Helping Women Succeed in Business

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This is a fantastic organization.  Women all over the country have entrepreneurial ideas and dreams.  But many are lacking the money and the experience to go after their dreams.  This organization has a great system in place to help women without a lot of money to make money through their own business…

Known as a “kitchen incubator,” La Cocina (la-koh-SEE-nuh) is a shared-use space created two years ago to provide a platform for women entrepreneurs without assets. Offering a low hourly rate for access to 2,200 square feet of restaurant-quality kitchen space, the nonprofit La Cocina also provides training from high-profile mentors and technical assistance on creating business plans and building marketing programs.

“There’s an entrepreneurial gene,” said Valeria Perez Ferreiro, executive director of La Cocina. “And we are finding amazing entrepreneurs who are already cooking or have a product that is so promising that it deserves to be seen in the market and that we think has a chance for success.”

Ms. Salazar, 32, was one of the first participants in La Cocina and is one of its bigger successes. Her company, El Huarache Loco, makes traditional foods from Mexico City.

Working with intensity, she needed to produce 700 of her trademark huaraches, the bean-filled cakes, for her weekly booth at a farmer’s market and hundreds more for Carnaval San Francisco festivities over Memorial Day weekend. She also prepared fish and shrimp ceviche as an employee stirred 30 gallons of carnitas in a brazing skillet for a catering job for 100 people.

“I come here to learn all the business, and I need to learn more every day,” Ms. Salazar said, while dicing pounds of tomatoes for a salsa roja. “Tomorrow, I have three parties. So if I do this tomorrow, I know I can do something by myself.”

If you want to read more, you can view the complete Kamaron Institute Job Market article by clicking the following link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/23/business/smallbusiness/23cocina.html?em&ex=1183262400&en=b4d7bd5f992e3a4d&ei=5087%0A

Kamaron Institute business news, educational career and parenting reference tips and resources.  

Are You Supporting A Parent?

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There are a lot of people today who are supporting their parents.  There are different levels of support but many Americans feel a heavy burden on their shoulders as they are completely supporting their parents who once supported them.  If you are in this situation, you may be able to claim your parent as a dependent and get a tax break. 

Not everyone qualifies to do this but it is certainly worth checking in to…

To qualify as a dependent, your parent's income can't exceed the amount of the personal exemption. For 2007, the cut-off is $3,400. In most instances, Social Security benefits aren't counted. But if your parent receives more than $3,400 from other sources, such as pension benefits, interest and dividends from investments, or withdrawals from retirement savings plans, you can't claim her as a dependent.

Francis Degen, an enrolled agent in Setauket, N.Y., says the income requirement prevents most taxpayers from claiming a parent as a dependent, because even a small pension will make the parent ineligible.

In addition to the income test, you must provide more than half a parent's costs for food, housing, medical care, transportation and other necessities, says Cynthia Jeanguenat, an enrolled agent in Virginia Beach. Even if all your mother's income is from Social Security, you can't claim her as a dependent unless you pay more than half her living expenses.

Your mom doesn't have to live with you to qualify as a dependent, as long as she meets the income test and you provide more than half her financial support, says Donna LeValley, a tax lawyer and spokeswoman for J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax 2007. If your mother lives with you, you can include a percentage of your mortgage, utilities and other expenses in calculating how much you contribute to her support, LeValley says. You can find a worksheet in IRS Publication 501, available at www.irs.gov.

To learn more on this subject, read the article below from USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/columnist/block/2007-06-25-parent-support_N.htm?csp=34

Kamaron Institute personal finance business references, tips and resources. 

Dale Carnegie – A Self-Improvement Legend

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Anyone interested in self-improvement has probably read something by Dale Carnegie or at least heard of him.  His life made a difference through his speaches and writings.

His most famous book is How To Win Friends and Influence People.  It is a true classic on dealing successfully with people.  There have been many “people skills” books written since Carnegie's book but almost all reference this classic.  If you were going to only read one book on “people skills” this would probably be the book to read.

But one of my favorites is the book called How To Stop Worrying and Start Living.  If you struggle with worry in your life then pick this book up.  It is awesome.

Carnegie was an early proponent of what is now called responsibility assumption, although this only appears minutely in his written work. One of the core ideas in his books is that it is possible to change other people's behavior by changing one's reaction to them.

About Dale Carnegie

Born in 1888 in Maryville, Missouri, Carnegie was a poor farmer's boy, the second son of James William Carnagey and Amanda Elizabeth Harbison. In his teens, though still having to get up at 4 a.m. every day to milk his parents' cows, he managed to get educated at the State Teacher's College in Warrensburg. His first job after college was selling correspondence courses to ranchers; then he moved on to selling bacon, soap and lard for Armour & Company. He was successful to the point of making his sales territory, southern Omaha, the national leader for the firm.

