Author: Complete Controller

When it comes to the home-based business, you have to consider what you will need to plan for tax season. It would help if you planned for your taxes since you won’t have the advantage of having taxes deducted from your income, like when you work for someone else.

You must know the current tax laws to file your taxes properly for your home-based business. If you expect to save money and bring that money back into your business, you need to learn about tax laws. Unfortunately, most small business owners do not know the laws, nor do they save towards their taxes and end up filing late or not at all.

Because of this, a business owner might want to consider hiring a tax professional that is aware of the current tax laws and knows how much you should save each quarter to cover the taxes at the end of the year. Hiring a pro will also ensure that you file your taxes on time.

Whether you choose to hire a professional or do your business taxes, you should be aware of the laws and be proactive in ensuring your taxes are filed correctly and on time. Here are five tips to help you file taxes for your home-based business.

Get Organized

Getting your business organized is the first step towards proper tax planning. This planning is where you track both your records and business performance. Gone are those days when home-based businesses do everything manually or record transactions and daily expenses on registers.

This approach has changed, and companies take advantage of the tax situation by citing everything clearly on advanced bookkeeping or accounting software. From there, they can track business expenses and know the exact status of their company. Even home-based businesses are embracing superior software to create a clear picture of their business finances.

Choose the Right Registration for Your Business

According to studies, home-based businesses contribute to 70% growth in the American economy and help drive innovation. This innovation indicates that small-scale businesses operating from homes play a crucial role in developing an economy.

When economic activity is on such a massive scale, companies need to abide by the country’s tax laws and regulations. So, small businesses need to register their business under the entity type supporting your business and its short and long-term tax goals.

Audit-Proof Your Business

It means saving your receipts and having a back record of all your business transactions. This backup includes keeping a record of your business expenses or expenditures. Besides that, audit-proofing means saving more than your receipts covering your costs, car mileage bills, etc. Before filing taxes, you need to tax professionals about how they can reduce their tax bills.

Get a Home-Based Business Tax Professional

Without a doubt, a tax professional understands the intricacies of almost every type of business. It is hard for small business owners to find the right tax professional with in-depth knowledge and expertise in saving taxes. Not all tax professionals have to be expensive as generally perceived.

With little market search, you can find an affordable accounting professional fit for your type of industry. Home-based businesses can expect to save thousands of dollars on taxes if they are serious about protecting their hard-earned money. So, a company can hire a specialized tax professional with tax-saving knowledge and skills to reduce their tax bills.

Start a Retirement Plan

Home-based businesses can avail themselves of an exciting opportunity to contribute regularly to their retirement plans. Doing this will ultimately result in saving taxes and is the best savings strategy to help businesses get their money back. Several 401k or IRA plans can help you save more specifically developed money for home-based businesses.

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-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure 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.

Often business owners work hard to advance their business but do not see the financial results they should.  Below are tips that will help you maximize the profitability of your business by generating more revenue.

Improve profitability by generating more revenue

Increase prices

It may seem absurd at first glance, but increasing prices is easy to do without deterring customers. Do not increase prices by 40% but be patient and steadily increase them. It may take several months or years, but ultimately you will see a financial payoff for justifiably increases prices.  You can feel confident raising prices when you:

• Analyze the competition. If your business is the only one in your geographical area, you will increase your rates.
• Focus on quality. Your customers will not be deterred if your product or service is quality and of a certain caliber.
• Encourage your customers to leave reviews on your site.  The more positive customer reviews you have, the more people will give you their business. Do not delete a negative review but contact the person to find out what is wrong and make a commercial gesture if necessary.

Focus on high margin products

Today, many leaders are focused on revenue growth, but high turnover at a low margin is not necessarily a viable solution. It is important to pay attention to your different products/services. If one of your products is not selling at a beneficial rate, then revamp it or remove it from your inventory. Be careful to retain and highlight a flagship product that generates a large margin.

Expand your business

Your business may reach its maximum potential in a sector.  In this situation, it is time to develop a new product or service, enter a new market, or expand locations. However, when venturing into a new area, be careful to compare the advantages and disadvantages of expansion in terms of market, budget, and competitor intensity for each location you are considering. 
Expansion does not necessarily mean entering an international market.  You can easily establish yourself in another department with high customer potential and low or nonexistent competition. Do not hesitate to market your expansion; this will allow you to attract new customers quickly and increase your profitability. 

