Real Estate Is a Mess . . . Or Is It?
There is an underlying principle in economics called the invisible hand of the market. This notion simply states that a free market will take care of itself by allowing consumers to adjust prices naturally based on the supply and demand for a product. When there's too much of something, premium office locations for instance, then the price goes down. Or too little of something, supply of money from banks for instance, the price goes up. There is no question that the catastrophic shake up in the real estate market over the past two years has had an impact on...well just about everything...read more. |
Small Business Will Create Jobs, Repair Ohio's Economy
by State Representative Kevin Bacon 
Entrepreneurship is the modern-day driver of job creation and progress. According to the Small Business Administration, small businesses generate as much as 80 percent of new jobs and represent 99.7 percent of employers in the United States. It is crucial that as Ohio struggles to its feet during this recession, state leaders strive to improve our business environment so that small businesses can thrive. read more |
| I'd "Sooner" Leave Ohio - Why I'm Moving My Businesses to Okahoma
by Jim Reynolds
In an open letter to Ohio Representative Tom Letson, entrepreneur Jim Reynolds offers a sobering analysis of government's negative effect on Ohio's business climate. read more |
The New Government-Mandated "Good Faith" Estimate - Simplied? Try Again
By: Brandon Steele and Glenn Hutchins, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
  In the real estate world, the Good Faith Estimate (GFE) is a standard form used to compare mortgage cost estimates from various lenders. For decades, the GFE was designed as a simple one-page document for potential homebuyers and homeowners interested in refinancing. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development revised the GFE and mandated that it go into affect on January 1, 2010. Their goal is to help homebuyers get all the information they need to make better financing decisions. However, this new "simplified" form is now 3 pages and comes with a 57 page booklet on how to understand the new document. read more |
Prevailing Wage - Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Rules Against State of Ohio, Unions
Columbus real estate attorney and friend of Anthony Law, Brian Kooperman, along with Gabe Roehrenbeck of Thompson Hine, recently fended off a State of Ohio lawsuit regarding the prevailing wage laws. Despite a push by the Columbus Construction and Trades Council, Judge Cain's opinion (read it here) reaffirmed the current law, which holds that prevailing wage does not apply to a privately funded project for a public tenant. This should come as good news for our developer friends. Now if only we could do something about those giant rats... |
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| Roth IRA Conversions in 2010
By Brad Graham - CLU, CHFC
As a small business owner, you may have heard about your ability to convert your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Beginning in 2010, investors, no matter their modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) or their tax filing status will be able to convert any balance in their traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. read more |
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| An Entrepreneur's Perspective
The
Intangible Battle Within Ourselves
The plight of the entrepreneur is not without pitfalls or road blocks. (That's the beauty.) On the surface, the struggle is profitability, a good business, increased
cash flow; etc. But the real battle, in my opinion, is not related to the tangible, but intangible. It's is struggle within ourselves to find and tap our talents, strengths, passions, purpose, and creative ideas. It's a soul searching process. It's also a process of learning, listening, analyzing and adjusting. It's through these internal exercises where the intangible begins to affect the tangible, in the form of new ideas, better
business models, etc.
It's the beginning of a process of turning a talent into a treasure and a business into a calling. |
My Proponent
Testimony On Income Tax Phase Out Bill
In February, on behalf of small business owners, I was asked to submit a written
statement on House Bill 400 which calls for the phase out of the Ohio State income tax. I more than happily accepted. Why?
Because I believe that economic wealth (the rebirth of it) will substantially come from the grassroots in this new economy. Its a belief in the power, creativity, ingenuity of the common, ordinary hard-working entrepreneur. The "good guys". Ohio must dust off its "rust belt" ways. See my statement to the House Ways and Means Committee. |
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Small Business Advocate
