General

Why Do You Need Professional Idemnity Insurance?

If your business involves giving advice and using professional skills to aid your clients, then you might need professional liability coverage to protect you should your client claim that you have made a mistake in your advice or been negligent in your work and your client has suffered losses as a result.

Mistakes do happen, however careful you are, and sometimes clients can just look for someone to blame if things go wrong for them.  If a client has lost money and thinks they can get it back by blaming someone else (i.e. you) then you may be faced with a claim for compensation through the courts.

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May 9, 2012
Travel & Entertainment

Tips For Entertaining Guests Without Spending A Lot Of Money

Groceries can get expensive every month, especially if you entertain guests frequently in your home.  My husband and I love inviting friends over for dinner, but we also want to stick within our grocery budget, so here are a few tips that we have found to be helpful in being good hosts while sticking within our spending limits.

TIP 1:  A Couple of Inexpensive Meal Ideas

1.  Serve breakfast for dinner.  There aren’t too many folks that I know that wouldn’t appreciate a good hearty breakfast at anytime of the day.   Include eggs, pancakes or waffles, toast, perhaps some hash browns and then either some bacon or sausages.  You could easily feed ten or more for less than $30.

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May 7, 2012
Travel & Entertainment

Make Sure You Have Some Fun Money

Although it is really important to make sure you are saving money and not spending your money foolishly, it is also important that you allow yourself to enjoy at least a little of your money as well.  You should reward yourself a little for your hard work.  I call this your fun money.

Fun money can be used for whatever you enjoy – for some it may be eating out at restaurants, for others it may be used towards a specific hobby.   For a long time my husband and I were too tight with our money and almost never spent it on anything fun.  But recently we have decided to designate a certain amount each month that is designated for fun.  It’s like having our own separate bank account and I keep track of our spending using an Excel spreadsheet.

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May 4, 2012
Banking

Think Big With Merchant Service Providers

Companies that provide payment processing services and products to businesses are generally known as merchant services providers. Such service providers focus on helping businesses of all sizes streamline the payment acceptance process. After all, no business can survive without collecting payments and fees from its customers and clients.

Understanding Merchant Service Providers

Many new business leaders and entrepreneurs struggle to understand what merchant service providers actually do. Put simply, such companies facilitate payment processing. They don’t act as banks or as credit card guarantors. They provide the equipment and software necessary for merchants to accept credit card and debit card payments. Merchant service companies may also interact with customers whose transactions have been declined.  Merchant service providers provide businesses with a way to take care of all their transactions in one payment gateway. For businesses seeking a merchant service provider, it’s important to carefully evaluate and weigh your merchant service options. Consider factors such as the provider’s fees, the range of services offered, customer support quality, and compatibility with your business’s needs. By weighing these factors, you can choose a merchant service provider that best supports your payment processing requirements and overall business operations.

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April 30, 2012
Debt

How To Get Out Of Debt In Canada

Living a life burdened by debt can be a daily challenge. If you are living with a heavy financial burden, you know how challenging each and every day can be. You may make daily decisions about whether to pay a credit card payment or buy groceries for your family. You may be getting letters from collections agencies, or perhaps you have been turned down for a loan request recently because your credit rating is poor. As challenging as living with financial issues can be, it can be even more challenging to get out of debt. If you have tried to pay off your account balances on your own without success, there are a few different options that you can consider.

Debt Settlement

Debt settlement  is one option to consider to get out of debt. Through this process, you will work with a professional financial negotiator. The negotiator will contact each of your creditors on your behalf to negotiate a reduction in your outstanding balances. In some cases, the reduction can be significant. In addition to reducing account balances, this process often results in restructuring of payment terms. The interest rate may be reduced, and additional loan fees may be waived or avoided. Typically, creditors will only agree to reduce your account balances if they receive a lump sum payment immediately. Because of this, many debtors need to either obtain an equity loan on their home or save money for a period of time before they can settle their balances. Because account balances are reduced or settled without paying the money back in full, this process can result in a negative event on a credit report. However, despite this, it is an ideal financial solution for those who are struggling financial and want to avoid bankruptcy.

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April 24, 2012