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Hands up if you’ve got your tax act together! What? No hands up? Well then, grab a seat and listen up!

The State and Federal governments have set up certain due dates for filing or e-filing your taxes. To some, understanding taxes and meeting tax deadlines is the first among many horrifying aspects of filing tax returns. But once you understand when and what needs to be filed, it will be the first big step you’ve taken towards de-horrifying the process of tax filing and returns.

April 15th is a big date to remember. Not only must you file your taxes by this day but you also need to pay an estimate of any taxes due. 11.59 pm on that day is the deadline. Miss that and you’ll need to request an extension from the IRS. And even if you do request an extension, remember you still need to pay the taxes you owe.

In addition to that big date, there are several due dates to keep in mind depending on your status – whether you’re individual tax payer, a business (S corporation, C Corporation or LLC) or a charity. The infographic below will help you keep a track of those dates. Remember, if a filing date falls on a weekend or a national holiday, the date will be moved forward to the next working day. It’s important not to miss these dates because if there’s one thing you don’t want, is the IRS on your back, right?

What happens if you don’t meet the deadline?

Brace yourself! This is the next horrifying part of filing taxes. A lot. A lot of bad things can happen if you don’t meet that deadline. For one thing, the fee for not filing is a lot harsher than it is for late filing. In addition, there are penalties which you can check out on the IRS website.

What Not to Forget

You’d be surprised at the common mistakes people make when filing their taxes. Before you send those papers to the IRS double check whether you’ve:

• Put a stamp on the envelope
• Signed the documents (Don’t laugh. It happens more often than you’d think)
• Included the social security numbers of their children and adult dependents
• Annual limits and tax tables can change from year to year. Make sure you’re using the right.

If you run a small business, there’s a never-ending string of dates that you have to keep in mind. Make entries in your PDAs, your laptop and any other devices you use to keep your appointments to help you stay on top of things.

What to Remember

Remember to take advantage of tax deductions. These may change from year to year as well and I sometimes suspect it is in the IRS’s best interests to confuse us folks! It may help to hire professional accounting firms whose job it is to prepare and file your returns while maximizing your earnings. Firms, like 1800accountant, designate a personal accountant to your case and offer 24/7 access the whole year round. It’s worth looking into such services and enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’ve got your taxes taken care of and managed to make some tax savings. Now that’s what I’m talking about. 🙂

Car title loans are a viable option for people who need money fast. This type of secured loan is convenient and easy to obtain. All you have to do is to use your car title as collateral. Even those with bad credit or no credit history at all can qualify for these short term loans. Most lenders require customers to pay off their debt within one month. If the borrower is unable to pay, the lender can repossess his vehicle.

In general, customers who apply for auto title loans receive $500 to $25,000. How much money you will get depends on the value of your car as well as on the lender. LoanMart’s online auto title loans are flexible and easy to qualify for. The application process takes only a few minutes. Borrowers must provide a valid driver’s license, a copy of the auto title, proof of income, and contact information. If your application is approved, you will receive the money within one hour.

When you apply for a car title loan, the lender won’t check your credit or ask you to prove employment. As long as you have a steady source of income and a car, you will get the funds needed. The best part is that you get to keep the car and still drive it while you have the loan out. It’s no wonder why these loans are so popular among customers. If you’re too busy to go to a title loan shop, you can submit your application online.

If you are the leader of a business, you’d like to always hope that your staff come to work day-in-day-out ready for action. You and I both know this isn’t the case; your employees are not robots and even the most self-driven employees need a little motivational nudge from time to time. Money is always a nice incentive, but money isn’t everything if your workplace is an unpleasant environment. Here are some ways to motivate your employees through creating a positive place to work.

Support new ideas

Employers often see a worker coming to them with an issue as them complaining and shut them down before they’ve even begun to explain. This mentality needs to stop. If an employee comes to you with an idea or solution to a problem they believe is hindering the company, it means that they care about the direction of the company. Supporting their new idea and letting them run with it is motivating in itself, regardless of whether it works out in the end.

Break up the monotony

They call it three-thirtyitis for a reason. Almost every employee feels a bit lazier in the afternoon not to mention sitting at a desk all day is incredibly tiring. So how do you excite everyone (besides coffee of course)? There are a couple of ways to induce a sense of liveliness, and one of them is to have a ten minute yoga break. Just ten minutes, everyone gets up, and does yoga together. It will clear their mind and create a culture that people will love. Other ideas include hosting a bake-off, happy hour to work on a creative project, or a push up contest.

Celebrate Milestones

Celebrating birthdays and company anniversaries never gets old, it brings your team together acknowledging milestones in the form of a celebration reminds them that the hard work they are putting in is paying off and is being acknowledged.

Keep Them Informed

CEO’s generally have a clearer picture of the in’s and out’s of their business, including when you are going through hard times or when new products are in the pipeline. It pays to keep the people below you in the loop with what’s happening right throughout the company as it makes them feel as though they are an integral part of the organization.

