What Research About Can Teach You

Do You Have to Pay Your Tax Obligations When You File? Many people wonder, “Do You Need to Pay Your Tax Obligations When I File?” The answer to this inquiry depends upon your age, income, and filing status. View here to learn more You may not have to submit your taxes if you have no earnings, yet you might intend to file anyhow to obtain tax obligation credit reports and also various other advantages. Annually, the internal revenue service establishes new declaring thresholds. Check it out! Click for more info To stay clear of missing out on any kind of reductions, you should double check your kinds prior to you submit them. Initially, you should know the charges you can be billed for falling short to file your taxes on time. Click this homepage here! The IRS fees you a penalty of 5% of your unsettled taxes for every single month you fall short to file. This charge expands to $435 if you are 60 days late in filing your taxes. This can accumulate very rapidly. If you require more time, submit an extension. If you still can not pay for to submit, you can always try to pay the tax obligation expense with an extension. In many cases, you might be able to bargain with the internal revenue service to settle your tax obligation costs without needing to pay your whole balance. This process is called an offer in concession. With a deal in compromise, you can choose less than you owe, and the IRS will not seek collection activity against you till your scenarios enhance. Numerous taxpayers utilize this process when they have few assets and also have trouble fulfilling their living costs. No matter your declaring condition, there are a range of government tax obligations that you may be required to pay. These may include pay-roll taxes, social safety and security and Medicare, as well as joblessness insurance policy. Click here now More about this company here These taxes may be withheld from staff members’ paychecks. Nevertheless, some kinds of revenue may require unique types. If you help an employer, you might additionally have to hold back tax obligations from your workers’ earnings. These are called federal employment taxes. They are paid to the federal government with Kind 1040, which is an internal revenue service type utilized to report your revenue. Click here for more info. If you are incapable to pay your taxes on tax obligation day, you should file an expansion to pay. Read more on this website or Read more here on this page You need to additionally investigate your options for paying the internal revenue service. Go to this site to learn more. Inevitably, if you have a plan to pay your tax obligations, you need to think about pursuing it. You can prevent penalties and also interest by understanding your options. Learn about this service now If you are not able to pay your tax obligations on time, the effects might be devastating. You might have to pay your tax obligations in a timely manner if you intend to avoid charges as well as passion charges. If you wait too long to submit your tax obligations, the internal revenue service will start billing you for late tax obligations. Click this website now Interest rates raise by 1% monthly after 10 days. Discover more about this product here The late-filing charge is generally 5 percent of the tax owed. This penalty can worsen swiftly as well as make declaring tax obligations a difficult task. If you can’t make payments promptly, file your return as well as work out a layaway plan. You can likewise pick to pay your tax obligations with a bank card or debit card. Read more now View here! The regular monthly repayments will cost you around $2.49 to $3.95, depending on the approach you pick. You can earn incentives by paying with your bank card, yet bear in mind that higher equilibriums on charge card can damage your credit report. This option might not be right for you if you have an uncontrollable debt. View here for more info.

The Key Elements of Great

What You Need to Know About College Budgeting

Do not wait till you start working for you to know how to manage your money. At college, you will learn a lot of things that need cash that you barely have, check on this website to learn more. You will have to make school fees payments, purchase food and even pay for accommodation. If you know how to use your cash and save, then you will be good to go throughout your college life. There are a number of ways that you can get to budget and save your money. Continue reading to learn more about college budgeting.

Get to write down every place that you will have to channel your cash. Ensure that you write your list in a prioritised order. For example you can start with fees and food. Check on any other activity that needs your money you might have left out. You can inquire from a trusted friend to help you discover any other thing that might need your money. Get to search on the internet on the platforms that need your cash.

Now, check what is needed in each channel. Calculate the average amount you can use in each. This information will help you make the right budgeting decision. For food purchase, you can decide the least amount that you would wish to use. You will be able to make this decision, by first checking out on the average food price index, you can view here to learn more about this. If you want to spend less money, you can opt to buy whole foods and prepare meals by yourself, rather than going to cafeterias, you can learn more now!

About fees, their might be scholarships and fees funding around, you can read more here about these. Check whether there is any funding being offered by the school or any organisation around, if you need more info, view here! The school news papers have lots of information on this, you can always be reading them, continue reading for more info. If you find one, it will mean that some cash would have been saved from fees and your budgeting amount will be less, learn more about this company that provides tips for college budgeting.

