Business and Finance Solution

Career With The FBI

October 9th, 2008 Posted in Business & Finance | No Comments »

Do you have what it takes to become an FBI special agent? Do you have a sincere desire to enforce federal laws and investigate crimes?

This job requires hard work and can often times be dangerous and stressful. You’ll undoubtedly be in close contact with crimminals and victims of crime. But a special agent’s job is rewarding if you enjoy serving the public. Long before applying for a job as an FBI special agent, you’ll need to plan carefully what you need to do to qualify.

The FBI Special Agent

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents are the Government’s primary investigators, who investigate criminal violations of over 260 statutes not assigned to another federal agency. Agents may conduct surveillance, monitor wiretaps, examine financial records, or participate in undercover assignments, just to name a few.

The FBI investigates organized crime, white collar crime, such as health care fraud, counterterrorism, copyright infringement, civil rights violations, bank robbery, extortion, kidnapping, terrorism, espionage, violent crimes, drug trafficking, and other violations of Federal statutes.

The following was adapted from The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Facts and Figures 2003, FBI Priorities (http://www.fbi.gov/priorities/priorities.htm)

The FBI’s priorities are to:

Protect the United States from terrorist attack.
Protect the United States against foreign intelligence operations and espionage.
Protect the United States against cyber-based attacks and high-technology crimes. Combat public corruption at all levels.
Protect civil rights.
Combat transnational and national criminal organizations and enterprises.
Combat major white-collar crime. Combat significant violent crime.
Support federal, state, county, municipal, and international partners.
Upgrade technology to successfully perform the FBI’s mission.

Entry Requirements

Be a U.S. citizen, or a citizen of the Northern Mariana Islands
Be at least 23 of age but under 37
Be available to work when and where needed
Pass hearing and vision tests, including a color vision test
Possess a valid driver’s license.
Be in excellent physical condition
Possess a national or regionally accredited 4-year degree in a foreign language, law, accounting, or another field plus three years of full time employment.

The FBI looks for job applicants who have skills in interrogation, report writing, surveillance, and giving testimony. The selection process also includes cognitive tests, an interview, background check, polygraph test, and drug test.

The FBI also looks for individuals with character traits, such as honesty and sound judgement.

Physical Training Requirements

An example of a requirement would be the PRT, a 1.5 mile run test, passed with scores of 14 minutes 10 seconds or under for females and 12 minutes 40 seconds or under for males.

Forensic Science

The candidate for a scientist position must first qualify under an existing entry program and have a degree in physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, nursing, bio-chemistry, Forensics, Medical specialties, or related field. The candidate for a Forensic Scientist position should major in biochemistry, biology or biotechnology. The Forensic scientist analyzes evidence such as hairs, firearms, DNA, photographs, fingerprints, and handwriting examples and testifies verbally and in writing.

Advice from a former FBI profiler

John Douglas, a former FBI profiler, offers the follow advice for aspiring FBI special agents:

Seek leadership opportunities.
Develop skills the FBI desires.
Do community service.
Maintain a clean record–no jail term or felony and good credit.
Maintain good grade point average.
Consider ROTC.
Complete an internship.

Don’t major in a course you dislike, such as accounting, because you think it will help you to become a special agent. “Make sure your primary focus is finding a career you enjoy,” says Douglas.

For more information on employment as a FBI Special Agent, check your phone directory for your state FBI office. Or visit the FBI online.

Choosing an eBook Compiler

October 5th, 2008 Posted in Business Tips, My Manajemen | No Comments »

Why Write an eBook?

It’s not true that everything that has been said has already been written. Since that unfortunate axiom
came into use, the whole universe has changed. Technology has changed, ideas have changed, and the mindsets of entire nations have changed.

The fact is that this is the perfect time to write an ebook. What the publishing industry needs are people
who can tap into the world as it is today - innovative thinkers who can make the leap into the new millennium and figure out how to solve old problems in a new way. Ebooks are a new and powerful tool for original thinkers with fresh ideas to disseminate information to the millions of people who are struggling to figure out how to do a plethora of different things.

Let’s say you already have a brilliant idea, and the knowledge to back it up that will enable you to write
an exceptional ebook. You may be sitting at your computer staring at a blank screen wondering, “Why?
Why should I go through all the trouble of writing my ebook when it’s so impossible to get anything

published these days? Read the rest of this entry »

Financial risk-taking behavior is associated with higher testosterone levels

September 29th, 2008 Posted in Finance Tips | No Comments »

Higher levels of testosterone are correlated with financial risk-taking behavior, according to a new study in which men’s testosterone levels were assessed before participation in an investment game. The findings help to shed light on the evolutionary function and biological origins of risk taking.

The study was jointly led by Anna Dreber, of the Program in Evolutionary Dynamics at Harvard University and the Stockholm School of Economics, and Coren Apicella, of Harvard’s Department of Anthropology. The results are available online in Evolution and Human Behavior.

