What is your business doing about the recent federal minimum wage increase? If you are an operator in the food-service, hospitality, retail, or other service-oriented sector, the increased federal minimum wage likely affects the profits of your company – the proverbial bottom line.

As a business, how are you combating the extra expense of workers with the increase in minimum wage? One way is smarter employee scheduling tools that save your company money – tools like TimeForge. TimeForge will save you 3-5% of your labor costs by improving your employee retention, freeing up staff and management time, decreasing turnover, and enforcing the labor schedule – all of which are direct improvements to your bottom line.

Manager Time is Expensive, Use Tools to Keep Costs Down

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), it can cost more than $3,500 to replace a single employee making $8.00 / hour (just over the minimum wage). This $3,500 cost accounts for recruitment, hiring, training, interviewing, reduced productivity of the exiting employee, etc… If the annual turnover at your company is 80% – that means that 16 of every 20 employees (or 8 out of 10 staff members) you hire in any given year, are no longer with your company. What does that cost your business, if you have 20 staff members? 16 employees * $3,500 per employee / year = $56,000 in lost profit (every year!) because 16 staff members left. That’s serious money for any business!

Manager Time is Expensive, use it wisely.

Most managers in the food-service industry take more than two hours to build a employee schedule, every week. With a low annual salary of only $40,000 (below the national average salary), two hours weekly is $2,080 in direct manager costs to build a staff schedule. This excludes the time necessary to rewrite the schedule, answer phone calls from staff, update availability, and all the rest of the scheduling duties that a manager needs to do. And while the manager is building schedules, they cannot run the business.

Manager Time is Expensive, Use Tools to Keep Costs Down

Staff members commonly ride the clock, clocking in early and clocking out late. Every few minutes of unnecessary payroll quickly adds up. A staff member clocking in early two times a week, and clocking out late twice per week, who earns the new minimum wage of $7.25, will burn through an extra $362.50 per year from the business. With 20 employees, that is more than $7,250 per year, and with an additional 20% in benefits, taxes, and other fees, the total is more than $8,700 in extra labor costs.

So, with only 20 employees, the business is likely losing: $56,000 in retention and turnover related expenses, $2,080 in schedule creation expenses, $8,700 in schedule enforcement expenses … a total of $66,780 in direct labor expenses.

What will TimeForge cost a business with 20 employees?

TimeForge Max will cost the business about $100 per month, or about $1,200 per year – complete with payroll integration, staff scheduling, attendance monitoring, and everything else needed to properly manage labor.

TimeForge Max will cost the business about $100 per month, or about $1,200 per year – complete with labor scheduling, payroll integration, attendance monitoring, and everything else needed to properly manage labor.

What happens with five stores? Twenty? Three-hundred? Labor costs go up drastically, the more stores that a business operates.

Use TimeForge employee scheduling software to put money back in to the business and save thousands every year.

Tags: finance

Foreign Currency Investing is fast catching up to becoming one the investment market’s most popular investment opportunities today. A few years ago, investing in Forex was only limited to large financial institutions and companies. Now, it has become one of the most lucrative investment markets. Comparing it to other investments markets like the stock market; Forex operates in a 24 hour basis and is the most liquid in existence. The cost of investing in Forex currency trading is comparatively low, and due to its liquidity, any investor can get in and out at any time they desire.

Forex currency trading is open to any one who’s willing and brave enough to invest their time, money, and attention to it, as well as having the right attitude to learn technical and analytical skills, and the market’s simple strategies. What Forex presents may be very complicated to most Forex beginners with its charts and computations, terminologies and trade processes. But in general, everything in it can be studied, learned, understood, and eventually mastered.

Everything will become easy and free flowing once one has availed of a quality Forex education. Any one can make consistent and profitable trade deals in Forex – as proven by many, who’ve already done so and still keep doing it, but not by mere luck alone, but by also using the knowledge and skills they had learned by simply educating themselves to what Forex is all about.

Investing in Forex does not only begin with investing a small or substantial sum of money to it. What most Forex beginners should remember when planning to invest in Forex is why they are getting into it, for how long they are to stay in it, and what it will demand from them to make their venture successful or otherwise.

Forex trading in itself is different and unique compared to other investment markets. Forex trading is done through patterns, signals, and defined technical applications. When one looks for an educational training program on Forex, one has to find one that offers Forex fundamentals, analysis, applications and techniques, and risk management. When one has a basic understanding of the different methods being applied in every day Forex trading, one can start to learn and make small yet consistent profitable transactions.