Track each and every expense. This step will enable you to realise when you have overspend and help you be disciplined, you can continue reading for more info. There are lots of apps you can choose to download that help one track their expenses, you can check out for this service here incase you want to learn more about budgeting, check on this page to learn more.

What I Can Teach You About

6 Tips for Selecting a Motivational Speaker for Your Following Occasion When selecting an inspirational speaker for your next conference, meeting, or event, there are a couple of things to take into consideration. Initially, you’ll require to determine the goals of your occasion. If the event is to influence and inspire participants, the audio speaker’s message should matter and uplifting to the guests. Check this site and read more now about this product. Likewise, if the event is about organization or personal advancement, it is essential to pick somebody who knows with the topic and also can aid your target market recognize exactly how to succeed. An inspirational speaker has several advantages as well as usages. It can act as a kick-off for your occasion, present the motif or material, and energize your group. However picking the appropriate audio speaker can be tough. If you’re uncertain of the type of occasion you’re intending, take into consideration asking loved ones who have actually been to similar occasions. It is necessary to pick a person that’s readily available for the specific day of your event. The speaker’s personality is likewise important. If the audio speaker fidgets, your target market may be as well. It’s much better to choose an audio speaker that is awesome as well as accumulated. A positive speaker will certainly make the space feel much more welcoming. Nevertheless, the audience will take cues from their efficiency. Besides being an expert in the topic, a motivational speaker ought to have the ability to offer their messages properly with video. While this may seem counter-intuitive, it is very important to realize that not all audio speakers are great virtual audio speakers. A speaker who works on video has an exceptional display presence and also can catch the interest of the audience and maintain it throughout the discussion. To read more about this company view here! A digital audio speaker requires to be personalized as well as professional on the system, and they should be prepared to show a couple of slides from their keynote. An efficient speaker must be able to stop briefly in between points and do not rush with their speech. This will assist the audience digest what the audio speaker is trying to say. See page and click for more details now! An audio speaker should likewise have a sense of humor as well as allow the target market to respond without interruption. View this homepage to know more info. The target market needs to feel like they’re getting an individual message from the audio speaker, instead of just being informed what to think. Investigating the audio speaker’s background and also experience is crucial. You can look prospective speakers online or request an expert reel of their work. It is also essential to locate an idea leader who is familiar with the industry in which your occasion is based. This will certainly aid you pick the most effective possible inspirational speaker for your occasion. Click this website and discover more about this service. You must additionally recognize the demographics of your audience so you can discover the excellent speaker. The most successful audio speakers talk from individual experiences and also share real stories concerning their experiences. A speaker who talks from experience is most likely to get in touch with a target market, which is vital to obtaining them determined and encouraged.

Financial Freedom For All

Planning A Move To The U S Understand U S Tax Residency Rules

If you are contemplating a move to the United States (U.S.), note that you should consider tax implications well ahead of your actual move date. Your tax liability in the U.S. is dependent on your citizenship or residency status in the U.S.:
  • U.S. citizens and resident aliens are taxed on their worldwide income
  • Non-resident aliens are only taxed on their U.S. source income

This may present opportunities to structure your financial affairs before being subject to the full U.S. tax system.

US Tax residency

How U.S. Tax Residency is Determined

From the standpoint of the U.S., you are either a U.S. citizen or an alien. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you are considered a resident alien or a non-resident alien. Aliens may be considered resident aliens under the following conditions:

  • Green Card Holder – lawful permanent resident
  • Substantial presence test
  • Elections to be treated as a U.S. tax resident

An income tax treaty can override U.S. tax residency.

Each of these categories of U.S. tax residents are discussed below in addition to general U.S. state tax residency rules and U.S. estate and gift tax residency rules.

U.S. Citizenship

If you are a U.S. citizen, you are taxed on your worldwide income, no matter where in the world you may reside, and no matter where your income may be derived. Generally, you are a citizen of the U.S. if you were born in the U.S. or born to a U.S. citizen parent who lived in the U.S. for a certain number of years after age 14. This can sometimes create issues for Canadians born in the U.S. or to U.S. parents; these people may be accidental Americans.

