Browsing posts in: Uncategorized

Three Must-Have Business Apps

In a technological world inundated with more apps than a single person could ever download in their lifetime, it is of utmost importance to know immediately the apps that offer the most benefit for your business. After putting many apps to the test, three stood out as the strongest and most versatile. In such a quickly evolving world, having the best app can set you ahead of the curve.

Evernote
Evernote, as the name implies, is an advanced note taker and tracker. It syncs across multiple platforms and can be used to house important files, images, audio, and other multimedia. It can be shared with colleagues and clients, facilitating project planning and brainstorming. With its cloud save, these notes can be accessed from anywhere at any time. Its versatility and clean design make this one a no brainer when it comes to staying organized and connecting with others.

FreshShifts
Employee scheduling, in the past, used to take the better part of a week. Paid time off, hourly distribution, and employee synergy had to be taken into account by a single person. FreshShift revolutionizes this process by taking your data and utilizing it to schedule for you. All you have to do is add the parameters and a schedule is created. By preventing any more wasted time, you will now be free to catch up with work or take on ambitious projects to push the company forward.

Expensify
Aside from the frustration of keeping numerous receipts together and writing on each one what is was for so that you have a complete monthly expense report to hand in, physical tracking of these purchases is antiquated and introduces more error than is necessary. Expensify cleans up the process by immediately allowing you to scan receipts and take note of expenses when they happen. This information is then available across all platforms with permission to access it. Imagine just how much you could get done without having to spend an afternoon hunting down receipts or credit card statements.

In today’s rapidly evolving market, the tools used need to evolve just as quickly. Now that digital integration is compliant among all machines and systems, it’s time to harness the power of these apps. All three reduce wasted time, improve efficiency, and allow you to pursue the goals that you would otherwise not have time for. Grow your technology to grow your business.


Canadian Life Insurance Plans – Which one is for you?

With so many insurance policies vying for your attention, it can be hard to choose one that fits your needs the best. Here are some of the most common in Canada –

Permanent Life Insurance

A permanent life insurance policy will have you covered till the policy matures. You can choose this policy as long as you are prepared to pay the premiums when you are required to. The country offers the following types of permanent life insurance policies –

  1. Limited Pay
  2. Whole Life
  3. Universal Life

Term Life Insurance

As the name implies term life insurance policies are designed to provide protection for short term needs. This also makes it the simplest form of life insurance policy available. The premiums from your term life insurance policy might start off low. However, they will mature as you grow old.

Short term policies like these are perfect for individuals who have debts to pay or need to resolve financial emergencies. This is because term life insurance offers a range of perks for fewer premiums. Your chosen policy can last you for as much as 10 to thirty years.

Whole Life Coverage

This policy is for life provided that the insured pays premiums on time. The policy also allows loans and provides participating whole life coverage. These policies can also be non-participating.

Universal Life Insurance

This particular type of life insurance policy provides –

  • Level death benefits
  • Level cost of insurance
  • Increasing death benefits

Universal life policy holders are also allowed to change their options according to their specific requirements.

What you can do

Life insurance policies are one of the most important aspects of any financial plan. However, most Canadians have trouble figuring out the type of insurance policy that will serve their interests the best. If you happen to be one of them, its best that you ask yourself the following questions before you commit to any policy –

How much insurance will I need if I have children?

If you have kids, your chosen life insurance policy should acknowledge the following expenses –

  • Clothes
  • Food
  • Personal care such as medical expenses
  • Expenses that are related to education such as school supplies
  • Housing

Which insurance company offers the best policies?

The best way to find that out is to check your chosen life insurance company’s ratings. This will give you a fairly good idea about its financial success. While some insurance companies offer their ratings for free others might charge for it.

Which life insurance policy suits my particular needs the best?

If your needs are for the short term, a term life insurance should suit your needs the best. Analyze the policies mentioned above while keeping your needs in mind. Do you see yourself paying for more kids in the not so distant future? It’s best that you plan these things out before you commit to any one policy.


Assessing One’s Financial Situation Objectively

1
Many people complain about their burdening debt or low income in a way that makes it obvious that they need help with their finances. But when they are confronted about their spending habits or asked about how much they save per month, they shy away from the questions. It seems that in order to help people out of their money problem, they must first admit that they have a problem in the first place.

It’s hard to admit that there’s a problem because it leads to questions about what happens in the future. If an employee loses his job, how many months can he survive on his savings? what if his loan doesn’t get approved? What if his loan defaults? These are questions not a lot people will want to face.

On the other hand, there are questions that can wake the person up to his strengths. What are his biggest assets? What are his qualifications? What’s the market value of his home and car? These will help the person realize that he actually has more in his life than he previously thought.

Once he has admitted his financial faults and is considering help, this would be a good time to approach friends and family. Many of them won’t be bothered to help, but even a few can help the person get by a few months. There will be many more months of reassessments and tough financial decisions, but all of these come with the territory of assessing the employee’s financial standing.


Finding The Best Deals On Apartments

An apartment isn’t just a four corners and a roof over one’s head. It’s the home where one goes to relax and prepare for the next day. A small place is fine for basic things, but in order to grow both as a person and financially, some effort must go into finding a good apartment that suits the person perfectly.

Most people will just go with the first unit they find. They might luck out on the monthly fee, but more often than not they’re paying for too much at one time. It’s better to spend a few hours each day going through the classified ads, or through online listings. It’s also important to list down potential apartments as those listings can get lost amongst all the other display units.

Once a list has been made, it’s time to update the renter’s resume. This isn’t necessary for most landlords, but it makes the applicant unique and answers most questions that landlords will ask. This step can already put the applicant ahead of everyone else.

One apartment application isn’t enough however as there’s always a chance that there’s a better applicant suited to the unit, so it’s best to apply to three or four places at one time. The applicant will then have the luxury of choosing the unit that suits him best.


Updating Life Insurance Policies For More Benefits

Shopping for life insurance policies can be a mind numbing experience for those not familiar with the terminologies used. A lot of people will stop bothering with all of the technicalities once they’ve chosen a policy provider and they’ve started paying the monthly fees. This shouldn’t be the case as better policies and benefits might be offered every few years.

3

Before anything else, it’s wise to look at how much an individual really needs for life insurance. Some policies pay out in terms of the holder’s annual salary. Thus, a family might receiver two or three times the amount that the policy holder earns per year. This might seem a lot, but it will depend on a family’s monthly expenditures.

Many families don’t bother doing the math on how much they need should their primary income earner suddenly pass away. The idea of calculating the possible needs of their children after their death sounds too morbid, so they put it off and just go with the most convenient plan. This is understandable, but the parents should sit down and discuss just how much they’ll need on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

There are also bigger expenditures to think about like higher education. There should also be enough room left for emergencies such as expensive medical procedures. These things are worth taking some time to consider, so if there’s a possible expenditure that the policyholder is thinking about, it’s best to consult with his insurance company.