yfimuna.wordpress.com
More than 8,200 complaints were filex in the state in according to a recent report bythe , but that figure represents just a fraction of the total cases. And, significantly, it is three-and-a-haltf times the bump Ohio saw betweejn 2006and 2007. “Identity thefr is the No. 1 growing crime in the United It exceeds illegaldrug trafficking, and the cost is in the said Debbie Wheeler, chief information security officed at . In Ohio, the information of more than 225,0000 people was breached in 2008, according to , a Ariz.-based identity theft protection provider. Most cases involver universities, which offer a breadth of personal information.
But banks, retailers and pensionss also were targeted. At in Mason, the personal information of almost 60,000 employees was stolen in the fall when a hacker broke through its securedcomputee server. And at , in Blue Ash, the personal data of some 25,0000 customers was breached in “It’s also important to know that these are the ones that got saidMike Prusinski, vice presidenyt of public affairs at LifeLock. Sinced September 2008, the number of online searchesd forpersonal data, such as Social Securitgy numbers, rose 38 percent, Prusinskoi said. He surmises that the financially desolat contribute tothe gain.
Many searches are possiblse through peer-to-peer networks like Lime Wire or Beareshare, which let members sharer musicfor free. But the networks can be used surreptitiously to searchysensitive documents, serving as a portal to “Within 10 seconds, we pulled up 275,000 tax returns in the New York City area,” Prusinskik said. “And that was just the ones that were onlines atthat moment.” Many free servicexs exist to protect consumers, includingh www.annualcreditreport.com, which provides credit reports, and 888-5OPTOUT, which can be calle to halt unwanted credit card applications and other junk mail.
at Fifth Third, advises shreddint documents containingpersonal information, keeping the Social Security card at home and regularly checking bank statements not by mail. “We used to see identithy theft … frequently when peoplwe received mailed bank statements that were she said.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Desire for efficiency has designers thinking small - Business First of Columbus:
zlatkopaisley1275.blogspot.com
But then a funnty thing happened. A tiny stone cottage built in 1930 in Chillicothse thatwas Marcia’s dream home came on market. Suddenly the Iveysa were livingin 1,300 squar e feet, their utilities were cut in half and they savex a substantial amount, about 40 by buying the old house instead of building new. Now, Marcia doesn’gt know what they would have done with all theextraa space. “What do we need a large home forwhen we’rd always together anyway?” Marcia said.
Thanks in large part to the sour growing environmental consciousness and a realization thatmore isn’ always better, builders, architects and homeowners are starting to embrace the smalletr home. The Iveys realized that with alittlew remodeling, they could make the house everythinbg they needed it to be, Butchy Ivey said. While there always will be a market for large homes, the Iveys’ residential architect Richars Taylor said there is less demand for them.
“What we’rr seeing is that fewer people, becausw their incomes have declined, are not doing show y houses,” said Taylor, president of in “They’re building smaller, high-quality homes or buyinh older homes in Bexley or Upperd Arlington andrenovating them.” Several of Taylor’s clientx are making small housese work thanks to tips and inspiration from The Not So Big a how-to for small abodes writtejn by St. Paul, Minn. architect Sarah Susanka. Susanka has been preachingy the gospel of smaller homes even before she wrote her bookin 1998.
“Ij 1983, when I started in the architecture houses were on theupward march,” Susanka “By the ’90s, the trend was very large houses.” At the same Susanka said clients were walking through the doors of her officed asking her to replicate beautiful design s from home magazines that wouldr never meet their budgets. “I was seeingb a lot of people not knowin g how to get a better house and thinkingh that it would have toget bigger,” Susanksa said. “The big moment was ... when I realized Americanxs build formal living spacesbut don’tf use them.
” Dining rooms, formal living rooms and guesty bedrooms end up wasting space and dollars that couldd be better spent on the rooms families actually live in, Susanka said. Data releasede early this year by the showed that in the thirdf quarterof 2008, the average size of a housew under construction slipped to 2,438 squarwe feet, representing a 7.3 percen drop from 2,629 square feet in the prior quarter. The association also has said that in a recent 88 percent of builders said they plan to constructrsmaller homes. Jay and Jennifer Young, clientss of Taylor, took Sarabh Susanka’s ideas to heart when they built theitr Gothic farmhouse in Alexandriain 2004.
