Economy and finances

Stimulus Package Has Temporary Rules for Expensing, Depreciation If the tax rebate checks from the IRS to millions of American consumers to help pump up the economy weren’t enough for you, the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 contained other favorable provisions that will benefit small business. It appears that the government wants to inspire businesses to spend freely, too. But the time to act is now. Congress wanted to ensure that the legislation would stimulate the economy as quickly as possible, so these provisions come with expiration dates (as do so many these days). Expensing Enhanced Up to $250,000 of the cost of equipment or property purchased and put to work in the 2008 tax year can be deducted on a firm’s fiscal 2008 tax return. This is twice the amount that could be expensed in 2007. The threshold for a deduction was raised to $800,000 from the former $512,000 limit. This means that if the cost of the qualified property is more than $800,000, the ability to deduc

Tip #1:  Don't be misled by the rosy economic forecasts spewing from the mainstream media. Consider the fact; they were totally BLINDSIDED by the Crash of 2008, not to mention the 1987 and the 2000 crashes! Tip #2:  Avoid the Financial Clutter This tip is difficult to practice, simply because people are always giving you “financial advice”.   First, avoid following the masses:   If most people are jumping into an investment, then it probably is time to get out of that investment.  You don’t want to be that person holding the rotten egg! A good warning sign on “when to get out” is when you hear your friends and neighbors talking about how good an investment is. Especially if you are getting “investment advice” from people who have no business acting as if they are experts. Warren Buffett, the wisest investor of our era, stated, “Most people get interested in stocks when everyone else is. The time to get interested is when no one else is. You can’t buy what is popular and do well.”

How does the average consumer, looking for a qualified investigative vendor, know which one to choose? Is the answer found in the price, marketing materials or the sales person? The truth is you have to become the investigator, do your homework and ask some tough questions. There are good and bad investigators and investigative agencies across the country and across the globe. There are unscrupulous investigative and surveillance companies that will tell you anything you want to hear to get your case. The agency owner or license holder might have a stellar resume, published numerous books on an investigative topic, or claim to have vast investigative and surveillance experience at the "local", "federal" or "global" level. Most of this "hype" marketing has no direct bearing on the quality and craftsmanship of the agency's video, reports or personnel. Promises of low prices, official looking paperwork, profound statements, quotes from "sat

We understand that choosing an investigative / surveillance vendor is a difficult, confusing, time consuming and expensive task. Marketing campaigns and smooth talking sales people do not always make a good investigative or surveillance agencies. Results, not words or marketing, equal results. It's time to start asking detailed questions to get detailed answers. Some questions should include; "Is our current search for answers, leaving us disappointed?" "Are we receiving more questions than answers?" "Is our current vendor list compiled and handled by someone with a back ground in conducting investigations and surveillance?" "Does anyone on out team feel alienated without being able to make their own decisions?" "Does anyone on our team decide not to utilize this valuable tool, because they feel the current vendors are incapable of getting any results?" If you have answered yes to any of these questions, the time is now to take a

We live in a litigious society; companies and the general public must take preventive measures to protect themselves, their companies and their families against legal and other attacks.  This is especially true in the business area concerning hiring practices. To assist our corporate clients, and prospective clients, we have touched here on some questions that arise regarding negligent hiring, positions requiring background verifications, establishing a policy, thoroughness of searches, and cost associates with background searches. Companies must be concerned with the consequences of not conducting adequate background searches on new and current employees alike. As the number and severity of negligent hiring judgments rise, it becomes incumbent on each Human Resource Manager or Loss Prevention Manager to take all steps necessary to protect the company and its assets. A comprehensive background verification conducted by  Bauer Risk Management  will eliminate many of the uncertainti

There are estimates that insurance fraud costs exceed $150 billion dollars per year.  Most companies don't realize how to detect, deter of fight insurance fraud, or they rely on an insurance provider to handle the burden. By corporate or Insurance companies under investing in the investigative process, you loose three times more than what they could ever spend investigating and prosecuting this crime.  Fraud's negative image can also have an effect on the media and consequently shareholders.  This in turn erodes the "strong" exterior employee focus of the company, so it's continuously hidden and goes unreported or is under reported by management. Too often surveillance is utilized as the only investigative means by the Insurance industry to determine the validity of a claim.   R. Bauer & Associates  has proven that there are many facets to determine if the claim is false or exaggerated. Our extensive history fighting fraud and deception has proven that fr

