Finance Books

The Motley Fool: You Have More Than You Think: the Foolish Guide to Personal Finance

Bruised by the recent economic crisis, real estate companies are using the Web to expand their services and provide fresh insights to clients. This trend signals a new era in how real estate professionals convey information; it offers their clients greater access to current information and allows realtors, investors and other interested parties to easily update listings, news and services.

The struggling economy and an increased number of Web savvy business people inspired this movement. The recession has debilitated many businesses, forcing professionals to think creatively and develop new, affordable strategies that can increase revenue. The result is more and more companies that are willing to share their services and products as a means of growing their client base. And as businesses of every kind shift towards the Web, companies are more likely to find other companies that are complementary to their services.

The real estate market has always been a volatile business. It relies on the public’s financial welfare and optimism. If the public is not optimistic about their finances, the real estate market stiffens, causing concern among banks, economists, and real estate professionals. The current crisis has stalled the market completely. The public is reluctant to spend and the banks will not grant adequate loans. But the public remains interested — extremely interested — in how the market is behaving. This is telling. It shows that even though the public might not be ready to buy or sell their home, they are still attracted to the idea of doing so. In a way, the real estate market is a barometer, forecasting what the public would like to do.

Proactive real estate companies are watching this trend carefully. They are providing potential clients with more information. Up to the minute listings, maps and community forums give users a chance to contemplate their options and exchange their concerns. Real Estate Web sites are very popular. The public is reading them to find out how to do more with less, how to spot a good deal and avoid a risky investment.

“As tough as things are in real estate these days, I’m actually quite happy about the new direction some companies are taking,” said Margaret Mitchell, an Atlanta-based realtor. “Their services and information on the Web are constantly informative and easy to use.”

The Real Estate Book, long an established and trusted source for nationwide property listings, now offers a new service for their online colleagues. The Real Estate Book has a massive number of home listings and property information. And it has an effective, comprehensive Web site. It has combined these two strengths and developed a way to assist other real estate professionals working online. By downloading a Web site tool, otherwise known as a Widget, realtors can use the Real Estate Book’s vast resources on their own Web site. The Widget can be designed and fitted to individual Web sites. It is simple and non-intrusive. It allows users to browse listings in hundreds of communities across the United States.

By offering this service, the Real Estate Book provides smaller businesses a chance to grow. It provides the public with easy access to thousands of property listings. It works online with other real estate companies, using the Web’s diversity to succeed, and helps people do more with less.

Why do people buy non-fiction books? Most readers buy books to solve problems or help with fulfilling a need. For example, when I started speaking for a fee I went out and bought a couple of popular books about speaking. Browsing in the bookstore, I was attracted to Lilyan Wilder’s book “7 Steps to Fearless Speaking” I read the back cover. I noticed she could help with 7 easy steps. I skimmed the table of contents, read a few lines and immediately liked her easy to read style. It went in my purchase basket.

Because I wanted to hear from several authorities on the subject, I picked up another book by Nido R. Qubein, “How to Be a Great Communicator: In Person on Paper, and on the Podium.” His cover design was white with clean lines and a personable picture of him on the front. His style of writing was not as easy to read but it still went in my purchase basket as well. Which brings us back to my original point; people buy non-fiction books to solve problems. To identify your targeted market, pinpoint a problem they have and the solution of course.

Problems come in all shapes and sizes. Usually a general category problem applies to all types of markets.

HOBBIES. Is your tennis game, golf game, bridge game as good as you’d like? Are you considering taking up horse-back riding? Want to improve your computer skills? What ever the case may be, your desire to improve or change your level of performance is considered the problem.

HEALTH. The first thing you do when your doctor diagnose your cholesterol is high and you need to lose 20 pounds. You go look for a book that will walk you through step by step to lose weight or lower cholesterol. You turn to someone that has solved the problem to learn from their experience.

MENTAL STATE. Are you feeling stressful about the economy? Are you noticing unexplained physical symptoms possibly related to stress? Once again, you have a problem and you are looking for a solution in book form. Someone who has outlined easy steps or ways to de-stress in our society.

PERSONAL FINANCE. Worried about lay-offs, down-sizing, retirement? Books that offer financial solutions to economic problems during shaky times are guaranteed to succeed.

MARKETING. We live in a competitive society. Small business owners and managers everywhere need a growing database of customers and clients. Therefore, they seek out how to books that offers solutions on improving their advertising copy, improving their business image or their website.

