Author Archives: schatzi

Mar
27
2023

Do Antiques And Collectibles Make A Good Investment?

There are many people who are looking for alternative types of investments these days. Because of the falling strength of the dollar and poor performance of other types of investments, alternative options such as investing in antiques and collectibles are something that people are considering. Are these really good investments to consider?

There are many types of antiques and collectibles that have in the past been great investments and it’s likely that this will be true in the future. While these are not something that one should invest all their cash into, there are certain areas that one might consider because of great performance.

One area of antiques and collectibles that many people are investing in are gold and silver coins. These are seen as valuable since whenever currencies tend to lose their buying power, gold and silver do not. This means that the money one earns will retain it’s value much easier when invested into something like this. Because of this, gold and silver are very strong investments. While it is not a great way to get rich overnight, if someone has loads of money, they can purchase a great amount of gold, and get a strong return on investment much later in life.

There are many types of collectibles such as trading cards, toys, comic books, and others that have returned a great investment over time for many people. The issue is that it is very difficult to predict which will be worth good money years in the future and which will not. There seems to be an element of luck associated with these types of returns.

For those who might not need the cash return immediately, these types of investments in antiques and collectibles could be a good idea. It is a long term investment as it will take a number of years for newer items to become valuable. For older items, the cost will tend to be a bit higher, but if held for a number of years, the value may rise.

Consider the maintenance costs of these types of investments as well. Some items require certain temperatures and proper care to keep in good condition while others do not. If proper care can’t be provided, it’s best to stick with something else. Overall, it is an investment strategy to consider. The more knowledge someone obtains, the better of an investment antiques become. It is certainly something worth checking out.

Mar
26
2023

Find the Cheapest Insurance Quotes Online in a Rough Economy

Today’s troubled economy has left millions of people barely able to make ends meet. Most people are now searching for ways to trim their budgets. Whether the economy is good or bad, insurance is something we can’t afford to cut from our budgets. Insurance is particularly important in tough economic times as it provides an extra layer of financial protection against unforeseen events that can affect one’s financial status. Fortunately, there are ways to find cheap insurance quotes online that will help you cut down on the cost of your insurance premiums.

Technological developments have resulted in the creation of online insurance comparison applications that allows one to find the cheapest insurance policy quotes. There are now a number of insurance information websites that offer a free search tool that allows users to request quotes quickly. You just have to enter a few details about your particular personal situation, and in a matter of seconds, you will receive a number of cheap quotes from different insurance companies. Instead of going from insurance site to insurance site which can take hours, you only have to submit your information once and you will receive the cheapest quotes. You can take your time to compare each quote which includes the coverage and premium quotes, and then choose the best quote that meets your needs. You do not have to worry about dealing with any high pressure sales tactics from insurance agents.

The best part of using online insurance comparison sites is the convenience. Each state permits the purchase of insurance online. When you visit an insurance quote comparison site, you just have to enter your zip code so that the appropriate companies in your area will be identified to offer the cheapest quotes. As well, receiving quotes from insurance providers in your state ensures that the quotes include any state mandates such as a set minimum coverage. The best convenience feature is that you can receive the cheapest quote and then purchase the best policy for your particular needs without leaving your computer. You can find the cheapest quote any time of the day or evening, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A legitimate online insurance comparison service will not ask for payment to use their online quote comparison tool.

An insurance quote service provides valuable information so that users can make the best choice at the best price. Online insurance quote sites now offer a variety of different types of insurance quotes such as auto, health, life, and homeowners insurance. Comparing quotes online is beneficial for those looking for flexibility, no sales pressure, fast service, and cheap premium rates. To find an insurance quote site, you just have to Google ‘insurance quote service’ or similar keywords. You will then find a list of legitimate quote sites that offer free comparison quotes.

The decline in the economy has had a negative financial impact on millions of people causing them to cut back on their expenses. Using an online insurance quote service will help people lower their insurance premiums and put more money back in their pockets.