The three bedroom, two-and-a-halfg bath home has just 2,20p square feet of living space, which is all the familyy of four needs. For example, instead of a formal living room and dining the Youngs opted for a multipurpose mudroom to contaibn the clutter and store the sports and outdoot equipment their two daughters use on adailyy basis. The rural farmhouse also features alarge eat-in kitchej instead of a formal dininhg room that Jay Young said the famil would never use. But goin g smaller on the footprintr didn’t mean the home needed to skimp on The kitchen has stainless steel appliances andconcretew countertops.
To create the illusiohn of a larger space, the home features an 18-fooft ceiling in the center of the house topped by a cupola that bringws in light and lets warm air escapse inthe summer. “We’re into quality, not Jay Young said. “Wr don’t have deep pockets, so to get the finishees we wanted, we had to go
But then a funnty thing happened. A tiny stone cottage built in 1930 in Chillicothse thatwas Marcia’s dream home came on market. Suddenly the Iveysa were livingin 1,300 squar e feet, their utilities were cut in half and they savex a substantial amount, about 40 by buying the old house instead of building new. Now, Marcia doesn’gt know what they would have done with all theextraa space. “What do we need a large home forwhen we’rd always together anyway?” Marcia said.
Thanks in large part to the sour growing environmental consciousness and a realization thatmore isn’ always better, builders, architects and homeowners are starting to embrace the smalletr home. The Iveys realized that with alittlew remodeling, they could make the house everythinbg they needed it to be, Butchy Ivey said. While there always will be a market for large homes, the Iveys’ residential architect Richars Taylor said there is less demand for them.
“What we’rr seeing is that fewer people, becausw their incomes have declined, are not doing show y houses,” said Taylor, president of in “They’re building smaller, high-quality homes or buyinh older homes in Bexley or Upperd Arlington andrenovating them.” Several of Taylor’s clientx are making small housese work thanks to tips and inspiration from The Not So Big a how-to for small abodes writtejn by St. Paul, Minn. architect Sarah Susanka. Susanka has been preachingy the gospel of smaller homes even before she wrote her bookin 1998.
“Ij 1983, when I started in the architecture houses were on theupward march,” Susanka “By the ’90s, the trend was very large houses.” At the same Susanka said clients were walking through the doors of her officed asking her to replicate beautiful design s from home magazines that wouldr never meet their budgets. “I was seeingb a lot of people not knowin g how to get a better house and thinkingh that it would have toget bigger,” Susanksa said. “The big moment was ... when I realized Americanxs build formal living spacesbut don’tf use them.
” Dining rooms, formal living rooms and guesty bedrooms end up wasting space and dollars that couldd be better spent on the rooms families actually live in, Susanka said. Data releasede early this year by the showed that in the thirdf quarterof 2008, the average size of a housew under construction slipped to 2,438 squarwe feet, representing a 7.3 percen drop from 2,629 square feet in the prior quarter. The association also has said that in a recent 88 percent of builders said they plan to constructrsmaller homes. Jay and Jennifer Young, clientss of Taylor, took Sarabh Susanka’s ideas to heart when they built theitr Gothic farmhouse in Alexandriain 2004.
The three bedroom, two-and-a-halfg bath home has just 2,20p square feet of living space, which is all the familyy of four needs. For example, instead of a formal living room and dining the Youngs opted for a multipurpose mudroom to contaibn the clutter and store the sports and outdoot equipment their two daughters use on adailyy basis. The rural farmhouse also features alarge eat-in kitchej instead of a formal dininhg room that Jay Young said the famil would never use. But goin g smaller on the footprintr didn’t mean the home needed to skimp on The kitchen has stainless steel appliances andconcretew countertops.
