Author: Jennifer Brazer

Investing without having one or several investment strategies is crazy. You knock and move your money based on forebodings or news without investment. It is something like that can you can lead to one place.

Failure

I will tell you about the three best investment strategies to grow your money, basically focusing on the stock market investment. Also, I will briefly discuss other strategies, some known and others not so much. If you are wondering what to do with my money, this article will be perfect for you.

The importance of investment strategies 

When you want to go somewhere, you have to have a strategy, because if you started to walk randomly, you would never reach your destination. When you have a child, you have to have a strategy to educate him. If you give him a different message every day, he will never know what to do. And, if you are going to cook a specific dish, you also have to have a strategy. Otherwise, you will end up eating something horrible.

The same happens when you want to invest your money. If you invest in the crazy without a clear investment strategy, you will surely never see your money grow. In the stock market, your worst enemy is feelings.

That fear that makes you sell when everything goes down, and you should buy, and that greed that makes you buy when everything goes up, and you should stop. And the best shield against feelings is a clear, mechanical, and straightforward strategy. This strategy does not depend on your mood or what appears in the newspapers.

How to choose a good investment strategy 

 Of course, not worth any investment strategy. Having a strategy is essential because if you don’t have it, you will surely fail when you start investing. The problem is that there are many investment strategies, and some can make you lose a lot of money. It is essential to analyze the options available and choose a strategy that fits your profile as an investor and you as a person—returning to the example of food.

Imagine it’s Sunday, and everything is closed, and you want to cook something, and someone tells you to make a paella. You start eagerly, but you realize that you don’t have rice, and you don’t have any broth either. You begin to improvise, and in the end, you get something that is neither paella nor anything else. It’s not that you don’t know how to cook paella. It’s that you didn’t have the right tools and ingredients.

• The same goes for investment.
• If you keep the first strategy you find, it probably won’t suit you.
• Imagine that you discover value investing, an investment strategy that I will talk about later.
• In short, buy undervalued companies and wait for the market to value them to sell them.
• Very pretty.
• But, without a doubt, a strategy that requires a lot of dedication and a lot of reading.
• You have to analyze the companies thoroughly, read their balance sheets and income statements, and much more.

You start eagerly, but you have never really learned to analyze companies. Also, you work from 8 to 8, and when you get home, you don’t feel like studying, and you end up buying companies that you think are good or that you have read around.

Many investment funds follow the value philosophy, and managers and their teams spend all day analyzing and studying companies, and yet many fail.

Risk Vs. Reward

You are at risk while investing money. There are many investors’ stories as they faced investment loss during the Great Recession or Depression. Despite this, you can’t eradicate the entire risk, but it can be a little bit possible when you invest wisely. Like a retirement account, the earlier investment gives you a long-term benefit. Quick-fix stock is riskier than these investments. People are doing this as they don’t know the reason for their actions.

There is no harm in such investments as you will lose little money on a bad investment. You will earn maximum money with time as you start your struggle early.

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

How do you choose a variable or fixed mortgage? What elements must be assessed before hiring a fixed or variable mortgage loan? To start, you must consider your way of being and your situation. In other words, if you go exceptionally far and use almost all your savings to enter the mortgage, a variable-rate loan will surely fit your finances better.

You can always change the mortgage, either within the same bank or by changing entities. The first would be a mortgage ovation, and the second a subrogation. The new mortgage law favors changes from variable to fixed mortgages and improves the conditions for fixed-term loans.

Changing the variable rate mortgage to a fixed rate and vice versa is not complicated, and you should not be afraid to negotiate with your bank. Your starting point should be that everything with the bank is negotiable, provided you have arguments to support it. Most entities make their numbers and are clear on how far they are willing to go for a client of your characteristics. Use this link to find out if it contains information about you changing the interest rate on your mortgage, and if so, do not be afraid to ask.

Mortgage Dictionary

In order not to get lost in the world of fixed and variable-rate mortgages, there are specific terms that you should know. They are the ones that will appear in your mortgage contract or in the offers that banks propose. These are the most important mortgage terms.

What is the APR of the Banks?

One critical question that you should ask is the banks’ APR. The APR, or Equivalent Annual Rate, is the sum of the nominal interest rate plus the expenses and commissions associated with the mortgage. The APR homogenizes the interest rate of a mortgage on an annual basis and is used to compare the overall cost of a loan. The problem with variable mortgages is that this data will change as interest pays.

