Financial Updates

For many business owners who don't have the budget to buy a large, high-capacity commercial copier, leasing is a smarter and more affordable alternative. Leasing is also great for small to medium offices in need of equipment on a limited budget.

However, it's very important to become familiar with average monthly copier lease rates to make sure you are getting the most competitive deal when signing a lease for office equipment.

So what are the prices? Glad you asked:

If you're still at a crossroads and can't decide whether it’s the smartest business solution to lease or buy a copier, it’s essential to assess if your business can afford paying a monthly lease throughout the entire term of the agreement.

Most copier leases are long agreements that will extend from one to three years with monthly payments required for the duration of the contract.

For businesses that don't have thousands of extra dollars in their budget to purchase a large-scale commercial copier outright, leasing may seem to make more sense. However, the cost of a lease for several years must be tallied and compared to the total investment of purchasing a commercial volume copier outright.

In many instances, a copier lease may work better for an established business or a company that has short-term copying needs. But if you are a small to medium-sized company that has the means to put a down payment on a commercial copier, it will be wiser investment of your funds since you will own the equipment in full.

Taking into account that a copier lease could range from as little as $70 per month to over $300 per month for a 60 month lease, it's important to compare average prices from leasing retailers before entering into an agreement.

As you begin to compare copier lease rates between leading companies, take the time to calculate the total cost of buying a copier compared to how much you will pay for the entire length of your monthly contract. This will give you actual numbers that you can use to determine if the expense of a copier lease makes more financial sense than setting up a payment plan to buy a copier brand-new.

Cup of coffee? Check. Pen and sales papers? Check. Internet browser open and ready? Check. Now you’re ready to learn how to find the best laptop deals! While it may seem simple to some to blindly wander into their local electronics store and choose the first laptop they see with all the bells and whistles, there really is an art to finding just the right laptop to fit your needs as well as giving you all the fantastic “perks” that you’re looking for at just the right price.

The first thing to do, as you should anytime you’re making an investment purchase, is to set your budget. Laptops vary in style, color, even screen size and of course, memory and processor speed. Setting a budget will affect the type of laptop you actually end up with as opposed to the one you want. Most laptops average in price from a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars. Factors that play a major role in the price will be the amount of storage space and the speed of the processors.

Would you buy a house without doing a walkthrough? Or buy a car without test-driving it first? Buying a laptop is no different, it is an investment. What good is your hard-earned money if you spend it on something you know absolutely nothing about? Make sure that you are not just buying, but buying smart. If all you need a laptop for is to do homework assignments and surf the web, then you probably don’t need to buy a high-end laptop with a processor that works faster than the speed of light, leaving you with a large hole in your wallet.

Laptops come with different “abilities”, that is, different amounts of memory and speed to fit your purpose. Find out if it comes with software you need pre-installed or do you have to purchase programs separately. Remember the more programs you install the more memory you should have. Knowing your product will help you stay on budget and get you the laptop you need and not the laptop that makes someone a sizeable commission. Determine what you will be using the laptop for and how long you expect to get good use out of it before it needs to be replaced or upgraded.

Remember those days in school when your teacher gave a research assignment to the class for homework? Making your money work for you is all about getting back to basics. Know your budget, know your needs and then start searching. Sunday paper advertisements are always a great place to start, but even better than that is the good ‘ole internet. The internet gives you access to not only local deals, but worldwide as well and as long as your research skills are up to par, you can luck up on the perfect laptop.

In today’s economy, everyone is shopping smarter. There’s no reason you should be paying full retail for laptops (or anything else for that matter). Again, let the internet work to your advantage by searching for online coupon codes. Many highly sought after brand names offer online coupons or some sort of discount. This includes Dell, HP, Toshiba, even Apple. If you’re a student, check with your college or university for amazing student discounts. Compare online prices to in-store as well. Often, the in-store price or savings can outweigh purchasing online. Sign up with online rebate websites like Fatwallet or Ebates; they can get you some of your cash back, anywhere from 1-5% on items you’ve purchased. Now, how’s that for savvy shopping?

