Sarah W. Hanna, Blogging, Poetry & Everything Else

Are you finding it unbelievably tough to avoid a sale and find yourself splurging on stuff that you really don’t need to have and ease yourself afterwards by justifying the reason why you bought those merchandise? Is your credit card maxed out? Are you behind on your credit card bills because the total is just too big to settle? If the response to the questions is absolutely yes, then you should read more. You are in much greater problem than you think. When you currently have an unsecured loan just so you can support your shopaholic tendencies, then I recommend that you pick up the phone and call a debt settlement backend company now so they are able offer professional help and advice.

For the time being, it’s important that the debt settlement backend company gave an unconventional (yet potentially effective) tip to break free from your credit card bond: get your card and freeze it. Literally. If you watched the film Confessions of a Shopaholic, then you know exactly what I am talking about. Though it appeared incredibly silly in the movie, there’s actually sense to the idea and we can definitely find out a thing or two from it. Imagine filling up a big glass with water, dumping your credit card inside it and freezing it. Next time you visit a department store and feel the itch to purchase anything impulsively, you would have absolutely no choice but to go home, wait for that ice encasing your card to thaw, then return to the mall to purchase that merchandise. By that time, the impulse to purchase might have significantly decreased (if not absolutely disappear) and rational will emerge. Giving it a chance to thaw, just then are you capable to process if you actually need the item or certainly not. Thinking about the many things you must have already bought before, chances are you don’t need it by any means because you already have something similar somewhere within your dresser. Looks like encasing your credit card in ice isn’t such a ridiculous idea after all.

Honestly, there is much that can be learned from that relatively silly idea from a debt settlement backend company. The point is to think about and reconsider your purchase. Before you reach for your wallet to get your credit card, let the idea sit first and give yourself time to think. Impulse buying may be detrimental so help yourself by staying away from falling into its trap.

Getting a credit card is not a bad thing. It’s a matter of minimizing the urge to shop unnecessarily and ultizing it responsibly. It’s best to use it only when absolutely necessary because as a debt settlement backend company would certainly agree, it’s never wise to spend money you don’t have.

Hiring and Employee Management Explained by Jack Welch – Arguably the Best Manager Business Has Ever Seen

“If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings and put compensation as a carrier behind it you almost don’t have to manage them.”

- Jack Welch, former Chief Executive Office General Electric

The majority of Jack Welch’s tenure at General Electric was spent searching within the company for the smartest, most driven people. As a matter of fact, during one of his first quarterly investment calls at GE, instead of just reading the numbers, he spoke about a utopia where people were given promotions based on their ideas and their work ethic as opposed to favoritism. Interestingly enough, the analysts did not seem to care about his management style and the stock dropped significantly after that earnings call.

We believe, however, that what matters most is not the product or service your company has, but the people behind it. Managers are frequently too overbearing with their employees and do not utilize them to their fullest potential. The best kind of managers understand the worth of their employees and hire very smart people. They are also willing to pay them for what they are worth. When a company has an intelligent, driven force behind it, the limitations are boundless. The best managers will lay down goals for their team, but regardless of whether they be broad or specific, they will allow their team to go about solving the puzzle in the way that suits them best. A lesser known fact, Jack Welch almost quit GE soon after joining because he firmly disagreed with the management style. Luckily, another manager convinced him to stay onboard. From a young child who had a stuttering problem, Jack Welch grew into becoming a pioneer in HR and management technique.

Another company where employees are given full reign to use their creativity and innovation in order to make their company better is Apple. Because Steve Jobs is the face of this highly successful and cutting edge company, it can be easy to forget about the people who work for him and how much they contribute. The company hates the word “office” so much that they refer to their headquarters as a campus. If you look at the iPhone and iPad, the creativity that goes into every single little detail of each device can only be the result of a free thinking organization which accepted ideas from anyone who had something to contribute, regardless of whether they are the head of development or work in the mailroom.

CFA vs GMAT (MBA)

I’ve gotten a lot of questions from students about the CFA (which I don’t really want to answer anymore) and the GMAT (for business school).

As I said before, the CFA is a waste of time for getting into investment banking. There is no due diligence, no pitch books, and no financial modeling involved with the CFA.

