster.

Don’t mold your website to a pre-defined package. Although your local newspaper advertisement for development of a “5-page website with logo design for only $995” may be tempting, don’t fall for it. Any company that sells you pre-set web site packages (or charges based on the number of pages) has the wrong idea. Web development should be a custom-fitting job. Your website is a business tool, and should be developed to exact specifications that enable it to complement the rest of your business. If you compromise your website’s functionality, you compromise its ability to help you make money.

Don’t start the project until you are fully prepared. The easiest way to ruin a web development project is to get started before you are ready. Everything does not need to be in perfect order when you are shopping around for development; however, once you select a developer and begin work, being unprepared will only slow your project down greatly and drive up costs. Avoid this by purchasing your domain and web hosting, writing out all content, and deciding on the general layout you desire, all before the project begins.

Don’t compare apples to oranges. Not all web developers are created equal, so it is unfruitful and unwise to compare them on a single benchmark (such as price). While some “full-service” firms will create your website, upload it to your domain, and maintain the site to make sure it’s up-to-date, others will simply e-mail you a folder full of files and expect you to know what to do from there. Similarly, some firms will revise the finished product over and over until you’re satisfied while others believe you are paying them for one draft of work and no more. Be mindful of these differences and understand what is built into the different prices of each provider.

Don’t focus too much on eye-candy. Remember what your website is for. Unless you are the exception to the rule, the purpose of your site is either to a) give information about your product/service or company, b) allow users to buy directly from the site or c) both. In all cases, the site must be easy to understand, navigate, and operate. If your site is so new-age and graphic intensive that users have no idea how to get around it, or worse—it takes too long to load, you’ve defeated the purpose of its creation.

The Do’s

Do have a marketing budget for your website. Launching a website without a marketing plan usually always results in a zero return-on-investment. Why? Because there are millions of sites on the internet, and if you don’t market your site, no one will come. Unlike a typical brick-and-mortar establishment that benefits from exposure to passersby, your website will not be seen by anyone until you tell people that it exists. Take advantage of the fact that your website can reach more potential customers than a small storefront ever could. Set aside marketing funds at the onset of your project.

Do prepare a timeline for the project. Many developers work virtually, that is, directly through the internet such that you may never meet them in person. This style of work is very different than the conventional, and the lack of face-to-face contact makes it easy for both parties to simply forget about the project as time goes on. Ensure that your project won’t stagnate. Prepare a solid timeline with clear milestones, expectations, and deadlines so that it is easy for both you and the developer to stay on target.

Do provide feedback in a timely and detailed manner. Although you are paying a design firm for its creativity, remember that ultimately what you say goes. You must be sensitive of the fact that development is a step-by-step, layer-by-layer process. If you don’t respond with feedback immediately, developers will have already completed other layers of the site before your feedback reaches them. This means that they must not only re-work the layer in question, but also the following layers. Some developers have been “burned” so many times in this manner that they will wait patiently for your feedback before they go on to the next layer of work. This means that development comes to a screeching halt until they hear back from you. They may get so fed up that they take on another client while they wait, leaving you at 2nd priority.

Do research developers before setting a budget. There are two reasons to do your homework before you decide on a budget. First, setting a budget without understanding a particular industry is simply nonsensical. You must know the price ranges of development and also what type of service to expect within each range. Second, a small business website, unlike a typical personal expense, is an investment. The goal of launching the site should be to aid the company in making more money. If the site won’t make money, don’t create it! If you limit your budget at $1000 without understanding the investment or industry, you may get an excellent site in that price range that makes no money. You would be better off if you do your homework, however, and find that spending more will likely yield a return. For example, you might spend $4000 on a site that actually makes you and additional $20,000 annually.

Do plan to keep your site up-to-date. One of the biggest advantages to having a website is that you can quickly and easily update information. Nothing sends a more powerful message to a potential customer than a website that hasn’t been updated for several months, or even years! You are telling people that the business is defunct or unpopular. Make it a point to update your site frequently, even if you don’t have much to say. It will let your customers know that things are going well and that your company takes an active interest in keeping them informed.

Although the above Dos and Don’ts are definitely not comprehensive, they are a good set of guiding principles for any individual or small business owner looking to create an online presence. No set of rules if foolproof, however, and there are always exceptions. My suggestion would be to always err on the side of caution. Many of the cliché statements we’ve all heard will come in handy: there is no such thing as a free lunch, and, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask questions to people who know more than you. In fact, feel free to contact me if you ever get into a jam: adil@steezo.com. Good luck!