Also, for mortgages, this APR helps determine what it costs to change the mortgage bank since it includes the subrogation or novation commissions.

What is the TIN of a Mortgage?

According to the Bank of Spain, the TIN or Nominal Interest Rate is the effective price that the bank pays us for lending us the money. In this sense, it is the fixed percentage that you will pay for the mortgage without considering any commission. You can easily apply for TIN and get a mortgage. Only you will provide proof of loan repayment on time. You can do this by using your credit card as it is a reliable source for lenders. It will take 6 to 12 months to monitor your billing history.

What is the Subrogation of a Mortgage?

Mortgage subrogation is one of the formulas to modify the mortgage. Specifically, it is intended to change the loan’s creditor or debtor. In other words, to change the bank mortgage or to transfer the mortgage to another person when you sell your flat.

In a mortgage subrogation with a change of bank, it will be enough to find an entity that offers you better conditions and reach a binding agreement. From there, your bank will have 15 days to match the offer or let you go.

What is the Novation of a Mortgage?

Mortgage novation is another way to change or improve the mortgage. In this case, there would be no bank change but a renegotiation of the mortgage loan conditions with the financial institution.

With a novation, you can increase the mortgage capital, modify the interest rate, and vary the repayment term, the loan holders, and even the settlement system.

What is the Early Repayment of a Mortgage?

The early repayment of a mortgage is the early payment of part of the loan or the total thereof. In other words, advance part of the debt to shorten the loan term or reduce the installment. If you leave your mortgage before the end of the initial period and pay extra from the decided amount, you will have to mortgage an early repayment charge. It is equal to the remaining payment or 5% of the payment mortgage you have left to pay.

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

A mortgage is like an agreement between the lender and the buyer. This agreement gives the lender the right to seize or take your property if you do not or cannot pay the money you borrowed, plus interest. Your lenders will give you a loan that will be 80% of the home’s value.

People use these mortgage loans/mortgages to buy a home or to borrow money of the same value as a home you already own.

Features

The mortgage involves one or more real estate acquired and held as a guarantee as proof that it will face the payment of the money borrowed in advance.

We can say that the ownership of the property is in the hands of the debtor. Still, if the debtor does not satisfy the debt in the time required, the creditor can begin the legal actions necessary to obtain his money – such as requesting the public sale of the property.

Things to look for

A mortgage loan is a long-term contract by which a person, whether physical or legal, lends a certain amount of money to another person, the debtor, for the purchase of a home.

Few things to look for in a mortgage

• The loan amounts
• The closing costs of the loan, which include the lender’s fees
• The effective annual rate (APR)
• The interest rate & associated points
• The type of interest rate and if it can change (Is it fixed or adjustable?)
• The term of the loan, or the time you have to pay it

If the loan has other risk characteristics, such as early payment penalties, final global payment clause, interest-only factor, or negative amortization

Focus on finding a mortgage you can afford, even considering your other priorities, and not on the amount of money for which you can qualify.

The lenders will let you know how much a person can borrow, which is the amount they are willing to lend you. Various online calculating devices will compare debts and incomes to come up with comparable answers.

But the amount you can borrow is entirely different from the amount you can afford without expanding your budget, weakening other vital issues. The lenders do not care and don’t like to take into account all your economic, personal, and family circumstances. To find out how much one can afford, you will have to look closely at family expenses, savings, and income priorities to find out what fits your budget.

Do not forget other costs when proposing the ideal payment. 

Costs such as property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and private mortgage insurance will usually add to your monthly mortgage payment. Don’t forget to include these costs in calculating the amount you can afford. You can get the estimates with your local tax evaluator, the insurance agent, and the lender.

Knowing how much one can easily afford every month will also help them calculate a rational price range for their new home that they are looking to buy.

Elements of a mortgage

A mortgage contract consist of three key elements:

The capital. It is the amount of money borrowed that will be returned periodically until the full payment of the debt

• The term – lenders, have to stipulate the entire debt cost. It is a monthly payment that a debtor has to pay.
• The interest rate is the cost of more than the debtor pays the creditor for having borrowed that money. It can be fixed or variable; it can be reviewed periodically and change the amount to pay.

