Business – Page 17 – Community Broker News and Views

Doing the Most Good feels good…

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to join my fellow board members of the Salvation Army of Greater Cleveland Advisory Board in West Cleveland as volunteer bell ringers supporting the Salvation Army’s Advisory Board Kettle Day fund raising effort. It was inspiring to see so many philanthropic business and executive leaders rallying together as a team spending time supporting this important seasonal kindness program. The generosity of the public response was truly overwhelming encountering real people who have been touched by the Salvation Army’s support of communities in need.

Board Members Robert Shenton and Vince Liuzzi
GCAS Advisory Board Kettle Day

Did you know… The Salvation Army of Greater Cleveland makes a positive impact in our community serving nearly 1 million hot meals to hundreds of thousands of hungry people, provides over 160,000 nights of shelter and emergency housing services to people without shelter in need of transitionary lodging. Thousands of children and families in need will receive Christmas gifts this year donated by generous people who donate to the many toy drives sponsored by good, charitable companies throughout our region. Emergency shelters are open safely caring for and taking in the homeless. Counseling and recovery centers provide much needed services and support for some of the most vulnerable people living in our community. Visit www.SalvationArmyCleveland.org to learn more.

So you see, everyone has an opportunity and a role to take responsibility in helping others. Without question, I can tell you based on my experiences in business and in life, that “Doing the Most Good” actually feels the most good. Sharing personal time, talents and treasures with people who truly need and deserve our help and support is the very best gift I could offer people who are less fortunate than me.

Regardless of life’s struggles, sadness and extreme challenges, I am incredibly grounded and thankful to be helping others. This holiday season, I ask you to join me in supporting the great works of the Salvation Army, or the charitable organization of your choice. The community needs your support, and you too have much to share. What a better way to celebrate the goodness of the season than to help others in need to feel the help and support of someone who really does care.

Opportunity Zones: Increasing Investment Where It’s Needed Most

June 27th, 2019

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – How can Northeast Indiana and Fort Wayne boost development in economically distressed communities?

Many federal incentive programs have been created over the years, including the New Markets Tax Credit, Empowerment Zones and more; however, the newest investment incentive—Opportunity Zones—may have the most significant tax benefits yet.

Check out this great review of the program – be sure to check out the webinar on the opportunity zones hyperlink – it’s a fantastic overview of the program and gives great examples on how public and private partnerships come together to help communities success. We are #bettertogether

neindiana.com/news/opportunity-zones

Insights on the Second Set of Qualified Opportunity Zone Regulations

Insights on the Second Set of Qualified Opportunity Zone Regulations

Insights on the Second Set of Qualified Opportunity Zone Regulations

— Read on commercialobserver.com/2019/06/insights-on-the-second-set-of-qualified-opportunity-zone-regulations/

Really good overview of Opportunity Zone program.

4 Reasons to Buy A Home This Winter! — Inside My Real Estate Mind

Lots of options for First Time Home buyers. Get ready this winter and early spring for the home buying season – Fannie Mae – Home Ready or Federal Home Loan Bank’s – First Front Door programs are a really good place to start. Check with your mortgage consultant today!

If the right thing for you and your family is to purchase a home this year, buying sooner rather than later could lead to substantial savings.

via 4 Reasons to Buy A Home This Winter! — Inside My Real Estate Mind

A Guide To The Benefits Of Business Credit — Australia Guides

In this guide to the benefits of business credit; we explain what business credit is, outline the factors that are used to determine business credit, and detail the benefits of having good business credit. Jump To: What factors determine business credit? What are the benefits of having good business credit? Where can I get more […]

via A Guide To The Benefits Of Business Credit — Australia Guides

While building good business credit takes time and effort, ensuring that your business has a good credit rating is critical to its growth and success. And the best time to start doing it is now!

Coaching, Training or Mentoring

Good overview centered on people development. Effective leaders demonstrate and use these skills to drive employee performance and engagement.

nathanwood.consulting/2017/12/04/the-differences-between-training-coaching-and-mentoring/

https://nathanwoodconsulting.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/development-styles.png

King of Tax Shelter in the US: Qualified Opportunity Zone — BnsTech Report

Q. What is an Opportunity Zone?

A. An Opportunity Zone is an economically-distressed community where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. Localities qualify as Opportunity Zones if they have been nominated for that designation by the state and that nomination has been certified by the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury via his delegation authority to the Internal Revenue Service.