Building your network of prescribers 

A prescriber is a person who recommends or prescribes a product, a material, a service, a care, etc.  To make it clearer, a prescriber is a person who will recommend your company to his friends, family, clients, customers, or prospects.  Leveraging a prescriber is a great way to save on communication costs, and you can continue to build your “address book.”

Here is a small list of examples of prescribers:

• Satisfied customers
• Accountants, notaries…
• Actors in a field of activity close to yours

It is important to build a network of prescribers and grow it.  Here are some ways to develop your network:

• Interact with your customers because they can become true ambassadors of your brand.
• Attend rallies where companies are likely to be interested in what you offer. Offer samples, demonstrations, exchanges, etc.
• Do not neglect companies offering you complimentary services, but a competing company (even partially) will NOT be a good prescriber.
• Direct client to your colleagues who you cannot service. Generally, they will return the favor and refer customers to you for service developing a partnership.
• Keep your network informed about your business news, interested in your contacts, etc. In short, notify your network so you can rely on it at the opportune moment, and they will have a vested interest in your successes.

Once the prescribers in your network are actively engaging with you, you will be able to sign more contracts or generate more traffic, increasing your profitability and revenue.

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-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure 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.

Some people have difficulty talking about money and finances, especially when it comes to their kids. However, every financially responsible adult with children should focus on discussing finances with them. It is never too early to teach your kids about financial responsibility, spending, saving, and investing.

The sooner you introduce your children to financial planning, the better chance they will be financially independent and stable when they become adults. Here are seven great tips to help your children learn financial planning.

Never shy away from the discussion

When it comes to children, they have questions about money in their minds earlier than any parent would think. Having the guts to talk about money to the children can be a tough thing for many grownups. But shying away from the conversation isn’t the solution to anything, and that is something every adult understands much better than anyone.  

Build a budget

As a kid starts to age, parents need to decide where they want their children to be spending. Parents can also control that as they have the authority to pay for what they find necessary. Parents must make things clear for the growing children that it is time to take on some responsibilities. The responsibilities include taking out a budget for their needs or wants? Or it could be that from now on they have to fulfill all their expenses.   

Make the kids aware of their expenses and bound them to a budget and how they should be spending to cover their expenditures. When a child covers all his expenses, parents need to conduct a detailed conversation about all their expenses and build a budget to work with.

Make a planned system

Creating a system is important for any parent, which should be concentrated on how things will be from now. It is not that everything will start to fall into place immediately, but everything does take some time. Patience is the key to success when it comes to dealing with kids.

The first and foremost thing to do is to get rid of traditional piggy banks. Replace them with glass containers as it is more fun to look through transparent containers and guess the amount of crumpled currency.

Let children stick with their decisions

Once a budget is set, it is crucial to allow kids to decide about purchasing and sticking with it. No matter where they spent that shouldn’t be the concern of a parent. It gives kids the freedom of choice, which allows them to choose between what is right and what is wrong sooner or later. A kid spending on useless things will eventually learn the importance of things and will be able to differentiate what is necessary and what is not.

Teach kids with compassion

What to do when kids don’t spend their budget correctly? It doesn’t mean to provide them with more money; instead, focus on letting them suffer their decisions. Only bail a kid out of the consequences of their decisions when their health is at stake.

An important task for any parent here is to ask the kid about their past spending, which leads to all of this. Talking peacefully and calmly is the most key aspect of this conversation because, as a parent, the child must be comfortable speaking the truth at all times.

Encourage earning income

Encouraging work for money must be the topmost priority of parenting. It is what puts the kid understand how money is earned. Once a kid realizes how money is earned, they understand how much effort is required for any work.  

Let kids run a yard sale

Once a kid gets to experience the process of selling, they properly get to know how the market works and how to manage money. This what develops a kid’s mind towards the process of sale and purchase. It is very important at an early age to instill such thoughts and ideas into children’s brains.

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-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure 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.

To get where you need to go, including work, school, shopping, and errands, you will need to use some form of transportation. Depending on where you live, most people handle their transportation by owning a car.

