D. Laverne O'Neal reports:
"Forgiving debt, whether a small personal loan to a friend or a larger sum to a family member, involves more than just a phone call or oral agreement. To properly forgive debt, a letter or contract is required...Talk to the debtor. Whether you decide to forgive part or all of the debt, be sure he is clear about how much is being forgiven. Let him know you plan to put the agreement in writing...Write up a forgiveness letter or agreement. If you choose to forgive the full amount, simply write a letter to that effect. If you're letting go of only part of the debt, include in the note the repayment terms of the portion of the debt to be repaid. Notate how much should be paid at each due date and how many payments should be made. Explain in the letter that the remainder of the debt will be forgiven once the partial sum is fully paid...Give the debtor a receipt for the amount forgiven. Print the words 'Paid in Full' on the receipt...A forgiven loan may be subject to gift tax. According to the IRS, as of 2012, you can give $13,000 per year gift-tax-free to anybody for any reason. If your gift is larger, you have to file Form 790, the gift tax return. So if you loan a friend $100,000 and forgive $50,000 of it, you may be liable for gift tax on $37,000 the year of the forgiveness. However, if you choose to forgive only $13,000 per year for three years and $11,000 the fourth year, you may be able to sidestep the gift tax. IRS gift tax rules are complex and regularly revised. Consulting a tax professional is recommended." Vince Font reports (a sample letter is included):
"By failing to give a 30-day notice to move out, you could be giving up on your security deposit and even leaving yourself open to costly legal ramifications if you're sued by the property management...Make sure you understand everything that's contained within [your rental agreement]. Many apartment complexes that rent to you on a month-to-month basis will require that you give them 30 days' notice, but this could vary and it might actually be greater than 30 days. If you've signed an apartment rental lease promising to stick around for a specific length of time and you've still got a long way to go before it's up, discuss your options with your landlord first to see if you can arrive at an agreeable solution that'll pave the way for you to kick up dust without fear of getting sued for breaking the lease...Next, make it official by putting your intent to leave in writing. If you don't have a typewriter or a computer, find someone that does or go to the library—you don't want your notice to be [handwritten] because it leaves open the opportunity for someone to misread what you wrote...Make a copy of the letter and keep it for your records. If you have to send the letter to an out-of-state address, be sure to allow an extra seven days for it to travel through the mail. Also, consider sending it with delivery confirmation so that you'll have proof the intended recipient actually received it." Grace Ferguson reports:
"Most businesses need employees to operate efficiently. However, when an employee refuses to take the necessary steps to improve his performance, the employer has little choice but to fire him...Verify that the employee’s actions or work performance justify termination. Have a company policy in place that specifies reasons for termination, such as poor job performance, theft or violation of workplace conduct rules. Typically, an employee is fired after she has already received verbal and written warnings about the issue, unless the matter is extreme enough to warrant immediate dismissal...Ensure you have proof of the reason you are firing the employee...Contact your state's department of labor for laws on terminating an employee...If notice is required in your state, give it before firing the employee. Familiarize yourself with federal laws as well...Handle the termination promptly and privately, behind closed doors. Unless the employee poses a physical threat to you or other employees -- in which case the police or security should be called -- treat the employee with respect and dignity during the termination process. Firing the employee in front of her coworkers negatively affects her, and the remaining staff and work environment...Be direct, honest and specific with the employee about why you are terminating him. Explain to the employee where he went wrong and show him documents that support your decision. Treat the matter as a workplace issue by being objective rather than emotional...Pay the employee final wages according to state law. You can pay final wages immediately upon termination. If you choose to delay payment, ensure that you do so in accordance with the law...Final wages typically include all compensation due to the employee at the time of termination, such as regular and overtime earnings and bonuses and commissions. Check state law for rules concerning paying accrued vacation time upon termination...Advise the employee of benefits he might be entitled to...Explain to the employee that she might be entitled to unemployment insurance benefits. The general rule is that employees who are terminated through no fault of their own are eligible for unemployment benefits. However, an employee who was fired might be eligible as well, depending on the reason she was fired...Keep federal- and state-mandated posters in a conspicuous place where employees can see them. In Texas, such posters include those relating to unemployment, workers’ compensation, minimum wage and the Family Medical Leave Act...To ensure that you fire an employee in a legal manner, contact the state labor department or an employment attorney for the specifics on handling the situation." Jana Sosnowski reports:
"Multiple readings of a poem may be necessary to fully understand its meaning and develop a reaction to the writing. Actively reading the poem includes taking notes while reading...Using a dictionary at this stage of developing the analysis helps to develop a broad understanding of the poem...Once the meaning of the words and phrases in the poem have been determined, develop an idea about the subject of the poem as a first step in creating an analysis of the overall theme...Determining the 'what' creates focus on the general topic or subject of the poem and can also be used to describe the plot of the poem. Answering the 'who' question is identifying the speaker of the poem. 'When' may refer to the time of day or the time in history the poem occurs. 'Where' refers to the physical location of the action in the poem, and 'why' answers the question of the author's purpose in writing the poem. The topic of the poem is used to develop the theme -- the overall message of the poem...Once the theme or overall idea of the poem has been determined, finding ways to support an argument about the theme will include elements of the writer's style. Tone and the mood evoked from the tone may be used as evidence in supporting the theme. Figurative language, including metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole and symbolism, may add to the discussion of the theme of a poem. Additionally, word choice and the use of abstract or concrete details play a role in [the] theme of a poem...The structure of a poem can be used as an argument to support the overall message of the poem. Discussion of structure is included in a poetry analysis as evidence of the purpose of the poem. Formal poetic structures include sonnets, haikus and odes, which may be discussed in the analysis of a poem. Additionally, the number of stanzas and lines in the poem may contribute to its rhythm and overall tone and theme. Discussion of structure also includes sentence structure and punctuation use." Ian Linton reports:
"Writing a strong statement of qualifications helps to differentiate a company from its competitors. In some markets, such as federal business, a corporate statement of qualifications is a mandatory requirement, according to the Federal Allies Institute. In others, it is a powerful marketing tool that can open doors to new opportunities...Prepare a formal structure for the document. Begin with a brief summary of your main business activities, then give a brief overview of your company, including size, location, turnover and number of employees. List the products or services you offer with a brief description of each. Describe your company’s experience and key achievements in your market sector. Include a list of customers with a summary of the products or services you provide. State the length of your relationship with each customer. Set out your company’s accreditations and qualifications. Include any relevant qualifications held by individual employees. Name the main contact personnel with a brief biography. Include telephone number, email address and website address...Research the company or organization that you are targeting. Ask your sales and marketing team for information on the prospect’s product or service requirements. Identify the prospect’s most important considerations in choosing a supplier. Find out who is currently supplying the prospect and identify that company's strengths and weaknesses. That insight helps you decide what to include and emphasize in the statement of qualifications. Use your research to customize the document to individual prospects...Gather information from your records and other sources to complete each section of the document. Keep each section brief and aim to complete the full statement in a maximum of two pages. Use short sentences and bullet points to make the document easy to read. Provide links to specific content on your website if you want to provide additional information...Ask colleagues in sales and marketing to review the document...Identify the elements that represent your strongest advantages and ensure that they stand out in the document. Update the document regularly to include the latest information." Katie Leimkuehler reports:
"There are thousands of blogs created every day, so how can you create one that will stand out? Check out a few key ingredients that are need[ed] for all successful blogs...Writing great and intriguing content is an absolute must when [it] comes to blogging. You need to have perfected the art of writing something that will be useful to your website visitors and interesting enough to keep them coming back. What do they want to know? How can you help them?...Be different. There are thousands of blogs on the [I]nternet and yours has to stand out. Create a unique focus on your blog that is slightly different from everyone else out there. Ask yourself what’s interesting to you[.] What will draw people back? And how can you be different from similar blogs?...Take chances. Epic blogs don’t form [overnight]. Those bloggers try new things. They play with an array of content, work with their website design and focus on engagement. They are willing to change it up and try it all. Find out what will work and what won’t." Carlos Cooper reports:
"What does it mean to be a prolific writer? In non-dictionary terms, it basically means you write a lot and publish a lot of work. If you’re trying to be prolific, where do you start?...The everyday answer to making and attaining goals is 'Ready, Aim, Fire'. I’m not an everyday kind of guy. If you test me I’m probably some kind of outlier. I subscribe to the 'Ready, Fire, Aim' mentality. I’d rather put something out there than not. I don’t want to be on the sidelines. It’s more fun to be in the thick of it. If you want to be prolific, shake off the shackles of indecision. Stop thinking so much. Just do it...The secret to becoming a prolific writer is… wait for it… write all the time. Don’t wait for inspiration to strike. Make inspiration come to you. Write until it comes. How do I do it? Sometimes I type the same word over and over. Other times I describe how I’m feeling. Most times I find my story by exploring my imagination as I’m writing...If you want to grow into a prolific writer it’s time to take off the training wheels. Jump in with both feet. Establish a daily writing routine. Take your writing seriously, but still have fun." Mary Gormandy White reports:
"Do you need to write a vacation request letter? If you need to take some time off from work, it's certainly a good idea to submit your request in writing. Doing so is a great way to demonstrate your professionalism to your boss as well as to properly document when you made the request and exactly what dates you are hoping to be away from the office...The letter that you write to request time off does not have to be long or complicated. However, it does need to be well[-]written and reflect an appropriate level of professionalism. Keep in mind that the way you conduct yourself when interacting with management level employees in your company can have an impact on how you are perceived as a member of the team...Everyone needs to take a break from work once in a while. Increase your chances of having your leave request approved by submitting a well[-]written vacation request letter to your supervisor well in advance of the dates that you want to be out of the office. Keep in mind that vacation requests are often approved in the order they are received. Because of this, it's in your best interest to submit your leave request as soon as you know that you would like to schedule a vacation. After all, you don't want to ask for days off only to discover that your request is denied because another employee has already been granted leave for the same time." J. Hirbyand reports:
"Children are under the legal custody, authority and control of their parents until they reach the age of majority. Unfortunately, parents may suffer from a temporary or permanent setback that may lead them to give up their legal control of their children...In order to be good parents, adults must have the capacity to provide the basic necessities. If they cannot, then finding a close relative and giving him or her temporary legal guardianship might be the best idea...The wise parent may cede some authority temporarily or permanently in the best interests of their kids. The legal guardianship document is a formal declaration to the court system that another party is responsible for the well-being of the minors...If parents do not name a guardian, the courts will find someone offering the most stability, continuity of care and moral environment for the children...The primary function of a legal guardianship document is to transfer parental authority to another party. The document should be a statement opening with the name, phone number, city, state and zip code of the parent(s) with legal custodial authority. Then fill in the name[s] of the children and their birth dates. Next, you should list the party to whom legal guardianship will be handed off...Include the contact telephone number, email, address and relationship to the children. List whether the guardianship transfer will be temporary for a set time period (list the beginning and ending dates), or permanent for the foreseeable future (beginning on such-and-such a date.) The parent giving up custodial rights should wait to sign and date the document in the presence of a notary public. The bottom of the form should include a space for the signing, dating and stamping of the notary public." Jordan Meyers reports:
"Processing the average overpayment refund isn't usually difficult or confusing. You may benefit, however, from taking care with checking the overpayment amount, documenting the refund and notifying the client or customer of the specific reason for the refund. You can typically send these refunds through the regular postal mail in check or money order form, although you can refund most credit card payments using your merchant account...Double-check your records before you take action after an overpayment. You may find an underpayment in your records that a client sent the overpayment to correct...Document the overpayment in your records...Type a letter to the person who made the payment, explaining that he paid in excess of the amount due. Note your intent to send a refund and provide information about when and how the person can expect the refund...Debit the same account that you applied your customer's or client's payment to when you send the refund...Record the payment you made as a refund in your written or bookkeeping ledger. The balance of the customer's or client's payment should now show paid in full rather than a credit amount...Make note of how you sent the refund, such as by mail or via a credit card refund...Consider asking your client or customer if she would accept a credit in lieu of a refund. If she agrees, you can save postage and a trip to the post office. Create and publicize your policy for handling overpayment refunds...Create a schedule for sending refunds if you frequently receive [overpayments]. This way, you can avoid taking time away from other matters to deal with them on a daily basis." |
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April 2024
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