About the Author:

Adil Wali is Chief Operating Officer of SteeZo Media, a company founded in 1999 that focuses on consulting small and medium sized businesses in getting online. Under Adil’s leadership, the company shifted away from broad-based IT consulting to a more specific focus on matching clients with most talented and cost effective web developers.

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Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Ten Steps to Boost Your Affiliate Commissions Today

OK, this article caught my eye, since I am spending hours trying to accomplish this very thing!

Interested in boosting your affiliate commissions? There isn't one "magical" secret to increase your affiliate commissions, but here are some simple steps you can take to make more money through affiliate programs right now.

1. Capture e-mail addresses with an "opt-in" list before sending your visitor to the merchant vendor web site.

2. Write an un-biased review article about the product or program you are promoting. Be sure that you mention some weaker points of the program and keep your article honest. This will lower the audiences defenses, as well as increase your articles click through ratio.

3. Promote products that offer residual or recurring income commissions, such as web hosting packages, auto responders, and membership sites.


4. Give away free Viral E-book PDF's loaded with your affiliate links throughout.

5. Create your own Internet marketing ebook, and sell it for 25-35 while giving your customers full resale rights. Fill the e-book with 5-10 of your own affiliate links.

6. Create an affiliate marketing blog and update your content and keywords often. Occasionally, place some affiliate links to quality merchant products, this helps affiliates succeed.


7. Create simple yet affective internet marketing formula that can be condensed into a 10-20 page free PDF. Load the e-book with your affiliate links, products needed for your specific forumla to prosper.

8. Use your opt-in list and start your own affiliate marketing newsletter with valuable information on the best multi-tier affiliate marketing programs. If you had a list of 1000, and each person were your sub-affiliate to 4 or 5 of the top affiliate programs, not to mention many of them will also buy the products, your affiliate commissions would be through the roof.

9. Join some two-tier affiliate programs and create an affiliate programs review directory of the top ten affiliate programs on the web. Optimize your pages for the keywords "two-tier affiliate program", "multi-tier affiliate program", "free affiliate programs", etc.

10. When running a Yahoo Overture or Google Adwords ad, capture people's e-mail addresses with your opt-in list, instead of sending a prospect directly to a merchant from your site page. You can easily entice prospects to join your opt-in mailing list by offering a free PDF e-book. Of course, this will contain affiliate links of your own! Make it a viral PDF to increase your income from all of your affiliate marketing campaigns.

Start using these 10 steps today and boost your affiliate marketing campaign now!



James Bradley:

James Bradley has been involved in internet marketing and affiliate marketing for over 4 years. He has been featured in Entrepeneur Magazine. http://www.supermoneymakingsecrets.com

View all articles by James Bradley

Article Source: ArticleDepot.net

Are Your Making Money With A Blog?

Making money with a blog is possible if you know how to attract the attention of prospects. It’s simply a matter of letting your customers know what you’re all about.

There are many ways that you can make money with a blog if you are interested. The following are some useful tips that you can keep in mind if you want to monetize a blog:

Sell advertising – This is the best way to make money with a blog. You can go about selling ads in two different ways. If you have a distinguished blog and it is set up in a popular niche you can sell ad space yourself. However, if you are not as fortunate, and are yet to have a successful blog, you can always rely on services such as AdSense or BlogAds. These services will help you monetize a blog through their pay-per-click program.

Affiliate programs – affiliate programs will help making money with a blog an easier process. By enabling your blog to link your readers to relevant online sites that provide services and products that may interest them, you can attract more attention.

Two of the best online companies you can affiliate with are Amazon.com and eBay. Remember, every time a reader clicks the affiliate link on your page and purchases a product from the merchant site, you receive a percentage of this profit, and a satisfied customer.

Market your products - Consider marketing your blog with the services or products you are selling. Of course, the point of your blog shouldn’t be to sell your stuff, but it never hurts to remind or offer prospects what you have for sale, and hear their opinions.

Grow your relationship with your customers – A blog is a great way to not only attract new customers, but also encourage repeat clients. Be an active part of your blog and use it to communicate with your existing and potential customers. Keep them up to date about your business. Tell them everything there is to know about your products and let them know that you care what they think.

You can make money with a blog where customers feel valued and can make there opinions count.

Making money with a blog is possible if you aren’t afraid to market your business. When it comes to your business website, you will want to do everything in your power to monetize as much as you can.




