Flatbed Trucks: Why Buy When You Can Rent?

By Leave a Comment
English: DAF flatbed truck in Bremen

English: DAF flatbed truck in Bremen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a guest post.

The goal of any business is to maximize profits while limiting expenses. Yet sometimes, a business may need a certain piece of equipment for a special project or other task. For example, a flatbed truck may be needed sometimes, but not enough times to justify spending the money to buy one. When this is the case, renting the truck becomes the smart option.

Renting a flatbed truck is perfect when working with heavy, oversized or irregular shaped cargo. Many times these trucks may only be needed for one or two days, perhaps only a few hours. When this is the case, renting a truck makes perfect sense. Any town and city has numerous rental truck options from which to choose, with the most popular brand being U-Haul. Flatbed trucks come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 8-22 feet in length. They can be rented for several days or only a couple of hours, depending on one’s needs. If necessary, the trucks can also be rented on a weekly or monthly basis.

A truck hire can also be very cost-effective for a business. Buying a flatbed truck can cost a business $40,000-$50,000 or possibly more, depending on the size of the truck. As with any new vehicle purchase, as soon as it’s driven off the dealer’s lot it begins to depreciate, therefore giving a business owner an investment whose value is less and less as time goes by. By renting a truck only when necessary, it saves a business substantially in terms of making a capital investment. Rental prices vary among different businesses, with most averaging $50-$100 per day depending on the truck that’s rented. Generally, the bigger the truck the more it costs to rent. There are usually no hidden charges or fees associated with renting trucks, so long as they are returned on time, in good condition and with the same amount of fuel they had when they left the rental lot. Also, the person who rents the truck is not the only person allowed to drive it. Most rental places allow up to three other people to be added to the driver’s list for an additional fee, often averaging around $10.

Most truck rental places allow reservations to be made online, and payments can be made with credit cards. Reserving online and paying with a credit card allows a business to take advantage of discounts, for most businesses will offer discounts for reserving online. Those who drive flatbed trucks only need to be at least 18 years old with a valid driver’s license, and the trucks do not require any special licenses to operate.

Many companies also provide 24/7 roadside assistance for renters, so if the truck breaks down while being used it can be picked up and replaced at no charge. With all these benefits, it makes far more sense for a business to rent a truck for its occasional needs rather than purchase one for a task now and then.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
No comments yet

A Guide to a Career in Accounting

By 1 Comment
An adding machine.

An adding machine. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a guest post.

No one knows what the single magic ingredient is to a successful career in any field (if such an ingredient exists). Talking with experts in accounting, however, can shed light onto what qualities people need to get the best accounting jobs today and stick with them for a lifetime. We spoke to a variety of professionals to get their opinions on exactly that. Below is what they had to say.

From the financial professional staffer: Plan early

“While some people fall into an accounting career, the ones who flourish in their careers are the people who plan for it.” That’s according to Greg Menzone, an executive manager in the financial division of Professional Staffing Group. “That means deciding early that you’re interested in accounting and choosing a school that will help set you apart, i.e. a college or university with a strong business/finance reputation where you can major in accounting. Internships, especially through a co-op school, are also important. On another note about education: I recommend getting a master’s degree right away — it’s essential for a career in accounting.”

Menzone continues with advice for those recently out of school.

“After graduation,” he says, “accounting majors typically have a choice to pursue either a job in private industry or public accounting. Going the public accounting route can set you up more favorably for achieving C.P.A. status since both a master’s degree and a specific number of audit hours are required for the CPA. If you choose the public accounting route, I recommend staying at least a few years until you reach a senior level. Doing so will help your reputation and position you for the next step in your career.”

Menzone stresses that sticking with one employer for awhile instead of bouncing among accounting jobs is smarter for the lifelong career of the accountant.

“A successful career is a marathon, not a sprint, and longevity with an employer can be valuable because it enables you to build a solid network and develop trust in your position and abilities,” he concludes.

From the company president: Develop marketing skills

“With growing revenues and uncovering new business opportunities for accounting firms becoming more paramount every day, the successful accountant will need to have skills in business development and marketing,” shares Nick Keseric, president of the Marketing Seeds, a company that outsources marketing and business development initiatives for banks, law, accounting and wealth management firms.

