Raising taxes on rich won't chill economy

Super investor Warren Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, speaks with TODAY’s Matt Lauer about Cyber Monday sales figures, consumer confidence and the future of the American economy.

By Ben Popken, TODAY contributor

Raising taxes on the rich won’t dampen economic growth and would “raise the morale of the middle class,” billionaire investor Warren Buffett told the TODAY show Tuesday.

Echoing a theme he has stressed often, Buffett downplayed the idea that higher taxes for the wealthy, as proposed by the Obama administration as part of a deal to resolve the “fiscal cliff,” would scare off critical investment for job creation. Republicans argue that raising taxes on people in higher tax brackets would choke off investment and slow the economy at a time when it can ill afford it.

Buffett disagrees. “No, and I think it would have a great effect on the morale of the middle class,” said Buffett, in the first of two live interviews with TODAY’s Matt Lauer. “They’ve had to watch guys like me pay below the rate by that paid by the people in my office.”

Also known as the “Oracle of Omaha” for his investing acumen, Buffett’s views on the economy are widely followed, including on whether we’re really going to go off the “fiscal cliff” of $500 million in tax hikes and spending cuts.

The CEO of Berkshire Hathaway has been vocal on the economy lately, proposing in a New York Times op-ed Monday that there be a minimum tax for the wealthy.

“I’m confident,” said Buffet when asked about how he was feeling about the economy. “I can’t speak for others, but at Berkshire Hathaway, we buy and sell stocks every day. America’s a winner.”

Lauer brought up a recent quote from Honeywell CEO David Cote who told Meet the Press that he and others like him were feeling a lack of confidence in the political process, so much so that the uncertainty was making them keep their money on the sidelines and preventing them from making additional investments, including hiring.

“At Berkshire Hathaway, we’re investing 9 billion in plant equipment, a record, breaking last year’s record. It’s always uncertain,” said Buffett.

“December 6th 1941 was uncertain,” said Buffett, referring to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. “We just didn’t know it.”

When asked whether Congress would really enact a strong proposal such as the one Buffett made in his Times op-ed, which suggested setting a minimum 30 percent tax for millionaires, Buffet said, “I wouldn’t be surprised. They’re going to make a deal.”

Now there’s a new Buffett book, “Tap-Dancing to Work” that trace his career through 80 different FORTUNE Magazine articles over the years. If there’s one thing that stuck out from the timeline, Carol Loomis, FORTUNE editor, who collected and expanded the articles for the book, told TODAY, it’s “how consistent he’s been in his thinking. He’s never changed.”

“I couldn’t be more boring,” said Buffett. “I just look at the facts and wherever they lead me, I go.”

Is this the secret to Buffett’s success? Lauer asked Loomis. It’s hard, she said, because other investors “get emotional.”

Buffett is known for finding undervalued companies with strong fundamentals and good management. “It’s simple, but not easy,” said Loomis. “That’s why other people can’t do it. He’s thinking about business 24/7.”

Lauer asked if this book was a goodbye letter of sorts. “What’s it going to mean to the world when he hangs up his investing shoes?” he asked.

Loomis said, “He will be remembered. His role in life will be remembered for the next century. I don’t know whether investing or philanthropy is going to be the lead item. People are going to be reading about Buffet 100 years from now.”

About that retirement… “Got a date in mind?” Lauer asked the 82-year old businessman. Buffett just laughed.

Read a free excerpt from the book Tap-Dancing to Work

Article Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2012/11/27/15479988-warren-buffett-raising-taxes-on-rich-wont-chill-economy?lite

Daryn Weatherman

Why Use Social Networking to Grow Your Business?

You’ve all heard of networking right? Most small business women owners don’t ever use it to its full potential. One of the most common reasons is that it’s just one more thing you have to do in your busy day so it goes into the too hard basket, right!

I know I used to do this. With traditional networking, you stand in a room full of complete strangers pretending to have a good time. You go to events, either listen to a speaker, hand out business cards, grab a coffee, or wine (depending on the time of the day!) and walk around and introduce yourself, all in the hope that you will connect with the right people.

Yes, networking can be a nightmare. It can also be a great thing if you get the right environment for you. Networking is all about building relationships and now-a-days I use both online and offline networking, but I get the greatest benefit from online social networking as I can connect with more people in less time. So what is it and how can it benefit you?