One of the most effective ways of learning Forex essentials is to avail of online training programs being offered by legitimate and professional individuals or companies. If you’re hoping to get one that will effectively answer all your needs and questions on how to invest in Forex correctly, simply follow the link below to start yourself in the right path to success.

Tags: Forex

When renting out your place to others, there are two types of agreements/contracts that owners choose to use. This includes the rental agreement and the lease contract. Rental agreements don’t have a length of residence requirement and are month-to-month agreements. After the end of each month, the owner and the tenant are free to make changes to the rental agreement.

These changes could be rent increase, request to leave the property, or modifying other items in the agreement. Usually both parties would give a 30 days notice to any changes that will be made in the near future. Typically, the rental agreement is automatically renewed after each month if neither parties don’t request any changes. This type of rental agreement is best used for those who are having a hard time getting tenants and for areas where rentals cater to traveling professionals and students.

The other type of rental contract is called a lease. A lease is where there is a timeline of the required length of stay for a tenant. This could be six months or up to a year that a tenant agrees to rent the property. During the contract, both the owner and tenant put uphold all the terms stated in their contract. Neither parties are allowed to change it until the end of the term agreement.

This kind of agreement helps ensure the owner that there is a stable tenant for a period of time. This can be most useful when you are still paying off the mortgage on the property and want to make sure you don’t have a tenant who is short-term and can help pay it off. This is a common way of renting, so most tenants would not hesitate to commit to this kind of agreement.

KeyRenter is a Utah property management company that helps owners make leasing contracts with tenants. They also help tenants and owners uphold to the terms written in their contract. This includes sending late notices and enforcing the contract to tenants. This helps owners be assured that their property is taken care of according to the contract. KeyRenter are professionals in rental homes in Utah. They help owners and tenants come together for a healthy relationship for the duration of the contract.

If tenants are unable to fulfill their side of the leasing contract, then eviction administration would be required. Tenants are usually still responsible for paying out the rest of their lease agreement even if they are not living there anymore. KeyRenter provides a business that helps owners in these times and makes sure the terms of the signed lease contract is carried out.

Tags: finance

In a down real estate market, finding foreclosed homes is easy. To make your search easier, here is the list of the places where you can find foreclosures.

Auction Houses

Auction companies hold a large inventory of properties, sometimes selling as much as 100 homes or more in just 1 day. Since the bidding is relatively quick and houses can be sold in a matter of seconds, prices of real estate can go over the board but you can find really good properties in their inventory.

Some Large Bank Websites

Most major banks maintain a list of foreclosed properties that they now own. Visit bank web sites and check out the foreclosed properties listing. More often then not this is a great method to find good solid investment property…just be warned…banks take FOREVER to move on a sale if your offering below what they feels is “Fair market value”.

Online foreclosure companies

There are a few companies online that specialize in selling foreclosed homes. A small,one-time membership fee is charged to anyone who wishes to access the list of foreclosed properties. Once you join you will normally have access to a list of property from across the nation. This is very helpful if you have a part of the country you prefer to invest in.

Real estate agents

These agents are either maintaining personal web sites or deal directly with real estate companies that sell foreclosed properties. You can search them online. Major cities have real estate offices where you can inquire into possibility of acquiring foreclosures. Be sure to ask if the agent is a “buyers agent.”

Real Estate Signs

You don’t need to look anywhere else because you can find foreclosure signs around your neighborhood.These signs contain address and contact information of the agents you can visit or call. The best thing about considering homes with real estate signs is that you can actually check the condition of the house on-site. Nothing is stoping you from walking the property to take a look to see if it is worth looking into. And with one phone call, you can arrange with the agent the date when you want to see the interior of the house.

Government Agencies

VA forclosed homes, Fannie Mae foreclosure homes, Housing Urban Development, Small Business Association, Department of the Treasury and other government agencies have a list of real estate properties for sale. Usually, when buying a house from these agencies, you are required to acquire the services of a real estate broker or personally submit an offer. Go to any of the government agencies web sites for more information.

Tags: finance

If you have even a passing interest in the topic of car insurance for teenagers and young drivers, then you should take a look at the following information. This enlightening article presents some of the latest news on the subject of car insurance.

