When does a successful company come to the point at which it can rest on its laurels and coast? Never, according to Muhtar Kent, CEO of the Coca-Cola Co. When he took over the reins of the soft drink giant four years ago, it was a bit stagnant, struggling to keep up with the PepsiCo competition. Through a series of brilliant manipulations, he put Coke back on top of the rankings. Last year, the Fortune 500 company racked up sales of 5.5 billion cases of product in the United States alone, with more than twice that amount in top markets throughout the world.

Coke Advertisement In Israel - 4/27/2012

Those numbers are staggering to smaller businesses struggling to establish themselves in a competitive market. But in a recent far-ranging article in Fortune 500 Magazine, he reveals tactics that could be applied by just about anyone. Among them:

Don’t become blasé about the possibilities.

When Kent spent five days touring Asia he cranked up employee enthusiasm by telling them “This is your once-in-a lifetime opportunity. Don’t miss it.” He describes his own leadership style as “constructively discontent.” There is no room for standing still.

Stick to business

The company talks in figures that track up into the billions, but Kent has initiated a policy of charging managers $15 if they use their cellphones for personal calls. He lives by the same rule. He bases this seeming nit-picking policy on his perception that one of Coca-Cola’s problems was a lack of respect for cash. He uses cash to fill his BMW at the service station and keeps a well-supplied money clip in his pocket for spending money. It’s a reminder that its small amounts mounting up that keep Coke in the top rankings. (Currently they are 59th among the 500.)

Look for ways to be innovative

When Kent was heading a marketing job in Rome, there were rumors that Coke planned to shut its Italy offices. He came up with the idea of putting Coke products into 150-milliliter mini cans, a much more manageable size for airline galleys than the standard 12-ounce cans. The company was first with the concept and latched onto major accounts with airlines, trains and ship lines across the Continent.

Watch out for your partners

Kent understands that while Coke manufactures its famed concentrates and syrups, the bottlers down the line are closer to the customers who buy the product. He capitalizes on that fact, treating the contributing components down the line with consideration and respect. At one point in his career with Coca-Cola, he quit over such issues, compounded by a stock-trading incident that involved short sales of Amital shares. He resigned from the company for a time. But bouncing back from reverses also is part of his approach to business. During the interim, there were several years of rapidly changing leadership and related problems in the company. He was rehired in 2005.

Be prepared to take a bold step when needed.

For Coke, one of the steps that put the company back in the lead was a deal with entrepreneur Steve Cahillane, who had founded State Street Brewing in the 1990s. Kent put together a deal that enabled Coke to acquire Cahillane’s company while giving the latter rights to bottle Coke products in Norway and Sweden, a profitable scenario for both. It was without question a bold move for Kent, but he shored up his chances of convincing his board by preparing a finely detailed plan that cogently outlined the advantages to the company.

Keep an eye open for products or services that fit neatly into your family

Coco-Cola has 15 brands with retail sales over $1 billion a year. The public’s demand for a periodic something new in the soft-drink arena suggests that the number could go up. Refusing to become bogged down in narrow interpretations of what fits has been a boon to Coke and could be for many a smaller company as well.

Capitalize on new technologies

Kent had the foresight to recognize the value of using emerging technologies to sell more product. He encouraged his vice president of innovation to head up the design of a self-serve fountain machine that allows customers to mix beverages to their own taste via touchscreen. The company has focused on marketing via digital strategies. It has the largest consumer brand fan page on Facebook, with 41.4 million likes.

Provide growth opportunity for your leaders

Coke has initiated a program called Talent 2020. Executives are assigned a research project outside their area of expertise and have six months to put up a defense of their findings to a leadership team. No Power Point. They are expected to stand up and present what they’ve found sans the glitter. Some of their ideas have already been woven into the corporate fabric.

Look ahead

Kent’s vision is incorporated in his statement that “The future of the world belongs to two groups: those that can grow and those that cannot grow. Those that don’t grow will go into oblivion.”

Facing reality is a good place to start. Know precisely how much income you have. Don’t confuse gross income with net. Don’t forget such items as taxes that automatically reduce your take-home pay. Consider all the sources and don’t fudge. You can’t establish a savings system on shifting soil. Then apply the same realistic appraisal of your outgo. The difference between the two is the logical launching point. It may require some adjusting to create the leeway you need to set money aside.

