Friday, November 30, 2018

Why the NAO probe into BBC PSCs warrants a closer look

An investigation into ‘Ltd’ TV presenters points to an awful mess, with stark long-term implications.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Monday, November 26, 2018

America On The Go – Using Mobile Notary Services

Americans have busy lives and it’s no wonder the country is known as the fast food capital of the world. In fact, many fast food companies got their start in America and later expanded to other regions of the world. One of the reasons for the rapid growth and expansion of these types of restaurants is often the over-stressed, fast-paced life many Americans live.

America On The Go

But in the world of the busy American, there is some good news to ease the stress. Modern technology has brought expediency to many aspects of the lives of Americans. This has been welcome news for people who live their lives on the go. Smartphones, iPads, laptops as well as desktops, has made getting access to so many goods and services just a click away.

Now besides stopping in at the drive-thru for fast food, home delivery of restaurant fast food, through services such as Grub Hub and Uber Eats, has become increasingly popular as well. For many people today, such as busy families, young mothers, business professionals, office workers, and college students, home and office food delivery has become commonplace to help lighten the burden of the hectic life Americans lead.

To help lessen the fatigue of the busy lifestyle even more, there has also been a stark increase of other goods and services that are available for same day delivery, curbside pick-up, or next day delivery. Document delivery, business materials, medical equipment, prescriptions, and even furniture and appliances can often be scheduled for same day delivery to homes and offices. Pharmacies, grocery stores, and some department stores now feature curbside pick-up for orders placed online.

In fact, major retail stores such as Target and most major grocery store chains offer curbside pick-up for orders placed online. Major chain restaurants that typically cater to dine in customers, such as Applebee’s and Chili’s, also offer curbside pick-up.

Other next day delivery services have expanded to reach a wide variety of items for both business and personal use, including furniture, printing services, mail delivery, and more. In fact, we can see the popularity of delivery services even more with the wide reach of the 2-day free shipping for people who buy items with Amazon Prime and Google Express. These services have been a wonderful opportunity for people to lighten their busy load and get what they need with less stress.

Home or Office Mobile Services

Another growing trend is mobile services. As the days of the doctor who went to people’s homes, there is a wide variety of services available for home or office through professional mobile services. This includes care, such as doctor’s, veterinarians and mobile notary services. Each of these are often available for people at their home, office, or place of business.

For people in need of a notary for documents and business transactions, mobile notary services can be a vital service. This can be especially true for business transactions that require a notary on site when restrictions make it difficult to travel to a notary location.

Mobile notary services can offer people preplanned or same day services for:

  • Loan Signings
  • Child Travel Consent Forms
  • Estate Documents
  • Power of Attorneys
  • Medical and Healthcare Directives
  • Medical Power of Attorney
  • Deeds
  • Wills
  • Trusts
  • Mortgage Documents
  • Temporary Custody Affidavits
  • Records,
  • Business and Legal Affidavits
  • Evidence Statements
  • Business Transactions
  • Binding Contracts

Special Considerations for Notary Services

All people who require notary services must be certain to not sign any documents that need notarizing prior to the arrival of the notary and only in the presence of the notary. All signers are required to have a valid up-to-date state or federal photo identification. Employment photo, membership club photo identification cards, and picture ID’s are not acceptable forms of identification for notarized document verifications.

The basic forms of identification for notary services that are accepted include:

  • State-issued Driver’s Licenses from any of the 50 U.S. States or its territories
  • State-issued Identification Card from any of the 50 U.S. States or its territories
  • U.S. Passport issued by the U.S. Department of State
  • U.S. Military Identification Cards
  • State, County, and Local Government Identification Cards
  • Permanent Resident Cards, or “Green Cards” that are issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Depending on the state and its laws they may also accept:

  • Foreign Passport Identification
  • Driver’s Licenses that are officially issued by the governments of Mexico or Canada

Contractors' Questions: How will pay rates via brollies look post-2020?

What might happen to daily fees if using an umbrella is still a bit of an open question.

Hammond admits he was wrong about Loan Charge contractors

Chancellor finally concedes that disguised remuneration scheme users aren’t tax ‘evaders.’

Friday, November 23, 2018

Using Stock Ratings to Create Your Next Career Move

Using stock ratings, you can create your next career move, either within the company you work for or by preparing to work elsewhere.

Metrics

Metrics. That’s a business buzzword. Metrics are the numbers that many live and die by, especially in a big corporation. You probably utilize it in your day-to-day business dealing for the company you work for. But have you ever thought of using the metrics of the stock ratings of the company you work for to look at how the company is doing? This information can show you how the market judges and values the company, and you can make some sound career decisions.