Cheaper car insurance for teenagers will be given out if they pass these courses. As they often have inadequate driving experience, these courses to improve their driving skills to be a better driver and minimize the chances of hitting cars. The rates will be will be higher but do not give up hope because there is some good deals on car insurance for teenagers and several ways you can save some money. Apart from that, it is also possible to get reasonable rates for your car insurance for teenagers if you add your teenager name under your policy. It is very common that your rates might double or even triple when you add a teenager under your policy, but you will get more savings compare to buying a single policy for your teenage child.

Teenagers get involved with too many road accidents than adults, hence the car insurance for teenagers are always on the higher side for them in terms of premium amounts. But then, there is also a possibility to reduce the premiums of car insurance for teenagers by following certain steps. If you decide to give your son or daughter a car, it is best that you also consider the price of car insurance for teenagers before making the move. The options car insurance for teenagers addressing society to be a policyholder and pay premiums it ensures that everyone other policyholders or charge rates and expert objective.

The information about car insurance for teenagers presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about car insurance for young drivers or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.

In order to protect the teenager and potentially you the parent, you’ll have to bite the bullet and invest in car insurance for teenagers at some point or another. It’s obviously illegal to drive without insurance in most states and by purchasing car insurance for teenagers, you ensure that they are protected against any accident they may be involved in. However, you can reduce the premiums for your car insurance for teenagers with a few steps. You will have to strictly follow the road safety laws and traffic rules in order to keep your driving record clean, you should drive within the permitted speed, stay away from alcohol and enrolment in a regular driving course is also recommended. Car insurance for teenagers is more expensive for males than females. Car insurance for teenagers is expensive than the car insurance for the adults because teenager driving has higher risk than the adults.

Producing good grades in school equals lower costs in car insurance for teenagers. Incorporating certain safety and security features, such as an alarm system or airbags in a teen’s car can also help to reduce the cost of auto insurance for parents. In the end, car insurance for teenagers is all about defence.

Remember, car insurance for teenagers is a serious matter. Auto accidents are the single largest killer of our young adults. You should consider car insurance for teenagers as a safety measure. Teenage drivers have the highest accident rates than any other drivers on the road today according to the Institute for Highway Safety. However, there are now several companies that specialise in lowering the cost of car insurance for teenagers and can offer tailored cover that could save you a great deal of money.

I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. Your learning process should be ongoing–the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others.

Tags: finance

During these difficult economic times, homeowners have been having a tough time making mortgage payments. Much of the difficulties are due to an increase in job losses and high health care costs. Because of the increased number of home foreclosures, the government and lenders are now offering great refinance deals to keep people in their homes. This may be the best time to refinance your mortgage.

Deciding if it is the best time to refinance your mortgage depends on your current financial situation and if there is a refinance option that is better than your current mortgage. It is important to remember that if you refinance, there will be fees associated with the deal that can include title fees, legal fees, and other processing fees. You have to take these fees into consideration to ensure that the refinance is an economically beneficial deal.

If you currently have a high mortgage rate, this is a great time to refinance because lenders are offering very low interest rates in order to keep people in their homes. The high number of foreclosures has resulted in great mortgage rates. When considering a refinance, you should check to see what the value of your home is because if there are a high number of foreclosures in your area, the value of your home may have dropped. It is important to make sure that you do not owe more money than the home is worth.

If your future plans include staying in your home for the life of the mortgage, this can be a great time to refinance. With interest rates so low, you can end up with very affordable mortgage payments. You should calculate the amount of money you will save. Most lenders will have a mortgage calculator online to determine monthly mortgage payments. You can then figure out how much the cost will be over the life of the mortgage. It is important to compare your current mortgage rate with the advertised rates. If your current mortgage rate is higher than the advertised rate, you may want to consider refinancing.

If you have more than one mortgage, you may be having a difficult time paying on both of them. Paying the interest rates can be a terrible expense. Refinancing to combine both mortgages can lower your payments and interest rates significantly.

Saving money and acquiring better terms and conditions, are good reasons why one should consider refinancing their mortgage. Make sure that you shop around with several different lenders to compare costs and terms as well as to negotiate the best refinance deal.

The current low interest rate trend is a very good reason to refinance, however, it is important to remember that most experts say they will not last. In fact, in the last few months there has been a slight increase in mortgage rates being offered. If you are worried about high interest rates, making your mortgage payments, or home foreclosure, refinancing is one option that should be considered. Talk to a mortgage consultant to see if it is a good time to refinance your mortgage. The real benefit is that you and your family will stay in your home.