Perhaps one of Carnegie’s most successful marketing moves was to change the spelling of his last name from “Carnegey” to Carnegie, at a time when Andrew Carnegie was a widely revered and recognized name.

Great Quotes by Carnegie

“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain – and most fools do.”

“Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.”

“Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it… that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.”

“First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst.”

Education lesson resources from Kamaron Institute for parents and teachers.

Most Families Have Both Parents Working

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Our world has changed in many ways over the last decades.  Today, most moms and dads both work.  Both parents work in way more than half the American families with young kids.  The next biggest group is still the dads working and the moms staying at home raising the kids (and this is certainly an important job!).  It may seem there is a large group out there where the moms work and the dads stay at home but that is actually still a very small percent. 

This article gives some great statistics that you might find interesting…

Times have certainly changed since the days of “Leave It to Beaver,” when Ward Cleaver, in a business suit, won the bread and June Cleaver, in an apron, served it. But we are far from being a “Mr. Mom” society, too.

In 62 percent of married-couple families with children under 18, both the father and the mother are employed, according to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A sizable 31 percent adhere to the traditional ’60s sitcom mold, with the father being the sole wage earner.

A mere 5 percent of the fathers are not working while the mother is employed, the data show. The statistics are silent on which of these fathers are jobless by choice.

But it is clear that the urge to earn remains strong among fathers, and that a man’s ego may suffer a blow if he decides to stay home.

If you want to read more, you can view the complete Kamaron Institute Job Market article by clicking the following link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/business/yourmoney/17count.html?ex=1339732800&en=1a5051d2a69bec01&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Kamaron Institute business news, educational career and parenting reference tips and resources.  

Credit Cards & Gas Purchases

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Have you noticed that there are times when you can't fill up your whole gas tank with certain credit cards?  There is a security feature in place with Visa & MasterCard and other cards which limits the dollar amount on pay-at-the-pump transactions.  This has been in place for some time but only in recent times have people begin to notice it since gas prices have risen so high.  It is not all gas stations and probably those driving SUVs would be the ones to experience this.  This is good information to have in case you do experience this and can't figure out what is going on…

As the price of gasoline rises, rules to limit credit card fraud at the nation's pumps are confusing consumers who just want a full tank of gas.

Caps on transaction amounts — or the total dollar amount of gas a customer can pump into their car — are limiting some drivers.

Credit card companies have established a protective layer by setting transaction caps on how much gas a consumer can pump at any one given time.

For MasterCard customers, it's $75. Visa and Discover users have a $50 pay-at-the-pump limit. Transaction limits vary for corporate card holders and American Express users.

Not all gas stations have to abide by the cap. And there are no limits if a customer goes inside and pays with their credit card at the counter.

The caps have gone unnoticed as gasoline prices remained relatively low.

“We get more calls, questions, when gas prices increase,” said Visa spokeswoman Rhonda Bentz.

The average price of regular unleaded gasoline increased from $1.50 a gallon at the start of the decade to $2.28 a gallon in 2005, according to the American Automobile Association.

Today, gasoline prices are topping $3 a gallon.

To learn more on this subject, read the complete article below from USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2007-06-15-gas-cutoff_N.htm?csp=34

Kamaron Institute personal finance business references, tips and resources. 

A Great Day for the Dow!

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The Dow had a few not-so-good days recently, knocking it down a bit after the great run it has had this year.  But today was a new day.  It had the biggest one day gain in nearly a year!  Many experts feel the stock market is not near the high yet that it will reach this year.  Days like today certainly helps to boost the confidence of investors…

Stocks rebounded smartly Wednesday, propelling the Dow Jones industrial average up 187 points as bond yields eased and economic data came in stronger than expected.

The Dow saw its biggest point gain since July 19, 2006, and more than made up for a plunge a day earlier that was fueled by the benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield's surge to five-year highs. Rising bond yields amid inflation concerns had been pummeling stocks since last week.

Though rate worries still dog investors, their confidence perked up after the Commerce Department said Wednesday that retail sales jumped 1.4% in May. The rise, which followed a 0.1% decline in April, was the highest in 16 months and double the increase analysts expected. It signaled to the stock market that consumers plan to keep spending and pushing the economy along, even as gas prices and other costs increase.

Investors were also pleased about the Federal Reserve's beige book report, which said the U.S. economy kept expanding at a moderate pace in the first part of the second quarter. The central bank's next meeting on interest rates will be held in two weeks.

To learn more on this subject, read the complete article below from USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/2007-06-13-stocks-wed_N.htm?csp=34

Kamaron Institute personal finance business references, tips and resources. 

Humorous Father's Day Story : Books About Fathers

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<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />I'm willing to bet that neither father nor son told mom about this coin consumering capter…image

 


After tucking their three-year-old child Sammy in for bed one night, his parents heard sobbing coming from his room.