About the Author:

Itay Paz is now sharing his knowledge with other Internet Marketers through his new Internet Marketing Hype Ezine. Itay’s online magazine will provide you with exceptional insights of Internet Marketing in a simple and easy way. Sign up for Itay Paz’s Internet Marketing Hype Ezine by visiting his website at http://www.internetmarketinghype.com

Read more articles by: Itay Paz

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Retail Customer Service: Tips For Improving Your Level Of Service

Today I witnessed a customer service miracle in action. I took my son to our local fast food restaurant, so he could have some lunch and play in the indoor playground. While I was waiting for our food to be ready, a woman approached the counter with a crushed Styrofoam cup. She said, "This cup fell off of our table and broke. I need another drink and I need someone to come clean up our table and the floor." The tone of her voice suggested that somehow the restaurant was responsible for her broken cup. And of course, there was no, "Hey I'm so sorry, one of my horrible children was fooling around and caused you a mess."

It was then that right before my eyes a customer service miracle occurred. Rather than replying with the same nasty treatment they had just gotten from the customer, the staff quickly gave her a new drink. Then a man appeared with a smile and said, "I would be glad to clean that up for you." The staff never heard the words "thank you" from that customer, yet they acted as if they had. All were professional and conveyed an attitude that said, "We love having the opportunity to serve each and every person in this restaurant."

Not surprisingly, the place is almost always busy. The restaurant is clean, the management supports our community with various school spirit fundraising nights, the food is better than most fast food, and most of all, the people that work there make you want to come back.

Watching customer service interaction is my hobby and my work, and today's experience was a living, breathing example of the 21 Rules for Excellent Retail Customer Service that we share with the participants in our courses. Most of them are not that hard to follow. However, they can be hard to follow consistently.

If you work with customers in retail, take a look at the list and ask yourself how closely you follow the rules.

1. Smile when greeting a customer in person and on the phone (and yes, they can tell if you are smiling over the telephone!).

2. Use age-appropriate greetings, and avoid referring to older customers and women as "guys."

3. Be proactive and ask how you may be of service.

4. Stay visible and available, but don't hover.

5. Don't turn away, walk away, start to make a phone call, or duck beneath the counter as a customer approaches. (We've all had it happen to us.)

6. The live customer standing in front of you takes precedence over someone who calls on the phone.

7. Never judge a book by its cover--all customers deserve attention regardless of their age or appearance.

8. Leave food and beverages in the break room.

9. A customer doesn't want to hear about your upcoming break.

10. Makes any personal calls when you're on a break and out of earshot.

11. The correct answer is never "I don't know" unless you add to it, "but I can find out for you."

12. If a customer wants something that isn't on display, go to the stock room and try to find it.

13. If the item isn't in the stock room, offer to call another store or order it.

14. Learn to read body language to see if a customer could use some help.

15. Don't let chatty customers monopolize your time if others are waiting.

16. Call for backup support if lines are forming.

17. Be discrete if a customer's credit card is declined by asking if there is another method of payment he or she would like to use.

18. Never discuss customers in front of other customers (they'll wonder what you're saying about them once they leave).

19. Inspect merchandise before bagging it to make sure it's not defective or the wrong size.

20. Make sure customers receive everything they've paid for before they leave your store.

21. Smile as you are saying goodbye and encourage the customer to come again.

And here's one more tip: if you can, give people more than what they expect.




About the Author:

Kate Zabriskie is the Founder of Business Training Works, Inc., specializing in business communication skills including Communication Skills Training and Business Etiquette Training. To learn more, visit http://www.businesstrainingworks.com

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Springtime in the Rockies, Time to Advertise?

OK, you want to advertise. What's your budget? What are you trying to do? I have worked for many small businesses that think they will get $1.50 back in sales for every dollar they spend. They wish!

Advertising is an investment in your business and is similar to other investments that are designed to improve and expand your business. The return you receive depends on the planning and thought that precede the actual commitment and expenditure of advertising dollars. By first developing an effective advertising plan, you increase the likelihood of a positive return on your advertising investment, regardless of the amount of money you spend.

Four Basic Questions The basic premise of an advertising plan requires you to thoroughly analyze the answers to key questions before you can make effective advertising decisions. There are four key questions to ask yourself:

1. What do I want my advertising to accomplish?

2. Who should my advertising speak to?

3. What should my advertising say?

4. What advertising medium should I use?

In a specific business situation, each question has any number of potential answers. As you think about each question, do not accept any answer until you have considered and explored the full range of possibilities.

What Do I Want My Advertising To Accomplish?

The first step in developing your advertising plan is to specify your advertising goals. Be as precise as you can as to why you are advertising and what you want to achieve. Everyone wants advertising to increase business, but for your advertising plan to work, it requires you to be more precise.

Some possible goals for your advertising are:

• To increase awareness of your business.

• To attract competitors’ customers.

• To increase the likelihood of keeping current customers and developing their loyalty.

• To generate immediate sales or sales leads.

It is possible that you may want your advertising to achieve all of these goals plus some others.

What is important is that you prioritize your goals. Advertising works best when it is developed to meet one specific goal at a time.