And the MBA is no guarantee for getting an investment banking job offer. However, among the two, taking the GMAT to get your MBA is a better choice because it arms you with financial analytical skills, access to recruiting, and networking opportunities for landing that banking offer. Recruiting at the business schools is pretty competitive – it is always better to have had finance/banking experience before going to business school.

Why You Would Take the CFA

If you’re going the route of Portfolio Management (managing large investment funds), then the CFA is for you. Sometimes it can help if you are doing equity research as it helps a bank boast its star research analyst having the credentials CFA next to his/her name on client reports.

Outside of those fields, folks take Level 1 of the CFA as resume boosters. Often times, a candidate with weak business/finance interest communicated through their resume will need to find some way to communicate that interest. Passing the CFA Level 1 exam can help bring forth that finance interest to the recruiter – otherwise they might think that this candidate is not qualified to apply for the job.

But that’s about it. The CFA isn’t that useful in other areas of finance like banking or trading. Its usefulness is limited to portfolio management and equity research, and as a resume booster. So keep that in mind, the CFA is for a very niche route.

Don’t Take the CFA To Get Into Banking

A lot of recent graduates want to take the CFA to boost their resume. But I repeat, that’s about as far as it should go. If you really have nothing on your resume business related (no clubs, no coursework, no personal investing), then the CFA gives a chance for you to negate criticisms of your lack of business interest. And all that is needed is passing Level 1 of the CFA exam. Already that’s 100s of hours of studying – you really do not need Level 2 of the CFA exam at all.

If your undergraduate major was in economics/business/accounting, then the CFA is not needed. You already demonstrated interest in business. Taking the CFA is a huge consumption of your time – all for just one line on your resume. If you already can show interest in business, that one line for CFA is not as important as developing leads and networking your way in.

Why You Would Take the GMAT

You would take the GMAT to get into business school. You would want to get into business school to get access to recruiting, build your network, and perhaps brush up on some financial analysis.

But if you plan on going to business school eventually, taking the GMAT and scoring good enough for your applicant profile type at your target school is what you’ll need to do. Sure, you can list it out on your resume – most banks prefer their analysts get their MBA and then return as associates.

Some people take their GMAT just in case they decide sometime in the next 5 years to change career paths and go to business schools.

But don’t take the GMAT just so you can say you scored high and hope it can help you land jobs because it won’t.

Long Term Career Choices – Which Industry?

If you take the CFA, it really is good for portfolio management and equity research. The moment you branch off to any industry not finance related, it is completely useless.

WIth the MBA, you have a stamp of approval that communicates your general business understanding. People say the MBA opens doors – and it does. If you were in IT before, you can take a look into consulting now. If you were a paralegal before, you can take a look at mid-level positions in corporations.

Pretty much any industry has a need for business-minded people to run the operations. With an MBA, you can pretty much work anywhere in corporate America, provided that employers choose you. A lot of MBAs still pursue the banking/consulting route as they are the most lucrative.

An MBA can give you career choices outside of finance. And even for finance, with prior finance experience the MBA can help you get to the next level. The MBA is much more versatile than the CFA – though if you can get into portfolio management and stay there, the CFA is a coveted certification to achieve.

Recognition of the CFA and MBA Internationally

The MBA is the dominant stamp of approval in the US. The credentials of business schools in the US have been very solid and employers respect the candidates coming out of the top business schools in the US.

In other parts of the world (particularly East Asia), solid business schools are rare and many employers recognize the CFA instead, simply because the number of MBA graduates is rare. You will find that many job prerequisites in places like Hong Kong may list “CFA or MBA”, but in the US the CFA is generally not listed in prerequisites for jobs.

An increasing number of people are worried about their retirement income. Interest rates are lower than ever before which has led to retirement income dropping considerably. A loan can be linked to an equity release schemes which can boost monthly revenue coming into a household…

Equity release plans mean that home owners can take a loan against their property to raise income for retirement. Such loans are increasingly popular due to the present unpredictable financial climate. Retired people find that releasing equity from property can be the only way to see them through their retirement years.

Choosing a suitable loan on a property is a major decision and financial advice should be sought before a decision is made.

It is estimated that retired home owners have vast amounts of equity in their properties that isn’t being used effectively. Some of this money can be used to increase retirement income. Taking out an equity release loan can mean not having to leave a much loved family home by using some of the equity from the property rather than moving elsewhere.

