Archive By Section - Business Columns
Eight misconceptions of organization
Some people were born organized and then there are those of us who struggle with organizing every year at this time. It seems that it's always at the end of the year when that little annoying bug begins nudging you to clear things up and start the new year organized.
How to trim your personal expenses
The credit and financial market is definitely not in good shape, so entrepreneurs may find that they must dip into their personal finances to keep the business running.
Divide family’s possessions before death
Who should have grandma's dining room table or diamond ring? How should family photos be distributed?
Know your building's roof, or pay the price
A cursory review of media reports nationwide in recent months revealed an alarming number of instances of costly damages to buildings due to negligence or procrastination with roof repairs. Consider:
Heading into another Great Depression?
The answer: Not likely if government doesn't overreact. The circumstances and economic environment that we find ourselves in are very different today than they were back in 1933. During the Great Depression, unemployment exceeded 25 percent and crop prices fell by 40 to 60 percent. Banks failed with no FDIC insurance to safeguard deposits, thereby completely eradicating people's savings. Today, our economy is relatively strong. Unemployment stands at just over 6 percent, median household income ...
The ABCs of successful business ownership
Over the long Thanksgiving weekend I thought about those things that make the translation from school days to the working world. I did a simple compare and contrast analysis to see what tools were used in school as they related to business ownership.
Three things I learned from the NFL
When the Green Bay Packers football team hired Vince Lombardi as its new coach, he was intrigued with the challenge of turning the franchise around. Naturally, Lombardi being Lombardi, was all pumped up about it.
Retirement strategies, part two
As a follow up to the previous article about couples' retirement strategies, following are some points in planning and protecting your retirement plans should you wish to consider variable annuities and their special income guarantees not offered by any other investment.
Learning the 'new math' of retirement
With the normal challenges of retirement planning and the current financial crisis adding pressure to your planning, will your retirement portfolio be able to maintain your current lifestyle?
Now, where did I put that list?
The holiday season can be a frantic time, both personally and professionally, but here are a few tips to help you.
New law provides tax incentives
It's hard to believe that anything that takes nearly 800 pages to describe could be time sensitive, however, the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 was recently enacted and, for many, it may provide the incentive needed to act now, and finally buy a home of their own. A new $7,500 tax credit for first-time home buyers is a temporary incentive from the government to boost interest in real estate - but the time frame to take advantage of the credit is limited.
How to keep down business expenses
This is the conclusion to the 36 tips I promised to help keep your business expenses in control:
Multimillion-dollar age discrimination verdict after layoff
When the federal government required one of its defense contractors to reduce its workforce, the contractor first evaluated its employees based on the criteria of performance, flexibility and critical skills.
Lawsuits cause businesses to leave state
Too often I am reminded of the impact that California state regulations and litigated claims can have against companies doing business in California, resulting in businesses closing or moving out of state.
Check the numbers for 2008 tax savings
Do you like numbers? Do you like them better when they involve tax savings? Here are 10 numbers and 10 tax-saving strategies to consider as the clock starts to wind down on 2008.
Articles by Section - Business Columns
Bob Khalsa: Rising Home Sales Boost Economy
With the return of traditional homebuyers in ever-greater numbers, the powerful impact of an improved housing market on the local, state, and national economies is, quite frankly, palpable.
Ken Keller: Here are ten mistakes that business owners make
A former leader of a large Fortune 500 company was quoted in an interview that "People who do things make mistakes. The biggest mistake is doing nothing."
Ken Keller: Front line makes bottom line
Once a month, like clockwork, a gentleman comes to my house in the early morning and sprays for insects and bugs. We've spoken a few times and he always hands me his card, telling me to let him know if he needs to come back between visits. I think I have called him once in the last decade.
Bob Khalsa: Rising prices lift sinking homeowners
Local home resale prices last month hit the highest level in five years, with each leap up in prices rescuing legions of underwater owners, in effect, throwing them a life preserver and pulling them to dry land.
Ken Keller: Lessons learned in college apply to business
Thirty-six years ago this month I graduated from college. I didn't study a major that paid immediate dividends, meaning a job, and I wasn't ready for graduate school.
Ken Keller: Permission to argue is granted
Peggy Noonan wrote a column in the Wall Street Journal on April 20 about her attendance at Margaret Thatcher's London funeral service. She commented that Mrs. Thatcher was often frustrated with her staff. Thatcher once said to her aides, "I don't need to be told what, I need to be told how."
Bob Khalsa: Statewide median home price at five-year high
Heated market conditions fueled by a tight inventory and strong sales in higher-cost coastal regions drove California's median home price in March to its highest level since May 2008. Local prices, right here in the Santa Clarita Valley are headed higher, too.
Ken Keller: How one company turned it around
This week I'd like to introduce a company in a far different place compared to just a year ago. The organization has gone from despair to celebrating success. At the end of the first quarter of 2013, the owner said his company had "…Increased sales, reduced costs and improved our overall financial position in terms of positive cash flow and profitability, as well as reduced debt."
Steven Tannehill: What do businesses want, anyway?
This is part two of a two-part column.
Bob Khalsa: Feds ease loan modification rules
Some homeowners who are still struggling to avoid foreclosure may soon benefit from streamlined rules that offer an easy way to lower monthly payments and modify their mortgage without requiring financial or hardship documentation.
Ken Keller: Here are the vitamins a leader must distribute
Looking back on those individuals who were my bosses, a clear distinction comes to mind.
Holly Schroeder: New homes benefit more than just buyers and builder
The only people who benefit when a house is built are the family members who get to live there, and the builder who constructed and sold the home, right?
Steven Tannehill: What do businesses want anyway? Part I
This column is part one of a two-part column.
Ken Keller: Lessons to be learned from lack of feedback
In 1970 I started my first official job. I worked nine hours a week at a small grocery store. For the next two years I grossed $11.25 a week.
Bob Khalsa: Prices, sales rise as SCV’s housing market continues its recovery
The residential housing resale market in the Santa Clarita Valley continued to recover during February, with sales and prices up to their highest levels in years.