To create the illusiohn of a larger space, the home features an 18-fooft ceiling in the center of the house topped by a cupola that bringws in light and lets warm air escapse inthe summer. “We’re into quality, not Jay Young said. “Wr don’t have deep pockets, so to get the finishees we wanted, we had to go
Monday, September 26, 2011
Equifax: Small biz bankruptcies double in March - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):
efenytan.wordpress.com
Sacramento, Calif. Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill. Calif. Oakland-Fremont, Calif. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.-Wash. Commercial bankruptcies nearly doubledx in March 2009 from March Equifax noted. "The March numbers provide a snapshotyof what's been happening to the small business sectotr during this period of economic turmoil," said Reza head of Equifax's North American Commercial Analytical Services Group, in a news release. "Noy surprisingly, the highest number of small-business bankruptciew are in those parts of the countrt where home prices havedecreased dramatically, unemploymenty has increased significantly, and credif has become tighter.
" For the analysis, Equifazx analyzed both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filings. Chaptefr 7 is a liquidation proceedinbg in which a debtor receives a discharge of all while Chapter 13 is a reorganization bankruptcy enablingv filers to pay off debt over a set period of Equifax reviewed and analyzedc small business datafor March, the most recenty month for which complete data is available.
Sacramento, Calif. Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill. Calif. Oakland-Fremont, Calif. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.-Wash. Commercial bankruptcies nearly doubledx in March 2009 from March Equifax noted. "The March numbers provide a snapshotyof what's been happening to the small business sectotr during this period of economic turmoil," said Reza head of Equifax's North American Commercial Analytical Services Group, in a news release. "Noy surprisingly, the highest number of small-business bankruptciew are in those parts of the countrt where home prices havedecreased dramatically, unemploymenty has increased significantly, and credif has become tighter.
" For the analysis, Equifazx analyzed both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filings. Chaptefr 7 is a liquidation proceedinbg in which a debtor receives a discharge of all while Chapter 13 is a reorganization bankruptcy enablingv filers to pay off debt over a set period of Equifax reviewed and analyzedc small business datafor March, the most recenty month for which complete data is available.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Panel: Success of region tied to I-75 - Business Courier of Cincinnati:
uhalugupuzyma.blogspot.com
“In the last five years it has becomew obvious to the world that regions are much saidMark Policinski, executive directot of the , or OKI. Policinski spokde Tuesday at a regionaldevelopment forum, hosted by the Dayton Business Journal and Cincinnati Business Courier. A three-membe r panel — also includinhg Leonard Robinson, partner at in and Bob Steinbach, director of regional initiatives at the spoke in front of about 350audience members.
Steinbach said that just as developmentr continues along the Interstate 75corridor — blurring the line betweenj the Dayton and Cincinnati regions — that the Tri-State continued vitality is still “The health of the central cities is very important to the developmentg of the region,” Steinbach said. “When someone thinks about relocating, they want to know aboutr the major city in the Despitethat fact, government can not dictate where development takes place, and investment is always dictatedr by the market, Robinson said.
The seemingl endless constructionalong I-75, is the product of years of planninyg by the private sector, he said, which means market demanr in the 50-mile stretch betweem downtown Cincinnati and Dayton should not be considerexd a recent phenomenon. “New development is taking placew because people took the time to put them in Robinson said. Policinski said the bigged “region” is growing at historically high rates, but “governments’ absolut e inability to grasp partnerships with the private is inhibitingeconomic “We have been beating on this drum for five Policinski said.
“You would think you are asking them to dothe Meanwhile, around the private-public partnerships are flourishing and leavint southwest Ohio at an economic he said. Panelists reached a consensus abouf future importance on passenger andfreight rail, alon g the I-75 corridor, as a meanxs for getting trucks off the highway.
“In the last five years it has becomew obvious to the world that regions are much saidMark Policinski, executive directot of the , or OKI. Policinski spokde Tuesday at a regionaldevelopment forum, hosted by the Dayton Business Journal and Cincinnati Business Courier. A three-membe r panel — also includinhg Leonard Robinson, partner at in and Bob Steinbach, director of regional initiatives at the spoke in front of about 350audience members.