Tags: finance

Renting your property can be intimidating if you’re not completely sure the usual practices surrounding it. You may need support in all the aspects of renting, from the beginning stages of marketing it to the later stages of maintaining a good relationship with your tenants.

You don’t have to be alone, there are several Utah property management companies whose job is to make sure you have support in getting your place rented out in a timely manner with quality tenants and other needs. For example, KeyRenter provides an owner-tenant agreement contract that is detailed and clear and provides a 12-point background check along with other property management help.

They also provide 24/7 on-call support by calling their (800) number and also provides a 24/7 maintenance crew for those occasional maintenance needs of rental homes. Utah has property management companies that charge eight to 10 percent of your rental price as a monthly fee to provide management. However, Keyrenter.com provides a flat fee of $75/month for services. This is a great deal for those who have a high-priced house they are renting. If you have a home renting for $1,500 and have to pay 10 percent ($150) a month to a Utah property management, then KeyRenter is the better deal charging only $75 a month.

Compared to all the other Utah property management companies, Keyrenter is the most inexpensive out of all of them. Not only do they provide 24/7 support for your rental property, but they also handle leasing needs such as sign and lockbox installations, pre-negotiating, rent analysis, and advice.

They also handle property management of mailing late notices, handling tenant/owner/property issues, and eviction administration if needed. Another benefit is that Keyrenter provides accounting services, that way you’ll have an organized monthly accounting statements and someone to turn to with financial questions about your property.

Having 24/7 support while renting your property is a great thing to have. You never know what issues or questions that may come up where you have to turn to a professional for answers. Maintenance issues can occur to your rental property while a tenant is living there that needs to be looked at immediately. If KeyRenter is your Utah property management company, you would be assured that things would be handled in a timely manner by experts, so you won’t have to worry. You’ll receive 24/7 support and not have to be alone and guessing what you’re suppose to do as a rental property owner.

Tags: finance

People tend to take out adjustable rate mortgages when interest rates get lower. The interest rate in these loans can rise and fall, fluctuating with the prime interest rate. What has occurred in recent times is that, when interest rates were lower, lots of individuals took out adjustable rate mortgages whose interest rates have now risen along with the prime interest rate. This has further resulted in higher monthly payments on loans that have caused some people to have their homes foreclosed on.

Typically, a rate of real estate foreclosures is about the same in any given area of the country and when they begin to hit close to home, there may be several foreclosures filed at or near the same time.

Even though it is true that a family whose home is foreclosed on should not feel like they are the only ones with this problem, this rarely makes anyone feel better about the situation. It can be less embarrassing to know that lots of other people are dealing with the same issue, but it is not less painful.

Families who have worked hard to own their home will often have a first response to the threat of foreclosure of being ready to do whatever is necessary to keep their home. This is not always possible, since most people who are having their homes foreclosed on are already in sore straights financially so getting into more debt is not a good option.

Foreclosure Will Not Stop If You Ignore It

If you keep good track of your finances, you will probably see foreclosure coming before it actually starts to happen. Some warning signs include missing utility bills to make mortgage payments and then missing mortgage payments to make the late utility bills. Ignoring such clear indicators of financial trouble is not a wise choice and will not prevent foreclosure.

Of course, a person can eliminate the threat of home foreclosure most quickly by simply paying the money that they owe their lender. Since the person cannot always do this, though, they will many times just keep doing what they can to pay as many of their bills as possible until they find another way to rectify the situation.

Short of paying all past due payments, talking with the lender and hoping for some understanding and time to get caught up on back payments, homeowners may find no way out of losing their home.

Tags: finance

In the issue of repairing your credit, it is best to do it yourself. Most often, you may hear or see advertisements claiming outstanding credit repair services offering you “legal” and “guaranteed” solutions for your credit problems. These services may use motto’s that are quite enticing to those who are in dire need of credit repair. There are even others who get easily convinced after reading “authentic” testimonials from several customers, who might not actually exist.

When you are really in need of credit repair, the first thing you want to do is to act immediately. You should remember that this action should be done by you and not anyone else. Luckily, there are several factors that can help you avoid scam credit repair services.