Mortgage payments categories 

• Interest – It is an additional monthly cost that lenders add to each mortgage payment.
• Insurance – It is a kind of mortgage that provides coverage to repair any damage. It includes house repair, car repair, etc.
• Principal – It is the same money that lenders lend people as a loan. The amount of mortgage and principal’s loan amount is the same.
• Taxes – It is a mortgage that homeowners have to pay individually. You will pay taxes as per the value of your asset.

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

The rapid development of 5G networks showcases how the whole world is changing for a much-awaited transformation. Last year, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) finalized an order to deliver a fast-track development of 5G technology across the US. The step by FCC is essential to build competitiveness and future success for the country’s small organizations.

These days, small business owners and entrepreneurs need access to technology that not only delivers them growth but amplifies their business outcomes rapidly. Moreover, with consumers having access to smartphones and broadband internet right at their fingertips, businesses have ample opportunities to connect with them. Especially those businesses who rely on online purchases; can reap full benefits from incorporating the 5G network with their business procedures.

 

Now, with 5G implementation consistently going strong in the current world of digitization, businesses have no choice but to take this innovative step. 5G network is a primary catalyst for driving their growth for the future. Let us discuss how this innovative measure is the driving force for businesses in their quest for greatness in the technological future.

Characteristics to Offer

The current roadmap of 5G networks firstly shows the most defining feature is the unprecedented speed, which far surpasses our past experiences. Since it is about 100 times faster than that of 4G networks, you can witness yourself downloading an HD quality movie in a matter of seconds, when it took minutes beforehand. So, imagine how fast business transactions are possible with speed like that offered to business owners.

Not only does 5G offers an intense boost in speed, but it reduces latency significantly as well. In other words, you will witness way fewer delays or lag in comparison with 4G networks. Moreover, with greater bandwidth and the capacity to handle multiple applications simultaneously, an increase in production is on the cards.

Furthermore, with IoT-based smart devices rapidly on the rise, we can only visualize how 5G networks can spike up the outcomes of these devices. Moreover, it also expanded the usage of these devices from a mere customer-trending innovation to delivering business operations.

In addition to that, the advent of 5G means that you can substantially magnify the number of connected devices in a network. With millions of devices promised to be a part of a single 5G network, small business owners are in for a massive gamechanger.

Thus, with fruitful benefits and ample opportunities behind the 5G implementation, small businesses can potentially become the frontrunners of the country’s economy. So, what are those benefits that small businesses seek with 5G technology in their ranks? Let us highlight them below for you!

Improved communications

With the help of faster speeds and enhanced wireless networks, small businesses can improve their engagement procedures both with clients and colleagues. Moreover, with larger bandwidth and virtually no latency, small businesses will be able to stream high-resolution audio, images, and videos between them.

5G network provides these business owners with a giant leap forward to stay ahead in the game. Moreover, it will also offer numerous opportunities to eliminate communication between both customers and fellow employees. If you can recall, one of the significant concerns with 4G networks was the lack of communication between different ranks for businesses.

Remote working

Remote working has proven to possess great benefits for any organizational infrastructure, especially during the days of COVID-19. From providing business agility and improving scheduling to substantially reducing turnover, remote working is the new improvement for businesses today.

However, with 5G networks on the rise, remote working can improve their results tenfold. In other words, with added speed and lowered latency, your remote workers will be able to communicate easily and work more efficiently. Additionally, network-related tasks such as online transactions, cloud databases, video conferences, and so much more can become relentless for these businesses.

This is an ideal scenario for small businesses since they do not have to spend a considerable amount of expenses in hiring in-house workers. Moreover, they can invest their time to build stronger networks and capitalize on their business procedures for better results.

The VR/AR transformation

The seamless connectivity provided in this new internet band could potentially help these small businesses go global. One of the major additions provided to these small businesses is the increase in the usage of AR/VR practices in their daily operations.

An upgrade of such a magnitude can not only assist these businesses in improving their production rate but also lower their overhead expenses. In other words, it will enhance remote working as mentioned previously, along with removing unnecessary travel costs.

