Business Feeds

Housing Market Highlights:

The total number of SFR units sold in July 2010 was 2,948. This is a -12.3% change from June 2010 closings, or 412 fewer SFR units.

On a YTD basis, SFR units now total 20,316 units closed. This is a decrease over the same YTD period of 2009 which was 21,468 units (-5.7%), but is significantly higher than  both the 2007 and 2008 YTD SFR volumes of 10,152 and 12,197 SFR units sold, respectively.

The Average SFR Sold Price was $165,332 for July 2010 and still remains within the same narrow range that it has been at since mostly stabilizing in March 2009 (17 months). The record “average” high of $428,817 for SFR was in June of 2007 which was followed by significant monthly price drops until March 2009, and has continue to fluctuate by only a few thousand dollars since.

Total SFR dollar value of Sold SFR units for July was $487,399,987. This

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In uncertain times, it gets harder and harder to predict financial results. Some business owners throw up their hands in disgust and wing it instead. Bad idea! Instead, when budgeting gets harder, do it more often. And for a shorter time frame.

• Shorten the horizon. I am not suggesting you ignore a 12-month budget. But put more effort into a three-month budget.
• Budget cash flow as well as profits. Both are critical now.
• If money is very tight, use a rolling, 13 week cash flow. Update it weekly.
• Meet with your staff about it. If you are in a crunch, make sure everyone is aware and onboard.
• If you get a windfall, celebrate. But then take a good look at that 13-week cashflow again.

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Lets’ face it, most of us would rather be anywhere else than at work.

That’s why every good employer recognises the importance of keeping staff as happy and engaged as possible.

The issue is about much more than just money. After all, some of the highest paid jobs are also the most stressful.

In fact, being a good employer can just be about making sure staff are given as much opportunity to broaden their ambitions as possible.

That’s certainly the case at Brighton-based IT firm FDM Group, which took home the Best Employer trophy at last year’s Sussex Business Awards.

Judges were impressed by a heartfelt application from Nabila Salem, who joined the company as a marketing assistant in 2007 and is now in charge of a team of three.

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Banks bailed out by the taxpayer are still not doing enough to help small businesses, it has been claimed.

All the “big four” high street banks reported their half-year financial results last week with HSBC and Barclays the strongest performers, enjoying profits of £7 billion and £3.9 billion respectively.

But all eyes were on the two partially state-controlled banks.

Lloyds Banking Group, 40% owned by the taxpayer, produced better-than-expected profits of £1.6 billion while Royal Bank of Scotland scraped a slim £9 million surplus against a £1.04 billion loss a year earlier.

Both have attracted the anger of business owners, who think lending criteria is far too tight.

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The national unemployment rate is not just affecting recent graduates and middle-aged Americans, but also the baby boomer generation, according to a new report. Many boomers who have decided to go back to work – either to recoup assets lost during the financial meltdown or to supplement their retirement – are finding it increasingly difficult to find a job, USA Today reports.

Citing information from the Center for Retirement Research, a large number of employers are hesitant to hire older workers from the boomer generation – putting the nearly 79 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 in a precarious position. Read more…

In part one of how to improve your cash flow with receivables, you were introduced to how your payment collection methods and policies can make a big difference in your overall cash flow. Here are more ways to improve cash flow with your receivables.

Make Regular and Quick Deposits

At the minimum, you should make a bank deposit every day of your daily sales, which includes all cash and coin, checks, money orders, and travelers’ checks. If you have a spry business that receives a lot of cash and checks, you might consider making two deposits – one at mid-day and another after business hours.

Try to make a deposit before the bank closes at the end of the day, even if that means tallying your tills before your business day ends. You

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Celebrities have been able to fulfil some of their childhood ambitions thanks to a television production company.

Brighton-based Electric Sky is hoping its series First Love, for Sky, will become a massive hit both at home and abroad.

Each week it will feature a famous name from the world of comedy, radio, TV or journalism who will try to re-learn long-forgotten skills from childhood.

They will work with a professional mentor before showing what they have learnt in front of a live audience.

Among those appearing are Sussex-based ITV newsreader Katie Derham, who tries her hand at classical violin, Lenny Henry, who eventually fronts a soul band at London’s famous Jazz Café and DJ Mark Radcliffe, who has his first drum lesson at the age of 52.

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In-house payroll for small businesses seems the likely choice for those with just a few employees. However, whether you have 10 employees or 1,000, there still are certain payroll laws and IRS reporting guidelines to which you must adhere, not to mention your own cash flow to manage.

Here are four tips to help you make payroll a smooth operation every month:

1. Use Software

   Whatever you do, utilize a software program to help you with payroll. Alternatively, simply use an excel spreadsheet that helps you calculate and save payroll data. The old way of doing payroll by hand in a ledger is outdated and invites too many errors.

   Many small to medium businesses have great success with payroll software like Intuit Payroll, which integrates easily with Quickbooks, and EZPaycheck from HalfPriceSoft.

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Evergreen Bank headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, is advertising some of the highest CD rates currently available right now. Evergreen Bank is advertising certificates of deposit with terms between 3 months and 5 years.  Evergreen Bank Group’s certificate of deposit rates are also higher than the national average CD rates.  The minimum opening CD account balance is $1,000.

Evergreen Bank Group’s highest CD rate is on their 60 month certificate of deposit. The current 5 year bank CD rate is 3.01 percent with an annual percentage yield (APY) of 3.05 percent. That CD rate is one of the best CD rates available at any bank or credit union.

Evergreen Bank Group’s shorter term certificates of deposit are also some of the best CD rates currently available. The bank’s shorte

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