Category: Brandpoint Business & Finance

2019-05-20T08:01:01

(BPT) – These days, everyone’s looking for bargains and ways to save while shopping online from the comfort of their own homes. With low prices, a wide selection and fast shipping for customers, Amazon has a lot to offer to save you both time and money. Below are seven easy ways to save when shopping on Amazon:

1. Discounted offers: Customers receiving government assistance through EBT or Medicaid can enjoy the benefits of an Amazon Prime membership for a discounted monthly price of $5.99, with the ability to cancel anytime. With Prime, members can enjoy fast, free shipping, exclusive savings, and easy access to entertainment with Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading and more. Learn more and sign up for a free 30-day trial at http://amazon.com/qualify.

2. Stick to your budget. Making purchases with cash is a savvy way to stick to your budget, as it makes you more conscious of what you’re spending. When you’re shopping online, you can use Amazon Cash instead of your debit or credit card. It’s a simpler way to shop and will help you manage your spending. You can visit more than 45,000 participating stores — including pharmacies like CVS and convenience stores like 7-Eleven — to add cash to your Amazon Balance. This method is quick, easy and Amazon doesn’t charge any fees.

3. Take advantage of subscriptions. Families can maximize their savings by enrolling in convenient programs such as Subscribe & Save, which allow you to subscribe to a wide selection of items you buy frequently (such as diapers, baby food and household products), and have them shipped to you for free on a regular basis. You’ll not only save up to 15% on the purchases, but you’ll also save the time and energy normally spent on trips to the store.

4. Scout out deals as they pop up. You can track the best deals on Amazon with Lightning Deals, which offer new deals daily to help you save money. It allows you to find the best prices on items you need, want and love. You can also sign up for “watch a deal” alerts so you’ll never miss out on a discount!

6. Earn rewards by waiting. Not in a hurry to get your package? Here’s a little-known Prime perk for those who don’t need their order right away — selecting the “No-Rush” shipping option at checkout earns you rewards and discounts on future purchases. Rewards are automatically added to your Amazon balance, so you can start saving right away. Keep an eye out for this option next time!

7. Discover Bargain Finds. Check out Amazon’s Bargain Finds for a wide selection of seasonally relevant products that are priced even lower — items can vary from clothing and jewelry to gifts and home decor.

Shopping online does not have to break the bank, and you don’t have to spend all your time surfing and comparing prices. Thanks to Amazon, you can enjoy some of the best options available for shopping all in one place, and do it within your budget.

2019-05-09T08:01:00

(BPT) – Follow these four simple steps to successful financial management.

2019-05-07T15:41:00

(BPT) – FedEx Office, a world-class provider of convenient, state-of-the-art printing, packing and shipping services, released today the results in its latest print survey showing 82 percent of small business owners and 61 percent of consumers choose to have items professionally printed at the same or a higher rate than they did in the year before. Professionally printed materials remain highly valued, with nearly half of audiences citing that convenience offered through digital and mobile access is a very important factor in the process.

2019-05-03T07:31:01

(BPT) – Need a new car, but not sure whether to buy or lease? You’re not alone. It can be a confusing decision, and there’s a lot to think about before you decide what’s right for you and your situation.

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself to help in making that decision.

Do you like having a newer car?

If you like being able to drive a newer car, but don’t have the financial resources to buy a new car with the frequency you replace your phone, leasing may be a good choice for you. Lease terms can usually run from two to four years, after which time you return the vehicle. You can then lease another vehicle for a new term.

How many miles do you drive?

If you drive more than 10-15,000 miles per year, you’d be better off purchasing your next car. Most lease terms run from two to four years and require mileage limits. If you exceed the limit, fees are applied. So be sure you know how many miles you’re likely to put on your vehicle before locking in to a lease. In addition, most lease agreements include provisions that you may be liable for any damage to the car beyond normal wear and tear.

Is your credit good?

No matter whether you buy or lease a vehicle, the lender or lessee will be evaluating your credit profile. That means looking at information such as your credit score in combination with factors like the amount of down payment you have and/or your income. Whether you plan to buy or lease, you should check your credit score first. You’ll want to avoid any unpleasant surprises when you apply for a car loan or lease by making sure that everything is accurate, and doing what you can to improve your credit score.

