You know you have an online retail business when
It’s the most commonly asked question eBay and Amazon sellers ask me: “I’ve been selling on eBay/Amazon/Etsy/wherever for a while, but I don’t know if I should treat it as a hobby or a business.”...
View ArticleHow Luck’s move explains the inverted yield curve
The talking heads have been aflame about the recent surprise retirement of Andrew Luck, the Indianapolis Colts’ four-time Pro Bowl quarterback, and about the inversion of the yield curve — both “sure”...
View ArticleWebsite helps teachers meet financial education challenge
What do dinosaurs and virtual reality have to do with financial education? A lot, according to teachers who responded to the most recent financial education Innovation Challenge sponsored by the...
View ArticleBe wary of purchasing business with 2 sets of books
Q My spouse and I have been looking to buy a business for some time. We’ve found a good local business with a great location and lots of existing customers. The seller wants us to pay one and one-half...
View ArticlePut extra savings towards budget expenses before retirement
Q I’m 22 and recently started my first real job. I’ve had a Roth individual retirement account for a couple of years, saving what I could from my part-time jobs. Now I’ve also opened a Roth 401(k)...
View ArticleTaking steps to prepare for an unexpected retirement
In my much younger days, I never planned to get married and certainly didn’t plan to have children. The last thing I thought I would do was to stay home with them. Yet in my 30s, I found myself...
View ArticleLawyers learn the benefits, and ethics, of cybersecurity
Let’s face it; when it comes to professionals with technological savvy, lawyers are way, way down the list. I know lawyers who are still using Windows 98, if that gives you an idea (hey, it was a...
View ArticleOperating plan provides the focus, financial plan the funds
Q I am new to this country and am taking a class in the evenings on how to start my own business. I understand that you need a tax ID number and that it’s a good idea to form a corporation or limited...
View ArticleOpen dialogue helps in financial planning with parents
Q My parents are in their early 80s. Fortunately, they’re in relatively good health and still quite independent, but I want to help them be prepared should things change. How can I get involved with...
View ArticleHow to determine when it’s time to get another car
It sounded like a yak had taken residence in my garage. From their respective driveways, my neighbors’ heads immediately turned toward the chaos to see what was amiss. I took a deep breath and slowly...
View ArticleReviving patent, corporation after lying dormant
Q In the late 1990s, I invented a product for the health care industry. I obtained patents for the product and registered trademarks for the product name. I even formed a corporation in Delaware and...
View ArticleHas tide finally turned in favor of ‘value’ stocks?
The third quarter of 2019 marked the first time since 1997 when the S&P 500 had a total return greater than 20% in the first nine months of the year. While we at Kirr Marbach & Co. are pleased...
View ArticleSteps to help girls, and boys, get on the right financial track
Did you know that Oct. 11 was the International Day of the Girl Child? Designated an official international day by the United Nations, its goal is to focus attention on the particular challenges girls...
View ArticleCelebrity endorsement deal requires legal agreement
Q Some friends and I started a Web based business targeting people who play a particular sport. As it happens, one of the leading players of the sport — a household name to fans — has discovered our...
View ArticleUse open enrollment season to review benefit options
It’s open enrollment time, and I have a question for you: Are you taking full advantage of your employee benefits? Employee benefits play a significant part in your financial life. And to me, staying...
View ArticleHow are you doing financially? Take this test
I hope you’re in the mood for a financial Rorschach test, because that’s exactly what you’re getting today. So often, we’re tempted to seek out an unfiltered assessment of what we’ve done so far in...
View ArticleAre you selling business opportunities without knowing it?
Q I have a small manufacturing business in the Midwest. For years, I have hired individuals to act as distributors for my products throughout the United States, similar to what the Avon cosmetics...
View ArticleTake steps now to prevent having a scary retirement
I grew up in the days when Halloween was fun and safe. The only downside was that I had older brothers who made a point of trying to scare me — and they often succeeded. As an adult, I don’t need my...
View ArticleTips for when your business is targeted on social media
The past few weeks I’ve been getting emails from Nextdoor, a social network (supported by advertising) where people can report lost dogs, ask for contractor referrals, complain about noisy neighbors...
View ArticleAbandoning shame is first step toward reaching financial goals
On a much longer flight than it should have been from eastern Tennessee to Atlanta last week, I focused my brain on a question that had been haunting me the better part of 10 years. Most questions...
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