Experienced Farm Insurance Agents Understand the Problems Estate Taxes Can Cause

I know you think estate taxes are a thing of the past, especially for someone like you whose farm business is small and who could take advantage of the transfer at death of your entire estate to your spouse.I also know that if you are fifty years old or older you have seen such swings in estate and income tax policies that you know for sure - just because they are the way they are today, doesn't mean that's the way they'll be when your family will have to pay them.

By the time you finish reading this article the Congress will have changed yet another law, repealed some and created others - some which will impact you this year and some you'll encounter next.And some you won't be impacted by for years to come.The question you will have to answer for yourself, maybe along with the insights of your farm insurance agent and other trusted advisors - is whether you want to be ready for those changes when they happen or if you want to do nothing today and hope for the best later.

Here's a little flashback, and maybe flash forward.When you die the IRS will establish a value for your farm business and they'll compare their figure with those on your estate tax return.Remember, that may or may not be important today - or when you read this for the first time, but you're not dead yet.

So it really doesn't matter now.Later however your executor may be dealing with the IRS and they will, naturally, have conflicting goals.Your executors will want to press on with how hard up you were and how little the land is worth, really.They will do whatever they can to keep your estate values low.

If you have been around long enough you have earned 12% on your CDs, you've seen fifty percent tax rates, and paid less than a dollar for a gallon of gas.Who knows what the estate tax situation will be when your estate is probated.

And if it is long enough into the future the value of the land may exceed anything you can imagine today.If you are able to pass it along to you widow without taxes being due - just imagine what they will do to her, or to your heirs - when she dies later on down the road.

The reason the IRS wants a high valuation is obvious.It will create the possibility of more taxes then or in the future.Whether we like the idea or not the IRS will be around long after we're gone.It is fair the speculate that we'll either pay them now or later, and they will work at creating the highest taxable estate possible for that eventuality.

In the old days when the IRS and executor disagreed matters often ended up in tax court for two or three or more years.During that time, regardless who the court agreed with, the estate ran up legal bills and the assets of the farm we tied up all the while.

If there was something you could do today that would avoid this potentiality, years even decades in the future - would you do it?If not then you are probably too naive to see your farm succeed for the long term anyway.

On the other hand if you are smart enough to want to stay in as much control of your farm's future as possible, you can solve the problems that happen to the well meaning farmers whose lawyers and accountants say, "don't worry about it" - hey it's not their farm.It's yours and if you don't worry about it who will?

Simply put, a well drafted buy-sell agreement solves the problems that may occur in the future by establishing a value for the farm business which is binding on the IRS for estate valuation purposes.If the agreement sets a fair price and you are obligated to sell both during your life and at death - the IRS will not be able to value the farm at a higher figure.

The agreement will also eliminate the delays and expenses which come with resolving a valuation dispute in tax court as well.No matter what the estate tax situation is today (the day you are reading this article) it is likely to be different on the day of your death.Do you want to do nothing and hope for the best, hope the IRS will not change its rules?Or do you want to get on top of the situation now and stay there?

Your buy-sell agreement also guarantees a fair price to your family which will make sure they receive value for your years of hard work.And it will allow the farm to continue on unencumbered in the hands of others based on decisions made by you when you are in your strongest bargaining position.

There are many other reasons for having a buy-sell agreement, whether you are in business alone or with partners.And there are people who will help you make the right decisions about the need and type of buy-sell agreement, and do so probably at no cost to you.

Farm insurance agents are unique among your other professional advisors.Generally they do their work on your behalf at no charge, relying on the commissions paid by the insurance companies they represent.In other words they get paid when you take action.

If you do nothing after their explanations, consultations, examples, and illustrations - farm insurance agents do not earn anything.That is their contract with you and the companies they represent.You will always get their best efforts on your behalf and the insurance company is paying for it.

About the Author

Successful farmers understand that concentrating on the immediate short term decisions that add to their profits , and that require countless hours of their time, should not take all of their energy, They understand that the valuable insights of their farm insurance agents can help them focus on what is important to them, their family, and the farm - for years to come.

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How To Generate Hot, Qualified Mortgage Leads In Australia

National Australia Bank (or NAB) is the second largest financial institution by market capitalisation in Australia after Commonwealth Bank.It is one of the world's top 30 financial services companies with total assets of A dollar 474 billion as at 30 September 2006.It operates across 10 countries serving 6 million banking customers and over 2.3 million wealth management customers.

The National Australia Bank Group is organised around four key businesses: Australia - NAB and MLC brands; United Kingdom- Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank brands; New Zealand - Bank of New Zealand brand; and nabCapital, formerly Institutional Markets & Services, which operates internationally.In 1893, National Bank Limited was formed.Up until 1 October 1981 it continued to trade as The National Bank of Australasia Limited, only after the merger with the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited did it become known as National Australia Bank.