U.S. citizenship can be renounced, but this can create issues if you have a high net worth or income, or have later plans to work in / travel to the U.S.

Green Card Holders

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may issue a (lawful) permanent resident card (LPR) allowing you to reside and work permanently in the U.S. as an immigrant. You would then be referred to as a Green Card holder or LPR. The tax treatment of Green Card holders is like that of U.S. citizens: you’re taxed on worldwide income no matter where you may reside or earn that income. However, your Green Card may be revoked if you abandon the intention to reside permanently in the U.S.

A Green Card may also be surrendered/abandoned.  In the case where a Green Card has expired but has not been formally revoked by USCIS (via the filing of an I-407 Record of Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident Status) or surrendered by the holder, you are still subject to U.S. worldwide taxation and reporting.

If you are a non-resident alien receiving a Green Card during the year, you should determine the start date of your U.S. tax residency (e.g., the day from which you become subject to worldwide reporting in the U.S.) If you do not meet the substantial presence test, your first day of tax residency in the U.S. is the day you are issued your Green Card. If you do meet the substantial presence test, you first day of tax residency in the U.S. is the earlier of:

  • The first day of presence during the year under the substantial presence test, or
  • The day you are issued your Green Card

Substantial Presence Test

The substantial presence test may deem a non-resident alien to be a resident alien based on the number of days they have resided in the U.S. To qualify under the substantial presence test, you must be present in the U.S. for a least:

  • 31 days during the current tax year; and
  • 183 days over the current year and preceding two years, calculated as follows:
    • All of the current year days spent in the U.S.; plus
    • 1/3 of the days spent in the U.S. in the first preceding tax year; plus
    • 1/6 of the days spent in the U.S. in the second preceding tax year

You are considered to be present in the U.S. on any day in which you are physically present in the U.S. at any time during the day, except:

  • Days where you commuted to work in the U.S. from a residence in Canada or Mexico and back again, if you regularly commute to work from outside the U.S.
  • Days where you are present in the U.S. for less than 24 hours and where you are in transit between two locations outside of the U.S.
  • Days you are unable to leave the U.S. due to a medical condition that develops while in the U.S.

If you meet the substantial presence test, you can still be treated as a non-resident alien because of a closer connection to a foreign country. This closer connection is met if you:

  • Are present in the U.S. for less than 183 days during the current tax year;
  • Maintain a tax home in a foreign country during the current tax year;
  • Have stronger residential ties to the foreign country in which you have a tax home; and
  • File Form 8840 Closer Connection Exception Statement for Aliens with your U.S. return for the tax year

It is important to note that if you are physically present in the U.S. for 183 days in the current year, you may not claim closer connection to another country and are a U.S. tax resident. Also, if you have made an application for a change in status to Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) and are substantially present in the U.S., you are a U.S. tax resident under Regulations 7701(b)(3)(B) and (C). There may be relief from U.S. taxation through operation of the tax treaties in both these situations, but a U.S. tax return disclosing, but not taxing, worldwide income and full foreign information reporting would still be required. Careful planning around timing of the application for a Green Card is required.

If you are a non-resident alien qualifying under the substantial presence test during the year, you should determine the start date of your U.S. residency (e.g., the day from which you become subject to worldwide reporting in the U.S.) Under the substantial presence test, the first day of residency in the U.S. is the first day of presence in the U.S. However, you may exclude up to the first 10 days of presence in the U.S. for the purpose of determining the first day of residency if:

  • Those 10 days are non-consecutive;
  • You are a resident of another country during the excluded period; and
  • You have a tax home in another country during the excluded period

As an example, let’s meet Cassie. Cassie was born and raised in Canada and came to the U.S. for a work assignment in 2021. Her parents are not U.S. citizens.  She was in the U.S. for 142 days in 2021. She was in the U.S. for 99 days in 2020 and 42 days in 2019.

Cassie does not meet the substantial presence test in 2021 based on the calculation below. We could possibly file Form 8840 Closer Connection Exception Statement for Aliens for Cassie for 2021, as she was in the U.S. for less than 183 days in the current year, and presuming that she had a closer connection to her home country.

