Month: May 2014

  • My favorite quotes from Maya Angelou

    “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” “My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try…

  • What’s wrong with business printers?

    I’ve had a very difficult time over the past few years finding a reliable commercial printer for our modest but probably typical small business needs. This makes me wonder about the status of that entire industry. Our first three local business printers (one in South Jersey, one in Philadelphia, one in Manayunk) just seem to…

  • Historic employee benefit plan documents

    I am aware that there is a demand for historic benefit plan documents – those that compiled with the laws of a period in the past – and I maintain a range of prototype documents used by my small business practice. At the same time, we know that it is not legal to use these…

  • Money Island infrastructure questions

    (Updated October 23, 2014 to incorporate discussion of the state’s latest local water quality report and other news since the original date of publication on May 24, 2014. In July 2016 a joint agency improvement plan endorsed by the county freeholders and local township under the supervision of the township engineer as the lead engineer…

  • Online writing tips from Jeff Bullas

    Create an opening line that pops Use facts that surprise Insert insights that are not obvious Make up a creative subtitle Use rhythm in your writing Break the rules Use an opening paragraph that mentions a pain point Develop a voice that is original Include visuals in your articles Use statistics that are mind blowing…

  • Cold calls that worked

    LinkedIn reminded me that today is a business associate’s birthday. This got me thinking about how we met: it was his cold call. I gave his the usual skepticism on this first call and he had the right answers. The relationship developed into one that boosted my business for several years. I’ve come to place him…

  • Tax accountants: cheats vs. variance vs. incompetence

    Yesterday I attended an IRS webinar on the topic of avoiding tax trouble. The topic of being diligent in choosing a tax preparer was discussed. The IRS is focused on having us avoid preparers who promote illegal tax schemes. The service says that a taxpayer should be able to recognize that if it sounds to good…

  • A letter to my mortgage loan officer

    I was unaware until this past week that residential mortgage lending rules had changed so sharply in recent months to now essentially preclude many self-employed people with a good credit history from qualifying for a mortgage loan. Fortunately, it seems like the impact of the adverse rules will be short-lived, according to the latest coverage in…

  • The worst personal finance mistakes

    The worst financial mistakes in each decade of life: 20s – over-spending and not saving 30s – combining finances, delaying life and disability insurance 40s – over-emphasizing college financing at the expense of retirement 50s – co-signing a loan 60s – underestimating the cost of future health care I’ve made the first three mistakes. Given…

  • The problem with private scholarships

    The burdensome application process combined with the financial aid ‘offset’ policy used by many universities undermines the value of small private scholarships. A number of small privately offered scholarships go unclaimed each year because of lack of qualified applicants. Students tell me it’s just not worth the effort to apply for them. I used to think…