Are there any aspects of equity release loans that have to be considered? Yes, there are some essential questions to ask.

Equity release loans offer cash, either in a lump sum to invest which produces an income or as a monthly sum that is paid into a bank account. The level of income received depends on the value of the property, the loan being repaid on death or when the property is sold.

The property has to be freehold and applicants have to be within the age range stipulated by the loan company to qualify.

A check has to be made whether the property can be sold if the householder wants to move, perhaps to down size or move area.

The amount of money that can be raised has to be asked because the older the applicant when the plan is adopted means the less the revenue that can be raised in relation to the value of the property.

Anyone receiving state benefits should check to see if eligibility to these will change if there is an increased income from equity release plans.

A loan based on equity release means the value of the applicant’s estate is reduced which will result in less money being available to leave to surviving family as the property has to be sold and the loan repaid on the death of the applicant. This may be a consideration depending on individual circumstances. Historically house prices have risen over time but as seen recently, prices can also fall even if this may only in be in the short term.

The internet is huge, and there are millions of things you can find on it. The variety of things available is also huge. You can find anything for research whether for a school paper or a review on a product you are considering. You can also find all sorts of entertainment from movies and music to magazines and books, as well as tons of games. This makes the internet an ideal place to market any type of product or service. Because there is everything on the internet, just about every sort of person can potentially use it for what they want or need.

Online Computer Training Courses – Marketing Courses

Now that we have established why advertising on the internet is a good idea, we need to talk about the right way to do it. Because the internet is so big, advertising is going to take time. Even if you use free advertising, you are still going to have a lot of time and effort into it. When you work hard for something, you want it to work well. Online computer training courses in marketing can help make that happen. These types of courses can show you how all the little details can make all the difference in advertising. Online advertising is a good idea for any product or service, but the details are what make it either great or a failure.

Good online computer training courses will show you how the presentation of your product is important. You want good images to use in your ads, and on banners and such. Pictures are usually the first thing people see when they look at something.

Choosing the right wording is also something that should be covered in these online computer training courses. Including the right information is always vital. When you are limited on words for an ad, it’s even more important. The right phrasing, and the correct information, can make a huge difference whether you get the desired results from any ad.

Using specific wording is also important when you use articles to market anything. People don’t just look up, and click on any article. In order to be effective, you need to know which wording to use. You also need to know where to go to find this out. A good online training course should cover how to do this, and it should show you the appropriate times, and ways to make it the most effective.

When just starting out financially there are a few things that you need to make sure that you do. These are all optional but life will be so much less stressful if you follow them.

Save & Invest: Save all you can when you’re young and don’t have as many commitments as you will when you’re older. Invest in riskier stocks because the payoff is greater and if all doesn’t go so well then you have plenty of time to make up any loss if it occurs.
Forget Life Insurance: My job currently provides life insurance to me for free, but if it didn’t I wouldn’t pay for it. Unless you have anyone that depends on your income it’s not necessary.
Get Direct Deposit: Don’t waste your time going to the bank every week to cash your check. It’s so much less time consuming to just have your checked deposited into a checking account and you can also have a portion of it deposited into a savings account so you don’t even notice it.
Get Benefits: Try and land a job with some benefits. The main ones you’ll want to have are 401k, health, and dental. Health is going to be the most likely one you’ll have with the new healthcare laws going into effect, but the other ones will definitely help you out. If you get a 401k through work make sure you at least contribute up to the employer match so you can get that free money.
Get a Degree: Any degree will do, 2 year, 4 year, even some kind of certification will help you land a higher paying job. If you don’t get a degree then see my last tip.
Don’t take life so seriously: Things are going to happen that are out of your control, don’t stress over it. Follow this tip and you’ll live longer.
Take Risks: Start your own business, Ask the girl you like out, Apply for that job you don’t think you qualify for. If you don’t do it, you’ll never know. Don’t live regretting that you should have done something. Do It!! I promise you will recover from any rejection in the long life you have ahead of you.

Facebook has become a universal fetish for teens, college students, moms, dads, business people, musicians, artists, baby boomers, grandmas and grandpas…there is no limit to the reach of Facebook. Frightening?

