finance

Don’t you love this time of year, it’s all about spend, spend, spend, shop, shop, shop and worry about it next year.  I am sure it is not just us girls who feel like this.

The pressure to purchase goods for ourselves and others is huge at this time of year.  All our children or grandchildren need the latest toys; men need the latest gadget, and every girl regardless of age need jewellery, that’s what the advertisers seem to tell us… Read more

It might be smooth sailing now, but sometimes, things fall apart.  How will a roadblock in your personal life affect your business?

Remember the song, ‘Breaking up is hard to do’?  Those who have been through relationship breakups I am sure will agree that it is not easy and there are lots of both emotional and financial issues processes to go through.

Generally, it is the emotional side that kicks in first, the hurt, anger, grief and so on, and if there are children involved then there is a whole other layer of emotional complexity.  But at some point through this process the financial aspects of breaking up have to be dealt with, both in terms of the splitting of assets and debt, and the day to day financial management of who is going to pay the bills and how. Read more

Two weeks ago I set myself a highly ambitious goal of having a conversation with Virgin Founder and business legend Sir Richard Branson during his upcoming visit to Melbourne.

He was visiting to speak at the 21st Century Financial Education Summit, headlining with bestselling author Tim Ferriss. Read more

Strong on attack, with a solid defensive record and an excellent high performance strategy – it’s a good time to be backing the Kiwi team at the moment.

But I’m not talking about the ABs, who I’m confident will follow up Sunday’s excellent performance against the Wallabies last weekend to lift the Webb Ellis trophy on Sunday.

No, it’s NZ Inc that should be getting the praise from the local and international commentators at the moment. Our home team of business owners – large and small – have been a true showcase of what you can achieve through determination and strength, coupled with good tactics and a dash of confidence. Read more

It can take years to bag an elephant (i.e. win a huge, lucrative customer).

But mere seconds to frag* one.

My latest dead behemoth could’ve paid off my mortgage.

In light of our recent trilogy of tears, its termination seems incautious.

So what triggered this lethal response?

And would you have done likewise?

Happy trails

This client had all the hallmarks of a keeper: big, stable, well funded. Read more

Alexand, a Sydney taxi driver, had never received a $10 tip before. And I’d never given one of that size.

But that’s exactly what happened on a trip I took to the airport recently.

I’d had three hours sleep and was facing a flight and running two events that same day. Typically I don’t describe myself as a morning person.  Alex laughed, telling me he is up at 1.30am every day to drive his taxi.

Alex then went on to provide sensational customer service. He offered me the option to sleep during the trip or for him to stop and buy me a coffee or energy drink. Read more

Cash flow, as the name suggests is about the movement of money in and out of your business.  While your accountant may talk about a statement of cash flow which involves looking also at the balance of bank accounts, many of the cash problems a business faces stem from providing credit. Here are four tips you can easily implement using AccountRight to avoid the sleepless nights that many business owners face when worrying about having enough cash to run the business from day to day. Read more

Greater love hath no man.

Last month, two prospects offered to pay me for stuff they didn’t need.

I talked them both out of it.

Am I crazy?

Let’s see.

What you ordered, not what you wanted

Have you ever demanded a particular restaurant meal?

The waiter advised against it, but you pushed on regardless.

Only when the dish arrived did you realise you should’ve listened. Read more

Love on the rocks.

Parts 1 and 2 have brought us to this stage of my better-bank-deal quest.

Thank you so much for reading and responding!

Today the plot finally crystallises.

Bert

As Sheryl the Specialised Case Manager presaged, Bert the Bank Manager and I had ‘fruitful conversations’ (via email).

Alas, the fruit was small, hard and bitter:

1. No relief on annual or monthly fees.
2. A total annual interest saving of … wait for it … $126.

Read more

True love at last?

Thank you for reading Part 1. (If you haven’t, here it is.)

So there I was, clutching my mouse mat with anticipation of my bank’s direct message (DM).

Sure enough, it came through, requesting my contact number.

I replied that, since all prior phone conversations had failed, I’d rather communicate by email.

My bank agreed, so I sent my email address.

Minutes later, my phone rang.

Read more