Home Business Magazine Online

By Amanda Reseburg 

The real estate market has been a bit like the Wild West in the last few years. A fast and furious sellers’ market at the tail end of 2021 gave way to rapidly rising interest rates and a slowdown of sales across the board. Couple that with rising rents in nearly every state, and it could leave people scratching their heads as to what is the better option: to rent or buy?

Marlo Richardson, serial entrepreneur and founder of the new hedge fund Business Bullish Investments, feels that it should always be considered a good time to get into the real estate market as a buyer, but that strategies need to shift with the changing times and market fluctuations.

“The number one factor that needs to be considered is affordability,” Richardson offers. “Renting may sometimes appear to be cheaper than buying but oftentimes you need to see what is included in the cost of rent (utilities, trash, cable). When deciding to buy, a down payment and reserves will be very important. You also should consider the location and the resale value based on the price paid.”

The Benefits of Renting

Rental prices have skyrocketed in the United States. In Richardson’s hometown of Los Angeles, the average rent price is a hefty $2,786, with an average apartment size of just over 789 square feet. Similar prices can be found in other metropolitan areas, such as San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, and Miami. These high rents have made it difficult for people to afford even the most standard of housing.

Still, many people lean on the rental option because they believe they would not be able to afford the down payment on a home. Richardson cautions people not to assume home ownership is completely out of reach. “Many people choose to rent because they cannot afford what they believe will be the down payment. The truth is there are many great loan programs out there that can allow someone to get into a house for less than what a potential rental deposit may be,” she says.

Choosing to Purchase

Even with interest rates staying high, it could still be a good time to buy, for either yourself or as an investment opportunity. Richardson stresses the importance of buying low.

“Short-term real estate projects are great if you are looking to invest quickly and receive a return quickly. Long-term real estate purchases can provide both monthly incomes and equity growth long-term. The important factor on both is to buy low,” she says.

Through Business Bullish Investments, Richardson hopes to help lower-income members of minority communities gain access to the real estate market and investments. She suggests that people interested in dipping their toes in the real estate investment waters consider investing with others such as Business Bullish Investments. When investing in funds, credit scores and savings are not an issue. When looking to invest individually, you must work on your credit score and seek pre-qualification from a bank.

No matter what route people choose, they should research all the available options and think long-term rather than short-term affordability. If history is any indication, interest rates, prices, and availability of real estate will consistently be in flux. Thinking like a savvy investor and striking at the right time may be one’s path to real estate success.

The post To Rent or Buy? Marlo Richardson Breaks Down Factors to Consider When Weighing Home Options appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/businesses/real-estate/rent-buy-marlo-richardson-breaks-down-factors-consider-weighing-home-options/

Home Business Magazine Online

Splitting up from your spouse can not only have repercussions on your personal life, but if you own a business, there can be other implications too. It’s wise to take action at the right time and where you can. In this article, we’ve compiled the fundamental steps you can take to ensure you are divorce-proofing your business.

What are assets in a divorce settlement?

It’s important to know that when handling a financial settlement, all of your assets will be put inside the ‘marital pot’. This is a financial pool containing property, pensions and investments that both of you jointly own.

In England and Wales, these pertain to assets you acquired both before and during your marriage. In Scotland, only assets acquired during your marriage are taken into consideration. Even when your spouse has had no part of the business, it will still usually be considered a divisible asset in the eyes of the courts.

• Limit the involvement of your spouse

There can often be differences of opinion when it comes to the level of participation one spouse has had in the business. By limiting the involvement of your spouse, you are to some degree, safeguarding it in the event of divorce. If there has been any kind of demonstrable involvement from your spouse then this could result in a claim against it. Naming your spouse as a director is a common approach to tax-efficiency but it does demonstrate that they had a part in the business and therefore are entitled to a claim against it.

• Keep your personal finances separate from your business

In a similar vein to restricting the involvement of your spouse, you should also draw distinct lines between your personal and business finances early on. This means maintaining up-to-date records of all your personal transactions. When looking into your finances, the courts will need to determine what exactly the matrimonial assets are. Presenting your business as separate is a good grounding for when you begin proceedings.

