Recent Posts – Page 35 – Career Life Institute

Symptoms Of Inner Peace

A tendency to think and act spontaneously, rather than from fears based on past experiences.
An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
A loss of interest in judging others.
A loss of interest in judging self.
A loss of interest in conflict.
A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
A loss of ability to worry.
Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
Contented feelings of connectedness with others and with nature.
Frequent attacks of smiling through the heart.
Increasing susceptibility of love extended by others, as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
An increasing tendency to let things happen, rather than to manipulate them and make them happen.

Contributed by Saskia Davis as shared by Center for Attitudinal Healing

Strengthen Your Financial Independence

Financial independence for today's woman is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity! Single or married, working in the home or outside it, women need to know how to manage money in a way that can help them achieve financial goals that may include *living well in retirement years *paying for college educations for self or children *estate planning * buying a house or income property *starting a business.

Financial Power Among Women

With the combination of an increasing number of women in the work force, high divorce rates, and mortality figures that favor women, it's no surprise that women have been controlling large sums of money for some time.
Reviewed studies show:

In 1986, women comprised 41% of all individuals with assets of $500,000 or more.
More than 50% of women aged 16 or over work outside their homes.
Women make up 35% of the country's owners of common stock.
Women operated 305 of the nation's sole proprietorships in 1987, versus only 75 five ears earlier. However, despite their control of large amounts of money, more than 60% of women working today are without a pension plan, versus 53% of men. Moreover, 76% of retired women receive no pension benefits, versus 54% of men.

A Five-Step Money Management Plan

Clearly, women need to be concerned with their financial futures. Many women need to spend time enhancing their investment knowledge before they invest their money. A five-step plan can be very helpful to anyone who wants to start on the road to financial independence.

Step 1: Set some realistic and specific goals-both short term and long-term. Be disciplined in setting money aside for specific purposes.

Step 2: Organize your finances. List all your assets and liabilities and figure your net worth annually. Monitor the growth in your personal wealth.

Step 3: Allocate your resources. Once you know how much money you can invest, determine the best asset allocation for your situation. This depends on your objective, risk tolerance and cash needs.

Step 4: Select your investments. A portfolio structured with a combination of stocks, bonds and cash is most likely to achieve the maximum return with the least amount of risk.

Step 5: Monitor your results. Financial planning is an ongoing process. Your needs and objectives will change throughout your life, and your investment portfolio will need to be adjusted.

At least twice a year, monitor two aspects of your portfolio:

(1) Review your combination of stacks, bonds, and cash and be sure you are still comfortable with your asset mix.
(2) Monitor the performance of investments that fluctuate in value (such as stocks and mutual funds) and calculate the gain or loss in each investment.

Remember it is never too early (or too late) to begin your financial planning. Financial security tomorrow requires superior investment performance today.

Network Trends

In a recent NAFE survey they found some interesting trends. Women who first came to join the organization were often just starting out in business or in their careers, and joined because they wanted help in getting started, so they were seeking the knowledge of those who had already succeeded.

After a few years, many of them "dropped out" of membership, actively pursuing their professions, building their businesses, and raising their families. Then, once the growth, development and acquisition phases were over, many of them came back into membership again as mature, successful business and career women. The focus this time was in wanting to give back to the younger ones who were just starting out. Now that's networking come full circle.

Did you notice, though, that the new and the experienced are taken care of, but the women in the middle – the ones actually making it all happen – are the ones left out? During a recent Roundtable session, one of our participants expressed how difficult it can be to remain motivated and fresh as you grow beyond the start-up issues into a mature business. This is where Mastermind Groups, Advisory Boards, Trade Organizations and Creative Alliances can make a huge difference. Especially when the members have a similar maturity level (in terms of their business) and diverse backgrounds.

Genius ideas come from "mixed metaphor" thinking and cross-platform brainstorming. Considering how someone in a different business or field might handle a situation will give you new ideas for your own business. As you begin to build your business, be on the lookout for those formal and informal opportunities to begin to create your own supportive team of "expert" thinkers.

_________Editor's Note________________
You can join our Women Entrepreneurs Roundtable for the price of a long distance phone call. Twice each month women from the US and Canada gather for an hour on the telephone to discuss issues relevant to women in business.
©2000 Katie Darden, Career Life Institute

Financial Tips on Growing Your Small Business

Companies with 100 or fewer employees dominate the American business landscape. They now employ 60 percent of the work force. Further, entrepreneurs with small businesses continue to generate most of the new jobs.

Strength in numbers, however, doesn't mean running a small business is easy. The lack of economics in scale, particularly in the benefits area, can pose some thorny problems. Here are some ideas for growing a small business in today's competitive environment.

Managing business assets profitably. According to US News & World Report, the three major reasons why small business fail are insufficient profits (22 percent), poor growth (20 percent) and too much debt (15 percent). The challenge for you, as a small business owner, is to manage your business assets as effectively and efficiently as possible.

For starters, you need to know how much your business is worth–really worth. This means you need the perspective of your creditors and lenders. It would be time well spent to meet with a financial advisor who can help you determine typical rates of return in your area of business, average company earnings, current book value and projected rate of growth.

Repositioning cash reserves for higher yields can affect your bottom line. Consider putting funds that you don't need immediately in higher yielding securities which don't increase your risk significantly; such as, intermediate term CDs, money market funds, and bond funds. Also investment in dividend-paying stocks or in tax-exempt municipal funds can slash your business taxes.

Managing employee benefits carefully. The challenge for you as a small business owner is to attract and keep good employees while controlling the cost of fringe benefits. Small companies have choices other than straight health benefits.

Flexible spending accounts allow employees to use pre-tax dollars to pay for day care, medical care premiums and other specified expenses by creating a benefit package that includes a cafeteria plan.

Other benefits that you can offer might include group disability coverage, group life insurance or a SEP-a retirement plan for small businesses that is the lowest in cost and easiest to set up and administer.

By Susan O'Conner, IDS Financials