Each of the problem categories describes a problem and a need for a solution. The main goal of your marketing plan is to identify the problem your book solves and then present the solution. The more intense the problem and the easier you can make your solution, the more readers will seek out your book.

Your task becomes to re-structure your knowledge into bite-size reader solutions. Appeal to the masses, by letting them know what’s in it for them and how easy the solution is with your book. For example, let’s consider the book title I mentioned earlier about speaking. The title could have been: “How to Overcome Your Fear of Speaking” instead of “7 Steps to Fearless Speaking” The latter is more appealing because it alludes to only 7 steps to my solution.

Don’t put it off any longer. If you wait, you can be this time next year without fulfilling your dream of writing a successful book. You have the solution. Now write it down. While you’re at use the tips above and write a book that sells well. Make it different. Make it count. Make it yours.

Short-term paid advertizing rarely produces good sales with any business. In fact, statistics show that business owners spend an average of $100 just to gain one new customer. Whatever your business sells, advertizing can be responsible for up to 23 percent of your businesses total expenditures. Finding the best “bang for your buck” is crucial to keeping that expense down and bringing new customers to your door. One proven and long-term method of advertizing which is rarely considered by business owners is advertizing their businesses in published books.

A books shelf life well exceeds that of a newspaper or magazine. Readers will be seeing your ad for years to come. Books suitable for libraries will produce many more page views than unsuited literature.

Advertizing options might be offered in the following ways:

• A listing in the business related books reference pages. Generally, this is the most inexpensive placement available.

• One or several mentions in the books text.

• A full page ad in the back matter of the book (the most expensive).

Choosing the right book is the most important means to hit your target audience. If you sell tools for instance, you might seek advertizing space in a “do-it-yourself” book. If you’re a book designer you might look into a book related to self-publishing. If you are an author who has published your own book, you might consider an ad in a subject related book.

Not all publishers readily sell ad space in their new releases, but there are many who do and contacting those publishers may be your best bet for consistent and typically one-time cost advertizing. Before signing on to purchase ad space in books, ask the following questions:

• How many books will be printed in the first run?

• Will my ad continue in future runs or new editions?

• If there is an e-book edition, will my ad remain?

• Will there be similar businesses advertizing along side my ad?

Advertizing can be costly. Finding a good direction to send your valued advertizing dollar is one of the most important ways to promote your business and gain new customers. Book advertizing is good safe bet.

Did you know Americans alone spend $8.5 billion a year on how-to and self-help information products, programs, and services? A recent Google search on the phrase “how to” yielded 2.37 billion results.

Why do people buy self help and how to books? Most readers buy books to solve problems or help with filling a need. For example, when I started speaking for a fee I needed help with jumpstarting my speaking abilities.

Browsing in the bookstore, I was attracted to Lilyan Wilder’s book “7 Steps to Fearless Speaking” I read her back cover. I noticed she could help with 7 easy steps. I skimmed the table of contents, read a few lines and immediately liked her easy to read style. I decided to purchase the book.

Because I wanted to hear from several authorities on the subject, I picked up another book by Nido R. Qubein, “How to Be a Great Communicator: In Person on Paper, and on the Podium.”

His cover design was white with clean lines and a personable picture of him on the front. His style of writing was not an easy read but I still decided buy his book as well. Which brings us back to my original point; people buy self help books to solve problems. To identify your targeted market, pinpoint a problem they have and the solution of course.

Problems come in all shapes and sizes. Usually a general category problem applies to all types of markets.

Hobbies and Games. Is your golf game, bridge game or tennis as good as you’d like? Are you considering taking up gardening? Want to improve your computer game skills? What ever the case may be, your desire to improve or change your level of performance is considered the problem.

Health Education. The first thing you do when your doctor diagnoses you as a diabetic and you need to lose 20 pounds. You go look for a book that will walk you through step by step to control diabetes. You look to someone that has solved the problem to learn from their experience.

State of Mind. Are you feeling stressful about gas prices, the economy or banking system? Are you noticing unexplained physical symptoms possibly related to stress? Once again, you have a problem and you are looking for a solution in book form. Someone who has outlined easy steps to de-stress in our society.

Careers and Finance. Worried about lay-offs, down-sizing, retirement? Self help books that offer financial solutions to economic problems during shaky times are guaranteed to succeed.