Who Should My Advertising Speak To?

Once you determine your advertising goals, you can then select the target audience for your message. Keep in mind that advertising that tries to reach “everyone” rarely succeeds. Successful advertising is written with a specific customer in mind. Try to picture the person you must reach in order to achieve your advertising goals. Try to describe your target consumers in each of the following:

• Demographics: such as gender, age, income, location of residence or business, etc.

• Behaviors: such as current awareness of your business; the products, services or vendors they currently use; loyalty to either you or your competitor’s business, etc.

• Needs or desires: such as what benefits consumers look for, the basis on which they will decide whether to use your product or service, how your business can fulfill those needs, etc.

What Should My Advertising Say?

Once you know who your target audience is and what they are looking for in terms of the product or service you offer, you can decide what your advertising will say. Advertising should always be written to communicate a message that will be seen as important by your target customer. Your advertising should clearly and convincingly “speak” to your target audience, explaining the important benefits your product or service offers. In deciding how to discuss the major benefits of your product or service in your advertising, keep “AIDA” in mind: attract Attention, hold Interest, arouse Desire and motivate Action.

Where Should I Place My Advertising?

Every month, new advertising options become available. Beyond “traditional” media you can place ads in airports, on ski lifts and on television monitors in the front of grocery carts. Where you place your advertising should be guided by a simple principle: Go where your target audience will have the highest likelihood of seeing or hearing it. Many advertising media work well to reach a diverse range of target consumers. There is no single medium that is inherently good or bad. In fact, a good medium for one product or service may be a poor medium for another. As you consider media choices, look for one that fits your advertising goals, reaches your target efficiently and cost effectively and is within your advertising budget.

About the Author:Kurt Mortensen’s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; you should attract customers, like a magnet.

Claim your success and learn what the ultra-prosperous know by going to http://prewealth.com/mistakestoavoid/ and get my free report "10 Mistakes that Cost You Thousands."

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The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste!

OK, I feel this post is relevent for all business purposes. I have been helping folks with media and books on education lately. I was totally amazed at what local, instate universities here in Colorado charge these days! Almost $20,000+ per year for tuition and room and board. Uh huh. How could you ever recoup that cost? How could any middle income parents pay for that?

I have student loan debt from graudate school...........I won't live long enough to pay it back!

As the costs for the favor of a college education continue to rise every year, is it any wonder that achieving a decent education is seen as a great privilege as opposed to a legitimate right?The average cost at a private college last year for tuition, fees, room and board, was $30,207.00. The experts predict that the average cost will increase by 5% each year; enrollment at a more prestigious college will cost you even more.

In comparison, the average cost of a year’s tuition, fees, room and board at a public university was $11,351, and if the experts are correct these prices will also rise 5% per annum.The luxury of a good education is a valuable asset, though regardless of scholarships, grants, and federal loans, with these kinds of exorbitant costs you may need to consider alternative types of loans.

Taking out a loan to further your education might not be such a bad idea when it comes to filing your tax return; e.g. $2,500.00 of the interest on your student loan might be a deduction that will help reduce your taxable income, possibly resulting in a smaller tax bill.These are some of the filing requirement conditions should you choose to itemize this deduction:If you are married, you cannot file separately to get this tax break; you must file jointly.

You are not entitled to this deduction if you can be claimed as an exemption on anyone else’s tax return.The loan must have been taken out by you, your spouse, or a dependent (related; or who receives most of their support from you).The educational institution must meet student aid program guidelines administered by the U.S. Department of Education.

The qualifying student must be enrolled at least half-time in a program that leads to a degree, or other educational credential (certificate).The loan must have been taken out solely to pay for educational expenses.The loan cannot be from an employer, or from a related person.The expenses incurred/paid must be within a “reasonable amount of time” before or after you received the loan; i.e. must be traced to a particular academic period.

The loan must be used to pay qualified higher education expenses, such as tuition, fees, room and board, books, supplies, transportation, and other necessary expenses.The importance of education is solidified by the large number of provisions that Congress incorporated in the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Act of 2001 (e.g. tax breaks for saving toward future education; help for parents with current education costs). However, unless Congress acts before December 31st, 2010, to renew, extend, or amend these provisions, the changes will automatically expire.Keep in mind, that like many other tax breaks, the student loan interest deduction is limited by the IRS if you earn over a certain amount of money.

The differing limitations, interactions and definitions of these provisions, along with the education benefits already in the Internal Revenue Code, make it more important than ever to hire a CPA who can analyze and evaluate which of the education tax benefits apply to your particular situation.So as you stumble through the complications of tax planning, just remember that education is a valuable commodity, and “THE MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE!”

