US Finance World

The U.S. Open is in full swing, and ticket resellers are serving great deals—at least if you’re interested in catching players in early rounds before the competition really heats up.

Prices for the first rounds of the tournament, which began Monday and wraps up Sept. 12, are lower than last year’s. First-round tickets are currently going for $109, a 13% decrease, according to ticket-search site FanSnap.com. Even quarterfinals prices, at an average $247 per ticket, are 12% cheaper than in 2009.

Like other major sporting events, the U.S. Open is still recovering from consumers’ cutbacks during the recession. “Demand is starting to pick back up,” says Robert Tuchman, the executive vice president for Premiere Sports Travel, which creates sports travel packages. “If [the Open] is something on your bucket list, this would be the year to cross it off.”

Would-be attendees can expect more movement in the price market as early matches determine which fan favorites move forward, says Christian Anderson, a spokesman for FanSnap.com. In pa

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The top 5 tips weekly post is always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners.

1. Focus on describing the benefits of your product for purchasers, instead of just using your sales pitch to list features.

2. Take the opportunity to learn more about the wants and needs of potential customers by asking them questions and actually listening to their answers.

3. Try to perfect your sales pitch by recording it and playing it back to yourself later.

4. Don’t be afraid to pursue a sale in order to get to completion. Following up on leads is a common trait of all great salespeople.

5. Take your time when trying to convince a prospect. I

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A while back I did a post about the death of the “high yield savings account“.

Now, over a year later, rates are only lower.

Yep, the days of a 4-5% yield for an online savings account are gone. But will they ever return?

Not any time soon, say most economists.

2010 has been a year of massive withdrawals by investors from equities (stocks) and into more conservative investments (bonds, treasuries, CD’s, etc).

And it’s a simple law of supply and demand. There is lots of supply of money going into these lower yielding investments, which in turn, drives yields even lower.

So don’t expect to see rates on savings accounts up anytime soon. The fed plans to keep interest rates low for the foreseeable future. They see any interest rate hike as a potential knock-out blow to any type of recovery we might get here in the US.

As for me, I am still keeping a good chunk of my savings in online savings accounts and away from stocks. I still d

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In her first year of operation, Fran Gunsaulis, founder of Oh Baby Foods, learned that her business plan overlooked the logistical — and costly — realities of producing and distributing her organic, locally sourced baby foods. Her products are sustainable, but at a $5.80 cost per unit — down from $8.01 in 2009 — her business isn’t.

The Challenge: There is only so much Sweet Potato Boogie and Bean Me Up, Baby that one woman (with some part-time kitchen help) can make, sell and distribute. Oh Baby, which is based in Fayetteville, Ark., must increase production to realize the economies of scale that will allow it to become profitable.

“We have to secure a large contract, but how can we do that without proving we can fulfill it?” Ms. Gunsaulis asked. “It’s chicken and egg.” She believes Oh Baby will become profitable when its C.P.U. reaches $3.75. But her goal is even more more ambitious — a C.P.U. of $2.80 that she can

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It’s perhaps no surprise that Robert Eckert’s office looks more like a toy store than an executive suite. There’s a trove of Barbies on the floor near the door, a giant Winnie the Pooh nearby and a huge display of Hot Wheels and Masters of the Universe action figures. Behind his desk, there are even a few dolls in his likeness, including a “Bob Barbie” with gray hair, dress shirt and mini employee badge.

Yet even after a decade at the helm of the world’s largest toy company, Eckert, 56, says he still doesn’t know what children really want. Every winter, he tries to predict a best-selling “toy of the year”-and his record is hit or miss. He isn’t even sure if his company’s biggest bet in years-a new brand of toys, books, dolls and clothing called Monster High-will be a hit. “There’s no magic formula,” he says.

Eckert might not be Willy Wonka, but he’s presiding over what some analysts say is a reinvigorated company. Sales are expected to reach nearly $6 billion this year, with profits projected to jump 44 percent.

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