You may have seen the advertisements. The government is holding money, could it be yours?  Unclaimed tax money is waiting; do you know if some of it could belong to you? It sounds like another scam, but quite honestly, it is possible.

Many people are due missing money that they never knew was theirs. This happens for a variety of reasons.

It happened to my family. I saw that my state had a website with a database of missing money. On a whim, I put in my name. Nothing, of course. Just for fun, I started putting the names of other family members, and low and behold, my mother-in-law’s name popped up. I soon learned that she had forgotten about two checking accounts many years ago. It wasn’t a lot, but it was her money and she should have it.

You may have missing money out there, and you may not know it. You may have been named in someone’s will, and were never notified. Usually this happens when you cannot be found.

Don’t get too excited if you see your name pop up however, because the amount of the missing money is usually small. It’s yours though, so go ahead and take the proper steps to claim it.

Another reason missing money is floating around is due to tax refunds. Believe it or not, some people forget to put in a change of address, and their tax refund checks are returned to the government.  You too may have also forgotten about an old savings account or checking account.

There are plenty of resources out there so you can search to see if you are owed some missing money. Most of these services should be free. In most cases, your state should have a searchable database online.

If someone sends you an email saying you are due some money, and then asks you to pay them for the information, ignore it. That is most likely a scam. You can find your missing money on your own.

Technorati Tags: finance business managing+money  

When you need a new car, you can spend countless hours looking for the perfect vehicle for your needs. A new car search can be daunting if you don’t know what you are doing.

There are so many offers, specials, sales, and promotions out there to get you to buy, it can leave you feel confused and exhausted. There are also so many different types of cars, features, and price ranges from which to choose. To make sense of this mess, you have to know how to go about an effective new car search.

Your first consideration should be your personal needs. This means you have to decide what you want in a car. Do you have a family? If so, you will want something with four doors, or possibly something even larger.

If you are single or don’t yet have children, you should consider the near future. Will you be having kids soon? Are you ready to marry? These questions will determine what you need in an automobile. Once you have some of these answers figured out, it will help you to narrow your new car search down a bit.

Next, decide what features you need. Safety should be your number one concern, so you may want to do some research to find out which are the safest models available. You may already have a particular brand in mind, so this will definitely help you narrow down your new car search even further. Once you have gotten this far, you are ready to look at some cars and take a few test drives.

You can conduct your new car search in two places: online or in person. Many people choose to look online first, even if it only gives them a general idea of what they want to take for a test drive.

This will help them locate dealers near by, and may also gives them an idea of what the asking price might be, and if this is something they can afford. If you take your new car search to the dealership, make sure you ask a lot of questions, and test a number of cars.

Don’t be afraid to ask for a better price, and take some time to think it over. Leaving the dealership without a purchase is a good idea. When deciding on a new vehicle, you want to sleep on it. This way, you can be certain you aren’t falling victim to the salesperson’s pitch.

• In car buying, new sometimes a better deal than used
  
  By Gregory Karp, Chicago Tribune Wednesday, July 28, 2010 Used-car prices in the United States are soaring, creating a wacky situation for many models in which buying new costs about the same or even cheaper than buying used. Credit the prolonged recession with prompting more Americans to buy used, sending the average price of a 3-year-old car up 11.1 percent from last year and triple the ...
  


• Coles enter car insurance market
  
  Coles has entered the national car insurance market, launching a new, flexible and great value product with added benefits and savings for customers, backed by the strength of Wesfarmers Insurance. As well as providing quality insurance and peace of mind, Coles Car Insurance lets customers triple their standard four cent Coles fuel discount receipt once every [...]
  


• Luxury car buyers in cautious mood due to govts tax drive
  
  Luxury car distributor Wellington Soong yesterday said the Bureau of Internal Revenues (BIR) crackdown against tax evaders has dampened interest of buyers.
  


• Staying safe in pink
  
  Forget buying expensive security systems and immobilisers, the best way to make sure your car isn't stolen is simple - paint it pink.
  

Technorati Tags: car automotive  car maintenance  car repair  safe driving  car insurance

The term “background checks” is used to refer to activities concerned with investigating the background of a company or an individual. Most companies conduct background checks on potential employees to determine whether they have criminal records.

Such background checks will be important if the employee will be working closely with customers or will be handling money or financial information. Imagine the liability that you may be exposing your company to, if you negligently recruit a person with a history of forgery and fraud.

Conducting background checks is also a way to confirm the validity of information in a resume or employment application. This way, companies can stay assured that the employee can perform the job well and is reliable.

Some companies also conduct background checks on clients in order to screen non-payers and other kinds of potentially problematic clients. Such checks save the companies a lot of time and resources.

