Venture Capital in Australia

5 Things you can do to improve your communication and “connect”

2012-01-31T21:05:00.000+11:00

As a leader, you spend a lot of time dealing with other people.

In your position, you advise, inform, coax, explain, instruct, discuss, review, clarify, counsel, guide, suggest, convince, persuade, coach, respond etcetera etcetera etcetera (from the king and I!)

So often, communication between people are misinterpreted, as people have different interpretations and different messages from the same words which could result in wasted time, frustration and redoing work, causing unhappy customers, an unhappy team and potentially lower profits!!

To ensure that you communicate effectively…. It is imperative that you are able to “connect”!!

Here are five areas for improvement:
1. Manage Expectations
Be clear on what is expected helps your people have time to think, strategise and get on with important business, as well answer enquires in a timely manner.

2. Delegate Effectively
If you delegate – communicate!! Define clearly the scope of the task, areas of responsibility, reporting and review arrangements, resources available etc. Good communication will cause time and money saving with people not having to reinvent the wheel. Communicate clearly before the project and give effective feedback after the project… giving and getting praise or positive feedback is an awesome feeling. Negative feedback is good if you can improve processes going forward.
Good communication helps the person take responsibility, learn for themselves and improve quickly.

3. Listen with 100% focus
Avoid interruptions when listening. FOCUS on what the other person is saying. God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth…. Use these senses in that proportion. One connects when one hears what the other is saying!

4. Set Tight Agendas and stick to them
Keep to the subject, keep to time, push for clear decisions wherever appropriate and above all, keep it short.

5. Shut down the grapevine
Good communication means informing your people of what your plans are, where the business is going, and involving them in getting there. If they are not clear on this they will get this information “from the grapevine”… distorted and incorrect!!

If there are concerns, make it easy for your team to air them so that you can deal with them and get your team focused on the job at hand and ensure they are clear of why they are doing it and how it is benefitting the vision of the company….

The janitor at Nasa when asked what he does… he said “ I help people get to the moon”

I look forward to being a part of "the Inner Circle Club" group of 10 to discuss "Everyone Communicates and Few Connect" - who wants to joi n me?

Smokin!! the mask Tango Pete

2012-01-27T10:03:00.000+11:00

To lift your spirits

Doing Business in India - Part 1 -

2012-01-26T18:19:00.000+11:00

India is proof that G-d exists
Common culture, common language, federation
Interesting comparisons with Europe.
Europe is trying to find a common base... where India was a couple of 1100 years ago.

Moguls and British Empire used India as a Labour Pool... but things are now changing and changing fast!

"Doing Business in India Part 2 - India's Population , Demographics and ...

2012-01-26T17:59:00.000+11:00

6 things to do to make a connection into an alliance partner

2012-01-26T09:48:00.001+11:00

1. An alliance partner is someone you consult regularly for advice
2. You proactively share and collaborate on ideas
3. You keep your antennaes open to your alliance partners interests - and assist them when you can
4. You look to pursue opportunities together
5. You talk up your alliance partner
6. When an alliance partner runs into problems and has issues, you are there for them - stand up for their reputation and they will stand up for yours

11 Vital Mobile Apps for Entrepreneurs

2012-01-26T08:25:00.001+11:00

11 Vital Mobile Apps for Entrepreneurs for those with Iphones - these Apps are sensational!!

10 Rules of being a Creator and Innovator and Innovating

2012-01-26T08:18:00.000+11:00

1. Make Work into Play
2. Try New Things
3. Be Prepared to Fail
4. Teach Others What you Know
5. Find time to relax - take time out
6. Work When Others are resting
7. Always be Creating
8. Have Passion - Love What you Do - or leeave
9. Inspire and be Inspired
10. Persevere

BSI Leaders Networking Breakfast

2012-01-19T17:35:00.005+11:00

There are only 10 places remaining to attend a 2 hour breakfast hosted by Ivan Ang, the leadership expert. Click on the following link to see what people have said about him and his mastermind course. http://www.bsi.com.au/news/Mastermind_referrals/.

Learn more about the Mastermind program and the Inner Circle network which each will focus on different crucial elements on how to become a better leader.

The benefits of attending the Leadership and Network Breakfast are:

You will have the opportunity to network with other people looking to grow as leaders.
You will learn about leadership principles and practices from John Maxwell’s “Everyone communicates, Few connect” that help you succeed in life and business.
You will discover the various options to help you continue growing as a leader.
You will complete your Leadership Development Action Plan. This will include; what are your 2012 leadership goals, how are you going to achieve those goals and when will you achieve them by.

“90% of people can’t apply what they know. Education is NOT the key to success. Application is.” - John Maxwell.

Those who have had the opportunity to have already attended the mastermind group on leadership have had a great start towards their leadership growth and their feedback has been sensational, Thank You.

Come along on Tuesday 24th January from 7am until 9.30am at the Amora Jamison, 11 Jamison Street, Sydney (off George Street) in the “Charr Room” and discover how YOU can keep growing as a leader.

Click here to register now

Liquidity Finance - Helping you with your Loans and Mortgages

2012-01-16T17:14:00.004+11:00

Welcome to 2012!

We are back for another exciting year, with a fresh new look website and a recharged team ready to help you out with all your finance needs.

On our website, you will find:

Useful tools such as calculators for borrowing capacity and loan comparisons
Hot tips to reducing your home loan
Fact Finders and checklists
Details on our affiliate partners
News and updates on the home loan and finance industry

We are open to your feedback in regards to items that you would like included on the website. Please click here Liquidity Finance

It looks as though 2012 is going to be a year for opportunity. An opportunity to restructure and acquire.

Restructure your loan and take advantage of lower interest rates. Consolidation of loans with higher interest rates to those with lower interest rates can save thousands and assist with cash flow.

Acquire property to take advantage of low fixed and variable rates which will increase your borrowing capacity and reduce your cost to hold the new asset.

Whether you are continuing or starting your financial journey, Liquidity Finance and our partners at Ark Total Wealth remain committed to helping you achieve your financial goals.

We wish you a safe and prosperous 2012 and look forward to speaking with you soon.

For your free property report,
follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/#!/liqfin
and we will contact you to get the address of the property you want valued!

http://liquidityfinance.com.au/

Michael Luca
Mortgage Broker - Manager
Suite 701, Level 7, 14 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000

GPO BOX 4013 Sydney NSW 2001
P: 02 9290 2777 D: 02 9003 1519 M: 0405 113 543
F: 02 9262 5788
E: michael.luca@liquidityfinance.com.au

Dear 16 year old me

2012-01-14T14:02:00.002+11:00

Watch and share!!

The next 10 year bull market to start in 2012!

2012-01-12T13:31:00.001+11:00

Our strategy for some time is to go for defensive, income stocks. Two favourites are Telstra and Woolworths, I own both. The income portfolio is furnished with high yielding, defensive stocks and is proving an island in the storm.

I expect this trajectory will continue in 2012 with the possibility the market might overshoot a couple of hundred points on the downside but not for long. I have repeatedly said the 2012 low – just perhaps edging into 2013 – would launch the Teens decade bull market. That low would feel bad, there would be feelings of panic. But just like the post 1987 crash market to January 1991, the market might not fall below previous lows, or much below them. A breech of those lows would simply engender the panic that creates the bottom.

China is very important. Internal infrastructure investment is likely to be boosted in 2012 and will continue to dominate and underpin commodities demand

A soft Europe slows China's exports as that is its largest market. Also a slowing Europe itself will absorb less commodities. But overall I cannot get too bothered, no hard landing, still not looking for a downturn anything like the scale of the GFC... no major credit squeeze! No significant inflation!

As the Top 20 goes, so does the market. Our estimates for the Top 20 give 12.3% upside for 2012 EPS and a further 5.0% for 2013 while our dividend forecast sees the yield increase from 4.9% in 2011 to 5.8% in 2012 and 6.2% in 2013. Those numbers support a potential rise in our Index, possibly to that 20% chance of 5500. But I expect offshore generated fear to keep the indices down and give investors wonderful dividend yields... something I have stressed for some months together with my successful forecast of two 0.25% interest cuts before Christmas.

The market appears cheap, a 25% discount broadly equating to a buy. That discount also tallies with the low market PE. But banks sell on a low PE as they are highly leveraged. The resource stocks are currently selling on low PEs because commodity prices are perceived as high and falling. The market is preparing for a commodities downturn as world growth contracts through 2012/2013.

We are more positive on our resource majors despite our Commodity Forecast – Table 3 – pointing to most prices gradually declining including iron ore at $80 a tonne by 2016 and copper at $3.13. These are still good prices for our majors BHP and RIO. We have oil steady at $100 a barrel, sufficient to support the current immense investment in LNG, shale gas, and liquids from tar sands, coal, biomass and gas.

The US S&P 500 is on a 12.3 PE against consensus 2012 earnings, not expensive. The major bottoms over the last 15/20 years have often been at a PE of 15!

http://www.bsi.com.au/news/cat/wealth/post/next_bull_market

Jackie Eancho - What a Voice

2012-01-03T16:20:00.000+11:00

Food for the soul!

Zappos - Culture of Customer Service at its best!

2012-01-02T22:26:00.001+11:00

And that is why it has a turnover of over $1b in 10 years!!

The Lean Startup

2011-12-29T16:49:00.002+11:00

key takeouts:- an entrepreneurial company is one of the hardest to manage!! - it is management under extreme uncertainty
- everyone does what it takes for company to succeed
- use accounting so that employees understand kpi's - develop key metrics
- 3 customers needed for sustainable growth - viral, sticky and stable
- if something doesn't work, pivotand find out what does work!

Words to Inspire for 2012

2011-12-28T16:13:00.006+11:00

Launching our Liquidity Site in Jan 12 - feedback please

2011-12-23T19:08:00.001+11:00

we will be launching our new site for liquidity financehttp://liquidityfinance.com.au in January..... please look with a critical eye and give your feedback..... thanks
Ivan

Things to consider when looking at opportunities in your business

2011-12-20T17:14:00.000+11:00

I am curerntly working on an exciting opportunity to grow our business, which should be a brilliant stand alone business as well as an opportunity to grow both our existing and our clients businesses.

These are some of the things that we were looking at to determine whether we should go ahead with the business.....

What are the opportunities? If the market is already saturated, what is our point of difference (POD or USP) that will stand out from the competition?
Why are we doing it? does it fit with our overall vision, product or service lines?
Who is going to lead the team or opportunity?
Do we have the resources and expertise to deliver the product or service?
How will we fund growth? (make sure we have adequate cash flow to givve the opportunity a good chance of working.)
What sort of timeframes can we expect before we will see a return?

It would be great if you could add more things to look out for below...

Ark and Liquidity 2012 xmas party

2011-12-17T16:23:00.000+11:00

The global growth through a burgeoning Asian middle class can bring in a new era of growth, wealth and prosperity

2011-12-15T16:47:00.000+11:00

Salient Points

Shifting Wealth’ from West to East over next 25 Years
Middle Class spurs growth and Innovation a nd there is a huge swell of Middle Class in China, Asia and India (growth from 1.8b spending $21trillion to 4.6b spending 56trillion
Annual output to grow from 63 trillion per annum to 200 trillion per annum in 25 years
The growth does not depend on a rebound in US or European consumer demand, but depends on the inevitable demand from a new large, growing Asian middle class, that is of sufficient size to provide the impetus for demand growth that the world needs.

How can you survive and thrive in 2012?

2011-12-15T14:45:00.002+11:00

To have a place at the table you need to do have a competent team that is capable of delivering an excellent service at an affordable price. That is a given!!

Clients want to be the centre of their universe. Understand what your cleints require and find ways to deliver an evolved service that fulfills their “right now” needs.

Click here to find 10 things that you should look at to survive and thrive in 2012 and beyond...

Be Part of a Mastermind Group!

2011-12-13T18:12:00.000+11:00

"Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership!" - John C. Maxwell

Leadership cannot be an idea we simply talk about. Leadership is the action we must live out. BSI, together with John Maxwell and Ivan Ang, have developed an 8-week in-depth study that will afford you the opportunity to collaborate and network with 10 individuals who are focused on developing your leadership and communication skills, so that you can build strong and cohesive teams, and be prepared for accelerated growth.

Having the support and ideas from other members of your mastermind group allows us to see things differently and to get a new perspective on goals and action plans.

Together, you will learn how to effectively raise your “leadership lid” by understanding and implementing the principles of the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.