Vehicle ownership is common from age sixteen and above. Most teens learn to drive saved for a car by working or asking for a car from their parents or guardians. If a car cannot be afforded, there are alternate forms of transportation. Some can be expensive, while others are more economical.

Transportation is an important part of life to get anywhere, and when it comes to financial health, it needs to be considered in your budget. The transportation portion of your budget could include payments, maintenance, insurance, and gas, all of which can be expensive if it is not controlled. Therefore, to help keep your budget under control, here are six tips to help you save on transportation.

Use of public transport

Public transportation is far less than driving yourself. While it can take longer to arrive at your destination, the advantages of using public transportation are more than just the cost savings. Many forms of public transportation have Wifi, allowing you to multi-task and get work done as you travel.

It is also an opportunity to wind down or get some additional rest while traveling to and from your destination. It can also relieve stress since you are not dealing with other drivers or traffic.  

Buy smarter

If you decide you really need a vehicle and don’t like to use public transportation, you can buy smarter using one of the following options.

• Instead of purchasing a new car, you can find great deals on used cars. Once a car is driven off the lot, it depreciates. Therefore, when a person sells their used vehicle, it will never be the same price they bought it new.
• Instead of purchasing a car, you can lease one. Leasing can be a fantastic option to save on the cost of purchasing a new car. You can also get a new vehicle every couple of years when you lease a vehicle. Leasing can also help when the car you are leasing needs maintenance, which is often included in the lease agreement.

The Price of Insurance

Car insurance is required by law in most states. Depending on your driving record and other factors, you can get great deals on car insurance. It is important to research the best coverage for the lowest price. It is worth the time it might take to research to save on your auto insurance.

The Price of Fuel

Looking out for the lowest gas price can be as simple as driving down the street and looking for the best deal you can see. However, there are apps available to most phone users that will help you locate where the lowest gas prices are in your area.

Efficient and controlled driving

You can save money on gas, insurance, and maintenance, by being a great driver if you are careful with driving. Easing to stops, driving defensively, and abiding by traffic laws are all ways you can drive in a more efficient and controlled way, all of which will save you money.

Carsharing and ridesharing

Carsharing is a fairly new concept. There are apps available on which you can share your car with other drivers. You are renting your car to others when you are not using it. Renting your car is another stream of income that lessens your costs.

Ridesharing can also be cost-saving, depending on the area and your usage. There are some discounts for those who use ridesharing regularly, and you save on the wear and tear of your vehicle.

Conclusion

There is a multitude of ways you can save on transportation. Using the above tips are just some of the ways you can save. Many more ways are not mentioned. The main thing to remember is to simply choose options that work best for your needs while saving you money.

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-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure 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.

Nestlé’s corporate culture emphasizes efficiency and high standards regarding its stakeholders, customers, and the environment. Every day, Nestlé works towards making its products healthier and tastier. Achieving this goal relies heavily on its capabilities in research and development and nutrition science.

Nestlé’s mission is to become the world’s leading provider of nutrition and healthy food. Their slogan, “Good food. Good Life,” reflects their commitment to offering consumers the best-tasting and most nutritious products available.

The company is dedicated to continuous improvement in various areas, including management, leadership, manufacturing, innovation, product development, and research for both new and existing products.

Nestlé has Six Strategies

Nestlé employs six key strategies designed to enhance its market leadership and foster deeper connections with consumers and stakeholders. These strategies focus on harnessing innovative ideas, understanding trends, and ensuring quality engagement, all of which aim to promote health and wellness across its product offerings.

1. Give a front seat to your ideas, and put the sources behind the health and wellness of a leadership
2. Check the opportunity in trends and change
3. Value your consumer
4. Put your stakeholders, and consumers engage
5. Make sure the connection is deepened, consumers
6. Right people and the right capabilities for leadership

The SWOT analysis for Creative and Innovative Management

SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool that helps organizations evaluate their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. In the context of Creative and Innovative Management at Nestlé, this analysis provides valuable insights into the company’s capabilities and challenges, enabling it to foster innovation and maintain its competitive edge in the market.