“No longer will an accountant get by or get offered a partnership within a firm because they are only a real good technician in tax or audit. There are a million good technicians but few accountants that are good in — here comes the dreaded word for accountants — SALES. Bringing in new business opportunities and converting a prospect into a client will be the new norm for advancement.”

Keseric goes on to explain how those seeking accounting jobs at Moneyjobs.com or who are currently employed in the field can go about improving this important skill set. Among the techniques he advises are: Observing styles and approaches of those currently employed in sales and marketing; working on being likeable; studying business etiquette; and “smiling, being approachable and extending a hand first and greeting to others.”

“When accountants ADD it up,” he jokes, “business development will SAY it all for their own success.”

From the Excel guru: Master spreadsheets

Breck Carrow knows the value of spreadsheets so well he heads a company that trains people in their use and mastery: StopSpreadsheetErrors.com. He reminds people that finding and keeping good accounting jobs can have a lot to do with how well you know your Excel.

“As with any career, you can achieve greater success based on the unique value that you offer,” he points out. “Knowledge of Excel spreadsheets is a must for today’s accountants. Just knowing the standard formulas and functions, however, does not set you apart from your peers. In order to truly shine, an accountant should know how to properly structure a spreadsheet with effective controls. The resulting process efficiency will pay off many times over with more productive work, faster turnaround and less stress. Moreover, this will help you avoid a major career pitfall: embarrassing and costly mistakes that can tarnish your reputation.”

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
1 comment

BUYING LIFE INSURANCE ONLINE: THE PROS & CONS

By 6 Comments

This is a guest post.

English: $10,000 life insurance policy for Pre...

English: $10,000 life insurance policy for President James A. Garfield, the twentieth President of the United States. Discovered in a family scrap album dating from the late 1800’s. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In today’s day and age, nearly everything that we do in our day-to-day lives can be done online and we’ve come to not only expect that, but somewhat rely on that convenience. Insurance, however, is kind of a grey area when it comes to online purchases – no matter what kind of insurance you’re purchasing. After all, an insurance policy is no small purchase; it’s major and can have a profound financial effect on your life, and the lives of your loved ones.

Think about it like this – how wary are you of even just making a small eBay purchase? Most of us look at the seller’s rating, read their feedback, and try to accurately gauge what the risk is compared to the reward. This same mentality should apply to making a life insurance policy online and is far more deserving of it. You can follow this link to learn more from Suncorp today.

This isn’t to say that making an online life insurance purchase can’t be beneficial; depending on your situation, it can be very beneficial, indeed. However, it is going to take substantially more research on your part to get to where an insurance agent might be able to get you, sometimes in half the time.

Pros of Buying Online

One of the most alluring reason for life insurance seekers to buy online are the prices, the comparing conveniences, and sometimes the lack of medical exam. There’s plenty of aggregator sites out there that can take a sampling from across the internet and return you a quote within a matter of seconds – how’s that for convenience?

Probably the most favored feature, though, is the comparison shopping. Once an aggregator provides you with a slew of options, with a wide variety of price points, you’re able to compare all of the details among them, quickly and easily. Something that would easily take your hours if you were having to do all of that research yourself, one by one.

At the minimalist level, though, you’ll often find that some individuals just truly feel more comfortable making insurance purchases from the comfort of their own home, without any agents or appointments. Either because these situations make them nervous, or because they simply don’t have the time to sit down with an agent.

Cons of Buying Online

One of the big ones revolves around the last “pro” that I mentioned – if you don’t have the time to sit down with an agent for a limited amount of time, and let them do all of the work from there, you certainly don’t have the time to handle all of the research that comes along with going through this process on your own.

Also, you shouldn’t always assume that shopping around yourself is going to save you money with it comes to life insurance – after all, life insurance agents have personal connections, favors to call in, and think-on-their-feet knowledge that might drum up an innovative solution; something that online aggregators can’t do.

Furthermore, building that one-on-one relationship with your life insurance agent can be incredibly beneficial. For one thing, you can have every last little thing that you don’t understand about the fine print thoroughly explained to you – this is a big one. Another thing is having such a relationship with you agent, that you can call them at any time, when anything comes up, or when you need sound financial advice. Try calling an aggregator and see if you get much beyond the auto-answering system – I assure you, it’ll be a challenge.

