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Why intellectual property and intangible assets should be on every decision makers dash board! In today’s extraordinarily deepening financial crisis (recession), it can be an incredibly fine line between a company remaining stable and sustainable and fighting for its financial survival. One often overlooked, discounted, and frequently neglected aspect to ‘economic survival can lie in effective management of intellectual property and intangible assets.

In today’s extraordinarily deepening financial crisis (recession), it can be a very fine line between a company remaining stable and sustainable and fighting for its financial survival. One often overlooked, discounted, and frequently neglected aspect to ‘economic survival can lie in achieving two things, i.e., a company’s ability to

- recognize, maximize, position, and extract value from its intellectual property and intangible assets, and

- sustain possession, control, use, ownership, and exclusive rights to those assets throughout their life-value cycle.

A significant point for business decision makers to acknowledge, at the outset, is the economic fact that 75+% of most company’s value and sources of revenue and (future) wealth creation today lie in their intellectual property and intangible assets. Brookings Institution, Intangibles Research Project and Weston Anson, CONSOR

So why is it important, even essential then, for these issues to be permanent fixtures on business decision makers’ dash boards? It’s because:

1. The time frames when the most value can be extracted (realized) from intangible assets is shrinking (Weston Anson) in part, due to:

- lower market – transaction entry barriers by global competitors
- significant and rapid profits achieved from infringed and counterfeited goods/products
- the reality that intellectual property – intangible asset infringement, counterfeiting, and/or replication are embedded (socially, economically, politically) in the economics of many country’s gross domestic product.

2. Conventional intellectual property protections, i.e., patents, trademarks, and copyrights:

- no longer serve as ‘stand alone’ deterrents or safe harbors from global networks of aggressive, predatorial, and ‘winner-take-all’ infringing, counterfeiting, and economic espionage operations.
- are no longer consistent or relevant as indicators/measures of company and/or project (investment) value.
- can protect/achieve economic – competitive advantage benefits for the rightful owner only so long as they are applied in concert with other information asset protection measures.

3. Global networks of data mining, business intelligence, and economic espionage operate a ‘warp speed’ today, and can rapidly:

- erode asset value
- undermine strategic planning and competitive advantages
- cause irreversible/unrecoverable economic hemorrhaging on a global scale.

4. The growing universality and application (international equivalents) of Sarbanes-Oxley and FASB mandates require accounting and reporting of materiality (value) changes in intangible assets.

Effective management, stewardship, and oversight (protection) of those assets must now extend well beyond reliance on conventional intellectual property protections and product life cycle management techniques. Instead, management (stewardship, oversight) of company intellectual properties and intangible assets must be re-framed to include much more than mere protection, rather include practices, procedures, and technologies specifically designed to sustain (those assets’) control, use, ownership, and value for the duration of their functional life-value cycle and/or transaction in which they’re in play.

Mr. Moberly has conducted numerous national presentations, seminars, and training for business organizations and professional associations on a range of issues related to helping companies sustain control, use, ownership, and value of their intellectual property, intangible assets, proprietary information and competitive advantages.

While California already has several policies in place to improve energy efficiency in the state, it continues to push forward with innovative, greening policies that ensure energy efficiency in homes and commercial establishments. It has now moved forward to introduce stricter and more specific energy-efficiency policies in the consumer segment as well.

Silencing energy-draining battery-chargers

In the second week of January 2012, California’s Energy Commission has introduced, a new green law, which is a first in the country, requiring battery charges to be energy-efficient by Feb 1, 2013. This law will help to overcome the close to 60-percent energy loss that 170-million ‘vampire charging systems’ cause when they draw electricity from electric outlets.

Energy experts have termed these commonly used gadget chargers as ‘vampires’ as these are chargers will continue to draw current from the outlet, just by remaining plugged into it, even if no device is attached to it or the device is plugged in but switched off. Currently, close to 10-percent of residential electricity is used up by in standby power consumption across the country, while California accounts for 13-percent in standby power consumption.