Mar
25
2023

Many Sellers and Buyers Are Starting to Use Seller Financed Notes in Their Transactions

Many people have struggled over the past years, especially those trying to sell their homes. The real estate market has been absolutely dreadful, making it hard for some to sell their home at top dollar in a short time period. These circumstances have made it hard to sell a home, sometimes even with the help of a real estate agent. This is why many sellers are open to using seller financed notes with an interested buyer.

Many use a real estate agent to help them get a sale, but these days even the traditional method isn’t working. You get help with marketing the home, but placing pictures online and scheduling home visits doesn’t sell a home. The reason is poor credit scores and the inability of some to obtain traditional financing. This eliminates a large number of interested buyers, some who currently find themselves in a better financial situation.

If you’re a seller trying to get rid of your home quickly, you many want to consider using seller financed notes. This allows you to serve as the banker or holder of the loan. You provide the money needed to the buyer in the form of an IOU created by your lawyer. It’s really an ideal situation because there’s no need for traditional financing and you receive top dollar for the property.

You will want to make sure you research the buyer well and have a good lawyer put together the list of all conditions and stipulations for the buyer. Otherwise you could find yourself in a sticky situation. The payment schedule needs to be exact. Although, you don’t have to deal with the situation on a long term basis. You can recruit the services of a company to buy the seller financed notes from you for a lump cash sum.

Mar
24
2023

How To Make Your Business Process Management (BPM) Mobile Friendly

So just exactly what is a business process? In a nutshell, it’s how your company does business. Now this might sound rather simple to you, but it turns out that most of the business processes that our firms use to do business are complicated multi-step beasts and are increasingly dependent on the importance of information technology.. The arrival of everyday mobile devices has had a major impact on how firms perform their processes. As the person with the CIO job, it’s going to be up to you to help map mobile apps into the company’s existing processes.

Four Things That IT Has To Do To Make Business Processes Mobile

I’ve got some bad news for the person in the CIO position: there is no magic bullet when it comes to making mobile apps work with the company’s processes. Instead, what your IT department is going to have to do is a number of different things. Here are four of the most important:

  1. Go On A Fieldtrip: Before you can start to make decisions about how to add mobile apps to your company’s processes, you are going to have to first understand those processes. This won’t be easy: few people in the company will fully understand them. IT staffers are going to have to go outside of the IT department to collect the process information that will be needed.
  2. Think Big: When it comes to mobilizing a company’s processes, the one thing that you don’t want to do is to think small. Don’t allow a small group of experts to work on this problem in the back corner of an office. Rather, involve as much of the company as possible and make the mobilization of the core processes everyone’s responsibility.
  3. Change To Match Your Apps: Business processes were never created to be set in stone. Rather, they are designed to be updated and modified as things change. The IT department will be the first to know when the company is rolling out a new mobile app. When this happens, take the time to go back to the business apps that it affects and update them to make use of the new mobile app.
  4. Become Social: In the brave new world that we live in, social media can play a big role in every aspect of a company’s business. The IT department is often at the forefront of how the company interacts with the various social media channels. Using new mobile apps, the information about what your customers want and need that is gained needs to be fed back into the processes so that it can be used to boost the company’s success.

What All Of This Means For You

It probably would not be an overstatement to say that the ultimate success of a company depends on the quality of its business processes. The arrival of mobile devices and their associated mobile applications changes everything. As CIO, it’s going to be your job to find ways to make sure that these new mobile applications find their way into the company’s existing processes.

In order to incorporate mobile apps into the company’s business processes, the IT department is going to have to first do some homework. How the existing business processes work is going to have to be understood and this can only be done by working closely with other departments. Updating business processes can impact the entire company and so as CIO you’ll need to make sure that the entire company is involved. As new apps become available, make sure that the affected business processes get updated. Finally, social media offers unique insights into what your customers are looking for so make sure that it gets collected and worked into the business processes.

The very lifeblood of a company is its business processes. As the CIO, it is your job to make sure that these valuable properties are kept up-to-date. The arrival of mobile applications offers a unique opportunity to make your company better. Follow these suggestions and help your company to stay ahead!