• Agree on a post-nuptial or prenuptial agreement

If you have your own business and are not yet married, consider taking out a prenuptial agreement. This will go some way in protecting your business in the event of a separation. Although it is not a legally binding document, they are recognised. Stipulate within it that your business is separate from your personal finances and that if you divorce, you will remain the sole owner of it. If you are already married, then a postnuptial agreement is an option too. Be wary of drawing one up close to divorcing as this can be viewed as trying to prevent a claim from your spouse in the eyes of the court. They will look at whether prior to the agreement you both took legal advice and that you disclosed your full financial position when you agreed the terms.

• Pay yourself well and get your business valued

You may be tempted to pay yourself a low salary and leave as much capital in the business as possible to ensure it has a good future sale value. However, this could backfire as your company’s value will rise and your spouse may perceive that they are entitled to an increased share of its value. The value of your business is important, so it’s also worth contacting a respected valuer or broker to carry out an assessment on your business. They will evaluate your company by looking at all financial documentation, such as P&L reports, balance sheets, any assets the business owns. They will also use recent sales of similar business to reach a final business valuation.

Takeaway

The key takeaway for protecting your business is to make wise decisions as early as you can. Look into what might happen in the event of divorce and take steps to minimise the risks.

The post How to Divorce-Proof Your Company appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/management/legalese/how-to-divorce-proof-company/

OpenAI has released GPT-4 to its API users today and is planning a live demo of GPT-4 today at 4 p.m. ET. This upgraded version promises greater accuracy and broader general knowledge and advanced reasoning. Microsoft’s Bing Chat feature was also upgraded to use GPT-4 over the past few weeks.

GPT-4. GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer and this is version 4, hence GPT-4. It is a neural network that is based on OpenAI’s large multimodal model that exhibits human-level performance on various professional and academic benchmarks.

“With iterative alignment and adversarial testing, it’s our best-ever model on factuality, steerability, and safety,” said OpenAI CTO Mira Murati.

“GPT-4 is a large multimodal model (accepting image and text inputs, emitting text outputs) that, while less capable than humans in many real-world scenarios, exhibits human-level performance on various professional and academic benchmarks,” the company wrote.

Bing Chat uses GPT-4. Meanwhile, Bing confirmed that the new Bing was running on GPT-4, customized for search.

• “If you’ve used the new Bing in preview at any time in the last six weeks, you’ve already had an early look at the power of OpenAI’s latest model. As OpenAI makes updates to GPT-4 and beyond, Bing benefits from those improvements to ensure our users have the most comprehensive copilot features available.”

You can try it in the new Bing.

Works with ChatGPT Plus. OpenAI said ChatGPT Plus subscribers will get GPT-4 access on chat.openai.com with a usage cap. OpenAI may adjust that cap as it monitors usage.

API access. To get access to the GPT-4 API sign up for the waitlist. The GPT-4 API uses the same ChatCompletions API as gpt-3.5-turbo. OpenAI is inviting some developers today, “and scale up gradually to balance capacity with demand,” the company said.

Why we care. Watching the space change, and rapidly improve is fun and exciting – hope you enjoy testing these AI models out for your own purposes.

Meanwhile, you can learn more over here and give it a try on ChatGPT or on the new Bing.

The post OpenAI releases GPT-4 and Bing Chat upgraded appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/openai-releases-gpt-4-394269

Looking to create powerful marketing campaigns and better customer experiences? Marketers constantly seek new ways to unleash more power from their martech stack. The growing role of the data warehouse as the source of truth for customer data plays a key part in delivering these delightful customer experiences.

In this webinar, Juan Mendoza and Scott Brinker will discuss the emerging role of the category of warehouse-native and composable marketing technologies, the future of the martech stack, and the transition from packaged technologies to composable and modular solutions in the effort to reach customers better.

Register today for “The Next Big Thing in Martech: The Data Warehouse,” presented by Hightouch.

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Click here to view more Search Engine Land webinars.

The post The next big thing in martech: The data warehouse appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/the-next-big-thing-in-martech-the-data-warehouse-394295

Home Business Magazine Online

Multi-camera live streaming technology is revolutionizing how people communicate and share content. It is a powerful tool that allows individuals to broadcast live events and content to viewers around the world. With multi-camera live streaming technology, users can easily switch between multiple cameras, allowing them to capture multiple angles and perspectives for engaging content.