California has always set the precedent

California has always been ahead of other states in the country with respect to lowering of energy emissions and optimizing energy-efficiency in buildings in the state. These efforts began as early as 1977, when state regulations were issued to ensure air conditioners and later in 2009 when refrigerators, televisions of big-screen and flat-panel manufacturers were required to ensure that their gadgets drew minimal electricity supply.

With the introduction of the new rules, effective Feb 1, 2013, consumer goods, phones and power tools; and a year later on Jan 1, 2014, industrial equipments such as -forklifts, industrial chargers; and by Jan 1, 2017, all equipment chargers used in commercial gadgetry such as walkie-talkies, bar-code scanners and similar commercial equipments need to achieve energy-sufficiency.

In the more the past thirty years, California’s drive to achieve energy-efficiency has also resulted in controlling pollution and savings in expenses on energy across the state. The state’s policies is towards reducing energy spending and sustainable use of present energy available rather than developing wind, solar and other renewable power resources or natural-gas-generating power plants.

As a result of high-rewarding energy-efficiency policies, the Energy Commission has announced that $36 billion helping them to further control the per-capita consumption to a flat rate as against over 50 percent growth in power consumption in other parts of the country.

Tech-improvement, redesign to drive energy-efficiency in battery-chargers

Scientists and Energy experts expect that given California’s huge market, manufacturers are likely to abide by the new laws and will lead to slow adoption of energy-efficient laws in other parts of the country as well. Though, there is wide-spread opposition by appliance, consumer product manufacturers across most electronic gadgets like tablets, cell phones, power tools and other battery-recharging devices. It is expected that manufacturers will redesign their battery-chargers to be more energy-sufficient and will trigger the next generation of energy-proficient devices.

When buying a new or used car, many people, even those with bad credit need to complete an auto loan application in order to finance the purchase of their new vehicle. There are a few ways you can get a application for you car loan. You can get one from a dealer, your local financial institution or you can get a loan application for your auto purchase online.

One, you can make the mistake of going to a dealer first for your auto loan application, without having done any research or getting competitive auto loan rate quotes. This is a mistake and can cost you in higher interest rates and payments. This can also lead to you paying more for the car itself. Dealers earn money, in many cases, from the interest rate that is charged on loans they offer. In some instances your annual percentage rate (APR) will be 3-5 percentage points higher than you qualify for. If you have bad credit you are likely to receive a sub-prime loan with an even higher interest rate and not be able to pick the car you want but one the dealer says you qualify for.

Second, you can either pay a visit to your local bank, credit union or other financial institution and following a discussion with a loan officer or person employed there who specializes in lending money to consumers, you will find that some also specialize in offering car loans to people with bad credit. For most you will complete an auto loan application on the spot or you can take it home and complete one at your leisure. Quite a few lenders will give you a immediate decision there and then, although the majority of them will contact you either by telephone or in writing at a later date to let you know if you qualify and that they are prepared to go ahead and process your request for a auto loan. This takes time, and time is money. Your ability to compare auto loan quotes from different institutions will be influenced by the lenders location and other factors.

Your final and best option is to complete a auto loan application online. To do this you have to be over eighteen years of age and have legal residency within the United States. There is no need to be anxious about the personal information you are supplying ending up in the wrong hands as the on line companies will not pass on your details to third parties without your permission and the software they use is encrypted and, therefore, provides full protection for the private information you have submitted.

When trying to find the best auto loan rate, regardless of you credit history, comparison of different lenders quotes is essential. The internet has made it possible to find and complete multiple auto loan applications that are free while never leaving your home. Since competition for our business is high you will find free, no obligation, simplified applications that are made to be completed and submitted in minutes not hours. Response times are for how you qualify are almost instant in some cases, but usually within 24 hours. Now you have choices, just pick the best one. Money saving is why completing a bad credit auto loan application on line is a wise choice.

So you are thinking of getting some extra money to make some urgent home repairs, the porch door needs replacing, along with a new hot water system. Unfortunately you do not have the money in the bank, but neither do you have a secure porch door or any constant hot water.