“These findings help us to understand the motivations for risk-taking behavior, which is a major component of economic theory,” says Dreber. “Risk preferences are one of the most important preferences in economics, and yet no one knows why they differ between men and women, why they change over age, or what makes men trade more in the financial market.” Read the rest of this entry »

5% Down Vs. 10% Down - A Comparison

September 29th, 2008 Posted in Business Tips, Economy Tips | No Comments »

It has always been an issue for home buyers to save their down payment. Many people, on advice from various people wait to save 10%, rather than moving into the home sooner with 5% as a down payment This is not always a good idea. Let me explain;

We have 2 young couples, the Jones’ and the Smiths. They both have the same amount of money to spend on housing and saving ($1000/month). From that $1000, they are paying their rent of $750/month, and saving the other $250 for their down payment. In fact they’re identical people.

The Jones’ and the Smiths are both looking to buy a $100,000 property. As such, they will need $5000 as a down payment if they purchase at 5% down, or $10,000 if they wish to have 10% as a down payment.

To date, they have both saved $5000 with which to purchase a property. The Jones’ have decided to buy now and accept that they only have 5% as a down payment The Smiths’ have decided to wait until they can raise 10%; thus saving themselves some CMHC costs.

What the Smiths’ aren’t realizing is that while they wait, the cost of the property is increasing… thus incrasing the amount of money they need as a downpayment.

They’ve also not taken into account that the money they are paying in rent is being thrown away, while they could have been putting that against their mortgage.

Sure, saving the CMHC fees is a good idea. But is it necessarily the right way to go? Not always.

If it takes the Smiths an extra 2 years to save up the extra money, the property could have increased by as much as $15,000 in that time…. meaning that they’d need more of a down payment, as well as having a larger mortgage than if they’d bought earlier.

If you’d like to read this article in full, including graphs showing the difference between the Smith’s and the Jones’ then go to our website at www.workingtogether.ca and review the article titled “5% Down Vs. 10% Down - A Comparison”. You’ll get the idea; and possibly save yourself a lot of money!

Is My Money Safe On The Soundness Of Our Banks?

September 28th, 2008 Posted in Finance Tips, My Manajemen | No Comments »

Banks are institutions wherein miracles happen regularly. We rarely entrust our money to anyone but ourselves – and our banks. Despite a very chequered history of mismanagement, corruption, false promises and representations, delusions and behavioural inconsistency – banks still succeed to motivate us to give them our money. Partly it is the feeling that there is safety in numbers. The fashionable term today is “moral hazard”. The implicit guarantees of the state and of other financial institutions moves us to take risks which we would, otherwise, have avoided. Partly it is the sophistication of the banks in marketing and promoting themselves and their products. Glossy brochures, professional computer and video presentations and vast, shrinelike, real estate complexes all serve to enhance the image of the banks as the temples of the new religion of money.

But what is behind all this? How can we judge the soundness of our banks? In other words, how can we tell if our money is safely tucked away in a safe haven?

The reflex is to go to the bank’s balance sheets. Banks and balance sheets have been both invented in their modern form in the 15th century. A balance sheet, coupled with other financial statements is supposed to provide us with a true and full picture of the health of the bank, its past and its longterm prospects. The surprising thing is that – despite common opinion – it does. The less surprising element is that it is rather useless unless you know how to read it.

Financial Statements (Income – aka Profit and Loss Statement, Cash Flow Statement and Balance Sheet) come in many forms. Sometimes they conform to Western accounting standards (the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, GAAP, or the less rigorous and more fuzzily worded International Accounting Standards, IAS). Otherwise, they conform to local accounting standards, which often leave a lot to be desired. Still, you should look for banks, which make their updated financial reports available to you. The best choice would be a bank that is audited by one of the Big Six Western accounting firms and makes its audit reports publicly available. Such audited financial statements should consolidate the financial results of the bank with the financial results of its subsidiaries or associated companies. A lot often hides in those corners of corporate ownership. Read the rest of this entry »

Sickly State of Public Hospitals

September 28th, 2008 Posted in Economy Tips, My Manajemen | No Comments »

There are many types of hospitals but the most well known are the Public Hospitals. What sets them apart is that they provide services to the indigent (people without means) and to minorities.

Historically, public hospitals started as correction and welfare centres. They were poorhouses run by the church and attached to medical schools. A full cycle ensued: communities established their own hospitals which were later taken over by regional authorities and governments only to be returned to the management of communities nowadays. Between 1978 and 1995 a 25% decline ensued in the number of public hospitals and those remaining were transformed to small, rural facilities.

In the USA, less than one third of the hospitals are in cities and only 15% had more than 200 beds. The 100 largest hospitals averaged 581 beds.

A debate rages in the West: should healthcare be completely privatized or should a segment of it be left in public hands? Read the rest of this entry »

Blessings of the Black Economy

September 28th, 2008 Posted in Economy Tips | No Comments »

I will post about black economy in this site!Some call it the “unofficial” or “informal” economy, others call it the “grey economy” but the old name fits it best: the “black economy”. In the USA “black” means “profitable, healthy” and this is what the black economy is. Macedonia should count its blessings for having had a black economy so strong and thriving to see it through the transition. If Macedonia had to rely only on its official economy it would have gone bankrupt long ago.