These include:

The Law of the Lid – Leadership Ability Determines a Person’s Level of Effectiveness
The Law of Influence – The True Measure of Leadership is Influence, Nothing More, Nothing Less
The Law of The Inner Circle – A Leader’s Potential Is Determined by Those Closest to Him
The Law of The Big Mo – Momentum Is a Leader’s Best Friend
The Law of Explosive Growth – To Add Growth, Lead Followers. To Multiply, Lead Leaders
And many more…

Key Benefits of a Mastermind Group:

Increase your own experience and confidence
Sharpen your business and personal skills
Create real progress in your business and your life
Add an instant and valuable support network
Get honest feedback, advice and brainstorming
Borrow on the experience and skills of the other members
Learn how to connect and have influence over key staff
Study the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, create an action plan and have the group hold you accountable for fulfilling your plan and goals
Receive critical insights into yourself
Optimistic peer support in maintaining a positive mental attitude
A sense of shared endeavour – there are others out there!

Facilitated by: Ivan Ang

Founding member of the John Maxwell Coaching, Speaking and Teaching Team, Ivan has extensive experience working with High Net Worth clients and Executives since 1999. He graduated with a double degree in Economics and Asian Studies from the Australian National University and also has a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from Securities Institute of Australia.

Of more importance than degrees and diplomas, Ivan draws on his extensive business and personal experience, both good and bad, and shares his lessons learnt in an open and candid manor.

Over many years of observing and working with clients, Ivan believes that the one thing that limits greater success in his client’s personal and professional life is their leadership effectiveness. The ability to think and make courageous decisions and connect with people plays a significant part in wealth creation and creating a significant legacy.

Ivan is looking forward to assisting you on your journey to becoming a successful leader.

Total Costs for the Course

The nominal cost of these 1 hr per week over 8 weeks program is only $100 and a money back guarantee that if you didn't get at least $100 of value, we would gladly refund their money and they keep the book for free.The total cost for this 8 week course is $100

Your Commitment

To arrive on time
Attend all meetings – 1 hour per week
Keep discussions confidential
Do all relevant readings and assignments
Make a positive contribute to the group

WHO IS THIS FOR

CEOs and COOs
General Managers
Team Leaders etc

WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SAID ABOUT IVAN ANG AND THE MASTERMIND GROUPS

“Ivan Ang and the John Maxwell Leadership Team have carried out an excellent series of workshops in the recent Master Mind Group sessions. Ivan did a great job of presenting the sessions - always full of vigour and genuine enthusiasm for his subject and audience - our group looked forward to the sessions week on week. We are excited about Ivan's planned Inner Circle Project and hope to work with him in the future. I highly recommend Ivan and his team.” December 6, 2011 Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Good Value - Tony M

“I was lucky to receive an invitation to the Maxwell Mastermind group, not knowing who was running it. I was pleasantly surprised initially and then over the 8 weeks of the course I developed a great respect for Ivan's ability to lead the group, draw out the involvement from myself and the other participants and help us to get as much as we could out of the time we had together.

I would recommend that if you get the chance to participate in one of Ivan's group sessions.” November 29, 2011Top qualities: Personable, Expert, Good Value - Paul D

“Ivan's teachings have helped me develop new strengths and find new ways to achieve goals. His mastermind group has been a great opportunity to meet new people and to develop leadership skills.” November 29, 2011Top qualities: Expert, High Integrity, Creative - Paulo M

click here to see more referrals

Place and Dates

These Networking Groups will be held at our offices on Level 7, 14 Martin Place, Sydney 2000, starting Monday 10^th October 2011

The course will commence on the following dates, and continue on those days for the following 8 weeks.

Wednesday, 11^th January 2012, 12:30pm - 1:30pm
Thursday, 12^th January 2012, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Friday, 13^th January 2012, 7.30 am to 8.30 am

To Register your Interest and to determine Eligibility Click Here

Time to look at your travel insurance

2011-12-07T17:50:00.000+11:00

Ensure that your travel insurance needs are covered before going away. Top cover is complete cover, which is your peace of mind away from home! see http://www.bsi.com.au/news/cat/wealth/post/travel_insurance1/

Got Equity in your Property? What is the risk and the opportunity?

2011-12-07T12:08:00.000+11:00

The world is in financial turmoil, Europe is debt ridden, a credit squeeze is looming!!
My mantra is to buy in Gloom and sell in Boom.....
My view is that we are in GLOOM and that there will be great buying opportunities that will present itself over the next 12 months!
Hope for the best, but ensure you are prepared for the worsed!!

So what is the opportunity?

Whether we are in for a storm, or there is potential to take advantage of potential opportunities..... you need money, or access to money.

At the moment, those with Equity in their property are in the pound seats, but not for long. If you have equity in your home, consider of obtaining a line of credit.

Cash is king, and you want to be in a position to take advantage of bargains that are available, or have enough resources to weather a potential storm.

Those with lines of credit will definitely have a competitive edge. Loans will become harder to get as the credit squeeze unfolds, and what you will be able to get now, you may not be able to get then.

Interest rates are at a low, and it is a great time to borrow, but the risk at the moment isn't wjhether interest rates will go up or down - but the ability to get cash due to a potential credit squeeze!!

Holiday Cheer from Reserve Bank as it cuts rates by 0.25% to 4.25% - but what does it mean to you?

2011-12-06T16:59:00.000+11:00

In today’s Reserve Bank Meeting the RBA has reduced the cash rate by 0.25% to 4.25%.

We now must all sit and wait for the banks to pass on the full rate reduction, after much speculation in the press that they were not going to pass on the full rate cut and therefore not giving home owners the relief they are seeking.

Watch this space for any updates.

WHY?

The current crisis in Europe is deeper than what we are reading in the papers, this is the reason why the major central banks came together last week to put together a decisive action to provided liquidity in the bond market. By cutting rates, the Reserve Bank would be looking at staying ahead of the looming crisis.

Whilst the share market got a relief rally last week from the Central bank’s actions, it still does not remove the fact that domestically, a lot of Australian households are struggling to meet their day to day living costs. As a result, discretionary retail spending is still low. In its bid to resuscitate spending, the RBA has decided to give local retailers a bit of a helping hand by reducing interest rates.

What does this mean for you?

If banks pass this on

On a $300k mortgage – savings of $60 per month!
Housing more affordable
Kick start the economy
Interest on savings reduced

Other effects

Potential lower Aussie Dollar
Increased Confidence
More spending for Christmas trade (Potential win for retailers) and not having to hear the continual whine of the woes of retailers

Therefore, this rate cut would not only revive some retailers, but it could also reduce the interest costs for many numerous small businesses and households.

Lenders are still offering great fixed rates, well below the variable rates – some of these are very attractive.

Contact us today about your current home loan and see if you are on the most competitive package and product to suit your needs. Call us on 02 92902777 or click here to set up a complimentary financial health check.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

MICHAEL LUCA
Mortgage Broker

Suite 701, Level 7, 14 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000
GPO BOX 4013 Sydney NSW 2001
P: +61 2 9290 2777
D: +61 2 8203 0426
M: 0405 113 543
F: +61 2 9262 5788
E:Michael.luca@liquidityfinance.com.au

Read the RBA Statement here:http://www.rba.gov.au/media-releases/2011/mr-11-28.html

Eight Reasons to Be Bullish Next Year

2011-12-06T15:11:00.001+11:00

^th

My view - a great time to start building an investment portfolio!

1. Time heals all wounds.

The scars of the financial crisis may be deep, but the fact is four years later, the hallmarks that caused the crash are all in the rearview mirror. It's not 2008 all over again, and the doom-and-gloomers will be on the wrong side of the trade again in 2012.

For the record, the S&P 500 earned $543.2 billion in 2009, $792.8 billion in 2010, and is expected to earn $910.3 billion in 2011. What's more, the S&P 500 is expected to earn $1.04 trillion in 2012. The point is, while there have been declines and long periods of consolidation, history tells us they are only temporary given enough time. Believe it or not, the bull market will return. Here's a bet on 2012 as the business cycle kicks back in.

2. Corporate profits are at an all-time high.

You may not realize this, but after tax, corporate profits are higher now than they were at the peak in 2006. Take a look:

Now that 96.6% of the S&P 500 has reported Q3 earnings, we know profits are up 15.6% year over year. What's more, if you take out the financials, the growth is even better.

Without them, S&P earnings are up 18.7% year over year... That's bullish, not bearish.

3. The economy is expanding.

The long story short here is pretty simple: We are experiencing a moderate growth expansion — not some bearish apocalypse.

Notice I said expansion, not recovery. That's because real GDP has moved above its previous peak, going all the way back to Q4 2007:

As for the double-dip recession, it just isn't going to happen. Incoming data on consumption, business spending, and residential investment all point to GDP growth of near 3.3% in the fourth quarter.

So while Europe fiddles, Uncle Sam is, in fact, gaining strength...

4. Job growth will improve.

With the profits at an all-time high and the economy now expanding, job growth will eventually begin to follow suit. (Keep in mind that job growth is always a lagging indicator. It's no different this time around.) According to John Herrmann, senior fixed-income strategist at State Street Global Markets, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic on the job front. Herrmann says private sector payrolls will increase an average of 160,000 per month for the rest of this year — and by 200,000 per month in the first four months of 2012. Absent the ongoing shrinkage of government jobs, that means 1,120,000 new private sector jobs will be created by May 1 if Herrmann is accurate in his predictions. That will be a huge win for the markets going into the first half of 2012, even if Herrmann ultimately misses the high-water mark.

5. The housing market bottoms.

Six years after I made my call for housing to drop by 30%, it finally begins to happen. Down 35% nationwide, home prices reach bottom in 2012, spurred on by pent-up demand and the lowest interest rates of all time, thanks to the Fed pushing rates down on mortgage bonds.

The result is the one thing the market has found to be most elusive of all: the return of housing demand going into the spring buying season. Admittedly, it won't be blockbuster... but it will be enough to change the housing conversation next year. And as this change begins to unfold, it is going to be a huge plus both psychologically and in terms of GDP growth. Negative housing news may not move the market these days, but positive news undoubtedly will. Expect real estate to surprise to the upside in 2012.

6. Consumers make a comeback.

In a way, this one is already happening.

As the chart below shows, total retail sales are now above 2008 levels. In fact, retail sales are now up 18.9% from the bottom — and 4.5% above the pre-recession peak.

As the virtuous circle of rising markets, the expanding economy, the housing bottom, and job creation begin to take hold, consumers will be even more willing to spend again on pent-up demands. I expect retail sales to continue to improve as a result — especially in autos and durable goods as another business cycle begins anew.

After all, consumer balance sheets are getting better, not worse...

For all consumer loans, the third quarter delinquency dropped to 3.15%, the lowest rate since the second quarter of 2007 before the recession started. Consumers get even stronger in 2012, leading them to open their wallets for the first time in years.

7. The monetary tank is full.

When things begin to turn around, there will be plenty of money behind them.

Thanks to the Fed, the banks are now loaded to the gills with loanable funds, which leads neatly to my next point…

Coming off the 2010 lows, money is moving again as banks approve more loans.

The thing to keep in mind is that these investments act with a lag effect that doesn't kick in until later...

8. That makes stocks cheap.

As profit margins rise and corporate earnings hit new highs, the S&P 500 is currently undervalued. As always, it starts with profits. They are what really make the market go round. In that regard, on a bottom-up basis the S&P 500 earned $56.88 in 2009, $83.18 in 2010, and is expected to earn $95.46 in 2011. It's estimated the EPS of the S&P 500 will cross the $100 mark for the first time ever, reaching $104.95 in 2012... On a P/E basis, that means at the 1,186 level, the S&P 500 is currently trading at 11.3X 2012 earnings. That's historically cheap. Even at just 13X 2012 earnings, the S&P is worth 1,365.

Better yet, at a P/E of just 14.2, the S&P 500 would hit 1,490 — or be within a whisper of the old high going back to 2007. (For the record, the average P/E ratio for the S&P since the 1870s has been about 15.) Again, that makes stocks relatively cheap as we head into 2012... especially with 10-year note yields hovering in the 2.0% range. Of course, the great unknown in all of this is Europe. And admittedly it's a big one — but here's a guess they eventually blink and backstop the whole continent with few trillion in 2012.

The bottom line: 2012 should going to be a great year for equities.

Don’t try and separate the business and personal

2011-12-06T13:09:00.000+11:00

The best piece of advice I could give centres around your everyday interactions.

By nature we are relational.

We thrive on having positive interactions with one another.

Remembering someone’s name,
asking them about their son, daughter, wife, husband, or their sports game on the weekend will go a long way to having that positive impact in someone’s life, and therefore your personal and business life.