Embracing 5G technology for a brighter future

Looking back, we started our internet journey with voice being the king of 2G to a data-centric nature of 4G. With 5G, you feel as if it is somewhat revolutionary to all the generations behind it. Moreover, with over 50% of the US audience gaining access to it in the coming four years, the change can be exciting to witness.

However, for a small business owner, the transition to 5G is a difficult step due to limited sources of income. Nonetheless, the implementation promises to provide returns that far exceed the investment for these small enterprises.

All in all, if small business owners want to see themselves reach new heights in the current business world, then incorporating 5G is the only option. However, it does not stop there! Modern businesses can only flourish if they adapt and evolve accordingly. So, the ride is only going up!

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

Food and agribusiness continue to set a measurable impact on our environmental, social, and economic dynamics. The five trillion-dollar industry has a far-reaching effect on almost every sector. The industry signifies around 40% of employment, global spending, and 30% of greenhouse emissions. Where significant improvements translated in the abundant food supply, sufficing for the food supply needs of an ever-soaring population looms as a pressing concern. The unwavering trend points towards a sharp rise in caloric and crop demands. According to the statistics, the caloric demand may increase by 70%, and a 100% rise may also be observed in animal and human feed. This increased demand will be reflected in resource constraints. It is doubtful to reach 40% of water demand with a mounting water crisis. At the same time, a decline in food and energy production is inevitable, which might lead us to resource scarcity. If left unaddressed, resource scarcity will augment the crisis and trigger political unrest in many countries. Agriculture technology is proving to be beneficial in increasing productivity and adding cultivation lands in South America, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Where technology supports the situation, reaching the increasing demands necessitates the disruption of the existing trend. 

Technological advancements in food and agribusiness acted as an opportunity for investors seeking to make the most out of their money. The global investments in food and agribusiness have been steadily rising and peaked at $100 billion in 2013. The food and agribusiness showed a better total return to the shareholders (TRS) as compared to other sectors. According to statistics, almost 100 food and agribusiness demonstrated a 17% annual increase between 2004 and 2013, in contrast to a 10 percent rise in information and technology and 13% in energy sectors. 

Growing investments in food and agribusiness confirm foreseeable prosperity. But investing in this industry requires understanding the crops, geographies, retailing, production, processing, and complex value chains. The fruition of investment is heavily dependent not only on the ample crop yields but also on how the value chains work to result in profitability (Exhibit 1) 

Rising trends in food and agribusiness

food and agribusiness encompass a variety of companies including, packaged foods, animal health and vaccines, seed and chemicals, suppliers of agricultural machinery, and data providers of precision agriculture. Even with many companies, meeting the yawning gap between demand and supply is a daunting challenge. To do so, every company involved in the food and agribusiness sector would require ample technical, financial, and human resources. At this point, investors can offer their assistance in closing this gap while seizing an opportunity for a valuable investment. 

Here we have elaborated on a few trends that will likely impact the food and agribusiness economies in the coming years.

Changing dynamics of emerging markets 

It is predicted that global GDP growth is based on increasing emerging economies. By 2020, countries outside the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development will contribute the most to the global GDP. The dramatic increase in population and income growth of these countries is translated into their elevated demand for food. 

Changing demographics of mature markets

Today, consumers are inclined toward healthier diets and environmental sustainability. As a result of this increasingly changing trend, food production standards are stricter and higher than ever before. Demand for certified and healthier foods meeting safety and environmental standards is preferred over those that do not offer basic nutritional benefits.  

Food companies and producers who are quick to adopt this changing trend are better positioned to leverage this trend. Companies can shift to producing fortification and nutrient-rich products to market health-conscious segments. 

 Unprecedented price swings

Like with other commodities, agricultural prices experienced some swift swings in their prices in recent years. With a sharp economic downturn and surge in food prices, undernourished people increased from 850 million in 2005 to 1 billion in 2008. Moreover, the rise in food prices in 2011 and 2013 rendered similar effects but eventuated towards a decline over a few months.  

Use of Big Data 

Improved access to more sophisticated data will benefit the food and agribusiness manifolds. The latest advancement in technology allows us to utilize more granular data and employ it to enhance our analytical capability. We can optimally use our resources, increase crop yields, and reduce our costs with improved capabilities.  