Set the Tone

This can set the tone for a much better working relationship and career by:

  • staying focused on the right priorities
  • communicating
  • avoiding surprises
  • meet deadlines in the right areas

If the company is doing poorly, you can help effect a change to improve your company and thereby become a more valuable employee. If the culture doesn’t support any bottom-up changes, and the worst scenario is that you anticipate the demise of your company, you can start looking for a career move before it surprises you.

If the company is doing well, and you watch stock trends in your industry, you can position yourself within the company for the next big push or move and move up in the company or take a lateral move that would serve you best.

Either way, you are informed and can be proactive. You will have the means within your power to create a more satisfying career.

Although stock ratings are considered part of a powerful suite of investor tools, as an employee, you can use them to stay more informed about the corporation you are working at now, or to investigate the next company you would like to work for.

Stock market reports have a wealth of information that you can use to measure and evaluate growth. You want to be with a company that is not only growing but has a strong return and effective efficiency. You need to monitor the volatility and solvency. This can be done by reviewing the company’s overall ratings.

According to the New York Times, “They [stock ratings] also describe some real and important aspects of the American economy.”

But how do you, as an employee, start to look at stocks ratings to see how they affect your work, your career, and the company you work for? Stock ratings are traditional classifications of “buy, hold and sell.” And in some terms, you are going to buy into your corporate culture and move up in the company, hold where you are, or sell by leaving the corporation for better prospects.

Knowing How to Read the Analysis

In order to understand analyst ratings, it is imperative to gauge their accuracy. Remember, they are a multi-dimensional rating that is created by an analyst. This can be the trickier part. Do you look at something long-term and the decline or incline? Do you look at it daily to see the trend over a shorter period of time than years? Do you look for something that analysts do, such as watching the stocks move to a position of buying? Analysts’ recommendations are the amalgamation of equity research reports.

This is a tool that, in stock purchases or in business career decisions, is not an absolute. You must view it as becoming more informed about the company you work for.

Read and Define For Yourself

It’s imperative that you read each rating definition and understand what the ratings mean. Pay keen attention to the time frame and any percentages the definition offers.

Don’t make a hasty decision given stock analysis and ratings. What may be a red flag to an investor, may mean an opportunity for you to grow within the company.

Spend Time

Spend some time learning about the stock rating system. Look at the long history of your company compared with the mile markers of achievement or bad decisions. Look at other similar companies in your industry. Compare and contrast. Understand this is only one small tool in your career building arsenal.

Umbrella companies for nurses, teachers, and doctors

Why public sector workers are choosing to work through brollies. 

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Contractor's guide to working inside IR35

Three months into the revised IR35 regime for the public sector and there seem to be more contractors caught by the Intermediaries legislation than ever before.

Contracting in Romania – a UK contractor’s overview

Fertile but murky. Treading carefully is a pre-requisite of Bucharest-based contracts.

Contractors, don’t fight IR35 without a substitute

Silver bullet or not, Substitution can still shoot down an IR35 enquiry.

Contractors’ Questions: Will my PSC hiring me as a sole trader nullify IR35?

Another day; another dodge to IR35 (that doesn’t work).

What may lurk behind Hammond calling 2019 Loan Charge contractors ‘evaders’

The chancellor and his Treasury could be blurring the lines intentionally.

Contractors’ Questions: Is paying only dividends as a director an IR35 bypass?

Scrapping your salary doesn’t dodge IR35, because it’s all income which the Revenue reclassifies.

Being in business on your own account: top tips

Five fundamentals to help you stay outside IR35 as a contractor, now and post-2020.

Advantages and disadvantages of a limited company

It's important to consider both the benefits and the downsides when choosing your business structure. 

Treble bad! Bored drummer hits HMRC for ‘rubbish’ hold music

Taxman’s jazzy jingle is so bad it drove a drummer back to business.

Contractors’ Questions: Will I be able to challenge my client’s IR35 status decision?

The 31-day power and a repayment claim are about all PSCs are likely to have to fight with.

Contracting in Romania – a UK contractor’s overview

Fertile but murky. Treading carefully is a pre-requisite of Bucharest-based contracts.

Monday, November 19, 2018

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Friday, November 9, 2018

Growth in IT contractor demand sinks to 21-month low

Budget 2018 bound to behind the blunter IT contractor demand but overall, opportunities are growing.

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Wednesday, November 7, 2018