If You Do Decide to Buy Online…

  1. Don’t Give Out all of your Personal Information – No matter what the insurer tells you, you don’t need to provide any crucial personal data just to obtain a quote.
  2. Enlist the Service of an Aggregator that Can Give You a Wide Variety of Options – Comparing an insurer there and an insurer there, means very little actually. You need a plethora of results in order to make a decision that will best be tailored to your situation.
  3. Don’t Get Swindled – Make sure that you’re getting the right information, from a reputable company, that doesn’t deal in the ole’ “Bait-and-Switch”; which refers to when crooked life insurance agents inflate your worth and buy you either a higher policy than requested, or even a different policy entirely – all for their commission!
  4. Thoroughly Research all Potential Candidates – Obtain the financial rating of any establishment, online or otherwise, to find out more about the reputability of both.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Finance, Life Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
6 comments

How come my back hurts?

By 3 Comments

My favorite book series is the Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind. It’s a good sword-and-sorcery, good-versus-evil fantasy.

But I’m not here to talk about that series. Rather, I’m going to talk about one particular scene in book 6, Faith of the Fallen.

There’s a scene where Richard, the protagonist, ends up in a socialist workers’ paradise, where the government controls distribution and everybody is starving. Jobs are hard to come by, because everything is unionized and unions control access to work. That’s a non-accidental parallel to every country that has embrace socialist principles, or even leans that way. Go open a business with employees in France, I dare you.

So Richard goes out of his way to help someone with no expectation of reward. This person then offers to vouch for him at the union meeting, effectively offering him a job.

This is the conversation that follows:

Nicci shook her head in disgust. “Ordinary people don’t have your luck, Richard. Ordinary people suffer and struggle while your luck gets you into a job.”

“If it was luck,” Richard asked, “then how come my back hurts?”

If it was luck, how come my back hurts?

Seneca, a 2000-year-dead Roman philosopher said, “Luck is where the crossroads of opportunity and preparation meet.”

I won’t lie, I’ve got a pretty cushy job. I make decent money, I work from home, I love my company’s mission, and I kind of fell into the job.

By fell into, I mean:

  • I started teaching myself to program computers when I was 7.
  • I worked in a collection agency collecting on defaulted student loans to put myself through college while I had a baby at home.
  • When I graduated, I went out of my way to help anyone I could, which positioned me for a promotion, getting my first programming job. The first one is the hardest.
  • I spent 3 years studying the online marketing aspects of what I’m doing, with no promise of a payoff.
  • I launched a side business in the same industry as the company I work for.
  • I built a relationship with an author to include his books in the classes I teach. He happened to move to the company I’m with.
  • I offered advice-for free, on a regular basis-on certain aspects of his business and his responsibilities with this company.
  • He offered me a job.

That’s 25 years and tens of thousands of dollars spent earning my luck. How come my back hurts?

I have a friend on disability. He has a couple of partially-shattered vertebrae in his back, but he keeps pushing off the corrective surgery because the payments would stop after he heals. He refuses to get a regular job, because his payments would stop. He lives on $400 per month and whatever he can hustle for cash, and he will make just that until the day he dies. And he complains about his bad luck.

His back literally hurts, but not metaphorically. His bad luck is the product of deliberately holding himself down to keep that free check flowing.

I have another friend who made some bad decisions young. Some years ago, he decided that was over. He took custody of his kid and started a business that rode the housing bubble. When the bubble popped, so did his business. Instead of whining about his luck, he worked his way into an entry-level banking job.

He put in long (long!) hours, bending over backwards to help his customers and coworkers, and managed a few promotions, far earlier than normal. His coworkers whined about it. He’s so lucky. If it was luck, why does his back hurt?

We make our own luck.

If you bust your ass, working hard and helping people-your coworkers, your customers, your friends, your neighbors-and you are willing to seize an opportunity when it appears, you will get ahead. When you do, the people around you who do the bare minimum, who refuse-or are afraid-to seize an opportunity, who always ask what’s in it for them, they will will whine about your luck.

When they do, you will get to ask, “If it was luck, how come my back hurts?”

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Business, Finance, Relationships Tagged With: , ,
3 comments
« Previous Page
Next Page »