You can’t separate your business and personal lives, you are the one person involved in both.

Make sure every interaction that you have makes a positive difference in their day, no matter who they are.

The best part? It doesn’t cost you a cent!

That’s a long-term, ethical, and sustainable business strategy that will be the most valuable tool you will ever find.

Grant Freeman, New Tomorrow Financial Advice

12 Things to make more sales before Christmas

2011-11-26T08:07:00.002+11:00

It’s November and the fourth quarter of business for many organisations. Most of the number counters see this as crunch time to achieving your sales goals, and beginning the build-up for next year.

Many of us are unsure what we can do to spped up your prospect and customer decisions. The days seem to be closing faster and if you need to fill your sales gap now is the time to do the best you can without burning the deals.

Below are 12 strategies you might want to review for yourself or your sales team as a way to close more deals without having to resort to cut price discounts or other costly offers

Review a range of your closed deals this year and make a list of why those customers choose to "wait until ... " and have answers for these objections.
Allocate the next 2 days trying to close those lingering proposals and maybe go back up to 12 months.
Try adding some add-ons to solutions you have already sold this year. We have all heard the saying "would you like fries with that" but do you know how much that little saying is worth to McDonalds every day?
Sell additional items to existing orders. Go back over your orders for the past 3-4 months and see which customers you might be able to "Sell one more". Surprising how many 1 make up a bunch if we only just ask for the order.
Review your top 10 customers for the current year and see if you can close at least one additional deal with at least 1 of them before year end. If you are not able to close a new deal it gives you an opportunity to see what may be available you can put into your next year forward planning.
If your clients still have budget to speand see if you can assist them to bring forward spending on 2012 priorities.
Call every client you have not spoken to in the past 90 days and see if they need your services in December to help get them off to a fast start for 2012.
Make contact with all of your prospects where they have deferred your advances to see which ones you are able to move to the hot prospects list.
Review your forecast and identify what is required to meet your target on a daily quota. Then execute.
Enlist your managers's and / or team's support to overcome the roadblocks holding back your prospects from buying.
Review your referrals and the customers who gave you these. Contact these and see if they have any additional prospects for you to follow up.

And finally begin setting appointments for January to give yourself a head start to 2012. In doing this and reviewing each of your contacts you may find a list minute opportunity while you doing this review.

Simple lesson about Leadership .... watch the shitless dude!!

2011-11-26T08:00:00.002+11:00

Simple lesson about Leadership .... watch the shitless dude!!

2011-11-21T16:53:00.000+11:00

If you are a first home loan owner, you are in danger of missing out on benefits of up to $17,990. See below for more details. Please feel free to phone Michael Luca of Liquidity Finance on 02 92902777 or click here to set up a complimentary financial health check.

The NSW government has made changes to the First Home Benefits for First Home Buyers in the State Budge which was announced earlier in 2011.

Under the changes, any first home buyer who EXCHANGES on a property after 1st of January 2012, will NOT be eligible for the stamp duty concessions of up to $17,990, unless the property has never been occupied.

If you are thinking of purchasing your first home, now is the time to speak to us! Lenders have come to the party with higher LVR’s (Up to 95% in some cases) and lower interest rates. We have also seen discounts of 1% off the Standard Variable Rates for some lenders, which will hopefully make the dream of owning your home a real possibility.

If you are not a First Home Buyers, but know someone who is, it is important that you share this information with them.

Also, if you are not a First Home Buyer and have an existing home loan, following the Melbourne Cup Interest Rate decision by the RBA to reduce rates, we have seen lenders become more competitive for your business, through “Jumbo” discounts and heavily reduced fixed rates.

A 10 minutes phone call with us, could save you a considerable amount. When is the last time you had a “Home Loan Health Check”.

We are always available to take your call and talk to you about any enquiry regarding your new and existing lending needs.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Michael Luca
Mortgage Broker
Suite 701, Level 7, 14 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000
GPO BOX 4013 Sydney NSW 2001

P: +61 2 9290 2777
D: +61 2 8203 0426
M: 0405 113 543
F: +61 2 9262 5788

E:Michael.luca@liquidityfinance.com.au

Is there upside in the Australian Markets in 2012?

2011-11-16T14:53:00.000+11:00

extract from Morningstar

European sovereign debt, lacklustre global growth in Developed markets and persistent reporting about market falls doesn’t look promising for an increase in Markets.

What does one do…. Stash cash in mattresses?

A recent Panel at a Property Council of Australia lunch with Morningstar head of equities research Peter Warnes, PIMCO head of wealth management Peter Dorrian and Investa group executive Michael Cook gave an indication that there was significant upside in the Australian Marketplace.

"No matter how dire markets are there is always opportunity, and Australia is one of the few places investors can get compensated for any equity risk.” Said Warnes

"Australia has very robust terms of trade, an investment boom in infrastructure and the resources sector, a competent monetary policy, and a manageable level of debt. Our companies have good balance sheets and we are attached to the epicentre of positive growth that is China and India" Warnes says.

Warnes continues to like companies with sustainable dividend yields, such as Woolworths (WOW) and Wesfarmers (WES).

He acknowledges Australia may be too exposed to China, but also notes the continued growth in India that provides Australia with another growth prospect.

"Let's not forget that India is 15 years behind China. With a huge population, it has a hell of a lot of buying power," Warnes says.

As an equity researcher, Warnes obviously prefers equity to debt transactions, noting that while Telstra (TLS) managed to successfully raise 470 million euros in debt in two hours, at 3.5 per cent "you might as well invest in the stock and get a 9 per cent yield".

PIMCO's Dorrian has a slightly different view on bonds, believing 10-year US Treasury bonds at 2 per cent are an appropriate investment.

"Sitting in Australia, these bonds are still an appropriate investment on a fully-hedged basis (in Australian dollars). Investors can still pick up the interest rate differential. In the US, interest rates are effectively zero and in Australia they are 4 per cent, so investors are essentially getting 6 per cent yield," Dorrian says.

Cook can't help but be optimistic, particularly given Australia's relative economic strength compared to other developed markets.

Any slowdown will be beyond his control: "If the world turns to turd, well, the world turns to turd. There is nothing much we can do about it."

The First Grader

2011-11-04T16:02:00.003+11:00

Watched the First Grader in Durban yesterday at Gateway in Durban last night

The First Grader blown emotionally charged true story of an illiterate 84-year old Kenyan, Kimane Maruge, who decides he wants to learn to read before he dies, and eventually is allowed to join a rural primary school class, after being turned away a number of times ( persistence and determination).

This creates all sorts of media attention and controversy.Eventually, however, things settle down, Maruge learns his ABCs, and lessons are learned about the unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

As a child, Maruge was denied an education when the country was under British colonial rule. As a young man, he would fight for Kenyan independence as a Mau Mau freedom fighter and pay a heavy price.

http://m.digitaljournal.com/article/277774

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=141327015707

Join a leadership mastermind group of 10

2011-11-04T15:45:00.000+11:00

"Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership!" - John C. Maxwell

Leadership cannot be an idea we simply talk about. Leadership is the action we must live out.

BSI, together with John Maxwell and Ivan Ang, have developed an 8-week in-depth study that will afford you the opportunity to collaborate and network with 10 individuals who are focused on developing your leadership and communication skills, so that you can build strong and cohesive teams, and be prepared for accelerated growth.

Having the support and ideas from other members of your mastermind group allows us to see things differently and to get a new perspective on goals and action plans.

Together, you will learn how to effectively raise your “leadership lid” by understanding and implementing the principles of the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.

for more iinformation click here

Interest rates cut to boost retail spending for Christmas

2011-11-01T19:26:00.001+11:00

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has cut interest rates By 25 basis points,the first cut since April 2009, handing borrowers a win on Melbourne Cup Day.

Michael Luca, the mortgage broker guru from Liquidity Finance, said that this is the breather that the Retail Sector have been asking for, that should provide a boost to retail spending going into Christmas.

"There has never been a more important time to talk to us about your home loan options to see what other offers may be out there for you." Luca said.

Bill Evans, senior economist for Westpac, predicted a further interest rate fall in the next 12 months.

The Australian dollar fell after the announcement. At 3:30pm (AEDT) it was buying 104.6 US cents.

For more information on your home loan, call Michael luca at Liquidity Finance on 0405 113 543 or 02 9290 2777 or email on michael.luca@liquidityfinance.com.au

The Truth Behind China's Economic Miracle

2011-10-24T21:12:00.000+11:00

from Tony Rumble at Alpha invest

The Truth Behind China's Economic Miracle

The tyranny of distance makes it hard for most Australians to gauge the size and importance of China to our economic prosperity. The simple reality is that china is experiencing its own industrial revolution and the accompanying urbanization this triggers. This in turn is feeding demand for Australian commodities – but how resilient is this rapid economic change? Sino-sceptics tell us that there are multiple bubbles waiting to burst in China; and while it’s true that massive economic change is hard to manage, we show some key data to help clarify why (and for how long) China’s growth will continue to feed the Australian economy.

In a nutshell, the data is clear – China’s economic expansion is close to becoming self fulfilling; and China remains on track to become the world’s largest economy by 2020 (some 20 years sooner than predicted pre GFC).

Understood in that context, Sino-scepticism can largely be seen as a front for aggressive hedge fund speculation around currencies, commodities and stockmarkets.

To help prevent these “vampire squids” profit at your expense, consider the following:

China (and India) are reclaiming the places they’ve occupied in the global economy for all but the last 200 years;
The processes of urbanization and industrialization has several decades yet to run;
China’s economy will continue to experience cyclical fluctuations, but there’s no reason to expect it to have a ‘hard landing’ in the next decade or so;
Unlike other major nations (eg USA), the Australian and Chinese economies are highly complementary to each other;
China’s economic relevance to Australia does have some downside for us, especially arising from the high interest rates (and high currency) which our massive “terms of trade” are imposing on the broader Australian economy and population. (Source: Eslake, 2011, 17 October 2011).

Why is China urbanizing, how long can it last for, and what are the risks?

Deng Xao Ping realized after Tianamen Square that China’s people needed to grow in affluence and aspirations to prevent unrest and ultimately a popular revolt. In setting China on a path to modernity he was seeking to avoid the radical backlash from the disaffected that had been experienced in the “Cultural revolution” of the 1960’s – where bureaucrats and intellectuals were hounded from public life to “pay” for their failure to deliver improved prosperity.

We can see how successful this has been over several decades when we look at Chart 1, showing China’s GDP growth since 1979:

Chart 1: Source, Eslake 2011.

Notice how China’s GDP has now been growing around the 8% pa level for the last 30 years, with some years obviously stronger than others, but with its low point (around 4% pa in the late 1980’s) still being the envy of the western world. Since there has been several major cyclical shifts in western economies during these 30 years – but China has maintained excellent growth throughout – this high level snapshot tells us that China must be doing something right as it manages its economic expansion.
The key seems to be the massively competitive environment which is contained within the Communist Party of China. This now operates like the “mandarin” bureaucracy which governed China for thousands of years. Competition for promotion based on performance (not cronyism, unlike the Soviet experiment) leads to government based on meritocracy. Planning and implementation of Chinese government policy is driven by professional managers, many of whom have been educated in the west.

This is of course the source of much of the confusion about China: for those schooled in the western tradition of liberal democratic markets, it’s too tempting to suspect that government managed economic growth can’t be sustained. These critics think that the bubble is ready to burst. But as Chart 2 shows, the Chinese government has shown itself to be adept at managing cyclical risk. Hence, Chart 2 shows that China has indeed experienced its own economic slowdown already, and that as a result the risk of a hard landing (from unsustainably high levels) is not material.

Chart 2: Source, Eslake 2011

Notice how key expenditure items like retail sales, manufacturing and services, and construction have fallen from their pre GFC peaks – but have stabilized around current levels. Merchandise exports have continued to fall since the post GFC peak levels (presumably as a result of the reining in of GFC fiscal stimulus around the world) but the pace of negative growth is slowing. China is pulling back on its internal economic stimulus (to keep a lid on inflation – see below), but as Chart 3 shows, even if China needed to resume high levels of domestic fiscal stimulus (eg in the event of another global economic shock), it has plenty of capacity to do so.

Chart 3: Source, Eslake, 2011.

The next 3 charts are the “category killers” in this analysis. Chart 4 shows that China’s rapid urbanization and average per capita income levels are only just starting to move consistently above subsistence agriculture levels: meaning that the next decade or so will see an accelerationof consumption of goods (like fridges, TV’s, washing machines etc) that are manufactured using commodities. It will be another 10 years at least before demand for commodities starts to slow (although it’s unlikely to fall for decades more).

