Citigroup pushes at the limits to foreign ownership in Chinese banks IN A manoeuvre sure to incite the envy of its peers, Citigroup is poised to become the first foreign bank, and only the second foreign investor, to gain control of a Chinese lender. The American financial-services giant is leading a consortium that has bid…

Debt consolidation programs are good if you are paying on several different loans. They can make your life easier by giving you one monthly payment. Your monthly debt decreases if the program you use for debt consolidation stretches your payments over a long period of time. Paying less every month will free up some extra…

Most families are spending more and more money every year (and not just because the cost of living rose) while also saving less and less. One reason is that few household managers spend much time reviewing expenses and expenditures to find ways they can save money. However almost every family has places where costs can…

One day back in 1985, I received an unexpected phone call at my office from a man named Gordon Carl (not his real name ? but whose real name I?ll never forget). The thing that initially struck me the most about the polished Mr. Carl was his heavy New York accent, like something you might…

Financial statements (or financial reports) are a record of a business? financial flows and levels. The big four statements are: 1.Balance sheet which describes a company’s assets and liabilities. 2.Income statement which describes a company’s income and expenses. 3.Statement of Cash Flows which describes how corporate operating, investment, and financing activities have affected the company’s…

Recent studies have shown that an average individual in a developed country spends almost forty per cent of his or her monthly salary before earning it. Today?s society runs on credit and with loans being easily available for the fulfillment of each and every desire, be it owning a new car or going on a…

The word ?frugality? has left a more negative connotation for most people than simply being a saver, a cheapskate or tightwad. There is a thin line difference to saving and too much frugality to the point of being awkward and ridiculous. This is where the negative connotation comes from. But if you are guided with…

No guide for writing a funding proposal would be complete without cautioning that a business looking for funding cannot do so without also presenting a completed business plan. Every lender, whether bank or other financial institution, venture capitalist, or private individual, will want to see the firm’s business plan in addition to the project detail.…

Many of the brightest and hardest-working marketing and advertising people in the country are obsessed with getting you to spend money and, if necessary, to go into debt to do so. Absolutely all the media that reach you every day are designed to get you to spend money. In order to save money in this…

Land banking is a relatively new investment concept that allows smaller investors to own a piece of valuable land. How does land banking work? When large parcels of land are put up for sale, they are usually far too expensive for a single small investor. Land that?s in a good place for residential or business…