VantageScore credit scores are used by most consumers and thousands of lenders. VantageScore is a highly accurate, predictive and consistent measure of borrower credit risk, using the same information trusted by dealers. VantageScore scores approximately 40 million more consumers than other conventional models. Find sites offering free VantageScore credit scores at VantageScore.com/free. Like many models, 300 is the lowest and 850 is the highest score. Check here for tips from VantageScore on how to improve your credit score, like making timely payments, reducing your overall credit card debt and not cancelling older or little-used cards.

Does leasing (versus buying) help or hurt your credit?

Leasing a car, similar to financing, means adding a liability to your overall financial picture, and just as with an auto loan, missing a payment can hurt your credit score. However, one advantage is that leasing usually means a lower monthly payment, as you are not actually purchasing the vehicle. If a lower payment each month is better for your overall finances and helps you stay on top of the lease — and other — payments, this might be a good option. However, remember that at the end of the lease term, you’re giving back the car, not keeping it to use or sell.

When making your final decision whether to purchase or lease a vehicle, remember also that the length of time needed for repaying a car loan may be much longer than a two- to four-year lease term. Car loan repayment periods can vary anywhere from two to seven years. Either way, if you can put down a sizable down payment first, your loan or lease payments will be lower per month. See these tips from VantageScore for helpful information about applying for a car loan.

2019-05-01T08:01:00

(BPT) – Think about it: The food you purchased at the grocery store and cook for dinner tonight might have come from other locations around the world. Your clothes bought online might come from a manufacturing plant across the country. That package sitting outside in your entryway when you get home from work could have traveled coast-to-coast before arriving at your door.

Thanks to the trucking industry, you are able to purchase and use the things you want and need. In fact, the trucking industry is the lifeblood of the U.S. economy, with about 71 percent of all the freight tonnage moved in the U.S. being done so on trucks, according to the American Trucking Associations. As the industry saying goes: If you bought it — a truck probably brought it.

To move 10.5 billion tons of freight annually requires over 3.6 million heavy-duty Class 8 trucks and over 3.5 million truck drivers. It also takes almost 39 billion gallons of diesel fuel to move all of that freight, according to the association.

However, the trucking industry is changing with the times. With a forward-thinking mindset, transportation leaders and proactive companies are embracing the trend of using alternative-fuel vehicles such as electric vehicles in commercial transportation.

You probably have heard of electric cars for personal use, and maybe you even own one yourself. These types of vehicles are designed to use a battery instead of traditional fuels, which helps eliminate tailpipe emissions.

Larger commercial vehicles like trucks and buses may also benefit from this electric technology. The switch to electricity is slowly changing commercial transportation. In the future, you might receive your food, goods and packages — either directly or indirectly — by a commercial electric truck or van rather than diesel-powered or gasoline-fueled vehicles. While currently in limited availability, electric trucks are starting to take root in some of the larger trucking fleets.

Consider Penske Truck Leasing for example, which operates and maintains a truck fleet of more than 311,000 vehicles in North America. The company recently announced it was adding small, medium and large electric trucks to its overall fleet mix. And, it is also building out commercial electric vehicle charging stations at select California locations as a start.

Penske is an industry leader in transportation and in the areas of operating and maintaining fleets of traditionally fueled vehicles as well as alternative-fueled vehicles, which includes natural gas, propane, electric and diesel-electric hybrids.

Early introductions from truck manufacturers and large fleets like Penske are helping to re-shape the future of mobility in commercial transportation. The goods you use today that are shipped via traditional diesel trucks may one day be shipped using alternative fuels such as electricity.

2019-04-30T08:01:00

(BPT) – If you had to grade your financial literacy, what would it be? Are you an A+ saver, investor and planner, or do you think you could do better? If you grade yourself average at best, you’re not alone.

When asked to grade their own financial literacy, more than half of Americans say they’d earn a “C” or lower, according to new data from Prudential Financial. This isn’t surprising, considering data from Prudential’s Financial Wellness Census shows less than half of Americans are on track to meet their financial goals, including planning for retirement.

“Regardless of where you are on your family’s financial wellness journey, the best way forward is through financial literacy,” says Prudential Advisors President Brad Hearn. “Researching, educating yourself and getting advice from a financial professional can help you make the best decisions based on your life stage, risk tolerance and goals.”