Finally, try not to do the brand name shuffle. A laptop from Dell or Toshiba is just as good as one made by Acer or Apple. Sometimes, all you’re really paying for is the brand name. Read product reviews by consumers and see what experiences they’ve had with the product themselves. There’s no better advertisement than word of mouth, so if someone thinks a laptop they’ve bought is crap, you best believe they’ll tell people about it on the web. Use all the tools at your disposal, both in print and online and you’ll be all the wiser for it. Happy shopping!

Christmas is a time when overspending can get the better of even the most frugal budgeter, which is why you need to use these tricks to keep your finances on track. Christmas is all about being swept up by the spirit of the love, community, family and giving of the season, so it is no surprise that many of us get swept up to such an extent that we forget about our finances.

Instead, make sure you take the time while you’re waiting in the inevitable Christmas time lines at the cash register, to really think about the purchase you’re about to make. If you’re not sure about a purchase , you don’t know if you really need it or you think you might be trying to convince yourself you do need it, then get out of the line and take a walk to make sure you’re making a conscious purchasing decision, for something that is clearly on your list.

Other ways you can avoid overspending at Christmas time are :

Just because Christmas only comes around once a year it doesn’t mean you have to blow all of your spare cash on the celebrations. Instead, set your spending based on what you can afford, by allocating 1.5% of your household income to go towards your Christmas shopping. Allocating a percentage of your income to your Christmas spending allows you to be realistic about what you can afford, rather than pulling a random number out of the air, or not pulling out a number at all.

Now you have your overall spending budget, allocate a budget for each person you are buying for this Christmas. This stops you from spending all of your budget on the first few people at the top of your list, and then feeling guilty about the people on the bottom of the list and continuing to spend. It also means you’ll be able to fairly even in your spending for each person.

Also make sure you keep your Christmas shopping list with you at all times so that you will always know where you are with your budget. This allows you to make a quick purchase when you see something on special which you can check off of your list, and you can also make sure you don’t double up on gifts for the same person, because you’ll know who you’ve already bought for and how much you’ve spent on them – and more importantly how much you have left to spend on them.

Running out of money is a powerful motivator to avoid spending more than you can afford. Therefore, use a debit card which draws from your own savings account, or a prepaid Visa card which you can load up with your own money before you go shopping. In this way you know there is no more money to spend once your Christmas budget is gone.

When you are rushing around the store at the last minute looking to check gifts off of your list for everyone, then you’re more likely to buy things just because they are there, not because they are on your list or would really suit the person you are buying for. You’re also more likely to overspend because you don’t take the time to shop around, instead buying the first item you see just so you can escape the mad rush of people. Giving yourself plenty of time to organise your Christmas gifts also means you have the time to think of more meaningful gifts, and the time to make gifts if you choose.

A gift you make can often cost much less that one you buy, and mean so much more. You could bake gift baskets for your friends and family or make up a box or basket of the person’s favourite things such as their favourite foods, drinks, cosmetics and stationery. You can also play to your strengths, so if baking isn’t one of your strong points you could write a song or a poem, create a piece of artwork, take a series of photographs of the family or the person’s favourite place and frame them.

You could even forgo traditional gifts all together and make a donation to charity in each person’s name. Many charities will even send you out cards with a picture of the chicken, goat or well your donation helped buy. When you take the time to really think about Christmas and your gift giving you will find there are a myriad of ways you can save money and curb your spending without missing out on any of the fun and excitement of the holiday.

Even savvy shoppers sometimes struggle when it comes to buying household items such as budget beds and mattresses. They’re not the sort of purchase that you make every year, and buying guides aren’t as common as they are for major purchases such as cars and electronics. That said, there’s no reason to dread your visit to the mattress discounters – these simple tips will help you to find the perfect bed for your needs, and your wallet.

1.Firmness matters : When buying budget beds, look for a bed that won’t give, but a mattress that will. You want the frame of the bed to be nice and sturdy, and you want a mattress that will support your body, but also mould to it slightly. A mattress that’s too firm is almost as bad as one that’s too soft.

2.Coils, springs or pockets : The type of mattress you choose will come down to a compromise between budget and personal preference. Independent coil mattresses are expensive, but a good choice if you can afford them.