Naaaahhh…but one must realize that this social movement requires you to learn some Facebook manners! (especially if you’re looking to do any marketing on Facebook or if you’re trying to make money with Facebook).

So what’s this “Facebook Etiquette” thing all about? Well, it might be easier to start by talking about what NOT to do on Facebook so you can avoid getting labeled as a “spammer” or as so many people call them today an “idiot marketer”. To remain in what many “Facebookers” would call appropriate Facebook marketing etiquette, DO NOT:

1) DO NOT: Post on your wall 5, 10, 20 or 50 times a day about whatever it is you’re trying to market. This is the worst thing you can do and you’ll only have people on Facebook “un-friending ” you if you keep this crap up.

2) DO NOT: Send out your friend request with a link to your business or site…Think about it…Facebook is about relationships and you’re already labeling yourself as the sleazy salesman/saleswoman…no one wants to be friends with people who are just looking to take your money.

3) DO NOT: Spam people’s inboxes with whatever it is you think is “soooo” great or “soooo” important. Just because you enjoy what you’re doing, doesn’t mean everyone else on Facebook wants to do it. Oh, and definitely don’t send these spammy emails everyday! We can’t stand you people! This is the fastest way to get black balled in the Facebook community.

If you’re getting hit with hard with marketing messages by people that you’ve met on Facebook, do these people a favor…

TELL THEM TO STOP! You don’t have to put up with bad Facebook Marketers and poor Facebook Etiquette. What I suggest, you tell people is…”Hey, we just met. You’re coming on a little heavy with the marketing. I’m here on Facebook to create relationships and to meet people. Slow down.”

Think of it in the “dating” context. You’re not going to go out on a date with a hot chick or a hot guy and try to get to third base on the first date (unless your goal is to get slapped and walked out on). If you just met someone you have to talk to them, ask questions, share info about your likes and dislikes…you can see where I’m going with this. The same rules apply in the world of Facebook. Don’t try and hit one out of the park when you just meet someone. Take the time to create a relationship and get to know people. This takes a little bit of work, but it will pay off. By creating healthy, “real” relationships you will be able to share ideas, network, and find the right people to buy into what it is you have to offer.

That’s it. Pretty simple. Just stay away from the “short cuts” and easy temptation to just blast out your marketing to every kid, mom, grandpa, business person, and everyone else you meet on Facebook. Do it the right way and have some Facebook Manners!

Tools are an indispensable part of your productivity strategy. Choosing the right tool for your needs can be a confusing and somewhat daunting task. The decision must be based on your needs, working style, and level of comfort with technology. With that in mind I have decided to do a series on productivity tools that I have found to be the most useful for improving efficiency, organization and focus. Each week in the series I will feature a different type of tool. Is there is some particular device or tool you’d like to learn about? Please let me know and I’ll try to report on it.

Since I have been absolutely enthralled by my iPhone lately, I’ll start with that device. *Note most of these apps have a version for the iPad as well so I am lumping them in together. I unfortunately don’t have the iPad yet, but one can dream…

These are the most useful iPhone apps that I have found to be effective, easy to use and as glitch-free as possible. This list is by no means exhaustive as there are literally thousands of apps available, but they are what currently work best for me.

Evernote – Free, open source note program, but way more than just notes. Evernote allows you to capture thoughts using text notes, voice recordings, photos and web clippings. You can tag notes or separate them into different notebooks. All notes are fully searchable and sync with a companion desktop application is desired.

Home Routines – This is my favorite home management app. It helps me to keep my home neat and organized, but keep those household tasks and maintenance off my business calendar. You can make as many routines as you want, and choose which days you want to see them. Routines can reset their stars overnight, or wait for you to clear them. Plan your most important one-off tasks for today, this week and the future with the handy built-in To Do list, and use the daily message feature to give yourself a short reminder for each day of the week. Home Routines is customizable to suit your home and priorities – get things done without cluttering up your calendar, email or to-do list.

HootSuite – Hands down my favorite iPhone app for every day social media management. Monitor Twitter and Facebook accounts, send and schedule updates, view statistics, watch lists and track keyword searches.

