economics24.com

Mikelo asked:


I need assistance to get my questions answered regarding starting a retail business:

1. Which retail business would be best to start and why: a) Specialty retail business or b) Mail order business?

2. Which type of business is more predictable and does not change often: Specialty retail or mail order?

3. Many people say that PASSION is important when it comes to starting a business because the owner will have to work long hour to make his or her business a success. I agree with that but can you explain to me why there are many people out there who started their successful businesses outside their PASSION?

4. How can I choose products and services to sell that fit my personality and are part of my values?

5. I took a Myers-Briggs personality test and the result of the test shows that my personality type is an ISFJ (Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging). Would someone like me who possess this personality type can become successful in operating his or her retail business?

Richard Jones asked:


Real estate investing has long been a viable way to invest money and make a decent profit. Many people consider investing a “do-it-yourself” route to invest their money. Countless well-known millionaires and billionaires became wealthy by successfully investing their money into real estate ventures.

Sadly, investing in real estate can be a gamble for many people. A lack of fundamental knowledge in the market you are investing in can seriously hinder your odds of coming out on top. Too many folks invest relying on hunches and emotion without proper help, knowledge or a real goal in mind.

A risk free investment is hard to find, but there is a way to invest easily into real estate with little or no market knowledge. Joint Venture Investments are a safer way to invest your money if you have a sound partner. Working with an experienced investor where you both share an interest in the profits as well as the losses, minimizes risks.

It’s important to remember that no matter how great the ‘expert’ sounds, you need to conduct your own due diligence to make certain that they know what they are doing, have a proven track record and are in fact there to create a win-win for the both of you. You can do this by speaking to past partners and having your lawyer look over all legal documents for a second opinion.

Typical Joint Venture Partnerships, commonly known as JVs, are set up between someone who lacks the time or expertise to invest, often referred to as the ‘money partner’, and the expert, often referred to as the ‘finder’, who is looking to leverage his experience by providing the knowledge, skill and work needed to create a profitable investment.

A joint venture partnership is an entity formed between two or more people to invest in a specific business or property opportunity. A money partner may be ‘silent’ and simply provide the capital needed to get started whereas the real estate expert conducts all the research, tenanting, market timing and day-to-day management of the property. This is a desirable way for less experienced investors to undertake their first few real estate investments. The risks are reduced and beginners can grow their money while learning how to invest, and make a decent profit in the process.

How joint venture partnership investments benefit you:

Joint venture investments help you realize more value for your money and time because you can leverage your capital further with the knowledge and expertise that an expert brings to the table.

Experts are guides as well as efficient advisors that take your real estate investments to a new level of profitability.

Joint ventures provide a sense of security: if the joint investor is an expert with a solid, reputable background of real estate deals and a good investment portfolio, this reduces your risk.

Real Estate experts can define a location and strategy for your investments and analyze the market to suit your future needs.

Real Estate experts can help plan your investments by working with and leveraging the capital you have available. JV pros will have an assortment of techniques and systems to get more bang for your buck.

Although joint venture investments are not to be considered risk free they are a convenient and valuable way to pour your capital into a secure investment. Using the services of a real estate investment expert is a good option when you are not sure about which investment scenario to use or how to make the most lucrative investment in terms of profitability and reliability. Investing in real estate remains the most viable investment for leveraging your money, reducing taxes and potential returns far exceed most other assets available.

Carl Chesal asked:


Why would you not consider yourself a business of ONE person? Or your family as a business of 3 or more people? Well that is exactly what you are - “Me Incorporated”, “I Inc”, “We Incorporated”. You truly must consider yourself a small family business. Like any business you have ongoing expenses (mortgage, rent, utilities, groceries), revenue (salary and other income) and major capital expenditures (house, vehicle, vacations, renovations).

Like any good ‘household business’, you need to do some planning. Set out a budget for the year, track your expenditures and retained earnings (savings). Yes, all of this looks, feels and is exactly like a well run business. On My Gosh! Don’t rush out and buy an accounting package to run your household. And no need to take a crash course on accounting or bookkeeping. You can accomplish all your financial tracking and planning requirements with some paper or by using a simple template with your favorite spreadsheet package - Microsoft Excel or even with Open Office.

Just like a well run business, your household budget and tracking your spending is best served using a visible record of events; namely, financial records, bank or check register. It is just like tracking your road trip progress using a map. If you know where you are now, then you will have some idea when you will arrive at your destination. In life, money or finances allows you to get to your personal destinations or dreams. A visible financial roadmap of your ‘Me Incorporated’ finances, mapping your progress, seems logical.

Running your ‘Household Business’, like corporate business, requires a few processes to keep track of your finances:

1) Establish a yearly and monthly household budget. Consider all your expenses - weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly outlays of money. You will be surprised at the length of this list and all the places you spend your money.

2) Track monthly your actually spending and income against the budget you established in step 1. This will help you see the ‘peaks and valleys’ of spending or seasonality aspect of your expenses. Over time, you will come to know these expense ‘peaks and valleys’ and this will help you maintain a positive cash flow. Bottom line: have money in the bank to pay all your expenses and still have some left over (retained earnings). Your single biggest challenge in running any household (or business) is always having enough money in the bank to pay the bills; especially, the unexpected ones. Having a buffer of savings will help with these ‘peaks’ in expenses.

3) Track all your bank account activity. Track and enter in your Bank or Check Register every deposit, every electronic (ATM, web, PayPal, debit machine) transaction and every analog (check, money order) withdrawal. And reconcile your bank statement every month. Know exactly how much money you have available in your bank account(s).

