| Brown turning Britain into an also-ran
Gordon Brown has wrecked Britain's chances of becoming a serious player in the online gambling market, industry executives warned last night. They claim the Chancellor's shock announcement of a 15 per cent gaming duty for betting websites in his Budget last week will prevent companies from moving their operations to Britain from low-tax or tax-free countries such as Gibraltar, Malta or the Channel Islands. Executives from Ladbrokes, Partygaming and others had previously made clear to Government that a tax of between 2 per cent and 3 per cent would be acceptable - and could attract them back to the UK. Ladbrokes said: "We self-regulate and are regulated and licensed in Gibraltar. Ideally we would like to have been licensed and regulated here in the UK and would gladly have returned to face a tax of 2 per cent, but I think most operators will now remain offshore." The news is a blow to plans by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport whose Gambling Act was designed to boost betting in the UK.
Business profile: A Storybook To Remember
Describe your business: Our Internet-based system allows our clients (or "publishers") to create their own custom, hard-bound storybooks using their own digital pictures and story. Anyone can log onto our site, create an account, upload their digital photos, and begin making books using our pre-designed templates. We have also incorporated a fully-digital scrapbooking system that our publishers can use to create custom book covers and page layouts. We have a wide variety of products, including books in several sizes and shapes, cards, postcards, calendars and posters. Why did you start this business? I've always had an interest in writing and publishing. As a mom of two, I now realize the value of preserving those precious moments of our children's lives. I also recognize how much I wish I knew about my ancestors' lives, and that I now have an opportunity to record and preserve that information about my parents, myself and my spouse, so that I can pass down our life stories to our children as they get older.
Canada: The Duties Of Departing Employees: Are They On The Move?
Recently, the British Columbia Court of Appeal released its decision in RBC Dominion Securities Inc. v. Merrill Lynch Canada Inc. et al. This decision, if not successfully appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, will have a significant impact on the duties and obligations (or the lack thereof) that departing employees will owe to their employers in the financial services sector, particularly investment brokerages. .
Freedom Capital Equity Launches in San Diego
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Freedom Capital Equity, a lender specializing in converting home equity into enduring wealth, opened today in Carmel Valley. Owned and operated by founders who have built long-lasting customer relationships through senior positions at local financial institutions, Freedom Capital Equity offers forward and reverse mortgages and other innovative financial products and techniques that provide financial stability and a lasting legacy. "Equity optimization focuses on strategically using home equity to provide, or prepare for, increased retirement income with the greatest safety, liquidity and rate of return," said David Loseke, DRE Broker, MBA, CMPS, president of Freedom Capital Equity. "By focusing on strategically managing home equity, we will be helping many homeowners reach their financial and retirement goals, while simultaneously increasing the safety of their most valuable assets." Freedom Capital Equity was created on the principle that home equity is greatly underutilized and should be wisely employed instead.
You Don't Need a Million to Make a Million
There's a kernel of truth to that old joke. If you don't approach your investing sensibly, you could see your nest egg shrink instead of grow. Losses happen to even the smartest people. Some of the folks behind the famous Long-Term Capital Management multibillion-dollar blowup had Nobel Prizes in economics. And even if you think you're playing it safe by investing in mutual funds, know that they can blow up, too. Imagine investing in the Van Wagoner Emerging Growth (VWEGX) fund in 2000, after seeing that it gained an eye-popping 291% in 1999. You might think you're being reasonable to just expect 50% or 60% returns, not 291%, in the years ahead. But look at its subsequent returns: Year Return .
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