Hearn says each family’s situation and goals are unique, and things like life stage and personal preference will impact how they choose to prepare for their financial future. To get started, here are five financial wellness basics every family should master:

Set up an emergency fund

Life is a series of experiences, and sometimes the unexpected can hit your finances hard. Whether it’s a car breaking down, your AC unit on the fritz or even losing a job, it’s important to be prepared for emergencies. If you don’t already have an emergency fund, start saving a little each month until you reach your goal. A good rule of thumb is to have three months’ worth of expenses saved in an emergency fund. So, if your monthly expenses are $2,500, you should have $7,500 saved.

Create a budget

Saving for college? A new car? How about starting that emergency fund? Whatever your family’s financial goals are, it’s important to have a plan in place that helps you achieve those goals. Budget to manage day-to-day expenses, and include in that budget a commitment to save for bigger milestones. For tips on getting started, do some research. There’s no shortage of advice, whether you decide to go it alone or consider using the help of a professional financial advisor.

Plan for the unimaginable

If you have people who count on you for financial support or caregiving, you should have life insurance. A life insurance policy can help give your family financial peace of mind should the worst happen. There is no rule as to how much life insurance you need, but important things to consider are your annual income, mortgage debt, potential college costs for kids and other future financial obligations.

Save for retirement

According to Prudential data, of Americans who have retirement savings and debt, nearly one-quarter have more in total debt than in retirement savings (23%), while 15% of Americans say that they have no debt, but also have nothing saved for retirement. Planning for retirement is something that should start as soon as possible. If your work offers any type of matching program, make sure to take advantage. If you don’t, you’re essentially leaving free money on the table.

Seek professional advice

Retirement, life insurance and savings can be confusing. Information overload is partly to blame. According to Prudential data, two-thirds of Americans agree that the list of things they need to learn to successfully manage their finances keeps growing, not shrinking. That’s where financial literacy programs and professional financial advice can play a key role. Nearly two-thirds of Americans don’t have a financial advisor. They say they cannot afford one (42%) or don’t believe their financial situation warrants needing an advisor’s help (26%). The reality is that advice is more within reach than ever before — and it’s not just for the wealthy. A financial professional can help at various stages in life and work with you to create a strategy based on your timeline, risk tolerance and goals.

“Financial wellness isn’t always a matter of having more money,” says Hearn. “Instead, it’s a journey that takes a combination of proactive effort, dedication and professional guidance.”

Prudential Advisors is a brand name of The Prudential Insurance Company of America and its subsidiaries. Life insurance is issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark, NJ and its affiliates.

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2019-04-24T07:01:00

(BPT) – Environmental pressures like drought confront growers across the globe, and they can exacerbate the many other demands growers face. The challenges are intertwined, coming from every direction, including profitability requirements, food-supply-chain demands and nutrient shortages.

“Across the industry, growers will have adapt to deal with those growing pressures,” says Colin Steen, who heads up operations for Syngenta Ventures, one of the world’s first venture capital groups dedicated to agriculture.

Members of the research and development group at the organization identified Sound Agriculture as a promising new startup based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. Their mission: to create a suite of products that mitigate drought stress, decrease fertilizer needs and increase crop yields.

“Sound Agriculture was looking at a common problem from a new angle,” Steen says. “They were discovering new products that could be tools for enhancing yield and resilience. We invested in them last year and have been very pleased with their progress.”

Investing for long-term results

Today, Sound Agriculture is one of more than 15 companies in Syngenta Ventures’ portfolio. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for the ideal investment. It’s more about casting a broad net and finding companies that share the vision for making growers’ farms more sustainable and more profitable, which is viewed as a long-term partnership.

AgriMetis — a Syngenta Ventures’ portfolio company in Maryland — which develops natural products to protect crops from weeds, diseases and insects, is another example. “AgriMetis needed a little help developing its testing capabilities and our R&D group stepped in,” Steen says.

He collaborates with a team of seven professionals in the U.S. and Europe. Their talents, he says, reflect three pillars of a successful venture ag-focused group. First, the group must understand what’s happening on the farm. “That’s the key. We have to understand the stresses growers face so we can look ahead for solutions,” he says.

Second, technical expertise is essential. “The driving force for many companies we evaluate is novel technology,” Steen says. “The best way to build relationships is to speak the same language.”