Give Credit Where Credit is Due

Even though your employees have appointed tasks, it’s still an accomplishment if they finish it on time and at a high standard. While you expect them to complete these projects, don’t forget to recognise their hard work by giving them a compliment or shouting them out on an awesome job to the rest of the company.

Act on Feedback

Someone’s come to you asking for improved lunchroom facilities or a second monitor to complete big tasks. Make sure you make every effort possible to go out of your way and meet their needs. However don’t mistake this for wants – not every employee needs a Playstation, X-Box and Wii at their disposal in the lunch room.

Encourage Further Training

Times are always changing, and if you’re employees skills are becoming outdated, ensure that they have every opportunity to learn and grow. This might be through a training program like http://axcelerate.com.au/, upgraded technology or through attending industry conferences. Not only will it motivate them, but it will benefit the company moving forward.

Keep it light amongst the seriousness

No one can be serious all day, it hinders creativity and makes your workers feel as though they’ve just attended a funeral. Encourage laughter, organise themed days, or use gags/gimmicks to inspire performance increases. The sillier the better, so you may give someone a plastic phonograph for setting a new company record, or a kids drum for the person that drums up the most business.

Are you a manager? How do you keep your employees motivated? Tell us your tips in the comments below.

The commonly held perception of retirement living is rapidly changing. No longer are older adults settling down after leaving the workforce. Today’s retirees are more focused on active living, whether in the form of exercise, volunteering or picking up a new skill. These new trends will certainly have an impact on the financial strategies of the nearly 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 each day. Here’s a look at how the latest generation of retirees plan on spending their golden years.

A sustained bull market has equity investors anticipating a lucrative 2014. A weak dollar and low interest rates are among several factors that bode well for corporate profits in the New Year.

With a low dollar, export driven companies can expand into overseas markets by competitively pricing their products. To raise money, companies can issue low coupon bonds that easily exceed the yields of low risk treasuries. Robust venture capital has non-traditional borrowers turning to Elliott Broidy and other financiers for needed capital.

The past several years have seen many investors chase returns and buy securities with the strongest short term performance. As a result, many investor portfolios have grown to reflect the broader market.

Fortunately, there are convenient ways to reduce the risk of a portfolio that moves in lockstep with equity markets. Beyond hedging, these investments may be suitable as mainstays in your portfolio.

Below are some strategies to consider:

Intermediate Bonds:

Low yields are posing challenges for income investors. Risk free treasuries offer safety but little income. The rock bottom treasury yields make it affordable for non-government bonds to compensate investors for added risk. Investors should also have perspective on the impact of interest rates rising in the future.

Bond maturities of 3 to 10 years offer an attractive hedge for several reasons. These bonds add negative correlation by mostly moving in different directions from the broader market. Intermediate maturities are also attractive when there is uncertainty about interest rates.

It is unlikely that short term rates determined by the Federal Reserve will head any lower. Similarly, when and if rates will rise is also uncertain. Intermediate bonds allow you to earn yield above that of shorter maturities, without the interest rate risk of long term debt, which would be battered by rate hikes.

For most investors, mutual funds are a convenient way to buy intermediate bonds. You should review the credit quality and interest rate sensitivity of bond mutual funds through Morningstar or Bloomberg.

Depending on your risk tolerance and income needs, international bond funds may also be an option. If you plan to draw income, interest payments from stronger currencies will be increased when converting into dollars.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs):

Do you want real estate exposure without the hassles and expense of owning investment property? You should consider exchange traded REITs as an affordable and liquid alternative.

These publicly traded securities are required by the IRS to pay out 90% of taxable income to shareholders. Income starved investors appreciate that many REITs currently feature yields over 6%, with some international options paying double digit yields.

Real estate is a volatile asset class that often moves separately from equity markets. However, the cash, financing and time needed is beyond smaller investors. Unlike owning real estate, REIT shares can be easily bought and sold. You can quickly take and unwind positions as investment goals or real estate markets change.

REITs also allow you to capitalize on demographic trends such as an aging population or healthcare laws. Investing in REITs that specialize in elderly care facilities or geographic regions with thriving real estate markets are examples of this.

To soften volatility, you may choose hybrid REITs that collect rent payments and also earn mortgage interest. With lending and rental revenue, a hybrid REIT is more poised to benefit from different real estate trends.

Low cost and the ability to diversify make ETFs or mutual funds suitable for most REIT investors. International REITs give you access to overseas property markets. Similar to overseas fixed income, dividend payments from foreign REITs may be increased in dollar terms. Your currency adjusted returns could also be higher during times of dollar weakness.

Summary:

Portfolio rebalancing can include adding small doses of volatility to reduce the overall risk in your portfolio.

By considering the impact of a bull market on sector weights, market cap and asset exposure; you gain better perspective for changing conditions.