Advertising and Marketing. We live in a competitive society. Small business owners and managers everywhere need a growing database of customers and clients. Therefore, they seek out how to books with solutions on improving their advertising copy, improving their business image, improving their sales copy, growing their bottom line or improving their website.

Each of the categories above describes a problem and a need for a solution. The main goal of your marketing plan is to identify the problem your book solves and then present the solution. The more intense the problem and the easier you can make your solution, the more readers will seek out your book.

Your task becomes to reorganize your knowledge into bite-size reader solutions. Appeal to the masses, by letting them know what’s in it for them and how easy the solution is inside your book. For example, let’s consider the book title I mentioned earlier about speaking. The title could have been: “How to Overcome the Fear of Speaking” instead of “7 Steps to Fearless Speaking” The latter is more appealing because it alludes to only 7 steps to the solution.

Don’t wait any longer. If you put it off, you can be this time next year without fulfilling your dream of writing a successful book. You have the solution to your audience’s problem. Now write it down. While you’re at use the tips above and write a book that sells well. Make it different. Make it count. Make it yours.

The Big Book of Business Quotations: More Than 5000 Indispensable Observations on the World of Commerce, Work, Finance and Management

The Big Book of Business Quotations: More Than 5000 Indispensable Observations on the World of Commerce, Work, Finance and Management

The Big Book of Business Quotations: More Than 5000 Indispensable Observations on the World of Commerce, Work, Finance and Management

Kiplinger’s Practical Guide to Your Money: Keep More of it, Make it Grow, Enjoy it, Protect it, Pass it on: Keep More of It, Make It Grow, Enjoy It, … … Pass It on

There are some things in life that go well together: fish and chips, strawberries and cream, soap and water, and your debts and savings together in a cheque book mortgage. You might think the latter is an odd combination, but nevertheless it works.

What is a Cheque Book Mortgage?

A cheque book mortgage, also known as a current account mortgage (CAM), allows you to manage your mortgage, current account, savings account, credit cards and personal loans in one account. Your salary is paid directly into the account, and any income left over at the end of the month is automatically taken off the mortgage account. For example: a monthly salary is £2,000 and the outgoings are £1,500. This leaves £500 in the account. The £500 will then be used to reduce the mortgage. As interest is calculated on a daily basis, the interest payments will be reduced straightaway.

Borrowers are provided with a cheque book to draw on the account, and some lenders provide a debit card, and a type of credit card. A cheque book mortgage is also a form of flexible mortgage, which means you have some financial freedom and control, by making overpayments, underpayments, and borrowing back on overpayments.

Overpayments, Underpayments and More

Cheque book mortgages are suitable for many people, for example: individuals who want to make repeated overpayments because they receive regular lump sums through commission or bonuses; the self-employed with a variable income who can utilise the overpayments and underpayment option.

Overpayment – i.e. repaying more of the loan than your agreed monthly premium – gives you the ability to pay off your mortgage early and save on interest charges. You can make overpayments on a regular basis, or as one-off lump sums. As the interest is normally calculated on a daily basis, the money is deducted from the debt straightaway.

Underpayment – i.e. repaying less of the loan than the agreed monthly premium – is normally permitted after a set amount of overpayments have been made. The underpayment option gives you some respite should finances become stretched. You can then choose to underpay for a few months until your finances have been sorted out.

Payment holidays – i.e. having a total break from paying your monthly premium – in some cases up to a year. This option is great for borrowers who want to have a career break.

Withdraw overpaid money directly – some lenders allow you to use a cheque book or debit card to borrow back on overpayments, while other lenders let you borrow money as the value of the property increases.

Different Lenders

Different lenders manage cheque book mortgages in different ways, for example: some lenders provide borrowers with a single statement, so that every month they appear to be overdrawn; some lenders provide separate statements on your debts and savings.

The Downside with Cheque Book Mortgages

One of the problems with a cheque book mortgage is the temptation to spend too much money. With all your money in one place, it is hard to see whether or not you are on track to pay your mortgage back. If you aren’t disciplined with money and do not budget your finances, then this type of mortgage might not be suitable for you.

Getting Advice

Taking out any type of mortgage is a big step. To ensure you do not saddle yourself with the wrong type of mortgage with options that wouldn’t suit you, it is advisable to seek advice from an independent mortgage advisor.

Conclusion

A cheque book mortgage lets your money work for you, enabling you to pay your mortgage off early, and offers you different payment options to give you the flexibility you and your lifestyle need.