Tag Archives: Economy

The Real Estate Market

Posted by Santi on February 28, 2013 Comments Off

If you don’t live in California you might not really care about the real estate market right now on the West Coast and how bad it really is for all of the struggling homeowners out there. As we have all heard – the economic downturn has put a lot of people into a situation with their mortgage company that is called “upside down.” That means that because they have not paid down their mortgage, for various good reasons, that the value of their homes has become less than the amount of the principal balance due on their mortgage.

This is the perfect time for people with good credit to consider refinancing their mortgages and getting a lower interest rate. Good credit are the two key words here. Without good credit there are ways to still take advantage of these great deals, just not as great as it could be with better credit. New reports say that mortgage rates are at a very low level for “qualified borrowers.” Although a lot of people cannot cash out the equity in their homes right now, there is a chance that by refinancing you can get a lower interest rate and reduce the amount of your monthly payment. It might be worth taking your financial information to a good, trustworthy mortgage counselor and checking out the options available. Trustworthy is the key word for this subject. I could go on about that, but not here and not tonight.

 

Tax Preparer Jobs

Posted by Santi on February 24, 2013 Comments Off

With so many uncertainties in today’s workforce it is becoming a challenge for many people who are trying to find their niche in a well established, well paying, and stable profession in a very unstable economy. The big trend towards going into one of the many medical fields is a well know one, but not everyone is cut out for any type of medical profession. My kid brother is one person who has decided to become a tax preparer, with the thought in mind that taxes are here to stay and there will always be a need for a good registered tax return preparer, which I have to agree with his train of thought this time around. We don’t generally agree on many things, so this is a nice change of pace for the both of us.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my kid brother and I have always tried to be there for him and support him in any way that I can, but we are just two totally different types of people and have never seen eye to eye from day one. I truly believe that there is hope for him, I just hope I live long enough to see him prosper and grow.

Mexico or New York

Posted by Santi on February 13, 2013 Comments Off

With layoffs and business bankruptcies and losing jobs to Mexico, I imagine a lot of people are feeling anxious about the security of their jobs. I can tell you that the local copy shop and computer lab has been very busy with people revising their resumes and printing out copies to send to prospective employers.

My sister is so concerned about losing her job that she is willing to relocate for a chance at a new career. The company where she has worked for the past 8 years is shutting down in June and moving to Mexico. She has no interest in Mexico, but she has heard about some really good opportunities in New York. If I was in the position to move and start a new career, I think New York would be a great place to live and work. There is a web site called realmatch.com that my sister found that lists New York jobs. The site is very easy to use and I like the way you can select from a narrow or very large list of job types for your search. I think she has a good chance of finding her dream job in New York and I’d love to have a reason to go to the Big Apple for visits throughout the year.

If my sister has to go to New York for a job interview, she asked if I could go with her. That sounds like fun. I haven’t been to New York for a little over 5 years and would really like the chance to go and be a tourist for a few days.

Common Knowledge

Posted by Santi on February 11, 2013 Comments Off

It is common knowledge now that the newspaper publishing industry is in dire trouble along with other noted American industries, such as the mortgage companies and the Big 3 automotive manufacturers. I have a heightened awareness of the newspaper industry as several family members and friends work in that business. Also, when I was just out of college, one of my first jobs was as a newspaper reporter and photographer for a small weekly paper.

There are several papers that have ceased publication this year, and today I read a story about how three Michigan newspapers were going to stop being a daily paper. One of them is trying to hold on by publishing only 3 days a week, but I don’t know that a 3 day paper is a good working model. Rumor has it that the Tennessean daily newspaper is in its death throes. They have had a series of layoffs all last year, and now the ones who are left are being told that they must take a week long unpaid furlough each quarter or they will lose their jobs. Frankly, I think that is extortion, but what can they do? When it is the only newspaper in town and you want to keep your job, you don’t have much choice but to take a huge cut in pay or take off a week every 3rd month without pay or find a different job – if you can.

Business Obligations and Responsibilities

Posted by Santi on January 13, 2013 Comments Off

Remember when the talking heads were trying so earnestly to convince Americans that the big money bailout was necessary was that the bailout money would increase the credit available to businesses. After all, businesses need credit to survive and to grow. The common example given of why businesses need credit was to make payroll, but it can also be to buy new equipment. That logic of needing to borrow to make payroll really bothered me. If a business routinely needs to borrow money to make payroll, then in my opinion it is not a viable business.

However, having been in business for a long time, I recognize that all businesses have ups and downs throughout their life cycle, and it can be really tough to make ends meet when you have even a small series of setbacks. That is why I think most businesses need to have at least one good source for raising emergency cash, and that second only to paying taxes, a business needs to make sure that it’s employees get paid. That is why arranging for a Merchant Cash Advance makes a lot of sense. You go online to make the arrangements – it is fast and easy. Sometimes a customer goes bankrupt or has a big problem where they cannot pay the bill owed to your company. If you were planning to use that money to pay your own bills, it can be the domino effect of your business not paying its own bills, and then your suppliers or vendors cannot pay their own bills, and so on. But a responsible business owner will at least make sure that the employees are paid.