The concept has been around for a few years, with MySpace being one of the first non-business sites to be completely set up for social networking. Gradually, businesses began to infiltrate through this and then other sites were born purely for business owners. You can now speak to someone over the internet, or leave messages for someone all from sitting at home. You can get to ‘know’ a person by looking at their profile, what their interests are, and who they align themselves with. All of this information is available for you to read, rather than physically getting out there and asking.

Where are these social networking sites? As mentioned above, there are a few major players in the field, all specializing in their own areas. MySpace was launched aimed at teens putting details, videos and photos of themselves up so they can chat and play games with their friends. Facebook was then introduced later, aimed at the older generations, hooking up with friends from school, adding photos of family and videos and chatting.

People started realizing that with the amount of traffic coming to these sites they could try and use them for business. But then business related sites like LinkedIn, twitter and niche market sites like Business Women Unite started popping up which are purely aimed at the professions, so people started viewing social networking in a totally difference light. They could start building relationships with many thousands of people without leaving their office.

But what are the benefits of joining these networking sites?

They all offer different things but by using these sites you can promote your business to thousands of visitors that these sites get every week which helps generate traffic to your business. You can expand your business by connecting and doing business with people from all over the world. Some of these sites also offer help for small business.

Sites like LinkedIn are based on the concept that someone knows someone who knows someone who knows someone else…and on it goes. They have applied this to business but you can also connect with lost school friends and work colleagues.

Whereas Twitter is different again and you communicate with people through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? It takes a bit of getting used to but it’s worth it.

On the Business Women Unite site there are more business related tools such as a discussion forum, groups section, article directory and sections to promote your business. You can use these to connect with businesswomen of all industries as well as use them to ask questions, share resources and get tested business tips plus experts who can give you advice on how to increase your sales and profits, how to drive more traffic to your website and how to create a better business plus much more.

If you have the right strategy and the right approach you can turn a few minutes a day into thousands of extra dollars. Isn’t that worth the bother!

A great place to start if you are a woman in business would be to connect with other small business women owners, just like you. Get your free membership by going to http://www.businesswomenunite.net where you can also get access to articles, tools and advice on how to build a successful business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alison_Basson

Daryn Weatherman

Daryn Weatherman and St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc

Whether it’s a single replacement window you need or you’re considering a major home remodel, no job is too small for Daryn Weatherman and St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. Since its inception in 1995, powerful leadership and vision have ensured that St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. has become the premier residential and commercial glass company in the St. Louis area.

St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. couples their quality products with quick, detailed and custom service. Each job begins with a custom consultation to be certain that the customer’s needs and desires are heard and met. The representative then makes recommendations and together with the client, designs a plan to ensure practicality and attractiveness. Before the representative leaves, he or she will take measurements to determine proper fit.

Efficiency and quality are top priorities for Daryn Weatherman and St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. Within one day of a consultation, a bid will be generated and provided to the customer for their approval. From there, the customer can either accept the bid as is, or request alterations. No times is wasted from ordering to inspecting materials. From start to finish, customers can expect their project to be completed within 7 to 10 days of the initial consultation.

St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. is not limited to replacement windows. They are also well-known for designing and installing custom creations. Custom windows and doors can add an extra touch of beauty and originality to your home and Daryn Weatherman is pleased to ensure that you are completely satisfied with his company’s work.

Whatever your glass needs are, Daryn Weatherman and St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. has a solution for you. Do you have antique furniture in need of a replacement glass piece? Are you thinking of installing glass shower doors or maybe a handicap accessible shower enclosure? Do you have automotive glass needs? Daryn Weatherman’s company would gladly assist you with any of these needs with a special eye on quality and craftsmanship.

About St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc.:

Daryn Weatherman, a St. Charles resident, founded St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. over 15 years ago. Through his consistent hard work and vision, Weatherman expanded his staff from 4 workers to 114 employees including members of the Glazers Union Local 513. Also numbered in his staff are shelving specialists registered with the district carpenters’ union.

St. Charles Glass and Glazing specializes in all types of glass and glazing projects, including replacement residential glass, custom windows, automotive glass, commercial glazing, shower enclosures, mirrors, glass tabletops, and wire shelving. Talented staff and expert leadership have gained the company a solid reputation built on quality and efficiency.

Warren Buffett - More of an Equity Investor of Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship Taught By Warren Buffett

By seeing that we attached entrepreneurship with Warren Buffett, you may be confused, don’t worry, we’ll get to it.

