SevenToTen - Blogging About Everything

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

What is Warren Buffett thinking about Europe? The billionaire investor and Berkshire Hathaway chief will visit the Continent next month to scout out possible acquisitions of family-owned companies.

Angelo Moratti of Italian oil refiner Saras and Eitan Wertheimer of Israeli metalworker Iscar - a company Berkshire purchased in 2006 in its first overseas buyout - are arranging the trip, which comes as Buffet decides what to do with $40 billion in cash on Berkshire’s balance sheet.

Buffett said in Berkshire’s 2007 annual report that big acquisitions are necessary to keep returns up to par. “Though our managers may be the best,” he wrote, “we will need large and sensible acquisitions to get the growth in operating earnings we wish.”

Buffett has shown he prefers to buy into companies in which the owners are fully involved in operating the business, a preference that will no doubt help determine his itinerary next month.

Oil hit another record high but has since pulled back. The dollar showed some strength and corporate earnings were pretty good.

Boeing blew away earnings estimates. Ford posted a surprise profit. And even though investors were disappointed by Microsoft’s quarterly forecast, they issued a healthy outlook for its next fiscal year. The worst of the credit crunch may finally be behind us.

No more major bombshells from financial institutions, a sign that the Fed’s six rate cuts since last September and massive injections of liquidity into the banking system may be working.

In fact, Merrill Lynch indicated yesterday that it would pay its dividend this quarter, relieving investors who were anticipating a cut. There seems to be cause for optimism about the markets. The Dow is active again and the bond market is not acting as if it is in recession anymore.

Bonds have fallen in recent weeks, raising the yields. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions and lower yields are usually associated as a sign of economic weakness. And for consumers, even though it’s still a painful time because of rising food and gas prices, the first of the government’s tax rebate has hit mailboxes.

Of course, it still is a rough economic environment. The surging price of food threatens to disrupt U.S. consumer spending patterns and the global economy. That’s where the Federal Reserve will hopefully step in. Many fear that more rate cuts could lead to a further weakening of the dollar, which in turn, could fuel more speculation in the commodities markets and drive food and gas prices even higher.

So higher interest rates, not more cuts, might be exactly what this market and economy needs. Hopefully, the Fed will send a strong signal to investors Wednesday that it is getting ready to sit tight.

My blog focuses on economy and businesses but from time to time, I do have certain posts on fashion targeted at women. I mean, I can’t help but notice the latest fashion trends and bargain buys from my wife’s shopping activities, given that I am the one who always have to settle the credit card bills at the end of the month. I figure what is good for my wife must be good for women at large.

Economy and fashion actually goes hand in hand. Our economy is in the doldrums right now and jobs are at stake, so lots of retail stores are suffering. But since Mother’s Day is near, I believe my wife deserves some rewards and I don’t really begrudge her excessive spending during this period.

I notice some purchases from her on this website, Bandlet, so I checked it out and and found they sell lots of women’s authentic brand name apparel, BCBG, Dolce & Gabanna, Ralph Lauren, INC, Charter House, Tahari, etc.

Besides clothing, they also offer designer bags, sunglasses, shoes, and accessories. I am impressed at their amazing prices which are kind to my budget. Click on the Dress category and you will find lots of summer dresses that are as cute as can be. I chanced upon a pretty dress at only $20 - Belle du Jour (a green floral faux wrap dress) which will definitely look fabulous on my wife and this will be my little surprise for her.

Even if you aren’t into fashion, I think it is a good idea to check out this site. Dress to kill at only $20.00 and under. My wife is obsessed with Dolce & Gabanna and I think all girls love to stock their closet with this brand. Brandlet will offer you free shipping for orders exceeding $99. There is also a 30 Day money back guarantee if the products do not meet your satisfaction.

I hate our formal education. I mean, we spend close to a quarter of our lives in school but they never teach us how to handle money. We are told to work hard and be good employees. This is something which is not healthy for us or our children because we always have to struggle to make ends meet.

There are many books and online resources which teach you how to create and manage money. This website, Money.co.uk, is a new financial portal with over thousands of high quality articles about Credit Cards, Mortgages, Insurance, and anything related to money. Your financial knowledge will increase by leaps and bounds once you have absorbed all their content.

To get out of debt, I always believe in putting a limit on credit cards spending. But don’t ban or abhor credit cards, as the emergency funds can come in handy. Also you can get petrol, dining or shopping discounts from credit cards. Fitting in the right credit cards into your lifestyle may be a boon than a bane.

There are many credit card providers with a wide range of products, what to choose and how to choose remains the most frequently asked questions. In addition to credit cards, you can also get free quotes for insurance and mortgage by visiting the site.

Besides harnessing Credit Cards debts, you also need to expanding your knowledge in business and investment. Grasping the basics of accounting is necessary to trace and manage your money. List down all your assets and liabilities and you realize your current net worth.

With the right investments, you can look forward to a comfortable retirement. Don’t think you need a large salary for this to happen, some people have amazing earning powers but still manage to save little, if at all. Putting aside a portion of your salary to generate more income is important. 10% is a good start. After a few years while adding 10% each month, you will be surprised that your earned salary is insignificant compared to the lucrative business or investment income.

Leverage your time and money to your advantage once you sense a good opportunity. There are many types of investing like real estate, merchandising, stock market, commodities, etc, or maybe you can create your own business and brand it. Branding is very important in business in order for potential costumers to buy your products.