3.Negotiate : Even at a mattress discounters, it is possible to haggle. You probably won’t get a discount on the cost of the bed itself, but you may be able to get free delivery, or some linen of your choice thrown in with the purchase. It never hurts to ask.

4.Know your budget : It’s a good idea to have a firm idea of what you want to spend before you go to the store. Don’t be shy about looking at budget beds that are slightly out of your price range, though. If you know your budget, and you don’t allow yourself to become emotionally invested in buying that slightly more expensive bed, then you will leave yourself in a good position to negotiate with the mattress discounters. If the salesman believes that you are willing to walk away, you will hold more power in the negotiations.

5.Check the warranty : A bed is a big purchase, and you will want to know that it really will last you for ten years. Make sure you know what warranty you’re getting, and that you understand all the terms. For example, some mattresses require that you turn them every six months, otherwise you’ll void the warranty.

Brand matters, even when it comes to budget beds. If you have the choice between a well-known brand such as “Silent Night”, or a completely unknown foreign brand, make sure you know exactly what the differences are. Don’t just believe the salesman at the mattress discounters when he tells you “Oh, this one is just as good”. If the salesman can’t give you concrete information as to how the two brands differ, then don’t buy. There are some cases where the only difference is the sticker – but in many cases there are differences in the materials used, or the quality control. Do you really want to take that chance when it’s your body that will be sleeping on the mattress for many years to come?

This post was written by James Harper on behalf of the Original Factory Shop. James writes on subjects relating to the home and loves passing on tips for frugal living.

Give your car good and regular maintenance – giving your car a good maintenance is one thing, but doing it on a regular basis is another different thing altogether. If you really want to benefit from the best mileage of fuel, ensure your car is properly maintained and on a regular basis. Maintenance can be as simple as tire rotations and regular oil changes, ensuring the tires are well inflated at all times, that the air filter is clean and at its best.

A lot of companies are looking for any new tax benefits that will help them keep more of their revenue and assets. This has led to a lot of offshore banking and other activities that are intended to help companies protect their assets. Of course, when you start moving money offshore, it automatically carries a certain stigma of “tax evasion” with it. However, there is a definite distinction between tax evasion and tax planning – one is extraordinarily illegal, the other is just a good idea.

 An offshore IBC (International Business Corporation) allows companies to incorporate in a country where they don’t have to pay any local taxes (as long as the revenue was generated somewhere else). In fact, the way an IBC is set up in most countries, the company is not actually allowed to conducted business there and can only generate revenue internationally. There will usually be some kind of annual franchise tax for corporation renewal, but it is usually only around $300 dollars. Everything else will be free from taxation in that country.

Along with the tax benefits, there are some other advantages to starting an offshore IBC. Depending on the country where the company incorporates, there will be some different rules and regulations that will help companies get the most out of their banking. For example: if you incorporate in a country like Panama, you won’t have to deal with currency restrictions or to go all the way to the country to incorporate the company. There is no requirement to file reports on offshore activities and shareholder identities are strictly private.

Companies that are involved with international markets can benefit a great deal from incorporating in one of these countries. Asset protection is extremely important in the modern business world, and if you speak with tax professionals you can find out if this is the right option for your company.

No matter where you set up your international business, it will be hard to get past that stigma of tax evasion. So how do you know if your move offshore is really legal or not?

I’m not going to pretend to have all the answers on this one, because there are a lot of mitigating factors that can change from place to place. The most important thing you can do is speak to a tax professional who knows all the local tax laws as well as the laws in the country of incorporation. In basic terms, though, if you are hiding your money in any way (which can include simply not reporting it), you are probably doing something wrong. If, on the other hand, you are incorporating offshore because that is the easiest way to handle your international trade, you’re probably okay.

Tiffany Miller is a financial writer from Salt Lake City, UT. Her specialties include tax law and personal finance. She works closely with lawyers in Panama who help Americans create an offshore IBC.

Living a frugal life is the key to helping you save your money. Being frugal doesn’t mean depriving yourself of the things you enjoy. Rather, you make yourself pick wiser choices, and pick alternatives that are cheaper and easily accessible. This helps you save money.