Typically, when we write these articles, we only put one, maybe two quotes. We had trouble because Warren Buffett had so many. Therefore, before we get into the article, here are our favorite three:

Warren Buffett:

“I always knew I was going to be rich. I don’t think I ever doubted it for a minute.”
“It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.”

“Beware of geeks bearing formulas.”

Buffett’s Road to Entrepreneurship

Warren Edward Buffett was born August 30, 1930, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was a local stockbroker. Buffett was always fascinated by numbers and at the age 8, he began reading his father’s stock books. At age 11, he marked the board at the brokerage house where his father worked. From that age, Buffett began to think in a very entrepreneurial way. In fact, Buffett did not want to go to college, instead he wanted to go directly into business. His father convince the young Buffett to attend the University of Nebraska where Warren Buffett would end up reading a book that would change his life, our lives and investing as we know it. This book is the still famous Intelligent Investor by legendary investor Benjamin Graham. Buffett was so intrigued by his writings that he applied to receive his MBA in economics at Columbia University in New York where Benjamin was teaching. Some people who were in the class in which Graham was teaching and which Buffett was a student, described the classes as a conversation between Buffett and Graham with the rest being an audience. Eventually, Buffett was asked to join Graham’s company, the Graham-Newman Corporation. After two years, the company disbanded. Buffett went back to Nebraska.

Upon return to Nebraska, Buffett had only $100 of his own money to invest. He was able to convince six investors to put in a total of $100,000 and, in time, Buffett would make billions. Now, many people see him as a stock picker. Warren Buffett is not a stock-picker in the traditional sense. Instead, he is the type of person who goes into a company and makes it better through fresh, innovative ideas which are entrepreneurial and make money. That is why Warren Buffett buys so much stock in one company like he did in Geico, he can step in and make them better. Most people think of entrepreneurship as just starting a small business and hoping it does well. Warren Buffett’s version is just on a much more grand scale. If Buffett did not have an entrepreneurial spirit, Berkshire Hathaway would have never been.

Warren Buffet is known as one of the best, if not the best investor of our time. Though, if you look a little closer at his ventures, they are quite entrepreneurial.

Ken Sundheim is President and Founder of KAS Placement “KAS Sales Recruiter”

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Sundheim

Daryn Weatherman

A Warren Buffett Stock Tip

Warren Buffet’s advice in relation to investing in stocks is considered to be highly valuable as the principle on which his investment is based has always resulted in beneficial results. Warren Buffet states that an investor must invest in stocks of a company that has relatively straight forward products and services. It is highly essential that an investor must understand the business that the company is dealing with so that s/he is easily able to follow the financial and non-financial position of the company. It is highly important that before an investment takes places, an investor must analyze the essentials of the company and perform a complete analysis in order to determine the current value of stock and the future prospects of the company.

An analyzing stock, Warren Buffet states that an investor must calculate the intrinsic value of the stock that is the present value of all the future net cash inflows associated with the stock. This includes the dividends and capital gains that would be realized over the period of investment which is termed as five years at a minimum. The intrinsic value would also help in determining whether the stock is undervalued or overvalued. Warren buffet argues that an investor must invest in stocks that are undervalued so that capital gains could be realized when the market value appreciates and correlates with the intrinsic value of the stock.

Warren Buffet states that an investor must avoid stocks that offer high financial gearing as debt results in higher financial risk within the company. The company analysis must focus on return on equity and the gross profit and net profit margin generated in recent years in order to assess the profitability and viability of the organization. It is always preferable to invest in companies that have a monopoly or competitive advantage over other companies within the industry. This would result in the stock to remain relatively stable over a period of time despite changes in selling prices or economic conditions. This is due to the fact that monopoly companies are able to exploit the target market and take advantage of economies of scale without hampering profitability.

Thus, the basic stock tip offered by of the Warren Buffet Book is that an investor must analyze the company before going ahead and buying the stocks. This allows the investor to understand the fundamentals of the company and judge the future stream of dividends associated with the stock. An investor must only invest in those companies that he truly understands and refrain from high diversification. Instead an investor must analyze a few companies and continue to invest in them in order to generate gains. Although diversification is said to reduce the systematic risk associated with stocks, Warren Buffet argues that diversification results in overall lower returns. The stock tip of Warren Buffet is to analyze a company before hand and invest only if the intrinsic value is high enough. If the stock results in sufficient gains, then an investor must continue to invest in the same stocks rather than diversify towards other stocks available in the market.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

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