Year Days Present in U.S. SPT Inclusion Ratio Days Counted for SPT
2021 142 1/1 142
2020 99 1/3 33
2019 42 1/6 7
Total     182

Elections to be Treated as a U.S. Tax Resident

There are a few different elections available if you wish to be treated as a U.S. tax resident. These are summarized as follows:

  • First-Year Election 7701(b)(4)
    • If you will meet the substantial presence test in the next tax year, you may elect to be treated as a part-year (dual-status) resident of the U.S. in the current year, as long as you were present in the U.S. for at least 31 consecutive days in the current year, and in the U.S. for at least 75 percent of the time beginning with the first 31 consecutive days in the current year and ending December 31st of the current year.
    • Advantages:
      • May be able to claim additional exemptions for spouse and dependents
      • Can claim post-arrival foreign deductions and foreign taxes which would not ordinarily be available
    • Disadvantage:
      • Post-arrival worldwide income is now subject to U.S. taxation, however a foreign tax credit may mitigate the increased U.S. tax
  • Full-Year Elections 6013(g) and (h)
    • Spouses who are not both full year residents may elect to be taxed as full year residents, under certain conditions
    • This enables you to file joint returns (which can only be filed by full year residents)
    • Advantages:
      • Can use married, filing jointly tax rates and tax brackets
      • Can claim post-arrival foreign deductions and foreign taxes which would not ordinarily be available
    • Disadvantage:
      • Entire year’s worldwide income is now subject to U.S. taxation, however a foreign tax credit may mitigate increased U.S. tax
    • Please note that filing a Married Filing Joint U.S. tax return is a silent election to have both spouses treated as U.S. resident taxpayers for the full year. This election cannot be easily revoked after the filing deadline.

Income Tax Treaty

At the time of this writing, the U.S. has a tax treaty in force with 66 countries.  If you are arriving from one of these countries to the U.S., it is likely that the residency article of the respective tax treaty will help determine your U.S. tax residence status. As an example, Article IV of the U.S.-Canada Tax Treaty states:

  • Paragraph 1 – A “resident of a Contracting State” is defined to mean a person who, under the laws of that State, is liable to tax by virtue of their domicile, residence, citizenship, or other criterion. This basically outlines that tax residency is first determined under each country’s tax rules.
  • Paragraph 2 – By virtue of paragraph 1, an individual may be a resident of two Contracting States at the same time – a dual resident. When this occurs, the U.S.-Canada Tax Treaty provides tie-breaker rules for determining the country in which you are a tax resident. The tax residency tie-breaker rules look at the following, in order:
    • The country where you have a permanent home available to you
    • The country where your centre of vital interests is strongest. Your centre of vital interests is defined as your personal and economic ties, such as the location of your family and social relations; your occupations; your political, cultural, or other activities; your place of business; the place from which you administer your property; etc.
    • The country in which you spend the greatest amount of time (habitual abode)
    • The country of your citizenship (note that a U.S. Green Card holder is not a U.S. citizen)
    • Competent authorities of both countries will settle the question of your tax residency by mutual agreement if the above sequence of tests is not conclusive

U.S. State Tax Residency

Generally, each state has its own tax residency tests, which typically differ from the U.S. federal concepts. Many states use a domicile test, which considers you a tax resident of that state, even if you were outside of that state for a temporary period. Domicile is the place where you have your permanent home and where you intend to return if you are living or working temporarily in another state. Your domicile is a question of fact.

Many states also have deemed domicile tests. As an example:

  • Arizona deems you to be a tax resident if you spend more than nine months of the tax year in the state
  • New York deems you to be a tax resident if you maintained a permanent place of abode in the state, and, spent more than 184 days in the state during the tax year

Note that you can be a U.S. state tax resident, but not a U.S. federal tax resident. Likewise, you can also be a U.S. federal tax resident, but not resident in any state.

U.S. Estate and Gift Tax Residency

U.S. estate and gift tax has a different concept of residency than income tax. You are subject to U.S. estate and gift tax if you are:

  • A U.S. citizen, or
  • Domiciled in the U.S. (see above for definition of domicile)

No-Lapse Rule

If after departing and terminating U.S. tax residency in one calendar tax year, a non-resident alien returns to the U.S. and resumes U.S. tax residency at any time during the subsequent calendar tax year, the alien will be classified as a resident alien for the entire continuous period. This can lead to unintended U.S. tax implications, and thus should be closely monitored.

