How many times have you heard someone say, “I really wish that I could quit my job and start my own business?” Chances are that you have heard quite a few people make that remark. In fact, maybe you say that to yourself all the time! It’s quite common to get fed up with being a “cubicle dweller” and working long hard hours in corporate America for “the man.” If the one thing that is holding you back from launching out on your own is the simple question, “What kind of business should I start?” then here are 12 different small business startup ideas that should get your creative juices flowing (in no particular order).
You may not think that becoming a Certified Public Accountant is a small business startup idea, but the fact is there are many advantages to getting a professional license like the CPA. One of the biggest advantages being that your skill set is easily transferable to going back to work for “the man” if your start up accounting firm doesn’t pan out as you had planned.
After announcing yesterday its plan to pay off $45 billion in TARP loans, Bank of America entered into a sale of $19.3 billion of securities today, causing its common stock prices to rise .7% to $15.76.
Bank of America Branch NY
Common Equivalent Securities
The stock that Bank of America put up for sale were some 1.286 billion common equivalent securities according to Bloomberg data, which are made up of one depositary share and one warrant, and is convertible to one common share. These shares were offered at a 4.8% discount to its common stock, ensuring that they would be sold off quickly. This is the largest sale of common stock by Bank of America since they sold $13.5 billion of common shares back in May to offset losses due to its Merrill Lynch takeover.
Today’s sale makes up the rest of the $45 billion needed to pay off the TARP funds owed to the US Treasury, along with some $26.2 billion in cash assets.
TARP Repayment
Bank of America hopes that by repaying TARP they will get out from under the shadow that seems to have covered the bank since it acquired Merrill Lynch and received government funds earlier this year. T
BBVA Compass Bank is now offering current BBVA Compass checking members a $25 sign-up bonus when they refer someone to open a new personal or business checking account using a Compass Bank customer referral code. Current members will also receive an additional $5 bonus for each new customer your referrals refer.
BBVA Promotion
The BBVA Compass Referral Program
Here’s how the BBVA Compass Bank Referral Program works.
EA Sports Madden NFL ‘10 has just been nominated for best team game of 2009 by Spike TV’s Video Game Awards, and with both real and virtual football season well underway, software giant Electronic Arts has decided that it will join up for Visa to give its loyal fans some cash-back rewards for their purchases of EA Sports game titles with their first ever EA Sports branded prepaid debit card.
EA Sports
The EA Sports DebitSmart Visa Prepaid Card
This new offer will allow sports gamers to earn points that can be used to purchase their favorite EA Sports game titles with a re-loadable, prepaid debit card from Visa. Users can add value to the card from payroll direct deposit, a checking account, other cards, or at one of thousands of GreenDot or Western Union retailers nationwide, such as WalMart, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, 7-Eleven, and Radio Shack. The card is accepted at millions of locations worldwide, wherever Visa prepaid cards are accepted, and can even be used at ATMs. Everyday spending on the card works towards earning you points that can then be redeemed to purchase EA Sports games.
The prepaid card has a lot of advantages over a traditional credit or debit card. First, there is no credit check required to receive your card, so if you have bad credit or have had trouble getting a checking account, you will still be able to receive a EA Sports DebitSmart Card. However, all funds deposited in your DebitSmart account are FDIC insured and protected by Visa’s Zero Liability fraud coverage, so you are assured that your money is secure. Visa prepaid debit cards can also be used to transfer funds to other cardholders, eliminating costly money transfer or wire transfer fees. The card does have a $1.99 monthly fee, and a $1 ATM transaction fee.
Earn Rewards
By using your EA Sports DebitSmart Card, you are eligible to receive “EA Sports Rewards Points” at over 26,000 retail locations and 700 online retailers including iTunes and NetFlix. When you use you
On Friday the Federation Internationale de Football Assoications, otherwise known as FIFA, announced what the groups would be for the 2010 World Cup. Drawing ping pong balls, FIFA placed 32 nations into 8 groups, which included a pairing of the United States and England. If you’re a US soccer fan, then you have to be happy because Group C as shown below, is easy peasy lemon squeezy. Taking nothing away from Slovenia and Algeria but the US should make it through to the knock-out stages.
If you are looking for tickets to the 2010 World Cup, you won’t find them in the usual places. Merchants like eBay, StubHub and RazrGator will NOT be authorized to sell tickets and the only place you can acquire them is at FIFA.com. There are five total phases in which FIFA are selling tickets and luckily for you today begins phase three. Simply log on to FIFA.com and fill out an application for tickets before January 22nd. If your application is selected from the random draw, your credit card will be charged. Each individual is allowed to purchase up to 28 total tickets (7 games allowed / 4 tickets per game) and tickets ARE ONLY AVAILABLE when you arrive to South Africa. Tickets will not be emailed or mailed and you must supply FIFA with your passport information before purchasing tickets. Scalpers beware!
Now without further adeiu, let’s tackle the best finance articles from this past week!