We can’t all be Robert Kiyosaki (“your strategy is all wrong; buy my book”) but nothing can stop you from using the money you have to its fullest potential. I’d do what my favorite advisor, Tim Gunn, always says: “Make it work!”
Opt for investments that provide fair returns
Nothing is worse than having another person profit from money you gave them to invest. Sadly, that’s precisely what’s happening if your money is languishing in CDs (certificates of deposit), savings accounts or money market funds!
These financial institutions are effectively borrowing from you, loaning/investing it elsewhere, and waxing fat on the difference. If you want your money to earn its keep, so to speak, conservative dividend stocks are a viable alternative; there are a number of companies that pay out annual yields of up to 9 per cent. You could say their tag-line, if they had one, would read “no flash, all cash”. Or something like t
GB GROUP, the Chester-based identity management specialist, is considering acquisitions as part of a growth strategy after its listing on the alternative investment market (AIM).
In a trading update today the group said it was “investigating selective earnings enhancing acquisitions” and confirmed that its full year results are expected to match forecasts.
Total revenues during the nine months to December 31 have increased by 13% to £17.7m and the operating profit for the same period soared 120% to £1.21m after the good performance GB reported at its half year continued into the third quarter.
The group’s cash balance has also improved, rising 22% to £5m.
GB comprises two elements: DataSolutions, specialising in identity-based marketing services and; DataAuthentication, which provides identity verification systems.
DataSolutions reported a 20% improvement in revenues for the nine month period, up to £10.1m.
It offers clients an ID customer registration product, ID marketing services to enable clients to analyse, target and retain their customers, and an ID tracing service which uses UK population and property data.
Today’s statement said: “We are pleased to note that growth has been seen across all of these areas of DataSolutions operations.”
The DataAuthentication arm achieved a 3% increase in revenues, to £7.6m, based on increased activity over the past three months to target new clients for two new services.
Citizensafe is an ID verification service for citizens allowing them to register just once for local authority services, while LiteIDV is an ID verification system aimed at the retail and utilities sectors.
New clients include ESRI UK, Pure Holiday Homes and a strategic alliance with international services provider Serco and global IT corporation Microsoft.
GB said today: “We have been encouraged by our performance in the third quarter and our growth rates exhibited in the year-to-date and consequently anticipate that our full year results will be in line with current market expectations.”
Given the growing excitement in the USA around this weekend’s Super Bowl, our Analytics Team thought it would be fun to dive into the LinkedIn data to understand our members’ enthusiasm for the Steelers and Packers. Could we discover what team the majority of LinkedIn professionals will be cheering for on Super Bowl Sunday? To find out, we immediately stopped searching for recipes for 7-layer dips and hot wings and logged into our database.
Two pieces of data give us some insight into what team a LinkedIn member may be rooting for. First, LinkedIn Signal allows anyone to filter their network’s status updates by company, industry, school and location. We used this data for all of LinkedIn’s members to algorithmically determine status updates with positive sentiment towards a team (for example: Go Pack Go!). We also
Are you having a hard time securing the financing you need for your startup or growing business?
I know it can be very difficult especially if you’re not familiar with all the options that are available.
So to help you in your search here are twenty five ways you can finance your business:
CLOVER and Cathedral City firm Dairy Crest today revealed sales growth of its five top-selling brands had more than doubled on the back of higher prices.
The dairy giant reported an 11% rise in sales of its key brands – Cathedral City, Country Life, St Hubert Omega 3, Clover and Frijj – in the three months to December 31, compared with the rate of 5% seen in the half-year to September.
It said 8% of the growth came from inflation and 3% from increased sales volumes as it faced rocketing costs of milk, vegetable oil and other oil-related products.
The group has been upping its selling prices where it can to recover some of the increases, but is also slashing costs across the group to help – targeting more than £20m of savings this year.
The group has also started using the internet to tender for suppliers as part of this cost cutting drive, covering supplies such as batteries for its milk delivery floats and diesel fuel.
Dairy Crest said further progress has been made on signing up new customers to its milk&more milk delivery internet proposition after launching a TV advertising campaign last month.
Milk&more is now within sight of the £1m weekly sales milestone, up from £800,000 in September, it added.
Dairy Crest operates a milk processing site in Aintree’s Long Lane, which is benefiting from the drive to boost doorstep milk deliveries, and a spreads factory in Kirkby.
It said despite the difficult economic environment, pre-tax profits for the nine months ended December 31 are in line with expectations.
Chief executive Mark Allen said today: “We are encouraged by the progress we have made so far this year and anticipate that we will maintain our momentum through the fourth quarter.
“We remain cautious about the economic environment for next year, but we are well positioned to meet the challenges.
“Our strong range of products and broad customer base will help with this. In addition, we
Every day, in a wide range of scenarios, we rely on credit. You may be surprised just how many times we use it for purchases just under fifteen pounds. One of the most convenient new features for credit cards today is contactless payments, which makes it quick and easy to use your cards for any purchase less than fifteen pounds. You never have to let go of your card, and you don’t have to hang around to enter your pin code.
It’s now safer, and quicker to make small purchases with your card. No need to carry around cash, or worry about the security of your pin and card. Just swipe your card at any one of the infinite locations where it’s accepted, and keep it simple. It’s a safe alternative to carrying around cash, and easy to pay for those every day purchases. You also won’t be liable for any criminal activity that may take place on your card, via fraudulent purchases using the contactless payment. This serv Read more…
The incredible growth of noncash payments over the past decade has forever changed the American consumer. In 2003, plastic overtook paper as the most popular payment option in the U.S. The speed and convenience of credit and debit cards were simply too much for the average shopper to pass up. Sixty percent of all retail purchases and over ninety percent of online sales are now completed with plastic.
What does this mean for small businesses? Because they fear the fees and the complicated contracts, some smaller firms resist electronic payments. This isn’t always a bad decision. For example, if you run a small general store, it is actually possible to lose money by accepting plastic. But in the overwhelming majority of cases, small business owners eschew electronic payment because of commonly held misconceptions.
What is a Merchant Service Account?
Every time a credit or debit card transaction is processed, a merchant service provider is working behind the scenes to ensure the safety of both the customer and the merchant. Pr
Owning a home is one thing; many people often daydream about building their own real estate empire one day. However, just like blue cheese, real estate investing might not be the right choice for all small-scale investors.
Are you aware of the gravity of the investment?
A real estate investment requires serious commitment. You need to abide by basic business principles whether you want to deal in houses or apartments. Real estate is one avenue where the need to recoup your initial investment and thereafter make a profit is more greatly emphasized than other investments.
If you aim to sell, you have to get more than what it cost to buy and fix up the property. If you aim to rent, the income from rental should subsidize a generous portion of the mortgage.