Turning opportunities into profits 

Finding the opportunity is essential; making profits requires a strategic and thoughtful approach. For gaining profitability from the food and agribusiness, investors should consider the following factors:

Develop a thorough value-chain understanding

Investing in food and agribusiness demands a thorough understanding of the value chain and knowledge of the potential variations present in the sector. Investors should consider several companies that comprise food and agribusiness. Companies included in this sector encompasses primary commodity processing, input companies, and a variety of farmer businesses.

Benefit from the growing importance of emerging markets
Considering the increasing demand and supply from the emerging market, investors should recognize and benefit from the ever-increasing significance of the emerging market. 

Food and agribusiness have shown significant improvement over the past few years despite the complexities. Pursuing due diligence and adopting the right approaches can help investors gain attractive returns and efficiently contribute to reducing the growing food supply need for billions of people around the globe. 

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

Managing your small business is not easy, if only about the budgets and marketing allocated. In the constant search for acquisition and customer loyalty, whether already acquired or new, this approach requires efforts that sometimes go beyond the understanding.

With the advent of social media marketing or more commonly known as E-marketing (sometimes wrongly), it is now easier for small businesses and SMEs to do well by having the opportunity to promote their products. Or services, attract attention, and thus improve customer loyalty through social networks’ tools. The rise of professions such as Community Managers and Search Marketers proves this unprecedented digital shift.

Just like a business manager with internal know-how acquired over the years, with pitfalls, blunders, errors, and dead ends (and even the biggest ones do not cut it), Internet marketing proceeds in the same way. All the intelligence about using this media is to avoid the adversities that are strewn along the company’s road in the use that can make its 2.0 tools.

Therefore, it is important to know the secrets of this new area of expertise, internally through your marketing team or an E-marketer, or outsourced, using the outsourcing and know-how of a specialized company.

Social Media Marketing

As a result, companies benefit from various tools at their disposal to promote their brand, products, and services. But these tools are not just for that; they also help develop concepts that increase the quality and quantity of their brand image, their reputation, and visibility to always move forward.

The entire 2.0 tool panel is at the disposal of the company to achieve the goals: blogs (corporate), articles, podcasts, and corporate videos (or not), forums, social bookmarks, the media in the most sense wide, and of course the social and social networks (more or less) professional type LinkedIn, Video, Google +, Twitter, Facebook, etc. To do this, VSEs and SMEs that have made the step towards communication on social networks are increasingly calling on internal or external specialists: Community Managers.

Social media marketing is product communication

As we see all too often, the principle of marketing 2.0 is not to put its products forward, to make product communication in a way, but to be able to listen, to argue with its customers and those who animate these networks (Community Manager, EMarketer’s, etc.) on digital media where are disseminated information that affects you. A quick overview of the most used language tools will bring you the proof of a market still in full swing and yet well-stocked:

We realize that according to the niches, the entrepreneurs prefer a particular tool to ultimately reach the prospect/customer much more frontally because the network itself is already a real bottleneck or niche filter (not to use the term CSP). It comes in reinforcing a whole arsenal of advertising tools of the type of Google AdWords, advertisements Facebook and paying statutes, etc.

The social media marketing budget is not consequent

Whether long-term or over a noticeably short period, actions in Social Media Marketing are by far the most successful and affordable way to advertise their products or services; indeed, the means to reach Internet users are unlimited, going hand in hand with an unprecedented boom for this medium, taking even precedence over so-called traditional media. How many of the above sites are paying for access? No! A business manager does not need to spend astronomical sums on promoting his company.

The condition to establish quality communication is to offer quality content, innovative and entertaining, to set the attention of the Internet. Search engines are getting smart and integrating semantics natively into their ranking algorithms more than ever. Therefore, you are interested in avoiding keyword pages, thinking that this will serve to increase your visibility. The only visibility earned will be that of Google and other engines to downgrade you for lack of intelligent and structured content.

Social media marketing strategies

By using a business blog coupled with your website, all the interest is to offer quality articles to reach targeted readers. Today more than ever, with the rise of semantic referencing, publishing articles with unique and quality content makes the difference.

Whether your press releases, blog posts, product frontlines should offer a paragraph entry content that is attractive to the reader, but also (and especially) for search engines. End the time of articles without “tail or head” with a ton of keywords. If you choose this way, it is a safe bet that all this SEO debauchery will soon sink to the bottom of Google rankings (if it is not already the case).