There’s no clear-cut formula to saving money. Financial experts can suggest different ways where you can cut down on your spending, but ultimately it will be up to you. Every little bit helps. Every extra penny you can set aside for your savings will contribute to a bigger amount as time goes by.

Here are ten practical habits you can start doing to help you save money.

1. Make a budget. A budget gives you a lump sum that you can work with for your daily expenses. Your budget is basically everything that you will spend, minus your savings and payment for utilities. To set a budget, take your gross earnings per month. Subtract what you spend for utilities (round it off to the nearest whole number) and your savings. Divide what’s left for various things: daily expenses, a “fun” fund (to use for outings or splurges). You can even set a daily budget, or how much can you spend in one day. Include things like food and gas.

2. At the end of the day, save your change. This may sound odd, but consider this: the loose change you have on a daily basis may total up to a couple of hundred dollars. Try this out. Set a daily budget for yourself. If, at the end of the day, you have some left over, put that in a jar or a bottle. That means you won’t be carrying over any money from the previous day to today. Do this for a month, and at the end of it, total amount you’ve saved and deposit it to your savings account. You’ll be a few hundred bucks richer, guaranteed.

3. Plan major expenses and safe up for it. Remember how when you were a kid you set aside every penny for something that you wanted? Nowadays, people have no qualms in swiping their credit cards to get the latest gadgets or pay for a trip. Along with the charges and the interest rates, this can cost you hundreds of dollars. By deciding what you want to get and saving up for it, you remove the extra expenses. Plus, you can even shop for discounts or better bargains.

4. Buy quality products. Brand names are often worth the purchase because of its guaranteed quality and durability. However, it doesn’t mean you have to always purchase brand names to get good quality products. Many great quality products cost even less than brand names. Get a product that you know you will continuously use, rather than buying an item on sale and not use it at all. Look at the craftsmanship; check the materials and ingredients used. Always pick quality and comfort over everything else and you’ll find that you’re able to stretch your buck far more than you can when buying cheap products.

5. Consider D.I.Y. Need some repairs done at home? Before you call the handyman, see if it’s something you can fix yourself. There are some things that would be best left to professionals, but little things like doing a small paint job or fixing a leaky faucet are things you can do. It’s easy enough to find the solution these days with the help of the Internet. When you’re confident with your skills, tackle these repairs and save yourself off a couple of dollars.

6. Prepare your own meals. Are you one of those people who do not prepare your own meals, but instead eat out every time? You are spending extra and you're not maximizing the health benefits of the food you are eating. Sure you can go to restaurants that serve healthy meals, but to cut back on your expenses, opt to buy your own organic goods at markets and prepare simple but healthy meals. With the increasing number of organic farmers, the prices for their produce are going down so it’s easier to buy. It’s also easy to search for recipes online or experiment on your own. As a bonus, you can pack the leftovers (well, if there would be any) and bring them for your lunch to work the next day.

7. Use the library. We all love to buy the latest bestseller for a good read, or go out for a movie to relax after a hectic day. Yet with the soaring prices of books and movie tickets, it doesn’t sound practical right? No worries, you can still enjoy these by visiting the library. Books and other reading material aren’t the only things you can be check out of the library. You can borrow DVDs as well. Most library memberships are free, and the rental costs of DVDs are smaller than the ticket price. Granted they may not be the latest releases, but it’s a very viable alternative, especially for a family night get-together.

8. Don’t chuck the luxury, but look for alternatives. As mentioned, living frugally doesn’t mean you have to give up the things you enjoy. Instead, you find alternatives for these things that cost less. For example, are you always getting a designer coffee every day before heading off to work? Try to locate a small, local café where you can get your daily caffeine fix. It costs less, and you’re even contributing to the local economy. The money that you save can be set aside for your savings. Alternatively, you can use it to set up a fund for the real splurges, like maybe a trip out of the country or that gadget you always wanted to buy.

9. Take better care of your things. It’s easy enough to be careless about the things we buy because we know that it’s easy to purchase replacement items or get them repaired. Yet the costs, not to mention the amount of used items, can pile up. Taking better care of your belongings stretches its value.