Strengths

• Leading the market
• Loyalty in a brand
• Different distribution channels
• Different innovations in the brand
• Skilled labor

Weaknesses

• The target market is only the higher-class
• Operations complexity
• Scandals like child labor, horse meat, etc.

Opportunities

• High credibility
• Potential to spread in small towns
• Trends that are improving
• Leadership to industry
• The partnership can be increased
• Different products and their offerings

Threats

• The biggest competitors in the market
• Raw materials and their increasing price
• Rivals known as Unilever, Master Food, and Kraft
• Products that are the substitute
• Buyers’ bargaining powers

The PESTLE Analysis for Creative and Innovative Management

In this section, we will explore the PESTLE Analysis specifically applied to Creative and Innovative Management at Nestlé. This framework will help us understand how external factors influence Nestlé’s strategic decisions and foster an environment of creativity and innovation within the organization.

Political

• Food standards, marketing actions, and changing regulations,
• The process of internationalization,
• New global changes.

Economic

• Must know economics, inflammation, and levels of income.
• The sudden change of budgets consumers.
• The rise in the price of goods and materials.

Social

• Step forward towards healthy products, supportive, healthy diet
• Changing lifestyle
• Knowledge of the behavior of a consumer

Technological

• Interacting with firms, social media rise
• Through technological developments, innovation is fulfilled

Legal

• Changing the nature of regulation. Change like regulations
• Changes of law from different or across international markets

Environmental

• Increased attention directed toward corporate social responsibility
• Increased social responsibility
• of consumers regarding the environment

Assess the Risks and Benefits of Creative and Innovative Management Ideas

Effective risk management is essential for fostering creative and innovative management. It involves assessing and identifying resources to address unexpected circumstances. Implementing risk measures plays a crucial role in helping organizations navigate the challenges of innovative and creative management. For example, Nestlé is actively working on managing risks across its multinational operations. The company has implemented web-based active risk management systems globally to facilitate information sharing and ensure that teams are updated in real-time.

Therefore, it is necessary to examine all sub-factors in the risk process:

Technological risk

Technical feasibility increases the risk. Advanced technology and obstacles in Research & Development are additional risks in technology innovation.

Market risk

Market risk arises from uncertain market size and competitive industry. Market risk includes customer demands, the economy, and product competition.

Financial risk

Lack of capital and lack of financial management are the most concerning financial risk factors.

External environment risk

External environment risk usually arises from the political, social, economic, and technological environments, which create a gateway to the external environment.

All organizations desire change and growth, but the nature of that change can vary. Change may occur due to external influences or because a company recognizes that it is not operating effectively and needs to implement improvements. Consequently, change models are crucial for organizations. These models help facilitate the implementation of creative and innovative management ideas.

For organizational improvement, the Initiating, Diagnosing, Establishing, Acting, and Learning (IDEAL) model can be employed to plan, initiate, and implement changes. Utilizing the IDEAL model allows organizations to create an environment conducive to successful improvement efforts.

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.

Over the past few years, the number of freelancers has increased, and so has the number f freelancing platforms. It is a result of prevailing digital trends. Professional freelancing boasts numerous benefits for not only freelancers but even large-scale organizations.

Being a freelancer provides a choice of where one needs to work. They can work on projects they like and look for another project at any time. Some people work as freelancers part-time, but many have become professional freelancers. For companies, the most beneficial aspect of hiring freelancers is that they can hire extra workers when the workload increases. They do not have to provide full-time employment, and they can keep them as per project cost. It helps companies lower down the cost of hiring employees.

Today the internet is flooding with reliable freelancing websites. Each of which offers different benefits. Freelancers can choose the one that best suits their requirements. Here is a list of the top 10 freelancer websites!

Freelancer:

The most common freelancing platform is Freelancer. In addition to millions of freelancing projects being posted every second, it provides freelancers to compete with others to prove their skills. Confident freelancers and experts know exactly how to convince people about their skills, and this place is perfect for them. What makes this platform a top choice is its stress-free recruitment process, where a recruiter can go through a freelancer’s portfolio and analyze their skill set. Also, the payment is perfectly secure, and monitoring the progress of a project is easier here!