Finally, Steen says that a good venture capital team must be savvy enough to make commitments and decisions that play over a long time period, often more than 5 years. Making good decisions today requires understanding future challenges.

The future of ag technology

“The ag-technology sector has completely changed and thrived in just the past 10 years,” Steen says.

Satellite imagery and drones, for example, felt like the stuff of sci-fi novels just a decade ago, but now they’re common sights in ag offices and fields across the world. One portfolio company, Phytech, draws on spatial imaging, hyperlocal climate information and agronomic modeling to help farmers improve their profitability.

“Helping to develop successful companies directly impacts the agriculture industry,” Steen says. “Our core mission is to help create new tools to make growers more profitable. For us, it’s all about the collaboration to maximize that success.”

For more information, visit www.syngentaventures.com.

2019-04-23T09:01:00

(BPT) – Whether you rent or own, a happy home means finding distinctive ways to continuously improve your space. A full renovation or re-design can be pricey, but making your home feel fresh and current doesn’t have to be. We’ve thought through cost-effective solutions to make your home a place you love.

1) Measure your moolah: Understanding the budget is a crucial first step to any home project and money can be a sensitive subject. To conquer the awkwardness, download a finance app to get a sense of your spending habits. This will give you an accurate measure of how much moolah you have to spend on your home, and could help you save a buck or two on overall spending as well.

2) Score some smart solutions: Once you understand the budget, invest in smart solutions to have the place feeling fresh and updated in no time. If you’re interested in smart temperature control, check with your local energy provider to see if they offer incentive programming or kickbacks for making the switch! Easy changes like Bluetooth-connected plugs, meat thermometers and smart lightbulbs will use less energy and make you more connected to your home.

3) Swap that showerhead: If you’re looking for more of a visual change, swap out a faucet or showerhead — an easy but impactful update regardless of rent/own status. Brands like Peerless Faucet make products specifically designed to be on trend, but easy to manage. As long as you select a faucet that matches the current setup of your countertop (e.g., single handle or double handle, with or without soap dispenser), you can swap out any standard faucet for one that matches your vibe. From the kitchen to the bathroom, investing in a few key pieces for your home will last you a lifetime, especially if you pick multi-functional pieces like the SideKick Shower System.

4) Try subscription solutions: An easy way to spruce up your tables, walls and cabinets is by signing up for subscription services that take the thinking out of upkeep. There are a number of practical subscriptions you can opt in to, like FilterEasy, a service that sends you filters for your HVAC exactly when you need them. Or, if cleaning supplies are something you continuously forget to buy, subscription services take the thought out of having home supplies at the ready, under your sink, whenever you need them. If you’re looking for a simple upgrade, you can receive art that matches your style or fresh flowers. There is a subscription for almost everything and, when used strategically, they are a great way to manage your spending while investing in your space.

5) Spark joy with spring cleaning: Speaking of cleaning, when you make the switch to your summer wardrobe and your annual spring clean, take the time to assess what, as Marie Kondo would say, sparks joy versus what has seen better days. By taking ownership of what must stay, and saying thank you and goodbye to things that are ready to go, your belongings won’t feel like a burden, because everything will have a purpose. When you begin to spring clean, think through new methods of determining what should stay and what should go.

Once you’ve done these things, if you are looking for more, below are some quick fixes:

• Add new fabrics (e.g., cushions, curtains, throw blankets) in the living area and bedroom.
• Create an accent wall with adhesive wallpaper.
• Hang mirrors to create an illusion of a larger space and spread light throughout the space.
• Go green, add plants.
• Swap out the knobs on your kitchen/bathroom cabinets.
• Change the light fixtures.

Try these simple tips to spruce up any room in no time.

2019-04-23T06:01:00

(BPT) – One of the latest business buzzwords this year is EX, or the employee experience. Organizations are beginning to realize that they need to create a positive employee experience in the same way they have focused on the customer experience. In this ever-tightening job market, it’s mission critical to keep employees happy, fulfilled and challenged. Only then can they keep their customers happy. Focusing on EX means evaluating an employee’s entire life cycle with the company, from before they even apply for a job to beyond their last day. It’s so critical that Forbes even dubbed 2018 the Year of the Employee Experience.

