Archive By Section - Business Columns
Employers only required to lead the horse to water
Most of us are familiar with the old adage, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."
Funding college savings
Saving for college can be intimidating. Added to this necessity is the current crisis we are facing in our personal lives due to the financial and energy markets.
New business math: Addition by subtraction
Last week, the Super Bowl-winning New York Giants traded tight-end Jeremy Shockey to the New Orleans Saints. Shockey had been a Pro Bowl pick for a number of years and had solid statistics, including having 371 catches for 4,228 yards and 27 touchdowns in 83 regular season games with the Giants.
Leaders lead organizations to success
True go-getters do not amass power by worrying about their titles or the size of their offices. Instead, they know how to lead and keep loyal employees.
What you need to know when you turn 18
At 18, you are now an adult in the eyes of the law. You can enter into contracts, buy and/or sell property, real estate or stock, marry, sue and/or be sued, make a will, inherit property, vote, serve on a jury, control your own medical treatment and join the military, but still have NO rights with alcohol. Your parents no longer have to support you. You are responsible for your own taxes and insurance and ...
Baby boomers transitioning to retirement
The nearly 80 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 may pride themselves on being different, but they have at least one thing in common: They are all "baby boomers," the largest generation in American history. The oldest of them are now reaching an age commonly associated with retirement, and each day over the next two decades thousands more will follow.
Don’t forget to pay the nanny tax on help around the house
If you hire someone to help around the house or to watch your children, you may be subject to the often overlooked "nanny tax." Simply put, the nanny tax is a payroll tax due on certain household employees' wages.
Two who discovered and used their strengths
Research suggests that people will be more engaged, more productive and considerably happier at work when they use their strengths.
How to decide what to archive and what to toss
When it comes to record-keeping, entrepreneurs fall into two categories: "Neatniks" who toss every piece of paper that hasn't been handled in the past week, or "Ratpackers" - those who save every scrap of paper and receipt they ever see. When running your business we all know there are certain documents that should be filed for a certain length of time, but we never can seem to remember which is what.
Minimizing the emotions of a down stock market
If you have wondered how to survive in a down market, you are not alone. Many investors worry about selling out too soon and then having trouble getting back into the market.
Even small businesses have to consider securities laws
Have you had a legal compliance check-up for your corporation or limited liability company lately? Did you use one of those online services to form your own corporation or LLC and wonder if you did everything that was necessary to properly organize your business entity? Are you covering all of the legal bases in the organization and operation of your company? One frequently missed area for small businesses is compliance with securities laws.
The six responsibilities of every manager
Countless books and articles have been written about the tasks of those in management. The majority concern themselves with planning, organizing, controlling, coordinating and leading, which means everything in theory and nothing in practicality to the manager responsible for getting things done.
Family or friends aren’t good bankers
For start-up entrepreneurs, hitting up family and friends is the most common way to get started but it's often the riskiest. This method, however, accounts for more than 70 percent of all venture dollars for start-ups.
How to deal with the current slump in stocks
Wall Street just announced this week that we are in a bear market. I think this is old news. Anyone who works for a living, drives a car, has a mortgage or buys groceries came to that conclusion some time ago. For most of the past decade, stocks and mutual funds, the primary investment vehicle for most Americans, have been bogged down.
Mid-year review for California employers
It has been a busy year for the courts and the legislature when it comes to changes in employment laws, and we have only completed the first six months. With additional landmark cases on the horizon, and a number of pending pieces of legislation, we could see a number of additional changes in the law over the last half of 2008, as well. The following are just a few of the new rules that employers should be aware of.
Articles by Section - Business Columns
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.
Ken Keller: Getting crystal clear about your business
There is a terrific exchange in the courtroom drama "A Few Good Men." Colonel Jessup, played by Jack Nicolson, turns from being a witness in a court martial to being the prosecutor when he asks Lieutenant Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise: "Have you ever spent time in an infantry unit, son?"