Upwork:

Upwork is for everybody. No matter what your skills are, this platform has something for everybody. It is one of the most reliable cloud-based freelancing websites, featuring the largest employers’ pool and freelancers. Freelancers can choose projects that are feasible for them. It can be long-term or short-term projects, hourly and per-project paying projects, expert-level, or beginner level. With its profile-browsing feature and chatting facility, it becomes easier to screen out freelancers. The billing process is easier. It is the most efficient freelancer search engine, helps employees narrow down their search to the only type of freelancers their project requires.

Fiverr:

Fiverr is a platform specifically for photographers, filmmakers, writers, and producers. Joining this platform is free. And it is brimming with entrepreneurs looking for freelancers for short-term projects. It is a fully secure platform that features a seller-level system tracking their projects. In return, it provides these sellers a chance to get listed the featured in promotional listings. It also provides a secure communication channel and transparency where a buyer can go through all the information of a seller, and the payment system is protected and simple.

Skyword:

Skyword is a platform specifically designed for content marketing solutions. It is filled with freelancers that look forward to working in the creative sector. It is a pool of talent for organizations looking for graphic designers, videographers, media influencers, and writers. This platform helps people in saving their time by providing a streamlined process of work. It allows a user to design a campaign from the very initial stage. This platform works in many countries, opening the door to international customers, and it also features tools for multitasking!

Toptal:

Toptal is where the top professionals can be found that are fluent in the English language. It is a platform specifically for finance experts, designers, and software developers. It is the right place to hire freelancers for critical and time-sensitive projects. In only three weeks, Toptal finds for organizations the perfect freelancer. The screening process is extremely strict and comprehensive, which only the top skilled can pass. Also, the freelancers recommended by Toptal make it easy for the worker to integrate within the organization. If the recommended freelancer fails to complete the project, this platform returns the money!

Peopleperhour:

It is a platform where freelancers can look for web projects such as web development, SEO, and designing. Numerous features make Peopleperhour a top freelancing website. In-app messaging, proposal reviewing, account management, and invoicing, making it easier for the companies and freelancers to choose the best projects. Managing freelancers has never been this easy, as with this platform, it becomes easier for organizations to oversee freelancer’s ongoing projects. The escrow protection feature is greatly beneficial to analyze if the freelancer is fulfilling all the job requirements.

99designs:

99designs is a perfect platform for not only the experts but even beginners can use it. Its global reach, talented members, and service flexibility are the top features that make this one of the top-ranked freelancing platforms. The 99nonprofit is a highlighted feature of the platform. It can be used by startups and organizations that need the services of a freelancer but cannot afford one. They can choose the best designs through a free contest; they do not have to pay for the design. But the freelancer designer gets paid for their work.

Guru:

Guru is among those freelancing websites that makes it super-easy for organizations to find the perfect freelancer for their project. Right on the homepage, free-of-cost job postings can be created, and the required skillset can then be set. Task management is also very convenient through the dashboard. The paid job postings enjoy the perks of being visible in the top results. The payment method on this platform is safe and secure, helping in making transactions stress-free.

College Recruiter:

As its name suggests, College Recruiter is specifically for college students and recently graduated people. It is an excellent way to jumpstart a career. Many students wish to work part-time to cover their college expenses. With this freelancing website, they can get freelancing projects with much ease.

WriterAccess:

WriterAccess is a platform for freelance writers, editors, proofreaders, translators, and content strategists. Reviewing performance data and reviews is easier on this freelancing website. The buyers can then analyze if a freelancer is worth hiring based on the experience and through their portfolio. It is one of those freelancing websites that offer helpful content creation tools and numerous resources for multimedia.

These are the top 10 trending freelancing websites providing experts to make extra money or work on their own will from home. Freelancing surely is a convenient way to work and earn money, and these platforms provide the right opportunities. Also, it gives businesses a platform where they can look for expert and professional freelancers. It is a perfect place to start a job hunt or hire the best professionals!

 

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-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure 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.

In today’s digital age, identity theft fraud has become alarmingly prevalent. It affects countless individuals who may not realize they’ve fallen victim until it’s too late. This type of fraud can manifest in various ways. Below, we explore specific forms of identity theft fraud alongside practical strategies to mitigate risks and protect yourself.

