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Cutting-back costs on fuel is easier said than done. Yet, believe it or not, it’s something achievable. Everything begins with routine maintenance and ensuring that you car is in excellent condition. Maximizing fuel dollars is such an easy endeavor when done right. Whether you’re the proud owner of a three-ton SUV or you’d rather stick to a tiny hybrid, there are great chances of squeezing in more miles out of your almost empty tank. With today’s gas prices going up, saving money on fuel can actually make a huge difference. Under-inflated...

Having difficult time saving money? No matter what you do, you just can’t seem to reach your target savings? Well, stop beating yourself up over it—it’s not your fault.  That is, if you’re not Chinese. In most parts of the world, the Chinese are well-known for their money smarts and business acumen. Here are a few legit reasons why the Chinese are known as the best savers in the world. History Their historical background plays a huge part as to why the Chinese people are into savings.  The economic reform the country experienced...

Whether an individual or a business keeping track of your finances is a constant worry, or at least something that is regularly checked. You could be earning a lot of money one year before finding interest in your business suddenly drops. Managing such incidences can be tricky and often businesses and individuals alike look for short-term financing to plug the gap. But what do you need to know about this potentially risky form of financing? What is short term finance? Essentially, short term finance is a term used to describe loans that...

Josh Leibowitz, partner at McKinsey & Company, wrote an opinion piece about Coca-Cola’s innovation strategy, in which he posted an interesting observation: “An important part of that success has to do with their (Coca-Cola’s) marketing investment strategy. About 70% of their investment is in “Now”, or established and successful programs; 20% goes to “new,” or emerging trends that are starting to gain traction; and 10% goes to “next,” ideas that are completely untested. This is what Coca-Cola applied to their company...

If your lifelong dream is to open a successful restaurant and attain the kind of acclaim enjoyed by Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White and Heston Blumenthal, aside from tantalising customers’ taste buds, you should be prepared to meet the high standards of the health inspector. Without indulging in hyperbole, failing a health inspection has the potential to sound a death knell for your fledgling eatery if warnings are ignored, lessons aren’t learned and subsequent failures follow. As a responsible owner, then, implementing...

If you are a fan of online games or any other form of internet-based transactions that require a monetary exchange, you are probably familiar with the term Bitcoin. If instead you are curious about the inner workings of the black market or modern money laundering techniques, you may also have come across the term in reference to Silk Road, an online marketplace that became infamous for making illicit goods available to the public, which used Bitcoins to attempt to protect the identity of its customers. Technologically speaking, Bitcoin...

The Rise of the Couponers People these days are all about finding great deals and saving money. Gone are the days of simply buying name brands without regard to the costs. With the onset of the most severe recession since before World War Two that began in 2008, shoppers are now more keen than ever to find ways of saving money on their every day shopping. According to a report from Booz & Company in 2010, consumer consumption is in decline as shoppers try to stretch their hard earned dollars to get their families through the month....

Staying in a rented place has become very convenient for many as they cannot afford a home of their own. However before you decide to move in, there are a few key factors to be borne in mind. Finding a rented home is fairly easy today. People tend to move from place to place due to their professional commitments. As such getting a rented place to stay is a blessing in disguise. If you are a newcomer to the world of tenants and landlords, here are 7 tips to first time renters. It’s all about budgeting The importance of being budgeted...

There are different reasons why homes are foreclosed. Homeowners may not be able to pay off their mortgage because of they’re sick, lost their jobs, undergoing an expensive divorce or under a mountain of excessive debt. In situations of this sort, the bank or building society may seize the property as specified in the terms of the mortgage contract, and sell it off to other possible clients and investors. For homeowners, the loss of a house or property could be emotionally debilitating. Here are some shocking stories that might serve...

Life is short, so we have to squeeze every drop out of it—by maximising our time, effort, and money to the fullest, by doing everything we set out to do or ever dreamed of doing—whether we want to climb the highest mountain or cross the deepest sea—so that when we’re old and start losing all our hair or teeth, we won’t look back on our past with regret. But seizing the day doesn’t only mean doing the things we want. It also means being responsible—in our jobs, with our family and friends, and with our money. That sheer inability...