About the Author:"Your" Money Matters By Carl Hampton From the Author of "From Credit Despair To Credit Millionaire" http://www.CarlHampton.com http://www.fcdtcm.com

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Open for Easter: Blasphemy or Greed?

Why on earth, in a city of Evangelical Christians (Colorado Springs, CO), would a retail store.....the only store in the mall that will be open, be open on Easter Sunday? I don't care if it's a “legal” or paid holiday.......I don't want to work on Easter............. I can't cook a ncie dinner or spend time with family, go out to Brunch, etc.........cause the “store” will be open 12-7 PM.

Is it blasphemy? Are the owners non-Christians? Or is it just retail greed?

I know one thing......it's just not right!

Gone are the days when Sundays were literally a day of rest...time to spend with family, church, or “quiet” time away from work! In Michigan, I was astounded the car dealerships were closed on Saturday........and of course Sunday too. People do not need to “shop” 7 days per week. All business that is conducted on Sunday would just move to another day of the week Retail would not lose, employees would gain, it would be a win, win situation!

And yet many stores are still closed, every Sunday. Chick Fillet, Hobby Lobby, and most “Christian” bookstores are closed, as well as liquor stores, car dealers, “mom and pop” retail stores, government offices, doctors, lawyers, etc. One's who think doing business 5 days per week, is sufficient.

Here is some background.......from the “good old days”:

Sunday Closing Laws

Sunday Closing Laws.—The history of Sunday Closing Laws goes back into United States colonial history and far back into English history.191 Commonly, the laws require the observance of the Christian Sabbath as a day of rest, although in recent years they have tended to become honeycombed with exceptions. The Supreme Court rejected an Establishment Clause challenge to Sunday Closing Laws in McGowan v. Maryland.192 The Court acknowledged that historically the laws had a religious motivation and were designed to effectuate concepts of Christian theology. However, “[i]n light of the evolution of our Sunday Closing Laws through the centuries, and of their more or less recent emphasis upon secular considerations, it is not difficult to discern that as presently written and administered, most of them, at least, are of a secular rather than of a religious character, and that presently they bear no relationship to establishment of religion....”193 “[T]he fact that this [prescribed day of rest] is Sunday, a day of particular significance for the dominant Christian sects, does not bar the State from achieving its secular goals. To say that the States cannot prescribe Sunday as a day of rest for these purposes solely because centuries ago such laws had their genesis in religion would give a constitutional interpretation of hostility to the public welfare rather than one of mere separation of church and State.”194 The choice of Sunday as the day of rest, while originally religious, now reflected simple legislative inertia or recognition that Sunday was a traditional day for the choice.195 Valid secular reasons existed for not simply requiring one day of rest and leaving to each individual to choose the day, reasons of ease of enforcement and of assuring a common day in the community for rest and leisure.196 More recently, a state statute mandating that employers honor the Sabbath day of the employee’s choice was held invalid as having the primary effect of promoting religion by weighing the employee’s Sabbath choice over all other interests.197

http://supreme.justia.com/constitution/amendment-01/07-sunday-closing-laws.html


Blue law

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A blue law, in the United States and Canada, is a type of law designed to enforce moral standards, particularly the observance of Sunday as a day of worship or rest. Most have been repealed or are simply unenforced, although prohibitions on the sale of alcoholic beverages, and occasionally almost all commerce, on Sundays are still enforced in some areas. [1] Blue laws often prohibit an activity only during certain hours and there are usually exceptions to the prohibition of commerce, like grocery and drug stores. In some places blue laws may be enforced due to religious principles, but others are retained as a matter of tradition or out of convenience. [2]
In the Cook Islands, blue laws were the country's first written legislation, enacted by the London Missionary Society in 1827, with the consent of ariki (chiefs). In Tonga, the Vava'u Code (1839) was inspired by Methodist missionary teachings, and was a form of blue law. In Niue, certain activities remain forbidden on Sunday, reflecting the country's strong Christian heritage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_law

Retail Management – Identifying Each Salesperson’s Lowest KPI Can Boost Sales By 30%

Stick with me here for minute – its not hard math.There are five retail KPI’s worth tracking at the individual Salesperson level: Sales per hour; items per sale; average sale; conversion rate; wage to sales ratio.If you add them all up (individually) and divide by the number of staff you get the ‘store average’ of each KPI.You can now compare each Salesperson’s five KPI’s to the ‘store average KPI’ instantly revealing the MOST deficient statistic or undersupplied KPI for each individual Salesperson.