The Fraudulence

Vulnerable people who have a poor credit track record are targeted by many unscrupulous companies who promise them a magical solution to their problems. For a price, that is. They not only promise to tidy up your credit report but to also help qualify for loans and insurance. Instead of improving your financial circumstances these credit repair scams can do you real harm. Such businesses regularly vanish into thin air.

The Signs of a Scam

There are, however, some genuine credit repair services, so how can You separate the good from the bad? A sign that is an absolute give-a-away is when a company requests payment in advance for their credit repair services. Another indication that a service is scamming you is if it does not give information about their legal rights.

There are companies that advise consumers to directly contact a credit reporting agency – you should avoid such companies. More so, if the company you have responded to suggests that you to create a new credit identity and then make a new credit report by applying for an Employer Identification Number to use rather than you SIN, you should immediately stop contacting that company.

Last, but not least, credit repair services that say you should argue about everything in your credit report are just wasting your time. In fact, avoid all companies that even hint at doing anything illegal.

It is important to understand that if you supply false information when applying for credit by phone or mail, you can be prosecuted for wire or mail fraud. Under Canadian law, lying on your application for credit, lying about your SIN or fraudulently applying for a new SIN from Revenue Canada are all federal crimes. Under the Credit Repair Organization Act, credit repair companies are prohibited from requesting payment from consumers before they have fully delivered on all promised services. In other words, any credit repair company requesting upfront payments is in breach of the law.

Most importantly, you should remember that included within the Credit Repair Organization Act is the rule that credit repair companies should not require you to pay until the services they have promised are complete.

The best possible way to avoid poor credit history, and totally keep you safe from fraudulent credit repair services, is to do a periodic credit report review. Reviewing your credit report is important because the information in your report affects your chances of getting an insurance or loan. Make sure that the information is correct, complete and regularly updated before applying for a loan. Lastly, by doing periodic check-up on your credit report, you can be safe from identity theft, which can create a major problem not only in your credit report.

Tags: finance

Imagine the next time you join a discussion about simple loan calculator resources. When you start sharing the fascinating loan facts below, your friends will be absolutely amazed.

An auto loan calculator is an effective tool which helps in determining the monthly outgoing of money. And, also enables you to know that which loan deal will suit you the best as per your budget. Feel free to use the interactive secured loan calculator. Before deciding to apply for a loan some homeowners find it useful to understand the approximate cost of borrowing in terms of the monthly cost and the interest which is being charged. Feel free to use our interactive secured loan calculator. Before deciding to apply for a loan some homeowners find it useful to understand the approximate cost of borrowing in terms of the monthly cost and the interest which is being charged.

Interest only and deferred payment plans are also on hand, and these can all make a substantial difference. Interest only and deferred payment schemes are also available, and these can all make a large difference. Interest rate is also dependent on credit history, payment method and general circumstances. Some loan calculators that appear on lender websites only allow you to enter the term and amount because the interest rate is already determined by the lender. Interest, fees, and taxes add a hefty chunk to the total amount. When budgeting to buy a car, use an auto loan calculator to do the initial math so you can go car shopping with an accurate idea of how much you can pay for a car. Interest rates vary from lender to lender. APR or annual percentage rate is another necessary amount you need to provide for the motorcycle loan calculator.

It’s really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of simple loan calculator resources. What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.

Payment Protection Insurance is supposed to cover you in the event of accident, sickness or unemployment. Sadly, while a useful concept, most loan insurance policies cost four times more than they should, are riddled with exclusions, and are sold to people who they don’t cover. Payment free month(s) must be chosen prior to receiving your loan. This will reduce your number of repayments but your monthly amount will increase.

Free mortgage loan calculators can also help you with your bi-weekly mortgage calculations. Making bi-weekly mortgage payments is a relatively painless way to pay additional amounts on your mortgage, saving you interest and shortening the mortgage term. The free loan calculator is a completely free software and easy to use amortization. This is an essential tool to estimate loan payments on homes, cars and finances again.

A well know auto site has a car loan calculator service, designed to assist the new car loan shopper, wan array of financial tools, to assist in buying a car. The specific online tools offered here, center on the car loan calculator, which allow the borrower to coarse loans and leases, by entering fields, requiring information including MSOP. Auto loans fall into this category too. The term ‘amortization’ indicates gradual extinguishments or shrinkage of loan amount. Auto loan calculators can also be used for other loans such as a mortgage loan, personal loan, and so many others.

Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome any hesitations you may have and encourage you to take action.

Tags: finance