4) Especially track your spending through credit cards and lines of credit. These are potentially the ‘run away’ expenses. Remember only once a month do you see the visible record of your credit card spending. Compound that with the fact that most people have more than one credit card. This can easily result in multiple ’spending surprises’ each month. Be diligent in tracking your use of credit card transactions. Breakdown the credit card expenses into their respective budget items - gas, groceries, clothing, entertainment, etc. This will help you separate normal household expenditures from other shopping incidentals. You will come to see your spending patterns and can now make adjustments. Just like your bank account, reconcile your credit card statement every month.

All this personal bookkeeping every month can be done with pen and paper or set up a personal finance and budgeting template using your favorite spreadsheet software. Using an electronic spreadsheet allows for all of the mundane calculations to be processed automatically, reducing monthly reconciliations to a simple 5-10 minute endeavour. Whether you choose an analog or digital approach to your personal finance bookkeeping, these visible records are the most effective way to plan and control your personal finances and reduce one of the major stress points in your life - Your Financial Health.

William (back in toronto) asked:


I understand that it hurts small business by driving customers away from smaller shops with their lower prices, but I don’t get why all these anti-trade hippos blame Wal-Mart for destroying the American economy. Isn’t Wal-Mart an American corporation? Therefore, doesn’t the money you spend at wal-mart stay in America?

joshua_m_carpenter asked:


I might have to make a choice to change my double major into a major and a minor. My second major wouldn’t compliment the Quantitative Economics as well as some others–the second major is urban and regional planning. Would mathematics be a good choice–or would urban/regional/city planning be a good minor?

MrPotatoHead asked:


I’m a high school senior planning for college - architecture or engineering of some type.
I’ve read some economics books (like The World is Flat) and realized many engineering jobs are getting outsourced to China and India.
This worries me - will the American economy still be successful in 10 years? Will it be possible for Americans to study advanced fields in technology and engineering, and still compete with the sweatshop and low-paying megamanufacturers overseas?
captmhunt, I don’t believe it’s the end of the world — and I hope you’re not being serious — the democratic government can’t stop outsourcing

ratmforever asked:


Currently I have a few USD that I wish to invest in the US stock market or in mutual funds instead of exchanging them in the Philippine currency.

Is it possible to invest in stocks and mutual funds using the internet only? How? Thanks!

The Invisible Woman asked:


I am planning a business. I will start out with baskets for new babies and if all goes well I will make the extra investment for wedding baskets, and then so on and forth. By baskets I mean gift baskets. I have researched local business license, but I am not sure if a local business is the right way to go, so I am thinking internet or Ebay. What kind of license do you need for these types of businesses.

Stephen Bush asked:


With the increasingly chaotic investment climate for residential financing in the United States, more residential real estate investors are exploring commercial property and business finance opportunities. It is important for prospective business owners and investors to educate themselves about options for the business loans and commercial mortgages they will be needing.

Environmental requirements for business finance will be a complex issue for numerous business investments. Environmental issues involved in a business loan will primarily depend upon the commercial lender as well as the type of business. More extensive requirements can impact both the cost and timing for a commercial mortgage loan.

Tax returns and financial statements for a business loan are likely to be a concern for all commercial borrowers. Whereas residential mortgage financing is likely to involve only personal tax returns, most business financing will include a review of business tax returns as well. Business financial statements and personal financial statements will be required for certain kinds of business opportunity financing and commercial real estate financing.

Secondary financing will often be a means of acquiring desired commercial loans. The use of seller financing or secondary financing is a prudent business financing strategy to reduce capital requirements for the borrower. Secondary financing will not be accepted by all commercial lenders.

An unexpected requirement for many commercial loans involves sourcing and seasoning of funds. When purchasing a business, some lenders will require that borrowers document where the down payment is coming from (sourcing) and how long the funds have been in that location (seasoning). If a borrower cannot adequately provide this documentation, the choice of commercial lenders will be more restricted.

Collateral and cross-collateralization for business loans will be an insurmountable obstacle for some commercial borrowers. Collateral requirements for business financing will depend on many factors such as down payment, type of business, credit scores and the type of financing needed. Cross-collateralization refers to lender requirements involving personal collateral such as a home used as collateral for a business loan.

Any requirement for a business plan when obtaining commercial mortgages is likely to be expensive and time-consuming. A business plan is not always required for a business loan, but when one is required this will add significantly to the cost and length of the loan process.

An increasing problem for commercial borrowers seeking refinancing is an unreasonable limitation for getting cash out of the new loan. Commercial lenders differ significantly regarding restrictions imposed on the amount of cash out to the borrower when refinancing. Some lenders will not permit any cash out whatsoever while others will limit cash received by the borrower to a particular amount. The preferred approach is to use a lender that will allow cash to be paid out up to an agreed loan-to-value (frequently 75%).

It is important to to thoroughly analyze business financing lockout penalties. A lockout penalty is much more severe than a prepayment penalty in that such penalties can effectively prevent a commercial borrower from selling or refinancing during a prescribed period (often two to five years).

In addition to the issues noted above, numerous other key business finance and real estate mortgage issues will also be important to evaluate. Commercial mortgage requirements are very different from residential financing requirements in the United States. We have prepared several other business finance overviews addressing additional factors that will be significant for most commercial borrowers. Separate report topics include SBA loan refinancing, business opportunity financing, stated income business loans and commercial appraisals.

nomnkybusiness asked:


My husband has a machine shop and only uses about 1/2 his building. I would like to start a business in the other half.

I wanted to partition off a room for an office and do bookkeeping and then I was thinking about maybe a document shredding business or a document storage business would be good - any other ideas?

Thanks!
The zoning would not be a problem. This building is located in the center of town off a main street through town.

I currently work for an accounting firm and you would not believe the paper we go through - we use a shredding service and have a storage building. Doctors offices and lawyers also have a lot of documents that cannot be thrown in the garbage because of the information they contain.

Thanks for the input - any more?