Why is it important?Well you are now able to say with perfect clarity that:HAD (employee’s) average sale of say $69 been at the store average of $114, (employee) would have sold $2803.HAD (employee’s) "Items per sale" of 1.68 been at the store average of 3.02 (employee) would have sold $3471.HAD (employee’s) "Sales per hour" of $129 been at the store average of $169, (employee) would have sold $1355.And so on…Thus, $3471 is the greatest sales increase (employee) could have achieved - the deficient statistic - or undersupplied KPI - being Items per sale.This deduction gives us great insight into what behavior to coach first.

In this case it’s ‘items per sale’ and the associated behavior correction is either a) (employee) is not adding on, or b) (employee) does not have enough product knowledge to sell companion products. The point is that managers who want to help their Salespeople perform better now know exactly which area of expertise to focus on to achieve the maximum possible performance improvement result.In the case of ‘sales per hour’ (employee) may be slow at attending customers or taking to long with others.

For ‘average sale’ (employee) probably doesn’t have enough product knowledge or does not know how to sell more expensive items.By first looking at the deficient KPI, and then sorting through memorable observations about (employee’s) behaviors during the week, managers can quickly home in on corrective behavior, in its most appropriate or truthful form.If you track these statistics each week at the individual staff level – which implies comparing each Salesperson to the store average – you would increase each Salesperson’s chances of succeeding within their own specific area of need and thereby create an opportunity to increase individual sales by as much as thirty percent.

About the Author:Steven Lipschitz has a 12 year track record in Internet enabled applications. Today he specializes in Retail. He is the developer of Retail Performer, software that tracks individual KPI's in an easy to use web enabled service and desktop application.

Read more articles by: Steven Lipschitz Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Outsourcing Your Online Business Workings - Smart? Or Lazy?

By: Maria Porter



The American Heritage Dictionary defines outsourcing as: To send out (work, for example) to an outside provider or manufacturer in order to cut costs.

In my opinion, it may not be so much, in order to cut costs, as to send out work to hire experts in a field in which you may not be one.

Time is money, and if one is to utilize both efficiently, would it not be smart to outsource:

1. Web development
2. Marketing
3. Search engine submission
4. Lead generation
5. Direct phone contact
6. Customer service
7. Training
8. Duplication

The small business owner may feel that he needs to do everything, as he may feel that hiring or outsourcing a particular function of his business, may lead to less control or be outside of his budget.But are we all experts in all aspects of owning, running and the workings of a business?I would not even contemplate doing my own taxes; I am not an expert in the field. I save money by hiring a tax accountant.

Why would I think I am an expert in all the other aspects of running my business?Personally I would never attempt to work on my teeth. This is an obvious one, unless I was a trained dentist. I do not possess the skill or the training. However I choose to have my home cleaned and my yard worked on by a yard service. I do not feel that I am lazy in hiring help as my time means more to me than the wages I pay.Could it be that those in a home business feel that they must wear many hats because they feel that they can not afford to pay for outside expert help, or do they in fact feel that they would be lazy to hire help?

'Workings' is defined as 'repeated movement or strain tending to loosen a structural assembly or part'.All business owners feel at one time or another that we are doing repeated movements or activities. Would these movements be better served if they were performed by others with more skill than us? This would also free our time to be more productive in a different function of our business where we do have the skill?

In the long term are we wasting time, money and stunting our growth?

If time is money and growth can bring in money, why do so many in home businesses shun from the thought of outsourcing?

In my opinion it is the initial outlay of funds and the fear of wasting money if we feel that we are able to sort of perform the function.But it may not be so smart?

It may be that we feel that only big businesses can afford to outsource. With freelancing available in all aspects of marketing and development, outsourcing is now affordable and available to the masses.In the long term, one may not afford to run a business without subcontracting help.

If you are thinking of outsourcing, as with anything, ask for referrals and references from others who have used services to grow or manage their businesses.

About the Author:Entrepreneur. Maria Porter has been Online since 2000.Specializing in Coastal Vacations Business Opportunity full time since 2001. She is also the creator of http://www.2ezbiz.orgRead more articles by: Maria Porter Article Source: www.iSnare.com

December Blizzard, Malls, Santa, and Retail: Bah Humbug!

Black Friday has come and gone. Santa arrived at my Mall on November 18th........he would fall asleep from boredom until the last two weekends before Christmas.....then, upwards of 200 people would wait in line for up to 60 minutes on December 22-24. Uh huh.

On Wednesday, December20 th, a white-out blizzard of 18+” of snow and 40 mph winds hit Colorado Springs. It started snowing about 6:00 AM..........by 11:00 AM it was already 6” deep and drifting. The mediocre City of Colorado Springs.......population of 385,000.........only has 36 snow plows. Uh huh.