In 1858 Alexander Gibb, a Melbourne gentleman, enlisted Andrew Cruickshank, a local merchant and pastoralist, to raise the capital to establish National Bank of Australasia with headquarters in Melbourne.Cruickshank became its first chairman while Gibbs left after being passed over for the position of General Manager.The bank opened its first branch in South Australia the same year.Expansion to other Australian states followed, with branches opening in Tasmania (1859), Western Australia (1866), New South Wales (1885) and finally Queensland.

The flexible mortgage was first successfully introduced in Australia in the early 1990 leading to the phrase Australian mortgage being used to describe this type of arrangement.The term flexible mortgage refers to a UK residential mortgage that offers flexibility in the requirements to make monthly repayments.Typical features include the facility, to make overpayments (more than the normal amount), to redraw (borrow back) any previous overpayments, to underpay- less than the normal amount, to take a payment holiday - stop repayments for a period, typically 3 to 12 months.

These features allow a flexible mortgage to be adaptable to individual circumstances.This is especially useful for self employed borrowers and those with a variable income.By way of example, borrowers whose income includes a significant but irregular commission component might make use of commission payments to make overpayments, thereby reducing the term or enabling them to underpay at other times.With traditional mortgages, borrowers often face large penalties for additional capital repayments or if payments were not made on time.

The bank opened a representative office in Tokyo in 1946, later upgraded to a branch in 1985.The banks overseas interest expanded more rapidly in the 1970.It opened a branch in Singapore in 1971, and representative offices in Jakarta (1973) and Hong Kong (1974).It took minority interests in merchant banks in these locations at the same time, and in Hong Kong established a 50-50 joint venture merchant bank with Mitsubishi Bank and Trust, but withdrew from these arrangements in 1984.Its first US presence was established in 1977 with a branch and an agency in Los Angeles that closed in 1993.

NAB booked two write-downs associated with HomeSide.First, in July 2001, NAB had a dollar 450 million write down of the value of its capitalised mortgage servicing rights (CMSRs) during the quarter ending June 30, 2001, and was the result of exceptionally high mortgage refinance volumes which lowered the value of the CMSRs, combined with a more challenging capital markets environment in which to hedge interest rate risk.

This was followed shortly by a second write-down reported in September totalling dollar 1.75 billion; this second write-down consisted of US dolar 400 million from an incorrect interest rate assumption embedded in the mortgage servicing rights valuation model, US dollar 760 million from changed assumptions in the model flowing from the continued unprecedented uncertainty and turbulence in the mortgage servicing market, and US$590 million from writing off of the goodwill.In total, NAB booked dollar 2.2 billion in losses due to HomeSide.

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London Venues Offer Panache With A Dash Of Pizzazz

As the capital of the country, London is home to a glittering nightlife, historical buildings and offers a variety of cultural activities for all ages and interests.The city is also home to many prestigious venues, plenty of which are steeped with the rich history that envelopes London.

Historical buildings are a glamorous backdrop to an event, whether it is a private party, a charity ball or a business conference.Here we take a look at three impressive buildings and their background and find out what they have to offer as an exclusive London venue.

The Ritz
The Ritz is famed for its glamour, and evokes images of London in the 1920s.
Opening in 1906, this venue has become the yardstick by which all Hoteliers measure their success.The neoclassical architecture creates an opulent atmosphere that has impressed guests for over a century and remains one of the most prestigious places to hold an event.

Past guests have included members of the royal family, British gentry and a wealth of discerning guests.As well as providing a sumptuous setting, there are many facilities including casino, health club and sports amenities for guests to use.For use as a conference venue, The Ritz offers all the equipment that could be needed, from projector equipment to secretarial services.

Tower Bridge
It is rumoured that in 1968 there was an attempt to purchase Tower Bridge by an American.
However, as the bridge is often mistakenly referred to as London Bridge, the sale was of the old London Bridge further up river, leaving Tower Bridge safely here in the UK.The Bridge was constructed in the late 1800s and has become one of the most famous landmarks in London.

The iconic and historical architecture give an air of exclusivity to events held here.There are four main areas that are available for hire.The walkways offer an extraordinary view of the river Thames and are often used as exhibition space.The Victorian Engine rooms are used for a spectacular dining or reception area, creating an unusual but opulent atmosphere.The two towers offer ideal facilities for meetings, receptions and dinners with enough room to seat 120 guests.

The Victoria and Albert Museum
Although not the first place one might think of to host an event, the world famous VA is a luxuriant venue and spectacularly suited to banquets, dinner dances and lectures.
The decor is as one would expect from a building associated with royalty and home to over 4 million artefacts from over 5,000 years of art and design history.