10. Go green. The call to live green is getting stronger these days. People are more conscious of their choices and how it affects the environment. Manufacturers are finding ways to efficiently make their products eco-friendly by choosing resources that are easily renewable, as well as minimizing packaging. Even appliances are going green, as more and more gadgets are becoming less energy hogs. Changing your lifestyle to leave a smaller carbon footprint also helps.

Building the habit of saving money helps you in the long run. You become a better manager of your finances, and you’ll find that you are able to keep your debt down because you are spending less than what you earn. This allows you set aside enough for bigger purchases, and you become wiser with the choices that you make.

Ally is part of the team that manages Home Loan Finder, a free home equity loan and variable home loans comparison service in Australia. Before joining HLF, she was a Media Planner with McCann Worldgroup Philippines, Inc., with award-winning executions, including the Levi's 501 "Live Unbuttoned" global campaign.

So now you have your basic expenses. If you are like most people, these are the things you budget for:

1. Housing Costs

2. Utilities

3. Insurance

4. Groceries/Dining Out

5. Transportation

6. Medical Payments/Co-pays

7. Fees for Education

8. Loan Payments

9. Credit Card Bills

10. Clothes

11. Personal Care Objects/Necessities

12. Entertainment

One category that, unfortunately, is not on most folks’ lists is a savings account. In these turbulent financial times it is risky to go without any backup plan. If you are not in the habit, you can ease yourself into it gradually. Start with just $5 per month, and then gradually move up to $10 per month. At the rate of $5/month you save $60 each year, obviously tucking $10 away in savings or risk-free cd’s will net you $120 at the end of the year. Now that may not seem like much, but it might be the amount that pulls you out of the hole at some point. Just go without that drink at the gas station or brown bag it rather than stopping at In-n-Out and you’ll be able to do this. Soon you’ll be up to saving $240 and then $500 each year. Those impulse buys, which tend to be unnecessary or, if food, unhealthy, will hardly be missed and you’ll sleep better at night knowing you haven’t spent every cent before it is earned.

You can locate example of budget spreadsheets online – all for no cost. Tailor the headings to reflect your household expenses and put it to work for you. When you budget your money and stick to your plan, your money can work for you just as hard as you work for your money.

It is a true maxim that nothing in life is free. Everything has a price tag of money, time, sweat or effort. When you decide to stick to your budget it will yield peace of mind as well as no necessity for collection agencies to hound you. As you begin to live on less than you make, you may miss your night at the movies, but you’ll notice you can sleep better at night because your credit is not taking over your life. Don’t model your spending after those who spend willy-nilly even when the cash stash is not there. Cut back slowly but consistently and learn to live within your means. Budgets – under (not over) spending – self-control: these are the tips the experts know that start them on their way to fiscal fitness and financial joy.

Margo Smith graduated with a B.S. degree from BYU. She loves to blog about all kinds of subjects from technological advances to online classes to great books for kids. She draws from her own education, her years in college and an author’s perspective on life when researching her posts.

Anyway, he is apparently going to appeal to us “squeezies” by announcing help for first-time buyers, motorists and 25 million income tax payers.   Some may argue that the budget, like the government, has its roots in the playing fields of Eton and is in fact  designed to shift the balance even further towards the wealthy elite who co-incidentally also seem to finance the Conservative party or could potentially profit from some of the measures announced.

OK, so 1 penny a litre is coming off petrol and there will be some inheritance tax breaks provided you give a chunk to "charitee",  but let’s look at raising the income tax personal allowance by £600 so that, as from April 2012, we’ll all be £45 a year better off!  Before you start planning street parties and practice your forelock tugging in gratitude, remember that Osborne's tax increases, particularly on VAT and the impending National Insurance increase, costs the average household more than these tax cuts will ever save!   VAT is much more significant for less well-off households than income tax.  They may not earn as much, but they still have to buy the same amount of stuff as their better off peers.   The poorest 20% of households pay almost 30% of their income in indirect tax, of which VAT is the single biggest chunk.