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

We all have an opinion about what today means by the term “consumerism.” We agree with this; it is a reality that the offer and the means to access different goods have exploded exponentially in recent times.

The list could be infinite from technology, accessories, and personal care products. Is it wrong to buy it if we can afford it? Is it wrong to buy if that makes us happy? The answers may be philosophical, but what happens when we have teenagers at home? What happens when we cannot control what our teenagers buy?

Today we share some tips and recommendations that can help you if you are going through a conflict of style.

Recommendations to control adolescent consumerism

Each teenager is unique, and, of course, this does not pretend to be a recipe book. But it can help you:

Talk about the topic

If you are worried because you see that your son or daughter cannot control himself when buying, the first is to talk about the subject. But speak it in a frontal and proactive way. Adolescence is a special period, and we have to be tactful to deal with certain issues, especially when we have to set limits. Do not do it from censorship or absolute restriction. Let us be empathic and think about how we were as teenagers.

Stimulate interest in other things

If your son or daughter only finds motivation to buy, it is that he has lost interest in other things. Buying excessively is a problem, but it is also a problem that adolescents do not find motivation in other things. Since going out with your friends (and not always to the shopping centers), practicing sports or hobbies such as reading listening to music, are all activities that help. According to experts, sport is therapeutic to treat many “evils.”

When a teenager feels discouraged or finds it difficult to establish links, one must act. Compulsive behaviors, such as buying, are alerts to which we must pay attention.

Limit credit cards

Because there is no worse weapon than a credit card in the hands of those who do not know how to use it, as we said before, you have to be tactful, and it is not a matter of denying or drastically removing that extension of credit that we have given you. We must come with them to conclude that until there is a behavior change, the card does not go any further.

One way to show that we trust our teenagers is to limit the amount of credit we give them. It is a way to allow you to show us that you can handle your problem. Naturally, before this, we must have achieved that they visualize that they have a problem of consumerism.

Lead by example

No less important is that we are coherent with our speech. If we talk to you 3 hours a day about how bad it is to consume too much, but we go to a shopping mall and buy without control, it will not do any good.

From childhood to adolescence, parents are the primary reference on behavior towards spending. We must preach with a good example for our words to have credibility.

Take distance from technology

We know that this can be exceedingly difficult, especially in these times in which social networks are fundamental in our adolescents’ lives. But what can we do? Do not think about forbidding them of the computer or snatching the cell phone. That will only make things worse.

The challenge that is unleashed between technology and increased consumption should be to show them that the tools are good or bad, always depending on how we use them. Let’s find ways to show them that being 7 hours a day in front of a bombing of brands promotions (which are often nothing more than encouraging more consumption) is wasting time. Let’s find ways to show them that the most beautiful things in life are usually when we go outdoors.

If your teenagers are going through a crisis of consumerism, do not despair. Unconscionable consumerism is part of the evils that have touched us, as others have been in other generations. It’s just a matter of treating it.

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

Compensating your company’s human talent is an activity that cannot be lacking in your human resources planning, especially if you want to motivate your team to give their best, achieve that each achieves their work objectives and strengthen loyalty links with your company. Offering work compensations in your organization also contributes to this being seen as a much more attractive place to work when publishing any vacancy, which translates into a better reputation in the market.

For the compensations to fulfill their function, these must be significant and relevant to your staff. Otherwise, they could go unnoticed.

Seven most valued Work compensations

Below we show you what some of the work compensations that are most important for employees are:

1. Medical insurance

The health of workers should be an issue for which the company shows concern. If your work team and your family members enjoy health, they will be able to carry out their tasks and activities without any impediments. That is why medical insurance is one of the most valued work compensations for professionals. It allows the worker to obtain medical attention at no cost to their family members and may also justify those absences for health reasons without affecting their monthly remuneration.

2. Holidays

The vast majority of employees highly appreciate rest days, so rest days, in addition to those granted by law, will always be very welcome. In addition, the advantage of this type of compensation is that it does not involve an investment of money for the organization.

Therefore, it is advisable to offer employees a holiday period that compensates for their effort every day in the company, accompanied by a sufficient and really attractive holiday bonus.