Have you considered personal loans? A lot of people take out personal loans for this type of repair. Car repairs and even holidays are used by people with their newly acquired finances. Most people have heard that a poor credit score is not a good thing (However even those that have a poor financial history can still get loans). But how do you make a good rating?

One of thing major pieces of advice from experts, before you apply for finance it is best to get a credit report completed from a reputable source. This will give you an idea of the chance of getting your application approved. In the United States of America there are three levels of credit rating, basically the higher it is the better it is.

An excellent rating is above 760, a good rating would be between 700 and 759 and a poor rating would be between 640 to 699. if you are at the top end, 760 and above then there is no point in making your rating any better. However with other ratings it is worth trying to improve as it will help your chances of succeeding in the application.

There does seem to be a bit of a chicken and egg situation sometimes, you need finance but have a poor score,but to improve you need a lender to give you a chance. Well, luckily there are things that you and your family if you have one, can do to improve your rating.

Having a poor rating does not mean you have to be stuck with it, starting to pay the bills on time instead of late or not at all will start to get you on the right path. Some lenders will still give applicants loans even with a low score, but the total given will be lower than usually and the percentage rate will be considerably higher. So you will pay more over the period of the finance.

Families can help too. If a member of your family has a good rating then some credit card companies can add you to that family members credit card as an authorized user, this will help with any poor credit score. Also having a family member with a good rating co-sign the loan could help you get what you need.

Finding the correct lender for your score is a good way to make sure that you are getting what you deserve, if you have a high score you deserve some of the best deals on the market. Instead of going to your bank or card company you can go online and search for a matching company. Companies like this are a good place go to make sure you achieve the best deal.

What are a matching company and what do they do? You enter your details on their online program and your information will be fed to several of their approved lenders, in turn the lenders will then return to the matching company with a list of loans that they are able to offer.

Once the offers come back it is then up to the applicant to choose one and complete all the necessary paperwork. A check will then be received within a matter of days and your new boiler and door fitted soon after.

Everyone is busy. Busy in shopping online and in the malls. Popular online portals are breaking and making new sale records! All thanks to the convenience and the availability of easy payment options and funds!

Here are few of the factors that are making online businesses a success

Credit Cards: A credit card is plastic money. It is one of the easiest form in which a person gets a personal loan.

All online portals as well as retailers in malls accept credit cards issued by various banks.
Online payment becomes very simple and safe, thanks to the one time passwords generated for such transactions.
A PIN is sufficient for shopping using a credit card at any retail store.

Personal loans for shopping: When we apply for a personal loan, we don’t have to provide the financier with the details of what we want the loan for.

Thus these days’ personal loans are being used to finance shopping.
They can also be used as wedding loans, vacation loans and educational loans.

Payment Processing: As far as payment processing is concerned, the following factors matter to both the consumer and the online retailer.

Uncomplicated manoeuvring on website: It is important for the payment process to be step-by-step and easy to understand. Most websites work on this section very carefully and thus the online shopping experience is satisfactory.

Processing Costs: Processing costs matter to the retailers. More the processing fees they have to pay to providers of payment gateways like Visa, the lesser are their margins. So to have an effective business the processing costs need to be low.
Number of payment options: Multiple payment options should be available for the customer to make payment. This makes the shopping a convenient proposition.
Time taken to process transactions: Processing time not only tests your patience but sometimes also the strength of your internet connection!

Cash on Delivery: This is also known as “collection on delivery.” This is a very popular mode of making payments for shopping in the developing world.

It enhances impulse purchases.
A credit card is not an essential possession for the buyer.
The buyer can check the quality of the product and then pay

So this festive season, do not hesitate to shop and to gift! The availability of funds for shopping is not difficult anymore. Also the convenience of online shopping has brought various retailers to our doorstep. So let us shop all the way!

An easy way of shopping is using a credit card. It forms an integral part of most people’s financial planning. When used in the right manner, it helps reduce financial liability and optimizes financial resources.

