Is the economy forcing you to change retirement plans?
According to a national survey conducted in April 2008 by Bell Investment Advisors, 25% of affluent 60-year-olds are changing their retirement plans and 40 percent "downsizing" their lifestyles. Before you make drastic changes, however, consider taking a deep breath, getting some advice, and avoid making impulsive decisions which could hurt your future financial situation.

Should your marketing be all a-Twitter?
What is microblogging and what is a cross between a blog, social networking, and instant messaging have to do with your business?

Protect your assets from identity theft
While technology has made many of our tasks in life more convenient, we are also more vulnerable to identity theft now and may need to take precautions to protect ourselves. In some cases, individuals may actually pose as employers or landlords in order to get information. Here are some tips to protect yourself.

Stimulus checks are working...in the porn industry
AIMRCo, the adult market research company, discovered a 20-30% growth in membership rates since mid-May when the government stimulus checks were mailed. Could this be similar to the growth in the movie industry during the Depression, where people found escapism in porn and its accoutrements?

Not to be overlooked: the franchise agreement
Those of you who are franchisees pay close attention! Have you developed a succession plan for your business? Does your succession plan take into consideration the specifics of your franchise agreement? If not, I suggest you shake the dust off of the agreement and find out what to do next.

6 must-haves for every retail website
You already know the basics: search, browse, product detail pages, easy cart and checkout, and good usability standards, but what else must you have to not only stay afloat, but stay competitive? Here are the 5 techniques an industry expert suggests deploying next, plus one additional our team added...

Personalizing through laughter
When a company reduces its cost per lead from $1,500 to $100, what does that campaign look like?

Holiday gifts for clients
It's not too early to start thinking about the holidays with corporate gift giving posing a challenge to your reputation and brand. You want your clients to receive a gift that reaches out to them, leaves a memorable impression, all the while staying within the parameters of appropriateness...

Ups and downs of using convenience checks
With the way the economy is, convenience checks might be the only way to keep your small business running. Find out the pros and cons of using them and how to navigate the waters.

Selling your strengths: cookie cutters be gone
On one end of the spectrum, people in sales are thought of as overbearing, aggressive and pushy while on the other, they are considered gregarious and demonstrative with "bigger than life" personalities. But these definitions are limiting, and even inaccurate, if you think about what good selling really is.

New recruitment tools: post-monster.com generation
For all intents and purposes, whether we like it or not, the world today operates online. With the plethora of job boards available, are you seeking employees, and posting jobs, where people are congregating today?

Email vs. print ROI: moving the goalposts?
Did you know that e-mail is used primarily by 35% of companies, compared to 25% which use traditional direct mail, and 21% who use package, statement stuffers or free standing inserts? The issue is now cost versus speed...

What do the terms "opt-in" and "double opt-in" mean?
When it comes to your email list, these are two terms your should know well.

No boundaries and no escape
Help! I work for my father-in-law in a second-generation family business and I am suffering from a lack of privacy and autonomy with my own growing family. It's hard enough dealing with in-laws and I don't want to say or do anything that will jeopardize this relationship, as our financial and career security is at risk. They seem to know everything we are doing – day and night – what do we do?