The term “Opportunity Zone” is a new term in accounting and finance. Yet, it should not be strange to accounting and finance professionals. This term was created when the Tax Cut and Jobs Act was enacted on December 27, 2017 under Trump’s Administration. According to the IRS, this Tax Cut and Job Act was created […]

via King of Tax Shelter in the US: Qualified Opportunity Zone — BnsTech Report

Brand Management Manifesto

Effective brand management requires developing a good relationship with your target. If I were to ask you, “Who makes up your ‘target market’,” I’m sure I would receive answers that include both existing customers and potential customers.These are accurate responses, but how many of you would have included “employees” as a target market for your brand? As marketing leaders, it is imperative that we think of brand management in the three pillars that make up our brand: Market, Customers and Employees. All three are critical to the strength of our brand.

Read the full report below by: Karen Kislin at Raddon

Source: Brand Man agement Manifesto

Are You at Risk of a Corporate Account Takeover?

by Vince Liuzzi
Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer, DNB First

Strategic. Financial. Competitive. Regulatory. The business landscape has always been laden with different types of risk. And today with the explosive growth in cyber theft, business owners are faced with significant fraud risks, including a serious and growing one that’s cost businesses of all sizes tens of thousands of dollars: corporate account takeovers. A corporate account takeover occurs when cyber thieves gain access to your online banking accounts to initiate wires and other fraudulent transactions out of your accounts.

Beware of phishing and other scams

To carry out their work, thieves will often target your employees to gain access to your company’s online banking platform. They may utilize phishing scams,

where they pose as credible organizations, such as your bank or the Better Business Bureau, to attempt to access your company’s online banking credentials. Employees may then inadvertently download malware, allowing cyber thieves to take control of their computers and access sensitive information. Thieves may also attempt to reach your staff by phone or through social media to get personal information.

Reducing your company’s risk

It’s important to be aware that cyber thieves will target any size business. So whether you have 2 or 200 employees, your business could be at risk of a corporate account takeover if you make electronic transactions. There are, however, some steps you can take to protect your company and the money you’ve worked so hard to earn:

Warn your employees. Share with them some of the tactics cyber thieves use and encourage them not to download or click on any suspicious emails or links.
Monitor your accounts regularly for suspicious activity and transactions.
Divide online banking tasks among employees and computers.
Look for suspicious emails and install SPAM filters.
Install anti-virus software and keep it up to date.
Don’t click on links from unknown virus protection software programs.
Instruct employees to regularly change passwords. Passwords should be mixed with letters and numbers and be difficult for others to ascertain.
Log out after each online banking session and never leave computers unattended.
Ensure employees do not access online banking from public places with public Internet access.
Look for changes in the performance of your computer. If you notice a dramatic change in your computer’s processing speed or your computer frequently freezes, run a scan immediately.

At DNB First, we are committed to making your Online Banking experience as secure as possible. By increasing your knowledge and awareness of corporate account takeovers and other online scams, you’ll have one less risk to worry about, giving you more time to manage all those others.

Time to Focus on Your Business

by Vince Liuzzi
Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer, DNB First

It’s long been said that running a small business is not a 9-to-5 job. Yet, even with the long hours you work when you own a business, there never seems to be enough time to get everything done. Somehow you’ve got to find time to handle customer service issues, supervise employees and vendors, and even manage your website and technology. And that doesn’t even include one of the most critical and arduous tasks of running a business – your everyday banking.

But while you can’t always add hours to your workweek, you can open up valuable time in your day by managing your banking more efficiently. Here are some smart services that will not only help you do that, but will also give you greater control of your finances:

Online and mobile banking. If you’re too busy to get to the bank, bring the bank right to you with online and mobile banking. You can view account balances and make transfers, request stop payments and perform other functions quickly and easily. You can even assign multiple users and access levels to allow you to delegate banking responsibilities to your employees.

Online bill payment. Paying invoices each week takes up valuable time that could be better spent on building your business. With online bill payment, you can pay and receive bills automatically. You can even schedule recurring bill payments to occur automatically, saving you the time of writing checks, addressing envelopes, and making trips to the post office.

Remote deposit. Do you receive check payments from your customers? Instead of driving to the bank or ATM to deposit them, you can deposit them right from your office with remote deposit, using the Internet and a special scanner.

Mobile deposit. If you receive a lower volume of checks, you can deposit them in a snap using mobile deposit and a camera on your smartphone or other mobile device.

Payroll services. One of the most time-consuming tasks for business owners is processing payroll. Outsourcing payroll can reduce the hours you spend on calculating pay to minutes. Another big advantage of outsourcing payroll is that it allows you to tap the expertise of payroll providers who understand tax laws and can help you avoid costly tax penalties.

Business debit cards. If you need to make purchases, a business debit card is a great way to save time at the point of sale. You can even request cards for employees and assign spending limits. Then, you’ll have a record of all your company’s purchasing to make expense tracking and tax preparation easier.

Take the time to learn more.
DNB First offers these and other services to help you save time and take control of your finances. Talk to us today to learn more; it’s time well spent.