This technology can be used to live stream conferences, meetings, classes, performances, and more, allowing viewers to feel as if they are there in person. It also allows for interactive experiences, as viewers can comment and ask questions in real time. With multi-camera live-streaming technology, the possibilities for live-streaming content are endless. Here, you can find the best multi-camera for live streaming on the market: https://www.razer.com/pc/streaming/kiyo-family.

Live streaming with multiple cameras is an increasingly popular tool for businesses and organizations to create engaging content for their audiences. With the help of multiple cameras, businesses can easily create high-quality, immersive live streams. Here are the advantages of using multi-camera live streaming that businesses should consider:

Improved Video Quality with Multiple Angles

Using a multi-camera live stream setup can dramatically improve the video quality of your broadcast. With multiple angles, you can capture different perspectives to produce a dynamic, engaging experience for your viewers. Whether you’re shooting from the stage, the audience, or even an aerial view, you can create a visual masterpiece that’s sure to impress. Having the ability to switch between angles and perspectives on the fly allows for a much more engaging experience for the viewer, rather than having to settle for just one static shot.

Cost Efficiency of Using Multiple Cameras

The cost efficiency of using multiple cameras is just one of the reasons why they can be so beneficial. With a multi-camera setup, you can get more angles and shots in less time, which can save on both production costs and staff.

You can also make use of remote cameras to capture shots from different perspectives and locations, as well as use a variety of lenses and lighting to create interesting effects. By using multiple cameras, you can also get more creative with your content and capture different angles and perspectives that would otherwise be impossible.

Ability to Capture More Content in Real Time

It gives you the ability to capture more content than ever before in an incredibly efficient and dynamic way. With multiple cameras running simultaneously, you can capture multiple angles of the same event, providing your audience with a truly immersive experience.

You can also capture more details and action-packed scenes from different perspectives, which can make your content truly captivating. Furthermore, you can be sure that you won’t miss any important moments or details, as you’ll be able to switch between cameras quickly and easily.

Increased Production Value with Multiple Camera Views

Using multiple cameras to live stream an event can add a whole new level of production value to the production. Instead of having a single camera view, you can have multiple angles to capture the event from all sides. This allows you to show a more engaging experience to your audience, as they can feel like they’re right there in action. With multiple cameras, you can mix and match angles to create a truly unique and captivating live stream.

The post Upgrading Your Broadcasting Experience with Multi-Camera Live Streaming Technology appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/growing-a-business/upgrading-equipment/upgrading-broadcasting-experience-multi-camera-live-streaming-technology/

Home Business Magazine Online

Drones are an essential technology in today’s world. You can use drones in your small business to boost productivity, reduce operation time and energy, and obtain reliable outcomes. For instance, you can use them to make quick, cost-effective delivery solutions to serve your clients from order to handoff.

The increased popularity of drones has resulted in the influx of different models, sizes, and types from manufacturers. This can make choosing the one that best suits your needs challenging. Thankfully, some tips and tricks can help you simplify the process.

Below is your essential guide to buying a drone for your small business:

1. Define Your Purpose

Your main goal of buying a drone goes a long way to determining the right one for your small business. It lets you know the right features to look for in a drone and the type to purchase.

Say you’re running a cleaning business. In this case, it’s best to find a drone that’s designed to soft clean buildings, windows, and other areas, like Lucid Drone C1 spraying drone and other similar products. Such a product can provide a safer and better solution to the current washing issues.

Drones have urban flight capabilities, a multi-directional nozzle, and collision prevention to protect you and help you clean hard-to-reach areas.

2. Consider Battery Life

Battery life is one of the most crucial features to consider before buying a drone. The battery capacity determines how long you can use your drone. Shorter battery life can be inconvenient, as you may have to pause your task to charge it frequently. Additionally, it can result in more downtime to swap the batteries and an enhanced need to carry additional batteries to your place, reducing productivity.

Therefore, to overcome such mishaps, it’s ideal to go for models with the most extended battery lives that offer maximum flight time.

3. Check the Flight Time

Flight time is the average time your drone can last in the air when fully charged. It’s a crucial factor to consider before buying a drone as it determines the length of time you can work with your equipment uninterrupted. Therefore, if you’re using your drone for a long time, go for one with a high flight time.

One thing that influences a drone’s flight time is its battery. Likewise, the flight time depends on the type of work you’re doing, how much it’s hauling, and environmental conditions like heavy wind and storms.

