Tis the time of year for great expectations – on the part of shoppers looking for bargain prices.
Be it pre-Black Friday, Black Friday week, or the day itself, not to mention Cyber Monday, with surely in time more marketing lures to come, there is an aura of ‘spend now, to save later’ in the air. This seems to be going on for an expanding time frame every year. (more…)
Anyone involved with building a successful business knows that it grows, or it founders. If increasing the pool of customers or sales does not occur each year, then the business will go downhill; no matter how effective one is, drop-offs inevitably occur with the current base, for a variety of reasons.
In the October issue of The Insurance & Investment Journal, the ‘advice’ column addresses the issue of staying on track with goals, with the carrot-on-a-stick of increasing results by as much as 500%. (more…)
As a member of the baby boomer generation, I have begun taking more seriously the issue of arranging travel plans on-line.
It should be appreciated that the painstaking nature of the experience, enhanced by the omnipresence of the internet and search sites, could be little envisaged as our cohort developed its work traction in the years surrounding Canada’s turning 100 years of age. (more…)
There is at least one longstanding element of food culture which has not changed with the times: messages in Chinese fortune cookies.
Recent experience has confirmed that the same old array of vague, albeit usually upbeat, expressions and predictions remain in vogue. Perhaps it has something to do with the evidently simple assembly-line manner in which such message cookies have long been created and distributed. Perhaps the substance of most messages, involving abstract universal themes, is deemed to validate whatever wording is used, as not worth re-visiting for style, spirit, or timeliness. (more…)
This time of the year it’s common to get an automated response, albeit possibly with a personalized tone, when phoning someone. There may be even a cute, seasonal reference to add a touch of artistry.
If it’s an in the office, business-sensitive message, chances are the wording and tone will be more on the officious side. The brave or resourceful will find a way to inject a little personality. (more…)
Any homeowner for a period of time is bound to encounter the challenge of renovation. Be it related to age, deterioration, or simply a structural facelift, the causes can be many, the options almost limitless.
There are good reasons why renovation reality shows have become a staple of speciality television, not to mention the more historical, but still viable, routes of trade shows and in-store seminars. People, hands-on or not, want to have a handle on what to do, if by themselves or at least how to proceed if dealing with professionals. (more…)
An article in the April issue of The Insurance & Investment Journal tackles the issue of forthcoming restrictions on the use of financial planning titles in Ontario.
Some forks in the road needing consolidation are at the heart of this thorny issue. (more…)
the watch of time 
The Untapped Insurance Market
The year-end issue of The Insurance & Investment Journal continues its core mandate of covering the inexorable evolution of these integral aspects of personal financial planning.
No matter what the product or service being offered, WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) is always paramount for the prospective buyer, or, put another way, the cost/benefit analysis needs to favour the latter part of the equation.
But what of products or services appealing to limited, niche markets? (more…)
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