US Finance World

Ive written before about how blogging has enhanced my life. While I cannot trace this honor solely back to consistently blogging for the past several years, I believe it has contributed to it greatly, as has having the pleasure of serving as the INDIE Beauty Networks founder and leader. I dont know who nominated me (thank you!), but I am honored.

The 2011 Small Business Influencer Awards are to be judged by some of the people Ive come across online, including Anita Campbell of SmallBizTrends. You can read more here, and nominate people you know as well. Voting starts in July. I am humbled that someone thought enough of me to nominate me.

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Someone strolling the Lower East Side of Manhattan is liable to spot a flier plastered with the face of a pugnacious Boston Terrier. That’s Monkey, the nominal guard dog of Any Old Iron, a year-old men’s clothing store that has quickly become a destination for shoppers, as well as a fixture on the local party scene. But what even most fans of the store don’t realize is that Any Old Iron is, in a sense, a gateway to a Web site.

A lot of companies these days are founded as Web businesses, and many physical stores end up growing substantial Web sales over time. What’s a bit unusual about Any Old Iron is that the company’s Web site has been intended as the main engine of the business from day one — even though almost all of the investment and attention has been focused on the store. “Our strategy is to build credibility and cachet through the store,” said Christopher Melton, an arts-oriented entrepreneur who helped found the company last year along with Andrew Clancey, a celebrity stylist. “We plan to ope

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The financial crash proved that not all banks are equally strong. Where are your savings secure?

In mid-September 2007, panic erupted when news broke that building-society-turned-bank Northern Rock had approached the Bank of England for emergency funding. What followed was a run on the Rock, as countless savers queued around the block to withdraw their cash.

When the government agreed to provide a state guarantee for 100% of savings in Northern Rock, calm was restored. However, Northern Rock’s lunatic lending had left it in a mess, so it was fully nationalised in February 2008.

Sadly, Northern Rock wasn’t the only British bank to go under during the financial meltdown of 2007/09. Its rival Bradford & Bingley (another building society turned bank) was another lax lender, both to risky homebuyers and buy-to-let landlords.

After the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers on 14 September 2008, Bradford & Bingley headed for the rocks.

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ING Direct, soon to be owned by Capital One, is running their usual promotion. Valid only July 1st & 2nd, 2011 (why not until the 4th? who knows).

• New Electric Orange checking account customers will receive an opening bonus of $50 when they make three purchases within 45 days of account opening. Those that then set up and make at least two direct deposits of $250 by August 31st will receive an additional $76 bonus for a total savings of $126.
• Investors who open a new ShareBuilder account will receive a $76 account bonus after their first investment.

I have been pondering introducing more ways to help my IBN members spread the word about the amazing things they are doing. One of the newest says is via my new Local Director program, which will bring local INDIE events to your hometown. One of my first Local Directors is Susan Mann of Manor Hall Soap Company. Susan launched her business in 2005, and in just a few weeks, will launch a new website. She shares the exciting news in this cute-as-can-be video.

Today, Im launching the weekly INDIE Business RoundUp, a fun new way to share the super things my members are doing.

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Finally, interest rates on savings accounts are on the up…

No one can deny that it’s been a rough ride for savers over the past few years. And it’s rare that there’s anything positive to say about savings accounts.  

However, today, for a change, there is a snippet of good news.

That’s because interest rates on savings accounts are starting to improve – and in some cases, average rates are now at their highest levels since base rate dropped to 0.5% in March 2009.

So let’s take a closer look.

The table below highlights how the average interest rate has changed since March 2009 for both easy access savings accounts and cash ISAs.

As you can see, the average interest rate on easy access savings accounts plummeted to a paltry 0.64% in May 2009. However, since then, rates have been steadily increasing (with a few dips inbetween), with June 2011 witnessing the highest average rate in more than two years – at 0.89%.

Now admittedly these rates aren’t anything like the rates we saw at the end of 2008, when the average easy access savings rate was 4.24%. In comparison, an

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I spent a few minutes today flipping through the archives here, and found dozens of posts where either DK or I champion the merits of a well-planned (and followed) budget, but not a single post on how to write a budget.

Egads! What have we (not) done?

Ok, I’m going to lay it down—a quick-and-dirty budget plan, how to create one, refine it, and make it work for you.

First off, figure out how much you bring home every month. I’m talking minimum amount.  (Not the “in a good month” figure. I’m talking the bare-bones-taxes-paid-no-bonus-or-commission amount).   It’s way easier to figure out what to do with surplus than deficit, right?

Second, start subtracting big, fixed monthly items. Rent, auto payment, utilities, tithe or charitable donations, average or high phone bill estimates, debt payments, etc.

Third, subtract the necessities in life (groceries, etc). Groceri

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HMRC is clamping down on yet more areas where it believes we arent paying enough tax.

Be careful out there, the taxman is getting tough. He’s developed a taste for catching tax cheats – his words, not mine – and he’s hungry to gobble up more.

In recent months, HM Revenue & Customs has been busy flushing out plumbers who have failed to do their duty by the taxman, and calling out gas fitters, heating engineers and members of associated trades.

Like the US Marshall in an old cowboy movie, the taxman has been offering offenders an amnesty. Anyone who fully discloses their income and tax arrears should escape with a reduced penalty rate of only 10% of unpaid tax, or possibly 20%. You still have to pay all the tax you owe, so it’s not really a full amnesty, but it is better than the alternative.

If you don’t freely confess, you could face tax penalty of up to 100% of the unpaid amount, and a possible criminal investigation. Some offs

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