Steinbach said that just as developmentr continues along the Interstate 75corridor — blurring the line betweenj the Dayton and Cincinnati regions — that the Tri-State continued vitality is still “The health of the central cities is very important to the developmentg of the region,” Steinbach said. “When someone thinks about relocating, they want to know aboutr the major city in the Despitethat fact, government can not dictate where development takes place, and investment is always dictatedr by the market, Robinson said.
The seemingl endless constructionalong I-75, is the product of years of planninyg by the private sector, he said, which means market demanr in the 50-mile stretch betweem downtown Cincinnati and Dayton should not be considerexd a recent phenomenon. “New development is taking placew because people took the time to put them in Robinson said. Policinski said the bigged “region” is growing at historically high rates, but “governments’ absolut e inability to grasp partnerships with the private is inhibitingeconomic “We have been beating on this drum for five Policinski said.
“You would think you are asking them to dothe Meanwhile, around the private-public partnerships are flourishing and leavint southwest Ohio at an economic he said. Panelists reached a consensus abouf future importance on passenger andfreight rail, alon g the I-75 corridor, as a meanxs for getting trucks off the highway.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Botsford Group grows client base despite market turmoil - Houston Business Journal:
jabire2389.blogspot.com
Erin Botsford may be a graduat of the School ofHard Knocks, but she’s spent her career trying to help others avoifd the financial pitfalls that nearly devastated her Her company, The Botsford specializes in financial planning that allows clients to enjoy a comfortablwe lifestyle regardless of what’s happening with the “I have 350 clients who are all out playinhg golf,” she said. “Aned to my knowledge, not one of my clientds is worried abouthis future.” who has a real estate and insurance background, bega studying economics and demographics — particularlyh baby boomers — in 1995.
Her research suggested that the stoco market would peakfrom 2008-2010, dive 40% to 60% and stay that way for 10 to 13 “It became clear to me that this could be devastatingg to retired people,” she said. “I set up my busineszs from that day forward that if something like that were to my clients would not benegativelyh impacted. I’ve worked hard to achieves that. Because of that, my clients are thoroughly prepared and nobody has had to changewtheir lifestyle.” Botsford often shares her story of growingb up in California with five siblings and losing her father, a colleg e professor, when he was age 50.
His $10,0090 life insurance didn’t go far, and the family quickly slipped from middle class into When shewas 16, Botsford was charge d with involuntary manslaughter for a traffic accident in whichu her car collided with a motorcycle, resulting in the driver’xs death. Her family’s attorney said he wouldn’t charged any legal fees if shepleadede guilty. But Botsford did not do that, and in fact was “I learned early on that money buys you she said. Her mother took out a second mortgage on thei r home forher defense, which revealed that the motorcyclisyt had actually hit her.
“A lot of people don’t realize that they are one car accident away from losing everything ifthey don’t protect or take care of thei assets,” she said. “In Texas there are a lot of good and easy ways to protec tyour money. Most financial advisers don’t focus on Among the investments Botsford uses are financial instruments such as structured which are designed for either falling orrisingf markets. Botsford has clients in 31 includingMike Miller, a retired entrepreneur, 47, who livex with his wife, Sherri, and nine childrenb in Tennessee. Miller suffered a setbacmk after he pulledabouty $2.
5 million from his Botsford Group portfolio and invested with a who recently was accused of defrauding dozens of clients. the money Miller had left with Botsforxd had grown enough to coverhis family’a living expenses. “Erin is very solid,” he “She looks at where you want to be and how to get you to that She will help you adjusrt your investments to maintain thelifestylew you’re looking for.” While her competitors’ businessesd suffered declines of 20% to 30% from 2007 to Botsford said she lost less than 1% in In 2008, she posteds $4.5 million in revenue and has more than $500 millionb under management.
She believes her company continues to thrivr because of her proactive role in positioning her clients and notactingv “like a deer in the headlights.” “Clients buy confidencee from us in their future,” she “If you didn’t anticipate this you must have been hiding under a Next on her agenda is to hire a new business developmenyt president and pen a book about baby boomers, “a generationn in the balance.