Benjamin Franklin said it first: “Spend less than you earn.” It is only common sense that you can’t save anything if all your income is devoted to current living expenses. A little belt-tightening is requisite if you are serious about building a hedge against future needs. Consider these steps:

Discern between wants and needs. A little economy now will mean a lot less stress later on. Consider the relative advantages between buying an amenity-stacked vehicle, computer or electronic equipment or having a little cushion in the bank. What you could save by eliminating just a couple of trips to fast-food outlets in a week could provide the seed money for a savings account. Don’t complain about not having enough money to save if you are making frivolous purchases on a regular basis.

Use the resources offered by your employer. Many companies offer opportunities for savings plans, with the money automatically deducted from your paycheck each pay period. Some companies even offer a match of some kind as incentive for you to save. Investigate.

Seek professional help. Information about common-sense money management is readily available online, at a library or through publications put out by financial institutions. Dozens of tools are available to help you keep track of your money, including budgeting, meeting short-term and long-term goals and saving.

In the current economic climate, banks are actively promoting savings plans. Some offer ways to save automatically through your debit card or automatic deductions from your deposits. Ask. Some have a plan that allows you to round up purchases to the nearest dollar, with the additional money going into your saving plan. Over time, small change can add up to real savings. You may find that you have more peace of mind if you control the amount going to your savings by arranging for a transfer of a certain amount of money to your savings account each deposit period.

Compound interest is your friend. Putting money into a low-interest plan may be the way to get started, but consider moving into an investment account when you are ready. You’ll earn more money. Investment and retirement accounts provide more interest over time.

Practice frugal banking. Look for a bank that offers free checking, automated savings and the ability to withdraw cash from an ATM. But be sure to document your ATM transactions. It is easy to lose track if you don’t. Do whatever you can to minimize outgo and capitalize on what you are able to save.

A raise or a windfall from some source outside your normal income is an opportunity to build savings. Avoid the temptation to adjust spending upward until you have contributed to your future well being by adding to your financial cushion.

The time to start is now. The future is just around the corner.

Don’t forget to save money on your personal checks by ordering online. You’ll find big savings there!

In a recent Wall Street Journal column, Sarah E. Needleman offers advice for the uninitiated, with the underlying message being to take time to understand how the networks work and use good judgment in choosing where to post your messages to get the biggest payback. The sites are free and “wildly popular,” she says, but diving in without a little know-how might be counterproductive. Among the dozens of choices, the newcomer to the game might spend a lot of time spinning wheels without the desired results. Some of the fast-growing newer sites, including Google+ and Pinterest are attracting scores of competing businesses, all of them vying for attention.

The average Facebook user spent seven hours on the site in February, according to comScore, a market research firm. That’s powerful incentive to get your company’s name before the social networking public.

However, those in the know recommend that you hold off using the social network until your start-up is functional. Spend your limited time and energy on establishing the business at the outset. Networking shouldn’t rob from the demands of your start-up during the tricky challenge of getting it in motion. Acting too fast might end in embarrassment or adverse reaction. One bad reaction from an unhappy customer could “go viral” and be re-posted many times, spreading negative information about your business in the exact opposite manner you desire. Needleman quotes Kevin Ready, an Austin, Texas entrepreneur who has learned from experience, as saying: “Your first priority is to get your operation started. . . Social media is a long-term investment and not magic. It’s hard work.”

With that in mind, when you think you are ready to launch social networking in your company’s behalf, look for a network that will get your message to those most likely to be interested. LinkedIn, for instance, is an outlet that has a membership made up primarily of companies and business professionals — a logical place to post if your business sells goods or services to businesses. A few days or even weeks spent in research could multiply the benefits when you are ready. There are plenty of examples of start-ups that found themselves consumed by networking while still in the throes of getting off the ground. Some reported they had to back up, become better prepared and begin again. Your preliminary research should include noting what your competition is doing on the network you are likely to use. Looking at the competitor’s messages also will give you a consumers-eye view that may guide you in creating your own ads.

Before using a network, you should secure your business name. There is the possibility you could lose your name to another business of another individual as you concentrate on building your company. Claim your name on the network you are considering so you avoid potential frustration. Post a “coming soon” message to hold attention while you prepare the real thing.