4. Go for Durable and High-Quality Drones

The best drones are the ones that last longer. You wouldn’t want a drone that crashes after you use it a few times. A durable drone withstands wind, dust, dirt, and collision with other objects.

An excellent way to determine a stable drone is to read client reviews on the website. Reviews offer valuable guidance from people who have used the device, enabling you to make a better purchase decision. Consider picking drones with obstacle avoidance features to protect them from crashing into any surface and enhance their life span.

Moreover, examine the quality and build of your drone. Check if it’s made of lightweight or heavy material. A lightweight drone flies quickly, optimizes performance, and rarely breaks. On the other hand, a heavy-weight drone impacts your battery’s life and can easily crash.

5. Consider the Availability of Spare Parts

Like any other machine, you’ll need spare parts and accessories for your drone. Parts like propellers and motors can wear out; others like antennas, landing gear, and gimbals may break. Thus, you may want to increase the convenience by replacing the damaged parts and upgrading your device’s camera, lenses, flight controller, and other parts to boost performance.

In whichever case, models with readily available spare parts are best to prevent the inconvenience caused by delays. You may even purchase spare parts in advance to have them whenever required.

6. Consider the Cost

Another significant factor to keep in mind when buying a drone is the price. The cost of drones dramatically varies depending on the available features and capabilities. Factors affecting the cost are the payload, wing span, flight range, and battery lifespan.

Some drones are highly priced, while others are more affordable. You’d therefore want to buy a drone that’s within your budget. Thankfully, you can always find cost-effective drones. Just ensure you determine precisely what you need in a drone to avoid going for one with extra features you may not require and end up paying a lot of money.

Conclusion

Buying a drone for your small business is one of your most significant decisions. Drones boost your performance by helping you expedite time-consuming projects. However, with the different types and models of drones available today, picking one that suits your business can take time and effort. Thankfully, when you know your purpose for buying a drone, the features to look for, and your budget, you can easily find one that’ll adequately serve you.

The post An Essential Guide to Buying a Drone for Your Small Business appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/businesses/equipment/essential-guide-buying-drone-small-business/

Bing may replace the standard answers you get at the top of the Bing Search results with Bing Chat answers.

The current answers on Bing Search “use old technology and crowdsourcing” and that Bing “will replace them ASAP” with Bing Chat responses, Mikhail Parakhin, who leads up Bing Search and Bing Chat, said on Twitter over the weekend.

This may result in a new user interface for the answers Bing Search provides to user queries directly in the Bing search results, Parakhin added.

What it might look like. It is hard to say for certain how these Bing Chat-based answers may look, but we did spot a new feature that summarizes answers from multiple sources across the web, which looks a lot like Bing Chat responses.

Here is a screenshot of that from Brodie Clark on Twitter:

Context. Here are those tweets where Parakhin said this, so you can see the full context:

Testando com Curitiba, Bing informou dois resultados. O card em cima tá com informação de sites de 3 anos atrás.
Google informou 0 card.

IMO precisam atualizar o card em cima pelo Chat ou algo do tipo, é muito mais preciso. pic.twitter.com/6erGVgSAhN

— Vitor de Lucca | @vitordelucca@bolha.us | (@vitor_dlucca) March 11, 2023

Yep, they use old technology and crowdsourcing, we will replace them ASAP. Probably even some new UI.

— Mikhail Parakhin (@MParakhin) March 11, 2023

Improved Bing Search and Bing Chat integration. Improved Bing Search with Bing Chat integration is coming, Parakhin said:

• “It’s a tricky interaction, so the bugs keep creeping in.”

Bing Chat growing. This news follows Microsoft’s recent announcement of some metrics showing the growth of Bing chat:

• Over 100 million daily active users.
• 45 million total chats.
• One-third of daily preview users use Bing Chat daily.
• One-third of preview users are brand new to Bing.

Why we care. Watching how search may adapt over time with the rollout of AI chat features is interesting and also important for publishers, content creators, marketers and SEOs. If Bing will replace featured snippet-like responses with Bing Chat responses, that might impact click-through rates and traffic to your websites.

The post Microsoft may replace Bing Search answers with Bing Chat responses appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/microsoft-may-replace-bing-search-answers-with-bing-chat-responses-394212

Delivering personalized customer journeys while respecting privacy.

Effectively and responsibly leveraging generative AI.

Supercharging your funnels with qualified leads.

