The Entrepreneur Peter Jones

Cover of Tycoon: How to Be REALLY Rich

For the past couple of decades, one of the most electrifying and successful entrepreneurs in all of Europe has been Peter Jones.  The Peter Jones entrepreneur biography is a very impressive list of all of the businesses that he has created and turned into international success stories.

Like many great entrepreneurs, Jones has seen plenty of ups and downs during this career.  His career started when he was still a very young man.  At this point he started a computer business, which was initially very successful, but ultimately failed, which forced him to sell off his home and most of his personal assets.  At the same time he also started a bar, which he eventually sold at a big loss.

The first true success that Jones had professionally came soon afterwards.  In 1998 he started a company called Phones International Group.  Within a year his company was earning over 14 million pounds per year.  Within about five years after that, revenues went up almost ten fold.

Since creating that company, Jones has also created, established, and invested in a wide range of other businesses in several different industries.  His large number of successful businesses has helped him to gain international fame.  Jones used his personal and professional fame to enter the field of entertainment.  Jones has been involved in many different reality television programs, each of which have revolved around helping aspiring entrepreneurs to develop their own businesses and expand on their own ideas.  These have included Dragon's Den, Tycoon, and American Inventor.

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Stock Carnival Ecstasy - March 29, 2012

SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 09: William 'Bill' Weldon, chief executive of Johnson & Johnson, attends the Allen & Company Media and Technology Conference on July 9, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho. The conference has been hosted annually by the investment firm Allen & Company each July since 1983. The conference is typically attended by many of the world's most powerful media executives. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Welcome to the March 29, 2012 edition of Stock Carnival Ecstasy.In this edition we have a couple of great articles including Alexander Collins looking at 3 Forex News Releases You Can Make Huge Money With. A good read for all investors. And Jessica Cooper examines investing in US Treasuries Analysis. Hope you enjoy all the articles, bookmark, share, tweet, like on Facebook and come back soon.

Daniel Rosenstein presents Do you spend a $1,000 a year on a cup of morning Joe? | Miss Money Bee posted at Miss Money Bee, saying, "Being shouldered with credit card debt or finding it difficult to make ends meet every month can be a stressful situation, but many people may not be aware of the small changes they can make to their spending and the large results these simple alterations can have on their overall financial condition."

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Alexander Collins presents 3 Forex News Releases You Can Make Huge Money With posted at PipBurner Forex blog, saying, "Trading news releases provides great opportunities because of its ability to increase volatility in the short term. Read now how to make huge money during News"

Dr. Dean presents Giving Credit Card Info To Social Media? Come on! posted at Dr. Dean's TheMillionaireNurse.com Blog, saying, "Around the corner is a marketing explosion that will allow us to shop while visiting our favorite social media site. It’s going to happen. It will increase the value of the social media stocks but is it a good idea?"

Bill Smith presents 2012 Taxes And The Proposed Tax Rates posted at 2011 Taxes, saying, "President Obama is planning to tax income from capital gains as ordinary income. This will increase the top tax rate to 39.6 percent."

Theresa Torres presents Your Refrigerator Can Provide Cold Hard Lessons in Personal Finance posted at CreditDonkey.com Tips, saying, "There are some things we must consider when buying a commonplace appliance such as a refrigerator. One factor is financing and here's where we can get lessons about personal finance."

Theresa Torres presents The Pros and Cons of Building a Strategic Business Partners posted at Michael Hartzell, saying, "Before you decide to take on a business partner, you should carefully consider the possible pros and cons listed in this article."

Jason P. presents Six Helpful Tips to Get You Spring Cleaning on a Budget posted at One Money Design, saying, "Save money on your next large event whether it is for your congregation, a special interest group, or even just a special party you plan to host!"

stocks

Jessica Cooper presents US Treasuries Analysis posted at Easy Forex News, saying, "EasyForexNews provides you with daily high-quality forex news, forex analysis, forex trading signals, strategies and forecasts, trade ideas. Also find forex charts, forex economic calendar and current fores rates."

Dividend Growth Investor presents Does entry price matter to dividend investors? posted at Dividend Growth Investor, saying, "The reason for the lost decade in stocks is that many otherwise quality companies were overvalued in the early 2000s. For example Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) was trading at 29.30 times earnings in early 2000, whereas McDonald’s (MCD) traded at 26.90 times earnings. Even some of the best dividend stocks are not worth paying more than 20 times forward earnings."

wizard presents what can you do to invest your money? | Optimum Awareness Leads to Optimum Control in Your Life posted at Wizard Corpse, saying, "here I wrote one's options if he has an extra cash and would like to grow it."

Joe presents Analysis | MyStockAnalysis.com posted at MyStockAnalysis.com, saying, "Unique way of providing daily stock analysis by automatically matching S&P 500 stocks to various patterns"

tips

Anonymous presents Guest Post: Are You Ready To Invest In The Stock Market? posted at NerdWallet Blog - Credit Card Watch, saying, "Timing the market - for most of us, it's a surefire way to lose money. Especially as the Dow takes multiple-percentage-point swings seemingly every day, investing is not for the faint of heart. Are you ready to get back in to the market?"

