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Business Travel Will Never Be the Same Again

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Business travelers have permanently changed how they approach getting from A to B thanks to the Great Recession. Business Travel Will Never Be the Same Again. During the Great Recession, most companies modified their executive travel policies. Eliminating business-class travel, flying at off hours to buy cheaper tickets, using online reviews and social media to find deals and avoiding activities that generate extra fees were just some of the changes implemented in an effort to save money. Now … [Read more...]

Retailers Using Shared Data to Reduce Employee Theft

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Retailers are working together to stop "five-finger discounts" from ruining their businesses. Inventory shrinkage, a fancy term meaning theft, is a huge problem for retailers. Over $90 million worth of inventory disappears from warehouses and store shelves across the country every single day. What is most disappointing is that an estimated 44 percent of shrinkage is perpetrated by employees. To deal with this issue, several companies have proposed an innovative solution, retailers are … [Read more...]

New Legislation: No Such Thing as Illegal Immigrants?

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A guest worker program would allow undocumented immigrants the opportunity to work legally. New Legislation: No Such Thing as Illegal Immigrants? A large-scale "guest worker" program may finally be on the horizon in the United States again after a contentious but successful negotiation by labor, business and political leaders. Despite highly passionate views on immigration from all sides, the parties were able to come together to produce a plan with support from all three interest groups. When … [Read more...]

Proposed Regulation Could Change How You Set Prices – For Good

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The CFPB is forcing car dealers to change their pricing to avoid potential discrimination. The consequences are far-reaching. Regulation Could Change How You Set Prices The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently announced that it was proposing significant changes to the method used by car dealers to determine the interest rate that consumers pay on car loans. These changes are adamantly opposed by both car dealers and lending companies, but the CFPB isn’t backing down. What is of … [Read more...]

Small Business Committee Chair Expresses Concerns Over SHOP Delays

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HHS announces one-year delay for SHOPs, severely limiting small business choices for health insurance. Elise Viebeck of TheHill.com reports that Representative Sam Graves of Missouri, Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, has called to task the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) for delaying certain parts of the healthcare reform law that benefits small businesses. The concern is with the implementation of the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). SHOPs are … [Read more...]

Europe is One Step Closer to Financial Crisis

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The government of Cyprus and the European Union reached a solution to that country's crisis. But is the cure worse than the disease?, Is Europe One Step Closer to Financial Crisis Bank depositors in Cyprus awakened to a new reality. That country's government finally reached an agreement with the European Union to receive over 10 billion euros in bailout funds. As part of the agreement, all bank accounts at the countries' two largest banks that hold over 100,000 euros will suffer significant … [Read more...]

Is the Euro Seeing its Last Days?

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Some small businesses have stopped taking payment in Euros. Is this a good idea? Just five years ago, it was fashionable for celebrities, entertainers and many businesses to draft contracts that demanded payments in Euros. The thinking was that the euro was a far more stable currency than the dollar which was reeling from the height of the financial crisis. Only a fool would question the stability of the Euro. How things have changed! The U.S. economy has serious underlying problems at the … [Read more...]

Dionne Warwick Into Bankruptcy

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Legendary singer Dionne Warwick has mismanaged her fortune and is now left with just $1,000 in the bank. Don't make her mistakes. Financial Mismanagement Forces Dionne Warwick Into Bankruptcy In a sad and shocking turn of events, legendary singer Dionne Warwick has been forced to file for bankruptcy protection. Despite an illustrious singing career that spans five decades, Warwick is down to her last $1,000. This pales in comparison to her debts which surpass $10 million to the IRS alone in … [Read more...]

What is Plaguing California Small-Business Owners?

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Pessimism looms large California Small-Business Owners. That may be good news. Nearly one in four small business owners in California don’t expect to be in business there in three years. The dismal findings of the Small Business California study echo recent research published by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Pepperdine University and Dun and Bradstreet Credibility Corp. These other studies also point to widespread pessimism among small business owners about future … [Read more...]

3 Ways to Outsmart Financial Scammers

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Financial scam arists rely on one thing to succeed and it isn't lack of financial knowledge. For someone to fall victim to a financial fraud, most people assume that a lack of financial literacy is the cause. But in a study co-sponsored by FINRA, it turns out that victims of financial fraud tend to have more financial knowledge than the general public. These victims were indeed illiterate in the art of persuasion. In an interview of Doug Shedel author of “Outsmarting the Scam Artist," it's … [Read more...]