Kazakhstan is a Hot Market for U.S. Investors

August 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Provinces of Kazakhstan

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The U.S. and Kazakhstan have developed a history of good foreign relations. With Kazakhstan’s vast natural energy resources and the U.S. looking for more cost-effective ways to supply oil and gas to American consumers, both parties have benefited greatly. In addition to natural resources, Kazakhstan Democracy and financial stability has made it an attractive economy for businesses of all types. Here are some of the major U.S. companies that have invested in Kazakhstan.

  • Chevron

Chevron is a premier global energy company and is the second largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in the U.S. Since 1993, Chevron has been the majority owner of Tengizchevroil consortium oil plant in Kazakhstan, the largest oil producer in the country. As of April 2011, Chevron is planning to increase its investment capital with the construction of a Kazakh wind power plant.

  • Phillips Morris International (PMI)

With its home office in New York City, PMI is currently the world’s largest global tobacco company. PMI products are sold in over 160 countries that include the popular cigarette brands: Marlboro and Virginia Slims. PMI has a proud history of being one of the first foreign investor in Kazakhstan. The company has been an investor since 1993 and presently operates a tobacco processing plant in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

  • Marriott Corporation

This popular American hotel chain has taken interest in expanding its luxury JW Marriot brand to the city of Almaty. In 2008, the company officially announced its plans to build the hotel, which is now set to open in April 2013. The hotel will be the only residential property managed by a hotel chain in Almaty.

With a track record of successful investment ventures from major companies, Kazakhstan has proven that it’s a hot market for U.S. investors.

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Filed Under: investments

Money-Saving Tips for Businesses

July 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
office setup

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Owning a business in today’s tumultuous economy is no easy task. You must cut costs in every way you can to ensure the survival of your business. Here are a few money-saving tips to help your business save.

  • Purchase laptop computers rather than desktop computers for your employees. Laptops consume about 90 percent less energy than desktops, thus saving you money on your electric bill.
  • It may not be a purchase you fret over, but printer ink can be incredibly expensive. Review the ways that you use this ink, and encourage employees to avoid printing when they can. When you do purchase ink, consider buying in bulk or using recycled cartridges.
  • Rather than hiring seasonal or general office staff, hire a college intern instead. College students can receive credits toward their degree in exchange for their work. You’ll reduce your payroll and boost your productivity.
  • Mailing can be a significant expense, so spend a day reviewing what your company mails. Cut out mailings that you could be emailing instead. Remove changed addresses, undeliverable mail and inactive customers from your mailing lists as well.
  • Use the Internet for free advertising. Ask clients if they’d like to receive email newsletters, where you update them on the happenings on the company and any new services or products you have. The return of investment on these efforts can be much higher than other advertising efforts.
  • Review your phone plan to determine if you can be saving. See if you can bundle phone and Internet services to cut expenses in your bill. You may also be able to reduce the number of phone lines you have.
  • Ask for help. IT consultants, for instance, can review your working habits and make recommendations to save you time and money.

 

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Benefits of Cash Financing

July 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
first bill of the mono, the M100

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For some people, the thought of purchasing anything through a loan or mortgage is horrible. These folks prefer to buy only with cash, and if they don’t have the cash then they don’t buy it. There are some distinct advantages to cash financing, if you have the funds to do so.

No Interest Payments – Cash financing means that you avoid having to pay any interest rates or fees. Getting a low interest online loan from Plain Green Loans to buy an item that would have normally had a higher interest rate can also be a good way to avoid excessive interest payments.

You’re the Owner – Using cash to purchase something means that you’re the only owner. The bank doesn’t hold title until you have paid the bank back. The product or item is yours outright and you can do with it what you wish.

Quick Turn-Around – If you use cash to purchase a high end item like a home, you can quickly turn it around and sell it for a profit without having to go through the banks.

Make Money Work for You – Money that may be sitting idle in an investment account could be put to better use by purchasing large items. If it isn’t making you money, why not use it to make your purchase rather than spend money on an interest rate or finance charges?

There are many ways that cash financing can benefit you. They often say that having money allows you to make money, and at least in this case if you have money you can avoid paying too much money.

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Tips to Hiring an Investment Consultant

June 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Guy Roux consultant (cropped)

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Navigating the world of investing on your own can be tricky. If you are thinking of hiring an investment consultant to boost your trading results, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

  • Ask friends and family if they can recommend anyone they have used themselves. Many people utilize the services of an Online Trading Broker, so you may know someone who can recommend a professional consultant.
  • Once you have narrowed down a few choices, search the consultant’s background for any red lights. Although you should ask the consultant directly about their background, experience and previous clients, you need to do your own checking.
  • Know your needs before you start searching. This way you can find a consultant that will work towards the goals that you have.
  • Know your budget and how much you can afford to pay a consultant. When talking to prospective consultants, be sure to ask them how they are paid. Some take an upfront fee, whilst other are paid with commission. Also ask them to tell you about all of the fees. Some consultants have hidden fees, so be sure to find out what the person will cost.
  • Do you want to be able to contact you consultant 24/7? Some consultants don’t mind this, whereas others do. Be sure to know how much contact you will want and if the consultant can cater to your needs.

When hiring an investment consultant it is important to keep the above in mind. That way you can find the right consultant who will be professional and who will fit your personal needs perfectly.

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Using Your Computer to Save Money

June 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Business owners might be missing out on a great way to save money for their business. It’s not hard to find and it’s easy to use. It’s their personal computer. If you own a business and are using some of the traditional means of communication and doing business than you are doing it the wrong way. The truth of the matter is that you can be saving big money by using your PC.

The first thing you should do is get a good all in one printer. That means something with both a scanner, copier and fax machine. This will allow you to use your computer for everything. Ditch the fax machine that you were using. Now when there is a document you can scan it and email it to the person you need it to get to. This will saving you money and time. You won’t have to pay for a phone line. That could be a very big  deal.

