yourmoney | ezine
yourmoney | ezine
YOUR MONEY INSIG H T S
Lucky Number 7: Microsoft tries to regain investor confidence with new release Andre Burnett - Your Money Reporter
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Earlier this year during a presentation on malaria, former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates released a swarm of mosquitoes onto his unsuspecting audience to emphasize his point. One writer quipped afterwards, “It could have been worse, he could have unleashed another version of Windows Vista”. This is the predicament that the software and operating system(OS) giant finds itself in; being market leaders but severely lacking consumer confidence in its products and hence its financial stability.
responsibility on this new software and also on the shoulders of Steve Ballmer. The announcement that Windows 7 can be installed on older machines was a very important one as it indicated that large corporate companies could upgrade software without overhauling hardware. This is big news as companies, although aware of the impending bounce back are still very wary about excess spending. After companies and consumers alike rejected Windows Vista the situation is now blood simple; If the new operating system performs well then that will be reflected in the performance of the stock…if not then there will be more analysts calling for Steve Ballmer’s head. Steve Ballmer - CEO of Microsoft
Microsoft has pretty much been Gulliver among Lilliputians when it comes to operating systems since the release of its Windows 95 system and its suite of Microsoft developed software. Since then Microsoft have had their share of hits and misses when it comes to their OS releases causing the savvier of computer users to find alternatives. The release of Windows Vista in 2007, two years after its announced release date, severely damaged the company’s image as the product was poorly received allowing competitors such as Apple to make small gains in the fight for market share. D-Day is October 22, 2009 and this is the day that Microsoft has to prove that it can rise above being great punch lines in Apple ads and regain its investor confidence. It is also the day that Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO since 2000 proves that he can rise above the Vista bust and regain his shareholders’ confidence. D-Day is the release of the much touted Windows 7 and much lies in the balance. The effects of the global economic crisis coupled with the woeful performance of Windows Vista had driven Microsoft stock to unprecedented lows earlier this year. Now with the prospect of increased revenue generated from the release of Windows 7, Microsoft Stock has been trending upwards recently resting a lot of
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1 Year Anniversary Celebration
ARE YOU A DEDICATED READER OF YOUR MONEY ? NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN BIG!!!!! WE WILL BE ASKING SOME SIMPLE QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR PRODUCT (YOUR MONEY) & 3 LUCKY READERS WILL GET A CHANCE TO WIN THE FOLLOWING:
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yourmoney | ezine
Pa nCa ri b be a n L e a rning Center
Managing Your Finances in Harsh Economic Times Provided by PanCaribbean Proper management of your finances is an important activity that can help you to survive the current economic crunch. There are several ways that you can get the most out of your income, capitalize on financial opportunities and preserve your existing funds.
Here are some: Make sacrifices. Forego some usual entertainment and luxury activities. Assess your current financial situation and develop a recovery plan if necessary. Never operate without a monthly budget. Avoid emotional and impulsive purchases. Go to places that offer better value for money. Shop around and compare prices. E liminate recurring expenditure that is non-essential. Yearly financial plans are excellent roadmaps. Develop one and stick to it. Open a compulsory savings account and stick with the required payments. Understand your spending habits, eliminating expensive ones where possible. Reduce expenses by conserving on utilities and other essentials. Follow the first rule of wealth creation: pay yourself first Identify cost-saving alternatives where possible. Notify creditors early where payments will be late to avoid penalty payments Avoid borrowing for consumption where possible Never spend more than you earn Credit cards should be used responsibly. Clear outstanding balances each month. Eliminate unnecessary expenses in your budget Start planning early for lifetime goals such as Housing, Education and Retirement Good financial planning starts with good money management. Banking products and services such as high-interest savings accounts, certificate of deposits and foreign currency accounts are available to help you manage your finances. Speak to your bank and start managing your money today! Once you have accumulated excess funds that exceed your day to day expenses, ensure that you maximize the return on them by investing them in higher-yielding products. There are several investment products such as Repurchase Agreements, Bonds, Stocks and Unit Trust Funds available to help you maximize the return on your investment and achieve your long term goals. Speak to your investment advisor about the investment that’s right for you!
Mind Your Business
6 Tips to Using Stock Photography Provided by Gail’s Graphic Designs
Are you a new business that is looking to create a website, brochure, or produce other forms of marketing materials? If you’re not, you should be and one important thing you will need is photos. Here are some tips.
