The coming year promises to be an economic rerun of 2016 The performance of the U.S. economy in 2016 has been anything but stellar. Growth through the third quarter averaged a paltry 1.8 percent, signaling the domestic economy has settled into a period of low GDP growth. A more rapid recovery seems unlikely given the …
It takes a written policy, backed by training and education. We spend a significant amount of our waking hours at work. For some of us, we live to work. For others, we work to live. In every instance, the workplace is a key part of our lives. Successful employers know that a workplace that is …
Build your banker into a trusted entrepreneurial adviser. by Lesly Bailey Creating a connection with bankers is more than just crunching the numbers, according to banking professionals in the region who detail how entrepreneurs can launch and maintain productive relationships that endure throughout the years and economic changes. Michael Schneider, Northwest Indiana market president at …
It’s a great marketing tool, but it’s also a source of significant risk. For most companies, social media is a cheap, effective marketing tool, which is easy to access, manipulate and maintain. But social media traits that benefit companies can also expose them to a myriad of legal risks. * Ensuring Your Company Owns and …
Choose carefully when deciding on a lending source. In today’s world, small business owners have increasing demands put on their time from customers, employees and suppliers. Because of this, they are constantly in search of ways to be efficient with their time to accomplish more each workday. One way that business owners save time and …
Business owners need to safeguard access to commercially valuable data. The late twentieth century composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein wrote his much anticipated memoir “Blue Ink,” leaving it hidden behind various levels of passwords. In the 26 years since his death, no one has been able to decrypt the manuscript. This is an example, albeit …
A checklist for reducing the risk of liability. The New Year presents a great opportunity for small business owners to review their operations and implement procedures to reduce the risk of liability for the coming year. Business owners face the risk of liability on many fronts, whether from transactions with customers, government regulation, or claims …
Loyalty program benefits financial institutions, merchants, members. by Phil Britt Financial institutions and local retailers and restaurants alike find themselves competing with much larger national companies for customers. For the local financial institutions, the need to attract and retain customers has never been more critical. The largest banks in the country control half of the …
High-touch meets high-tech–personalization with less human interaction is keying into customer needs. by Phil Britt Over the past few years, banks have added mobile banking, enabling customers to deposit checks by taking pictures of them with smartphones. Banks have also extended their online banking offerings, so that customers can have more convenience to bank when …
There’s no reason that odd couple has to stay together. Benjamin Franklin reminded us that nothing is certain except death and taxes, and history proves him right. However, there is no rational reason the two should be linked and in fact much progress has been made in taking the tax sting out of death. Dead …