What is the EX, exactly? EX is not just about what it’s like to work day-to-day in the office, and it’s not about benefits, half-day Fridays, sleeping pods, beer fridges in the break room and other fun perks, though those things do enter into it. But EX is deeper and more meaningful than that. It’s about truly engaging employees. Employee engagement (EE) and EX are intertwined so closely they can be called one and the same.

The problem with EE: There’s a disconnect

In a recent study, Dale Carnegie found that 70 percent of top executives believe that employee engagement has a strong impact on financial performance. In a similar study, Deloitte found that 85 percent of company leaders say EE is an important strategic priority, but Dale Carnegie found that just 31 percent of front-line employees and managers strongly agreed that their company is actually making engagement a top priority.

Clearly, there’s a disconnect between what execs are saying and what employees are feeling. That’s because there’s a piece left out of this puzzle: the employees’ managers.

The key to aligning executive priorities with what employees are experiencing lies in the management chain. Managers need to be enabled and empowered to engage their teams on a daily basis. It means getting managers the training they need to engage their teams, by making it a strategic priority and creating a culture of engagement. Dale Carnegie programs teach the skills managers need and can help organizations do the right things to increase overall employee engagement.

Ways to increase employee engagement

Align policies with EE. You need employee-supportive policies and procedures, such as a standard performance evaluation policy. But it also means changing policies that are barriers to engagement. Are there processes and procedures working at cross-purpose with engagement efforts? If so, change them. How are your rewards and recognition programs designed? What do you reward and recognize? Are they making your employees feel valued? It requires going through your policies with a critical eye, and the willingness to change what’s not working.

Employee engagement needs to be on the top of the priority list for top executives, managers and supervisors, and that’s no easy task. But in this ever-tightening job market, with greener grass just a click away on a job seeker’s app, keeping all of your employees happy, engaged and fulfilled is the key to your company’s competitive advantage.

2019-04-19T07:27:00

(BPT) – Recent studies have shown that a record number of Americans understand that climate change is real and their increasing concern for the future of our planet is driving major corporations across the country to go green by setting and fulfilling lofty sustainability goals.

According to a recent survey from global renewable energy company Enel Green Power, over half of Americans assume sustainable products are more expensive. However, operating sustainably goes beyond the brands that are making headlines with buzzworthy products, as other household names are making large commitments that are reducing consumers’ carbon footprint behind the scenes.

The survey also found that two in three Americans would engage in sustainable lifestyle choices by making a purchase from a sustainable brand or a company that donates to an environmental cause. In fact, about half of Americans say they would pay more for a sustainable product, and of those people, half would pay 3% to 5% more. This commitment to making environmentally friendly purchase decisions continues to push companies to invest in climate solutions.

“All businesses, from world-leading big brands to small manufacturers, can play a role in operating sustainably and consumers have a say through their purchasing decisions,” said Georgios Papadimitriou, Head of Enel Green Power North America. “We are proud to work with companies that make the conscious decision to better our planet by greening their business and encourage consumers to use their purchasing power to continue this momentum.”

For example, last year, Budweiser announced its commitment to brew its beer with 100% renewable electricity. The amount of renewable electricity that the company uses is enough to produce more than 20 billion 12 oz. servings of beer annually.

Kohler aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 3% year over year to be net zero by 2035 and the company uses wind energy to supply 100% of the power needed to operate Kohler’s U.S. and Canadian manufacturing operations. The power generated is enough to power nearly 40,000 homes, and globally, the project will reduce Kohler’s greenhouse gas emissions footprint by 26%.

And telecommunications company T-Mobile turned magenta green last year, announcing its transition to 100% renewable electricity by 2021. T-Mobile is well on its way to achieving this aggressive goal and takes environmental stewardship one step further by engaging its community in conservation and reforestation efforts with its #TreeMobile campaign to plant up to half a million trees for Earth Day in partnership with The Nature Conservancy.

Adopting a sustainable lifestyle in tactical ways like driving an electric vehicle or installing solar panels on your roof has clear benefits for the environment. However, energy consumption goes far beyond turning your lights on and getting behind the wheel. The products we use in our daily lives require immense amounts of energy and materials for production, making our responsible purchasing decisions more influential than ever. Businesses are in a unique position to lead the charge against climate change. Americans’ demand for a more sustainable future will continue to influence companies’ sustainability commitments.