When Uncle Sam Wants Your Dividends …

post — Jonathan Langham @ 9:52 pm — post Comments (0)
postMarch 8, 2012

I hate to remind you, but Tax Day is now just about one month away … and unless you’re one of those really prepared people, it’s likely that you’re still gathering together your papers or desperately trying to schedule an appointment with an accountant.

So today I want to talk a little bit about some of the tax issues related to one of my main areas of expertise — dividend payments.

Now, I should remind you that I’m not an accountant or a tax expert … and the following information is no substitute for professional guidance to suit your personal circumstances. However, I can give you some general guidelines that I think will be helpful.

Let’s Start with Some Good News …

Because of the 2010 Tax Relief Act, qualified dividend payments will continue to receive favorable tax treatment all the way through 2012.

Now, what does “qualified dividends” mean? Well, a simple way to

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What’s your postcode doing to insurance costs?

post — Jonathan Langham @ 1:44 pm — post Comments (0)
postMarch 5, 2012

Why does your postcode matter? It can affect where your children go to school; which doctor you can sign up for; what direct mail marketing literature you receive; the amount you pay for Council Tax…

And when it comes to insurance premiums your postcode is key. If you make a claim on your car or home insurance you can expect to pay more for cover the following year. However, other people can also affect the amount you pay as insurers look at claims statistics in the local area when calculating premiums.

The assumption is that insurance costs rise year on year and certainly when it comes to car insurance most people have seen significant increases in the amount they pay as premiums have soared by around 30% over the past year.

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How to Repair Your Own Credit Rating

post — Caitlyn Bundey @ 9:00 am — post Comments (0)
postMarch 2, 2012

There are lots of companies who claim they can repair your credit rating.  They all charge a big fee of course, but there is really no need for you to ever have to pay to get your credit rating repaired.  There is nothing they can do for you that you cannot do yourself for free.

According to a recent OFT consultation there is a lot of misleading advertising among these debt management and credit repair services.  The Financial Services Authority has also said that consumers need to be very wary about using these companies.  Remember, there are lots of debt advice charities and government funded organisations that can help you for free.

The main reason is that people with bad credit cannot get a loan or a mortgage.  When you apply for credit with a lender they will score you using one of the credit reference agencies.  If you do not match their minimum score level for that type of product then you will be refused.  This r

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Bad Valentine or How To Disappoint Your Customers

post — Caitlyn Bundey @ 1:22 pm — post Comments (0)
postMarch 1, 2012

1-800-Flowers is still dealing with the clean up after their catastrophic letdown towards an ocean of customers.  This disaster occurred on the second largest day for flower deliveries.   What adds even more fuel to the fire is that “Customer-No-Service” attitude.

Not only were orders left unfulfilled, or arrived days late, some customers received clearly wilting bouquets, or even roses with alluring dark brown fringes around the petals  – clearly close to its expiration date.  Nothing says more about your love than a bunch of dead flowers.  Today, se

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