Long experience has shown that the most popular company profiles are those that attract visitors with contests, surveys and special offers, Needleman noted. Store shopping or social networking, buyers are assessing what’s in it for them.

Watch Your IRA Accounts

Don’t be complacent about your 401(k). Many employees who simply have their employer deduct the maximum possible amount to a 401(k) without asking any questions may be missing out on more productive alternatives, according to financial experts. In some instances, the fees charged by an investor’s 401(k) may be excessive. Investing in another alternative, such as a Roth individual retirement account could offer more choices and lower fees. Look at the entire financial picture before making decisions.

Careful Planning

Have a plan. Random decisions on retirement maybe counterproductive. There is the temptation to live in the moment, making decisions “on the fly.” Over the course of the usual working career, that could result in savings that will fall short when the job is done and retirement income has to cover all the bases. Start with small goals, if necessary, such as putting 5 percent of gross income into savings each month, then increase gradually until you are saving 15 percent, and do it within a year if possible. A pattern of constantly shorting the savings cushion seldom can be reversed as retirement looms.

Cut Back Expenditures

Think seriously of scaling back now. Downsizing your home and boosting savings often are two sides of the same coin, the experts suggest. Putting on blinders and delaying such moves until suddenly the 60s are upon you is a sure-fire way to ensure unpleasant surprises when the time comes. Thinking you still have time to reduce spending when retirement is just a few years away may result in too-tight budgets that complicate retirement for too many. As age inevitably takes a toll, you could be unpleasantly surprised to find that illness or other complications end your working days prematurely. Such seemingly small things as eating out less often and reducing optional spending will help you be prepared for living on less.

Consider Who You Are Bank Rolling

Resist the temptation to sacrifice your retirement security to pay for your kids’ college. When the offspring walk off with a diploma, you may find yourselves in the mid-50s. In some instances, the kids go into careers debt-free, but Mom and Pop suddenly find they are facing retirement without an adequate cushion. Although the urge to help the children get a higher education is hard to resist, if it isn’t financially feasible it may mean that those children will be called on to help you make it through retirement. Alternatives are paying only a pre-determined portion of the higher education costs or encouraging your students to get their education at a state or community college, if possible. Look ahead when they are still in public school. Save if you can while children are small to help alleviate the stress when you are suddenly faced with tuition and other costs. Encourage the kind of scholastic achievement that can lead to scholarships and other assistance.

Recognize Your Limitations

Don’t be fooled into thinking you will live forever. The plans you made for retirement can quickly go awry if one of the partners dies before you expected he or she would. Many a widow, particularly if there are still children at home, has been forced to sell the family home and retrench spending to the point of penury. Term life insurance for both partners is the most feasible way to avoid this kind of financial shock. Finding out the hard way that you are under-insured is a double-whammy for a surviving partner mourning a loss. A will should be prepared well before anything but a tragic accident could be expected to take either of the partners. Both spouses should be well informed about family financial realities and decisions should be made, as nearly as possible, well in advance.

Charting a course for something as tenuous as retirement is tricky, but those who are realistically preparing for the eventuality will be least likely to find themselves swamped when it comes.

Save money by ordering your personal checks online and saving up to 50% off.

In the past five years, job losses in the United States have given people incentives to start their own businesses. These self employed people have become successful financially and have never really been forced to think about how they are going to manage paying their own taxes. With additional money coming in, they need a tax strategy to help them plan for retirement.

The formula they might use in saving for taxes needs to benefit them the most in the long run. You could use the strategy of saving 25%-35% and just leaving the money in a savings account. This will earn you very little interest over the course of a year.

One very good tax strategy is to set up an account that is established as Self Employed Pension or SEP-IRA. These accounts will provide you a reduction in your net earnings and allow your money to grow through investments.

So what is a SEP-IRA? A SEP-IRA is an account set up at banks, insurance companies or financial institutions. You are allowed to make cash contributions up to a set limit per year. You need to check with your tax specialist about the amount limits for your situation. For 2011, the contributions cannot go over $49,000.

When you lower your net earnings from your business, you lower your tax liability. The net earnings from your business is your gross income minus allowable business deductions. This determines your taxable income. Contributions to SEP plans are an allowable deduction.

