Our Commentary

Last week I began a discussion of the three keys to success for any business as related to me by one of Alabama’s most successful entrepreneurs. His first key to success is, “Stay close to your numbers”, meaning that it’s imperative that you watch your money very closely. The ‘tools of the trade’ include a Balance Sheet, […]

  As plastic surgery marketing, 10% and job prospects for those seeking employment remain stilted, more and more people are considering pursuit of the dream of owning their own business so they can control their own financial destiny. Many great success stories were born out of adverse situations. For example, Julie Trade of Scottsdale, Arizona was […]

Today is officially the first day of summer…a time when children celebrate a break from the classroom. While they think of play, it’s a good time for adults to reflect on where we’ve been and what’s ahead as far as the economy is concerned. The recession that became apparent in 2008 ushered in the worst bear market […]

The first half of 2009 will soon be over so now is a good time to take a moment to reassess your financial situation and make certain you are on track for your short and long-term financial goals. Here’s a checklist of items for you to consider:   Debt. Review your debt reduction strategy. If you don’t have […]

The failure of General Motors, once the largest employer in the world, can provide valuable lessons to us all. Ultimately, the demise of GM boiled down to a loss of focus which spiraled into massive inefficiencies. All of us have a tendency to lose focus and become inefficient in our everyday lives if we don’t develop and […]

For years leading up to the near collapse of our banking system, bank and Wall Street executives lined their personal pockets, through incentive compensation, with ill-gotten gains from securities transactions that they did not understand. What they did understand was how much money was being made for themselves and their banks so they continued to party […]

While everybody is bemoaning this terrible economy, it has created some outstanding opportunities. One excellent opportunity is in the area of intra-family loans. Federal law requires that loans of more than $10,000 between family members must carry a minimum interest rate known as the ‘applicable federal rate’ (AFR). This rate is re-set and published each month (Google ‘Applicable […]

With the unprecedented generational bear market that has wreaked havoc on investors’ portfolios, this is a good time to review life insurance quotes and determine if you have enough coverage. Remember that you depend on the combination of your investment assets plus your life insurance to make sure your dependants are financially secure should you […]

For most of us, April 15th was a reminder of just how complicated and expensive our current tax system is. The income tax code currently exceeds 67,000 pages filled with such complexity that even the IRS agents give wrong answers to taxpayer’s questions 43% of the time. What if there was a better way…a tax system that […]

Years from now we will look back on this time in history as the sale of the century! Virtually everything is on sale. Let’s look at where your best opportunities are:   New cars. The recession has caused consumers to turn from spenders to savers especially in the area of big ticket items such as automobiles. As a result, […]