Paymo – I use Paymo to track my client and project time for billing and time management purposes. The Paymo iPhone app allows you to easily track your time while on the go. You can use it during client meetings or while working on tasks when you’re away from the office. Use timer or manually enter your time and it syncs with your online account to keep accurate time logs.

Pomodoro Pro – Really neat timer that helps you to focus for short periods of time and reminds you to take breaks. You can set the length of time and breaks if you don’t want to use the default 25 minute periods.

Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite – Create, open & edit Microsoft® Office Files (DOC, DOCX, XLS and XLSX.) Email, view & access attachments with popular file formats (PPT, PDF, iWork, HTML, PNG, JPG, GIF, SVG, TIF, MP3, etc.) Remotely access files via cloud storage services (Box.net, Dropbox, Google Docs and Mobileme.) Share files via email or cloud service providers. Manage and transfer files via WiFi. *Note – if you don’t need the “Cloud” features look at Quickoffice Mobile Suite.

Smart Time 4 Adaptive Organizer – I have just recently started trying this app, but it has serious potential, especially for those who use Google calendar and tasks. This is a really neat logic-based organizer and calendar for busy people. It looks at your appointments, then finds time for your tasks – and integrates both into one simple view. Keep track of lists, tasks, to-dos, appointments, events, and recurring anniversaries all from one integrated view. Categorize your tasks and events and share with family or team members. Don’t need the calendar views, look try Smart Tasks 4.

Shopper – This is the most useful shopping list app I have come across: Barcode scanning, customizable lists and stores, aisle layouts, local store sale flyers, multiple lists, recurring list templates, list sharing and more. This little app has cut my shopping headache down to practically nothing.

Todo – I tried many task management apps, but this is the only one that synced well with Outlook for me. Todo is able to sync with Outlook tasks using an interface that runs in the background on your desktop (though you can get a paid subscription to sync over the air. This app will sync categories which are crucial to me. It also has tags, different types of tasks (checklists, projects, calls, etc.) allows notes, recurring tasks and has the ability to share via email.

Traxitall – This is a very effective goal-setting tool. Track sales calls, social media followers, weight, spending budget, hours works, sleep, client load any anything else you can think of. It has recurring tasks, reminders, notes and best of all graphing of data and goal progress.

Do you wonder why people get wealthier and you are getting poorer. If you think it is luck, then you are wrong. You must be prepared to be in this current position or may even end up poorer forever.

However if you spend some time and find out how they get rich, then you will realize it takes more than pure luck to achieve that wealthy position.

What is financial freedom exactly?

Each person may define it differently. The 3 main broad categories of financial freedom are:-

1. Achieving ample savings for retirement age. This group of people had started saving early from a young age. Thus they can retire early and spend time with their loved ones.

2. “Good riddance to debts”. Having a proper loan repayment schedule and making sure all debts are paid on time; this group of people practically says Good-Bye quickly to their credit card bills, mortgage bills, car loan repayments and other loan repayments to various parties.

3. Managing to fulfill their goals and dreams – may it be the new car or house they managed to buy or going for the long-awaited holiday they have been planning for years. This group of people had written down their goals and managed to fulfill their goals by focusing their mind in achieving them.

Most of us would like to belong to all 3 categories but in reality, we may easily fall into only one category or none at all.

To achieve financial freedom, most of us think that savings are enough to last us through our lifetime. Yes savings are important but savings may not be enough as our savings are eroded by the increasing cost and standard of living and by inflation. Some of us may have little or no savings at all. We may also choose another option called investing in financial instruments but how much do we know about investing? At present, there are many uncertainties in the economic outlook so even investing is questionable.

Ever opened the letter-box at the end of each month and thought to yourself “Oh No! It is time to pay the bills again!” You drag yourself to the house and put up a monthly budget and realize you have hardly any money left at the end of the month? Or worse still, when you have not repaid the debt each month, a reminder letter (The word REMINDER in BOLD and RED in color) keeps staring at your face?

If we are still keeping our current job, it’s the same routine and mundane lifestyle. If we are not earning enough, we may even work past our retirement age. But the worst scenario that can ever happen to us is when we lose our jobs. This is the most crucial period of needing an income to support our families and fulfill our financial obligations. So now we can also say goodbye to retirement.

So the reality is, most of us may not fit into the three categories. No savings, inability to fulfill our debt obligations and the least in our mind is to get a holiday or acquire a new car or house.