Buyer Fraud

Buyer fraud is a frequent occurrence in the marketplace, often leaving consumers feeling vulnerable and frustrated. In many cases, individuals pay for goods that never arrive, losing not only their money but also their trust in online transactions. To safeguard against this, consider the following strategies: 

Avoid bank transfers

Refrain from paying by bank transfer. Once the payment is made, you lose all legal recourse if the seller fails to send the item. Even in the event of a complaint, recovering your money becomes a daunting challenge, often leading to total loss.

Utilize PayPal with buyer protection

If you are unable to collect the item in person, opt for payments through PayPal that include buyer protection. In disputes, the seller must provide proof of shipment; otherwise, you are entitled to a full refund. This added layer of security can provide peace of mind when purchasing items online.

Seller Fraud

Sellers are not immune to deception, and the dynamics can be more complex. For instance:

Goods paid via PayPal but collected in person

When a buyer pays through PayPal and then personally picks up the item, it can be challenging for the seller to provide proof of proper handover. To avoid this pitfall, always opt to send items via mail and retain documentation such as tracking numbers as evidence of shipment. This practice not only protects your interests but also builds credibility in the transaction.

Preventing Fraud in the Workplace

Given that human error is often at the root of security breaches, organizations must prioritize employee education regarding online threats. Here are some effective strategies to foster a culture of vigilance and security within the workplace:

Establish a dedicated cybersecurity email address

Create an email address specifically for cybersecurity inquiries. This initiative encourages employees to seek guidance on potential threats they encounter. In addition, it allows them to forward suspicious emails for thorough examination. This practice not only helps employees enhance their awareness of fraud but also serves as an invaluable resource for ongoing internal training.

Implement an early warning system

Introduce a proactive early warning system that keeps the entire organization informed about emerging threats, such as dangerous spam campaigns. This system minimizes the likelihood that an unknowing colleague will fall victim to a scam, significantly safeguarding both company and customer data. Moreover, it raises awareness about prevalent techniques used by cybercriminals, fostering a collective sense of responsibility among employees.

Host training sessions and roundtable discussions

Organize informative sessions featuring discussions led by experts in IT security, whether from within the company or from external resources. Tailoring these sessions to address the specific skills and interests of different employee groups can enhance engagement. Furthermore, incorporating visuals into the training can captivate the audience and improve their retention of the information presented.

Promote healthy competition

Engage employees with competitions designed to foster safe online behaviors in a fun manner. For example, host quizzes based on training materials, with prizes for top performers. This not only encourages participation but also generates a greater awareness of cybersecurity practices throughout the organization.

Create a comprehensive cybersecurity guide

Develop an easily accessible guide that outlines clear and practical methods for employees to counter cyber threats. This document should cover critical topics such as secure device setups, data encryption techniques, and the steps for enabling two-factor authentication. Ensuring that the guide is straightforward and visually appealing will make it more inviting for employees to reference and follow.

Conclusion

As a final recommendation, consider placing small notes containing key information about good cyber hygiene in unexpected locations throughout the office, such as restrooms, kitchens, and elevators. When employees discover these notes in unconventional places, it can reinforce their learning and enhance their ability to recall crucial information when they need it most—particularly during events like phishing attacks. This creative approach not only builds awareness but also contributes to a more security-conscious workplace culture. 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.

It is best to have a short-term, mid-term, and long-term investment plan when it comes to investing. Most people don’t have any decent investment plan. Therefore, it is important to develop investment strategies to ensure you have a plan for each investment goal stage.

It is recommended that you hire a professional financial planner or advisor, or investment broker to help you create the strategies that will work best for you. These professionals can help you save and invest wisely through tried-and-true investment planning.

You can also handle investing in your thorough research and forming manageable investment plans. The most important thing to remember when it comes to investing is that you have to have strategies and sound planning to make them work. Here are some investment strategies every investor should know.

Setting Time Goals

When you are setting time goals, it is important to have your goals in increments of time. The suggestion would be short-term investment goals, mid-term, and long-term investment goals. This is usually set in the following increments: one-year goals, five-year goals, ten-year goals, and retirement goals.

These goals are often easier said than done, even with the best financial planner or investment strategies. It is especially difficult to set these goals without knowing what the future holds for employment, income, and health.