These are table stakes for modern marketers like you. And marketing technology is your key to making it all happen.

Attend MarTech, online March 28-29 for FREE, to unlock…

• Nearly 50 tactic-rich sessions on how to leverage marketing technology for ongoing organizational success
• 50 tactic-rich sessions from Sysco, Forrester, Electrolux, and more – ready to share reliable solutions, strategies, and insights to mine valuable first-party data, streamline marketing operations, and drive more ROI
• An exclusive AI panel featuring Anita Brearton, CEO at CabinetM, Ricky Ray Butler, CEO at BENlabs, Pam Didner, VP of Marketing at Relentless Pursuit, and Paul Roetzer, CEO at Marketing AI Institute (plus live Q&A!)
• Additional live Q&A with select speakers (including the godfather of martech, Scott Brinker!) – so you can get specific answers to your questions in real-time
• Two eye-opening keynotes that will help you identify B2B and B2C consumers in a privacy-driven environment and prepare for the changing go-to-market reality
• Invigorating Coffee Talk meetups, where you can discuss ChatGPT, GA4, and MOPs challenges with like-minded attendees and industry experts (only available live!)
• Instant on-demand access to all sessions and keynotes – participate when it fits your schedule
• Your very own Certificate of Attendance and digital badge – perfect for sharing on social and showcasing your commitment to the latest in marketing

… all for free – and all without leaving your desk. What are you waiting for? MarTech kicks off in TWO weeks… secure your pass now!

The post T-minus 2 weeks until MarTech: Grab your free pass now to discover cutting-edge solutions and strategies appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/the-martech-conference-news-394240

Reading Time: 3 mins

Many teachers and lecturers – both active and retired – boost their income by marking GCSE and other exam papers. It’s a useful way of squeezing extra cash out of something you already know how to do. If you’d like to mark exams for some extra income then read on…

• What’s involved in exam marking?
• How much can I make?
• What costs will there be?
• What training and qualifications will I need?
• Pros
• Cons

 

What’s Involved in Exam Marking?

Exam boards generally recruit throughout the year with the bulk of examiners employed for the summer. Most exam marking is done in June and then a bit more in January, leaving you free for the rest of the year.

You might get one other batch of exam marking if you’re lucky. However, you are unlikely to get four contracts in twelve months.

Exam marking usually takes three or four weeks for which the examiner will be paid something in the range of £500 to £1,000. The number of scripts involved varies from subject to subject, as does the payment per script. Some subjects are tougher to mark so examiners are paid more for each one and given fewer of them.

Training is provided for new examiners. In addition to this, you have to attend a standardisation meeting for each contract to ensure consistency.

 

How much can I make?

You can expect to earn between £500 and £1,000 over three or four weeks, more than enough to pay for a week or two in the sun!

 

What costs will there be?

Nothing except your time, although you will need your own computer for online exam marking. This is because most scripts are now marked through an online system.

Training days are free and most exam boards will bear the replacement costs if you have to miss a day of teaching. To reimburse these costs, exam boards will often give you a teacher release voucher. As well as this, you should get travel expenses too.

 

What training and qualifications will I need?

You must be fully qualified in the subject you’re examining and ideally have teaching experience in it. Computer literacy is just as important, as you’ll most likely be required to work online as an examiner.

There will be training days where new examiners learn the secrets of standardised exam marking. Here you’ll be monitored throughout the exam marking process.

 

Pros

• You can work alongside your current role.
• Three or four weeks will earn you enough to take a holiday!
• Being an examiner will look good on your CV.
• It will improve your teaching. There’s nothing like marking 300 scripts to help you realise what examiners like and dislike.
• The training sessions provide valuable networking opportunities.
• Oh yes, and you can work at home where the coffee is probably better than at work.
• There even may be an opportunity to become a senior examiner too.

 

Cons

• The work comes in short, sharp, concentrated bursts.
• 500 pieces of work are a lot to get through in three or four weeks.
• Self-discipline and effective time management are a must. You can’t leave it all to the last minute, plus you owe the students a clear mind.

 

Useful contacts

• Assessment Qualifications Alliance (AQA)
• Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations
• Edexcel (an awarding body that provides academic and vocational qualifications)
• Welsh Joint Education Committee
• Council For The Curriculum Examination Assessment (Northern Ireland)

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The post Exam Marking – Use your Knowledge to Make money appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/exam-marking