Faith Between Us

Archive for December, 2009

As the economy continues to tank so do the number of Americans without health insurance-and the number small business owners who can afford to insure their employees.

A recent survey by the NFIB Research Foundation, a small business advocacy group, showed that only 47 percent of small business owners offer employee health benefits. Those employing 20 or more people are more than twice as likely to offer employee health benefits as those with fewer than 10.

The survey found that the low numbers are primarily the result of new small businesses opting not to cover employees. Most small businesses who offer benefits have offered them for a while and are reluctant to drop them for fear of losing good employees.

”It’s much better for employee morale if a small-business owner never offers health benefits, than it is to offer them and then be forced to take it away because it is too expensive to continue,” said William J. Dennis, NFIB’s senior research fellow. “Small-business owners experience considerable turmoil in their early years. They often experience cash flow problems and are reluctant to incur additional expenses such as health insurance. What’s new to this picture is that it appears that new small-business owners are waiting longer or choosing not to offer health insurance benefits to their employees at all.”

The fact that new small businesses are choosing not to offer benefits is a disturbing trend because of the swift turnover of the small business population. If the trend continues, the number of employers who never offer benefits will increase. And that will hurt small businesses because it will limit thet talent pool from which they draw.  Read more...

Often, entrepreneurs ask how a business LOC should be used. In previous articles we have primarily focused on the different types of business lines of credit and how they can be used in conjunction with startup operations of a business. However, in this article, we will shift our focus on how a business line of credit is usually used in the course of business for company that has been established. Typically, business LOC and other revolving credit facilities are used to finance the ongoing inventory purchases, payroll, and other short term needs of a business. The long term acquisition of financing equipment, real estate, and other large purchases is typically complete through the acquisition of traditional business loans or SBA backed loans.

The use a business line of credit for the development of a business is most appropriate for businesses that are not overly capitally intensive. This includes professional practices or small businesses that do not require large equipment purposes. Again, a business LOC is a fantastic credit facility for those seeking to establish a small business because it gives you the flexibility needed to draw down principal balances as needed rather than having to take on a lump sum loan. Professional practices and other service related businesses can startup and survive using a line of credit because there are no goods changing hands. Unless you a retailing business or distribution business, you may want to investigate using a traditional business loan versus a business line of credit in order to launch the operations of your business.  Read more...

How nice the situation would have been if you did not need to worry about the protection of yours and your employees, if you did not need to think about your retirement, pension, insurance and so many such issues which disturb you a lot. But, the tragedy is that it is an imaginary situation and the real world fact is that it is your responsibility and duty to take care of all these and many more financial issues. You can choose various plans which can take care of your finances and for that you can opt for financial planning services firms.

These days many Financial Planning Services firms are active which are providing excellent services to the individuals and companies. This is a fact that clear plans regarding your income and expenses are necessary to lead a happy business life otherwise you may fail to achieve your financial goals and objectives. You can utilize financial planning services firms to avoid such situations. They help in building and protecting your wealth by suggesting some financial plans and designing a guide which helps to manage your wealth and expenses.

This is true that a well though-out financial plan is difficult to make but this is possible with financial planning services firms. They work to transform your financial outlook and help to manage your wealth in more efficient ways. You can get education regarding wealth strategies and asset management. You can also seek suggestions regarding traditional financial planning tools like funds, bonds, equities etc. and you also can avail better banking solutions for a good financial management. These days such firms also offer a full spectrum of rescue and financial plans on behalf of companies, partnerships and individuals who have debt problems.  Read more...

A small business organization normally consists of 2 to 50 employees; and it is the endeavor of the whole organization that combines to bring success to the organization. What if an employee falls ill? Yes, your whole organization will be affected and thus might put a negative impact on the output. Here, comes the benefit of purchasing a small business group health insurance policy.

We all will agree that the cost of medical treatments is on a rise and for a simple treatment; you need to shell out hundreds of pounds from your pockets. This might land you up in heavy financial burden. So many people avoid going to doctors and later on these small ailments turn into complications. Same happens in a small business organization. Because of the high cost of medical treatments, the employees of a small business organization might not go to a specialist for routine check-ups. This might prove detrimental to the organization. A small business group health insurance will ensure that the employees in an organization are provided with adequate benefits to take care of their health.

Earlier small business group health insurance was not so common, because the rate of premium of these insurance policies were generally higher. But, these days there are many insurance companies that provide with cheap and affordable small business group health insurance. Otherwise, many a times it is seen that the premium is equally divided between the employer and his employees.  Read more...

In this case study, we will explore how a financial services management company automated the printing aspect of their Correspondence Management System to improve the efficiency of the operation and reduce the costs associated with printing and distributing printed communications to their customers.

Company – This Company is one of the world’s leading providers of financial services for corporations, institutions and affluent individuals around the world. The specific entity within the company examined in this Case Study is one that provides fund management services for banks and financial companies around the United Kingdom.

Business Problem – The Company’s Correspondence Management System (CMS) requires many different types of letters to be printed on many different styles of letterhead stationery. Each bank they provide fund management services for has different letterhead paper and different business rules regarding additional pages of standard and/or variable information that needs to be bundled along with the letters being printed (this can be different by type of letter being printed within a single bank also).

To accomplish their letter printing, the CMS user would place the right number of pages of the appropriate letterhead and continuation sheets into a nearby printer, then print the document from within the CMS to the printer they had chosen. As they print they are hoping that:

Nobody else sends any letters to that printer in the meantime

 Read more...