1. Endless Choices and Professional Quality
Amateur photos never look as nice as the professional ones. Consider red eyes on your models or problems with inconsistent focus. These are small errors that occur often, but with stock photos, you can have flawless images without the worry or the need to turn yourself into a photo editor. Stock photography offers anything you can imagine in a photograph with millions of choices. Many websites are available that offer stock photos. Photos.com, iStockphoto.com, Jupiter Images and Getty Images are just a few of the popular sites that are worth looking into. Logo Design Guru also offers free access to stock photos included in all of our web and brochure package options. It both makes the creative process easier and more convenient.
person’s likeness for marketing, advertising or artwork purposes. The law protects a person’s right to privacy, even when the person is in public eye. Most stock photo sites have taken care of this for you, so that once you purchase the photo, you have purchased that permission as well.
6. Costs for Stock Photo Options
2. Image Overuse
The option of stock photography is a great way of saving on marketing costs. Although hiring a photographer will give you more control over what you want, photographers can be very costly. Stock photos can vary in prices depending on how they are sold. Some sites offer monthly or yearly subscriptions and others can charge by individual photos or photo quality or size. Depending on how often your company requires photo use, you can play around with the options and settle on something that works best for you.
3. Does Your Stock Photo Look Staged?
……………………………………………………… Based in New York, Gail’s Graphic Designs offers a broad spectrum of creative design and communication solutions to assist in the marketing of your small business. Contact Gail Lewis at glewis@gailsdtp.com or visit Gail’s Graphic Designs at www.gailsdtp.com. Contributing writer Joe Witte
Stock photo sites do have a ton of variety, but keep in mind; if they are available to you, then they are available to everyone else as well. When using stock photos, you often run the risk of using repeats. Standing out is important, therefore if you see the same photo all the time, the power and effectiveness of the image is lost.
It’s true that people in general have very short attention spans and most of the time, plain text on a page is not going to keep someone’s interest. Photos nicely break up the space and draw more attention to the content, even if=2 0the image is something simple, such as a random, smiling person. These types of photos can work well, but beware of the obviously staged image. If an image is too generic, it is clear that it’s a stock photo. This staged look doesn’t appear natural and can give off a bad impression.
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4. Avoiding Copyright Infringement
Often people think that if an image appears on the web, it’s free for the taking. This is unfortunately not true at all. Similar to pieces of music or artwork, photographs are often copyrighted and snatching them up from someone else’s site is breaking the law and can have unpleasant consequences. Images from free sites may also be copyrighted and you may be using them unknowingly. Some photo companies use search software to track their images and can tell if you are using them illegally. Stock photography eliminates this fear. Once you purchase an image, you are purchasing the rights to use it as well. It does cost money, but it is an invest ment that is well worth it and is law abiding.
5. Model Release Required
A great advantage of stock photo use is reducing the worry of model release. A model release is a signed form, which allows a photographer and the end user to have full permission to use a
yourmoney | ezine
BUSINESS LOUN G E
The Caribbean Exchange Network,
creating a more regional capital market Andre Burnett - Your Money Reporter
A
fter spending a number of years caught in the purgatory between conceptualization, development and implementation, the Caribbean Exchange Network (CXN) is ready to be implemented and expected to be fully functional before the end of 2009. The CXN is a coordinated electronic trading platform which incorporates the respective stock exchanges of Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados. The initiative will seek to enhance the attractiveness of the Caribbean to outside investors as well as provide means for companies to increase their share capacity. The CXN was formally re-announced recently by General Manager of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Marlene Street-Forrest and represents the culmination of years of work to create a platform where companies from the three countries could seek additional input that they would not have had access to before. The combination of three different stock exchanges is an exciting prospect provided that the differences in currency and culture do not clash. One of the biggest benefits touted by the implementers of the exchange is that of the new ability to source investment from large overseas pension funds based in the US and other areas in the world. With a grouping of the exchanges it will be possible to increase trading volume and liquidity in the markets of the three countries and promote economic growth. In terms of Jamaican companies that are looking to raise capital for expansion of their enterprise, the CXN represents a new realm of prospects. Where as investors for a listed company would more than likely come from within the country of that company, the CXN allows for a larger pool of investors to take invest and grow companies around the region.
Sure, there are problems that are bound to arise from this undertaking; communication issues, currency issues but the general feeling is that these issues, once worked out should do a lot more good than harm for the well being of our respective economies.
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With the recent announcement of the implementation of a Jamaican Junior Stock Exchange, the allure of the CXN becomes more evident. With smaller companies benefitting from listing on the Junior Stock Exchange, larger companies might find it more profitable to ply their trade on the CXN thus allowing a sort of progression for the companies of the region to subscribe to. Within that progression there is also the prospect of more successful public offerings for Jamaican companies as the aforementioned pool of investors should offer fighting chances for companies that decide to take that route.
yourmoney | ezine
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