Setting up this type of account helps you in two ways. You reduce your net earnings and you are able to start contributing to your own retirement plan. Both of these benefits can save you thousands of dollars in the long run and with a good investment strategy for your cash contributions, you stand to earn money on your investments over time.

If you are new to being self-employed and want a good strategy to help you build your assets, consider using an SEP-IRA. You can set these up and contribute to them up until the date your taxes are due. Discuss this tax strategy with your tax preparer and determine if this would help your personal tax situation.

This article is meant as a guide for your education. Please counsel with your tax preparer before taking any action. For the government description of SEP-IRAs, please visit: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p560.pdf

Supplier Connection, a program recently put into effect by the U.S. Small Business Administration is a program offered by the IBM foundation and was created as a way to improve part of the Obama administration’s American Supplier Initiative. The public-private effort involves 15 major corporations that are willing to consider ordering supplies and services from the small businesses registered with them. The corporations collectively have more than $300 billion in purchasing power.

It is expected that the initiative will grow small businesses, create new jobs and add strength and diversity to America’s supply sources, said SBA administrator Karen Mills.
“While it is clear that becoming a corporate supplier can lead to business growth, breaking in can be a challenge for small businesses,” she said.

The administration recently sent letters to more than 50,000 small businesses outlining the new program and providing tools to smooth entry into the process. Supplier Connection is available to interested small business owners and registration is free online. There, they are able to register their company name and include details about what kind of products they offer. The hope is to provide small business owners an opportunity to become suppliers to larger corporations.

Among the 15 companies that have signed on to the program are Wells Fargo, UPS, Pfizer, Office Depot, Kellogg’s, John Deere, J P Morgan Chase, Dell, Facebook, CitiGroup, Caterpillar, AMD, AT&T, Bank of America and Caterpillar. They have agreed to look at the services and products of small businesses that register online. They then will determine which services or products warrant their financial investment. Small businesses can learn to supply large corporations with their unique offerings.

Small business owners often have no idea how to connect with large corporations and thus never get the chance to get contracts with corporations who have large amounts of capital. This free service can help pull small companies that have real potential into the mainstream of American business and put them on the road to success. The new revenues coming from a business relationship with successful corporations may prove just the needed edge to grow revenue to new levels. On the other side of the coin, the corporations that are purchasing goods and services will have better insights on the pulse of emerging businesses. Everyone wins.

Each mutual fund has professional managers that manage the pool of the funds. When researching which mutual funds to invest in, it is wise to look at the length of time the managers have been managing the fund. Those that have been doing it for many years, obviously have more experience that is measured by the various performance related graphs.

Asset Allocation

The new investor will have difficulty deciding what funds to invest in unless they have some guidance and understand how to interpret the data provided to them. Everyone has a different goal in mind when investing. Some general guidelines are to make equal investments in each type of funds. There are four types of mutual funds: Large Cap Funds, Mid Cap Funds, Small Cap Funds and International Funds. Equally investing in each type of fund can help to reduce the volatility of the markets.

Researching Mutual Funds

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Technology has made finding good funds to invest in much simpler than you might think. All of the fund performance data is collected and shown in a variety of ways.

The performance of the fund over time can be compared with the S&P 500 index. This index began in 1957. The S&P 500 index shows the top 500 large cap stocks. These companies have growth stocks and value stocks. The index is considered a “bellweather” of the United States economy.

The companies in the S&P 500 index are chosen by a committee to represent the industries in the U.S. economy. It has a wide variety of industry sectors included in it. The consumer discretionary sector includes companies like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Best Buy, Macy’s, Kohls, MacDonalds and Starbucks. Consumer Staples include Clorox, Walmart, Coca Cola and Walgreens. The energy sector includes companies like Exxon, Chevron, Hess Corporation and Haliburton Co. The financial sector includes companies like Citi Group, Etrade, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley and American Express. Health care, industrials, information technology, materials, telecommunications and utilities are the remaining sectors of companies listed in the S&P 500.

You can see the performance of every mutual fund compared to the performance of the S&P 500. You can also see the growth of a $10,000 investment over a 10 year period of time. This data can help you make guided choices and increase your chances of financial growth.

This information is meant to help you improve your knowledge about investing in mutual funds. There is no guarantee of your success in investing. You need to make sure you research the funds you want to invest in and see if they match your investing strategies and your tolerance of risk.