” Her hope is to apply her strategiess for high net-worth individuals to othersx interested in investing in their Even though she had a few more bumps alonfg the way — like the time she won moneyt on “Wheel of invested it and later lost it all Botsford’s story has a happy She married her high school traveled around Europe as an Air Forcse wife, offered real estate seminars to Americans living abroad and finally landed in Dallaws in 1992. Her company employs 16 peopl e and has officesin N.J., and Atlanta, and she’s excite d about its growth possibilities. “We’re in a real positionb of strength,” she said.
“kI want to be a dominant player inthe
Erin Botsford may be a graduat of the School ofHard Knocks, but she’s spent her career trying to help others avoifd the financial pitfalls that nearly devastated her Her company, The Botsford specializes in financial planning that allows clients to enjoy a comfortablwe lifestyle regardless of what’s happening with the “I have 350 clients who are all out playinhg golf,” she said. “Aned to my knowledge, not one of my clientds is worried abouthis future.” who has a real estate and insurance background, bega studying economics and demographics — particularlyh baby boomers — in 1995.
Her research suggested that the stoco market would peakfrom 2008-2010, dive 40% to 60% and stay that way for 10 to 13 “It became clear to me that this could be devastatingg to retired people,” she said. “I set up my busineszs from that day forward that if something like that were to my clients would not benegativelyh impacted. I’ve worked hard to achieves that. Because of that, my clients are thoroughly prepared and nobody has had to changewtheir lifestyle.” Botsford often shares her story of growingb up in California with five siblings and losing her father, a colleg e professor, when he was age 50.
His $10,0090 life insurance didn’t go far, and the family quickly slipped from middle class into When shewas 16, Botsford was charge d with involuntary manslaughter for a traffic accident in whichu her car collided with a motorcycle, resulting in the driver’xs death. Her family’s attorney said he wouldn’t charged any legal fees if shepleadede guilty. But Botsford did not do that, and in fact was “I learned early on that money buys you she said. Her mother took out a second mortgage on thei r home forher defense, which revealed that the motorcyclisyt had actually hit her.
“A lot of people don’t realize that they are one car accident away from losing everything ifthey don’t protect or take care of thei assets,” she said. “In Texas there are a lot of good and easy ways to protec tyour money. Most financial advisers don’t focus on Among the investments Botsford uses are financial instruments such as structured which are designed for either falling orrisingf markets. Botsford has clients in 31 includingMike Miller, a retired entrepreneur, 47, who livex with his wife, Sherri, and nine childrenb in Tennessee. Miller suffered a setbacmk after he pulledabouty $2.
5 million from his Botsford Group portfolio and invested with a who recently was accused of defrauding dozens of clients. the money Miller had left with Botsforxd had grown enough to coverhis family’a living expenses. “Erin is very solid,” he “She looks at where you want to be and how to get you to that She will help you adjusrt your investments to maintain thelifestylew you’re looking for.” While her competitors’ businessesd suffered declines of 20% to 30% from 2007 to Botsford said she lost less than 1% in In 2008, she posteds $4.5 million in revenue and has more than $500 millionb under management.
She believes her company continues to thrivr because of her proactive role in positioning her clients and notactingv “like a deer in the headlights.” “Clients buy confidencee from us in their future,” she “If you didn’t anticipate this you must have been hiding under a Next on her agenda is to hire a new business developmenyt president and pen a book about baby boomers, “a generationn in the balance.
” Her hope is to apply her strategiess for high net-worth individuals to othersx interested in investing in their Even though she had a few more bumps alonfg the way — like the time she won moneyt on “Wheel of invested it and later lost it all Botsford’s story has a happy She married her high school traveled around Europe as an Air Forcse wife, offered real estate seminars to Americans living abroad and finally landed in Dallaws in 1992. Her company employs 16 peopl e and has officesin N.J., and Atlanta, and she’s excite d about its growth possibilities. “We’re in a real positionb of strength,” she said.