However, you should not let the unknown future stop you from goal-setting. How to accomplish those goals may have to be adjusted over time, but what you want to achieve financially for one year, five years, ten years, and retirement can be less adjustable.

Short-Term Goals

Your short-term investment and savings goals should include a budget and how you plan to invest and save within your current budget. Budgeting is something many people avoid because it exposes where they may be spending money they shouldn’t spend. However, setting a budget to plan for investments is essential to accomplish your short-term financial goals.

Current Account Balance

You have to consider your current bank balances, including both checking and savings. Short-term goals should include a padded checking account and an emergency fund. Your current balances are important for investing and setting goals and are also important to expose where you are vulnerable.

Short-Term Investments

Short-term investments are those that will either have a quick return on your investment or those investments that will be expected to give your returns in less than five years. These investments are generally interest-gaining investments you can collect shortly.

Some examples are checking and savings accounts that gain interest and other accounts that can be accessed immediately. Short-term investments can also be through the stock exchange on stocks you quickly turn around.

The most important thing to remember about short-term investments is that you will use these investments as an additional income stream. These investments are not about the future but rather about the present.

Mid-Term Investments

Often when it comes to the mid-term investment plans you should make, it is similar to the long-term plan. These investments are those you are expecting to let stew for a while, and when they are cashed in, they will be used to fund other investments or possibly large purchases you were looking to make within the next five years.

Mid-term investments could be stocks, bonds, CDs, and mutual funds. You may want to consider investments that will not let you access the funds without penalties until five years of maturity. These investments may be lower-risk investments or higher risk depending on your risk tolerance.

Long-Term Investments

These investments should be well considered for your ten-year plan. First, you need to decide where you want to be financially in ten years. This thought of your financial future should be considered as an individual unless you are married at the time of investment planning.

Even if you are in a marriage, you should both consider investments as individuals and as a couple. The main point to planning investments that take you to the ten-year mark is to have the money you can count on at different increments in your life.

In many cases, unless you are using them to fund purchases or pay for higher education and other financial needs, it is a great idea to reinvest or consider leaving the investments in place for retirement or a further increment. The long-term investment point is to invest in stocks or mutual funds and other long-term parking investments such as your companies 401K program and leave it untouched for the long-term.

Retirement Investments

Retirement investments are just like they sound. These are investments specifically geared towards supplementing social security. In many cases, long-term and retirement goals can be similar. However, the main difference is these investments should be made entirely with retirement in mind.

These investments could be slow to mature but mature at larger increments as the years march forward. These investments will also need consideration as to how much money you need to live on per year for a standard life expectancy along with the lifestyle you want to live.

Conclusion

Investments are something that should be carefully considered and calculated no matter what the time increments are. When investing, the important thing to remember is your risk tolerance and the goals you want to achieve.

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-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure 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.

Historically speaking, art has always been something that people have appreciated. Most recognize great artists, and while art is subjective, many pieces of art have a great monetary value. Investing in art is not for everyone. It takes money and a love for art to be a good investor in it.

If you invest well, you can earn money by looking for bargains and selling the art pieces at a higher price. If you buy a work from someone not known and become a well-known artist, your investment will increase in value.

Many people buy art pleasing to them or fit in with their décor and don’t think of the value. On the other hand, art investors are looking for appealing pieces and have a great monetary value.

With the art market growing daily, more art collectors are emerging, and more artwork is gaining value because of demand. If you consider investing in art and becoming a collector, there are some advantages and disadvantages to investing in art.

Advantages of Investing in Art

Art can be a great way to invest for many reasons. First, if you love art and appreciate the work artists put into their pieces, investing in art can bring you great joy. While some invest in art for monetary gains, most who choose art as an investment avenue appreciate art on some level.

Another advantage to investing in art is that art generally appreciates. This increase in value is especially true if an artist gains notoriety. The artists themselves, in some cases, don’t benefit as much financially as someone who invested in their pieces before they were known, who then sell them for a profit.

Another advantage to choosing art as an investment option is that it is pure fun. Finding art pieces, attending shows, hitting estate sales searching for lost pieces of art that have value can all be fulfilling. Buying and selling and attending art events and shows in itself can be exciting. And supporting art can be a rewarding investment choice.

