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How Entrepreneurs Should Fund Retirement

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If your nest egg is your business, ask yourself these questions to make sure you can sell it for a good price when it's time to retire. In the first part of this series, I discussed how small-business owners can determine how much money they need in order to have a comfortable and dignified retirement. Once you know “how much” you need, the question then becomes “How do I fund this amount?” The money needs to come from somewhere.  Knowing that you’ll need $8 million in 15 years is important but … [Read more...]

Tailored Retirement for Small-Business Owners

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Previously I've discussed how much money a small-business owner needs to retire. For many readers this is a wake-up call; retirement planning really can't wait. The next decision small-business owners need to make is which types of accounts to choose to hold their retirement savings. Continue reading. … [Read more...]

How to Build an Investment Portfolio

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Make the profits from your business work harder for you by creating a sound investment portfolio. Here's what you need to know. Building an effective investment portfolio that can navigate the ups and downs of the economy can be challenging to say the least.  It’s even more difficult for small-business owners.  Most individuals start investing with a specific life event in mind like buying a home or paying for retirement.  But for business owners, investing really serves as a tool for managing … [Read more...]

Secret Sources of Cash for Your Business

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Banks are still being stingy with their commercial loans, but there are others secret sources of cash are eager to deploy it. Important election years are notoriously difficult times for financial institutions and investors to make long-term decisions. There is simply too much uncertainty associated with a potential change in the Administration or a shift in party control of Congress. Investors like certainty. But there is one thing that investors like more than certainty—returns. Right now … [Read more...]

Is Your Banker Discriminating Against You?

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Lending discrimination isn't limited to consumer loans. Here's how to protect yourself. Wells Fargo, one of the largest banks in the country and the leading originator of mortgages to consumers, recently reached a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice over accusations of lending discrimination. The settlement requires the bank to pay a whopping $175 million while avoiding any admission of guilt. The DOJ was investigating the bank for allegedly steering well-qualified mortgage … [Read more...]

Get the Inside Scoop on Tomorrow’s Economy

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Economic experts look to CFOs to gauge the economy. Use what they're saying right now to help plan your business's future. There is never a shortage of so-called experts on television, radio and the Web talking about what the economy will do next. Everyone has an opinion and seldom is a consensus reached unless it’s to state the obvious. Having a clear understanding of what our economy will do is essential for small-business owners making plans for the remainder of 2012 and 2013. If conditions … [Read more...]

Small Business Lessons from Digg

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The sale of social-media pioneer Digg at a fraction of its previous value holds some important lessons for small businesses. Lessons from Digg Technology and business headlines were recently dominated by the somewhat shocking story that social media pioneer Digg had been sold for the paltry sum of $500,000. That headline wasn't entirely accurate, since it only represented the sale of some assets. The total price was closer to $16 million, which is still only a fraction of the $100 to $200 … [Read more...]

How Much Money Do You Really Need to Retire?

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In Part 1 of our retirement guide, we show you how to easily calculate the amount of how much money do you really need to retire, no matter what your age. Determining how much money you need in order to have a decent retirement is one of the most written about topics in personal finance. For every article published there is an opinion or a rule of thumb that is put forth. While these opinions and rules might make for enjoyable reading, they don't help you answer a very simple yet very important … [Read more...]

Simple Math That Will Close Deals

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Show your leads what their return on investment will be and you're likely to win more clients. Math That Will Close Deals. During any sales process, there is always a point in time when you need to discuss price.  Hopefully you have previously discussed the general price range to make sure that you and your potential customer are at least within the same general range.  But at some point you need to prepare the actual price quote. It’s at this critical point that many small-business owners fail … [Read more...]

Are Variable Annuities Right for Small-Business Owners?

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If you haven't been pitched this investment before, chances are you will be soon. Besides growing your own company, what is the best investment a small-business owner can make? This is a simple question that lacks a simple answer. For owners who have most or all of their net worth tied up in their business, it’s important to take some of that value and invest it in something that carries a different risk profile. If you are in a stable, low-return business, then using some of that excess … [Read more...]