Chart 4: Source, Eslake, 2011

This trend is easy to understand. For people earning below US $10,000 pa its virtually impossible to do much more than keep a roof over one’s head, and to keep food on the table. As income rises it becomes possible to purchase time saving utilities, and as incomes grow it becomes possible to start discretionary consumption. Chart 5 shows how much higher China’s average income can rise before it catches up with the rest of the developed world (and this shows how long China’s employment costs will continue to lower than – and hence competitive with – the rest of the world).

Chart 5: Source, Eslake, 2011

Chart 6 shows how much more urbanization will continue in China before it starts to reach levels seen in the west, and key Asian nations.

Chart 6: Source, Eslake, 2011

What does this mean for the future of China’s economic growth?

China’s desire to placate – and motivate – its restless population has been incredibly well managed since 1979. This hard work has driven a large number of Chinese individuals into higher income brackets, at the point where significant numbers are now housed in large urban areas and enjoy incomes at levels which pave the way for rising domestic consumption. In turn this growing consumption will further expand the domestic Chinese economy, underpinning demand for more sophisticated goods (and to a lesser extent now, services, although demand for these is also growing over time).

Contrary to the Sino-sceptics, Chinese authorities have successfully managed somewhat of an economic slowdown, and are working to keep inflation and other bubble producing factors, under control. Chart 7 shows the reality of these measures.

Chart 7: Source, Eslake, 2011

By the way, the reason why hedge fund managers love to stimulate uncertainty about China is simple: because the main input into China’s economic growth comes from commodities, a cycle of fear and euphoria about China’s economy feeds into volatility (and massive arbitrage and trading opportunities). So when you next see a bullish or bearish story about China, check what happens to key commodity and currency prices.

What does this mean for Australian investors and advisers?

It’s vital that you increase your exposure to China and the factors behind its growth. We advocate buying exposure to key Chinese stockmarket indices like the HSCEI, as well as to key commodities. Obviously buying resource stocks with good export capacity to China is also a good idea – but beware the market volatility in each of these assets. And for an even closer to home reality check – the best way to hedge your household against RBA interest rate hikes and related cost of living expenses, is to access the opportunity for growth which these Sino – centric investments provide.
******

Open your eyes to how others feel

2011-10-23T00:06:00.000+11:00

One of the best you tube videos I have seen

Three Rules for Entrepreneurs During Uncertainty - Ndubuisi Ekekwe - Harvard Business Review

2011-10-19T19:30:00.002+11:00

by Ndubuisi Ekekwe |

The Mexican economy was in ruins in 1982. Oil prices had fallen, the peso was devalued, interest rates were high, and some banks were nationalized. Yet a young entrepreneur saw opportunities and invested heavily during that downturn. He acquired clusters of companies, across industries, from foreign and native investors, who were fleeing the collapsing nation. His father had told him that nations never go bust forever. Good times always return. That entrepreneur is Carlos Slim, now the richest person in the world.

John Templeton, in the early stage of his career, bought 100 shares of selected companies, trading at less than $1, in 1939, the onset of World War II. By 1943, he had made many times the money he invested. He later became a billionaire.

Amadeo P. Giannini founded San Francisco-based Bank of Italy to provide banking services to immigrants. Immediately after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, he went straight to business, despite the uncertainty. He made loans to people from a makeshift desk, with no luxury of a bank hall. His bank was later renamed Bank of America, after some mergers.

Before the Great Recession, it was far easier to become an entrepreneur. The values of homes were inflated, stock prices soared, and credit companies flooded families with mind-blowing offers. The result was a season of unprecedented consumerism and spending for both companies and consumers. With access to capital and readily available happy spenders, entrepreneurs could not ask for a better moment; many flourished.

But that was then; today, the headlines are on debt crises, high unemployment, currency wars, and general lack of consumer confidence. From New York City to London, Athens to Tokyo, we are living during a period of economic uncertainty

Yet, even in this time, there are still opportunities. Many companies have improved revenue, ballooned profits, and watched their stocks soar. Apple not only dominated an industry, it became the world's most valued company. Even now, there are opportunities to win new customers, grow market share, and improve profit margin.

The following rules can help entrepreneurs through this period of turmoil.

Rule 1: Focus. The crises in the market must not distract entrepreneurs from their core missions. Most times, they are not exposed to the same level of risks as the big companies. It doesn't matter as much if the Dow loses 2% if a company is not publicly traded. Just as Slim and Templeton did, entrepreneurs should focus on what they can control: building their businesses. Headlines must not overtake strategy sessions.

Rule 2: Visibility. During uncertainty, customers, staff, and stakeholders panic. To get the trust of all these people, entrepreneurs must be visible, especially to their major customers. Visibility alleviates fears. Learn from A. P. Giannini who despite the ruins was visible to do business. Entrepreneurs should also be visible to their staffers — they deserve to know what is happening, if you want them to focus on working rather than polishing their resumes.

Rule 3: Planning. In most developed nations, bad economic times do end. This economic uncertainty will end one day. Is the entrepreneur ready for what comes after? Caterpillar provides a good example: it has plans for the good and bad times. The industrial equipment giant came out of the last recession knowing exactly what to do for growth. No matter how deep the uncertainty, it won't last forever. Prepare for what comes next.

Gems from the 2nd Session of the BSI Mastermind Groups on Leadership

2011-10-18T22:33:00.003+11:00

Ivan Ang is currently facilitating week 2 of the Mastermind group... he is awesome! so is the group
The Law of Process:-

Consistent effort, no matter how small, sparks magic, fills sails, butters bread, turns tides, instills faith, summons friends, improves health, burns calories, creates abundance, yields clarity, builds courage, spins planets and rewrites destinies!
A review of a daily diary will give you an indication of the success of a person.
Discussion of your personal and professional goals - what are they... write them down - how are you going to achieve them? by when? what are you going to do? what is the next step? (start on monday!!)
Discussion of Jim Collins Good to Great - what makes a great leader - internally appointed, aligned team, respect and trust of team who are aligned and clear on the vision and direction - on the same bus.
Discussion of Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers - 10,000 hours to become an expert - Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan etc....
Discussion of Eckhardt Tolls " The Power of Now" - Although Planning and Goal setting is important and direction setting is key.... focus on the activity that you are doing - smell the roses.... its not about attaining the goal... its about appreciating tthe journey.
Discussion on - what you sew is what you reap - Thanks Tony!
Love what you do, and do it with focussed attention and pride... how can a gorbo be happy and a CEO of a conglomerate miserable!! What is the measure of success.

The Law of Navigation

A leader determines the course - a manager steers it - both important

The law of Addition

Add value to those around you
Try doing it without expecting rewards!!
Do the washing/cleaning ironing!! The little things matter
JB writing notes to his team with a fountain pen and smart paper!!!

The power of these network mastermind group is to lift each other p, support each other and build each other

Powerful session!

If you are interested in being part of a mastermind group, click here

Gems from the 1st Session of the BSI Mastermind Groups on Leadership

2011-10-15T16:14:00.004+11:00

The first of 8 leadership Mastermind Groups – based on John Maxwell’s irrefutable laws of leadership, facilitated by Ivan Ang were held this week at our city offices. Looking forward to the next 7!!

Some Gems that came out of the session:-

• Leaders create a vision in which others can believe and want to follow, They inspire, motivate and guide others to reach the set goals – be it change, innovation, growth or Canai (Constant and Never ending improvement)

• Words that came to mind when identifying leadership traits - Great communicators, respect, integrity, honesty, vision, inspiration, passion, sense of humour, take responsibility, confidence, be able to do it - demonstate the product or service of the organization.

• Leadership skills can be nurtured – very few have the natural ability. Leadership is something that one learns. The more laws that you learn and master, the better leader you will become.

• Leadership is the ability to Influence – nothing more – nothing less!

• An organization will not grow beyond the leadership capability of the leader… (The Law of the Lid!). If the leaders lid expands and rises, so will the company. We went round the room, and each person rated themselves as leaders… there was definitely room for improvement with all of us to become better leaders.

A great example was the Macdonald Brothers – had 3 great restaurants – and they couldnt grow it beyond the 3 brilliant restaurants they had (their genius being the speed of delivery of the hamburger to the customer). It was Ray Krok that saw the global potential, and bought the business for $2.7m and took Mcdonalds Global.

• There are certain myths of leadership!

Great managers – don’t necessarily mean that they are great leaders…. Both are fundamental to a business, however there could be major constraints when a great manager who is not a leader – takes oer a leadership role.
Entrepreneurs don’t necessary make great leaders – although they may have a great ability to start a business – or have a great product that they have developed, they may not have the skills to influence a team
The knowledge myth – People with high IQ’s don’t necessarily make great leaders.

• There was an amazing sense of collaboration and a will to assist each other in each of the groups. Am looking forward to the next 8 weeks!

If you would like to be part of a mastermind group, feel free to register by clicking here

It would be great for those who had other insites on leadership to add to this:-

Dalai Lama on Man

2011-10-13T18:13:00.000+11:00

A Classic

Steve inspiring Stanford Graduates

2011-10-13T15:35:00.002+11:00

Inspiring, fascinating, funny, Beautiful -

Connecting the dots - can't do it forward - can only connect the dots looking back - they always connect, so trust your instincts and follow your dream.... Steve from Uni Dropout attending a calligraphy class - idea behind apple - copied by microsoft - getting fired - freeing him up - got married and had kids - founded next and Pixar - back to Apple.

Loved what he did - had a passion - followed his dream - live your life not others . Look until you fnd what you want to do - believe in your gut and intuiition

Being fired was worsed medicine, but best thing that happenned to him - (didn't know it at the time) had a full load with Apple managing a huge company - made him free to do other things (marry, pixar, next etc ) .

Death is a destination that we all share -- it is lifes biggest change agent - in with the old - out with the new!
Old makes way for the new!!

Apple - Values at the Core - great video on leadership and values - Thanks Steve Jobs

2011-10-08T13:56:00.001+11:00

How Steve Jobs inspired his team - in his shorts!! An amazing leader

"Apple - who is Apple and what do we stand for? Apples CORE VALUES is that people with passion can change the world today... it honours the innovators - the crazy ones""People with passion can change the world for the better."
"People that are crazy enough to believe they can change the world for the better actually do, "
" It's the people who think differently who make a difference! The "crazy ones," the misfits"
"it's not about the product - its the way the brand makes you feel - we sell boxes and we do that well - but that is not who we are"
"even a great brand needs investment and vitality if it is going to maintain its relevance"
"Nike sells a commodity - it sells shoes, but when you think of nike, you feel something different than a shoe company - you FEEL power, fitness, freedom - you feel its values - how did they do this? They honour great athletes and they honour great athletics"

Narrated by Steve jobs about "the crazy ones who think they can change the world....do"

2011-10-08T13:08:00.000+11:00

The chances of an Australian property crash? Rare as hen's teeth.

2011-10-06T07:54:00.003+11:00

The doomsayers are wrong: fundamentals for Australian property values are sound. Even in the worst-case scenario of a serious downturn in the domestic economy, there is a host of reasons that point to a soft landing for Australian real estate.

It has held up remarkably well during a time of almost unprecedented economic uncertainty.
Most of that decline has been borne by houses, off 3.9 per cent in the past 12 months with most pain concentrated in the top end of the market, while there has been hardly any movement in home unit prices.
Look back two years, and in almost every capital, except Perth, home values are steady or slightly below 2009 levels. Sydney, however, has bucked the trend. Prices have risen strongly over that two-year period and in the past 12 months they've remained barely changed against drops of between 4 and 7 per cent in the other capitals.
Our population is concentrated on a narrow strip of coastal fringe
Different to American Real Estate -The main difference is in the way our banks lend -fully recourse whereas in the US, they are non-recourse - you can simply walk out, leave in the keys in the door and let the bank take the pain. In Australia the bank will chase you for the outstanding cash and bankrupt you if need be. The result is that Australians are less likely to default than Americans, even under extreme duress.
Significant supply-side constraints have conspired to keep Australian home prices high. population increases outstripped housing growth for the first time in more than half a century.
Our banks are hugely exposed to residential real estate. So those predicting a crash in housing prices are, by association, predicting a crisis in the Australian banking system.
That spendthrift attitude we had back in the boom has long gone. We've now become a nation of savers and deposit growth has surged to record levels. In August alone, we slapped another $28 billion into the bank vaults.
We don't have vast numbers of empty dwellings up for sale. Most of ours are occupied.

extracts from an article by Article by ian Verrender SMH

Stock Market Correction?