Situated in the affluent area of South Kensington the 19th Century building is an architectural feat of excellence which attracts over 2 million visitors a year.Holding an event within these world famous walls will give a soiree a sumptuous and sophisticated feel.The rooms available for hire have a maximum capacity of 300 and facilities that provide conference equipment.

In conclusion, London is an ideal place to host an event as these venues and many more offer a spectacular backdrop to a conference, dinner, wedding or exhibition.As well as providing a wide range of facilities, the infrastructure in place enables easy access to these venues for those that live in the UK and those travelling overseas.All in all, even the most discerning guest cannot fail to be impressed by a top London Venue.

About the Author

Dominic Donaldson is an expert in the entertainment and venue finding industry.

Find out more about London venues and which location suits your needs best at Venue Directory.

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Expand Recruiting for Better Hiring

Attract and retain the most talented employees with employee recruitment and staffing strategies.This article will provide you with information that will save your organization time and resources in your hiring process.Whether you're an executive, a manager or a team leader, the following information will be beneficial to you.

While it's possible my Grandpa's memory is playing tricks on him, employers are confirming that some of the things Grandpa says about "the way things were" are true - and important.For example, Grandpa said that a long time ago people just expected to show up for work, on time, every day.But today?

Eric Durr, writing in the Albany (N.Y.) Business Review, says, "Finding people who show up on time for work is a problem that has been getting worse for New York's manufacturers." He quotes a Federal Reserve Bank survey of employers, indicating nearly one-fourth of those responding described their top concern as "finding workers who were punctual and reliable."

A manufacturer of complex machinery, when discussing this issue, indicated their cost accounting process had identified another hidden cost of absenteeism and its little brother, tardiness: When the person who was supposed to be performing a specific task was gone and replaced by someone else, the average cost of the process itself increased by an average of 23 percent.

That's not too surprising.They also found the cost of warranty claims attributable to the process increased by about the same amount, 25 percent.(Not surprising either.)

The revelation, though, came when their figures showed the process cost and the warranty cost of the nearest upstream process on the line and the nearest downstream process both increased by about half that number, 11 percent - and the next stage upstream and downstream also increased, by about 7 percent!

This "ripple effect" in a production environment means for every minute a worker is not doing the job assigned to him or her, for whatever reason, the cost of the production process in their care increases by a net amount approaching 100 percent!

Not many manufacturers in our competitive world can graciously accept a 100 percent increase in costs of production processes, so it is not surprising that the problem of absenteeism/tardiness looms large in manufacturers' concerns.If the perceived value of "showing up on time" leads the work values declining over the past two generations, "working hard" must be close behind.

In our own surveys of employers attending our seminars on hiring and retention, leading concerns have been "finding enough good people who will show up when scheduled and work hard when they are at work."

In addition to the production costs discussed earlier, lack of reliability and work ethic dramatically increases hiring costs when those factors are not measured in the hiring process.

In Durr's article, he quotes a manufacturer of furniture: "When we go to new hires, we may hire five people to get one good person." Presumably, the other four go through hiring, training, failing to live up to expectations, termination and possibly unemployment...a very costly process indeed, to get "one good worker."

Now obviously, not every worker who has entered the job market in the last 10 years suffers from lack of these values, or we would not be finding even that one in five.

To find enough good workers, an employer's task is difficult but not impossible, and the payoffs are substantial: Expand your recruitment pool, so you have enough applicants to be selective: Use a valid and reliable assessment to predict reliability and work ethic; avoid hiring those who are unlikely to work out on those dimensions; and work to keep those good people you do hire.

About the Author

Jim Sirbasku is co-founder and CEO of Profiles International, a leading provider of human resource management solutions and employment assessments for businesses worldwide.

Learn more about how assessments can help your organization expand recruiting for better hiring - visit our website.

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Work At Home Ideas For New Mothers

In a world of double income families, the still single income homes with housewives or mothers are bombarded with numerous work at home opportunities, some of which are pure scams.It is a frustrating job to fish out the real opportunities from this mix of schemes, some of which you might pay money without receiving anything in return.

Don't lose hope!There are legitimate work at home opportunities, the most popular of which is direct sales or multi-level marketing (MLM).Working for a direct sales company can be an excellent source of income, provided you do significant research into the financial status of the company and are willing to network with potential customers.

Working from home is ideal for new mothers because they save on daycare expenses, they can work when the baby naps, and they can schedule their presentations or phone calls when other family members are available to watch the children.If kids are home sick from school, then moms can arrange their schedule accordingly.

If you don't feel confident as a sales person, there are other work at home opportunities that appeal to mothers, such as:

* Network Marketing - involves some sales and encourages others to use the product(s) offered by your particular company.