“kI want to be a dominant player inthe
Monday, September 19, 2011
Wake Forest nixes plans for uptown tower - Charlotte Business Journal:
yfimuna.wordpress.com
The building, under construction at 550 S. Tryon St., was originally to be known as the Wachoviaa Corporate Center and serve as the new headquarters ofWachoviaa Corp. Those plans changed aftee San Francisco-based bought Wachovia at the endof 2008. The toweer has since been renamed the DukeEnergy “In light of the changer in ownership of Wachovia and changes in the bank’d plans, we have decided to explor other options,” says Steve Reinemund, dean of businesse at Wake Forest. Reinemund didn’t elaborate on why the changde in ownership alteredthe school’ s plans. Wake Forest says it is seekinf atleast 25,000 squares feet for its base of operations in Charlotte.
The facility will houser graduate business classes as well as outreach programs to the Charlottrbusiness community, alumni activities and facultyu research. “The university is committed to continuing to grow its businesas programs in theCharlotte area, and we are exciteds that these plans will also enable us to better serve our Reinemund says. The local operations would move uptowbn from the Morrocroft office complexin SouthPark. Wake Forest’w Babcock Graduate School of Management has offered an MBA program in Charlottesince 1995. Wake a private, liberal arts university, is basef in Winston-Salem.
In February, (NYSE:DUK) said it woulcd take about a third of the spacew in the newuptown tower. The compangy had planned to take 240,000 squard feet of space in the building. But now it will occupy 500,000 square feet, becoming the principal tenan t inthe 1.4 million-square-foott tower. Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) owns both the building and an adjoining culturalcampus that’s also under The cultural campus, with its museums and othe r features, is expected to carry the Wells Farg o name. Wells Fargo Chierf Executive John Stumpf has said the buildinb at the corner of Soutnh Tryon and Stonewall streets remains inthe bank’s pland for Charlotte and will house Wells Fargo employees.
The office tower is schedulex for completionnext spring.
The building, under construction at 550 S. Tryon St., was originally to be known as the Wachoviaa Corporate Center and serve as the new headquarters ofWachoviaa Corp. Those plans changed aftee San Francisco-based bought Wachovia at the endof 2008. The toweer has since been renamed the DukeEnergy “In light of the changer in ownership of Wachovia and changes in the bank’d plans, we have decided to explor other options,” says Steve Reinemund, dean of businesse at Wake Forest. Reinemund didn’t elaborate on why the changde in ownership alteredthe school’ s plans. Wake Forest says it is seekinf atleast 25,000 squares feet for its base of operations in Charlotte.
The facility will houser graduate business classes as well as outreach programs to the Charlottrbusiness community, alumni activities and facultyu research. “The university is committed to continuing to grow its businesas programs in theCharlotte area, and we are exciteds that these plans will also enable us to better serve our Reinemund says. The local operations would move uptowbn from the Morrocroft office complexin SouthPark. Wake Forest’w Babcock Graduate School of Management has offered an MBA program in Charlottesince 1995. Wake a private, liberal arts university, is basef in Winston-Salem.
In February, (NYSE:DUK) said it woulcd take about a third of the spacew in the newuptown tower. The compangy had planned to take 240,000 squard feet of space in the building. But now it will occupy 500,000 square feet, becoming the principal tenan t inthe 1.4 million-square-foott tower. Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) owns both the building and an adjoining culturalcampus that’s also under The cultural campus, with its museums and othe r features, is expected to carry the Wells Farg o name. Wells Fargo Chierf Executive John Stumpf has said the buildinb at the corner of Soutnh Tryon and Stonewall streets remains inthe bank’s pland for Charlotte and will house Wells Fargo employees.
The office tower is schedulex for completionnext spring.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
European leaders still divided on debt crisis - MarketWatch
doqujamup.wordpress.com
Sydney Morning Herald | European leaders still divided on debt crisis MarketWatch By MarketWatch WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) รข€" European leaders made little headway Saturday on resolving a banking crisis that threatens to weaken their economies and spread damage overseas to countries such as the United States. ... Europeans remain divided on bailouts EU countries divided on possible new finance tax EU countries divided on possible new finance tax |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)