2011-10-03T13:26:00.000+11:00

Great analysis - opportunities and dangers

click here for complimentary financial health check

Asia's rise -- how and when

2011-10-02T20:59:00.002+11:00

Hans Rosling: Asia's rise -- how and when

This man is a GURU!!

7 Reasons why Australia is well placed to deal with Mortgage Stress : RBA

2011-10-02T20:41:00.001+11:00

02^nd Oct, 2011

Despite an overall increase in mortgage arrears rates over the first half of 2011, Australian households are coping well with current debt levels, says the RBA.

After broadly levelling out in 2010, mortgage arrears rates resumed their upward drift over the first half of 2011, the central bank reported in its Financial Stability Review.

By loan value, the share of non-performing housing loans on banks’ balance sheets increased to 0.8% in June, from 0.7% in December 2010.

The upward movement was also evident in the monthly data on securitised housing loans, with the 90+ day prime arrears rate up about 12 basis points over the same period, to 0.7%.

But the bank says mortgage arrears are “still low by international standards, and the bulk of housing loans in arrears are well collateralised,” the RBA says.

According to the RBA mortgage arrears are unlikely to rise as much as they have in some other countries, where arrears have risen sharply due to high unemployment or “an excessive easing in lending standards in earlier housing price booms”.

Seven key reasons for Australian households’ arrears resilience can be extrapolated from the RBA review:

Housing prices in Australia did not grow especially rapidly in most parts of the country in the period since 2004, although Queensland and Western Australia were exceptions at various stages.
The decline in housing prices recently has been modest compared with the sharp downturns seen in some cases overseas.
Even before their tightening in 2009, lending standards in Australia had not eased as much as in some other countries.
The near-absence of sub-prime housing loans in Australia relative to the US.
Australian lenders also assess mortgage serviceability at higher interest rates than those prevailing at origination, a practice not always followed overseas.
A large share of mortgage borrowers in Australia make excess repayments. This increases the resilience of households to shocks, relative to countries where it is less common to do so. As well as providing a cushion against changes in borrowers’ financial circumstances, excess repayments increase the distance between the remaining loan balance and a property value that could be lower in the future, making negative equity positions less likely.
The labour market in Australia is in better shape than in many other countries, and its prospects are also more favourable given the macroeconomic outlook.
This article first appeared on Property Observer, Australia's top site for property investment news and advice

15 Startups With $100 Million+ Valuations - The Atlantic

2011-09-30T22:54:00.001+10:00

15 Startups With $100 Million+ Valuations - The Atlantic

You are invited to a mastermind group study of the 21 irrefutable laws of leadership

2011-09-28T22:49:00.000+10:00

As part of the Government’s initiative to Upskill the Australian workforce, Australia needs to develop strong leaders. It is how we grow organisations. It's about how we impact lives.

"Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership!" - John C. Maxwell

Leadership cannot be an idea we simply talk about. Leadership is the action we must live out. BSI, together with John Maxwell and Ivan Ang, have developed an 8-week in-depth study that will afford you the opportunity to collaborate and network with 10 individuals who are focused on developing your leadership and communication skills, so that you can build strong and cohesive teams, and be prepared for accelerated growth.

Having the support and ideas from other members of your mastermind group allows us to see things differently and to get a new perspective on goals and action plans.

Together, you will learn how to effectively raise your “leadership lid” by understanding and implementing the principles of the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.

for more iinformation click here

Value in Australian Bank Shares

2011-09-28T22:45:00.002+10:00

All Big-4 banks provide investors with yields well above historic averages, and represent good value at the moment. click here to read more

Buy in Gloom and Sell in Boom - we are living in fear based markets

2011-09-28T22:42:00.001+10:00

The Australian Share Market is now almost “off the scale” and the Australian Share Market is representing outstanding value in all but the most pessimistic of scenarios.” says Shaw Stockbroking Research.

To see more... click here

Buy in Gloom and Sell in Boom - we are living in fear based markets

2011-09-28T22:38:00.000+10:00

28^th Sep, 2011

Highlights

On any rational measure of valuation, the Australian Share Market is pricing in a very pessimistic outlook for earnings growth coupled with grave fears about credit worthiness.

All Ords 1 Year Trend

All Ords 5 Year Trend

Shaw’s research analyse a “typical” downgrade cycle assuming that the Australian and global economies dip into recession and suggest there may be 10% downgrades to earnings estimates based on previous cycles should this scenario eventuate.

Global bond markets have been driven to “bubble” proportions due to a flight to safety amongst investors, a reluctance to borrow amongst the private sector and ongoing liquidity injections from central banks. Investors should avoid long term government bonds.

Whilst difficult trading conditions are likely to persist for the remainder of calendar 2011 in Australia and industrial earnings per share growth is likely to continue to be revised down, there remains a very robust capital expenditure cycle and strong export markets to buoy the economic outlook.

Unlike many central banks, the Reserve Bank of Australia has plenty of dry powder in terms of lower interest rates to help offset any demand driven weakness in the domestic economy .

Valuations are now almost “off the scale” and the Australian Share Market is representing outstanding value in all but the most pessimistic of scenarios.

Recommendation

Australian Shares look attractive in both an absolute and relative sense. Long-term returns from our dividend discount model using a 5% terminal growth rate suggest returns in excess of 14% per annum total return. This compares favourably to both short-term interest rates of 4.75% and 10 Year Government Bond rates of 4.1%.

Analysis on Australian Bank Shares

All Big-4 banks provide investors with yields well above historic averages. Yields have been rising strongly as concerns over the global financial system and the realisation of a benign domestic outlook has led to bank underperformance relative to industrial peers.

Historically high yields

All four banks provide yields well above their historic 10 year averages, see charts to left. ANZ is trading at a yield of 7.9% compared to its 10 year average of 5.7%, CBA is 7.8% vs 5.8%, NAB 8.8% vs 6.0% and WBC 8.5% vs 5.8%.

Shaw Research believe current yields provide investors with unusually attractive risk/reward as we see little threat to the quantum of dividend payments over the medium term. We believe the market has already factored-in benign revenue and cost outlook and this is reflected in earnings and thus dividend expectations.

Further, the Australian majors remain among the most conservatively capitalised banks in the world, a situation that has strengthened since the GFC. Bank balance sheets have more Tier capital than required under APRA’s interpretation of the new Basel III capital regulations. Indeed, all four banks already materially exceed current requirements and in fact meet increased requirements to be introduced in 2016. This excess capital provides a buffer which could maintain dividend payments in the event of an unforseen occurrence (say a Eurozone default or bank collapse). Indeed, as we flagged in a note dated 8 September, we believe there is the possibility of capital returns if the global banking environment stabilises and confidence returns to the Australian consumer and Boards.

Another reason Shaw believe the Australian banks are relatively immune from offshore concerns is that they are basically self-funding their lending requirements from domestic deposits. Cash deposits have increased materially as consumers have become ncreasingly risk averse; savings rates are at 30 year highs. This implies that the Big-4 are much less exposed to offshore wholesale funding requirements in the medium term than they were during the GFC.

Recommendation

All four major banks provide particularly attractive yields at favourable risk/reward. We maintain our preference for NAB and ANZ over CBA and WBC.

For more information on wealth creation strategies feel free to call us at Ark Total Wealth on 02 9262333 or email me on ikaye@bsi.com.au.

Source :-
Shaw Research Report dated 26 September.
Trading Room

Pointers to achieve more sales

2011-09-27T11:01:00.000+10:00

follow @bsivc on Twitter - #salessuccess

bsivc Ivan Kaye
#salessuccess - ask for referrals once you have done a great piece of work for a client - this is a goldmine!! Organise a coffee meeting

#salessuccess follow ups - 80% of sales are lost becasue of a lack of follow up. People do business with people they like, know and trust.

#salessuccess - don't get stopped by no - it take up to 5-7 follow ups to close the sale

#salessuccess - get out you calenders and get the commitment to the next meeting

#salessuccess - play back what you hear

#salessuccess - listen

#salessuccess - establish a relationship with the prospect as a person first and a client second

#salessuccess - prepare case studies - so that people can relate

#salessuccess - get your 30 second pitch honed!! create a compelling reason to meet

#salessuccess - imagine the conversation before the conversation - go in as if you have already one the business

#salessuccess - have no "skaam" - have chutzpah - ASK for the sale - don't be embarrassed or feel rejection

#salessuccess - have a positive #attitude and feel good about yourself - yuour state of mind will be projected to others

#salessuccess - be consistent and persistant - this is a key ingredient to be succesful - your follow up will determine your success

#salessuccess - believe in the product and service you are selling - be #passionate about it

#salessuccess - figure what your cles should be - your result from a first meeting is to get a second meeting

#salessuccess - build #trust - your client needs to feel like you’re trustworthy and that you have their best interest in heart.

#salessuccess - practice, practice , practice3 - the more you do it - the more you are wired for success

#salessuccess - sharpen the sword - identify who your targeted prospects are

#salessuccess - ditch the script - consumers are savvy to script based sales

Increase your business skills Diploma of Management BSB 51107

2011-09-21T11:24:00.006+10:00

Are you Motivated to Learn…to achieve…be successful!

SAY YES

Increase your business skills

Diploma of Management BSB 51107

ü This course has been specifically designed for motivated learners and achievers, -the focus is on providing real world principles, tools and techniques that can help you to more effectively run and grow your business

Only $375 enrolment fee per Participant, (if you meet required eligibility for funding with Skills Victoria).

This program is part of the Victorian Training Guarantee

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST

· Manage Employee Performance	· Developing a strategy for your business
· Implementing your business plan	· Creating a high performing team
· How to improve your business	· Developing budgets and financial reporting
· Identifying and managing risk	· Manage Projects

BSIL Hume Learning’s Diploma of Management is a fantastic way for you develop / enhance your management abilities, leadership skills, to help grow your business capabilities to their full potential and achieve new learning that will enhance and grow your employment opportunities going forward.

This particular program will be tailored to those looking to upskill ,increase the opportunity for a career change, recently retrenched or redundant workers seeking to upskill for the best roles in the future or those seeking employment. Ultimately we are looking for contributors who want to fill the vacancies that coincide with Australia’s skills shortages and these people are looking to:

· Reinforce, enhance and grow their skills

· Learn critical and current management principles, tools and techniques

· Develop new networks and opportunities.

Please note classroom sizes are limited to only 15 participants…be quick as there may be a class in your area.

Locations:- Melbourne CBD, Doncaster, Chelsea, Geelong, Sunshine and Mornington Peninsula.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST

About your trainer - Terri Di Rienzo B.Ed Science

Contract Trainer, Educator, Motivator and Mentor…..

Terri is the consummate education and training professional, with over 25 years experience. Her area of expertise extends to work place training delivery for recruitment, health services, aged care, financial services, business and management.

Terri’s experience within the business and financial services sector extends to ‘hands on experience’ as a mortgage broker and insurance services provider. Practical experience in this area has proved to be invaluable in training as it relates to Business & Management courses and Financial Services ‘In Bound / Out Bound Call Centre’ training.

Her current work with IPA involves tailoring work place training, based on client’s briefs to ensure participants meet the prospective employer’s required outcomes. Terri’s vast training experience enables her to identify the candidate’s personal qualities (strengths and weakness’s) to create training solutions that deliver results. Candidates in this program are generally long term un-employed from diverse backgrounds, candidates are trained in key skills and knowledge needed to work in specific roles.

A measure of Terri’s success as a trainer and motivator is the high percentage of placements of candidates in the workplace. Retention of these candidates in their respective roles also remains high. Equally as a classroom teacher, Terri also held a number of mentor positions such as a member of Science in Schools Program, females in Computer Studies & Sciences and the North Western Region presenter of the VCE chemistry course.

Concurrent to her role at IPA Terri has also been training ‘Access Programs’ in Aged Care, Food Processing & Handling, Health Services, Traineeships and Diploma courses for Business, Management and Retail.

Terri holds a Bachelor of Education – Science, Certificate IV Assessment & Training and Accreditations from a variety of Financial Services providers.

Course Structure

The Diploma program is a leading Australian business management qualification. The training is delivered over a 6 - 9 month period, comprising of an induction session, 5 one day workshops and a graduation ceremony.

The course is scheduled to commence on September 30th 2011 and be completed in March 2012, and will comprise of both face to face sessions and online or paper based assessments and learning.