While the rise of online lending in itself makes it more convenient for people to apply for finance, is this development a good thing for those who are already struggling? There are companies out there who charge expensive annual percentage rates (APRs), leaving many people in more trouble than when they first started.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Over the last few years, online lending has earned itself a bad reputation. The internet leaves many people vulnerable to fraud, so you should always exercise caution when inputting your financial details. The best way to make sure your information remains safe is to find a secure, reliable lending platform.

There is an unfair irony attached to lending today. Those with bad credit are often led to believe they have no financial options if they have made mistakes in the past, often making their situations seem more desperate than they actually are. This can result in people making bad decisions and can lead to borrowing through unstable sources.

Meanwhile, any lenders that do accept you with bad credit will charge extortionate interest rates because of your history, making it more difficult for you to meet your monthly repayment obligations – thus worsening your situation. This is a trap that many people fall into, and it gives online installment lenders a bad name.

However, this doesn’t need to be the case. If you can find yourself a reliable lending platform, you will be connected to a secure network of trustworthy lenders who can offer sensible solutions to your borrowing needs. Many of these lenders will assess your application, even if your credit file isn’t perfect or your income is lower than average.

Instead of (or in some cases, as well as) running credit checks, these lenders will take other factors into consideration, including your income and employment circumstances, and how long you have lived at your current address. They may even ask for references they can contact who will vouch for your character personally.

Even those who receive benefits as a form of income will be able to apply, giving everyone a fair and carefully considered chance of borrowing money. In these cases, applicants won’t be accepted for higher loans than they can afford to pay back, and interest rates will be low, meaning there is a better chance of managing repayments.

If you have poor credit and need to borrow money, consider a personal installment loan, but make sure the APR is advertised between 5.99% and 35.99%. There should also be a number of options in terms of flexible repayment, offering you the chance to pay the money back anywhere between six months and six years, depending on what you can afford to pay per month.

Small, carefully considered personal loans could actually help you build a financial profile making you eligible for better future borrowing. As long as the lender is responsible, and offers reasonable interest rates, online lending platforms can actually give people with more opportunities than many other lenders in terms of improving their situation.

With this in mind, personal loans can be beneficial to those hoping to improve their credit score, but only if some caution is exercised by both parties, and you only apply to borrow an amount you can afford to pay back.

Don’t you wish personal finance were a mandatory course in college? Unfortunately, too many of us learn by mistake. When you need a personal loan and are rejected, you might be baffled as to what went wrong- and how to fix it. Here are some clues.

NO CREDIT

No credit is a situation where you have never used credit and therefore have no credit history for the bank to review. They have no way of making an educated decision on whether or not you will pay back a personal loan based on your credit history. No credit is worse than bad credit. Qualifying for and making regular payments on these types of introductory forms of credit can overcome a “no credit” score:

· Student Loans

· Secured credit card (includes a down payment amount)

· Being added to a parent’s or spouses good credit: card, car loan, etc.

LOW CREDIT

Low credit takes on several forms. If you’re using more than 30% of your allowable debt, it can negatively impact your score. Too many inquiries from shopping around for loans will also hit you hard. Lapses in payment, defaults, or bankruptcies are giant red flags and can take a long time to rebuild from.

Other things that lenders may look at are whether or not you have sizeable assets should you default on the loan. They also check to see if your debts are diversified or if you are only carrying one type of debt.

INCOME

Proof of income is generally required when applying for a personal loan. If you are unemployed or underemployed, it can work against you in the loan approval process. Lenders may also require a work history to see how long you have been with your current employer, and to determine if you typically have job stability. Frequent job loss or change will tell a creditor that your payments may not be reliable.

PURPOSE OF THE LOAN

Believe it or not, your application can be rejected due to your proposed purpose for the loan. Financial institutions have the right to set up the parameters surrounding their disbursements and can accept or reject your application based on what you want to use the money for.

BLACKLISTING

If you’ve defaulted on debt before, your name may be put on a list of whom not to loan to,’ also known as a “Blacklist.” This will follow you around for a long time and is difficult to erase. If you do resolve the debt issues, get documents to prove the resolution.

