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... x No Thanks Loading.. How Can You Upgrade Your Financial Security?6/28/2021 by CompleteMarkets Editor This content has not been rated yet. Financial security doesn't necessarily refer to the password protection of an online bank account. Having financial security means that a person has the funds to easily maintain their current lifestyle. They never have to worry about whether they can make the next bill payment, and they don't wait desperately for their next paycheck to come through. Image Credit: Matthew Henry via Burst A financially secure person can also deal with unplanned expenses without much worry. The expenses won't disrupt their monthly budget or impact their ability to make ends meet. They have enough safeguards in place to handle the problem quickly. How can you upgrade your financial security this year? Try to implement the following financial safeguards: A Budget One of the easiest ways to improve your financial security is to start implementing a household budget. A budget will help you manage your monthly expenses, track your spending and achieve your savings goals. If you don't have a clear and concise budget in the works, you should download one of the top budgeting tools available and use it right away. Available Credit Another way to improve your financial security is to have plenty of credit available. You can use credit to cover urgent expenses that don't fit within your budget and then manage the repayments at a later date when you have the savings. How can you make sure that you have available credit? Focus on maintaining a low credit utilization ratio so that your outstanding balance is nowhere close to the ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Office Safety And Security: What Workers Need To Know And Do 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor This content has not been rated yet. OFFICE SAFETY AND SECURITY: WHAT WORKERS NEED TO KNOW AND DO Although most people think of business places as safe and serene, in fact they're rife with risks, both inside and outside the building. Security experts recommend taking these safety precautions: Parking Lot Security/Lighting. Because crime flourishes in the dark, implement a "buddy system" to ferry workers to and from their cars. Limit parking lot access to controlled points and have the lots as well lit as possible. In fact, light is such a deterrent to crime that it's wise to keep your entire facility lit, inside and out, during non-business hours. Entrance Area Safety. Make sure a receptionist on duty at all times. Provide a registration system for all visitors (even if they wear the uniform of contract cleaning or other service personnel) . Have all doors, windows, and locks checked frequently for proper operation. Use badge or other photo ID systems, with frequent checks of entry code systems. Never let employees prop open a door with a chair so that it doesn't lock behind them outside on a break. Suspicious Activity. Urge employees to report any suspicious persons or activity around the building. Never allow employees to open suspicious packages. Instead, report them to the authorities for proper search and disposal. Information Safety. Unfortunately, it's increasingly easy for computer hackers or disgruntled employees to steal your organization's vital business information ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Securing A Company Appointment: Part II 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Jack Fries This content has not been rated yet. This two-part article (Part One HERE ) focuses on how to get the companies and markets your agency needs. THE PROPOSAL Most companies today have limited the number of agents to whom they're willing to offer a contract. That means that there are only two ways that a company will be interested in making an appointment: First, to replace an agency/company relationship that's been terminated; and, second, to grow in a geographic area. The problem is that there aren't enough appointments available for the number of agents who want them. For you to be one of those fortunate to get that contract you must "sell" the company on appointing you. How you prepare the proposal package has a significant impact on the image that you present to the company. Although the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is only a little "extra," it can make the difference between getting the contract and being one of the also-rans. The proposal package should include: Agency History. This should include when and how the agency was founded; length of time at the current and prior locations; reasons for moves; past and present principals; how long the principals and their families have been in the community; and the agency's longest company relationships. The history should also list any special awards or recognition received over the years. However, this would not be appropriate if the last award or recognition happened 10 years ago. ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Agreement For Purchase And Sale 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Gary Jacobson This content has not been rated yet. AGREEMENT FOR PURCHASE AND SALE by Gary Jacobson All Assets (Includes Trade Name Transfer) Comments This form involves a straightforward sale of all assets of a smaller incorporated agency with a single stockholder. Sale is to a larger incorporated agency with several offices; Buyer will consolidate the office of the acquired agency into that of the Buyer. A creative security arrangement is included, involving a security-escrowed broker-of-record letter as set forth in Exhibit G. AGREEMENT FOR PURCHASE AND SALE OF ABLE INSURANCE AGENCY Table of Contents Section/Paragraph 1. Parties 2. Recitals 2.1 Status of Seller 2.2 Status of Buyer 2.3 Status of Able 2.4 Status of Dalton 2.5 Purpose 2.6 Move 3. Purchase and Sale 3.1 Insurance Accounts 3.1.1 Valuation 3.1.2 Risk of Loss 3.2 All Goodwill of the Seller 3.3 Name Change 3.4 Personal Property 3.5 Commissions Receivable 3.5.1 Schools Exception 3.5.2 Repayment 3.6 Contingency Commissions 3.7 Assumption of Liabilities 4. Payment/Terms/Security 4.1 Purchase Price 4.2 Allocation 4.3 Terms 4.4 Security- Assets 4.5 Assignment, Replacement Property 4.6 Default 4.7 Security-Escrowed Letter 4.8 Cross-Default 5. Closing 5.1 Place and Time 5.2 Delivery of Documents and Consideration 5.3 Adjustments 6. Seller's Representations and Covenants 6.1 Representations and Warranties 6.2 Covenants 6.2.1 No Interruption in Business 6.2.2 Liabilities 6.2.3 Delivery of Receipts 6.2.4 Cessation 6.2.5 Ownership Indemnity 6.2.6 E&O Coverage and Indemnification 6.2.7 Carriers/Transition 7. Buyer's Representations and Covenants 7.1 Status of Buyer 7.2 Covenants ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Secure A Company Appointment, Part I: Analyze The Need 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Jack Fries This content has not been rated yet. This two-part article focuses on how to get the companies and markets your agency needs. Securing a company appointment is like getting a loan. When there's a lot of money to loan, it's easy — but when money is tight, only those perceived as the most sound financial risks get the cash. The key word here is "perceived." In the agency business, it's easy to get an appointment in a soft market; but only those perceived to be the most "professional" will get the nod when the market turns hard again. When do you need a company appointment the most? During a hard market, of course. Perception plays a significant part in securing a company contract. Remember that when you deal with individuals, their perception of you becomes their reality. Although there are many professional agencies out there, very few do those little "extras" that differentiate them from the other "me too" agencies. For the agent who's willing to go the extra mile, the reward can be well worth it. Companies and agencies trying to form a relationship that should never have been pursued from the start are wasting their time. In an environment of shrinking income and increasing expenses, it's too much of a financial and time drain to pursue a union that's doomed from the get-go. To maximize the effort in acquiring a company contract, you need to prepare a series ...