Conclusion

As you likely gathered from this article, U.S. tax residency is complicated! It is best to review your unique situation with a qualified cross-border tax planning advisor and financial planner as soon as you begin spending more than a couple of months a year in the U.S., and well ahead of your actual move date to the U.S. There may be opportunities to structure your financial affairs before being subject to the full U.S. tax and reporting system. For more information, please contact Cardinal Point.

How Can Personal Finance Software Help Me?

 

In the good old days, personal finance for most people meant simply balancing their checkbook once a week and making sure they had enough money in the bank to cover the monthly bills. Of course that was long before the days of multiple credit cards, electronic fund transfers, PayPal, and the dozens of other complicated financial transactions made by even the average person on a daily basis. These days, keeping track of person finances can be quite a chore and can often overwhelm you, leading to a less than perfect financial situation.
Modern life has created additional headaches in our daily lives, but fortunately it has also provided new tools to use to control them. Personal finance software is the best option for keeping one’s personal finances organized and up to date.
Personal finance software comes in many varieties, each offering a specific set of financial tools. The simplest forms simply keep track of multiple bank accounts, including credit card accounts. The most complete versions offer tax tracking, investment tracking, budget analysis, electronic banking and a long list of other features. How much you need depends on your situation and how closely you want to track your finances.
Most banks now offer free electronic banking to their customers. Make sure that whichever program you choose, it is capable of taking advantage of electronic banking. The vast majority of programs offer this feature as standard so you shouldn’t have to look hard. With electronic banking, you can easily check your balance, automatically download statements, transfer funds among accounts and have all your information seamlessly transferred into your electronic account register.
The two powerhouses of financial software are Quicken from Intuit Corporation and Microsoft Money. Both companies offer several versions of the program and generally offer the same features. The interfaces are slightly different and one’s preference will likely come down to which one appeals to you most. New editions are released each year to account for changes in banking and tax law and owners of the previous year’s edition will receive discounts to upgrade.
Another option that is growing in popularity is software that is kept entirely online. You never actually download a program to your computer and can access your information from any computer connected to the Internet, including SmartPhones. This is referred to as “cloud computing.” Some websites offer a low monthly fee to use the software and other sites are free and entirely advertising supported. Some people prefer this method for its convenience and other people stay away from these programs due to security fears.
Once you begin to use personal finance software you’ll wonder how you ever managed your finances without it. People become addicted to seeing the computer generated reports of exactly where their money goes each month. They often find this makes it easier to create a budget and stick to it. Even if you simply want to keep your basic checking account up to date, personal finance software is worth the small price.

Looking at Mortgage Prices On the Web

 