By noon, visibility was down to 100 feet.......was the mall thinking of closing?? No....it was under discussion. Yet, by then, the Post Office had closed, all military bases, the local and county governments, library's, and all airports. No one was in the mall except employees......no one could even get to the mall because no streets had been plowed, the Metro buses had ceased operations long ago. At noon the Mall slowly let out word that individual stores could go ahead and close without being “fined”. Uh huh. I asked, “So if all the stores in the mall close, the mall is closed?” Not necessarily, was my answer from Mall management. Right.

Thursday, the day after..........the Mall decides to open at 10:00 AM...........except they hadn't plowed the parking lot yet.......nor had any streets been plowed and were covered with abandoned cars! OK, they change it to 2:00 PM. One third of all stores did not open.......employees could not get out of their homes or apartment complexes.........yes, I was there at 9:15 AM. It was busy after 2:00 PM, except for the strange mix of Mall customers. I thought that two things occurred........all trailer parks were emptied....or WalMart was closed!
Friday and Saturday were insanely busy. The Mall opened at 7:00 AM on Sunday, Christmas Eve. The first customers showed up about 10:30 AM.......Mall anchor stores never opened until 9:00 AM....it was sloooooooow all day and no one made their numbers........oh wait, Christmas 2005 was on Sunday.......every store was up against a closing , so one sale made their day's sales! Uh huh.

It's over........... let the madness fade.......stop the 24/7 Christmas music.......take down the decorations.......Spring is on the way!

Holiday Marketing....A Fiasco?

OK, Black Friday has come and gone.........national sales figures are in and most are down. Why? Could poor holiday marketing be a factor? Well duh!

I work in the nicer of two Malls in town. Ours opened at 6 AM, however the four anchor stores opened at different times. Penney's and Sears opened at 5 AM..........Macy's at 6 AM and Dillard's at 7 AM.......all the rest of the mall opened at 6:00. My first sale was at 8:15 AM...many stores had no sales until after 10 AM.

The other mall in town, about the same size didn't open until 8 AM !

And today, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, was slow and most stores held huge sales with as much as 50% off of the entire store.....today, but not on Black Friday. This seems like poor or no marketing to me. Why didn't the malls coordinate this better? Why weren't all anchor stores made to open at the same time?

Perhaps retail store failures are in part due to their own poor marketing? Does anyone know their job?

The Wonderful World of Retail

Wow, after 20+ years I find myself back in the world of retail. Having worked as a retail grunt (salesperson, cashier, clerk) and through the ranks of management, I find many things remain the same, yet some things have changed.
Malls look the same, have tenant mix and traffic issues....depending on location. Some malls have 25% vacancy issues, which results in less traffic, low profits and huge turnover. Mall anchors come and go.

One problem, staffing remains constant. Low or even “poor” wages create problems of it's own. My current mall in Colorado Springs, Colorado must have dozens of stores with “Help Wanted “ signs. One manger told me he has only received 12 applications in two months. He wants skilled, dedicated labor for $6.25 per hour.........applicants want $10 per hour ! Never the train shall meet!

With over 10 years in retail, with management experience, it simply got me hired. The last retail company I was a management trainee for back in the mid 1970's didn't even interview me! It's obviously a vicious circle......stores/managers want skilled, experienced workers for $1 over minimum wage......and workers want a livable wage plus benefits.

I realized, after getting my first two week full time pay check, that I made twice as much take home on Michigan unemployment ! What is the incentive to work retail? I find myself applying for Food Stamps, and rent assistance..........all of which I easily qualify for, even working “full time”. I make less now than I did in 1999....$2 an hour less. In retail, where is the incentive to excel?

Working retail is certainly a quandary.

Career Builder, Monster, and All Those Temp Agencies...Do They Work?

I have been frustrated lately. After three months of living in Colorado Springs and registering with three different Temp Agencies, two of which I had “hooked-Up” with in Michigan, I have no results..........no jobs.....not even an interview!

My last company I worked for in Michigan.......a major Financial Services Company.........set me up with Spherion as my “official” outplacement resource. I met with a nice, helpful lady in the Troy, MI office, who after three hours “tweaked” my resume to it's current state. The value of a Resume vs Applications.....another discussion. Upon moving to the Springs, I registered with the local Spherion office.......to date zip!

In the past I had worked good jobs through Manpower, and SOS Staffing in Ft. Collins, Co and had success turning at least three or four of those “temp” positions into full time jobs! But alas, Manpower erased me from their entire HR System, and has no record of my 10+ years of employment or all the training I ever did. Bah!

Everyday, I get emails from my “Search Agents” on Monster and Career Builder. I send in resumes and applications several times per week........nothing to date. Many, even though the “agents” are supposed to be particular, aren't remotely connected to my search-background-education, or even interest.