When it comes to a personal loan, you have to first learn to use it responsibly. Because if you miss a repayment, your credit score will be impacted adversely. And remember, that a credit score is an indicator of how well you manage your personal finances. Also, it plays a defining role when you apply for any kind of loan – secured and unsecured. It is suggested to apply for a loan slightly larger than what is needed so that you will be assured to have enough money to pay all bills necessary and still have some money left over to ensure that your bank account stays current.

A credit score can be defined as a number which reflects the financial situation of a person. If the person is well-off when it comes to financial matters, then he or she is said to have a high credit score. On the other hand, if a person is the exact opposite of this, then they possess a low credit score. There are a lot of factors that are considered by financial institutions for the purpose of evaluating a person’s credit score – usually, the credit scores of people vary from 300 to about 850.

A personal loan is a type of loan that is given by digital lenders, banks and credit unions to aid you in your plans, be it starting a small business, or making a big purchase. Personal loans tend to have an interest rate(s) lower than the credit cards; however, they can also be put to use for combining several credit card debts together into one monthly lower-cost payment.

Now, your credit score is built by keeping in mind various parameters from your credit reports. These reports serve the purpose of trailing your history of utilization of the credit across the duration of seven years. These credit reports are comprised of information, including how much credit you have utilized to date, the type of credit in your possession, the age of one’s credit accounts, whether one has put in for bankruptcy or liens filed against them, actions of debt collections taken against them, one’s total open lines of credit as well as recent inquiries for hard credit.

Like any other type of credit, personal loans are very capable of affecting your credit score. This can be done through the process of applying and withdrawing a personal loan. If you are curious as to how personal loans can end up affecting your credit, then read on to find out more about the context. There are many ways in which your credit can be affected by personal loans and some of them are listed below:

The ratio of your debt-to-income and loan

Debt-to-income ratio is considered to be the measure of your amount of income that you spend on the debt repayments. In the case of lenders, the amount of income that you receive is said to be one of the major factors proving that you are able to repay your loan.

Some of the lenders have come up with their own debt-to-income ratio so that their proprietary credit scores may make use of it in the form of a credit consideration. Do not fall into the kind of mindset that possessing a high amount of a loan would hurt your credit. The most damage it can do is raise the ratio of your debt-to-income so that you won’t be able to apply for loans anymore without it getting rejected or denied.

Paying loans on time will make credit scores soar

The moment your loan is approved, you have to make sure that you settle the payments of each month on time and in full. Delay in repayment may significantly impact the state of your credit score. However, on the other hand, if you make the payments on time every month, then your credit score will soar high, leading to an overall good score. This will not only make your name to the preferred borrower’s list, but it will prove to be beneficial for you in the long run.

Since your payment history is comprised of almost 35% of your credit score, paying loans on time is essential in cases like these so that your credit score can maintain a positive status.

Variety is built into your credit type

There are about five factors that are responsible for determining your credit score. These are composed of the payment history, the length of the credit history, the utilization ratio of the credit, the credit mix and new inquiries of the credit in accordance with FICO®.

The credit mix only accounts for about 35% of your total credit score, whereas when it comes to a personal loan you can have a varying mix of the credit types. This mix of all types of credit is viewed at a high level of approval by the creditors and lenders.

Origination fee charged by loans

Most of the lenders end up charging you an origination fee. This fee cannot be avoided at any cost and is instantly taken off from the amount of the loan payment. The amount of origination fees depends upon the amount of the loan you are about to borrow. Late payments can lead to an overdraft of fees and late expenses. Therefore, make sure that you pay complete repayment for each month before the deadline.

Avoiding penalties when it comes to payments

Some of the credit lenders tend to charge an additional fee if you end up paying your part of the loan earlier than the agreed date. This is because they are looking for moderate amounts of interest on your loan. Now, seeing that you have paid off your part of the loan before time, they will miss out on that interest that they could have possibly made if you had not cleared the debt soon enough before the deadline.