How do some people manage to belong to these 3 categories and still have more than enough in their bank accounts to last them through their lifetime and some are even able to pass their wealth to the next generation. Because they have found alternatives (examples: internet marketing) in increasing their wealth instead of just depending on their 9-5 job. It is just a matter of looking around, strategic planning and execution and BINGO they have hit the JACKPOT!

Sit down and think which category you want to belong to. Review your current financial obligations and manage them better, find alternatives to increase your earnings / savings and you are on your way to achieving your financial freedom!

The economy in Norway is undergoing a period of transformation as it prepares for a post-petroleum era. Norway is facing the challenge of re-inventing its economy. The freight services industry in Norway is also looking to adapt and embrace new opportunities in response to changing market conditions.

Norway is a country that is extremely rich in natural resources and its economy has been largely based on exploiting these natural strengths in oil, gas and minerals. Norway’s largest export is petroleum and petroleum products. In fact, petroleum and natural gas currently account for nearly half of its total exports and it is the world’s third largest exporter of oil and gas. However, the challenge is now to adapt to the fact that the North Sea has past its peak oil production. Norway’s offshore Oil production peaked in 2002 and so the Norwegian government is well aware that it cannot depend on oil revenues indefinitely into the future. The challenge facing Norway is diversification of its economy, so that it can maintain its high standard of living into a post-petroleum future.

So over the last decade, Norway has faced the challenge and begun a process of reshaping its economy by diversifying into new sectors so it can prosper after petroleum revenues decrease. This includes government support to create a competitive private sector with strengths in IT and technology. Norway is now encouraging the growth of small businesses and encouraging new private sector industry in a number of ways. By doing so, it is following the approach earlier adopted successfully by its neighbours Sweden and Finland.

Norway is fortunate in that is in a strong economic position and is one of the world’s richest countries per head. Norway has large foreign trade surpluses due to the high cost of oil in recent times. This is enabling the government to invest in developing new industries to support its strategy of diversification.

The Norwegian government is thus able to help support the freight services sector as it faces the challenge of adapting to new conditions.

One of the private sector industries that is robust and growing in Norway in shipping. Shipping companies originally developed in Norway to serve the offshore petrolem industry and have now achieved a dominant market position. In fact, the shipping fleet in Norway is one of the most modern in the world.

Shipping and freight services has therefore been identified as an industry to be further developed and strengthened in future, as a key part of the Norwegian economy.

As shipping companies face the new challenges, the sector is showing innovation as shipping companies identify and seize new opportunities that are relevant for the post petroleum era.

For example, the Norwegian freight company sector is set to break new ground with the launch of the world’s first gas-powered ro-ro vessels. Norwegian shipping company Sea-Cargo AS is building the vessels and they are expected to be launched by 2010. With the focus on lower exhaust emissions from short sea and coastal vessels, Sea Cargo AS identified liquified natural gas as the fuel of the future. These vessels will reduce CO2 emissions by 25% compared with a vessel run on conventional fuel.

Another way in which the freight transport sector is facing the challenge of new opportunities is exploiting new markets, created by changing economic conditions. An especially important area of opportunity for shipping companies in Norway is the Baltic Sea Region.

Norway, like its neighbour Finland, has a significant role to play in serving the Baltic region. Although the global economic crisis is having a negative impact on freight forwarding in many countries worldwide, international freight to and from the Baltics remains a growth area. The majority of shipping companies and economic commentators are expecting growth in the Baltic region to continue to be strong in the next few years. This will strengthen the freight services sector in those countries like Norway and Finland on which freight transport to the Baltic region depends.

The Baltic Region is now a main trading area for the freight forwarding and shipping company industry based in Bergen. They offer a frequent service to the Baltic Region, mainly with its fleet of side door vessels.The main item requiring freight transport is frozen fish from Norway, Scotland and Iceland. This is transported to many destinations in the Baltic Region. This is an expanding market, with an increasing demand for fish products as the buying power of customers increases in the countries that make up the Baltic Region.

In ways such as these, shipping companies in Norway are showing that they can identify and seize the new opportunities created by changing market conditions. This means that the freight forwarding and international freight industry in Norway face a bright future as they rise to the challenge of responding to change.