... , to reduce the tax cost of the acquisition. He also wants to avoid liabilities of the acquired business, such as errors & omissions exposure. The seller may wish to defer tax from the sale. He normally wants as much of a down payment as possible. He typically would prefer to have capital gains treatment for the gain from the sale of the business, rather than ordinary income treatment, if he will be at a higher income level after the sale and the rate difference will be important. He wants to avoid employment taxes on the payments to him. He would prefer payments to him individually rather than to a C corporation, because he then does not have to worry about how to get the money out of the corporation without incurring a second tax. He wants to have security for the payments due him. He would prefer to have the buyer or the agency take over future liabilities, such as errors & omissions claims, and get him off the hook. The Clinton 1993 tax changes (93 OBRA) have changed the cost/benefit calculations on sales. They make some formerly non- deductible items (such as good will) depreciable over a 15 year period, but also extend the amortization period of covenants not to compete to 15 years. They also raise individuals' maximum federal rates on ordinary income (39.6%) substantially above the capital gains rates (28%), making capital gains treatment more important to high bracket sellers. The selling owner may make other retirement provisions. He may set up a qualified retirement plan (pension or profit sharing ...

...ax deferred rollover into other securities. He may merge with a large brokerag...ock in the brokerage is tied up by securities regulations. 5.8 Partnership ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. The 6 Key Features Essential to Choosing the Best Virtual Data Room for Insurance Companies 12/8 /2021 by CompleteMarkets Editor This content has not been rated yet. An online data room is a secure area where business people can access and review sensitive information. Insurance companies use virtual data rooms to coordinate with brokers, underwriters, and other consultants on the transfer of property and casualty claims. In the insurance field, you need a virtual data room that's secure, protects your documents and information and is easy to use — all while keeping costs down. When choosing a virtual data room, you have many different options. When choosing a VDR for your insurance company, there are so many things to consider. Here are six features insurance companies should look for in a virtual data room (VDR) . A virtual data room should be accessible 24/7 on any device It's important to consider the times that you and your colleagues will be working with a virtual data room. This is why having access around the clock is so important. If there's ever a time when you're out of the office and need to review a document, there needs to be somewhere you can go to access it. A virtual data room should be accessible 24/7 on any device. Over the past few years, the insurance industry has been undergoing a rapid transformation, with new business models and technology giving rise to an increase in new entrants, the democratization of the industry, and a shift towards the digital space. As a result, the insurance industry ...

...on the carryover liability and securities issues. Since, technically, only th...ps: First, instead of litigating securities issues, require them to be submi...

... x No Thanks Loading.. The Generation Gap At Work: How Boomer Owners Must Deal With Gen X Employees 4/30/2013 by Al Diamond , CompleteMarkets Editor This content has not been rated yet. To explain how the older boomer' generation must relate to its successor, Generation X, ' we must first understand their origins. Economically, World War II-era workers were security conscious. They either remembered or were constantly reminded of the Great Depression by the previous generation. Those who experienced the WWII economy either in uniform or at home dreamed the American Dream' after the war: get a secure job and raise a family in a house in the safer suburbs, rather than in apartments, where many people of that generation grew up. Security was the key issue on their minds. But for the most part, their children, the Baby Boomers, grew up secure, in two-parent homes in which one parent worked and the other was home. Their level of education was generally better than that of the generation before them because their parents, looking toward the security' of the children, promised themselves that the next generation would not have to struggle as they had. The boomers were not as affected by war as were their parents, nor were they as alarmed by the Cold War as the prior generation. Boomers' business goals were based on advancement and risk-taking. In the insurance business, the WWII generation were the 40-year agency and company employees and the debit men' in the field. If you don't know what a debit man' was, ask someone over ...