Yesterday I went out “cold calling” on my own and in two hours found over 6 openings to apply for......none of which were in Career Builder or Monster.........even with agents set to look for those types of job openings!
So my question remains........are Temp Agencies and these On-Line Services worth any time or effort...................I think you get what you pay for these days.....they cost nothing, you get nothing!

A recent Sunday article in the CS Gazette, suggested if what you have been trying doesn't work.........try something new! DUH?

Spherion http://www.spherion.com/careers/career_center_home.jsp

Manpower http://www.manpower.com/mpcom/index.jsp

Career Builder http://www.careerbuilder.com/Default.aspx

Monster http://www.monster.com/

Looking for Work & Over Age 50

Age discrimination or market forces at work? I think it's a little of both. Never in my life have I had such a difficult time of finding a job, even through temp agencies.

Yes I wanted my last Salary + profit sharing + bonuses and great benefits.......but I didn't make over $100,000 per year and was asking for it.

By moving to Colorado, I knew there were jobs, but also realized that Colorado is the "Land of the Less than $10/hr Jobs!" Thousands of jobs that require a college degree and 5+ years direct experience typically pay $8.50-$10 /hr.....uh huh.

Even jobs with T Rowe Price, which the local Mayor lauded as "great jobs", are in the $35,000 range.........HUH?

Yet I am willing to work the next four or five years for $10/hr. I have, with the help of my outplacemnt firm Spherion, rewrote my resume as suggested and taken out all dates, including college and HS graduation dates..........no one knows I am 58........unless I get an interview (not yet).

There have been several news articles lately that "59 is the new 65", and that people over 50 take over two months longer to secure work than a younger person (that sounds like age discrimination to me).

I can understand the reluctance of a firm hiring a 58 year old demanding $75,000+ per year when they can get a recent college grad for 50% less. But where are the jobs for Seniors.....yup I am one.

Here are a few help sites I saw on the TV report or found myself. I think I'll check the local Senior Center for help also. Good luck to those over 50!

http://www.experiencedworkforce.org

http://www.seniorsforjobs.com/

http://www.snagajob.com

Thirteen hundred and forty-five miles latter, I am resettled in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It wasn't a bad drive......left at noon Monday and got here by five PM Wednesday.......moved into an upscale apartment on the following Monday. For $165 more per month than Michigan, I got a second bath and second bedroom, my own washer and dryer, a patio and a fireplace.
Plus the job opportunities here seem to be immense compared to the second highest unemployment in the nation. In less than a week after getting a phone and Internet access I am getting results!

The views are incredible, the weather cool and dry, and the humidity low!
But I also enjoyed my 7 years in Michigan. It is a nice state and has potential, if they can only figure out how to make it work! I've made my opinions heard on Unions before, but on route to the Springs, it occurred to me that perhaps my non-union affiliation had a determination on my Michigan job hunt. It was a question on every application! It had never occurred to me prior to leaving. Unionization of every aspect of employment is a negative thing in this day of globalization and off shoring!

I look forward to being involved in Colorado Springs.

Detroit, MI.......Economic Disaster

Well I have lived in the Detroit, Michigan area for over 6 years, working for a major Financial Services Co. Until May of 2005.

I recently have decided to "unretire" and look for work, only to find myself at age 57, competing with 300-400 other souls for any reasonable job.

I never do a "shotgun" approach to job hunting, but rather a very specific hunt for jobs that match my skills, experience, and educational level. Since March 1, I have had not one interview and can't even get a "Temp" assignment. That's with extensive Graduate work, and job ratings of "surpasses" requirements...................uh huh.

It's grim......so I am relocating. Moving back to the State of Colorado for the 5th time in my life.......but to a state with a over 2%+ better unemployment rate and to a city of 369,000+, Colorado Springs.

Colorado is also basicly a non-union state.....which will help!

My personal opinion is that Unions have destroyed the economies of Michigan and New York with their huge wage demands, taxes, etc. that result from union employment. Huge layoffs of 10,000's in the auto industry can't help.

Let the adventure begin!

Craigslists

I came across this before, but never used them. I searched a few cities...they seem to cover most. The word "Barter" came up in the thread I was reading. Barter is good.

Has anyone out there used these lists successfully? Let me know!

Kudos...Some Excellent Ads

Some worthwhile and entertaining ads via TV Commercials are coming around.

I like the Jaguar "I've Got My Camera On" ad, Dodge's "Silly Fairy" ad for the new Dodge Caliber, the jazzy ad for downloading IPOD music, The new Toyota Camry Hybrid....hmmmm they're all car ads.

Big bucks get big results!