Next:  the support for first time buyers. These unfortunate youngsters (and not so young) earning  less than £60,000 a year may shortly only be required to scrape together  a 5% deposit and be offered an extra government backed  20% loan at low  interest rates for five years .  In this way, they can meet the credit-crunched requirements of most lenders willing only to finance up to 75% LTV on any property.  While this might restore affordability it will bolster current house prices and many suggest it would be better to allow them to fall to more realistic and affordable levels rather than intervene in this manner.

Aside from saddling first time buyers with even more short term debt, it will do nothing to reduce the UK's dependence on the housing bubble that has produced three booms and busts in the last 40 years.  This measure is nothing more than taxpayer’s money being siphoned off into the pockets of banks and property developers, thinly disguised as help for first time buyers.  Is that a coincidence?  Property tycoons and businessmen do seem to feature quite highly in the donations register of Tory MPs and many of our members of parliament across the board seem to have, in some cases quite substantial, buy-to-let portfolios.

Most people may be familiar with the fact that compensation is available as a result of sustaining a personal injury that was not your fault – and the pain most of the “squeezed middle” will have to endure is most definitely not their fault!    It’s the property spivs and the banks with their Whitehall and Westminster accomplices who are the perpetrators here.  So someone check out which online firm will take a claim on board on a no win no fee basis. It’s entirely possible to find a principled and competent personal injury solicitor online.   The term personal injury can cover a physical or psychological injury, disease or illness resulting in financial loss.   A psychological illness caused by the stress of dealing with the measures unveiled in the budget would, I think make a very compelling case!

The "squeezed middle"  author, Allan Bisset, works with a company that offers personal injury and compensation claims advice.

We often think of conquering debt in terms of the big actions that are required to get it under control. However, it is equally important to take small steps to get yourself out of debt. These small steps will not only help you to reduce your debt but will also help you save money in the future so that you don’t get into debt again.

Here are ten small steps that you can take to start getting out of debt:

1. Reduce your grocery spending by $50 per month. There are many, many tricks to reduce what you spend at the grocery store. These tricks are most effective, however, if you have a specific goal in mind. Track your grocery spending and spend $50 less next month than you do this month. Put that $50 towards your debt.

2. Give up one subscription. Select just one monthly payment that you make and give it up. It could be a magazine subscription, a cable TV subscription or a gym membership. Put that money towards paying down your highest interest rate credit card.

3. Spending more than $50 on an item? Look for a discount code or coupon. Of course it’s great to use coupons for everything but the whole coupon clipping process overwhelms many people. Focus on always looking for a deal on high priced items and you’ll have more money to put towards your debt.

4. Read one book about debt reduction. This will inspire you, encourage you and give you some fresh ideas about reducing your debt.

5. Sell five things that you own. Now is the perfect time for spring cleaning and de-cluttering. Identify five items in your house that you can sell. They can be small things, like books and CDs, or large items like furniture. List them for sale immediately and use that money to pay more down on your debt this month.

6. Pick one credit card to pay off and set a target date. Although it’s ideal to have all of your cards organized and a payment plan for everything, it can feel like a lot of work to people who carry multiple balances. Find the card with the highest interest rate and figure out a reasonable target date for paying off that card. Set your bank account to automatically make the required monthly payment to reach that target date.

7. Make one money-saving investment. For example, invest in a home energy audit to identify how to make your home more energy-efficient (and therefore more cost-efficient). Alternatively, invest in a good tune-up for your car so that it runs more efficiently and wastes less of that expensive gas you buy for it! This investment will be worth it down the line.

8. Give up one expense for one month. What do you waste money on? Do you smoke or go out to dinner frequently or take cabs when you could walk? Identify just one expense and give it up for just one month. See how much you save!

9. Find a money role model in your circle of friends. We all need to have people that we look to because they are smart with money. The easiest way to find a mentor is to find someone that you already know and can talk about money with. Brainstorm a list of your friends and acquaintances and figure out who your money role model is. Ask him or her one question about how they handle debt.

10. Repeat this phrase in the mirror every day : I can be happy saving money. Many people feel like saving money is a chore. It’s not. It can be a fun, creative way to live life. What is truly a chore is living with debt!

This is a guest post by Kathryn Vercillo. She writes about saving money for Discount Coder blog.