Business & Finance Blog

You must pay 1.5 times an employee’s regular pay rate for each hour worked over 40 in the workweek (any 168 consecutive hours). Employers can structure the workweek (e.g., starting Sunday at 9 a.m. for 10 hours a day, 4 days a week). Employees cannot waive overtime. You need not count for overtime purposes paid nonwork hours (vacation, holidays, sick days, jury duty, etc.). You may give time off in lieu of overtime only in the same workweek. Hospitals have exceptions under the 8/80 rule. Always check state laws.

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There are many steps to take when you are trying to make money online through affiliate programs. The most tedious and most important step will always be the marketing aspect. Beginners affiliate marketing should begin with knowledge. Read everything that you can to find out the different paths that are available.

As an affiliate, there will be millions of products and services to choose from. You should always choose a product that is in a similar niche to that of your websites.
A website that is based on technology should not have ads and affiliate programs about curtains and bedding. You can choose to display shoe ads if your website is about shoes, or you can select products that will go well with that topic such as clothing and accessories.

Whatever you choose as an affiliate program, always try to start with a product that you have used. As an affiliate marketer, you are recommending these products to your visitors, and they will not be pleased to find out that the product is subpar after they have purchased it.
You want to suggest a product that you know and love. By telling your website visitors about the honest experience that you have had with a product, the more they will grow to trust your word. Always be honest with your customers. As large as the internet is, it is still small enough and a few bad reviews about you and your website, can travel quickly and destroy your reputation before it has even begun.

A great way to receive and keep new visitors, is with a free offer. When free products are available, other websites will at times link to that web page so that they can tell their own visitors about the great deal. This helps you to get back links as well as new visitors who may decide to check out your website. This can help you to gain new visitors as well as repeat customers.
A well made site can become self sustaining in a short amount of time. This means that you will be able to simply add new content, done by yourself or through a freelancer, while you do other tasks, such as setting up more affiliate websites. You should always keep an eye on all of your web pages, to update and to make sure that there are no problems with your site or server.

While you are still learning, it is best to start with one affiliate program before moving to others. Trying to do, too much too soon can be a recipe for disaster. Put all of your efforts and concentration into making your first affiliate program a success.

Once you have learned how to put your skills into effect, your beginners affiliate marketing techniques can move on to new websites, blogs and affiliate programs.
With the knowledge that you have gained through your first website, you can begin to apply the same techniques to duplicate your previous success. However, you should always remember to check back with websites, ebooks and blogs, so that you are kept up to date on the new affiliate marketing techniques that are available.

Author: Jude Wright has been the owner of http://aboutaffiliatemarketing.com since 2002.

• Is it legal to ask for an applicant’s SS card?
• Can you request it for payroll purposes?
• Can you make a copy if an executive asks to see it?

The rules: You may not request the documents listed on Form I-9 that applicants can use as proof of identity to establish their right to work in the U.S. Applicants must choose these of their own volition. If they submit an SS card, you can make a copy; if they do not, you cannot ask for it.

However, after someone is hired, you can request a Social Security card to copy for payroll records. A good time to request it is when a new hire submits a W-4. If the W-4 is submitted with the I-9, have someone else in your firm request the SS card so you are not accused of requesting the SS card for I-9 purposes.

Once you have the SS card, make sure the name on your payroll records precisely matches the name on the SS card. If there is a difference, the SSA may not record the employee’s earnings, resulting in lower Social Security benefits later on. And, it may cost your firm even more.

Many states now have laws governing employer handling of both SS cards and SSNs. Before using SSNs as employee ID numbers, check with state authorities.

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We have all felt lost when searching for something on the Web. With billions of pages of information, sometimes even the simplest search can seem like looking for a grain of salt on the beach. However, with a little inside knowledge of how search engines work, you can target your searches and find what you are looking for a lot faster.

Search engines use automated software programs called spiders, bots or crawlers. These programs analyze Web pages and add the data they’ve collected to the search engines index. When you enter a term into a search engine, that term is checked against the search engine’s index. Any Web pages matching the term are listed in the results page, with the closest match at the top.

Most people search the Web using keywords, which can be single words, phrases or proper names. Keywords are effective for very specific searches, but don’t do as well for general terms. For instance, searching for Joe’s Bar and Grill returns just under 4 million results from Google®. If you’re looking for a specific location and it doesn’t appear in the first ten results, you might feel like you’re looking for that grain of salt on the beach.

For phrase searches, quotes are your first best friend. For example, searching for Web Search Engine returns more than 15 million results. However, by putting that phrase in quotes you will drastically reduce the number of results to just under two million and every result on the first page matches exactly the phrase you’re looking for. This one small tip is a huge time saver, but if you want to improve your search skills even further, you can use more advanced search techniques, such as Boolean searches or site-specific searches.

A Boolean search is based on the logical relationship among search terms. Boolean logic consists of three operators:

AND If you are searching for information about Ford Mustangs and you search for ford mustang, the search engine returns results about President Ford and horses. However, if you search for ford AND mustang, your search engine returns only pages that have both of those terms. These days, many search engines default to AND. Always play it safe and consult the Help files at your search engine site to find out which logic is the default.

NOT If you are searching for information about BlackBerry® devices and you search for blackberries, the search engine returns results about fruit and pies. However, if you search for blackberries NOT fruit NOT pies, your search engine returns items that are less likely to be about the tasty fruit and are instead about the “crackberries” we all know and love.