Something else to consider is using an electronic document signature. This will save you the painstaking effort of mailing out contracts and waiting for them to come back. There is no reason to use the mail since you have this sort of technology at your fingertips. Your clients will thank you too.

The next thing you need is to get rid of your long distance plan. Forget the need for long distance. You have a computer which has services that can make long distance phone calls for free. In this day and age there is no reason to pay a premium for your means to communicate. Use the world wide web.

 

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Using the Electronic Signature

June 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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As the owner of a business it’s up to you to implement changes that are not only going to make your business more efficient, but also more cost effective. You are likely tearing your hair out at the end of every month looking for some sort of miracle cure, but the truth is that the answer is staring you right in front of your face. You can use your computer to save you more money than you ever thought possible.

The first key here is to make sure that you have an electronic document signing program. Google has one and it could be very helpful. If you are dealing with contracts for clients you will find that you are having to send it out or fax it over. You will have to make sure that it got there and then wait days to get it back. This is a big hassle, can cost money, and certainly is a time waster.

However, with an electronic signature you can email contracts over to the client and they can sign the documents right there on the side. It’s something that is worth investing in. The cost is minimal and the time it saves is out of this world. You can also ensure that you have a cyber copy of everything that was signed and if the client forgets to sign something you can have them go back in and sign it. It’s the best thing that you can ever do for the efficiency of your business.

 

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How To Cut Costs In Business

June 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Your business requires plenty of expenses. There is nothing wrong with giving money to your business. It’s money that will help it grow, but that doesn’t mean that you should find reason to be fiscally irresponsible. Your money must be kept on a budget and spending should be kept to a minimum. There are things worth saving on and there are things worth spending on but cutting costs when appropriate is always preferred. Here are something’s you can save on in your business.

Use your computer for more than you are now. There are companies who are wasting money with long distance phone calls and money with fax machines. These things, in essence, are a part of the business but are not the only part of the business. You are better off doing everything from your computer. Anything from text messages to scanning a document and emailing it can be done with your computer. You can ensure that it arrives to the person safely and there is no need to waste an endless amount of time waiting for it and using the cost of ink and postage.

Make good use of your friends and family. You, when you stop to look, have a vast array of people who have a good amount of knowledge in different services. This is essential for your business. They can do a lot of things for you and for very little money. Please use them accordingly.

Your business must save money where it can. Don’t be lazy and get the most for your business for less.

 

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Cutting Costs

June 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
office setup

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For the small business owner there is one thing that your business must have: cost cutting measures. The cost of doing business is real, but the expenses don’t have to be that high. While some businesses try and make sweeping changes all they seem to do is anger their fellow employees. What businesses must do is be creative when it comes to saving money. Here are some ways to cut cost of business.

Many companies don’t take advantage of leasing. Many companies will buy equipment, but the idea of leasing makes a lot of sense in terms of saving money. With a lease you can rent equipment at a lower price. You have the option of upgraded once the lease is up and you can get yourself out of the lease and have it gone from your business without hassle. If it’s an item that is essential to your business you might want to consider owning it, but otherwise, leasing seems to make the most sense.

Many companies attempt to overstock their office. Start off by going small first. The last thing you want is to have purchased inventory that is just going to sit there. Go small, even smaller than you think and see where that takes you. As your business grows you can make the inventory bigger. Either way, just make sure you are smart about how you accumulate inventory.

Your business must save money any way possible. Making sound decisions will ensure that your business has the best chance of surviving.

 

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Limiting Expenses

June 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Expenses

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Owning a small business comes with challenges in keeping profits up while keeping spending down. If you own a business with more than a few employees you know that employees can create more expenses than you bargained for. They can be wasteful and they can misunderstand just what it means to expense something. At the end of the year you can easily find yourself with an increase in spending but without anything to show for it. Here are some ways to control your employees spending.

First, get rid of expense cards. Often times employees misuse them and there is no need for them. Your best bet is to let your staff know that from now on if there is something that comes up work related they can expense things with their own money and be reimbursed by the company. Explain that it will be a judgment call on how much they are reimbursed. This will keep your employees thinking twice before getting something on behalf of the company.

Make sure you are keeping track of inventory. It’s not that employees are dishonest it’s that many can be careless. While a pen is just a pen to them, to you it’s something that you bought and will continue to have to buy if they don’t take better care of it. Make sure you are keeping track of the traps and pitfalls of your business. This will help you in the long run.

Don’t let your expenses become expensive. Just do yourself a favor and keep an eye on your employees and you’ll keep expenses down.

 

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3 Benefits of Cash Loans

June 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The financial world can be confusing. There are bank loans, business loans, cash loans and payday loans. While there is a lot of information out there on bank, business and payday loans, there is not much public information available about a cash loan. This can make it difficult for people to decide if a cash loan is right for them.

To help you gain an understanding about this type of loan, here’s a look at the top three benefits of a cash loan.

1. Fast Financing Option

One of the biggest benefits of a cash loan is the ability to get the finances quickly. A cash loan can be obtained and approved in a matter of minutes. There is no need to wait weeks to have the loan approved— cash loans are approved on the spot and within a few minutes.

2. No Credit Check Required

A poor credit score can prevent you from getting all types of financing. However, all that is required with a cash loan is proof of employer and a steady job history. Provide this information and you can be approved for a loan in a few minutes.

3. Low Financing Charges

The financing fees and other charges associated with a cash loan are fairly low. If you pay back the cash loan in a timely manner, the costs and interest associated with this type of loan are relatively low compared to the other available financing options. These low fees are why many people choose a cash loan.

These three benefits are why many people are turning to a cash loan for their financial needs.

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