Many web sites and companies offer to do background checks on the Internet. They typically offer services such as criminal record search, employment verification, education verification, driving record, and credit check.  The reports they provide can range from the verification of an applicant’s Social Security number to a detailed account of the potential employee’s history and acquaintances.

While conducting background checks, there are many laws to abide and many guidelines to follow. In the context of U.S., some important laws concerning background checks are:

• the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
• the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA)
• the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)

The Fair Credit Reporting Act defines the standards for employment screening. This was developed by the federal government to ensure that accurate and updated information is used when credit-reporting decisions are made. The Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) regulates how information from DMV records can be released and shared. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act was developed to regulate the release of information maintained by financial institutions.

Although several regulations and controversies are attached to background checks, more and more companies are resorting to scrutinizing potential employees’ background because they realize that having qualified honest employees is critical to their success.

Technorati Tags: business planning 

If you’ve thought about owning your own business, but you don’t know what kind – there all kinds to choose from in the business world. A lot of people have bought franchises with famous names and you can too. One of the most hip and profitable is to start a coffee shop. Check out the benefits of going franchise with your idea to start a coffee shop, and know that if you stick it out, you?ll succeed.

It takes a lot of up front money if you want to start one that’s independent. If you don’t have a business degree with finance and marketing, you’ll most likely be in for a rude awakening. It could take years just to study and understand what you’re doing before you ever start building a business. The advantage of using a franchise to start a coffee shop is the business support you’ll get.

Before you step foot into the store, you’ll go through a lot of work. You’ll begin your journey by working with the franchise company on where you’ll need your store located. Most companies will help you with customer demographics to start a coffee shop. At times a company will send someone to your area to tell you where the best place is to place the shop. Others will expect you to study and understand your real estate area, and then send in proposals to start a coffee shop.

After the site selection is approved, you won’t have to worry about building or stocking your store either. All of this is handled by the franchise that you want to start a coffee shop with. Another great benefit is that you don’t have to spend countless hours at the computer designing marketing or merchandising materials.  Advertisement is the most expensive short and long term outlays to start a coffee shop.

Don’?t feel intimidated either if you don’t have any retail business experience. The franchise will give you all of the training that you need. Of course, what one company expects out of you as compared to another is different. Some companies will train you to be only the operator and will bring others in to manage when you want to start a coffee shop. Lead managers are placed inside your store to help it run smoothly for a certain period of time too.

If it’s your dream to start a business like this, then go ahead and push forward toward it. Remember though that you need to have a good credit rating, so you’ll be able to be approved for financing. Take note too that there will be an outlay of cash on your part because bank financing will only cover so much of the debt to start a coffee shop, but it can be done.

Technorati Tags: jobs career planning occupations job search

Every business wants to do all it can to stay safe, crime-free and prevent theft. Employee theft is a serious problem in most retail establishments. In fact, theft from dishonest employees can account for almost two-thirds of loss in a store. The higher a store’s loss, the less profit a business can enjoy. This causes the costs of the theft to be passed on to the customers. Therefore it is obvious that every business needs to prevent theft.

If a company wants to ensure profits, they must take positive steps in stopping theft. The average percentage for theft varies for each business. It depends on what is being sold and the mark up of the product as well as the desirability of the product. For example, a store that sells high-ticket items such as computers, stereos, and televisions will have higher rate of loss than an establishment that sells paper goods such as envelopes, and copy paper.

One goal of every business should be finding effective methods that prevent theft. Your most important front line to prevent theft is honest employees. An employee with integrity is worth his or her weight in gold. This does not mean however that effective theft deterrents and tracking down dishonesty are unnecessary. Employees need to know that you will take any actions necessary to prevent theft.
Before your hire an employee, screen them carefully to ensure you are maintaining the integrity of the business. Go ahead and check the prospective hire’s background; do a credit check, look into personality screening and psychological testing. This can prove to be most helpful to prevent theft. When you have hired someone, don’t assign him or her highly sensitive tasks until you are sure you can trust them. Hiring a dishonest employee can affect a business for many years so being choosy about employees is not a personal preference it is a necessity if you wish to prevent theft.

Remove the temptation to steal in the first place. If you provide uniforms for employees, consider assigning uniforms without pockets. Make sure only a select few know the combination to the safe. Install cameras over the cash register to ensure the honesty of the cashiers. You may think these are expenses you cannot afford but it they will pay for themselves by helping you to prevent theft.

You also must set the tone for honesty in your business by example. How can you expect your employees to be honest when you are dishonest? Be sure to be fair in all your dealing with employees, customers and vendors. Employees will also greatly appreciate your efforts.

Set clear, reasonable rules and expectations for your employees. Provide incentives for the employees to follow the rules and prevent theft. Reward those whose job performance is outstanding. No one likes to work hard without notice of his or her efforts. This will go a long way to prevent theft.

Technorati Tags: finance business planning