What office furniture?

You could probably start your business with the most basic of office equipment – a desk, a chair and a computer. Chances are you might be successful, too, in your business. However, as you grow in your business, so will your office, and it needs to expand, and you’re going to have to look at office furniture accessories as well.

To start off, how about computer furniture? There will be a need for ergonomic furniture if you or your staff is doing data entry operations. A multifunction device, which can do printing, copying, scanning and faxing is very affordable lately, and also takes much less space than monster copying machines.

File and storage cabinets will be handy if your business handles a lot of paperwork. Then again, in today’s environment of cloud computing, storage may not be among your top concerns.

Meeting rooms will probably the most dollar-guzzling entities… since you’ll be meeting your potential clients there. It goes without saying that investment in a generous table and comfortable chairs will be a very sensible thing to do. Then of course you’ll have the reception area, which probably will call for a little investment in interior design as well as a comfortable sofa and/or chairs. Consider hanging a tasteful painting, as it will help people relax.

Saving the ‘healthy’ way

I admit the concept of a health savings account (HSA) was a bit intimidating when I first heard about it, but a closer study revealed it to be one of the most beneficial savings schemes with multiple benefits, including tax savings.

An HSA is simply a a tax-advantaged medical savings account for US taxpayers who are enrolled in a high deductible health plan (HDHP). When you make a deposit, it’s not subject to federal income tax. Plus, the money grows tax-free so long as it used towards paying qualified medical bills. If you don’t spend, the money just accumulates until you’re 65, when you can withdraw it towards retirement.

You can use your HSA to pay for qualified expenses — which includes dental bills, eye care, even over-the-counter medicines — which are not covered by HDHP. And the payment is a straight forward process as well, you don’t have to fill in forms and apply, etc. You just pay with your HDA debit card. Even such withdrawals are tax-free.

Getting the best of insurance quotes

I used to nurture a love-hate relationship with anything that has to do with insurance. I mean, it could get very expensive not to have an insurance, while getting one still sounded expensive. Besides it all sounded like rocket science and anyone could have lured me into buying costly policies… but that was until I learned about the advantages of online insurance quotes.

First off, it’s anonymous, and no one will interrogate you. Next, you can do it from the comfort of your living room. Thirdly, like most things are these days, it’s instant.

To top it all, interactive tools on some great insurance websites and portals let you compare rates, premium, benefits and different packages from a dozen companies — and you can see all of them in a tabular format, which significantly helps in decision-making.

Some of them even let you apply online, or you could email or call to arrange a meeting with a representative of the insurance company — the company of your choice. Better yet, many offer live chat facilities, which means you can get answers to most questions right away.

Do you enjoy your job?

What’s prompting this question is a recent press release by a professional body in the US that said job satisfaction in the nation is at its lowest in two decades.

A survey conducted by The Conference Board said that, of the 5,000 American households polled, only 45% said they were satisfied with their jobs. This is down from the nearly 62% recorded in 1987. It surprises that the latest to enter the job market are the ones who seem to be the most frustrated with their jobs… and especially more so with the younger generation. Nearly 40% of those employed under the age of 25 are unhappy with their jobs.

The key factors that cause issues with job satisfaction include unpalatable relations with co-worker(s) and/or boss, salary (of course!), opportunities for growth, internal resources or the will to succeed, boredom and insecurity.

If you find yourself in such a situation, quitting the job may not always be the best option, says an expert. You might first want to consider if you are able to change what’s making you unhappy — or you could change your perspective of the situation. Conflict with bosses normally arises from job insecurity, so perhaps you might want to suggest a one-to-one talk with your superior. Other ways include requesting more responsibility, acquiring additional qualifications, and even get counseling.

Project management — Made easy

The very first concept that comes to mind at the mention of the word ‘project’ is ‘planning’. A project is seldom successful without planning. Then again, in the IT age, planning doesn’t necessarily mean paper and pencil and calculations. It’s been made easy for you — you have project management software.

As the term suggests, it’s a program that helps you manage your project better. Whatever the nature of your project, the software can tackle a number of areas and supply you with critical data to take decisions. It can also provide you with updates, statistics and reports, resource management tools, Gantt charts, objective tracking, marketing intelligence, reminders, email notifications, what not.

However, thanks to the Internet, it doesn’t mean that you have to buy any expensive project management software. You could lease it online, which means there is no installation since the software is Web-based. Just log into your project from anywhere and check out your project right away.

