31.01 2011

Payments Made Smart

Credit cards today have a high standard they must meet, and the bar is always rising. Anyone can offer you credit, but the features are what separate the decent from the extraordinary. One feature you must consider a necessity, is a smart and intuitive way of your making credit repayments. Paying off your monthly balance may seem straight forward, but credit card companies are now offering a more responsible and clever way of eliminating your debt.

Positive debt hierarchy insures that your monthly payments go towards working off your highest APR purchases first. This means, the purchases that cost you the most in the long run, with the highest interest rates, will be paid off first. This feature makes it easy to cut down your debt, starting with the largest chunk first. Read more…

29.01 2011

Eugene rejects 5% restaurant tax

By Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association,

Eugene City Council soundly rejected a proposed five percent restaurant tax after hearing opposition from five local restaurant owners and an ORLA representative. Additionally, a few private citizens who recognized the unfairness and hardships that such a measure would impose on both local customers and struggling operators also provided testimony at the January 11, 2011 meeting.

After the public comment period, all seven out of eight Eugene City Council members present stated their rejection of the tax idea.

The prepared food tax proposal, along with city income tax proposals were promoted by a local organization of parents and educators called Stand for Children, which was formed to address a multimillion dollar budget shortfall projected for two school districts in Eugene.

In the end, the Council decided to form a committee to discuss non-restaurant tax proposals to ultimately have on the May ballot.

Read more…

29.01 2011

Adelphi Hotel owner buys Pontin’s

Adelphi hotel 300

THE owner of Liverpool’s Adelphi Hotel has bought the Pontin’s chain of holiday camps, saving hundreds of jobs.

The Britannia Hotel Group tonight sealed the deal to buy the Merseyside-based chain, which collapsed into administration in November.

The deal saves 850 jobs at the chain, which includes a holiday park and head office in Ainsdale, Southport.

David Costley-Wood, restructuring partner at KPMG and joint administrator, said: “Concluding the sale of Pontin’s to Britannia as a going concern is a fantastic result.

“The business attracted a high level of interest from a broad range of investors such as wealthy individuals, private equity houses, property developers and trade buyers.

Read more…

29.01 2011

Real Estate and the Small-Scale Investor: Is It Right for You?

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.

Read more…

27.01 2011

Health providers may be liable for negligently treating people injured in automobile accidents in Ontario.

Appeal from an order striking the plaintiff’s claim. Appeal allowed.

Cebryk v. Paragon Enterprises (1984) Ltd. (c.o.b. Armstrong’s Physiotherapy Clinic), [2010] S.J. No. 697, November 18, 2010, Saskatchewan Court of Appeal, J. Klebuc C.J.S., S.J. Cameron and R.G. Richards JJ.A.

This was an appeal of a chambers judge’s ruling trying the plaintiff’s claim against the respondent on the basis of section 40.1 of the Automobile Accident Insurance Act, R.S.S. 1978, c. A-35 (

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27.01 2011

Often Overlooked Yet Vital – Monthly Internal Management Accounts

Last week I was flattered to receive an invitation to become a “high-calibre expert” on a US website for supporting business professionals. One question on the site immediately caught my eye – “Are monthly internal financial statements obsolete?” What’s this, I thought, am I so far out of touch down here in Hawkes Bay that I’d missed out on some really exciting new development in the world of business and finance?

I needn’t have worried, as the alternatives (things like KPI’s, Business Intelligence, Activity-based Costing & Dashboards) were felt by most respondents to be useful but should not replace monthly internal financial statements. In practice of co

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27.01 2011

LIVE: Microsoft Highlights Office 2010, Kinect On Earnings Call (MSFT)

Microsoft posted its earnings for the last quarter of 2010 a few minutes before market close today — the early post was a mistake and Microsoft is reviewing its procedures to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Despite a strong quarter, the stock is hardly moving — Microsoft needed a blowout quarter to get investors excited again.

Like last quarter, the Business division did particularly well, with 24% revenue growth from last year. That’s credit to Office 2010, which is selling more than 50% faster than Office 2007, according to the company. Consumer sales were particularly strong.

Other highlights included Kinect and Xbox sales, which helped the Entertainment and Devices business beat $1 billion in annual operating profit for the first time ever — only two quarters into the fiscal year.

Read more…