Many times your customers are also encouraged to recruit their own circle of friends into the network.

* Affiliate programs - sell someone else's product and receive a commission for each sale.This is most commonly done online with a website or blog marketed to a particular target market.

* Data Entry Programs - enter specific data into a company-owned computer software program.Or work independently entering data into online forms for other companies.Requires attention to detail and a strong internet connection.

* Paid Online Surveys - register with market research companies, fill out some personal background information, and these companies will send you email surveys about particular topics.If you qualify for the survey and complete it, your reward is usually either money, prizes, or points that are redeemed for a prize.

* Type At Home Work - also known as transcription, typists listen to audio files and type each and every spoken word.Medical and legal transcription often requires specific training due to the technical jargon used.

While working from home sounds like the perfect opportunity to earn extra money for your family, keep in mind that some of these opportunities may require a small investment for supplies, software, goods, and equipment used in your training.

Remember, there is virtually no service that provides you with a free lunch in our cutthroat times, so a small amount of money utilized in beginning a certain job is quite legitimate.But of course, there are people out to trick you, so investigate any opportunity completely and think out every detail before you decide to invest in it.

There is also increased competition from other mothers who yearn to keep their children out of daycare centers so be realistic about your skills and your ability to work at home and meet the job deadlines.Strengthen your skills prior to applying and also network with others looking for telecommuting job opportunities.Getting honest feedback from someone who has worked with a certain company can better prepare you for the interview or test.

If you are interested in working from home after your baby is born, take some time prior to the birth to research various work at home opportunities and find companies that will let you make your own schedule so you can work around your baby's schedule.Sometimes the hiring process can drag on but the time is worth spending to be home with your baby.

About the Author

Chris Simpson is dedicated to helping people find honest and legitimate work at home opportunities and home based business ideas.

Find legitimate work at home jobs and many other great opportunities to make money online today at: www.HomeNetPro.com

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Guidelines: Wholesale Distributors List Acquisition

Generally a wholesale distributor that offers eBay and e-commerce customers with discounted prices for a seller to profit is passing through an in-demand rush of online orders as many people want to save more and more.Today it is even normal to see regular customers buying directly from distributors and wholesalers themselves in popular auction sites like eBay.With changing pricing structures that most merchandise is subject to due to the economic shift buyers are asking for a wholesale list just to save.It is normal behavior when economic shifts happen.

An updated wholesale distributors list should have at least a telephone contact, an address to send mail, phone support or at the very list, a telephone.Running a local business with middleman prices mean that anyone across the block can challenge, compete with your business and even take away customers.That is why today a wholesale list with excellent suppliers, distributors and wholesalers that provide discounts for an internet marketer profit potential is essential.

Not finding a great potential list of wholesale distributors means that anyone arriving should be able to take away half of your profits since customers will already have distractions in choosing a product between two or more competing parties.If you ask me, that is unacceptable.Therefore, you either have to provide the best price or the best service once a visitor sees your offer.Seems like marketing 101 but many fail in this area.

One aspect of wholesale through the internet is the fact that the meeting of wholesale distributor and supplier with their prospective clientele is made rather difficult with the growing numbers of business websites that caters to nearly every thing that can be bought and sold with a wholesale list.Added to this is the proliferation of fly by night operators whose only concern is to steal your money without giving you much information in order for many of them survive online.

For individuals and companies selling contact sources for wholesalers and suppliers, they need to have an updated list of distributors, proof of their expertise and enough reasons why of why should you should buy from them.This information should deal on the following important points.

The name of the source and the goods that they carry: Wholesalers, distributors and suppliers need to have valid business names and addresses.This information should be the first line of information together with the goods that they carry.

Contact Information and Person to be contacted: This is the second line of information that they need to furnish the buyer of contact sources.Once the buyer needs the goods that the company offers, the second logical response should be for immediate source contact.
Likewise, the name of the person and position who will be contacted by the buyer should be indicated so as to facilitate speedy arrangement of business transaction between the buyer of the contact source and the supplier.

Information of legitimate wholesalers, distributors and suppliers would usually be handled by people or companies through websites and link ads that they carry for the targeted consumers.To be effective subject link advertisement of wholesaler, distributor and supplier contact source ads should be placed on highly rated and visited websites or blogs for maximum exposure to the public.

The sites that these contact source information ads are displayed on should be related to the same kind of niche so as to make sure that subject ads of wholesale distributor would be viewed by prospective clients who are in need of wholesale distributor list.

About the Author

Finding Wholesale Distributors is one of the business components Joaquin serves as reference source, e-commerce coach and certified author.

His focus today is assisting people receive extra income through the acquirement of an in-demand Wholesale List

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