MaryLou Walston presents 10 Economical Cars That Maintain Their Value posted at Car Insurance Blog News, Tips, and Quotes, saying, "A smart car buyer always considers how their new purchase will affect their bank account down the road. As you know, a car costs more than the sticker price, with gas, maintenance, and repairs comprising a portion of your true monthly car allowance. If you're stuck with an unreliable gas guzzler, then you could find yourself micromanaging your driving habits to avoid the inevitable financial hit — and that's neither convenient nor fun. The following cars (and SUV) are not only economical, but they maintain their value because of their proven reliability. For those reasons, their owners can drive free of the anxiety that often accompanies car ownership."

Bill Smith presents Bringing Down the Burden of Tax Debt – Offers in Compromise – 2008 Taxes - Free Tax Filing Options posted at 2008 Taxes, saying, "People all over the world are struggling with debt in the current global financial climate. For most people these debts will be to do with credit cards and..."

Bill Smith presents Finding A CPA Who Knows Real Estate Tax Laws posted at 2008 Taxes, saying, "Finding a Certified Public Accountant, or CPA, who knows real estate tax laws is essential, whether you are a big investor or a small time homeowner. Why is it..."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of stock carnival ecstasy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Is Equity Release Still Worth It in the Current Economic Climate?

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Seniors are often hopeful of attaining a financially secured life with a wonderful house and tons of quality bonding time with their relatives. However, as the years go by, the life they aspire tends to become more difficult to achieve with the constantly increasing gap between the inflation and salary, not to mention the continuous rise in the cost of living. With the current economic climate going to a direction unfavorable to the majority of retirees, equity release may just be the most reasonable option.

Equity release is a system that allows you to get the value of your property albeit having to still live there. This is open for individuals whose age range from 55 to 70. Ultimately, it is a means of increasing pension income for most retirees.

The two main kinds of schemes are the lifetime mortgage and home reversion scheme. The former is where a homeowner is charged an interest that will be rolled up to a lump to be paid when you move out or become deceased. In the home reversion scheme, a company will purchase the entire or part of the property at around 20 to 60 percent of the market value of the estate, and in return, a steady income or cash lump sum would be granted. The company would then sell the property after you are deceased.

Property prices have barely increased in the previous months, and it has been forecasted that real estate prices may roll back by about 20 percent after a couple of years. The 2.8 percent reduction in prices in the past year only emphasizes the distress of a possible downturn.

With the current economic climate, going for equity release is a hard decision to make. However, many experts are hopeful of this year being better than the last, with many lenders coming back in the market. Consumers and the market alike would be more self-assured, though it won’t be affecting the slowdown of property prices.

Change is inevitable in the economic climate, which is why homeowners should consider downsizing in the later years after any equity release scheme, or sell the property entirely and move to a sheltered house or care home. Also, be sure to check if the scheme allows transfer to another estate and if penalties are settled upon closing an equity release plan prior to death. Family members are most affected in the inheritance homeowners are to give to them, so it’s best to consult with them to prevent any possible misunderstandings in the future.

Andrew is a real estate blogger and journalist. He writes on all things to do with property and personal finance as well as small business finance, from managing your taxes through to investing in solar panels.

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Small Business Loans Just Got Better

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Right now, everything seems to be in a financial mess in our country. Ask any investor and they will say it is because the stock market is having enormous down swings, fuel and other prices keep rising, housing starts are low and corporate profits are poor. All of us know that we are still in the midst of one of the greatest economic crises to happen in modern times. It seems like there is just one thing after the other that keeps going wrong. This has many of us asking if there can ever be any good news for those who own small businesses.

Small business owners are wondering if there are new ways to expand, restructure, and still save money for their operations. Money experts always will advise that no matter what size business you may own, reorganizing and cost reduction is always the first thing to look at. Cutting costs and budgeting wisely will always help you save money and help maintain a solid financial strength in these difficult times. As you know, more and more small companies are suffering from the continuous economic decline and some say that there are even more possibilities coming up for further problems. All agree on one thing, more changes need to happen in the business world before any full economic recovery will really happen.

But what many of these disgruntled small business owners may or may not know is that just recently President Obama signed the Small Business Jobs Act, which allows small business owners to get better tax breaks and easier access to credit than ever before. These changes have excellent benefits for small businesses, because now corporate lenders will be able to make small business loans again. Consider the advantage of a commercial loan to improve and expand your business and then sit back and watch your success grow in leaps and bounds.

All of these latest laws have given small business a new chance in these uncertain times. These changes are a lifeline to the small business owner and clearly one more sign that small businesses are starting to sizzle. This new bill has just closed the deal for small businesses more than any other type of loan activity since the financial crisis began because new money is now available for lending. The SBA can offer new commercial loans and small business loans because the corporate lender now have more money available than ever and is more willing to work at winning the small business owner as their customer.

