Breaking up is hard to do. To gear up for the fateful day, the "dumper" usually plays the scenario over and over in his or her mind until the perfect break up line is found; a line that has the right balance of honesty and diplomacy. The dumper's vision usually ends smoothly, without complications, and a firm "we'll part as friends" handshake. Unfortunately, breakups are rarely a mutual decision. The "dumpee" almost always throws a curve ball in...more
I've often heard managers say - "My door is always open, come and talk to me anytime." You have to accept the fact that your team won't always do that. They might not want to bother you or they may feel that they should know the answers to their questions and they'll look stupid if they ask. And how many times have they approached you and you've been on the phone or "too busy?" It's your job to get out and talk to them. I've also heard managers...more
The end of the Spring brought an end to the Federal Reverse's view interest rates need to positioned in a way of stimulating the economy. For most of the past few years interest rates consistently moved downward as the Federal Reserve launched an ambitious plan to prevent deflation and bring a reversal to a stagnant economy. Low interest rates helped to keep the U.S. economy afloat while the excesses of the 1990's worked their way off. The United State economic rally last Winter brought a dramatic increase in the level of economic growth, but at the same time an unwelcome spike in inflation fueled primarily by rising commodity prices. Strong economic growth and signs of inflation convinced Alan Greenspan and Co., interest rates should be raised to reflect an economy on solid footing.During the last three FOMC meetings, Alan Greenspan raised interest rates by a quarter point in order to bring short term interest rates to a more neutral level. The rate hikes took short term rates to 175 basis points. Despite higher short term rates, throughout the summer long term rates have unexpectedly move downward. This surprising movement in long term rates contributed to Morgan Stanley missing...more
For the first time in several years the U.S. dollar has managed to gain value against the world's other major currencies. During the first three months of 2005, the U.S. dollar is up approximately five percent against both the yen and the euro. The gains for the dollar should be considered significant when considering the United States still faces...more
We all know that nothing runs without a plan, and a plan cannot run without having its objectives set.That applies to any kind of plan, whether we're talking business or personal finances, university degrees or NGO programs, website promotion or weight loss.Setting objectives and milestones is of crucial importance for any planning activity and is...more
Over the past several years, the popularity of online currency trading has grown substantially. Each day, online FX brokerage firms attract new investors - each of them lining up with a glint in their eye, lured in by promises of easy money. Most of these companies allow you to sign up for a free demo account which lets you place mock trades using their trading platform to get a feel for the excitement of currency trading. In the casual world of free demo accounts - many young traders find they are able to garner impressive profits without a significant amount of effort. It almost seems too good to be true. But transferring this success from a demo account to a real account is far less common. Why is this? The actual trading platform behaves the exact same way, the market doesn't care whether you're a demo or real trader - so what is different? It's you who has changed. Not your personality, not even your trading style - but the factors that affect you are different.What is the key factor to trading success?The search for the "Holy Grail" of trading has been a common theme throughout the history of markets. There are a variety of different techniques. Those whom are...more
One of the biggest problems that people have financially is probably credit card fraud. With the number of different ways that credit cards are used now, it's more and more likely that a credit card could be stolen. While it is scary to find out how...more
Business plans continue to be an essential element of the capital-raising process. They must convince investors to take notice - investors that are shrewder today due to the ups-and-downs they have experienced over the past few years.Adding to the...more
A young girl opens a birthday card from her grand mother and folded inside the card is a crisp $100 bill along with congratulations and sincere wishes and hopes for happiness. A successful store rewards its customers who spend more than $20 with a...more
If bulls and the bears of the stock market have no effect on your mortgage plan then you must apply for endowment to repayment remortgage. An endowment mortgage is a financial product offered mainly in the UK. Endowment mortgage comprise of an...more
1. Eliminate wasteEliminate reports, habits, products, duplicate input, and processes that waste time and money. These drain labor, money and energy from the business.Two-thirds of products or services sold incur more costs to produce than they are...more
For many mid-career professionals, a Second (or third or fourth) Career turns out to be a business. If your industry disappears, you're leaving a high-profile job, or you've risen through the ranks, self-employment can be your most realistic...more