R. Bauer & Associates  specializes in surveillance (IE: covert mobile, stationary and foot video surveillance). Documentation through the use of videotape evidence is the  ONLY  way to validate truth. Our operatives are trained and continuously tested to ensure we get results.  We constantly train and strive for proper identification of the subject and determine early on the subject's pattern of behavior .  We then conduct surveillance in 3 to 4 or 8 to12 hour sessions over several days to maximize our coverage and clients budget. We don't believe in "sitting" in one location without justification or when nothing is being observed. Observing and documenting through the use of video tape evidence, without being discovered, is the most effective tools used today by insurance companies, law firms and their business clientele. purposed of gathering information. A competent, well planned, and well executed surveillance is vital when gathering evidence during an in

Even if you are not in the best of health, life insurance coverage at a reasonable cost is possible. Welcome to the unpredictable world of insurance. The better known companies prefer those in excellent to  moderate health. If there's a health problem or problems in your medical history that raises red flags to most life  insurance companies. Finding low cost life insurance is not always an easy task. However, there are Life insurance  agents who can help people with health problems get the life insurance they need. Some life insurance companies may specialize in insuring those with specific medical problems. Those with  cancer, for example, may be able to get life insurance coverage. There are some factors to consider when talking  with a life insurance advisor. The factors can be how long the person has been having the health problems and  what they are doing to combat it, like medications that taken. The Life Insurance Group can give you an informative reassurance that even peop

If you do not know where to start when it comes to shopping for a life insurance policy, you are not alone. There are so many options and prices, making the task of shopping for a life insurance policy intimidating. You want to be sure you get the right policy and pay the right premiums, so get some help andconsult an expert before you make a decision. Can an Agent Help? Before you call an 800 number to get your life insurance policy through a television commercial, consider talking to an insurance professional. We do not use the word “PROFESSIONAL” lightly. Make sure you are talking to a licensed life insurance agent who has years of experience, and your best interest at heart. Even if you do decide in the end to go with a policy somewhere else, you can get valuable information through the expertise offered by an agent. They will help you to decide how much coverage you need and what type of policy is best. They can explain to you all the rules and procedures involved in obtaining yo

There have been many changes in the financial world in recent years that have significantly impacted the retirement “nest eggs” of maturing Americans. For some, the impact was minimal… however, for others the impact has been devastating. Can you possibly imagine…all that you have worked for your entire life, now lost almost as quickly as someone flipping a light switch? What happens now in those so-called “Golden Years”? Needless to say, those years will most likely be severely tarnished and a new plan would need to be worked out. You may have experienced this yourself or surely knew someone who had…I’ve certainly seen it happen. The questions that immediately come to mind are: - Is there a way to protect your “Golden Years”? - Is there a way to make sure that you decide what happens to the money you’ve worked so hard for and saved your entire life? - Is there a way to grow your retirement accounts without always having to risk the principal? The answer is in short,

Permenant or Whole Life Insurance - premiums are higher initially however, unlike term they never increase as long as you keep paying them and these can also be used to set up your own personal pension fund. Mortgage Protection Term Life Insurance - also applies to second mortgages has special riders geared for protecting your life insurance premium payment or providing income if only disabled or if you become unemployed. Term Life Insurance:  The least expensive form of Life Insurance as long as you are fairly young and healthy. You can purchase fairly large amounts of coverage for not a lot of money. Premiums can be level for up to 30 years. Or you can buy different policies for different amounts and terms to cover different things. For example if you have small children you would want extra coverage for income replacement for your spouse while they are young but not once they grow up and leave home so 10-20 year term might be good here. If you have a mortgage we can write term polic

As an Independent Agent I am NOT employed exclusively by any one life or health insurance carrier.  Because I am not tied to a particular carrier I am able to offer you products from several sources and most major life and health insurance carriers. This gives you more options for pricing, companies and products.  Not being exclusive to any one carrier means I don’t have any particular product of the month or sales quotas to meet.  I am able to take my time and get to know what is really best for my clients. You work hard to provide for your loved ones, protecting them from unexpected tragedy shouldn't break the bank and I know that sometimes you have to make tough decision about how to budget limited resources so it is very important to be informed before you purchase.  My philosophy is simple: today’s consumer is marketed to death. Therefore I prefer to consult with and educate not “hard sell” to clients.  My aim is to help clients understand their needs, goals and objectives as