Purchasing mutual funds can be done online and doesn’t require you writing out checks.

Let us here discuss how to identify a debt settlement fraud.

If a settlement company calls you too many times and asks you for services, ask for their contact information. If the company does not want to disclose its name and address, and insists you to enroll into their program, then you must understand it is a fraud. Legitimate companies will never contact you over phone and beg you to hire their services.

If you are thinking to hire the services of a debt settlement company, contact the Better Business Bureau to check its credential. The Better Business Bureau can tell you if there has been any complaint against the company you are considering. To know more about the company, you can also approach your state attorney general’s office that can provide with information about the reputation and experience of the firm.

Before signing up for a settlement company, ensure whether or not the company is a member of the Association of Settlement Companies. This association is a trade group that promotes good industry practices. If the company claims to be a member of the association, check the association’s website to ensure its membership.

Ask the company about the effects of debt settlement on credit ratings. If the company is legitimate, it will be honest about the fact that debt settlement affects the credit rating negatively. But if the company is questionable, it will assure you that no negative effect will occur.

Before you start working with a company, make sure you get everything in writing. Fraudulent firms will never put their terms in writing in a legally binding document, and will ask for hefty fees for services. Fraudulent companies will never cooperate with you and entertain your doubts and queries; they will only hurry you for signing on the paper work and enroll in their program.

In conclusion, consider the above mentioned tips in order identify fraudulent debt settlement companies.

Get The Best Mortgage Loan For Your Home

Alan Blood of Capital Financial Group, based in Bountiful, Utah, says that figures for the population-heavy Wasatch Front area of Utah show that there is reason to hope the market is stabilizing. Although there has been a 30% decrease in the number of homes on the market however there has been a 5 percent increase in loan applications in recent months. Good prices and quicker sales are evidence of a reviving market.

“At least in Utah, where $200,000 is the median price for a home, that’s good news for everybody,” said Blood. He talks about housing market realities every Friday from 9 to 10 a.m. on local K-TALK Radio, AM 630. (Visit K-TALK.com for details.)

A graduate in economics from BYU,  Blood became a mortgage broker. He also received a degree in Law by attending Brigham Young University’s Law School. With the law degree under his belt, he re-examined his career goals. He found the study of law useful to continue his career in mortgage brokering which he really enjoys.

Based on long experience, Blood can offer some suggestions to those who are in the throes of buying a home or considering it in the near future:

Don’t Buy Too Small

It’s probably the most common mistake first-time buyers make, he says. Especially if the buyers are a new family with potential for growth, a small home can quickly become inadequate, calling for a new purchase in only a few years, before the initial costs of home-buying are recouped. There is little equity accrued, so too much of the new purchase goes into the front-end process, he says. If possible, it is wiser to look ahead at least ten years to allow for equity growth before taking the plunge again. The average time a family stays in a new home, according to Fannie Mae figures, is 4.2 years. And, also on average, the typical family makes six moves in a lifetime.

Don’t Focus Only On The Interest Rate

It’s understandable that with a long-term loan, the tendency would be to consider the interest rate to be the most pertinent consideration the buyer needs to look at.

In reality, the advantage of a very low interest rate can quickly be cancelled by higher closing costs. Spread over 30 years, for instance, the difference between an interest rate of 3.5 percent and 3.75 percent is just $3,250 —approximately $27 per month. “It takes your about 10 years to break even,” Blood says. Looking at every element of the purchase costs is essential to get the best deal overall.

Mortgage Brokers Can Help Get The Best Deals

“No bank will always have the best deal every day. Mortgage brokers work with as many as 18 banks in any given day,” Blood notes. Interest rates and other variables involved in a home purchase change frequently, often within a day’s time. In addition, federal law requires that mortgage brokers give the best rate a buyer can qualify for, a standard that banks and credit unions are not obliged to observe.

Gather Facts

In general, Blood advises that home buyers go into the search armed with as many facts as possible. It’s one of the most complex and demanding purchases a family is likely to make and it deserves some study and research. Begin the process educated and enlist a good broker to make recommendations. As the market continues to improve over the next few years, these are the buyers who will benefit from the rebound, he says. Contact him for more information about mortgage loans.