House owners who’re about to re-finance their residence might find the web to become a extremely worth it reference. The net is effective as it may give your property owner a great deal of info plus the power to assess various costs coming from various creditors from their own ease. Although these types of alternatives make re-financing a far more handy procedure there is certainly far more risk of threat. Nonetheless, house owners that exercising handful of wise practice with the web pertaining to re-financing end up finding they’re not from any extra chance.
Shop around anytime
Just about the most common benefits to studying re-financing on the web is to be able to shop around in the homeowner’s benefit. This will be significant simply because many householders perform extended hours and sometimes discover they’re not capable of meeting using loan companies through normal enterprise hrs due to employment vices. The world wide web, on the other hand, is actually wide open At any hour and also enables home owners to analyze his or her possibilities, help make crucial computations or even obtain on the internet estimates whenever you want of waking time using computerized techniques.
Property owners could also take his or her period researching the particular quotations these people get readily available creditors on-line rather than sensation urged to offer a sudden result. Whilst home owners might have a number of added time at hand, the house owners need to comprehend they are doing have to work fairly rapidly in order to secure quotations these people obtain because rates tend to be moment vulnerable naturally and should not become assured with regard to a long.
Only use Reputable Assets
House owners who will be online to analyze re-financing alternatives and get rates ought to cautiously look at his or her solutions when generating essential judgements about the issue regarding re-financing. Property owners that stay with popular loan providers along with set up web sites will never probable knowledge troubles nevertheless people that decide on a fresh loan provider might be surprised at the final results from the re-financing test.
House owners who’re uncertain regarding the trustworthiness of the certain useful resource as well as financial institution must do further investigation around the organization. One of several simplest ways to get this done would be to seek advice from better Organization Institution (Better business bureau). Your Better business bureau might be able to provide you with the home owner together with useful details concerning the amount of prior issues contrary to the organization. A firm who’s a lot of wavering grievances should be thought about the hard to rely on firm. Nevertheless, home owners shouldn’t believe organizations with no substantial amount of issues are usually respected except if the business has been doing lifetime for several many can be a person in the particular Better business bureau.
Property owners also needs to try not to become confused by simply expensive web site design. A domain that appears extremely skilled is just not always an internet site that can be correct as well as educational. Several experienced web site creative designers can make internet sites which can be equally desirable as well as professional. These kinds of site developers also can boost a web site regarding distinct mortgage similar key phrases thus people obtain the web page quickly when you are evaluating these kind of conditions yet this doesn’t automatically make web site custom proficient in the topic in order to re-financing.
Verify Loans directly just before Choosing
While you shop regarding re-financing alternatives on the internet is definitely simple and easy, home owners must look into doing the application form procedure sometimes directly or older the product as opposed to counting on an automatic method. As you move the World wide web will work for study reasons, property owners will take good thing about one on one conferences or perhaps mobile phone meetings ought to a bunch of their appropriate queries. Inquiring these concerns may help the particular property owner to be sure they know the credit conditions along with all his / her available alternatives.
Doing your re-financing procedure directly or higher the telephone may also steer clear of the property owner coming from staying surprised at any kind of portions of your mortgage re-finance. This will likely consist of further service fees that are added upon in the control with the request, prices that are only accessible in some scenarios or even additional factors with the re-financing contract that could considerably result the actual homeowner’s making decisions course of action.

Dany Bahar’s Why Not? Choosing the Right Attitude in Life

 

Who says you can’t have dreams in today’s business environment? To not have vision is to not have ambition. To not have ambition is to not have regard for yourself and others around you.
It is sad to know there are people who can’t see over the horizon. They walk towards it but when they reach it, they stop and don’t know whether to go left or right. So they stay where they are, lacking challenges and bogging further down into their own personal mire.
When people ask ‘why?’, the answer should be, ‘why not?’. The word ‘can’t’ doesn’t exist in the dictionaries of visionaries, captains of industry nor business owner’s dictionary. They say the word ‘CAN’T’ doesn’t exist because in every situation, whatever the hurdles ahead, ‘YOU CAN’.
Lack of experience or self-confidence should not prevent anyone from trying nor taking up opportunities. Look at some of the recognised world leaders: John F Kennedy for example – he refused to believe there is any other alternative to CAN. The CEOs of global conglomerates such as P&G, IBM and their ilk refuse to take ”CAN’T’ on the chin. These are leaders of men. Take Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus, for example. He has actually proven this in both his personal and professional life; the word ‘can’t’ is obsolete. Undoubtedly, this attitude has led people to question his motives, but not his achievements.
When in the past, people have told him he can’t do something or, more maddeningly, that ‘it is not possible’, he got annoyed. Such is his determination of character and natural instinct that he has taken negative comments and turned them into positives actions. In fact, in every instance, he has gone out of his way to prove his disbelievers wrong, such is his nature.
There is a deep-rooted ambition inside people like Bahar – a motivation to achieve something extraordinary, something that goes beyond the norm, which propels them on. By focusing on the negativity of individuals, he believes that situations can be turned around to a positive energy. This has led to several conflicts in the past but only with those who lack vision. Although this approach has led to some individuals thinking him arrogant, this has never been his emotion nor intention.
He comes from very humble beginnings: his mother was originally a hotel cleaner and his father an electrician, but they both eventually aspired and achieved greater things. This gave him the inspiration to aspire to greater things and to accept opportunities when he was lucky to have been given them.
People like Bahar have never been attracted by so-called ‘normality’. They have never followed ‘the crowd’ as they say. They are people of their own convictions. They don’t want to walk in other people’s footsteps – they’d rather walk in their own.
They strive to achieve something different and the Dany Bahars of the world embrace things which are different. When he was given the opportunity join Group Lotus he embraced it. He had to put up with his cynics – those who said they didn’t know the ‘real’ Bahar – who said he was an enigma. But people like this man shrug it all off and say ”Does it really matter?
They are who they are and that’s what really matters and that’s also what makes them want to drive their businesses forward. In Bahar’s case it is driving the Group Lotus brand and propelling it – against the odds, mind you – back to the glories of its past but with a futuristic frame of mind.
He’s only been in the driving seat for a little over 18 months and he wouldn’t have moved from Ferrari if he hadn’t believed in himself and knew that the Lotus brand, which he already knew so well from his formative years, was destined for greater things.
He took over the helm from a very much respected, accomplished and able CEO – Mike Kimberley. He had to follow in great footsteps. But he was also coming from a different direction and he wouldn’t have been true to himself if he hadn’t employed the principles of his experience from the past. Where Kimberley was first and foremost a brilliant engineer, Bahar comes from another discipline. This was probably why his appointment was viewed with a certain amount of cynicism from both the media and those in the industry.
But everyone brings their own talents to a job. He is proof that if you apply the ‘why not’ attitude then you can succeed.
His real start in business came in the ’90s when he saw a vacuum in the sponsorship marketplace. His ‘why not?’ attitude led him to approach Benetton, a major multinational, when he was promoting in-line skating in Switzerland.
He was young and inexperienced, but had the arrogance of youth and the vision to believe that he could achieve something with that project. It set the stage for the next level of his career and he’s not looked back. With this philosophy, he has instilled an inspiration into the Group Lotus workforce.
Bahar – and others like him say that everyone has the opportunity to be inspired and to aspire to greater things and so perhaps ‘why not?’ should become the mantra for everyone. It has certainly worked for Dany Bahar.