3. Aguinaldo

When it comes to bonuses, the law establishes a minimum amount to be paid to the worker during December of each year; however, organizations are also free to grant an additional amount to their workers or even add food stamps, and gift cards, to name a few examples.

4. Labor flexibility

Managing human resources should never forget a crucial detail; the company comprises people with diverse needs. Therefore, labor flexibility is one of the best compensations that can be granted to any worker because it gives them the freedom to adjust their work schedules based on their personal needs.

It is worth mentioning that, in the case of establishing this type of compensation, the parameters are defined with which the performance of each collaborator will be evaluated so that there is much clarity about the results and productivity is not lost.

5. Savings fund

Encouraging savings among your team of workers shows you as a company concerned about the financial stability of your employees. Therefore, highly attractive compensation is to offer savings funds to workers.

This consists of retaining a small percentage of your salary during a specific period to then receive all the money saved and, in addition, an additional percentage by the company.

6. Productivity bonuses

Productivity bonuses allow the employee to obtain additional income to their salary, a desirable incentive for any worker. In addition, it will enable the company to raise its productivity levels and stimulate work aimed at achieving objectives.

To do this, you can rely on technological solutions that help you determine the productivity level of each of your team members, such as human capital software.

7. Major medical expenses insurance

As mentioned earlier, health will always be an important and highly valued factor. Providing your employees with insurance for major medical expenses gives them greater peace of mind, as they can ensure medical care in private units, respond to emergencies and receive treatments in case of suffering some accident or illness.

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

Your credit score is a significant factor in life, whether we like it or not. The credit score you have affected the financial options available to you and the cost of these options. Banks and financial institutions use your credit score to make decisions such as approval of personal loans, credit cards, mortgages, car loans, and much more. Even service companies like water and electricity review your credit record before providing their services.

Credit scores are reported by three credit bureaus in the United States (Transunion, Equifax, and Experian). Each bureau measures the scores distinctly, but the standard scale is 300 to 850, with 850 being the best possible credit score. Having a good score (more than 650) will make your life easier in more ways than you can imagine. The most significant help points that affect your credit are:

• Financing interest: the better your credit is, the lower the interest.
• Amounts of financing: the better your credit is, the higher the loan amounts.
• Financing deadlines: the better your credit is, the more time they give you to repay your debt.

I think you understand the point. Your credit score is of the utmost importance. For this reason, it is so vital to review your credit and understand it. We write this article to explain the factors that affect your score and what you can do to fix your credit.

5 Factors That Affect Your Credit Score

1. Your payment history: Your payment history is one factor that most influences your credit score since it counts for 35% of your score. Payment history refers to how long you pay your bills. If you have stopped paying bills, suffered repossessions, bankruptcy, or something similar, this can dramatically hurt your credit score for 7 to 15 years. So, the best thing you can do for your credit score is to pay on time every month without exception.

Tip: Pay on time whenever you can and the total amounts you owe if possible. Suppose you have had an emergency that does not allow you to pay on time or the full amount. In that case, we recommend you call your creditor as soon as possible and request an extension of payment since sometimes they allow special arrangements for extreme cases.

2. Your level of debt and use of credit: Your level of debt is the second factor that most affects your credit score since it counts for 30% of your score. Your level of debt is the total sum of all amounts not paid in your name (personal loans, mortgages, credit cards, etc.). Your credit usage is the% you use of your credit limit. For example: if your credit card has a limit of $ 1000 and you use $ 800 of that card every month, your credit usage is 80%.

Tip: To improve your debt level, try to pay all the debts you can and not to borrow more than what you need. If your debts are too high, you can also look for debt consolidation programs that help you lower the interest you are paying, which will help reduce your debt and the time it would take to pay it. Do not spend more than 30% of your credit limit to improve your credit usage. If you need to use more than 30% of your card, you can take out other credit cards to distribute your expenses among different cards to avoid using more than 30% of the limit of a single card.

3. The age of your credit record: The age of your credit record counts for 15% of your credit score. Having open accounts for longer is better for your history because it shows that you have more experience with your finances. You are more “predictable” than someone with a newer record and without much information.

Tip: Try not to close accounts like your credit cards unless necessary.

