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BUILDING BRIDGES
Supporting business by lending good money to good businesses.
April 2009 - Vol 2, Issue 4 |
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| Greetings! |
 April is a very event-filled month, bringing us laughs on April Fool's Day, the celebration of the Christian Easter holidays, the traditional Easter Bunny fun for children and the young-at-heart -- and the filing of those pesky-but-necessary income taxes. Mazon has seen a gradual increase in client activity in the way of increased invoices, which is a good indication that businesses are still functioning amid all the chaotic economic activities highlighted in the daily news. The old saying "Sometimes we're up, and sometimes we're down" holds true throughout history -- may we all stay focused on the positive and look forward to the "up" times coming again.
Happy Easter to everyone!
Lisa | |
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| Numbers In the News |
 The Easter Bunny as an Easter symbol seems to have originated in Alsace (France) and Germany where it was first mentioned in German writings in the 1600s. The Easter Bunny was introduced to America by German settlers during the 1700s. The first edible Easter Bunnies were made of pastry and sugar in Germany during the early 1800s. So, it seems fitting that one of largest of the new breed of rabbits lives in Berlin, Germany. Herman is a 34-year-old male German Giant Hare. Weighing in at an astounding 22 pounds, Herman measures 17 inches high on all fours, and stands a little over 3 feet tall on his hind legs. His ears alone are about 8-1/2 inches long. Hans Wagner is the owner of this supersized rabbit and says that Herman goes through just over 4 pounds of food per day. Herman munches through a bale of hay a week and his favorite snack is lettuce. He also takes a vitamin supplement to keep him healthy. The giant bunny lives in a special oak hutch, and has his own blog at MySpace, www.myspace.com/hermanbigbunny.
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| Enterprise of the Month |
 Would you be happy if you suddenly found money for your business that you didn't know you had? We liken it to finding "buried treasure" -- but just where do you start digging, and how long will it take you? And what if the treasure chest is empty when you got to it? Founded by Allen Liebnick in 1989, Dallas-based Overpaid Payables Recovery (OPR) finds money for businesses by conducting accounts payables and sales tax recovery audits. Prior to starting OPR, Mr. Liebnick was a public practice CPA for 25 years. OPR's team relies on a broad network of professionals (financial, legal and other) when conducting recovery audits. As to the success of his company, he credits strong client relationships, word-of-mouth referrals and references on money recovered for many well-known clients across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Today's marketplace is driven by increased automation, leaner staffs, and constant challenging deadlines, where paperwork is processed faster, but not always more accurately. Mr. Liebnick estimates that, on average, for every $1 million through accounts payables payment processing, approximately $1,000 is overpaid. OPR's confidential fees are based on a percentage of the actual funds recovered and vary by project (if no overpayments are found there is no fee, which has happened only twice in the company's history). In 2008, OPR did $1.75 million in revenue, and is projected to achieve $2 million for 2009. During a recent interview with the Dallas Business Journal, Mr. Liebnick said, "With the economy as it is, we are seeing more and more companies interested in the services we provide. The money goes to the company's bottom line -- it's pure profit. . . . And as long as there is human error, there will always be opportunities for us." (Sources: Dallas Business Journal and www.overpaidpayables.com)
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| Are Mazon's factoring fees tax deductible? |
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Answer: Yes, accounts receivable funding fees are considered professional fees for your business and should be treated as a business expense. As a part of Mazon's service to clients, we furnish regular accounting reports to each client showing a breakdown of funded amounts paid out, factoring fees charged, mailing and copy fees collected, amounts in reserve, interest paid to clients, reserve returned, uncollected invoices charged back to clients, and more. These reports should be furnished to your accountant, and incorporated into the process of filing yearly business income tax returns. For more information on deductible business expenses, we suggest reading the I.R.S.' Publication 535, Business Expenses, which can be found online at the I.R.S. website under Forms and Publications.
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| Cell Phones and Telemarketers |
 Many of our readers have perhaps heard that cell phone users must register their numbers with the national Do-Not-Call directory by a certain date to prevent their cell phone numbers from being released to telemarketers -- not true! These warnings have circulated for years by e-mail (mostly in January and June), originated out of a misunderstanding about a proposed creation of a wireless 411 directory assistance service. If this service does become a reality, it would be strictly "opt-in," meaning that cell phone customers would be included in the directory only if they asked to be added -- customers who did nothing would not be included, and customers who did opt-in could be removed if they later changed their minds. Wireless 411 information would not to be included in printed phone directories, distributed in other print form, made available via the internet or sold to telemarketers. It would be made available only to operator service centers performing 411 directory assistance services. Additionally, it has always been illegal for telemarketers using auto-dialers to call wireless phone numbers, and this would still be the case if a wireless 411 service materializes. For concerned cell phone users, you can choose to register your cell phone numbers (and land line phone and fax numbers) with the national Do-Not-Call registry. And, contrary to information in certain e-mails, there is no deadline for registering a number on the Do-Not-Call list. There is also no longer any need to re-register a number -- it will stay on the list until you cancel your registration or discontinue service. For more information, and how to file a formal complaint with the FCC for violations of your telephone rights, visit the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/02/dnccellphones.shtm and the Federal Communications Commission's Consumer Advisory at www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/truthaboutcellphones.html.