Participants will enjoy the interactive workshops, online options and project work that explore issues, share experiences and maintain high flexibility to obtain optimum results for each participant. The focus is more on “how to” apply the business principals rather than “what-are” the business principals.

Course Fees/ Eligibility

The Diploma of Management is funded through Skills Victoria to participants who are Australian Citizens and do not hold a qualification above a Certificate IV level. The value of this course is $4,000.

The only cost is the mandatory enrolment fee of $375.00.

Powwow has agreed to fund the enrolment fee to 75 of its members over the next 4 months

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST

Date of commencement

First training session will be held on the Friday 30th September commencing at 10am through till 4.30pm.

The remaining training sessions will be scheduled during your first training session.

Training / Location & Dates

Location: Atlantic Investments – Level 1 / 446 Collins Street, Melbourne Training session generally run from 10am – 4.30pm

Dates – TBA but may look like below

· Friday September 30th 2011

· Friday October 28^th 2011

· Friday November 25^th2011

· Friday December 16th 2011

· Friday January 27^th2012

Register you interest

To register you interest please click here

Further Information

For further information please contact Jacqui on 03 9452 0377.

About BSIL Hume Learning

BSIL Hume Learning is a leading provider of Organisational, People Development Services and outsourced training solutions in Australasia. Our vision is to deliver value across the entire Employee Lifecycle. We utilise the full spectrum of learning methodologies including Workshop, Action Learning, Distance Learning, Coaching and e-learning and our global training partnerships keep us abreast of the latest learning’s and product developments from around the world.

Visit the website www.humelearning.com.au

The big 3 – Donald Trump, Anthony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki -100 tickets have been allocated to BSI and POWWOW subscribers until 4pm Friday 9/9/2011 - $195 for a 3 day event. HURRY bookings only available for 2 days!

2011-09-07T16:26:00.001+10:00

The big 3 – Donald Trump, Anthony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki - and a full program of world-class speakers from all around the globe will come together for one purpose only: to teach you how to succeed.

National Achievers Congress

• Sydney: 19-21 September 2011
• Melbourne: 20-22 September 2011

Be there so these juggernauts of success can have you reaching extraordinary new levels in your path to unlimited wealth, happiness and fulfilment.

There’s only ONE catch… you have to be there, and our friends at Trading Pursuits has 100 last-issue tickets they have offered to our database.

Just for us, for a totally packed 3 days of content with an incredible list of speakers, tickets are only $195 each… $200 off the door price!

This is an incredibly powerful line-up! Robbins, Trump AND Kiyosaki? All at the one event!

It’s mind-boggling… and I’m sure some major transformational action will be taking place for the people lucky enough to be in the audience.

BUT HURRY! There are only 2 days to get your ticket orders in! Tickets are limited to the first 100 bookings received. Booking deadline: 4pm 9 September 2011.

CLICK Here to Book NOW MEGA POWERHOUSE SPEAKER LINE UP!

Wishing you all the best,
Ivan

P.S. Donald Trump, Anthony Robbins and Robert Kiyosaki have NEVER appeared together in Australia and may never again. This is seriously a once in a lifetime opportunity, so don't miss it!

P.P.S. If you need more information, check out this website: http://www.nationalachieverscongress.com.au/program.html

A perfect time to review your Insurances…

2011-09-06T16:07:00.003+10:00

Hi

Please find an email below from Dylan Chan of Ark Total Wealth. There is a real opportunity for you to save substantial dollars on your insurance premiums.

For a complimentary review of your personal insurances, contact Dylan Chan on 02 9262333 or click here fro more information.......

During our regular research review of various insurance providers, we’ve noticed that there is considerable pricing difference between the various insurance providers and some major providers are currently offering personal insurance at extremely competitive and low rates.

These low rates won’t be around forever as they are currently undertaking their review to increase their insurance rates in mid February.

If you have an existing insurance policy (Life/TPD, Income Protection or Trauma) you may be able to replace these insurances at a lower cost to you. This can create additional cash flow or if your insurance is held within super it will give you more money back into your pocket to spend as you like.

If you have an insurance policy that has been underwritten within the last 5 years you can potentially roll your insurance over without completing any additional medical forms.

Below is an example of a client whose insurance we re-structured in December;

Current Insurance

Life/TPD and Income Protection all held outside of super costing $5,644 per annum from their personal cash flow.

New Insurance

Life/TPD moved to inside super and all insurances moved to new provider at a total cost of $3,962 per annum. This reduced their premiums by 30% and their cash flow was increase as the Life/TPD insurance is now funded through their superannuation.

If you would like a quick and easy complimentary review of your personal insurances please contact 02 9262 3333 or click here.

Regards,


	Dylan Chan Financial Advisor Level 7, 14 Martin Place, SYDNEY NSW 2000 PO Box 4013, SYDNEY NSW 2001 P: +61 2 9262 3333 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +61 2 9262 3333 end_of_the_skype_highlighting F: +61 2 9262 5788 E: dylan.chan@arktotalwealth.com.au www.arktotalwealth.com.au ...taking you beyond what you thought possible...

Interest Rates on hold for 10th month in a row - GReat De3als Available

2011-09-06T16:02:00.000+10:00

At today meeting the RBA decided to leave the cash rate at 4.75% for the 10^th consecutive month.

Since our last interest rate update, there was some speculation that the RBA would reduce rates due to the global financial situation, but this pressure seems to of been stabilised over the last few weeks.

Retail spending has increased (very moderately) so we believe the RBA has taken he view that it will not jump on any rate cut as they can afford to sit steady for the time being.

With the United States’ economy barely growing, and European sovereign debt weighing down market sentiments , it does not appear that interest rates will be rising any time soon. This is in contrast to the market’s expectation at the start of this year, when many economists forecast a rate rise towards the second half of 2011.

What the global situation has resulted in however is very competitive fixed rates with most lenders “slashing” their fixed rates over the past 3 weeks. We believe it is a great time to speak to us and see what is on offer as we have identified some great opportunities in the lending market.

The trials and tribulations of the last month go to show that nothing is for certain, and the importance of having the right home loan.

Feel free to contact us today to discuss your current and future home loan needs.

http://www.rba.gov.au/media-releases/2011/mr-11-19.html

Michael Luca Mortgage Broker - Manager

Suite 701, Level 7, 14 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000

GPO BOX 4013 Sydney NSW 2001P: 02 9290 2777 D: 02 9009 1519 M: 0405 113 543 F: 02 9262 5788E: michael.luca@liquidityfinance.com.au

If I had a Million Dollars, where would I invest

2011-08-18T09:57:00.002+10:00

This was posted on a linked in blog 10 months ago... 850 comments - interesting ideas
click here

Good time to review various home loans, leases, and credit card debt, says Liquidity Finance

2011-08-15T13:43:00.000+10:00

Good time to review various home loans, leases, and credit card debt, says Liquidity Finance

Changes to the Home Loan Industry - opportunity to save money

2011-08-15T09:40:00.003+10:00

The last 2 weeks have seen some interesting times in the home loan industry.

We have seen lenders offer discounts of up to 1% off the Standard Variable Rate and slashing their fixed rates by up to 0.6%, while there is still uncertainty in the market place, we feel there has never been a better time to consider your current loan and review the options available to you.

We have also seen lenders relax some of their previously stringent lending policies, which shows they are keen for business.

If you are looking to access your equity for further investments or renovations, are looking to pay out personal debt and consolidate your repayments or simply are looking to see if your current home loan structure is still the best one for you, then please do not hesitate to contact us.

We do not charge for our service. Michael, Danny and the Liquidity team ensure that the process from initial enquiry to loan settlement and beyond is seamless. We ensure that we keep you up to date during the process and pride ourselves on a efficient and professional service.

We also offer services such as Car and Equipment finance, commercial loans and deposit bonds.

If you would like to know more about the service we offer or if you would simply like to discuss your home loan, we look forward to hearing from you.

Diploma of Management for International Marketers - 15 Places available for a Government Funded Accredited Programme

2011-08-02T16:15:00.001+10:00

There is an opportunity for 15 people to take advantage of the NSW Government and BSIL HumeLearning's “Diploma of Management in International Marketing" programme.

You or a member of your team may be eligible to Complete the accredited Diploma of Management for International Marketers Course valued at $4,000 over the next 6 - 9 months.

If you or someone you might know, is a NSW Resident , have not completed a qualification above a Certificate IV level, Diploma or a University Degree, and are seeking to gain new skills with a focus on Exports and International Marketing and Management, then you should apply.

For more about the Diploma of Management for International Marketers CLICK HERE

To REGISTER and determine your eligibility to apply for the Diploma of Management for International Marketers CLICK HERE

If you would like a complementary review to identify whether you are maximising grants that are applicable to you CLICK HERE

Insurance Lift Off

2011-07-21T16:15:00.000+10:00

Just when they have the money, time and inclination to travel, senior Australians say they are being stopped in their tracks by the cost and difficulty of arranging suitable insurance.

But don't falter at the first hurdle, specialists say, because you will be able to find cover - at a price.

''Once you're over 70 … everything is a pre-existing condition,'' laments Ruth, 74, of Bondi who has had trouble securing insurance since back surgery for sciatica, despite fully recovering.

''People are living much longer now - must we vegetate at home?

Advertisement: Story continues below ''There are people in their 40s and 50s who are in worse health than we are but because of their age they can travel.''

The general manager of online insurer Travel Insurance Direct, Ian Jackson, says that while health insurance is ''community rated'', travel insurance is based on the risk of the insurer having to pay out.

''With medical insurance, regardless of the risk factors, everyone pays the same whether they're 18 or 80,'' he says. ''With travel insurance it's a bit different - basically, insurers base the cost of travel insurance on risk factors, taking into account years and years of data.

''And the older we get, the statistics say, the more we claim.''

His business insures people up to the age of 80, with a ''loading'' for travellers aged between 71 and 80.

''Different insurers have different caps,'' he says. ''People can be disappointed when they start to look but they should shop around.''

Jackson also argues that going online, where the insurer doesn't have to build in costs such as commissions to travel agents, helps keep down the cost of what can be an expensive product.

Peter Arnold, an analyst with financial products researcher Canstar Cannex, says there are several products on its database that go up to age 85 and even some that have no maximum (see box).

Your first task is to find an insurer that insures your age group. Your next undertaking is to look at how each of the insurers on your shortlist handles pre-existing conditions.

''Some will be covered without further ado,'' Arnold says. ''Some will be covered conditionally - you might have to show your medical records or meet certain criteria. Then there are conditions they just won't cover.''

Each insurer assigns conditions differently to those ''boxes'', so while one insurer may not cover a pre-existing condition, another may well do.

Still not quite there?

Arnold says your final step may be to phone the insurer to see if the insurance can be tailored to meet your needs - again, probably at a cost.

''A few people might have to get their head around the fact that they may have to pay double what their son or daughter will pay - there's definitely a cost involved,'' he says.

A short cut could be to go to a group such as National Seniors or the Council on the Ageing, which have negotiated with insurers to provide a service to members and non-members.

''We've got very good at arguing the case with them for older people and we're continually out there in the market testing what we can get, trying to ensure that older people have the right to get insurance,'' says the COTA chief executive, Ian Yates.

''We work to make sure that extra premium or loading is evidence-based, not some lazy, arbitrary line in the sand.''

Natalie Nicastri of Odyssey Travel, a not-for-profit organisation with offices in Sydney and Melbourne and specialising in travel for the over-50s, says it has started using SureSave's TravelClear service, a simplified, phone-based medical assessment system.

This is allowing older clients who wouldn't previously have had access to medical cover to travel, she says.

An Ark General Insurance broker, Michael Klompas, says another alternative is to use a broker to find the right cover.

He says there are three things you shouldn't do:

rely on basic credit card cover,
travel with no cover, or
travel with inadequate cover just because the policy is cheaper.

Call Michael Klompas on 02 92623333 or email him on michaelklompas@yahoo.com

''A broker will make sure there are no gaps or holes, and that's very important,'' Klompas says.

Most major insurers have ''find a broker'' services on their websites.

Reserve Bank of Australia has decided to leave the cash rate at 4.75% for the 7th consecutive month

2011-06-08T10:31:00.003+10:00

Yesterday, the Reserve Bank of Australia has decided to leave the cash rate at 4.75% for the 7th consecutive month.

In our opinion, the recent fall in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rates, has allowed the Reserve Bank to hold the trigger for the time being.

But this relief may be short term, as this fall in GDP was largely due to the Queensland Floods and Cyclone Yasi, which had a negative impact on the production of bulk commodities from that region such as coal and iron ore.

