How to REALLY Get Rid of Stress March 31, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, management , add a commentTom Asacker has a great post on his site about ways to deal with stress. He starts by discussing a recent article he read in Forbes that lists ways to deal with stress, but he points out that these “solutions” don’t deal with the real problem–the cause of the stress.
He provides 10 great tips for getting rid of stress. Among them:
7. Stop lying - To your people, shareholders, customers and, especially, yourself
8. Trust others - Which is not the same as telling them what to do (see #7 above)
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Chain Store Sales Down 1.6% March 30, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: wholesale, business, retail , add a commentAccording to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), U.S. chain store sales dipped last week 1.6% over the previous week, in part due to a late Easter and cold weather. The site also says, “The year-over-year pace of growth slowed slightly to 2.7 percent for the week.”
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U.S. Bans Contact with New Palestinian Government
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, government , add a commentFrom Reuters, “The United States ordered its diplomats and contractors on Wednesday to cut off contacts with Palestinian ministries after a Hamas-led government was sworn in, the State Department said.” [Emphasis added] More information is available here.
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90% Overpaying Income Taxes
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, real estate , add a commentOver 90% of Real Estate Investors are overpaying their federal income taxes, says this article, by missing out on generous IRS depreciation schedules. And to add insult to injury, they are paying thier taxes early–sometimes years earlier than necessary.
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Hurricanes Force Insurance Rates Higher Across the Country March 29, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, insurance, real estate , add a comment“The hurricanes that ravaged the Gulf Coast last summer are beginning to wreak havoc with homeowners’ insurance coverage in states far removed from where the storms hit,” according to this report. In addition, major insurers are cancelling policies and not writing new ones in the gulf states and along the eastern U.S. as far north as Massachusetts.
Allstate, the nation’s second biggest home insurer, for example, has already raised premiums in New York by 8.5 percent and is attempting to do the same in a “majority” of the states in which it does business.
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Three Men Charged in $16 Million Scam
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, real estate , add a commentAccording to Newsday, “If convicted, the three each face a maximum 20 years in prison on securities fraud charges and a $5 million fine. They also face five years in prison on conspiracy charges and a $250,000 fine.”
The U.S. attorney’s office says the men were involved in a phony real estate scheme and used the ill-gotten money to purchase jewelry, cars and homes and to pay personal debts.
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Disaster Aid on the Way?
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, agriculture, government , add a commentAccording to this article, “Twenty-five senators are pushing a bill that would pay an estimated $3.8 billion to farmers and ranchers who suffered agricultural losses in 2005, hoping to add it to a sweeping spending bill that would help pay for the Iraq war.”
Robert Carlson, president of the North Dakota Farmers Union, said, “”Without disaster aid, a lot of farmers won’t be farming this year.” He placed the bill’s chances of passage in the Senate as “fair”, but said that the House is going to be a challenge.
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Zurich Settles Insurance Probe March 28, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, government, insurance , add a commentAccording to this article, Zurich American Insurance Co. settled the insurance probe launched by NY AG Elliot Spitzer for $153 million. The settlement was due to alleged bid-rigging and covers investigations in Connecticut and Illinois, as well.
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$22,000 a MINUTE?!?
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, manufacturing, transportation , add a commentA recent study of 101 executives in the auto industry found the average cost per minute of stopped production is $22,000, with some respondents placing the figure as high as $50,000. Keeping machinery running in tip-top shape, then, is more critical to manufacturing than ever.
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On Thinking Outside the Box… March 22, 2006
Posted by Tim Raines in: business, quotes, management , add a commentIf everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.
- General George S. Patton
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