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| Notary Facts |
Located at the top left of the notarial certificate, the venue typically is the state and county where the notarization takes place. Because virtually all Notaries in the United States (with the exception of Louisiana) may perform notarizations anywhere within their state, it is important to have the correct venue on notarized documents. (Source: National Notary Association, www.nationalnotary.org)
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| Productivity Myths That Hold You Back |
 Myth 4: I don't have time for a work "system," I just work!
Fact: Once you start down this rabbit hole, it can be really hard to turn yourself around. But productivity isn't just about work. Being more productive in your life means you should have more time to do things like spend time with your family, take a vacation, read a book, visit a museum, or write your plan for world domination. Getting your work done in half the time just so you can do twice as much work isn't productive. (Source: www.mercola.com)
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| Product Recalls |
 The following recent recalls were issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. More details and product photos can be found at www.cpsc.gov. Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gyms (Imp: Nautilus, Vancouver, WA); All-Clad 4-Square Belgian Waffle Makers sold through Williams-Sonoma stores (Dist: All-Clad Metalcrafters, Canonsburg, PA); Ritchie Immersion Heaters (Dist: Richie Industries, Conrad, IA); Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana, Admiral, Magic Chef, Performa and Crosley brand refrigerators (Mfg: Maytag Corp., Newton, IA); Kidde XL Fire Extinguishers (Dist: Walter Kidde Portable Equipment, Mebane, NC); Propane (LP) Gas (Mfg: Valero Marketing & Supply, San Antonio, TX); Style Elements Hair Dryers (Imp: Big Lots Stores, Columbus, OH).
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| April 2009 Holidays |
April 1: April Fool's Day; April 2: World Autism Awareness Day; April 4: United Nations' Mine Awareness Day; April 5: Palm Sunday; April 6: National Tartan Day; April 7: World Health Day; April 10: Good Friday, National Sibling Day; April 12: Easter Sunday; April 13: Thomas Jefferson's Birthday; April 15: Income Tax Day, Accountant's Day, Rubber Eraser Day; April 16: School Librarian Day; April 18: Paul Revere Day; April 20: Patriot's Day; April 21: John Muir Day, San Jacinto Day (Texas); April 22: Earth Day, Administrative Professionals Day, Oklahoma Day; April 23: World Book and Copyright Day; April 24: Arbor Day; April 26: Confederate Memorial Day.
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| Rubber Eraser Day |
 Make no mistake, Rubber Eraser Day celebrates the invention of erasers. We all make mistakes. This day is designated to recognize and appreciate the value of that little plug that sits atop our pencils. The rubber eraser was discovered by inventor and chemist Joseph Priestley on April 15, 1700. Many years later, Hymen L. Lipman is credited with registering the first patent for a pencil with an attached eraser on March 30, 1858 (U.S. Patent 19,783). In 1862, Lipman sold his patent to Joseph Reckendorfer for $100,000, who went on to sue the pencil manufacturer Faber for infringement. In 1875, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against Reckendorfer, declaring the patent invalid because his invention was actually a combination of two already known things with no new use. (Source: www.wikipedia.org and www.holidayinsights.com) (Coincidentally, did you notice that Rubber Eraser Day falls April 15th each year, the same day as Income Tax Day and Accountants Day?)
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| Meet the Staff |
 When you mention "bunny rabbits," especially during the Easter holidays, Tiffany Southerland will tell you bunny tales about Snowball, her fuzzy white-lion lop-eared pet rabbit. She bought Snowball over a year ago when he was just a few weeks old, and he now hip-hops around the house doing all the cute things that bunnies do. Tiffany joined Mazon Associates as an account manager in 2006. Born and raised in Irving, Texas, she is married to Caleb Southerland (no children), with whom she also works with in their Irving-based Christian ministry. Favorite TV shows: Dancing With the Stars, House, Grey's Anatomy. Favorite pastimes: Owning a dance studio; founding a non-profit company for performing arts; and producing a full-length production of The Nutcracker. Favorite movies: Breakfast at Tiffany's, Love Actually and the Bourne trilogy. |
| Thoughtful Thoughts |
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Pennies do not come from heaven. They have to be earned here on earth.
-- Margaret Thatcher
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| April Fools Day Fun Quotes |
 "You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time." -- Abraham Lincoln
"Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it." -- Henry David Thoreau
"A fool may be known by six things: anger, without cause; speech, without profit; change, without progress; inquiry, without object; putting trust in a stranger, and mistaking foes for friends." -- Arabian Proverb
"By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed." -- African Proverb
"A fool and his money are soon parted." -- Thomas Tusser
"I wasn't born a fool. It took work to get this way." -- Danny Kaye
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| Quick Links |
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 We invite you to share your newsletter thoughts with us! If you would like to submit an idea or item for consideration in a future issue of Building Bridges, or just want to tell us how we are doing, please email our editor, Linda Burson, at mazonnewsletter@sbcglobal.net .
Building Bridges carries no paid advertising. Articles and links are for reader knowledge and enjoyment only. | |
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Mazon Associates, Inc.
600 W. Airport Fwy., Irving TX 75062
P.O. Box 166858, Irving, TX 75016-6858
Tel. 972-554-6967 Toll Free 1-800-442-2740
Fax: 972-554-0951
Mon.-Fri. 8:30a.m.-5:00p.m.
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