4. The type and number of credit accounts you have: The type of accounts you have affects 10% of your credit score. By having more accounts and different types, you show that you have experience managing several different types of credits simultaneously. The two most common types of credit accounts are a) revolving credit accounts (such as credit cards) and b) installment loan accounts. Having or having both accounts help improve this section of your credit score.

Tip: Since this section does not affect your credit as much, we recommend you have different credit cards instead of taking out a loan in installments if you do not need it. We also do not recommend you take out many accounts or credit cards, and much less in a short time of opening another account since this can negatively affect your credit score.

5. The number and type of reviews of your credit: This section counts for 10% of your credit score. Each time you apply for loans or accounts that require a “strong credit check,” these reviews deduct some scoring points, although there are not many. By completing many applications and in a short time, these points are added and can significantly impact your credit. Reviewing your credit and applying to accounts that do “soft credit reviews” do not affect your credit because they do not review credit bureau information directly.

Tip: Normally, there are 2 “strong credit reviews” per year, more than that and in less time can impact your credit. Do not apply to more accounts than necessary or no more than 2 or 3 a year to avoid this. You can also prevent this damage to your credit by applying for accounts that do “soft credit reviews” which do not harm your score.

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.

Life insurance is one of the personal-finance contracts between an insurer and a policyholder. In which contract the insurer pays off a specific amount of death benefits, it provides the amount of money to help for medical expenses future living expenses for your loved one in exchange for a premium. A life insurance contract gives you the surety of your upcoming financial protection for your family to survive after the insured person’s death. 

Aspects of life insurance

The main goal of life insurance should give financial support to your dependent person. It is essential to know that for the applicant, before signing the contract, to analyze their financial situation and determine the needs of their surviving persons. The life insurance agents are making the most suitable life insurance for those who need it. Many life insurance companies term and whole life insurance: a variable universal life (VUL) or universal life policies. Life insurance needs annually to re-evaluate or after necessary life actions like divorce, marriage, the adoption or birth of a child, and other primary purchases, like a home. 

If you want to purchase life insurance, find the quality of your life insurance policy and determine the type of policy.

Types of life insurance

There are many different types available for life insurance. The many types of insurance will be categorized into permanent and term, conditionally, on how long it will affect. 

Many life insurance types will expire, but the most common permanent life insurance is whole life insurance. That is the most reliable form of insurance that you will purchase. Somehow, insurance has investment-like; many others are good for the unhealthy or older applicant.  

Many sorts of life insurance are:

• Permanent life insurance
• Whole life insurance 
• Term life insurance 
• Variable life insurance
• Universal life insurance
• Guaranteed issue life insurance
• Group expense insurance
• Simplified issue life insurance

So, keep in mind that many types of life insurance are available, keep at some point when you are purchasing, that is the policy of insurance, and the amount of policy for or the main important is that by what means you need the life insurance.

Benefits of life insurance

There are three main basic benefits of life insurance.

• Death benefit
• Premium 
• Cash value

Death benefits

The death benefit is the main benefit that the insurer gives the beneficiaries. The amount the insurance company will provide the dependent member mentioned in the insurance policy upon the insured person’s death. The person who purchases the insurance will choose their reliable death benefit cash based on their future needs for the loved one who is the survivor.  

Premium 

The premium is the best benefit that is set in statistics. The cost of the insurer (COI) will find, the cash required being administrative fees, mortality costs, and many preservation fees policies. The main benefit of the premium will influence the insured’s age, occupational hazards, medical history, and many other tendencies of personal risk.  

When premium requires submission compulsory, policies that required, the insurer will remain indebted to pay for the death benefits. The cost of insurance (COI) includes the premium amount.

Cash value

Permanent or universal life of cash value is a component that assists the two purposes. One is a saving account; the insurer person might use it, cash accumulated on a tax-deferred basis throughout the insured person’s life. The other second purpose, the cash value, is to balance the rising rate and offer insurance as an insured age.

Other essential tips for life insurance 

Your life insurance will communicate with you; they will convert a term policy into an entire life policy. You may avoid it. You will need to change your permanent life insurance policy into a term life insurance policy. 

When you want to decide, Convert or change your life insurance policy, foremost, you will need a clear medical exam to get this policy. 

Selecting life insurance benefits could be difficult, then naming a secondary beneficiary or a depending beneficiary, and informing your beneficiaries during your life when you change the situation.

About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.