The black economy is made up of two constituent activities:

Legal activities that are not reported to the tax authorities and the income from which goes untaxed and unreported. For instance: it is not illegal to clean someone’s house, to feed people or to drive them. It is, however, illegal to hide the income generated by these activities and not to pay tax on it. In most countries of the world, this is a criminal offence, punishable by years in prison. Read the rest of this entry »

Making Outsized Returns in the Stock Market

August 11th, 2008 Posted in Business Tips, Economy Tips, Finance Tips | No Comments »

It is interesting and amazing to note that not until Charles Dow started compiling the Dow Jones Industrial and Dow Jones Rail Index and started writing about the stock market a little over a hundred years ago, stock speculation was regarded merely as a game for the rich or as gambling for the brave. Sure, there were the tape readers, but the majority of the public regarded Wall Street as a source of excitement - the entertainment provided freely (unless you were on the wrong side) by figures such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, and the infamous Daniel Drew.

In a series of stunning editorials for the Wall Street Journal at the turn of the century, Dow laid out the foundation of his own theory on the stock market. Among them were:

The market is always to be considered as having three movements, all going on at the same time.

The first thing to consider is the value of the stock in which the speculator proposes to trade, the second the direction of the main movement, and the third the direction of the secondary movement (i.e. stocks fluctuate together, but prices are controlled by values in the long run).

There are three phases to both a primary bull market and a primary bear market (not to be confused with the three movements mentioned above).

The formation of a “line” in the averages indicates accumulation or distribution

The market represents a serious well-considered effort on the part of far-sighted and well-informed men to adjust prices to such values as exist or which are expected to exist in the not too remote future.

The method of making money in stocks, according to Dow, was to study basic conditions and exercise enough patience to capture the major movements. One of the few speculators who discovered this relatively new concept of making money on Wall Street at the time was Jesse Livermore. He was able to accomplish this only through trial and error and the making and losing of several fortunes. Read the rest of this entry »

Reaching Younger Workers Who Think Differently

July 16th, 2008 Posted in Business Tips, My Manajemen | No Comments »

Every parent, educator, and manager knows that “Nintendo children”–those born after 1970 and raised on video and computer games, Walkmans, the Internet, etc.–are different. Unfortunately, the Gen-X discussion has focused mainly on the youths’ supposedly short attention spans and attention-deficit disorders, ignoring or underemphasizing what is perhaps the most crucial factor–that this under-30 generation thinks, and sees the world, in ways entirely different from their parents.

An example: This generation grew up on video games (”twitch speed”), MTV (more than 100 images a minute), and the ultra-fast speed of action films. Their developing minds learned to adapt to speed and thrive on it. Yet when they join our companies, we typically begin by putting them in corporate classrooms, bringing in poor speakers to lecture at them, and making them sit through an endless series of corporate videos.

Speedwise, we effectively give them depressants. And then we wonder why they’re bored.

I don’t mean to suggest that Sega and Sony have created new intellectual faculties in under-30s but, rather, that technology has emphasized and reinforced certain cognitive aspects and de-emphasized others. Most of these changes in cognitive style are positive. But however one feels, it’s important that managers (as well as educators and parents) recognize that these changes exist so that we can deal with the younger generation effectively. Read the rest of this entry »

Competition Laws

July 10th, 2008 Posted in Business Tips | No Comments »

The aims of competition (anti-trust) laws are to ensure that consumers pay the lowest possible price (=the most efficient price) coupled with the highest quality of the goods and services which they consume. This, according to current economic theories, can be achieved only through effective competition. Competition not only reduces particular prices of specific goods and services - it also tends to have a deflationary effect by reducing the general price level. It pits consumers against producers, producers against other producers (in the battle to win the heart of consumers) and even consumers against consumers (for example in the healthcare sector in the USA). This everlasting conflict does the miracle of increasing quality with lower prices. Think about the vast improvement on both scores in electrical appliances. The VCR and PC of yesteryear cost thrice as much and provided one third the functions at one tenth the speed.

Competition has innumerable advantages:

It encourages manufacturers and service providers to be more efficient, to better respond to the needs of their customers, to innovate, to initiate, to venture. In professional words: it optimizes the allocation of resources at the firm level and, as a result, throughout the national economy. More simply: producers do not waste resources (capital), consumers and businesses pay less for the same goods and services and, as a result, consumption grows to the benefit of all involved. Read the rest of this entry »

Business and Finance Solution

Career With The FBI

Choosing an eBook Compiler

Financial risk-taking behavior is associated with higher testosterone levels

5% Down Vs. 10% Down - A Comparison

Is My Money Safe On The Soundness Of Our Banks?

Sickly State of Public Hospitals

Blessings of the Black Economy

Making Outsized Returns in the Stock Market

Reaching Younger Workers Who Think Differently

Competition Laws

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