Most of these software products also feature cross-browser compatibility, so no worries about which OS you may need on a particular computer. Plus, since the project management software is online, anyone in your team can use it, with access to centralized data as well.

Leave an impression with a thermal printer

Your POS is most likely your best bet your last chance to score an extra point with your customers. You want the POS process to be without any hassles, efficient, quiet, speedy and — of course — economical to you. You can actually achieve all this and more with a good thermal printer.

Thermal printers have evolved over the years to become some of the most reliable POS systems. They have have become multifunctional, more quiet, need nearly zero maintenance and call for a very low inventory of accessories — matter of fact, all you need to stock is thermal paper.

There was a time when business owners and customers alike used to complain that the print on the thermal paper had a tendency to fade over a period of time.That is not the case anymore. For instance, the new Epson receipt printer features a technology that not only prints in dual color but also keeps the receipts readable for a long period — perhaps even 50 years!

The new Epson TM-T88IV POS thermal printer shown here is among the newest in the range of POS printers. Its rugged design works great in high-volume settings. It’s also 25 percent faster than the previous models and is capable of wired and wireless interfaces.

Insurance quotes at your fingertips

Literally. You can get a life insurance quote these days nearly from wherever you are, given the versatility of the Internet. However, it’s also easy to get inundated with quotes and policy options from a number of companies and agencies, so it only helps a lot if you know exactly what you’re looking for.

For instance, you can get very affordable quotes online for term insurance plans — which are designed for specific periods of time. But that’s hardly the end of it. You ought to look at the cost of premiums, death benefits and the standing of the insuring company.

A term life insurance is normally recommended for senior citizens, but can also be used a means of getting some cash in time for your kid’s college education or payment of mortgages over long periods like 25 years.

Whole life insurance is life insurance that’s active during the entire life of the insured. These policies normally combine death benefits with a cash value. However, if you choose to terminate your policy, you’re subject to penalties.

Repairing credit

A credit card has a dual personality — it depends on which side you want to team up with. Use it for convenience and emergencies, and you’ll be in great financial shape. On the flip side, if you’re using your card for impulse shopping or, if unfortunate situation is forcing you to live on it, you’re probably heading for credit hiccups.

Lenders invariably look at credit reports before deciding upon grant of auto and/or home loans, and if your credit is in bad shape, your chances of getting that dream facility are slim, and even if you do get it, you may have to shell out top premiums. Fortunately, for those in trouble, there’s help available, and it is strongly suggested to approach a professional credit repair service.

First off, established credit card repair agencies can help you correct any inaccuracies in your report. They are also an authority on who to contact and it’s a whole different ball game when a company contacts your lender as compared to the individual contacting them.

Of course credit repair agencies can’t write off your debt, they can work with you and the collection agencies — and the fact that there is a professional mediator on your side alone can make the whole process less stressful. The professionals will even negotiate payoff terms with your bank and other card issuers.

Social Security Disability and You

Just read a couple of days ago in the Kansas City Star that in Kansas City, an applicants social security disability income (SSDI) were waiting for an average of 604 days for a decision from an admin law panel at the end of 2009. Shocking?

Sadly, that appears to the scenario mainly because of the difficulties involved in interpreting the guidelines, according to a source. The delay becomes a routine matter, folks start taking it for granted. Unless you have a services provider who will fight your case and get you the SSDI and medical benefits get you your legal dues in the shortest time possible.

Fortunately, there are some agencies like Allsup who have helped more than 130,000 people get their dues — with a success rate of 98 per cent. What’s convincing about Allsup is there’s no fee if you don’t receive your benefits, and when you do it, it’s a small fee. It’s good to have an expert on your side when you combating some long-drawn process like claiming your social security disability income.

Job search getting easier

Lately I keep getting the impression that the job market is indeed tilting its angle between — this time in favor of job seekers. With heavy signs of the global recession of 2008-09 fading away, more companies are hiring, though I might say a little bit cautiously.

But how does one actually find a job? Well, one could get inundated with the choices available. However, one fact stands out clear and bold — one has to acquire a certain level of specialization if the “job” has to mature into a “career’ in due time.

Coming back to jobs to get started with, a good starting place is of course your networking, if you have any. Word of mouth gets you further than any piece of paper. Then of course you have the local newspaper, hopefully for some immediate results. Next, I’d say, would be to stay in touch with established headhunters. And then of course you have the Internet.

Listing your resume with a reputed online jobs place will make your CV available to hundreds if not thousands of potential employers and, you do stand a good chance being called on the phone qith some basic questions, and an interview. You might land a jon on the phone!