Family and Personal Finance – Managing Your Personal Finances

 

Managing your Personal Finances is no different than a company managing finances. It’s all based on fixed and variable costs.
Family and personal finances are much like a company’s finances. Both are managed on fixed and variable costs. Fixed costs for your family would be the mortgage, car payments, insurance, heating, gas for the car, grocery, water and electricity bills. Variable costs might include eating out, movies, general entertainment, gym memberships, new clothes, or simply that coffee you buy in the morning. You won’t be able to completely do away with fixed costs. You’ll still have to pay a certain amount for these, but you can impact these costs and change the amount you spend. For instance, if your family only needs one car, but you have two, then eliminating one car payment is a tremendous monthly savings.
You can also change some habits, such as buying in bulk and spending less on groceries. Simple things like turning off the lights, taking quick showers instead of baths, and not running the water, also help. All of these little things can make a difference. However, the variable costs are those costs you can impact the most by changing your behavior. Not buying that A�1.00 coffee in the morning might seem like nothing, but everyday you decide not to buy that coffee is A�7.00 saved a week, A�30.00 a month, and over A�360.00 a year.
How often do you eat out for lunch or dinner? How much is that costing you and your family? The point here is not to say you should never buy anything. Rather, the purpose is to be aware of what you spend your money on, find areas to cut back on, and save money. It’s not as difficult as you might think. It simply starts with an understanding that you have both fixed and variable costs, and that you can impact both.
Take the time to write down your own list of fixed and variable costs and their appropriate amounts. After you’ve compiled your list, set a plan to reduce some of these costs. As you start to cut back, make sure that you apply the 70/30 ratio to your debt and savings. 70% of what you cut back on should go towards paying down your debt, and the remaining 30% should be added to your “pay yourself first” plan.
o Fixed costs: mortgage and car payments, heating, gas, water, electricity and grocery bills.
o Variable costs: eating out at dinner and lunch, entertainment, going out with friends, movies, coffee in the morning.
o Set up your own list of fixed and variable costs: Take the time to write down your own monthly costs. This will provide a better perspective on where your money goes.
o Use the 70/30 rule: Take the amount you are able to cut back on and apply 70% to pay down your debt, and the remaining 30% to your “pay yourself first” plan.
While this all may seem like a lot to do, it really is as simple as making smart choices. It’s simply a matter of deciding upon your priorities. The intention is not to lock yourself up in your home and never enjoy going out and having fun. However, you do need to make some concessions on how much you spend as a family. It’s not easy, but it is necessary.