New Horizons for Seniors Program

As more people retire, there is a good chance that many of them would want to remain active and still contribute to society in some new form by utilizing their well-developed skill sets. One of the possible beneficiaries of this retirement boom may be the not-for-profit sector of Canada. The Canadian government has recognized this opportunity and offers the New Horizons for Seniors Program, which is discussed in some detail below.

About the Program

The New Horizons for Seniors Program is a federal Grants and Contributions program designed to support projects initiated or inspired by seniors. The program offers an avenue for seniors to keep their skills sharp after retirement by volunteering and making new contributions to society.

These contributions could take the form of sharing their knowledge with youth (e.g. providing assistance in developing a business plan, serving as a mentor, etc.), helping improve community facilities (e.g. parks, seniors centers, etc.), speaking to educate the masses about certain causes (e.g. domestic violence, bullying, etc.), preserving heritage through art restoration work (e.g.


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Japan Redux

After nearly two decades of economic stagnation, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s massive stimulus program seems to be finally driving Japan’s economy into a period of growth.

Japan’s gross domestic product (GDP) only grew 1 percent in the fourth quarter, another dismal showing in a decades-long period of stagnation. However, earlier this week the government reported that the country’s economy grew by an annualized 3.5 percent in the first three months of this year.

Not only did that pace beat the consensus expectation of less than 3 percent, it also made Japan one of the fastest growing developed economies in the world. For example, US GDP grew by just 2.5 percent and the euro zone experienced a -0.9 percent contraction.

Much of Japan’s growth can be attributed to a substantially weaker yen compared to just a year ago. The value of the yen measured in US dollar terms has fallen more than 21 percent just since November, recently hitting JPY100:USD1. That’s the largest decline of any of the major global currencies, followed by the 14 percent tumble the euro has taken of late.

That’s provided a huge boost for Japanese exporters, particularly automobile manufacturers such as Toyota Motor Corp (NYSE: TM) which have substantial business in the American market. Consumer spen
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The Oracle Wins Again as Berkshire’s (BRK.A) Profits Soar 51%

Last week was an interesting one for the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett. Mr. Buffett, who has long avoided tech stocks, posted his first tweet on Twitter, simply stating Warren is in the house. Meanwhile, his company, Berkshire Hathaway , reported astounding first quarter earnings that comfortably topped analyst estimates. For its first quarter, Berkshire earned $2,977 per Class A share, or $4.89 billion, a 51% increase from the $1,966 per share, or $3.25 billion, it earned in the prior year quarter. Operating profit soared 42% to $3.78 billion, or $2,302 per share, up from the $1,615 per share, or $2.67 billion, it earned last year. Revenue rose 15% to $43.87 billion.

Daily Chart

Berkshire attributed its robust quarterly results to strong growth from its insurance businesses, other businesses, and gains from investments and derivatives. For many investors, Berkshire is considered to be a mutual fund run by Buffett, instead of an individual stock. Berkshire Hathaways portfolio consists of over 80 businesses, many of them broad macro plays that are directly benefiting from the recovering economy.


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One Way To Finance Your Home Based Business

Getting financing for a home based business can be very challenging, especially if you need conventional financing. Most banks and lending institutions don’t lend to home based companies and often require that you have substantial collateral that can be used as security for a business loan or line of credit. In reality, few business owners have any meaningful collateral, except perhaps for their homes. The collateral requirement puts loans out of the range of most small companies home based on not.

Fortunately, a business loan is not required to fix the most common financial problem that home based businesses have.
So what is the most common financial problem?

Here is a little known fact. A large percentage of home based businesses work with corporate and government clients. They are selling products or services to other businesses. Now, most large companies often demand and get 45 day terms on their purchases. This is a common practice. It means that the small business makes the sale now, but must wait up to 45 days to get paid. This creates cash flow problems because few small companies can afford to wait that long for a payment.
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Florida Appellate Court Holds Water Loss That Results From A Deteriorated Pipe Is Covered

Policyholder representatives are noticing more water loss claims denied—even though similar claims with the same policy language were paid a couple years ago. Water loss claims are probably one of the most common, aside from large catastrophes like hurricanes, so this trend is disturbing. Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal issued an opinion finding coverage for a policyholder in a typical water loss claim.1 The facts of the case are quite familiar.

The Cheethams filed a claim with their insurer, Southern Oak, after they sustained water damage to their home. After Southern Oak denied the claim, the Cheethams filed suit, claiming the loss was covered by their all-risk homeowners insurance policy. In response, Southern Oak argued the “Water Damage” exclusion, specifically section A.3.b., excluded the loss. The Cheethams’ claim proceeded to trial. Due to age and deterioration, a pipe located on the Cheethams’ property broke or collapsed. Debris entered the pipe, forming a blockage, which ultimately caused waste water and material to back up through the blocked pipe and into the home through drains. At the cl


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Support and Resistance Levels for 25 April 2013

Daily Nifty & BankNifty Levels Nifty & BankNifty Future Trading Levels
Trading as per the support and resistance levels may be quite useful for intraday and Positional trader in stocks and index. Resistance is termed as the level where the stock generally gets some Selling Pressure before it can go further up. A support is a level where a stock get buying interest before it can fall further. Under the normal market conditions or in the absence of some extremely panic news the support and the resistance levels can act as good levels for initiating the fresh buying or fresh selling. In general it’s advisable to buy the stocks at support level and sell at the resistance level. I


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