Although we note that this is a relief for Home Owners and investors, we acknowledge it is general consensus that an interest rate increase is inevitable in the upcoming months.

It may be an opportunity for you to consider other lenders who may be offering a cheaper variable rates, or even consider locking in your current home loan to a competitive fixed rate, which will give you the added security when rates do start to rise.

In the current economic environment, we believe it is now time to consider your home loan and ensure your loan still continues to meet your current and future needs.

Call Liquidity Finance today on 02 9290 2777 or click here for a Home Loan Health Check.

Michael Luca and Danny Luu
Mortgage Brokers

Diploma of Management

2011-05-16T09:56:00.002+10:00

You may be eligible to take advantage of the Government Incentives
Click here for more info :- http://www.exponentialprograms.com/business/blog/events/1-day-mini-mba/

Back to the Black Swan

2011-05-11T20:25:00.000+10:00

Please find below our May 2011 Ark Informer which covers the main outcomes of the budget from a financial planning perspective.

Our current poll on our Ark Website is "do you think that the Budget is good or bad" . Feel free to make a vote.

Back to the Black Swan

Welcome to our special May Budget edition of the ‘Ark Informer’. In this Informer, we have covered of the main outcomes of the budget from a financial planning perspective. Overall it was a quiet budget for financial services but there are still a few key items that may have a material impact on your personal situation.

In regards to superannuation the main points are:-

1. $50,000 concession contribution limit extended for those who are age over 50 and have a superannuation balance of under $500,000. Previously this limit was to be decreased to $25,000 from the 1 of July 2012. There is still no clarification of how they will calculate the $500,000 and if it includes withdrawals and pensions. The opportunity here is for those with individuals who are approaching retirement to continue to increase their superannuation benefits and for those over 60 to take advantage of the very beneficial transition to retirement income stream.

2. Reduction in Penalty for excess contributions – For those individuals who make excess concession contributions of less than $10,000, this excess will be taxed at your Marginal Tax Rate as opposed to 46.5%. This is a once off allowance from the 1 of July 2011.

3. Minimum Pension phased out – The Federal Government previously lowered the minimum pension payment to 2%. By 2012/13, this will have been phased out and it will be back to the 4% minimum for those aged under 65.

In regards to taxation, the main points to consider are the following;

1. Introduction of one off flood levy

2. Simplification of Fringe Benefits Tax in relation to cars – This will be change to a flat 20% calculation as opposed to the current tiered structure which is based on kilometers driven. This will reduce the need for those employees to drive additional kilometers towards the end of the financial year.

3. $5,000 write off for small business owners – This allows small business owners to purchase a car and write of the first $5,000 in the first year as a deduction. The remaining purchase price will be added to the depreciation pool and written off at either 15% or 30%

4. Tax treatment clarified for Instalment Warrants – This confirms the previous clarification that a capital gains tax event will not occur for those who own an instalment warrant over a security and then that security is then later transferred directly into their name.

These are just some of the proposed changes from the Federal Budget 2011. If you would like more information and you would like to know how these changes may influence your personal situation please do not hesitate to contact us on 02 9262 3333 or email info@arktotalwealth.com.au

Regards,

The Ark Total Wealth Team

With kind regards

Ark Total Wealth has been established for 18 years and we provide a large range of services that help you build, maintain and protect your wealth.
Ark Total Wealth offers the complete wealth creation service, offering all the traditional financial planning services you would expect, such as investments, insurance and
superannuation, plus a range of additional services you might not expect.
We are one of the rare groups who include direct property and lending solutions in our strategies with a large emphasis on education.

Liquidity Finance is a mortgage and finance brokerage that has identified the need to provide specialist strategy and advice in mortgage lending for investors, owner occupiers and Small to Medium Size Businesses.
At Liquidity, we have developed significant experience in structuring loans to suit your needs, be it for purchasing your own home, an investment property, a car or business assets.
Our success can be seen in the growth of our business through referrals. Our core focus is the customer - ensuring their needs and expectations are meet.

Federal Budget 2011: IOOF Adviser Special Bulletin

What the Funding for Training and Upskilling the Workforce means to you

Buying a new car? Speak to Danny at Liquidity Finance for fleet discounts and Finance

Are you Travelling? Ark has negotiated with Chartis for a 20% Discount on Travel Insurance for our Subscribers - Click Here

A Summary of the Budget in education/skills sector

2011-05-11T15:30:00.001+10:00

The major focus of the Budget is Jobs, Jobs, Jobs and upskilling the Nation through Training. What does this mean to you?

You or your team will probably be eligible for grants to enable you to upskill you or your team to take part in the Economies Growth.

If you need more information, click here to register your Interest

Federal Budget 2011: Government unveils major skills, workplace participation drive
By Oliver Milman
Tuesday, 10 May 2011

A National Workforce Development Fund, bringing 130,000 new training places, will be created as part of a fresh drive to increase skills and participation rates in Australia’s workforce.

Financing

The government revealed that $3 billion will be spent over the next six years to tackle Australia’s skill shortage and encourage the long-term unemployed back to work, amid a declining unemployment rate.

Of this, $558 million has been earmarked for the National Workforce Development Fund, which will work with industry groups to tackle skills shortages.

The government says the initiative will deliver 130,000 “high quality training places directly tailored to industry skills needs” over four years.

Training will be a third funded by small businesses, with medium-sized enterprises contributing 50%. The scheme will target “high need” industries, with the resources, construction and aged care sectors highlighted as immediate priority areas.

A competitive process will be set up to apply for grants, with the fund set to be supported by the creation of a new National Workforce and Productivity Agency from July 1, 2012. This agency will be tasked with identifying skills shortages in Australian businesses.

The new fund is the flagship announcement among a raft of government measures in what is a noticeably skills-heavy budget.

In his budget speech, Swan said: “In a growing economy like ours, we cannot justify the fourth highest proportion of jobless families in the developed world.”

Major workplace initiatives unveiled in the budget include:

Skills

The government has taken a carrot-and-stick approach to the states and territories over vocational education and training.

The Budget commits an extra $1.75 billion in funding over five years from 2012-13 to the states for training, but only if they sign up for “more ambitious” reform of the sector.

The government says it will introduce “tougher new standards” for its National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development, including better quality training and aligning programs with economic needs. Negotiations are set to kick off in the coming months.

Elsewhere, $143 million has been put forward in the budget to improve basic employment skills, with the creation of 30,000 additional places in the Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program.

Apprenticeships
Mentoring programs for apprenticeships have received an additional $200 million in funding. The government says this cash will help remedy the current situation, where less than half of apprentices finish their training.

More than 300 mentors will be funded to help nearly 40,000 apprentices in traditional trades and small businesses.

In addition, 144 apprentice advisors will be employed to assist school leavers to select the best option when taking up an apprenticeship.

Participation

Faced with a declining unemployment rate, the government has set its sights firmly on raising participation rates among long-term workforce absentees.

Income support for single parents will be restructured to encourage them back into the workforce. $103 million will be spent on training and career advice for single parents to ease them back into work.

From July 1, 2012, there will be participation requirements for those on Disability Support Pensions aged under 35. The DSP will be made more stringent, while wage subsidies will be given to employers who take on disabled workers for at least 15 hours a week.

A further $68 million will be spent to help school leavers develop basic employability skills, while $95 million in funding will reward businesses who give a job to someone unemployed for more than two years.

Immigration

A “measured” increase in permanent migration will see 185,000 visas issued in 2011-12. This is up slightly from the 180,000 given in the year ending September 2010.

Of this total, 125,850 will be skilled migrants, with the government fast-tracking permanent residency for temporary business visa holders who have spent two years in regional Australia and where their employer is prepared to sponsor them for a further two years.

What are the analysts saying? Budget 2011

2011-05-11T00:53:00.000+10:00

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/09/3211180.htm

Stephen Long: It's hard to fault the political priorities of the budget - increasing skills training and workforce participation - but a "tough budget"? Tough as tofu.

Alan Kohler: Despite all the stern prime ministerial repetition, this budget is not tough... Any decent CFO would be embarrassed by this budget.

Ross Gittins: Taken in sum, there are plenty of cuts and savings that suggest some courage in Canberra.

Peter Hartcher: Stop the presses: it's a budget that ditches tax cuts.

Dennis Shanahan: It's not radical in any sense of the word but it's as close to an old-fashioned Labor budget as you could get.

Peter van Onselen: The political impact of this year's budget will only really be known in two years' time.

Key budget stories

Overview: Swan makes jobs his budget mantra
Mental health: Swan 'proud' of $1.5b boost
Economics: Australia to ride 'Asian century'
Defence: Boost for Uruzgan mission
Immigration: Malaysia refugee deal to cost $216m
Science: High hopes for massive telescope project
Health: $1.8b for regional health facilities
Tax: Middle class on fringe of benefits

Key budget videos

Budget breakdown: What's it all about
The speech: Highlights from Wayne Swan's speech

What's been the reaction?

Find out what the following groups are saying about the budget:

When does the Opposition respond?

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will deliver the Opposition's budget right of reply on Thursday May 12 at 7.30pm. It will be broadcast on ABC News 24 and ABC1.

AUSTRALIAN BUDGET – 2011 - Back to the black swan

2011-05-11T00:48:00.002+10:00

The Government promises to have the budget back in the black in 2012-13, forecasting a modest surplus of $3.5 billion…. But will there be a Black Swan

The deficit this year is $49.4 billion - up nearly $10 billion on the previous estimate - and will fall to $22.6 billion next year, up from the estimated $12 billion – attributable to black swans….

The major initiatives are:

· new $1.5b program to address mental illness
· $360m National Workforce Development fund to deliver 130,000 training places
· $425m in bonuses for excellence in teaching
· up to $4,200 in new support for low-income families with teenagers still at school or in training
· $200m for more school facilities and programs for disabled students
· $222m to expand school chaplaincy program to 1,000 more schools
· $1.8b for regional health services
· 16,000 skilled migrants allocated to regions to take advantage of mining boom
· low-paid workers to have tax offset paid during year rather than at tax time

In all, the Government has flagged new spending of more than $19 billion and savings of $22 billion.

Positives

· Money for training to upskill Australia – various programmes your company can take advantage of
· Looking to bring in 15,000 skilled migrants
· Funding for Health $16.4b– especially mental Health $1.5b - Reduction of Company tax to 29% in 2013
· big cuts in Public Service $2b and Defence $2.5b
· 2011-12 Federal Budget measure to allow refunds of excess concessional superannuation contributions of up to $10,000 for first time breaches from 1 July 2011.
· $425m for teachers performance bonuses
· $4.3b for the bush – hospitals, health care, universities and roads + NBN
· Support to SME $5000 of up front write off for cost of work car – woopee doo!!

Negatives

· $50b deficit this year, $22b deficit next year and budgeting for $3.5b surplus in 2013 – yeah right!!
· "Australian businesses embrace fierce competition, but many are feeling the pinch of workforce shortages and our rising dollar," Mr Swan said.Swan talks about the pain of Exporters but does nothing to support them – although the EMDG programme that has been a major support for exporters has shown a 12 to 1 return of revenue per $ spent

· Swan does nothing to support Innovation – key to continued growth of the Economy
· shelving the Green Car Innovation Fund
· a $500 million cut in renewable energy programs
· 4% growth in GDP expected, 4.5% unemployment rate – Rate rise seems on the cards… may be kept down because of high A$ - Reserve Bank will have their work cut out for them
· Asylum seeker stuff

Assumptions

· BRIC countries – specifically China will continue to grow and rely on our Minerals
· We are have been on a roll in last few years, and look at our deficit!!
· No Black Swans

Comments from Around the traps

The Australian is calling this a "nip and tuck" budget of "thousands of tiny cuts".

The ABC economics correspondent Stephen Long, called it as "tough as tofu". and quotes from the lyrics of Lou Reed: "Vicious - you hit me a flower."

Australia now has a twin-speed economy - Swan called it a "patchwork economy".

This budget was about "jobs, jobs, jobs", said Swan.

Australian economy cannot continue to rely on the resources boom for its revenues - partly because the mining giants, like Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, are investing so heavily in infrastructure, for which they receive tax deductions.

Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett claims the federal government's emphasis on the mining boom as the driving force of the national economy will prove to be "inherently flawed" because only the resource rich states will significantly benefit. It will not flow to Sydney nor Melbourne

Xingweiinc ♥♫ lisa ,xing,☼ ♥ Wayne swan kicked mothers in Australia in the teeth " and family,s .So heartless ..Cant believe labor would do that @@

CHRIS UHLMANN Channel 7: But if you could miss your back by $8 billion this year and $10 billion the next, anything like that would see you miss your surplus by a considerable mark in two years' time, so why can't we just focus on the now rather than the never-never?