After you established your income stream or portfolio, it is time to resign from your regular job and concentrate on expanding your business. You will be busy enough looking for new market trends and opportunities that abound. Money is easy to achieve if you are serious in gaining them. Subscribe to their financial email newsletter and RSS feeds of financial blogs today.

There are niche businesses you can get into like candy machines which can earn you a passive income. It may seem like a lowly job, acting like a delivery and service man. But if you do it right, considering the right locations, you should have no problem producing a regular income from the machines.

The work involved are basically to tend to the machines a few times a month, stock them, repair them when necessary and purchase supplies. Patience and perseverance are needed to succeed. I have conducted some research and will talk more about this money-making business later.

With businesses in a multitude of sectors, such as health care, finance, energy, consumer electronics, industry and media, many consider General Electric to be a barometer for the health of the U.S. economy.

GE has typically been a model of consistency, rarely missing - or beating - estimates. Only once since 2006 has GE failed to deliver earnings that exactly met First Call’s forecast. That was in second quarter of 2007, when it beat the earnings per share forecast by a penny.

Thus, investors were surprised when they missed first-quarter earnings, deflating hopes that the conglomerate could rise above a continued economic slowdown.

Even with strong presence in overseas overseas and a 22% year-over-year gain in global revenue, they were not immune to the U.S. credit crisis.

GE lowered their full-year earnings guidance, and its second-quarter forecast fell short of expectations. GE reported lower net income compared to the first quarter of 2007. Earnings are at 44 cents per share, down from 48 cents per share a year earlier and well below 51-cent-a-share as projected by analysts.

Some retailers have blamed an early Easter and cooler weather for decreasing store sales in March. These two factors, combined with sluggishness in consumer spending, exacerbated the damage.

It is a perfect storm of factors: Gas and food prices are at an all-time high, the housing market is deteriorating, the credit market is tighter and consecutive months of job losses. However, retailers are looking forward to April sales. Last April, sales fell 1.8%. So the comparisons are easier. Also, seasonal purchases should get a boost as the weather improves.

Sales tracker Thomson Financial has reported that many retailers have missed analysts’ estimates than beating forecasts. The disappointments were more pronounced for firms like Limited Brands, owner of Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works chains, and teen apparel chain Pacific Sunwear which logged an 8% sales decline.

If you are in business (whether it is retail, restaurant, phone order or e-commerce), there comes a time when you have to accept credit card payments. This will elevate your company profile and push your sales to the next plateau.

The problem is where to look for a secure, fast, affordable, and user-friendly credit cards machine? I believe Flagship Merchant Services has the answer. They possess a huge market share in credit card processing services, based on their ultra competitive pricing programs, technical expertise, customer service, and reliability.

Using Flagship services, merchants can now accept credit cards, debit card, and checks (basically, any non cash transactions) at the point of sale, over the internet. If you worry about exorbitant set-up fees and believe that a credit card machine is only for big corporations and not your tiny one-man show, you are off the mark.

There no account set-up fee, paperwork or annual fee. You also get for free: shopping cart, credit card terminal program, online sales tracking and reporting and American Express set-up. All merchants will also be assigned an account representative and receive priority customer support 24 hours a day in 150 languages.

See, you are paying almost nothing to get skyrocketing sales and a hassle-free experience.

Before you get all excited, you have not asked the all-important questions when it comes to credit-card payments: chargebacks and fraud. Are merchants being taken seriously on this issue by Flagship Merchant Services? Well, you are in safe hands as they have one of the largest credit card fraud, loss prevention and chargeback departments in the credit card processing industry.

My friend has a small business selling hand-made crafts, maybe I can introduce him to this site. While paypal is convenient, I think he will appreciate getting a merchant account for minimal cost.

In business, cost saving is an important aspect of long-term survivability. But should you sacrifice records management? I think if you do, it is a very short-sighted approach. Penny-wise, pound foolish…

I see a program for records management as an investment rather than a business cost, especially with stringent laws like Sarbanes-Oxley coming into place. In a nutshell, Sarbanes-Oxley requires financial accountability and and corporate governance for public companies. Consistent, credible records is a must.

Compliance costs will skyrocket for companies who do not improve and they will also attract SEC and FTC scrutiny. As a result, a lot of companies have taken to storing more records than necessary. The storage cost invariably increases which is an unnecessary drain on resources.

To cut down your cost, the best way is to leave the records management to professionals. There is a website, Record Nations, which is quite useful. They can help you to scan your documents. Document Scanning Services essentially help you to transfer your paper records into electronic copies which will then be available to anyone with access to the document database.

Any document can be quickly found using keywords. If a hard copy is required, it can be printed and once used, shredded and recycled. After all, the key is to find information as and when it is needed, not to stockpile and keep everything but end up in a costly mess.

One of my friend is in business and his office is terribly messy and tables always cluttered with papers. I am sure he needs a Document Scanning Service.

Researching online programs can be a risky business. It seems that no matter which way I turn, there are contradictory advice or making money opportunities best described as scams.

These programs offer very little, if anything, in return. Unfortunately, for newbies like me or those who are desperate or greedy, we can be lured by the beautiful promises and waste our time and money.

They become discouraged and in turn give up their dreams of online income after joining a “good” program but it falls short of expectations in terms of reward and support.

“Too good to be true” and it often is.