Catherine C. Harris is an author who specializes in commercial lending and has a passion for SBA loans.

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Credit Card Processing for Small Business Facts - What you Should Know

Many small businesses need to be able to accept credit cards, as a large amount of people around the world prefer to use credit cards over cash. Credit card processing for small business can actually be fairly easy, but it will require that the small business owner open a merchant account.

With online business, credit card processing for small business online is a vital part of success for these small businesses, and a merchant account is a vital part of this credit card processing. Opening a merchant account is what will permit a small business owner to process credit card payments for purchases made. A merchant account is, at its core, a bank account through which payments are routed.

A customer makes a purchase of your product using his credit card, and his payment is approved to be sent to your merchant account provider. The payment is then transferred from your merchant account provider into your account, and the credit card processing for small business is complete. This is a simplified version of the process, but it is sufficient to help anyone understand it.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when searching for credit card processing for small business:

• Banks and other financial institutions will often offer the merchant account services, but the fees that they charge for their services are often exorbitant. Even if they are not unreasonable, they are still often higher than the average.
• The best place to look for merchant account services is via Independent Service Organizations. These organizations are third party companies that offer services of credit card processing for small business, and they offer a lower rate than banks thanks to their relationship with credit card companies like MasterCard and Visa
• Third party payment processors are the best choice for anyone looking to make a lot of online transactions with the least amount of headache. These processors already have their own merchant accounts opened in a financial institution, and they will handle the entire process of the transaction for you. All the payments are verified through their merchant account, and everything is handled on their end for a nominal fee.

When looking for the best merchant account provider, keep in mind:

• Companies that have been around for many years are more likely to be honest, ethical companies that are successful due to many years of experience. Companies that are brand new often offer lower rates, but may not last long in the competitive world of online business.
• How secure are the transactions? Many companies simply handle the transactions without worrying about the privacy and security of their clients, so it is important to find a processor that is concerned about security for their users.
• The monthly rate is important, but the hidden fees are also important to understand. There are many fees and rates that may come as a surprise to you if you don't read the fine print and look for these hidden fees. The best companies that do credit card processing for small business ensure that the business owners are well informed of all the fees before they sign the agreement.

OJ Thomas is the VP of Veritrans LLC which is a merchant account provider that provides online credit card processing services for businesses of all sizes.

Veritrans Merchant Services
1301 Regents Park Dr, Houston, Texas 77058
(281) 474-4144

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The Security Needs of Different Entities

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It is a want and a need of every person to be safe. However, that safety often comes with measures beyond practicing good judgment. Many times it's important to pay for added protection. The world of protection changes based upon the different needs of the individual of business. What is enough to satisfy the individual might not be enough to provide adequate protection for the small company or the Fortune 500 corporation. Here is a look at the different security measures available.

Individual Security Measures

• Uses home security systems
• Takes smaller measures for computer and automobile protection
• Affordability often dictates measures used

For the individual it's important to be protected in all areas. For many the best choice of action is the home security systems. These systems effectively monitor the house by using a remote service. If there is a break in a signal is sent to a remote company that will notify the proper authorities. In many cases this is a monthly paid service.

For protection of secondary items such as the car and the computer, there are alarms and protection software respectively. However, in a three phases of the individuals protection, the cost tends to trump need. If a person feels like they can comfortably afford it then they are more likely to buy. However, if it might be above their comfortable cost then they are likely to bypass it.

Small Business Security Measures

• Often similar to the individual
• Make take further measures in order to protect profits
• Price is not as much of a concern

For the small business the needs can vary from a lot of different factors. Many small businesses are operated out of the owner's home or at a store front. For these types of settings there isn't much more required in terms of protection than the home security systems. However, small businesses may make upgrades to their protection, like installing surveillance cameras as well as hiring a personal security guard if they feel that the security they are using might not protect their profits.

The perfect example is the local “mom & pop” store where they feel like the use of surveillance equipment might protect them against fall accident claims that dishonest customers might file. For the inherent advantages that security can provide to a business there isn't much concern over the amount of money that is needed to be spent. While it must be kept within an appropriate range it can be more than an individual pays.

Large Corporation

• Security measures are vast and expansive
• Often requires in house security teams
• Builds cost into the cost model for their business

The large corporations have an enormous need to protect themselves and their shareholders. With this in mind there are often incredible security measures taken that far exceed that of the small business and the individual. Many companies will outfit their offices with top of the line security and surveillance systems. In the case of sensitive material on the lap top or desktops they are often monitored by computer companies that can track illegal entry into the system.

Many companies will work with private security firms or hire their own in house security team to insure that all security and best business practices are being followed. This includes the monitoring of employees as well as email surveillance. It's not just limited to theft but also in the security of the customer business relationship.

While the cost of these measures can be high, these corporations build in the cost into their business model. They see it as a necessary expense they way that payroll and raw materials are a fixed expense.

Article by BuyerZone. BuyerZone is a leading online service provider that connects buyers and suppliers for a range of services and equipment such as home alarm systems.

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