Rushing back in, they found him crying hysterically. He managed to tell them that he had swallowed a penny and he was sure he was going to die. No amount of talking was helping.

His father, in an attempt to calm him down, palmed a penny from his pocket and pretended to pull it from Sammy's ear. Sammy was delighted.

In a flash, he snatched it from his father's hand, swallowed, and then cheerfully demanded, “Do it again, Dad!”

 

Books About Fathers

 

For Children:

 

  • A Perfect Father’s Day, by Even Bunting and Illustrated by Susan Meddaugh
  • Biscuit Loves Father’s Day by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Illustrated by Pat Schories
  • Father’s Day by Anne Rockwell and Lizzy Rockwell

Fathers Day Fun Facts – Tie Still Top Gift

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<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />Father's Day is June 17

 

  • More reverse-charge (collect) telephone calls are made on Father's Day than on any other day.
  • Neckties lead this list of Father’s Day gifts.
  • Father's Day is the fifth most popular card-sending holiday, with an estimated $100 million in card sales. Husbands, grandfathers, uncles, sons and sons-in-law are honored as well as father.
  • 66.3 million
    Estimated number of fathers across the nation today.
  • The word “Dad” dates back to the sixteenth century, or possibly even earlier? It may have originated with the Welsh word “Tad” (meaning father), which later mutated to Dad. The word “Father” is derived from the Old English “Foeder”.
  • The world's oldest living man, Methuselah, lived to be 969 years old. (Genesis 5:27)
  • Some famous fathers include Brad Pitt, Albert Einstein, Michael Jordan, David Beckham, Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King, Jr.

The World's Greatest Stock Market Investor… Warren Buffett

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Whether you are a serious investor in the stock market or not, you have probably heard of Warren Buffett.  Maybe you were just scanning through the Forbes list of richest men in the world and you saw his name.  Or maybe you have seen the headlines from when Warren Buffett or his company Berkshire Hathaway just purchased a big stake in another company.  Buffett is one of the world's richest men and he made his money through investing in the stock market.  Who says you can't make money in the stock market?

Warren Buffett – Investor, Businessman and Philanthropist

Buffett has amassed an enormous fortune from astute investments managed through the holding company Berkshire Hathaway, of which he is the largest shareholder and CEO. With an estimated current net worth of around US$52 billion, he was ranked by Forbes as the third-richest person in the world as of April 2007, behind Bill Gates and Mexican businessman Carlos Slim Helú.

In June 2006, he has made a commitment to give away his fortune to charity, with 83% of it going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The donation amounts to approximately $30 billion. Buffett's donation is said to be the largest in U.S. history. At the time of the announcement the donation was enough to more than double the size of the foundation.

Despite his immense wealth, Buffett is renowned for his unpretentious and frugal lifestyle. When he spent $9.7 million of Berkshire's funds on a corporate jet in 1989, he jokingly named it “The Indefensible” because of his past criticisms of such purchases by other CEOs. He continues to live in the same house in the central Dundee neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska that he bought in 1958 for $31,500[ (although he also owned a more expensive home in Laguna Beach, California which he sold in 2004). The current estimated value for his house is around $700,000.

Words of Wisdom from the The Oracle of Omaha

“A public-opinion poll is no substitute for thought.”

“If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians.”

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.”

Education lesson resources from Kamaron Institute for parents and teachers.

From Real Estate to Stock Market

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A couple years ago it didn't seem you could go wrong by investing in real estate.  However, it isn't the case right now.  Many investors are not in the best shape.  Back in 2002 the thing to do was get out of stocks and put the money in real estate.  Now the opposite is true.  Many real estate investors are selling off their real estate and putting the money in the stock market…

Buying real estate seemed a no-brainer five years ago. Cheap loans were easy to get. Home prices were soaring. Stocks were dead money.

How things have changed.

For-sale signs are sitting ignored in some cities. Interest rates on exotic loans are doubling. Insurance premiums and property taxes are skyrocketing. Wannabe real estate tycoons stuck with properties they can't sell have been turned into landlords, forced to fix toilets and take tenant calls in the middle of the night. Many are “under water” — owing more on the mortgage than they could get by selling.

Meanwhile, stock investors have been celebrating again as broad market indexes march to new highs. And that is prompting some real estate investors to make the switch back to stocks. Real estate “isn't as lucrative as it used to be,” says Jack Patterson, a financial adviser in Coral Gables, Fla., who has been helping clients sell real estate and buy stocks.

It's a complete flip-flop from 2002, when investors tired of the bear market ravaging Wall Street cashed in their stocks and bought homes and investment property. People doing that were the subject of a USA TODAY cover story in December 2002.

To learn more on this subject, read the complete article below from USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2007-06-06-real-stocks-usat_N.htm?csp=34

Kamaron Institute personal finance business references, tips and resources.