 

Disadvantages of Investing in Art

The art world is not for the faint at heart. It is often a cutthroat business for more well-known and world-famous artists, most of which did not obtain fame as artists until after their deaths. Therefore, buying and selling famous art pieces is quite expensive. And while the pieces you purchase can have great and appreciate value while you own the piece, there is always the chance it could decrease.

Another disadvantage is that you may have to do a lot of searching to find a new artist that will be a hit and have art that appreciates. Since art is so subjective, this cannot be easy. Still, those art investors who get in at the beginning of a talented artist’s career can see a great advantage, while investing in an artist that never becomes known will leave you with art that has no financial value.

Conclusion

Investing in art in the short term requires knowledge and contacts to buy cheap and sell more expensive pieces and invest in a long time. To be exact, reaping benefits from investing in art is a slow process. It does not always give you the right result in the short term, but you will achieve your desired outcomes if you stay committed and patient with your strategies.

Like any market, the art market is risky and can lead you to severe consequences with your money, but if it so happens that you find art pieces rejuvenating and uplifting for your mood, you are more than welcome to enter the art market. With your unique ideas and antiques, no power on earth could stop you from living your dream of starting your dream venture. 

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-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure 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.

Business intelligence is the processes and tools used to evaluate business data, turn it into actionable visions, and help everyone make well-informed choices. Also known as a decision support system (DSS), a business intelligence system examines current and historic data and inputs the results in easy-to-understand reports, dashboards, graphs, charts, and maps shared across the company.

Several tools are specifically designed to support decision support or business intelligence system. Here are seven of the best business intelligence tools that can help you with your business.

SAP Business Intelligence

SAP Business Intelligence is an option that offers proven advanced analytical solutions for the company: business intelligence predictions in real-time, machine learning, planning, integration with common office programs, analysis from the mobile, reports with a careful visual form.

SAP Business Intelligence has everything you need and even a little more what you had not thought about and what you can surely benefit from. This application has become an especially popular choice, thanks to its advanced predictive analytics. However, it is also excellent in many of its other features.

It is a self-service platform with multiple customization possibilities. It is specialized in the integration of information aimed at optimizing decision-making.

Tableau

Another of the specialists’ favorite options, Tableau, is a powerful software specialized in data management, visualization, and analysis. One of its great strengths is integrating with sources as diverse as Excel, Oracle, Google Analytics, SalesForce, or MS SQL. Although, after all, its popularity may come from the free option for personal use beyond the various paid business plans.

Microsoft Power BI

Microsoft could not pass up the opportunity to offer its suite of business analysis tools. It has done so with this option designed 100% to be used on the web (which facilitates its access from any device and place). It offers absolute optimization in its use with other Microsoft applications and also other software.

IBM Cognos

If Microsoft was a staple on this list, the same could be said for IBM. Cognos, however, offers something in which this company is specialized: artificial intelligence, applied here to the analysis of information not only to visualize all processes intuitively but above all, to detect irregular patterns in workflows and thus facilitate predictive analysis.

MicroStrategy

Microstrategy puts all the meat on the grill of its powerful (and fast) dashboard, which can be difficult for the uninitiated in other options on this list. The main objective of this application is to improve productivity, and for this, it offers the possibility of collecting data from the most diverse sources. Also, its use is not limited to the computer of a lifetime but includes a powerful mobile app.

Oracle BI

It may be less well known than IBM and Microsoft, but it is clear that Oracle had a lot to say when it came to BI. That is why she has created this especially powerful tool proven to reveal hidden patterns and unique results. More than likely, this is the most sensible option for all those companies that need to manage a large amount of information.

Dome

What about applications specially designed to operate in the cloud (with the many advantages that this implies)? Well, there are great options like, for example, Domo. It is an app that allows both the micro and the macro, so it is ideal for SMEs and freelancers, and large corporations.

But we repeat: maybe, the BI tool that your company needs is not on this list. So start looking for information, analyze and compare until you find the perfect formula. Because, as in emotional intelligence, business intelligence has to be worked on in the (very) long term.

 

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-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure 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.