Greens leader Bob Brown said the budget was "lacklustre" and his party, which will hold the balance of power in the Senate from July 1, would discuss changes with the treasurer.

Joe Hockey – said the governments budget is bullshit and rubbish

LyndsayFarlow Lyndsay Farlow $32m saved from "rationalisation of corporate functions"#FewerDepartmentalPissUps #budget2011 #auspol

Asked why he thought Treasurer Wayne Swan did not mention the words environment or indigenous in his speech, Senator Brown said: "I just think there's a mind-blank there."

And what do I think? Swan needs to ensure that more money comes in than goes out, and there is a good chance there will be a surplus!

The RBA have decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 4.75%

2011-05-03T15:49:00.001+10:00

The RBA Governor Glenn Stevens noted that there will be possible inflationary pressures as a result of higher utilities costs, rising food costs due to the natural disasters in QLD and high prices at the petrol pumps.

We believe that this higher costs of living will force the Reserve Bank’s hand in moving interest rates in the second half of this calendar year to stifle consumer spending and curb further inflationary pressures.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?

With all the above to consider, there is no better time to have a home loan health check.

The last 2 years have seen the Australian home loan market go through some major changes in the way in which lenders approach home and investment loan products. We have seen lenders increase interest rates above the Reserve Bank increase and we also saw lenders reduce Loan to Value Ratios (LVR’s) as a consequence the uncertain market.

In the past 3 months however, we have seen LVR’s return to more “normal” levels as well as increased competition between lenders, which has been a welcome change for the consumer.

Now is the time to ask yourself the following questions, as a review of your current home loan may be overdue.

Has it been more than 12 months since you have reviewed your home loan?
Are you unsure whether or not your current loan is still the best one for you?
Are you looking for ways to reduce your monthly repayments or outgoings on your home loan, personal loans or credit cards?
Are you looking to change your current situation, in regards to work or family?
Do you want to build wealth by accessing any potential equity in your property?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then you need to call today or click here to arrange your complementary home loan health check. click here . Why?

You change....

Over time, your personal and financial situation may change. You may get a pay rise, or you might want to start a family, or look at starting to invest in either property or shares. As your needs and priorities change, you'll probably find the right home loan product for you will change. A home loan health check will ensure your current loan suits your current needs.

Rate rises

In stable economic conditions, a variable interest rate might look more attractive, while in more volatile periods you could prefer the predictability of a fixed interest rate. Refinance your home loan to suit the economic times. We can also look at the option of splitting your loan to give you both some amount of security without compromising the flexibility of a variable product.

Access to an Ark Total Wealth Financial Planner

As well as giving your home loan an overview, we will arrange for an Ark Total Wealth Financial Planner to give you a complementary financial planning meeting valued at $395. (including but not limited to Investments, Residential Investment Property, Superannuation, Insurance and Business Planning.)

We look forward to meeting with you

Michael Luca and Danny Luu

Mortgage Brokers

Suite 701, Level 7, 14 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000
GPO BOX 4013 Sydney NSW 2001
P: +61 2 9290 2777
D: +61 2 8203 0426
M: 0405 113 543
F: +61 2 9262 5788
E: michael.luca@liquidityfinance.com.au or danny.luu@liquidityfinance.com.au

DID YOU KNOW?

2011-04-09T23:49:00.001+10:00

If you take the last 2 numbers of the year you were born and add it to your age in 2011 the answer will always be 111.

BSI’s Entrepreneurial Master Series:#1 Why Businesses fails and what you can do to prevent this from happenning

2011-04-04T21:39:00.009+10:00

We are delighted to have my friend and mentor, Mr Allen Pahmarajah present at our first Master Series Seminar. Allen will be coming from Singapore, and will be talking about why most businesses fail, and what you can do to avoid becoming a statistic! Allen is an AMAZING speaker, and has the ability to share his wealth of knowledge in a dynamic, easy to understand way.

The Seminar will be held in Sydney at the Grace Hotel on the Thursday 14th April at 5:30pm for a 6pm start. The Seminar will be COMPLIMENTARY, however, will be limited to 60 guests, so registrations will be on a first come first serve basis. Please click here to register.

For more information about the seminar, scroll down...

I look forward to seeing you there.

BSI’s Entrepreneurial Master Series:

Why Most Businesses Fail
(And How To Avoid Becoming One of Them)

The statistics are alarming: 8 out of 10 new businesses fail within the first five years with the majority of those frail survivors giving up within the next two more years, leaving only 2 standing to celebrate a 10th anniversary.

Who Should Attend This Session:

• Marketers, company owners and general managers across all industries, in small and medium-sized companies that serve both the B2B and B2C sectors

• Entrepreneurs who are planning to start a new business

• Service professionals and consultants in small (independent) practices

• Consultants and marketing service providers who serve the small business community

This series is a must for marketers and entrepreneurs in small and medium sized companies where everyone has to pitch in to make sure the work gets done and products and services are delivered as promised.

We have 3 specialist speakers for you:

Presenter #1: Allen J Pathmarajah

Allen J. Pathmarajah is a Fellow - Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Marketing Institute of Singapore and Singapore Human Resources Institute. He is Executive Chairman of AJP Advisers Group.

He has extensive experience in Financial Services, Industry and Management Consultancy in England, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia.

He was with the Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation Group (“OCBC”). Initially as Executive Director of Specialists Services Pte Ltd and concurrently Special Assistant to the Group Chairman. Thereafter, he was with Great Eastern Life Assurance Co Ltd as General Manager and subsequently as Managing Director. He was Adjunct Professor at Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University.

Allen is Chairman and Director of several public-listed and private companies in Singapore and overseas and is and was a member of several government, professional and charitable committees.

He speaks on Leadership and various management topics to business and public sectors.

Allen is Chairman and Director of several public-listed and private companies in Singapore and overseas and is and was a member of several government, professional and charitable committees.

Presenter #2: Dylan Chan

Dylan Chan will be presenting a second segment: “how to mitigate business risk – a strategic approach”.

Dylan has been a Financial Adviser at Ark Total Wealth since 2004. Previously, he worked in a boutique financial planning practice in Pyrmont that provided advice under it’s own license.

Dylan specialises in structuring investment strategies through SMSFs as well as working with small to medium size business owners to assess, address and implement business succession and business risk mitigation strategies.

Presenter #3: Michael Klompas

Michael Klompas, will present a third segment dealing with the importance role of insurance to protect businesses and their employees.

Having access to both local and international insurers and underwriting agencies in Australia allows Ark Total Wealth the unique opportunity to quote on any risk type, especially “hard-to-place” risks.

Michael is passionate about the advice he gives and insuring all types of risks that are insurable. His strengths are communicating with clients to understand their needs, ensure compliant advice with exceptional personalised service fit-to-measure your personal circumstances and situation. He does not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach.

Michael Klompas is a General Insurance Broker of ARK General Insurance, an Authorised Representative of Westcourt General Insurance Pty Ltd AFSL 238 447 (www.wgib.com.au).

ABOUT THE BSI ENTREPRENERIAL MASTER SERIES

These sessions will be held regularly to help you deal with issues that effect all SME businesses. Topics will include:

Accessing government grants
Capital raising, including what investors look for when investing in SMEs
How to access debt
How to maximise your Superannuation through Self Managed Superfunds
Advertising, taglines, promotion, low-cost (even no-cost) market research
Budgeting, cash flow
Risk mitigation and insurance
HR issues.

This is the FIRST of BSI’S Entrepreneurial Master Series for the Season

This “Masters Series” is presented by successful and accomplished entrepreneurs that use real life case studies taken from a wide variety of small B2B and B2C companies. Every once in a while, we’ll borrow some ideas from larger companies that have paid the big bucks to teach us some of the most valuable lessons in business.

An important aspect of this “Master Series” is to network with your peers, develop valuable relationships and possibly even conduct direct business transactions. You’ll want to make sure you have lots of business cards on hand when attending the events.

Special Bonus #1:

This seminar comes with Allen’s presentation in the form of an ebook, including all his insights on how to safeguard your company against the most common pitfalls that cause business failure.

Special Bonus #2:

When you attend, you will have access to Ark Total Wealth’s “Managing Risk: How to Protect your Business” ebook.

PLEASE NOTE! This seminar, limited to 60 participants, requires registration. Similar sessions often get filled to capacity, register today on a first in, best dressed basis.

What Previous Participants Have Said About Our Entrepreneurial Master Series Seminars And Speakers

“Of the participants who evaluated our seminar, 90% would recommend it to a colleague.”
________________________________________

"Allen is a Guru - he addressed topics that mattered to me and my business. I liked that he stayed on topic, used relevant case studies and seemed to enjoy himself."

________________________________________

"Just the right amount of detail to cover the topic -- good case studies, too! Definitely worth attending. The eBooks are invaluable as an additional reference tool. Very good Q&A dialogue as well."

_______________________________________

"This is stuff I wish we had known BEFORE we started our company..."

Business Strategies International, Ark Total Wealth and Liquidity Finance are committed to show you the path to success by ensuring you avoid the pitfalls and mistakes that contribute to failure.

This Seminar Series is brought to you by

Government Provides Incentives to Upskill its Workforce

2011-03-31T17:59:00.001+11:00

Do You Love or Hate Your Job?

2011-03-31T15:30:00.007+11:00

Survey Highlights:

6 out of 10 employees are now ACTIVELY looking for a new job! Half revealing that better career options elsewhere were their main motivation for leaving.
1 out of 4 said they wanted more responsibility within their roles.
1 out of 5 said they were simply bored with their current jobs.

This all points to one solution – more, better and (FUN?) training

Administrative staff are some of the most crucial parts of day-to-day operations for a business and it can be significantly costly to replace them. Especially if more than one admin staff member leaves at the same time. When that happens, it can cripple an already vulnerable small business.

But the answer isn't as complicated or expensive as some employers might fear.

The survey reveals 44% of workers would like to participate in other aspects of the business, 37% want to attend conferences and other events and 25% want a mentor.

Most of these policies can be introduced without seriously affecting the bottom line. In fact, such investments have been shown to give considerable Return On Investment (ROI).

Encouragingly, the survey shows:

6 out of 10 employees feel training courses could help their career,
1 out of 2 said their morale would be given a boost if they had access to more training.

All of this is especially important for Generation Y employees, because they're looking at career development and want to have an outline of what's going to happen with them over the next 12 to 24 months. Often, just discussing the expectations and plans is enough to suppress the desire to look elsewhere for direction (or a new job!).

That’s where our alliance with Dr Marc Dussault comes in – we were searching for a fresh, new solution – something completely out of the proverbial box.

Our first collaboration is providing a “1 Day Mini MBA” as a bonus to an ACCREDITED Diploma Of Management Program. Promoted within a federal government initiative to re-skill Australians, you can obtain both for FREE.

For more information on this first-time opportunity, click here.

At BSI, we’re committed to helping both
employees who want to advance their careers
as well as assisting employers with the on-going
responsibility of staff empowerment and
job enrichment crucial to keeping great staff.

Over the next few weeks and months, we plan to bring you a range of opportunities and solutions to this problem.

As Albert Einstein put it so well “The thinking that got you IN the predicament you’re in, is not the thinking that will get you OUT of it” .

That’s why we’re working closely with Dr Marc Dussault, to introduce you to Exponential Mindset Thinking where boundless opportunities don’t just become possible, they are probable as your thinking shifts to get you from where you are to where you would rather to be.

As we know, every journey begins with a single step. Thank you for taking this first step with us, being involved in this dialogue.

We look forward to having fun with you to make sure you reach your ultimate career and professional destination.

P.S.

Unlike what many people like to believe, ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away.

As an employee…
When it comes to your career or profession, the onus is on you to manage and develop it as you wish. Marc calls it “living a life by design rather than evolving by default.”

You need to make the decision NOW to get on the career path you want to be on.

As an employer…
You have the responsibility to seek out opportunities to leverage your support and access to government incentive programs and other valuable sources on behalf of your staff. They don’t just want it – they expect it.

Your investment in people pays off – in the short term with less turnover and greater loyalty and in the long term with greater productivity, involvement and contribution.

I know it sounds trite, but it’s true Together Everyone Achieves More.

BSI wants to be part of your career and professional development T.E.A.M.