OR – If you search for cats, the results are limited to only pages that contain the word cats. However, if you search for cats OR felines OR kittens, your search engine returns pages that contain either the word cats, or the word felines, or the word kittens. This trick actually gives you MORE results, but can still be very helpful.
If you know what you’re looking for on a specific site but can’t find it when you look there, no problem add a site-specific tag to your search. For example, if you want to find information about strep throat on WebMD.com, just enter strep throat site: webmd.com into the search engine. The site command tells the search engine to limit its results to the site specified; in this case WebMD.com

With those few simple tips, you can greatly increase your search ability and get what you need on the Web in less time. That grain of salt is there you just need to know how to look for it.

Happy Surfing!

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Spam, or Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE), has gone from a nuisance to a plague, with many people now receiving more spam than legitimate email.

Server administrators do their best to stop spam by detecting it when it arrives. If they are successful in identifying an unsolicited message, they can either delete or filter it.

However, individuals play the most important part. We have the ability to stop spam from arriving. There are several things we can do to reduce the flood.

-Be careful when and where you post your email address!
The more places your email address is shown, the more chances a spammer has to add it to their list. If you don’t need your email address to be published on your web site, don’t put it there. Try using a comment form or a fax number instead.

-Don’t put your business card in a glass bowl!
Many restaurants and retailers have a bowl or box where you can enter a prize drawing by leaving your business card. Read the fine print. The reason many of these drawings exist is to collect your personal information for future marketing efforts. Often, there are no limits on what they are able to do with that information. Your details, including your email address, may be sold and re-sold to marketing firms.

How you deal with spam that does arrive will influence how much you receive in the future.

-If the email has a link in it, do not click it!
The more sophisticated spammers will place a unique ID in links that they use. This means that if you click the link, you will not only be subjected to more advertising on their Web site, but you will have confirmed that your email address is real and functioning. That makes you a prime target for the next advertisement.

-Don’t fall for the urgent demand!
Spammers try hard to make you click their links. They use tricks such as implying that your online banking account is at risk or some other ‘urgent’ issue. Don’t fall for it. Find a safe way to check your accounts otherwise you will be putting yourself at risk. Go to the Web site directly – NOT via the link in the email – if you want to check on your account.

Report the Spam!

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Washington — The Internal Revenue Service today announced that interest rates for the calendar quarter beginning July 1, 2008, will drop by one percentage point. The new rates will be:

• five (5) percent for overpayments [four (4) percent in the case of a corporation];
• five (5) percent for underpayments;
• seven (7) percent for large corporate underpayments; and
• two and one-half (2.5) percent for the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000.

Under the Internal Revenue Code, the rate of interest is determined on a quarterly basis. For taxpayers other than corporations, the overpayment and underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points. Generally, in the case of a corporation, the underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points and the overpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 2 percentage points. The rate for large corporate underpayments is the federal short-term rate plus 5 percentage points. The rate on the portion of a corporate overpayment of tax exceeding $10,000 for a taxable period is the federal short-term rate plus one-half (0.5) of a percentage point.

The interest rates announced today are computed from the federal short-term rate based on daily compounding determined during April 2008.

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Most theft is committed by employees rather than outsiders. Some companies use background checks and consider the time and expense well worth it. But, as expert fraud examiners told our members in our General Ledger newsletter, you should, at least check the background of any employee who will have constant access to cash, checks, credit card numbers, inventory or any items easily stolen, computer programs that attach to payroll or accounts payable. Before hiring, check as many of the following as possible:

• Past employment. Although most employers will verify only position and dates of employment, tone of voice may reveal more. Ask prior employers if the applicant is eligible for rehire. A more aggressive (and less likely to be answered) question: “If you were me, would you hire this person?
• Criminal convictions. Services such as Nexis and ChoicePoint have criminal conviction records for almost all large counties. If the candidates former or current county of residence is not included, go to that county’s courthouse and check the criminal courts divisions criminal records.
• Drug screening. Many firms screen employees and potential hires for drugs. Frequent users may be more prone to theft or fraud.
• References. Astonishingly few employers actually call references, assuming that a former supervisor or coworker will give a good reference or that no applicant will give the name of someone who will give a bad one. But some people list important-sounding but false references, hoping you won’t call one.
• Degrees, certifications, licenses. Always verify a degree, license, or certification with the school or issuing organization. Are they valid? Have they been revoked? Most issuing organizations will tell you if disciplinary action has been taken against a person.
• Get the candidates consent. Many federal laws (e.g., the Fair Credit Reporting Act) and state laws cover the collection and use of information for hiring. Many require a candidates written consent to obtain the information. Even when not required, it is advisable to get a candidates signed authorization and release. Thus, it is crucial for your company to consult HR and/or legal counsel about laws and regs for:

1. requesting a candidates authorization to seek information or to give a drug test;

2. the wording of the authorization or release that a company is asking the candidate(s) to sign; and

3. dealing with rejected candidates if information obtained was used to make the decision.

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It’s a moment many taxpayers dread. A letter arrives from the IRS — and it’s not a refund check. Don’t panic; many of these letters can be dealt with simply and painlessly. Each year, the IRS sends millions of letters and notices to taxpayers to request payment of taxes, notify them of a change to their account or request additional information. The notice you receive normally covers a very specific issue about your account or tax return. Each letter and notice offers specific instructions on what you are asked to do to satisfy the inquiry. If you receive a correction notice, you should review the correspondence and compare it with the information on your return.

Most correspondence can be handled without calling or visiting an IRS office. However, if you have questions, call the telephone number in the upper right-hand corner of the notice. Have a copy of your tax return and the correspondence available when you call to help us respond to your inquiry.

Be sure to keep copies of any correspondence with your records. For more information about IRS notices and bills, see Publication 594, What You Should Know about the IRS Collection Process. Information about penalties and interest charges is available in Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax. Both publications are available at IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Remember that for the genuine IRS Web site be sure to use .gov. Don’t be confused by internet sites that end in .com, .net, .org or other designations instead of .gov. The address of the official IRS governmental Web site is www.irs.gov.

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