Mostly about protecting and growing your business

Red Flag Rules November 1st Deadline extended for 6 months...but only for some.

Can we all breathe again?  Wait, read on before you do.  Enforcement of the much anticipated Red Flag Rules deadline of November 1, 2008 has been extended to May 1, 2009.  This extension only applies to financial institutions and creditors.  It still is a good idea to move forth with whatever is in place to meet these requirement because as we know about deadlines...they always creep up and next thing we know, BANG it's here!  Here it is straight from the FTC.

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/10/redflags.shtm

Update of Google Text Search - What a mobile application - Wow!!

On one of my previous post about google text 466453, I wrote about searching for locations.  I just found out that you could use this search for almost anything.

Text 46645 then enter:

weather union city ca ....to get the latest weather forecast in Union City CA ( substitute any town here of course )

map decoto street union city ca....to get a link to the Google maps URL for a map of Decoto.

abraham lincoln birthday ...to get back the birthday of good ole' Abe Lincoln

coffee 94587 ... to get all the coffee houses in the zip code of union city ca

convert gallons to liters ... 1US gallon = 3.78541178 liter !!!  WOW!!!

Red Flag Red Flag Red Flag...Read all about it!!! November 1, 2008

What is all this Red Flag Rules all about?  Red Flag Rules is a regulation that is designed to hopefully decrease the impact of identity theft by putting the burden on businesses to provide 'checks and balances' that Red Flag potential threats of identity theft.  The impact on companies to conform to this can be quite a task.  Now imagine the small business owner with 7 employees that have to comply to the same set of regulations as the 2,000 employee company.  How does one start you may ask?  It all boils down to resource and the cost of the resource.  I suggest, as the Federal Trade Commission suggests, to talk their attorney to see if and how the rules apply to them.  There are many companies that help businesses comply but it is still always a good idea to get the solution reviewed by your attorney.  It does not hurt to get a second opinion.  I encourage you to look into this now as the deadline is November 1, 2008.

With that said, will regulators come knocking on your door come November 1st?  More than likely not but by getting your questions answered you have taken another step to Protect and Grow Your Business!!

A great DVD rental source - Redbox

I just finished watching Iron Man.  What a great movie...even better when free.  I started seeing this DVD rental vending machine called Redbox at our Lucky's in Union Landing in Union City CA.  I decided to give a try a few months back and have totally enjoyed using this simple way of renting DVDs.  In a nutshell, here's my evaluation.

My likes

1. Inexpensive- $1.09 per day!
2. You can pick up and return from any Redbox.  This was great when I drove the family to Vegas over the summer.  I rented 3 movies from our Union City Luckys and returned it a Smiths in Vegas.
3. You can go online to www.redbox.com and browse/reserve your movie.
4. You can scan the availability on their screen unlike a typical rental place where you have to walk all over the store for availability.
5. I get occasional promotional codes for a FREE movie, the reason for watching Iron Man tonight.

My Dislikes

1. Waiting behind someone who can't decide!

Dealing with mortgage, credit and everyday life issues - Attention Employers!

We have all been hearing about the $700 billion bailout and we know many people on the verge of financial ruin.  On top of this, there was hurricane Ike and those dealing with insurance companies, contractors and unfortunately scammers.  There is also the increasing unemployment rate and having to cope about paying the credit card bills and mortgage.  How does one cope with these situations?  Many times we get advice from friends and family and business associates providing us with various viewpoints.  However, do you know the legal consequence of your potential decision?

My question is, if we didn't have to worry about paying $100, $200, $300 per hour and more, would we get advice from our attorneys?  I encourage you to at least take a look at a way to get sound advice from attorneys.  Take a look at Pre-Paid Legal member testimonials and see how Pre-Paid Legal's Life Events Legal Plan is helping people.  You may realize how Pre-Paid Legal can help you.

Attention all employers!!

If your employees are going through these types of issues, would you agree the problem doesn't go away between 8am and 5pm?  Here's a way to help improve employee productivity and decrease absenteeism with no direct cost to you. 

Be careful whose Identity you are trying to use...an amusing story.

As I scan identity theft stories as I try to do on a daily basis, I ran into this article that just about knocked me off my chair!  I hope you enjoy this one.

That's what you get !!!

Identity Theft - How does it affect employers?

Identity Theft, a huge dilema and only gets worse on a daily basis. 

Now what does this all mean for employers?  Here's a couple of points:

• If and employee becomes a victim of identity theft, more than likely that employee will not be as productive for various reasons.  The employee will need to take many hours of work time to restore his identity.  Not only will he be physically away from work but we know that personal problems do not stop between 8am and 5pm.  The mind and emotion continue to think pull and tug as the employee tries to keep his attention at work.

• As an employer there are laws that have been in effect the last several years that not only pertain to the company but also its owners and major decision makers.  "Identity Theft: Limiting Your Employees' Risk -- And Your Liability" written in January 19, 2006 is still an excellent article to get better understanding of the exposure and how to mitigate your liability as an employer.

Preparing for the unexpected

I was just going through some of my saved articles and this one compelled me to write.  How are you prepared for the unexpected.  Are you prepared if something happens to you and you suddenly find yourself not able to take care of yourself or worse yet, not being able to communicate your decisions to others.  Who will care for you?  Should they operate?  Should they revive you?  What is a will? What is a trust?  What is an advanced health care directive?   We all know that we should have something in place should the unexpected occur.  This article is worth a quick read but not worth it if no action takes place.

Take a look at Pre-Paid Legal's Life Events Legal Plan if you need help with this.

How can I protect my business from lawsuits?

I read a really good article on this topic at Microsoft's Small Business Center called "7 ways to protect your business from a lawsuit" .  This really speaks to what we probably have thought and talked about but unfortunately is not on the forefront of our business mind.  Many business owners I talk to do not have much time other than thinking about increasing sales and decreasing costs.  Great, but what is it all about if it can all be taken away in an instant. 

In our daily life it seems common to talk about prevention.  We brush our teeth to prevent cavity.  We try to exercise and eat healthy to prevent major health problems.  Why not practice this same philosophy in business?

We know that we should have everything in writing.  We also talk about getting everything reviewed by attorneys to protect ourselves.  We talk about surrounding ourselves with experts to help us make sound business decisions.

I believe people try and would like to do better in this area but how can a business owner fit this into their time and budget?

There are some free resources out there but you may want to check out:

Employment Law Assistance page from the City of Union City Website

Human Resource Tools page from the City of Union City Website

Legal info from www.score.org

Pre-Paid Legal's business consulting arm www.gosmallbiz.com

 

Danger - are you leaving sensitive mail in your lobby?

I was out visiting businesses yesterday and realized how many businesses still do not understand this thing called identity theft.  Envelopes lay waiting for ill intentioned identity theives with no one around.  I even saw what looked like tax returns on the stairwell of a CPA firm addressed to "Internal Revenue Service".  A toss up who gets it first, the mailman or the identity thief.  Just a word of caution from a Certified Identity Risk Management Specialist.